Eco Store – Mama Buzz Review

We are all about going green in this house.  We have been using homemade laundry detergent for about a year now.  Honestly, as long as it gets my clothes clean and smells good, I’m all for it.    I love trying new things that will help save our planet.

I received 2 products from Eco Store.   This is a company that is based in New Zealand that is really serious about being “green”.  You can read there story on their website at www.ecostoreusa.com.  As I said before, I love using safe laundry detergent.  So, when i was asked what I would like to review, I, of course, picked the Laundry Powder  and Pure Oxygen Whitener.  The detergent that I made previously worked well but honestly didn’t smell too great.  I still was using Fabric Softener to get the smell we like for our laundry. 

The Laundry Powder, at 35.3 oz is a nice size.  I have been using this exclusively since I received it and I still have quite a bit left.  It gets our clothes clean.  It also smells really good.  You know that name brand candle company that sells clean linen scented candles?  This reminds me a lot of that.  I haven’t had to use the fabric softener with this laundry detergent.  You can get this detergent for $11.00.   They also have a version just for front loader washers.  

This is a plant and mineral based concentrate which contains absolutely “No Nasty Chemicals”.  This means:

No dyes

No ammonia

No enzymes

No phosphates

You get the idea.  No bad stuff in this companies products.  It comes with a handy scoop that measures out 40 ml’s.  I lost mine the first time I used it so I used a measuring cup and guessed on the amount.  I think I’m using a little less than the recommended amount and the clothes still smell great and are clean.  The box says an average of 25 loads (I know I’ve already done 20 loads and still have almost 1/2 a box left.)

The second item I picked to receive was the Pure Oxygen  Whitener.  It sells for $12.00 and is also 35.3 oz.   This is a great alternative to the harsh chemicals in bleach.  It contains oil of citrus and Coconut and some other plant based ingredients.  It brightens and cleans clothes great.  I used it on coloreds and whites and had no problems.   

This is my son’s swimming trunks.  We went swimming in a lake and the left side is before we washed them.  The white part of the trunks was very brown from the water.  The picture on the right is after.  The white was white again!  I really was impressed with this product.  The best thing is you only use 2 TBS per load of laundry.  I will not go back to bleach.  Just the smell of  bleach alone should be enough to let us know it isn’t good for you.   This has a nice clean smell.  Even though this is much safer than normal bleach, you should still use caution and keep out of reach of children. 

We love to go camping.  When we do this we wash our clothes outside.  We always have to be careful to throw the water out in a drain so we doesn’t hurt the grass.  The really cool thing about these products is that they are safe for the environment.  You can water trees or flowers with grey water (that means what is left after you wash the clothes) that has this whitener in it.   Isn’t that neat? 

Eco Store has over 100 products that contain no nasty chemicals.  I can’t wait to try the dish washer detergent.  That will be a big test because there is only one brand that I think works well enough to use in our house.  I’ll let you know what I think after I try it.

If you are trying to help save the planet by using safer products, then I really recommend trying Eco Store. 

Please note that I received free products from Eco Store in exchange for my honest opinion in this review.  No other compensation was provided.  Thank you to Mama Buzz and Eco Store for this opportunity. 

 

General Mills Review/Giveaway with MyBlogSpark

I have to admit this is one of my favorite reviews I’ve done so far. I mean who doesn’t like cereal, a toy and a movie. I received includes one box of Trix cereal, a Penguins of Madagascar launcher and the new Penguins of Madagascar movie, The Penguins of Madagascar Operation: DVD Premier.

