John Masters Organics Shine On Review

I am a sucker for any beauty product that is organic and green...who am I kidding? I am a sucker for all things organic and green. Maybe sucker is not the right word to use..how about I love to try all things organic and green.

So of course that applies the beauty products I use. I have had great success with a specific brand of organic shampoo and conditioner, not naming names, they did not respond to my email about doing a product review/giveaway, they do not get free press, for now at least. I may change my mind in the future. Anyway back to subject at hand. I have NOT be successful with ANY natural styling product I have tried until this arrived on my door step a few weeks ago...

John Masters Organics Shine On. This is a natural, leave-in hair treatment that uses organic kelp in place of synthetic ingredients to smooth the hair shaft. It leaves hair shiny and soft, all day long. There are 6 additional certified-organic plant extracts help condition the hair and the best thing...it is safe for color-treated hair.

I was so excited to try it. You can use it on wet or dry hair and when it arrived well...the hair was dry. I only used a little at first and WOW, I was very happy. My hair was super shinny, so much so that I had several people at work ask what I did different to my hair. I love shinny hair! The next day I used it on my wet hair and used a little more then day before. I dried and styled my hair as usual using only this product, again I was impressed, it left my hair feeling and looking wonderful. A product I am addicted to and in need of more soon.

Apparently I am not he only one who feels this way about Shine On, this product received the 2009 Elle Green Stars Award and Treehugger.com awarded them the Best of Green award for their hair care products. I am going to try their Lavender and Rosemary Shampoo and Rosemary and Peppermint Dangler I will let you know my thoughts when I try it.

If you are not familiar with John Masters organics I suggest you head on over to their site and look around. They not only have haircare products but body, skincare and pet products as well. Something for everyone.

A BIG Thank You to John Masters for the opportunity to try this product.

Mothers Day Giveaway....Hand Stamped Necklace

Mothers Day is fast approaching and I have something special to give to one of my readers thanks to SimaG Jewerly. Her creations are simple yet complex and beautiful. I have purchased several items from her in the past for gifts and will be purchasing more this year! Everyone who has received a gift from me that she had created is just in love with it.

So with that said......here is what one of my lucky readers will win




This is one of my personal favorites. You can have your name or your loved ones name hand stamped on this 3/4" hammered sterling silver heart disc necklace accented with a pearl.

Now as always there are some rules......

Leave a separate comment for all you do...

You MUST DO THIS or all other entries will be void, I will be checking daily.

-Visit SimaG's Etsy shop here and tell me which one of her creations you would love to have.

other entries.....

-Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this contest and leave link in comment

-Add my new button to you blog

-Follow me in blogger

If you already have my button or follow me on blogger just let me know!

Now for some even better news!! Sima is offer my readers 10% OR Free Shipping when you use the code "my2boyz" On the final page of checkout just type it it the messages and you will be credited the amount.

This contest is open to US residents only, if you do not have a blog with a way to contact you PLEASE leave your email.


Giveaway ends Tuesday May 5th at 11:59 PM and winner will be chosen my random number generator and will be notified by email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or another will be chosen.

Thank you and good luck!

Happy Earth Day....a little late...ECOBAGS review/giveaway

GIVEAWAY IS OVER THANKS TO ALL WHO ENTERED!

Well....yesterday was Earth day...I am posting this super late. It is so crazy how a sick child, another child who is on top of me all the time and all of the sudden busy Real Estate career gets in the way of my blogging. As if...

So I hope you enjoyed your Earth Day and did something for our planet!

If you are not familiar with me I must tell you this...I LOATHE THE PLASTIC BAG!!! I have mentioned it SEVERAL times in other posts. This is just one of many reasons why.......




Look at all those plastic bags in my yard!!! YUCK!

So for years I have been using my own bags, and now it is the thing to do and that makes me so happy! You see reusable totes EVERYWHERE! Every store has them proudly displayed with their logo on it big as day. Now I don't know about you but I don't feel right bringing one stores bag to another. So I am sure I am not alone when I say I have totes from several stores in town. Most are not the best quality and are falling apart. I would rather not purchase new ones with the stores logo so was I thrilled, I mean thrilled, when I had the opportunity to try ECOBAGS Classic String bag.


I was sent the short handle and the long handle to test out and they both were excellent! These things hold up to 40lbs of goods! That seemed impossible when I saw them but they expand nicely when filled. And are small enough to fit in my purse, another added bonus!!

I did get an odd look from the bagger at the grocery store but I assured him they were going to work just fine. He was surprised at the amount they held and quite impressed. I love it when I am right!!

I was actually surprised to learn that ECOBAGS have been around for 20 years, quite impressive, a company WAY ahead of it's time!

