Have you heard of I See Me personalized children’s books yet?  We have a few of the books in the series and my kids LOVE them.  When you order one of the books you give them your child’s name and they add their name to the story.  For instance, in My Very Own Fairy Tale, each page reveals a new fairy and tells her name.  The first letter in the name of the fairies spell out my daughters name.  In the end they crown her to be their fairy princess – how sweet! You can enter first name, middle name, and last name if you want a really long story.  Each page is beautifully illustrated and it’s so sweet that it includes your child’s name.  They would make a great birthday gift, holiday gift, or perfect for special events in a child’s life.

I See Me has free shipping through 6/24/13 with coupon code SHIPFREE.  <See site for details.>

Would you like to win a personalized children’s book from I See Me for your child?  Enter to win using the Rafflecopter form below and you could be the winner!  The first step in the giveaway is to leave a comment on the I See Me blog post, Tips for Engaging Kids Over Summer Break (my guest post on their blog).  Giveaway closes on July 8th and is open to any resident of the US over the age of 18 yrs old.  GOOD LUCK!

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Are you looking for a new way to connect with your loved one?  Send the kids to Grandma’s for a few days this summer and plan a spa day (or evening) at home with your special someone.  Skip the expensive day spa and make your own experience at home with a few simple ingredients.

Start with a nice warm aromatherapy mineral bath with Eupohoric Ylang Ylang.  I dissolved a pack of Aura Cacia pure essential oil mineral bath and slipped in to get relaxed.  The smell of ylang ylang, bergamot, and ginger uplifts your spirt and warms the body and senses.

Next enjoy a gentle foot or body massage with a sensual sea salt body scrub.  Make up a batch of the sea salt body scrub ahead of time using course sea salt, virgin organic coconut oil, and your favorite essential oils (I used Ylang Ylang).  Gently massage the sea salt body scrub over dry or rough skin to soften them up.

Finally, finish your massage with some Euphoria aromatherapy body oil and the rest is up to you!

How to Make Sensual Sea Salt Body Scrub

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of course Mediterranean sea salt
• .25 ounces of virgin organic coconut oil (liquified)
• 10 drops of Aura Cacia Ylang Ylang III essential oils

Directions:  In a small bowl stir the melted coconut oil with the sea salt until evenly distributed.  Add the essential oils and stir until well mixed.  The mixture will still look course like moist sea salt.  Store in a small jelly jar, baby food jar, or other container until ready to use.  Chill if desired.

Do you have a favorite spa treatment that you’d like to make at home?  How else do you connect with your loved one?  Check out these other quick tips and uses for Ylang Ylang essential oils on the Aura Cacia website or follow them on Facebook for more fun with essential oils.

Even before we moved to Florida our family has always taken vacations to the beach.  Both of my kids had their toes dipped into the Gulf of Mexico before they turned 6 months.  Regardless of how old your baby or child is there are a few things to keep in mind to make your trip stress-free and fun.

Simplify

What do you really need to take with you to the beach?  Chances are that you and your spouse are the only ones who are going to be toting towels, sunscreen, toys, chairs, snacks, drinks, and yes…even the kids from the car to the beach.  Think about everything you take and if you are “really” going to use it.

Sun Protection

Sunscreen isn’t the only form of sun protection that you want to remember.  UV shirts and hats can provide safe (chemical-free) protection from the sun and are safer than sunscreen for your wee ones.  Most sunscreens aren’t recommended until your baby is about 6 months of age.  Tents and umbrellas can also provide a shady place for your baby to play.  Don’t forget the sunglasses too – even for the little ones.  Finally, when selecting a sunscreen you may want to refer to the Environmental Working Guide’s (EWG) 2013 Guide to Sunscreens.  The EWG guide has a searchable database of sunscreens that rates them based on their ingredients.  PS: Higher SPFs don’t always mean it’s better or that it will last longer.  Reapply those sunscreens every hour or two.  Some of our favorite sunscreens include the Honest Sunscreen and Balm! Baby SUN!

Skip the mid-day hours

Start your day early before the sun is directly above you and when it is most damaging.  Generally between 12-3pm the sun is the strongest and you can burn quicker.  If you start the day earlier your kids will be ready for lunch and some much needed rest time.  You can always return after a few hours when the sun is starting to set.

