Detox the House Spring Cleaning Tips for a Green Clean Home for Your Family, Kids & Pets

Homekeeping

This is a sponsored post

Post #3 in a Series

Spring is Near, Don't Ruin It With Chemicals at Home

Here's a scary thought: The average family home contains between 500 and 1000 chemicals. If that isn't toxic to the health and safety of you and your kids, I don't know what is. Don't panic though. In this post I'm going to give you some ideas about how to easily start detoxing your house just in time for spring cleaning.

Yikes! All those toxins in our home...  MommyBlogExpert.com

Chemicals lurking under the kitchen sink, MommyBlogExpert.com

What an eye-opening experience this was for me. Thanks to Zerorez, a floor to furniture chemical-free cleaning company serving a huge swath of Southern California, we just had our very challenging dirty carpets cleaned -- the before and after pictures will knock your socks off.

Light Mauve Carpet is a challenge to clean, MommyBlogExpert.com

Not only did Zerorez restore our rugs to cleanliness, their 10 Ways to Detox Your House tips also got me thinking about all the other ways you can get the house sparkling clean without unnecessarily exposing your family to anything hazardous.

My own ideas for a cleaner greener home

• Use at-home solutions like vinegar and water instead of store-bought bottled chemical cleaners for washing windows, counters and tile walls in your bathroom
• Avoid exposing your pets to any of the same unhealthful cleaning chemicals that you don't want your family to breath in or make contact with
• Edit your cleaning supplies regularly by gradually using more green products to replace the nasty toxic ones
• Read labels carefully when purchasing "green" cleaning products because there are many of these that still contain toxic ingredients
• Get rid of clutter in your house, attic and garage that is providing even more surfaces where dust can land
• Clean your dust covered electric fans at the beginning of spring with a simple solution of soap and water, making sure it is not plugged in when you work on it
• Make sure to vacuum carpets regularly as well as have them deep cleaned professionally without chemicals at least once every 6 months to year

How much dirty water is trapped in your carpet?  MommyBlogExpert.com

About Zerorez

Zerorez, the service that revived our filthy carpets, is a full-service green cleaning company serving Southern California. In addition to carpet, they do area rugs, upholstery, leather furniture, bathrooms and showers, kitchen surfaces, tile grout and sealing, hardwood and stone floors, mattress, air duct and furnace cleaning  and much more -- everything from floor to furniture except for the walls and ceiling. It doesn't end in the house either. Zerorez cleans cars, autos and motor homes as well as garages and outside patio decks.

The water that's clean enough to drink, MommyBlogExpert.com

Visit Zerorez.com to learn more. You can also keep up to date on everything that Zerorez is doing by following them on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. 

Meanwhile take advantage of this great Zerorez Special for MBE readers...

Zerorez uses no soap, shampoo or detergent, MommyBlogExpert.com

Get 2 Areas Green Cleaned for Just $99

MBE Reader Special
Use Code Bloge10

Image from Zerorez.com

Stay tuned as this MommyBlogExpert Zerorez post series continues throughout March. I've already shared The Five Second Rule and this Detox The House post. In the final story, scheduled for next week, I'll be taking you behind the scenes, telling you about how Zerorez Gives Back to the Public by providing free cleaning services to non-profits and community spaces.

MommyBlogExpert.com

Don't miss the other posts in this Green Spring Cleaning series

• Zerorez Wins So Cal Dirty Rug Challenge, Big Savings for MBE Readers
• Time to Get The House Clean for Spring
• Minor Miracles Free Cleaning for Worthy Organizations

FTC Disclosure: I received thorough carpet cleaning service of our entire house from Zerorez which was partially paid for by the brand. In addition, I am being compensated for this #Zerorezsocal blog post series and opinions are mine. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

#PiInThe Sky Austin Skywriting Event Coincides w/ SXSW - Early Welcome to Pi Day on 3/14

Culture

The festivities for Pi Day got a day head start today with a skywriting stunt over Austin, Texas which coincidentally unfolding during the huge SXSW conference going on there now.  Pi Day, celebrated enthusiastically by math lovers around the globe on March 14 each year, is all about the Greek letter pi as a mathematics symbol representing the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter which is approximately 3.14159. As this post goes live #PiInTheSky is trending on Twitter.

Image provided by AirSign Aerial

Pi In The Sky is an iteration of the world's largest ephemeral installation of the infinite number -- done in anticipation of the Austin Children's Museum Exploratorium's Pi Day fete -- began at 6:28pm on March 13th. The conceptual work consists of five synchronized aircraft equipped with dot-matrix technology flying at 10,000 feet altitude while skywriting the first several hundred characters of pi's infinite sequence.

