Crystal with TreeHugger ~ Mama Cloth Giveaway

I am jumping up and down. Why? Because I get to tell you about mama cloth!

What is mama cloth you are asking? I don't believe I had heard the term either until I started cloth diapering. It is cloth menstrual pads. Yes, cloth pads! I know, your first reaction is to be turned off, but by the time you are done reading this post you will be hopping to try them out.

I have found the BEST of the BEST mama cloth pads and they are made by Crystal, a work at home mom to two children. How did she begin? I got started with mama cloth after my son was born in 2007. I cloth diapered both my daughter and then my son and started hearing about cloth pads. I was looking at ways to cut back our budget and was tired of spending money every month on disposable products. As soon as I tried a minkee topped pad I was in love and because I only had 3 pads total I used to wait impatiently for the dryer to be done so I could re-use them. That was when I tried my hand at making them and my business was born. Her business is called Tree Hugger and she sells out of the famous Hyena Cart.

What makes Tree Hugger pads so great?

1) They are soooo soft! Don't you just hate those itchy plastic disposable pads? These pads have a top layer of minky and a fleece backing. COMFY!

2) They are gorgeous! You wouldn't think to use that word for pads huh? Check out all of Crystal's fabrics HERE. I had so much fun choosing which patterns I wanted for my stash.

3) They have snaps! Yep, no stickiness or velcro. The snaps on the wings fold back into place for a great, stay in place fit. And fold them up to stick in your purse!

4) They are EASY! Store in a wet bag (also available!) Throw in with any load of laundry. There won't be any staining either as minky shouldn't leave anything behind.

5) They are cost effective! Think of how much money you spend every month. These pads can be used over and over and over again for many years.

6) They are great for the environment! As cloth diaper mamas, we talk about how much disposable diapers fill the landfill but think about disposable pads? We use them for around 40 years! That is a lot of pads!

I ordered the Sampler Package to test them out. I received a light & heavy day pad, a night pad, & a panty liner. I was kind of nervous the first time I wore one. What if they leaked? What if they were terribly uncomfortable? I was pleasantly surprised! The difference in wearing a minky pad and a disposable pad is like night and day. These are so COMFORTABLE that I don't even know I have them on! And they are very absorbent and have never had an issue of overflow. These are the ones I picked! Aren't they cute?!

The best part? Well, I have to say comfort is the best part, but the next best thing is how much I saved for just this month. Since I only have four pads, I threw them in the laundry each night (a load of laundry is always being done at my house) and used them each about 4 times. I just saved 16 disposable pads from being thrown into the garbage and saved my pocketbook a few dollars.

Another great fact - of course they don't contain chemicals so there is less chance of skin irritations and yeast infections.

Are you convinced yet? What are your questions? Your worries? Every woman should give these a try!

Are you ready to try SOFT, COMFY, ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY Mama Cloth? You should be! Crystal's Tree Hugger's are FANTASTIC and I guarantee that you will love them as much as I do.

I'm thrilled that Crystal is GIVING AWAY a panty liner to help get you going! Though the winner will receive a surprise color in the mail, I want you to visit her website http://www.TreeHuggerClothPads.com and tell me what color/pattern you would choose if you were ordering a custom AND you must be a BeachBum follower! One comment for Mandatory Entry.

These are EXTRA entries  - done after you visited her website & become a follower. One comment per entry please.

- Become a Fan of Tree Hugger Mama Cloth on Facebook  - be sure to tell her Crunchy Beach Mama sent you (and notice she is giving away a $30 GC when she hits 800 fans!) 1 entry

- Purchase from Tree Hugger Here or Here and earn 5 extra entries (tell me what you purchased!)

- Like Crunchy Beach Mama on Facebook with my new FB plugin on right sidebar! ~ 2 entries (I have a $5 Amazon giveaway on my wall!)

- Network with Crunchy Beach Mama on Twitter, RSS Feeds, Email Subcription (links above!) 1 entry each - I have some great features/giveaways coming - stay tuned!

- FB status this '@TreeHuggerMamaCloth is giving away mama cloth at @CrunchyBeachMama. All women need to try these soft minky pads! http://tiny.cc/4r2gn' (hopefully the @ will pick up if you are fans of us :) 1 entry per day

- Tweet '#Win Mama Cloth from Tree Hugger Cloth Pads @crunchybchmama Great #cloth #green #giveaway http://tiny.cc/4r2gn' 1 entry per day

- Post Giveaway on Blog or Linky (post link) 1 entry

- Grab My Button (post link so I can see and thank you) 1 entry

Thanks for helping us spread the word! :)

This giveaway will end on Sept. 27, 2010 at 10:00pm ET. Winner will be drawn via random.org. Once a winner is drawn I will contact them and they will have 48 hours to reply before I draw a new winner. Giveaway is open to residents all around the world! But must be 18 years of age or older.

Winners & Cloth Diapers & Stuff!

I first want to send out a huge THANK YOU to my fellow BeachBums who now number over 300! And we made it past 100 Facebook Fans this week...be sure to Fan me...it's where you can hear about the SUPER DUPER Features we have coming up!!

