Project 12 - April update #3

Let's see how we are doing at the LMP household:

• Spend the month without using paper towels. I can safely say I used about 5 all month!
• Set up a clothesline outside and use it 4 times Set up and used once. Since we are STILL working on the side patio we can't really use it during the day until the floor is done.
• Set up BBQ and start cooking outside 4 times this month. Used it this week!
• Instead of the gym, go take a walk at night Been taking strolls with the hubby and the pet mafia.
• Turn off the thermostat Done!

How are you doing

Wednesday Ramblings...

• I finally got the last of my cloth diapers... now we have 29, granted 5 of them are just one size but that's okay. We even have one swim diaper. Hmm...might get one or two more of those so KLM can go "swimming."
• Anyone have any good tips on how to stretch or relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve? All suggestions GREATLY appreciated!!!!
• I can't believe I'm hitting 8 months. I should post at least one pregnant photo of myself before I pop.
• Requisite GLEE SQUEAL!!!
• The side patio concrete paint is OFFICIALLY GONE! Now the hubby will just have to finish parts 2,3, and 4 to be completely done with this project. At least part was about 90% of the entire project's work.
• In serious need to clean the house. No, this isn't nesting...let's put it this way: the dining table hasn't been cleaned since, oh, at least two weeks. Random crap is on there that should have been thrown away, including the dead flowers from Easter.
• So I changed my mind AGAIN on patio furniture. Is that bad? :)
• Finally we have veggies coming in but may need to plant another cherry tomato bush.
• I'm already looking forward to the weekend. The only thing really planned is a hospital visit and clean out the garage. Other than that, it's all about maybe some gardening and getting started on Project 12 - May stuff.
• Bruno started puppy school yesterday with the hubby. Overall, I heard he did well. Very proud of my little teddy bear!

Who's excited for tonight?

TUESDAY only means one thing in my mind... GLEE GLEE GLEE!!!! 

CAN NOT WAIT!!!!

Seventh Generation Giveaway Reminder

Shown here (Disinfecting Multi-Surface, Disinfecting Bathroom, All Purpose Cleaner, Natural Paper Towels, Seventh Gen Recycled Bag, Disinfecting Wipes, Diapers (Size 1 8-14lb), Baby Wipes Tub and Baby Wipes Refill, Baby Laundry Detergent)

There are multiple ways to enter: 

• Leave a comment about which product you'd like to try
• Sign up on their website and leave a comment with your profile link
• Post this giveaway on your website and comment back here with link
• Tweet about this Giveaway on twitter: Enter the Seventh Generation Product Giveaway @lilmissplanner: http://tiny.cc/wtvyg (copy and paste to get credit for it) and comment back.  If you didn't comment back here, I will be adding your tweets found on twitter to the entries.
• Post this giveaway in a forum and comment back here with a link

Yes, you can get up to 5 entries for this giveaway!  Best of luck to all of you! 

The giveaway closes on April 30, 2010 at 5pm PST.  Winner will be announced May 3, 2010!

DO NOT COMMENT ON THIS POST... PLEASE COMMENT HERE!

What a weekend!

This weekend was my second shower. My friends are just utter angels and did a phenomenal job with it all.  Once I get those photos uploaded I can't wait to show you but in the mean time, I'll just ramble on about it.  They choose Bedtime Stories as their theme and every table was a made to look like a little bed with it's own theme.  The food was amazing italian food that I chowed down on and the cake... well, the cake was just spectacular.  It looked like read books with a little baby crawling underneath a blanket.  :)  It was soo yummy, I even had a piece of it last night!!!

 It was so nice to have family and friends around to share in the celebration of KLM's upcoming arrival.  We played games and and laughed, all the while basking in the beautiful weather we were having.  Very nice contrast to the days before where it was gloomy and cold.  Later that evening I headed off to the Spa with my mom to get a little pampering, and then off to dinner just the two of us.  Something that never happens.At the end of the evening we opened all our presents with the hubby and just overwhelmed by the generosity from our loved ones!

  On Sunday, we woke up to the coolest thing in the world.  You could feel KLM's little heel pushing out near my ribs.  We're not talking kicks here people, you could actually FEEL her little heel near my rib!!!  Yup, she's already in perfect position even though she has a little more than eight weeks to go.  After we poked and prodded her to make her move more we did our usual Sunday morning routine, church and breakfast at our local cafe (they know our orders by heart! heehee) and then got my Mom ready to head home.  I spent the afternoon trying to organize KLM's room, and after two hours in there, I maybe got 2% done.  I finally did my first load of baby laundry.  It was the onesies from my first shower.  We wanted to rewash them to make sure they don't bleed on the other clothes later on.  I even got to use our clothesline that we put up too!  In the evening, another childbirth class.  Every class gets so much better and it's really nice to see how it isn't about me, but what the hubby will be doing and helping with during it all.  

