Is there a map? And a scholarship fund????

Yes, I'm being a bit sarcastic right now. Hopefully this won't be a problem. I've spent approximately 10 hours over the last 3 days contacting different green/ eco friendly companies that would like to participate in a review and/or a giveaway for the wonderful readers I have here at Sarah Simplifies. Know what? In that amount of time you can go through a SERIOUS number of businesses! For the most part these companies are really incredible and very willing to share. Either their products via a review and/or giveaway or a coupon code. I love that so many businesses believe in their products and missions and want to share that.

Now for the down side. In some ways going green can be a) incredibly expensive and b) non-existent in a category you're looking for. It just really makes me angry sometimes. Why is it that doing the healthy, right things for our families should be so difficult- sometimes. (Please don't think this applies all the way around- if you've been reading along with me you'll see that isn't the case). One example that I'll share with you is bedding, beds and mattresses. My daughter is more precious to me than anything in this world and since she was born my journey in going green has stepped up some. As I've mentioned before my daughter is a special needs child and having the healthiest environment for her as a means of making her life easier is of utmost importance to me. Before my daughter was born I was green to the extent of being passionately anti- animal testing and protecting the earth as a whole. I've always been a believer in the concept that we inherit the earth from our children and we're doing a pretty piss poor job of making them proud. Then my sister had my nephew and her whole life did a 180*. She then got became a hardcore organic foodie and lifestyle follower. No toxins in their home. It was pretty easy for us to share information and as a whole our worlds have become greener and more organic.

Now on to the rest of my rant. My daughter needs a new mattress. Really she does- right now her mattress is the one from her crib and its on the floor. Most nights my daughter winds up in my room anyway. That said it would still be really nice for her to have a mattress. Now in my before I knew better days would have headed over to Sam's Club and gotten a mattress for her. I just can't do that now. I completely understand and agree with the fact that we should all be sleeping on organic material mattresses. Have you checked out the prices on those bad boys lately????? Anyone want to help me rob a bank? Just kidding but for a single mom to a special needs child that one isn't very obtainable.

My last rant for the day. My daughter is 6 (she'll be 7 in June). She's a big kid. Not fat like her mommy but big. We're talking 4'3" and her weight is proportionate to her height. She is wearing a size 8 or a 10/12. I'm very picky about clothes fitting nicely, not being short and not having my 6 year old look like she's 36. If you want organic clothing in that size range it is really slim pickings! The things I've found I love (Hello Zehn Naturals!) but its really hard! If you have a baby you can find organic clothing options coming out your ears! Most places go through 4T or 6/6x after that its every man for themselves. I know that manufacturers are slowly but surely realizing that green options are important to consumers- now could they just step it up a bit????

Ok- I'm done with the ranting and raving for now. Thanks for not virtually slapping me! On the really up side of all of this I've come across some really great companies, many completely new to me, that I can't wait to share with you guys either in reviews or giveaways. The fun is just starting!

Lindy's Delights Review & Giveaway

I have another great Etsy giveaway for you! I had the pleasure of trying Lindy's Delights Triple Chocolate Chunk Scones and trust me- it was a pleasure! I made them with my daughters help on Sunday afternoon. It was just one of those kind of gray, rainy, blah kind of days. Baking & tea seemed in order and what goes better with tea than scones?!!!? The scones are super easy to make. Pour mix into a bowl, add cream and vanilla, stir until moist and then kneed on a floured board. After that sprinkle the top & bottom with sugar & pop in a preheated oven.

The scones were SO delicious! We ate them right out of the oven with a bit of butter and cups of tea. I still get such a kick out of my 6 year old drinking tea! She kept on calling them cookies no matter how many times I told her they were scones. We also indulged in them later that night & I ate the last one the next day & they were wonderful each time! (Actually I got in BIG trouble for eating the last one!)

Now for the really good stuff- I have a package of Lemon Poppyseed scone mix for one incredibly lucky Sarah Simplifies reader! Entering is easy peasy & there are many opportunities for extra entries!

