About us...

Two moms trying to raise their families a little greener, a little healthier, and with a whole lot of love. All this while trying to save a little green along the way. Product reviews, green ideas, money-saving tips, and more!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Free $5 Babies R Us Gift Card- GO QUICK!

Just saw this on Baby Cheap Skate:

Go to the Babies R Us Facebook page and become a fan for a free $5 eGift card that they say you can us online or in-store. They say quantities are limited for this offer valid today only. If you get the $5 eGift card by email (takes a few days before they send it) it will expires on February 20. If you are already a fan, visit the "Signup" tab to regsiter for it.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

FREE insulated freezer bag! **GONE**


Wahoo! We LOVE freebies! Sam's Club is offering a FREE insulated reusable freezer bag. This offer is available for the first 30,000 registrants. You do not have to be a Sam's Club member to benefit from this FREEBIE! Fill out the request form HERE to sign up for this offer (click on the request your bag link).
Thanks hip2save!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

When is the last time you opened up a phone book?

The other day, a bag of 3 GIGANTIC phone books was dropped on my front step. I was beyond annoyed; I know it is a business and they MUST be making money on these phone books, but I can't remember the last time I even used a phone book and on top of that, where in the world would I store these 4-5" thick books?? They immediately were dropped in the recycle bin.

My local cloth diaper store, The Giggling Green Bean, passed along this info on their facebook page and I thought it might be of interest to you:

Go to DexKnows and scroll down to the bottom of the home page; click on "select your Dex"; type in your ZIP code, which will bring you to a page asking for your address. The drop-down menu will let you select publications you want to receive or let you opt out completely.

The Yellow Book, which has been publishing directories for nearly 80 years, will let you opt out by going to www.yellowpagesoptout.com. Neither company's book delivery will be blocked until the end of this year or the beginning of next.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Kashi FREE Sample


Kashi is offering a free sample! Pick your choice of one of three products.
- GOLEAN Crisp!™ Toasted Berry Crumble cereal
- TLC® Dark Chocolate Coconut Fruit & Grain bar (my choice)
- GOLEAN Crunch!® Honey Almond Flax cereal
Fill out the request form here to select your free sample.

Wiggee's Infant/Toddler Shoes $5 Sale!

Wiggee's - Li'l shoes for Li'l feet is going out of business. They are currently having an inventory closeout sale with shoes being just $5 if you buy three or more pairs. Use coupon code 3ormore at checkout. There is a $6.95 freight charge applied to all orders. These are made out of leather so they are not vegan friendly. However, the colored dyes used are non-toxic and environmentally friendly. I have not seen or tried these shoes out so I cannot speak on their quality or durability. (However, I do have a few pairs on the way for baby girl arriving in May!)

A description from the Wiggee's site.....

WHAT MAKES WIGGEE'S UNIQUE?

All natural soft-touch leather, amazingly durable and the most breathable type for healthy little feet.
Wiggee’s are all hand made. Whimsical designs are embroidered on in colorful detail, not simply stitched on like other brands.
All color dyes are safe, non-toxic and environmentally friendly.
100% cotton terry cloth inner lining to absorb moisture.Compare to similar shoes that have non-breathable synthetic lining or no lining at all .
Cotton terry cloth lining is soft and comfortable, wear with or without socks.
0 – 12 mos. sizes have a non-skid suede sole. 12 – 24 mos. sizes add a thin, flexible rubber sole for better traction when little ones start walking and exploring. Also protects little feet from pebbles or objects on the ground. Compare to similar shoes that offer no protection
Easy slip-on design that little ones can’t pull off. No laces to come undone.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Friendly reminder...




