ABE Sponsor Spotlight: Skoy Cloth

How many paper towels do you think is put into our landfills a year? What would you say if I told you that the answer is 2.5 million tons of paper towels. With that said I'd like to introduce you to Michelle and Karen, both are stay-at-home moms that had a desire to come up with a product that would not produce so much waste, and the SKOY cloth was invented. The SKOY cloth is 100% biodegradable, absorbent, re-usable, clean, and fun! SKOY cloths can be used instead of a sponge, wash cloth, or paper towels. One SKOY cloth is equal to 15 rolls of paper towels! Wow just think of the money you save as well by not buying all those paper towels and not only will you save money but trees as well.  It is super quick drying which helps prevent bacteria from growing on it (unlike sponges that stay damp for days and are breading grounds for bacteria).

Our family has always been big paper towel users…sometimes we will go through a roll or more a day! I super excited to try the SKOY cloth to see if it could replace my paper towels. It has super absorbency power! After I wipe up the counter and all I do is rinse it out and then its ready to use again. When I’m done cleaning up the counter and dishes, I just lay it flat and it dries super quick. I love that I can throw it in the dishwasher once a week to keep it freshand it is also washer/dryer safe.

ABE Sponsor Spotlight: Natural House

When you think of probiotics you think of yogurt and what you need to keep your insides healthy. But what about using probiotics for cleaning? Natural House probiotic cleaning products brings you a new way of cleaning the most dirty areas of your home! By utilizing non-toxic, probiotic cleaning agents, Natural House products are strong enough to be used for commercial clean-up, yet still safe and gentle enough to be used around all of the members of your Home.

As you know I have been trying to find ways to replace harsh chemical cleaners in my home, and the Natural House product line is perfect for just that.

First off let me talk to you about “Sinky.” I am not a fan of doing dishes, and while I work hard to keep my sink clean. Dishes seem to sit in our sink just a little too long sometimes, which makes things really start to stink up. Especially when it seems that no one knows how to rinse a dish other then me.

Placing one of the little Sinky packets down the drain really seems to make a difference whenever it seems like it's time to freshen-up. Sinky is especially useful for who have garbage disposals, because those can get pretty nasty quick. I love thinking about how there is little probiotic guys down there eating away at the stinky germs.

Next lets talk about “Trashy”. Trashy is for use on your garbage cans and diaper pails. Plastic containers seem to always develop nasty orders and breed germs, so by spraying Trashy into your garbage cans it will help keep all the germs away! I’ve been using this on our diaper pail mostly. I have noticed that the room is no longer contastly smelling like wet diapers since i've been using the Trashy on the pail.

The last Natural House product i'd like to tell you about is “Flushy” a toilet bowl, drain and septic cleaner all in one. It does an awesome job at cutting through stains and the hard water rings that the toliet gets. Though we don't have a septic tank it is nice to know that the probiotics will help keep our sewer lines cleaned. 

You are able to purchase Natural House products directly from their website, or through Amazon. Each product is $4.99 for a 30-day supply, which I think is a great deal for natural, safe cleaning products!

ABE Sponsor Spotlight: Dree's Natural Cleaner

As you have noticed I am getting into more Natural stuff including cleaning supplies. What if I told you I found a cleaner that you can use on your kitchen counters, hands and baby's bottom? You are probably thinking Trista you have fallen off your rocker and hit your head right...


Well I am happy to say that I have not fallen off my rocker or at least I don't remember doing it. But I am lacking sleep thanks to a weekend filled with sick children. Bubba woke up Thursday morning fevering and had a sore throat took him to the doctor to find he had strep. Pumpkin started coughing and complaining of his ears hurting took him to statcare last night and he has a Upper Repository Infection as well as an ear infection. So what am I doing to keep me, my husband and Sweet Pea from getting all these yucky germs?


I have been spraying down all my door knobs, light switches and anything else the boys touch a lot with Dree's Natural Cleaner. I have quickly fallen in love with this cleaner. I love how versatile it is. I can use it on Sweet Pea's bottom as a wipe solution but also use it as a disinfected on my door knobs. (It is cloth diaper safe!!)

More great ways you can use this cleaner:

In the car- clean cd's, seats, dashboards, windows, carpet, sunglasses, hands, laundry pre-treat on your clothes you dropped your togo order on!

Diaper bag- clean hands after a diaper change, spray on babies bottom for messy clean ups! Spray grocery carts before putting your baby in the seat.

