Seventh Generation Free & Clear Diapers

I received a small package of Seventh Generation's newly re-designed Free & Clear diapers to try on my monkeys. As luck would have it, both of them wear the same size diaper due to having a boy that doesn't stop eating and an older daughter that eats like a bird. That meant that I got to try the diapers on each of them. First thing I noticed is that the packaging is minimal. The package can even by recycled at your supermarket's plastic bag recycling collection point. That, in addition to a redesigned lighter-weight core that is both more efficient at absorption and uses less processed chlorine free wood pulp, means that they contribute less to overall landfill use.

The second thing I noticed is the difference in color, it's a light brown that automatically reminds you that you're doing a great thing for both your child and the environment. The diapers don't have 'decorations' on them, but I don't miss them at all. Neither of my kids really bothered to check out the illustrations on their diapers before.  Though I admit that I did almost put a diaper on my son that was inside out because it looks the same all over. To be fair, I was really tired at the time and Bro Bro monkey was being fussy and squirmy.

Aside from the obvious benefits of using Seventh Generation's Free & Clear diapers, I was really impressed with the design. In a pinch I've tried other brands of diapers and have been severely disappointed so I was skeptical about how these would perform. Immediately I saw that the tabs are generously sized and fasten really well. Having a boy that likes to take his diaper off randomly, I was really appreciative of how secure these are. Also, they perform fantastically. We've not had any leaks or blowouts in the short time we've been using them. The monkeys have really sensitive skin and get diaper rashes easily so I feel better about the fact that these don't have added fragrances or any chlorine.

I am always concerned about my ecological footprint in the world, but am afraid to sacrifice quality in some things. Honestly, I can feel good about making the switch to Seventh Generation's Free & Clear diapers. I was really impressed with them.

Thanks to Seventh Generation through MyBlogSpark, you can win a pack of the Free & Clear diapers in size 2, 4, or 5. 

How To Enter:

(The first step is required for your first entry. Any steps after that reward you with an extra entry.)

This giveaway, and subsequent shipping, is only offered within the continental United States.

1. Let me know why you'd like to try these OR how you feel about eco-conscious baby products.

2. Become a follower of my blog, Mommy 2 Monkeys, and leave a comment on this post that you've done so.

3. 'Like' the Mommy 2 Monkeys Facebook page and leave a comment on this post that you've done so.

4. Follow me on Twitter and leave  a comment on this post that you've done so.

5. Follow Seventh Generation on Facebook, tell them Mommy 2 Monkeys sent you, and leave a comment on this post that you've done so.

6. Place my button on your blog/website and leave a comment on this post that you've done so.

This giveaway will remain open until August 2, 2011 at midnight central time. The winner will be chosen using Random.org. I will post the winner on my blog and also email the winner (please make sure your email is visible on your profile or post it in your comment). The winner will have 24 hours to respond to my email or I will choose another winner via Random.org. Good luck!

Disclaimer:

Mommy 2 Monkeys was provided with a sample for the purpose of this review and the opportunity to hold a giveaway for my readers. No other compensation was received and the views expressed here are my own. The information presented, the review sample, and the giveaway item are all provided by Seventh Generation through MyBlogSpark.

Vacation!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I've been wanting to make sure we take our kids on regular family vacations each year. As a result I've been MIA for the past couple of weeks. We intended to go to the Delaware beaches for a week, but it turned out a little longer due to difficulty with flights. On the flip side, the monkeys did a pretty good job handling the traveling and we all really enjoyed our beach vacation.

Back to business now...tomorrow, I'll have a pretty nice review and giveaway with a product I've been pleasantly surprised with. If you have little ones in diapers stay tuned.

Mr. Popper's Penguins

Mr. Popper's Penguins was perpetually pleasant. If you see the movie, you'll understand the use of P words. Pippi turned out to be a cute touch to the movie. I thought this was a really enjoyable movie. It seems to have gotten some poor reviews and I guess that's why I don't usually bother listening to reviewers. Reviewers don't like happy endings all the time or anticipated story lines. I, however, find those things soothing to my soul. Seriously, movies are an escape for me and I don't want to be shocked by a bad twist or have my experience end on a less than happy conclusive note. You can tell from my Pirates of the Caribbean review that I was distraught by the open endedness of one of the side stories.

My critical review of reviewers aside, I really enjoyed this movie. Mr. Popper's Penguins was humorous and adorable. The penguins are definitely the main stars and I was surprised at just how much they were featured doing various things (more than I thought penguins could be trained to do). Since it's not animated, I don't think I'd take my 18 month old monkey and even monkey girl (at 3 years old) might struggle to stay focused on it. I took my friends 5 year old and he seemed fine with it.

As a bonus, something I didn't realize before, is that this Mr. Popper's Penguins is based on a book. We're going to look for it the next time we're at the library. If you're child is 5 or up, I think this is a cute children's movie that adults will like just as much.

The New Disney Store

I decided to be brave and venture out with my two monkeys to the new Disney store in North Star Mall. I'm glad I went because the kids enjoyed being there and we discovered a lot of neat features they've implemented.  I have to say the employees and PR people we met were very friendly and enthusiastic and ensured we had a great visit. Shopping at Disney is now even more of a magical experience.

At first glance, it doesn't seem terribly different, but you quickly discover a couple of gems in the store.  Looking down at the floor, you'll see a sparkly blue winding path that you can follow through the store. It leads to my favorite new feature that I"ll share in a minute. First we came upon the Disney princess castle. Needless to say my monkey princess wanted to call that home for the duration of our stay. You can go through a small opening to the enchanted mirror. Grab one of the princess wands (only 3 princesses were featured at the time) and wave it in front of the mirror to see a video clip of that princess appear in the mirror.

