June 2012 - Brittleby's Corner

June 25, 2012

Firmoo Sunglasses & Free Eyewear Opportunity

I received product to review to post my honest opinion.

Have you heard of Firmoo? Firmoo is a Global Online Optical Store that carries men’s and women’s glasses as well as sunglasses, all of which can be fitted with prescription lenses. Firmoo carries a wide range of affordable prescription glasses and sunglasses in cheap price yet high quality. They feature different fashion styles for their eyeglasses frames. They range form retro to fashion and rimless to full-rimmed.

Firmoo, the most popular online optical store, provides a large quantity of high-quality and fashionable eyewear at the most affordable prices. With years of experience, Firmoo has gained a solid reputation and trust within 470,000 fans on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/FirmooGlasses). Firmoo has launched a Free for New Buyer program for the first-time buyers. The goal of this program is to make new buyers to experience Firmoo’s quality products & good service as well as to help the people with low income to correct their vision problems. Plus, it’s easy to order and the delivery is pretty fast! Want to have a try? Just go to http://www.firmoo.com/free-glasses.html and get your FREE eyewear!

If you are thinking it will be hard to find the perfect glasses online, you don’t need to worry! They have a Virtual Try-On System that helps you see how you would look with the specific glasses or sunglasses in order to help you find the right pair for yourself. You can search through Firmoo’s eyeglasses by price, shape, material, frame or size.

I was sent a pair of sunglasses to try out since I don’t need prescription glasses.

Firmoo Sunglasses

I like them and I think they fit my face well! I have always wanted to try larger frames, but they don’t work for my face! All my previous sunglasses had similar frames to these, that is why I picked them! These sunglasses are no longer available on Firmoo, but they have others if you are looking for a nice pair!

Connect with Firmoo on their website, , and .

Don’t forget that you can get a FREE pair of glasses through the Free For New Buyer Program. All you need to do is click on the “New customer? Get your first pair free now” link on the page of the glasses you would like to have and all you have to pay is shipping. If you are a blogger you can get a free pair of glasses as long as you post a review. Go HERE to get your pair today!

Brittleby's Product Disclosure 712

Posted by Brittney Minor at 8:52 pm 6 Comments

Filed Under: Beauty · Tagged With: eyewear, sunglasses

June 25, 2012

Green Shield Organic Household Cleaners {Review/Giveaway} Ends 7/6

Household cleaners are used quite often in my house, and I am guessing in yours as well! There are so many choices when you walk down that aisle of any grocery or retail store. I have been eliminating the use of chemicals in my house and this directly affects the products I use to clean. I have now discovered Green Shield Organic, a company that has certified USDA Organic cleaning products.

Our Goal is to continually strive to deliver high performance, Human-Safe products that get the job done,while eliminating or minimizing negative environmental effects. We ensure that while we create commerce, it is not done so at the expense of our precious ecology.Our promise toward maintaining a sustainable environment means that we will, whenever possible, eliminate any risk of ecological erosion. This includes using organically grown ingredients, ensuring biodegradability, using recycled packaging and creating smaller packaging footprints, as often as possible.

Green Shield Organic carries laundry detergent, glass cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, bathroom cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, kitchen cleaner, biodegradable surface wipes, and automatic dishwasher liquid detergent. Every product is certified organic! They are free from phosphates, phthalates, parabens, phenols, ammonia, sodium laurel sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, butyl cellosolve, synthetic preservatives, and petroleum based materials. These products are also gluten free. Green Shield decided to become an “Organic” company because the term “natural” had been overused. They pride themselves on being the first company to receive Organic certification for their line of household cleaners and detergents. They are also the only line of USDA certified Organic household cleaners and detergent in the US, Australia and Asia! They source many of their raw materials within the US, especially North Carolina. Their household cleaners are made with antimicrobial cleansers which kill odor causing bacteria. Their laundry products are designed to be used in both high efficiency and standard machines. I also appreciate that all the ingredients come from sustainable resources! You can see a list of each product’s ingredients on their website.

I was sent the Elite Care Free & Clear Laundry Detergent to try out! This detergent is free and clear of fragrances and dyes. It is formulated to penetrate stains, and remove grease, dirt & grime, all while protecting colors. It is septic system safe as well as non-toxic, hypo-allergenic, non volatile and has never been tested on animals. So far, I have used the detergent on my clothes, bathroom rugs, and towels, all of which came out smelling clean and fresh. I also feel at peace knowing that there are no harmful chemicals lingering on my clothes after they have been washed. I appreciate that this company also uses sustainable products and that they get most of their products within the US, and most in the North Carolina.

