Category: Green Home & Garden

  • The Gift Everybody Needs (Buy One, Get One Offer)

    The Gift Everybody Needs (Buy One, Get One Offer)

     

    You’re always in a rush, or else
    you’re too exhausted to have a proper conversation.

    Soon enough, the long hours, the traveling, the broken sleep
    have all crept into your being and become part of you,
    so everyone can see it,

    in your posture, your gaze, the way you move and talk.

    ―Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go

     

    What’s the gift that every man (and woman) needs?

    Sleep.

    Along with time, it’s the great commodity. But while wishing for more hours in the day is just a wistful pastime, one we know is impossible, the desire for sleep haunts us. We could get more sleep— we know we should— and yet we don’t. And no one else can give it to us. Right?

    Well… sort of. We can’t wrap up a full night’s rest with a pretty bow, and we can’t offer a loan to pay off a sleep debt. But for many people, it’s not just the quantity of sleep they receive that’s lacking. It’s the quality. We don’t sleep deeply enough, we toss and turn, we stay too close to the surface of consciousness and are pulled awake by the slightest thing. Deep, restive sleep is necessary for our bodies to recover and repair, and for our minds to sort through the mess of our day and file everything away in mental cabinets. Over time, broken sleep means sluggish bodies not performing as they should; jumbled thoughts and disorganized memories.

    I’ve had cause to reflect on all this recently as Jeff went through a period of really sucky sleeping. I don’t know what the root cause was: stress, maybe, as he burned the candle at both ends, working weekdays and renovated our dining room at nights and weekends. Overtiredness or too many cans of Monster during the day. A flaring up of his colitis. Maybe a combination of all those things. In any case, he was sleeping, but fitfully. Tossing and turning all night. Fixing his pillow over and over. Fidgeting. Sighing. Mumbling.

    I don’t think I slept more than 30 minutes in one place or more than three hours total any of those nights. I snatched an hour’s nap after he left for work, before I had to wake the kids. I was going slowly insane.

    Because the Universe provides (I am really more a believer in this every day; start looking for it and you will also find new people and seemingly random events to be grateful for), I was right at this time sent two talalay latex pillows to review from Plush Beds.

    Besides being fun to say, talalay latex is all-natural and toxic-free; these pillows are molded from sustainably-harvested botanical latex. It also makes up the top layer of PlushBed’s mattresses.

     

    What is latex, anyway?

    I didn’t know, so I looked it up: natural latex is actually tapped from rubber trees, like sap! But not all latex is natural, so it’s important to look for that distinction.

    Talalay latex is:

    • mold and mildew proof, inhibiting spore growth (a big allergy trigger)
    • dust mite resistant. Dust mites are the #1 source of indoor allergens; these allergens are a leading cause of asthma attacks.
    • breathable and resilient
    • made using a process that features biodegradable ingredients that stem from renewable resources and water-based raw materials: natural latex, air and water.

     

    Why all-natural?

    Detoxing your bedroom and especially your bed is just a smart investment. This is where you sleep. You spend a tremendous amount of time here. Your whole body comes into contact with your bed; anything toxic is lying right against your skin (your largest organ) all night long. While your body is vulnerable, repairing itself. While you breathe deeply.

     

    So how did I sleep?

    I slept so soundly that I didn’t notice a Saint Bernard climbing onto my pillow or her heavy head upon mine. Or her getting back down off the bed, for that matter.

    Not only is talalay latex fun to say AND 100% natural, it’s also an awesome balance of comfy and supportive. Most pillows give too much; your head sinks down. They are comfy but not supportive. My Technogel pillow is super supportive but not comfy cozy; it’s almost like a medically prescribed pillow. It’s great for my back and overall sleep, but it’s not for snuggling in, and sometimes you do want that coziness.

    These pillows are a perfect suspension of support and coziness, which is actually a really odd feeling at first. There is give, but support beneath the give. The website describes it as a “pressure-reducing, buoyant sensation” found only with natural botanical latex, and this is an apt description.

    I’ve never encountered it elsewhere, but it keeps making me think of that goop I’ve seen as a science demonstration of a suspension: if you were simply step onto it, you would sink as if it was a liquid. But if you were to run across it, the impact causes resistance like it’s a solid. (OH! It’s cornstarch in water. I found a video, it’s at the end of this post. Watch it, it’s cool.)

    I slipped one under Jeff’s head that week he was keeping me up all night. And glory be to talalay latex: he slept. Deeply. Without moving around. Which means I slept, too.

     

    The Gift Everybody Needs (and a buy one, get one offer)

    Not sure what to give someone this Christmas? Have a hard-to-shop-for person on your list? Give the gift of good sleep, baby. Non-toxic sleep. All-night-long sleep.

    You don’t really appreciate how miraculous a good night’s rest is until you’ve been seriously deprived of it for a while.

