Mid Week Blog Hops

Blog Hopping is a great way to meet new bloggers, read and follow interesting blogs and increase the followers of your own blog.  The blogosphere is pretty huge so it's great to find other bloggers with similar thoughts, ideas and themes or learn something new!  If you are new to the blog world or have had a slow start, getting your blog name out there and connecting with other bloggers is an excellent way to build your fan base.  Plus it's fun!

Here are a few blog hops going on today:  click on each button, read the blog post, follow the host(s) on Google Friend Connect, Networked Blogs, Twitter and/or Facebook and leave them a comment so they can follow you back.  Then add your name to the blog hop list by clicking on the text under the list that says "Click Here to Enter"

 

 

The best library of many blog hops every day of the week that I have found is:

http://paisleypassions.blogspot.com/p/blog-hops.html

Check them out and if you host a blog hop, add it to their list!

...And Stay Tuned... I'll be hosting another hop this weekend!!

Happy Hopping!

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!

Helpful things to get your kids through cold season!

Keep Colds at Bay with Natural / Homeopathic Products!

It's definitely that time of year - back to school, cold/windy drab days, exhausted from holiday travel... worn down immune system!  Here are some more natural things to help relieve and prevent those nasty winter colds:

When the cold symptoms start showing up I give my kids Hyland's Cold Relief with Zinc Quick disolving strips.  They are low dose and safe enough for ages 2 and up and easy to give to even the most defiant of toddlers as you just need to get the small very thin strip onto their tongue - it melts away really quickly too!  My kids actually like these a lot so it's not a problem...  I've tried them too and they don't really have much flavor but they don't taste like medicine at all.  I buy them in bulk because we go through the boxes pretty quickly during each cold.  Amazon's price for 8 -is around $5 / box which is much cheaper than I have seen anywhere else.

I am a firm believer in taking multi-vitamins everyday and Yummi Bears makes it fun for the little ones!  These lower-dose fun bear-shaped gummies have great flavor (I've tried these myself too!) and the kids really get excited to take them - even my 2 year old!  Does Not Contain: Yeast, wheat, milk, egg, soy, glutens, salt, artificial colors, artificial flavors, salicylates or preservatives.  At $15.81 for a 200 count bottle ($0.07/gummy) this price is fantastic!  Click here for More Products by Yummi Bears

Germs spread from hands touching germ-filled objects then touching kids mouths are one of the leading causes of colds.  Keep germs at bay with Clean Well Natural Hand Sanitizer.  When you can't wash your hands, these pocket-sized spray bottles do the trick - Naturally!  I absolutely love this product and carry the small bottles in my purse, backpack, diaperbags, stroller pouch and have one at the office too!  The scent is a little woodsy but what I really love is that they don't leave your hands tasting of alcohol like most hand sanitizers.  At $11.00 for a six pack ($1.87 / oz) this is a great price for germ / cold prevention!

For more Homeopathic/natural remedies, check out Sprout's Green Store

Bell Well!

Green your YEAR! ...v2011

Happy New Year! Let's resolve to make it a GREEN one!

Every New Year we all make resolutions to make our year better, healthier, happier... how about making it Greener as well!  This year I resolve to discover new ways to live more eco-friendly and support my local producers of eco-friendly products and organic food.  I also resolve to share these ideas and information more with family, friends and fellow bloggers, tweeps and followers!  I hope to blog more often and start building my other blog, "Made in My State", all about going local and learning about the products that are made in each of the 50 States to help us all go local!  I also plan to start a new website that I am keeping secret for now but it will promise a great, fun service for kids and parents. (I'll keep you posted!)

So now, to get ideas for future blog posts, I am asking my readers to post comments on how you all plan to be GREENER in 2011...  I will select as many comments as possible to highlight in future blog posts so give me some interesting comments!!  ALSO, just to encourage more posts, I will throw in a GIVEAWAY too!

On January 15 (9pm EST), I will randomly select one post to receive a bundle of Sustainable Earth note pads from Staples and pack of recycled pens and pencils.  All you have to do is follow this blog on Google Friend Connect, Networked Blogs or Twitter and leave a comment answering the question above: How do you plan on being Greener in 2011?

Please pass this on - tweet, post, share, etc... to get as many comments as possible.
Thanks so much for following me over the past year and to new followers: Welcome - we're glad you joined us!!

Happy GREEN 2011!

Giveaway is closed - the lucky winner is... #16, Jess and the boys!

Thank you all for your comments.  Stay tuned as I will use your comments throughout the year!

BlogHopPalooza!

Join the Month-long Mega Blog Hop: BlogHopPalooza!


This is a fantastic way to find new blogs to follow AND increase your readers as well.  It's a new year so it's a great time to gain some new friends and learn some new things from their blogs.  And it's a MONTH long hop so bookmark and come back often to find more blogs to follow as this list will increase greatly over the month. (Thank you Mommying On The Fly!)

