Get a Free Kids Konserve Reusable Lunch Tote!

Annie's Homegrown has teamed up again with Kids Konserve to help eliminate lunchtime trash at school!  They are giving away One free 100% recycled cotton Kids Konserve reusable lunch sack is available with TWO PROOFS OF PURCHASE from any of the following companies’ eligible items: Annie’s Homegrown (any item), Honest Kids (8-pack carton or 64oz. bottle), Seventh Generation (disinfectant sprays and wipes), OR Stonyfield YoKids Organic Yogurt (yogurt 6-pack or 4-pack, or Squeezers). Products must be purchased between August 1, 2012 and October 31, 2012.

If you have more than one kid you can get up to 3 free bags (as long as you have 2 receipts / barcodes for each bag)!

All you have to do is go to the following weblink, fill out the form and send along with the TWO required proofs of purchase per lunch sack in the form of an original receipt with products listed or a physical cut-out of the UPC barcodes from any TWO of the above qualifying packages, to: Annie's Lunch Sack, 1610 Fifth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710. Offer good in U.S and Canada only. Limit three lunch sacks per household or address. Must be 18 years or older. Supplies are limited to 15,000 bags. Offer expires October 31, 2012 or while supplies last. Allow 8-10 weeks for delivery.

http://www.annies.com/backtoschool

What products are eligible?
You'll need to purchase any TWO items from the following companies’ eligible items: Annie’s Homegrown (any item), Honest Kids (8-pack carton or 64oz. bottle), Seventh Generation (disinfectant sprays and wipes), OR Stonyfield YoKids Organic Yogurt (yogurt 6-pack or 4-pack, or Squeezers). The two items can be from the same company as long as they are qualifying items.






Need to buy these products: Click below.

 

Stock up the pantry with these organic deals!

Organic products make far less impact on the Earth as no synthetic pesticides fertilizers or antibiotics are used and no chemicals are added to the food afterwards. It means less pollution in your world and in your body. Organic goes further towards giving you what nature intended--clean, pure, and real food.  Amazon.com offers hundreds of great organic products at fantastic prices, especially small bulk items to fill your pantry in preparation of the new school year!

Here are a handful of products at some amazing prices to get your school year off to a great start:

• Nature's Path Organic Mesa Sunrise Cereal, 10.6-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 6) only $14.22 - grab this now while supplies last!


• Annie's Homegrown Organic Vegan Fruit Snacks Variety Pack 24 Pouches only $12.91 


•  Earth's Best Kidz Organic Apple Sauce Cup, 6-Count 4-Ounce Units (Pack of 6)  $18.35 when ordered thru Subscribe and Save


• Cascadian Farm Organic Chewy Granola Bar, Chocolate Chip, 6-Count Boxes (Pack of 6) $21.03 when ordered thru Subscribe and Save 


• Barbara's Bakery Puffins, Peanut Butter & Chocolate, 10.5-Ounce (Pack of 4) only $13.76 when ordered thru Subscribe and Save

 

Little Miss and Mr Steel Waterbottles new at Amazon

We love the Little Miss and Little Mr. characters and books  by Roger Hargreaves so I was so excited to find that Amazon.com is now selling these adorable steel water bottles!  These 20 ounce durable bottles are stainless steel and include a carbiner to attach to backpacks. Steel water bottles reduce the need to purchase disposable containers and can be reused many many times.  The steel is not only durable, but helps to keep beverages cool longer.  But most of all, who can resist the adorable designs of these bottles!  Amazon's prices are also right on the mark - similar water bottles range in price from $14-18 but if you are an Amazon.com Prime member, you get free shipping!

Here is more of the collection - get yours today and send your kids to school with some personality!

    
     

Amazon's Back to School Event - don't miss these deals!

