Showing posts with label recycle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recycle. Show all posts

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Marcal (eco-friendly!) Small Steps Perfect for Back to School!

I was talking with several of my friends before school kicked off this week, and we were all amazed by how many paper products were on our back to school shopping lists. From napkins, to tissues, to requests for rolls of paper towels, it seemed as though the kids were being asked to bring in everything except toilet paper!

This week both my kids and Marissa's kids went back to school. It's been a crazy emotional week, as my 4 year old 'baby' went to school for the very first time. On top of that, I'm still recuperating from a double dose of strep throat, and I'm exhausted. I usually take pride in the fact that I have everything off of the back to school shopping lists way before the night before, but not this year! I found myself at my local mass retailer scavenging for three pronged folders. I was ecstatic that I had the paper goods off of the list all ready to go, thanks to our new friends at Marcal. (Well, except for the tissues, because I used a box of them when I was sick.)

 

I've used many different brands of eco-friendly paper products lately, and although I enjoy the idea of using recycled products, I haven't really been 'over-the-top' for the efficiency of the products I've tried. I have a messy family, I need paper towels and napkins that absorb quickly, without using too many of them. So far the only ones that have met our high standards are the Marcal Small Steps paper towels. There are all purpose napkins as well as dinner napkins, tissues and  we really liked the toilet paper.. (This is coming from a self-confessed toilet-paper-priss).

The Small Steps toilet paper is a 2 ply, strong- yet not totally scratchy, septic safe, recycled bath tissue. It's still not as soft as the thick-super plush kinds, but it's not like wiping with sand paper either. It's a giant leap in the development of recycled toilet tissue.

The facial tissues that I tried were a little scratchy, but no more than the normal regular brands without added lotion or aloe. Unfortunately, I usually buy the ones that are extra soft, but I thoroughly appreciated having the box I did when I thought I was dying of strep throat.

I loved the dinner napkins, and the all purpose napkins are great for putting alongside the kids sandwiches in their lunchboxes. I thought I used all of the tissues I was sent when I was sick, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had one more box. I sent that in with our school supplies, along with a roll of paper towels and some napkins, and felt good that I was sending in many recycled products this year.

One thing I didn't realize before receiving this opportunity was that Marcal has been making recycled paper products for 60 years- way before the 'green movement' or 'going green' meant something in our society. The "Small Steps" line of products signifies the small and easy steps toward making a difference in the world that you can make by using these recycled paper products.

Our new friends at Marcal have offered one of our readers the chance to try 3 new Small Steps products for free! (Winner will be mailed three coupons for any Marcal product up to $5.99)

This giveaway is open to residents of the US. This giveaway will end on August 31, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. The winner will be chosen using Random.org, and all winner information will be posted on our WINNERS PAGE and on this post. Please include a valid email address in your comment. If I cannot find a way to contact you I will not. I do try to email all winners, but due to the volume of giveaways offered on our site, delays can be expected. If you catch your name before I email you, please feel free to contact us first. :) Any unclaimed prizes will be redrawn accordingly and at the discretion of 4BabyAndMom. This product was provided to me at no cost by Marcal to review. As always, what you have read is strictly the opinion of 4BabyAndMom. Your opinions may differ.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNER!


Please refer to our WINNERS PAGE for more information on how to claim your prize!


Read more...

Friday, August 21, 2009

Make Lunch More Eco-Friendly with Reusable Sandwich and Snack Bags! Review And Giveaway!

I am not a frunchy mama. I aspire to live a greener, healthier life with my children, and keep everything in balance. We recycle when we can, and use reusable bags at the grocery store, and we have cut back on the cleaning supplies with harmful chemicals in them drastically in the last two years. Those little steps find me closer to my goals of making a better living environment inside and outside of my home for my children.

