It's Been A While I Know...

Its been much much too long I know. I've been up to my ears in Darling Clementine Business and juggling Juliette's busy schedule (I mean come on, she has dance class at age 2, really!) and trying to enjoy my happy little family life with Kevin. I hate that I've neglected Urban Branches, really I do. Just know that I have been keeping up my eco ways (though a few good habits have given way to some bad habits, I'll get to that...)

I have recently noticed (not for the first time might I add) that our little household of 3 goes though a lot and I mean ALOT of trash. I honestly don't know where it comes from. Our trash can isn't huge, but it seems to get filled up every other day to the brim. Plus I am one of those people that hates even the faintest smell of rotting food. Ew just thinking about it makes me shudder, so I am usually quick to rush the trash to the curb.

Having have read Garbage Land by Elizabeth Royte I know well that though we think out of site out of mind when it comes to our trash that simply is just NOT true. It goes somewhere, every day, every hour most likely our trash is being dumped. And there isn't endless space. So we better start reducing the trash we create, fast.

Here are some tips I plan on sticking to

* Stop buying small portioned food! Being a mom, it's so nice and easy to purchase a tiny bag of cheddar crackers at the corner store while out and Juliette needs something to snack on, but it's much more waste than we need. I vow work my hardest to stop doing that. I mean we have 3 Lunchskins after all, and we do use them everyday in fact, but sometimes I forget to refill, or toss in the bag or Juliette pulls them out and hids the bags in her toy bin or whatever myrid of excuses I can come up with...

Here they are if you haven't seen them, they are reusable bags called LunchSkins, they come in great prints too, we have this, this and this and we love them. Easy to clean, Juliette loves using them too!

*Curb Juliette's hand washing time. She loves washing her hands, and likes to do it by herself, well this often ends up being a 3 minute long hand washing session, and that's a whole lotta water...

*Continue shopping vintage, consignment and thrift stores for her, I did it a lot in the beginning and really have gotten away from it lately... but it is so thrilling to find a great item at a great price, plus you are giving something a second life!

*Create a scrap paper bin for Juliette to use as art paper! That's easy enough!

*Get creative, make her modeling dough from scratch, and switch to natural crayons, we sell this cute set at Darling Clementine.

*Get Juliette involved in recycling, give her little jobs, like stacking the yogurt cups or putting the papers in the right spot! Yes, will do this tonight!

Tell me some of your ideas and tips to reducing your garbage load! I'd love to hear them!

The Hungry Caterpillar says Love Episencial

If you're like me and have a sweet little baby in your care, you slather them with sunscreen every time you step their little toe into the sun. I have a treasure trove of sunscreens for Juliette, 1 in her room, 1 in the diaper bag, 1 in my bag in case I don't use the diaper bag ... anyway...you get my point. sun protection matters! Using a product you like matters too, not just for vanities sake, but because it really works and makes life easier + healthier. I have had a few sunscreens that go on nice, but end up taking forever to absorb and leave an icky white reside, turning my sweet olive skinned darling into a pale, ghostly version of herself. no thanks.

The lovely folks at Episencial sent me their sunscreen kit to try out and just in time too cause I was getting low on my diaper bag tube! I've used the Sunny Sunscreen SPF 35 twice already and have really liked it, it's thin enough to rub in quickly, doesn't have any scent and rubs in without too much of a white reside, plus it doesn't have the Oxybenzone sunscreen ingredient we've all heard so much about (and if not please take a moment and Google the ingredient and see for yourself.) Sunny Sunscreen is full of Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide as your sweeties sun fighting power! What more, it's SPF 35 and has nourishing organic sesame, safflower and avocado oils to help keep the skin supple and soft. And while we know water resistant creams are best for our wee ones (as they run in and out of sprinklers, pools and sweat up a storm) we don't need the chemicals that provide that bonus do we? Instead Sunny Sunscreen uses beeswax and organic shea butter to help increase the natural water resistance. Like magic right.

Their founder, Kim Walls created an entire product line including this awesome sunscreen all with the sweet illustrations from Eric Carle. You're sweetie will perk up at the sight of their darling bottles + tubes. Products include balms, bubble baths, foaming wash + soothing cream.

