The Green Hour: A Daily Dose of Nature for Happier, Healthier, Smarter Kids

Being a New Englander, the minute it hits 45 degrees farenheit, we are all outside in shorts and sandals. Just kidding (kind of!). But really, being outdoors is a huge part of my family life. We love gardening and playing outside. Sometimes I find myself needing a little inspiration. The Green Hour: A Daily Dose of Nature for Happier, Healthier, Smarter Kids by Todd Christopher is our outdoor bible. It is filled with fun ideas to keep children away from the electronics and playing outdoors. There are ideas for a backyard scavenger hunt. You would be surprised how even the most sullen pre-teen loves a good scavenger hunt!

The National Wildlife Federation, on its website GreenHour.org, recommends that parents give their kids a “Green Hour” every day—a time for unstructured play and interaction with the natural world. Whether in the backyard, the local park, or a green space farther afield, time spent outdoors is essential to the healthy development of young minds, bodies, and spirits.

Todd Christopher, the creator of the GreenHour.org, has filled this book with activities designed to encourage discovery, creative play, and a wonder of nature. Here you'll find a range of projects, fun facts, and science lessons meant to engage and invigorate your child, as well as the practical advice for parents that makes getting outdoors easy and worry-free. With creative, science-based ideas for a variety of natural settings, getting your family's daily dose of nature just got easier.

I was surprised by what a little scientist I have in my daughter. I loved the suggestion of getting paint swatches then asking children to find something outdoors in that color. I know summer with its bright colors will be even more fun! To practice writing, I plan on making my little girl write about what we find. I was intirgued myself with the way I could make a "cloud" with everyday items. We are really looking forward to using leaves to make sun prints with colored construction paper. With so many ideas, it will be harder getting your kids to come back indoors. Let them celebrate the beautiful earth!

ConservingNow Envirosax Giveaway!

http://conservingnow.com/
ConservingNow is dedicated to teaching our children about conserving the earth by taking small steps. They hope that in 10 years from now, plastic bags will be obsolete, and everyone will be using reusable bags. Their website is full of ways parents, teachers and the community can help children achieve this goal and the goal of making our earth a safe, healthy place to be. We have eliminated the use of plastic bags in our home by using our Envirosax for everything from trips to the library to food shopping and picnics. I keep them everywhere! Kids can get in on the fun with the kid-friendly prints.
We love the Paper doll and ABC print here. I think any way you can encourage your child to embrace the idea of less waste, more conservation and helping this great earth is a day well spent. Go to ConservingNow to learn more helpful hints and ways to get your children in on the fun!

Want to win an Envirosax? ConservingNow is offering one lucky Product Mommy reader a chance to win one Envirosax bag in their choice of pattern. And don't forget to get your free car window static cling to remind you to always bring your reusable bags.

Giveaway Rules:
This contest is only open to US readers. You must be a Product Mommy follower. All entries must be received by 11:59pm on May 2, 2012. Please include your email address in each entry. A winner will be chosen at random. I will notify the winner on May 3, 2012 via email (please respond within 48 hours) and your Envirosax will be mailed directly from ConservingNow.

How to Enter: You must be a Product Mommy follower. Leave a comment with your email address under this post.

Extra Entries:
You must do the "How to Enter" first and be sure you leave a "comment" for each extra entry and tell me which one you did. Don't forget your email address too.
1. Become a fan of ConservingNow on Facebook
2. Become a fan of Product Mommy on Facebook
3. Become a fan of Product Mommy on Twitter
4. Subscribe to Product Mommy by email (top left of blog page)
5. Twitter about this contest (and leave a link to the Tweet)
6. Post this giveaway on Facebook (and leave a link)

Hello Soft Skin

We all know how awful petroleum jelly is for not only our skin but the environment. I know lots of people who are fans of the softness it lends their skin, but were looking for a safer, earth-friendly alternative. Fortunately, the creators of Waxelene had us in mind. Waxelene is made from organic soybean oil, 100% natural beeswax, organic rosemary oil and 100% natural Vitamin E oil. Yeah, you read that right, four ingredients!

Waxelene® is revolutionizing skin care. It creates the same waterproof barrier that doctors recommend petroleum jelly for but contains no petroleum or hydrogenated oil. Instead we use our patent pending aeration process that won’t clog pores and makes Waxelene® highly effective for any kind of dry skin. Not only that, it can be used for hundreds of other things just like petroleum jelly.

So far we have used it to soften our elbows, sooth a face rash, fix very chapped lips and soothe dry cracked skin on our fingers. Waxelene works like a charm, and smells amazing too. It makes our skin look and feel healthy. It is a product that makes us say to ourselves "how did we live without it?" Thank goodness, now we don't have to. I have even converted my 92 year old grandmother, who was petroleum jelly devotee for her dry nose. She has now used the future of moisture, Waxelene.

