I’ve shown and told you about how I’m loving the space in our new Frigidaire refrigerator. I’ve told you how in love I am with the water and ice. And now I have to tell you something else that I’m loving: energy saving!

I’m sure those who have read my blog for any time know that my family is concerned about our impact on the environment including how much energy we are using on any given day. As we have been replacing things in our house and adding others, we have been trying to buy energy saving appliances and fixtures. As an example, our new windows saved us a great deal of money on our heating bill this last winter. While I don’t imagine our new fridge is ever going to save us $80 on an electric bill, it does have some cool features.

Want one? Check this out. Thanks to the Energy Saver Plus Technology, if my refrigerator door is not opened for 24 hours and the refrigerator system is set to the 12-hour defrost cycle, then the system automatically goes to a 96-hour compressor run time defrost cycle to conserve electricity. I know some of you are saying “when is my fridge ever not opened for 24 hours?” Answers: in March when FireDad and I go away for our annual weekend away. In July when we go camping for ten days. In August when we go on vacation. Any time we spend the weekend at The Farm. We turn off the AC while we’re gone but now we’ll be saving a little bit more thanks to a smart fridge!

More over, this fridge is the top of the line when it comes to saving energy. The whole new Frigidaire line just received the EPA’s prestigious 2010 Energy Star award for their “Swap and Save” Energy Star Promotion. The award recognizes Frigidaire’s commitment to smart energy management and its efforts to share the importance of energy efficiency with a wide audience. You can learn more about that on their site.

On April 30th, I’m going to show you a video of a few other great things about our fridge. Included in the video will be the handy alarm system, the ability to turn off the panel, one thing that makes me a bit bummed and other key features. Be sure to come back for a video Tour of The Fridge! WOO!

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[Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and received a Frigidaire Refrigerator to facilitate my review.]

I’ve written about Green Works products in the past. I have always found them to be just as good as non-eco-friendly products and their new laundry detergent and stain remover are no different.

My boys have sensitive skin. Do you know where they get it from? Straight from me. And? Straight from FireDad. So they have a double genetic whammy of sensitive skin. BigBrother’s skin is a bit more sensitive in some ways (lotions, shampoo) while LittleBrother has some harsher issues when it comes to things like detergents. I also have an issue with detergent. I chose to wash my own laundry in the new Green Works detergent first just in case I was going to have a reaction. No reaction! No itchies! It’s fabulous. I do, personally, find it a bit too perfume-y for my liking but I have to admit: I have a super nose. I don’t think others would have a problem with it. It doesn’t bother me after the item has been dryed, just when I’m washing! The boys have had no reactions as well. Hooray!

As far as the stain remover, it’s just as awesome. The week that we got the stain remover, LittleBrother sat in pizza. IN KHAKI PANTS! Cue panic. I just pre-treated the pizza sauce stain, washed it like normal and, bam! No stain. I was super pleased with that fact. I’m sure it won’t be perfect but I haven’t found a stain remover that is just yet!

I do think we’ll be switching to Green Works laundry products, though I may go ahead and get the free and clear version (no perfume, no dye) of the actual detergent. There’s a $3 coupon on their website if you’d like to give it a try as well!

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[Disclaimer: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Clorox Green Works and received a bottle of Green Works Natural Detergent and Stain Remover to facilitate my review and a $20 thank-you gift certificate.]

Need a Christmas present (birthday/baby shower/etc) idea for a mom who identifies as “green” or otherwise eco-conscious? I have the perfect gift: ReUsies! ReUsies are reusable snack and sandwich bags. We were sent two bags to test out and, let me tell you, I’m a convert.

A friend of mine started using reusable snack bags last year. I looked at her like she had two heads. It seemed somehow more difficult than taking out a plastic bag and tossing said plastic bag when we were done. Then I started to realize that I was using one to two plastic bags every time we left the house. Not great. As a mom who does try to utilize eco-friendly products, I realized that my plastic bags were not all that friendly. At all.

ReUsies are 100% cotton lined with leak-resistant nylon and are secured with Velcro closures. The nylon inside makes them easy to clean out. I know you’re thinking about crumbs and such but, trust me, they’re very easy to clean out. Furthermore, we’re a fan of the Velcro because my kids can not only open them on their own (unlike the plastic bags) but they can close them as well! We haven’t had an accidental spills since we’ve started using these baggies!

There are two sizes, snack and sandwich. The sandwich baggie is bigger. Here’s a picture of the two together so you can eyeball the difference. (Measurements mean nothing to me. I’m a visual/word girl.)

Right now, we are using the bigger bag for pretzels and the smaller bag for Cheerios. We did use the larger bag for a sandwich when we were on vacation at the beach so I can attest to the fact that it will hold a sandwich quite well!

