The Eco-Cheap Mom

Fluff the Bum Cloth Diaper Event Update

2010-03-09T10:17:00.002-05:00

The sponsor line-up for the Fluff the Bum Cloth Diaper Event is looking awesome! So far I have 22 giveaways planned, and I'm hoping to add a few more.

Look over there------>

Pretty nice list of sponsors, huh! :)

I am so excited to host all of these great giveaways and to share the fluffy love with all of my fantastic readers. Be sure to read more about the Fluff the Bum Cloth Diaper event and learn how to gain 10 extra entries per giveaway!

Remember, the event starts April 1 and lasts the entire month. It will be here before we know it. Mark your calendars!

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact me. I'm sure I can fit you in!

Juggling

2010-03-07T21:30:00.001-05:00

Sorry I haven't been blogging much the least few weeks. In addition to my regular jobs, I have been working extremely hard on my Fluff the Bum Cloth Diaper Event. If I didn't have enough on my plate with that, I'm amidst planning Cakes 4th birthday party, which is next Saturday, and battling a cold, and a UTI. Sorry if that is TMI, but hey, I'm sure most of you can relate! And because I just can't seem to make things easy on myself, I am working on a blog makeover, too. Really. What am I thinking? I am a glutton for punishment I guess.

No, the problem is that I can't do anything half way. If I do something, I have to go balls to the wall. After I typed that expression I started thinking it was a reference to man parts, but I just looked it up and it actually has a clean meaning! Check out what it means at Urban Dictionary. It's a character ~~flaw~~ trait that keeps me busy at all times! Never an idle moment, not that I'd like it any other way. That's just how I roll!

I must go now. The blog is calling me to perform the makeover!

And the winner of the No-Cry Sleep Solution giveaway is...

2010-03-05T22:36:00.000-05:00

Congratulations Andrea! Your consistent tweets paid off. Thank you for entering. I know this book will help you and your baby out!

You have 48 hours to respond to my message to confirm your win.

Episencial Nurturing Balm & Sprout Baby - A Review and Giveaway!

2010-03-03T23:26:00.004-05:00

My little Bubby has been very fortunate not to have had many diaper rashes in his 18 months. I think cloth diapering has played a big role in that, and many cloth diapering mama's agree, but it seems that there's no scientific evidence to support this claim. Anyway, I guess the Bub's has been lucky, because any incidence of a rash has been very mild. Every once in a while he'll get a little redness on his bum and boy parts. I usually just put a little lanolin on it and it's gone by the next day.

Well, Sprout Baby was nice enough to send me some Episencial Nurturing Balm to test out. Sprout Baby is a great store that offers healthy, eco-conscious products not only for babies, but for mom and dad too! You may have heard of Sprout baby before. The the company began by offering Sprouts Food, a line of organic, gourmet, shelf-stable and delicious baby food, created by celebrity chef Tyler Florence. Now they offer, not only Sprouts Food, but just about anything you need for your baby's care, and mom's and dad's, too. All of the products offered are healthy, and environmentally friendly! Their motto is "Love your baby. Love the Planet." Now, what's not to like about that!

So, back to the Episencial Nurturing Balm. Since Bubby rarely gets a rash I wasn't sure when I would be able to test it out...on his bum. But since it can be used to relieve and protect not only the diaper area, but other sensitive places as well, I decided to try it out on his face. We've been battling some redness and a little rash on his cheeks and chin so I though I'd give the nurturing balm a try. After reading the ingredients, I felt safe about using it on his face. It contains NO additives, parabens, or petroleum. The main ingredient is organic Shea Butter, with organic olive oil, and grape seed oil to sooth itchy irritated skin, and organic aloe vera and calendula extracts to minimize redness and promote healing, and tea tree extract and zinc to prevent and treat irritation or rash. The extra gentle formula is non-irritating for skin and eyes so I knew it was safe to use on his face and that it would work great too. And it did. The redness diminished almost immediately. The only thing I didn't like about it is the zinc left a slightly white film on his face if I didn't rub it in really well. Although this worked well, and I will continue to use it, I'd say the Episencial Protective Face Balm or the Soothing Cream would be a better option to use on the face.

A few days later, the Bubs got a bit red on his boy part, so I got to test the nurturing balm there as well. Before I used it, I inquired if it was cloth diaper friendly and was told that it was, but that most cloth diaper users prefer the Soothing Cream instead. Since it contains zinc, which can cause staining and repelling issues with cloth diapers, I used a liner to protect the diaper, just in case. Then I put a very small amount on and by the next diaper change, the redness was gone! It worked great!