In the kitchen- well outside of cleaning your entire kitchen, you can also use the cleaner to clean your fruits and veggies!

In the bathroom- well outside of cleaning your entire bathroom, you can also spray a little cleaner on tissue to use as a " wet wipe"!

If you are too tired to clean your face one evening, no prob, just spray a cotton ball with cleaner and clean away.

I mean with all the great ways you can use this cleaner why would you not want to stock up on it? I know that once mine is gone I will be ordering more from Dree! I love being able to de-germ my house and not worry that I am creating super bugs by constantly using anti-bacterial products with alcohol in them. Dree's cleaners are made with Purified water, natural soap, vitamin E, and your choice of any 100% pure oil blend. Make sure you stop by Dree's website and get some of this great cleaner today!!

ABE - Easy Peasy Lemon Squeazy Prize Package

Guess what time it is...

Yep A Blogtastic Extravaganza!!

I had so much fun in August when I participated that I signed up to bring it to you all again!!   I have a wonderful prize package lined up as well and my theme this time is "Easy Peasy Lemon Squeazy"... Each blog participating will have a prize package valued at $100 or more so you'll want to visit the other blogs as well and enter I know that I will be. There are a lot of great prizes up for grabs on all the blogs!!!

One of my sponsors has been gracious enough to give EVERYONE who enters my giveaway a FREE 1 Week Trial to their meal planning site!!!

So without further a~do Have Fun and Enter for this great Prize Pack Valued at $192.30

Final $20 Fast Cash for January!!!!

Guess what time it is again!!

Yep you guessed it time for the LAST 24 hour long Fast Cash Flash Giveaway of the month and YOU can enter to win $20.00!! This giveaway is open worldwide to anyone with a Paypal address.

 Entry is super simple!!!

All you have to do is follow the all the hosts, with an optional entry of liking the post on Facebook!

How much easier could we make it for you??

So what will you do with an extra $20.00?

Old Orchard Cranberry Naturals Review & Giveaway

One thing that I love is Cranberry Juice and I love trying new flavors as well. Since I have been going more natural and organic lately I have been trying to switch the most used items in our house first. So of course I jumped at the chance to review Old Orchards new Cranberry Naturals Juice.

With my hubby watching his calories lately as well it has been hard to find a juice that is not either high in calories or filled with a ton of sugar. Cranberry juice is a great drink with proven health benefits, but can also be a source of extra sugar and calories. Old Orchard Cranberry Naturals offers tasty fruit juice but without all the calories and sugar!

Here are a few nutrition details about Cranberry Naturals juice:

• Has 40% less sugar
• Sweetened with Truvia
• No artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners
• 20% more real cranberry juice than leading brand
• All the benefits of cranberry juice but far less sugar/calories
  

Friendly Debates with the Danielles: Spanking

Each Sunday evening Danielle from “We Don’t Have It All Together, But Together We Have It All” and Danielle from "Happenings of the Harper Household" host this awesome meme and they would love for you to link up and join them. There will be a question each week that will require you to think about your feelings on a certain topic and to decide where you stand regarding that topic, then of course share those thoughts!

We do have a few rules… or rather guidelines… that we would appreciate being followed:

1.) Please follow the hosts via GFC: Danielle B. & Danielle H.
2.) If you link up please leave a comment so we can visit you.
3.) This is a meme, so you MUST answer the question in a blog post.
4.) Link directly to the blog post in which you answer the question.
5.) Grab the button and place either in your post or on your blog.
(You can find the html code in my right side bar).
6.) At the end of your post leave a suggestion for the following weeks topic.

If we choose your suggestion you will be mentioned and linked to in the following weeks post.

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE

Please respect each others opinions. This means no bashing of other bloggers in comments on their posts. Kind words and genuine questions are encouraged. If you strongly disagree with someone else the place to address your view point is in a post on your own blog. If we find that you have blatantly disregarded this you will be removed from the linky.

TOPICSpanking: Yay or Nay? What do YOU say?

This week I thought I'd join in on the discussion since I worked at a daycare for 5 years and have had numerous trainings...

So I say Yay! Yes I do believe in spanking and I also believe that society has become way to soft on children now in days. When I was little I remember my cousin getting the belt if he did something wrong. Did my cousin grow up to be a horrible person or parent NO! He is an awesome parent and person to know.