Multipurpose and Compact

When deciding on what to carry to the beach you may want to consider items that have multiple functions.  A beach chair
with a backpack carrying option and pocket can help you carry more things while holding a little ones hand.  A towel that is large enough to sit on so you don’t have to carry a separate blanket.  A cooler on wheels with a few pockets or sections for storing different types of food and drinks. When my kids were smaller I would even pack a backpack beach cabana tent that would fold up and had several pockets for stuffing toys and snacks.

Snacks and Drinks

Keep the snacks simple and healthy.  Remember that it gets really hot out so you’ll want to pack things on ice (or in a cooler) or pack snacks that don’t need to be cooled.  We found crackers, apples, and GoGo Squeeze to be some of our favorite snacks.  Dried fruit and beef jerky are other favorite beach snacks.  Since we don’t like to use disposable bottles we pack our refillable bottles (like our Sigg Active Top aluminum bottles) with our favorite cool down drinks.  Whatever you decide to take don’t forget to pick up your trash before you leave.

Toys and More

We try to keep the bag of toys pretty simple.  A few buckets and shovels are usually all you need to build a great sand castle.  We like the Zoe b biodegradable beach set because it’s made in the USA and doesn’t contain any toxic chemicals.  If you happen to leave a shovel behind it will biodegrade in 2-3 years (compared to 500 like regular plastic).  Some other fun toys you could take include kits, frisbees, and balls for playing catch.

Camera, Love, and Patience

Don’t forget your camera (or iPhone) to capture a cute picture of two to remember your trip; just remember to keep it safe from sand and water.  Being on the beach and seeing your kids feel sand for the first time is an amazing event.  Our youngest just learned to swim earlier this spring and this was her first year where she actually enjoyed jumping waves and looking for shells.  Seeing her giggle after being splashed in the face with a wave was a great feeling since last year she wouldn’t even let you hold her in the ocean.  Remember that the sun wears kids out quicker than it does adults, your child may be done with the beach before you are.  This is a great time to go in and take a short nap and return when everyone is well rested.

What are some of your beach essentials?

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A few weeks ago we had the privileged of borrowing a brand new 2013 Chevy Malibu Eco for a week.  If you follow The Eco Chic on Instagram you got a sneak peek inside the Malibu and the adventures we went on.  The Malibu got to tag along as I drove the kids to school, karate, the library, the grocery store and all the other fun places we visit each week.  I’ve personally never had a brand spanking new car of my own (all of mine have been about 1-2 yrs old upon purchase) so being spoiled with a fully loaded brand new (only 400 miles when I got it) car was a real treat.  Anyone else like that “new car” smell?

I’m currently driving a 2005 Honda Accord so I was completely impressed with all the technological advances in the Malibu.  Keyless entry wasn’t anything new but the push-to-start was a nice surprise.  As a parent I think my favorite feature is the rear vision camera so that I could see everything that my mirrors might miss – like small toys, bikes, or children.  It was probably the most helpful feature at school drop-off and pick-up to know that there weren’t any little kids behind me.

My oldest was impressed with the rear power outlet (a real plug) so he could charge his iPad on the way to school (he always forgets to recharge it overnight).  This came in really handy on our weekend trip to Disney World.  Sure it’s only a 2 hour drive but my kids electronics were fully charged to keep them entertained.

For me and all of my devices I was excited to have my charging and plug-in station in the arm rest.  I could keep my phone charged and connected to Bluetooth for a safe, hands-free drive to school.  I could plug it in with the 12 Volt plug, USB port, or AUX input and charge or listen to my favorite songs on my iPhone or Pandora.  This is something that my Honda doesn’t offer (since it’s an older model) and one thing that makes me drool over newer cars.    I hate listening to the regular radio stations and couldn’t even tell you what the local stations are.  I enjoyed having SiriusXM again (my subscription has expired) but I really enjoyed having the ability to listen to songs from my phone.

I drool over cool technology and the Chevy Malibu Eco did not disappoint me!  With it’s color touch radio screen, navigation system, and OnStar there isn’t much that the Malibu can’t do – besides drive itself (although it does have cruise control).  The car has so many cool technological advances (like the eAssist technology) that displays when you are driving in an fuel-efficient mode.  This Power Flow display will show as green when you are driving at the ideal speed without excessive stopping and starting.

