Merry Christmas!

Want to wish you a Very Merry Christmas!

Lots of Winners!

A HUGE Congrats to Everyone!!

RubyMoon Natural Laundry Wash $10
Tara said... 51 http://twitter.com/curious_kitty/status/11504897123946496


Facebook 800 Fan Celebration ~ Red/White striped BabyLegs
(did you see that I'm already over 900? WOW! Thanks BeachBums!)
 Monica said... 34 I'm a FB beachbum


Zuvo Water Filtration System
kia said... 59 I follow on twitter and tweeted http://twitter.com/#!/bodhi_bear/status/13907023930335232


Etsy's Caboose Cloth Custom Wipes
Kim's Crafty Apple said... 43 I heart caboose cloth on etsy as KimsCraftyApple


GreenTime Creations Sandwich/Snack Bag Set (not yet confirmed)
Kelly said... 148 I like CBM on FB.

My Baby's Green's Organic Baby Romper 
Kristen said... 46 I like you on facebook


Babylegs Package (not yet confirmed)
tina reynolds said... 139 (339 Random.org) like you on facebook


Thanks Mama Tots Bots AIO Cloth Diaper
Alisha L. said... 54 (254 Random.org) GFC Follower of Thanks Mama Blog @Alisha L.


Tassimo BrewBot
 Unemployed & Earning said... 181 (381 Random.org) I like them on fb

Holiday Waste

I found these statistics from Tina at My Baby's Green who posted them on her Facebook page.

According to the Medical University of South Carolina, waste output increases by at least 25% during the holiday season.

I totally believe that! We have already taken an extra trip to the Recycle Center with all the boxes and filling paper from all the online ordering I've done. And I had an armload of styrofoam and plastic wrap that I had to throw away last night. And it's not even Christmas yet!

Here are a few tips to lessen your load:

Put less packaging on your gifts. Many suggest re-using wrapping paper, but we know this is not always so easy to do, better yet use gift bags instead as these are easy to save and use for many years.

OR...Make your own wrapping paper. Use children's artwork, stylish magazine ads, or comics from the newspaper. (If every family wrapped just 3 gifts this way, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields. -Sierra Club)

When throwing a party, don't use plastic utensils, paper plates or napkins.

Use do-it-yourself holiday decor, like berries and pine combs.

Recycle and craft with used wine and drink bottles.

Buy recycled or tree-free cards, made from materials like hemp.

Courtesy of Charlotte, NC

We are going plain this year with no bows and ribbons. But next year I want to come up with some eco-friendly decorations to make the present wrapping fun!

Edited to Add: Here are some FUN Green Gift Wrapping Tips HERE - Thanks Monica! These are great!

Amber from Life Love Green Blog MAKES her own cloth bags as wrapping! See HERE! They are awesome!

Tell me what you are doing to help with Holiday Waste!

Visit My Baby's Green too! ~ Tina has a great eco-friendly store AND blog. She gives away great items too! Right now there is a giveaway up for THREE Winners to win FIVE Diapers!

Tassimo BrewBot Coffee Expresso Latte Giveaway

Would you believe me if I told you we've never owned a coffee maker? I do like my coffee though, the flavored kind. Or give me a cappuccino or latte any day. So I am excited to tell you that my very first coffee maker is rreeeaalllyy cooooool. The Tassimo BrewBot!

We've all the seen the commercials.

We first saw this commercial a few weeks ago. I didn't even know machines like this existed. I turned to Hubby and say 'Wow that is really neat. We need one." And do you know what he says back? 'Babe, you know it doesn't really turn into a robot right?' :)

Tassimo just sent me my BrewBot yesterday and is anxious to get it out for the holidays so we only got to use it last night so were aren't experts yet but I'm thrilled to tell  you that the first cup of coffee we made was a Starbucks Cappuccino! And it was YUMMY!!

I went out to Target today (and they carry them at Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, Lowes, etc) and got myself Starbucks Latte, flavored syrup to add to my drink, and hot chocolate for the kids! So excited to make more!

I will admit to you one flaw - it is not eco-friendly so I want to tell you Recycle, Recycle, Recycle what you can. Ok, now I feel better.

Here is some info for you about the technology and specs of the BrewBot:

It has T DISC Technology - through patented technology developed and designed by Kraft Foods, the TASSIMO brewer reads the bar code printed on each T DISC to ensure optimal brewing conditions, including the exact water amount and temperature. Because the brewing takes place inside the T DISC, consumers can prepare different drinks, one after another, with no flavor transfer from cup to cup. This ensures first-cup freshness and consistent taste every time.