The detergent is very concentrated, so you do not need a lot. I found that the detergent did not create bubbles, which is fine because I know that the presence of bubbles does not mean that my clothes will be clean. It was nice to see that the detergent worked, even without bubbles! Since the detergent was unscented, there was no overpowering smell, but I would like to try out their lavender version because sometimes I do like a scent left behind. Their lavender scented products are made with essential oils, not synthetic fragrance oils.

I would love to try more of their products, especially their toilet bowl cleaner! You can buy all their products online at specified stores, or at any Whole Foods, or regionally at Fresh Market, Food Lion, Lowe’s Home Improvement, and Wegman’s. To find the nearest location to you, use their Store Locator.

Connect with Green Shield Organic on their website, , and . {Once you like them on Facebook you can print a coupon for a $1 off any of their cleaning products. :)}

Green Shield Organic is giving away a Summer Cleaning Bundle that includes the All Purpose Cleaner, Toilet Bowl Cleaner, and the Elite Care Free & Clear Laundry Detergent, and a Green Shield Organic t-shirt to one winner. This package is valued at $30. This giveaway is open to the US only and will end on 7/6! Please enter below on the rafflecopter form! Good luck!

Posted by Brittney Minor at 1:27 pm 16 Comments

Filed Under: Household Cleaners · Tagged With: detergent, free & clear, laundry

June 20, 2012

Summer Celebration {Giveaway Hop} Ends 6/29 #SummerCelebration

Welcome to the Summer Celebration Giveaway Hop, hosted by Happy Mothering and Organic Mama through the ! As part of this fabulous event, a group of bloggers is each offering an eco-friendly giveaway worth $25 or more on their blogs!

After you finish entering my giveaway, be sure to visit the other participating blogs, which are listed below the Rafflecopter form. Good luck everyone!

Posted by Brittney Minor at 9:02 pm 17 Comments

Filed Under: Past Giveaway ·

June 20, 2012

Summer Cloth Diaper {Giveaway Hop} Ends 6/30 #SummerCloth

The Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop is live. The event is hosted by Mommy’s Favorite Things and will run from June 21st 12:01 AM EST to June 30 11:59 PM EST. Almost 50 blogs have linked up to bring you many exciting cloth diaper giveaways. This is a blog hop so after entering the giveaway at Brittleby’s Corner hop on over to the other blogs listed below to enter their giveaway. Each blog has a cloth diaper or trainer prize valued at $25 or more.

At Brittleby’s Corner you can enter to win 2 prize packs.

Posted by Brittney Minor at 9:00 pm 46 Comments

Filed Under: Uncategorized ·

June 20, 2012

Super Undies Trainers {Sponsor Spotlight} #SummerCloth

My daughter is in the process of potty training and I have been looking for some good training pants that will encourage her to use the potty. We have actually come very far in the last couple of months so I am going to be using the training pants for nap time and bed time training.

Super Undies!

Super Undies is owned and operated by Laura Wojciechowski a momtrepenuer. Laura created and designed Super Undies and is also the owner and designer of Starbunz Diapers. The training pants have been on the market since mid 2007 as a part of Starbunz, but soon Laura split up the two companies and enlisted Jesse, her brother, to help her with Super Undies!

Super Undies sells trainers for everyday wear, as well as trainers for nighttime bed wetting. The daytime trainers are offered in a pull-on and pocket version.

Pull-on vs. Pocket

Pull-ons allow for an easier transition from training to post-training followup with Super Undies™ Nighttime Undies, or regular underwear.

Pull-ons and pockets both allow for Step-Up Inserts use.

Pull-ons give the child a greater control over the potty training process. More “I can do it! Let me do it!”

Pockets cause an easier transition from cloth diapers into the potty training mindset.

Pocket trainers can make use of step-up inserts for added absorbency, but so can the Pull-ons.

Pocket Trainers allow for easier snap-on/snap-off mess free handling for mom.

Both daytime trainers are $19.95 for small and medium, and $21.95 for large.

The Nighttime Undies Potty Training Pants

Nighttime underwear are wonderful waterproof bed wetting potty training pants designed to help your child wake up with dry sheets. They come with six layers of thirsty microfiber absorbency built in, and fleece covered elastic legs and waist for a comfortable, and more leak resistant fit. Excellent for after potty training transitional nights, or for child nocturnal enuresis all the way up to 14 years old!

