Green Living Archives

November 4, 2018

What do you get the best teacher to show appreciation?

It’s that time of year again. Christmas is right around the corner and that may mean that you’ve got some pretty important people to thank in your life. Since school started this year I’ve realized just how much I admire and appreciate my kids’ teachers. I couldn’t do what they’ve been called to do, that’s for sure! I thought, that rather than doing a typical sweet treat or Starbucks gift card, I’m going to take advantage of Grove Collaborative’s red cleaning caddy and Mrs. Meyer’s holiday scents.

What do you get the best teacher to show appreciation?

Fortunately, it’s also the time of year when Mrs. Meyer’s holiday scents return. Not only do they look and smell festive, they also make the task of cleaning and doing dishes a lot more enjoyable!

This year, Mrs. Meyer’s is bringing back three crowd favorites: Iowa Pine, Peppermint, and Orange Clove. I’ve been waiting all year for Iowa Pine to return, because the crisp and spicy scent fills the entire house with wonderful smells of Christmas trees.

Right now, you can get a free Mrs. Meyer’s trio in your choice of scents, plus a free set of Grove Collaborative walnut scrubber sponges — all packed up in a limited edition red cleaning caddy for gifting (or keeping!).

New customers will get the holiday set when you place your first order of $20:

Free Mrs. Meyer’s holiday hand soap
Free Mrs. Meyer’s holiday dish soap
Free Mrs. Meyer’s holiday multi-surface spray
Grove Collaborative red caddy
Grove Collaborative walnut scrubber sponges

Plus, if you spend $39, you’ll also receive a free Grove stoneware tray to beautifully display your new holiday soaps.

If you’re already a Grove customer, you’ll get a free set of Grove walnut scrubbers — perfect for cleaning up after baking cookies or pumpkin pie.

This beautiful red caddy is everything you need to organize your home for the holidays! While you could go the traditional route and use it to store your cleaning supplies, it would also make a great gift wrapping station stocked with tape, ribbons, markers, and tags. Or, wrap your silverware in napkins, secure with a napkin ring, and place them in the caddy for your holiday buffet.

Speaking of holiday buffets, there’s no shortage of dirty dishes this time of year. Fortunately, Mrs. Meyer’s dish soap is perfect for tackling tough messes. Put a drop in your roasting pan or crockpot and watch grease disappear!

Of course, no kitchen or bathroom is complete without Mrs. Meyer’s hand soap. I get tons of compliments on these scents, and the cheerful bottles are an easy way to spruce up your sink-side display.

Another holiday hosting must-have is Mrs. Meyer’s multi-surface cleaner. It’s ideal for those last-minute cleanups before guests arrive. You only need one product for countertops, walls, bathroom fixtures, and wood or tile floors. Plus, it leaves your entire home smelling like the holidays.

Since the holiday season is also flu season, I always keep the multi-surface spray on hand for wiping down faucets, doorknobs, and other surfaces that get touched all the time.

Grove Collaborative is also an essential for me during the busy holiday season! Grove hand-selects the best natural products and delivers them (carbon offset) right to your doorstep, on your schedule. They’ve got you covered for all your cleaning and organization needs as you head into the holiday season. Don’t forget to stock up on hand soap, toilet paper, and paper towels before your guests arrive!

When you submit your first order, you’ll also be signed up for the free 60 day VIP trial. For 60 days, you’ll save even more with free shipping, free gifts, price matching, exclusive sales and customer service. That means more money left over to spend on gifts for your family (or a little treat for yourself!). I have the VIP service and it is worth its weight in gold!

These holiday sets fly off the shelves faster than toys on Black Friday, so don’t wait! Here’s how to grab your free set:

Sign up for Grove Collaborative here. You will receive the Mrs. Meyer’s trio in your choice of scents, plus a free set of Grove Collaborative walnut scrubber sponges — all packed up in a limited edition red cleaning caddy for gifting for free when you sign up!
To receive this offer, your order needs to be a minimum of $20. Choose the combination of products and scents you love and receive your first box within a few days.
You made it! Click Finish & Pay and place your order.

Special offer: If you’re a new customers and spend $39, you will receive all of the above AND a Grove Stoneware Tray!

Bert A.

As the creator of the lifestyle blog and book, Me Before Mom, Bert supports millennial moms facing the challenges and changes of motherhood. Me Before Mom is an online community that offers support through real life stories, encouraging advice, and answers to questions about how a woman maintains herself during this self-sacrificial time of parenthood. Stories from Bert Anderson have helped women across the globe through the Huffington Post, Today’s Parent, and on the Harry show. Whether weathering the first year of motherhood or walking through the later stages of motherhood, Bert has helped many continue to find herself while still in the throes of motherhood. Purchase your copy of Me Before Mom: Putting Your Oxygen Mask on First today!

