In Soule Mama’s words:
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.
It’s a good thing that Simple Green sent me such a generous supply of cleaners. I have needed it more than ever now that I have a baby walking around the house. No matter how many times I clean his hands or wipe his face, he still manages to leave remnants of his lunch around. After just two months, I have managed to use most of the Simple Green All-Purpose cleaner.
I’ve been realizing that there are things I used to rarely clean that now need constant attention.
1). Dining Room Chairs. Ever since we strapped Nate’s high chair to one of our dining chairs, they have never been the same. He drops his sippy and milk splatters everywhere. Then he rubs the chair with his peanut-butter hands. Needless to say, our chairs need to be cleaned often.
2). Coffee tables and end tables. Sure, before Nate, I had to dust them but now I have to get sticky fingerprints off them.
3). Sliding glass doors. Cleaning them now is absolutely pointless, but every once in a while I do it for fun. Within an hour, however, the fingerprints have returned. There aren’t any birds crashing into our sliding glass doors.
4). The car interior. Specifically, the seat where Nate sits. Instead of an occasional vacuum job, we now have to search for hidden piles of crumbs.
What about you? What do you find yourself cleaning more often?
When it comes to cloth diapers, many women will agree that one of the biggest benefits include the variety of prints that are available. Moms with little girls can choose girly prints such as flowers, swirly designs, or polka dots. And if you have a little boy, there is no shortage of blues and greens, sports, and animal prints. The possibilities when using cloth are endless.
The popular diaper brand, Bummis, has released a new line of diapers that up the ante. Their anticipated new line of diapers has already generated talk in the cloth diaper world.
My favorite is the second diaper. How cute is that print? It reminds me of the mats where little boys push their Hot Wheels. Nate’s bum would look adorable in those. And if I had a girl, I would love the ladybug print.
Bummis has not yet said when these diapers will be available but they are promising that it will be soon.
What is your opinion on cloth diapers with prints? Do you drool over them like me or would you rather stick to plain colors?
In Soule Mama’s words:
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.
Library
When I think of October, I usually think about the impending Fall weather, changing of the leaves, pumpkins, and Halloween. But did you know that October is also Fair Trade Month? According to Wikipedia, Fair Trade is defined ”as a financial relationship between producers, sellers, and consumers based on the principle of equity within the exchange of goods.”
What does that mean? Basically it defines the relationship that certain companies choose to have with the individuals and businesses who produce, sell, and buy a product. Fair Trade allows overseas workers to be adequately paid for the products, services, and skills that they offer. Many American corporations have been and still are guilty of paying dangerously low prices for goods such as coffee, sugar, bananas, chocolate, and other products. The result of this underpayment are cities and villages living who are living in very poor conditions. Parents are not able to feed their children, afford homes, and purchase basic necessities.
By paying these individuals a fair wage (often still lower than what an American individual would make), the quality of living rises in third-world villages, diseases are less rampant, child malnutrition numbers go down, education implementation is possible, and product quality rises. In addition, Fair Trade supports sustainable business practices.
What can you do?
-Ten Thousand Villages: Fair Trade for Jewelry
And if you live in Seattle:
-Visit and “like” the Fair Trade Seattle Facebook page. They will keep you up to date with the latest Fair Trade events.
-Visit and follow the Fair Trade Seattle Twitter page.
-Supporting Local Independent Cooperatives Everywhere (SLICE). This will happen on October 23rd and will be held at Seattle Community College. This conference will discuss the power of co-ops and its impact on Fair Trade businesses. Click HERE for tickets.
-Northwest Chocolate Festival. You won’t want to miss this sweet event. Held on October 23rd and 24th, this conference will discuss fair trade chocolate practices. There will be plenty of chocolate to sample, dancing, cooking classes, and workshops. To learn more, click HERE.
-Reverse Trick or Treating with Global Exchange. On Halloween night, join people across the country in handing out fair-trade chocolate and brochures. To read more about this nation-wide event, click HERE.
I’m sure there are many other things going on around the Seattle area to celebrate Fair Trade Month. Be sure to leave a comment and let us know about any other exciting events.
