Angell Organic Candy Bar Review

I recently had the chance to try out some new organic candy bars called Angell bars.  They are awesome!  The company sent me all three of the flavors to try out.  The greatest thing about these candy bars is that they aren't loaded with corn syrup and they are organic!  Who doesn't want a candy bar that they don't have to feel guilty about?  I am a slight chocoholic so these were a breath of fresh air.

The Crisp ones are just that, crispy!  It is made of creamy milk chocolate and rice crisps.  This one is also gluten free for those of you who have to avoid gluten.  It was chewy and crispy at the same time, awesome!

This one was made with dark organic chocolate, cocoa center and almonds for a little crunch.  I am normally not a fan of dark chocolate.  What made this bar good for me was the soft cocoa center and the almonds.  I think the almonds kind of broke up the super dark chocolate idea to me.  It still definitely has the dark chocolate bittersweet taste to it so those of you that like dark chocolate will love it.

Let me tell you, this one was my absolute favorite!!!  This one is made with creamy white chocolate with an organic coconut center.  It was amazing!  I loved the smooth coconut flavor which really added to the white chocolate.  If you like coconut even a little bit, you should definitely try this one!

These candy bars are not available in all areas yet.  You can go to their locator here and see if any stores in your area sell them.  Otherwise, you can buy the Snow Angell and Dark Angell on Amazon.com.  Click the links to order!

Organic Family Garden Guest Post

How to Grow an Organic Family Garden

If you’re in the mood for fresh herbs and vegetables, the best way to get them is to plant your own garden. Most gardeners agree that vegetables taste better and are better for you when they’re grown organically. Even if you have a modest amount of time and space, it’s easy to grow an organic family garden. Here are some tips to help you get started.

What Is an Organic Garden?

An organic garden is a garden that is grown without the use of chemicals or pesticides. The organic gardener takes advantage of natural fertilizers and composting by using the decomposable material that might otherwise go to a landfill.

Most advocates of organic gardens say that not using chemicals or pesticides improves the taste of the vegetables and herbs and is also healthier. Organic vegetables have a high content of vitamins and natural minerals which have proven to be better for your overall health. Growing your own herbs and vegetables will save on your grocery bill, and if you store them right you can enjoy the bounty year round.

Space Is Not a Concern

Your family organic garden need not take up acres and acres of property. All you really need is a patch of soil and the determination to grow your own herbs and vegetables. In urban environments, some people’s gardens consist of nothing more than a few planters on a window ledge or patio. Your garden can be designed to feed your family for months or merely supplement their diet.

How to Plant an Organic Garden

Prior to starting an organic garden, do as much reading as you can on the subject. Ask friends and neighbors who are already experienced organic gardeners for tips. Most people who have been gardening organically will be more than happy to help you get started. Organic gardeners are like a fraternity--they believe in the practice and strongly advocate it.

You will also need to collect the seeds to be used. For a truly organic garden, you need to use organic seeds. This may sound silly, but there is a difference. Organic seeds come from plants that have been grown organically. They haven’t been genetically altered.

Many people use heirloom seeds and heirloom plants, because their seeds can be harvested and used in subsequent years. These are seeds and plants that haven’t been genetically altered and were not grown commercially.

Preparing the Soil

Soil preparation is also important in organic gardening. The better prepared your soil is before you plant the better your chances are of harvesting a good crop. Establishing a healthy root system is necessary for the organic plants to thrive, and nutrient rich soil is the key. The process of getting your soil ready to plant is relatively simple--but can take time.

It may be best to begin the process of preparing your soil a year before actually planting. Mixing compost and natural fertilizers will help draw out any leftover chemicals and revitalize the nutrients in the soil. You must also check the pH level with a soil testing kit, which can be purchased at most nurseries or hardware stores. The kit will come with instructions. If you’re unsure of how to test or how to interpret the results consult with someone you know who is more experienced than you are. Knowing how to prepare the soil is an art in and of itself. After you learn how to do it the benefits will be obvious when you harvest your first crop of vegetables or herbs. They will taste terrific.

Caring for Your Garden

After the garden is planted taking care of it becomes a necessity. Making sure it is properly watered and fertilized is a daily responsibility. Weeding should also be kept up. If weeds are left to go to seed, they can spread quickly. Since your garden is organic, you will want to avoid using chemicals and stick to weeding by hand.