Drink Varieties - TASSIMO is the only Home Brewing system that gives everyone the drink they want, from coffees and teas to rich cappuccinos and lattes. Even hot chocolate. Tassimo offers more than 40 beverage and flavor varieties to satisfy everyone with 13 distinctive beverage brands including Milka, Gevalia, Maxwell House, Suchard, Mastro Lorenzo, Twining’s®, Kenco, Jacob’s, TAZO®, Nabob, Carte Noire and Seattle’s Best Coffee®. TASSIMO even satisfies your coffee-house coffee cravings with a great variety of Starbucks brands – including Cappuccino Primo and Latte Primo.

● Makes coffee, tea, cappuccino, latte, crema, espresso and hot cocoa
● Makes drinks in about 1 minute

● Includes an exclusive flow–through water heater for faster, quieter brewing

● Space saving design ideal for apartments, dorm rooms and countertops

● Smart bar code technology allows the brewer to adjust each beverage with the proper temperature pressure and amount of water

● Weight: 7.08 lbs. Length: 11.0 "; Width: 7.9 "; Depth: 11.8 "

● 1.5 Liter water tank

● Retail Value: $129.99

SPECIAL OFFER: Purchase a Tassimo T20 Brewbot online here: http://bit.ly/Tassimo25 and save $25 and get 2 free T DISCS!

Are you ready to WIN a Tassimo T20 BrewBot of your own?

This giveaway is what I call Short & Sweet

Only 5 days long ~ so go share with your friends! :)

 

Each Task Earns You 1 Entry
Be sure to leave your email once if not in profile
Tell me Why you want a Tassimo! I love hearing your stories!

 

Visit Tassimo and tell me which T-Disc Flavor you like

 

Like Tassimo on Facebook

 

Like CBM on Facebook ~ easy sidebar widget!

 

Become a BeachBum Google Friend ~ easy sidebar widget!

 

Tweet once ~ 'WIN a #Tassimo #BrewBot Coffee Maker from @crunchybchmama ~ Short & Sweet #Giveaway so enter today! http://tiny.cc/8silx'

 

Tassimo sent me a BrewBot for this review but I was not compensated in any way for the post and all opinions are my own. This giveaway will end on December 21, 2010 at 10:00pm EST. 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 anyone in the US and you must be 18 years of age or older.

Holiday Shopping at Pier 1

This post brought to you by Pier 1 Imports. All opinions are 100% mine.

Is Pier 1 one of your favorite stores to shop at? It is mine! I can spend a long time in this store, slowly browsing the aisles, taking mental note of what I need (or is it want?).

The holidays are especially fun. I love looking at the Christmas dishes. Here is one of the great sets they have this year.

Are you having a big New Year's Eve Party? Be sparkly!

If I was headed to the party, this is what I would bring. A seahorse bottle tag!

On clearance for only $2.48! Gosh, maybe I need to stock up.

They have lots of items for this Beach Mama! I can decorate my tree!

Do you want to get me some beachy holiday gifts? I love these...

And these...on clearance for only $3.98! Are you taking note?

Pier 1 is a big supporter of Toys for Tots. This month you can bring in an unwrapped toy or make a donation directly at the register. How awesome is that?

Now click on over to their Facebook book page HERE and Like the page ~ they will donate $1 for every new fan they get into the Toys for Tots fund.

Head over there now and spread the holiday cheer!

My Laundry Helper

Laundry is a big chore in my house as I'm sure it is in yours. Five people, plus cloth diapers, leads to almost daily laundry loads. I would like to say that I have a system but I really don't.

I do try to get my older boy's clothes done over the weekend. They have certain uniform type clothes they have to wear for school and if I didn't wash them once a week they wouldn't get through the next.

As for the rest? When the laundry basket gets full in that room I know it's time for another load. Or when the diapers have run out, or even worse, start to smell.

I think it would help if I had some more space! My laundry "closet" is in my kitchen and there is no room to hang anything so it all overflows out the door. My poor family is usually jumping over laundry baskets or dodging piles.

I have trained my boys to fold the towels which is a big help! This is the help that P'Diddy gives me.

He takes the clothes out of the basket for me. Even when I'm not ready of course. You will see his favorite toy...the remote control right there with him!

(And don't forget you can win his cute organic romper from My Baby's Green HERE)

What is your laundry situation like? Do you have good helpers too?