Image provided by AirSign Aerial

This spectacular performance against a skyblue backdrop in a cloudless sky was displayed by AirSign Aerial Advertising. AirSign's skywriting team created a spiral several miles wide, as the aircraft emit numbers that measure a quarter-mile in height centered on the Austin Convention Center and viewable from the entire city and its surrounding areas. 

Merging art and technology, California artist ISHKY teamed up with AirSign Aerial Advertising bringing together a team of artists, programmers and scientists to give life to a compelling vision that a community of millions will directly experience. 

Pi In The Sky explores the boundaries of scale, public space, impermanence, and the relationship between Earth and the physical universe.

FTC Disclosure:  AirSign Aerial Advertising provided the inspiration and images for this post. However, no payment or other compensation was exchanged in connection with this post. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's home page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

Spring Break Parent Survival Tips - Protecting Our Daughters Wherever Their Travels Take Them

Parenting

Guest Post 
by Terri Fedonczak 
Founder of Girl Power for Good, Parent Counselor and Author 

A Primer for Parents -- Especially of Daughters -- Headed Toward High School and College Spring Break

It’s March, and we are prepping for warmer weather, green beer, and the portent of parental doom (cue scary music) — Spring Break. How can such a festive idea evoke so much dread? Because we have all heard the horror stories about the really bad things that can happen to our teen daughters as well as sons and young adult children, like the tragedy of Natalee Holloway.

Image from Girl Power for Good

I talked with one mom last week who said, “When I think of Spring Break, my mind automatically jumps to the Holloway girl." And she’s not alone. I live in an area that is known for Spring Break visitors, as we are near bars and beaches. Every year, at least one teen is hurt or killed by making really poor choices.

Terri Fedonczak, Image from Girl Power for Good

A few of my simple ideas to protect our daughters and sons for Spring Break

Vote for good choices with where you spend your money 
My girls are forbidden from going to raunchy Spring Break sites, and I enforce that by not paying for travel expenses to those places. Even though my kids are adults, they are still poor college students lacking funds to sponsor their own festivities. I vote for safer alternatives with my dollars. If my kids want to go to places you see on MTV, they will have to raise the funds themselves. This eliminates most of the arguments right off the bat. I make choices based upon our family value of helping others and sometimes that means helping others make good choices. By basing my decisions on our family values, I don’t have to fight my kids; I just remain firmly rooted in what’s right for our family. 

Approve roommates, especially if you are paying for the room
Get cell numbers for all the roommates. This may be tricky, but if they want to stay in a room paid for by you, they will comply with your rules. Talk to the roommates to let them know that you care about all of them. Tell them to designate a driver and NEVER leave a friend alone. There are really sketchy people out there who prey upon single girls. Make sure your kids are surrounded by peer who have the same values. This will nip the majority of all problems in the bud. 

If your kids are paying themselves, all you can do is trust them
You have raised your kids to act in a way that lines up with your family values -- even when they are away from you. Remind them that everyone has camera phones, and those pictures will follow them FOREVER. If they are going to drink too much (forbidding it won’t stop it) they need to pick a buddy to watch out for them. I know what college students are like, after all, I was one back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. 

If your kids are still in high school
Don’t your high school teens  go on a Spring Break trip without you or a chaperone that you trust—period. This is a recipe for disaster, and no amount of sweet talking by your kid will make it sound any better. If you are unsure whether the chaperone seems trustworthy, err on the side of caution. Better a mad kid than a damaged one. 

When all plans have been set, release the outcome
Even if you have taken all these precautions, some uncertainty may still remain. It is crucial to take very good care of yourself to quiet the worry that inevitably arises when your kids are outside your sphere of influence. Be sure to exercise, eat right and get plenty of sleep to quiet the worry. Realize there is nothing you can do except take good care of yourself and be ready to act in case of emergency. Set up emergency contingencies before your kid leaves you. Devise a system whereby your kid communicates with you every day, or twice a day, to let you know that they are alive and well. This is not negotiable. It only takes 1 minute to send a text, and, since they love you, they need to show you by doing this one small thing.

Terri's new 2014 book, Image from Girl Power for Good

There are no guarantees that your child will be perfectly safe on Spring Break, just as there is no assurance that he or she will be completely protected from harm any other time. Some things are out of your hands. But if you have raised your kid to be a good person with self-respect and respect for others, have faith that your years of effort will prevail and that your kid will make good choices. We can’t keep our kids under our wing forever. Our job as parents is to raise good citizens who better the world by being in it. Eventually, we just have to let go and have faith that our love will guide them even when they aren’t with us.

About Terri Fedonczak
Terri, founder of GirlPowerforGood.com, is also a life coach, parent counselor and author of Field Guide to Plugged-In Parenting, Even if You Were Raised by Wolves which is available on Amazon. Fedonczak takes the girl power message into schools, talking to middle school and high school girls about how to thrive in the wilds of high school, college and beyond.

