How to seal a bag and make it air-tight!

Cut up a disposable water bottle and keep the neck and top,

as in photo.

Insert the plastic bag through the neck and screw the top – to seal.

The bottle is made to be air-tight, such that water will not leak,
the secret lies with the top and screw!
This is a great idea to share. Good for us and the environment too.

Happy Earth Day!
Shared by: The Plus Size Mommy

GrowsUp.com is a online marketplace and childrens boutique. It is a one stop place to shop for children ages 0 – 5 years. From precious clothing to toys. It has everything you need. There are feeding products, baby gear, bath and skin care, and also nursing supplies, furniture, and shoes!

Currently they have a holiday gift guide up for great gift idea’s for under $25!!! And these gifts aren’t just for the holidays, they are great for baby showers, birthday presents, and for the Mom to be.

Check out GrowsUp.com today , I am sure you will be impressed by the variety and wonderful products they have to offer.

The Plus Size Mommy

Disclosure- I was compensated for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Most of you have heard about the Discovery Channel’s series MythBusters, well now your children can explore urband legends on their own, with Elmer’s MythBuster Science kits. Right in your own home your kids will have a fun time exploring hands on through trial and error if the myths are true or a bust.

The kits have kids learning about science from aviation to air pressure.

My kids have been exploring MythBusters Weird World of Water. Does it freeze, boil ? Can it suck a ship down a drain?, Is there water at the North Pole? and other myths as well.

My kids favorite activity was making whirlpools and then we tried to make a huge one ourselves in the swimming pool. It was a ton of fun. We even took it further and talked about gravity and waves.

It is so much fun to learn about science and the hands on approach is key.

MythBusters science kits are located at Toys R Us Nationwide. You can find them by visiting www.toysrus.com , www.target.com , or www.Walmart.com .

You can also learn more about MythBusters by visiting : www.elmers.com

The kits sell for about $19.99 and are great for kids age 9+.

Enjoy exploring the wonderful world of Science with your kids!

The Plus Size Mommy

*Disclosure- I was sent a MythBusters Weird World of Water Kit through my relationship with Team Mom. All opinions are 100% my own.

Well, School is most likely back in session for your children and the holidays are right around the corner. I like to try and get some gifts bought and taken care of before the huge holiday rush. This year I have a great idea for a teacher gift that I would love to share. Actually, this is a great gift for anyone for any occasion!

Glass Atlas – This is an innovative Glass Atlas that shows a 360 degree view of NASA imagery of many geographic regions around the world! It is a satellite map. It comes in a wooden box and is a glass dome with the images inside. It is so beautiful! When light hits the dome the whole thing lights up and is just simply wonderful. They show so much detail.

Glass Atlas is a woman-owned family business. They do engravings on some items as well. The box that the Glass Atlas is shipped in is eco-friendly, they are made from log cabin construction scraps! They are designed and made in the USA too.

The Glass Atlas I received was of the Grand Canyon. I gave it to my 13 yr. old son as he is a very big map/atlas/globe fan. He loves it. He loves to gaze into it and see the Grand Canyon satellite map. It is truly a one of a kind gift that is great and holds educational value as well. Each box also comes with an information card and fun trivia about the region inside the crystal dome atlas and satellite.

The Glass Atlas World collection has many places included in it such as New York City, Africa, Cape Cod, Los Angeles, Italy, Hilton Head, Texas Fields, Mount St. Helens, and Lake Tahoe to name a few.

The Glass Atlas company has also launched a mousepad version of the satellite imagery. This is such a neat gift for co-workers too. Also they can customize them with your logo!

The Glass Atlas costs about $39.99 and an additional $10 for engraving.

You can see and learn more about the Glass Atlas by visiting – www.glassatlas.com

The Plus Size Mommy

*Disclosure- I was sent a Glass Atlas and a mousepad at no cost to me to review. All of my opinions about these products are 100% my own.

9/11/2001 – Me sitting at work at a child care center. My co-worker is across the hall listening to her radio, yells over, Beth go turn on the TV in the break room, something bad is going on. My children were upstairs in the daycare, my husband at work. I went to the break room and turned on the VERY old TV. And there it was…The horrific, most sad and scary show I have ever watched in my life. The “Breaking News”.

I immediately went to check on my kids, then started thinking about where all of my family members were. I informed the rest of the staff, we are under attack! Then I went back to my office called my husband, told him to come home NOW. He didnt know what was going on at that point.