I really like this product and I highly recommend it. I love that it contains all natural and mostly organic ingredients and that it works! The 4 ounce tube will probably last me until the Bubs is out of diapers and at $9.99 that's a great deal!

An even better deal is that you can use coupon code SBBL155 to get 15% off your first order. Coupon code is good until the end of March.

And now the best part. Sprout Baby has offered to give one of my readers a tube of Episencial Nurturing Balm! You can't win if you don't enter, so enter, and enter often!

To Enter:

Mandatory Entry:
Visit Sprout Baby and leave a comment here about another product Sprout Baby offers that you might buy. (I will need a way to contact you if you win so if your profile does not link to your email, then leave your email in your comment)

Extra Entries:
After completion of the mandatory entry you are eligible for any of these additional entries. Remember to leave a separate comment for each additional entry!

Follow my blog publicly through Google friend connect. If you already follow, that counts too!
Grab my button and post it on your sidebar. (Be sure to leave the url where it is posted.)
Subscribe to my blog via email. The sign up box is on the right sidebar.
Subscribe to my blog in a reader. The sign up box is on right sidebar.
Blog about this giveaway. Be sure to link back to my site and leave the URL where you blogged in your comment. (3 entries)
Follow Sprout Baby on Twitter.
Follow ecocheapmom on Twitter.
Tweet this for additional entries: Episencial Nurturing Balm Giveaway hosted by @ecocheapmom and @sproutbabyclub #giveaway ends 3/14 http://bit.ly/bUJ2Ec (Up to 3x per day. Please leave a link to your tweet.)
Vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs by clicking the button on the top left sidebar. (once)

Good Luck!

Giveaway ends Sunday, March 14th, 2010 at 9:00 p.m.(EST). The winner will be drawn by the random number generator at Random.org and will be notified by email and announced on this blog. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.

***I was sent this product to review. I was not compensated in any other way and the statements above are my own honest opinion.***

Fluff the Bum Cloth Diaper Event

2010-02-26T17:06:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to be hosting my very first blog event! My Sensational Haiku Wednesday post was just a little teaser of my upcoming event. So here's the full scoop!

My main goal in hosting this event is to bring attention to how easy (and cute) modern cloth diapers are. There is such a misconception about cloth diapers being messy and difficult. The truth is, they are neither messy nor difficult.

I will be showing many brands of diapers in a few different styles. All-in-ones (and All-in-twos) are the most like disposable diapers and are a great, easy, no-nonsense approach to cloth diapering. Pocket diapers are similar, except you "stuff" an absorbent insert into them to adjust the absorbency. And the newest trend, hybrid cloth diapers, where an insert (either cloth or disposable)is layed inside a waterproof shell.

There are other types of cloth diapers, but I am focusing on the ones that are most like disposable diapers. The types that would be the most appealing to a non-cloth diaper-er. I think if people knew about how easy cloth diapering is, more people would do it. At least that's my hope!

I also will be showing all of the various cloth diapering accessories, like cloth wipes, wipe solutions, wet bags, cloth diaper-safe rash cream, inserts, etc. Lots of great stuff! Lots of great sponsors!

And the most exciting part is that there will be a review AND giveaway each weekday in April. That's 22 giveaways...possibly more!

All you disposable diapering moms and dads, please be sure to come back in April and check out what modern cloth diapers are all about. With 22 different giveaways, your chances are good to win something! And all you cloth diapering moms and dads, I know you don't want to miss out on winning some great fluff! I know how fluff crazy we all are!!

Gain 10 extra entries in the upcoming giveaways by helping me spread the news of the Fluff the Bum Event. Grab the event button from my right sidebar and post it on your blog sidebar and blog about the event. Then comment here with the URL of your post. To qualify you must do this before April 1st and the button must remain in your sidebar the entire month of April.

This is going to be a great event!! Are you as excited as I am?! I hope so!

Sensational Haiku Wednesday - Vision (Fluff the Bum)

2010-02-24T00:00:00.002-05:00

I have a vision.
The end of disposables.
Cloth diapers for all.

A lofty goal, sure.
But I am on a mission.
Follow me and see.

A month long event
to show how easy they are -
"Fluff the Bum" in April.

Today's theme for Sensational Haiku Wednesday was Vision.

Now go on over to You know...that Blog? and add your Haiku to the list! You know you want to!

From the Mouth of Cakes - Mama's a keeper!