If you haven't used your Gymbucks at Gymboree yet, this is the last day to redeem them! It's like getting 50% off on all merchandise- even sale and clearance- can't beat that. There are some REALLY cute Valentine's Day items if you are in the mood for a splurge- I picked up the above shirt for E, $16.75 before Gymbuck savings. It was just too cute to resist! Lots of sales items have been picked over in store, but be sure to ask the employees if they have anything in back in the size and season you are looking for- they are usually very happy to look for you. My stores in Colorado still have the Red Balloon sale going on as well- which means you are going to find clothes 60% off (Sometimes more!) and be able to get an additional 50% off that if you're redeeming Gymbucks, but Daniella said her stores ended their Red Balloon sale before Gymbuck Redemption time.


Another awesome sale going on right now is Aaron Brothers' Penny Frame sale. Today is the last day to take advantage of this sale, but it is a buy-one-get-one for a penny sale. Great time to stock up frames! If you are an artist, this sale also applies to their canvases as well. Their gallery wrapped canvases are one of my favorites. Stores are located in most western US states.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

50% off Bambino Land



Check out the great sale at Bambino Land (ends tomorrow 01-24). You can get 50% off nearly any product in their online store with coupon code SAVE50. Some exclusions apply - no shoes and no drop ship items. I have heard great things about their muslin swaddling blankets. Check 'em out, they have lots to pick from (toys, clothes, sheets, receiving blankets, etc.)

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

How About World Peace!


Wouldn't that be nice! Show your support for World Peace before 2021 with a FREE bumper sticker. Just fill out the request and 9 year old Axil Kollist, Little Humanitarian of the Year 2007, will send you one of his bumper stickers!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

FREE 'organic' hand sanitizer / 'organic' note pad



Grab yourself some free 'organic' hand sanitizer and/or a free 'organic' note pad available through solarenergypittsburgh.com. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page for the free product registration. I'm not exactly sure what constitutes the hand sanitizer and the note pad as organic as there is no product description. But hey, they're FREE! Who couldn't use another bottle of hand sanitizer this season! (available while supplies last)

Monday, January 18, 2010

Organic specials on Amazon

There are quite a few organic items listed under the "manager's specials". These items are on sale and in bulk so they can be pretty good deals. Plus, if you sign up for amazon's subscribe and save you can get a discount on the sale price (just remember to cancel the subscription)! I'm seeing savings on organic lollipops, earth's best baby food, pasta, Jungle Grub snack bars, Newman's Own pretzels, maple syrup, some cereals, apple sauce, and LOTS of tea. There are some great snack items for the kiddos. Check it out!

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Chico reusable bag SALE! (6 for $10)


Ditch those single use shopping bags and stock up on these great inexpensive reusable Chico's bags. Chico's has revamped their logo and discontinued all their old logo bags. Add the Chico's grab bag to your shopping cart and get 5 random bags for $10 (reg. price $24.95). You can also add this Gorgeously Green bag to your cart and enter code GIRL at check out to get the bag for free ($5.99 value), just pay the shipping! So, you can get 6 of these great reusable shopping bags for $10 plus shipping! There are countless uses for these bags! Think about stocking up on some to use as gift bags or green party favor bags!

A little about the Chico bag...

The Original is our compact reusable bag that started it all. A reusable bag is only valuable if it is easy to remember and the Original design makes it easy to stow by featuring an integrated stuff pouch, which allows the entire bag to fit easily in your pocket. The pouch features a carabiner so your ChicoBag™ brand reusable bag can be clipped anywhere. These two design elements can be found in all our products. The Original weighs only 1.5 ounces and stuffs down into a 3"x4" pouch. Its twenty-five pound carrying capacity makes it the ideal size for a trip to the grocery store or farmers market.


Materials: Made of durable woven polyester. Our fabric allows for easy opening and stuffing. No special folding is required


Dimensions: Bag 18"x14.5" Pouch 3"x4" (approximately)


Capacity: 25 lbs. (One gallon of milk is approximately 7 lbs.)


Washing: Machine wash cold and hang dry.



Friday, January 15, 2010

Cloth Diaper SALES!


Who doesn't love a great cloth diaper sale? I know I do! It seems like this week there are some great cloth diaper deals out there. Check out The Fuzzi Bunz Store where the popular Fuzzi Bunz diaper is on clearance for $11.95 (reg $17.95 add $2 for prints). There are also many other clearanced goodies.