Since I worked at a daycare for 5 years one training class that I had to take on more then one occasion was child abuse training. In those trainings we were taught how to see the signs of child abuse and were also taught what is Child Abuse? One topic they touched on was Spanking... What did they say to the subject? "Spanking is not abuse IF it is done with a open hand on a covered bottom" meaning if I smack my sons bottom and he has clothing on it and I'm using a open hand it's fine.

Do I spank by boys you better believe I do and I am not ashamed of it and I do it only because I love them and I want them to grow up and be respectful young men. Do they know that they are not to hit others unless its in self defense? Yes. So by me spanking my children I am not teaching them that it is ok to hit or be abusive. My husband and I have tried just about every form of punishment we could on our children and only use what works best for them. Time-Outs, taking stuff away and early bed times just got us laughed at by my boys. So spanking was the only thing that worked and is what is used in our home.

Our boys do not get spanked over something like they forgot to clean up the dinner table or do a chore. They only get spanked when they are being purposely disrespectful and disobedient. If I ask my son to do something and he tells me NO then yes he is on grounds for a spanking. Also if we are out and one takes off running from me in a crowded place you better bet I am going put my hand across his butt.

Now go ahead and let me know what you think of the topic….. but please know if you want to go on and on about how horrible of a parent I am then I am not even going to encourage you with a response. I by no means whatsoever agree with using any physical object to hit a child and I do not agree with causing physical injury to a child. End of story.

Fun With Food Friday: Easy Beer Bread

This weeks recipe was sent in by Katie from All Natural Katie Blog.   Easy Beer Bread   I have had Beer Bread in the past but only from Tastefully Simple I had never tried to make it from scratch. So I was super excited to try out this recipe and see how it compared to what I've had in the past...   Ingredients you'll need: 3 cups of flour (self-rising or all purpose)
1/2 cup sugar
12 ounces of beer 2 Tablespoons butter  

    Directions: Preheat Oven to 375*. Butter loaf pan and set aside. Combine flour, sugar and beer mix well. The mixture should be sticky.
Melt butter. Pour batter into loaf pan, then pour melted butter on top of batter. Bake for 55 minutes.  

    All Done and the final verdict is...
It looks, smells and taste Delicious!!!
 

If you wanted you could use fruit in this bread but I would recommend using a fruit based beer if you do to give it a little more of the fruity flavor.

Make sure you stop by and check out the yummy recipes up at Mama Chocolate for Quick Cinnamon Biscuits and SnozBerryz for Gluten Free Cake!

 

$20 Fast Cash Flash Giveaway

Guess what time it is again!! You guessed it time for another 24 hour long Fast Cash Flash Giveaway and YOU can enter to win $20.00!! The giveaway is open worldwide to anyone with a Paypal address. Entry is super simple! All you have to do is follow the hosts, with an optional entry of liking the post on Facebook!

ABE Sponsor Spotlight: Tropical Traditions

One of my goals for my family this year was to get us more healthy and green. I am very happy to say that so far I am doing very good at this goal. I have been switching stuff with organic or natural left and right. With that said I'd like to introduce you to one of new favorite companies Tropical Traditions.

Since I have been going green with everything in the house I figured cleaning supplies should be included as well. I have been using a green laundry soap for about a year now but never thought about what I using on my dishes. I have tried tons of different dishwasher detergents because nothing ever seemed to work well with our semi-hard water. But I never thought of trying a green dishwasher detergent.

Before I started using the Household Traditions Powdered Dishwasher Detergent With Enzymes, I just assumed that it would clean like all the other detergents. Wow was I surprised when I pulled my first load out of the dishwasher after using the new green detergent. The usual powdery film was not on the dishes and they actually felt clean to the touch.

Household Traditions Powdered Dishwasher Detergent w/ Enzymes is FREE of:

Chlorine

Phosphates

Fillers

Fragrances

I liked that this detergent is non-toxic and environmentally safe with no harmful by-products upon decomposition. It is also guaranteed to work as well as the leading commercial products and it is economical to use!

Now that I have introduce you to Tropical Traditions make sure you make your way over to their website and check out all their great products!! I am sure that you will find more then one item over there that you will want to get and they have really great prices as well.

If you would like a chance to try these for yourself make sure you come back January 23-28th and enter my ABE "Easy Peasy Lemon Squeazy" Package for a chance to win some of these and many other great items.

Ohh, Baby, Baby Giveaway Hop – Sign Ups!

Ohh, Baby, Baby Giveaway Hop sponsored by The Shopping Duck is taking signups now. This blog hop event will take place from April 1, 2012 to April 15, 2012. Come join the fun!