January 4, 2018January 4, 2018

Going Green in 2018: Why I took dryer sheets out of my dryer

Just so you know, there are affiliate links in this blog post; it won’t cost you anything extra, however, should you make a purchase from one of the links I’ll receive a small commission for your purchase. Thank you!

Wanna know something about my family and our intimates? I don’t use fabric softener dryer sheets in my dryer and I have never felt better!

Why I took dryer sheets out of my dryer…

I got rid of all of the fabric dryer sheets that I use in drying clothes and other fabrics that we use in our house. Why? It all started back in my cloth diapering days. When you use cloth diapers you really shouldn’t use anything in your laundry that will affect the diapers ability to absorb liquids. Using fabric softeners and dryer sheets definitely leaves this thin film that causes the diaper to repel moisture. When I started using cloth diapers I became very aware of the various chemicals that I was putting on my children’s skin. The benefit of dryer sheets was the smell and the fact that my clothes were soft but at what cost was this worth it?

There have been small studies that have shown a link between anything that is on your skin being absorbed into your bloodstream. It’s difficult to find a full blown study that proves the toxicity in a dryer sheet but the fact that a nonprofit like the EWG warns against people using them is enough to make me make the switch. That’s scary to me. So why choose wool dryer balls to aid in your laundering?

Wool dryer balls are made from a natural fabric and when you have enough balls in your dryer it does an excellent job of decreasing drying time. If you have an older dryer using the low heat setting can take ages to fully dry your linens and clothes.Using at least four wool dryer balls, cuts down the time to a third of what it was before! That saves you more money as well as helps the planet. To get the best performance out of your dryer balls you should purchase four or more. The dryer balls bounce through your clothes as they dry, fluffing and separating the clothes which is how they cut down on the drying time.

The downside to the dryer balls for me is that they don’t completely prevent static. I live in Minnesota so the winter creates a very dry and static friendly environment. Even though that’s the case, it’s not that bad. I simply give my clothes a shake and they’re not as clingy. The balls are also rather large so they do make noise.

I don’t know if you do this but if you want to wash your pillows the dryer balls are excellent in fluffing them! I’ve read articles that suggest putting tennis balls in the dryer to fluff your pillows. Replace the tennis balls with your dryer balls and you have a natural drying aid.

I made this switch about six years ago; it’s safe to say that all of our clothes have been dryer sheet free for 2,190 days. I just replaced my original dryer balls a few months ago. I’ve saved money doing this. The way I look at it is this: if dryer sheets don’t cause cancer or any other ailments what’s the harm in discontinuing their use in your home? You’ll save money and produce less waste. If they do in fact cause harm to our body then I guess I’m eliminating one source of harm. What’s holding you back?

Do you use wool dryer balls? How many do you have?

Bert A.

April 17, 2017

10 of the Best Earth Day Activities for Preschoolers

Earth Day is coming up this week and if you’re semi-crunchy at the least this is a big deal. What is Earth Day? According to The History Channel, “Founded in 1970 as a day of education about environmental issues, Earth Day is now a globally celebrated holiday that is sometimes extended into Earth Week, a full seven days of events focused on green awareness.” So how can you bring a little environmental awareness into your week with your preschooler?

We’ve got a round-up of some of the best activities around the blogosphere to help you celebrate Earth Day!

10 of the Best Earth Day Activities for Preschoolers

Of course another thing you could do with your preschooler is take them to see Disneynature’s BORN IN CHINA which opens everywhere on Earth Day. The documentary is rated G and I’ve heard from a few of my blogger friends that it’s really good. To get more out of the BORN IN CHINA experience use this activity packet before you see the movie.

Whether you choose to observe Earth Day or you just want to squeeze in a little science into your day with your toddler or preschooler, I hope this will inspire some ways to play with your kiddos this week!

Pin it now so you can find it later!

Bert A.

June 13, 2016June 28, 2017

Can you use cloth menstrual pads for bladder leakage?

Can you use cloth pads for bladder leakage?

Pregnancy, weight gain and weakened bladder control from previous births can all contribute to bladder leakage. We’ve all been there. Most of us, even after the birth of only one child, discover the hard way when we decide to jump on a trampoline for the first time or are asked to complete a jumping jack, that our bodies just aren’t the same.

Leaks happen and cloth pads are a great solution!