Breathe Easy...naturally

I have spent most of my adult life with a stuffy nose. No amount of decongestant or allergy pills work. In fact, they actually limit my breathing more after a while. When a friend recommended the use of a Neti Pot, I thought she was crazy, but was willing to give anything a try. I researched and found Himalayan Institute.

A leader in the field of yoga, meditation, spirituality, and holistic health, the Himalayan Institute is a non-profit, international organization dedicated to serving humanity through educational, spiritual, and humanitarian programs.

They carry a large selection of natural, holistic items for all kinds of ailments, and they have the best Neti Pots I have ever used.
The Ceramic Neti Pot Starter Kit comes with the Neti Salt, and Neti Wash Plus Daily Boost – to help sooth dry nasal passages. It is a set I use every single day and have such great results that I no longer take the allergy medication or the nose spray. Why use a Neti Pot?

The nasal passages are lined with a thin layer of mucus that is one of our body’s first lines of defense against disease. A nasal wash keeps this layer of mucus moist, clean, and healthy. Compared to other nasal wash techniques, using the Neti Pot™ is easy. A nasal wash can be as routine as brushing your teeth.


Remove excess mucus due to congestion
Rid nostrils of pollen and other allergens
Cleanse the nasal membranes of dust, smoke, or other airborne contaminants
Relieve nasal dryness due to air travel
Improve flow of breath before doing relaxation or meditation techniques

For traveling I use the Eco Travel Neti Pot which is nonbreakable and made of of biodegradable plastic.

If I am having an especially stuffy day I use the all-natural Neti Mist Sinus Spray. It clears me right up and if I use it before the Neti Pot, it makes it that much easier.

Helps relieve sinus congestion & pressure
Helps alleviate cold & allergy symptoms
Helps keep sinuses free of pollen, dust, bacteria, and other airborne pathogens
This gentle isotonic spray:

Is 100% all-natural and non-addictive
Contains tangerine-ginger with Erythritol and Xylitol
Contains no Benzalkonium Chloride

Combat allergies and sinus issues the natural, and healthy way. Stop using harmful drugs and sprays and allow yourself to breathe easy.

LunchSkins say bye bye Plastic...and Giveaway!

It is not secret that I am not a fan of plastic bags whether for snacks, sandwiches or groceries. We just do not use them in our home if we can help it. Now that my daughter is in school and I have to pack snacks, I was trying to get creative. I use containers, but sometimes I want just a snack bag. So in my quest to make my life easier, I found LunchSkins. LunchSkins were created by moms. They were concerned when they heard more than 20 million sandwich bags from school lunches go into landfills in the US...everyday! They started 3greenmoms, the company responsible for LunchSkins. Their mission:to design a colorful, fresh alternative to the plastic baggie. LunchSkins are food-safe, dishwasher-friendly and can withstand high heat. They are made from high-quality European fabric used by patisseries and bakeries.They even found a US family-owned manufacturer nearby in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
And no more plastic baggie taste or waste!

LunchSkins donates 1% of online sales profits to the C&O Canal Trust, an organization formed to protect and restore the the historic C&O Canal near the nation's capital, a trash-free National Park. See www.canaltrust.org for more information.
3greenmoms say:

In just one year, our LunchSkins customers have taken a big bite out of landfill and ocean waste. With your purchase and use of LunchSkins, more than 12 million plastic baggies have been saved from the landfill. WOW! We’re on a mission to reduce the number of plastic baggies thrown out. Help us reach our 2011 goal of keeping 100 million plastic baggies out of landfills and waterways.

We love our LunchSkins. They are great for fruit, snacks, even subs! You name it and there is a LunchSkins for it. My daughter likes the extra bit of flair in her lunchbox and I like that it gives us the chance to have less waste.

Three Lucky Product Mommy readers are going to get a set of 2 bags each (LunchSkins will choose the patterns for you).

Enter now!

Giveaway Rules:
This contest is only open to US readers. You must be a Product Mommy follower. All entries must be received by 11:59pm on October 29, 2011. Please include your email address in each entry. Winners will be chosen at random. I will notify the winners on October 30, 2011 via email (please respond within 48 hours) and your set of (2) LunchSkins will be mailed directly to you. Three winners will be chosen!

How to Enter: You must be a Product Mommy follower. Leave a comment with your email address under this post.