2010-02-21T21:15:00.000-05:00

There are days when all I want is for my daughter to stop talking for just one minute. But then there are times like tonight that I am so glad that she's a girl of many words.

As we were lying in bed snuggling before bedtime, she says to me:

"I love you, mama. I won't sell you. I don't want any other mama."

A little background...Cakes often asks if we can get another dog. We have 4 dogs, so our response is always "Sure, if we sell one of the dogs we already have." She always decides she'll keep the ones we have.

I'm glad to know she wants to keep me too! I love that girl!

The No-Cry Nap Solution - A Review and Giveaway!

2010-02-19T11:04:00.004-05:00

Every parent hopes that their children sleep well. It seems from the very beginning that sleep is he most talked about topic. "Are you getting any sleep?" which means, is the baby sleeping?

The truth is, it takes a while for babies to "sleep through the night". What is your definition of sleeping through the night? A 10 hour stretch? 8 hours? Most books consider it a 5 hour stretch. Whatever your definition, the ultimate goal is uninterrupted sleep.

Some babies, good sleepers, will do this with ease. A friend of mine's baby was sleeping 5 hour stretches from the get go. Now as a toddler he continues to be a good sleeper and will take a 2-3 hour nap daily. A lot of times they have to wake him or he'll sleep too long. Seriously.

Can you say envious?! Neither of my babies were inherently good sleepers. I worked very hard to get them to sleep through the night. It was a struggle at times to say the least, but I was determined to get a good night of sleep. I had to get a good night of sleep.

With my first child, Cakes, I tried many different ways, including the dreaded cry it out. I know it works for some babies, but mine wasn't one of them. It was torturous. I had one very strong willed baby on my hands and she wasn't going to give up and go to sleep. (Because that's what cry it out does, right? They eventually just give up on mom/dad coming to get them?) I would end up in tears, upset, frustrated and angry. There had to be another way, a kinder more nurturing way.

That's when I came across Elizabeth Pantley's The No-Cry Sleep Solution. It offered the kind of solution I was hoping for. Instead of concrete, you do this, you do that, she offers guidance in figuring out a sleep solution that works for your child. No child is alike so how can there be just one solution, right?!

Well, the techniques worked and I got my good night of sleep! But naps, oh naps, were never longer than about an hour. We never figured out how to get her to take a decently long nap. Never. And now at almost 4 she does not nap, and hasn't for about a year.

Fast forward to baby number two, the Bubby. He was a little easier, or perhaps I was a bit more laid back about things. Anyway, figuring out a night sleep solution didn't prove to be as difficult. Thank goodness! But naps are a different story. He is a cat-napper and it has been a struggle to get him to take a good nap. But alas, Elizabeth Pantley came to my rescue again with her new book, The No-Cry Nap Solution.

I was recently offered a chance to review her latest book, I just wish I would have gotten it sooner, like 17 months ago!! But, as I like to say, better late than never. Her solutions have helped me to help Bubby go from a 45 minute nap, to now napping at least 1.5 hours, sometimes 2! Woo hoo!

Just like her sleep solution book, The No-Cry Nap Solution offers gentle ways to help solve your nap time problems. I love how it is not a one size fits all solution book. She explains the importance of naps, offers a multitude of solutions, and lets parents figure out what works best for their child. I also really like that there are many helpful charts. that show you how much sleep your child should be getting. It helps you to put things in perspective. For example, there is one that shows you how much sleep your child should be getting. I was worried that my daughter wasn't getting enough sleep because she doesn't nap any more, but according to the charts, she's getting an appropriate amount of sleep. It's reassurance like that that makes a mama happy!

I think Elizabeth Pantley is a gentle parenting hero! And I think every new parent should be armed with her books. She offers such kind and gentle solutions to many parenting issues. From sleep and nap solutions, to potty training and discipline. She covers all of the bases!

How excited I am to offer a giveaway for The No-Cry Nap Solution! Enter to win it for yourself or for someone you know who could use this great book.

To Enter:

Mandatory Entry:
Tell me how long your baby naps or why you need this book. Be sure to leave your email address in your comment. I need a way to contact you if you win!

Extra Entries:
After completion of the mandatory entry you are eligible for any of these additional entries. Remember to leave a separate comment for each additional entry!