Guest post from Bailey Harris, who writes about car insurance quotes for www.carinsurancequotes.net.

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Reader Advice

I'm sure a lot of you are feeling the affects of the changing weather with allergies or spring colds. I have been hit with one as well.

I have been suffering from severe congestion and what feels like swollen glands on both sides of my throat that feels like it is attached to my ears. This makes me think I have some sort of sinus infection. The bad part is that I am a nursing mom so most medications are off limits to me.

I wanted to solicit solutions from my readers. In honor of April being Earth month and to support my running theme of "Going Green as a Family", I wanted to see if any of my readers had any natural solutions to get rid of sinus infections or cold/flu.

If you have an all natural solution, please leave a comment below or link to a post that you may have written or find. I am trying to convert my home slowly to all natural, earth-friendly products. Some of the best working products are those that are homemade. If you have any advice or solutions, please share with everyone!

Going Green as a Family Giveaway #4!

Have you heard of Shidonni?

It is a new interactive world for your kids to demonstrate their imaginations and creativity. Here, they are able to create a whole world from just their imaginations. This is also a great way to help the environment. Instead of buying coloring books and crayons for your kids, let them really draw and create over and over with no extra cost! This saves on paper and crayons as well as allows them a clean slate whenever they choose!

Here is an example of the drawing that they are able to do in Shidonni. They are given the tools that they can click on and let their imaginations soar. They can draw anything from this ladybug to a space alien or anything else their imaginations may pop out. The program is easy enough for a 5 year old to use and is still captivating for a 5th grader. I had fun playing it!

When I entered Shidonni, I chose to draw a bird. I am not much of a sketch artist so my bird was very simple but with the two buttons you see on the bottom of the screen (see above picture where you see the bird and the horse), your animal or creature comes to life! If your drawing is a flying creature, you would click the bird image. If it is a walking creature, you would click the horse. I was very amazed by how if flew around the screen and made my drawing look good!

Once you have drawn your creature(s) and they come alive, you can bring them to different rooms in their "world". The picture above shows one example of a scene in the world. You can choose several different ones such as puzzles, log ball catch, chutes & ladders, snake, etc.

There are even options for interaction with friends. Your child can have their friends sign up and play the games with them! How fun is that!

Now for the best part, Shidonni basic version is FREE for everyone!!! Here is where the giveaway comes in. If you or your child plays with the Shidonni program and you enjoy it. Don't you think you would enjoy Shidonni Pro? This is an even extended version of Shidonni. There are tons more options for more creativity and learning.

Shidonni has offered 3 months of Shidonni Pro FREE to one of my readers (a $16.95 value)! If you have a child age 4 and up, you can enter this giveaway! All you have to do is visit Shidonni, look around and come back here filling out the form below telling me what you did or didn't like about the program.

Here is how you can get extra entries (be sure to enter the form again for each entry):

1. Follow my blog.
2. Follow me on Twitter, MySpace, Facebook or Technorati.
3. Tweet or blog about this giveaway or "Going Green as a Family". Be sure to leave the URL in the comments.
4. Enter one of my other giveaway and list which one you entered in the comments.

"Going Green as a Family" Giveaway #3!

One great way to help the environment is to save on paper products. Rather than paper towels, use rags. Rather than baby or cleaning wipes, use Bummas!

Bummas are just the right size for a soft, eco-friendly baby wipe. Rather than powders or ointments, use a Bumma for your baby's bum. You can use them in place of all of the following:

• Baby wipes for diaper changings.
• Paper towels to clean up baby ooopses.
• Kleenex for baby boogies.
• Wash cloth for washing tiny babies.

One side of the bumma is soft and smooth and the other side is a little more ruff. The ruff side can be used to wipe off dirtier areas. The soft side is best for little noses and sensitive areas.

A great routine would be to keep your stack of Bummas near the changing table. Use one a little damp to clean up the baby's bottom, use a second one to cover privates to avoid any surprises, a third one to dry the bottom. Rinse off the soiled bummas and throw them in the wash and they are as good as new again!

Bummas are 100% cotton made of woven velour terry cloth. They are a rectangular 5"x7" and are very durable. They are guaranteed to not pill, shrink or fade. You may just need to trim threads after the first wash.

