This giveaway has ended. Thanks to all that entered!


Now that it is Winter, it’s really hard to find a variety of organic fruits. You can always buy frozen, but that’s not so easy to take on the go. As I was preparing for Ella’s party, I knew I wanted organic fruit, but wanted to share with my guests something different. That’s when I found Peeled Snacks.

Peeled Snacks is dried organic and natural fruits and nuts which come in a recyclable bag. You get whole fruit pieces in each pouch that are juicy and flavorful without any added sugar or fat. There are 5 organic fruits: much-ado-about-Mango, pine-4-Pineapple, Banan-a-peel, Apple-2-the-core, and Apricot-a-lot. And a all-natural Cherry-go-round. You can eat the fruits out of the bag, cook them, add them to dishes and more.
Peeled Snacks sent us all 6 fruit varieties and I was really impressed with the whole pineapple slices! I was expecting just chunks, but you get the full circles. The same with the mangoes and apricots. I decided to add the Peeled Snacks to our fruit dip tray and also to decorate the cupcake tower with them.The kids LOVED the fruit! Especially in the pineapple dip. The adults added them to their cupcakes since it was a decorate your own party. We luckily had some Peeled Snacks left over from the party and Ella has enjoyed eating them for a day time snack. I feel confident giving her Peeled Snacks instead of sugar dosed snacks that are unhealthy. It’s real fruit with nothing artificial!

You can purchase Peeled Snacks online, or at Whole Foods, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, and now at Starbucks!! I have to admit I have a serious Starbucks addiction and Ella always wants something while we are there. I’m glad they now carry healthy organic snacks so I don’t have to keep telling her no. 🙂

The Giveaway: Peeled Snacks would like to give 1 lucky winner a Organic Fruit Picks Variety PackRules: You have until 11:59 p.m. EST February 11, 2010 to enter. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced after they respond to the winning email. The winner has 48 hours to respond to the winning email, or a new winner will be chosen. You must leave your email address! This contest is open to the US

How to Enter: Go to Peeled Snacks and tell me what you’d like to try the most. Make sure you leave your email address!! I cannot contact the winner without it!

EXTRA Entries: You must complete the “How To Enter” before making any extra entries. Make sure you leave a comment for each extra entry and tell me which one.

2. Become a fan of Mkokopelli on FB, Mkokopelli on Twitter, or Follow my blog
3. Subscribe to my blog by email (on the right sidebar) You must verify and be active at the time of the giveaway- those who are unverified will become disqualified
4. Blog, Tweet or send a message on FB and leave a link here (1 entry per day)
5. Enter another giveaway I have going on and tell me which one or leave a comment on a non-giveaway post (1 entry total)
6. Become a fan of Peeled Snacks on Facebook
7. Follow Peeled Snacks on Twitter
8. Sign up for the Peeled Snacks newsletter (bottom of the screen)
9. Tell me something you learned on Peeled Snacks
10. Grab my button and post on your blog, Facebook page, or myspace page and link back in a comment


New disclaimer: I was sent these items to review from Peeled Snacks. This in NO way changes my opinions about the products or company. These are my thoughts, opinions and results.

This giveaway has ended. Thanks to all that entered!
It was Curious Chef that gave me the “kitchen theme” idea for Ella’s party. She loved their Cookie Kit in November and has been obsessed with cooking ever since. I loved their Ice Cream Sundae Party Kit and thought the kids would enjoy it too. Plus, decorating cookies and cupcakes- you can’t go wrong.

Curious Chef is a wonderful cooking utensil store, just for kids. It’s hard for little hands to work with adult cooking utensils. Not to mention it makes them feel special they have their own gear. All of the Curious Chef’s products are BPA free and meet and exceed the CPSC testing standards.
Curious Chef sent us the 22 Piece Sundae Sleepover Kit. The kit comes with a mixing spoon, ice cream scoop, 4 silicone pinch bowls, 4 ice cream bowls, 4 float mugs and 4 party hats with aprons. The thing about a party with 3 year olds is that they are very opinionated and only do what they want. I tried to get them to wear the aprons and hats, but Ella had to wear pink and no one else wanted to participate. I think that over the summer the kit will be even more of a success, especially since the kids won’t be in sugar overload. But, personally, I can’t wait to make a root-beer float this weekend! The bowls are a perfect fit for 5 to 6 scoops of ice cream and the pinch bowls hold more than enough sprinkles. The pinch bowls where also great for toppings for the cupcakes and cookies too. We used both the Cookie kit and Sundae kit while preparing for the party. We used the butterfly and star cookie cutters for her cookies and Maple Cinnamon Crisps. I love the shapes!! We also used the rolling pin when baking the cookies. They are truly the perfect size for small hands. 🙂

Ella’s organic ice cream sundae included: organic vanilla bean ice cream, a strawberry cupcake with cream cheese icing, sprinkles, coconut and chocolate sauce. I had a chocolate cupcake with mine and it was soooo yummy!