Image from Girl Power for Good

FTC Disclosure:  Terri Fedonczak  and Girl Power for Good provided the content and images for this post. However, no payment or other compensation was exchanged in connection with this post. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's home page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

Free Creatacard American Greeting App for iPad for Kids Parents + Families to Enjoy Together Review

Technology

Free iPad App Allows Kids to Get Creative & Become Greeting Card Designers

Images in this post provide by Creatacard & American Greetings

I love writing about kids, creativity and technology. So, I couldn't wait to share my latest find with MommyBlogExpert's readers that merges all those wonderful things into one -- a new free greeting card iPad app that will bring out your kid's inner Picasso. Called Creatacard, this family friendly app that just launched recently is ideal for parents with children and teachers with young students ages 4-10 years old. It was created by American Greetings, who started bringing social expression to the American cultural landscape more than 100 years ago.

According to American Greetings, this is the first-of-its-kind app designed exclusively for iPad. It's more than just another card app (we all know there are plenty of those already). Creatacard takes card making to a whole new level for your budding artists, allowing little ones to unleash creativity and express themselves as only children can with their original artwork and photos. With the exponential rise of mobile devices and tablet ownership among families and kids during the past two years, I don't know of a better way for parents and kids to enjoy some quality time together and bond. And, just think of the possibilities for this app to be used in the classroom by teachers and young children. 

The app itself -- with its many fun bells and whistles that kids can incorporate into the cards they make -- is free to download from the AppStore. The app alone provides countless hours of crafty fun for your child, so definitely try it out.

Download Creatacard from the AppStore, Free

The nice thing is that Creatacard also offers the option to print a real paper greeting card, complete with a place for the child to sign with "Made By," for just $3.49. Then, the actual card will be mailed anywhere in the world for you. But that's not all. Kids will also find delight and fun in tracking the actual card's journey from its creation through the mail until it arrives at its destination with this app's "Where's My Card" feature.

"This goundbreaking app gives kids the tools they need to start a life-long friendship with their own imaginations," says Eliza Wing, director of digital brands at American Greetings. "American Greetings prides itself on product innovation and we are thrilled to introduce Creatacard because it gives kids the unique opportunity to truly become greeting card artists."

The new Creatacard app from American Greetings Corporation for iPad (compatible with iOS 6.0 or later) is now available in the iTunes App Store. Watch for the upcoming Pick-A-Card option to be announced soon expanding what kids can do with a variety of card templates featuring beloved children's characters such as Strawberry Shortcake, Thomas the Tank Engineer, Hello Kitty and more.

About American Greetings
For multiple generations Cleveland, Ohio based American Greetings Corporation has been a leader in innovative social expression products to help consumers enhance their relationships with family and friends to create happiness, laughter and love. The firm's greeting card lines are familiar brands to the public including American Greetings, Carlton Cards, Gibon, Recycled Paper Greetings and Papyrus plus other paper product offerings such as DesignWare and Plus Mark. Amercian Greetings also offers one of the largest collection greeting online, including traditional printed cards available at Cardstore.com and electronic greeting cards offered through AmericanGreetings.com. Products can be found in retail outlets worldwide. More information on the company here.

FTC Disclosure:  Amercian Greetings and Creatacard provided the content and images for this post. However, no payment or other compensation was exchanged in connection with this post. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's home page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

Giveaway Strawberry Shortcake Movie Berry Big Help Kids Family DVD from 20th Century Fox

Giveaway

This is a compensated post

All images in this post provided by Fox Home Entertainment

Last fall it was Berry Bitty Mysteries. Now it's time to welcome another new fun and wholesome Strawberry Shortcake movie release for kids. From Fox Home Entertainment, Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Big Help is the latest DVD in the series.

Here's your chance to win this new DVD. A few clicks below and you're entered to win. Remember to keep entering daily until the contest ends to increase your chances of winning this new title.

Strawberry Shortcake

Berry Big Help

DVD GIVEAWAY

ARV $14.98  -  Ends 3/18/14

a Rafflecopter giveaway

MommyBlogExpert's Strawberry Shortcake Berry Big Help Giveaway ends March 18, 2014 at 12 am PT and is open to legal residents of the U.S. only. Fox Home Entertainment will award ONE (1) Strawberry Shortcake Berry Big Help DVD to the winner. Winner of this MBE contest will be selected at random from all entries and will be notified via email and must respond within 24 hours to claim their prize.

To learn more about Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Big Help and everything else Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is doing visit Foxconnect.com and follow the company on Facebook and Twitter.

Good Luck!!!

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FTC Disclosure: This is a #FHEInsiders sponsored post. I disclose that I am a Fox Home Entertainment Insider brand ambassador and that I received the DVD featured to facilitate a separate review post. Fox is providing the prize and shipping for this giveaway. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.