I swear, this is not turning into a review blog! There are just some products that don’t fit the bill over there and if I still want to tell you about them this is my only avenue.

What do you think of when you hear the name Clorox?

Bleach, right?

A highly toxic and carcinogenic substance that many people still have in their homes. That makes me sad, but it makes me angry when those homes also have children in them. Particularly when vinegar does the same thing and you can eat it without calling poison control.

Thankfully, one of the most popular providers of household bleach has come out with a healthier alternative in the Clorox Green Works series of products. The line include five products that claim to be at least 99% natural and made form ingredients derived from coconuts, corn and lemon oil. The company, however, is not 100% transparent with their ingredient list so I couldn’t confirm this. If you click on the links below for each product, you can see that they do include and ingredient list but it’s the same list for each product and doesn’t contain colours that are obviously in there or reveal what the other 1% is. I emailed the publicist that sent me the samples and she was fantastic - she sent a complete ingredient listing and some additional information:

All of the Green Works cleaners are 99 per cent natural, with the remaining 1 per cent coming from added colour, fragrance, and preservatives.

Research showed that consumers prefer coloured product because it reinforced efficacy and was easier to find on a store shelf and currently, there are no stable natural colorants available. Clorox is currently working with its suppliers to develop natural alternatives in order to convert as soon as one is available.

The preservative is important for keeping the formula stable and preventing micro-organisms like bacteria from growing in the cleaner. For example, if you make your own cleaner by combining lemon juice and water, bacteria will grow over time.

Here’s the full Green Works Ingredient List:

Green Works Natural All-Purpose Cleaner (99.93 percent natural): Filtered water, coconut-based cleaning agent (nonionic surfactant;alkyl polyglucoside), corn-based ethanol, glycerine, essential lemon oil, biodegradable preservative, blue and yellow colourant

Green Works Natural Dilutable Cleaner (99.20 percent natural): Filtered water, coconut-based cleaning agents (anionic and nonionic surfactants; alkyl polyglucoside, cocodimethyl amine oxide and sodium dodecyl sulfate), corn-based ethanol, natural alkalinity builders for enhanced performance (potassium citrate and potassium carbonate), fragrance with essential lemon oil, blue and yellow colourant

Green Works Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner (99.99 percent natural): Filtered water, coconut-based cleaning agent (nonionic surfactant;alkyl polyglucoside), citric acid, lactic acid, essential lemon oil, natural thickener (xanthan gum), blue and yellow colorant

Green Works Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner (99.84 percent natural): Filtered water, coconut-based cleaning agent (nonionic surfactant;alkyl polyglucoside), soda ash, corn-based ethanol, glycerine, and fragrance with essential lemon oil

Green Works Natural Bathroom Cleaner (99.05 percent natural): Filtered water, coconut-based cleaning agent (nonionic surfactant;alkyl polyglucoside), glycolic acid (hydroxyacetic acid), and essential lemon oil

I tried all five products and they work really well. They don’t smell overly chemically, which is a nice change from commercial cleaners. (As far as I can remember, anyway. It’s been a long time since I’ve used anything but vinegar and baking soda.) They certainly weren’t gentle on my skin, however. They were nothing like bleach, but as someone who doesn’t clean with rubber gloves these cleaners did a number on me and are listed as an “Irritant” on the bottle. I’m not sure which ingredients are irritants, but there’s something in there that I’m not a fan of.

The Good:
+They’re 99% natural and are working toward 100%.
+The ingredients come from renewable resources.
+They’re biodegradable.
+They’re free of petrochemicals.
+They work.

The Bad:
-The other 1%. Why is colourant necessary? People seriously want that?
-They don’t have a disinfecting product yet (but are “evaluating natural disinfecting ingredients” and hope to add one soon.) (Hello! VINEGAR! THYMOL! You have millions of dollars. I have ten. I shouldn’t have to tell you that.)

The Ugly:
-Whatever irritated my hands.

The Verdict:
I’ll still be using vinegar, but for those of you who spend money on commercial cleaning products I would recommend, at the very least, switching to the Clorox Green Works series. It’s the least you can do for the earth and our children.

The Giveaway:
I’ve got a gift package to give away to one reader! You could win a full sized bottle of all five of the Clorox Green Works products packaged in a reusable shopping bag and a galvanized steel bucket.

