Home Soda Maker Review and Giveaway

Have you heard of the Fountain Jet Home Soda Maker from Soda Stream?

It helps reduce the amount of waste generated from consuming soda, because instead of buying disposable 3-liter bottles or canned soda, you can continually re-use the same 2 Soda Stream containers for your soda needs.

You save money making your own soda at home, and, even better, this soda mix contains less sugar than pre-made sodas.

The bottles have a special seal so that your soda won't go flat.

The Fountain Jet Home Soda Maker uses regular water mixed with the Soda Stream flavoring of your choice to make your ideal drink.

I got the chance to review the Penguin Soda Maker, the classy version that uses glass bottles.

Sorry for the background noise, my niece was begging for jelly beans that she is forbidden to eat by my sister-in-law, who wasn't present.

1) Enter to win your very own Fountain Jet soda lover’s start-up kit which includes a Fountain Jet home soda maker, CO2 to make over 100 liters of soda, a variety sample pack of sodamix and MyWater trial-sized flavors, and 3 full-sized flavors of the winner’s choice. The retail value of this prize is $99.99!

1.) For a chance to win, visit the site and tell me your favorite sodamix flavor and what excites you about making soda at home!

1 winner will be chosen by random number generator.

This giveaway is open to those with a continental US mailing address. No PO Boxes.

2.) Email subscribers get an extra entry for as long as their subscription is active.

Already a subscriber? Leave me a separate comment on this post to let me know you’re interested in this giveaway.

Want to subscribe? Just click here: Subscribe to Mom Most Traveled by Email (Only verified subscriptions are entered for all the giveaways.)

3.) Twitter about this giveaway (include a link to this post, @SodaStreamUSA and@MomMostTraveled ) and comment here with your Twitter name. (once daily)

4.) Blog about this giveaway, including a link to this post. Leave me a comment with the link so I can check your post!

This contest will close on March 2, 2010, at midnight CST.

Winners will be notified by email and have 72 hours to respond.

SodaStream provided a review unit and is providing the prize for this giveaway!

We Got A Blog Award!

Green Babies Blog gave MY GREENING and these other great blogs a Lovely Blog Award:

1. Suzy Q Homemaker

http://www.suzyqhomemaker.com/blog/

Blogs about her family with 4 boys. She makes some beautiful hand sewn and knit items. I especially loved her post on natural childbirth!

2. Green Mamas Pad

http://www.greenmamaspad.com/

A mom of three documenting her journey to going green. She does reviews and giveaways as well as documenting green news.

3. All About Cloth Diapers

http://allaboutclothdiapers.com/

So many cute and informative posts on anything you want to know about cloth diapering and all its accessories!

4. The Simplistic Mom

http://simplisticmom.blogspot.com/

Nominated my blog for this award! She talks about everything from cloth diapers, to sewing, to eco-friendly fridays! All wonderful environmentally friendly tips!

5. Natural Mommie

http://www.naturalmommie.com/

Great giveaways of some fabulous natural products!

6. My Wee View

http://myweeview.com/

A mommy writing great product reviews on all things baby and family!

7. Dirty Diaper Laundry

http://dirtydiaperlaundry.com/

Great cloth diaper giveaways. Many videos on all different kinds of cloth diapers. Also some great babywearing info!

8. The Green Mom Review

http://thegreenmomreview.com/

Great recycled and natural product ideas and reviews for children.

9. The Cloth Diaper Report

http://www.theclothdiaperreport.com/

Great cloth diapering tips and giveaways. Lots on info on diapering accessories, baby wearing, and other earth-friendly products.

10. Green and Clean Mom

http://greenandcleanmom.org/

Great green ideas for the whole family.

11. My Greening

http://mygreening.blogspot.com/

Lots of eco-friendly giveaways/reviews!!!

12. Modern Organic Mama

http://www.modernorganicmama.com

A mother of three, from Santa Fe not only going green, but trying to save money while doing it. She and her husband are starting a gelato company, mmm….I love Gelato!

13. Mommy Words

http://www.mommywords.com

Cute and funny posts about a mother and her family.

14. 5 Minutes for Going Green

http://www.5minutesforgoinggreen.com/

A blog with the goal to pass on great green ideas to move towards a more sustainable way of life!