  That pretty much is the weekend we had.  We were busy from the beginning to the end and the entire time I was just in bliss. 

Hope y'all had a good weekend too and hopefully this week will be a great one!

Friday Tips to go Green

• Recycle your furniture. When it's time to hunt for a new couch or bed, either donate it or even toss it on Craigslist. Who says that old mattress can go to a dumpster? Call your local bed retailers and see if they have a recycling program. There are programs out there that reuse the frame and even the springs.
• Carpool! The hubby and I don't work in the same town, but I pass his office on my way to my office. So why can't we just commute? Starting next week we are. If you and a friend go along the same path, why not see if you can carpool at least one day a week and split the cost of gas.
• Watch what you print. Did you really need every copy of every thing you buy online? No. Create a folder in your email just for online receipts. Hotels don't need the receipt and besides, this way you won't lose it.
• Cut down on Magazines. In 2009, we had 10 DIFFERENT subscriptions to random magazines. We got everything from Golf to Gardening. Now we have three and our goal for 2011 is to only have one. The hubby can't live without his Money Magazine.
• Reusable bags: they are hip and cool and you should be using them by now. I can't even begin to tell you how many we have. We always make an effort to leave at least 3 bags in the cars just in case we forget to grab them on our way out of the house. Not only most stores now give you break (usually 5 cents off your purchase per bag or other incentives) but it helps bring down the clutter of bags in landfills.

Seventh Generation Giveaway

Thanks to the good people at Seventh Generation, they offered my readers a chance to win a set of products!



Shown here (Disinfecting Multi-Surface, Disinfecting Bathroom, All Purpose Cleaner, Natural Paper Towels, Seventh Gen Recycled Bag, Disinfecting Wipes, Diapers (Size 1 8-14lb), Baby Wipes Tub and Baby Wipes Refill, Baby Laundry Detergent)

There are multiple ways to enter:

• Leave a comment about which product you'd like to try
• Sign up on their website and leave a comment with your profile link
• Post this giveaway on your website and comment back here with link
• Tweet about this Giveaway on twitter: Enter the Seventh Generation Product Giveaway @lilmissplanner: http://tiny.cc/wtvyg (copy and paste to get credit for it) and comment back
• Post this giveaway in a forum and comment back here with a link

Yes, you can get up to 5 entries for this giveaway! Best of luck to all of you!

The giveaway closes on April 30, 2010 at 5pm PST. Winner will be announced May 3, 2010!

Wednesday Ramblings...

• I up and did it. I signed up for my first Half Marathon post KLM's birth! It's on November 6. I even created a brand new google calendar just for the training aspect of it. Says I start training August 15! I'm already shaking just thinking about it. What did I get myself into!!!


• Another Wednesday, another appt. Makes the week go so much faster.


• Looking forward to the weekend already. Okay, I was looking forward to it last Sunday night.


• Had another peanut butter and banana sandwich for breakfast. Needed the protein. :)


• Attempting to do Yoga and Pilates today. Did I mention I had Yoga last night too? I am going to be S O R E tomorrow.


• Weather is well, gloomy and rainy again. This winter/spring has been weird.


• Wasn't Glee awesome?


• Starting to get next month's project in place. Kinda overwhelmed by it.


• Side Patio is on hiatus. I upped my budget yet again for patio furniture. I can not WAIT for this to be done.


• I think today is going to be Whole Foods Lunch day. YUMMM!!!!

Seventh Generation Product Review

A few weeks ago, I contacted Seventh Generation because I wanted to learn more about their products for the house and for our upcoming bundle of joy. They were very kind to let me test out a plethora of products from cleaning supplies to diaper supplies. I was really excited about this because I loved their eco-friendly philosophy. This is a company that is trying to not only create natural and good products but also teach us how to make this world a better place. Now onto the review:


Cleaning Supplies (Disinfecting Multi-Surface, Disinfecting Bathroom, Disinfecting Wipes, All Purpose): I really loved all of them! Not always a big fan of disinfecting wipes because I feel like I waste them fast but they came out really handy when I cooked and got some raw meat on the counter top. I decided to hand over the Bathroom cleaner and All Purpose Cleaner to the hubby so he can tidy up before company came over. He loved the smells and it cleaned the surfaces just as great as products like Fantastik. Same goes for the Multi-Surface cleaner. This is my go-to cleaner when I'm cleaning my kitchen counters!

