SKOY CLOTH REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

Have you been looking for an eco friendly alternative to using paper towels? I know I have!! Most people dry their hands with them and use them to wipe up spills. Have you ever noticed how many paper towels it takes to wipe up a cup of spilled milk? Since The Munchkin' Man has been potty training, we have been going through so many paper towels. Although I will continue to clean up his little "accidents "with them, I needed to find a product that I could use through out the house. Each and everyday I try to find ways that our family can be a little more green. While searching online for paper towel alternatives, I found Skoy . Skoy is a fantastic company that makes absorbent, biodegradable and natural multi-use cloths. I contacted Skoy cloth and they sent over four wonderful cloths for us to try.

As soon as they arrived and I opened the package, I was ready to give them a try. The company name comes from the Swedish word Skoj which means " just for fun." Looking at these adorable cloths, that is the perfect name. The Skoy cloths come in so many fun colors and have a flower and even inspirational sayings on them. I ran the Skoy cloth under the water and it was ready to go. I was shocked how much water the cloth actually held. I put one in the kitchen and one in the bathroom to wipe up the counter tops. The cloths worked great. I found myself using them for everything- from just drying my hands, cleaning small cups, and wiping the table down after dinner. The Munchkin' Man used them to wipe his place mat off and then had to use it as a hat also..lol

The features of the Skoy cloths that love the most are that they:

*have an absorption factor of 15x own weight

*can be used in so many other rooms in the house besides the kitchen

* 100% biodegradable (can be composted when done using)

*colorful and have fun designs

*can be washed in washer, dishwasher and sanitize in the microwave

*reusable unlike its paper towels that end up in the landfill

I love the Skoy cloths and have been telling everyone about them. I even gave my mother one to use, although I wanted to keep them all to myself.

Do you need an alternative to those wasteful paper towels and like what you read about the Skoy cloths? Do you want to try them yourself? Well, here is your chance. Skoy is generously sponsoring a giveaway for readers of my blog. There will be two winners and the prize will be a pack of FOUR Skoy cloths.!!!

Here is how you can enter...

Mandatory:
1. Visit Skoy Cloth and tell me what feature you like best for Skoy cloth
Additional Entries:

2. Become a Fan of Skoy Cloth on Facebook

3. Follow me on Twitter
4. Subscribe to my feeds
5. Tweet this giveaway for extra entries (5 entries per day)
** You must leave a comment when you do any of the additional entries!!!!**
***Make sure you put an email for contact if you are the winner ***

*** This giveaway will end on Friday, September 25, 2009***

WINNERS OF PETER RABBIT ORGANICS FRUIT POUCHES

The winners for the Peter Rabbit Organics Fruit Pouches have been chosen. The winners were picked using http://www.random.org/.

And the winners are.......

# 34 Meredith said...

34
http://twitter.com/mmiller0912/statuses/3862511280
September 9, 2009 9:00 AM


#25 Tiffany said...
25
I like that they don't contain in added sugars... My kids are hyper enough.
September 8, 2009 10:14 AM

#148 Marin said...

148
http://twitter.com/MarinOBrien/status/4003849868
September 15, 2009 9:00 AM

Winners must forward their shipping information within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen.

Thank you to Peter Rabbit Organics for supplying the wonderful fruit pouches for the Munchkin' Man to try and for sponsoring this giveaway. I hope the winners think the fruit pouches are as yummy as we think they are!

MUFFIN TIN MONDAY

I am still trying to figure out how to be a lot more creative when it comes to Muffin Tin Mondays, but it doesn't seem to be working.. :)

Here is today's

On the menu for today:

*Soy butter and jelly sandwich cut in the shape of a banana on homemade bread

*Homemade applesauce with cinnamon and a piece of organic fruit leather cut into a heart

*Peas ( this is what veggie my son wanted..lol)

I have been browsing many different blogs to find some ideas and hopefully in the upcoming weeks the Munchkin' Man will get some fun and entertaining - as well as healthy- lunches !