The Giveaway: Curious Chef would like to give 1 lucky winner a 3 Quart Mixing Bowl SetRules: You have until 11:59 p.m. EST February 7, 2010 to enter. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced after they respond to the winning email. The winner has 48 hours to respond to the winning email, or a new winner will be chosen. You must leave your email address! This contest is open to the US

How to Enter: Go to Curious Chef and tell me something else you like! Make sure you leave your email address!! I cannot contact the winner without it!

EXTRA Entries: You must complete the “How To Enter” before making any extra entries. Make sure you leave a comment for each extra entry and tell me which one.

2. Become a fan of Mkokopelli on FB, Mkokopelli on Twitter, or Follow my blog
3. Subscribe to my blog by email (on the right sidebar) You must verify and be active at the time of the giveaway- those who are unverified will become disqualified
4. Blog, Tweet or send a message on FB and leave a link here (1 entry per day)
5. Enter another giveaway I have going on and tell me which one or leave a comment on a non-giveaway post (1 entry total)
6. Become a Fan of Curious Chef on Facebook
7. Tell me your favorite recipe on Curious Chef
8. Follow Curious Chef on Twitter
9. Tell me something you learned on the Curious Chef website
10. Grab my button and post on your blog, Facebook page, or myspace page and link back in a comment


New disclaimer: I was sent these items to review from Curious Chef. This in NO way changes my opinions about the products or company. These are my thoughts, opinions and results.

Just wanted to let you know that the Batter Up Kids Giveaway links have been fixed! Sorry about that!!

This giveaway has ended. Thanks to all that entered!
If it wasn’t for Batter Up Kids owner/writer/chef/teacher Barbara Beery, Ella’s Eco birthday bash wouldn’t have been half of the success that it was. Some of you might have seen Barbara Beery’s amazing kid cookbooks like the Green Princess, Pink Princess, Fairies Cookbook, Mermaid Cookbook, Pink Princess Tea Parties and Sensational Snacks at your local bookstores. She has quite a few more, but those were my favorites!

Barbara Beery began Batter Up Kids in 1991. It started as a child cooking school and turned into a huge cooking store success! Barbara has become a nationally known best selling children’s cookbook author and after trying out a few recipes I completely understand why! Batter Up Kids also sells amazing cooking gear for children and they even have a Eco-friendly section with some fantastic gear.

Batter Up Kids sent us a Eco Friendly Kids Cook and Bake Set for the party. The kit comes with the Green Princess Cookbook, a Silicone Baking Set, Bamboo Utensil Set and a Eco friendly apron. I just happened to be at Barnes & Noble and saw Barbara’s whole collection of books and got some other ideas for party food. I wish I had the money to buy the whole set! I let Ella help me cook for the party and the utensils are the perfect size for small hands. The silicone set is perfect for tiny cakes- which I used in the cupcake tower. The cake comes out easily and doesn’t break like a lot of pans I’ve tried. And the flower cake really does imprint a flower!

I wanted to let the kids decorate their own cupcakes, cookies and ice cream sundaes to give them something fun to do during the party. We only used 100% organic ingredients in everything we made, even the icing! I used Barbara’s Flower Power Cookie recipe for our butterfly and star cookies which were extra yummy!! I also made her Solar Power Strawberry Lemonade, Cinnamon Maple Crisps, Dainty Sandwich Dippers, and her Paradise Pineapple Fruit Dip.Oh yes, it all tasted as yummy as it looks!! The Maple Cinnamon Crisps (stars, butterflies and hearts) were my favorite and I will be making these weekly for snacks. Also, the Dainty Sandwich Dippers are amazing!!! Everything was a huge success and I can’t wait to try more!

I highly recommend checking out her cookbooks! But, Batter Up Kids has so much to offer other than cookbooks! You’ll just have to see for yourself. 🙂

The Discount: Batter Up Kids would like to offer you a 25% off discount, even on sale items, until Feb. 5!! All you have to do is enter KCSMK10 at the checkout.

The Giveaway: Batter Up Kids would like to give 1 LUCKY winner a Eco Friendly Kids Cook and Bake Set

Rules: You have until 11:59 p.m. EST February 6, 2010 to enter. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced after they respond to the winning email. The winner has 48 hours to respond to the winning email, or a new winner will be chosen. You must leave your email address! This contest is open to the US and Canada

How to Enter: Tell me something else you like from Batter Up Kids and sign up for their newsletter while you’re there. Make sure you leave your email address!! I cannot contact the winner without it!

