We finally got our Shorty’s Treats to sample and my dogs LOVED them! Even my picky one!! We were sent the Hypoallergenic Peanut Butter and Carrot Biscuits All Natural Organic Vegetarian Dog Treats and they smelled good enough for me to eat. I seriously thought about it, but had to stop myself. The peanut butter and oat flour is hand ground and there are tiny pieces of peanut in the treat. The organic carrots are hand pureed. My dogs have been in treat heaven for the past 2 days!

Want some? Tonight is the last night to enter the Shorty’s Gourment Treat giveaway! Or you can make a purchase by clicking here. They are totally affordable and so much better than the stuff you buy in stores!

I was really excited when I found out that idbids was designed to help preschoolers learn how to become Eco-friendly. I’ve been trying to figure out ways to teach Ella simple things that she can do and understand. Preschoolers are creating habits that they will continue to do as teenagers, and it’s much easier to start implanting these seeds now instead of waiting.

I know my 2 year old has no concept of the earth or the environment. We have a globe and are working on that, but it is still a foreign concept. So for me, it was difficult to explain why we are taking these extra steps. But I keep telling her details like- picking up litter reduces pollution and by turning off the lights when we leave a room we save electricity. Even though she has no clue what I’m talking about- one day it will click. She may not understand what electricity is and how it works but she does get the concept of turning off lights. If I happen to forget, she will go back behind me and turn them off. We also have started talking about composting leaves and when we are driving she will talk about the leaves that have fallen and how we need to pick them up. So even if they are too young to truly get it, it’s worth telling them and instilling small Eco-friendly habits. We still talk to infants even though they have no clue what we are saying…

idbids is a great starter tool to help your preschooler get it. Ella received Waverly- the little dreamy, very sweet, water drop idbid starter kit. Waverly is deeply concerned about protecting the Earth’s water resources and keeping them clean. He is an adorable water drop with arms and legs that move. He has taught Ella that by turning off the water when she brushes her teeth, she is saving a bathtub full of water a week. The starter kit comes with a 9″ organic Egyptian cotton plush doll, a colorful book with iddy biddy steps your child can do to help the environment, a field guide with 10 steps your child can do and track their results to get their certificate of completion, and a organic cotton backpack that is the perfect size for a preschooler.I really enjoy reading the book with Ella. It is an interactive book that allows your child to use their imagination. Each character is introduced and tells your child an iddy biddy tip to help the environment. Before reading our book today, Ella had been coloring. When Lola, the flower, said in the book to use both sides of paper when coloring, Ella got really excited that she had already done that today. I love her enthusiasm over the small stuff. 🙂 Don’t forget you can still win a idbids T-shirt until 10/13! Click here or click on the Giveaways link at the top of your screen to enter.

The Giveaway: idbids would like to give 1 lucky reader a starter kit of their choice! You can choose from Lola, Scout or Waverly!Rules: You have until 11:59 p.m. EST October 19, 2009 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.

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

5. Enter another giveaway I have going on and tell me which one or leave a comment on a non-giveaway post (1 extra entry total)
6. Follow idbids on Twitter and/or on Facebook (2 entries for both)
7. Take the idbids quiz- What’s your Child’s Green IQ and leave your results
8. Grab my Preschooler Week Button and post on your blog or FB page and link back

Tomorrow starts the Homeschool your Preschooler Week!!! Since I don’t work and am a single mom, I have no money to send Ella to preschool. All of her friends are going this year, so I thought, why not teach her myself? I’ve come up with some awesome ideas that you can do at home- during the week or on weekends. Plus I’m going to tell you about some fabulous companies that sell Eco-friendly educational products and you will get the chance to win some awesome stuff!!

When I did my first post about Mermaid’s Purse Natural Organics in August, I left out 2 amazing products that I received and wanted to come back and tell you about. If you are a new reader and weren’t here when I first did my post, click here to read about the company- they are AWESOME!

Ella and I have been battling some sinus stuff for the past 2-3 weeks. (Luckily we are better now!!) Ella had her first yucky, stuck all over her face and hair, endless runny nose. All I can say is EWW!! The child has an amazing immune system and the last time she was truly sick was when she was 9 months old- which was 2 years ago. Of course she’s had a runny nose every once in a while, but it would only last 1 day and was nothing like this. So when she came down with a cough and couldn’t breathe I was really glad I had Mermaid’s Purse Natural Organic Vapor Cream Rub on hand! As soon as I opened the bottle I was able to breathe! It worked wonders for Ella at night time and allowed her to get a good nights rest instead of staying up wheezing. The Vapor Cream Rub is made with all natural herbs, organic extracts and organic oils. Though, I did put too much on Ella one night and she had a small break out. It was my fault for trying to put it on her in the middle of the night in the dark… so be careful how much you use if your child has sensitive skin. Even if it is pure, organic and natural oils, Ella will break out if too much is used. But I found that a small dab, about the size of a dime, is enough to be effective. I had been using it for 2 nights before the breakout occurred, so I’m positive it was from putting too much on.