NEIGHBOR TROUBLE

So far on my blog, I have talked about the Munchkin' Man, showed pics and shared recipes. Today... I need to vent!

We are having a little trouble with the neighbor that is towards the back end of our property (we have almost an acre.) She told another person in the neighborhood that my husband is catching cats and either poisoning them or killing them in the shed!! WHAT!! We had another neighbor call and tell us that she had said this. This neighbor is upset that we put up a 6 foot fence on the property line. We had to cut a very old and dead tree down. She had to take her old chain link fence in order to so this. They were taking their time putting back up. They have a very large rottie that gets out and we caught her grandchildren playing on our playground. My husband had enough and put up the fence himself, just a larger more private one.

I am EXTREMELY disturbed at her comments. I do not want others in the neighborhood to think that is what type of person my husband is. He once caught a cat and asked everyone if it was their cat before taking it to a no-kill animal rescue. Now I am not sure what to do. Do I confront her? Do I let it blow over? What would you do??

If you have had any neighbor problems, please leave a comment on what you did!

Thank you for letting me vent... ahhhh... I feel better

**By the way- this is just a small part of the story- just gave the highlights..lol
One more thing- this is the neighbor that called me "Anti- Social" :)

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY- FIRST SIGNS OF FALL

PETER RABBIT ORGANICS REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY ****CLOSED***

I made the decision to go organic for the Munchkin' Man from the beginning. He rarely had food from a jar and if he did, it was organic. I made large batches of baby food and froze it. He loved it! From such an early age he was getting the true taste of green beans, rhutabega, peas, apples, and the list goes on. Then he started to eat more table food. I still try to make or buy as much organic food that our budget allows.

For me one big thing changed when he became a running, climbing, high energy toddler- I was not making all his food. I rely on a lot of easy to go premade foods. The only thing that keeps the Munchkin' Man content long enough, to go say food shopping, is giving him a snack. Since he has a peanut allergy, a lot of snacks are out the question. I still look for convenience.

I stumbled upon a company that makes the most wonderful portable snack pouches. Peter Rabbit Organics! Now the pouches I am talking about are not filled with cookies, but 100% organic fruit puree. I know what some of you may be thinking- that can be messy! I thought the same thing. I contacted Peter Rabbit Organics and they sent out a box of pouches for us to try. I sat The Munchkin' Man at the table twisted the no- choke cap off and handed it to him. He knew just what to do. He squeezed the Apple and Grape goodness into his mouth and smiled and said "Yum, this is good." No mess!!

Since the first time we tried them, I have been carrying them in my bag for those times that I need to give him a quick snack. I always had those little cups of applesauce, but I love the idea that you do not need a spoon. Since each pouch has a cap, if your child does not finish you just put the cap on and save for later- you can't do that with those little cups. I also thought the pouches would be good for traveling. I had the intention of using the fruit puree to make muffins, but they pouches did not stay long in this house :)

So why would we suggest Peter Rabbit Organics fruit puree pouches... Because they are:

* peanut allergy friendly - our first requirement

*made with 100% fruit- no trying to figure out how to pronounce the ingredients

*come in three fantastic flavors (Apple and Grape, Strawberry and Banana, and Mango, Banana, and Orange)

*have a reusable No -Choke cap (eat a little and save the rest for later)

*No mess

When asked " Why is Peter Rabbit on the pouch?" their answer was " He's energetic, cheeky, fun and a bit mischievous" I would have thought they were talking about The Munchkin' Man..lol

Do you want to try Peter Rabbit Organics fruit pouches? Well here is your chance. The wonderful people over at Peter Rabbit have offered a case to three lucky winners.

Mandatory:

1. Visit Peter Rabbit Organics and tell me what feature you like best for the fruit pouches

Additional Entries:

2. Follow Peter Rabbit Organics on Twitter

Become a Fan of Peter Rabbit Organics on Facebook

4. Follow me on Twitter

5. Subscribe to my feeds

6. Tweet this giveaway for unlimited entries

** You must leave a comment when you do any of the additional entries!!!!**

***Make sure you put an email or twitter address for contact if you are the winner ***

** Edit- the giveaway will end on Tuesday, September 15,2009***

The three winners will be chosen on Friday, September 11, 2009

THE SAFE SIPPY 2 GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Wow..222 comments for this giveaway! Drum roll please........

