Category: Shopping

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Eco-Friendly Living Giveaways/Contests Household Other Shopping

Lets Go Green.biz Giveaway

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If you are like me, you might be trying to gradually replace household items in your home with more eco-friendly options.  Who wants to expose their children and family to harmful chemicals, so often found in traditional cleaning products? 

I have also been trying for over a year now, to reduce the amount of plastic bags we bring home from the grocery store.  Once I started paying attention to how many bags I was bringing my groceries home in, it was so excessive.  No wonder I always ended up with what seemed liked hundreds of bags under my sink.  Sometimes the bagger at the store, would use one bag for one small item. 

It bothers me that we still use plastic Ziploc bags, but quite frankly, they are so easy to use.  I use the gallon sizes for everything from marinades to storing art supplies in.  I use the sandwich and snack sizes for the boys’ snacks on the go, and for Ryan’s school lunches. 

But probably the biggest single factor for me in holding off replacing more household items is the cost.  We only have one natural grocery store in our town, and paper products, etc. are pretty expensive there.  My regular grocery store doesn’t have that big of a selection of eco-friendly paper, plastic, and cleaning supplies.  I suspect I am like a lot of people, who would like to purchase more eco-friendly products, but can’t justify spending double, triple, or even more on them. 

Fortunately, we don’t have to now.  There is a fantastic company, Lets Go Green.biz, which now provides many eco-friendly household products that are affordable.  In fact, after reviewing their site, many products cost less than what I have been paying for conventional items.

What makes it even more affordable, in addition to their already low prices, if you use the coupon code FRIEND during checkout, you receive an additional 25% off your order!  How wonderful is that? 

One of the best bargains they have is their new BPA-free water bottles from Camelbak.  I have seen similar BPA bottles in the sporting good store for at least $15.  Sigg BPA-free water bottles are great, but in my health food store, they run from $20-$40.  The price of Lets Go Green’s BPA-free water bottles: $12.89. With the 25% discount, they end up being $9.67.  I have yet to see them less anywhere else.  Plus they come in a variety of colors. 

I am so excited and pleased to offer a fabulous giveway from Lets Go Green.biz.  It is valued at over $37 and all the products are eco-friendly.  One lucky person will win: 

 Let’s Go Green Large Canvas Shopping Bag 

 32oz. Glass Cleaner (I have used this, and it works wonderfully!  It gets the smudges and little handprints off the windows with no streaks.  It is dye and fragrence free, non-toxic, and it is biodegradable!) 

 Recycled Bath Tissue 4pack 

  Recycled Paper Towel 3pack

  13 Gallon Ecosafe Tall Degradable Kitchen Bags  (15 count)

  Slider Gallon PVC Free Freezer Bags (10 count)

   5 Minute Shower Coach  (to help time your showers and conserve water)

   Toilet Tank Bank  (helps save almost a full gallon with every flush)

   Walnut Scrubber Sponge (made with organic walnut shells)

To be eligible to win this prize, all you have to do is go to Lets Go Green.biz, and look at their products.  Then leave a comment here, stating what product, or products you would like to try, or what product caught your attention.  That’s it!  The contest will run for two weeks, ending on July 1, at 10 PM eastern time.  The winner will be picked by a random.org, with the number corresponding to your comment number.

If you can’t wait that long, be sure to click on the Lets Go Green.biz button I have on the top of this post, or on the left hand side of my blog.  It will take you to their website, and remember to enter the code FRIEND at checkout, to save 25% off your order. 

Lets Go Green.biz also has a fundraising program that is definitely worth checking out if you have a group or organization.  If you are interested in finding out more about their fundraising programs, be sure to check out their Green Fundraising pages.

This is a terrific chance to win some eco-friendly household products.  Make sure to enter before July 1st.  Going “green” doesn’t have to be expensive, and thanks to Lets Go Green.biz, they have just made it a lot easier and affordable.  Good luck- and may the “green” be with you!

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Current Events Household Shopping

Happy Earth Day- Save Some Green

I know there is a lot of information available on how to be “greener,”and the benefits to the environment.  For instance, last year around Earth Day, I vowed to stop using the plastic grocery store bags, and I purchased these Envirosax reusable bags.  Most of the stores in my area started offering plastic bag recycling as well, so there are many places now I can take the plastic bags when they start to accumulate.

This Earth Day I thought it would be interesting to cite some financial information on how much “green” efforts can save you.  Again, all these are good for the Earth too, but it can also be a motivating factor when you see how many “green” backs your “green” efforts are saving you.

