Don't throw away those pretty Christmas cards!!!

Instead of throwing away all of those pretty Christmas cards from friends and family, cut off the front of the card and use them as gift tags for next year. Depending on the size and design of the card, you can get up to 5 or 6 gift tags per card! This is something my mother has done for years and I always thought was so silly....now I realize that she's had a little bit of "green" in her all along! It won't save the world but it'll save you some money around the holidays and will provide you with lots of unique gift tags.

New Book Suggestion

Pam brought a book that looked interesting to our last Green Meeting. (She got it at her library) Almost Green

Blue Agave

This is one of the wholesome foods that Alyson mentioned in her food presentation so I thought I would give it a try. It is a natural sweetener that can be used in place of regular sugar. Alyson said she used it in place of syrup. When we were at my mom's for Thanksgiving she made pancakes one morning but forgot she only had a bit of syrup left. I brought out the Blue Agave and everyone used it instead of syrup. It was a BIG hit! I don't think anyone missed the syrup. (BTW check out the ingredients on your syrup bottle next time you use it..unless it is true maple syrup it is made of high fructose corn syrup) Cory now uses it to sweeten his oatmeal in the morning. Give it a try!

I fixed the drain!

So Cory was ready to call the plumber for our shower drain but he let me have one more shot at it. I used a lot of baking soda and vinegar but it worked! I poured boiling hot water down after the vinegar and baking soda (then let the hot shower run). I am so excited by this very green remedy!

Kathy's favorites

OK Leah - here's my product review ....finally! Be careful what you ask for.

I really like Kiss My Face Liquid Rock deodorant. It's a roll on that I got at Target. It does the job - no stink and it keeps me dry (which is no easy task!)

I am very happy with all of the method cleaning products, but I do like the Mrs. Meyers glass cleaner better because it doesn't streak.

I tried the laundry detergent Alison (our food presenter) recommended .It's called Biokleen - I got it at Whole Foods. It worked pretty well - the whites were brightened with the addition of Borax. The Seventh Generation detergent was a waste of money. I just bought Mrs. Meyers detergent this week and it's my favorite so far. It's a liquid, so I'm surprised that it cleans better than the Biokleen powder, but it really does.

As far as other things I've tried - I am using Seventh Generation paper towels, toilet paper, napkins, and Kleenex. It was hard getting used to the brown, but now we're there and I like them all. Sophie actually thanked me for buying the "expensive" toilet paper - it's 2 ply.

I went to Whole Foods about 2 months ago now and bought new foundation that I really like called Mineral Fusion. It goes on evenly and is a clean natural look.

Two shampoos I have been really happy with are an all-in-one John Masters Organics ($20 for the bottle, but I've had it for over 2 months - you don't need a lot!) and Desert Essence Organics - I got it at TJ Maxx for $4 / each instead of $8/ each at Whole Foods.

The Burt's Bees Baby Bees is what I'm using on the kids hair and bodies. It's a nice clean smell. Mike likes the Burt's Bees Men's soap and shave creme.

I bought the Jason hair gel for Mike and it's good, but DON'T buy the Jason deodorant for your man. Horrifying.

Overall I have had a hard time getting used to living without familiar smells. The Johnson's Baby with the kids was a total favorite. Bleach and Windex scents mean clean to me. I LOVED my perfume. And I liked the smells of Mike's products.

I am happy with the changes we have made though - it gives me peace of mind as a mother and a wife.

P.S. We just did a lot of painting with the green paint at Home Depot and it worked great. No paint stink, no head aches, and if you messed up, you could clean it with water, even after it was dry. Very happy with that paint. Worth the price.

Natural deodorant and BO

So I have tried Kiss My Face Active Enzyme deodorant (it's a stick) and it doesn't work at all! I would not suggest it unless you want to smell like you have been on Survivor!!

Truvia

I am skeptical, but this is supposed to be a new - natural - zero calorie sweetener. It will be interesting to watch and see how this plays out. See the attached link...

Ode to Borax

How much do I love thee Borax let me count the ways...

1. You make my laundry so much brighter when I add a 1/2 a cup to each load

2. You make our tub sparkle with just a touch

3. You get rid of odors in Hope's stinky diaper pale (this is quite a feat!)

I know clearly I need to get some sleep but I am just so excited by how well Borax works that I had to share. This is also a money saver since it has so many uses and is very inexpensive. We are now using this exclusively to clean our bathrooms. You can find it near the laundry items. Add a comment if you have other uses for Borax. Oh yeah and it is approved by Gorgeously Green!