 
Amazon.com's Back to School Event has everything they need to furnish dorm rooms, stock up on school supplies, dress kids in style and more.  You will find a wide selection of offers in clothing, books, electronics, musical instruments, books, supplies, storage, and other stores. Amazon has all the greatest products at the best prices and quick shipping to get you ready for the new school year! Check out these links for all the best deals and make sure you get everything on your back to school or end of summer lists:

Here are the links:

 Shop Amazon - Back to School - K12 School Essentials

 

Green your School Routine: Eco-Friendly Supplies Giveaway #1

Green your School Routine!

It's back to school time - time to get organized and get the tools and supplies necessary for class.  Get yourself or your student ready to Green the School Routine with this Eco-friendly Back to School Giveaway bundle!  This prize pack includes Sustainable Earth Notebooks by Staples®, 1 - 8 1/2"x11" and 1 - 9 1/2" x 6", 1 dozen recycled pencils, recycled red pen and black retractable pen.

Here's how to enter:

Mandatory:  You must follow me on GFC (Google Friend Connect) or Networked Blogs - please leave a comment below stating that you do with your email address to contact you if you win.  Giveaway ends 9/9 at midnight EST.  Winner will be selected by random.org.

Extra Entries (each one = 1 entry unless otherwise stated):

• Follow me on Twitter (@sprout5) - leave a comment with your twitter name
• Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment below with your post address (tweet once every 6 hours only - don't want anyone ending up in Twitter Jail!) Sample Tweet:

@sprout5 #Giveaway! Green Your School Routine! enter to win now sprout5.blogspot.com ends 9/9 PLS RT

• Like Sprout's Green Family on Facebook
• Sign up for my email newsletter (on right sidebar) - leave a comment stating you did along with your email address
• Follow along on Networked Blogs (if you used GFC as your mandatory entry) - leave a comment stating you are with your profile name
• Follow me on Blog Frog
• Refer a friend! Have your friend sign up to follow Sprout's Green Family on GFC and leave a comment with your friends GFC name - worth 2 comments!
• Purchase anything from Sprout's GREEN Store and leave a comment tell what you purchased - worth 6 extra comments!!!(just leave 5 separate comments stating what you purchased and number each one)

Disclaimer:  I did not receive any compensation for this giveaway or review of product - this is just me trying to boost my blog by giving away free stuff!  If you have a product you would like me to review and/or have items to giveaway, I am  more than happy to discuss with you - please contact me by email

Thank you!
*~Sprout~*

Five for Friday - 5 places to save some Green on Back to School Clothes

It's a new school year so it's that time again to shop for new clothes (new styles or new sizes!), shoes and gear...Back to school can be so expensive, but it doesn't have to be.  Most stores have to be competitive this time of year and the results are great deals, sales and special promos.  There are many places online to get children's clothes for a lot less whether it is through a daily deal site or using promo codes - I can usually find much better deals online than in the actual stores.
Here are my top 5 picks to save this school year:

1. Thredup - the only clothing swap site!
I discovered Thredup last year as a way to get rid of all the out-grown but still in great condition kids clothes that were piling up in the closet.  It was a very quick and easy way to give a box of clothes away  (and my boxes went really fast!).  Then I decided to try picking a few boxes for myself and found a few boxes that sounded great - when they arrived I was so excited!  And so was my 2-year old who jumped for joy then proceeded to try everything on... all at once!  This was WAY more fun than going to the thrift shop and digging through tables and racks covered with not-so-exciting used clothes.

Thredup is super easy to use... and it's FREE to sign up - and if you sign up with my link here  (http://www.thredup.com/CarmichaelNitzky69564) you will get a $10 credit.  All you'll  ever pay for basic swapping is $5 + ($10.95) shipping per box of kids clothes. At more than ten items per box, that's like $1.50 per item. No hidden charges. No recurring fees. And they will arrive in about 2-3 days!


