It's Easy Going Green with Willow Pads

I've already confessed to going green for "that time of the month" with my Lunette post but I didn't get a chance to rave about my latest love, Willow Pads!

While I get the hang of my Lunette cup, I've been using my Willow Pads from the Willow Store as a sort of back up system so that I don't have to worry about anything while out and about with the kids.

I was cursed lucky enough to have a little visit during my camping trip in Yosemite last week and thankfully had my Willow Store Willow Pads Mini Kit with me just in case. They totally saved the day.

The Willow Store Mini Kit comes with the following:

• 3 regular pads
• 3 hemp liners
• 1 anywhere bag
• 1 reusable gift bag

Just about everything you need to try out cloth without investing completely. That means you can see if it works for you and add on if needed. Since I've been primarily using the Lunette cup, this size kit was perfect for me. It gives me the assurance I need to have a back up plan and is the perfect size and price for my budget!

Organic and Adjustable
WillowPads are easy to use and adjustable! You can use the regular organic feminine pad as a panty liner or a maxi pad by simply adding additional inserts to create maximum absorbency.

Each WillowPad comes with one organic cotton shell and one hemp insert. They are very absorbent and allow air flow to reduce irritation and eliminate odor. They are designed to stay soft for years to come!

The best part is, no more shelling out money month after month for more pads! Simply throw the used pads in the wash with your towels or other clothes and wash as you normally would. If you already cloth diaper, you know how easy it is to add in a few extra pieces into the wash.

Pretty and Functional
WillowPads are made from the highest quality organic fabric tailored for softness and comfort. They are as slim as disposables and offer you superior protection while maximizing absorbency. And the best part is that because they're so slim, they're easy to keep in your purse and diaper bag!

Not interested in the neutral colors? There's options! You can choose from the gorgeous hand dyed organic feminine pads in colors ranging from hot mama to sunset. Just as addicting as adding cloth diapers to your stash!

There are also leak-proof willow pads in an assortment of colors to choose from as well. Leak-Proof WillowPads are the perfect solution for women that need the extra protection of a waterproof barrier, but still want the comfort and softness of reusable WillowPads. There’s no need for extra inserts, Leak-Proof WillowPads have everything contained in one, so changes are fast and simple.

If the regular 9" length doesn't work for you, both the organic and leak proof feminine pads come in 11" long lengths as well.

Included in the mini kit are also 3 hemp liners. These are perfect for light days and days where you might be using a menstrual cup and need a little bit of reassurance. They are super small size and very discrete. Easy to store with your cup for added protection.

And don't forget about the Anywhere Bag! It's the perfect storage for your feminine products and you can choose from hemp or fun cotton colors. I would love to see a larger wet bag for mama cloth storage on the go but these bags work for small storage needs.

Interested in Cloth? 

Head on over to the Willow Store and check out their selection of Feminine Products for yourself. See if anything catches your eye and try them out! I'm sure you won't be disappointed. From the awesome kits they offer to the how-to information and frequent questions about mama cloth, all of your answers and needs are taken care of.

You can find the Willow Store on Facebook and follow them on Twitter at @TheWillowStore

Enter to WIN a mini kit of your own in the Green Family Giveaway from now until September 30th! Along with $140+ in other green family prizes perfect for your green family.

Enter Here Now!

Disclaimer: I received a Willow Store Willow Pad Mini Kit for review purposes only. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Green Family Giveaway Event {Valued at $120+}

Welcome to the Green Family event hosted by Formula Mom and Glow Bug! This event will run from September 15th through the 30th. Each participating blog features at least one prize package valued at $20 or more. This event will cover everything from mom to baby and it's all eco-friendly!

The Simmworks Family Blog is giving away one prize package valued at over $140!!

The Lunette menstrual cup is a great way to go green during your time of the month. It's easy to use, compact, and environmentally friendly! Valued at $39.99, the Lunette cup not only reduces waste, it also will save you money!

For more information, read my review here.

The Willow Store carries natural feminine products, cloth diapers, and natural cleaning supplies! Enter to win a mama cloth mini kit from the Simmworks Family Blog valued at $56.95 and try out a greener side to your period. This kit includes:

• 3 regular pads
• 3 hemp panty liners
• 1 anywhere bag
• 1 reusable gift bag

See if mama cloth is right for you then add to your stash!

For more information, read my review here!

And because no package is complete until there's something for the little one, Mama's Emporium is allowing you to do a little shopping of your own in their store with a $25 gift card. From Piggy Paint to Rump-a-rooz cloth diapers, you can find a great selection of eco-friendly products to choose from!

For more information about Mama's Emporium, read my review here.