    I’m now a loudmouth advocate for sleep. YOU NEED IT. IT’S GOOD FOR YOU (15 reasons why here).

    I firmly believe that if you’re planning to improve your health, improving your sleep should be just as high a priority as moving more and eating better. Sleep works with your body to maximize any other changes you make. Without restorative sleep, you’re just fighting an upward battle. Every day. Against yourself.

     

    So to recap

    • sleep is crazy important
    • a non-toxic sleeping environment is ideal
    • these talalay latex pillows are like sleeping on magically supportive/comfy clouds that remind me of science experiments
    • they are made using sustainable practices
    • they are perfect for allergy/asthma sufferers
    • I sleep so well on them that even the weight of a Saint Bernard’s head does not wake me

     

    Buy One, Get One Free

    Buy one (but get two!) for someone you love. Urge them to make it a first step towards an all-natural bed: an eco-mattress, organic sheets and blankets, the works. Maybe once they see the difference in the quality of their sleep, they’ll take that sense of quality + non-toxic  = healthy care for your body into the other areas of their homes, and their lives.

    You can learn more about PlushBeds mattresses & pillows here. To order pillows alone, you can call 1-888-449-5738. Mention you heard about the pillows from this review and you can buy one, get a second one free (limited to one offer per household).

    A natural talalay latex pillow sells for $79, $89, or $99 each (Standard, Queen, and King Sizes).

    Trust me, a good pillow is an investment you will not regret.

     

     

    Here’s that video. It’s fun.

     

     

    Disclosure: I received two pillows to try out for review purposes. They are awesome. That, and all other opinions presented here? All mine.
     

     

  • Dear Santa: All I Want For Christmas is a Standby Generator

    Dear Santa: All I Want For Christmas is a Standby Generator

    When the weather outside is frightful...
    When the weather outside is frightful…

     

    OK, Santa, that’s not entirely true. I can think of a few other gadgets and baubles I wouldn’t mind having.

    But usually I wind up getting practical gifts for Christmas, and this is as practical for our needs as it gets (and actually, my brother once offered to buy one as a Christmas present. He knows me so well). Partially it’s the age of our house, I think, and partially our location, and partially the fact that only THREE houses are on our part of the power grid. But mostly it just seems like storms have been getting stronger and more frequent here in the Mid-Atlantic, and the result is that our power goes out all. the. time.

    Especially when the snow is piled up higher than your head.

     

    snow pile
    Yeah. Remember when THIS happened?

     

    Let’s evaluate possible options when it gets all Laura Wilder Ingalls up in here:

    • pretend we’re camping, break out the candles and flashlights. Use electronic devices until batteries and charges run out. Try to keep children from poking one another. Have everyone sleep in same bed with Saint Bernard for warmth. Hope power comes back on before all food in refrigerator goes bad (why is it that the power especially likes to go out right after I’ve done a HUGE shopping trip)?
    • portable generator: these are the things you use for camping or tailgating. This would keep the refrigerator going, and the sump pump (nice bonus), but since everything has to be plugged in directly with extension cords I’m thinking it’s not the best option for my laptop. I need to be able to work, which means I need computers and internet. And, oh yeah, a portable generator has to stay outside so you don’t get carbon monoxide poisoning. Gasoline powered, so we’d either have to keep gasoline stockpiled in the workshop (basically build a bomb right under the kitchen) or navigate down presumably treacherous roads to buy gasoline. Frankly, if I’m going to get in the car I’ll just go to my brother’s house. I’ll bet he has pie.
    • standby generator: this is what I want for Christmas. This is attached to the house like a central air conditioner unit (frankly, it can go where our unit sits, we never use A/C anyway) and runs on propane or natural gas; if you go for one powerful enough, it can power your whole house. It just blips on when you lose power after a few seconds, so no more incidents like the time we returned home after a weeklong Walt Disney trip… in July… at 4 in the morning… to find the power out and a freezer-full of ice cream puddled and baked onto our kitchen floor.

     

    Remember when THIS happened?

     

    So, Santa. I’m presuming you would like some guidance picking out my standby generator— I hear I’m difficult to shop for, although that seems silly to me.

    1. Vroooommmm. A commercial-grade engine for clean, consistent power that can handle a heavy load.
    2. Easy on the eyes. We’re so happy that we don’t have to hold to a neighborhood HOA, but Jeff likes things pretty.
    3. Corrosion-resistant housing. This circles back to point 2.
    4. Easy on the ears. Something quiet, since it will probably be placed just outside my bedroom window.
    5. Minimum five-year extended warranty. I always want the Ferrari of warranties because my life is governed by Murphy’s Law. Good warranty = no problems. Slim warranty = big problems.

