Green Irene Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products Review

I'm very careful about choosing the cleaners I use. I don't want my family to breath in toxins, yet I want the best clean possible. One way to get a good clean is to use an eco-friendly cleaner with enzymes. A company that has great enzymatic cleaners is Green Irene.
One reason I was so attracted to trying the Green Irene cleaning line is because they explain how enzymes work. I feel like I received a lot of information on their web site. I'm new to learning about enzymes so I'm very happy they explained how they work. Here's what I learned from GreenIrene.com:
"Enzymes are large protein molecules found in all living things. They are nature’s workers, speeding chemical processes or creating chemical reactions. As catalysts, they speed up natural processes and create natural reactions that otherwise would not materialize. Enzymes work by rapidly biodegrading materials like grease, foods, oils and grime into their basic elements like carbon, oxygen and hydrogen, so they are both effective and safe. Enzymes clean better than toxic and non-toxic detergents, acids and alkalines. Plus, enzymes completely remove (not just mask) odors by breaking down the organic materials that's causing the odor.
The key is finding the right enzymes suited for each task. Green Irene's task specific plant-based blends are hospital grade enzymes purified of bacteria. They pinpoint their targets and go to work! They work exclusively on organic materials (starch, fats, food, grease, oil) and react only with their target. Another advantage is that any remaining enzymes will be re-activated upon contact with water. This characteristic aids in reducing future organic growth while continuously neutralizing lingering odors."
Once I understood what enzymes were and how they worked I was very excited to try the Green Irene cleaning products. They don't contain any harsh fumes, vapors, phosphates, chlorine, or petroleum-based products. I was able to try their Enzymatic Clean Starter Kit which includes a Kitchen Cleaner, Bathroom Cleaner, Stainless and Glass Cleaner, Mildew Stain Eraser, Stain and Odor Eliminator, Rinse-Free Floor Cleaner, and a reusable bag.
Stainless and Glass Cleaner. Before I found this cleaner I didn't have anything to use on our LCD television screen. I insist on using eco-friendly cleaners only so the tv screen usually went without cleaning. My son often puts prints on the screen and the prints would pile up until I wiped the screen with a little water. That never really did the trick though. I used the Stainless and Glass Cleaner with a microfiber cloth and the results were amazing. There's no more holding off on cleaning the tv or computer screens because I'm afraid I will ruin them.
Kitchen Cleaner. One of the areas that needs constant cleaning in my kitchen is the stove top. Between pasta sauce, grease spatter, and spices the stove top is a constant battle. It's nice to have a cleaner that I can use to quickly clean it up with. I sprayed the kitchen cleaner on the stove then wiped it clean with no problems. Of course, it's great on the counters too.
Bathroom Cleaner. Due to a clog, our soap wasn't going completely down the drain in the bathroom. Before we could get the clog fixed the soap left a large area of scum in the sink. I sprayed the sink with the Bathroom Cleaner, scrubbed the sink, then sprayed the area again. I let the cleaner sit for a few minutes then went back to scrub a second time. It completely removed the soap scum. A couple of quick scrubs was all it needed. I was thrilled because I don't enjoy scrubbing forever to remove soap scum.
The Green Irene Ezymatic Clean Starter Kit ($39.98) comes with empty 16 oz. sprayer bottles and 1 oz. packets of the concentrated cleaners. You add the concentrate to the bottles and fill with water. When it's time for a refill you just buy the concentrated packets and reuse your bottles. This is wonderful to help to reduce packaging waste!
The only thing I would change would be the coloring for the Floor Cleaner. I would still use the product even if it didn't have an orange color. I'm not a fan of carmine so I would like to see it made without. Otherwise, I really like the Green Irene Cleaners.

Having Fun at Fenway Park
Recently, I enjoyed a Red Sox vs. Mariners game at Fenway Park. I love Boston so it's always a pleasure to travel there. I'm not into watching baseball on television but I sure do have fun at live games. I traveled over with my husband, my sister, and her girlfriend. We all had a blast!
Jeff Plympton, a former Red Sox player, was at the souvenir shop in Yawkey Way. My sister was able to get his autograph. That was right before the game so we were enjoying hanging out and getting excited for the players to get on the field.
For most of the game it drizzled rain but that didn't disturb our fun at all. Even with it being a cooler day it didn't bother us. We just bundled up. My poor sister was wearing shorts. She ended up having to buy a blanket to keep warm. It was a Red Sox blanket though so she at least had a souvenir to bring home and use.
Of course, I had to see what Fenway Park was doing to go green. I was pleasantly surprised. The napkins in the food area were made from 100% recycled paper! There were also signs and bins all over asking people to recycle their water bottles. On top of that, there were Poland Spring crews going around the stands collecting water bottles for recycling and trash. It was also announced they were coming around so everyone knew. What I got a kick out of was the crew's t-shirts. They were each made from five recycled water bottles. Very cool!
After the game, we walked around Boston before getting a bite to eat. To me, Boston is so beautiful. I love the New England feel. It's historic, warm, and it feels like home. Oh, how I would love to live there. Maybe someday...