ABE Sponsor Spotlight: E~Mealz

Are you a busy mom who is looking for something to help you with your daily meal planning and grocery list? Are you trying to eat healthier but do not know what kind of recipes to make? Are you looking for a way to get your dinner time routine organized, easier and save money? If so then I'd like to introduce a wonderful company to you called e~mealz. E~mealz can help you accomplish all of your dinner time goals and save money. 

In 2003 e~mealz was launched by sisters Jane DeLaney and Jenny Cochran due to their frustration of trying to find healthy, budget friendly meals for their families. So how exactly does this work? For as little as $5 a month, subscribers are able to download a recipe plan along with a matching detailed grocery list. There is more to this then what meets the eye in the beginning.

When you subscribe to e~mealz, you will chose whether you want your plan to be for a family of around 3-6 people or for just 1-2 people. Then you are able to chose between regular meals and specialty such as Natural & Organic, Low Fat, Gluten Free and many others. Lastly you will chose the store you wish to shop- Wal-Mart, Publix, Whole Foods and more. Once you have made all your choices, you can print out a weeks worth of menus that includes your recipes and the grocery list that are estimated at a $75 a week family grocery budget and a $35 budget for couples.

If you chose a plan and decide that it is not the right plan for you; you are able to make changes at anytime you are not locked into any plan at anytime. I loved trying out e~mealz! I loved how easy and simple it made everything!

Things I Like About E~Mealz:

Easy To Use

Customizable

Family Friendly

Budget Friendly

Lots of Choices

Recommended by Dave Ramsey

Make sure you jump over to the E~Mealz blog (Make Time for Family) to check out all the great recipes and tips that they provide.

If you would like a chance to try e~mealz for yourself make sure you come back January 23-28th and enter my ABE "Easy Peasy Lemon Squeazy" Package for a chance to win some of these and many other great items.

ABE Sponsor Spotlight: Purecosheets

Do you use dryer sheets with every wash? How many of those dryer sheets are reusable for more then 2 cycles? How many of those dryer sheets are chemical free and safe for cloth diapers? With that said I'd like to introduce you to Purecosheets.

One thing that I had a hard time doing with cloth diapering was not using dryer sheets. I have always used dryer sheets and didn't know any other way. So I was excited to find a natural, chemical-free dryer sheet. I love that I do not have to worry if my hubby helps with laundry that he may throw a dryer sheet in with the diapers not knowing that they are not allowed. Now that I have Purecosheets I do not worry at all about hubby helping with the laundry because the Purecosheets are safe for all fabrics.

Purecosheets are:

100% hypoallergenic

perfume free

 dye free

chemical free

cloth diaper safe

safe for children's clothing (does not reduce flame resistance)

 Which makes them safe for everyone - even eczema and allergy sufferers. 

Purecosheets work by instead of leaving a chemical residue all over your clothing and your machine, they act like antennas - conducting, equalizing and removing any potential static charge in your dryer load. They get rid of the static and keep your family's fabrics clean, fresh and natural. Purecosheets are very simple to use; just put both dryer sheets in the dryer with your laundry and they will last for hundreds of loads. Which means for most families that's at least one full year of chemical free laundry. All you need to do is just wash them after the first three loads and then every three months and they can be used again immediately since they're effective wet or dry.

Now that I have told you about this wonderful find of mine I hope you will go over to Purecosheets website and check them out for yourself. They have other great products as well and some great Green Tips on there as well.

If you would like a chance to try these for yourself make sure you come back January 23-28th and enter my ABE "Easy Peasy Lemon Squeazy" Package for a chance to win some of these and many other great items.

ABE Sponsor Spotlight: Spirit Natural Cleaners

Lately I have been trying to go more natural and green in every aspect of my families lives. That also includes what I am using to clean my house with. I mean if I am cutting chemicals out of foods and cookware why not my cleaning supplies as well. With that said I'd like to introduce you to Spirit Cleaners.

I came across Spirit Cleaners while searching around for natural cleaners. I was wanting products that I could use at anytime and not have to worry about my kids or pets getting into it or being around me while I was using it. I can't tell you how many times I have worried when using cleaners that the kids or cat would get into them before they dried or that I didn't get it all cleaned up. Spirit cleaners are made using Plant-based natural ingredients. They are safe, non-toxic, kid, pet and earth friendly. They are also in 100% recyclable packaging.

