A few weeks ago I was contacted by the local news channel to help out with a segment on life hacks. The second part of the series was Life Hacks for Cleaning the Bathroom. I do not enjoy cleaning the bathroom, no one does, but these tips will make this daunting task a little easier. Watch this video on WFLA News Channel 8: Life Hacks for Mom - Cleaning the Bathroom Tips included in the segment: Use e-cloths (affiliate link) for a chemical-free mirror and glass cleaner. Use vinegar, water, and essential oils for a natural cleaning solution. Use lemon essential oils (or real lemon juice) to remove hard water stains. Use denture cleaning tablets to clean your toilet. Just drop them in the toilet and let them site for 10-15 minutes. Prop the toilet brush between the toilet seat and the bowl and let it drip dry before placing back in the storage container. Use lemon essential oils to deodorize the toilet brush and trash can. To create the DIY spray bottle ... [ Read More ]
Kitchen Life Hacks with a Green Twist
A few weeks ago I was asked by Lindsey Mastis of WFLA News Channel 8 to help with a series on Life Hacks for Mom. It was fun to try a few new hacks in my own kitchen to see how well they worked. For me, cleaning the kitchen is something that needs to be done daily. The deep cleaning tips are only used every few weeks, about 1-2 times a year on the oven cleaning. To see the full segment on WFLA: Life Hacks for Mom - Kitchen Cleaning For the tips shown in the video: DIY oven cleaner: Mix baking soda, water, and vinegar. Dab onto oven grime. Turn oven to 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 Celsius) and bake for 45 minutes. Wipe clean. (Source: http://bit.ly/1Px0KcN) DIY Kitchen Cleaning Solution: Mix one part vinegar with four parts water and add a few drops of lemon essential oils. Put it in a spray bottle. To create the DIY spray bottle shown in the video I used a mason jar and a reCAP Mason Jar Sprayer attachment (affiliate link). Olive oil for shiny stainless sinks! Rub ... [ Read More ]
DIY: Skeeter Pot
My backyard is boring and I don't have a green thumb! I blame most of that on my lack of watering skills, I simply forget to water things. In preparation for an end of year pool party next week, I decided to create some potted plants to help decorate the pool area. Since we're in Florida, I had to add some tiki torches because the skeeters are really bad right now. Supplies: Pot or container of choice. (Big Lots $20/each) Potting soil. (Lowe's $1.18/bag) Plants and flowers of choice. (Mixed annuals $1-2/each) Tiki Torch (Lowe's $3.50) To put it all together I added the potting soil to the bottom of the pot and filled about 2/3 of the way to the top. Then I arranged the plants in the pot and filled in with the remaining potting soil. Finally, I added the tiki torch to the pot. Water thoroughly and add to the desired location outside. For these pots I used Spike Dracaena (the grassy looking tall plant in the middle), Coleus (the green leafy non-flowering ... [ Read More ]
99 Family-Friendly Things to do in Tampa This Summer
Summer is almost here and the kids will be out of school soon. Parents all know the struggle to keep them entertained without losing your mind. Whether you're visiting the Tampa area on vacation or you live in the Tampa area, this list of things to do includes stuff for the whole family. There are a few items on the list that are a short drive outside of Tampa. Honeymoon Island Beach - this is our favorite local beach located in Dunedin, FL. It's less crowded and easier to get to then going to St. Pete and Clearwater. You can play on the causeway for free, or enter the state park and enjoy the natural beaches of North Pinellas County. Soak up the rays on the beach, take a nature hike, play on the playground, or take your pet for a walk on the dog beach. Great for all ages. Parking is $8/car (up to 8 people). Caladesi Island Ferry & Beach - Rated one of Dr Beaches top beaches in 2008, this beach can only be reach by boat. Take the ferry from Honeymoon Island State Park ... [ Read More ]
92 Reasons to Smile
I'm still grinning from this weekend! A few months ago my mom asked if the kids and I wanted to join her for a trip to Ohio to see my Grandma. As most parents do, I replied with a simple "I'll think about it." It's so hard to plan more than a few weeks in advance with my husband's schedule. If he ever gets a weekend at home we like to spend it together as a family. Fast forward to Friday morning, I knew he was gone for the weekend and we didn't have ANY plans for the kids. No birthday parties, no golf matches, no Girl Scout events, nothing! I asked the kids on the way to school if they wanted to make a trip to Ohio to see their Great Grandma and they were both beyond excited!! It's been about 4 years since we've visited her and well overdue considering she's 92. I made some calls and arranged for a dog sitter, set up a rental car and booked our flights. Since we are an airline family we fly standby and the flights are the "easy" part - as long as seats are available (which isn't ... [ Read More ]
How to Clean a Menstrual Cup
What's a menstrual cup? A menstrual cup is a reusable silicone cup that can be used internally to collect your menstrual flow instead of a tampon or pad. You can read all about how to "green" your period on some of my older posts on menstrual cups and pads. I promise they aren't as weird as you may be thinking. How do you clean a menstrual cup? If you already use a cup or if you're thinking of trying one you may wonder how to clean your cup during and between menstrual cycles. During your cycle: To clean your cup during your cycle there isn't much to do. At a minimum you'll want to rinse the blood from the cup in the sink before you put the cup back in. Some people use a gentle, unscented water based soap (like Diva Wash, Woo Woo Wash, or Lunette Cup Cleanser) every time you empty the cup. There may be times when you aren't near a sink and simply wiping your cup clean may be your only option. Just be sure to rinse it clean when you get back to a sink. After your ... [ Read More ]
Did you see? The Eco Chic has a new name!