Mandatory entry:
This must be done or all other entries will be erased.
Go to Lindy's Delights HERE and take a look around. Come back here and tell me what mix sounds the best to you!

Extra entries:

Extra Entries:
-Become a PUBLIC follower of Sarah Simplifies worth 8 entries (leave 8 comments)
-Blog about this contest and leave a link worth 5 entries (leave 5 comments)
-Follow Sarah Simplifies on Facebook HERE worth 3 entries (leave 3 comments)
-Follow Sarah Simplifies on Twitter HERE worth 3 entries (leave 3 comments)
-Make Lindy's Delights a favorite store if you are an etsy.com buyer worth 2 entry (leave 2 comments)
-Buy something from Lindy's Delights 10 entries (leave 10 comments)(Think Mother's Day- these would be a great gift with some incredible tea mixes or an easy for kids to make with minimum supervision Mother's Day treat!)


Now for the fine print:
The giveaway will end on May 16th. Any comments left after May 16th 11:59PM CST will not be counted
Winner will randomly be chosen from all entries
Winner will be notified on May 17th of their lucky win! They will have 72 hours in which to claim their prize. If the prize in not claimed within that time frame another winner is chosen.

Disclaimer- NO monetary payments were received for this post. A complimentary product/service was provided to facilitate this review. However all opinions expressed are my own. Different people may have different experiences with products and/or the company. I was not compensated in any other way for this review.

Giveaway Roundup!

Here is this weeks list of various giveaways from the blogosphere. Have fun entering them! Its so nice to get something in the mail other than bills isn't it??? :)

-3 kids and Us is giving away an Electrolux & Arm & Hammer Spring Cleaning giveaway HERE

-Ladybug Soup is having a Madeline Movie giveaway HERE

-WAHM Resource Site is having a Princess Couture Designs giveaway HERE

-Freebie Spot is having a I has a hot dog book giveaway HERE

-Mom Start is having a Kate Hines jewelery giveaway HERE

-Crazy House is having a $50 giftcard giveaway to the store of choice from Beso HERE

-Insanity Bliss is having a Scentsy-ble giveaway HERE

-A Wrestling Addicted Mommy is having a Wear What you like giveaway HERE

-Helix Elemental Art Spot is giving away a hot pink heart on ice pendant necklace HERE

