Wordless Wednesday~Happy Birthday!

(July 29, 2003)

Eco Store Review and Giveaway

Ecostore creates chemical free products at reasonable prices. From bath to cleaning to pet care, their products are top of the line and and made with "no nasty chemicals", making them better for your family and our planet.

Ecostore was developed over 15 years ago by Melanie and Malcolm Rands, and run from their home in an eco village in New Zealand. While their original customer base was fellow "greenies" the word soon got out about the health benefits of the ecostore products, children's allergies and eczema clearing up as well as reduction in respiratory and other chronic conditions.

The popularity of "green" and "chemical free" products has gotten them out of their basement and across the world. We now have ecostore USA, which features over 100 environmentally safe products, some which are now available at Meijer stores across the mid-west.

We were lucky to be sent some products to test in our home and are very pleased with what we received.

Coconut soap

Ingredients
•Sodium Palmate (palm oil)
•Sodium Cocoate (coconut oil)
•Sodium chloride (salt)
•Vegetable Glycerine
•Tetra Sodium Etidronate and Tetra Sodium EDTA (antioxidants used to preserve the stability of vegetable oils in soap base. Derived from vinegar. Safe for skin)
•Cow's Milk (0.2% = 220gm to 100kgms of soap) Level is chosen to ensure those sensitive to cow's milk are not affected.
•Fragrance

This soap was perfectly scented, lathers really well and leaves the skin feeling clean without drying. I've been an Ivory girl since I was a kid and this ecostore soap has given me other alternatives. I've had problems with my face breaking out since my first pregnancy and have tried everything to minimize and reduce breakouts. In two weeks of using this soap on my face (as well as the rest of me) I have seen a drastic improvement. I would recommend it to anyone.

Herbal Fresh Pet Shampoo
Aqua (water), Coco Glucoside, Aloe Vera (certified organic),
Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Glyceryl Oleate, Glycerin,
Polysorbate 20, Glycerin, Panthenol, Botanical extract blend of
Chamomile,Calendula and Sage, Cocodimonium Hydroxypropyl,
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate,
Sodium Chloride (sea salt), Sweet Orange Essential Oil,
Ylang Ylang Essential Oil, Citric Acid.

We recently washed the dog (Ashley) with this shampoo. Ashley is NOT a fan of water so bath time is tricky, fortunately she's only 14 pounds and easy to keep in the tub. She wasn't thrilled with the pre-scrub wet down, but as soon as we started massaging the minty/citrus smelling shampoo into her fur, she relaxed and enjoyed the experience. I think she was a little upset when we stopped. A great value and another perfectly scented product.

I'm impressed with both these products and want you to be able to try them for yourself so...

The Giveaway

ecostore USA is giving one lucky reader a $25 dollar gift certificate to sample some products for yourself. I've decided to give you LOTS of ways to enter, as this is a store I think everyone should try.

Mandatory first entry

As your first entry you MUST check out the store and tell me (at least) one product you would like to try (1 entry). leave a comment

Extra Ways To Enter

*Sign up for the "No Nasty Chemicals" Newsletter and get up-to-date info on new products (2 entries) leave a comment

*Follow this blog or let me know you are already following (1 entry) leave a comment

*Follow ecostore USA on Twitter (1 entry) leave a comment.

*Follow me on Twitter or let me know that you already are (Hunterzmom) (1 entry) leave a comment.

*Become a fan of ecostore USA on Facebook (1 entry) leave a comment

*Blog about this contest (5 entries) leave a comment with a link to the post.

*Tweet about this contest @hunterzmom (1 entry per tweet) leave a comment for each tweet.

Easy enough?

Contest ends at midnight August 15 and a winner will be chosen using random.org on August 16

Make sure to include e-mail address so I can contact you if you are the winner!

Wordless Wednesday~ Not So Happy

Super Simple Chocolate Bark

I was in the mood for some chocolaty goodness the other night and decided to make some bark with Boogie. Here is a super simple recipe that only takes minutes from start to eating. Its fun for the kids and a great treat to snack on...if you like chocolate.

We started with a package of quick-melt chocolate that we bought at the grocery store and decided we would add raisins and pretzels. You can use anything you like dipped in chocolate, sometimes we also add peanuts and marshmallows but we didn't have those handy.


Melt the chocolate. We used the microwave and cooked in 1 minute increments for the first two minutes and then did two times at 30 seconds, stirring in between to melt evenly and avoid burning.

We then added pretzel stix (any pretzels will do) you can break them up first for smaller pieces, but we found that the stix break up pretty easy while stirring so we just poured them in.

Then we added a healthy portion of raisins. Craisins are really good too.

Get one of the kids (or all of them) to stir up the mix...shirts are optional

When all add-ins are completely coated and you have a good mix of add-ins to chocolate, spread out on a sheet tray. The thinner the better as it's easier to eat that way.

Pop in the freezer or fridge and let it set. We put ours in the freezer for 5 minutes. Take out and break into random sized pieces and enjoy. We put ours into storage containers and keep in the fridge. It's just as fun to make as it is to eat...almost!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Full Moon

Happy July 4th~ Sweetheart Style

We've been getting ready for the last couple days. The kids and I made cupcakes and a cake decorated with red, white and blue frosting and Sweethearts(TM) Red, White And You candy Hearts. For the season, Sweethearts(TM) are extending their "language of love" conversation hearts to both honor the military and celebrate America's patriotism. The hearts are red,white and blue and have sayings such as "Proud of U", "Home Safe", "Miss You" and "Thank You". The USO is including these sweethearts in care packages to soldiers serving in the U.S as well as overseas. The packages are also available in stores nationwide and are perfect for July 4th, Labor Day, Memorial Day and Veteran's Day Celebrations.

The kids had a great time decorating with them and I must say that I was really digging the flavor of the new blue ones. Yum. Here's some pics of our creations.

Have a Great 4th of July!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Clouds