P.S. Yes, that's me in the navy blue hat and gray sweater.
DyPeas Cloth Diaper Review & Giveaway
I just started cloth diapering a couple of months ago so I've been working on developing my cloth diapering routine. I love interacting with other cloth diapering mothers and learning as much as I can. One person that is always willing to offer cloth diapering help is Milli from DyPeas Cloth Diapers. She has her own Etsy shop. Even though she is also a busy mom, Milli is always ready to answer questions and lend a hand.
DyPeas Cloth Pocket Diapers come in organic and non-organic (microfiber terry & microfleece) options. Of course, I had to jump at the chance to try the Organic DyPeas. The organic diapers consist of 100% organic cotton on the outer side, an organic sherpa cotton lining inside, PUL in between those two layers, and a gender specific insert made from organic sherpa cotton.
This organic diaper is so soft! It makes me think of keeping all cozy and warm in the Fall and Winter. Yet, I see how breathable it is for the Spring and Summer. I have washed this diaper several times and the sherpa cotton has not lost it's softness. It's very plush too. On top of that, the insert has extra layers in the front for my son. Since the DyPeas inserts are gender specific they help absorb in the area most needed for either a boy or a girl. Putting extra protection in the front or in the middle (for girls) helps to keep the rest of the diaper areas slimmer. I think that's a great idea!
The sherpa cotton seems to take a little more time to dry in the dryer. So what I like to do if I feel the need to use the dryer, is put my diapers in for one cycle then lay them out to dry. Milli from DyPeas recommends sun drying because it's a natural stain fighter and kills bacteria and odors. I don't yet have a drying rack sturdy enough for outside but I do have a smaller one in my kitchen that folds up. I can easily open my window and let the sunlight and air through. That seems to do the trick.
We've tried the diaper during nap time and throughout the night. We had no problems with leaking. I made sure to stuff the insert correctly so the extra layers are in the front of the diaper. There's also some additional room in the pocket in case I'd like to add any extra cloth for sleeping. So far, I haven't needed to do that though because the insert is extremely absorbent.
DyPeas Cloth Pocket Diapers come with full instructions. They are so complete! Everything you'd think to ask about the care of the diapers is in the instructions. Milli is also happy to share any cloth diapering tips. She is wonderful about getting back to me and is really just the sweetest person. If you have any questions about DyPeas you can feel comfortable asking Milli.
DyPeas Cloth Pocket Diaper.
1. Visit DyPeas then come back and tell me your favorite fabric design and which diaper size you would choose. This is mandatory and must be done before the extra entries count.
Extra Entries (The mandatory entry must be completed first before any of these count. Please create a separate comment for each extra entry):
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5. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter. You can do this once daily. Put a link to your tweet in a comment here (click the date/time on the bottom left of your tweet to get link). You can copy and paste: “Win a DyPeas Cloth Diaper from MilliLee Designs! @mommyisgreen http://tinyurl.com/28bzzvu #clothdiapers #giveaway” (1 Entry Per Day)
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This giveaway will end on September 20, 2010 at 11:59 ET. Winner will be drawn via random.org. Once a winner is drawn I will contact them and they will have 48 hours to reply before I draw a new winner. Giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only who are 18 years of age or older.
Eco-Friendly Options For Paper
I'm the kind of person that works well with seeing things in front of me on paper. When it comes to planning and paying bills I need to see them written down. That's the way I work best. I've tried keeping a calendar online but it doesn't have the same effect. So I told myself that if I wanted a tangible paper product to keep track of my days and months I had to choose something eco-friendly.
My sister came to visit this week and brought me a notebook made from 80% sugar cane waste (Thank you, Jessica!). I thought that was really cool! Now I was thinking I could go out and find something eco-friendly for planning. Surely there would be something available. I received a Target gift card for doing a post so I started there.
I came across Blue Sky products. They are made with recycled paper from 60% post consumer waste and printed with soy based ink. I very much wanted the planner but it had a plastic cover. My sister reminded me that I didn't know what the plastic cover was made from so I should reconsider. The cover looked like #5 polypropylene but since I didn't know if it truly was and if it could be recycled I opted not to buy it. Instead I went with one of the hanging calendars (top photo). No plastic is even better. I figured I could see a whole month at a time and I could take the calendar down to write on it then hang it back up. Hanging it would also prevent my toddler from taking it and ripping the paper. If I had a planner lying around he would destroy it for sure.
While at Target I also came across the recycled construction paper I like to get for my son. If he's going to color I prefer it to be on acid-free recycled paper. I think it goes perfect with his soy crayons. He has a lot of fun coloring. I'm happy there are eco-friendly options so my son can enjoy this activity.
I'm thrilled I was able to find the recycled paper products I needed. Otherwise, I would be going without, still trying to find a way to get truly organized.
Wordless Wednesday: Edible Flowers