The Just Kids Store.com has a number of Bum Genius products at great prices. If you have been following Gaga Greenies for awhile you know how much we love our Bum Genius diapers! This online store is showing a sale price of $19.99 on the organic-all in one-one size-cloth diaper with snaps(which I LOVE and this is a great deal). The regular price on this diaper is $24.95 and you will be hard pressed to find these diapers on sale often. They are also showing the 3.0 one size cloth diaper on sale as well as some accessories.


Swaddlebees is also having a great sale! They are showing the all in one with hook and loop (velcro) closure on sale for $10 (reg. price $21.95). An organic pocket diaper with hook and loop closure is on sale for $10 (reg. price $21.95). They also have a fitted diaper on sale as well as some diaper covers. Check the site since there is lots marked WAY down!
Stock up on some new fluff!


100% Natural and Organic Oatmeal Bath

I first posted this 'recipe' for homemade organic oatmeal bath back in June. I figure that since it's now winter I would re-post it. This oatmeal bath will really help to soothe that dry and scaly winter skin.


Oatmeal baths are often recommended to soothe symptoms of: eczema, chicken pox, poison ivy/sumac/oak, dry skin, sunburn, windburn, insect bites, and a number of other ailments.
However, a store bought oatmeal bath product can be costly. Many of the store bought versions also contain chemicals which can irritate the skin. My son experienced a food intolerance this year which resulted in a full body rash. I thought that an oatmeal bath would help to soothe his skin but didn’t want to spend a lot on something that may not work. I did a little research and found that it was easy to make my own oatmeal bath with the oatmeal I had right in my pantry!

A popular name brand version is 12 ounces and will cost on average $6. This homemade version will make about 18 ounces and will cost about $3. You do the math! This version is all natural and organic, and simple to make.

All you will need is a blender, food processor or coffee grinder and about 1/3 cup of organic oatmeal. Instant oatmeal (unflavored), quick oats, or slow cooking oats will all produce the same results. If you are bathing a baby or small child, you will only need about 1/3 cup of the oats per bath. I like to grind up a couple of cups of oats and store in a sealed container in the bathroom so I always have some ready for the bath.

Blend, process, or grind the oats until you have a very fine powder. To check if the oats have been ground enough stir 1 tablespoon oats into a glass of warm water. If the oats give the water a milky look and a silky feel, you've blended long enough. Honestly, I always skip this step and just assume that the oats are ready when they are a fine powder and can’t be ground much more.

Sprinkle the oats into a tub of running water. Give the oats a few minutes to 'dissolve' before putting your child in the tub. Take caution because the oats will make the tub very slippery. Soak your child in the tub for 15-20 minutes.

That’s it! Homemade all natural and organic oatmeal bath.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Stylish sustainable living

If you think "green" living means you're wearing dowdy hemp sacks as you eat your homemade granola and organic yogurt (although super yummy!), think again! I just stumbled upon this website and it totally spoke to my design bones (I'm a graphic designer by day): Ecofabulous: Sexy.Sustainable.Style! Although I am certain lots of the items featured on the site are super pricey, they are going to offer an "Eco Deals and Steals" newsletter that I'll be signing up for (you can sign up now to be one of the first subscribers. (There is a button in the upper-right corner of the homepage to sign up for their newsletters).

Check it out and let us know any ecofab items you come across and can't live without!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Often forget your reusable shopping bag? FREE window cling reminder!


I can't tell you how many times I have walked from my car to the store and once I'm inside I realize that I left my reusable shopping bags in the car! Thanks to Convserving Now, I never have to forget again!