Your little one's tush can't look any cuter with a Delicious Applecheeks cloth diaper on! Not only is it super easy to use, it's super cute as well! Applecheeks is offering an cloth diaper to include in this amazing prize package valued at $19!

For more information about Applecheeks, read my review here. 

Grand Prize Cloth Diaper Stash

Glow Bug Cloth Diapers is the grand prize sponsor for the Green Family giveaway. One lucky reader will win a complete cloth diaper stash! The stash includes 24 cloth diapers with inserts featuring the newest prints! The winner will be able to choose from either a boy set or a girl set.

Enter the Grand Prize Giveaway!

Are you excited to enter? Simply fill out the rafflecopter form below for your chance to win! And don't forget to enter all of the other amazing giveaways on the other blogs linked up below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Disclosure: Formula Mom, and the Green Family bloggers are not responsible for sponsors that fail to fulfill their prizes.

Summer Party Playdate with @HonestTea

This past weekend was filled with fun and celebration as my playgroup got together for a Summer Party Playdate at my home. It was an event I had been looking forward to for a while.

For one, it's always a great day when my mommy friends get together, and second, when these ladies get together there's always bound to be great conversation, food, and entertainment.

This party was different from our normal playdates in one way... there were giveaways!

In an effort to stay cool and offer a refreshing drink, Honest Tea offered my guests a variety of Honest Tea, Honest Ade and Honest Kids juice drinks. These drinks were absolutely delicious! Each guest was able to choose what they wanted.

Everyone was able to easily read which options contained caffeine, which had antioxidants, and they were able to clearly see the calorie content in each bottle.

And everything was so pretty all lined up! While I enjoyed all of the varieties, I really loved the Pomegranate Blue Honest Ade. It wasn't too sweet and was absolutely delicious.

Along with the drinks I also made some egg cups and had some yummy snacks from Nabisco for my guests to munch on including Ritz crackers, Ritz bits cheese bites, and Chips Ahoy cookies. My awesome friends also brought over some delicious goodies to snack on as well including fruit, cheese, muffins, and more!

One of the best things about having the ladies over is that I can always count on them to save me if I forget anything. I made the mistake of enjoying the last of the creamer the day before without realizing that we didnt' have any more in the fridge. A quick text and it was there!

I also don't have to worry about asking others to bring food as well. Just about every get together we have is pot luck style and I love it that way. We are never going to get the exact same meal and the food is always over abundant.

As the party came to an end we decided to raffle off a few awesome prizes to the ladies in attendance. Being blessed enough to meet so many amazing companies and stores means that I have the opportunity to share what I learn and what products I use with my mom's group. So being able to let them try out a few of the items I've tried out is exciting!

Here are a few of the items I gave away:

• Joovy StepTool
• Perplexus Original
• Willow Store Dryer Balls
• Kiddie Antics personalized beach pails
• Boogie Wipes kit
• Method detergent
• Honest Tea Patagonia Bag & grocery bags

And a few other odds and ends that a few of the ladies showed interest in! Everyone who came was able to leave with something in hand to take home. I cannot wait to hear what they thought about the products they took home!

We're already planning our September My Favorite Things Party and the girls are excited to find a great item to share with us! We've decided to go with a Child's Favorite Thing where we introduce items that our kids love or that we love to use with our kids.

By changing the theme of the party every few months we're able to still enjoy the concept (and have an excuse to get together) while learning about new products and companies we might not have had any idea about beforehand!

So stay tuned for my next get together! I'm sure there will be a few awesome recipes, ideas, and products that I'll learn about from my mom friends.

Disclaimer: I received product for review purposes only. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Around the House: For the Laundry Room {#NoiseGirls Event}

Around the House: For the Laundry Room

From now through July 16th, you have the chance to enter to win over $3,500 in prizes in the Noise Girls Around the House Giveaway event! The For the Laundry Room package is valued at over $360! It includes prizes from the following amazing sponsors:

• CLR Products prize pack
• Oransi Green Home prize pack
• Granite Gold prize pack
• ClosetMaid ArrangeMents prize pack
• Willow Store dryer balls & laundry nuts
• Lemons and Lavender: The Eco Guide to Better Homekeeping by Billee Sharp

You can check out the Noise Girls reviews to see how the products worked for us!

• Oransi Green Home Package
• Lemons and Lavender Book
• CLR (review coming soon!)
• Granite Gold (review coming soon!)
• ClosetMaid (review coming soon!)
• Willow Store Dryer Balls & Laundry Nuts

To enter for your chance to win, visit the Noise Girls Around the House: For the Laundry Room Prize Package page!