Here is some more about them from their web site:

Eco-Bags Products, Inc. opened for business in 1989 with a simple goal; to produce quality bags at great prices so that "Reusable becomes a way of life." We started with the ECOBAGS® Brand Classic String Bag, a simple lightweight, expandable daily tote used in Europe for generations, long before paper and plastic bags.

We introduced our bags at the 1990 Earth Day celebration on Sixth Avenue in New York City. The bags were a hit. We sold out in four hours. Now, we carry a complete line of ECOBAGS® Brand bags in natural and certified organic cotton, recycled cotton and hemp/cotton blends.

All of our canvas totes are available unprinted or custom printed for organizations and companies (minimums apply). ECOWEAVE® Brand Organic home goods and T-shirts are now available, too. Under the ECOWEAVE® Brand we produce organic cotton towels, loofah scrubbers and other home products.

Our T-Shirts are organic, hemp-cotton and recycled content, available to the trade unprinted or custom printed.

ECOBAGS® Brand products can be found in many natural foods, gourmet, eco, grocery and drug stores. They are used as promotional tools and incentives for retailers, manufacturers and many nationally recognized non-profit organizations. Keep an eye on magazines and newspapers because ECOBAGS®Brand bags are even starting to hit the world of fashion and accessories.

ECOBAGS® - the original reusable bag, eco-friendly products and environmental updates - since 1989

Now for the exciting news!!! TWO, yes TWO of you will win one of ECOBAGS classic string bag! Just think how wonderful this bag will be not only at the grocery store, Target, Wal-Mart and other such like stores but I personally am excited to use it at the Farmers Market!

For the rules

-Must visit ECOBAGS and tell me what product interests you and leave comment- If you do not do this all other entries will be void!

Other entries-leave comment for each you do

-Follow me on Twitter if you do already leave in comment

-Tweet this giveaway and post link in comment

-Follow me on my blog

-Post my new button on your blog

Giveaway is open to US and Canada!

If you do not have a blog that I can contact you trough please leave your email... Giveaway ends at 11:59PM on Thursday April 30th and winner will be announsed on May 1st!

Thank you a good luck!!!

Sprig Hollow Review and Giveaway!

Welcome to my first blog post in almost 2 weeks!! YIKES!! Did not realize it had been that long. I have been super busy with several things...work...work...more work...not complaing...seriuosly...my children...school stuff...and Twitter!

So as you can see there has not been much time to blog! Shame on me!

Just in case you did not know this Wednesday is Earth Day. Click here for a brief history of Earth Day. To celebrate I am having a week of Eco Friendly reviews with a few giveaways thrown in for fun...so make sure you check back.

So here we go....


A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to find on my door step the absolute cutest Eco Friendly toy from Sprig Toys that I have ever seen....Their Sprig Hollow collection. I was so excited for my son to play with it and he excited to see it!!!

From their press release:

Sprig Hollow, the latest Eco-toy line from Sprig, encourages preschoolers to scoop, pour, fill, plant and most importantly, get outside and play with Mom and Dad. The new collection of multi-piece play sets includes Bee & Butterfly’s Farm, Dune Bug’s Farm Truck and Dragonfly’s Heli-Scoopter. Each colorful set includes seed-infused, recycled paper flowers that provide an easy parent-kid project: simply plant the paper flowers in soil, water and watch them grow into real wildflowers. All Sprig Hollow components are made from natural rubber and Sprigwood, a child-safe bio-composite of recycled wood and reclaimed plastic that has visible wood “flecks” and gives the toys a fresh, wood-shop scent.

My son grabbed this and headed for the bath tub, there was still snow on the ground when they arrived. He had a blast with them! Had to coax himout of the bathtub by saying he couls sleep woth one of them.....cute I know. He is so excited to take them out to our extra large sandbox that Dad built this spring. He is also very anxious to plant our flower and to see what blooms.

Here is the history of Sprig from their web site:

Once upon a time, there were three talented toy designers who were taking the industry by storm. Their award-winning toys were selling like hotcakes. They were happy and successful. Then one day the designers visited the factories that turned their computer renderings into real toys. They eagerly watched the assembly line with anticipation, and quickly realized the harmful impact their toy production had on the nearby air, soil, water, plants and people. They were devastated.

They went back to the drawing board, only to face another disturbing toy trend that threatened to control their designs. Passive “watch-me” electronic toys were gaining popularity, encouraging otherwise healthy kids to become more inactive. The designers refused to be part of the problem, so they joined forces to become the solution.

Our brave, young designers made a pact. They vowed then and there to make the best toys the right way. They were on a mission to keep kids active and the planet healthy, and the quest became personal when they started to have children of their own.