# 17 Carrie said...
Tweet, tweet! :)http://twitter.com/EatCrayons/status/3483894906XTiGGerRoo [at] hotmail [com]
August 22, 2009 10:14 PM

#85 as said...
tweet: http://twitter.com/anpnek/status/3593795429
August 27, 2009 10:15 PM

#145 Brie H said...
tweeting http://twitter.com/bdelaughter/status/3657194855
August 30, 2009 10:06 PM


Congratulations to the winners!! Hope your little one enjoys the Safe Sippy 2 as much as the Munchkin' Man does! Thank you to everyone that participated in the giveaway. I am hoping I get to do another great one again soon!!

Most of all I would like to thank Bret from Kid Basix for supplying the wonderful products for the giveaway :)

**winners have 48 hours to contact me with shipping information! If you have not contacted me, another winner will be picked!

MUFFIN TIN MONDAY- GO FLY A KITE

I was trying to be a little more creative with today's Muffin Tin (cup) Monday lunch. I am not sure if it was cute or a bit strange looking :) I had an image in my head of kites when I bought the diamond shaped cupcake liners!

Lunch consisted of:

*Turkey and cheese

*Cantaloupe (from the garden yum!!)

*Edamame

*Pretzel rods (for the kite tails)

*Mini marshmallows (for clouds)

The Munchkin' Man really does enjoy eating these fun lunches! He ate all the edamame first, usually he goes right for the fruit.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY-JUST FOR A LAUGH

This picture just makes me giggle everytime I see it !! :)

WE HAVE A WINNER-CROCODILE CREEK BIB

The winner has been chosen my first ever giveaway!! The winner of the Crocodile Creek bib is #24
Brie H said...
I tweeted bdelaughter@hotmail.comhttp://twitter.com/bdelaughter/status/3430639556
August 20, 2009 12:53 PM

Congratulations to Brie. I hope your little one enjoys the bib.

Thank for The Soft Landing for sponsoring my very first giveaway, it was greatly appreciated!!

THE SAFE SIPPY 2 REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY ***CLOSED***

Since having my son I have been schooled on many different topics that I was not aware of before being a parent. One to the things that I have learned is that not all baby and children's products are safe. That is a sad fact. From BPA and phthalates being in everything from toys, to bottles and even some baby formula. I have been trying to use up what I have and start buying products more organic, natural and free of the yucky chemicals.When my son started drinking from a sippy cup, his cups were all made of plastic. As I started reading more information about the hazards in some plastics I started to look for alternatives. The Munchkin' Man is now 2 1/2 years old, but still enjoys drinking from a sippy cup and if it has a straw that is even better. I was so glad to find The Safe Sippy 2 by Kid Basix . I contacted the owner of Kid Basix, Bret , and he sent over one for us to try. Kid Bassix has a Mantra instead of a Mission Statement. It is:

Making kids' lives better.
This was the simple idea that drove the development of our first product, and it is the idea that will drive the products yet to come.
Simple ideas can make for ambitious goals. Our founder created The Safe Sippy™ cup because he knows how dangerous plastics are, and it drove him crazy that he was giving his two year old son water every morning in a cup made from toxic chemicals.
It is our goal that the future products from Kid Basix have the same simple singleness of purpose: Making kids’ live better.

Isn't that so much better than a mission statement?