15. Our Life Upstate

http://www.ourlifeupstate.com/

A cute blog about family life. She’s a natural mommy and also does some great reviews and giveaways. She’s also a fellow cloth diaperer!!

Don't miss these great giveaways for October:
At Mom Most Traveled:
* 250 Custom Holiday Greeting Cards(ends 10/11)
* Nature Valley Prize Pack (ends 10/11)
* Kids Lunch Box Cards(ends 10/12)
* The Zula Patrol DVD set(ends 10/14)
* Care Bears DVD (ends 10/14)
* Doodlebops DVD (ends 10/14)
*Fodor's Guidebooks, 5 winners (ends 10/16)
* Eileen Goudge Novels (ends 10/16)
* Wooden Toy giveaway, open worldwide (ends 10/18)
* Family tickets to Warren Miller's Dynasty (ends 10/19)


At Katydid and Kid:

• Marcal Small Steps Paper Starter Kit {ends 10/19}
• $150 Gift Certificate to The Campus Quilt Co. {ends 10/18}
• Freshwater Lavender Pearl Necklace ($115) {ends 10/12}
• Fair Trade Halloween Chocolate from Taraluna {ends 10/11}

Seasonal:
A Nut in a Nutshell- Good Witch/ Bad Witch Necklace (10/ 15)
Wubzey Goes Boo! DVDs (4 winners) at superdumb supervillain (10/14)

Want a Wii?

Christian Personal Finance celebrating their 2 year "blog birthday" by giving away a Nintendo Wii and an iPod nano (8GB)! The giveaway ends tonight (Thursday 6/4)! Go here to enter.

Other great giveaways on the web:

* UV protective Baby Legs from Mom4Life (ends 6/4)

* Hip-T (ends 6/7)

* printed personal photo on a 16x20 gallery wrapped canvas (ends 6/9)

* $100 Gift Certificate to Eyebuydirect.com (ends 6/17)

Great Contests Around The Web

Giveaways At Mom Most Traveled:
* Lady Bug Pod by Boon (ends 5/15)

* Cystex OTC UTI medicine (ends 5/18)

* Evenflo Big Kid Amp Booster Seat (ends 5/19)

* 500 Custom Postcards (2 winners ends 5/20)

* Polliwalks (5/21)

* European Playground CD (2 winners ends 5/22)

• Vintage Style Hostess Apron {ends Saturday May 23rd}
• Vera Bradley Houndstooth Brown Toggle Tote {ends Thursday May 21st}

Win a Green Diaper Bag

Go Natural Baby Blog strives to bring you earth-friendly info to help you and your family be green!
Ever on the lookout for great, eco-friendly companies, Go Natural Baby Blog wants to give you a chance to win another this tres chic Fleurville Re-Run™ Mod Pod Changing Tote from Nubius Organics. The Fleurville Re-Run™ Mod Pod Changing Tote is ideal for quick trips when you don't want to be loaded down by your enormous diaper bag.
But, really, I think this Mama could use one of these for a cosmetic bag (don't tell my baby, Deeds!).
This Changing Tote is something a fashionista wouldn't mind sporting, and it is also eco-friendly, weighing in at 100% PVC-free
Each Changing Tote keeps three plastic bottles out of our landfills.
Two winners get to take their pick of Botanical Azure or Khaki Berry Ogo.

Contest sponsor Nubius Organics have also offered a coupon code for 15% off your next purchase. Just type in ECO15 at checkout.

I pretty much want one of each product at Nubius Organics. Look at these cool bamboo bowls!

To enter to win your earth-friendly Changing Tote, visit Go Natural Baby Blog by December 14th and leave a comment on their post about your favorite product from Nubius Organics!

Win Fun Stuff! Tea Party Extravaganza!

It’s Tea Party Week at Mom Most Traveled! Enter here for your chance to win a Baby-G watch from Casio!

The Tea Party Week fun continues at Mom Most Traveled! Enter here for your chance to win a Barely Bamboo hoodie from Bamboosa!

Check back throughout the week for giveaways at Mom Most Traveled, Superdumb Supervillain, Katydid and Kid, Fractured Toy, and 7 Clown Circus!

