New Products at Boo Bear Buns

At Boo Bear Buns, you can now purchase your big belly clothes at the same place you get all your baby accessories. I spent a couple days last week adding new products to my website. In addition to cloth diapers, baby carriers, natural laundry detergent, safer bath & body products and the many other items available, you can now get gorgeous maternity clothes! Also new, and already very popular, are 80 load Itsa Greener Clean natural laundry detergents. And check out the new visor beanies. So cute!

Make sure you check out all the new items, as there's only 1 or 2 of some and you don't want to miss out! Also look for hemp/organic cotton AIO one-size diapers in Spring 2008!

Tackle It Tuesday

So I know I may not get to tackling some clutter every Tuesday (it wouldn't hurt if I do so any other day though!) but I decided to join the ranks of Tackle it Tuesday bloggers and give it another go.

My computer desk is pretty much grand central station in this home. I'm always on email, working on my sites or researching online. I eat here. I watch movies here. Aiden gets up in the morning and nurses while I click away. My files for each current month are here too, although not necessarily in their file folder. Jon lives at this desk on his days off as well. Aiden enjoys bouncing in the yoga ball chair, climbing on the desk to get to the tape, and using the chair to climb over the gate. (The gate is merely for dog control. It doesn't slow Aiden down one bit.) I would be (and should be) super embarrassed to post the before pictures here, but that is my incentive for really organizing each area.

Computer Desk & Diaper Storage Before:

And After:
I'm proud to report that many paper products were added to my scrap pile or to the recycle bin. I didn't tackle the linen shelf above because it needs to be moved to my studio.

Aiden doesn't use diapers at home during the day so my stash lasts forever. He's been using the potty for a while now and no longer has any pee related accidents! Potty training before 2 is one of the many benefits of using cloth diapers.

I hope that some of you would will join me in quest to organize their home, week by week.

EGCG Trunk Show

Stop by for some free samples of Itsa Greener Clean and check out the scrumptious bath & body products!

Blessed Baby Boutique opens May 8th

The Wilton WAHM Co-op is now 11 local moms strong. As I mentioned previously, we are opening a baby boutique in Wilton, Maine. May 8th is the big day! Blessed Baby Boutique will offer handmade cloth diapers (including Boo Bear Buns products), baby carriers (including my slings), Itsa Greener Clean laundry detergent, diaper bags, herbal bath & body products, new & second hand clothing, wooden toys and so much more. Services offered will include breastfeeding support, doula services, belly casting, baby wearing & cloth diapering 101, photography, personal training and yoga.

A week long celebration of motherhood is planned for the first week. On Tuesday May 8^th, bring your kids from 11-noon for Barefoot Books Story Hour. Cloth diapering 101 will be held Wednesday May 9th from noon-1. Bring your kids back Thursday May 10^th from 11-noon for Likable Recyclables Child Crafts. Friday May 11^th offers baby wearing 101 from 11-noon. Saturday May 12^th celebrate the birth of Blessed Baby from 10-noon with shower games and prizes. Stay for an open discussion from 1-3 on Modern Motherhood. Located at 346 Main Street, Blessed Baby is open Tuesday-Thursday 10-5, Friday 9-6 and Saturday 9-5. For more info, go to www.blessedbaby.org, contact me, or call 207-645-4MOM.

I have a ton of pictures but Photoshop is not working and I don't know how to resize them without it so all you get here is one, however there are more on my flickr page. If you look closely, you can see that my sister cut my hair short last week. Aiden got his first haircut too!

Natural Spring Cleaning

As spring arrives, many people start clearing their home of the clutter and dirt from winter. When cleaning, keep in mind all the chemicals you may be exposing your family to. After all, you want to purify, not pollute your home. Did you know that it is easy and inexpensive to clean safely? Here are some tips for natural spring cleaning:

• Vinegar, baking soda, lemon, washing soda/soda ash, borax and peroxide are all cheap and effective natural cleaning agents.
• Baking soda can be used for anything that needs to be scrubbed (sink, bathtub). Cleans, deodorizes and softens water.
  
• Peroxide can be added to a squirt bottle and sprayed onto areas that need disinfecting.
  
• Vinegar mixed with water works like an all-purpose cleaner. Cuts grease and removes mildew and odors. It's also a great natural fabric softener when adding 1/4 cup to the rinse cycle (it will also help to break down laundry detergents if you use those nasty chemical ridden ones). Do not use on marble. Undiluted vinegar should not be used on grout.
  
• Lemon juice dissolves soap scum and can be used to clean/shine copper and brass fixtures. Add to baking soda to create a scrubbing paste that smells fresh and clean.
• Borax cleans, deodorizes, disinfects and softens water. Can be used on walls, floors, etc. Pick up a box and read through all it's uses. Quite handy to have around and a box lasts forever.
  
• Washing soda or soda ash is another water softener that cuts grease, removes stains, and can be used on walls, floors, tubs and sinks.
  

• Adding a few drops of lavender or tea tree essential oils will add to the anti-septic and disinfectant properties of the cleaners listed above.
• I make a Lavender anti-septic cleaner by adding 2 tablespoons washing soda, 1 tablespoon borax, 1 tablespoon vegetable glycerin soap and up to a teaspoon lavender essential oil to 2 cups of warm water. Leave on surfaces for 15 minutes to give the lavender time to disinfect. Tea tree oil can be used as well.
  