Baby Products (Diapers, baby wipes, and detergent): We finally did our first load of mini clothes with the detergent! The colors stayed strong and no complaints at all. Because KLM is still baking away in my belly, I gave some diapers to one of friends to test out on her daughter. She was using Pampers before and was a bit leery of changing it up with her newborn. After two days, she sent her husband out to buy these she loved them so much! As far as the wipes, she said they did their job and didn't notice a difference and because of that, she's be changing to these as well since they don't have chlorine in them. All in all, she dubbed it a success and would recommend them!

As far as the Paper towels, well, I'm keeping my word on not using any this month so they are sitting there but I think these will come in handy when KLM is born. We'll be keeping them in her room to help with random things. You just never know when you'll need them and well, they are 100% recycled so I don't feel bad when I use them and toss them in the recycle bin. :)

We've used other natural products before but I have to say Seventh Generation really blew the other ones out of the water! Thanks again 7thG for the opportunity to test them out!

Stay tuned on how you can get a chance to get these products too!!!

Seventh Generation provided the product for this review. Little Miss Planner did not receive any monetary compensation for this review.

My Ladybug Shower

This past weekend I was lucky enough to have a shower in my hometown thrown by my amazing Mom! She choose a ladybug shower and did an amazing job with a favor table, lots of great food, yummy ladybug cake and well, fabulous guests. I was so happy to spend some time with one of my oldest friends, talk to a soon to be grandma and hear her excitement about the new addition, family friends and lots of family! We played some really fun games like Price is Right and guess the sex with old wives tales and baby bingo while I opened up presents. And the presents, well, KLM is going to be decked out in the cutest little clothes on earth and not to mention the new blankets that were made just for her.
It was just wonderful, from start to finish! I think the hubby particularly like the little driving toy she got. :) So while I'm trying to wrestle up some photos of the day from my family, here is a shot of a super-cute centerpiece!



It was a wonderful way to share our joy of KLM's birth with everyone and see how excited others are for her to come into our lives!

Happy Sunday!

I couldn't think of a better way to start off the last day of the weekend thank listen to one of my FAVE Madonna songs over and over...sang by the castmembers of GLEE!!!!!



Enjoy you Sunday!

CSN Stores - Review Boikido Blocks

A few weeks ago I posted how the lovely people at CSN gave me an opportunity to check out their services. About five days after I posted, I received a well packaged box on our doorstep. It was our eco-friendly toys!!!! We opted to get the Boikido Blocks. We opened up the box and it was like we were little 4 year olds on Christmas. The hubby and I sat down and started to play with the blocks right away. You know, to test them for KLM. :)







Even came with a bag so made clean up easy!



All in all, it was great! Would I recommend them? Yes. Prices are great and the quality of product is superb!

CSN Stores provided the product for this review. Little Miss Planner did not receive any monetary compensation for this review.

Friday Tips to go Green

• Reroute your day. Before you head out the door for the day, make your list of errands and try to figure out how to shorten your commute from Point A to B and only make one trip out instead of 5. Stop wasting coming and going from your house.


• Add some super-plants to your house! Some plants help remove indoor air pollutants like formaldehyde and benzene, things we never thought we'd have in our home. Some include: English ivy and peace lilies are great toxin fighters.


• Want to save some money and don't want to clip coupons? Try using programs like Cellfire and Shortcuts and lots coupons onto your club card. You'll save money and paper!


• Unplug appliances. Even when they are off, appliance can pull energy when plugged in. Even I'm guilty of keeping things plugged in. In areas like the kitchen though, do you really need that toaster always plugged in? No.



• Start a compost pile. You live in a apartment? No problem. Nowadays there are these great countertop compost bins. When it gets full, find a local community garden and donate your compost to their pile.
  
  The one shown to your right is the Odor-Free Countertop Compost Keeper selling on Amazon.com for $23.31. Buy one more item and get free shipping! Saves you a trip to the store!

Project 12 - April update #2

Let's see how we are doing at the LMP household:

• Spend the month without using paper towels. Doing good since last week!


• Set up a clothesline outside and use it 4 times DONE!


• Set up BBQ and start cooking outside 4 times this month. It's set up but still haven't cooked with it. Weather has been fickle.


• Instead of the gym, go take a walk at night Currently doing!


• Turn off the thermostat Done!

How are you doing ?

Wednesday Ramblings...

• The hubby is now making spinach smoothies (green machines) for breakfast. I scarfed mine down with a peanut butter and banana sandwich. No, this isn't some weird pregnancy thing. I would eat this regardless of some soccer player kicking around my ribs.