2. Cookie's Kids - the #1 source for school uniforms
If your kids go to a school that requires a uniform or a set dress code, then Cookie's Kids Department Store is the best place to find incredible deals!  They even make it easy for you to get the right uniforms with their School Locator Link - you can search for your school and they will provide you with a list!  Cookie's Kids also sells a great selection of brand name regular clothes, play clothes, accessories, shoes, backpacks and even toys.  At CookiesKids.com, you’ll always be able to find the latest children’s fashion and great gifts for any occasion. The clear product pictures and descriptions ensure you’ll always know what you’re getting. They will even help you find matching outfits with the click of a button. They also have very frequent online promotions, deals and giveaways so you'll save even more! Check them out and make sure your kids have all the essentials and more to go Back to School!


3.  Totsy...Where the savvy mom shops!
Totsy offers moms on-the-go and moms-to-be access to brand-specific sales, up to 70% off retail, just for them and the kids, ages 0-7.  Totsy lists great deals on top name brands of clothing, gear, toys, books and everything young kids and moms need and each sale lasts 48-72 hours.  It's a members only site so if you aren't a member already, sign up now here
Totsy is the first company in private sales to take on sustainable and socially responsible initiatives in all areas of business. With every purchase you make through Totsy, they will plant one tree in the name of your child to help reduce the effects of deforestation.

4. Zulily - Daily Deals for Moms, babies and kids
Zulily  is another great limited time deal site that I Love! It's a new online store offering daily sales events on top-quality apparel, gear and other goodies for moms, babies and kids. They carry the best brands at the lowest prices and have many sales events every day so you have more to choose from. Members enjoy savings of up to 90% off retail prices.  They have several deals every day and each deal lasts 72 hours.  The savings potential is huge so check them out now:  http://www.zulily.com/invite/jnitzky353



5.Amazon.com's Back to School department
Check out Amazon's Back to School Page for the latest deals and promotions for all things needed for Back to School.  They have some great buys on brand name clothes plus they have everything else - backpacks, books, supplies, shoes, accessories, lunch boxes, lunch food items... the list goes on and on!  (Also see my post on current grocery deals from Amazon... http://sprout5.blogspot.com/2011/08/back-to-school-grocery-savings-at.html )

Hope you will check out these deals and other deals also found in my left sidebar ad blocks or find coupon codes here: http://www.couponchief.com/users/sprout

HAPPY FRIDAY!

#Ecomonday: Green your School Routine: Lunch Bags + 3 day deal!

Green Your School Routine is my version of Back to School implementing eco-friendly products and ideas to help make going green easier for families and kids.  I will be doing informative posts all month long with great products, ideas, deals and giveaways to help Green your back to school routine!

Lunch boxes and bags are a great way to reduce waste and are a fun way for kids to show their personality.  It is important to reduce/eliminate the amount of waste we produce as well as our impact on the planet.  I have read that the average student generates 67 pounds of school lunch packaging waste a year! This can be greatly reduced by bringing lunch in reusable containers and bags.  It's even easier than ever now to go green at lunchtime with the vast array of great eco-friendly products on the market today.  These are some of my favorite eco friendly lunch bags/boxes:


What I really love about Kids Konserve products is that they are high quality materials and very durable - we have had the Insulated lunch bag and the waste free lunch kit for over a year now and they have really held up - still look new and are so easy to clean!  I use baking soda to remove any stains but otherwise use dish soap to clean dishes and wash the cloth bags and napkins by hand using chemical free laundry detergent.


  
 

Click here for More Eco Friendly Lunch Boxes


OH - and
check out this great deal I found on Mamapedia today:
 
Reusable, Stylish & Food-Safe Bags from Re-pac for only $11 (50% off)  I love these bags because they are colorful, fun and REUSABLE!  Plus, when you make a purchase through Mamapedia, they donate some of the proceeds to benefit a school of your choice!!  
Click here:
http://deals.mamapedia.com/deals/re-pac-bags-back-to-school?ref_data=re-pac-bags-back-to-school&ref_id=289556&ref_type=bw3

Hurry - this deal is only on for 3 days!

Also, don't forget to enter my current giveaways... click here to enter

Be Green!

*~ Sprout

Back to School Grocery Savings at Amazon.com!