-Babies Gotta Have It is having a Marcal Small Steps giveaway HERE

-Simply Stacie is having a Strawberry Kids giveaway HERE

-The Review Stew is having a Uprint Custom Thank you card giveaway HERE

-Redhead Recipes is having a Sparkle paw recipe card giveaway HERE

-Thyme for Herbs is having a birdfeeder giveaway HERE

-Etsymom is having a Wooden Hive giveaway HERE

-Simply Stacie is having an Ecomom giveaway HERE

-Cute Clips & More is giving away a set of vinyl labels HERE

-Mom Start is having a NYC getaway giveaway HERE

-Thyme for Herbs is giveaway a bird feeder & waterer HERE

-Newly Wife is giving away recipe cards & wine charms HERE

-Ladybug Soup is giving away a copy of Ocean between Us HERE

-Return to Sender is having an Alight.com giveaway HERE

-The Poppy Place is giving away a Zhuzhu pet HERE

-Rogue Southern Belle is giving away a Stella & Dot bracelet giveaway HERE

-Embraced Chaos is having a Goodie Books giveaway HERE

-Ladybug Soup is giving away a copy of I has a Hot Dog book HERE

-Happy Healthy Homemade is giving away a Raley's Cookbook HERE

-Mom Start is having a New York Style Giveaway HERE

-Sweep Your State is having a mini scrapbook giveaway HERE

-Mommies With Cents is having a Episencial Giveaway HERE

-Mama Manifesto is having a Innobaby Smart Feeding giveaway HERE

-A Wrestling Addicted Mommy is having a Uprinting brochure giveaway HERE

-Leslie Loves Veggies is having a Fantasy Jewelry giveaway HERE

-Brea's Mommy Went Wickless is giving away a 6 pack of hanging freshners HERE

-Simply Stacie is having a Red Rock giveaway HERE

-Cincinnati Coupons is having a reusable Glambags giveaway HERE

-Newly Wife is having a Happy Together gumball necklace giveaway HERE

-Three Peas in a Pod is having a Fruit2O Essentials giveaway HERE

-Moms Wear Your Tees is having a Golden Moon Tea giveaway HERE

-Katydid and Kid are giving away a hat from Hatagirl HERE

-Mom Start is having a Clarisonic Mia giveaway HERE

-At Home with Books is giving away a copy of Whiter than Snow by Sandra Dallas HERE

-Aubut Family is giving away a Naturepedic mattress HERE

-Freebie Spot is giving away a $25 Macy's giftcard HERE

-Ladybug Soup is giving away a Creativity for Kids book HERE

-Motherhood Moment is having a Breyers Yo Crunch yogurt giveaway HERE

-Mom Start is having a Wilson Cupcake Extravaganza HERE

Earth Day

I've spent a few days trying to figure out how I wanted to address Earth Day. It all started when I read an article last week that was questioning the importance of Earth Day and debating if it is still relevant or not. I know that there are people who don't believe that global warming is occurring and that's their opinion. Even if global warming isn't your motive is there any harm in living a healthier lifestyle- for both you & our planet? I'm a firm believer in what you put out into the universe is returned- both positive and negative. So, before I babble a whole lot more I would encourage you to live every day likes its earth day. Being nice to the earth can result in a happier, healthier, more wealthy you and what's wrong with that?

Circle Creek Home Soaps Review & Giveaway

I don’t know if you remember my post on Etsy from a few weeks ago. If not you can read about it HERE.

Today I have the great pleasure of having Sarah Simplifies first giveaway from an Etsy seller! Circle Creek Home makes some absolutely incredible smelling soaps! John and Brenda the owners of Circle Creek Home are super friendly and really are excited about the product they make and sell. I find it so comforting and am much more inclined to buy something from someone who is passionate about what they do. You can find Circle Creek Home right HERE.

Brenda sent me two bars of Circle Creek Home soap to try, citrus lime-zip and sweet orange clove. Now I have to tell you that my daughter loves getting mail when it gets here and when the soap from Circle Creek Home arrived she came running in yelling “I don’t know what it is but it smells really lishious” (her version of delicious). The soaps come neatly wrapped in waxed paper with personalized, hand stamped labels. As I was doing a sniff test on the soaps my mom decided that she had to try them as she’s a citrus scent fan. I usually cut my soap bars in 2 or 3 pieces anyway. Its an easy way of helping the soap last longer & not losing it down the drain which is just a bummer. I got out a regular kitchen knife to cut the bars and it slid through them like it was butter. A really great sign that there is a nice oil ratio in the soap! What does this mean for you? A soap that is more moisturizing! Gotta like that!

Now for the fun part! Circle Creek Home is giving one very lucky Sarah Simplifies winner 4 bars of Circle Creek Home soap! ALSO, if you buy soap from Circle Creek Home you will receive a FREE bar soap in your choice of scent! In the note to seller box mention that you are a Sarah Simplifies reader and what scent soap you would like for your free bar and it will be included with your order! (This offer lasts for the duration of the giveaway ending on May 9th)

Can’t wait for the giveaway to be done to find out if you’ve won?

Buy it!
Circle Creek Home
(don’t forget to tell them you’re a Sarah Simplifies reader and what scent soap you want as your free bar!)

Win it
Mandatory Entry:
Go to Circle Creek Home and browse around. Come back here and tell me what scent soap you’d like to try. This must be done or all other entries are null and void.