Products are sold at Target last I checked, but I am sure you can find out more right here. I think I'll be picking up some Sweet Dreams Bubble Bath next time I run to Target. Juliette doesn't know yet, but a fun, soothing and sweet bath is on it's way...

Love Your Skin with Naturopathica

I can't count how many body lotions I've bought and used in my lifetime, really it's a lot. But the ones I find I go back to are the natural ones. The products full of real ingredients, not tons of chemical and that fake "lotiony" smell, you know the one I am talking about...


Naturopathica has been around for 15 years, working to create natural solutions that connect ancient traditions with the latest and greatest science breakthroughs. They have an entire line of face and body care to fawn over, I started with their Bourbon Vanilla Body Lotion lovingly gifted to me by the company! 


Here's the lowdown on the body lotion:


Ingredients include Bourbon Vanilla of course, which is deep, rich and oh so lovely (sourced from the Bourbon region of Madagascar), Massoia Bark Extract which helps improve circulation and Litsea Cubeba Fruit, an oil with an intense, fresh and sweet aroma which helps to tone and clarify your skin. Hm. Lovely. 


One week out, my skin is softer, the tone more even and the smell is making me happy every time I catch a wiff. :)


You must check out their product line up, you can search by skin type, product or classification to find exactly what you need + want. 


Ok, on my shopping list are the following to try next...Espresso Mud Body Scrub, Pear Fig Polishing Enzyme Peel and their lovely Soothing Shave Cream for Kevin! 

Pangea Hearts the Earth + You!

25% off site wide at Pangea


Here are some of my favorite products!

Italian Green Mandarin with Sweet Lime

Italian White Sage,  Geranium + Yarrow

Moroccan Argan with Willow + Rosemary Facial Cream

Waxelene for well, EVERYTHING

Ok, so petroleum jelly isn't a very sexy product is it? But ohhh it has so many uses. I hate to admit we have a tub in our bathroom. And every time I see the words PETROLEUM I shudder just a bit. Well I think it's time to toss it and never look back. Enter Waxelene. The petroleum jelly alternative! Where has this been all my life!

A USA made product full of natural and harm free ingredients for all your daily skincare needs. This baby can do it all. So happy to have found another product that I can feel good using.


I will use this for a gazillion things, here are some:


*lip balm
*diaper rash prevention for Juliette
*excema treatment
*flyaway hair tamer
*dry hands balm
*dry nose when I have been blowing it often during cold season
*makeup remover
*aftershave on my sensitive skin
*wind burn relief when Juliette's cheeks turn red from long walks in the chilly air
*ohhh so many more...

Here's their ingredient list, straight from the horse's (ok website's mouth)

*Organic Soybean Oil - full of lovely fatty acids, anti-oxidants + soy isoflavones. These ingredients maintain the healthy balance in your skin, keep skin beautiful and prevents wrinkles! Lovely indeed.
*Beeswax - unbleached (who knew it could be bleached! eek!) beeswax keeps moisture in, protecting and softening your skin. Beeswax is also an natural anti-inflammatory with anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant properties. What a wonder ingredient!

*Organic Rosemary Oil - More anti-oxidant properties (score!) and also improves blood circulation to the skin.
*100% Natural Vit. E Oil - Yet some more anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties


All ingredients Non-GMO of course.

This product is going to make its way into every baby gift I give as well, it's a great addition to any nursery kit, for all of baby's needs! My husband, daughter and I love this stuff already. One product is always better than lots of jars and bottles. Plus the packaging is recyclable and made of glass not more plastic (ie petroleum).

While they find their way to a store near you (they are in locations on the west coast only right now) you can find them online here. 



I think I'll go get some now, my lips need a little tender care...ciao! Xx

Clean Well & Green

Save 30% on CleanWell products with this code: DailyCandy30 (code from Daily Candy)


Their products clean your hands without the sting of alcohol + kill germs with natural ingredients. Nuff said.

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For a Wishy Washy Wash... {Review}

Wishy Wash $20

Little Miss Juliette takes a bath almost every night, not cause she smears black beans in her hair and guacamole all over her face (well maybe that's the reason) but simply because she loves the bath. She loves splashing with her toys, discovering how the water feels in her fingers and toes. While's it is her job to splash, play and enjoy herself, it's mine to lather her up and make sure she comes out my clean little bunny.