Check out this offer to sign up for a FREE window cling reminder. There is a limit of 2 clings per household so grab one for each design if you have multiple cars. Never leave those reusable shopping bags in your car again! Now if only I could remember to bring them from the house to the car! Link
Thanks to The Screaming Penny for sharing this eco-friendly FREEBIE!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Green bag lunch



Whether you are packing a lunch for yourself or your kiddos, you're undoubtedly searching for little containers to stash all of the individual items or are grabbing a ziplock type of bag. Plastic baggies sure are convenient, but are not very reusable and end up in the landfill entirely too quickly. Luckily, many creative and crafty folks are now making reusable bags that are so super cute you won't ever want to pick up a box of plastic baggies again! I haven't tried any yet but am just dying to try these out for storing snacks in the diaper bag. Check out these adorable bags- all of which you can find on one of my favorite handmade sites, etsy.com. Not only will you be saving plastic from hitting the landfill, you'll be saving some money in the long-run and supporting a small business/crafter/artist!



These snack bags ($7.50) in the Groovy Guitar pattern are one of my favorites. From etsy seller Waste Not Saks:
WasteNot's reusable sandwich and snack sacks are convenient to use and are very easily maintained. Our Saks are made with a stylish 100% cotton exterior and are lined with water- and stain-resistant nylon. After using, you may simply shake out the crumbs, turn the bag inside-out and wipe the liner down, or if you have a particularly goopy PB&J that day just toss it in the washing machine and line dry. The sandwich Sak measures 6.5" x 6.5" and is closed using a generous strip of Velcro -- keeping your goodies securely inside.

Each eco-friendly bag is made with a stylish cotton exterior and lined with a water-resistant, FDA approved, food safe nylon. Our items contain no PVC, no Phthalate, no BPA, and no Lead. An added bonus of using nylon is that your food will not come into contact with polyurethane as it would with a PUL liner.





Or check out these little snack bags ($4) from Green Street Bags. I love the fun fabric- perfect for a little girl!

All Green Street's bags are made with 100% designer cotton fabric and lined with water resistant Nylon. The process that our bags are made is also different from others. Green Street Bags are very professional looking which means there are no seams showing (such as velcro). However there is no extra stress on the stitching because the liner and outside fabric are stitched together twice. The Velcro is located down a bit further so that they are easier to grip and pull open. And last but definitely not least, the gusseted Snack Bags are a trademark design to Green Street Bags.
**They contain no BPA, Lead or Phthalates.**
I also love the fold over style of this bag from EcoDitty. $6.79-8.99 for the snack version, $9.49-11.99 for the wich ditty- perfect for a sandwich.

The Cars sandwich bag up above is from seller Bells and Unicorns and would be just PERFECT for my little Cars-loving E.

There are lots of different sellers on Etsy making these reusable bags- the above are just a couple I fell in love with (search "reusable snack bag" and you'll get tons of results and options). The bags are so cute I'm sure you can find lots of other uses for them aside from lunch bag packing! Crayons? Lip glosses? Jewelry? I'm sold. :-)

Monday, January 11, 2010

Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life FREE book




I was checking the Stoneyfield website over the weekend searching for new coupons and found a great FREE offer! Each week for 5 weeks (began Jan 1) Stoneyfield will give away 200 copies of the Dr. David Servan-Schreiber's book, Anti Cancer: A New Way of Life. I signed up on Saturday night and was one of the lucky 200 for the week. This offer now (on Sunday night) says that the quota has been met for this week and that they are between sign up periods. I am guessing that the new week will be starting soon. So check here today to see if the new sign up period has started and sign up to receive your FREE autographed copy of, Anti-Cancer.
A little synopsis of the book:

In his bestselling book Anticancer: A New Way of Life, David Servan-Schreiber explains how organic food, regular exercise and other healthy lifestyle choices may help fight cancer.

"Cancer lies dormant in all of us," Servan-Schreiber explains. But we can do things in our everyday lives that help protect us from cancer or enhance the benefits of conventional cancer treatments.

We hope you're able to grab a free copy! Let us know if you're one of the lucky 200!