Now onto our cup :) I was impressed with this product as soon as I opened it. Not only was it such a great looking cup, but the insert in the package answered many questions that I had right of the bat. So, I washed the cup and the parts and filled it with water. My son loved it! I assembled it with the straw components and removed the handles. We had a busy weekend of going to an aquarium, bbqs and the cup came with us everywhere. Although with the straw the cup is not meant to be spill proof, it did not leak all over the car or our backpack while we were out. The cup also comes with a dust cap to make sure that the spout stays nice and clean while not in use. We have tried other stainless steel cups, but The Safe Sippy 2 is the only cup that has everything all in one. This cup can grow with your child. This cup can be a sippy cup with handles for the child just learning or it can be used as a cup with a straw for the older child. It is not too big or heavy even when filled. It has a fantastic easy grip insulating sleeve. The sleeve helps keep the liquid cool and helps a child hold onto the cup. Most of all I love it because you are not getting the condensation on the outside of the cup like others I have used. Remember those yucky chemicals that I was trying to stay away from.. well this cup is free of BPA and Phthaltes and made of non-leaching stainless steel. Way to go Kid Bassix!!

Like what you have read and want to try one yourself?

The owner of Kid Bassix so generously offered not one but THREE Safe Sippy 2 cups to me to giveaway!!!

Mandatory:
1. Visit Kid Basix and tell me what feature you like best for The Safe Sippy 2
Additional Entries:
2. Follow Bret the owner of Kid Basix on Twitter @bretplate
3. Become a Fan of Kid Basix on Facebook
4. Follow me on Twitter
5. Subscribe to my feeds
6. Tweet this giveaway for unlimited entries
** You must leave a comment when you do any of the additional entries!!!!**
***Make sure you put an email or twitter address for contact if you are the winner ***

Three winners will be randomly picked on Monday, August 31, 2009

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY- POTTY TRAINING A BOY!!

CROCODILE CREEK KID BIB REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY***CLOSED**

When most moms sit their children at the table to eat, one of the first things that they grab is a bib. There are so many bibs on the market today. When choosing a bib you not only want to have a cute design, but you want it to be functional and not made with harmful chemicals including phthalates and PVC.

I was able to review a wonderful bib from Crocodile Creek. They have many wonderful safe products including lunch boxes, puzzles, and drinking bottles. Their philosophy is:

Please be assured that all Crocodile Creek products are safe for children. We regard the safety of the children in our world and the safety of our products as being of the utmost importance. Our product development department works closely with our manufacturing facilities to see that our products conform to all of the appropriate safety standards.

We had a busy weekend and brought the "Give Peas A Chance" bib with us. The bib traveled to the Adventure Aquarium, a BBQ, and a fundraiser in the park. I love the bright colors of the big and the slogan on the front is adorable. This bib is not recommended for use in the washing machine so I just wiped it with soap and water and hung it to dry. The bib washed up great. I also liked the size of the bib and that it has a strong velcro closure.

The bibs from Crocodile Creek are PVC and Phthalate free. They are coated with 100% cotton and have a pocket on the front. Do you want one for your little munchkin'? The wonderful owner of The Soft Landing is generously giving away one of these wonderful bibs. The Soft Landing is a one stop shopping for all BPA, PVC and Phthalate-free products including bottles, stainless steel cups, and lunch boxes. They even have sample kits to try different cups and bottles to see which brand you like best. I love that they take the guesswork out of choosing safe products for my Munchkin' Man! Now onto the giveaway.....

I will randomly chose one comment on Tuesday August 24, 2009

Mandatory:

1. Visit The Soft Landing and chose another product that you would love to try

Additional Entries:

2. Follow The Soft Landing on Twitter

3. Become a Fan of The Soft Landing on Facebook

4. Follow me on Twitter

5. Subscribe to my feeds

6. Tweet this giveaway for unlimited entries

** You must leave a comment when you do any of the additional entries!!!!

***Make sure you put an email or twitter address for contact if you are the winner ***

MEATLESS MONDAY- STIR FRY

Tonight's dinner ended up being a stir fry all the different vegetables I found in the house. I think sometimes I can be more creative if I just start looking around to see what I have available in the house.

This is what I found:

* 1 yellow squash (it was a round one that I can not remember the name of)

* 1 onion

* 1 clove of garlic

* handful of purple beans

* couple stalks of celery

* 3 carrots

* 1 kohlrabi (to me it tastes like a mild radish)

All the vegetables are organic and most from the local farmer's market. I have really been enjoying going to the market each week to see what I can find. I will be very sad when the season is done!

