Green Christmas Gift Giveaway Hop with Punkin Butt!

Welcome to the Green Christmas Giveaway Hop, hosted by Happy Mothering, Going Green with Grizls and The Reynolds Mom. 50+ members of the Green Moms Network have come together to offer you tons of chances to win green-themed Christmas gifts! There’s sure to be something for everyone on your list. We hope you’ll discover some great new brands to add to your Christmas list too! Below my entry form, you'll see the other giveaways to enter as well as information about entering to win the Grand Prize!

Krazy for Kloth is participating thanks to the LOVELY people at Punkin Butt! They are giving away a teething package that includes a baltic amber teething necklace for your little one as well as a 2oz. glass bottle of their AMAZING teething oil. Check out the full review here and get ready to ease those little gums this holiday season!

Enter the PromoSimple form below for your chance at the Punkin Butt goodies and then make sure you enter the GRAND PRIZE through the link in the next paragraph and hop to the other blogs below to win some more prizes!

Our hosts are featuring 5 fabulous grand prize packages from these green and natural brands: For Your Bug-a-Boo, Blue Manatee Boxes, Bulk Herb Store, Snug Bug Diapers, Nosefrida, My Pretty Playhouse, Wonder Forge, Kelly Kits, Kerrific Online, LibreTea, Grounds for Change, Zulka Sugar, Justin's Nut Butters, Better Life, ReuseIt, Strawesome, generationMe, Soybu, Purely Gorgeous, A Mothers Design, Dr. Bronner's and Xmittens!. Click here to enter the grand prize.








This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to Happy Mothering, Going Green with the Grizls and The Reynolds Mom, and not to Facebook. Please note that Happy Mothering, Going Green with the Grizls, The Reynolds Moms and the Green Christmas Gift Giveaway bloggers are not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes. We have represented each sponsor with the expectation they will fulfill their prize and in a timely manner. We will contact the sponsor regarding your prize(s). The sponsors, in most cases, are shipping their items to you directly. We will make every effort to assist you obtaining your prize. If there is an issue with a sponsor, please notify the blog you won a prize from within 4-6 weeks for assistance, after that we may be unable to assist you.

BLACK FLUFFY FRIDAY

I just wanted to share the details on a Black Friday-Sunday sale for KrazyforKloth readers! My favorite brick and mortar diaper store Zoolikins is authorizing an online sale for all you out of towners that can't make it into the store this weekend. You ready? Here are the details:

20% off ALL Bumkins Apparel

20% off ALL Bumkins Organics

10% off ALL Kee-Ka Organics 

-AND-

ALL BUMKINS CLOTH DIAPERS/COVERS/INSERTS ARE Buy 3 Get 1 FREE!

If you're looking to build a stash, give a stash, get some cute pj's for the older kids you have to check out this sale. It starts at NOON MST and will go through the weekend. 

How it works: 
Add everything you want to your cart. When you checkout there's a box that says "If you have any notes regarding the order enter them here:" That is where you will type KRAZYFORKLOTH. The sales prices will be reflected in a confirmation email, it is only then that your card will be charged. It's such a big sale and a busy weekend that the email will confirm the code as well as your order, so be sure to look for that! That's it! Super easy, super great gifts at a phenominal price!

If you're local:
Stop in on Saturday! I'll be there supporting and helping out all afternoon. I'd love to meet you! 

Just a little reminder of my Bumkins Stash: 

What'll it Be? Wittlebee!!

Ah, baby clothes. Something I think we're all guilty of splurging on at one time or another. Whether it's for your own baby, or a gift, resisting the "Mommy's little" this or "Daddy's little" that is not an easy task! If you're like me, this inability to "fight the urge" can get a little pricey when buying for a little one! So what do we do? We relegate ourselves to garage sales, CraigsList, and consignment shops. Don't get me wrong, you can score some great deals, but most everything you purchase is in varying states of "use" and let's face it, sometimes what one person describes as "excellent condition" for baby clothes would function more as baby wipes for someone else. So, you start to think. How can I get good quality new clothes for my child without breaking the bank? Enter my next company review Wittlebee. 