Key eco-friendly points of the Chevy Malibu Eco:

• Most fuel-efficient Malibu ever, with GM-estimated highway fuel economy of 37 mpg
• First Chevrolet with industry-first, fuel-saving eAssist technology
• Ecotec 2.4L four-cylinder engine with fuel-saving variable valve timing
• Lithium-Ion battery pack
• Fuel economy and greenhouse gas rating of 6/10
• Smog rating of 6/10
• Made in the USA

Safety features of the Chevy Malibu Eco:

• 8 air bags including: dual-stage frontal air bags, thorax side-impact air bags, driver and front passenger knee air bags, head curtain side-impact air bags (front and rear)
• Latch and tether system for car seats
• Safety belt pretensioners for smaller kids who have outgrown booster seats
• Tire pressure monitoring system
• OnStar automatic crash response, crisis assist, and remote door unlock (which thankfully I’ve never needed)

The Malibu Eco was a fun car to drive for a week.  It fit our family and our lifestyle well.  With 2 kids and a car seat it was roomy enough in the backseat to seat three comfortably if we needed to.  I was a chaperon for a school field trip (to the beach – jealous?) and three 4th grade boys fit in the back without having to worry about catching cooties from one another.  Extra features like the center arm rest and dual cup holder in the back made it a dream come true for a mom of 2.  It serves as a barrier between the 2 of them (no fighting because “he touched me!”) and they didn’t have to fight over the cup holder (since there were 2).  Chevy knows how to keep kids (and moms) happy!

Holy trunk space!  Yes, I made my kids sit in the trunk just to show how big the trunk space was!  My 4.5 year old could lay down in the trunk and still wasn’t able to touch the front and back of the trunk.  My 10 year old was comfortable and on our weekend trip to Disney there was plenty of room for our luggage and umbrella stroller.  There was so much room that I could have packed for 2 weeks and still had space to spare!  I’m insanely jealous over the trunk space in the Malibu Eco.  No children were harmed in the making of these photos – the car was safely parked in our driveway at all times!

I was really sad when the guys from the dealership had to come pick up the Malibu and I had to go back to my old car.  If and when we decide to shop for cars again the Malibu will be on the top of my list of cars to shop for.  It’s a great family (of 4-5) sized car with some amazing tech features!  It’s not too shabby for the environment either – sure there is always room for improvement with environmental features but the Malibu Eco is making progress and gets a A- in my books!  

Now I feel the need to go have my car professionally detailed so it feels like new!  When was the last time you looked under your child’s car seat??

Do you love cloth diapers?  Wool dryer balls?  Lunapads?  Then this is a giveaway just for you!  I’ve invited a few of my favorite sponsors from throughout the year to join us for a Summer of Cloth Diapers giveaway!  This giveaway is going to run the entire month of June. Just look at the fabulous prizes that you could win…

From Thirsties: 1 Duo Diaper and pack of Fab Wipes.

From Sloomb: Prize to be announced soon…..

From Moraki: Winners choice of one Moraki cloth diaper valued at $31.

From Smart Bottoms: One 3.0 organic, one-size, all-in-one cloth diaper and large wet bag.

From Green Team Distribution: A pack of 3 LooHoo Wool Dryer balls and Changing Diaper book.

From Lunapads: $50 gift certificate to www.lunapads.com for reusable menstrual pads, menstrual cups, or menstrual panties.

From Kelly’s Closet:  $25 Gift Certificate to www.kellyscloset.com for cloth diapers and other natural parenting products.

Want to learn more about the sponsors? You can visit them by clicking on their logos below.

To enter this giveaway, complete the Rafflecopter form below. Be sure to leave a comment on this post to enter – all other entries are bonuses! a Rafflecopter giveaway

What are you looking forward to about this summer? A special family vacation? Stay-cation?

Look familiar?  That ONE lone jelly just sitting their taunting you on Candy Crush!  What, you don’t play Candy Crush?

If you’re on Facebook you’ve probably received those “requests” we all hate to play your stupid game or donate lives so you can get to the next level.  I’ve seen them for months and resisted the temptation to download another time suck game to my iPhone.  I have no idea what made me take the leap a few days ago and see what all the addiction was about – but I did – and no you may never see me blog again!  Remember that feeling you got when you first jumped on Pinterest and pinned beautiful pictures of crafts you’ll never made for HOURS at a time?  Yeah, that’s how I feel about Candy Crush today.

It starts out so innocently as you easily complete the first few levels.  You’re sitting at your sons karate class clearing level after level until this happens….

…just like that time you ran out of your favorite ice cream at midnight after the stores are closed – you’ve hit the end of your lives!  WHAT?  What do you mean I can’t play again for 8:26 minutes?  WHAT?  What do you mean I have to “Ask friends” by sending them messages on Facebook to admit that I’m addicted to some stupid game!  NO, I’m not going to BUY more lives – what are you smoking?  

and I sit there for 8:26 minutes waiting for my next turn.