*Follow my blog publicly through Google friend connect. If you already follow, that counts too!
*Grab my button and post it on your sidebar. Be sure to leave the url where it is posted. (2 entries)
*Subscribe to my blog via email. The sign up box is on the top of the right sidebar.
*Subscribe to my blog in a reader. The sign up box is on the top of the right sidebar.
*Blog about this giveaway. Be sure to link back to my site and leave the URL where you blogged in your comment. (3 entries)
*Follow ecocheapmom on Twitter. Please include your Twitter name in comment. (1 entry)
*Tweet for additional entries. Up to 3x per day. Please leave a link to your tweet and don't forget to mention @ecocheapmom in your tweet. Feel free to tweet this: Enter to #win Elizabeth Pantley's The No-Cry Nap Solution from @ecocheapmom! http://bit.ly/aqNpS2 #giveaway ends 3/5

Good Luck!

Giveaway ends Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 9:00 p.m.(EST). The winner will be drawn by the random number generator at Random.org and will be notified by email and announced on this blog. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.

***I was sent this book to review. I was not compensated in any other way and the statements above are my own honest opinion.***

Getting greener every day - We are recyclers!

2010-02-15T07:00:00.001-05:00

Our family journey to greenness has been a slow, but steady path. It all started with my decision to use cloth diapers with my son less than 2 years ago. I never suspected that my zeal for cloth diapering would lead to living a greener lifestyle, but it has. And I must say I am very proud that we are turning a darker shade of green every day!

Our latest step has been recycling. As ashamed as I am to admit it, we did absolutely no recycling until this year. It just wasn't very convenient to sort and take it all to the recycling center and we didn't want to pay for recycling service. Yes, we were lazy...and cheap. But, for Christmas this year, I asked my hubs to get recycling service as one of my gifts. So now we have it and guess what? It saves us money!

How can paying for a new service save us money? Because we cancelled our garbage service. By recycling, we have decreased our garbage to next to nothing! Pretty much everything is recyclable. And with our service, we don't have to sort, so it is super easy. They accept aluminum cans, steel cans, mixed paper, newspaper, phone books, plastics numbers 1-7, cardboard, and glass. All we have to do is rinse stuff out and throw it all in the bin. I never knew recycling was so easy! It makes me feel bad that we didn't start recycling sooner. Better late than never, right?!

I love the fact that we as a family have made the commitment to do our part for the environment. Though hubs was resistant to the change, he's now fully on board. And Cakes, she checks everything for the recycling symbol. She gets so excited when she finds it and yells out "Mama, it's recyclable!" Even when we are out and about when she comes across something recyclable she'll exclaim "Mama, it's recyclable! We can take it home and recycle it." It is so neat to see her get excited about doing good for the environment.

We should all be so excited to be eco-conscious!

And the winner of the EcoSMART giveaway is...

2010-02-14T21:39:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Leen, the winner of the EcoSMART Safe Lawn and Outdoor Value Bundle!

Sensational Haiku Wednesday - Comfort Zone

2010-02-10T00:00:00.002-05:00

The basics:
Haiku is simple! It is 3 non-rhyming lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively (a great way to use your fingers!)

This week's theme is: Comfort Zone

In my lap nursing
Content, relaxed, warm and snug
Bubby's favorite place

Now go on over to You know...that Blog? and add your Haiku to the list! You know you want to!

Why Can't I Throw Away The Dang Socks?!

2010-02-07T17:56:00.000-05:00

Everyone has this problem I am pretty sure. Annie over at Mama Dweeb blogged about the Solo Socks dilemma the other day and I swore I was going to throw all of ours out. But I didn't.

This is what our laundry basket looks like.

I just did all of the laundry and these are all these stragglers. Where, oh where can the lost socks be??

Why can't I just throw these lonely socks away??

Look what happens to them all...

(I forgot to mention the lone newborn t-shirt that I don't know what to do with. The Bubby last wore it about 16 months ago!)

How can we keep from losing socks? Is this just one of those things in life that happen, no matter what we do? If so, then what can we do with all of our sock singletons beside throwing them away? I just can't bring myself to do it.

All you creative mama's please help me! Give me some fun, crafty ideas!

And the winner of the Hookeez giveaway is...

2010-02-06T21:20:00.000-05:00

Congratulations and enjoy your Hookeez!

Cloth Diapering Carnival VI - Operation Fluffy

2010-02-03T21:41:00.001-05:00

This month's Cloth Diaper Carnival topic is Get Cloth Diapers on The Ellen Show. Why, you may ask. Because not many people know about the modern cloth diaper options. When you mention cloth diapers, most people automatically think pins, plastic pants, and poop. Well, it's not like that anymore...unless you choose that way. And who better to get the word out than Ellen?!