To enter, just leave a comment on this post. I’ll leave it open for a week.

UPDATED TO ADD: Congratulations to commenter #11, Leah! Email me with your mailing address and your Clorox products will be on the way as soon as I get off my fat butt and over to the post office. muchmorethanamom at gmail dot com

I’ve been playing around
with the newest software from Kutoka that they sent me to review. It’s called Mia Reading both at home and with a few former students. (Former because I’m on mat leave and don’t actually have any students right now.)

It’s made for kiddos from 5 to 9 years old and has 12 different activities and 4 levels of difficulty. The story goes that Mia Mouse lives in a Victorian house that has been invaded by stinky, noisy pests. Pests that are sure to be noticed and cause someone to call the exterminator. But if that happens, Mia and her friends and family would be out on the street so the Bugaboo Bugs must go. Kids are challenged with the task of helping Mia Mouse get rid of those pesky bugs and saving the day for Mia’s family.

The software contains, according to the manufacturer:
- 12 activities that follow the educational curriculum
- Four difficulty levels (from kindergarten to 3rd grade)
- Easy to consult evaluation report to follow the child’s progress
- Surprise animations and many new characters to discover!
- Topics covered: Associating images to words, vocabulary, spelling, sentence structure, vocabulary, phonics, word recognition, rhymes, reading comprehension, and much more!

Most of all, though, the software contains fabulous graphics that gripped the kids and I from the get go and some great activities that really do support the curriculum yet are fun enough that the kids didn’t care one way or the other!

I actually liked this product enough that I picked one up as part of the surprise package for JJ and Fa when she won my e-naming contest!

You can buy it and the other titles at the Kutoka online boutique.

Wanna win one? Leave me a comment telling me why, or since so many of you seem averse to commenting, you can email me too! I’ll choose one winner at random and contact you via email for your address. You’ve got until Monday at midnight MST to enter!

5 Minutes for Mom is hosting their annual Blog Party this week and I’m jumping on the wagon. I like to party and what with all the pregnancies and nursing this is the closest I’m going to get!

If you want to know a little or a lot about me, check this out.

GIVEAWAY! I’m giving away a three month ad spot to one lucky first place winner and a one month ad spot to a second place winner. You just have to be a blogger or a business owner to win so that you have something to advertise! The winners will be selected from everyone who leaves a comment on this post introducing yourself (or re-introducing yourself or saying hi if I already know all about you). Leave your comment by Friday 3/14/08 to be eligible.

Thanks for stopping by! It’s nice to meet you!

(I’m so un-creative that I’m doing pretty much the same thing over here. Come for a visit and enter twice!)

The kid-naming contest has come to a close.

Please allow me to introduce you to:

Primo

PRIMO
–noun
1. the part of a piano duet played on the upper half of the keyboard.
2. the first or leading part in an ensemble.

–adjective
3. Slang.
a. first-class: dinner at a primo restaurant.
b. highly valuable or most essential: the primo player on the team.

and his sister

Bella

BELLA
-adjective
1. beautiful.
2. delightful to the senses

Perfect, don’t you think?

Both names were suggested by the amazing JJ and, as she said in her comment, she won hands down. Email me, JJ, with your choice of prize and your mailing address and I’ll send those off. FYI, I’ll adjust the (sur)prize if you choose that one and replace the “baby” stuff I had in there since Fa probably doesn’t need a onesie.

Thanks so much to everyone who entered!

Another cool thing about Primo and Bella (the names, not the kids) is that they start with P&B. So, if we have that third child that we’re considering, s/he will need an e-name that begins with J. Because then? We’d have PB&J, and we’re just that dorky.

COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED

Imagine naming somebody else’s kid.

Such power!

So enormous is the prestige that comes with such an honour that there need not be extra incentive.

But? In Blogland? There must be prizes!

You’d have to be a little kooky to let some internet stranger name your kid(s), but I’ve rarely if ever been accused of being normal.

So…in the interest of not typing “the boy” and “the girl” for much longer, I give you…

It’s pretty easy really. Gather your creative juices, give your brain buttons a little rub-a-dub-dub* and leave a comment with your suggestion(s) for what my littles should be called on the internet. Enter as many times as you like. Feel free to include real names, silly names, names that aren’t names…whatever floats your boat. Remember, I have one boy and one girl and the chance of me calling my son Jane, even if it’s only on the web, are pretty damn slim. You can suggest a name for one or both kids. Or two or three for both. Or for one. I’m easy.

