My Pretty Playhouse Review/Giveaway

January 9, 2013 By Anne

What little girl or boy doesn’t enjoy a playhouse? They make fort and house out of whatever they can get their hands on. Having a “playhouse” full time can take up a lot of room, so I love temporary houses. they get used and used and then they can go away.

We received My Pretty Playhouse, which a little bit of both. My Pretty Playhouse is made out from 100% recycled cardboard. The kids can decorate the playhouse and when your done you can fold it back up and save it for another day. Or use it until it’s done!

We put ours together in our den. I put most of it together by myself, but had to enlist my hubby or the roof. The directions do indicate that this a two person job. Once done, Savannah had a great time going in and looking out the windows.

She can stand up inside.

Then comes the fun part for her – decorating. We got out her markers and crayons, these did not come with the house. I help at her insistence. You can see the eggs the duck is sitting on below. My only wish was that there were more “items” to color. Some of the other house sold do have more to decorate. Savannah still had lots of fun coloring and starting coloring on the inside as well.

Savannah has had several friends over and they all have fun hiding and giggling in the playhouse.

My Pretty Playhouse is affordable at $34.99. The size is great and can work just about anywhere. Plus you can recycle it when you are all done. It is recommended for ages three and up. But it’s not the only cool toy from Boutique Cascades. They also carry other playhouse than this one, birdhouses, cars, tables and chairs – all made out of recycled cardboard! All ready to decorate!

For each playhouse sold in Canada and in United States, Cascades will donate two dollars to Habitat for Humanity. What a wonderful thing to do!

Cascades would like to give one Mommy Has to Work reader a My Pretty Playhouse of their own! See details below.

Also check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We received the above product for review. Opinions are my own.

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

Have a “Green” Christmas

December 21, 2012 By Anne

(Reposted, from last year.)

Wow – Christmas is almost here. But it’s not too late to be green!

But wait!! Before you go buying all those fancy boxes and wrapping paper to a minute and think of a more green way to do Christmas.

Save any and every box you have around the house. I’m lucky enough to have plenty of boxes from review items and I save different sizes at work too. But- you can save cereal boxes, food boxes, tissue boxes, really any box can be used. Last year I did not “buy” any boxes and I won’t have to this year either. I have boxes of boxes I started collecting last month. Cereal boxes will make nice clothes boxes. I used one for mailing gifts before.

Wrapping paper – now this one’s a little more tricky. You can use newspaper or cartoons. These make fun and interesting presents. You can use the kids artwork for smaller gifts. You can use leftover materials to wrap your gifts. You can even use cloth to make a gift bag. These can be used from year to year.

Last year I saved some brown paper from work and folded it nice and neat and kept it flat. Then I used stamps and placed holiday stamps with glitter on the paper. I really think the presents wrapped in this paper was my absolute favorite!!

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What will you do this Christmas to be “green”?

Anne

Turning Green?

December 18, 2012 By Anne

This is a sponsored post.

It seems that everyone wants to turn green these days as the well-being of the planet in general becomes a growing concern for the public. Our modern politicians have access to the most intricate demographing tools and research facilities and have the best insight into the wants and needs of our society and if they start voicing their concerns over climate change, you know it is a reflection of worries of the country as a whole.

Large companies are also beginning to realise the importance of the green way of thinking. Those who have realised its full potential are trying their hardest to lower their carbon footprint. The biggest aim for big brands, especially for department stores and high street companies with a massive customer facing presence, is to be carbon neutral by a certain year; many stores now have a section on their website dedicated to their aims concerning the environment.

Smaller companies are also now following suit and even B2B organisations are enjoying not only a better reputation but are saving a lot of money on renewable energy using wind, water or commercial solar power from Dulas.

Everyone has to do their bit though; we cannot just leave it to the big companies. Most people think it is the corporations who pollute the most, which is generally true, but industrialisation is not the only use for fossil fuels.

If you make a concerted effort to recycle in your home, which shouldn’t be too much of an effort since many councils now have time saving initiatives that mean recycling has never been so easy, you could be doing a lot over the years to really make a difference.

