UPDATED SEPT. 15, 2012

1. Have you heard of Lush? I was introduced to Lush by a fellow Soldier when I was working for the Army Reserve in Orlando (great city for shopping, by the way). It’s a very, very addictive store. They make “effective products from fresh, organic* fruit and vegetables, the finest essential oils and safe synthetics.” They’re not cheap, but their products are amazing and well worth it. If you’re not fortunate enough to live near one of their locations, you can visit them and buy online. Some of my favorites:

They have awesome wrapped gift packages that are great for birthdays or other special occasions.

2. Cloth diaper co-ops are a great way to save money when buying diapers. The co-op leader will purchase a large number of diapers for a cheaper wholesale price. You’ll have to pay for shipping and a co-op fee on the diaper(s), but you’ll still come off saving money compared to buying one or two diapers on your own for the full retail price.

There are other times when a co-op is great, as well. For example, Glow Bug Diapers are very popular right now, but they only sell their diapers in packs of 12. What if you just want one? Many co-ops right now are purchasing multiple packs of Glow Bug Diapers and splitting them up, allowing co-op members to buy just one or two individual diapers.

Interested? Leave me a message below this post, and I’ll send you the names of a couple different co-ops on Facebook.

3. Have you checked out the prizes offered on this blog during the Green Family Giveaway blog hop? More than 30 blogs will be having giveaways, so you’ll have a lot of opportunities to win great family-friendly or “green” prizes. The grand prize will be a full stash of Glow Bug Cloth Diapers! Not into cloth diapers? That’s cool! Don’t enter the grand prize giveaway. With so many blogs involved, you’re sure to find something you like!

4. The Fresh Kitchen is a great blog for moms like me that don’t find that cooking comes easily. Her motto is “fresh, seasonal, approachable home cooking.” She takes ingredients I’d never think to use and shows how to easily make meals that impress my husband (you won’t find processed food on this blog!).

5. Have you heard of My Fitness Pal? It’s online, or you can download it onto your phone as an app (that’s what I did). It helps you keep track of your workouts, your water intake, your weight, and it works as a calorie counter. You can also connect with friends on it to hold each other accountable. I’ve only been using it a couple of days, so I’ll wait a week or two before I do a full review. So far, I love it. I was a little depressed when I realized how big my portions are for all my meals. I’m going to be hungry all the time for a while until my appetite shrinks.

*****I can’t believe I originally wrote the above paragraph with “weight” instead of “wait”! Ack! Mommy brain!*****

Annnnnnd that’s it for today! I kept busy with my sewing projects, diaper laundry, and kitchen cleaning. I made a fitted diaper out of a prefold, and I’ll share the results in a post once I’ve had the chance to test it on my son.

TTFN