Eco-Friendly Toy Giveaway!

As a parent I can attest to the fact that it is extremely difficult to find high quality earth friendly toys for my children. All the stores in our area only carry the cheap plastic junk that breaks within a week (sometimes it doesn't even last an hour!) and that is no where near eco-friendly.

I am thrilled at this opportunity to host this giveaway of an eco-friendly toy from a company that offers everything from bar furniture to baby gear. An online company is a girls best friend, as we can shop from home in our pajamas if we so choose to. If your shopping trips go anything like mine, you rush up and down the aisles at the store grabbing everything you need and run to the checkout so that you are out of the store before your child has a meltdown or knocks down a display of paper towels built like a pyramid. Shopping at home gives me the luxury to browse and find that perfect thing that I didn't even know I was looking for. CSN is the perfect place to start as they host over 200 stores and sell anything and everything that your heart desires.

Shopping for toys for your child, whether as a treat or a gift, it is impossible when trying to navigate those toy aisles without having your children screaming for everything within their reach. Not only that, eco-friendly toys are hard to find in most stores. Now is your chance to win a nice set of quality eco-friendly toys.

One reader will win their choice of:

ABC Touchy Block Set

Sliding Town Building Blocks

All you need to do to enter is leave a comment with the toy name which you wish to win. One winner will be randomly drawn on Tuesday, April 20th.

Not Me! Monday

Last Monday morning I did not come down the steps to find a bloody mess all over the kitchen floor:

I did not freak out until I realized that it wasn't blood and instead was grape juice.

I did not freak out again when I opened the fridge and realized that a full container of grape juice tipped over and spilled all over the fridge and then leaked out onto the floor.

It wasn't I who used up a whole roll of paper towels in order to clean up the mess. I did not have to take out the bottom shelf and drawers from the refrigerator and clean them up in the bathtub. I didn't have to mop the floor. Nope, not me!

Garage Sale Tally

I finally have the energy to write a post about how our garage sale went. It is an exhausting task setting up and taking down all that stuff everyday (the pitfalls of having a too small garage and needing to have a yard sale). But it was well worth it.

We were swamped with customers an hour before opening time on Thursday so we were setting up and waiting on customers so at least two hours. I forgot to snap a picture of the before but luckily my sister didn't and got the two photos below.

They were both snapped within the first hour of opening so you can see the shear amount of stuff that we had (this was a multi-family garage sale). There are also tables extending out along the sidewalk that you aren't able to see and a hanging rack with clothing as well.

Thursday we started setting up at 8:00am and by 9:30 there were several customers. Our "open hours" for the day was 11:00 to 6:00 and we had a rush of people all day. Only once was there a lull where no one was at the sale and that probably lasted five minutes at the most. At times we had cars parked up and down the street so there had to be 15 or more people shopping at once. There were lines of people waiting to be checked out, people grabbing boxes to hold what they were buying, and we were still trying to set up! My mom managed the checking out while my aunt and I continued to unload boxes and try to find room on tables and shelves to put items. The first day I made a grand total of $107.15 and Becca made $1.50 and Jacob made $6.30 on toys that they sold. The bad thing about Thursday is that the wind picked up as the day went on and it was COLD. We had blankets out there and our hands turned numb. I would say it was around 40 degrees by the end of the day so not an enjoyable experience but it didn't keep the crowds away.

Friday was slower paced but still busy. Again, we rarely had a lull when no one was shopping at the sale. It was sunny and warm so that probably helped out. Friday hours was 8am to 5pm. I made $39.55 and Jacob made $3 and Becca $1.50.

Saturday was 8am to noon. Again, another beautiful day and we had a steady stream of customers. We priced all clothing and books at half price to move items and got rid of a lot. Almost all the clothing sold and there wasn't a whole lot left at the end of the sale. Yesterday I made $38.65 and Becca made $5.05 and Jacob $5.80. My grand total for the three days was $182.35. For all the families involved we raked in a total of over $1,700 in this three day sale. Pretty impressive!