  • You can save money by using cloth napkins, and paper towels.  If an average family goes through a standard 250 package of napkins a month, and they are $2.50 a package, in a year the savings would be: $30.  Paper towels are about $3 for a package of two, and assuming you use a package a month, the savings in a year would be: $36.
  • If you can use cloth diapers, (even some of the time) the savings really start to add up and are enormous- especially if you invest in cloth diapers and use them for a second and or third child. 

There are tons of spreadsheets on the Internet breaking down the costs of disposable diapers versus cloth diapers.  Basically in summary, if water is cheap (and in the US it is), there is less of a toll on the environment by using cloth diapers.  The savings seem to work out on average, by the time your first baby is about 10-12 months old, you would have spent the same amount on cloth diapers as you would disposables.  At that point you have broken even, and after that, you have recouped your costs, and are basically diapering for free (minus the cost of water to wash them). 

If you have bought diapers recently, I don’t have to tell you how much of a savings this can be.  Especially if you have two children in diapers at the same time!  If a family uses a case of diapers a month and on average they are about $30 a case, in a year on the low end, that is $360 a year.  If you invest in cloth diapers, after 10-12 months, you will have saved $30-60+, and after that you are saving at least $30+ a month!

  • Buy energy efficient appliances.  Energy Star has a list of qualified products.  Here are just two examples of how much money you can save with Energy Star appliances: Energy Star Refrigerator: $10.82, Energy Star Front-Load Washing Machine: $50.50 (just on the electricity- not counting the savings in water!)  Total for these two appliances: $61.32
  • Unplugging appliances when not in use, can help save on your electricity bill too.
  • By paying your bills on-line, you not only save the costs of stamps to mail your bills, you also save on the costs of checks, by not having to re-order so many.  On average my estimate is you would save about $50 a year by doing this. 
  • Make one meal a week, a vegetarian meal, and save on the cost of meat.  If the average package of meat or chicken costs around $7, in a year you would have saved $364 on meat! 

Just these few tips would save the average household about $574 a year.  You can add to that if you are a family using cloth diapers!  These saving could be several trips to the grocery store, several tanks of gas, several meals out, or even a nice weekend away!

Join me in the coming year to try to be as “green” as possible, and save yourself some “green” at the same time.  If you have any more money saving tips that are good for the Earth too, I would love to hear them.

Happy Earth Day!

Categories
Cole Fun Stuff Little Pumpkin Sweet Pea Designs Mothering My On-Line Store: Little Pumpkin Sweet Pea Designs Ryan Shopping

Welcome to A Mama’s Blog’s New Site!

Welcome to A Mama’s Blog’s new home.  I hope you can linger for a moment and get acquainted with the new site.  If you are looking for any past articles, just scroll down on the right hand side bar, and you can use the “Search” feature, or look through the “Archives.”  You can also browse through past posts by “Category”.  

Perhaps you have noticed a brand new feature, the “Link to Me” button, with the jibberish code underneath it.  You can now place a link on your blog using this code, and my button will appear on your blog.  I did this with my friend Amy’s Crunchy Domestic Goddess blog button in my blogroll.

Finally, my favorite feature so far is the header.  I searched and searched for the image that was perfect, and couldn’t find it.  I really wanted an image that reflected me with my boys, but it didn’t seem like they had an image with two boys and a mama that I liked.   I took a few days off from searching, and when I went back to look through the thousands of images istockphoto has,  a new one popped up.  A mama with her two boys, just about the same age as my boys! 

My designer, Heather,  from Girly Blog Designz customized it more for me, so it would look even more like Ryan, Cole, and I, and she added the laptop in for me.   Really, because what blogging mama doesn’t have her laptop with her at all times?  🙂  Then we found a landscape picture background that Heather merged into the picture.  Next Heather added her creative flair, and we finally had the header.  Needless to say, I am so happy with how the new blog turned out!

I am so happy and excited to be launching the new home of A Mama’s Blog, that I am giving away this best selling infant/toddler T-shirt from my store, Little Pumpkin Sweet Pea Designs:

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It says, What Happens at Grandma’s Stays at Grandma’s.  The shirt is white (as pictured) and it is infant/toddler size 18 months.  You can view all the specifics of the shirt, see a size chart, and see it in greater detail here, at my store.

To win, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post.  If you have a blog, I’d really appreciate it, if you would mention and link this contest, and my new site in a post on your blog.  Please sign Mr. Linky if you do link.  I will pick a winner through random.org on Saturday March 22nd, at 10pm eastern time.  I will announce the winner either Saturday night, or on Sunday March 23rd.   So make sure you leave your post before then,  if you want a chance to win this adorable shirt. 

Even if you don’t have a child in size 18 months, it would make a great gift for your niece, nephew, grandchild, best friend’s baby…you get the drift.  Since this shirt is unisex, it is so cute for either a boy or a girl!

Thanks for stopping by the new site.  Don’t forget to check back to see who the T-shirt winner is. 

