Mindful Momma

Win a 3 Month Subscription to Conscious Box!

I'm in the mood for a giveaway. How about you?

Conscious Box, one of my favorite monthly product subscription services, has just relauched their website, making it easy for users to rate and purchase the green & health focused products they find in their boxes. To celebrate, they are allowing me to do a giveaway of a 3 month Conscious Box subscription!

Conscious Box is different every month, but you can be sure it is filled with really high quality products. Here is one I received awhile back. I was thrilled to get a new glass straw and another handy PeopleTowel. The Dr. Singha's Mustard Bath packet was perfect when I was sick with the flu. Plus I got to try some new snacks and lotions!

A Conversation about Parenting in a Digital World

Raise your hand if technology and "screen" time for kids is an issue at your house? Yep, that's what I thought! Technology comes at our kids in so many ways - cell phones, laptops, tablets, game consoles, television....they truly are growing up in a digital world! As a parent it can be very challenging to find the right balance between allowing technology and limiting it. 

Join me for a Twitter Party

I am working with FamZee to co-host a Twitter party on the topic of parenting in a digital world, along with my good friend Lori from Groovy Green Livin and Monique from My Digital World. FamZee has developed a phone app to help parents keep track of their family's cell phone usage and ensure safety.

This will be a great opportunity to ask those questions that run through your head like: "What age is appropriate for a smart phone?" and "When should I let my child have a Facebook account?" and "How many hours a day of digital time should I allow?"

Twitter Party Details

Topic: Parenting in a Digital World

Time: Tuesday, March 5, 2-3 pm EST (11-12 pm PST)

Panalists: Famzee @FamZee, Lori @GroovyGreenLivi, Monique @InspiredMomma and me @MindfulMomma 

Hashtag: #MobileFam

TweetGrid: Use this TweetGrid link to make it easier to follow the conversation http://ow.ly/i7lDe 

Prizes: Random participants will win the following prizes:

• Two $50 gift cards to Amazon.com
• Family prize pack of coupons and a Stonyfield water bottle (prize valued at $50),1 gift card from Barnes & Noble and 1 gift card from Amazon.com- combined value $100.00
• ALL winners get a FamZee Premium FREE for 12 months 

My two tween boys love to play games and watch videos as much as any other kid so I am looking forward to this discussion. I hope you will join me! Please RSVP to let us know you will attend!

What are your concerns and questions about parenting in a digital world?

(Disclosure: I received compensation from FamZee to co-host the Twitter party.)

It's Never Too Late For Chocolate (Win Some!)

Lookie what showed up in my mail box on the day after Valentine's Day! It may have been a day late but I'm not complaining - every day is a chocolate day in my book!

These chocolate bars from Chuao Chocolatier (pronounced chew-WOW) are made from Venezuelan chocolate and other natural ingredients. The chocolate is ethically sourced and fair trade prices are paid to farmers. (As there is no fair trade certification for chocolate in Venezuela yet, they are not officially Fair Trade certified.)

The good news for you is that the company is giving away a year's worth of chocolate plus other weekly chocolate prizes! Just head over to the Chuao Chocolatier Facebook Page to enter. The contest will be open through February 28th, 2013. Good Luck!

What's your favorite ethically sourced chocolate brand? 

Better Life Green Cleaning Product Giveaway

Like I said in my recent post about favorite green cleaning products, the chore of cleaning can be greatly improved when you use naturally fresh smelling products that you know are non-toxic and better for the earth rather than nasty chemical-laden sprays that give you an instant headache. Yes, it's still a thankless job, but it needs to be done so why not make the best of it?

You may know, I'm a big fan of Better Life and have been partnering with them to help spread the word about their brand. I'm excited to offer you a chance to win some of their eco-friendly cleaning products!

Better Life Starter Kit

If you are just getting started switching over to greener cleaning products, the Better Life Starter Kit is the perfect place to begin. The kit comes with 4 of their most popular cleaning products, along with a few handy microfiber cloths thrown in to boot.

Here's what you get:

• what-EVER Sage & Citrus All-Purpose Cleaner
• Simply Floored Floor Cleaner
• Even The Kitchen Sink Cleansing Scrub
• I Can See Clearly, WOW! Glass Cleaner
• Six compartment tote
• Scrubbing microfiber (dark blue)
• General purpose microfiber (green)
• Glass and polishing microfiber (light blue)

Dolphin Organics Gift Sets {+ a Giveaway!}

About Dolphin Organics

Dolphin Organics is one of my preferred brands for kids personal care products so I was thrilled when they decided to become an advertising sponsor of Mindful Momma! If you are not familiar with the brand, read what I had to say in a past blog post about Dolphin Organics. In a nutshell they are a safe and effective brand from a neat little parent-run business that you can totally trust!

Gift Sets

Dolphin Organics has put together some really cute gift sets for the holiday season. The set shown at the top of the post includes full sized bottles of the tear-free Baby Shampoo & Body Wash, Conditioner, Bubble Bath, Hypoallergenic Lotion and the SPF32 mineral sunscreen. Get it in the Simply Citrus fragrance or in Fragrance Free if you prefer. The set also comes in the Norfolk Lavendar scent without the conditioner.

Dolphin Organics also has a new line aimed at teens called Do Naturals. Choose from the basic Do Naturals gift set with 5 products including the Just Berry Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Wash, Moisturizer and Detangler.

Or go all out with the Do Naturals Diva Set that also includes a reusable drink tumbler and tote bag. An awesome gift for a teen girl, don't you think?

 

A Giveaway and a Coupon Code!