EXTRA Entries: You must complete the “How To Enter” before making any extra entries. Make sure you leave a comment for each extra entry and tell me which one.

2. Become a fan of Mkokopelli on FB, Mkokopelli on Twitter, or Follow my blog
3. Subscribe to my blog by email (on the right sidebar) You must verify and be active at the time of the giveaway- those who are unverified will become disqualified
4. Blog, Tweet or send a message on FB and leave a link here (1 entry per day)
5. Enter another giveaway I have going on and tell me which one or leave a comment on a non-giveaway post (1 entry total)
6. Become a Fan of Batter Up Kids on Facebook
7. Become friends with Barbara Beery on Facebook
8. Follow Batter Up Kids on Twitter
9. Follow Batter Up Kids Blog
10. Grab my button and post on your blog, Facebook page, or myspace page and link back in a comment


New disclaimer: I was sent these items to review from Batter Up Kids. This in NO way changes my opinions about the products or company. These are my thoughts, opinions and results.

The one thing I hate about going to parties is getting loot bags. Maybe that sounds rude, but most of the stuff ends up in the trash. Who ever thought of loot bags anyways??? Ella doesn’t get candy or plastic toys, so I hate having to take them away and trash them. I was one of those moms last year, though bubbles and mini coloring books weren’t that bad. But this year I wanted to do something different and make sure it was something that could be used. I came across Green Planet Parties and fell in love with their pre-made loot bags!

Green Planet Parties carries pre-made goodie bags, party favors, craft fun, gift wrap and items, special gifts, tableware, and party decor that is all Eco-friendly! Green Planet Parties was started by 2 BC Canadian moms who have 6 children between them! So they know how to throw parties. They decided they wanted to reduce the amount of plastic, waste and excess used at parties and came up with the idea of Eco-friendly supplies. They do ship internationally, so have fun browsing around!

Green Planet Parties carries a great variety of pre-made loot bags that are awesome! Especially if you are like me with little time to plan a party. They have 13 loot themes and 6 different bag designs to choose from ranging from $8.50-$12.50. These are the 3 designs we were sent. We went with the Organic Playdough Combo and I had full intentions of having the kids rolling out the dough and making cookie shapes. But, the party flew by and the kids were having so much fun decorating the cupcakes, cookies, and sundaes we never got to it. The loot bag came with a O’bon pencil, a organic sucker and a large container of organic playdough. I LOVE the bags themselves! They are great to keep for your children to carry around as a purse or to keep special toys in. It also would be great for on the go snacks. So the next time you are planning a party with loot bags, be sure to check out Green Planet Parties for an Eco-friendly alternative!

Want to get extra entries to any of my giveaways going on? Check out Green Planet Parties and comment back here with something that you like. You can also join their Facebook page for another extra entry. Just post “GPP” in the comment box for the 4 giveaways you’d like to enter!

I am going to extend the Divine Soul Healing Transmission CD Giveaway for another week! This would be a great gift or something to keep for yourself!! Remember, there are 3 winners!!!

This giveaway has ended. Thanks to all that entered!!


I’m having major issues that my baby girl will be 3 in 5 days!! Today she dressed herself, washed her own hands, put toothpaste on her toothbrush- that she opened up- and brushed her teeth. Plus she drank out of her Siliskin Glass without spilling a drop!

Did you know that in Europe they don’t even use sippy cups? They go from the bottle to a regular cup! After reading that, I decided it’s time to get rid of the sippys. I didn’t want to just hand Ella a glass cup and say drink. So, I bought the sippy cups that have a hole on the top to teach her how to drink without sucking. Well, those didn’t work and she got more milk on her shirt than in her mouth. Then I came across Siliskin 6 oz. Glasses and these are awesome! A Siliskin Glass is a mini 6 oz glass cup that is perfect for little hands. It is wrapped in silicone, also called Siliskin, which is BPA free and non-toxic. The Siliskin is slip resistant and is very sturdy. When I say sturdy I mean that Ella threw hers on our hardwood floor and the glass didn’t shatter. Siliskins are hypo-allergenic, have no open pores to harbor bacteria, are dishwasher safe and can be boiled to sterilize.

Silicone is a great alternative to plastic and is found in lots of Eco-friendly cookware. And glass is soooo much better than any plastic. This is the best alternative for kids until they can drink from a large glass cup. Silikids also sells Siliskin bottle covers if you are bottle feeding and wanting to ditch the plastic. I wish these had been around 2 1/2 years ago! You can get the Siliskin Glass for only $7.95!