Waiting….

Waiting...

Waiting…

…and then I use the rest of my lives up just trying to clear that one board I’m stuck on!  Refusing to let this game “beat me!”  Until I get that dreaded “Time to next life” screen again.  This time I resort to asking my friends for help.

Fast forward to bedtime – the kids are all in bed and there’s blogging to be done but first I pick up my phone and see that someone has sent me lives on Candy Crush.  “I’ll just play one board,” I say to myself.

2 hours later…I’m still playing!  Begging my friends for pretend lives, admitting my addiction openly on Facebook for the entire world to see!  I NEED MORE CANDY!!!  

Uh oh, Jimmy Kimmel is on – I must go to bed!  Oh crap – that project I promised Company X never got done.  Those emails just sat in my inbox unanswered.  The dishes are still in the sink and the laundry never got started.  I could have been preparing my kids lunches for school in the morning or answering a few more questions from concerned cloth diaper customers.

Instead – I play Candy Crush!  

Note to clients waiting for my next great post or even a response to your email – don’t worry, my addiction won’t last long and I promise to feature your fabulous product once I run out of lives and have 28 more minutes to wait until I can play again OR when I get to level 350 and beat Candy Crush.  Thank you so much for understanding – but I know you’re also playing Candy Crush so I shouldn’t feel so bad, right!

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I posted this same picture on Instagram the day my May ecocentric mom subscription box arrived and I instantly got several questions about these boxes.  This is my 2nd month getting the ecocentric mom box and this months did NOT disappoint!  One word…chocolate!

My favorite item in the May box was the Kallara organic chocolate bar.  Once you eat really good chocolate you won’t want to buy chocolate from the grocery store register ever again.  Plus organic chocolate is much richer so your sweet tooth is cured with just a small square (or two).  It usually takes me about a week (if I don’t have to share) to eat a full size bar.  There were a few other items to fill your belly including the Orgain certified organic nutritional shake (in chocolate of course) and a delicious Gnu Bar which was packed full of extra fiber.

The very first thing I noticed when opening the May box were all the amazing fragrances (all natural of course) that filled the air.  From bath salts, essential oils, and bar soaps.  I’m still waiting for a night when the kids go to bed early so I can enjoy the Pura Botanica’s botanic bath infusion salts.  There are a few other bath and body goodies including the FISIKA Greek olive oil soap and the Branch Basics hand cleaner and stain remover spray.

One of my favorite finds in this months box is the OraMD.  It’s a small glass jar of essential oil liquid toothpaste and mouthwash.  With peppermint oil, spearmint oil, and almond essential oils as the primary ingredients I was a bit hesitant yet curious to learn more about how it works.  I’ve been using it as directed (just a few drops on your toothbrush) and I love how fresh my breath feels once I’m done brushing.  There’s no foaming action like regular toothpaste which takes a while to get use to.  I’ve had both of my kids try it and my older one is the only one who can handle the strong minty feeling that it leaves.  Me?  I’m in love!!

What else is in the May ecocentric box?  You’ll just have to subscribe to find out!  There’s still time to sign up and get your May box and if you use coupon code ECOMOM10 you can save 10% off your subscription.  Get started today! (affiliate link)

I’d like to introduce a fellow blogger to you, Christine from Thoughts of Fluff blog.  Christine is a guest blogger today and wanted to share her thought on the Balboa Sling.  If you are looking for a carrier you might enjoy this one.  Enjoy ~Calley

I was given the opportunity to try out the Balboa Sling for review, and happily picked out an adorable print called Lime Poppy. Admittedly, it was difficult to pick out just one print from all these cute prints!

I was planning on using a sling with Squiggle who, obviously, is yet to come… but the Balboa Baby Sling has a weight range of 8lbs – 35lbs, so it held Bobble since he is only 30 lbs. More product usage and safety information can be found HERE, then select the Care & Safety Tab on the far right.)

I had never used a sling carrier before, so I did a lot of reading up on it via the literature provided with the sling, and studied the web page a bunch too. Here’s a close-up of the sturdy ring part of the sling that allows you to adjust the strap to fit you:

I had no problem getting Bobble in the sling, nor did I have a problem adjusting the sling. Bobble wasn’t much a fan of it, however, but that’s because his back wasn’t supported all the way up (which he is used to with carriers) and he had NEVER been in a carrier like this one before. I understand his reluctance to enjoy the carrier. It would work much better if he had been accustomed to the sling style carrier before this. It also would be a lot easier if he were smaller and could fit as easily as one of the cute pictures on the box (and website) show!

