Hint: There is no wrong answer here! You ARE enough and we can all make changes in our lives to be a little more green. About a week ago I received a book from a friend and fellow blogger, Leah Segedie. The book, Green Enough, will be available on Amazon starting March 20th. You can preorder it now! To shop my Amazon Affiliate Link: http://amzn.to/2HOCmAG Green Enough is available in hardcover and on Kindle. ...before you start rolling your eyes, I need to confess something. I am NOT the super "eco chic" that many of my followers once considered me to be. Way back in the days when I first started this blog it went by a different name, The Eco Chic. A few years ago I was struggling with identifying with that title any longer because I felt like I was more than just someone who wanted to write about eco-friendly living. I also realized that there was so much more to being a green influencer/blogger than recycling, cloth diapers and menstrual cups. Several years ago, the ... [ Read More ]
Sprouts Farmers Market coming to Carrollwood
This post is written through a partnership with Sprouts Farmers Market. It doesn't take long for the news to spread when something new is headed to your neighborhood. Several months ago some friends circulated a post on Facebook about a new farmers market grocery store that was going in down the street from us. The building has been under construction for months and there are no signs out front yet. Fast forward to December of last year when one of their communication specialists reached out to me about working on an upcoming campaign to announce the store to the Tampa Bay area. I was very curious to know if this was the same store I had heard about earlier in the year. Is Sprouts Farmers Market coming to Tampa Bay?? Is there really going to be a new place for me to shop locally for natural and organic foods...without having to drive 20+ minutes to "the other guys?" Yes!!!! Sprouts Farmers Market is opening several stores in the Florida area in 2017; including Tampa! The ... [ Read More ]
Raising Dirty Kids
This post is sponsored by Stonyfield Yogurt and Toms of Maine. My kids love to be dirty, and I'm OK with that. I have to remind them to brush their teeth. I have to remind them to take showers. I have to remind them to put on clean clothes in the morning. I'm not sure that my teenage son knows how to use deodorant properly. I have to remind them to eat a healthy breakfast. I've come to realize that this is just my life, I'm the one destined to remind my children to give a shit about the way the look when they leave the house. I'm actually really glad I don't have kids that take hours to get ready before they leave the house. I'm not a high maintenance girl, but it can take me 30-45 minutes to get ready to go anywhere. Even if we're just going to Walmart, I feel the need to look "put together." This has relaxed a lot over the past few years and I'll actually leave the house without makeup and with my hair in a ponytail, but only if I know I won't see anyone that I know. If ... [ Read More ]
Breakfast Granola Cookies & Stonyfield Yogurt
Less than one week until Christmas and I'm finally starting to get in the holiday spirit. There's something about being in the kitchen that brings it out in me. I'm able to recharge and relax offline and use my creative energy in other ways. The kids are out of school for 2 weeks and a little time in the kitchen with mom will entertain them for a few minutes at least...and keep them offline as well. Today we decided to make some breakfast cookies for the coming week. This post is sponsored by Stonyfield Yogurt & Nature's Path Organics. I absolutely love oatmeal cookies and peanut butter cookies, so I decided to see how I could tweak some of my favorite recipes into something a little more healthy for breakfast. Breakfast + cookies = easy mom trick to get your kids to eat something good! The ingredients are pretty simple; 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, 1 cup Nature's Path Pumpkin Flax Granola, 1 egg, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1 cup of peanut butter. I almost always have ... [ Read More ]
#JustBeYou with prAna & Oh My Yog {Coupon Code & Giveaway}
This post is sponsored by prAna and Stonyfield Yogurt If there's one thing that I've learned over the last 40+ years, it's that all you need to be in life is YOU. As a child I always wanted to be just like the other girls, those popular girls. I wanted to have the perfect hair, the perfect clothes, and the perfect friends. What I didn't realize at the time was that I'm not who I wanted to be when I was little.... ...I'm better! I look back over the profile pictures on Facebook of those girls I wanted to be like, and I realize that I'm more than happy with who I've become and who I've always been. I don't want to be "just like them" any longer and I wouldn't want to be anyone else but me. Oh, how I wish I had learned that 30 years ago. This was me today after a full day at work, after homework was done, and after dinner was in our bellies. This is how I looked at 8am this morning when I left to take the kids to school and the only difference right now is that I've ... [ Read More ]