Extra Entries:
-Become a PUBLIC follower of Sarah Simplifies worth 8 entries (leave 8 comments)
-Blog about this contest and leave a link worth 3 entries (leave 3 comments)
-Follow Sarah Simplifies on Facebook HERE worth 3 entries (leave 3 comments)
-Follow Sarah Simplifies on Twitter HERE worth 3 entries (leave 3 comments)
-Make Circle Creek Home a favorite store if you are an etsy.com buyer worth 1 entry (leave 1 comment)
-Buy something from Circle Creek Home 5 entries (leave 5 comments)

Now for the fine print:
The giveaway will end on May 9th. Any comments left after May 9th 11:59PM CST will not be counted
Winner will randomly be chosen from all entries
Winner will be notified on May 10th of their lucky win! They will have 72 hours in which to claim their prize. If the prize in not claimed within that time frame another winner is chosen.

Disclaimer- NO monetary payments were received for this post. A complimentary product/service was provided to facilitate this review. However all opinions expressed are my own. Different people may have different experiences with products and/or the company. I was not compensated in any other way for this review.

Emmett Cooper Haircare Hydration Rinse Review

I was recently given the opportunity to try a product by Emmett Cooper Haircare. I must admit that before I received this item to review it I had never heard of Emmett Cooper Haircare. These products are the result of 2 haircare pros, Emmett Cooper and Naieem Abdool, working together to make a product that they actually wanted to use. They realized that there was a market for haircare products that were made with certified organic ingredients that could work well.

The product that I received to review was the Emmett Cooper Hydration Rinse. I don't just like this product, I absolutely LOVE it! Enough that I'm willing to buy it online (I'm a bit cheap when it comes to ordering online- I hate the whole shipping cost thing!) I might even introduce my beautician to this line and see what she thinks! I have very thick hair. I'm not trying to brag, as its actually a pain more than anything else. Since I have seriously thick hair it often looks weighted down and tends to get oily quickly. I love the way my hair looks when I've conditioned it but hate the it looks the end of the day. Neither of those situations was an issue with the Emmett Cooper Hydration Rinse! Also when I read the label I thought "rinse" and immediately got the idea of a thin, runny product. Nope! This stuff is very thick! It has a lovely fragrance but isn't overpowering and makes my hair look great! I definitely give the Emmett Cooper Haircare Hydration rinse a thumbs up! If you are interested in checking out the Emmett Cooper Haircare Hydration Rinse or any of their other products you can go HERE for the Emmett Copper Haircare website. Check it out! Buy it! You'll like it!

The first step

Somethings its the first step, sometimes its making little changes a habit that stick, sometimes its just declaring you're doing it. I think this applies to anything that you're trying to change in your life. This weekend I had one of those moments of am I going to take the easy way or am I going to do the right thing (the right thing in a going green perspective). It was over a little thing too- it was a quicky reheated pizza dinner and I went to grab paper plates. The thought that paper plates weren't the way to go green entered my mind and there was my hand going back and forth between the 2 different cabinets trying to decide which I was going go with. Easy paper plates or real dishes. I'm glad to say that I finally went with the real dishes. This isn't a huge step forward in going green but it is the subject of my post today because I think anyone who is trying to go green has moments like this. It got me to thinking and the one thing I hear over and over when reading or listening about going green is:
a) one person can make a difference
b) the little things are the things that will make a difference in the long run

So enter some more thinking on my part (man insomnia is a BAD thing sometimes!) and I know I'm not the only person who has the desire to live a greener life. I also know that I'm not the only person who sometimes does better with a bit of motivation or a sense of competition. This got me to thinking about a challenge for Sarah Simplifies readers. I will mention 1 or 2 little changes you can work on making that week. Then its a matter of seeing how well you do making this changes- for a week and then making them a matter of habit. This would of course be a matter of the honor system but I'm sure there is something we can come up with for our best "greenie" of the week, month, etc.

So what do you think? Feel like taking on a challenge?