I really like them instead of wipes. Baby wipes are so thin and you usually have to use 3 to thoroughly clean a dirty bum. When you are done cleaning the bum, it is wet from the wipe and if you re-diaper wet, the little one can easily get diaper rash. This will definitely save on money spent on wipes! They are about $6 per pack which gets used up about every month or sooner. The Bummas only cost $16.99. So for the price of less than 3 packs of wipes, you get a set of 10 Bummas in one of 4 color themes. Can you imagine how much money this will save you in a year?

Have you noticed that the price of Kleenex has gone up? They are well over $1 or more per pack. During cold season, one box only lasts a day or less. Bummas are thick and soft, perfect for little noses on the run! My little guy keeps getting a reoccuring runny nose because of the up and down weather. So, not only can you save on the price of baby wipes, you can also save on Kleenex for your little one.

How would you like to win your own Pack of 10 Bummas?

Here is how you can enter to win:

Visit Bummas, then come back here and fill out a form below stating which color you would choose if you win.

Here is how you can get extra entries:

1. Follow my blog.
2. Follow me on Twitter, MySpace, Facebook or Technorati.
3. Tweet or blog about this giveaway or "Going Green as a Family". Be sure to leave the URL in the comments.
4. Enter one of my other giveaway and list which one you entered in the comments.
5. Make a purchase from Bummas - Gets you 5 additional entries!

"Going Green as a Family" Featured Giveaway #2

A large part of going green, helping to better our environment is to avoid harsh chemicals whenever possible. Any chemicals that we use, get into our waterstream. Not all chemicals are able to be extracted from our drinking water. What does that mean? Well, think of it this way. Would you want to drink the chemicals you use? If no, you should try not to use them!

If you are interested in a product for your hair that used no harsh chemicals then you will be interested in this giveaway!

Eco Store USA has wonderful, toxic chemical-free products! The company has done extensive research for over 10 years on making household products from plant-based ingredients rather than manufactured toxic chemicals. The company was originally founded in New Zealand and has quickly expanded with over 100 products. Their goal is to make a product that is both good for the consumer as well as the environment! Their products contain NO:

• Sulphates
• Propylene Glycol
• Dyes
• Artificial Perfumes
• Parabens
• Cocamide DEA
• Cocomidopropyl betaine

They have even found a way to make their products more inexpensive. The products are super-concentrated so that a little goes a long way. When using this product, using very little will give you better results than using a lot of any of the chemical products!

Why not do what you can to help your family become more healthy and eco-friendly? Give Eco Store USA's products a try.

Eco Store USA has generously sent me their Aloe Vera Shampoo & Conditioner for Normal/Dry Hair to try and review. When I consider a shampoo or conditioner, the first thing I do is smell the product. If the smell is appealing, I tend to buy it. This shampoo & conditioner was very appealing! The smell was very natural with a definite aloe vera smell as well as a calming lemon scent.

When I tried the shampoo I was not used to the fact that it doesn't lather like most commercial shampoos. I didn't get the thick white foam all over my head. I could feel that it was getting my hair clean despite that. The conditioner was thick and creamy. It seems to work best if you try to ring out your hair as best you can then apply the conditioner. I really didn't need to use much conditioner at all. After I finished washing, I blow dried my hair. It seemed to dry faster than with other shampoos and conditioners that seem to leave my hair heavy. Now, my hair seems smoother and definitely softer than ever! I am highly impressed! I think I have found my new favorite hair care products!

I liked the product I tried so much that I ordered the Hypoallergenic Pet Shampoo for my little pooches too! I have 2 dogs of my own as well as 3 foster puppies. Good shampoo for them is very important to a clean, fresh home for me!

How to Enter the Giveaway for your own bottle of the Aloe Vera Shampoo & Conditioner:

In order to enter the giveaway, you must visit the Eco Store USA then come back here and fill out the form below with what product you would like to try of their's and what product it would replace at your home.

How to Get Extra Enteries: (Be sure to fill out the form again for each entry)

1. Follow my blog.
2. Follow me on Twitter, MySpace, Facebook or Technorati.
3. Tweet or blog about this giveaway or "Going Green as a Family". Be sure to leave the URL in the comments.
4. Enter one of my other giveaway and list which one you entered in the comments.
5. Make a purchase from the Eco Store USA - Gets you 5 additional entries!

How to Compost

Did you ever wish you could do something other than throw away all the fruit and veggie scraps that you get from cooking? I did. I recently heard about composting. I actually saw a commercial for a kitchen composter. It was very expensive but I thought the idea was awesome! I decided to put together a little of what I found while researching the topic.