I received a bottle of Baby Bear Shop's 'Wishy Wash' in the mail to try out and we used it last night for the first time in her bath. Not only did she adore the little bunny on the label (she kissed it!) but she loved the soothing scent, a soft citrus. I loved how clean she got and how sweet she smelled even this morning when I picked her up from her crib.

Ingredients include; sunflower seed oil, nettle leaf extract, calendula flower extract, aloe and orange oil.

The cutest thing though is the darling little message printed on the bottle:

For a wishy washy wash
with your teeny tiny bunny
put a teensy bit of wash
on a soft squishy cloth

Put the soft squishy cloth
on the teeny tiny bunny
from the bunny's tiny tips
to the bunny's tiny toes

Sing a silly singing song
make a wishy wash wish
then wishy was the bunny
and end with a kiss!

They also sell lovely products for mama to be as well. Certified USDA organic, darling packaging, wonderful scents and affordable. The company products another type of product that I love, multi-use. That cuts down on cost to the consumer (you don't need to buy tons and tons of products) and is better for the environment, less packaging! Their 'Cheeky Baby Butter' can be used to slather up baby + mama in a multitude of spots!

For more information check out their website + blog 

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Finger Paints {Review}

Problem: nail polish looks great but is often SO full of horrid chemicals (ie ones like formaldehyde)
Solution: Scotch Naturals

If only all my problems were this easy. I paint my toes, and have for god knows how many years. I feel naked without them done. But I hate using the toxic ingredients that seem to come with most nail polishes (yes ladies, even the nice ones they have in salons). When I was pregnant I started using a natural nail polish and natural nail polish remover. While I liked them both I didn't love the boring color. I was overjoyed when a package arrived in the mail from Scotch Naturals containing the super of the moment shade Heather Blush. They sent me the color to review, yay!

Scotch Naturals nail polish is a totally non-toxic line that comes in 13 stellar shades that dry to a high gloss in mere minutes (without base or top coat!) but they actually help restore your nails to their former beauty. You know, before you ruined them with lots of crappy chemical polishes. Score. Oh and they make nail polish remover too, so no need to worry.

The package insert warns that if you're nails are super dry (as mine are) the polish may chip and peel off, but to persevere with the polish and over time I won't have that problem anymore!

I think I'll be trying the shade Kiltlifter next. Very cheeky name don't you think.

Go right to their site to check more colors out for yourself.

EcoWasBal

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I just got home from doing 2 loads of laundry, with a baby, in the cold. Someday I might have my own washer and dryer but for now I tote my stuff about 2 blocks and back each week. One thing I'd love to stop lugging, the detergent. I use Method & Costco brand eco-detergent in Lavender. lovely and earth friendly. But, I am sick of transfering my mega bottle into smaller luggable versions every few weeks. I came across this awesome product today that I've gotta try. It's available at a shop in my neighborhood so I'll be checking it out soon for sure! You can find it online at The Future Perfect

The Ecowasbal is just what I've been looking for. A soap-less ball you toss in with your wash. The ball is filled with little ceramic beads that when in contact with water reduce surface tension in water, activate water molecules and poof, dirt is released. The softness of your clothes is maintained along with the color too! They recommend adding a tiny amount of detergent for heavier-soiled loads (and include a tiny little measuring spoon for that).

This baby is good for 1,000 washes! That's about 4 years worth of lugging, buying and using detergent! Think about the plastic containers you're not going to be tossing! If you want the lovely scent of something, toss a Method dryer sheet in with your dryer and you're good to go.


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Paris vs. New York OMG SO CUTE!!!!!!!

 

All images from Paris vs New York

J'adore Apple Park {Review}

My daughter Juliette has a lot of toys, we've got 2 big bins full, but it is the earth-friendly ones that I'll be tucking away for my next! While I'd love for all of Juliette's toys to be made from recycled, reclaimed, organic and pure materials that isn't always the case. There aren't as many brands of toys I really love out there to choose from. Enter Apple Park to save this mama's day!