Here are some great Back to School Savings at Amazon on cereal, snacks and lunch box essentials

Save an extra 30% on Yummy Earth candy sold by Amazon.com. Save 15% when you enter code YUMMYPOP at checkout. Plus, save an additional 15% when you combine the instant rebate with your Subscribe & Save order--bringing your total savings to 30%.
Offer valid through September 15, 2011.
Click here to save on Yummy Earth Organic



Save an extra 25% on a variety of Kellogg's cereal, Pop-Tarts, crackers and more sold by Amazon.com. Save 10% when you enter code KELBTSII at checkout. Plus, save an additional 15% when you combine the instant rebate with your Subscribe & Save order--bringing your total savings to 25%. Offer valid through September 15, 2011.
Click here to Save 25% off Kellogs items



  Save an extra 25% on Annie's Homegrown snacks, packaged meals, cereal and more sold by Amazon.com. Save 10% when you enter code Y7RBIXY3 at checkout. Plus, save an additional 15% when you combine the instant rebate with your Subscribe & Save order--bringing your total savings to 25%. Offer valid through September 15, 2011
Click here to Save on Annies Homegrown products

These are just a few of the deals through Sept. 15 - For more great savings Click here: Back to School Savings at Amazon on cereal, snacks and lunch box essentials

Amazon Student Program

Save BIG with Amazon's Student Program!

Amazon now has another great program to save money and earn FREE PRIME MEMBERSHIP!
Join Amazon Student and get FREE Two-Day Shipping for one year with Amazon Prime shipping benefits, as well as exclusive offers via e-mail. There is no cost to join--sign up by providing your school, major, and .edu address. Not a student? You may still be eligible for a free trial of Amazon Prime.

Click here for more info and sign up for free



Amazon also has a new page to Search easily for all your needed textbooks - you can search by title, author, ISBN or browse by category.  Amazon makes it super easy to find exactly what you want at prices for any student budget!

And don't forget about books for Amazon Kindle - the easy way to carry around a ton of textbooks without the heavy backpack!

Organic Milk on the Go!

I have been ordering Organic Valley White Lowfat Milk 8-ounce cartons from Amazon for over a year now and they have become a staple on our pantry shelf. They provide a very convenient way to give my kids a healthy, organic beverage in their lunches or on the go. I even take them to work with me! I really like the taste - this milk is slightly creamier than regular milk and my kids love it because to them it is like a "milkshake".  Children (and adults) need more vitamin D and calcium in their diets and milk is essential in a healthy diet.  Giving kids a milk box instead of juice box in their lunch is a great way to help them get half of their daily need of milk.  One single serve carton of Organic Valley White Lowfat Milk is 8 oz, and contains 110 calories, 2.5g fat, 8g protein, 25% of recommended daily amount of Vitamin D, 30% of Calcium, 20% Vitamin B12 and 10% Vitamin A.

These milk boxes are produced with aseptic techniques so they do not require refrigeration.  From Organic Valley's website: "Ultra-pasteurization and revolutionary aseptic packaging give this delicious and nutritious beverage its incomparable versatility and freshness. Because they don’t require refrigeration, our shelf-stable milks strike the optimal balance between nutrition and convenience."  So these single serving boxes are perfect for lunches, camping, backpacking, day trips, car trips, or anywhere on the go!

What I really love is the fact that it is organic and hormone free - something I am paying more attention to lately and looking for when buying dairy and meat products. Organic Valley is a company that cares about it's farmers, animals and it's consumers. Their products do not contain pesticides, non-natural fertilizers, synthetic growth or breeding hormones, antibiotics or GMO's (genetically modified organisms). They care about their animals and the land that they graze. When you purchase their products, you can feel good about what you are serving your family and you are supporting farmers who care as well.