To clean the bags, you simply toss them in the washing machine, dishwasher or sponge clean them inside out (that’s what we do). Simple simple simple!

And so, if you have an eco-friendly mom to purchase a gift for this holiday season, think about some ReUsies. They’re currently having a 10% off sale if you buy 3 or more. Just enter the code 3ORMORE at checkout. There are tons of fantastic fabric designs so go check out the store. Load up on three or six or nine for the Green Moms in your life!

Tomorrow I’ll have a review for the kid who always asks, “Whyyyyy?”

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[Disclaimer: I received one sandwich and one snack bag in exchange for my honest review thanks to ChicExecs.]

Today Frigidaire has named Jennifer Garner as their new celebrity ambassador. If you’re not familiar with her work, you should give her a try. That said, they’ve not chosen her because she’s a stunning and talented actress (though she is) but because she’s a busy mom. Like me. Like you. Sure, her busy stuff is slightly different than my busy stuff but, let’s be honest, busy stuff is busy stuff. She’s come on board with Frigidaire to help launch their new line of appliances that help mom save time. Yes please!

What I love best about this pairing and the new appliances is the fact that they have paired with Save the Children, a non-profit group that helps kids. Here’s a bit more info about how they’re working together.

Frigidaire and Garner are asking Moms to think ahead to November 1st – the day all of us change the clocks and get an extra hour – and pledge to use that time to help make a difference in the lives of children. Save the Children created the CHANGE program (Creating Healthy, Active, and Nurturing Growing-up Environments) to promote healthier lifestyles for children living in poverty by providing nutritious snacks and regular opportunities for them to be physically active.

Starting today, everyone who goes to Frigidaire.com and raises her hand with a pledge to make time for a child, will commit Frigidaire to donate $1 to support the CHANGE. As an added bonus, everyone who pledges her time will be entered for a chance to win a new Frigidaire Professional double wall oven.

I love a program that encourages children to eat healthy and to be active. How will you plan on helping a child in your community? Will you take this idea to your local schools? Will you reach out to an after-school program with some healthy snacks? Will you mentor a youth in your community? The ideas and options for you to help a child are endless. What will you do?

In addition to the double wall oven that Frigidaire is giving away, Mom Central is also giving away one as well. Simply hit up their site and tell Mom Central how you plan on giving back to children in need. Mom Central will pick one winner at random.

I encourage you to Make Time for Change with Frigidaire, Jennifer Garner and Save the Children. Who knows, you could end up winning, save time in the kitchen and have even more time to give back to children who so desperately need you.

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[I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.]

I’m picky about certain things. One thing I can’t stand are ugly, logo-splashed soap containers sitting on my sink. I’m not a real logo-lover, recently becoming annoyed when searching for polo shirts for the boys that didn’t have some picture or word on them as well. I just don’t find it necessary. Similarly, the ugly wording on soap containers, even soaps that I prefer, really annoyed the heck out of me. When I was contacted about Softsoap’s new Ensembles products, I was intrigued.

No splashy logo. No words. In fact, these look kind of designer-like, fancier than even our glass toothbrush holder. But that’s the nice thing and, really, the point. The bottles come in four lovely designs that go with a variety color combinations. When the bottle is empty, remove the spout, toss the empty one and put the spout into a new container. Choose the same color or change it up as an instant upgrade to your sink top.

Don’t believe me that it’s “that” easy? Watch this video!

I’m thrilled that I no longer have two not-so-great solutions to my sink soap needs. I was forced to either deal with the ugly logos and colors that didn’t match my bathroom or kitchen or deal with putting soap into a container that matched the room in question but would either break (like our last one) or be a waste of soap during the transfer. Lose-lose there. We now have the lovely blue (Exotic Orchid) in our bathroom (though rumor has it that one will be leaving soon as the seasons change so I need to go buy all of those up) and the purple flower ones (Fresh Essence) in our kitchen (as we have Fiestaware’s plum as our main kitchen theme). The soaps, of course, smell lovely as well. Not overpowering like some on the market.

And so, if you’re a logo-hater in need of a color match for your bathroom, kitchen or laundry room, consider picking up some Softsoap Ensembles today. (But please forward all Exotic Orchid to me. Thanks!)

I swear, Electrolux has to be the best company on the face of the Earth. They’ve done it before, twice that I’ve spoken of. What exactly? Helped raise money for worthy causes while offering those who contribute a chance to win very awesome prizes. This time around they’re giving away a new French Door Refrigerator to a lucky person who follow through with their goal of raising money for Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

How can you get involved? Simply visit Electrolux and open your own Virtual Lemonade Stand (summery, no?). By doing so, you are entered to win the new French Door Refrigerator. I went ahead and made my Virtual Lemonade Stand. It took less than three minutes. (Also, I want some ginger lemonade. YUM!) For some extra exposure, I clicked the link to post it to my Facebook wall. Quick. Easy. To the point.