8 Fun Things to Do at MommyCon Orlando
MommyCon is coming to Orlando on Saturday, May 23rd and I've been looking forward to this day for the entire year. You can view the entire agenda and schedule of events on the MommyCon Orlando website. If you've never been to a MommyCon before, be sure you wear comfy shoes because there is a lot to do and even more to see. Use coupon code ECOCHIC15 and save $5 off your General Admission Ticket! (Affiliate link) 1. Attend a few seminars. I'm planning on listening to the Cloth Diapering 101 seminar with Cotton Babies, Comedy Hour with the Honest Toddler's Bunmi Laditan, and Dear 25 Year Old Me with Jill Krause from Baby Rabies. Be sure to check the schedule and mark the seminars you want to attend, the day moves very quickly and you might not get to see everything if you're not organized. 2. Shop the marketplace! There are lots and lots and lots of vendors at MommyCon. If you're looking for cloth diapers you'll be happy to know that AppleCheeks, Thirsties, Smart Bottoms, ... [ Read More ]
Happy Birthday Baby Girl
She's been featured on my blog since she was just a baby and Sunday she turned SIX! I'm still not sure how time has gone by so quickly. I'm now a mom of a six year old and an eleven year old. My life is full and there is never a dull moment. I know that sounds SOOOO cliche but it's true! She's in Kindergarten and reading like a pro. She still likes to sleep in our bed. She is independent...but really likes it when mommy helps her. She hasn't learned to tie her shoes yet. She's very artistic and loves to color, paint, and draw. She wants to be a vet when she grows up. She loves animals and always wants to pet any dog that walks by. She loves candy. She looks up to her big brother. She is the most beautiful, smart, and sassy little girl I've ever met. Yes, I'm a little partial but it's true! She had a wonderful birthday with just our immediate family and asked for Outback for dinner. She didn't have cake, but devoured the entire bowl of ice cream! Happy ... [ Read More ]
Best of 2014 on The Eco Chic
It's hard to believe that another year has almost ended and we're about to welcome 2015 in just a few more days! It's been a great year personally. My blog continues to thrive and has me looking forward to some changes in the coming year. I find myself blogging more and more about life, family, traveling, and hobbies rather than eco-friendly living. I hope you'll stay with me and share our families journey through life and I promise to still bring you some green living related posts. It's interesting to look back at the stats for the blog and see which posts were read most. Many of my older content (from 2010-current) still brings in many of you; but I wanted to share with you my top 10 posts from 2014! I left off the giveaway posts since those aren't really worth re-reading. My top post of 2014 is one I'm quite proud of. As I continue to educate and share tips on cloth diapering (even though we haven't cloth diapered in several years), I felt it was important to share with you ... [ Read More ]
Ecocentric Mom Reveal Nov/Dec 2014
Affiliate links present in this post. It's that time again, time for me to reveal the contents of this month's Ecocentric Mom box. Ecocentric mom is an every-other-month subscription box for pregnant women, new moms, and babies. Each box is filled with goodies and samples of different eco-friendly products. Each box is only $24 and would make a great Christmas or baby shower gift. The Nov/December Pregnancy Box was quite a treat. Here are a few of my favorite items... eInvite Holiday Cards - Christmas cards, birth announcements, or shower invitations made in the US. Each card has double-sided adhesive for you to attach your favorite photo. Save 20% off with code HOLIDAYECO20 at www.einvite.com/gifts (valid through 12/31/14) Urban Oreganics Makeup Remover - Handcrafted makeup remover from natural ingredients. Safe for your entire face, even during pregnancy. Save 20% off orders of $20+ with code ECOMOM20 (expires 1/31/15) at www.urbanoreganics.etsy.com. Little Pim CD - ... [ Read More ]
Thirsties NEW Ocean Collection {and a Giveaway}
With the chill in the air across most parts of the country today, the new Thirsties Ocean Collection makes me want to pack up and move to a tropical island paradise. I know I really shouldn't complain with highs in the 50-60's here in Florida, but those 35-45 degree mornings are chilly for my thin blood. (I don't expect any sympathy from my northern friends.) Thirsties actually revealed their Ocean Collection earlier this Fall but they weren't done with production yet. You don't have to wait any longer though, because retailers have them in stock starting today! There are 5 new prints and 2 new solids making up the Ocean Collection. The prints are all soft tones of blue, yellow, grey and salmon on a white PUL. The 2 new solids are Coral and Fin. The prints include fun little fish, whales, squid, and sand dollars. While the prints do have a lot of blue; they are very gender neutral and would be adorable on your little sailor or mermaid. The Ocean Collection are available ... [ Read More ]