• GLEE GLEE GLEE GLEE! Do I need so say more?


• Just a few more days till I get to go to my hometown for our first baby shower! I feel like I haven't been home in ages and wish we could go back more but the last two years hasn't really afforded us the time.


• The weather is finally nice enough to wear a dress. I feel very springy with my turquoise cardigan on top of my heather grey dress.


• Pilates tonight. I got the okay to move up a class but think I'll just do the intro class tonight.


• Wish today was Friday. Friday means I don't have to worry about cooking and well, I didn't get the meat ready for dinner so hoping the hubby will take care of dinner tonight.


• I have about 5 posts I'm working on. Not sure which ones to post first.


• Work has been crazy lately. Getting kinda burnt out. I'm starting to finally countdown to my KLM vacation! :)


• Wednesday is my favorite day of the work week (excluding Fridays) only because of one thing. Travel special emails. That's the pro, the con is I can't go anywhere right now... but will be booking a trip in the next few months!


• Speaking of things I can't do now, I miss wine. Went out to dinner with my in-laws last Saturday and they opened up this AMAZING bottle of wine that if I could have, I would have stolen the entire bottle and guzzled it. Just 10 more weeks right?! HURRY UP JUNE, this soon to be momma misses her vino!

Giveaway at My Baby Pumpkin!!!

My Baby Pumpkin is doing an April Giveaway! There are a few ways to enter to win a gift certificate and cloth diapers! What I love about My Baby Pumpkin is the quality of inventory they carry!

Here is just a few ways to enter:


• Become a fan on Facebook


• Follow them on Twitter


• Join their mailing list (more info here)

Once you've done one of these things, post a comment under the discussions area in FB and let them know!

For more info on the Promotion giveaway, go here! Best of luck to you!

The alternatives to disposable diapers...

Yes, there is an alternative and yes, I'm going down that route with KLM. Before you get all yucked out about the thought about poopy diapers in the washer, let's talk about some factors on why I choose Cloth.

Money: Did you know that the average cost of disposable diapers is around $1,080 a year? That's about $3,240 for that child's lifetime. If you did reusable diapers, you'd cut that lifetime cost down to less than a third of the cost, even more savings depending on what type of you decide to use. Source Here is a Diaper Calculator to see what the cost will be to you!


Environment: Did you know ONE diaper takes over 500 years to decompose? So basically after your great-great-great-great-grandchild is alive, your own child's diaper is almost done decomposing? EWW! Source

The Yuck Factor: Sure, disposable is easy to use and get rid of but reusable diapers aren't that bad either. For starters, you're already dealing with the poop... sure, you could throw it in the Diaper Genie and go about your business, or you could use a reusable diaper and use a sprayer and your toilet to get the mess off before you wash them in the washer. Yes you take a few more steps, but you get used to it.

So with all that being said and done, will I ever use disposable? Of Course! We know when we travel, it will be hard to wash diapers. We decided in those cases we will use eco-friendly disposable diapers like Seventh Generation, Nature Babycare, or Earth's Best. But for everyday use, we are going with reusable diapers.

Reusable diapers have come a long way... There are so many different options out there, from BumGenius 3.0 where the diaper gets bigger as your baby grows, to the hybrid kinds like gDiapers.

If you want to try them out and keep the costs down, in the March and April issues of Pregnancy, Motherhood, and Pregnancy & Newborn magazines have coupons for bumGenius diapers in them. If you are interesting in ordering them and want to use the coupon (buy one get one free) you can go here.

Need a drink to cool off?

Summerberry Cooler

2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
3 tablespoons frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1 12-ounce can diet lemon-lime carbonated beverage
Ice cubes*

1. In a blender, combine strawberries, raspberries, and apple juice concentrate. Cover and blend until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve; discard pulp.

2. Pour strained mixture into a small pitcher; slowly stir in carbonated beverage. Serve over ice cubes in chilled glasses. Makes 4 (6-ounce) servings.

Source

Friday Tips to go Green

• Pack a waste-free lunch: Use reusable containers and silverware. Time to eliminate tossing excess trash in that trash can. Just say no to sporks and plastic bags that you'll only use one. Not only will you save money in the long run by reusing, chances are you'll be able to pack a smarter and healthier lunch!


• Try making an effort to turn off lights when you leave the room. Keep a little jar on the counter top and those days you forget, drop in a quarter or dollar in the jar. At the end of the month, use that money to buy something like energy-efficient lights or your next trip to the farmer's market!