Wait, you mean I'm not The Eco Chic anymore? Something awesome happens over the years, you are continually changing who you are. While you will always be you, your identity may change. You start your childhood as a child of your parents, then you grow your wings and leave home, maybe you get married and change your name, have children, change jobs, etc.....but you're always you! The same holds true with this blog. When I first started this blog 8 years ago I had no idea what I was doing. The world of blogging was still new-ish and bloggers were defining their roles on the internet. At the time I was working as an environmental consultant and "The Eco Chic" sounded like the perfect identity for me. During that time I added another child to our family, changed jobs, and became heavily involved in the cloth diapering and natural parenting community. This blog blossomed during those years and I'm thankful for the opportunity to still be relevant in the community. Now that ... [ Read More ]
Florida 529 Savings Plan Scholarship Program
The Florida 529 Savings Plan Scholarship Program will award 10 winners a $529 Scholarship deposited into a Florida 529 Savings Plan account. Winning this scholarship would make any parent happy! This post is sponsored by the Florida Prepaid College Board, through my role as a Believer Blogger. Over the past year I've partnered with Florida Prepaid College Foundation’s to increase awareness about the importance of saving for college and the flexible options available through our Florida 529 Savings Plan. Our family signed up to Florida Prepaid a few years ago to help us save money for our children's college years. We hope that this will allow our children to focus a little more on college and worry less about finding the money to pay for it. Between May 1 and May 29th, families can enter to win a $529 scholarship to be added to their Florida 529 savings plan account. Florida Prepaid will be awarding 10 families with this amazing scholarship! To enter to win ... [ Read More ]
10 Sites to See on Oahu, Hawaii
My husband and I just celebrated our 15 year anniversary with a week away (without kids) on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. We stayed on Waikiki Beach at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and got to see a lot of the island. If you're planning on visiting Oahu, you'll want to make sure you don't miss these sites. Waikiki Beach is the most populated part of the island and where most tourists stay. The beaches are packed with sunbathers and swimmers from sun up to sun down. Friday nights the Hilton Hawaiian Village puts on a firework display to welcome visitors to the island. Unless you really like the touristy beaches, don't plan on spending all of your time in Waikiki. We spent a few hours on the beach in the mornings before we drove around town. There's a great little yellow shrimp truck that parks at the tip of Waikiki Beach by the public beach that has amazing garlic shrimp and fries. There are some great restaurants in the area, we used Yelp for dining recommendations and found some ... [ Read More ]
Fun with Snackimals – Cinnamon Crunch Snackimals Snack Bars Recipe
I have exciting news to share with you, I’ve been chosen as a Barbara’s Mom-Tourage Ambassador for the year. As an ambassador, Barbara’s will be sending me lots of their snacks and cereals for our family to enjoy try over the year. This just gives me another reason to play with my food! My first goodie box from Barbara’s included 3 different flavors of their Snackimals cereals and Snackimals cookies. The cookies were quickly tossed in the kids backpacks for school snacks, they are already asking me for more!! Be sure to “Like” Barbara’s Bakery on Facebook and help them name their Snackimals!! They are having an awesome giveaway that will let anyone (18 and up) name the Snackimals Lion, and one lucky family of four will win a trip to Safari West in California valued at $2,800. You can enter through May 2nd when fan voting starts to select the winner. I let Bailey pick a name, she chose Leony!! She really wanted to name him Leo after her best friend though. The Snackimals ... [ Read More ]
