Eco-Friendly Laundry Switch
I try to use as many eco-friendly products and practices in our home as possible. But products have to work too. Especially when it comes to laundry for my dirty boys. 😜
Enter Tru Earth Eco-Strips!
Each Tru Earth laundry strip packs ultra-concentrated, hypoallergenic, eco-friendly cleaning power into a tiny, pre-measured strip of liquidless laundry detergent that you just toss in the wash. 🤯
The smart hypoallergenic laundry detergent formulation seeks out and dislodges dirt molecules and stains, keeping them in suspension until they are rinsed away. It makes your laundry washing chore easier, healthier, more economical, and much kinder to our planet. That’s a mama win-win!!
Plus, Tru Earth strips are gentle for you skin too, even the most sensitive skin. They are hypoallergenic, paraben free, phosphate free, free of chlorine bleach and added dyes. Plus they are vegan and made in Canada!
Best of all, they work. Even on muddy boy clothes and stinky baseball uniforms. Mom approved!
So if you want to make a switch that’s healthier for the planet and your family, Tru Earth laundry strips are it!
XX,
Jess (a mama with dirty boys and clean laundry 😉)
New Way to Clean!
Let’s face it, life’s messy. Kids, pets, busy lives… husbands. 🤣
I’ve found something that makes it very simpler to keep it all clean. CleanSmart. Period. Spray it on. Walk away. That simple. How?! This cleaner is made with natural Hypochlorus Acid and made with 100% natural ingredients. It dissolves to saline solution and leaves no chemical residue. And no fumes!
This cleaner can be used on anything, door knobs and appliances to countertops, highchairs, toys, and switches. It’s even safe for use on baby’s pacifier, and safe to spray around food and pets.
Plus, CleanSmart kills 99.9% of germs, including Coronavirus, cold, flu, strep, RSV, staph, MRSA, E. Coli, salmonella, and listeria, to name a few! The EPA has approved CleanSmart to kill a while list of germs!
I even throw the mini bottle in my diaper bag to spray down items as we go (think shopping cart handles!)
So what I’m saying is, get some! Seriously. CleanSmart will change your house cleaning game. How much more simple can it get than spraying and done?! I’m so pumped that not only is it easy, but effective and safe for my whole family and the Earth. 😉
It’s now available on Amazon Prime too!!
Let me know what you think!
Jess,
XX
Quick and Easy Halloween DIY
Happy Spooky Season!
Maybe its that we’ve been cooped up way too long and missed too many “normal” things, I don’t know, but we are going all out extra for Halloween this year. Our house, or yard, our decor, even our snacks, have all gone completely spooky. I’m loving it!
If Halloween time is your thing, or even if it’s not so much, but you want to show the kiddos just a little festive fun, then I have a super easy and cute DIY project for you!
Faux Ghost Macrame Wall Hanging!
Supplies: -stick
-yarn and ribbons in various colors and textures
That’s it! Super easy, but such a cute payoff.
I cut the branch from a tree in the yard, even a dowel would work. Mine is a bit over a foot long. I started with it longer and then cut it off as I worked to make sure I knew I liked it. Decide how long you want things to hang. Mine is all random lengths, but around 14-16 inches. When you cut your pieces of yard, double this. You will fold them in half. I eyeball all of this and er on the long side. You can trim them down later.
With the piece of yarn folded in half, lay it over the stick. Bring your looped end under the stick, then stick the ends back through the loop and pull tight. Viola! I glued the ribbon together in the back around the stick instead of this method so as not to crease it. I love the ball tassel ribbon to give texture too and tied these in a knot around the stick.
The ghosts. Also simple. Wrap white yarn around a book about 50 times. Cut the strings on each end of the book and keep them in a bunch. Fold the bunch over and tie a piece of yarn around it. I took black yarn through a small chunk of the white ghost head yarn on each side and tied this together in back and then tied the black to the stick.
There is no right or wrong with any of this! Keep it fun and super simple. You could glue eyes and mouth on the ghosts too if you want! You can add more or less pieces to the stick too.