Final picture of the tables before closing time:
That was all that was left, along with another small bookcase with paperbacks on that is out of shot. I had brought nine huge boxes, one large bag, a coffee table, small desk, high chair, rug, and children's activity push cart and left with just one box items.
The kids are going to save their money for this coming weekend when there are city wide sales so that they can buy any item they may come across that they just have to have. I will use some of the money I made for buying clothing that the children need at these upcoming garage sales.

Frugal Friday: Garage Sales

Considering that I will be hosting my own garage sale today and the fact that getting rid of things that you no longer need to bring in a little cash is totally thrifty, what better post today than one on how to host your own garage sale?

If you have never had a garage sale before it is fairly simple when you follow a few rules of the game. The best way for a mother of young children to host a sale is to get together with other moms or people that you know and host a multi-family sale. Not only will your sale look more appealing by having more merchandise but you will have extra hands in taking cash, watching to make sure nothing is stolen (yes, there are thiefs even at garage sales!), and people there to help watch your children. It is hard to watch a sale alone and try to deal with a child or two at the same time. Many hands make for light work...or something like that!

The most important thing is to advertise. I always look to the newspaper to plan my garage sale shopping and that is the best way to draw attention to your sale for others like me who do the same thing. Bright signs posted at the end of your road advertising your sale is also a must. They will direct people to your sale that may have not seen your advertisement in the paper or are bad at directions. Take them down when your sale is over as many towns will fine you if left up for too long.

Make sure your prices are fair and make sure everything is clearly marked. When I go to a sale with high prices or no prices at all I don't even bother to continue looking. I love sales where kids clothing is marked $1 and under, though I will pay a little more for a name brand outfit or brand new clothing item.

Make sure your items are displayed nicely. Digging through bins and boxes will detract customers so try to place the majority of your items on shelves, tables, or hang them up. Something simple as a board or old door placed on two saw horses and covered with a tablecloth is enough to make it look attractive. This is also creating curb appeal; more people stop at sales that look good from the road. I know I have driven past my fair share of sales the look dumpy from the road...those just aren't worth my stopping at, even though they may have had really nice items but not the space to display them. Dirty and broken things should not be for sale, but may be placed in a free box which plenty of people like to dig in.

Have plenty of change and plastic bags. It is bad when you run out of either!

Choose a day/days that are typical of garage sales in your town. Many sales run from Thursday to Saturday here so that is when we typically have ours. The busiest day is Thursday, a steady stream is on Friday, and some wheelers and dealers come about Saturday when we are willing to lower prices in order not to have to haul the stuff back home. You may decide to have just a one day sale or a one and a half day sale. It's up to you!

It's really as easy as that. I will be posting pictures of our sale once it is over and give you the grand totals!

Have you had a successful garage sale? What tips do you have?

Why Do You Blog?

Blog is a word that used to be unknown but is slowly gaining popularity. Almost everyone knows what a blog is now. For some it is an online journal. For others it could be a way for them to keep in touch with family and friends. Others use it for a source of income. The reasons why one blogs can be vast and varied. I started this blog as an outlet for my writing. It has turned into so much more.

I have started a community of sorts for myself. I have learned a lot through comments left from my readers. I have learned when to speak up and when to keep my mouth shut. I have learned that maybe my life or thoughts are at least a bit interesting, as my readers come back looking for more. So thank you dear readers! I know some of you, know of some of you through your own personal blogs, and realize that there are several lurkers who must find one thing or another helpful or entertaining that I write.

I don't blog for money. I do have a few advertisements on here of course, but haven't even cashed in on one of them yet. That is not the purpose of this blog. I don't blog about controversial things just to get clicks, I don't make things up in order to draw in more readers. I feel that it is my responsibility as a mother to keep it real. I will blog about my good days as well as the bad. I'm not a supermom and will never pretend to be. I'm just a real person sharing real things about my life.

I can tell you that blogging is fun. I love receiving comments and I suppose it is a bit of an ego boost to realize that people actually choose to come back day after day to read my daily drivel. I started this blog back in August not sure what direction I would be taking it in. I have changed layouts several times. I have learned a lot of computer design work just by messing around on my blog. I've been using it as an online journal and love going back through the older posts and see what I was working on back then. It's been an adventure and I just wish I had started one sooner!