Nighttime Potty Training Pants are $29.95 for small, medium and large and $34.95 for XL and XXL.

Super Undies also sells Microfiber Soaker Pads and Step-Up Inserts, which can be used in the trainers.

Look for my review coming soon!

Connect with Super Undies on their website, and .

Super Undies will be giving away two daytime trainers of choice to two winners in the Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop {#SummerCloth}. Come back June 21st to enter! Interested in getting an extra entry? Visit Super Undies (or watch the above videos) and leave me a comment telling me something you learned and who the trainer would be for.

Thank you to Super Undies for providing the products mentioned in this post for review. Although I received these products at no charge, all opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Posted by Brittney Minor at 8:42 pm 22 Comments

Filed Under: Reusable ·

June 20, 2012

NPA Marketplace + Me = An Amazing Weekend

What is the NPA? Glad you asked.

This last weekend I attended the Natural Products Association Marketplace, which featured hundreds of natural companies. I went to the show with my husband as PRESS to learn about these companies and develop a relationship. I was so glad my husband went with me because he is a very informed person and a good talker! I had a great time talking with all these companies and getting to know about new products.

I brought home a couple goodies to try out…

Oh yes…a whole loveseat full of products and samples to try and more are on their way! I learned so much this weekend and I can’t wait to share about it all with you! I already have a few giveaways lined up, but you will be hearing about a lot of these companies through reviews!

Posted by Brittney Minor at 3:53 pm 1 Comment

Filed Under: Random ·

June 20, 2012

Eco Vessel Kids Reusable Bottle {Review/Sponsor Spotlight} #SummerCelebration

With summer time comes lots traveling and day trips. Every time we leave our house, my kids are guaranteed to ask for a drink of water within 10 minutes of being in the car. We don’t use plastic water bottles in my house, so I am always looking for new reusable bottles for myself and my kids! My kids are at that age where “baby” cups are not necessary but travel cups are needed. Eco Vessel is a company that creates reusable, BPA free steel bottles.

Eco Vessel is based in Boulder, Colorado at the base of the Rocky Mountains. We are dedicated to developing products from safe, sturdy, sustainable materials while offering innovation and practicality. Our complete product line provides options for both children and adults with all of these in mind. You can feel secure knowing that our 100% recyclable, BPA Free products are made of high quality, non-leaching materials and are designed for your safety, ease of use and convenience. Using plastic water bottles is expensive, wasteful and unnecessary. Sadly, more than 80% of these bottles are not even recycled but simply thrown away, which creates more than a million tons of waste each year. Treat yourself and your family to our good looking, Eco-friendly products while you help heal our planet.

I was sent the 13 oz Blue Glow Kids Insulated Bottle with Straw Top for my kids. I love that this bottle is insulated because it keeps their water cold on long trips and even just sitting out in the sun at the park. The bottle comes with a straw that will detach for cleaning purposes. The drinking spout is made of tightly bonded TPR material, which makes it stronger so it won’t fall off! This specific bottle comes in five different designs.

Noteworthy points:

*The bottle is made with Vacuum Insulation Technology with two walls of high grade steel which will keep your child’s drink cold for hours!

*Easy-Drinking Flip Straw Top includes a strong carrying loop

*BPA free and made from 100% recyclable materials.

*This bottle is ONLY for Children 4 and Older, and comes with a Lifetime Warranty.

Both my kids love drinking out of the “Big Kid” bottle!

I also need to point out that Superheros need water too!!!

Eco Vessel has a variety of bottles to choose from that will work for every member of your family. They have glass bottles, insulated bottles, filtration bottles and more. The bottle I received it valued at $19.95 and remember, it has a Lifetime Warranty!

One last thing I would like to point out about Eco Vessel is their desire to give back. Part of their mission is to support organizations that provide clean drinking water to those that need it. A portion of all sales got to Water for People, an organization that provides long-lasting solutions to water, sanitation, and hygiene problems in developing worlds.

