When my son was born, I started to make small changes to green our lifestyle.  But I was also very aware of what was in the toys and materials I was exposing him to.  From a very early age (maybe a few weeks) I noticed just how sensitive my son’s skin was.  He would turn red and get raised spots at the slightest of chemicals.  I stopped using a popular name brand line of body products, and switched to something more natural and free of harmful chemicals.  But I quickly learned it went beyond that.

Today my son is 21 months old.  He still has reactions during everyday play.  So when I found out there was a line of art supplies made of all natural ingredients I had to check it out.

From the Eco-Kids website:
eco-kids^® is the story of Jack and Maggie’s mom, Cammie, who together with her husband, Kip, started selling their handmade art supplies at farmers markets in 2008. It began simply, as all good things do, with the molding dough recipe Cammie’s mom made for her as a child. After incorporating natural ingredients into the recipe, the dough was transformed into eco-dough, rich in color, soft in texture and with a delicate aroma like no other. From there, eco-kids^® evolved.

I had the pleasure of not only meeting Kip and Cammie at the show, but also their two beautiful children.  I love how family centered this company is.  How focused on creating products that are not only good for the child, but also for the environment.

For Christmas I bought Squish the Eco-Dough (which also comes in a Gluten-Free formula).  The moment I opened it and squished it, I loved it.  The colors were bright, it was easy to use, and it smelled so far from other doughs.  It was great!  Squish loved it too.

Eco-Kids has a line of several products, all made naturally, so much so if your child tries to eat it, there isn’t anything to worry about.

Check out the ingredient list  in the Eco-Dough:
Molding dough handmade with flour, salt, cream of tartar, organic rosemary oil, vitamin E oil, soybean oil, coconut oil, potassium sorbate, citric acid, natural and organic fruit, plant and vegetable extracts from annatto seed, beets, blueberries, carrots, paprika, purple sweet potato, red cabbage and spinach.

Other products Eco-Kids carries are:

• Eco-Dough (also available in Gluten Free
• Eco-Paste
• Eco-Paint
• Eco-Rolling Pin
• Eco-Ornament Kit
• Eco-Pads (coming soon!!)
• Eco-Egg Easter Coloring Kit **  Don’t miss a fun review and giveaway coming later this week!!

So whether you are looking for a green alternative to art supplies for your child, or just want something that is more natural then other products – Eco-Kids is a great way to go!

You can find Eco-Kids online, on Facebook, and on Twitter

Eco-Kids is also currently nominated for a Cribsie Award!!  Please take a moment to head over the webpage and vote! You can find them under the play category in the Inspiring Art Supplies Nod!

Weekly Green Tip from Family and Life in Las Vegas: Consider investing in rechargeable batteries.  If you have kiddos like me you probably use batteries like no other.  While it may cost more up front, it will save you money in the long run, help reduce your carbon footprint, and you can recycle them when they are no longer usable!  (I am working on the Hubs to invest in rechargeable!)

Welcome to week 4 of the (revised) Green Mama Blog Hop!

Please only join this hop if you deem your blog as ‘green‘. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or if you’re a pro… this Green Mama Blog Hop is for you!

My goal is to have more and more people join each week! But that can’t happen without your help. If you could please post the button on your blog, as well as in a post, that would be great! Thanks so much for your involvement! I want us ‘Green Mamas’ to befriend each other and be there for questions or support.

I am super excited to join in hosting the Green Mama Blog Hop. I love that it is for Greenies of all walks of life – new or old, small or big. Join in, linkup, and share your Green Life with us!

Welcome to week 3 of the (revised) Green Mama Blog Hop!

Please only join this hop if you deem your blog as ‘green‘. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or if you’re a pro… this Green Mama Blog Hop is for you!

My goal is to have more and more people join each week! But that can’t happen without your help. If you could please post the button on your blog, as well as in a post, that would be great! Thanks so much for your involvement! I want us ‘Green Mamas’ to befriend each other and be there for questions or support.

I am super excited to join in hosting the Green Mama Blog Hop. I love that it is for Greenies of all walks of life – new or old, small or big.  Join in, linkup, and share your Green Life with us!

Welcome to week 2 of the (revised) Green Mama Blog Hop!

Please only join this hop if you deem your blog as ‘green‘. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or if you’re a pro.. this Green Mama Blog Hop is for you!

My goal is to have more and more people join each week! But that can’t happen without your help. If you could please post the button on your blog, as well as in a post, that would be great! Thanks so much for your involvement! I want us ‘Green Mamas’ to befriend each other and be there for questions or support.

I am super excited to join in hosting the Green Mama Blog Hop.

I love that it is for Greenies of all walks of life – new or old, small or big.

Join in, linkup, and share your Green Life with us!

Welcome to the 1st week of the (revised) Green Mama Blog Hop!

Please only join this hop if you deem your blog as ‘green‘. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or if you’re a pro.. this Green Mama Blog Hop is for you!