Wittlebee is a parent-minded company with a heart. They saw the need to help parents find quality children's clothes, in the style they prefer, for a great price. What's even better, is they will hand pick out outfits based on your indicated style preference, box them up, and mail them to you once a month! Each box contains over $100 worth of children's clothes, for a monthly price of $39.99. That's it. Your traveling to the mall, coupon-clipping, sale-scavenging, style settling days are over! Wittlebee graciously sent me a box for little B for the purpose of this review. I plan to share all the juicy behind-the-scenes details with you! Here's how it works:

You will first fill out a style profile. You will indicate your child's gender, name, current age, and current size. You then choose a "style" of clothes that best suits your little one. There are 5 options to pick from. I chose Casual and Preppy. After that you choose any patterns or graphics that fits their personality. For B I picked patterns/plaids and stripes. You then pick any favorite colors, and have the option to specifically indicate anything you do not need or want. For us, this included onesies and long-sleeves. You can also highlight what you do need. We picked shorts and short-sleeves because we all know how lovely Arizona is in the summer! Finally you have the option to add personal notes to the mommy stylist or receive a call from a mommy stylist to confirm/discuss any additional information you find relevant.  It's that simple. Once you're done with the style profile, you enter your payment info and then wait. This is the hardest part! 

You'll know when your package gets to you by it's cute white box and beehive graphic! I'm not going to lie, it's a rush! I was so anxious to see what was going to be in that box that I had to show some restraint not to rip it open with my teeth! Once I opened the box, I was pleased to see there was a message from the CEO on the inside cover complete with his cell phone number welcoming text messages for any comments or concerns. (I'll get to their customer service guarantee in a minute). I thought that was a great touch! The contents were neatly wrapped in bright green tissue paper and a little bee sticker! Once I ripped that open, I saw the cutest outfits all rolled up nice and neat! 

They really did a great job picking out outfits for B! We ended up with 4 complete outfits! 3 pair of shorts, a pair of pants, 2 sleeveless shirts, a short-sleeve polo, and a short sleeve button-down shirt. I was so impressed, not only with the style but the quality. In my box were Carter's and Michael Kors! Everything was new with tags, and they clearly listened to my style profile and picked items that I have no problem putting B in! (Side note: we're tentatively planning a pirate-theme for B's first birthday, so when I saw a cute pirate shirt, I was elated!)  The sizing was all apporpriate and overall I had no complaints. When your child does start changing sizes, simply update your style profile and your next box will reflect the new sizes! So easy!

I spy a pirate hat and some fun plaid!

Just because I had no complaints doesn't mean you won't have questions for customer service and since I had read that Wittlebee's customer satisfaction is 100% guaranteed, I decided to learn more about it. If there is an item that you do not want or need, Wittlebee will ask that you simply donate that item and they will send you a replacement in your next box! If that weren't nice enough, for every Wittlebee box that ships out, they donate a onesie to a child in need! So not only are you clothing your child, you're helping to provide a little clothing to a child in need as well! 

All laid-out and matched up!

 Ok, now that I've given you all the details, I'm just missing out one, a big one! How do you sign up? Here is where you get started AND because Wittlebee thinks all the Krazy for Kloth readers are pretty fantastic, they are giving you $10 off your first box! So that's hand-picked, clothing essentials, delivered to your door for your little one for $29.99!  Sign up here, and please let me know how much you love your new outfits! Oh, and I almost forgot, Wittlebee now has it set up so you can send boxes as a gift! You can send 3, 6, or 12 month gift options. The recipient enters their code, chooses their style and voila! All done! No duplicates, no gift receipts, just easy. Perfect for new parents :) 

Sponsor Spotlight: Punkin Butt

I can't believe how fast the holidays are approaching! Because they're coming so fast, I almost forgot about the upcoming Green Christmas Giveaway event! It starts a week from Wednesday and I wanted to give you a sneak peek at my sponsor: Punkin Butt. 