Categories
Activities Cole Mothering Ryan Shopping

Mall Rats

I did something today that I have never done before.  I spent 5 hours at the mall with both Ryan and Cole.  What was I thinking?

After our great weather on Saturday, it turned windy, cold, and snowy on Sunday.  We were cooped up all day yesterday.   I actually had no errands or anything else planned today, and the prospect of spending 12 hours in the house again, was not appealing- evidently going to the mall with two small, active, boys was. 

I had to return a pair of my new jeans that I just bought, because (and I’m not complaining), they were too big.  After having them on for a few hours, they stretched out, and just didn’t fit.  I also needed to pick up a few more casual / work shirts.  I couldn’t believe how empty the mall was.  It seems like I usually go to the mall on weekends.  There was hardly anyone there.  It was so nice being able to shop and look around without bumping into people, especially since I had the double stroller.  Ryan and Cole also liked being able to stand in front of the mirrors and they could move their arms, and not hit anyone.  I must remember any shopping at the mall needs to be done on a Monday.

I returned my jeans, (the size down didn’t fit at all), and I found some nice shirts on sale at Gap and Old Navy- woo hoo!  After I was done with my errands, we ate lunch.  I packed some PB&J’s for the boys.  Cole wanted nothing to do with his sandwich, so he ate most of my sandwich I picked up at Subway.  Oh well. 

Then we went to Pottery Barn Kids, where I took a nap on the beautifully, perfect, made up Madeline Canopy trundle bed, (do adults with jobs even have beds this nice?) while the boys played next to me in the $800 toy kitchen.  (Do adults with jobs even have kitchens this nice?)  Just kidding- about the nap- I did sit down on the Madeline bed, and laid up against the perfect pillows for forty-five minutes while the boys played. 

 I have to say the employees at Pottery Barn Kids were very nice.  I am sure they could tell I wasn’t going to buy anything, but they didn’t mind a tired mama camping out on the perfectly made Madeline Canopy bed, nor did they even flinch when my two boys climbed on it. At least the boys took their shoes off, before getting on the white bedding. I was hoping I didn’t miss wiping up any jelly on their hands from lunch.  They just told me to relax, and told me how cute Ryan and Cole were.  They get my vote for just being so nice.  The next time I am in the market for an item I can afford there (it won’t be the $800 kitchen though), I will get it there. 

Then we went to the play area, where the boys ran around for another hour.  Then we got a snack and headed home.  All in all it went well EXCEPT I forgot that Ryan’s medication he is taking for his double ear infection that won’t go away, makes him have to go to the bathroom in a heartbeat.  Let’s just say it sure isn’t fun dashing across the mall, trying to find a bathroom for your four-year old, when you already know his pants are a mess, and you forgot to bring 3 pairs of clean underwear for him. I wonder if he was the only other kid going commando at the mall today?

Cole was asleep as we left the parking lot, and Ryan fell asleep about ten minutes from home.  They both fell asleep tonight a few minutes after they laid down.  I am happy that they got so much exercise, and they really did have fun.  Ryan asked if we could stay at the mall longer, as we were leaving, and then as we were getting in the car, he told me Coley wanted to go back inside the mall.  I guess we’ll have to become offical mall rats the next time the weather is bad, and we have cabin fever. 

Categories
Cole Me Shopping

My Day at the Mall

All the stars must have aligned right yesterday, because it worked out where I was able to get out of the house, and do some much needed shopping.  I had Cole with me, and he is quite the shopper.

One reason I always wanted a girl, was I just assumed you had to have a girl to go shopping with.  Ryan is not a shopper- he is just like his dad in that area-go in, get what you need, get out as quick as you can.  Cole, on the other hand, takes after me.  He loves looking around at all the people, and he loves touching clothes, and just seeing what is going on in the stores.  I have to be in the right mood to shop, or else I hate it, and fortunately, both Cole and I were in a shopping mood today.

We started out at Old Navy, where they are having a huge baby sale- all baby/kids clothes were 40% off.  I stocked up on tee shirts and shorts mostly for Ryan for the summer, since Cole will have plenty of Ryan’s hand-me-downs.  They were all on sale for $3.90 each.  I did get both boys one matching outfit- a navy and gray shirt, with matching shorts.  Then I found a nice work / dressier occasion black short sleeved blouse for me on sale for $7.  It was triple that originally, so I scored there.  I looked for a birthday present for my niece, who will be one in April, but I just didn’t see anything that I liked.  I take that back- I saw this adorable onesie, which fits my niece to a T, but they only had newborn sizes.  However, I got my friend, who is expecting her first baby, a boy in March, a gift, (not sure if she reads my blog or not, so can’t say what it is, other than it is cute!) I had a coupon for an additional 10% of everything, so I saved quite a bit.