So, we cloth diapering bloggers are doing our best to get Ellen's attention using all of the social media options available. This social media blitz is taking place in phases. Check out Dirty Diaper Laundry for more information. It's going to be fun! I've been doing my share of tweeting cute "fluffy butt" pictures to @TheEllenShow and took some video of the Bubby dancing in nothing but a cloth diaper. And now, my open letter to Ellen.

Dear Ellen,

I am writing you in hopes that you will consider doing a feature on cloth diapers on your show. Most people do not know about the great cloth diaper options that are available, and thus, don't even consider cloth as an option. The truth is, modern cloth diapers are very similar to disposables, except you wash and reuse them. Gone are the days of pins and plastic pants.

Why should people even consider cloth diapers?
Here are a few reasons:
1. They are better for our children.
2. They will save money.
3.They are better for the environment.
4. They are cute as can be!

Did you know that disposable diapers contain dioxin, tributyl-tin, and sodium polyacrylate? Dioxin is a carcinogenic chemical listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. Tributyl-tin (TBT) is a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals. And sodium polyacrylate, the super absorbent stuff, used to be in tampons until it was revealed that it increased the risk of toxic shock syndrome.* Would you want those chemicals wrapped around you 24 hours a day for 2-3 years?

I started cloth diapering for one reason; to save money. I will have saved over $1500 by the time my son is potty trained. That's nothing to shake a stick at! In these tough economic times, wouldn't it be great to show people how to save money by using cloth diapers?!

After using cloth for a while, I began to learn about the environmental impact of disposable diapers versus cloth. There are naysayers that want to claim that cloth isn't any better for the environment (because of the water used to wash them) than disposables, but that's just not true. The manufacture and use of disposable diapers amounts to 2.3 times more water wasted than cloth. In addition, an estimated 27.4 billion disposable diapers are used every year in the U.S. and 92% of them end up in landfills.* Just sitting there. Full of chemicals and human waste, which leaches into our water systems. Just sitting there, for the next who knows how many years. No one knows how long because one has yet to decompose! Do you think most people consider that when choosing to use disposables? I know I didn't know any of this when I (regretfully) used disposables on my first child. Shouldn't people be informed of this?

And lastly, how can you resist this cuteness?!

It's about time cloth diapers are exposed for how great they are. Us cloth diapering moms (and dads) know how easy they are, how much better they are for our kiddos and the environment, and how much money you can save by using them. Unfortunately, we are in the minority. Hopefully, if we can get you to showcase the modern cloth diapers on your show, we can change that! There are so many options and we want to share them with anyone that will listen.

Can you help us get the word out about a better option?

Do it for the kids, do it for the earth, do it because if people know better, they do better!

Sincerely,

*Thanks to Real Diaper Association for the helpful facts!

Sensational Haiku Wednesday - Reality

2010-02-03T00:01:00.002-05:00

The basics:
Haiku is simple! It is 3 non-rhyming lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively (a great way to use your fingers!)

This week's theme is: Reality

I work from home and
I am a stay at home mom.
It's not glamorous.

Always a mom first.
Always trying to get work done.
It's hard to balance.

Got diapers to change,
kids to feed, a house to clean.
Lots to keep up with.

Somehow it gets done.
It's crazy. This is my life.
My reality.

Now go on over to You know...that Blog? and add your Haiku to the list! You know you want to!

EcoSmart Organic Pesticide Products - A green giveaway!

2010-01-30T23:52:00.002-05:00

I'm looking out my window and all I can see is snow. It's a winter wonderland outside. It's beautiful, cold, wet, and...insect free. I'm not a big fan of the cold weather, and prefer to stay bundled up inside, but one good thing about it is the lack of insects! I know it might be a little early to be thinking about insects, or insect control, but I'm a planner and I've got a new plan for keeping my lawn (and myself) insect-free.

This year I'm going to use organic pesticide products from EcoSMART. They are the world leader in safe pesticide solutions and make the only 100% safe insecticides that are proven to work. 100% safe!

How do they do that? They use natural plant oils (Thyme, Rosemary, Cinnamon, Wintergreen, and Lemongrass, just to name a few) otherwise known as essential oils. Their blends of natural plant oils are as effective as synthetic chemicals, but contain no harmful toxins or leave harmful residues. They are safe for people and their pets, as well as other mammals, birds and fish. Not only are they safe, they smell good too!

Why is this important to me? Because we spend a lot of time outside when it's warm, and I don't want to worry about bugs and/or toxic chemicals. And not only because my children like to play in the yard, but because we have 4 dogs and whatever is on our lawn gets tracked inside. I personally don't want toxic chemicals tracked all over my house!