I first discovered this company when trying to address B's teething woes. This poor kid seems like he's been teething since day one! He started showing signs: drooling, gnawing on everything, puffy red gums, general grumpiness at around 3 months. I was recommended an amber teething necklace to aid with some of that. In addition to stopping the faucet coming out of his mouth, it became quite the talking point at swim lessons! He's had it on ever since. My cousin lovingly calls his necklace his "hippie beads". It kind of has a nice ring to it :) B would still show signs of discomfort whenever one of those pearly white jagged stalactites (or stalagmites depending on the location) would pop through and we tried EVERYTHING. We started with the teething tablets, then Acetaminophen or ibuprofen. We tried frozen washcloths, frozen peas in mesh feeders, frozen anything really. Nursing worked, but at some point he had to unlatch. We went through this starting with his bottom teeth at 4 months all the way through 11 months. It was at about 11 months when I learned about the Punkin Butt Teething Oil. 

Not the face of your typical teething baby. That's him "smiling" on command :)

 By now you know how I try to be natural/green if possible so when I saw this was a blend of oils I was intrigued. Naturally, I tried it on my own gums first. I didn't feel any numbness or tingling or even a bad taste. The smell was soft but calming, I think that's the chamomile, but either way it was nice. I was anxious to see what B thought. That night before bed when he was getting ornery, I put some on my finger and rubbed it on his gums. It was almost instant but he calmed right down. He even let me put my finger back in his mouth for another round! Not even an attempt at a bite! :) If that's not a testimonial I don't know what is. The product has been a lifesaver for us especially with all 4 molars popping in around his first birthday. I also love that they are now packaging the oil in glass bottles versus plastic. It's the little things like that that shows a company really cares about their impact on the environment and shows amazing integrity.  

Grab some before B gets it all!

Because I loved this product so much I wanted to share it all with you and Punkin Butt agreed to sponsor a teething package giveaway complete with your own bottle of Teething Oil and Amber Necklace! Keep an eye out next week for the giveaway to start!! If you can't wait that long, please check out Punkin Butt's online store and their facebook page to learn more . They have TONS of natural parenting products in addition to their amazing teething remedies.

Thankful Thursday part 3

I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week! I swear this month has flown by, not to mention the entire year! It's been a busy week, but I can't forget to refocus! 

1) My Education- True, at this moment I may not be using my degree per-sea, but I'm thankful I have it to go back to when B is in school full time. I'm thankful for what I've learned through that degree both in and out of the classroom, and I'm thankful that it will afford me many more opportunities in the future!

2) My Car- When we made the decision for me to stay at home I was worried I would become a shut-in, but having a car and the ability to go where I please, when I please is something I try to not take for granted. The fact that it's a safe car in addition to being spacious enough for my family is a double bonus!

3) Jeans- Well, all pants really. I'm glad it's now finally cool enough in the desert that I can wear pants and go a couple days without shaving my legs! :) I guess that makes me thankful for marriage too... :) 

Anyone else care to share? Feel free in the comments!

Cloth Diapering a Newborn

One of my few life regrets is not starting B in cloth sooner. I've already admitted my shortcomings and my "pre-mom" judgements and I'll admit, the idea of cloth diapering was very intimidating. But, I now get to live vicariously through my cousin. She is due with her own little "bean" on Christmas of this year and is planning to cloth diaper from day one! I know it's hard to believe but, I'm in her corner 100%! The only issue is she lives cross country :(. So, I'm doing this all via mail, Skype, and letters. 

Not being able to be hands on and show her all the different types of systems that are out there, I figured she should just start with a little of eveything. I wanted her to be able to find out what diapering system she prefers and what's going to fit her little guy best so here's what we're starting with: 

3 BumGenius Newborn AIO's

1 GroVia Newborn AIO

1 BottomBumper Size Small AI2

4 Bumkins newborn covers

2 Rump-A-Rooz lil joey covers

6 Bumkins Infant Contours

12 Indian Cotton Bumkin Prefolds

3 Thirsties Duo Fab Fitteds size one

3 Bumkins OS AIO's (new fit which has been known to fit a 7.5 pounder!)

I think that's it, I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that covers everything for the newborn part at least. I'd love to hear your comments or advice for those of you that have used cloth since day one!!

