Mindful Momma

Lily Organics Makes Organic, Farm-Fresh Skin Care

What smells like fresh ylang ylang flowers, feels like silk and makes your skin feel super soft?  Lily Organics Moisturizing Cream of course! I've been using it for a few weeks now and I'm loving the way it makes my skin smell, look and feel!

What makes Lily Organics so special?

• It's a small, family owned business run by a 7th generation farmer named Lily.
• Products are made fresh every week in a USDA Certified Organic laboratory in Colorado.
• Ingredients are grown on a USDA Certified Organic farm.
• Six products in the line are USDA Certified Organic, and they are working to get the rest of them certified as well.
• They offer specific lines for every skin type - Dry, Mature, Oily, Combination, Acne-prone, Sensitive and Normal.
• No synthetic ingredients are used.
• Products are packaged in recyclable glass bottles.
• They offer trial packs so you can try samples before you commit to full-sized products.

Now that I've sampled the Moisturizing Cream, I'm eager to try the whole dry skin line. I only wish I could find their products locally, but for now I will have to purchase direct from the Lily Organics website.

(Full Disclosure: I received a free sample in exchange for my honest opinion.)

Easy Eco-Tip: Give Sponges One Last (Dirty) Job

I'm sure you already know the common tricks for cleaning and sterilizing kitchen sponges - like running them through the dishwasher or giving them a quick blast in the microwave.  But what do you do when your sponge has been through the wringer one too many times and really just needs to go?

Give your sponge one last really dirty job to do!!

• clean the vent above the stove
• wipe down the top of the refrigerator
• pull out a piece of furniture that hasn't been moved for awhile and wipe the baseboards
• scrub at stubborn mold in the bathroom
• go after some really grimy areas you've been trying to ignore
• save it to use for bacon grease or something equally yucky

What are your suggestions of a final heroic job for a lowly sponge?

(image credit: bored-now via Flickr)

Kid-Friendly Orange Hummus

Tiny taste buds don't always respond well to gobs of garlic or spicy sauces. But it's never too early to introduce your little one to flavorful foods that are a foundation for a healthy, adventurous diet. Hummus, the popular Middle Eastern dip made with chick-peas and tahini, is a good source of protein and dietary fiber and is surprisingly easy to make. This kid-friendly version is made with orange juice and just a tiny bit of garlic to appeal to even the pickiest of little eaters.

Get the recipe and HOW TO on my post over at Inhabitots!

New Sponsor + A Giveaway: Lullaby Organics

Please join me in welcoming my newest sponsor: Lullaby Organics! Read how this sweet little company started in the founder's own words:

"Once upon a time, in a small town outside Seattle, WA, there lived a beautiful 3 month old baby girl named Kaitlyn who had trouble breathing. Her parents were beside themselves with worry that one day, as a nurse in the ER put it, "her lungs might just get tired of working so hard and give up". They desperately endured hospitalization, sought medical interventions, technology, prayer, and everything else they could think of to make their baby girl healthy.

Then one day, a friend suggested she might have "chemical sensitivity". They didn't believe something so simple sounding could cause her breathing problems, but Kaitlyn's parents were willing to consider any solution that might help their baby girl . So they began to research and decided to eliminate allergens, chemicals, and anything else that might be compromising her respiratory health.

Since baby Kaitlyn spent about 70% of her life asleep, they'd focus on her sleeping environment, where they knew they could have an impact. They carefully selected 100% organic materials for her co-sleeper mattress, sheets, blankets, mattress pad, baby carrier, diapers, and as much apparel as they could find. Believe it or not, within days, Kaitlyn was (and still is) breathing normally, gaining weight and thriving!

Kaitlyn's mom and dad wanted to help other families discover the health benefits of organic living, and to learn how easy it is to eliminate nasty chemical toxins from our homes. And so Lullaby Organics was born."

I hope you will agree with me that Lullaby Organics is a super cool place to shop for safe and sustainable products for infants and children.  Here are just a few of the products that stood out for me:

Nautical Nights Pajama Short Set in 100% organic cotton by New Jammies.  Erin sent me a set for my 6 year old to try.  He's a very picky boy when it comes to clothes but thinks these duds are way cool!  And I like them because they are made from sustainable organic cotton and free of toxic flame retardants.

Organic cotton crib bedding from Kate Quinn Organics. Um - do they make these in adult sizes because I want some for my own bed!

 

miniu HandySitt Portable High Chair.  Made from FSC-certified solid birch, BPA and phthalate-free plastic components and finished with water-based, formaldehyde-free varnishes. Nice for the earth and nice to look at too!

Visit the Lullaby Organics website and I bet you'll find more to love!  And if you're lucky you may be the winner of a $40 gift certificate (+ free shipping on your order) to help you with that shopping spree. For a chance to win just leave a comment with the products that you love most.  Additional entries for subscribing to Mindful Momma via RSS feed or email, following Mindful Momma on Facebook and Twitter and subscribing to the Lullaby Organics newsletter.  That's 5 chances per person if you do everything (please leave a separate comment for each - it makes tracking so much easier!)  The contest will run through midnight central time on Monday, May 23rd.

Bonus: Use the code MM15 for a 15% discount at checkout through the end of May.

Double Bonus: Enter the Lullaby Organics Dream Green Giveaway including 3 really amazing prize packages worth a total of $5000!! Now this would be a seriously nice giveaway to win!!

(Full disclosure:  I received a free pair of kids pj's in exchange for my honest opinion.)

Keeping Up With Things That Break

Today, the faucet for our under-sink water purifier started to leak.  Last weekend it was the garbage disposal that decided to crack - only a few months after the warranty expired.  Before that it was my cell phone that could no longer be charged. 