Extra Entries:
You must do the "How to Enter" first and be sure you leave a "comment" for each extra entry and tell me which one you did. Don't forget your email address too.
1. Become a fan of LunchSkins on Facebook
2. Become a follower of LunchSkins and 3greenmoms on Twitter
3. Become a fan of Product Mommy on Facebook
4. Become a fan of Product Mommy on Twitter
5. Subscribe to Product Mommy by email (top left of blog page)
6. Twitter about this contest (and leave a link to the Tweet)
7. Post this giveaway on Facebook (and leave a link

Klean Kanteen Giveaway!

There is no secret that I am a huge fan of Klean Kanteen bottles. I have written about them before, and am so glad to be working with Klean Kanteen again. Klean Kanteen create the first food-grade stainless steel bottle on the market. Klean Kanteen® are made from high quality, 18/8, food-grade stainless steel, a metal with no harmful toxins. They are super durable and easy to clean (dishwasher safe). They use food-grade stainless steel that doesn't need to be lined with plastic or baked-on epoxy like aluminum bottles, so you'll never have to check to make sure the inside of your Klean Kanteen® is still safe and intact. No linings means no flavor retains in the bottle, so you water never tastes like the juice that might have been in it the day before.

There new Klean Kanteen Reflect is truly a thing of beauty! It is made from 3 materials. That's right, three simple materials make up this bottle : sustainably harvested bamboo, food-grade silicone and stainless steel. Klean Kanteen says:

The Reflect raises the bar. Again. The Mirror finish is shiny, but we chose the name for a different reason. It symbolizes our deep commitment to continued innovation, and our promise to you to deliver value and quality with integrity.

There is no paint, and no plastic. The cap is a single piece of stainless steel finished with bamboo and a handy stainless steel bail for easy carrying. The bottle is laser etched with the Klean Kanteen logo. I am in love with this bottle! It looks really wonderful, and I love that it is so simply made. No paint to chip off (when I inevitably drop it by accident while searching for my keys etc.). My husband tried to nick it the day it came in, but I am a faster grab. This bottle is all mine. Want one? I bet you do! One lucky Product Mommy reader can win a Klean Kanteen Reflect Bottle in Brushed Stainless Steel. Even better, everyone else has to wait until April to get one of these cool bottles! Here is how:

Giveaway Rules:
This contest is only open to US readers. You must be a Product Mommy follower. All entries must be received by 11:59pm on March 24, 2011. Please include your email address in each entry. A winner will be chosen at random. I will notify the winner on March 25, 2011 via email (please respond within 48 hours) and your Klean Kanteen Reflect bottle will be shipped directly to you.

How to Enter: You must be a Product Mommy follower. Leave a comment with your email address under this post.

Extra Entries:
You must do the "How to Enter" first and be sure you leave a "comment" for each extra entry and tell me which one you did. Don't forget your email address too.
1. Become a fan of Klean Kanteen on Facebook
2. Become a fan of Product Mommy on Facebook
3. Become a fan of Product Mommy on Twitter
4. Subscribe to Product Mommy by email (top left of blog page)
5. Twitter about this contest (and leave a link to the Tweet)
6. Post this giveaway on Facebook (and leave a link

Peace Toys

Peace Toys are the official brainchild company behind two of my daughter’s favorite new toys. They make the awesome Hugg-A-Planet collection that encourages children to care for their earth. Each soft and cuddly globe and map is a perfect way to incite your child to want to learn about the earth they live on. There is even a Hugg-A-Planet Mars to inspire those interested in the world beyond. They are safe enough for small babies and grow with your child. There is nothing more heart-warming than watching your little one give the earth a big squeeze. My daughter was instantly curious as to “what it all meant.” We showed her where we live and where different friends and family members live. This was especially helpful as her paternal grandparents live in a different state. I know this will become and even greater learning tool as she grows. I also think these could make really cool pillows for a playroom or earthy inspired bedroom!

Our other new favorite from Peace Toys is their line The Foundling Collection. The Foundling Collection is made up of simple animals with embroidered eyes which are safe from infancy. They are made of Organic cotton. The 100% organic cotton shell is filled with unbleached cotton clippings.

It takes 3 years of chemical and pesticide free farming to certify a cotton crop as organic. Organic farming protects ground water and the cotton used in the Foundlings are free from pesticides and other harmful chemicals

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Each animal is lovingly handmade in Vermont. We try to buy our daughter simple toys that make her use her imagination. Stuffed toys and dolls that have overly expressive features have been proven to limit creativity because if a doll or animal looks a certain way then a child cannot project their idea of what the animal should be feeling/doing. The Foundling Collection is so simple that they can be anything. My daughter loves her Foundling Rabbit and treats it like a baby. She wrapped it in blankets the other day to take it for a walk. I cannot wait to get more from this collection for baby gifts!

Peace Toys is a company that cares about your child and our planet – what could be better?!