Anne

Metamorphic Toys – Holiday Gift Guide

December 7, 2012 By Anne

I love highlighting green products. This time of year, why not green toys? Metamorphic Toys has some really cool toys, perfect for active, imaginative children.

You know how kids love to play in the boxes that toys come in instead of the toys? Well, mine loved to play in boxes. What a great green toy!

Well Metamorphic Toys want kids to play the eco-friendly way too! They have earned numerous awards from experts for innovation, quality, educational value, creativity and environmental responsibility.

We received one of Metamorphic Toys, The Maillbox & Eco-Art U-Stick’ems Kit. What a great project! It’s an art project and toy all in one!

It was easy to put together for me. SavThe Stickers are not really stickers. They look like them, but require glue to adhere to the box. This way stickers are not wasted. The stickers are also all black and white. So this requires the children to color them.

Here is the finished product…..

Okay, so my daughter lacks a great artistic ability. But she had fun and it can be an on going project….

But she does have fun putting “mail” in her mailbox!!

This is a made in the USA product and all materials are made from recycled materials and are recyclable and biodegradable.

Metamorphic Toys are available for purchase on Amazon.com

Check Metamorhpic Toys out on Facebook and Twitter too!

We received the above product for review. Opinion are my own.

Anne

Draw Inspiration from these Eco-Friendly Homes

November 23, 2012 By Anne

This is a partnered guest post.

Over the last decade, individuals as well as international corporations have started to think outside the box with regards to creating innovative answers to global housing problems. Combined with the ever-increasing importance of reducing our impact on the environment as well as the planet’s natural resources, eco-friendly home have been thrust into the lime light as a possible solution.

These types of homes have come on in leaps and bounds, and from solar energy to wind power, and even geothermal energy, they have the potential to greatly reduce our carbon footprint. It’s also not a surprise that these homes are becoming a trend all over the world, with designers struggling to keep up with demand. Here are some of the top eco-friendly homes from all corners of the globe.

Athena Marie Plantation

Known to be the largest eco-friendly home in the US, Athena Marie Plantation in Vero Beach, North Hutchinson Island, is a 45,760 square foot piece of engineering brilliance. Powered by wind as well as electric turbines on the roof, it’s also the first home in the US to implement many different aspects of renewable energy.

Benefitting from open-curved balconies and miles of beautiful landscape, this house is entirely dependent on eco-friendly and renewable energy, consisting of insulated concrete and heat insulating windows. Not only do these building elements reduce carbon footprints and save energy, but they also help protect the building against natural environmental hazards like hurricanes.

The Orchid House

The Orchid House is located in Cotswold, England, and also looks over one of the best nature reserves the country has to offer. Part of the Lower Mill Estate, the Orchid House is an eco-friendly building project containing a number of eco-homes. Presently, it’s the most expensive urban eco-accommodation project, having been sold for a record $14.2 million.

At 2,400 square feet, it’s certainly not as big as Athena Marie Plantation, however it does boast a number of eco-friendly and renewable building elements. Not only is the Orchid House a product of experimental design, but it also generates more power than it consumes, thanks to a geo-thermal pumped located underneath the building.

995 Longbow Place

Situated in the heart of the Larkspur hills, Colorado is a 9,800 square foot house promptly named as one of the greenest and luxurious homes ever built. Despite its huge size, the house only consumes around $350 worth of power every month, and benefits from combined heat and power updates. Valued at $4.5m, the inhabitants of this eco-home get a lot for their money.

Not only does the property benefit from solar and electric panels, but it also houses a water heating system that’s able to perform at 90 per cent efficiency all year round. Additionally, the walls of the property are insulated with special heat conducting foam, and there are many recycled/organic materials used in the building itself. For example, the paint that lines the walls is made from volatile, organic and compound free elements, and the logs are harvested from composite materials to provide a wood finish.

Written on behalf of ENER-G, visit their website for further information about alternative approaches to a more environmentally friendly society.