When saying Thank You, there are occasions that merit something unconventional. Something beyond the standard Hallmark greeting card. Tazim, blogger at Being Tazim, graciously sent me a selection of her handmade greeting cards. Each card is produced on 100% post-consumer recycled paper and contain a delicately placed stamped image on the front. The inside is left blank for scribbling of thoughts, whether it be a thank you, get well soon, happy birthday, happy anniversary, or any other message.
Here are a few pictures of the cards I received:
The next time you are looking for a card to share that special message, consider Tazim’s shop where you can browse and purchase a variety of beautiful cards, as well as jewelry. And don’t forget to visit her blog where she writes about creative spaces, interior design, and art.
Thanks Tazim!
Before I announce the winner, I would like to thank Craig at Earth Cafe for his generosity in providing me with 5 sample slices of his delicious cheesecake and for then providing one lucky winner with 2 entire cheesecakes of their choice.
Also, thank you to everyone who participated in this giveaway. I wish I could give you all a cheesecake (that would mean I would get one too!), but unfortunately, there can only be 1 winner. If you aren’t the winner, I encourage you to think about purchasing a cheesecake for your next event, get-together, or just as a special dessert for dinner. They are vegan, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free delicious cheesecakes. Click here to read my full review.
Chosen via Random.org, the winner is Vikki from Random Ramblings . Her comment said: “I am now also following both you and Earthcafe on twtter”
Vikki, I will be contacting you shortly to obtain your address and choice of cheesecake.
Thanks Vikki and enjoy your cheesecake!
Last week I was the lucky recipient of 5 delicious slices of Earth Cafe Cheesecake. When I carried the box into my kitchen, I couldn’t wait to taste them. I had already read a few reviews and everyone said they were delicious.
They weren’t lying.
The flavors I sampled were:
Who’s Your Daddy Cheesecake (delicious smooth chocolately mousse)
Rockin’ Raspberry Cheesecake
Cherry Dream Cheesecake
Strawberry Fields Forever Cheesecake
Cali Style Lemon Cheesecake
(sorry-no picture)
Besides their amazing taste, these cheesecakes have some other unique features. They are vegan (no-dairy), gluten free, and cholesterol free. They are free of refined sugars as well as hydrogenated oils.
These cheesecakes taste just as good (if not better) than other dairy-based cheesecakes that I’ve tried (and I’m saying that as a huge cheesecake fan).
The ingredients are whole, natural, and organic. Check out these ingredients from the Cherry Dream Cheesecake: fresh cherries, soaked cashews, coconut, coconut butter, agave nectar, soaked pecans, soaked walnuts, lecithin (extractable from soy beans, non-toxic, with antioxidant properties), vanilla bean extractive, cinnamon, and sea salt.
There is nothing fake or artificial about these decadent desserts. They would make a great addition to a family get-together, Thanksgiving celebration, or birthday party.
You can learn more by going to: www.earthcafetogo.com
Giveaway:
Earth Cafe has generously offered to provide 2 entire cheesecakes (each cheesecake is roughly $35) to a Walk With Me reader. You will have your choice of cheesecakes and they will ship to you via 1 or 2 day mail dependent upon your location. They will arrive frozen and just need to sit in the fridge for a few hours before they are ready to be eaten. If you win this giveaway, your family and friends will love you!
The Giveaway will close on Friday at midnight. The winner will be chosen using random.org and announced Saturday.
*You must live in the United States and have a valid shipping address.
For Complete giveaway rules and to enter, please click HERE.
Good Luck!
I love hearing about celebrities who endorse cloth diapering. Since they are huge trendsetters in today’s society, it’s always great to read about those who are taking steps to better the environment and reduce waste.
Matt Damon, Tiffany Thiessen, and Bethenny Frankel (according to this site) are all fans of GroVia, a popular choice for cloth diapering mamas.
Photo Credit: Cloth diaper baby-Click Here
Photo Credit: Matt Damon-Click Here
In Soule Mama’s words:
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.
Shondra Walker, a new parent and student, has strived to make small changes to her lifestyle in order to live greener, while saving her family money. In her blog, she will describe some of the choices she has made, as well as her daily experiments in parenting and the lessons she has learned. Shondra has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Fresno Pacific University and is currently working on a Master’s Degree in Education. She looks forward to teaching English and Composition to high school students in the future. During her free time, Shondra can be found hanging out with her awesome husband of two years, Ryan, and exploring Seattle, to which she is a newbie from California. Follow her on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Shondra_W