A little more about Organic Valley:

• They are a cooperative farmer-owned, Wisconsin based company with co-op farmers across the U.S.
• They have been organic and farmer owned since 1988
• They treat their animals very humanely
• They have and continue to take steps towards sustainable farming, producing, and trading

Amazon.com sells this product at a great price (lower than at my local natural food stores and even large chain stores). I save even more by ordering this through Subscribe and Save - I save an additional 15% AND have the milk delivered to my door every month (you can have it delivered every 1, 2, 3, or 6 months and if you run out and need more you can have it sent on demand!) If you are a busy parent, this is an incredible convenience and I highly recommend ordering this and other commonly used items through Amazon's Subscribe and Save!

So do your kids a favor and send them off with an Organic Valley milk box and feel better about what they are putting into their body!

Happy Friday!

My son, dressed up as
Woody from Toy Story

It's finally Friday and the start of a long holiday weekend!  I am very excited to spend some quality time with the kiddos and hopefully spend a little time blogging!  We are also getting ready to start school next week - my 4 year old will be attending his second year at the West Side Preschool on 105th St.  He really loves it there and has made some really great friends.

So to get ready for school, we bought a new Kids Konserve Insulated lunch bag (which I should receive tomorrow so I will write a review for you all on my site) as well as their Waste-free lunch kit that comes with  2 stainless steel food containers and a water bottle, sandwich wrap and napkin in a handy canvas bag.  Since my son really wanted the Beach lunch bag, I'll use the canvas one for my own lunch.

We also stocked up on his lunch favorites:
Organic Valley Milk
Annie's Homegrown Organic Snack Mix
Annie's Homegrown Bunny Graham Friends
Annie's Homegrown Berry Patch Bunny Fruit Snacks
Pure Bars variety pack - good for adults too!

Don't forget to use the 15% savings codes when ordering these items, found in my previous blog post - good until September 11, 2010.  Plus you can save another 15% when you sign up for Subscribe and Save!
OVALL454 for Organic Valley items
ANNIES55 for Annie's items

Hope you have a great weekend!

Green your School Routine - Eco-friendly Back to School

The start of a new school year is a great time to re-think your family's routine and implement better, more eco-friendly habits.  Reducing lunch time waste should be #1 on the list and eliminating harmful plastics should be right up there as well. Here are some great eco-friendly items to add to your shopping cart - and to make it easy for you, you can click on any image or highlighted text and purchase these items directly from this blog at great Amazon.com prices! 

**As a little bonus, if you make a purchase from my blog (anywhere), you will automatically receive one chance for each item purchased to win a set of 4 aluminum colored water bottles with clips!!  The winner will be selected randomly on Sept. 11 and contacted by email.  If I get many responses, I may just add another bonus!  Once you have made a purchase, please leave a comment below WITH your email address so I can contact you.  This is just my first give-away so sign up to follow me for more! 

UPDATE: FREE BONUS to the first person who makes a purchase through the links on my blog(anywhere on my blog!)

Prize will be 2 Staples 6x9.5" Eco-friendly notebooks and a pair of Paper Mate Biodegradable Mechanical Pencils

Here are some great items to "Green your School Routine!"

Lunch Boxes:


My favorite lunch box system is the Kids Konserve Waste Free Lunch Kit.  This is a perfect collection of everything you need for lunch: recycled cotton sack, cloth napkin, 304 food-grade stainless steel beverage bottle, food kozy and two 304 food grade stainless steel food containers.  These are BPA, Lead and phthalate free, adorable, reusable and even recyclable.  They also come in a Butterfly print and Caterpillar Go Wild (pictured above at top of this blog).

I also like the Kids Konserve Insulated Lunch Sack to keep lunch items cold.  These are the perfect size for kids and adults (12" x 7.5" x 5") and have a handy adjustable strap for easy transport.  The exterior is made from 100% recycled plastic bottles (awesome!) and the inside from eco-friendly, BPA and lead-free insulation.  There is also a pocket on the inside for your reusable napkin, utensils or for an ice pack, like the Kids Konserve Squiggle Sweat-Free Ice Pack.  

These come in Moss and Beach (pictured) colors - I am a little partial to the Beach color, and it's bright color and pattern appeal to kids.