Apple Park is a San Francisco based company who made it their mission to create products that were environmentally responsible (think organic, recycled and sustainable materials!) but also super sweet and lovable. They've totally won me over on all fronts. Their soft teething toys are made from organic cotton and have the sweetest faces ranging from lambs to monkeys. Their family of finger puppets is sure to put on a show for your little one and their super soft 100% organic cotton blankets will make Mom & Dad happy! Their line includes wrist rattles, blankets, teething toys, soft blocks and more. Perfect for your little one or that gift you've gotta give. Why not give the gift of organic! What better way to start out life than with organic materials.

Apple Park believes that as asthma (and other major medical issues too!) are on the rise we are learning more and more that they are related to chemicals in our environment. Apple Park products are hypoallergenic and made from 100% certified organic cotton (and are of course sans chemicals and other carcinogenic materials!)

These soft toys are the sweetest, more huggable, lovable you've seen. I want the whole Apple Park Picnic Pals family! I know I'll be giving these away as holiday gifts for sure for the new little ones in my life.

Oh, and whilst I don't like excess packaging, I am a sucker for it when it's done well, and this is believe me, no wrapping paper needed! The box is made from recycled materials and printed with soy based ink, no guilt necessary!

In their own words: "It's good to be green for our health, our environment, our children and our future."

Check them out online on Twitter @appleparktoys & on their super cute website

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My Bon Ami {Review}

The literal translation for Bon Ami is "Good Friend" and that's no lie! I was deep in a full home cleaning, as Kevin's Mama was in town for Juliette's birthday party and I knew people would be in and out of my place. I wanted it to look as good as it could, given I have a crawling, exploring messy eating almost 1 year old! Enter Bon Ami, "America's Original Natural Home Cleaner."

Armed with All Purpose Cleaner, Dish Soap, Liquid Cleanser and Powder Cleanser I began to tackle the apartment, top to bottom. I usually use a few other natural cleaners which I love, but it's always great to try something new, give another brand a try. I was pleasantly surprised at the ease at which I forgot about my old products. Bon Ami has won me over.

Originally developed in 1886 as an alternative to the grittier quartz based options that were stocking shelves in the 1880's. There's something about a company that has been around this long that has me in awe, not only because they stayed true to their customers, but also to the planet. Their ingredient lists reads like so: limestone, baking soda, epsom salts, soda ash, corn alcohol and natural essential oils. Products come packaged in 100% post consumer recycled plastic and recycled paper labels (with the sweetest little chick mascot!). Their entire line is hypo allergenic, non-toxic, biodegradable and sustainable.

The price points are amazing as well, each product is mere dollars! What ailes me is that I've never heard of this line, where have I been, and where has it been!? Now that I've found it, I'm going to be telling everyone to pick themselves up a set of all products to try. My counters are sparking, my bathtub gleaming and dishes are, well, ready to eat off of!

Bon Ami indeed!

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Just Picked Up: Alba Cream Shave

I'm a product junkie, no question, I love trying new bath/shower/bodycare products but I am loyal to some. Alba Botanica Shave Cream is a mainstay in my lineup. I switch back and forth in scent, but I always come back to this jojoba, vitamin E enriched soap-free formula. My favorite scents are coconut lime & mango vanilla. Priced under $6 bucks you can't go wrong.

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30% off Some Lovely

Awhile back I posted a beautiful black eco-tote with sparrows on it, well my amazing parents surprised me with it! It's now my go to bag everyday. I rock both sides, the sparrows and message side (message side says: With Love and Respect For The Earth). Daily Candy included them in their weekly deals, so get over there and use this code: ALENA30 for 30% off all of her wares. Including this lovely print!



Click here to go straight to the Alena Hennesy site

She Sells Sea Shells....

Jamie Oliver is a strong advocate for eating REAL food and also has a knack for packaging aparently...love this!

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Josie Maran Cosmetics

Supermodel Josie Maran knows a thing or two about beauty. What you didn't know is she's a earth girl at heart and has created a lovely line of cosmetics with both your looks and the earth in mind. She worked hard to keep toxic chemicals such as parabens and petrochemicals out of her entire line. The result, beautiful makeup for face, eyes, lips and cheeks. My favorite are the makeup palattes that contain powders for both eyes and cheeks! One stop shopping. Ladies, it's time to clean out your makeup bag and pick up a few new shades! Click here or head to your local Sephora!

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