Within the past year or so all of these things have broken plus: the faucet for our kitchen sink, our home telephones, our bathroom scale, our DVD player, our electric tea kettle, an outdoor light and a couple of CD/clock radios...and I'm sure there's more. 

Were any of these things repairable? NO, of course not!  Consumer goods are made so damn cheaply these days it makes me sick.  As they say in The Story of Electronics, most products sold today are Designed for the Dump. This creative video created by Annie Leonard of Story of Stuff fame, explains what actually happens to all this electronic crap when it gets "recycled" and eventually winds its way to the dump.  I recommend watching all 7:47 minutes of it:

Wouldn't it be nice if electronics companies were required to take back products that break?  EWaste TakeBack laws have passed in 25 states so far - which is a big help but still doesn't guarantee that products are being recycled responsibly.

What's your take on this growing problem? Have you returned a product to a manufacturer for repair or recycling lately? How are you keeping up with things that break?

Meet Buttercup & Jake - a Natural Skin Care Line for Kids

Who would have guessed that a lowly calendula plant growing in a garden would lead to a thriving family business?  That's the story behind the Buttercup & Jake line of natural skin care for kids.

Company owner, Patricia Butter was looking for something to soothe the itchy, dry skin that both she and her daughter Evie had developed.  She discovered that the waxy resin from calendula flowers in her garden was just the ticket!  Soon she created a whole line of skin care products adding only food-safe, natural ingredients like local honey, organic aloe vera, organic shea butter, organic cocoa butter and organic jojoba oil.

Products include:

A Soothing Skin Cream that manages to be super light, silky and rich all at the same time. I've been slathering it all over myself - even my face!

A Cocoa Calendula Balm that combines rich cocoa butter with soothing calendula and organic vanilla beans. Perfect for chapped winter cheeks and hands.

Golden Calendula Oil - a mixture of organic vegetable oil blended with calendula flowers, evening primrose oil, Vitamin E and soothing essential oils.

Yummy Lip Balms - made with jojoba oil, shea butter and cocoa butter (all organic of course!) and flavored naturally in Honey, Chocolate Mint and Strawberry.

Buttercup & Jake products are available in their webstore, at Abesmarket.com and select retail locations.

(Full disclosure:  I received free samples of Buttercup & Jake products in exchange for my honest opinion.)

Have a Green & Healthy Mother's Day!

Are you doing anything special for Mother's Day this year?  My boys usually make me a wonderful brunch and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the tradition continues this year!

In honor of all of you fabulous Moms out there, here are some inspiring Mother's Day posts:

In a Mother's Day Gift for My Boys at Groovy Green Livin', Lori explains that what she really wants for Mother's Day is change:  for organic food to be the norm, for the Safe Chemicals Act to pass, for artificial food dyes to be banned and for BPA to be banished.  Let's hope her wishes comes true!

Rae at Simple Kids reminds us to step off the roller coaster and take a "Me Break" this Mother's Day. It's surprising that we have to be reminded to do this but we do, don't we?

Jenn Savedge over at Mother Nature Network asked the question: "What's the best green advice your Mother ever gave you?"  to a bunch of green Moms - including yours truly!  The answers were very inspiring!

Hope your Mother's Day is all you want it to be - whether that is relaxing, uplifting, energizing or inspiring!

Daily Eco-Deals: Feast or Fatigue?

Do you go wild for daily deals or do you find them overwhelming? I subscribe to a bunch....but I have to admit....I've never bought a thing from any of them. I find I just can't keep up with all the emails. On any given day I might take a peek at one or two and while I love checking out cool, new products, unless I have a specific need for something, I am not likely to press the BUY button.

Green, health or cause-minded consumers have no shortage of daily sites to choose from. Here are the eco-minded daily sites on my radar:

Eco Mom  - An kid-focused eco-conscious shopping site offering organic food, skincare, toys, clothing, baby gear, home safety products and more. The nice thing is that you can still find the product (albeit at full price) after the daily deal is over. Sample Daily Deal:  LOVE reusable stash-it bags at almost 50% off + free shipping.

Blissmo  - Organic and eco-friendly products at up to 70% off. The company mission is to promote sustainable consumption for a happier, healthier people & planet. Deals last for 2-3 days but once the deal is done, it's done.  Sample Daily Deal:  3-Tier Tiffin with Carrier Bag and Bamboo Utensil Set from To-Go Ware:  $53 Value for $25 (53% savings).

Green Deals -  Discounts and deals from local and national green online businesses approved by Green America.  Deals appear to last for about a week.  Sample Daily Deal: 33% off All-Natural Shampoo, Conditioner, and Lotion from Sonoma Soap Company.

Daily Grommet - An online marketplace with a daily feature created to help people buy products and services that align with their values. You won't necessarily be getting a special price but this is a really great place to find unique products that you won't find anywhere else. Features include products for green and eco-living, health and wellness, food and drink, fair trade gifts and even donations to charitable organizations.  Sample Daily Feature: Moultonology Garden Bon Bons - seed balls that look like chocolate truffles - you have to see them to believe!

Milkshake - Another feel-good marketplace selling "goods that give back".  Milkshake invites readers to discover products, people, causes and companies that are making a difference and then inspires them to take action. Similar to Daily Grommet, the focus is less on the "deal" and more on spending your dollar wisely. Sample Daily Feature: Blackberry Farm Pickles and Preserves - straight from a working farm in the Great Smokey Mountains of Tennessee.

Other daily deal sites like Groupon and Mamapedia occasionally offer eco-friendly products and locally targeted deals but you have to wade through a lot of stuff you probably don't want or need before you find anything of interest.

What daily sites do you subscribe to?  Have you ever actually bought anything?  Do you think they provide a helpful service or just encourage consumerism?