Dolphin Organics is offering a $50 gift card to one lucky Mindful Momma reader! Just use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. The giveaway will run through midnight on Thursday, December 20th, 2012. Good luck!

Want to place an order? Use code MMFIVE for $5 off your order of any size.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(Disclosure: Dolphin Organics is a paid advertiser on Mindful Momma.)

New Sponsor: Zenoobi {Win a $50 Gift Card!}

Just in the nick of time for the holiday season, I'd like to introduce you to my newest blog sponsor: Zenoobi!

About Zenoobi

Zenoobi (zen you be) is an eco web-store started by two families with young kids who wanted to offer a range of natural, organic, and eco-friendly products all under one roof. So they rounded up the highest quality, stylish, environmentally and socially sustainable products they could find and started up a website.

Their carefully culled collection contains all types of products from clothing to body care to furniture and home decor. The company stands behind their eco-values by being a member of 1% for the Planet (donating 1% of sales to a network of approved environmental organizations) and partnering with American Forests to plant a tree for every sale.

What I appreciate most is that they sell some unique brands that I haven't seen anywhere else. Like these beautiful organic cotton pillows from ferm LIVING:

Adorable recycled wood push toys from Manny & Simon:

 

The sweetest organic cotton kids shirts from Zebi:

and these cute but practical stainless steel snack cups from Eco Vessel:

Plus they sell plenty of well known eco-brands like Think Baby, Kate Quinn Organics, Bambu, Earth Mama Angel Baby, Preserve and more...

Giveaway

To help launch their business, Zenoobi has offered to give one lucky Mindful Momma reader a $50 gift card to use for anything on their website! I personally would put it toward one of the ferm LIVING pillows. What would you choose? Let me know in the comments and use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. The giveaway will go through midnight on Wednesday, December 5th, 2012. Thanks and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(Disclosure: Zenoobi is a paid advertiser on Mindful Momma.)

New Sponsor: Blue Fish Clothing {Giveaway!}

I'm over the moon about my newest blog sponsor - Blue Fish Clothing - an independently owned women's clothing company that makes artisan designed and printed clothing out of organic cotton and other natural fibers.

About Blue Fish Clothing

Founder Jennifer Barclay began designing clothes for herself as a kid and her designs soon wowed customers at craft shows and music festivals. Her business grew and grew and before she knew it she was the hit of a major fashion trade show in New York! Still, Jennifer made sure that her company kept to its values of being earth-friendly and artisan-made:

• All fibers are organic, natural or recycled cotton, hemp, linen and silk.
• Organic cotton is spun in South Carolina.
• Clothing is sewn and dyed by two small companies in New Jersey.
• Everything is made in the USA from start to finish.
• All garments are printed by an artisan's hand.

Blue Fish Clothing is available at three retail locations (Taos, NM, Frenchtown, NJ & Fairfield, Iowa)
as well as online.

The Printing Process

If you are wondering how they do it, here's a video of a printing artisan at work. So amazing!

 

 

The Designs

Instead of saying any more I'm just going to show you a few items from their latest collections.

The Eventide collection:

 

The Contre Jour collection:

 

 

The sculpted pocket top from the Ancestral Patterns collection:

 

Giveaway

One super lucky Mindful Momma reader will win the sculpted pocket top shown above in the color of their choice (I personally love the juniper color shown)! Please use the Rafflecopter form below and leave a comment on this post letting me know your favorite Blue Fish Clothing designs. The giveaway will go through midnight on Friday, November 23rd. 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

(Disclosure: I was sent an item of clothing from Blue Fish in exchange for my honest opinion.)

prAna - Apparel with Purpose {Giveaway!}

 

Grand Portage pose created by The Om Collective in front of the new prAna store in the Twin Cities. (image credit Lisa Venticinque)

A New Store

If you are a fan of yoga and active lifestyle apparel, it is likely that you have run across the brand prAna before. One of my favorite shirts is a prAna design that I bought through Title Nine a couple of years ago. Well, a brand new prAna store just opened up in the Twin Cities area (50th & France in Edina for those of you who are locals) and I could not be more thrilled! To celebrate the opening, prAna held a Flash Flannel yoga event in front of the store last week. This was my first outdoor yoga event and although it was a little chilly, we kept warm doing yoga in our new prAna organic cotton flannel shirts!

Minted Recycled Paper Holiday Cards {Giveaway!}

As eco-friendly as I try to be, I just can't seem to give up on sending a real life holiday photo card to my friends and family. Sure, e-cards are waste-free but there's something about getting a real card in the mail that just seems more personal - don't you think?

This year, I'm using Minted for my holiday cards. They have so many unique designs to pick from and you can choose to have any of them printed on high quality, 100% recycled paper. Better yet, the paper is made from 100% post consumer waste, is FSC-certified and is manufactured using wind-power. Nice!

Cookbook Review & Giveaway: Sweet & Easy Vegan

I've been a fan of Robin Asbell's recipes for many years. Her Whole Grains Cookbook is filled with unique and delicious recipes using all sorts of healthy grains. She is probably best known for her vegan and vegetarian cookbooks Big Vegan and New Vegetarian. 

So when Robin approached me about participating in her virtual potluck to promote latest cookbook Sweet & Easy Vegan, I happily agreed! Sweet & Easy Vegan is all about decadent dairy free desserts made with whole grains and natural sweeteners. I do not follow a vegan diet but show me a healthy dessert and I'm all over it! As I paged through the book I found so many recipes I want to make. Like the Pumpkin Date Bread Pudding. Or the Pear and Maple Upside Down Cake. Not to mention all the gooey cupcakes and mouthwatering pies and tarts! Bring it on!!