The Giveaway: Silikids would like to give 1 lucky winner a Siliskin Glass!!
Rules: You have until 11:59 p.m. EST January 30, 2010 to enter. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced after they respond to the winning email. The winner has 48 hours to respond to the winning email, or a new winner will be chosen. You must leave your email address! This contest is open to the US

How to Enter: Tell me something else you like from Silikids. Make sure you leave your email address!! I cannot contact the winner without it!

EXTRA Entries: You must complete the “How To Enter” before making any extra entries. Make sure you leave a comment for each extra entry and tell me which one.

2. Become a fan of Mkokopelli on FB, Mkokopelli on Twitter, or Follow my blog
3. Subscribe to my blog by email (on the right sidebar) You must verify and be active at the time of the giveaway- those who are unverified will become disqualified
4. Blog, Tweet or send a message on FB and leave a link here (1 entry per day)
5. Enter another giveaway I have going on and tell me which one or leave a comment on a non-giveaway post (1 entry total)
6. Sign up for the Silikids Newsletter
7. Become a Fan of Silikids on Facebook
8. Follow Silikids on Twitter
9. Tell me something you learned on the Silikids site
10. Grab my button and post on your blog, Facebook page, or myspace page and link back in a comment


New disclaimer: I was sent this item to review from Silikids. This in NO way changes my opinions about the products or company. These are my thoughts, opinions and results.

Man, this is a sad week in the blogger world. A terrific “Green” blogger, Jennae, just found out her precious 4 year old daughter has leukemia. 😦 You might know her from Green and Gorgeous or Green Your Decor. She is an amazing blogger with fantastic taste! Luckily, (if there is such a thing in this case??) her daughter has a common childhood leukemia called A.L.L. which has a 90% cure rate. But Jennae is self employed and her husband was laid off a few months ago leaving them with no insurance. I know money is tight for everyone, but if there is anything you can do, please pass this along to help this precious family.

Here are somethings you can do to help Jennae and her family. (Copied from Green Talk)

• Check out Jennae’s linked-in site so you can learn more about her. Hire her or ask your colleagues for help. OMI, anyone who hires Jennae is darn lucky.
• Ask her to redesign your website. See her portfolio here. This is only a small smattering of what she can do. (She could use some help uploading her designs to her website. The gift of time is always appreciated.)
  

http://widget.chipin.com/widget/id/dd6d7479b88c329f

• Add the above widget to your site asking your followers to help. Just click on the “copy” button or “info” button to get directions on how to embed it in your site. I can be technically challenged, so if I can do it, so can you.
• Just in case the widget is not working, you can donate via her support page on her site. She accepts paypal.
• Consider contributing money via the widget or support page. Any amount will help.
• Advertise on Green Your Decor. She has a wonderful following with over 1700 followers. You got green. She will flaunt it.
• Help her husband become employed.
• Spread the word to help Jennae in any of the above ways.
• Offer to guest post on Green Your Decor to help keep her blog fresh and gain more followers. Contact her here.
• Also, please tweet this post or any post asking for help for Jeannae. Use the hashtags #HireJennae and #Atlanta.
• Please tweet: Need a great designer, writer, & social media maven? #HireJennae in #Atlanta See: http://ow.ly/VihP. You can use Hoot Suite to schedule periodic tweets and let it do the work.
• Stumble this post, share it on facebook, linked-in, or any other social network site. Just get the word out. (See at the bottom of my post the words, “Share This” with the funny looking symbol after the words? This is where you can share my post via email, facebook, etc. Just click on it and it will reveal several choices. As the Nike commercials say, “Just do it!”)
• Continue to support those groups such as the Environmental Working Group, who are trying to stop this chemical madness that has caused increased cancer rates, learning disabilities, JV diabetes, asthma, and a host of other illness.
• Pray for Jennae’s daughter “Mini Me” for a swift recovery. She is a little ray of sunshine that needs to help brighten our world.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Pictures are the property of Jennae, please don’t use them unless in this context!!!

Tonight I learned about a huge loss in the “Green” blogger world. I don’t know all of the details, but from what I’ve read Karissa from Prissy Green took her life. Prissy Green was one of the first blogs I subscribed to and helped inspire my mission. I loved Karissa’s wit and passionate posts. After re-reading her last posts there was no indication that she was depressed. There were no clues other than she was relocating. She had hundreds of followers and yet she still felt alone. I feel sick and wish there had been something anyone could have done. If you notice a friend or family member seeming down, try to reach out and support them. You never know what someone is truly going through.