Eat, Drink, and Be Spooky Without Leaving a Footprint!

As we inch closer to October lots of folks have Halloween on the brain!  What will my costume be?  Where will we go trick or treating?  How will I decorate the home this year?  Who is having the party??

 Our family over here at BuckeyeMomsMeet LOVES Halloween!!  Every year we go above and beyond the normal Halloween goers and decorate our house and yard to a crazy extent!!

 We often have a Halloween party that is talked about for years to come!  The best thing other than all the decorating for the party is trying to decide what kind of ghoulish treats and spirits you will share with your guests.  Here are some fun spooky spirits I have been playing around with...

Now if there is anything spookier than Halloween it is How we treat our earth!  There is a great Native American Proverb that goes like this:

“We do not inherit the planet from our ancestors, we borrow it 

from our children”

In my really cool Halloween drink above you will see I used an Eco friendly Stainless Steel Straw; made by ECO AT HEART.

EcoatHeart is a specialist website, with their main focus to provide high quality stainless steel reusable products, so you can reduce your 'Plastic Footprint' on the environment.  After all we only have ONE planet.  All it takes is one step at a time and it starts with something as small as a straw.  If you are concerned about the damage that you may be causing to the environment then make this simple first step by choosing Eco at Heart!

I received a set of Eco Friendly Stainless Steel straws in a box of five with a cleaning brush included.  These straws are so cool!!  They are easy to clean and should be cleaned after every use.  They are nice and wide, so they would even be great for smoothies or thicker drinks like slushies...  and the best thing, they will last forever!!

Have a Happy and Safe Halloween! 

Eat, Drink, and be Spooky :)

Disclosure:  I was not compensated for this post; however Ecoatheart provided me with a set of stainless steel straws to sample in exchange for a review.  All opinions expressed here are my own :)

Add A Little Spice To Your Life With This Jalapeno/Cilantro Roasted Chicken Sandwich!

            

           Chicken Breast Sandwich with Jalapeno/Cilantro spread and Dave's Killer Bread!!!

What you need:

Dave's Killer Bread (I used Good Seed) This bread has a heavenly texture and is sweet to the taste.  Good Seed has the boldest texture and sweetest flavor of all the Dave's Killer breads!

Sliced Roasted Chicken Breast I stopped by my local fresh deli and got roasted chicken breast sliced at a 1 1/2 thickness on the Deli slicer, which is a little thicker than shaved.

Pepper Jack Cheese once again I got my cheese fresh from the deli and sliced at a 1 1/2 as well.

Romain Lettuce I like the flavor and texture of the Romain lettuce and it provides more nutrients than your typical iceberg

Jalapeno/Cilantro Spread this is made by adding 6 jalapenos, 1/2 a bunch of Cilantro, 1 C. sour cream, 1 C. mayo, I packet Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning mix.  Mix well in your food processor and chill

Grab two slices of the Good Seed Dave's Killer bread.  Spread with your Jalapeno/Cilantro spread.  4-6 oz of roasted chicken breast.  Two slices of Pepper Jack cheese, Romain lettuce. 

 You now have a very delicious addicting deli sandwich that you can write home about or on your blog ;)  A little sweetness and a little spice makes everything nice!!

A little about Dave's Killer Bread...

Dave's Killer Bread started as the favorite organic bread at their local Farmers market in Portland, Oregon.  Less than a decade later, they were the #1 best-selling sliced organic bread in the country.  Their mission has always been to make the best bread out there.  the first to deliver a complete line of organic, non-GMO project verified breads.  ALL KILLER, NO FILLER. Always :)  Now that is a bread you can feel good about!!

One serving of GOOD SEED has 6g protein| 4g Fiber| 670mg Omega-3| 130 calories

Disclosure:  Dave's Killer Bread and Moms Meet provided me with samples in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions and recipes here are my own :)

What Tea Tree Oil can do for you...The Vast Diversity oil!!

If you love essential oils as much as I do, you are going to love the vast diversity of Tea Tree oil!!  Tea Tree oil is one of the most versatile essential oils!  It has been known to naturally fight Acne, Toenail Fungus, Lice, Yeast infections, skin tags, cold sores, dandruff, ringworm and more!  You can use it to make everything from your own shampoo to bathroom disinfectants and kitchen sprays!