I was getting hungry, so I stopped at a bakery and got a chicken walnut salad sandwich.  Cole had eaten before we left, and didn’t want any of my food, except for the delicious oatmeal raisin cookie that came with it.  He sat on his chair like such a big boy and smiled at everyone who walked by.  While we were eating, I saw a new mother sitting a few tables down with a baby that looked about a month old.  They looked so happy and calm.  I wondered if I ever looked that happy, or if I just always looked as frazzled, and tired as I felt.

After we were done eating, it was off to Children’s Place, where I had another coupon for 15% off.  We went shopping there right before Christmas, so I figured I had seen most the merchandise, but I have another friend who is also due in March with her first baby, but she doesn’t know the gender.  I thought I would see if there were any cute outfits that would work.  Now I know what everyone went through with me- we didn’t find out the gender either time.  I really wanted to get her some things, but everything was so gender specific, I couldn’t.  I did find one nice little gift though, that will work for a boy or a girl.  I also found two long sleeved graphic shirts for Ryan for next fall, that were originally $14, marked down to $5.99, and then they were 50% off that.  With my coupon they ended up being $2.54. Not bad for two brand new cool shirts.  One had a snowmobiler on it, and one had a helicopter scenes.  Right up Ryan’s alley.

Cole was starting to get a bit tired, but I wanted to go to New York & Company to see what kind of jeans they had.  I debated on stopping at Pottery Barn Kids first to let Cole  play for a while, but it is so hard to get him out of there- he never wants to leave.  So I decided to go to NY&Co. first.  They were crazy busy!  It was my lucky day to need jeans, because they were having a sale on all their pants- buy one get one for 50% off.  And, yes you guessed it, I had a coupon for $30 off, if you spent $75.  I have never bought NY&Co. jeans before, but my sister has a few pairs that are really cute.  Plus, I can wear jeans to work if they are nicer, and it seems like the jeans there are a little dressier.  Plus they have tall lengths, which I usually need.  

Because of the sale and my coupon it really did make sense to get two pairs- two pairs would cost me $10 more than one pair.  But, I was out of luck.  The jeans were so picked over, I only found one pair that were my size, and they weren’t even the long length.  I tried them on anyway, and surprisingly they were long enough.  I even asked the sales person to see if they had anymore jeans in my size. 

The store was so cramped, and the aisles were very narrow, it was NOT fun trying to maneuver a stroller through all of it.  The sales person told me I must have the only pair in my size- she couldn’t find anymore.  I was still going to get the pair I liked, and found some great sweaters for work and a blouse, all marked down from $36 to $7.99.  Then I spotted a clearance rack by another dressing room that had some more jeans on it.  I looked through every pair, and the very last pair, was my size, in a long length, with a design on the back pockets that I really liked.  After trying them on, it seemed like they were a little too long.  I guess they don’t mess around- tall means tall!  Usually tall is like half an inch longer than the regular length.  Not at NY&Co.!  But they were so cute, I decided to get them anyway, and I know Joe’s mom could hem them up for me.

While I was standing in line, I noticed EVERY fashion conscious person in the store (you know what they look like- they aren’t mom’s who have dried chicken salad from lunch on their black shirts, and pushing a toddler in a beat up stroller) had on really long jeans- most had the hems to the floor, and were standing on them.  I guess these pants were the height of fashion.  Maybe I won’t have them hemmed- now if I could do something about the dried white mayonnaise spots on my black shirt. 

I was over the $75 mark with the sweaters, but after using my coupon, I got $30 knocked off.  I am really happy I found two nice pair of jeans I can wear to work if I want to.  Here is the first pair, and here is the second, long, pair. 

Cole was really getting fussy at this point, so we went to Pottery Barn Kids, and spent the next hour there.  He was having a blast playing with the toy kitchen, stove, washing machine, ironing board, and vacuum cleaner.  It also was not crowded at all, so he had the toys to himself.  Almost everyone who walked by and saw him playing told me how sweet he looked.  He would stop what he was doing, and wave at that the person.  Finally, he was getting so tired, I had to pick him up and carry him out of there.  He cried, but he stopped as soon as we started walking in the mall again.  He fell asleep on they way home.

Hopefully we are set on clothes now for a while.  It was a really nice, fun, and laid back day, and I really enjoyed spending that one-on-one time with Cole.  Oh, and if you are wondering how I got so many coupons- the last time I was at Old Navy, the reciept selected me to take a customer satisfaction survey for the 10% off.  So I did, and I got a code when I was done.  For the other two stores, I am on their mailing list, and they send coupons quite regularly.  You can sign up on-line at their websites,  if there are any shopping trips in your future to these stores.