I sauteed the vegetables in some oil until they started to get a little tender. I like to have a little crunch in my stir fry. I also added a can off bamboo shoots, baby corn, and water chestnuts. To add a little more flavor, I added a beef and broccoli spice mix.

When everything was cooked to my liking :) I served it over brown rice. Always remember if you are using brown rice to think ahead- it takes about 45 minutes to cook.

MUFFIN TIN MONDAY- BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR

This week the Munchkin' Man and I will begin doing activities that go along with one of our favorite stories Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? I think that we will be doing activities for about 2 weeks. Please come back and visit to see what we have been up to! :)

MUFFIN TIN MONDAY

This is our second "Muffin Tin Monday" and my son and I are really enjoying it. This week, to go along with the theme, I bought the Wilton bear silicone baking cups. They worked out perfect and were oh so adorable.

We decided to have a teddy bear picnic up in the tree house today! It was a nice day out, a little hot, but the tree house is in the shade and it was dry unlike the grass.

On the menu for today was:

*Bear shaped English muffin with soy nut butter and raisins

*Stonyfield Organic OIKOS Greek yogurt with honey and bear shaped cookies to dip

*Carrot sticks

*Mellon cut in bear shapes and blueberries

I love cookies cutters! They are making these lunches so much fun.

I think I need to get a little picnic table to put up in the tree house and eat up there more. It is very peaceful. Below is a picture of the view looking down from the tree house.

Take a look at the Munchkin' Man's bib. The bib is made by Crocodile Creek and you can have a chance to win one starting tomorrow.

LAST ZUCCHINI FROM GARDEN AND FAST DINNER

It seems like as soon as one meal is done and cleaned up, I have to start making the next meal. Last night we has take out (Sushi yummy.) I knew that I would have to figure out something to actual cook for tonight's dinner . I reached for the old stand by- pasta!! I decided that I would make a quick tomato sauce and add the last zucchini from our garden. I used all ingredients that I always have in the house. Below is the quick and easy recipe:

* 1 large can of organic crushed tomatoes ( I do not have enough tomatoes from the garden yet)

* 1 tiny chopped onion from the farmer's market (or half of medium onion)

* 1 clove of garlic minced or grated on a micoplane

* a couple basil leaves (from the garden)

* a pinch of salt and oregano

* about a tablespoon of sugar (I use organic cane sugar- it cuts down the bitterness)

* 1 chopped zucchini (the small the pieces the faster it cooks)

** my Mom says that if you add a carrot into sauce it cuts down the acid!

I cook the onion and garlic in olive oil. When they start to get tender I just add all other ingredients. While that is cooking on low I cook the pasta. The sauce is ready when the zucchini is tender.

That's it!! Although it is not a gourmet meal, I feel better making this quick sauce than opening a jar. I can not wait till I have enough tomatoes to start making sauce and freezing it. For this meal, I also added eggplant "meatballs." They are vegetarian meatless balls. They actually were not that bad, a little dry, but not bad. I did take a wonderful picture of the finished plate, but somehow deleted it . OOPS!

What is your easy fast weeknight meal?

Here is a picture of my basil bouquet. Every year I seem to let me basil go crazy. I cut half of it tonight. I will run it through the food processor with a bit of oil and freeze it. It is so wonderful to use throughout winter. I just break off a piece and throw it in when ever I need basil!!

WORDLESS WEDESDAY- PAINTING

POTTY TRAINING TALK AND BLUEBERRY DAYTIME TRAINING PANTS REVIEW

****WARNING- THERE IS GOING TO BE A SUPER AMOUNT OF POTTY TALK ON THIS POST..LOL


Today the Munchkin' Man is 2 1/2 years old! I can not believe how fast the time has gone by. On Monday I was committed to REALLY start potty training. He has been going pee-pee on the potty since he was 1 years old, but never initiated it and his diapers were never dry. I have tried giving him marshmallows when he goes and he loves them. I also bought organic lollipops for when he goes poopy on the potty. So far he has had two. I really needed to get him out of the diapers and arm myself with lots of training pants, underwear, and paper towels to clean up messes.




