Don’t forget you can make any purchase at Mermaid’s Purse Natural Organics and get 10% off until December 2010!
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Author: mkokopelli
Eco-friendly Bath Toys Giveaway from The Soft Landing
This contest has ended. Thanks to all that entered!!
A little over a year and a half ago, when I started hearing about all of the lead recalls from China, I started a China ban in our house. No toys or anything Ella would put in her mouth could be bought from China. I knew nothing about plastics and what they could do to her health, so I thought I could trust USA made items… which I later learned was not true. Last year when Health Canada released their info that BPA is toxic to human health, I started to research what is in our children’s products. Here is what I found about plastics that are commonly used for making toys:
BPA: A chemical building block used to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. Studies have linked BPA to hormone disruption, increased breast and prostate cancer cell growth, and early onset puberty, and obesity.
PVC: A strong plastic polymer that can be made flexible through the use of plasticizers. Our bodies are contaminated with poisonous chemicals released during the PVC life cycle, such as mercury, dioxins, and phthalates, which may pose irreversible life-long health threats. When produced, burned, or heated PVC plastic releases dioxins, a group of the most potent synthetic chemicals ever tested, which can cause cancer and harm the immune and reproductive systems.
Phthalates: A group of chemicals used as plasticisers in PVC plastics that are known to be testicular toxins and can disrupt hormones, damage the kidneys, liver and cause asthma.
For a quick guide to know what to stay away from when buying any plastic product, use the recycle code on the bottom of the product. There are seven classes of plastics used in packaging. Type 7 is the “other” class, and some type 7 plastics, such as polycarbonate (sometimes identified with the letters “PC” near the recycling symbol) and epoxy resins, are made from BPA.
Type 3 (PVC) can also contain bisphenol A as antioxidant in plasticizers.
Types 1 (PET), 2 (HDPE), 4 (LDPE), 5 (polypropylene), and 6 (polystyrene) do not use bisphenol A during polymerization or package forming and can all be recycled.
Since BPA, PVC and Phthalates can leach toxins, it’s especially important to pay attention to toys that will go into children’s mouths and bath toys. When these toxic plastics are put in higher temperatures the chance they will leach out is much higher. In December of 2008, a report was done by a non-profit group, NPR, which showed that infant books and bath toys scored poorly when testing for lead, arsenic, and other chemicals. They also found that 1/3 of the toys tested contained harmful chemicals! If you want to see if your child’s toy has been tested, you can visit http://www.healthytoys.org
Whew- that was a mouthful. Luckily, there are companies like The Soft Landing that sell products that are BPA, PVC and Phthalate free! Alicia Voorhies, owner of The Soft Landing, was a RN before she had her 3 babies. During her time at home, she went in the pursuit of finding non-toxic plastics in which led to the creation of The Soft Landing. She carries safe plastic bibs, feeding gear, bath toys, baby items and much more!
After dumping all of our old bath toys, I had to search for safe alternative plastics which wasn’t an easy task. Luckily we found The Soft Landing and they sent us a few to review. Ella now enjoys bath time more than ever! She really has loved playing with their Sassy Count ‘N Spell Bath Appliques. She is learning the alphabet and what sounds they make, so these have really come in handy! They are great for spelling small words and easily stick on the walls. You can get them at The Soft Landing for only $6.40!
We also got to try the Boon Water Bugs Bath Toy and she has loved scooping up the floating water bugs. I’ve been teaching her how things float and other things sink, so this has been a great way to teach that concept. You can get these for $8.
Since this is the Best Eco-friendly Toy Week I had to throw in some bath toys for you to win or get a great deal on!
The Discount: You can make any purchase from The Soft Landing and get 10% off by entering the coupon code mkokopelli10 at the checkout.
The Giveaway: The Soft Landing is giving away one of their Bath Toy Samplers which includes:
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The Rules: You have until 11:59 p.m. EST September 10, 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! Any International winner will have to take care of their country’s dues/fees, but shipping will be covered.