Easiest Homemade Composter:

• Use a galvanized metal trash can. You will need to drill several holes into it and it will need a tight fitting lid. You will also need to dig a hole in the ground.
• Use a plastic storage container with tight fitting lid. You will need to drill holes in this as well. This can be for indoor or outdoor use. This can also double as a seat!
• Click here for how to make them.

What Can Be Composted:

• Vegetable Scraps
• Grains
• Pasta
• Fruit Rinds
• Fruit Peels
• Breads
• Coffee Grounds & Filters
• Tea Bags
• Paper Towels
• Paper Napkins
• Toilet Paper (not soiled w/ human waste)
• Paper Plates (no animal products on the plate)
• Leaves
• Sticks
• Grass
• Other yard waste

What Cannot Be Composted:

• Any animal products
• Meat
• Fish
• Poultry
• Cheese
• Oily Foods
• Butter

Here are a few resources that I found very helpful:

• California Integrated Waste Management Board
• University of Missouri Extension
• Home Composting

Do you compost at home? What do you use as your compost bin? What have you found to be benefits/negative of home composting? Please share any ideas on the subject that you may have. I hope to start this process soon so any helpful tips would be greatly appreciated!

Simple Ways To Go Green In Your Kitchen

Exchange Bottled Water for Tap:

Instead of buying bottled water, use tap water for drinking and cooking. If you don't like the taste of tap water or you live in an area of unsafe water, you can either boil it or purchase or make a water filter. Not only do you avoid the chances of BPA exposure, save money and you help the environment by having less waste product. Most plastic bottles are recycleable but recycling uses more energy than not having the need.

Exchange Paper Towels for Rags:

Paper towels and rags do the same thing, right? They both clean up messes, soak up spills, and wipe messy faces. Constantly buying paper towels costs more that using rags and washing them. We have to do laundry anyways, what is another couple rags, right. Besides the cost, paper towels add waste. They come in plastic wrapping, each paper towel gets trashed and the cardboard center. Did you ever wonder why there is a cardboard center? What a waste! There would be 2" more paper towels without it.

Exchange Chemical Cleaners for Homemade:

Most of us have baking soda, white vinegar, club soda, salt, lemon juice, olive oil, and spices. Thats pretty much all you need for all your cleaning needs. The Tree Hugging Family has a list of 25 safe, non-toxic homemade cleaners. Whatever you need to clean, can be done with homemade products. This will save you lots of money as well as make your home and family cleaner, healthier and happier over all. Chemicals tend to cause increased allergies, in some cases cancers, and skin issues. Why not avoid those things if you can?

Do you have another simple way to go green in the kitchen? Please post it here and share with all of us!

Check out the "Going Green as a Family" Blog Carnival for more tips, FREEbies and giveaways!

"Going Green as a Family" Featured Giveaway #1

What better way is there to start off a blog carnival on "Going Green as a Family" than with a pendant that says so!

This lovely pendant is designed by Noisy Bird Studio. This etsy shop carries a variety of pendants as well as pocket mirrors. There are several designs to choose from for pretty much every occasion. They even offer gift sets for special occasions like birthdays or weddings. If there is a design that you would like and they don't feature it, you can make a request.

Their pendants are handmade of 1"x1" fiberboard. The images are created with high-quality laser print. It is sanded and finished with non-toxic glass-like resin. A ball chain or black leather chain can be chosen for the pendant to hang on. Since these pendants are handmade, there are no 2 exactly the same! Extra bonus, each pendant comes in a perfect little black sack.
I love jewelry that stands out and makes a statement. These pendants are beautiful yet make a wonderful statement to the world. We each need to do our part to make where we live a better place.

How to enter the giveaway to win one of these "Go Green" pendants. Requirement to enter this giveaway (open Internationally) is to visit Noisy Bird Studio. Come back here and fill out the form below with which item/design is your favorite from their store.

Extra entries (fill out a seperate form for each extra entry):

• Follow my blog.
• Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, or Technorati.
• Tweet or blog about this giveaway or "Going Green as a Family". Be sure to leave the URL in the comments.
• Enter my "Mentor The Kid & The CEO" Book Giveaway.
• Purchase an item from Noisy Bird Studio and get 5 additional entries! (NOTE: They are offering 1 FREE when you purchase 3!)