EcoSMART offers a whole line of safe organic pesticide products. All are 100% safe for everything but the bugs! EcoSMART also offers a 100% safe Organic Weed Killer and a Garden Fungicide. They've covered all the bases when it comes to keeping your home and yard insect and weed free!

There are so many of their products that I am excited to use this year! They offer value bundles of their products and the one I'm particularly interested in is the Safe Lawn and Outdoor Value Bundle. Buying the bundle saves you over 18%. You get Weed and Grass Killer, Wasp and Hornet Killer, Lawn Insect Killer, and Insect Repellent for $31. Seems like a pretty good price for 100% safe organic pesticide products!

And now for the fun part! EcoSMART has offered to give one of my readers the Safe Lawn and Outdoor Value Bundle for free! You can't beat that price! But you can't win if you don't enter!

To Enter:

Mandatory Entry:

Visit EcoSMART and tell me what product you would use the most . Be sure to leave your email address in your comment. I need a way to contact you if you win!

Extra Entries:
After completion of the mandatory entry you are eligible for any of these additional entries. Remember to leave a separate comment for each additional entry!

Follow my blog publicly through Google friend connect. If you already follow, that counts too!
Grab my button and post it on your sidebar. Be sure to leave the url where it is posted. (2 entries)
Subscribe to my blog via email. The sign up box is on the top of the right sidebar.
Subscribe to my blog in a reader. The sign up box is on the top of the right sidebar.
Blog about this giveaway. Be sure to link back to my site and leave the URL where you blogged in your comment. (3 entries)
Follow ecocheapmom on Twitter. Please include your Twitter name in comment. (1 entry)
Tweet for additional entries. Up to 3x per day. Please leave a link to your tweet and don't forget to mention @ecocheapmom in your tweet. Feel free to tweet this: Enter to #win EcoSmart organic pesticides and repellents from @ecocheapmom! http://bit.ly/ai7xQ3 #eco #giveaway ends 2/14

Good Luck!

Giveaway ends Wednesday, February 14th, 2010 at 9:00 p.m.(EST). The winner will be drawn by the random number generator at Random.org and will be notified by email and announced on this blog. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.

***EcoSMART sent me product to review. I was not compensated in any other way and the statements above are my own honest opinion.***

Amy's Black Bean Soup

2010-01-29T22:08:00.000-05:00

It's a winter wonderland outside and there's nothing better than a nice bowl of soup on a cold winter's day, so I though I'd share one of my favorite recipes.

This is my sister-in-law's recipe and it is delicious! She's quite the cook. I can only dream of being half as good in the kitchen as her, and even I can make this and it taste good! I like to serve it with a cheese quesadilla for a lovely southwestern style meal.

Amy's Black Bean Soup

1 small onion, chopped
1 pkg Polish kielbasa sausage, cut in bite size pieces
3 cans chicken broth
4 cans black beans, 1 mashed
1 can Rotel tomatoes and chilies
2 tbs tomato paste
1 bunch cilantro
juice of 3 limes
kosher salt and pepper to taste
cumin to taste
Cheyenne pepper to taste

-In a large stock pot, saute onion over medium low heat until just translucent.
-Add sausage and cook until browned and heated through
-Add chicken broth, beans (process 1 can of the beans in food processor to make a paste or mash in a bowl with a fork), Rotel, and tomato paste. Stir to combine.
-Add salt to bring up flavor of broth. Add pepper to taste.
-Add a few dashes of Cheyenne pepper. Add as much as you like, but ease into it. This determines how spicy hot it will be. A little goes a long way!
-Add more cumin than Cheyenne, several dashes. This determines the level of smokiness. Taste it and add more if you like.
-Add chopped cilantro and lime juice. Allow to simmer.
-Continue to taste and add seasoning to your liking.

Enjoy!

Silly Haiku Wednesday - Changes

2010-01-27T00:01:00.001-05:00

The basics:
Haiku is simple! It is 3 non-rhyming lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively (a great way to use your fingers!)

This week's theme is: Changes

Changes. Embrace them!
Look for the good, not the bad.
Positivity.

Now go on over to You know...that Blog? and add your Haiku to the list! You know you want to!

Bible in 90 Days - Update

2010-01-25T22:00:00.000-05:00

On January 1st, I began the Bible in 90 days Challenge. I must say that I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. You see, I have never read the Bible and I have only attended church a handful of times. My knowledge of Christianity is very limited, although I do believe in God and I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I thought this would be just what I needed to actually read the Bible. I'm not one to back down from a challenge so I knew if I committed to it, I would complete it. But what has surprised me is how easy it has been thus far!