I compared the Mermaid’s Purse Vapor Rub to an old baby vapor rub I had gotten at my baby shower and I could really tell a difference! I like how the Vapor Cream Rub is a cream instead of balm. I don’t like that balms are sticky, even after it’s rubbed in. We have cats, dogs and lots of fuzzy blankets, so there’s nothing like waking up feeling dirty from hair and fuzz stuck to you. I put on the old vapor rub and it barely opened up my sinuses. I then washed it off and put on the Vapor Cream Rub. Instantly my sinuses were opened and I felt a difference in my chest. You know when you’re sick how your chest feels heavy… well it felt like a weight was lifted. Sorry I couldn’t phrase that better- it’s been a long weekend! Since it is the flu and cold season, I highly recommend you going over to Mermaid’s Purse and buying a bottle. You can get .5 oz for only $4 or 2 oz for $11.

The other product I didn’t talk about was their Herbal Soaps. I have to admit, I’ve never really been a soap person. I usually use scrubs once a week or a body wash. I refuse to spend extra $$ on shaving creams and body washes have always worked well. But since I loved every other product I got to review from Mermaid’s Purse and this is the product that got her started, I gave it a try… and my view on soap has changed!

Measha, the owner of Mermaid’s Purse, made soap with her grandmother, who made soap with her own grandmother. So it is a talent that has been passed down through many generations. And now I can totally see why. Most bar soaps I’ve used in the past have left my skin feeling dry and never could work for shaving. After I used the Tee Tree Herbal Soap a few times and realized how soft it left my skin, I decided to be brave and try shaving my legs with the soap. It was perfect! The blade cut smoothly and no cuts. The Tea Tree is made out of aponified Oils of Olive, Palm Kernel, Castor, Organic Shea Butter, White Kaolin Clay, and 100% pure Tea Tree Essential Oil. It has a very subtle scent, which I really like. Tea Tree is also known for its antibacterial and antifungal properties. It’s good for acne, athletes foot, and other skin irritations. After I read that, I used it on Ella and no break outs. Just squeaky clean smooth skin. 🙂 Mermaid’s Purse has over 20 Herbal Soaps to choose from for all skin types.

Measha, being the generous person that she is, wants to give 1 lucky reader 5 Herbal Soaps of their choice! She also wants to give all of my readers a 10% off for the next year!! Mermaid’s Purse also has body butters, shampoos, massage oils, baby products, natural deodorants, salves, mineral soaks, and much more- all made with 100% organic and natural ingredients.

The Discount: You can make any purchase at Mermaid’s Purse Natural Organics and get 10% off until December 2010! Just enter mermaids10 at the checkout.

The Giveaway: 1 winner will receive 5 Herbal Soaps of their choice from Mermaid’s Purse!

Rules: You have until 11:59 p.m. EST October 18, 2009 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 EVERYONE.

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

5. Enter another giveaway I have going on and tell me which one or leave a comment on a
6. Tell me something else you like from Mermaid’s Purse, other than the soaps
7. Take a look around and tell me something that you learned at Mermaid’s Purse

Don’t forget to fill out the poll on the right sidebar!! Only 2 days left to vote for what you’d like to see in the Eco-friendly Holiday Gift Guide!

Learn all about Product Mommy and her awesome blog!

Q. What is the name of your blog and how would you describe it?

A. My blog is Product Mommy. The blog is reviews of my favorite items that I use for my 2 year old daughter. I love spreading the word when I find a really great product!

Q. How did you choose your blog name?

A. Since I was a little girl, everyone always told me I was a Product Junkie. I was the kid with 10 different shampoos. I love trying new products and I love finding things that really work. Once I became a mom, I transferred the product madness to finding items for my daughter-thus, Product Mommy

Q. Why did you decide to start writing a blog?

A. I often had friends and family asking me what I loved and used. They know I am the kind of person that tries out a lot of things, and if I really like something, it is because I have researched and put it to the practical test of everyday life with a baby and now a toddler. I wanted to reach a broader circle of people with what I have found and learned.

Q. Do you have a mission or goal that you would like to achieve with your blog?

A. I would like people to not always buy the first baby or child item they see, and to really think about what the impact is on the environment and on their child. I am trying to become more eco-friendly and a lot of my products I review and love are eco-friendly. They are tried and true products, but companies are becoming more responsible, so what your mother used for instance, may not be right for you and your child.

Q. What do you like to write about the most?

A. I love writing about bath and body products. After all of these years, they are still my favorite thing to try out and recommend.