How to Enter: Go to The Soft Landing and tell me something you like. Click on “Comments” to leave your post. Make sure to 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)
4. Blog, Tweet or send a message on FB and leave a link here (3 extra entries)
5. Enter another giveaway I have going on and tell me which one or leave a comment on a non-giveaway post
6. Visit The Soft Landing’s Blog and subscribe
7. Visit The Soft Landing and tell me something you learned
8. Add the Mkokopelli Best Eco-friendly Toy Week Button to your blog or FB page and leave a link (5 extra entries)
Finger Puppet Giveaway
Finger Puppets can be great for any aged child. We have loved using them for telling stories, having finger puppet shows over our kitchen counter and singing songs with them. Best Baby Organics carries a wonderful assortment of over 90 finger puppets for all of your creative play needs. They are Fair Trade puppets handcrafted by Peruvian Artisans in the Andes Mountains. Best Baby Organics has all kinds of jungle, farm, domestic, exotic, and ocean animals; as well as insects, cartoons, and human characters. You can choose the animals you would like or Best Baby Organics will ship you an assortment. You can get 5 of them for only $14.50!
The Giveaway: Best Baby Organics is giving away an assortment of 5 Fair Trade Peruvian Hand Puppets to 1 lucky reader
The Rules: You have until 11:59 p.m. EST September 9, 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!
How to Enter: Visit Best Baby Organics and tell me something else you’d love to have. Click on “Comments” to leave your post. Make sure to 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)
4. Blog, Tweet or send a message on FB and leave a link here (3 extra entries)
5. Enter another giveaway I have going on and tell me which one or leave a comment on a non-giveaway post
6. Subscribe to the Best Baby Organics Newsletter
7. Visit the Best Baby Organics Blog and tell me something you learned
8. Post the Mkokopelli Best Eco-Toy Week button on your blog or FB page (5 extra entries) 
Toy Week Kickoff! Little Green Books Giveaway
This contest is closed. Thanks to all that entered!
I’m so excited about this week! I have had the chance to review some amazing Eco-friendly toys and can’t wait to share them with you.
I wanted to start off my Eco-friendly Toy week with books. There is nothing more important than reading to your child every day. Luckily, E loves books and usually chooses reading over playing with anything else. I’m pretty picky about what we read every day and would rather teach her something important rather than fill her head with mindless junk. Since our family is making such efforts to go green, I thought it would be great to start introducing this idea to Ella. That’s when I found, Little Green Books.
Little Green Books are a new series for little ones to help plant the seeds of becoming more Earth-friendly. They are made with recycled materials to help support the cause and are printed with vegetable oils or soy based ink. They have fun titles for ages 0-8. Each book introduces words like: electricity, composting, recycling, reusing, reducing, litter, pollution, endangered animals, and many other Earth-friendly concepts. Each page has beautiful vibrant illustrations that really engage young readers.
Ella’s favorite has been “I Can Save the Earth.” It’s about Max the little monster who watches a lot of TV and is very wasteful. Then one night there is a blackout and he goes outside to see what is going on. Max then starts to realize all of the things you can do outside and wants to help the environment. You go on his journey of experiencing the different seasons while he is making an effort to clean up the Earth. I love how it reminds kids that there is so much more to do than watch TV and all you have to do is step outside. Ella has been talking about ways Max the Little Green Monster tries to save the Earth and has really gotten into it.
Her next favorite is “What Do You See?” It’s a eye-catching flip board book about different endangered animals. Each page you are given a description and try to guess which endangered animal it is. Then you lift the page to find out if you were right. It’s more simple and not as complex as some of their other titles like, “The Polar Bears’ Home,” “The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle,” or “The Adventures of a Aluminum Can.” Ella has just developed the attention span for all 3 of those books, but their concepts are a bit too advanced for her. She still enjoys hearing about how cans and plastic bottles are made, but I’m pretty sure it’s going over her head. Though, I could be wrong. The Adventure series are diary entries from the can or bottle and you go through their lives from how they were created to how they end up after being recycled. I actually learned a lot myself through those books! “The Polar Bear’s Home” is beautifully written as a little girl learns from her father about global warming and how it’s effecting the polar bears.
These are such great concepts to teach our children at any age. It will help them understand the importance of turning off lights when you leave the room, giving away toys when they outgrow them, not wasting paper, learning how to reuse something in a creative way, plus much much more! Little Green Books also has a activity book filled with Earth-saving tips, facts, and lots of fun activities that you don’t want to miss. Be sure to check out their website for fun activities, print outs, online games and more!