Before you enjoy your next Eco Vessel bottle full of clean water, we’d like you to meet Drocelle. Drocelle Uwamaliya is a 45-year-old widow who supports her seven children by farming the steep hills of Ruberano, in the small village of Rulindo, Rwanda. Her only water source is an hour and a half away by foot. The endless task of water collection steals from her children’s education as they walk to and from the source. The water is unsafe and infects her children with worms that stifle their development. As an elected leader of her village, Drocelle was motivated to find a local, long-term solution. Through our partner, Water For People, she and other village leaders in Rulindo found that solution. With pride she says, “This is our water and it will be good when everyone has a safe supply for drinking!” To local leaders like Drocelle, Everyone means the solution belongs to them. One in seven people like Drocelle lack access to safe water. Without drinking water, they are stuck in permanent, crushing poverty.

Water For People is an international nonprofit that is investing in communities around the world so that every one without water, will have safe water and sanitation, forever. Eco Vessel has partnered with Water For People to support long-lasting water and sanitation programs in 11 developing countries. A portion of all Eco Vessel proceeds is donated directly to Water for People and is used to further the mission of providing clean drinking water to everyone. Eco Vessel also sells an exclusive glass bottle “Vue”, which 50% of profits are donated to Water For People. These bottles are Limited Edition.

Connect with Eco Vessel through their website, and .

Summer Celebration

Eco Vessel will be giving away the same Blue Glow Bottle in the Summer Celebration Giveaway Hop {#SummerCelebration}. Come back June 21st to enter! Interested in getting an extra entry? Visit Eco Vessel and leave me a comment telling me another bottle you would like to try.

Thank you to Eco Vessel for providing the products mentioned in this post for review. Although I received these products at no charge, all opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Posted by Brittney Minor at 3:30 pm 12 Comments

Filed Under: Kitchen, Reusable · Tagged With: bottle, steel, water

June 20, 2012

Trista from , Jess from MomVantage & Shannon from Mommy of One and Counting are excited to have teamed up to host a FUN blog hop called Back 2 School Bash! It will run from 12:01am EST Saturday August 4, 2012 through 11:59pm EST Friday August 10, 2012. It’s super easy to join in on the fun of getting our kiddos ready to go head back to school!

Rules to Participate:

You must get at least a $25 prize/package together to be given away during the event. It can be anything school related. (Ideas: snacks, lunch box, backpack, labels, school supllies, etc.)
You must display the event button in your sidebar from now until the event ends
Participation is completely FREE! All you have to do is make sure the button is on your blog side bar, and write a post encouraging other bloggers to join in the fun! Put the link to the blog post in the form.
There is an option for a two social media entries on the grand prize rafflecopter form for $5.

If you would like to sign up go !

Sign-ups will end as soon as there are 50 blogs participating OR by July 21, 2012!

Posted by Brittney Minor at 8:49 am

Filed Under: Uncategorized ·

June 18, 2012

Sleep Better With The Bed Wedge {Review}

Have you heard of this new company The Bed Wedge? If not, you are in for a treat, or at least a good night’s sleep!

What is the Bed Wedge?

What Does the Bed Wedge Do?

Simply put, the Bed Wedge acts as a barrier between the top of your bed and the floor below. Also, with the Bed Wedge in place with the 90 degree angle filling the gap it creates a sort of backstop between your pillow and the wall or headboard. Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night without your pillow and discovered that it fell into the gap between your mattress and headboard? The Bed Wedge is designed to keep your pillow in place and to keep everything on your bed, stay in your bed. The Bed Wedge can also be used on the top bunk of a bunk bed at both the head and foot board, to ensure that no books or toys fall down onto the bunk below.

How Does the Bed Wedge Work?

The Bed Wedge works by using a scientifically tested, high density polyurethane material specifically designed to work with two opposable forces (headboard and mattress). When used as instructed, the Bed Wedge forms a shelf-like barrier and helps to prevent items from falling or becoming stuck between your headboard and your mattress.

The Bed Wedge doesn’t just have to be used at the head of the bed, it can go along the side for those beds that are pushed up against the wall.

The Bed Wedge and Safety

The bed wedge can also reduce the risk of injury in both children and adults. Every year, thousands of injuries are reported to hospitals and urgent care centers as a result of a child or adult reaching behind their mattress while trying to retrieve a lost item. These injuries typically include lacerations from unseen metal barbs and sharp edges on the bed frame. Some limbs have also been dislocated and this is most common among children up to 12 years old! Kids have also gotten their leg or foot caught in-between the headboard and mattress! Therefore the Bed Wedge can offer peace of mind when it comes to your children and their bed. By having the Bed Wedge in place, it reduces the risk of injury because you nor your child will have a reason to have a limb down there!