• Skip the gym and head outdoors. The weather is looking great so now it's time to wonder the streets or trails. By working outdoors, you're saving electricity!


• Time to wash those clothes in colder water. About 90% of the energy used in washing clothes is wasted on heating the water. Switch to warm or even cold and save!!!


• You're not using old school light bulbs are you? If you are guilty of it, time to switch. They are finally coming down in price and will save you money in the long run since they last longer!

Image Source

Project 12 - April update #1

Let's see how we are doing at the LMP household:

• Spend the month without using paper towels. I used one by accident. Only one.


• Set up a clothesline outside and use it 4 times Haven't put it up yet but hope we can get it up this weekend!


• Set up BBQ and start cooking outside 4 times this month. BBQ is ready to go. Will be BBQing tonight! Yum, Lemon Chicken and veggies!!!


• Instead of the gym, go take a walk at night Haven't gone into the gym and will go for a walk tonight.


• Turn off the thermostat Done! The hubby wasn't happy about that the onther morning when it was 55 inside!

How are you doing

Wednesday Ramblings...

• The weather has been weirdo lately. Monday I was in a sweater, a cover up, scarf and heavy pants. Today I'm in capris and a flowy top! Gotta love spring.


• I have on my desk another gala apple. Once I finish this post I will commence eating it. :)


• I start my bi-weekly appts today...getting close to the end! YEA!!!


• Last night I was teaching the hubby how to work reusable diapers. Our helper was our little puppy Ringo. He acted like the perfect toddler, wiggle-worming around while we put one on him. We quickly took it off but it was hilarious!


• The Side Patio's floor paint is 95% complete. To be honest, I don't think we are going to finish it ourselves. I think we might get someone else to get that 5% because you know what they say, the last 5% is always the hardest.


• Okay I lied, I already started eating my apple.


• I'm really digging the new show, Food Revolution. It's really interesting to see others' fears about changing habits and how others just don't get enough information about what is out there. If you haven't caught it, please check it out on Hulu!


• Speaking of TV, SIX DAYS till GLEE!!! YIPPIEE!!!!


• Have Pilates tonight. Can't wait to get a little work out in since I totally skipped Yoga last night.


• I'm stunned how much I've been blogging lately. I have to say I really did miss it. I hope I can keep this up at least till KLM is born!

Disaster...

You know how I was a bit scared to make Macarons the other week? Well, it was justified. I just couldn't even get the mixture right so I tossed the mixture and now moving onto something more fun. Whoopie Pies!!!



More like Banana Whoopie Pies!!! YUUMMMMYYY!!!!! I found the recipe while I was trolling through Martha's website and figured, this is more up my alley. Still out of my element because of the cream in the middle but willing to give it a try! :) I'm sure if I pull this off the hubby will be jumping for joy!

If it comes out, I will post how I made it happen, if not, expect another disaster post! Fingers crossed it works because I'm drooling right now over these things!

What's your footprint?

I decided I wanted to see what our footprint was and boy was I shocked by it. It made me realize how every little lifestyle choice has does a cause/effect to the planet.



While I'm happy about how I came under the U.S. Average, I still think we can do better!

Do you know your footprint? If not, check out this site: My Foot Print to find out more!

Take me out to the ballgame!

CSN Stores seem to have it all -Product preview

I recently came across CSN stores via Silly Little Mischief's giveaway earlier this year. When I was on their site, I realized they had EVERYTHING! With a little one on the way, I spent the majority of my time surfing kids bedding, Toys, and all the other fun stuff that comes with having a rugrat. The one thing that caught my eye was their area of eco-friendly products. When a person from their company contacted me to do a review, I jumped at the chance because I really wanted to check out their eco-friendly toys.



With her just a few short months away, we've really gotten on the band wagon on looking at how her life will effect the enviroment. The toys we've choosen are everything we wanted, something that will broaden her imagination, make her think and all around, just have some fun. We can't wait for them to arrive to test them out!

Project 12 - April

With April 22nd fastly approaching I thought it would be great to spend this month focusing how our lives affect our little Earth. I have lots of sites and info to share with you but like always, we need to set some goals on how we can change our life (even if it's just one little thing) to help make this a better place.

• Spend the month without using paper towels. Something small but every little bit helps!


• Set up a clothesline outside and use it 4 times This will help when KLM comes and with her reusable diapers.


• Set up BBQ and start cooking outside 4 times this month. This will help cut down using electricity inside


• Instead of the gym, go take a walk at night


• Turn off the thermostat April is such a nice time where we live, but every night our heater kicks on. Let's pull out the blanket and add it to our bed to save some energy!

What will you do to help the environment?