Enjoy! 😉
Xx,
Jess
Best For Baby And The Environment
Two kids in and we’ve tried them all. Diapers. A must have. But they also must work. And I’ve found the ones!
First of all, these work. They do their job. I know that every kiddo is different and different things work best for each, but these are universally amazing. They have a slightly bigger fit, which seems helpful in preventing leaks! Daytime, and even all night, we have yet to experience a leak!
Next, they are easy on sensitive skin. Second babe gets rashy easily and diapers usually seem to add moisture and make this worse. Not these. Nest’s diapers are hypoallergenic, with skin-safe materials throughout. They are free of harmful chemicals and known allergens. Soft, super absorbent, and easy on all skin types.
Third, I want to use a brand that is more eco friendly. Nest’s diapers are made of all plant based materials- wood, bamboo cane, and are completely compostable.
Lastly, I don’t want to break the bank for something that ultimately is a toilet. These diapers are competitively priced! And that combined with how well they work and their benefits makes them the ultimate win!
Eco-friendly, sustainable materials, soft, absorbent, gentle on sensitive skin, affordable and mailed right to you…what else could you want in a diaper?!
Find them in select Meijer stores now. Or here on Amazon too!
XX,
Jess
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Marineland, Family Florida Trip Ideas
Want to take the kids to Florida, but not quite ready to go all in on Disney just yet? We weren’t either. I have some ideas for you!
Must see in Florida? Marineland Dolphin Adventure!! Truly, this place is a must see and a pleaser for all ages.
Yes, we danced with the dolphins! 🤩 This dolphin is Dazzle and she was a sweetheart. We learned a lot about her and dolphins in general. You can choose tickets to swim with the dolphins or tickets to meet and greet with them (pet them!), like the youngest and dad did.
You can even get a package that includes painting with the dolphins! There are talks and training demonstrations…
There was a tour of the facility, which included learning the history here. They are the first facility of their kind! Movies have even been made here! You can see turtles and other sea life too. There was just so much to explore. Plus, who doesn’t love an adorable gift shop? They even had custom necklaces made with each dolphin’s fluke (tail fin). How neat?! There is also a photographer there to snap photos while you are in the water or focusing on the dolphin fun!
And the view over the ocean was divine, even on a cloudy day…
There is just so much to say about this place. Truly I can’t rave enough and highly recommend you visit there for yourself!
Want to make it a whole weekend and need more things to fill your time? Us too! I’ve got a few recommendations:
Tip- Fly into and stay in Jacksonville. It’s a big enough city to have plenty to do, but not a spring-breaker hot spot.
1. Check out the beaches! The whole family enjoyed the sand and water, even in the cooler winter time. We all love to hunt for shells and treasures. Best beach for shells, sea glass and shark teeth is Mickler’s Landing, a public beach at Ponte Verda. Jacksonville beach, Atlantic beach, and Neptune beaches are all public, close by and very nice. Public beach access in Marineland was also very nice!
2. Jacksonville Zoo! Also fun for the whole family.
3. See St. Augustine! The younger kids didn’t understand the significance and were not super interested, but did enjoy seeing the big stone “castle”. They had lots of lights up in the evening, the bridge is neat, and there is a huge light house. Plus shops and restaurants to please us bigger kids.
4. St. Augustine alligator park! We didn’t get to make it here, but this attraction looked so fun!
5. Catty Shack wildlife sanctuary! We also didn’t make it here, but it is on our list! You can see them feed the tigers!
6. Seafood! Need I say more? I’ll list a few of our tried and true favorites.
*Safe Harbor, Jacksonville
*Slider’s, Jacksonville
*Sonny’s BBQ, Jacksonville (not seafood, but totally a favorite worth checking out)
*South Beach Grill, Marineland
Tip- Hyatt Place, Jacksonville Airport is where we stayed. Casual yet nice, family friendly and spacious. Plus, you can sign up for Hyatt Club for free and get free breakfasts. Just one we would recommend!
I hope you enjoy visiting Florida too! Let me know how you like these spots!
XX,
Jess
Disclosure: we were hosted at Marineland only. All opinions of all locations listed here are fully our own. We want to be helpful for your family, with honest reviews!
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Make Mine Eclectic 