Green Polka Dot Box

About a month ago, I discovered The Green Polka Dot Box, and online grocery store that sells only Organic, Non-GMO products.  Win!

My long time readers know, last year I moved to rural Maryland after living in a suburban neighborhood located between Boulder, Colorado and Denver Colorado.  Square in the middle.  Boulder boasts three Whole Foods stores, and when I was leaving there was a whisper of a Trader Joe's being built there, too.  Between that, and Mile High Organics (a local organic delivery) I was absolutely completely set for natural, organic, and non-gmo foods, and products.  I was pretty spoiled, too.

I moved out to rural Maryland, and was suddenly faced with the challenge of finding fresh organic fruits and vegetables, and meats.  Finding safe household cleaners was laughable.  The closest Whole Foods is in Annapolis, which for us is an hour and a half away. Do you live in an organic/natural foods black whole?  Is the only store available to you a tiny little natural foods store that charges the highest full price for their items? (Oh I know all about that, too).

If you have a hard time finding food and products you trust, you should check out The Green Polka Dot Box.  I recently had my first order with them, and I am seriously impressed.  I messed up the order..of course I did.  It's me we're talking here.  Well, their customer service number is easy to find.  It's right on the bottom of the page.  No clicking contact us, no emailing and waiting a day or two.  I called, and a LIVE PERSON answered the phone.   There was no wait, no cheesy hold music.  There was a cheerful, likeable, funny person on the other side of the phone who fixed my mistakes and got my order correctly taken care of.  It took all of five minutes.

So here's my rundown of things I love about The Green Polka Dot Box.

• They have a huge selection of foods, ranging from dry foods to fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats.
• They have dog and cat food, they have cleaners, toiletries, even seeds and grow kits.
• They have baby food, body products, vitamins and supplements.  They even have a kitchen gadget section. 
• Have I mentioned the huge selection of stuff?  This is with out a doubt, all the kinds of things I am used to finding at Whole Foods, and other natural type stores...with out the big price tag.
• They are a small business, with personable people.  I would not be surprised if I called customer service again and spoke with the same friendly girl.  They have one office, and helpful staff.  I'm a hard win when it comes to customer service, and they are truly about as good as it gets. You know when staff is happy, they are treated well by their employers.  A happy business is easy to do business with.
• When your order is finished, your items are quickly shipped to you.  They also have cold shipping so they can ship delicates like milk, and cheese to you.

Go check out their website see what they've got.  Their Facebook Page sometimes has special promotions and deals, so be sure to check that out too. I'm about to place my next order with them, I will be sure to let you all know how it goes!

Conscious Box - A review

I've been patiently eagerly waiting for my Conscious Box to come in the mail, ever since Jameson Morris, president of Conscious Box contacted me to review his product.

I won't lie.  I grilled him.  He'll probably agree with that.  How does it work, what's your company like, etc etc.  He shined.  Most monthly box services are so expensive that I never really was interested enough to try them, or you had to sign up for like 5 years worth of boxes to make it worth your while.  However with Conscious Box, you can try it once, or you can sign up for a few months or a year.  Up to you, and it's super flexible.  You'll receive a box stuffed of samples of green products for you to try.  There are plenty of options too, you can get their traditional box, a vegan box, or a gluten free box.  I opted to try the gluten free.

Here's what was in my gluten free box:

• 4 oz. trial size of Jovial Brown Rice Pasta
• 3 oz. Wheatgrass Boost from Agro Labs
• 1 oz. Package of Teras Whey, organic whey protein powder
• A sample size of Zarbee's All-Natural Cough Syrup
• Two Degrees Apple Pecan snack bar
• Two tea bags of Stash Very Berry Organic Tea (drinking one right now!)
• One tea bag of Runa Mint Guayusa Tea
• A sample of Kelapo Organic Coconut Oil
• A sample of Babytime Cheeky Salve
• A sample of Emily skin soother
• Two bags of Nektar Honey Crystals (perfect to add in my Very Berry Tea)
• A Yummy Earth Organic Lollypop
• 2 samples of Smarty Pants gummy vitamins, one for adults one for kids.

What I love about Conscious Box:

• Like any monthly box delivery, you get new stuff every month.  How fun it is to open your box each month and see what goodies await you.
• Clear communication.  The ordering process is simple, and you get good communication as to when your box will ship, an email stating that it did ship along with tracking so you know exactly where your goodies are and when they'll be in your mailbox.
• The box delivers!  It was absolutely stuff full of goodies to try.  These experts packed it in such a way that I couldn't fit everything back in the box after I pulled it out.  Definitely over $20 worth of items in there to sample.
• There is no minimum to buy.  You can try it just once, or you can get a monthly subscription.  I'm kinda afraid of commitment, so I appreciate knowing I can try it out before I commit to a month or more.