If you have a blog, what enticed you to start it? If you read certain blogs, what keeps you coming back to them again and again?

Alternative Menstrual Products, Reviewed

My post a few weeks back about alternatives to traditional pads and tampons received quite a bit of attention. Many women expressed the desire to switch over to something more natural but didn't know where to start or didn't know if they could handle the alternatives. I was in the same boat.

Then I had the opportunity to review cloth menstrual pads from three companies. I was impressed with all the products when they arrived in the mail. All were so nicely made and the fabric was so soft. This was one month that I was excited to get my "monthly visitor".

I had three different stlyes of pads to test. Panty liners, normal flow, and heavy flow cloth pads. From all three companies combined I received seven pads: two pantyliners, three regular flow, and two heavy flow pads. So this was not enough to last throughout my whole cycle, even with washing them several times, but they gave me an excellent idea of what these cloth pads are about.

I have to be honest upfront and say that I did not like them for my heavy flow days. I think that they worked just as well as the traditional store bought chemical laden counterparts, but I did have one leak and didn't like them much for those days. I do think that with time I will get used to them for even the heavy days but right now I do not plan on using cloth menstrual pads on the especially heavy days. That may change in time.

Other than that, for the several lighter days I was impressed by them. The ick factor wasn't much of a big deal...when I changed them I just rinsed quickly in cold water and then put them in an empty baby wipe container with cold water to soak in. Changing the water daily and washing every other day was fine and while changing the rinse water was a little gross it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and even as the week progressed it was less and less gross to me.

The pads are comfortable. All of them have wings that snap around the panties so everything stays in place. The material ranges from fleece to cotton and they are all so soft. Nothing like the sticky diaper like material that store bought disposable pads are made from. I rate them a 10 out of 10 when it comes to the feel of wearing them. They are no bulkier than store bought pads either.

I love how cloth pads prevent waste going into the landfill. It is estimated that in America alone, women throw away 20 billion disposable pads and tampons a year. That is an astounding number and shows how much waste is ending up in the landfills. Cloth pads can prevent that. Cloth pads are also made to last around 5 years, so they are certainly cost effective. Good for the earth and your pocketbook!

My conclusion after testing these products out for a week is that I will use cloth pantyliners exclusively and that for at least half my cycle I will be using cloth menstrual pads. I think some day I will go to full-time but I need a bit more experience before making that jump. It really is easier than I thought so if you are even thinking about making a switch I encourage you to do so. Please visit the three companies below to check out their products!

Wee Essentials has such a variety of designs and styles. I liked the heavy flow pad especially as it really worked for my heavy flow days. The panty liner is thin enough that you don't even notice you are wearing anything. I also recommend you check out their "Soap Bits", which are tiny squares of soap that are a 99% natural way to make cloth wipe solution, cleaning solution, travel wash, or forming hand soap. What an innovative idea!

Moon Pads have the neatest fabric designs, they remind me of something retro. Made from organic cotton they are hand dyed with beautiful colors, dyes that are professional quality but made from the safest environmental dyes out there. They pair the brightly dyed cotton flannel with eccentric quilters cotton flaps. These are not only useful, but fun too! Oh so soft and absorbent.

Moon Loon pads are different from any of the other pads I tested as they have the pads with wings but also have inserts that you can buy so instead of changing the whole pad you can change just the insert. Which means you don't have to invest in as many pads at one time, but just purchase more inserts. I found the inserts, while thin, were absorbent enough that nothing leaked through to the pad underneath. These would make for extra protection at night too. Such soft flannel material and while the tops of the pads and inserts are a natural color and I worried about ugly stains, so far they have come out bright and clean in the wash.

I hope that you will support these small businesses and try an environmentally friendly product at the same time!

Fun At the Park

While the kiddos had fun at the park, can I admit that I hate it there?! With the two oldest it would be fine, but the parks around here are not built for a toddler. Slides that are too high, a merry-go-round, a climbing apparatus that entices little ones but is much too dangerous. It is not fun for mommy to constantly have to chase down a toddler in a park where the only adequate thing for him to play on is the baby swing. We need a baby park around here!