Sunday, January 10, 2010

Pampers Gifts to Grow points


Thanks to Deal Seeking Mom, I have some Pampers points to share with you. I don't buy disposable diapers very often, but when I do, Pampers is my go-to sposie. On every package of the diapers (usually inside the plastic sleeve), as well as on their wipes there is a sticker (or it is simply printed right on the package - as is the case with the wipes) with a code on it. Sign up for their Gifts to Grow program on the Pampers website and enter your codes. It doesn't take very long to get enough points to snag yourself something like a Starbucks Gift Card or Shutterfly photo prints or a toy for your little one. Here are some extra codes that you can enter in, in addition to the ones you find on your diaper packages:
  • JUSTFOROURFANS1, 10 pts.
  • WELCOMEBONUS089, 10 pts.
  • WELCOME2VILLAGE, 10 pts.
  • WELCOME2GTG0809, 10 pts.
  • WELCOME2GTG2010, 10 pts.
  • OHAMANDAAWGTG08, 10 pts.
  • THRIFTYMOMMYGTG, 10 pts.
  • STARTEARNINGNOW, 10 pts.
  • GROWWITHVILLAGE, 10 pts.
  • JUSTBECAUSE2009, 10 pts.
  • JOINTHEFUNGTG09, 10 pts.
  • GRATUIT89102009, 10 pts.
  • XKCMYXFVD96VXVK, 30 pts.

Stackable coupons for Kohls.com!



You can score some great deals on kids stuff at Kohl's.com right now. There are 2 stackable coupon codes (yes you can use 2 at once!) each valued at 20% off and thru today (1-10-10) shipping is just $0.99 per item! Peruse the baby section as there are lots of items that are also buy one get one half off! These codes will work on anything in the baby section: cribs, car seats, clothing, bottles...anything us mamas (and papas) could possibly need!

You can score two of the Halo Moon and Star Organic Cotton SleepSacks (pictured above) for $27.42 shipped. They retail for $25.00 each! Sleep sacks are a necessity in our cold and drafty 1920's house. If you are in need of two nursery bedding sets you could pick up this adorable Kidsline 4 piece Willow Organic Cotton Bedding Set for $194.31 for two sets. That is a savings of $183.69 off the retail value of $378.00!

Kohls.com offers a pretty decent selection of apparel, car seats, highchairs, and other essential baby and kid gear. Check it out and let us know what deals you score!

Use coupon codes -
Baby20 - (expires 1-12-10)

Extra20 (expires 1-19-10)

Don't forget that shipping is only $0.99 per item (most items) thru today only 1-10-09

To make this deal even better shop through one of these online rebate sites:
Ebates for 2% cash back on your purchase
Mr. Rebates for 3% cash back on your purchase

Thanks for the tip Dealectible Mommies!

Edited to add - I just noticed that there is a shipping surcharge for BIG items such as outdoor playhouses and furniture. There are still great deals with the coupons but take into account the surcharge before purchasing.



Saturday, January 9, 2010

Under The Canopy - ORGANIC SALE!



Thanks to my virtual friends on the Diaper Swappers forum for sharing this awesome sale from Under The Canopy! Under The Canopy is an online retailer specializing in modern and sustainable goods. They are currently having a seriously fantastic sale with final mark downs up to 75% off! There are some truly amazing deals on organic clothing, bedding, and linens. The duvet cover pictured above (in king size) retails for $350.00 but is on sale for $69.99! This duvet cover is made with:
- Sustainable coconut button closure
- 100% organic cotton
- Free of artificial fertilizers, synthetic pesticides and insecticides
- Low impact and eco-friendly dyes
I am in love with that set but I'm pretty sure my hubby will think it's too feminine for "us". I think I'll spend my weekend convincing him that the silver smoke color makes it masculine! You can also find this organic queen sheet set for $29.99 originally $150.00, or this super cute organic shirt for $5.99 originally $28.00. Just imagine how incredibly soft those organic sheets are...I'm drooling!

Friday, January 8, 2010

Method Laundry Detergent Half Off!