I decided to first try out the Munchkin' Man's new Blueberry Daytime Training Pants. They are designed to feel like real underwear, but have the added protection unlike regular children's underwear. The inner lining is made with cotton velour, a hidden layer of super- absorbent micro terry and PUL. Anyone that is familiar with cloth diapers knows the wonders of PUL.



I truly love the fit of this trainer. I bought the size medium (22-30lbs.) The Munchkin' is only 27 lbs and they fit him just right! The fabric is so soft. The training pants come in 5 colors (above is the blue.) Since we are just really starting with no diapers, he definitely got them wet. With the added micro terry they were absorbed enough that it did not end up on the floor, but was wet enough for him to feel that he went.


The Blueberry day time trainers are only suggested for .. daytime :) I think we are far away from not putting on a diaper for bed time!! I would definitely recommend these trainers to anyone that is starting out with potty training. They are soft, fit great, wash up super, and have just the right absorbency!




We also started a potty chart for the Munchkin' Man. I decided to go with a Mickey Mouse theme. I cut out a large Mickey head silhouette, which was a pain in the tushies. I used my Cricut to cut out the small Mickey heads. When he goes on the potty, he gets to put a Mickey on the chart. I hung the chart on the wall outside the bathroom. He really likes being able to look at it when he goes into his room! He will place the Mickeys on the ears when he goes poopy. I was thinking that when he fills up an ear or the chart we can then take them off and go and get a special prize. He does not need anymore toys, so I thought we would go to the bookstore and he can pick out a special book.


Do you have any other potty training advice??? Please leave a comment and let me know what has worked for you!!




** I found the Mickey potty chart idea somewhere on the Internet and can not remember where. If it is you, please let me know so I can give you credit!! :)

MUFFIN TIN (CUP) MONDAY

I read a lot of blogs to find some new, fun and exciting activities to do with the Munchkin' Man. One that I have seen alot is the MUFFIN TIN MONDAY! I decided to give it a try today. I was at AC Moore (craft store) and found some silicon cupcake cups on clearance. They were $5.00 for 12 cups.

Today in the cups the Munchkin' Man dined on :

* Turkey roll-ups

* Cheese roll ups

* Celery with soy nut butter

* Nectarine cubes on cocktail pics

* Pretzels

* Zucchini bread

He seemed to like the idea of having everything in their own individual container. I love the silicone cups because they are easy to clean and can be used as a learning tool while eating (colors and shapes.) I definitely plan on doing the Muffin Tin Monday again!!

MY GRANDMOTHER'S ZUCCHINI BREAD

The first time I ever heard of zucchini bread was during one time when my Grandparent's came down to stay with us for a couple weeks. Although they were guests at our house, my Grandmother ALWAYS cooked. My mom always had her make Chicken and Olives. She was a wonderful cook and also baker. One day she told me that she was going to make zucchini bread. My reaction was "YUCK." I could not believe that something with grated zucchini would taste good! Well, was I wrong. I made sure I was a good little girl and tried the bread my darling Grandmother made..... YUMMY! I loved it! To this day when I here anything about zucchini bread it makes me think of her. I do miss her so!! I wish that she was here to meet my son! I know she is looking down (every once and awhile- she is probably busy up there) and is happy that I am passing on the tradition of making zucchini bread!

Below is the recipe that was in my Grandmother's recipe book.

Ingredients:

1 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 cups shredded zucchini

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons vanilla


1. Combine all ingredients completely

2. Grease 2 loaf pans

3. Bake approximately 55 minutes in a 350 degree over- check after 50 minutes- test center with a cake tester, it should come out dry.

*** I used a flower shaped tube from Pampered Chef, 2 mini loaf pans and a medium pan, with this recipe :)

I hope that you enjoy this recipe and if you have a favorite memory that goes along with a recipe from your Grandmother, please share!!!