Seventh Generation Giveaway WINNER!!!

The winner of all these free goodies is:

         Karissa said...

I would like to try the wipes.

April 25, 2010 2:54 PM

Congrats Karissa!!! 


Thanks again to everyone who entered and especially to Seventh Generation for giving me the opportunity to share these great products with someone!!! Contest here.

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!

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!

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.

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 ?

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.

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

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!

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?

Green goals for the Summer

After talking to the hubby how to lower our bills and become more Eco friendly, we made five goals for the summer.

1. Insulation: we have about 15-20 recessed lights. Last time I was in the attic I noticed how many spots where hot or cold air can seep through them, wasting it. By insulating them, we'll be able keep our electricity bill down more and keep the house at a temp we like.
2. Fans: we are going to add a few ceiling fans to circulate air and hopefully keep the ac off longer.
3. Rain gutters and rain barrels: two winters down and many more to go. Every winter it's rained enough to leave huge puddles. Some storms it feels like our house is an ark. By putting in gutters, we can move the water into rain barrels and then be able use that water for the garden.
4. Solar tunnel: our master bedroom closet is dark dark! We always loved the idea of sun lights. With solar tunnels, it moves the sunlight through the tunnel and light up the area and not cost us a dime! (this one is a maybe)
5. Drip irrigation: we hand water about 75% of the garden. It doesn't seem like much but we're talking 20-30 minutes at a time. It's a good way to not waste water but wastes our time. Putting one on a timer will keep water usage at a minimum and save us time.

Due Date August 15, 2009

How will you try to become more Eco friendly than you are now?

Little Miss Planner's Farm...update #8.1

Because of the amount of photos I took and the ugly timeouts I'm getting from Nikon Picture Town, I'll have to do this in two posts. Bare with me... lots of photos to follow!!!
I love spring time!


This is the mystery garden section. I am slowly figuring out what is what!


The first portion of the garden we did is sooo big now!


The Herb Garden


Peppers, tomatoes and squash!


The left row is Garlic and the right row is Asparagus


Even the flowers are blooming around the garden







You know how I mentioned we built a second bench? Well, we also stained it and here it is! We are going to make a top for the fire pit to act like a ottoman when not in use. That will be June DIY craft project. I love sitting out here in the evening with the tiki torches lit. It's very calm and serene!

Little Miss Planner's Farm...update #8.2

Getting bigger by the day!

Artichokes on the left, Spaghetti Squash on the right


Asparagus


Grapes


Raspberries


Corn (tallest one is around 4ft)


Corn


In the back Snow Peas, left front is the last of the lettuce (harvested 4lbs so far) and onions are on the verge of being ready


I think these are radishes


Swiss Chard


Things are blooming!!!!

Tons of Cherry Tomatoes


Cucumber blossoms


Strawberries


Squash


Peas! YUM!

Little Miss Planner's Farm...update #7

I think the hubby thinks I've completely lost it. I race home now to water the plants and make sure the puppies didn't do their own gardening. A few days ago I planted the garlic and can't wait for it to pop out. I finally got to the top tier and planted strawberries. On the new section we built a few weeks ago, the seedlings are barely coming up. We ended up just tilling it and planting again with more organic soil.

This past weekend's mini-farm to-do list went as follows:

• Plant asparagus


• Finish weeding... for the most part


• Plant another LONG row of garlic


• Plant new hydrangea plants and raspberry plant


• Create irrigation system for asparagus, garlic, hydrangeas, raspberries and grapes (it's further away from the rest of the garden


• Fertilize! Fertilize! Fertilize!


• Start drawing up plans on irragation system for the entire area
M

This is the new area. We still have some maintenance to do (i.e. build a new gate to hide the spa equipment, buy metal sheets and paint black where the sheets of wood are, do more weeding and clearing) but for the most part, I'm really ecstatic we figured out how to use this area. You see, it's been sectioned off because there is a big dog in our neighbor's yard up there. Our dogs would barked like mad and we figured we'd just section off this side so they couldn't get up there anymore. Because of that, we never cared about this area and it always looked so ratty. Now, nice clean lines and hopefully it will produce garlic and asparagus, raspberries and grapes! (grapes coming soon)

Our final and major project will extend the wall we made. We are waiting on more recycled railroad tiers. Once they comes in, we'll build it and plant like mad!

So has anything produced? YES! We harvested lots of lettuce! It tastes unbelievable! I never thought lettuce had a flavor! In the words of the hubby: "TASTY!" We also measured to get an idea of how much we area we are using. Since we don't go to the top of the hill, we just measured to the top of the strawberries. Right now we are using 462 square ft of land for our garden. Once we put in the new tier, we will add an additional 136 sq ft making our garden 600 sq feet. This is amusing to me since my last apt was 600 sq ft! Glad we figured out how to use this wasted space. Photos will have to wait till we get some better light to show the new area!

On a non garden front, last weekend we built the second bench, this weekend we sanded and stained it. :) I LOVE how it all turned out!!!

Little Miss Planner's Farm Update #6

You know how I mentioned before about planting in a new area? Well, this is the area I spoke of:

This tree/schrub/bush overtook the area and I got out my trusty saw and clippers and cleaned up the place. After about a 4 hours worth of cleaning it looked pretty good.

The middle teir has two types of peppers, another tomato bush and two squash vines. The bottom teir is the new home for the herb garden. Yes, I moved it because, it was bothering me having them with the veggies and I like uniform things. :) The top tier, well, not sure what i'll plant there but I'm thinking about that, not to worry, where there is dirt I will plant! :)

The other thing I did was put in a path to walk up without slipping down the dirt. I am terrified of falling so this was a must.

We used recycled brick we bought at Home Depot and rocks from the hill. I think I might have to make them bigger but for now, they work perfectly!

Admission...

I'm Little Miss Planner and I'm addicted to all things dirt. I can officially say that I've truly lost it. On Saturday morning, the hubby took me to the garden center so i could get the rake I've been jabbering on about all week long. Unfortunately we left with a trunk full of plants, dirt and other random things that I apparently "needed." Once I got home I changed and proceeded to spent 4 hours weeding and planting and watering and just plain old getting dirty. After I was all dusty and dirty, I walked into the house and gave the hubby a great big hug and told him what I wanted for my birthday (let me remind you it is over 6 months away). This:


Source

You see, I put all my fun tools on the side of the house but as much as I put stuff in some order, it just doesn't sit well with me. I feel uneasy when things aren't in their "place" and my tools need a home. (read: little miss planner has OCD tendencies) I just need a little outdoor closet/shed to keep things tidy.

So there you have it. Today's admission of insanity. Oh, and yes I tried to skim over the fact I planted more... I found this area that looked very unkept on the hill. So I cleaned it out and planted more... 2 types of peppers, more tomatoes and squash. Funny (or sad) part is I DON'T eat peppers or regular tomatoes. My justification... well, i know a lot of people do so we'll give them away! :)

Garden Envy!

I'm SOOOO adding onto our garden next year. If you love gardening, you HAVE to take a look at The Dervaes Family. I first saw this post over at Oh Happy Day! Go here to watch the 1 minute clip on Oprah.




You can Follow their journal here! I just added them to my Google reader!

Oh, here's another clip!