My goal is to have more and more people join each week! But that can’t happen without your help. If you could please post the button on your blog, as well as in a post, that would be great! Thanks so much for your involvement! I want us ‘Green Mamas’ to befriend each other and be there for questions or support.

I am really good at making messes. My son is even better. His favorite meal time pastime is feeding the dust bunnies on the floor! (Fortunately he also likes to help clean!!) SO EASY – EVEN MY TODDLER CAN DO IT!!

There is only one problem with this – I HATE cleaning. Seriously, I wish constantly I was one of those people who loved to clean, but I just am not that girl. So when Squish has a messy dinner, or we do an ate project like our Recycled Christmas Card Placemats I cringe on the inside knowing I am going to have to mop. I have a steam mop which I love, but there are messes that require more than the Steam Mop. Like paint all over your floor!! When I heard about the Spin & Go Touchless Mop and Wringer System, I knew I wanted to check it out. The number one selling point for me was I wasn’t going to have to touch the dirty water anymore!! It was extremely easy to use! I filled my bucket with hot water and vinegar, put the microfiber mop head in the water, then into the spinner. The petal is easy to use, and it is virtually effortless! Now just mop your floor. The mop spins 180 degrees, so it is really easy to mop. I cleaned my whole floor with only one hand, and it was my left hand at that! The final result Sparkling clean floors with minimal effort, and DRY hands!!

Some other fun features include

• Saves Effort Time and Energy with built in spinning cycle, powers up with a pedal to spin away dirty water, leaving it ready to attack more grime and dirt
• Spin & Go patented super absorbent MICROFIBER Mop Head with 1,720,000 washable Microfibers gets rid of dirt and grime easily
• Eco-friendliest Mop ever, no disposable pads to change or touch, its earth friendly and affordable costing only $49.95
• Lightweight and ultra slim, adjustable for effortless cleaning and hands free wringing/ergonomic design. Great for Seniors too.
• Best dry mop for dusting hard to reach places, great for cleaning cars too, and it rotates 360 degrees.

I am super excited about this post.  With the Holiday season hemorrhaging money seems very common.

As a somewhat newer married couple (3 years in April) the Hubs and I are still trying to figure out the whole budgeting thing… okay, it is mostly me, but we are learning together.

One of my main issues when it comes to starting a budget is feeling overwhelmed with where to start.  This is where Danielle comes in!

Danielle Liss is a lawyer in Las Vegas. In April 2008, Danielle hit her financial rock bottom. Due to overwhelming student loan debt, money owed to her grandfather from his assistant when the housing bubble burst (he helped her avoid a short sale) and credit card balances of approximately $37k that she ran up due to compulsive shopping addiction, Danielle was lost and not sure where to start financially. She started working with consumer credit counseling to pay back her credit cards and by December 2010, she will have paid approximately $30,000 back in her unsecured debt. First, she learned how to budget and can happily say that she now lives with an all cash budget. (Although she doesn’t use actual cash. She has a well loved American Express Zync card. She doesn’t really want to go down the credit card road again.)

Q: How should one begin to budget? It feels really overwhelming – I have no idea where to begin.

To begin budgeting, I highly recommend setting up a spreadsheet. There, list all of the money that you have coming in. This way, you know how much you have to work with. Then, list your fixed expenses for the month, such as your utilities, mortgage/rent, car payment, insurance, etc. Then, add in estimates for your variable expenses. This can get tricky, so you will need to look over the past couple of months and see how much you have spent in these categories. How much do you typically spend on groceries? Eating out? Clothing? Entertainment? Then, look at the expenses that come up only once or twice a year, like holiday spending, vacations, etc. Divide those numbers by 12 and enter them into the budget so that you have an idea of how much goes toward that expense each month. (That way it won’t be a surprise expense at when that date hits.)

Once you have all of those numbers entered, is there money left over or is there a negative amount? When I set up my first budget, I was really negative. I had to sit down and figure out where I could cut my expenses. I realized that I was spending ridiculous amounts on eating out and groceries, so those were the two biggest areas that I cut expenses and that helped considerably.

If you aren’t a fan of making your own spreadsheets (which is a completely foreign feeling to me – it is listed as one of my interests on Facebook), there are a lot of good forms online. I highly recommend the free resources offered by Dr. Dean Burke on The Millionaire Nurse. Trust me, it doesn’t matter if you aren’t a nurse, he was my money coach and he whipped me into shape. He has a great budget template that you can start from.

If you use online banking, I highly recommend Mint.com. They offer fantastic budgeting tools. It allows you to sync all of your credit cards, bank accounts and investment accounts. You can create a budget online. Then, if you exceed your budget or you are coming close to the threshold that you’ve set, you can ask Mint to send you an email or text alert to notify you. It’s a great service and one that I personally use.

Q.What is your #1 Money Saving Tip?

For me, as a recovering compulsive spending addict, the biggest thing I have to remember is to evaluate whether or not I actually NEED to purchase an item. Shopping isn’t meant to be a hobby or a way to hang out with friends. I no longer shop as a way to pass the time. I no longer shop to make sure I am getting a great bargain.