Thankful Thursday Part 2

It's been such a busy week so far, but I still want to take time to be thankful, so here go. Once again, no particular order:

1) Polish Prince-Sometimes I take for granted how hard he works to provide for our family. I find myself getting annoyed when he leaves at 6 in the morning and doesnt get home until 7:30-8:00 some nights. Then I realize he does that so I can stay home with B and have a relatively comfortable existance. I hope B inherits this work ethic as well.

2) Fall weather-Living in the desert you really begin to appreciate any weather that is not in triple digits. It's been a nice, mild week and I LOVE having the windows open. I'm also going to be thankful for my lower energy bill!! :)

 

3) Family-The majority of our family members live out of state, but getting to spend time with the ones who live here is fantastic. I love that B will have memories and moments of growing up surrounded by family and love. And for those family members that don't live nearby, I'm thankful for Skype!

Zuvo Water Filtration Review and Giveaway!

Being from the midwest, I grew up a milk drinker. Milk was the only option for drinks at dinner (unless it was a special occasion) and it was unfathomable to have anything else with desserts. I think because of this, I've never been a big water drinker. When I would play sports or something I'd have water, but it wasn't like I would be hanging out in the summer and just have to have a glass of water. It wasn't until I got older that I started to really understand the benefits of water, and it wasn't until I moved to the desert and got pregnant in the 120 degree heat that I realized how necessary water actually is! Then, start nursing a newborn and you will put away water like a camel!

When I was approached to review a water filtration system from Zuvo I was intrigued to see if this simple system could actually make my tap water taste better. I'm not "snobby" about many things but drinking water from the tap out here gives me the heebie-jeebies. In addition to taste, I was also interested in the cost and environmental benefits of a system that connects right to your faucet. By having drinkable, safe, water right out of the tap, I would save money on constantly buying bottled water and therefore save on constantly disposing of the used bottles. Yes, I recycle, but still, it's a waste of money and resources to buy it in the first place. So, needless to say I was intrigued.**DISCLAIMER** I am not a chemist, biologist, water analyst, or anything that ends in -ist. This is only my personal experience and I am not qualified to speak authoritatively on the water purification process.But, if you want to know how Zuvo works, check this site out"

The folks at Zuvo agreed to send me a system of my choice. They have two options, one for on top of the counters that attaches directly to your existing faucet, and another that is hooked up under your sink and connects to a designated Zuvo Beverage Faucet. Since my kitchen sink has a sprayer hooked to it and no designated water faucet, I opted for the "on the counter" system and thought I would hook it up to the sink in B's bathroom.  I've said it before, sometimes my parenting decisions are based on the idea of "working smarter not harder" and if I can give B safe, clean water to drink before bed, or in the middle of the night, without having to go down to the kitchen, why not?! :)

Even in the bathroom, it doesn't take up much space

How fun with the lights off!

So, onto the DIY installation part. I LOVE DIY projects and I love when they are just as easy to do as they appear on the outside. Hooking this system up was a breeze! I simply unscrewed the existing faucet nozzle, screwed on a male/female faucet adapter (I ended up getting this from Home Depot. Zuvo's awesome product manager did send me two different male/female adapters but my faucet is ridiculous, so neither worked. The one I got from Home Depot was about $6) screwed on the Zuvo system and plugged it in. It seriously does not get any easier than that! Once it was plugged in, I followed the instructions and turned the faucet on. Then I pulled the pin that's on the adapter and the machine lit up! This mini-water tornado was happening on the inside of the Zuvo and that's what was flushing the filter and making the water clean. According to Zuvo's website: "The Zuvo Water Filtration System is based on a unique, patented five-step cleansing process including Ozonation, Ultraviolet Light, Photo-Oxidation, Filtration, and Post Filtration UV" This is what is actually making the water safe to drink. For us non-scientific people; it's also pretty to look at and intriguing for children to watch the tank light up and the water spin around.

All hooked up in the bathroom!

So, how did I test it? Well, the first test was the installation,and like I said, that was a breeze! Super easy and self-explanatory! I did notice a little "leaking" coming from the top of the faucet a couple days after installation.It only happened once the Zuvo system turned on. To solve it, I simply unscrewed the nozzle, added some of the white plumber's tape that was provided, screwed the nozzle back on and viola! No more leaking!