The Bed Wedge comes in multiple sizes to fit your needs! You can purchase the Bed Wedge online and it comes with free shipping and free pouches that attach to the edges of the wedge so that you can conveniently store your remote control, jewelry and more close by.

Twin	39″ x 75″	$39.95
Full / Double	54″ x 75″	$49.95
Queen	60″ x 80″	$54.95
Cal King	72″ x 84″	$64.95
King	76″ x 80″	$69.95

The Bed Wedge has been awarded the PTPA seal of approval.

I decided to get a Bed Wedge for my son’s room. As you can see there is a wide gap between the headboard and mattress.

With the Bed Wedge in place, it nicely props up the pillow and keeps the pillow in place.

Or it can be used on the side of the bed! I guess I need two!!!

The Bed Wedge has worked great in my son’s room! His pillow no longer gets lost in-between his mattress and headboard. I also like that the Bed Wedge is angled and it has worked great to prop up my son’s pillow when he has been sick to help him breathe better. I also appreciate products that are made in the USA!

Connect with The Bed Wedge on their website, and .

Thank you to The Bed Wedge for providing the products mentioned in this post for review. Although I received these products at no charge, all opinions expressed in this post are my own. Affiliate links included.

Posted by Brittney Minor at 8:52 pm 7 Comments

Filed Under: Random · Tagged With: bed, pillow, sleep

June 18, 2012

Woolzies Wool Dryer Balls {Review/Sponsor Spotlight} #SummerCloth

Since I seem to be finding all these great companies for laundry detergent, I figure I better continue to share about how you can “green” your drying routine. Woolzies Dryer Balls can naturally soften and reduce static cling in your dryer, as well as reduce drying time by 25% per load, which will save you money! Woolzies are made with New Zealand wool, are PVC free, and don’t have any chemicals like commercial fabric softeners or dryer sheets. Woolzies are also hypo-allergenic and safe for people with wool sensitivities as they will not shed onto your laundry. The best part about Woolzies, is that they last for hundreds and hundreds of loads. This all adds up to a very eco-friendly product!

Good for you, good for the environment!

Woolzies is a part of Soft By Nature, Inc., a small family owned company in the Hudson Valley region of Southern New York State. Their mission is straight-forward:

We intend to pass down this earth to our children in the same beautiful condition that we received it from our parents. We accomplish this by developing all natural eco friendly products and sharing them with our fellow citizens.

Another cool thing about Woolzies is that they are handmade in the democratic republic of Nepal, and therefore provide a steady source of income to the desperately needy women of that developing nation.

So How do Woolzies work exactly?

Instead of buying chemical infused fabric softeners or dryer sheets you use these dryer balls in your dryer to soften and reduce static cling. Having the balls bounce around in the dryer, they naturally separate and create space between your laundry and allow the hot air to circulate better. This results in a 25% reduction in dry time for large loads and as much as 35-40% in small loads. This will save you money and time! They are also easy to use because they can always stay in your dryer. Woolzies will last for at least 1,000 loads!

I was sent a 6 pack of Woolzies Dryer Balls to review. I was introduced to dryer balls earlier this year and I discovered that they are way better than the plastic ones I was using. I added the Woolzies to my dryer and they seem to be holding up very well. Using dryer balls has reduced the length of drying time as well as keeps my clothes feeling soft. I love finding eco-friendly ways to “green” my everyday routine and Woolzies helps me do that. I recommend this form of drying your clothes as opposed to using chemicals to do the exact same thing! If you need a scent on your clothes after they are washed, then add a lavender sachet or a couple drops of essential oil on a cloth and toss that in the dryer as well. I am used to less scent in my laundry since I started using natural laundry detergents and dryer balls, so I think you will eventually get used to the idea of no smell, but still trust that your laundry is clean.

Woolzies come in a six pack and costs $35.99 with free shipping to anywhere in the USA and Canada, including Alaska and Hawaii. For everywhere else, shipping is just $6.95.

Connect with Woolzies on their website, and .

Woolzies Dryer Balls will be giving away two 6-packs of wool dryer balls to two winners in the Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop {#SummerCloth}. Come back June 21st to enter! Interested in getting an extra entry? Visit Woolzies and leave me a comment telling me something you learned and why you want dryer balls.

Thank you to Woolzies Dryer Balls for providing the products mentioned in this post for review. Although I received these products at no charge, all opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Posted by Brittney Minor at 4:20 pm 27 Comments

Filed Under: Household Cleaners · Tagged With: dryer balls, eco-friendly, laundry, wool