Fluffy Butts Cloth Diapering Hop {#FluffyButtsHop Essentials}

Welcome to the Fluffy Butts Cloth Diapering Giveaway Hop. This Giveaway Hop is hosted by Fabulous Finds and Mama Chocolate. This Giveaway Hop features all cloth diaper themed giveaways with a value of $25 or more at each of the participating blogs! Be sure to visit each blog from the linky below and enter for your chance to win some really amazing prizes! This event will end on June 15th at 11: 59pm EST.

The Simmworks Family Blog is giving away 2 prize packages with a combined value of over $100!

Prize Pack #1 

1 Sprout Change Starter Kit (3 diaper changes) Your choice of 3 Organic or Staydry Super Saver Inserts and choose a Boy, Girl or Neutral colored Sprout Change Shell & 1 Diapering Today DVD

Read my review of Diapering Today here.

Prize Pack #2

1 Diapering Today DVD

1 Medium box of EcoNuts

Read my review of EcoNuts here.

10 pack of wipes & 1 wetbag from Little Love Buns

Read my review of Little Love Buns here.

1 Cloth Diaper Butler

Read my review of the Cloth Diaper Butler here.

And don't forget to enter the GRAND PRIZE over on Fabulous Finds!

Diapering Today {#clothdiaperhop Sponsor Spotlight}

Interested in cloth diapering but not quite sure where to start?

The Willow Store's Catherine Bolden has created an amazing resource in her DVD, Diapering Today.  This DVD is a comprehensive video about the why and the how behind cloth diapering. Any questions you may have will be answered after watching this video.

Not only will you learn about the basics behind cloth diapers and the reason why it's important to reuse, you will also learn some wonderful tips and tricks to modern cloth diapering. We've cloth diapered our children since we brought home my son and even I learned a thing or two from Diapering Today.

The DVD is set out in chapters. And each chapter is simple and to the point. There isn't this rush of information thrown at you to try and sort out. You are fed a little bit at a time making it a lot easier to absorb and really understand the process behind cloth diapering. And you're getting this information from fellow cloth diapering families!

If you purchase and watch the DVD you might see a familiar fluff butt... my daughter's gorgeous Charlie Banana cloth diapered butt is in the picture for The Evolution of Diapers chapter. How cute is it? 

 Want to see more? 

Check out the trailer below:

And if all that hasn't sold you on picking up a copy, 1% of the profits of this film will be donated to providing cloth and education to low-income families. How awesome is that!? So do some good, educate yourself, and spread the word on how great cloth diapering is!

If you still have questions feel free to email me and I'd be happy to answer or refer you to someone who can answer. I love helping others learn how easy it really is to cloth diaper your little ones. 

Check out The Willow Store on Facebook and follow them on twitter to keep up with the latest in cloth diapering fun. 

The Willow Store has kindly offered to give one lucky Simmworks Family Blog reader a copy of Diapering Today (a $17.95 value) in the Fluffy Butts Cloth Diapering Giveaway Hop!

Make sure to head on back to this blog between June 4th and June 15th to enter to win my cloth diapering essentials package for Fluffy Butts! Then enter all of the other wonderful blogs linking up to this event.

Want to purchase a copy of Diapering Today? Head over to The Willow Store or Amazon now!


Disclaimer: I received a copy of Diapering Today as a thank you for submitting my photo for their video, no review was expected. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.This post contains affiliate links. By clicking through to the sponsor's website your are helping support the Simmworks Family Blog.

A Merry Fluffy Christmas {#fluffyxmas #ClothDiaper #Giveaway}

Welcome to the 2nd Annual “A MERRY FLUFFY CHRISTMAS” Cloth Diaper Giveaway Event hosted by And Then There Were 4... We are all very excited about the prizes in this giveaway event and hope you are too! If you haven't already had a chance, take a look at my Merry Fluffy Christmas sponsor page for information on the companies behind the prizes in my giveaway package. These awesome sponsors are the reason why this giveaway is possible!

How “A Merry Fluffy Christmas” Blog Hop Giveaway works:
You will have until 11:59pm EST on December 5th to enter in our prize package below. There will only be ONE winner for each participating blog. Please remember to read ALL instructions on each blog, as each blog’s entry methods are different. And don’t forget to visit ALL OF THE PARTICIPATING BLOGS for more prize packages to win! You can find the linky at the bottom of this giveaway post that contains all of the blogs participating in this event. That’s it! And good luck!

Here's what you can win from the Simmworks Family Blog: 

A Cloth Diapering Starter Kit Prize Package 

(ARV $150)

Changing Diapers: A Hip Mom's Guide to Modern Cloth Diapering by Kelly Wels is sponsoring one (1) OS Fuzzibunz diaper to the winner. The diaper will also come with a super cute "I'm a hip mom and love cloth diapers" temporary tattoo. The tattoo is eco-friendly as well! Click here to read my featured spotlight of the book and how wonderful it is as a resource. 