The water comes out the small spigot on the right

The next test was the taste test and I'll be honest, I wasn't looking forward to it. I was nervous about what I was signing my tastebuds up for given my past experience of drinking tap water. I delayed it as long as possible, but then decided to dive in. First, I tasted our regular tap water. Eh, city water. Not terrible, but tasted kind of metallic-y (not metallic-a! HAHA!), and a bit like pool water. Next was the Zuvo filtered water; It tasted clear. Surprisingly, the metallic/pool water taste was gone. I venture to say, with a couple ice cubes I could even pass it off for fancy "bottled" water!

My last test was actually with the water itself. We have city water, which by city standards it's already deemed "safe to drink" but the taste is terrible. I contacted a lab, certified by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to ask about the Zuvo claims and how it would affect my water. The lab director that I spoke with, Jim, stated since we currently use city water I could take the two samples to any pool store to have the water tested free. Otherwise, their tests were $20 a piece and I would need to specify which contaminates I would want to test for. I read him the details about what the Zuvo system claims to remove and he again indicated a pool store would be able to test for those. (I almost wish we didn't have city water to be able to run these tests. I have a feeling people with well water or something similar would have dramatic differences in their water!) Anyway, after going to the pool store, the tester there told me the tap water was clean but that there were definite levels of chlorine. When I gave him the other sample he said "Well, whatever you did to this one got rid of the chlorine". I told him it was a water filtration system hooked up to my sink. He seemed a bit surprised that that's all it took to remove the chlorine, but conceded nonetheless that the chlorine was gone. Resulting in the much more pleasant taste.


I've been using this system for about a week now and haven't had any issues with leaks (after using the plumbing tape mentioned above) or the taste of the water changing. When it is time to change the filter, I found this out from Zuvo's FAQ page:

Standard-capacity and VOC filters should be changed every 3 months, or after 250 gallons of water have flowed through the filter, whichever comes first. High-capacity filters should be changed every 5 months, or after 400 gallons of water have flowed through the filter, whichever comes first. However, water quality and water usage may affect the frequency of filter changes. Monitor your water usage if possible, as it can change seasonally. If you start to see degradation in water flow from your Zuvo Water Filtration System or experience an unusual taste, change the filter. The 300 Series models have an indicator light that tells you when it's time to change your filter. The newer 100 Series models have a buzzer that tells you when it's time to change your filter. The indicator light and buzzer take the guesswork out of changing your filter.

So, that's it. It really is that easy to have clean, safe, drinking water right from your tap. If you just can not wait to stop wasting money and protecting the environment, check out this website to find out where to get a Zuvo Water sytem for yourself.

-OR-

If you're feeling lucky, the generous people over at Zuvo are giving away a Zuvo Water system to one lucky reader! Fill out the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win!! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**Thank you to Zuvo Water for providing the products for review and giveaway. The above review is of my own opinion and may differ from your own.**

Thankful Thursdays

I'm going to admit, I've been grumpy lately. B has switched up his "not-so-great" sleeping habits with terrible sleeping habits and I've had a few "woe is me" kind of moments as of late. Since today starts November, and Thanksgiving is right around the corner, I've decided to take a step back and turn my crankiness into thankiness <--you heard it here first folks, that will be a word! So, each Thursday I'm going to share 3 things I'm thankful for at the moment. These will be in no particular order!

1) SLEEP-I'm thankful that once he decides to sleep, even if it's for an hour, that hour is mine to do as I please, and you know what, dishes are not on that list today!

2) Laundry-I know it's weird, but as it's sitting here staring at me on the table, ready to be folded, clean laundry means my family has clothes to wear and the means to wash them. It means that even when there are clothes needing to be washed and needing to be folded, we still have plenty of clothes to wear. 

3) Hugs/Snuggles from B- Yes, he has been extra clingy and needy lately, but I'm thankful that he knows I will meet his needs. I'm thankful that he can communicate those needs to me and that he is home, safe, and healthy. So many parents would long for their babies to snuggle them, I'm going to take advantage, even at 3 in the morning. 

Please feel free to share in with your own things you're thankful for!