I was shopping at Whole Foods last night and noticed that all of the Method Squeaky Green Laundry Detergent is 50% off! That made it $4.97/32 load bottle (that's just 15 cents a load!). The sale is good through January 26th, so you have a bit of time to hit up the store a few times as shelves are replenished. Hopefully this is a nationwide sale at Whole Foods- I hate to send you out there not knowing for sure, so probably a good idea to call your store if it is out of the way or an extra stop for you.

You can also save an extra $1 with this coupon (from the Method home page). There is also an in-store flyer with great coupons, one of which is another $1 off any method product, so be on the lookout for that as well!

Method is my favorite 'greener' laundry detergent. I think it cleans really well and leaves clothes much softer than other detergents I have used (Seventh Generation is one that I liked, but felt our clothes were 'crunchy' after using, I'm also a fan of the Kirkland/Costco Enviromentally Friendly detergent and fabric softeners). My absolute favorite Method detergent is the Rice Milk & Mallow scent MethodBaby Squeaky Green Laundry detergent. This scent smells sooooo delicious! And even the scented versions are extra gentle and does not bother E's sensitive, sometimes excema-ridden skin.

I picked up a few of the Sweet Water scented and a couple more free + clear, as pictured above. (Oh how I wished they had the Rice Milk & Mallow scent at my store!) More about free + clear...
free + clear's biodegradable, plant-based formula is tough on stains, easy on clothes and gentle on the planet. it's phosphate-, dye- and fragrance-free, and it's hypo-allergenic so it's perfect for people with allergies or fragrance sensitivities. the super effective, triple concentrated power deep cleans dirt so well, you'll forget it was there in the first place.




Juice Box Decor


I just saw these unique desk accessories from CB2 on a blog I frequent, My Mom Shops. They are actually made from recycled juice boxes- How fun is that! I think they would be very apropos for a kid's desk, but I think they are quite attractive and would use them for my own desk or kitchen counter. Check them out, they are on sale right now!

Reduce, re-juice, recycle. Juicy job. 100% recycled desk organizers are actually juice boxes shredded, compressed, refreshed. Each hardboard lidded storage box and pencil cup is one of a kind, but the overall color trends coffee/cream with fun bits of bright carton color and type. Water- and moisture-resistant; won't crack, splinter or chip.

100% recycled juice boxes
Moisture-resistant
Each is unique

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Annie's Organic Mac & Cheese SALE!



What are your winter comfort foods? Mine are mac & cheese, tomato soup, and grilled cheese. These foods warm my belly (and my soul) on a cold snowy day (like it is here today in Chicago). Target has Annie's organic mac & cheese on sale for $1.09 until 1/9/10. Stack this sale price with this printable coupon for $0.50 off an item and score a box of this winter comfort for $0.59! Thanks for the tip Organic Deals!

Gotta love good grains


When Ethan was an infant I decided I was going to change the way we ate at our house, in hopes that he would grow up thinking brown rice was the norm and whole grain bread with flax seeds was yummy.

Why whole grains? If you are unfamiliar with the health benefits, here are just a few courtesy of the Whole Grains Council:
  • stroke risk reduced 30-36%
  • type 2 diabetes risk reduced 21-30%
  • heart disease risk reduced 25-28%
  • better weight maintenance

Other benefits indicated by recent studies include:

  • reduced risk of asthma
  • healthier carotid arteries
  • reduction of inflammatory disease risk
  • lower risk of colorectal cancer
  • healthier blood pressure levels
  • less gum disease and tooth loss
So, I cleaned my pantry out of refined flours, sugars, white rice, and the like. I replaced my white rice with brown rice and quinoa. The white flour is now whole wheat pastry flour (it has a finer texture than regular whole wheat flour and substitutes more easily in recipes), the pasta is now organic whole wheat pasta (from Costco at a great price), and the sugar now unrefined organic sugar (also found at Costco) or agave syrup or sometimes honey. I added in a variety of lentils and beans for making winter soups and side dishes. I also stocked up on wheat bran and ground flax seed to add into recipes like pancakes, quick breads, and muffins (I just reduce the flour a bit and replace with the wheat bran, and add a little flax in as a bonus). And you what? The food tastes great! Brown rice has such a nutty flavor and bite to it, it is more filling and tasty than its refined counterpart. I find that the whole grains, whole wheat and natural sugars are actually more flavorful and "real" tasting than what I had been using all those years.