Go Natural Baby Giveaway

Win over $400 worth of eco-friendly products for your baby! Go Natural Baby has partnered with some great companies to offer one lucky winner some fabulous eco-friendly products.

One lucky winner will receive:

• Go Natural Baby’s organic cotton kimono set, matching blanket, and washcloth set. (winner’s choice of size and color)

I think Deeds looks adorable in his Zah Organics ™ Signature Kimono from Go Natural Baby (the very outfit you could win!)! Jojo is wearing a cute and comfy Hawthorne T-Shirt and a pair of Coco Pants from Zah Organics. I love my snuggly organic babies!

Also included in the prize is:

• 3 pairs of Isabooties


• An activity gym from Cariboo.


• One Belle Baby Carrier from their organic/hemp line.

To enter, just fill out the form! Enter Here!

Hurry! This contest ends November 11, 2008. Valid for shipping addresses in the United States.

Win a Flip Video at Skimbaco Lifestyle

I have been trying to get my hands on a Flip Video for ages. And by "get my hands on" I mean legally obtain without purchasing.

Now I can MAYBE win one from Skimbaco Lifestyle blog!

Go enter!

Giveaway closes November 5th!

Giveaway at Laney Pottery

Please visit LaneyPottery.com to see the Pottery Apple Bakers for yourself.

Laney Pottery is giving away a set of 4 pottery apple bakers!

Go enter to win!

The contest will close on November 2, 10 pm EST!

Laney Pottery has lots of beautiful hand made items. I kind of want them all.

Nalgene Goes BPA-Free!

I am a traveler. There was a time when no self-respecting backpacker would be caught without a Nalgene bottle dangling from a carabiner on the side of his or her pack.
If you were REALLY hip, you used the same Nalgene bottle ALL THE TIME and personalized it with stickers that referenced obscure places, bands, or eco-clubs.
When the news about the possibly harmful side effects of BPA in plastic food containers came out, I didn't want to take any risks with my health, so I tossed all of my BPA plastics, including offending sippy cups, baby bottles, and my beloved sports bottles.

I was so excited to learn that Nalgene has a line of BPA-free bottles! I am proud to say that we have a set for the whole family!

Nalgene bottles are made in the USA, are indestructible, and are taste & odor free, so you can enjoy your drinks without that yucky tainted plastic smell.

The BPA-free bottles include:

The 32-oz "everyday" bottle, that my husband drinks coffee out of (kind of weird, I know...).
The Everyday retails for $11.50.


The OTG has a handy flip-top lid and holds 24 ounces of BPA-free hydration! The Nalgene OTG retails for $11.99.


My FAVORITE new BPA-free offering from Nalgene are these adorable Grip-N-Gulp bottles! It is the convenience and spill-proof qualities of a sippy cup, but the Grip-N-Gulp looks a lot more "grown up" than a standard sippy.


Both of my boys love using the Grip-N-Gulp. When we first got it, I removed the valve because it was almost too difficult to drink through. Even without the valve, there is very little leakage. At $9.25, I think the Grip-N-Gulp is a great value for a BPA-free kid's cup!



The first day I took the Grip-n-Gulp out on the town with us to run some errands, I left it in on the counter of the grocery store while I was checking out!

Luckily a friend of mine had seen me in the grocery store and realized what had happened when they saw my abandoned bottle. I was glad to be reunited with our Grip-N-Gulp! I was so afraid my son would be devastated if it was lost!

Nalgene is giving away a set of all 3 BPA-Free bottles mentioned in this post (ARV 32.75)!

To enter, tell me another product you would like to have from Nalgene!

For a second entry, leave another comment telling me how you would use your 3 BPA-Free Nalgene bottles.

One winner will be chosen at random.

This giveaway will close on November 1, 12 midnight CST!


*Giveaway closed! Congrats to Olga!*

Giveaway Alert: Earthwise Kids Book Pack

The Go Natural Baby blog is hosting a giveaway for a jute tote bag stuffed with three children's books from Earthwise Kids about protecting the earth.

I am always looking for ways to teach my children to value and conserve the earth's resources!

To enter, visit Go Natural Baby blog and leave a comment on the giveaway post with suggestions for improving Earthwise Kids' website.

The giveaway ends Friday November 7th.

Huge Handmade Giveaway Alert!