I had no idea that the Bible was so...um, interesting, to say the least! I never imagined I would be reading about things like adultery, polygamy, incest, murder, rape, wars, battles, etcetera. It took me completely by surprise! It's like reading a novel.

Now don't misunderstand me when I say it has been easy. What I mean is that it has been easy to read. I look forward to reading and I find myself not wanting to put it down. The hard part is making the time to read. MAKING the time to read!

Twelve pages a day is what it amounts to. I can read twelve pages no matter how tired I am. I can read twelve pages no matter how busy I am. I refuse to get behind on my reading and if that means I stay up an extra hour to read, that's what I do.

I'm taking this challenge to heart. It's not just a challenge to read the Bible in 90 days, it's a personal challenge to learn more about Christianity. To learn more about myself and what I need to do to be a good Christian. And most important, to be able to teach my children about God and the Bible.

Apparently God has a plan for me!

And the winner of the $25 Ecostore USA Gift Card is...

2010-01-25T21:37:00.000-05:00

AEKZ2 said... I'd buy a couple of bottles of citrus spray cleaner.

Congrats! Winner has been contacted and has 48 hours to confirm.

Thanks to all that entered!

Hookeez Bag Hooks - A Review and Giveaway!

2010-01-24T16:28:00.002-05:00

Have you made the switch to reusable grocery bags? I hope so! It really is a simple step you can take to green up your life. I've noticed that just about everywhere I shop, they have reusable bags for sale. You can get them for .50 each at Walmart, so expense shouldn't be an obstacle. Please take this step! Every little bit helps!

I have probably 10 bags from various places. The biggest problem I've faced, when using them at the grocery store, is where to keep them while shopping. They end up under the groceries and I have to dig them out at checkout. Kind of a pain, but whatever. Just a slight inconvenience to save the earth!

But no more inconvenience, now that I have a Hookeez!

Hookeez are Bag Hooks for the Eco-Savvy!!! It is a convenient hook to hold all your grocery bags safe-n-sound while you shop. And of course, they are made with 100% recycled plastic.

Using it is simple. You place all of your bags into one bag, slide the handles through the hook, and then attach the hook to the grocery cart. Bags are out of the way and easy to get to when it is time to checkout. I attached mine on the side of the cart, but you could put it anywhere.

I was worried about trying to keep up with the Hookeez between shopping trips, but when it's not in use, it stays securely attached to the bag. Even the Bubby couldn't get it off throwing around the house!

I love this new product and am excited to share it with you all. Head over to Hookeez and check it out. It's a grassroots company trying to help out this cause one hook at a time!

And now for the fun part! Hookeez has offered to give one of my readers a Hookeez for free!

To Enter:

***Mandatory Entry - Visit Hookeez and tell me what color you would choose. Be sure to leave your email address in your comment.

After completion of this entry you are eligible for any of these additional entries. Remember to leave a separate comment for each additional entry (For example: "I follow #1" and "I follow #2") and include your e-mail address!

*Follow my blog publicly through Google friend connect. If you already follow, that counts too! (2 entries)

*Grab my button and post it on your sidebar. Be sure to leave the url where it is posted. (2 entries)

*Subscribe to my blog via email. The sign up box is on the top of the right sidebar. (2 entries)

*Subscribe to my blog in a reader. The sign up box is on the top of the right sidebar. (2 entries)

*Blog about this giveaway. Be sure to link back to my site and leave the URL where you blogged in your comment. (5 entries)

*Follow ecocheapmom on Twitter. Please include your Twitter name in comment. (1 entry)

*Follow Hookeez on Twitter. Please include your Twitter name in comment. (1 entry)

*Tweet daily for additional entries. Twice per day. Please leave a link to your tweet and don't forget to mention @ecocheapmom and @Hookeez in your tweet.

Feel free to tweet this:

Win a @Hookeez reusable bag hook! Giveaway hosted by @ecocheapmom http://bit.ly/7q2qLx #eco #giveaway

Good Luck!

Giveaway ends Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 9:00 p.m.(EST). The winner will be drawn by the random number generator at Random.org and will be notified by email and announced on this blog. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.

