Boys in the ladies' room

It's bound to happen - kids peeking under stalls, through cracks in the door, running the hand dryer non-stop....Kids in the bathroom while you're trying to take care of business.

I only wish they'd label the vending machines with "vegetables for sale" so my kids would stop asking what comes out of them. "Mom, it's only a quarter, can we get one??" Or, as recently happened to my friend: "Mom, what's a TAM-PONE?" (spoken loudly in front of many).

It's usually an embarrassing topic for most adults, but I think starting with very vague terms you can spill some of the beans without getting into too much detail or scaring the poor kid. But, when my 5 year old asked me again yesterday what EXACTLY would come out of the machine (not just "things for mommies bodies", I finally had to give him a little more information (as soon as the bathroom was vacated by everyone else). My kids have seen my reusable pantyliners in the wash (and even help put them away), so we have had a light conversation about what mommies do with things like that.

This book helped me immensely to be able to have some discussion around bodies and their natural functions. My kids were TOTALLY interested and asked quite a few questions. I highly recommend this book to anyone with kids (we started reading it when my kids were 6 and 4).

I'm always curious about what people with daughters will do when they hit puberty. I wonder if I'd go down the Diva Cup and reusable pad route...I think I would.

Do you have any good recommendations for "the talk"? Or any funny stories that have happened? Please share!

Eeking out the last of a product

I had a tube of moisturizer that I couldn't unscrew the pump top from - I knew there had to be more cream in there, even though it wouldn't pump out. I cut the top off! There was at least 1 1/2 teaspoons worth in there (which is a lot considering you only need a few drops!). I'm so glad I didn't throw it out!

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You can use this technique on many things; lotion, toothpaste, food items, and many more. Even a tube of toothpaste with a large opening will leave some product behind. Cut it open and scrape it out and save yourself some change!!

p.s - I like this moisturizer with SPF15 by Boscia. It scores fairly well on the toxicity scale and is mostly natural. Does anyone else have a great daily face moisturizer with SPF that scores better? I'm always looking for one! Only caveat: it can't be scented.

Eco-friendly packagaing

As I get my packages ready to mail out to family and friends across the US, I came across this idea on the USPS website, and am going for it!

Use AIR POPPED popcorn instead of packing peanuts or bubble wrap. It's all natural, biodegradable, non-toxic, inexpensive, and smells yummy! What a fun surprise when you open a package. Maybe my recipient will make a popcorn string?

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(Notice the reusable bag? See the tutorial here)

If I had fragile items in my shop, I'd switch over to this for my business too.
Some of my bigger packages are getting re-used amazon.com bubble packs and bubble wrap. At least re-using is better than buying new, I figure!

Reusable gift bags!

I spent a couple of hours the other night making up reusable gift bags for all of our family gifts that we'll be sending out this year. I meant to do it last year but only got as far as buying the fabric! We have a bunch I've made up over the years for our immediate family but my goal was to not use wrapping paper this year (well, not much, if we can help it).
Here's how they turned out!

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You can find a link to my original tutorial on how to make simple reusable gift bags here. Give it a try and let us know how they turned out!

Time saver - easy labels for school photos

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It's that time of year again where we pass out school and sports photos. If your family is like ours, we have quite a few pictures to mail, and lots to hand out. A few years ago I started doing this trick, and I'll never go back to hand writing on the backs of photos again! Use small return address labels (like Avery 5267), print your child's name, age, and school year on each one, and put on the back of school pictures. This has lots of benefits:

• It's quick! Each year, you can just edit the label document with the new information
• It's neat! No smudges, illegible handwriting, or mistakes
• It's safe! No ballpoint pen pushing through to the front of the photo, no permanent marker bleeding through
• It's easy! 

Have you done this yourself? Share any tips or techniques you have found!

Giveaway!

There's a (not so secret) giveaway happening at my Hyena Cart shop! Don't miss out! There are only 47 entries right now (out of 749 facebook followers!), so your chances are pretty good :) Drawing will be held tomorrow.

A little slice of heaven

This little slice of heaven came to my door today, and I had to smile.

(This is the 6 half bar sampler set from Sweet Sally's Soaps)  Pin It


Have you tried handmade soaps?? They are my new addiction and guilty pleasure. I don't mind paying more for all natural hand crafted goodness that smells divine. It's one of those "me" things (and now the rest of the house goes along).

When I started eliminating toxins from our home, soap was one that had quite a few questionable ingredients, and is one habit that's easy to change (see here for information on ingredients in your own products). Plus, if you suffer from allergies, going with essential oils versus artificial fragrance can be a benefit. If you suffer from eczema, a goat's milk soap can be beneficial. We also switched to shampoo bars, but that's a whole other topic :)  Give handmade soaps a try - my guess is you won't go back!