The Giveaway!! Little Green Books is giving away ALL of the titles I mentioned above! 2 Lucky readers will win: 
Plus some bookmarks which contain wildflower seeds that you can plant!
The Rules: You have until 11:59 p.m. EST September 9, 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
How to Enter: Visit Little Green Books and tell me about another book that I did not mention. Click on “Comments” to leave your post. Make sure to 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)
4. Blog, Tweet or send a message on FB and leave a link here (3 extra entries)
5. Enter another giveaway I have going on and tell me which one or leave a comment on a non-giveaway post
6. Go to Little Green Books and tell me a Green Tip
7. Look around Little Green Books and tell me what you love about their site
8. Read the Little Green Blog and leave a comment on one of their posts (2 extra entries)
9. Post Mkokopelli’s Best Eco-friendly Toy Week button on your blog or FB page (5 extra entries)
Good luck to everyone and remember there are 2 winners! Thank you to Little Green Books for sending out such a positive message to young readers!!
Get Your Baby to Sleep- Slumber Sounds Giveaway
When E was born we had to share a bedroom since her nursery was being occupied by a good friend of mine. After she outgrew her bassinet, I made the mistake of sharing my bed with her. A year later, E got her own room and the transition wasn’t fun at all. It’s now been 2 years and every time that I cave in and let her sleep with me, we go back to square 1.
I made that mistake last week and it’s been awful getting her to fall sleep. She actually screamed for 3 hours two nights ago, begging to sleep in my room. So I decided to try something new last night. I put on this CD created by Slumber Sounds and she was out in 10 minutes!
I’ve tried CD’s in the past to help her fall asleep, but she usually ended up singing along with them and thought it was play time. The Slumber Sounds CD is truly unique, with no vocals and very calming instrumentals.
Stan Jones and a Seattle composer put together this amazing CD by using a mix of cello, violin, harp, music box piano, organ, horn and a human heartbeat to create these hypnotic melodies. The human heartbeat helps your child feel safe and protected. It truly is a beautifully composed CD that even makes me want to fall asleep! There are 3 songs on the Slumber Sounds CD: “Twinkle Twinkle,” “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” and “Lullaby and Goodnight.” The 50 minute CD will have your child sleeping soundly, or you can get your money back- no questions asked! How is that for a guarantee? And it’s only $12.95!
Slumber Sounds also carries other sleeping aids for babies and toddlers. They have Swaddle blankets, noise machines, colic remedies, Twilight Nightlights and more!
The Giveaway: Slumber Sounds is offering 1 sleep deprived reader a Slumber Sounds CD
The Rules: You have until 11:59 p.m. EST September 8, 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
How to Enter: Visit Slumber Sounds and listen to “Twinkle Twinkle” and tell me what you think. Click on “Comments” to leave your post. Make sure to 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)
4. Blog, Tweet or send a message on FB and leave a link here (3 extra entries)
5. Enter another giveaway I have going on and tell me which one or leave a comment on a non-giveaway post
6. Tell me how you get your child to sleep
7. Visit Slumber Sounds and tell me something else they have that would help put your child to sleep
SwaddleMe Blanket Giveaway from Atlantis Natural
This contest has ended! Thanks to all that entered!
I have visions of opening a Eco-friendly store in Charlotte one day. A store where one could go to and get ALL of their Eco-shopping needs at great prices. I’d carry many of the brands that I’ve reviewed because they all are so awesome! But until that day, I rely on stores like Atlantis Natural, who have 1 stop shopping for all of your “green” needs.
Atlantis Natural carries toys, clothes for infants up to 4T, bedding, skin care, feeding supplies, bath stuff, dental care, organic food and more. Yes, you read that right, food! The best part is that they all are safe, natural, Eco-friendly products! Diane started Atlantis Natural in 2000 to help parents raise babies in a non-toxic world. Atlantis Natural has great resources for all of your natural and organic questions through their directory, blog, and library. They carry top name brands like Under The Nile, Miracle Blanket, All Terrain, California Baby, Happiest Baby on The Block, Mary’s Softdough, Sckoon Organics, New Wave Enviro, Sarah’s Silks, Lunchopolis and Yellow Label Kids.
