You are what you eat! There are no truer words than those. So, it becomes very important to feed our bodies with natural foods that promote health and wellness without degrading our health and the health of the environment.

Inspired by the natural goodness of the Amazon, Sambazon offers us a line of delicious, organic, non GMO, vegan, gluten-free superfood juices, energy drinks and frozen goodies. Their products are made with pure ingredients such as Acai, Acerola and Yerba Mate blended with organic fruits, veg, oils and grains; pure ingredients that promotes natural nutrition.

Their flavors are exotic, cleansings, healthy and yummy and their formulas are antioxidant rich, energy promoting, metabolism jumpstarting, protein providing and immunity enhancing……Perfect. My family and I are enjoying all that Sambazon
healthy drinks have to offer.

Sambazon is both organic and fair trade certified. They are supporting two million acres of Amazonian rainforests and over 10,000 family farmers. The world is a little healthier simply because they exists. Visit Sambazon on their website for more information and to search their location finder to find Sambazon near you, and be sure to keep in touch with them on facebook and twitter.

Disclaimer: I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet SM program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet SM blogger, Iagreed to use this product and post my opinionon my blog. My opinions do not necessarilyreflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product.

Giveaway: The fine folks behind Sambazon and #MomsMeet are offering one of my readers with 3 free Sambazon product vouchers plus the charming wooden bowl and spoon pictured above. The giveaway is opened to all U.S residents 18+ and will run until 6/10. To enter, simply complete one, some or all of the rafflecopter entries below. Thank you in advance for entering and good luck to you.

I must admit, I was a bit skeptical when my peepods reusable menstrual pads came in the mail. They looked much too delicate to protect and absorb the heavy onset of a menstrual cycle, but I kept my mind opened. My doubts were quickly hushed when I used them on my cycle days….these reusable pads rock.

Founded by Amber givens, peepods is a company that offers us ladies beautiful reusable menstrual pads as well as reusable incontinence pads, nursing pads and postpartum pads. Their vision was to create female products that are eco-friendly, effective, comfortable and beautiful, and they did just
that.

I was fortunate enough to receive the espresso colored reusable period pads to review. I love the design; classic pad shape yes, yet very feminine, soft and beautiful. Despite their delicate appearance, these pads are crazy absorbent, lasting me a full 8 hours on medium cycle before changing. They are really comfortable to wear and they stay in place.

I love the genius dark colors of these period pads, in case of staining and the easy snap on wings are easy. They are both machine and dryer proof and keep their shape after washing. I was really impressed by these peepods reusable
menstrual pads. I love that they are reusable and Eco-friendly; tons of used disposable pads clutter and degrade the landfills every year, peepods are a wonderful earth friendly alternative.

Peepods deluxe 7 piece set includes 3 panty liners, 2 day pads, two night pads and the convenient wet/dry travel bag for on the go. These pads come in espresso and cranberry colors. For every set of Pods that peepods sell, they donate a set to the Hamlin Fistula Hospital. They also allow us to purchase and donate Pods to women in need oversees. Visit them here to purchase and for more information, and be sure to keep in touch with them on facebook and twitter.

Giveaway: The fine folks behind Peepod are gifting one of my readers with a 3 piece set of eco-friendly reusable period pads in your color choice. To enter, simply complete one, some or all of the entries in the Rafflecopter form below. The giveaway is opened to all U.S residence 18+ and it will run until 6/20. Thank you in advance for entering and good luck to you.

Healthy water quality is an obvious importance for our eco-system; all living things need water to survive and to maintain health and longevity. When our water is corrupted then chaos can ensue on the animals and plants and the other living things that depend on clean water to live. So, it is important to keep our water as clean and healthy as we can.

Water pollution is one of the biggest environmental problems we are faced with today; it is a global epidemic that is affecting all living things. Water degradation is caused by many things, things such as chemicals found in traditional household cleaners, pesticides, herbicides, landfill waste, changes in climate and grease just to name a few. Today let’s take a closer look at the environmental effects of grease on our water quality.


The Effects of Grease on Water Quality:
Chances are that when you are chowing down at your favorite eatery the last thing that is on you mind is the effects that the kitchen grease is having on the water quality. Like the rest of us, all you are thinking about is eating your belly full, meanwhile grease is being washed down the drains all day, every day with the potential to cause some really grimy water polluting. Statistics show that approximately 50 percent of all sanitary sewer backups and overflows are caused by grease, and over 10 billion gallons of raw sewage spills every year……Yikes!that is a whole lot of pollution.