While preparing for back to school, (and cruising through Etsy!), I happened to find this great little shop called Fray Baby Bibs & More. They have such a great selection of handmade, reusable lunch baggies, purses, totes, pencil cases, feeding and burping accessories for baby, scarves, toys and more! All of the prints are fresh, modern, trendy, and fashionable. Whether you're looking for baby, children or mom herself, you'll find something that will delight every taste and budget.We had the opportunity to review three reusable bags this month, the snack sized bag, the velcro closure lunch bag, and the flip top lunch bag. These reusable bags are functional for carrying food, waterproof and anti-microbial. The patterns and styles available will appease to preschoolers and high schoolers alike. To clean the bags, just flip them inside out and wipe clean or throw them in the washing machine. All of the bags are machine washable and dryer safe.

I love the the velcro and the flip and fold sandwich bags! The velcro closure was much easier for Alex to figure out how to open, but after I showed him what to do for the flip top one, he quickly became a pro. For Flip and Fold instructions, feel free to view the tutorial here.

He's super excited about his "Real-Life-SUPER-HEROES" sandwich bag.. (see the pic to the left!), and can't wait to bring it to school to show his new friends.

The snack sized bag that we received was a flip top style. It was great, but with little hands, it made opening it a little more difficult. The first time Alex tried, he got grapes everywhere. However, the snack sized bags are also available with the velcro closure, so the little kids can have their snacks too. The flip top snack bag would be ideal for older elementary school kids and middle school aged children. If I worked outside of my home, I would definitely invest in these reusable bags as well.

..Maybe I'm becoming a more frunchier mama as we speak!

Want it?
You can find Fray Baby at 1000Markets.com, Etsy, and online at FrayBabyBibsAndMore.com. If you sign up for their newsletter on their direct website, you'll get great product information, coupon codes and more!

WIN IT!!
Fray Baby Bibs and More have offered one lucky reader their chance to score a 5 piece set of Back to School Lunch Bags. The set contains one of each type of reusable bag!

Here's How:
Visit Fray Baby Bibs and More at one of the links mentioned above. Find your favorite reusable product (and other product!) and then come back here and let me know about both products!

Extra Entries:

  • Become a FAN of 4BabyAndMom and Fray Baby Bibs on Facebook. Leave a message/comment on both walls, and then tell me here!
  • Add Fray Baby Bibs & More to your Etsy favorites!
  • Grab a Back to School Bash Button and add it to your sidebar (3 Extra Entries!)
  • Subscribe via e-mail. Your email must validate or it will not count, & your comment will be deleted. Please include email in your comment.
  • Subscribe to the Fray Baby Newsletter so you never miss a deal or exciting product announcement!
  • Follow the Fray Baby Blog, grab a button to show you follow them and post the link to your blog or website so we can confirm your entry.
  • Follow 4BabyAndMom and Fray Baby on Twitter and tweet about this review & giveaway. You may tweet something on your own or R/T: "Win a set of 5 reusable sandwich bags for Back to School! @4BabyAndMom http://bit.ly/3yQvCk #B2SBash @FrayBaby #green Ends 8/30" Leave the link to EACH tweet in your comment, please. (Up to 3x/day, please!)
  • Post about this giveaway on your blog or website! Please include a link to both 4BabyAndMom and Fray Baby. Please leave the link to your post in your comment.
  • Follow 4BabyAndMom on Blogger publicly
  • Subscribe to our RSS feed
  • Email at least 3 of your friends and CC 4BabyAndMom [at] gmail [dot] com
  • Fave this post on Technorati and leave comment with your ID/link. Add to Technorati Favorites
This giveaway is open to residents of US & Canada and will end on August 30th, at 11:59pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random using Random.org. Special thanks to Fray Baby Bibs and More for sponsoring this review and giveaway, for joining the Back to School Bash, and for being environmentally concious!

Read more...

ShareThis

e319c3d269013d80a5a32ff474a7af14a7f982023eadae48bd
BlogMommas.com Powered By Ringsurf
Original Template created by: Ourblogtemplates.com Edited & Tweaked by Lauren from 4BabyAndMom