ThinkSport SPF 30+ Sunscreen Review

• Free of biologically harmful chemicals
• Zinc Oxide based sunscreen with the highest level of zinc oxide content (25%) which provides broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection
• Between the stability of the sunscreen, highest level of water resistance, and high molecular weight, small amounts of the sunscreen go a long way to provide lasting protection.
• Includes micronized Zinc, does not contain Nano particle or chemicals utilized for UV absorption
• Does not contain PABA, Parabens
• A member of the Safe Cosmetics Campaign Compact
• Sunscreen produced in the USA
One of the reasons I wanted to try ThinkSport Sunscreen was because it has strong protection against both UVA and UVB rays according to Environmental Working Group. ThinkSport also contains a high level of zinc oxide without nano particles. I'm seriously avoiding nano particles since they can more readily absorb into your skin and enter your bloodstream. I'm also not sure how I feel about titanium dioxide at this time so I'm happy this sunscreen only contains zinc.
This sunscreen took a little bit more rubbing in than our past sunscreen, but I'm willing to do that for safety. ThinkSport Sunscreen does not have a bad scent and is not sticky or greasy. It feels a lot like you've applied lotion once it sets. I use it on my toddler son and myself. I even make sure to get his ears and the tops of our feet. I think those are often places people forget to put sunscreen and burn. We had no problems being outside with this sunscreen.
With this product you have to shake up the tube before each application and give it 30 minutes before going in the sun. The whiteness will fade more during that time. The 30 minute wait isn't unlike other truly natural sunscreens so I wasn't turned off by that. It's the proper way to make sure my family gets the best protection possible.
Wearing hats, protective clothing, and staying in the shade are great ways to protect yourself from the sun. I believe that wearing sunscreen is a wonderful added protection as well. So be sure to check out ThinkSport and ThinkBaby sunscreen.
My First Time at The Fresh Market

I like to visit grocery stores that have plenty of organic items. The Fresh Market is one of those stores. As they do not have as many organic products as Whole Foods, they still carry more organic items than regular grocery stores. I decided to check this market out to see what they had to offer. Although there were many positives to the store there were just as many negatives.
The first thing I noticed about The Fresh Market was their excellent selection of organic produce! Buying organic is very important to my family so this was a major plus. The next thing I liked about the store was that they carry eco-friendly cleaning products and even biodegradable trash bags. The selection is not huge, but there were different products than I normally come across. As far as food items made by The Fresh Market themselves they have a lot that are trans fat free and preservative free. All good things.
The biggest negative I found was that they do not have a baby/toddler aisle. No baby food, diapers, or toddler snacks. At least not in the one I went to. I found that to be the biggest turn off and enough to infuriate me. I guess The Fresh Market is supposed to be a gourmet store. One that is meant to supplement shopping at another grocery store. Um, hello...what mom has time for that?! If you don't have kids or they are grown then it is great. Otherwise, I think families with children make up a lot of the grocery shopping community and they are alienating them. Yes, it's true that unprocessed foods are better for you but it's not realistic to think that moms and dads don't ever need to pick up baby food or toddler snacks. Forget it if you want a large selection of bath & beauty items too.
Another negative is the aisles. The aisles are very small. If one person is going through with a cart you can forget about getting through yourself. Not to mention that the front end/register part needs work too. If you're looking for a way to get out of the store without making a purchase it's hard to find room to leave.
I'm finding it to be a very difficult decision to know if I like this store or not. Organic produce sways me but little in the way of bath & beauty products and toddler snacks deters me. I will check it out again though. Hopefully, I will have a better view.
What do you think? Is there something that I'm missing that's a positive?
