The rest of the day most of the staff stayed in that staff room, just watching in disbelief what was going on. I wanted to like call the towers, tell them to get out, but no call would’ve been fast enough. I said omg, the people those people, I wanted to reach through the television screen and catch the people jumping, I wanted to reach in and get those people out. It was truly a day I will NEVER FORGET…

It seemed like eternity for my husband to get home. He worked ,at that time, in the city. After hearing about the plane going down in Shanksville I was so worried more would come to Pittsburgh. After all, there was so much uncertainty of what was going on. When he finally got to my work to pick me and the kids up, we drove home with the radio on. It was so surreal. I felt like I just wanted to awaken from this horrible nightmare.

We finally reached home, traffic was horrible, so again it seemed like it took us forever. It almost felt like the whole day was moving in slow motion. We came home I hugged and kissed my kids, called my mom and sister to check on them and everyone. Everyone was okay but still in disbelief.

I remember asking my mom to call my Aunt who lives in Long Island, NY. She tried and tried but the phone lines were down. I figured my Aunt would be okay, but I had cousins and 1 was a firefighter and the other’s I thought worked in Manhattan. She finally did get in contact with them a few days later. All were okay. Praise The Lord.

I remember the following days were like Hell on Earth. I couldn’t pull myself away from the TV. It was like I was glued to it. We watched as they would talk about pulling bodies from the rubble. The stories of the men and woman who they found dead. They talked about the people from the planes. Who they were and what they did for a living, and where they were flying to. They spoke of the children who perished.

They showed people picketing with signs looking for their loved ones, pictures being hung everywhere around the city, “Have you seen her/him”. They looked so sad and as if in a daze.

They showed the devastation in New York, in Shanksville, and in Washington DC.
They showed scientific schematics on how they thought all of this went down. They talked about the terrorists. Who they were. Why they did this to America.

For at least three 9/11′s after the first one. I kept my family in my house, and usually we all snuggled together in my bed. No one went to work this day, or school. I couldn’t bear to let them go. The horrifying news that day just sticks in my mind, body, and soul. I just never can get the thoughts out of my head.
I cry every 9/11…EVERY single one. The thoughts of this day just sit there upon my heart.
I am better now and we can now leave the house on this day, but I still EVERYDAY hug my husband and kids a little more tighter and a little more longer. Tell them I love them and let them go.

I know I will never EVER forget 9/11/2001. NEVER…

The people who perished and places that perished on that day are all strangers to me. But every year or every time I think about them, I weep. I also weep for the families and children who are left on this Earth as well.
I still ask God for protection over everyone. And a Strong arm to “hold” us and get us through.

Where were You on 9/11/2001 ?

The Plus Size Mommy

Staples has recently introduced a new line of cleaning products called “Sustainable Earth“. There are 2 products in this line to help you “clean green” an all-purpose cleaner and a glass cleaner. You can purchase them in either 32 oz. spray bottles or a 1 gallon refill.

These products are designed for the environment and are green seal certified.

I recently got the chance to try the all purpose cleaner and it works very well. Very equivalent to any other cleaners I have used. It doesn’t have a smell to it like other “green” cleaners I have used. Which I love this aspect because another one I have tried actually upsets my stomach when I use it due to the smell.
I am very pleased at the way the Sustainable Earth product I tried and would definitely will buy this to use in the future. It makes me feel good to know I am using products that are Earth Friendly that still do the job that I need them to perform.

Glass Cleaner – Makes cleaning windows and hard surfaces quick and easy. Alcohol, ammonia, and phosphate-free.

Multi- Purpose Cleaner – You can use this product on floors, walls, countertops, desks, cabinents, glass, porcelain, and other water -washable surfaces.
It has Neutral pH and ammonia and is phosphate-free.

to learn more about or order Staples new Sustainable Earth products please visit : staples.com/sustainableearth .

“Now That Was Easy”

The Plus Size Mommy

*Disclosure – I was given a sample of Staples Sustainable Earth All-Purpose cleaner to try while at the Blogher conference. All opinions about this product are 100% my own.

As many of you know I attended the Blogher 2010 conference a couple weeks ago in New York City. While I was there, I got the chance to tour a replica house that was sponsored by P & G. It was called the “Home Away From Home”. It was a great experience. I love many of the P & G brands such as Bounty, Pur, and Cascade. The home consisted of Eukanuba & Iams on the outside, where they also had a cute dog you could meet. Bounty, Pur, and Cascade were in the kitchen. Swiffer, and Febreze were in the office, Downy, Tide, and Puffs in the bedroom. And Pantene, Olay, Crest, Vics, and COVERGIRL in the bathroom.

It was an awesome way to set it all up and tie all of the wonderful P & G Brands in together as 1 happy family.
I loved meeting the people and the samples were awesome.
I got the chance to discuss with some of the reps. how and why I love some of the products, such as VICS. I told them how VICS is a lifesaver in my family of Asthmatics, and how using VICS on my daughter when she had lung surgery and fell ill with a bad cold after she came home from the hospital.
I felt really valued and listened to as a mom consumer.

