Promises, promises and a GIVEAWAY!

Have you heard of or seen the Soda Stream machine? It is now pretty mainstream so I have seen it over and over when out shopping which is why I am so glad to get the opportunity to get to review this nifty (and thrifty) machine. So here are the soda stream claims:
Making carbonated water and soft drinks is simple! Turn tap water into sparkling water in under 30 seconds, with no clean-up. Enjoy the freshness and convenience of homemade soda and protect the environment at the same time. No heavy bottles to carry, store at home or throw away. Fizz to your taste and add the flavor of your choice to make your favorite drink. Simple to clean and reuse. With a variety of colors and silhouettes, you'll be sure to find a soda maker to match with any decor.
Lets go through this step by step: It was totally simple, much easier than I thought it would be and while it took me a bit longer than 30 seconds I am sure that after I get the knack of it I will be faster. There is no clean-up as promised.
It was very fresh as I used water just from the tap versus water that has been sitting in plastic bottles for who knows how long. I also filled it right into the resuable bottles thus protecting the environment from all those nasty bottles and cans.
No heavy bottles to carry, store or throw away although I willl still have to shop for, lug home and store carbonators and flavorings.
Flavor of your choice-- they have you covered in this department everything from energy drink flavor (fantastic by the way) to diet grapefruit. There are also water enhancers if you don't like soda quite as much.
Simple to clean and reuse-- yes.
My soda maker does match my decor (silver and black) but is not quite as sturdy as I expected. It looks heavy and of high quality but is actually plastic.

Overall, this machine is a great purchase for many reasons-- it is cost effective and is eco-friendly. Some aspects are not quite as appealing like you do have to actually make your own soda dnd would not make a huge amount at a time. On the flip side, I think this will be fun for my son and I to do together when he is a bit older.
The moment you have all been waiting for-- the giveaway! Another simple one of course, email me the flavor you are dying to try by SodaStream and also let me know that you follow my blog. The lucky winner will be chosen at random on Sunday the 30th. Good luck! (Please make the subject of your email SodaStream Giveaway).

You need this!

When I found out I was going to be reviewing the SKOY cloths I was so excited because sadly we go through tons of paper towels in our house. I say sadly because not only are paper towels expensive but they are a huge waste and such an environmental burden. So what sets SKOY cloths apart from your regular run of the mill reusable cloths or towels? How about the fact that they can replace more than just paper towels and can be used as a washcloth or a sponge? Or that they are made of natural cotton and wood based cellulose pulp making them 100% biodegradable and earth friendly? I loved that these cute cloths are SO absorbant and EASY to take care off-- just pop it into the dishwasher or washing machine and you are starting fresh with a germ-free SKOY cloth.

 

So do you want win your very own set of these fabulous and functional SKOY cloths? Well let me know! Just send me an email letting me know (please make your subject SKOY giveaway) what you learned on the SKOY website (there is a lot) and what you would use your cloths for. Its that simple! The giveaway will end on Friday October 28th and the winner will be chosen randomly. GOOD LUCK!

A Stinky Situation!

Do you ever have towels that have that icky, musty scent to them? I have a whole bunch of towels that I have shoved to the bottom of the pile for just that reason. Smelly Washer has just the solution- Smelly Towel!!! Smelly Towel is a unique formula that naturall refreshes your mildew-smelling towels or even clothing. It has a great scent too that just adds to the freshness of your fabrics and makes them smell like new again. All you have to do is add a teaspoon of Smelly Towel to your full load of laundry and they will come out smelling totally refreshed. As maintenance, you can add a half teaspoon to loads in the future. I dug out those mangy towels and with many doubts washed them as the directions said—I was AMAZED at the results. These towels are like new again! I am so disappointed that I did not find this product earlier, I have retired so many towels to the car washing rag bin for this reason alone. Want to win your own bottle?! Smelly Washer is going to send one lucky reader a bottle of Smelly Towel to banish their smells away. To be the winner you must first, visit the Smelly Washer website. Then, send me an email (fitinmilwaukee@live.com) telling me something interesting you learned on the Smelly Washer website. In addition, copy at least three of your friends on the email so they know about Smelly Washer as well (please include the link to the website in the body of the email). You may send me an email every single day as an entry—the person who has copied the most friends on the email will be my winner! Hurry—you only have until Friday June 18th at midnight to get your last email in my box! Good luck!