If you’re not familiar with the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, well, you should be. Their mission:

To fund research to find a method of early detection and ultimately a cure for Ovarian Cancer. Electrolux has committed to donate $500,000 to this worthy cause.

Electrolux is helping the cause in this way:

As part of its lemonade stand campaign, for each stand opened, Electrolux will donate $1 to OCRF (with a minimum of 10k and a maximum of 15k).

And, so, you are helping simply by spending less than three minutes to create a Virtual Lemonade Stand. It doesn’t get easier than that, folks. And with the added bonus being a chance to win a new, free fridge… well… how can you go wrong? You’re not quite sure you want this particular fridge? Oh really? Read on.

The new French Door Refrigerator by Electrolux has some cool new features that make it a great refrigerator for entertaining. There is the Perfect Temp Drawer™, which provides storage for any number of items that you want to keep at the ideal temperature. It’s also a large enough refrigerator to store everything from party platters to juice boxes. The French Door Refrigerator also offers double the ice so there is always enough ice on hand to fill your pitchers of lemonade.

I know. You’re no longer reading, are you? You’ve run off to Electrolux to create your Virtual Lemonade Stand. I don’t blame you. At all. That Perfect Temp Drawer? Is love. And a fridge that is big enough to store everything? It almost makes me want to clean my fridge right now. Almost.

Go ahead and enter today. Help the Electrolux raise the money for OCRF. And if you win the fridge, you should send me a picture of how you organize your fridge… and I promise not to be too jealous.

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Side Note: Mom Central is also giving away a new fridge. Simply visit Mom Central, leave a comment about what flavors you are selling in your store after you launch your Virtual Lemonade Stand and then share your summer entertaining tips. Mom Central will be picking one winner, at random, from all eligible entries. Woo! Fridge!

[Thanks to Mom Central for the heads up on another wonderful Electrolux campaign.]

Are your allergies out of control? Mine are. Strange thing? I’ve never had Spring allergies until just this year. Of all years, of course, I really could have lived without the constant pollen polluting my nose.

If you’re like me, when the pollen levels rise, you have a tendency to stay inside. Did you know that the EPA has just let us know that the pollutants in our own homes could be five times that of the outdoors. Well, that’s not great! Even things like cooking (!) and Spring cleaning (!) can contribute to the general “yuck” of our in-home air. (Great! Does that mean I can stop cleaning out the basement? No? Darn.)

Turns out I could be doing something to help.

Simple things like avoiding harsh cleaners (chlorine, ammonia) or limiting a pet’s ability to go to different areas of the house are a few ways to help clean up your in-home air. However, investing in a “high-performance air filter” can greatly improve your air quality. “High performance air filter” … ? What?

Enter 3M Filtrete. What’s it do? Helps clean the junk out of your air that you can’t see. There are different versions that will work better for some than others depending on your household. (As an example, whether or not you are dealing with pet dander. We’re not. So perhaps the washable and reusable one is a great option for us!)

The site also has a survey that you can fill out to see how much you know about your indoor pollutants. (I learned… too much? Sigh. Why didn’t I know some of these things until now!) The site even has the ability to send you a seasonal email to remind you to change (or wash, depending) your filter! I need reminders. That’s perfect.

So, go, learn and get your inner air cleaner! Today!

[Thanks to Mom Central for teaching me about the junk in my air.]

I’ve talked about Electrolux on this blog before… remember? Remember how I drooled over the red washer and dryer? I mean, that was a pretty sweet looking washer and dryer. Remember how I told you that it washed and dryed in 38 minutes? Remember how the thought of that seemed impossible and oh-so-lovely at the same time? It didn’t seem like it could get better, did it?

Think again. Because Electrolux just rolled out their eco-friendly washer and dryer in a new shade. Wait for it… KELLY GREEN. SEE?

Okay, it’s a bit of a pun on their relationship with the super amazing Kelly Ripa. But, guys, listen. That’s my favorite color in the whole world. I currently am writing this post while wearing green yoga pants and a green tshirt. Earlier, the shoes I had on were green as well. If I believed in socks in any temperature above 50 degrees, I’d be wearing green socks as well! Despite what Kermit said, it is easy being green.

And Electrolux wants to help you be green. Not just in color (though, wow, what a color) but in how you live your life when it comes to the environment. And right in time for Earth Day (April 22), Electrolux is helping raise awareness and simultaneously raise funds for Global Green USA. How so? Simply go to Electrolux, click on the Plant a Virtual Flower link and, very simply, plant a virtual flower. For every virtual flower planted, Electrolux will donate $1.00 to Global Green USA which helps support their healthy green schools initiative across the United States.

The best part? Everyone who plants a flower? Is eligible to win the Kelly Green washer and dryer combo. One winner will have the NEW washer and dryer of my dreams.