Often bladder leakage and incontinence occur at times we can come to expect. We squeeze our muscles when we know we’re going to sneeze in order to prevent it or we wear pads when we’re going to the gym because we know what happens when we run or workout. Other times leakage just happens, regardless of what we’re doing, and in those cases daily protection is needed.

In most instances urinary incontinence is most often due to weakend bladder muscles. Exercises, weight loss and a change in diet can improve symptoms. Until your symptoms improve, and while you require daily protection, cloth pads and cloth pantyliners are a great option.

While cloth pads aren’t necessarily designed or marketed for incontinence, they work perfectly and make total sense for use when you’re experiencing light to moderate bladder leakage. Plus, during these hot and humid summer months I love using mine because I can’t stand having any swass (sweaty ass) going on. Cloth pads come in all shapes and sizes, from light pads to thong shaped pads, they can easily replace chemical-laden disposable products that can create additional issues when used daily.

[Tweet “Leaks happen & cloth pads are a great solution! #sustainableliving”]

Cloth pads are comfortable, affordable, reusable and can easily be washed with your regular laundry, especially if only being used for urinary issues.

The best part, you’ll have a nice little pantyliner stash for use with your menstrual cycle when needed.

I use Pink Lemonade Shop cloth pads and cloth panty liners. They’re made in the USA, in Ohio, by work-at-home moms, they’re durable, affordable come in such cute prints and fabric styles. I used to be all “buy all the cloth diapers!” and now I’m like, “buy all the PLS pads!” Don’t let swass or bladder leakage stop you from enjoying life; it’s not worth it.

Bert A.

July 22, 2015June 28, 2017

3 Simple Changes You Can Make To Live a Healthier, More Organic Life (that doesn’t involve using cloth diapers!)

3 Simple Changes to a Healthier. more Organic Lifestyle

When I had my first child in 2008 we decided to use cloth diapers as a way to save money; however, the longer my child was in cloth diapers the more aware I became of the health benefits for him using cloth diapers. Sure, I’d love it if you did give it a try; I think you’d find that it’s easier than you think! I do understand that it can seem a bit daunting to add cloth diapering into your household routine. But you can make other small changes that will have a positive impact on the life that you’re living right now and the health and well being of your child’s life.

Three Simple Changes You Can Make to Live a Healthier, More Organic Life (that doesn’t involve using cloth diapers!)

1. Consult the Environmental Working Group on what products are safe to use on your baby’s skin. A baby’s skin is so new and sensitive that I like to look up the products that I plan on using on my child in the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) Skin Deep Database. The database is easy to use with a simple rating system that incorporates the same colors that a traffic light uses. Green means little to no harmful ingredients. Yellow means use with caution. Finally red means either stay away from the product because it has ingredients in it that are known to be harmful or the company would not give EWG the ingredient list so they cannot analyze the data.

2. Look for USDA organic baby food or make your own. We try to practice the dirty dozen when it comes to our produce. You know, we try to buy organic produce that are the dirtiest when it comes to pesticides: Apples, Celery, Sweet bell peppers, Peaches, Strawberries, Nectarines, Grapes, Spinach, Lettuce, Cucumbers, Blueberries, and Potatoes. My sister, Laura, made the majority of her baby food when her son, whom she lovingly refers to as Triple A, was an infant. I did the same for my son when he was an infant because I had more time but as a mother of three I simply choose to not spend my time preparing baby food for my youngest daughter. The reason why is because I know there are brands out there that I trust like Gerber® Organic who have healthy organic baby food and it’s already made. Because of the Gerber® legacy and because their organic baby food is certified USDA organic, I know that the food I’m putting into my baby’s belly is safe and made with 100% non- genetically modified organism (non-GMO) ingredients. GMO is a buzz word and it means that an organism’s genetic material has been artificially manipulated through genetic engineering. Plus, a brand like Gerber® has more interesting food combinations than what I can come up with on my own with their 3rd Foods®. With combinations like Apples, Kale & Figs, Bananas, Beets & Pomegranate, and Apples, Purple Carrots & Blueberries with Yogurt I know that my baby is getting a wide range of flavors to help expand her palate naturally.

3. Try using vinegar as a household cleaner. Why? It’s a safe way to clean your house and it does a pretty good job! Vinegar is non-toxic so using it to clean surfaces like the floor makes sense when your baby is crawling like mine is.

See? It’s not so difficult is it? How are you living a healthier and more organic life? Do you have any tips?

This post is in partnership with Gerber®. Thank you for reading and supporting!

Bert A.