…

Kind of but not completely off topic random story: When the girl was born, the operating theatre staff wanted to know what the names were that we had chosen for a boy or a girl. They asked before she was delivered while they were prepping me and we didn’t yet know what gender she was. I’m probably missing some important details here because I was completely stoned and exhausted by the time we got to the operating theatre but the gist is…we refused to tell them but if it was a girl she’d be named after my grandmother. I wasn’t quite stoned enough to tell them what my grandma’s name is when they asked, though. One nurse said she’d just call her “Bertha.” Another said “No, Gertrude!” And the whole crazy group of them decided that if she was a girl her name would forever be “Bertha Gertrude” to them.

…

Back to the topic at hand.

If I choose a name that you suggested (no randomness here - I get to pick) you will win your choice of…

1) The Frantic Woman’s Guide to Feeding Family and Friends by Mary Jo Rulnick (Brand new, paperback)

2) When To Worry: How To Tell If Your Teen Needs Help and What To Do About It by Dr. Lisa Boesky, Ph.D (Brand new, paperback)

3) Hawaiian Playground CD from Putamayo Kids.

4) Latin Reggae CD from Putamayo Kids

5) A random (sur)prize package! You get no say in what’s in it. I’ll just send you a few somethings if you choose this one. It’ll be good!

Because I might choose one name from two different people, the first person to respond gets their first choice and so on down the line. If that happens, I’ll ask the winners to choose two of the prizes in priority order. Now I’ve confused myself. Anyone else?

If two people enter the same name and I choose it, the first comment to include that name will be the winner.

This contest is open for one week or until I say it’s closed. Because it’s my blog and I can do that. Probably? I’ll choose a winner next weekend, February 17th-ish.

*Not nearly as pornographic or fun as it sounds. It’s what I say to my students before they write or start a math activity…we just rub our temples or scalps…but you can rub whatever works for you.

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THE WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY.

Being hugely pregnant I’m finding it a little difficult to carry the boy around like he often wants me to. I was recently send a gorgeous pouch sling (which, believe it or not, I didn’t already have, even though I’m a huge sling advocate. I have pretty much every other kind.) from ModMum to review and let me tell you…they’re not just for infants! I can tuck his little toddler butt in there just as easily and he sits nicely on my hip without putting horrible strain on the rest of my body. I can hardly wait to try it with a newborn in…hmmm…anywhere from 1 day to 2.5 weeks?

What struck me most about this sling is the beautiful fabric on both sides - it’s completely reversible and not in name only - and the solid construction. You know when you pick something up and can tell that it’s well made just by the feel of it? That’s what I felt. I feel completely secure about putting my soon to arrive little person in there. (I got the Camden. Isn’t it great?)

They come in 9 beautiful fabric choices and you can win one!

Want to know how?

If you’re a blogger, grab the code below and plop it into a post at your own site. Leave a comment with a link to the post where you placed the image & mentioned the contest and you’re entered.

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.muchmorethanamom.com/?p=633"><img src="http://www.muchmorethanamom.com/images/modmumcontest.jpg" alt="ModMum contest at Much More Than a Mom" /></a>

If you’re not a blogger, you can still enter! You have two choices:

1. Visit the MomMum site and leave a comment on this post with your favourite fabric pattern and/or who you’d give the sling to if you win and/or why you think everyone should sling their babes! So yeah, basically just leave a comment and you’re entered. But…you must leave a valid email address with your comment.

2. Email your friends and family (at least two people) about this contest (attach the above image if you’re so inclined) and cc: the email to me at muchmorethanamom at gmail dot com.

But? You should really just get a blog. All the cool kids are doing it, and isn’t the image pretty? In fact, if you start a blog just for this contest, let me know and you get TWO additional entries!

I was going to do a Mister Linky entry system but isn’t that the creepiest name ever? As in, “Wanna touch my mister linky?” I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

Because I don’t know when I’m going to have a baby and be away from blogging for a while (time away tbd by the birthing process and recovery etc) I’m going to leave this post and the comments open at least until I get home from the hospital. The earliest the contest will close will be New Year’s Eve at midnight MST, but it could be later if I can’t get my crap together to close the comments.

Good luck! And thanks, MomMum, for an awesome sling!