This summer you will find penguins inside of specially marked General mills cereals. No, not a real penguin, silly. The new Penguins of Madagascar characters are hiding inside the boxes on a character launcher. If your kid is like mine, there favorite cereal is dictated by the toy in the box. We loved the Trix and my kids ate the entire box in just 2 days. We also received 2 of the character launchers to try out. On the back of the box there are mission details that you can try:

• Dive In, Soldier - Set an empty plastic cereal bowl on the table and try to pop your launcher into it. Wear a helmet or you´ll be squid bait.
• Longest Propulsion Launcher - Challenge your troops to see who can launch their character the furthest. Go long or go back to the zoo.
• Target Practice - Create a landing zone with a spoon and try to strategically drop your character into the sweet spot. Hit the target or go back to the drawing board.
• Clear the Wall - Do you have enough projectile pop to push your launcher over the top of the box? Proceed launchin´ troops, earn those wings!

You will receive one of the five characters from the popular movie, The Penguins of Madagascar; Skipper, Rico, Kowalski, Private or King Julien in the box of cereal.

Each character is different and has their own specific role, and together, they´re a team with lots of character. With all five character launchers to collect, your summer will be a splash while you try to complete all of the above missions. My kids favorite mission was to try to shoot them over the box. They got pretty good at all of the missions.

General Mills Cereals and Nickelodeon are offering this same prize pack to one of my readers. Winner will be drawn in 2 weeks using Randomizer. Please leave either your e-mail address so I can notify you if you win. You will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn. You can enter this giveaway by doing one or more of the following (each one of the following is 1 entry)

• Leave a comment telling me your child’s favorite character from the Penguins of Madagascar movie (this one is mandatory
• Follow me using Google connect
• Follow me using RSS
• Enter one of my other giveaways on my blog

The next two things will give you 2 entries:

• Post this on your FB account
• Tweet about this

And finally, blog about this on your blog and leave the link and you will get 5 extra entries.

Be sure to post separate entries for each thing you do above.

So, if you’re feeling hungry and would like a free box of cereal and a movie to keep the kids quiet for awhile, enter this great giveaway.

Please note General Mills and Nickelodeon provided me with the prize pack, information, and additional prize pack for giveaway through MyBlogSparkTM. Thanks to all of the mentioned for this opportunity.

(I apologize for the lack of pictures, my camera is on the fritz)

Take Three by Karen Kingsbury

I received the book Take Three by Karen Kingsbury from Zondervan to review. Karen Kingsbury is one of my favorite Christian writers. This book did not disappoint me in any way.

Zondervan is a great place to get all of your Christian books including Bibles and children’s books.

Karen Kingsbury is a writer who really cares about her readers and helping others. In every book she writes, she includes a character that has been found through her Forever in Fiction auctions. This is a way to involve her readers and help raise money for charity. Each auction winner is allowed to tell the story of someone special in their life. Karen then incorporates them into the storyline of her book. She has raised over $100,000 for charities in this way.

The book, Take Three is the third book in the Above the Line Series which continues the lives of the Baxter family. It is available for $14.99 from Zondervan in paperback.

Chase Ryan and Keith Ellison are making a movie that they hope will change the lives of many people. It is a Christian film that they believe is desperately needed. Their family relationships are pushed to the limit, along with the budget of the film.

A young man who is a up and rising film star is being considered for the leading role but his film studio doesn’t want him to do the Godly film.

Chase finds himself contemplating an affair while his wife and children are at home. He loves his wife but being on the road away from home is hard on their relationship.

Keith’s daughter, Andi, finds herself facing a very difficult situation and her Dad is far from home when she needs him. Andi’s friend Bailey finds her way back to her long time love, Cody only to have him slip away while he battles with his mother’s drug addiction.

This book tells the story of the two film makers who have to decide if this is really the life that God wants for them. There are so many twists and turns in this book. You will be surprised at the ending and the many exciting storylines that weave together throughout this amazing book.

Once again, Karen Kingsbury has not disappointed me in Take Three. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series, Take Four, which is also available at Zondervan. I loved it so much, I’m giving it to my local library so other’s can enjoy it too.

Please note that I received this book at no cost in exchange for my honest opinion in this review. No other compensation was provided. Thank you to Zondervan for this opportunity.