Simmworks Family Blog is self-sponsoring one (1) OS itti bitti bitti tutto diaper in silver. I received this diaper at the #hautegreen social hour at BlogHer'11 this past August and fell in love with the itti bitti brand. For more information about the diaper and my review please check out this post here.

Simmworks Family Blog is also self-sponsoring one (1) set of itti bitti cloth wipes in bright rainbow. I also received these wipes at the #hautegreen event and wanted to spread the love to my readers! And while I haven't used these particular wipes I have used and fallen in love with itti bitti's change mat.

Aqua Blossom is sponsoring a set of Lavender & Tea Tree Oil wipe solution spray. This includes a large 8oz bottle and travel size 2oz bottle that is perfect for the diaper bag. Click here to read my featured spotlight on their Etsy store and find out more about them. Also, Simmworks Family Blog readers get a 25% off discount on all of Aqua Blossom's store items with the code fluffyxmas so hurry on over and check out what they have to offer! Code valid until the end of this giveaway. 

Artsy Fartsy Foo Foo is sponsoring six (6) hemp inserts to the winner. Click here to read my featured spotlight on Artsy Fartsy Foo Foo and learn more about their products and business.  

Eco Nuts is sponsoring a medium box of Eco Nuts soap nuts (that's 100 loads!). Click here to read my featured spotlight on Eco Nuts and their products.

The Willow Store is sponsoring three (3) wool dryer balls. Click here to read my featured spotlight on The Willow Store and learn more about their store and the products they offer. 

The Willow Store {#FluffyXmas Sponsor Spotlight}

Catherine Bolden, founder and mom behind The Willow Store, created this company in 2005 to share her dedication and respect our Earth, for our children and our reusable future. All of the products sold at The Willow Store are ethically manufactured in the US, they strongly support small business, and living wages. The Willow Store chooses only the highest quality materials, and organic whenever possible, sourced in the US whenever possible.

Catherine was kind enough to allow me to review the wool dryer balls found in her store. Now I'm pretty familiar with dryer balls and have been using a set I received from an Etsy seller. However over time we've actually lost them due to a certain 2 year old who decided they were his balls and were for play, not for the dryer. Luckily I now have a new set of three dryer balls that I love just as much as the other set. Maybe even more since they're slightly larger.

The dryer balls were different from the ones I owned before. For one, as I said before, they were a bit larger. And second, I didn't have to wash them before use. I just tossed them in the dryer and hit the start button. Super easy and no prep is always good in my book. I've been using the dryer balls for about 2 weeks now and they've kept my clothes soft and fluffy and my cloth diapers feeling great. I love the fact that they're great for all cloth. And I especially love how soft they make our sheets. Another added bonus is that they've helped speed up the dryer time for my comforters and large blankets. Not sure how but they dry a lot faster! 

Do you use dryer sheets and fabric softener?  Have you ever noticed a film like feel to your clothes after using these products? That's the chemical residue that makes your clothes feel soft. And it can be pretty irritating if you have sensitive skin. Wool dryer balls are the natural solution for softening your clothes without chemicals. Made completely from US wool, they help your clothes (and cloth diapers!) tumble dry softly, and reduce the drying time by up to half. To use, simply toss 2-3 balls in your wet dryer and start. No need to remove them from the dryer when you are done, just keep them there for the next load!

The Willow Store's dryer balls are approximately 9” circumference (about the size of a tennis ball). You'll want to use 2-3 balls for fastest drying. These won’t harm your clothes or cloth diapers at all. The balls are 100% wool, so some natural pilling may occur over time but all you have to do is pick it off and continue use. These balls are available in natural cream or hand dyed in a variety of colors. The colors are safe for any color laundry, the dye used is fiber reactive, and will not bleed onto your clothing. And the best thing about them is that they last for many years and you don't have to continue purchasing dryer sheets!

Purchase and Giveaway Information

The Willow Store has kindly offered to include a set of wool dryer balls to my Merry Fluffy Christmas package and I couldn't be more thrilled. Not only will my package include cloth diapers, wipes, wipes spray, and inserts but it'll also include the items needed to care for your cloth diapers as well. Now I'd say that's a pretty great package!

To find out more about The Willow Store please visit their website. You can also find them on facebook and twitter where you'll always hear the latest on sales, new products and much more!

Disclaimer: I received a set of wool dryer balls from The Willow Store for review purposes only. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own. I only promote products I believe in 100% and will always disclose this information to my readers.