For most people, I think the key is to keep careful tabs on your food budget. See how much food you waste each week. When I started keeping track, I was ashamed at how much food we were throwing away. We started planning careful menus and made sure that we accounted for leftovers (either for lunches or for another meal later in the week). We spent a lot less when we were wasting less. Also, don’t buy what you don’t need in the grocery store. It sounds so simple, but it really is true. For a while, I was really into couponing at the grocery store, but then I realized that I was buying things for the bargain and we ended up with so much stuff that we weren’t eating. It wasn’t stuff that I would typically buy. Now, I don’t buy the Sunday paper and I don’t coupon at all. I don’t buy enough brand name items to make it worth the time or effort.

If you are eating out a lot, you can often make something healthful and tasty at home for a lot less. We stopped going out to dinner. Sure, I still want sushi on a regular basis, but there is absolutely no reason why we need to spend money to go out to eat sushi once a week. It’s such a waste of money in the grand scheme of things.

Q. Is it possible to be green on a budget? (I know – not your favorite word)

People ask this question a lot. I personally think that being green has saved me a ton of money. I realize that not everyone is going to run out and buy a hybrid car (which saves me a fortune on gas), and that’s not really the point of the green movement. But when you look at the little things, most of the green movement can fundamentally save you money. Reduce, reuse and recycle. Reduce – what can you cut back on? Do you need to use paper towels or can you use rags? When we switched from paper towels to rags, I saved a small fortune. Reuse – by reusing things, you are not buying something new, so you are inherently saving money. And buying recycled goods is not that much more expensive. I get recycled plastic trash bags that are also biodegradable and there isn’t a big price difference between those and what you would typically see advertised by Hefty.

Think about how much you spend on the various cleaners in your house. Before I got my ionator, I stopped using all of my chemical cleaners and started making my own. Making a bottle of all purpose cleaner cost about a dollar, instead of $4 to purchase something at the store. If you prefer to buy a branded green cleaner, you can do that, but you can also discover the wonders of baking soda, vinegar, and tea tree oil. It’s a whole lot cheaper.

I purchase organic food at Costco and it is much cheaper there than it is at most super markets. Here’s another tip – organic meat tastes sooooo much better than meat that is pumped with antibiotics and fillers. I hated chicken until we switched to organic. The flavor is completely different.

And if going green means turning off a light or putting small appliances on a power strip so that it can be turned off when not in use, that’s saving you money off of your utilities. You don’t have to install a solar panel to go green. There are so many ways to do it. You can walk outside – Free. You can go to the library instead of buying new books – Free.

You control your money and you decide which companies to support as a consumer, so you can make the decision to support only those companies who are environmentally responsible. It’s that simple.

Being green isn’t about spending tons of money to make crazy improvements to your house so that you can be Ed Begley’s newest rival. It’s about awareness and doing the things that you can to reduce your carbon footprint. Growing your own veggies or composting your own soil will only save you money. Organic food will improve your health.

There are so many options. I highly recommend that people who are on the cusp of going green, but feel overwhelmed pick up a book to give them some guidance. I really liked Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano, because that had a real world approach. She didn’t expect me to give up my a/c in the Las Vegas summers. It showed me that there were things that I could do and it gave me tips on how to do them. And how to save money. (And I got it at the local library.)

Teaching your toddler the spirit of giving is one of the greenest things you can teach. When you instill a love for helping others you are teaching your child organic love, as well as the power of change one person can have. By showing your child how much of a difference one person can make, and you will be raising a child who not only respects the world they live in, but the people they live in it with. This is the perfect age to start teaching them, because toddlers pay attention to EVERYTHING you do.

Your toddler may be too young to understand donating money, so teach them to make giving back a daily part of their lives.

Some of the simple things you can do to teach your child about giving back are:

• Help someone daily who is struggling. It can be as simple as carrying in the groceries, reaching for something, or holding a door.

• Watch your friend’s children so they can have a break.

• Pick up trash on your daily walks.

• Make dinner for a family when they are sick or overwhelmed or just because.

• Bake cookies for a nursing home.

• Donate your gently used clothes and shoes to goodwill. Explain why you are giving away the clothes, and who they will help

• Packing up old toys and bring them to a shelter or church where other children can enjoy them. Involve your child by helping them pack, and taking them with you when you drop them off.

• As you start teaching your toddler to save change, you can also start a separate piggy bank to use to buy toys for children who may not get toys for the holidays.

• Try adopting a child or family during the holidays. Involve your child by letting them pick out the clothes/toys. Talk to them about how it feels to get a present and why giving to others in need will make that child/family feel the same way.

• Buy canned food items and drop them at church or a food pantry on a pretty regular basis. Again, involve your child with this process so they can understand why you are doing it.

All of these things are pretty simple, and can really help to develop a love of giving back to those who need it most. Talk to your child as you do things. Let them know how much the smile or thank you meant to you. Before you know it, your child will be joining in and giving back to others on their own.

How do you teach your child the spirit of giving? Green So Easy – Even a Toddler Can Do It!