After I received my 4 fl oz bottle of Tea Tree oil in the mail I went straight to work at trying it on different things around the house.  I will tell you I have used it for many things and a little bit goes a long way!!  I do believe my 4 oz bottle will last me a very long time which I am very happy about!

I have put together a few of my favorite helpful recipes on how to use Tea tree oil around the house.

• Tea Tree Oil Acne Spot Remover

What You Need:

•  1 oz. Aloe Vera gel
•  3 drops Apothecary Extracts Tea Tree Oil
•  2 drops of raw honey
•  Lip balm tube or small tin storage container 

Apply it: Place a small amount of the spot remover on the pads of your fingers and apply to acne spots. 

• Replenishing Tea Tree Oil Body Scrub

What You Need:

•  ½ cup raw brown sugar
•  8 drops Apothecary Extracts Tea Tree Oil
•  1 tbsp. raw honey
•  ¼ cup sesame oil   

Apply It: Scoop some up with your finger tips and rub on face, neck and body. 

Continue to rub the scrub in for a few minutes, then rinse off with warm water. 

• Detangling Tea Tree Oil Conditioner

What You Need:

•  10 drops Apothecary Extracts Tea Tree Oil
•  1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
•  Clean spray bottle
•  1 cup distilled water  

Apply It: After shampooing your hair spritz enough detangling conditioner to coat 

hair and come through damp hair. 

• Antiseptic Tea Tree Oil Ointment 

What You Need:

•  2 oz. grated beeswax
•  1 tsp. Apothecary Extracts Tea Tree Oil
•  1/3 tsp. vitamin E oil
•  15 drops lemon essential oil
•  20 drops lavender essential oil
•  1 ¼ cup coconut oil
•  Sterilized jars or metal tins with lid  

Apply It: Rub ointment on scars, scraps and scratches in a thin layer. 

Note: This ointment has a shelf life of about 5 years.

• Tea Tree Oil Steam Inhailent

What You Need:

•  4 cups of hot water
•  2 drops Apothecary Extracts Tea Tree Oil
•  1 drop eucalyptus oil
•  1 large bowl
•  1 large towel  

Apply It: Inhale the steam for 5 to 10 minutes to relieve nasal and sinus 

congestion. 

Apothecary Extracts provides a free e-book with your order with over 50 recipes inside!  You can find this Amazing deal Here

Now for a little bit about this amazing oil...

The popularity of Tea tree oil has increased in the last few years, but he history of the Melaleuca Alternifolia Is a n interesting one.  The orgins of tea tree oil and its vast diversity date back to the aboriginal Australians in New South Wales.  History indicates that tea tree oil has been used as a sort of catch all medicinal ingredient to treat a variety of ailment and injuries.

This small tree has leaves that resemble pine needles and it is decorated with light purple or yellow flowers.  This tree has been known to grow more than twenty feet tall.  The Melaleuca tree is naturally sustainable and will grow again within two years of being chopped down!!  Simply amazing!!  The sustainability makes this tree Ideal for all natural healing, cleaning, and beautifying :)

Extracting the oil from the tree leaf is quite complicated!  The entire process is done in two steps and takes hours to complete!

Extracting the oil from the Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) leaf is quite a 

complicated process, which can explain why natural tea tree oil is such a hot 

commodity. The process of extracting oil from tea tree leaves is essentially a two 

step process. The first step extracts crude oil from the leaves and branches of the 

Melaleuca tree through steam distillation. During this 2 hour process the leaves and 

branches are drenched with steam in sealed stainless steel chambers. When the 

contents have reached about 212°F (100°C) the combined oil and steam vapor 

starts to rise and filters through a condenser. 

Inside the condenser the mixture experiences a sudden drop in temperature, which 

allows it to condense into a mix of oil and water. From there the oil & water solution

passes through a separation chamber to extract the oil from the water, which gives 

us the beautifully scented 

and all-natural tea tree oil. 

A little about the company that provides this amazing oil...

Apothecary Extracts was founded in 2013 because, as consumers, we were tired of not knowing what was in our essential oils. There are so many vendors that dilute their essential oils, or use unsafe extraction processes which contaminate the final product. The only way to be sure what is in your essential oils is to test them. But the tests are expensive so most brands don’t want to pay for this. Or they don’t want you to know the results!