To sweeten the deal, Mom Central is giving you another chance to win the glorious, beautiful, amazingly green washer dryer set on their site. Simply visit Mom Central and tell them which flower you planted via the Electrolux site and then share a laundry trip that helps you save time and energy. Mom Central will pick one lucky winner from all eligible entries!

So, in short: enter over at Electrolux, enter over at Mom Central and don’t forget about Earth Day yourself. Do something green for your family and for our planet.

We have a damp spot in the storage room in our basement. Despite efforts to reroute the way the water flows off the hill, after a few days of heavy or consistent rain, we get some moisture. The storage room itself is rather waterproof as everything is off the floor on plastic shelves and in plastic containers. That doesn’t stop the mold and mildew from building up on the corner of the floor, the bottom of the shelves and around the bottom of our safe. I’ve used various products over the past three years with various (and sometimes unsuccessful) results.

So, when Mom Central asked if I wanted to review X-14’s Mold & Mildew Stain Remover, I thought that it couldn’t hurt. To boot, it could help on the grout on our bathtub which we’ve been having trouble keeping clean as of late. And the “no scrubbing” idea sounded fabulous. I’ve used a lot of elbow grease over the years so no scrubbing is right up my alley.

Did it work? Yes. It worked in the basement. It worked in the bathroom. It simply worked. And simply. We are on day four of consistent rain right now. On day two, I went down to evaluate the situation. We had a little bit of moisture. No flooding, just the normal moisture we get from the one corner of the wall and floor. After setting up the dehumidifier, I wiped everything off myself with a paper towel or two (must remove moisture first, of course) and did some spraying. I came back the next day and things were smelling and looking fine. Bathroom? I did wipe off the dust on the grout along the bathtub in our bathroom (what? yours doesn’t have dust?) and sprayed. It is cleaner. It smells nice as well.

Being as busy as I am (and dealing with extra moisture in the Spring and fall), something that helps cut down on time is something that I can get behind. Actually, I grabbed the Foaming Bath Cleaner when I was at the store the other day and I’m loving it as well. A big thank you to Mom Central for introducing me to X-14 products!

We’re dealing with some illness in the house this week. In fact, for the first time since he was in a crib, BigBrother threw up. Everywhere. We were eating lunch and, without going into detail, the carpet in my dining room (ugh)  was covered with a mixture that smelled none too pretty.

Thankfully I had just received Carpet Fresh Carpet & Room Odor Eliminator Quick Dry Foam (Morning Rain scent, mmm) from Mom Central to review. I had to let the mess sit while I cleaned up a sobbing BigBrother, got off his nasty clothes, started the wash, got him a bath, threw LittleBrother in the bath for good measure and got each child down for a nap. I then cleaned up any, well, chunks, from the scene of the crime and spot treated the carpet with our cleaner of choice.

But that smell… and I know you know what I mean… still lingered in the air. Kneeling down, against my better judgment, I took a whiff and immediately recoiled. Bad choice on my part. So, I reached for the canister of Carpet Fresh and read the directions.

1.Shake can well before each use. (So, I shook it.)
2.Hold can upside down and press tab. (So, I turned it upside down and pressed the tab.)
3.Spray in a sweeping motion for a light, even application of the quick drying foam. (I did this, surprised at how easily it sprayed.)
4.Allow foam to disappear and completely dry before using treated areas. (This is where I was thankful that the boys were both napping.)

That’s right. No vacuum needed. Which was good considering that TheBrothers were asleep!

I’ll be honest… I don’t know when the foam disappeared. Or dried. I was getting our supper ready later when I remembered, checked and was pleasantly surprised to find the foam gone and my carpet dry. And the room smelling heaps and heaps better. Once again, I decided to kneel down and take a whiff.

My carpet smelled clean. Color me shocked.

I’m now a fan. It’s not a cleaner, mind you. I still had to clean the offending mess prior to trying to rid the smell. But if you’ve ever cleaned vomit from carpet, you know how the good cleaning product that takes out the stain doesn’t always remove that awful, awful smell. That’s why we’ll be keeping Carpet Fresh Carpet & Room Odor Eliminator Quick Dry Foam on hand. Not that I’m hoping for any repeat incidents in the near future. But I’m realistic enough to figure that they’ll happen again.

Some technical stuff that you might like to know is that it is safe to use around pets and children (though I learned that aerosol products should not be used near birds… not that we have one… but it is good to know). It doesn’t leave a residue (yay!). And it reaches deep into your carpet fibers to get rid of the odor-ick that simple air fresheners can’t reach. Sounds good to me.

In the end, I’m so happy that we had this on hand when we did. Otherwise I would have had to run to the store to find something to rid the smell from our house. And I know that you know that smell…

(Also: Please visit this link for a coupon! Saving money is always good!)