Now, don't go thinking that we're munching on carrots and quinoa 24-7 here. We love our sweets and treats here too! BUT... My thinking is that even if I am making cookies or a cake or my homemade pizza, I know it is at least a little bit healthier than the original version since I'm using whole grains and more natural, unrefined ingredients. The revised pantry is now my norm and I just make my old recipes work with these ingredients (much to my mom's dismay - she begged me to buy some white flour for her to bake with on Thanksgiving!!).

I realize I have only touched the surface of the options for whole grains though. I just read this article on NPR that nicely outlines some additional whole grain options that you may not be familiar with and also offers some fairly easy recipes that incorporate these tasty grains.

In the course of this transition, I have fell in love with the bulk foods area of the market. Whether it be at Sunflower Farmers Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, or Whole Foods, I buy everything possible in bulk section: flour, sugar, lentils, beans, quinoa, rice, nuts, honey.... Bulk is awesome because YOU get to choose how much you want to buy. Need 1/2 cup of french green lentils for a recipe? You can buy exactly what you need with no excess left to sit in your pantry for years. Plus, there is very little packaging to be tossed! I purchased some clear reusable containers from Costco to store my bulk items in my pantry and labeled them, so everything is easy to find and organized. An added bonus to the bulk section is that the organic varieties are VERY affordable (I find that Whole Foods has the best selection for organic bulk items) - often cheaper than buying a packaged conventional version on the shelf.

Some of the inspiration for this change came from reading Dr. Sears' books on nutrition. I would highly recommend The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood; but don't let the title fool you- the information works for the whole family. This book is brief but full of great information. If you are looking for a more thorough book, The Family Nutrition Book is a great resource. I have both books and must say there is quite a bit of overlap between the two books. I actually prefer the way The Healthiest... is written and organized over The Family Nutrition Book, as it is more a quick reference guide. Don't forget you can get 50% off at Dr. Sears' store until the end of January with code J1050.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Organic Valley Coupons

I'm sure many of your know that feeding your family organic products can be costly. Finding a sale on organic items can be rare and tracking down coupons has been next to impossible for me. BUT, was I really looking hard enough? I have decided that I need to start seriously couponing for our organic groceries. I'm just not willing to cut out the organic so I need to find a way to fit it into our budget. In our household we try to focus on buying organic when it comes to dairy, produce, and eggs (I also prefer organic meat but only my little T eats organic meat as of now since it is too costly for the whole family). Anyway, I have decided that I will pass along any organic coupons I locate to our readers.

So here is the first batch....

Organic Valley has a number of printable coupons on their website. These coupons are available to be printed twice and expire 30 days after printing. The site states that the coupons only refresh about once a year (in March) so print these wisely. We love the Organic Valley cheese in our house. My little T can never get enough of his "cheeeessssseeeee".

Dr. Sears products 50% off!


Dr. Sears is offering 50% off the his children's supplement and snack products on his website through the end of January with code J1050. PLUS, free shipping for orders shipped in the continental US. Dr. Sears has great advice and philosophies on child rearing and nutrition. His books are definitely worth checking out too! I have not yet tried these products but would love to start my son on a daily vitamin. We would love to hear your input if you have tried these products with your children.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Envirosax mini-review and sale!


Reusable bags. are. everywhere. Every store has their own versions and multitudes of them, sometimes I wonder if we're actually reusing them or accumulating or collecting them for their cute colors, patterns, and styles! I have several reusable bags, but of them, my favorite is my envirosax bag. Why??

  • First of all, it is adorable. They offer so many awesome patterns, there is sure to be one that fits your personality.
  • Secondly, it's incredibly lightweight but still super strong.
  • It folds down to a size that I can easily fit in my purse. I could probably fit a few in my purse actually. And my purse is pretty small!
  • And lastly, this bag is versatile. I've used it at the grocery store, pro-football games, MLB games, as my gym bag, as a beach bag, and as a container to tote things from one room to another, and a toy tote-bag for when we are visiting someone's house.