I love handmade giveaways, mostly because I don't have very many crafty skills of my own. Sure, I can make stain glass windows, but those aren't the best "hand made gift". And do my children appreciate them? No.

Over at Indie Fixx, there's a HUGE array of handmade goodies up for grabs in the Autumn Cornucopia giveaway.

There are not ONE but TWO prize packs filled with indie and handmade stuff.

There are two ways to enter.
1). Blog about the contest.
OR
2.) Post the link of where you found the contest (as in, this blog post).
If you enter with #2, we BOTH win!

You can enter more than once, too, so if YOU blog this contest after entering, let me know and I will re-enter using YOU as my link. Got it?

Also mention your favorite product sponsor in your comment and in your blog post.

I am already a fan of Sublime Stitching and would love to have some new patterns from Jenny Hart! Chronicle Books also has some great crafty reads up for grabs!

Go enter the giveaway HERE!
Be sure to copy and paste the URL for this post to tell them "My Greening" sent you!

A Thoughtful Gift

I definitely want to "simplify" this Christmas, but one area in which I feel pressure to meet expectations is in giving gifts to my in-laws.

My in-laws don't have the same eco-friendly, simple living values that I do, so it makes it hard for me to choose a frugal, earth-friendly gift because I am afraid it won't be appreciated.

It dawned on me that a photo book would be a meaningful, personal gift for just about any close friend or relative!

Right now, there is a holiday giveaway over at Go Natural Baby Blog, where you can have a chance to win one of THREE coupon codes good for a free photo book from inkubook.com! The winner gets their choice of style/page count of an Inkubook photo book AND free shipping.

Wouldn't it be nice to win and cross one gift off of your "to buy" list?

The contest closes Friday, October 31, 2008!

Mexican Sugar Skulls

I have long been a fan of Mexican folk art that celebrates El Dia De Los Muertos, or The Day of the Dead. This special holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to remember friends and relatives who have died.

The celebration occurs on the 1st and 2nd of November. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, cleaning graves, and visiting graves with these as gifts.

This week, a family owned company, Mexican Sugar Skulls (www.MexicanSugarSkull.com) is teaming up with my favorite source for organic baby clothes to offer a great Dia De Los Muertos prize pack at Go Natural Baby Blog!

You can enter to win $59 worth of prizes, including a sugar skull kit, complete with skull molds, and a Day of the Dead tote bag!

To enter, visit this post on the Go Natural Baby Blog and leave a comment according to the instructions provided!

The deadline is October 17th, so you will be receiving your prize in time for some Halloween fun with your family!

Go Win A High Chair..

If you want to WIN A HIGH CHAIR , you should be over at Berrie Sweet Picks RIGHT NOW!

Go! Before October 7!!

Craftsbury Kids

Craftsbury Kids is an amazing selection of handmade treasures for children!

On their web page they describe their philosophy; it's like they can read my mind:

:: A breath of fresh air in a gadget-filled world. ::
Your Source for the Best in Handmade & Independent Design for Kids.

Let your senses revel in the smooth feel of real wood toys, the fine hand of natural fiber baby knits, the beauty of a hand-embroidered piece. In an industry that is over-run with shoddily-made gizmos and gadgets your child doesn't need, take comfort in our carefully handcrafted classic wooden toys, natural fiber dolls, cozy knits, and thoughtful books. A large toy room and nursery full of things may seem impressive, but a small collection of truly useful and beautiful possessions will see far more use, and prove worthy enough to be handed down to the next generation.

Bestill my heart, they are having a giveaway!!



Craftsbury Kids has a new Shopping Section, and is
bigger and better than ever with over 70 artist partners
and counting! To celebrate, we're giving away this
fun-filled prize package worth over $290 -generously
contributed by various Craftsbury Kids artists- to one
lucky person! Enough goodies to treat the kids, and
have some left for gift giving!
Or maybe you'd rather keep them all...

Here's What the Winner Gets!
As shown above from left to right:
Click the links below for more information about the
artists and items:
Gnome Doll by projectgrabbag (one doll, exact style
not pictured), Pumpkin Monster Cape by
Baby Leo Designs, Fox Creature Mask by Abigail Brown,
Itty Bitty Oak Tree by Hi Tree!, Four Pewter Drawer Pulls
by f. is for frank, Owl Bonnet by Beek (size 2-4T),
Spool Doll Family by Erica Daley, Caterpillar Pull Toy
by Brian Driscoll, 'Hello Friend' Print by Marisa Hopkins.