• Don't want to make your own cleaners? Itsa Greener Clean natural laundry detergent is not just for clothes and diapers! It contains 4 of the cleaners mentioned above. Add 1/4 cup to a gallon of water to clean floors, walls, etc. I even use it in the dishwasher with vinegar as a rinse aid. Samples are now available in my stores.
• Citrus solvent is my second favorite method of cleaning floors. I find that it is very effective in removing all traces of dog from the house. The smell can get overpowering so I try to use it sparingly, and to mix it with lots of fresh air. Cats do not like citrus scents so it's not recommended for areas cats frequent. It also keeps fleas away.
  
• Cleaning rags can easily be made from old shirts, towels, cloth diapers, receiving blankets, etc. You may be surprised by how much money and waste you can save by using cloth over paper towels.
  
• Keep in mind that bleach is a very powerful substance which should only be used in a well ventilated area. The alternatives listed above are MUCH safer.
  
• One of my favorite clutter busters (and I am really not one to talk, but here it goes) is to use three boxes or baskets while cleaning. Mark them "trash", "store", and "donate". Be honest when going through your things. The hardest part is making sure those boxes get to their intended destinations :) More boxes may be necessary unless you've got appliance boxes handy!
  

Mattress Wrapping - 100% Reduction in SIDS

Have you heard of mattress wrapping? I had not. Well, if you've got a little one, or you care about the health or you and your family, you certainly should read this. Since 1994, mattress wrapping has been 100% successful in the prevention of SIDS or crib death. Yeah, 100%. It's based on the toxic gas "theory". "The theory states that toxic nerve gases permeate from all used mattresses: crib, bassinet, adult mattresses and even sofa cushions. The gases are created when fungus grows inside the mattress (or foam) and eats certain elements in the mattress, including phosphorus, arsenic, and antimony. Babies, especially those sleeping on their stomachs, breathe in the toxic nerve gases, which results in crib death, or SIDS."
Although I disagree with them advising against co-sleeping, their site is very informational. Some other methods of prevention are to avoid fabric softeners and clean with natural cleaners (Itsa Greener Clean found here and here covers that), to become educated about vaccination, breastfeed, do not smoke, and expose baby to fresh air whenever possible. More information on SIDS can be found at Ask Dr Sears.
We are looking into a way to cover the old mattress Jon sleeps on and the couch Aiden and I share. (Yeah we sleep on the couch, if your mattress was as old and springy as ours, you would too!)
Thanks to All Natural Mommies for the original post.

And the winner is...

Christy from Sapphire Stitches not only choose a name that I love, she made me a label! So, what name did she come up with you ask? Itsa Greener Clean. I didn't use her label in the end (I went with a simpler, all black label) but it's the thought that counts! Check out her store later; she just had a baby but she'll be stocking it soon.

Thanks to everyone who entered a name! I liked them all, but many were already in use or had suds in the name (it's suds free :) Itsa Greener Clean spoke to me, and it's wasn't trademarked.

Itsa Greener Clean is $1 off right now, and can be found here and here. It will be in a few brick and mortar stores soon as well.

**CONTEST**

Between the new site and custom order slings, I have been busy. My mother has been a huge help. She has cut out so many diaper, wipe and nursing pad pieces that I am beginning to wonder whether I can complete them all! She has also helped with the formulation and testing of my new products. Very soon, natural laundry detergent and all-purpose cleaners will be available on www.slingsandsacks.com!

The story: I was quite excited when the family from Maine who makes natural laundry detergents and cleaners agreed to me selling their products on my site. I was equally as disappointed to find, through personal experience and that of other retailers, that they are unreliable. My passion for natural cleaning products drove me to create a detergent. (I in no way copied their detergent, or any other. The formulation is my own.) I am even more pleased to find that my products out clean the other natural products I had been using.

**The contest: Come up with an original name for my natural detergents and cleaning products. Send it to aimee@slingsandsacks.com with "name contest" in the subject line. If I choose the name you have come up with, I will send you a free 16 load bag of detergent. Contest closes whenever I decide :) **

Some more info that may help: Products are free of phosphates, biodegradable, safe for sensitive skin, suds free, and do not contain any sodium lauryl sulfate or dyes. All scents are created using essential oils.

The small print stuff: By sending me a name idea, you release all rights regarding that name, and any variance of it, to Slings and Sacks to use at our discretion. The free bag of detergent will be mailed in the cheapest way possible, therefore it may take a couple weeks or longer (depending on the postal service and where you live) before you receive the product.

I'll post some pictures soon (I know, I said that a week ago). I made Aiden a pair of pants from corduroy my mother used when I was a wee one. And the new flannel front diapers, nursing pads and wipes are un-fricken-believably cute. The old Euro-Pro machine I have been using is in need of a new foot control so I have switched to a Singer that we're guessing is from the 60's. Alright, back to adding bath & body products to the site, only after messing with threading a bobbin on the old singer. But first, off to my weekly visit/cleaning spree with my favorite person in the world besides Aiden, my Gram. Ever noticed how much easier it is to clean someone else's home?