We will only carry essential oils that we are 100% confident represent the best quality and potency available. And we’ll show you the test results to back it up. 

You are more than welcome to check out their website :www.apothecaryextracts.com

Now For The Giveaway!!!!  

You can win a free bottle of Apothecary Essential oils Tea Tree Oil for your own home by entering below!!  Have a beautiful day and Good Luck!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:  BuckeyeMomsMeet received a 4 fl oz Bottle of Tea Tree oil provided by Apothecary Extracts and BrandBacker to sample in exchange for a review.  No other compensation was received, and all opinions stated here are that of my own.

Join Zulily in the fight against Childhood Cancer!!

              

It's National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and zulily is partnering with the Ben Towne Foundation to change the way childhood cancers are treated and cured.  Just click on the big blue banner above to make a donation, starting at just $1.00!!

Your donation

100 percent of your gift will be invested in groundbreaking research towards curing childhood cancer at the Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research at Seattle Children's Research Institute. All gifts are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. Ben Towne Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity, and zulily is accepting donations on their behalf from 9/2/2014 through 9/30/2014. Note that Zulily cannot accept donations from residents of Mississippi.

Information concerning the Ben Towne Foundation, including financial, licensing or charitable purposes(s) may be obtained, without cost, by emailing info@bentownefoundation.org, writing to Ben Towne Foundation at 4616 25th Ave NE #717, Seattle, WA 98105, or by calling 206-395-5217.

• 20 years from now, harmful treatments could be a thing of the past
• Real alternative cures are being developed at the Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research
• Doctors at BTCCCR can train a child's own T cells to destroy cancer cells
• 

Looking for something to do with your family this fall?? Visit Arizona's Best Family Farm...Tolmachoff Farms!!!

Arizona's Best Family Farm!! 

Bring the whole family out to Tolmachoff Farms where there is something for all ages.

Tolmachoff farms is a unique four generation farm operated in Glendale, Arizona.  This farm grows a large variety of produce and strive to provide you and your family with the ultimate in fresh produce right from the field to your table.  They also offer many special events and activities!!

 Check out their website here for further details and what events are happening throughout the seasons. 

So head out to Tolmachoff Farms this fall and have a day on the farm with your family!  They are now offering a coupon for 10% off Produce at your next visit!!  Just tap on the link below to get your coupon!!

10% OFF PRODUCE

Accepting Bloggers...2014 Holiday Gift Guide...

Bloggers 2014 Holiday Gift Guide Sign Up

Bloggers sign up Today to get listed on the "2014 Holiday Gift Guide" that will roll out full force Oct 25 thru Dec 25, 2014 . Many bloggers will be participating so its going to be huge !

Right now Sign up is Free and Limited !

** Why Should you Sign Your Blog Up?**
Most of the Business's that have listing on here are ones who hire bloggers for Reviews and PR Jobs through the year, so a great way to get noticed as a PR Blogger and get on the Reps Blogger Lists for when they have reviews and sponsor post jobs etc. ** Does My Blog have to be a Big Blog **
NO - this is the great part, any size blog , any nitch is welcome. The only restriction we have is , your blog can not have pornographic material on it. If it does - Do not sign up - we are Family Friendly ! ** Where will my Link to my Blog Be Seen **
We will have a page specific listing " PR Friendly Bloggers " on the 2014 Holiday Gift Guide Web Site - Visible to all on the landing page and other guide pages. Your Link will be linked to your blog or media kit page ( your choice). This Gift guide will be promoted by many bloggers, as well as the businesses on their sites and social media too during the 2 months. Also we may even feature YOUR Blog in our Special Mailings from time to time. ** Perks **

• PR Marketers for Businesses See Your Page - These are the people who Hire Bloggers to promote Products for reviews, sponsor posts, ambassador programs, etc- all year long !
• There will be special giveaway promotions during this time , Fun Secret Santa for Bloggers Only. ++

** HOW DO I SIGN MY BLOG UP** Click HERE to Sign UP Today !

View in: Mobile | Desktop ©2014 Google

Life as a Blogger...

Before becoming a blogger, I had many ideas in my mind of what it must be like.  Here are some examples of what I thought and what I have come to find out...