In 2007, they formed Sprig Toys, Inc., turning their vision into reality. The designers packed their families and moved from opposite coasts to reunite the threesome in the heart of the Rocky Mountain west. It was in Fort Collins, Colorado, where Team Sprig created their top-secret, high-tech toy laboratory – and where they designed an exciting line of battery-free, Eco-friendly, paint-free, kid-powered toys sure to dazzle the most discriminating preschooler.

Now I do not have one to give away...BUT I know some one who does!!! Click HERE and visit Dexter's Super Savvy Mom...read her review of Sprig's Sprig Hollow and enter to win one of your own!!! And while you are there check out all her fabulous giveaways going on all month long in celebration of Earth Day!!!

See you tomorrow for...here is a clue...garbage..

Maddie....

I do not know the Spohrs family yet my heart still aches for them.

Quotable Sunday

Happy Quotable Sunday. If you would like to play along just visit Toni at Just Stop Screaming and read how, it is super duper easy!

My children go to a Core Virtue school and this months virtue is compassion, so you guessed it, my quotes today will be about compassion. Our country is going through a very difficult time right now, people loosing job and houses now is the time for those who have to give a little more then they normally would. My family has decided to donate $100 a month to one of the food pantries in our town. I recently learned that they appreciate the money more then food donation because they can negotiate a better deal for the food! Please do what you can to help your fellow Americans.

"Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth."
-Benjamin Disraeli

"To care for anyone else enough to make their problems one's own, is ever the beginning of one's real ethical development" -Felix Adler

"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because some day in life you will have been all of these." -George Washington Carver

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." -HH the Dalai Lama

"When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it's bottomless, that it doesn't have any resolution, that this heart is huge, vast, and limitless. You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness is there, as well as how much space." -Pema Chodron

"The more you care, the stronger you can be."-Jim Rohn

Giveaways for Earth Day ALL MONTH LONG!!

Here we on day 5 of my 5 day giveaway however I have decided to hold off the last giveaway and have an Earth Day Giveaway Day, I am waiting on a few more sponsors so hopefully it can be a day of Giveaways!

So instead today I am giving a HUGE shout out to my friend across the pond...well Lake Michigan...we live across the lake from each other. Dexter's Super Savvy Mommy is hosting a WHOLE MONTH of giveaways to celebrate Earth Day, Earth Day Extravaganza How cool is that??

You must head on over and see all the super fabulous things she is giving away! While you are there don't forget to grab her button and spread the word!!!

Don't forget to enter my Green giveaways...just click on the giveaway tab to see all of them.

Green Review and Giveaway #4 -Ecover Laundry

GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED.........THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ENTERED!!

WOW!!! My 4th giveaway of 5.....how exciting!!!

Lets just jump into the review....

Again it is no secret that I am addicted to Green Cleaning products and this also applies to the Laundry room! So again I was THRILLED when a box arrived on my doorstep and inside were 2 laundry products from Ecover

Their Laundry Wash

and....their Fabric Softener in Sunny Day scent

Of course I had a ton of laundry too do so I grabbed the bottles and headed to the laundry room. I did a load of darks with some things that need to be air dried. The laundry liquid is very concentrated and as directed I filled it up to the little line. Then I added my fabric softer to my cool little built in dispenser and walked away and let the products do their job!

When I came back to toss some of the clothes into the dryer the first thing I noticed was how fresh my laundry smelled. Not overpowering, no heavy perfumes just plain fresh and clean. This was the same after they came out of the dryer...fresh

I was very impressed with both products. The Laundry Wash got everything clean and the Fabric Softener did what it should, even the clothes that were laid flat to dry were soft after they dried.

Here is a little from their site:

Ecover stands for careful enterprise. This means that we produce our washing and cleaning products in an ecological, economic and socially responsible way in a unique ecological factory. Honest and open, we respect people and the environment. In our view, this is the only way to guarantee a sustainable future.

On an annual basis, in a special report “Heroes of the Environment”, TIME magazine honors a few people who are changing the world. They include leaders, visionaries, moguls, entrepreneurs, activists, scientists and innovators. This year, TIME selected a group that they call “eco-pioneers who are fighting for a cleaner and greener future”. So, for the 2008 report, that is how TIME found and picked ECOVER.

TIME’s chief environmental writer, Bryan Walsh, based in New York, introduces his 30 heroes by writing: “What these men and women are is as important as what they do. They cannot solve climate change alone or save endangered species single-handedly. But by their example, by their willingness to dedicate themselves to what too many still dismiss as a hopeless cause, these heroes of the environment provide light in the darkness. They are living proof that despair is not the only option, that hope remains a choice. They remind us that in the face of human creativity and will, no challenge is too great, and no battle is unwinnable — if only we'll fight.”