     

    Living without power is fun the first time it happens, and even then only for the first couple of hours. Then reality sets in as you sit in the dark, unable to cook or work or brush your teeth or wash your hands and the temperature keeps dropping. I’m totally over that scene.

    Standby generator, Santa. Think about it. I’ve been such a good girl this year.

     

    Some resources if you want to ask Santa for your own generator (or, you know. Buy one with your own money):

    Kohler makes it easy to research, size and price standby generators. Remember, we have a resident plumber and we are pretty Kohler-loyal. Check out www.KohlerSmartPower.com for informational videos, sizing calculators and other helpful stuff.

    Whether you’re seriously considering a generator or not, you’ll want to brush up on your power outage preparedness. One obvious point that I need to take care of: a handcrank radio. Last year we had no power for 48 hours, and during the overnights there were tornadoes touching down in the area. I, of course, had the boys merrily walking our Saint Bernard puppy out in the yard because I had no idea.

     

    More knowledge dropped here:

    How a standby generator works.

    What to consider before buying.

     

     

     

     

    Disclosure: I work for FitFluential and they are running a campaign with Kohler generators. This blog post is not an official part of that campaign and I received no compensation for it. This is me getting you info and communicating with Santa.

  • Conservation without Compromise: Waterpik EcoFlow Review & Giveaway

    Conservation without Compromise: Waterpik EcoFlow Review & Giveaway

    water droplet

     

    We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.

    -Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia

    I have another confession to make.

    I used to boast about my Army showers. I’m in, I’m out, no nonsense, no water waste. Cool water to preserve my hair color because I’m just too lazy to keep applying dye (it’s vegetable based, which is gentle and earth-friendly but not known for longevity).

    Since I’ve started running? Oh, how I love a long hot shower. It’s my reward for slogging it out on the track or the treadmill, washing away the sweat, unknotting my bones and muscles. Quite honestly, the one thing I most luxuriate in, especially now that the kids are old enough to not remember a hundred pressing needs once the water is running (although I’d say I do have to deal with someone maybe one out of every three showers. Still, a vast improvement).

    I don’t shower every day, but a long shower can still waste a lot of water, using up to seven gallons a minute (for a really really vintage model shower head; standard shower heads manufactured after 1992 use 2.5 gallons).

    So it follows that one of the easiest ways we (and you) can conserve water is by replacing your current shower head with a water-saving low-flow one.

    EcoFlow shower heads by Waterpik can reduce your water use up to 1 full gallon of water per minute, depending on the model. That’s slashing your use— and your water bill— by nearly half, meaning this is a purchase that can pay for itself quite quickly.

    We were sent one to try, Jeff had it up and running in minutes. Easy peasy.

     

    waterpik ecoflow

     

    The shower head has several settings (Full Body- Circular Massage- PowerSpray- Circular Massage + Mist- Misting Spray) and a 5-ft hose, which I absolutely require, to make my life easier washing Cassie’s hair and hosing down dogs. But my favorite feature has to be a water-conserving “switch” that lessens the spray for when you’re shaving or lathering up or whatever and don’t need the full blast. Super clever, and better than the usual recommendation of turning the water off during those moments (does anyone actually do that?)

    I’m ohsovery pleased to tell you that my showers are still luxurious. They don’t have that crazy hard water pressure that you get in some hotels, but we’ve never had that anyway (and means hotels are still a super luxury in my eyes). So in this case making the eco-switch was in no way a hardship: I didn’t have to “get used to” anything or give anything up. My showers are still my favorite treat.

    Pledge to conserve water, save energy and reduce pollution

    The National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation is a friendly competition between cities across the nation to see who’s got the eco-warriest of eco-warriors. It’s a great way to round out Earth Month, especially if you have kids: pledge to do those small things that add up to big changes, especially when those pledges add up across cities. Will you use refillable water bottles, plant with climate-appropriate plants, not use the sprinkler in the heat of the day? Take the pledge here and see just how much of an impact these changes can make. Oh, and pledgees will win prizes: sprinkler systems, water-saving toilets, Waterpik Eco-Flow Showerheads, 1000 (!) Lowe’s gift cards, and AHEM a Toyota Prius c Hybrid. Yeah. Go pledge, I’ll wait.

     

    Giveaway

    And, to round out Earth Month here, Waterpik is offering one lucky reader an EcoFlow showerhead of their very own, to have and to hold and take victory showers under. You can enter once or accumulate up to 12 entries, depending on how you roll. Just follow the directions in the Rafflecopter widget.

    Good luck!

     


    a Rafflecopter giveaway

    P.S. Keep up with EcoFlow news, including new pledges and giveaways, by following EcoFlow by Waterpik on Facebook.
     

    Disclosure: I was sent a Waterpik EcoFlow shower head as part of a promotional program with MomSelect. No other compensation was received. All opinions and eco-confessions are my own.