Aloha Bottle Caps Giveaway

A few months ago I was contacted by the owner of Aloha Bottle Caps.  She saw this post that I had written about making recycled bottle cap necklaces.  The big box of bottle caps must have caught her eye because she asked if I had any bottle caps that I would be willing to send to her.  We have been saving bottle caps for years now, so we have A LOT of bottle caps.  We communicated back and forth and came to an agreement.  I would send her bottle caps in exchange she would send me some of her products. 

 

Aloha Bottle Caps uses recycled bottle caps to make earrings, necklaces, and key chains.  They are based out of Hawaii.  If you have a chance, take a look around the website.  Sarah, the owner, is one talented lady.

Last week I received my care package in the mail.  She sent me so much stuff.  I would love to share some of the goodies with you.  All you have to do is leave a comment by Friday October 14th and you are entered in the giveaway.  There will be 4 winners. 

If you have bottle caps that you would like to recycle, you can send them to Sarah. 



Mighty Nest- Lifefactory Glass Water Bottle Review

It is no secret that I have a slight obsession with reusable water bottles. We have a Klean Kanteen for every person in the family plus a couple of spares. We rarely leave home without them. So when Mighty Nest offered to send me a Lifefactory glass water bottle to review, I couldn't resist. I love drinking out of glass, so I was very intrigued.



I have been using the bottle for over a week now and love it. I enjoy drinking out of glass and it is really easy to drink from the wide mouth top. I found that I drank more water during the week too. I think it helped to be able to see how much water was left in the bottle. It is also dishwasher safe, which is a HUGE plus. The only drawback that I found was traveling in the car. I usually use a klean kanteen with a sip top, so all I have to do is drink. With the glass bottle you have to screw the top off, which isn't always the easiest while driving. Overall though I love the bottle. It will definitely be my go to water bottle.

You can find the water bottles here.

Mighty Nest is offering all my readers 10% of the Lifefactory Water Bottles-the 22oz, 16oz, and oz. Just enter coupon code NGM10 at checkout. The coupon is valid until Sept. 15, 2011.


Disclaimer: Mighty Nest did send me the water bottle to review, but I am not being compensated in any way by Mighty Nest.

Magic School Bus Oceans iPad App

My kids love to play on the iPad. There are so many educational apps out there, but it is hard to find one that is education, entertaining, and fun. The Magic School Bus app is just that.

The app tells a story, but also includes videos to watch.

There are games to play.

And information at the touch of the screen.

My 7 year old daughter was captivated by the story and all the additional information. She really enjoyed the games and the videos. There is tons of information so it takes awhile to get through the whole story, which I liked because I felt like I was getting my money's worth. My 5 year old son was not as enthralled, so I would say that this appeals more to an older child.

If your kids are already familiar with the The Magic School Bus, they will love this app.

Click here to find it on itunes.

Cuisinart's Green Gourmet Cookware

Edited to add: I originally posted the review below in May 2008.  It received quite a few visits from google searches.  As of Feb. 1, 2012, my opinion is much different now.  After about a year of consistent use the nonstick surface started getting dull and no longer worked properly. I no longer recommend buying this pan.  I would recommend the Aeternum pans if you are looking for an economical green pan. 

As I type this post, I can hear my husband's voice in my head saying, "It would be a lot greener to use what we have and not buy a bunch of new stuff." This is true, unless what you are currently using is unsafe.

Several months ago we stopped using our badly scratched teflon skillets. According to the Environment Working Group, non-sticks pans can contain PFCs, many of which breakdown into PFOA (also known as C8) in the environment and your body. Once in the body, PFOAs can circulate for years. PFOA is considered a carcinogen causing testicular, pancreatic, mammary, and liver tumors in rats. Evidence has shown that scratched teflon when heated has the potential to kill birds because of the chemicals released. Plus if the pan is scratched, you will inevitably ingest some of those teflon bits.

I know it seems like EVERYTHING causes cancer. My rational is why risk it? So I purchased a 12 " stainless steel skillet. You do have to use lots of oil and food still ends up sticking sometimes. I do not regret buying the skillet, but a non-stick skillet is really nice.

On my search to find a low flow showerhead, I stopped by Bed Bath & Beyond. When I walked through the door, the first thing I saw was a big display of Green Gourmet cookware. I had read about the new cookware somewhere and evidently you can only find it at Bed Bath & Beyond. After browsing the display for awhile, I continued my search for a new showerhead. They do not have a very good selection of showerheads so I gravitated back to the Green Gourmet display. I did have a 20% off coupon. Hmmm. Then I thought this would make a great Mother's Day gift to myself. We can justify just about anything, huh? I bought the Green Gourmet 10" skillet, since I already had the 12" stainless steel one. I really wanted to get the grill pan, but decided that I would try the skillet first to make sure I liked it.

Here are the specs on the skillet. If you want to read them from the packaging, just click on the picture above. The skillet is scratch resistant, the ceramic based coating makes it non-stick. It is petroleum free, PTFE (teflon) free, and PFOA-free.

I have not cooked with it extensively, but the few times I have I really liked it. The skillet is very heavy and the surface is very slick. There was no sticking. The verdict is in....I love my new Green Gourmet skillet. Now I just need to find an excuse to get the grill pan and maybe one more small skillet.