Still, I was able to get an idea of how the sling would be used, and definitely think it would be more handy with a smaller child! It was a bit difficult for me with my gigantic pregnant belly… I imagine that was part of the discomfort Bobble had when trying to sit in it… he had no place for his leg!

I’m excited to try this out with Squiggle when she gets here (and meets the weight requirements), as I think this will work much better. Still, it felt very secure with my 30 lb toddler in it, and it was nicely padded across the strap so it didn’t dig into my shoulder.

Balboa Baby doesn’t just make slings, though! They make a variety of products that are designed to make life simpler for parents and better for babies. These products are both fashionable and functional, and are approved by Dr. Sears.

You can buy your own Balboa Sling online or in a retail store. To locate the store closest to you (or to find an online retailer), check out the Store Locator on the Balboa Baby website.

If you’d like to enter to win your very own Balboa visit the (Un)Baby Shower giveaway that Christine is hosting on her blog.  

You’d think with all these food posts that I was pregnant or something!  (No, I’m NOT pregnant – that would take an act of God!)  I have to tell you about a really cool subscription box that I was gifted by NatureBox.  Subscription boxes are all the rave right now – you pay a monthly fee and each month you get a surprise box of goodies sent to your house.  NatureBox starts at $19.95/month and you get 5 full size bags of healthy snacks that you feel good about eating and sharing with your family.

I received the special May box that was inspired by Green Living Expert, Sara Snow.  Inside my box were tropical mango bites, lemon pucker pistachios, citrus kick almonds, mighty mix (trail mix), and my absolute favorite — Peanut Butter Nom Noms!  My kids ate most of the almonds and pistachios while I devoured the nom noms!  I had to share them with the kids but I didn’t want to – they were THAT GOOD!

What makes NatureBox different?  When you sign up the price for the regular box is always $19.95/month (unless you have a coupon) regardless of how many months you subscribe to.  They do an auto-renew type service but the price is always the same.  If you want to cancel later all you need to do is contact them but why on earth would you want to stop receiving these healthy goodies in your mail?  I have to go shopping and don’t frequent our local health food store because it’s “out of the way” so I am limited to what I can find at Publix when shopping for snacks.  You can’t find anything like these snacks at Publix for this price.  No high fructose corn syrup, no artificial flavors, no artificial colors, and no trans fats!

What are you waiting for?  Go sign up so you’ll get the June box delivered to your door.  My kids will be home with me almost all summer so I need to stock up on healthy snacks for the summer!

While searching aimlessly on Pinterest one evening I found a few pictures of chocolate covered bananas (like this one from Little B Cooks) and knew that my entire family would devour them.  My dear sweet husband recently found something similar in the freezer section of the grocery store but I hate buying things that are processed and pre-made.  I decided to tweak the recipe just slightly and add our own flare to it.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Chocolate Nutella Toffee Banana Bites Recipe

 

Print

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 20 mins

 

Banana bites covered in chocolate-nutella and sprinkled with toffee chips before frozen. A little bit healthy and a little bit heavenly.

Author: Calley @TheEcoChic

Recipe type: Snack, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Serves: 4-8

Ingredients

• 1 cup of fairtrade organic chocolate morsels
• ½ cup of Nutella (or peanut butter would work well too)
• 1 cup of toffee chips
• 2 fresh bananas

Instructions

1. Peel and slice bananas into 1-2″ wide pieces.
2. In a small glass bowl melt chocolate morsels and Nutella (microwave or stove top).
3. Stir mixture until smooth and well blended.
4. Place banana slices on a lined cookie sheet and spoon on a tablespoon (aprox) of chocolate mixture over the bananas.
5. Top with toffee chips.
6. Freeze for one hour.
7. Wait until the kids go to bed and then enjoy your snacks and whatever you do – don’t share!

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 4-8

3.2.1230

OK, I did end up sharing these with the family and I think they approved because there wasn’t anything left after our little after dinner snack.  You could really top them with anything.  I think next time I’ll mix chocolate with peanut butter and sprinkle with chopped peanuts.  What would you top them with?

BEWARE: They do melt in your hands and your children may look like this after eating them.  I don’t think she minds though.  Enjoy!