I like posting winners but at the same time I'm always sad to see the current feature and giveaway end. It makes me happy whenever a entry is made because it means one more person now as knowledge of another crafty product made with love. Drum roll please...

Hand-poured Soy Candles from http://www.flamesandwicks.com/

    #45 Eco-Friendly and Frugal said... 45 I follow Heather on FB and left a message that you sent me! As Eco Frugal

You will love your candles Jaye! My friend just ordered and received hers and send me a message that said, "Got my new candles today!!!!!! Love them!!!!!!!" :)

Organic Sugar Scrub, Deodorant, Herbals Teas from http://www.lostrivernaturals.com/

     #106 Valancia said... 106 #2 I have Your button http://skyxsky27.blogspot.com/

Thanks for grabbing my button Valancia! I guarantee once you try Connie's products you'll be back for more! :)


Cotton Babies Free Cloth Diaper Week

I have sooooo many good things I could say about BumGenius diapers. That is why 80% of my stash is made up of their pockets, all in ones and even an organic bamboo one (which is my favorite and I only have 1!). I wash them over and over because if I didn't have any left then I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving the house in cloth, I couldn't put him in cloth for sleep time, basically I would be constantly changing him or worrying about leaks. My BumGenius diapers are the best and I need more!! :)

On a different note, I received an email from Jordan from Handmade Success yesterday who wanted me to tell you about a brand new free marketing planner she thought some of my readers might enjoy. Passing on!

http://handmadesuccess.com/help-selling-on-etsy/free-etsy-ebooks

Those are all my announcements! I'm working on a great post about hypermiling, reading through the Tightwad Gazette that I want to chat about, and getting ready to feature more great mama's and their terrific products ~ be sure to check back very soon! :)

The Beach

I was just telling Hubby the other day that our kids don't know how fortunate they are. To get to see the ocean and take trips to the beach whenever we have the whim to do so. Growing up in the Midwest was nice and our town was right on the Mississippi River so we did have water. But it wasn't the ocean! As you probably already know about me, I love love love the ocean.

We moved to the coast a little over two years now. We moved ourselves in the biggest truck we could rent and hauled Hubby's car behind it while I drove the kids and dog in our van. Do you know what the first thing we did when we arrived after two days of driving? Head to the beach! We were exhausted, dirty, crabby, and just wanted to get to our new rental house that we hadn't ever laid eyes on except for a few internet pictures. But even before picking up the keys, we dropped the moving van off in some parking lot and headed down to the shore to check out the Atlantic Ocean. The kids took off their shoes and ran! I have some great pictures from that day.

And we've had many pictures since then. Here are some more I'd love to share from this weekend.

And one day maybe I can actually live on the water...I can dream right?

Wordless Wednesday

Mama Chat

I'm a tired Mama. P'Diddy is not sleeping good. Or I should I say he barely sleeps at all. Aren't almost seven month olds supposed to get hours of sleep?  2 naps and a good 12 hours at night? Not my guy.

On a happier note my mom is in town visiting. Her first night here she made us dinner. Gosh, I miss my mom cooking for me. So yummy!

What have you got planned this holiday weekend? We're going to do lots of fun things including mini golf, county parks, & of course the beach :)

Recycle your Plastics!

It was announced a couple of weeks ago that my city is now recycling all plastics #1-#7. I am so excited! Most areas collect plastics #1 & #2 and if you have a Whole Foods nearby then you could drop off your #5s. But now nothing has to go in the garbage. Yay!


What household items can I now recycle from each category?

#1 plastics (PET or PETE polyethylene terephthalate)- soft drink & water bottles (though we use Brita water filter a lot!) are what my recycle container is mostly filled with. Other common ones you don’t think about as much are mouthwash, salad dressing, mayo, ketchup, bbq sauce & peanut butter jars.

#2 plastics (HDPE high density polyethylene) - milk & juice are the most widespread recycled items in this category. But don’t forget your cleaning solutions, detergent, medicine/vitamin bottles & even your contact solution.

Go through your bathroom & fridge and take a close look at the bottom of the plastic items – almost all of them fit in these two categories.

#3 plastics (vinyl or PVC) - not common at all for everyday use – siding, windows, wiring.

#4 plastics (LDPE low density polyethylene) - lids - from all the plastic kid cups from your favorite restaurants. Only #4 I could find around here!

#5 plastics PP (polypropylene) – is more common then you would think and was so glad I could drop mine off at Whole Foods. I collected yogurt containers, plastic cups the kids got with their meals, individual fruit & microwavable pasta/soup bowls, cream cheese, cool whip, & even my deodorant.

#6 plastics PS (polystyrene) – did you know you could recycle your plastic plates & cups? Yep you can! And your doggy bag containers from when you eat out too!

#7 plastics Misc – some food containers. I found an applesauce cup. Or if you are tired of watching your DVDs you can now throw them in the recycle bin! But I suggest you swap them – SwapaDVD.com

Do you recycle? What unexpected items have you found to put in your bins?