Q. Is there anything you’ve learned from your blogging experience?

A. I am still relatively new, but I love how friendly and supportive other bloggers are. I love that a stay at home mom can have a voice and help others with their experiences.

Q. Tell me something you would like my readers to know about you.

A. I love to read and do research. If it is on my blog, you can guarantee is has been put to the test! Also I design children’s clips that sell at a few local stores in Massachusetts (watch out for them on my blog-at some point).

Q. Where else can we find you?

A. You can find me on the blog of course http://productmommy.blogspot.com/. I am also on Twitter. I am working on my Facebook page.

Congrats to Prpldy for winning the Puppy Pie Dog Sweater!!

Prpldy said… CommentsCounter=CommentsCounter+1; document.write(CommentsCounter) 25

I love the
Ribbed wool button back with pocket detail for a boy. And Coffee my 9 yr old Chihuahua would be the lucky wearer of this cute outfit.

September 15, 2009 6:14 PM

Congrats to Jaime for winning the Jelly Beans from Casbah Kitten!!

Jaime said… CommentsCounter=CommentsCounter+1; document.write(CommentsCounter) 108

love the ladybugs
copperllama at yahoo dot com

September 28, 2009 11:27 PM

Thanks to everyone that entered!! You still have the chance to win more pet items until Monday! Just click on Giveaways to see all that’s going on at Mkokopelli!

This contest has ended. Thanks to all that entered!!
So I FINALLY found a Eco-friendly company in Charlotte… or I should say that they found me!!! Natural Luxe doesn’t own a shop, but they sell their products in a marketplace in The Boulevard at NoDa. But lucky for you, Natural Luxe has an amazing website with tons of Eco-friendly products.

Natural Luxe only sells “good gifts.” This is their definition: “Good is natural, organic, recycled, charitable, handmade, fairly traded or better yet a combination of all of these. Natural Luxe was started with the concept that gifts could give more than once. When you purchase a gift that is recycled you are giving to the environment and to the lucky recipient of your gift. Choose one of our gifts that supports a charity and you touch the life of a person thousands of miles away and surprise your best friend with a great gift at the same time. You get the idea, right?” Natural Luxe carries jewelry, clothing, handbags, bath & body products, baby items, pet products and goods for your home.

I got to try the Lavender and Geranium soap from The Bubble Roome and it is so soothing! It is an all natural soap made with shea & cocoa butters, vegetable oils, essential oils and natural tinting herbs that leaves your hands feeling soft and moisturized. Every time I walk past my bathroom I can smell the aromas.

Natural Luxe also has awesome gift sets for everyone. I especially love the baby gifts. But, you know I have a bag obsession, so what better product to spotlight than a recycled cotton tote! Natural Luxe has 7 mama bags that are sure to fit your personality. I am aOK, so maybe I don’t play bunco or even know how to play for that matter. But I love some sweet tea and the fact that this bag is made from 80% recycled cotton and 20% recycled bottles. The bag is made and printed in the US and is FLA approved. The tote is great for produce shopping, grocery shopping, any time shopping, trips to the beach or to just walk around and proudly say what kind of mama you are! I love packing totes with books and toys for long car rides. The only problem I have is that I pack too much and the tote tends to come unhemmed. This tote will carry up to 16 canned goods! It is built to carry heavy items, so no tearing in my future.

The Giveaway: Natural Luxe wants to give 1 lucky mama a recycled cotton tote that best fits them

Rules: You have until 11:59 p.m. EST October 16, 2009 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.

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

5. Enter another giveaway I have going on and tell me which one or leave a comment on a
6. Tell me another product you like from Natural Luxe
7. Become a fan of Natural Luxe on Facebook and write on their wall what kind of mama you are

This giveaway has ended. Thanks to all that entered!
Today I want to tell you about 2 NC company’s that I have found and am really excited about! I first want to tell you about Charlie’s Soap. No, not the kind of soap you wash your body with. Let me give you a little bit of history that is a great story.

One day in 1976, in Mayodan, N.C., Charlie Sutherland Jr’s boss asked him to go find some soap that would clean their textile yarn machines. Charlie and his brother-in-law, Ron Joyce, got the idea to make their own soap and then sell it to the textile company. They worked on a perfect high quality formula that was completely biodegradable, hypo-allergenic, and environmentally friendly. The soap was a success and cleaned all of the oils off of the machinery. Of course their plan didn’t fully work out and they got caught. Ron was fired, but that gave him time to continue working on the soaps with Charlie working with him on the weekends. In 1983, Charlie bought the company from Ron and has been running it ever since. You can read the full story here.