Giveaway Guidelines:
:: There 3 different ways you can enter to win this
amazing prize package:
1- Forward this newsletter to 5 or more of your friends
and CC contest@craftsburykids.com.
2- Blog about our New Section, or some of your favorite
Craftsbury Kids items and/or this contest. Then send a
link to your post to- contest@craftsburykids.com.
2- If you don't have a blog, comment on our blog
at littleida.com about one or two of your favorite
Craftsbury Kids items and why you like them.
:: You have until midnight on Monday, October 6, 2008
to enter. The winner will be randomly chosen and
announced on littleida.com Tuesday October 7th.

Just one of these beautiful handmade items would be amazing to win, but all of them?? I might faint!!

Spooky Halloween Stroller!

Go over to Sister Sister to enter and win a Mutsy Spider!

Leave a comment on the giveaway post according to the instructions provided!

Go Natural Baby: Zah Organics Giveaway!

Over at Go Natural Baby there is a giveaway for the winner's choice of their adorable Keiko Kimono Dress OR Fairfax Vest by zah organics™ (organic cotton).

The Keiko Dress is available in sizes 12 months- 4t and the Fairfax Vest is available in sizes 3 months-4t. A set of organic cotton washcloths will also be included $7.00).

Go enter! Everything is adorable!

Amber Teething Jewlery

A few months ago I saw something in an online store called an "amber teething necklace." I wasn't familiar with the many virtues of amber jewelry, but I was still intrigued.

They are made of Baltic amber beads that when placed against the skin and allowed to warm up release natural oils that are supposed to help soothe the teething pain.

Wearing Baltic amber close to the skin is a traditional European remedy for baby teething. A natural analgesic, amber will help calm a baby without resorting to drugs. Used for centuries in Europe, amber's natural anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties are perfect to soothe teething babies. Amber is fossilized resin, which warms against the skin, releasing it's therapeutic properties safely and naturally.

Personally, I have never tried it on myself or my children, but I am very interested. I thought you guys might like to know that Ohana Mama is having a giveaway for an Amber teething necklace from Inspired by Finn.

I would love to hear from anyone who has used Amber to ease teething pain!

Win One Year of Kiwi Magazine (Not About New Zealand)!

When I first started hearing buzz about Kiwi Magazine, I figured that it was something to do with hippies from New Zealand or something. In case you are confused, I was wrong.

Kiwi Magazine is an organic family lifestyle and parenting publication for "Growing Families the Natural and Organic Way."
Kiwi Magazine has all of the departments that you would expect from a parenting magazine, but with a "green" twist!

Here is a sampling of what Kiwi Magazine has to offer:

• Food and Nutrition: check this article about feeding a family of four healthy, organic food for only $90 a week!
• Family and Pets: learn all about Green School Supplies!
• In the Green Planet section there is an article about gardening with children.
• Topics like choosing natural oral hygiene products are covered in the Health section of Kiwi Magazine.
• The Social Responsibility section particularly excites me. Dig this article about volunteer work that children can do (even a 3-year-old!).
• I love doing crafts; if you know how to crochet, check out the Eco-Craft section and start on your frankenrumi doll. Actually this no-sew poncho is more on my level.
  
• The Book Reviews section is a cornucopia of eco-friendly wisdom on all things from pregnancy to interior decorating.

If the website is this enlightening, imagine what you could do with a one-year subscription to Kiwi Magazine!

I could conquer the world!

Enter to win a one year subscription to Kiwi Magazine!

To enter, visit the Kiwi Magazine website and comment on this post telling me something from Kiwi Magazine Online that you would like to learn more about!

One winner will be chosen by random integer generator.

This giveaway will close on September 10, 12 midnight.

*Congrats to Michelle Maxwell Nebel who said... Ooooh, what a neat magazine! I had not heard of this before, but it sounds like it's right up my alley.

I love the Family+Pets articles I've skimmed so far -- love that they address TV viewing in moderation, and the article about identifying your child's "play style" was excellent!*