Restaurants produce a lot of grease, obviously because they are cooking all day, so such food service kitchens have a greater potential to have overwhelmed pipes. A backed up kitchen pipe is not only smelly and deterring, it is toxic buildup that can lead to environmentally degrading overflows. Overflows can create a toxic atmosphere in the water which can harm our plant life and animal life as well as other living organisms. So, how can this be avoided?

It is safe to say that kitchen grease is going to continue to be washed down the drains at our eating places. One thing that the restaurant owners should do to cut down and avoid toxic septic overflows is to install a wastewater pretreatment solution that would intercept, catch and gather the grease before they cause buildups and make it to waste water disposal facilities. Doing this will enhance the eco-friendliness of the eatery and promote healthy pipes.

The animals and plants that depend on fresh water are being affected by the choices we make. Like I said, water pollution is a global epidemic that is mostly caused by man; simple solutions and management can drastically cut down on the pollution that we generate. It took years to cause our waters to degrade the way they have, so cleanup will obviously take some time. The first step is education then action; if we cut down on the amount of sewer overflows that we generate annually then toxic pollution will be cut down drastically.

I am super excited to get started on our first ever organic garden. We do not have very much space so it will be a tiny project but Jordy and I are crazy pumped. I am hoping that our hard work will reward us with plump tomatoes and peppers, lush peas and broccoli and an assortment of yummy herbs. We are even getting a few chickens to gather free range eggs.

We have designated a garden spot and have fenced off an area for our chicken friends to stretch their legs in. This is another step in our greener living, self-sufficient lifestyle. Organic gardening and organic farming encourages a healthier more sustainable future, and I am proud that our family is a part of that in our tiny little way.

So today I would like to tell you about a company called FeedBros.com, FeedBros.com is an online supplier of high quality Organic feed ingredients for our farm friends. Their feed is formulated with nutritious ingredients such as flax seed, millet, barley, peas, rye, soybeans, corn, kelp and more. They offer organic chicken feed and duck feed as well as organic fertilizer for gardening and landscaping.

FeedBros.com prides themselves on providing excellent feed that would encourage health and vigor to our farm friends. Their website is clean, organized and easy to navigate. You can safely shop on this site and contact customer service via contact form. So, if you are in need of organic chicken, duck or pig feed then check out FeedBros.com.

A  Larger than Life Train for the Ride of Their Life.  The GO GO Thomas Tour 2013, visiting the National Railroad Museum on June 12-16,2013. This fun-filled event offers little engineers and their families the opportunity to take a ride with Thomas the Tank Engine, star of the popular Thomas & Friends series. Children will take a ride along with their favorite
engine friend on his latest adventure and participate in Thomas-themed activities including:
* A 25-minute (approximate) ride with Thomas the Tank Engine 
* Meet Sir Topham Hatt, Controller of the Railway
* A Thomas & Friends Imagination Station; featuring stamps, temporary  tattoos, hands-on arts & crafts, train tables, and coloring sheets
* Storytelling
* Video viewing and much more

 The GO GO Thomas Tour 2013 is visiting the Kentucky Railroad Museum on June 1-2, 2013 and June 8-9. Get Your Tickets Today! http://www.ticketweb.com/snl/VenueListings.action?venueId=14221&pl=thomas13&REFERRAL_ID=dowtsplash

There is so much power in song, music has the magical ability to change your mood, inspire an action and make you forget your worries. I am a huge lover of music; I love every genre from reggae to indie music. As long as I am digging the
lyrics and the funky beat, I groove to it. We are so fortunate to be exposed to the diverse flavors of music, life would be so boring if everything looked and sounded the same.

Music is necessary, especially in today’s day and age; it is the pause to a stressful day, a reminder of hope and courage, music is a laugh inducer, a dance motivator, and a companion on those nights when all you want to do is listen and
groove.

One particular genre of song that really enjoy is indie rock; it is the sort of vintage, down to earth, do it yourself, underground tone that this genre exudes that makes it so appealing. Indie is honest and untouched by glitz and fakeness.
One indie band that is growing in popular is the Miami band by the name of Space between Words, formed in 2010 Space between Words is the young foursome with an addictive psychedelic style.

This indie rock band marries laidback vocals with rocking keyboards, drums and guitar sounds, they are the epitome of alternative rock and folks are starting to notice. Their accomplishments included being named Miami’s hottest act and being
featured in the national press. They have recently released a live album named Kadath. They are certainly a band to check out, their releases “And we all followed the Sun”, “Valley of the Lizard Kind”,and “Kadath” are all available for purchase on the iTunes store. Visit them on their website for more information and upcoming tour dates.

While genes are largely responsible for the almost flawless skin that people from the west indies are envied for, some of the reason behind their even skin tones and wrinkleless appearance is because of the natural products that they feed their
skins. The skin is body’s largest organ, it eats up and breaths in over half of whatever we put on it, so it is important to only introduce the most natural and nourishing products to our skin if we wish to obtain external flawlessness.

