If you are looking for a nontraditional wreath this year, you definitely need to check out the Lindsay Wreath. It is handcrafted and made from olive, bay, and eucalyptus branches. The branches are harvested from California groves, and, over time, dry to a beautiful silvery green. It smells better than any wreath we have ever had. They should bottle this scent, because I would definitely buy it! I have my wreath on my front door, and everyone who has seen it wants to know where I got it from! The best part is that the proceeds from the wreath sales go to The Meals On Wheels Association of America. It is also packaged gift ready with a card. You do need to allow about two weeks for delivery, and you must order by December 11 to get it by Christmas Eve.

I truly am enjoying my Lindsay Wreath and highly recommend you get one for your house too!

Did you know that a lot of what you use to make ourselves look better is actually doing the exact opposite? A lot of the time they contain toxins and preservatives (everything from synthetic fragrances to petrochemicals to formaldehyde) that are bad for you and even worse, bad for the environment. The Green Beauty Guide is a book that tries to show you the way to a natural beauty. By reading this book, you will learn how to decipher product labels without needing a masters degree and avoid the really bad chemicals (check out the toxic ingredient list). I especially learned a lot in Chapter 3 about understanding what you are paying for. They completely breakdown who all gets your money when you buy a product and how much the ingredients for said product really are. It will floor you when you realize how many middleman there really are. Not only does this book tell you what not to use, it lets you know what products are good and safe for you and environment. It has all the latest research on the best organic products including makeup, hair care, tooth care, skincare, sun protection, and baby products just to name a few. There are even some DIY recipes to try out.

This is a book all women should get their hands on. It is very scary to see what ingredients our makeup has that is doing harm to both us and environment. However, this book can also send us to a better path for makeup and other items that are green. It is definitely a good, informative read.

Want to be the coolest parent ever this Christmas? The zOrb microscope is that cool gift.  I’ve had my 4 year old using it, so it is good for little kids all the way up to teenagers.  It easily hooks up to your computer; all you need to do is hook it up to your USB port on your laptop or desktop.  The really cool thing is that you can magnify it anywhere from 35 times on a 14″ monitor all the way up to 53 times on a 21″ monitor.  Want to see it in action?  Watch this video:

The microscope has a built in illuminator too.  The coolest part is that you can make your own video with it too (and no, I won’t subject you to the videos my daughter made).  The zOrb comes in three colors:  Surf Blue, Safari Green, and Lava orange.

A gift all ages will love is this zOrb microscope, so make sure it is on your shopping list.

I am always in the market for trying new products.  I also find that now I have kids that we have also been trying to buy more products that are environmentally friendly.  I don’t want to leave a world for my children and my grandchildren to have to clean up.  Green Works Dish Soap is definitely fits what I am looking for.  I can honestly say that this dish soap does its job.  We’ve tried buying several brands of dish soap before, and a lot of them just do not get the dishes clean.  However, this dish soap definitely does!  It passes the stuck on kid foods (which means lots of dried on ketchup among other things).  I am also very sensitive to most detergents and dish soaps (I break out in hives after using them).  However, I had absolutely no problems with this.  It also smells nice.

To quote their site, “All Green Works natural cleaners are made using plant-based ingredients derived from coconuts, as well as essential oils. The products are formulated using biodegradable ingredients, are packaged in bottles that can be recycled and not tested on animals.”  I couldn’t say it better.  Who wouldn’t want to use a product that is both natural and is environmentally friendly in both its ingredients and packaging?