Example: Daisy our dog was in the living room yesterday and had an accident on our floors. Well first we got it wiped up and then I wanted to clean that area since Sweet Pea crawls around on the floors and I didn't want Daisy to possibly smell that area and pee there again. So after it was all wiped up I went and got my "Jack" Spirit cleaner and cleaned the area. While cleaning Sweet Pea was on the floor with me and right by me. I did not worry about her being around the cleaner or on the spot that I just cleaned when I was done.

I liked how after I was done cleaning up Daisy's mess the smell of urine did not linger in the area. I felt like the "Jack" did a wonderful job cleaning up the mess and left a nice lavender scent afterwards. I went back to the spot today and it still does not smell like urine.

Along with "Jack" I also got "Dinah" to review. "Dinah" is the Spirit cleaner for granite, tile and counter tops. I am not sure about you but my counter tops are always in need of a good cleaning because everything goes on them. I use to clean my counter tops with disinfecting wipes but always had to wait for them to dry to set anything down and I hated that. I like the "Dinah" cleaner because it cleans nicely and leaves them shinning.

There are many more great Spirit Cleaners as well to try that can help you tackle your whole house all while using a natural cleaner. Make sure that you go over to the Spirit Cleaners website and check out all there great cleaning supplies or you can find them at select Bed Bath and Beyond stores and Whole Food locations.

If you would like a chance to try these for yourself make sure you come back January 23-28th and enter my ABE "Easy Peasy Lemon Squeazy" Package for a chance to win some of these and many other great items.

 

Natural Antibiotics - Guest Post

I get asked a lot about different natural alternatives for more than just cleaning products. Being natural is a way of life, and an evolving one at that! We are always learning so many different things each day; I just make the changes where I can.

One question I have been asked is what I do for an alternative to prescription antibiotics. Well, here's what I do, and I by no means push this on anyone, this is what has worked for my family.

My first choice is to run for the Grapefruit Seed Extract. You can find this in gel or pill form at your local health food store. I usually always pair it up with Oregano oil capsules, since I'm a big believer in layering! I have also used Olive Leaf extract which comes in a capsule form as well.

For the young children who do not take capsules, I use Black Elderberry Syrup (Gaia Brand). It is a natural antibiotic and it is also antiviral as well!

It takes patience, it usually takes an extra 2-3 days, but it has always worked! These natural antibiotics kill all the bad bacteria and not the good! That is so important!

My last experience with prescription antibiotics is what did it for me. I used natural antibiotics, but when my daughter had a double ear infection and was coughing up green mucous, I thought it was better to get rid of it quick. So I reluctantly, filled the prescription and 6 days later I had to give her different antibiotics because the first lost its effect on her! Well, 3 weeks later, she had a double ear infection again! This time they had to give her the strongest stuff and double the dose! Well, a couple months later, she had another double ear infection! In comes the natural antibiotics! She was well within 10 days of using Grapefruit Seed Extract and she hasn't gotten another ear infection since! And that was 14 months ago!

I hope this helpful and gives you more of a choice when you know the doctor is going to suggest antibiotics! There is a natural alternative to almost every part of life!

Thank you

Dree Adams

www.dreesnaturalcleaner.com

www.dreejuiceplus.com

ABE 3 Sneak Peak

Guess what is right around the corner again... Yep A Blogtastic Extravaganza!! I had so much fun in July when I participated that I signed up to bring it to you all again!! I have a wonderful prize package lined up as well and my theme this time is "Easy Peasy Lemon Squeazy"... Can you guess what I've got lined up by that title?? Each blog participating will have a prize package valued at $100 or more so you'll want to visit the other blogs as well and enter I know that I will be. I have a few blogging besties that have gathered up some great prize packages too so you will want to keep an eye out over the next week or so for every ones spotlight posts...

  So without further ado let me introduce you to all my wonderful sponsors:   So our "Easy Peasy" Sponsors are:
 
E~Mealz

Value- $21.00

  RelishRelish

Value - $21.00

Juice Plus

Value - $20.00


Now onto our "Lemon Squeazy" Sponsors:

Natural House

Value - $14.97


Tropical Traditions

Value - $19.99


Skoy Cloth

Value - $13.98


Sew Is Your Baby

Value - $14.00


Spirit Natural Cleaners

Value - $12.98


Dree's Natural Cleaner

Value - $30.00


Purecosheets

Value - $24.38

So A Grand Total of: $192.30
So what are you the most excited about in the package? I know that I am loving all the products and I am sure you will too.