Lightweight polyester, portable, waterproof, and weighing just 1.4oz each, these groovy bags are available individually or as a series of 5 contained within a handy pouch. With reinforced seams, each surprisingly large bag can hold a weight the equivalent of two supermarket plastic bags.


Nubius Organics carries the bags and right now you can save an extra 20% when you enter code: Enviro20 at the checkout. Some of the bags are already on sale, so you can save up to 40% total! I've tried out a few bags I was interested and it seems the extra 20% off is hit or miss. Let us know if you catch a deal! I'm contemplating a couple right now.

Photo print deal!


I love digital cameras since I can snap, snap, snap away and don't have to pay for prints of the awful pics, just the ones I love! BUT... I sure do procrastinate getting the actual photos printed! Here is a deal you can't pass up, Snapfish is offering members (including current members!) 50 4×6 prints for 50 cents until January 7, 2010. Use code NEWYEAR50. This is a great chance to get those holiday photos printed (or maybe those summertime photos too, if you're a procrastinator like me!).

Thanks to my friend, Sandy, for passing this deal along to us.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Barbara's Bakery Free Cereal Sample



Barbara's Bakery is offering a free sample of their delicious organic cereal. My favorite is the Peanut Butter Puffin cereal (pictured above). A much healthier version of peanut butter captain crunch, in my opinion. Fill out this online form to request your free organic cereal sample. It will be a surprise which sample you receive but I'm sure they are all yummy!

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Sophie the Giraffe for $13.95!


You can get yourself the Sophie the Giraffe I raved about here on amazon.com right now for $13.95! And, as always, if you spend $25 on amazon you get free super saver shipping! It's a great deal- Sophie never goes on sale!

Thanks to Sandy for the tip!

Before you recycle those Holiday Cards...

An easy way to reuse your holiday cards is to cut them up (as you see fit) and use them next year for To/From tags for your presents. This is especially useful for those super embellished and glittered cards that are not recyclable. It'll be on my to-do list this week, I'll post pics of my creations after I'm done. It's so easy and you won't find yourself having to run to the store last minute for To/From tags next year!

Friday, January 1, 2010

Did you stock up on diapers today?


You may have read our post a few days ago about the Earth's Best diaper sale at Babies R Us and Toys R Us. Today (Jan 1) through the 3rd the Earth's Best diapers are on sale for $5, no coupon needed (originally $11.99). You can stack this sale with a store coupon found here for $2 off ALL packs of Earth's Best diapers. The coupon expires tomorrow, Jan 2nd 2010, so hurry over. There was also a manufacturer coupon that I was able to use but it looks as though Earth's Best has now pulled that coupon from their website. Let's break it down - the $5 sale price minus the $2 coupon brings one package of diapers to $3! GREAT DEAL! There is a limit of 3 Earth's Best packages per person. I brought my hubby with and we hit 2 stores and I scored 12 packages for $1.50 each (since I was able to use the manufacturers coupon) for a grand total of $24 (with tax). 12 packs of diapers without this deal would have cost me $143.88 before tax! There weren't many sizes left at the stores in my area but I was told that I could purchase whatever sizes were still in stock and exchange them later when their inventory was replenished (with my receipt within 60 days). The store in my area also let me call ahead to put some on hold so I would try that before you head out. Remember, this sale is valid at Babies R Us OR Toys R Us (if the TRU in your area carries these diapers). This sale is also valid online but you will be limited to the 3 packages per customer and you will pay shipping. However, if you can manage to spend $100 online shipping will be free. Remember that this special is over on Jan. 3rd, 2010 so hurry over with your coupon today or tomorrow to stock up!

Did you take advantage of this sale? If so we want to hear about your adventure! Isn't getting such a fantastic deal like this a "high". I am still so thrilled and wish I had more coupons to go get more!