Your 5 Blog Hostesses:
Mommying On The Fly
Life With Twins and Multiples
Family Organic
The Thompson Twins
TwinHappy

Just a few suggestions to keep the party going smoothly... and ensure it serves it's purpose... (finding new blogs, making new friends, and getting a few great, loyal followers... OH and that ever so coveted.... comment love... let's not forget THAT.. lol)

Please:

1. Follow the first 5 blogs..if you already follow them, follow a few other blogs!
2. Leave a comment letting us know you followed... so that we may follow back ... (=
3. Feel free to add the badge on your site...
4. Feel free to blog about it and add linky... After all it is about spreading the word...
5. Follow others, leave them comments and have a blast!!!!






<br /> <a href="http://mommyingonthefly.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll269/peekab00o/th_2010out-1.jpg" /></a>

12 Days of GREEN! Day 12: Reuse Holiday Cards

Day 12: Reuse the Holiday Cards!

Instead of throwing away all the paper holiday cards you received this year, reuse them to make gift tags for next year's gifts!  Cut the card cover or any portion of the decorative graphics into the shape of a gift tag (any size, shape is good) - punch a hole in one end and thread some used ribbon or string through the hole.  Check out this site for more instructions and slide show: (Thanks, Inhabitots!)
http://www.inhabitots.com/how-to-recycle-holiday-cards-into-next-years-gift-tags/

Here is another idea for reusing holiday cards and ribbon to make decorations for next year (Thanks Craftstylish.com!):
http://www.craftstylish.com/item/28902/how-to-recycle-old-holiday-cards-into-garland

And if you just want to get rid of your cards here's another idea: Donate them to St. Jude's Card Recycling Program:
http://www.stjudesranch.org/help_card.php

You send your greeting cards (for any holiday) to St. Jude's and they turn the covers into new cards available for purchase!  Just make sure there is no writing on the cover (they can only use the cover) and they cannot use cards made by Hallmark, Disney or American Greeting cards.  5" x 7" size or smaller is preferred.

You can mail your donations to: St. Jude's Ranch for Children
Recycled Card Program
100 St. Jude's Street
Boulder City, NV 89005

(Thanks, Green Kids! http://www.greenkidsusa.com/?p=618)

Got any other ideas?  List them in the comments section below.
Thanks and hope you enjoyed the 12 Days of GREEN!!

12 Days of GREEN! Day 11: Green your Table - part 2!

Day 11: Green what you put on the table!

'Tis the season for cookies, treats, casseroles and roast beast!  It's inevitable and just an integral part of great family meals and holiday parties. Try to green what you put on the table AND what you eat by balancing all the great holiday foods with some great seasonal veggies.  Maybe using a veggie or two that you don't normally serve will make it more festive.  I personally love sauteed brussel sprouts!  I hated them as a kid, but then again they were always boiled, soggy and bland!  I went to a Mario Batali restaurant several years ago and had the most amazing sauteed brussel sprouts with shaved pecorino cheese that completely changed my attitude toward the the little mini cabbages!  I recreated the dish and often serve it as a side when the sprouts are in season or on sale and also for my family during the holidays.  Everyone loves them!  Here's what I do:
Get fresh brussel sprouts - firm and clean looking and slice them 1 or 2 times to form thick slices.
Sautee them in a hot pan or wok with a tablespoon of butter or 2 Tbspns of olive oil and 1 large clove of garlic, minced.  Saute over high heat about 5 mins or so, making sure to brown the brussel sprouts (those who watch Food Network as often as I, til they are caramelized) to bring out the good nutty flavor.  Add salt and pepper to your taste.  When done, sprinkle in about 1/4 cup minced or grated pecorino cheese (more or less depending on your taste but remember that these cheeses are more salty so don't add too much salt).  You can also substitute parmesano-romano or assiago cheese.  Toss in and serve.  To add a festive touch, you can also add toasted pine nuts (my fav!) or toasted hazelnuts - this really brings out the nuttiness of the brussel sprouts!

If you have a great veggie recipe that you like to serve around the holidays, please leave a comment below to share!

Thanks and HAPPY GREEN HOLIDAYS!!!

12 Days of GREEN! Day 10: Green your Table!

Day 10: Green Your Holiday Table - Part 1

As many of us celebrate the Holidays with family and friends, there are sure to be parties and gatherings with lots of food and treats.  One way we can reduce waste is to eliminate the need for paper and plastic products that get used once and thrown away.  Set out reusable plates, cups and utensils or purchase recycled products that can be recycled again or are biodegradable.  If you don't have enough of your own dishes to use and need to buy disposable ones, Preserve makes a great line of products made from recycled materials.  They have very sturdy plates and utensils and fantastic cups that you can wash and reuse. And they also come in great bright colors to make your table look festive! You can find them at your local Whole Foods (or if your party is next week, you can order them here).  Please reuse whenever possible!

        

Enjoy your Holidays!!