One of the best skin foods to come out of Africa is Shea Butter; Shea butter is the thick, pale yellow extraction from the nut of the African Shea tree. In its raw form, Shea butter contains high properties of vitamins A and E as well as beneficial fatty acids. It is a natural SPF and anti-inflammatory agent, Shea butter has the ability to hydrate skin and even out skin tone and it is used to eliminate diaper rash, eczema, dandruff and ease muscle aches.

Of course, in order to reap the many benefits of Shea butter it has to be used in its rawest form, which means unrefined and untouched by synthetics, dyes and other foreign additives. The only ingredient that should be in your pure Shea butter is Shea butter. Raw Shea butter is very versatile, you can use it as an ingredient in your natural lotions, soaps, moisturizers and lip balms or use it on its own in your hair and on your skin. Choosing natural will nourish your body as well as your earth. Check out my recipe for natural sunscreen here

Approximately 15 percent of the trash that we throw into the landfills are electronics; that is, items such as computers, TVs, tablets and keyboards. These items are left to either slowly biodegrade or are incinerated; the trouble with this kind of waste management is that it is wasteful and toxic. Landfilled and incinerated e-waste emits harmful toxins into the atmosphere and the groundwater which degrades the environment and poses ill health to the wildlife, plant life and to us humans.


Old and broken computers and other electronics are actually recyclable. Such items can be fixed for resale or donations. Also, computers are made out of materials that include aluminum, plastic, lead, gold, silicon and copper, these materials
can be salvaged and used again. So, these items should never be trashed, no matter how broken they are.

Today I would like to introduce to a computer recycling company called FM Recycle, based out of Manchester, FM Recycle services includes ethically recycling computers and data protection; data protection refers to the disposing and
wiping of sensitive data. They also work with charities to donate computers and refurbish and upgrade old systems.

FM Recycle is WEEE licensed and their ethics comply with data protection act. It is free to recycle your computers and other IT with FM Recycle; they service both large and small collections and provide nationwide service. No computer or IT
that FM Recycle deals with ever get sent to the landfill.

To book a collection pick up you can reach them by telephone, email or by chat. Their website is user-friendly; well organized, straightforward and easy to navigate. FM Recycle makes it easy for you to recycle your IT; they even drive
to your location to pick up the e-waste. So, if you are in their service location and need to recycle your computers, contact FM Recycle and help make the world a greener place to live.

Traditional sunscreens are formulated with a cocktail of harsh chemicals that can seriously degrade our health. However, many ingredients supplied by nature contain natural SPF and other ray protecting properties. Natural oils such as Shea butter, coconut oil and raspberry seed oil all contain levels of SPF. This recipe is all natural, simple and effective at protecting the skin.

Simple All Natural Sunscreen Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of Shea butter
• 1/4 cup of coconut oil
• 1/4 cup of raspberry seed oil
  
• 2 tablespoon raw honey
• 2 tablespoon beeswax pastilles
• 1 tablespoon Vitamin E oil

Directions:

• Ready a double boiler on low flame
• Add beeswax, stir until melted with a rubber spatula
• Add Shea butter,coconut oil and raspberry oil, stirring until melted
• Add honey and Vitamin E, stir well
  
• Transfer to clean glass jar and allow to harden
• Apply to skin every four hours

Mothers are absolutely amazing! Seriously, and I am not just saying that because I am
one. Mothers are expert multitaskers, patient bob boo kissers, tired chefs, strength in times of weakness and inspiration when confidence is lacking. Mothers are gentle and stern, beautiful and selfless. Mothers are absolutely amazing, I am blessed to be one and appreciate the mother that I have.

Mother’s day is one of my favorite holidays ever, there is nothing wrong with being
showered with “I love yous” and “you’re the best” and gifted with treasured keepsakes. Novica is truly synonymous with Mother’s Day; you can find heirloom
quality handmade keepsakes, carefully handcrafted jewelry, standout apparel and beautiful home décor that any mom would love.

Novica is a wonderful fair-trade eStore that serves as a portal for artisans all over the world to share their creations with the world. You can shop for one of a kind beauties crafted by artisans in Mexico, Thailand, West Africa, Brazil and
Central America. You will be helping artists and crafts people earn a fair and ethical income while gifting your mother with lovelies that she will enjoy for years to come. Visit them and start shopping today.

Giveaway: The generous folks behind Novica are gifting one of my readers with a $40 gift certificate to shop at their eStore. The giveaway is opened to all US and Canadian residents 18+ and will run until 5/30. To enter, simply complete one, some or all of the entries in the rafflecopter form below. Thank you and good luck!