***Hookeez sent me this product to review. I was not compensated in any other way and the statements above are my own honest opinion.***

Fluff Talk Thursday #14 - How I Store My Cloth Diapers

2010-01-21T14:51:00.002-05:00

How I Store My Cloth Diapers

I try to take a no fuss approach to cloth diapering and I think my setup goes along with that approach. Everything is easily accessible, and not too hard to keep organized. Here's what it looks like:

The dresser contains nothing diaper related, just clothes and crib bedding. The silver trash can has been replaced with a larger plastic garbage can with a lid. It holds more diapers and helps keep the odor in with the locking lid. And the green bin on the dresser is now where the dinosaur is. The Bubs was kicking it off the dresser so it had to move!

A close up of the diaper storage.

In the black bins I have extra diaper inserts, wet bags, and miscellaneous diapers that I don't use. All of the diapers are stuffed, ready to go, and easily accessible!

Inside the green bin

This is where I keep the cloth wipes, wipe solution, and butt cream or booty butter (as we call it).

And that's it. Everything has it's place which means it stays organized, and it is all easy to get to while holding down a screeching toddler. Cloth diapering station the no fuss way!

Mama Dweeb's Daddy Diaper Event

2010-01-21T12:01:00.036-05:00

Mama Dweeb is hosting a Daddy Diaper event next month! Her husband will be vlogging his reviews of different diapers each with a giveaway!

The event will feature the following products/companies:

My Nifty Nappy
Otter Babies
Happy Heinys
Rumparooz
Best Bottoms from Nicki’s Diapers
Apple Cheeks
Mama Marsh’s Creations
Tot Wraps Dream Diapers
iCandy from Urban Fluff
Sustainable Babyish SLOOMB
Kissaluvs
Sweet Pea
LolliDo
Rockin’ Green
Baby Legs

Sounds like an event us cloth diapering moms and dads don't want to miss!

Be sure to head over to Mama Dweeb and follow her so you don't miss out!

Silly Haiku Wednesday - Bible in 90 Days

2010-01-20T00:01:00.001-05:00

The basics:
Haiku is simple! It is 3 non-rhyming lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively (a great way to use your fingers!)

This week's theme is: Freestyle(whatever I want!)

Reading the Bible
Doing it in ninety days
Yes, I can do it!

I'm learning so much
Things I never knew about
I've been missing out

Now go on over to You know...that Blog? and add your Haiku to the list! You know you want to!

What I learned from my Digital Cleanse

2010-01-19T16:00:00.000-05:00

On January 1st, I began John Mayer's One Week Digital Cleanse. One week of no Facebook, no Twitter, no emails from phone, and no texting. It really was an eye opening experience!

Quiting Facebook for a week wasn't too bad but he first day was tough. I found myself picking up my iPhone and wanting to check Facebook, but then remembering that I wasn't supposed to. Was I missing out on anything? Was anyone noticing I was gone? Did anyone care? Well a week later, and guess what? No one really cared I was gone. Surprise, surprise. And I didn't miss out an anything important. What I learned...Facebook is a big 'ol time waster! But I still stop by once a day, just not several times a day. I've loosened it's grip on me!

Not being able to use Twitter wasn't a big deal at all. At that time, I was just getting started with Twitter and didn't do much Tweeting other than to gain extra entries in contests. But since the end of the cleanse, I have gotten very involved with Twitter. I am hooked and see the great value of it! I'm able to do lots of blog promotion and networking, as well as gaining lots of extra entries to contests. I've also discovered many more contests to enter. In fact, I just won a beautiful necklace from a contest I found on Twitter. What I learned...I was missing out! Twitter is the bomb!

Not checking emails from my phone was definitely the toughest task! What is there to do when in the car, with hubby driving, of course! I found myself holding my phone and staring at it. I knew there were emails to be read and responded to, but I wasn't allowed. Dumb Digital Cleanse. What I learned...I like the convenience of email from my iPhone. I can accomplish so much in the bits of time while the kids are strapped down in the car!

And last of all, texting. I rarely text so it really was nothing out of the ordinary. Although there was one instance when I wished I could text someone to get a phone number. It would have been so much easier to just text. What I learned...although my texting is minimal, sometimes it is easier and I'm glad for the option.

By doing the Digital Cleanse, I discovered most of all, how much extra time I had to do other things. I never realized how much time I actually spent Facebooking. And I noticed that I had gotten in such a bad habit of constantly checking my phone for emails, and looking at Facebook, and Twitter.

This was a good thing for me. It made me think about the way I spend my free time, and made me realize that there are times when I need to just put the phone down. But I still love my iPhone and I just might die without her! Especially now that she's all pink and sparky! :)

Could you do the one week digital cleanse? What do you think you would miss the most? The least?