Over the past 33 years, Charlie’s Soap has continued to strive and Charlie’s sons have joined the team. Now they have added Charlie’s Laundry Liquid and Laundry Powder to their stock. Charlie’s Soap is really a blend of natural-based surfactants (detergents) derived from coconut oil, treated with a product of natural gas (real soaps are treated with caustic soda or pot ash), and salts in water (Laundry Liquid) or pure Green Mountain washing soda (Laundry Powder).

A lot of the laundry detergents you buy in stores are made with Synthetic Surfactants and can contain Alkyl phenoxy polyethoxy ethanols, Diathanolamines, Linear alkyl sodium sulfonate, Petroleum distillates, Phenols, and Sodium hypochlorite– all of which are known toxins and cause various health problems. You can read more about these ingredients at Sixwise.com. The scary part is that if you go to your laundry room and read your detergent label, you probably won’t see any ingredients listed. Hopefully this will change soon since an environmentalist group has sued several companies because they refused to release their ingredients. Kind of shady.

Another BIG thing that is found in detergents is Optical brighteners. These synthetic chemicals convert UV light wavelengths into visible light, which makes laundered clothes appear whiter (although does not actually affect the cleanliness of the clothing). They’ve been found to be toxic to fish and to cause bacterial mutations. Further, they can cause allergic reactions when exposed to skin that is later exposed to sunlight. So if you’ve been buying organic clothing and using regular detergents, it’s all gone to waste.

Charlie’s Soap is not like any brand of detergent I’ve ever used. We’ve been using Method and Seventh Generation for the past 2 years and now that I’ve tried Charlie’s Soap– I will never go back. When I got my instructions on how to use Charlie’s Soap I was a bit thrown back. You have to first clean out your washing machine with the soap and old rags before doing a load. Most detergents leave behind perfumes, brighteners and/or softeners to cover up the fact they aren’t really washing your clothes. These additives are meant to stick like glue, so they are left behind on your washing machine. I then read that it would take a few washings for the residues to fully get out of my clothes. I was then scared to death of what my family has been wearing for it to take several loads to get off! After a month’s use of both the powder and liquid, I’m happy to report clean, extra soft and non-toxic clothes. No fading, no skin irritations and extra clean clothes. 🙂 If you have extra hard water, please read the info on the FAQ page.

We also got to try the original Charlie’s Soap All Purpose Cleaner. When they say all purpose, they mean all purpose. It can even be used to clean your pets if they get into something extra sticky! It is completely non-toxic and doesn’t cause skin irritations. So I put the Charlie’s Soap to the test. First, there was a huge dried coffee stain on our carpet, so I sprayed 4 squirts and after a tiny bit of scrubbing it was gone. Ella had some Play-Doh from over a year ago stuck to the carpet, 2 squirts and it was up. There were several unknown stains on my carpet and after I sprayed, they were gone. Then I went to clean the metal part over my stove. It was caked with grease-OK I’ve been slack and haven’t cleaned it in a very long time- I sprayed 3 squirts and it was off. It cleans counter-tops, carpets, toilets, glass, heavy machinery, bath tubs, furniture, vinyl seats, floors… basically if you have something that needs to be cleaned it can clean it.

Charlie’s Soap offers 100% money back guarantee if you aren’t happy with their products. My experience has left me 100% satisfied! Right now if you make any purchase over $40 you can get a free reusable grocery tote by entering freetote at the checkout.

The Giveaway: Charlie’s Soap is offering 1 very lucky reader a Laundry Powder Combo which contains: 80 loads of Laundry Powder, a handy Sprayer of All Purpose Cleaner, a Portable Emergency Stain Treater, a gallon Refil of All Purpose Cleaner, and a stylish, non-woven reusable Grocery Tote sporting the Charlie’s Soap Logo.
Rules: You have until 11:59 p.m. EST October 17, 2009 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.

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

5. Enter another giveaway I have going on and tell me which one or leave a comment on a non-giveaway post (1 extra entry total)
6. Tell me where you can find Charlie’s Soap near you
7. Tell me something else you learned about Charlie’s Soap on their site
8. Become a Fan of Charlie’s Soap on Facebook and tell me something Charlie’s Soap cleaned that nothing else would

Since my Fall Week has come to an end, I had to tell you where you can find the adorable dress Ella was wearing! The dress is made by Kicky Pants. Kicky Pants is a family owned and operated business which was created when Erin Cloke was on bed rest with her second child. They carry amazing luxurious bamboo fiber clothing that I instantly fell in love with! This was the first bamboo clothing purchase we had made and I was more than impressed. This was way before my bamboo research. I so wanted a dress in my size! I love the silky feel and the way the dress swooshes. Every little girl should own a dress that swooshes!

Kicky Pants carries clothing for infants to toddlers and even maternity wear. I’ve had a difficult time finding stores that carry the toddler line, but there are many that have the infant clothing. You can check out the stores that carry Kicky Pants by clicking here. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have!