Head on over to Conscious Box and check them out, and be sure to follow my Facebook page for discounts and sales.  Oh, and there will be a giveaway!  Thursday check back and enter to win a 3 month subscription to Conscious Box!

Green Woman Magazine -- A Review

Just judging by it's title, Green Woman magazine feels like a magazine that I should be reading. I'm so glad I had an opportunity to write this review. It's an online magazine that sells for just under three dollars, and you can download it instantly. Don't waste paper or money on shipping. This is the best way to do it.

Check out their about page where you can find out who and what this magazine is about.

Greenwoman Magazine was founded on three passions: an enthusiasm for gardening, a deep love for garden writing, and a desire to do something that would turn people on to both.

I found this magazine to be so delightful and easy to read I kept going back to it again and again to read and reread different articles. It was lighthearted, creative, and so different than any magazine I'd ever read.  It wasn't filled with how to's, and who's life is better than yours.  It was creativity, poetry, short stories, artwork, comics, and beauty.  My favorite story for the winter/spring edition of course being the one about the chickens, or maybe it was the Diary of a Garden Goddess.  I don't know, it's hard to pick the best part. If you've read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, or the $64 Tomato, then this magazine is for you.  There is even a section with book reviews for new books on gardening, landscaping, and homesteading.  This magazine connects so many of my own interests in one whimsical package. I can't wait for their next issue!

Wabibito -- A creative resource for parents

When I was asked by Ruth Haske, the author of Wabibito, I got pretty excited.  My kids and I are always looking for crafts and things to do.  Typically our resource is craft books from the library, which basically can be hit or miss as to how good they are.  We typically stick to seasonal crafts, and Wabibito falls right in line with the kinds of things we're always looking for.

This is more than just a craft idea book.  This is a Waldorf inspired, seasonal idea book for children, whether you homeschool or not.  There are ideas here for children as young as 2, to as old as 10 and older.  There's also a reading list of wonderful books, and recipes.

My son just turned 10, and readily leaped at a fun project that included nails and hammers.  I can't think that he's actually used a hammer before, I was so glad to have a quick and easy craft that taught him these life skills.  I approved of this project because it used a can from our recycling, and cost us nothing to turn it into artwork.

Her directions to complete this simple and creative project were easy to understand.  I sat back, and watched him go.  Initially he had a hard time with the hammer, and cans can be slippery when you're trying to hammer a nail in them.  My seven year old daughter wanted to do her own lantern, and is still working on completing hers.  She wanted to nail it herself, so I started every dot of her design for her, so she had little dents to nail into.  Helped the nails from slipping all over the place.

There are so many other light projects for the winter months to help add some sparkle to your home in fun crafty ways.  I'll be sure to show off post pictures of them when we complete them. I will be looking back in the spring to see what she comes up with next!!

Reviews and Giveaways

Just a quick peak at some upcoming reviews and giveaways!


Reviews:

Wabibito
Soap for Goodness Sake

Give Aways:

The Non Toxic Shop
Live Good

Soaring with Spelling -- A Curricula Review

This year both of my kids have been working out of Soaring with Spelling as a part of the overall Language Arts curriculum.

So far, I've been pleased with this curriculum for my children.  I think we'll continue to use this program so long as it's successful with them both.  Each lesson begins with a pretest.  It's an assessment test to see if the student already knows the words being worked on this week.  This is great, because my son initially had weeks that he scored 100% on the pretest, and when he did, he was allowed to skip the week, and move on to the next.  My daughter however has been stressed by these initial pretests, and cries when she doesn't do well on them.

The lessons each take roughly 5-10 minutes long each day.  With my daughter, I've had to add extra flash cards occasionally when words seemed slightly hard for her.

One thing that perhaps would have been helpful is a placement test.  My son probably could have gone ahead a level in their program...where my daughter may have benefitted from an easier book.

Overall, I think if you're looking for a secular spelling program for your children this program is appropriate for a student who is not in need of any remediation and who is on target for their grade level.

Leafware Disposable dinnerware

Last week I was asked to do a review for Leafware's disposable dinnerware plates.  After checking out their green efforts, I was thrilled to give their products a review.

They sent me a sample package that contained a few different size plates and bowls.  Disposable usually isn't in this green household's vocabulary, but this one is definitely worth a second look.


Their company's philosophy is one that has called to me for years, it's Ghandi's quote "Be the change you want to see in the world."  They make their disposable dinner ware from fallen palm leaves. 

They really did their homework with these.  It doesn't get more natural then these bowls. When your done, toss them in the compost, and they break down.  They are only leaves after all.  On their website they sell them in large quantities, which would be perfect for a restaurant, or for someone hosting a green wedding or a party (I'm talking 400 plates here).

They give links though to other stores where you can purchase less quantities, perhaps more appropriate for families.  They are a bit on the pricey side, for my budget but I believe you get what you pay for here. A chemical free, disposal, compostable, dinnerware.  Well done Leafware, thanks for inviting me to experience your awesome product.