Another eco-friendly lunch box option are the Sugarbooger Lunch Sack.  These are adorably patterned bags made of laminated canvas and fully insulated interior.  They have a handle strap on the top and a hook & loop closure and even have an ID holder.  These are easy to clean and are even  machine washable (line dry).  Measures 10 x 6.5 x 4.5" so they are the perfect size for a kids lunch and will fit easily into their backpack.  Best feature of these lunch sacks are the fun and attractive designs!  Here are some to choose from:
Flutterby - adorable and colorful butterflies!
"You Rock" - girls (pink and artsy) and Boys (blue Guitar Hero)
Vroom - light blue with red cars, buses; Fairies and Berries - pink w/ pretty flowers, little fairies/berries; Outer space, Vintage Alphabet, and Robots (pictured).

Sandwich & Snack Bags:


I really like zip lock bags but I do not like the fact that they are plastic and not biodegradable so even though I reused the zip locks until they could not be used any more, a while back I stopped buying them altogether.  There are many great options now for sandwiches and snacks.
Reusies makes really cute reusable bags in two different sizes, 7.5"x6" and 6"x5" so they are great for sandwiches (larger size) and snacks.  They are made of 100% cotton lined with waterproof nylon and closure is a fold-over flap with Velcro.  They are BPA, phthalate and lead free AND they are made in the USA by a Seattle company!  They have plenty of great designs - many can be found on Amazon.com (or check out reusies.com for the full line).  Some of the designs (many are 2packs) include: Peace Flower, Pirates, Soccer and Baseball (pictured).

Another alternative to plastic bags are the Jaq Jaq Perfect Pouches - these are translucent (so you can see what's inside) and have a zipper closure so they are great for small snacks and other objects.  Free of BPA, phthalate and PVC, these are the closest thing to an eco-friendly zip-lock alternative.  Perfect Pouches are sold in 2-packs - The large size are 10.5" x 12" and the small are 8"x8".  You might want to use the larger size for organizing larger items like writing pads, pencils, crayons, coloring books, eating utensils and even dishes.  The styles include: Blue trimmed clear: small size, Pink Dots, large size, and Airplanes, small sized (pictured)

Eco-Friendly pencils and pads:

I found some really great eco-friendly writing gear on Amazon.com and thought these were great.

O'Bon makes great pencils with recycled newspaper and come in pretty cool designs: Wildlife theme, Fruit theme, Rainbow theme And Colored Pencils in Wildlife theme (pictured).  O'Bon also makes Eco-friendly notebooks made from sugar cane: Apple Notebook, Orange Notebook, Granite themed notebook

ReBinder makes great recycled office/school products that are  ZERO waste products.  They are made of recycled products and are recyclable - they are also an American company and are made by disabled workers.  Some of their products include: 3" 3-ring binder, RePlay CD Case - 25 pack. and Compositions Books

Backpacks:

Here are some of the cutest I found for the younger bunch: Skip Hop has very adorable, very durable backpacks made for pre-schoolers and young elementary students.  They are a NYC based company and their backpacks are all BPA, PVC and Phthalate free.  Features include a write-on name tag inside, a mesh water bottle holder and an insulated pouch for snacks and padded back - size is 10 wide x 11.5 high x 4 deep.  Called "Zoo Packs", some of the styles include:
Bee, Dog, Owl, and Frog (Pictured).  They also have matching lunch bags as well.

Another cute and soft backpack option for the younger kids is the Eco-Snoopers line.  These are made of fabric and include a plush Eco-friend that can attach to the back.  Size is approximately 11.5 x 8.5 x 4.5 inches so they are perfectly sized for ages 3 and up.  Here are some of the characters:

I have a whole collection of related items you can buy for great prices in my Amazon.com Storefront.  Check it out and don't forget about the bonus - it applies to everything in my storefront!

And don't forget to stock up on breakfast & lunch box foods and save up to 30% - see my last post.
Happy School Year!