My favorite product by far is the Green Volcanic Clay, which can be used as a mask to help with acne, redness and other skin care problems or to heal wounds, cuts, and injured tissues. You can read my personal review by clicking here.
Atlantis Natural has stopped carrying the SwaddleMe blankets but has enough in stock to give one lucky reader a pink, blue, green or natural (small size) Swaddle blanket of their choice! It will fit an infant 7-14lbs. Great for colicky babies!
The Giveaway: 1 reader will win a SwaddleMe Blanket in their color choice
The Rules: You have until 11:59 p.m. EST September 5, 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
How to Enter: Visit Atlantis Natural and tell me something you’d love to have. Click on “Comments” to leave your post. Make sure to 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)
4. Blog, Tweet or send a message on FB and leave a link here (3 extra entries)
5. Enter another giveaway I have going on and tell me which one or leave a comment on a non-giveaway post
6. Follow Atlantis Natural on Twitter and Tweet about one of their products. Make sure you leave a link here or Become a Fan on FB of Atlantis Natural and leave them a message (2 extra entries, 4 if you do both)
7. Sign up for Atlantis Natural email updates
Beach Bound
I’m taking the next day off so I can head to the beach for my first night away from the kiddo! I’m kind of sad to be leaving her behind and getting to enjoy the ocean without her… but this momma needs a break! Don’t worry, I’ll be back on Sunday with some great giveaways to kick off “The Best Eco-friendly Toy Week!!!”
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Don’t Forget…
Don’t forget the great Kids Yoga giveaways going on until the first week of September! You can easily access the giveaways by looking in the top right corner at the Active Giveaways or click on the links below:
Angel Bear Yoga “A Pose a Day” Playdeck
Crunchy Granola Baby Organic Yoga Pants– which can be worn at anytime!
YogaAccessories.com Short Yoga Mat and “Silly to Calm” DVD
Simply Chickie “Yoga Baby” Handmade Organic Teeshirt
Wai Lana Little Yogis Gift Set- Valued at $81!
Green Tree Yoga Instructional Yoga CD plus everyone gets a free MP3!
Also, Mermaid Purse Natural Organics Mother Nature Gift Set, valued at $68, ends on Monday!
Good luck to everyone! 🙂
Piggy Paints Winner
Congrats to Natalie!
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- August 12, 2009 4:00 AM
Fall Fashion
Fall is almost a month away and we’ve been taking advantage of the great sales going on. We got 2 shipments today from GreenEdge Kids and speesees and decided to do a mini fashion shoot of E’s new clothes.
Here are her new outfits from GreenEdge Kids:
The shirt and pants are from Kate Quinn Organics and are super soft. The shirt is on sale for only $5.50! And the pants are $18. The shirt is a 3T and runs a bit big. But you can’t beat a $5.50 shirt that can get 2 yrs. worth of wear.
The shirt is from Lapsaky and is on sale for only $7.50! I wasn’t sure about the color when I first saw it, but am so glad I got it. 
My little sunshine 🙂
GreenEdge Kids has some other amazing clothes on sale, plus you get free shipping on any order until the end of August.
I am in love with speesees! They have a huge summer sale right now and you automatically get 25% off your order. You can also get 20% off by entering thankyou at the checkout. They carry organic infant to 4T clothing, accessories, bed + bath and more.
This is the tomato top for only $14- before the discount! The yoga pants are in cocoa and are only $18. 
Yeah, E was over putting on Fall clothes since it was 94 degrees here today… But this is the cocoa jacket, which is very light weight, and only $24. 
This is my FAVORITE!! It is the eliza jane dress and it matches the jacket and pants. My baby girl looks too grown up in it! You can get the dress for $28. 
This is the sweet charity dress, which is made out of organic corduroy. It is a bit large on her, but still very cute and will be great for next year. It is $40.
Hope you enjoyed the mini-shoot. My poor child has over 3,000 photo’s and is over me taking pictures. Happy shopping!
Mkokopelli.com 
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