Next we saw the Cars Ridemakerz station, which seems like it'd be fun and a favorite of older kids. It has power screwdrivers hanging from above 4 workstations where you can completely design and build your own car. Since my monkeys are still little, we took a short peek at it and then continued along the path. Bro Bro monkey loved the plush animal display that was built to resemble Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. There was a tunnel they could crawl through and gears on the lower shelf that you could turn and make the buckets above you spin. Bro Bro monkey also created his own game of 'in one foul swipe, knock down more stuffed animals than mommy can pick up at one time'.

Finally, we arrived at the gazebo area (my favorite) with a small table and a large screen for movie clips. There's a large touchpad device where your kids can choose what movie they'd like to see different clips from. It's very easy for little ones to use and as a bonus, the display above it shows how long until your chosen clip will play so you can continue shopping and get back in time to watch your video. At the table were 4 child size chairs with coloring pages and crayons. The gazebo is lit up beautifully and is an enjoyable place to stop for a bit.

Throughout the store are also translucent trees that appear very ethereal. They also randomly display different noticeable Disney icons and fireworks for special occasions. Above the shelves along the walls is a skyline that incorporates local landmarks. We saw the Alamo, Riverwalk, and Tower of Americas. If you're in San Antonio or another store that's newly opened or been remodeled I encourage you to take a step in and check it out. The North Star Mall location will have a grand opening celebration on June 18th from noon to 4 pm. Mickey and Minnie will also make an appearance at the mall center court on that date.

San Antonio Disney Store Opening

If you live here in the San Antonio area, there's some great news. A new Disney store is opening at North Star Mall this week. Wednesday, June 8th, at 10:00 am, San Antonio's newest Disney store will be open to the public. In 2010, Disney Store 'unveiled an innovative, highly interactive new store design' that claims to offer 'the best 30 minutes of a child's day'. Some of the features that appeal to my monkeys are the Disney Princess Neighborhood & Disney Princess Castle with Magic Mirror, the Pixie Dust Trail, and the CARS Ridemakerz Neighborhood.

If you can make it, I highly encourage you to go. The first 250 guests will receive FREE Mickey Mouse ears and one lucky child will “Unlock the Imagination.” Also, ten percent of the first days sales will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

I had the opportunity to preview Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in IMAX 3D this week. Overall, Dadda monkey and I really enjoyed it. It had a good story, compelling characters, and great action scenes (though maybe a tad too many). We wisely decided to leave the monkeys at home not just because of the late hour, but because it's rated PG-13. Some people think I'm over protective, but I'm just not comfortable with my children seeing violent scenes at these young ages.

On Stranger Tides was a lot more action paced and not quite as juvenile as the second and third installments of Pirates. The scenery is fantastic and the movie keeps you looking forward to what happens next. As the viewer, you get to go along on the adventure with Jack Sparrow and it's a long, tumultuous journey. To be honest, I felt it was about 20-30 minutes longer than it needed to be. That could also be because I'm used to watching short condensed children's shows or because we haven't been to a movie in eons. Along that line, some of the 3D effects were spectacular, but they got sparser and more mundane as the movie went on until the end of the movie where they picked up again. I'm not sure this movie warrants paying the extra money to watch it in 3D, but I do recommend you see it. Also, Dadda monkey didn't like Penelope Cruz's character. I didn't mind her, but there was a sub-story that started to intrigue me when they encountered the mermaids, but it doesn't seem to have come to a satisfying conclusion.

As with the other Pirates installments, this one left open ended so I won't be surprised to see a 5th one. If you liked the previous Pirates movies, you'll enjoy this one just as much if not more and even if you haven't seen the previous ones, you'll be able to jump right into this story.

Flies, Flies, Everywhere

We had a BBQ yesterday that went pretty well. For some reason Daddy monkey's coworkers don't feel the need to RSVP to our gatherings so we never know if we're going to have 2 or 20 so we always have leftover food. This time I think we have about a dozen burgers left and a few chicken breasts. I completely forgot to make the sweet potato fries so our abundant supply of them is my fault. We bought a new fire pit that has a table top option so that gave us an extra surface for guests which we really needed. The weather cooperated and it wasn't overbearingly hot. However, the flies around here have gotten worse.

Every year around this time, we have to leave our fly swatter out because the flies are everywhere! As a friend put it, each time the door opens and closes, we gain about 5 flies in the house. They're a horrible nuisance and unfortunately there's no great solution to reducing their presence. I've tried hanging clear bags of water (I don't think that worked at all) and we have a bug zapper. I consider it a success if I don't let the flies live long enough to make it upstairs. Of course for the BBQ, they decided to join the party. We've also have a bad wasp problem this year (in the whole neighborhood, not just our house), but we only had a couple of them appear yesterday. The flies are driving me crazy though. I wish they had a fly version of the mosquito repeller's that supposedly work for about an acre of land.

We have family visiting next week so I can't wait to put the fire pit to use and hopefully that will repel the flies a little. We're trying to enjoy the new deck as much as possible and I love spending time out there. Monkey girl asks to eat outside a lot and unfortunately we've had to say no more than we'd like to because of those pesky flies. I wonder if putting candles on the table would help. We'll have to experiment a bit more I guess and see if anything helps. If anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them. Thanks!