Relaxing Aroma

Check this out,

 it’s called a scentball from Hubmar. How does it work? All you have to do is take a scentball pad, put 3 to 5 drops of scented oil from Dropwise Essentials on the pad, place the pad in the ball and plug it in the wall. I plugged the ball in an outlet in my living room and I could smell the aroma throughout the entire house. If you want the smell to be preeminent put a few more drops of oil on the pad before placing the pad in the ball. Hubmar has created a scentball for both 110 and 220 volts. Dropwise Essentials has a variety of citrus oils and 5 essential oils including; Lavender, Tea Tree, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, and Geranium. I plug in my scentball in the morning so I can feel relaxed as soon as I walk through the door after a hard days work.

Light up your life!

Okay—lets be honest… I did not even know there was such a thing as organic wax! And when making your candle purchases you could go organic. All I knew was that when I got my candles from Lumia they smelled amazingly delicious and looked gorgeous in their cracked glass holders. Later I learned that each candle is made from organic soybeans grown by organic farmers, made into organic candle waxes! In addition, they only use cotton wicks and since the wax is totally biodegradable it will clean up easily with just soapy water. I can not tell you how many times I have had a hard to clean up, waxy mess! The smells come directly from essential oils and the fragrances last and last. Here are the ones I got:

Lemongrass Bergamot is a fresh combination of essential oils of Lemongrass and Bergamot. Color is yellow.
Lavender Love is a calming combination of essential oils of Lavender, Ylang Ylang and Orange Peel. Color is purple.
(Loved them both but forced in a corner to pick—Lemongrass! Fresh and clean!

Sleeping Beauty

After a long day of work, gym, and household chores nothing sounds better to me than a good nights sleep. I love the smell of my linens right after I wash them it’s very soothing to me and I wish I could wash them every single day instead of once a week but it’s very time consuming. Body and Mind Time came up with a great solution in between the 6 days before I smell fresh linens again pillow and linen spray. The aroma that these linen sprays give off are sensational and soothing. My linens smell like they just came out the wash machine every day. I usually spray my linens before I leave for work in the morning and by 10:00 at night the fresh linen smell is just enough to put me to sleep. Body and Mind Time has 4 different sprays with a mixture of scents including: lavender, sweet orange, chamomile, geranium, rosemary and thyme.

You learn something new everyday!

Today I learned that active electrical ions are nature’s own air fresheners. They work by attracting, neutralizing and cleaning the air, specifically the air we breathe. Where did I learn this? From the Mia Rose website! Mia Rose’s mission is “Improving Our Planet Through Positive Household Alternatives" meaning the company sells products that are chemical-free, non-toxic, and safe for you, safe for the environment and cruelty free all at the same time while being aromatherapeutic. I love that term – its new to me and I can not wait to fit it into my vocabulary. I had the pleasure of trying out Mia Rose’s non-aerosol home sprays that I am not afraid to spray in my home. I am HOOKED on the Vanilla spray:

AROMATHERAPEUTIC INFLUENCES: Energize Emotions and a Soothing Aphrodisiac.
Inhaling the scent of Vanilla will almost always remind you of home cooking and sweet baked goods. Warming, soothing and elevates passion. Heightens self-esteem and promotes feelings of love and compassion.
In addition to Vanilla they have Spruce, Spearmint, Orange and Lime. The citrus is made using real citrus oils!

Please Feed The Birds

Is bird watching out your window while listening to your cat chatter considered a hobby? It is at my house! We have feeders set up right outside the windows exactly for this purpose. I can watch the birds and watch my cats watching the birds for hours on end. I am so boring these days! I saw this dish towel on Blue Q's website and melted! “Please Feed the Birds”! It’s a huge dish towel (20”x 28”), all-cotton, hand-woven in India, then screen-printed for our enjoyment. If feeding the birds isn’t your thing then shame on you but there are other dish towels sure to float your boat or tickle your funny bone!

No Feathers Please

Allergy sufferers have been able to start finding relief recently from numerous companies offering everything from food to bedding geared towards different allergies. At No Feathers Please, they provide alternatives to chemically laced and commercially produce bedding - especially important for allergy sufferers. I got a beautiful organic cotton throw that has a crocheted weave pattern in organic cotton. It is a gorgeous, natural cream color that is truly inspired by nature. One of the features I love about it is that I can throw it in the washer and then tumble it dry! This would make a great gift for your organic friend or yourself! They have so many more offerings on their website including other organic cotton items, wools, feather-free bedding and so much more!