So the great people over at Ecover are giving one of my readers a 32oz bottle of their Fabric Softener in Sunny Day and 51 oz bottle of their Laundry Wash!

Here are the rules:

Must do this....or all other entries will be VOID!

-Go to Ecover's web site and tell me what you would try.. leave a comment

Extra entries

-Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway and leave link in comment
-Follow me on Blogger or feed
-Grab my new button

Giveaway ends Thursday April 9th at 11:59 PM CST-winner will be chosen by random number generator and will be contacted by email. Winner has 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

If you do not have a blog PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL! I need to be able to contact to you if you win.

Be sure to check out my other giveaways HERE, HERE and HERE!

Thank you and good luck!!

Green Review and Giveaway #3 -Honest Kids Organic Thirst Quencher

GIVEAWAY OVER...THANKS TO ALL WHO ENTERED!

Welcome to day 3 of my 5 day giveaway! Make sure you check out my other Giveaways here, here and here Now on to today's business.....

My children LOVE LOVE juice boxes, I DO NOT! They are loaded with sugar....if my children want juice they get it diluted. My neighbor who is a dental hygienist won't even give her boys juice, the sugar is not good for the teeth!

So I was very excited to try Honest Beverages product for children or adults....Kids Organic Thirst Quencher. It is a flavored water made with all organic ingredients and NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP. How fabulous is that?

When the box arrived I said to my boys "look juice boxes" and they were all over it! Seriously you should have seen them, they eyes got all big and huge smiles came across their faces! They tried 3 flavors....Tropical Tango Punch, Berry Berry Good Lemonade and Goodness Grapeness. They loved all 3!

Some facts about Honest Kids Organic Thirst Quencher

-Honest Kids are USDA-certified organic thirst quenchers that come in three delicious flavors: Berry Berry Lemonade, Goodness Grapeness and Tropical Tango Punch

-Honest Kids contains half the sugar (organic cane sugar, that is) of most kids’ drinks and NO high fructose corn syrup

-Honest Kids are only 40 calories per serving and provide 100 percent of the daily recommended value of Vitamin C

-Honest Kids are available nationwide at: Whole Foods Markets, Target, Babies “R” Us, Costco and Sam’s Club

-Honest Kids come in 6.75 fl oz lunchbox-friendly drink pouches that are sold in boxes of 8 pouches ($4.99) and an exclusive 24-pouch variety pack at Sam’s Club ($8.56)

-Honest Kids is working toward a healthier environment by partnering with TerraCycle and Capri Sun to combat drink pouch waste and encourage environmental awareness in kids. Each year, more than 4 billion drink pouches end up in landfills, the Honest Kids Drink Pouch Brigade is a program that collects, "upcycles" and transforms used/empty drink pouches into inexpensive, fashionable schools supplies that are sold at select Target, Walgreens and Office Max stores across the country. For each Honest Kids drink pouch that is collected, Honest Kids donates .02 to the school, organization or family's charity of choice. Since 2007, over 11,000 collection sites have been established across the country, more than 500,000 drink pouches (HK and Capri Sun) have been saved from landfills and over $25,000 (from HK and Capri Sun) have been donated to a variety of charities. For more information about the Honest Kids Drink Pouch Brigade, visit: www.terracycle.net/dpb

-The Honest Kids Variety Pack for Sam’s is a great value and it’s eco-friendly design (reduced 3 boxes with shrink wrap to 1, eliminated plastic shrink wrap, box made of 35% post consumer waste, handle made of 45% post consumer waste, messaging that encourages environmental awareness to kids, etc) is unique and functional, especially for a club store offering.

Also, JUST ANNOUNCED… A 4th, unnamed apple variety of Honest Kids is going to hit shelves spring 2009!

I was also fortunate enough to received a case of their Organic Teas....all of them and I mean this tasted liked they were freshly brewed and were just the right amount of sweet. My husband could not say enough great things about their tea's and that is saying allot!

Now for the giveaway.... The kind people over at Honest Beverages are giving one of my lucky readers this...



A variety pack of honest Kids Organic Thirst Quencher.

Here are the rules.
Open to US residents only, again sorry peeps up north. If you do not have a blog please leave an email address so I can get in touch with you if you win.

Must do this....or all other entries will be VOID!

-Go to Honest Beverages Web site and tell me what looks good to you! leave a comment

Extra entries

-Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway and leave link in comment
-Follow me on Blogger or feed
-Grab my new button

Giveaway ends Wednesday April 8th at 11:59 PM

Good luck!