Organic Baby Stuff SALE ALERT!

Today is an exciting day at one of my favorite organic baby and children's clothes stores, Go Natural Baby!

Firstly, I have my very own guest post on the Go Natural Baby Blog! Go check it out, and maybe even leave a comment or "digg it" to make it seem like I have fans *wink*.


Also, there is a HUGE BLOWOUT SALE staring today, with 40-50% off of organic baby bedding, blankets, some clothing items, and dolls!
Personally I'm drooling over this adorable Organic Cotton Baby Doll by Sckoon, which is now only $6.00!!!

Go shopping to your heart's content using coupon code: joy at checkout (stock up for Christmas and future baby showers!) Be sure to save me one of those dolls though...

Also on sale are these amazing fair-trade baskets, hand-woven in the historical town of Bolgatanga, Ghana in West Africa.

The Gathering Basket, pictured with Deeds, is now only $15! These baskets are truly works of art. You can feel the quality as soon as you wrap your fingers around the leather handle.

The pail shaped basket is also on my list; at only $13.20 I cannot pass this up!

I saw baskets similar to this at Whole Foods Market one time for about $40!

Jojo wanted one then, but I said "DON"T TOUCH THAT!" (I'm always afraid that high prices might be contagious; I can hardly shop there without hyperventilating). Now he has one from Go Natural Baby, so he shouldn't be traumatized.

Besides the attractive design, this basket is woven of soft elephant grass fibers. The handle is wrapped in hand-tanned leather. It smells like an open field on a breezy spring day. It is a piece of art!
Sometimes my desire for a good bargain meets conflict with my desire for high quality, eco-friendly, and socially conscious products. Things like this beautiful basket push me closer to the good.

At Go Natural Baby's online store you can find Fair Trade and organic cotton clothes for babies and children up to 4T.

This mama-owned company is “bringing the richness of organic cotton and the values of fair trade into the lives of our children”. What a worthy goal!

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!*

Go Green: Back to School

MyHealthySchool.com provides teachers, administrators and parents with action plans for creating greener, healthier, more socially responsible schools and children. As a result of this combined effort, our children will learn how to make decisions that benefit their communities, the environment and their own lives.

Sponsored in part by Kiwi Magazine, MyHealthySchool.com offers a wealth of resources for helping your school (and your student) to go green one step at a time. You can find a list of green school supplies (Office Depot brand folders make the cut!), advice on starting a school garden, starting a recycling program at your school, tips on packing a healthy lunch, and a waste free lunch guide.

Teachers and parents can also find ideas for how to teach concepts of social responsibility (and why it is important)! I find that children love to be a part of a cause and are usually very eager to do what they can when they learn about recycling or fair trade. There are also some free download able activities for kids from Kiwi Magazine.

You can send your child back to school in an organic cotton or hemp school uniform from Kid Bean. Don't forget a backpack made from recycled drinking bottles, and your little scholar will be on his or her way to saving the earth!

Adiri Natural Nurser

My baby is VERY happy, because today we started using Adiri Natural Nurser Baby Bottles. We still nurse, but increasingly there have been times that we need to be apart for short periods, including when I am at work part-time. When I am away from him, I don't want him to be entirely dependent on my return to give him nourishment. I snack between meals a lot myself!

What is good about Adiri?

• 100% polycarbonate-free and BPA-free
• beautiful design
• easy to fill and prepare for use
• includes cover to protect nipple from dirt and germs
• dishwasher safe
• Adiri bottles are shaped like a mother's breast!

My son adores using Adiri bottles. I was so excited to try them that I gave him a bottle of water. He started to drink it and then stopped and smiled at me! He happily began to "milk" the bottle with his hands while he continued to "nurse" on the Adiri.

I have often wondered why baby bottles to not resemble an actual breast in any way. Do a lot of people have 2-inch long nipples shaped like pencils? (that was a rhetorical question; no show of hands, please). An Adiri bottle would make the transitions between breast and bottle feeding seamless and interchangeable. It's revolutionary.

Proud Green Mama Moment

Last week my 3 1/2-year-old son was quietly busy outside for a good while. Eventually he told me to come outside and see what he had been working on.
He used all of his little toy garden tools (which are metal, so they are actually functional).
He carefully took this small flower out of it's flower pot....
and he "planted" it! I was so touched, and very very proud.