I just wanted to share with you this fantastic experience and let you know what a good GREAT P & G is, and how happy I am to see that they were a sponsor at Blogher 2010.

What I also learned there in the house that impressed me greatly was how P & G are making a difference. (And how I can too). They have started (in 2004) a P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water (CDSW) Program. Providing clean and safe drinking water to children in developing countries. They are using PUR Purifier water packets to make the drinking water so much better for these children. They are SAVING LIVES. By being an attendee of Blogher 2010 they have donated 1 year of clean drinking water to 100 families in the developing world!

What an amazing company. I will truly be making sure to buy my P & G products with pride, knowing that I am supporting a company who will be supporting others and helping children.

The Plus Size Mommy

With nearly 22 million school days lost each year due to the common cold and flu (CDC) and as many as 2.7 million bacterial found per square inch on common school surfaces (NSF International), it´s no wonder that 82 percent of parents with kids in grades K-5 fret about the germs in their children´s classrooms (according to a survey conducted by Seventh Generation).

This school year, Seventh Generation is sharing tips from best-selling author and pediatrician, Dr. Alan Greene, to help parents protect their child´s health during back-to-school season. Dr. Greene suggests taking the following precautions:

Optimize the immune system

• Reap the benefits of probiotics like those found in yogurt. A recent study showed that children who received enough probiotics daily throughout the cold and flu season had a significant reduction in the number of illnesses they had and, when they did get sick, the symptoms were both milder and didn’t last as long.
• Be sure your child is getting plenty of vitamin D from the sun, from food, or from a supplement.
• Build a strong foundation. Good food, good sleep, and good physical activity all help the immune system to flourish.

Be wise about reducing unnecessary exposure to harmful germs

• Teach children the key times to clean their hands in the classroom. The most important times include after sneezing, coughing or using the restroom, upon leaving “high-risk” places (recess, naptime, play stations) and before meals or snacks.
• Sixty percent of teachers surveyed said that they request that parents donate disinfecting wipes to the classroom. Seventh Generation´s disinfecting wipes kill 99.99% of germs* naturally using the active ingredient thyme, a component of thyme oil which is derived from the herb thyme.
• Stress the importance of not touching their eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
• Demonstrate to your children how to cover their mouth and nose for every cough and sneeze. This simple maneuver has spectacular results in decreasing the spread of viruses and bacteria floating about the room, waiting to be inhaled.

*Refer to disinfecting product labels for full details

WIN !!!!!

One of my lucky readers will also win a Seventh Generation “Back-to-School” kit that includes a Seventh Generation backpack, two canisters of Seventh Generation disinfecting wipes (one for home and one to donate to your child´s classroom), disinfecting multi-surface spray cleaner, facial tissue and paper towels.  (As Shown)

Here is how :

• Leave me a comment on how you keep your household germ-free during the school year ?l = 1 entry
• Comment and tell us how your keep your kids healthy and germ-free ?= 1 entry
• Follow Me on Networked Blogs (right sidebar) comment and tell me you do= 1 entry
• Follow this blog, comment and tell me you do = 1 entry
• Follow me over on Twitter (@plussizemommy) = 1 entry

This giveaway begins NOW and ends on Aug. 14, 2010 at 10PM EST.

This giveaway is for USA residents only. Winner will NOT be emailed. Winner will be posted on this blog by Aug. 9th. Please check back to see if you are the winner if you enter.

Winner will be selected via random.org. Winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize by emailing me.

Thank you and Good Luck to All who enter!!

Happy Back To School !!!

The Plus Size Mommy

*Disclosure- Seventh Generation provided me with the free product, gift pack and giveaway through MyBlogSpark.

Congratulations go out to the following 2 people for winning 2 of my giveaways :

Cascadian Farms = winner is :  Trish@Iamsucceeding  congrats !

Penguins Of Madagascar = winner is : Erin Casey  congrats!

To claim your prize packs, please email me at plussizemommy@gmail.com  with “winner” in the subject line. You have 48 hours to claim or another winner will be chosen. I need- name, address, and phone numbers for shipping.

Thank you to all who entered and to the winners, enjoy!!!

The Plus Size Mommy

Disclosure- Winners will receive their prizes direct from the companies. I am not responsible for any damage or lost items. I received the same gift packs from MyBlogSpark to review for my blog and to hold giveaways.

A few months ago I had posted about the New Kleenex Hand Towels. Since then a lot of questions have come up regarding their sustainability. So they sent me over a FAQ sheet to share with all of you