This is what I thought being a blogger would be like...

This is what it is really like...

How most people eat food...

How a bloggers family eats food...

most people's mailbox...

a blogger's mail...

 and all sad but true...

and...

so are you interested in blogging???

Thank you for visiting BuckeyeMomsMeet!!  Have a beautiful day :)

Parents!! Vote Now to Help Kids Have More Fun - One Playspace at a Time :)

Parents! Vote Now to Help Kids Have More Fun - One Playspace at a Time

As parents, we spend a lot of time discovering creative ways to nurture our children's curiosity. Luckily, being outdoors provides the perfect landscape, fueling young imaginations and creating endless possibilities for exploration, discovery and creativity. Children's Claritin hopes to inspire parents to create innovative play spaces in their backyards, and communities.

Children's Claritin also believes in the benefits of outdoor activity for children, and wants to help children get the most out of every day! They're teaming up with KaBOOM!, a national non-profit, to help bring innovative playspaces to communities in need and you can help! By voting, you can help them pick the four community organizations that will receive Imagination Playground™. What's Imagination Playground™? See imagination at play - watch last year's winner enjoying Imagination Playground™.

Be sure to visit ClaritinVoteforPlayspaces.com where you can place your vote and gather playspace inspirations for creating your own backyard playspace.  

While visiting the Children's Claritin & KaBOOM! Facebook page, you can also:

• Learn more about the twelve organizations you can vote for receiving Imagination Playground™
• Download coupon offers
• Locate a playspace near you

Vote now and help us pick the four community organizations that will receive Imagination Playground™. You can vote one time per day through 9/26/14. Click here for voting rules.

BuckeyeMomsMeet Brings You Organic Tart Cherry!! Nature's Amazing Red Nectar!!

I don't know about you, but ever since that wonderful day my first child was born I constantly feel behind on sleep!  Even in the attempt to catch up and hop into bed early, my mind starts up and I find myself unable to fall asleep or stay asleep for any good length of time!  What is a parent to do?  I have never been a big fan of sleep aids because of the feeling of grogginess the next day.  When I was offered the opportunity to try Sleepytime Organic tart Cherry By Elite Gold Solutions I was thrilled!! 

 Introducing uniquely pure 100% Organic Tart Cherry Juice!!  Filled with antioxidants, Melatonin,flavonoids, and natural anti-inflammatory properties.  Tart cherry juice is currently being studied for it's ability to Improve health, reduce pain, minimize recovery time in muscles, improve quality and length of sleep!  This Tart Cherry Juice is completely natural, organic, vegetarian, kosher, and 100% safe!

  

I have been taking 2 Tbsp of this delicious red nectar everyday, which is equivalent to eating 80 cherries!!  I love how it makes me relaxed enough to get a good nights sleep, yet I don't awake in the morning feeling groggy!  I can feel good about putting this product in my body because of the organic all natural ingredients that have so many health benefits!

The Elite Gold Solutions SleepyTime Organic Tart Cherry is very tart as the name says!  As for me I think it tastes delicious, for someone like my husband who is not so much a tart fan, it was a little strong for him to drink alone.  You can however mix it with fruit juice or water to calm down the flavor.  I would recommend this product to anyone looking for a natural source of melatonin and ultimate antioxidant!!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Fit Made Fun with Leap Frog and Clif Kid #FitMadeFun

Disclosure: I received free products in order to host the LeapFrog and CLIF Kid sponsored MommyParty.  The opinions expressed here are my own!

On September 6th , LeapFrog Enterprises inc. declared the day National "Fit Made Fun Day", a day when families are encouraged to get up and active while playing together!  In celebration of the launch of the leap band activity tracker for kids, Leap Frog and soccer star Mia Hamm hosted a premiere Fit Made fun Day In Santa Monica, California where more than 300 children and their families engaged in fun activities, attempting to become the new Guinness World Records holder for multiple active play records!!

We had a "Fit Made Fun Day" ourselves and joined in on the record breaking via social media!  Mom Central, LeapFrog, and CLIF Kid sponsored our party by sending not one but two leap band activity trackers, and CLIF kid bars to keep the party go-ers fueled for their day of fitness.   Our "Fit Made Fun" day was accompanied by healthy snacks of fresh fruit and sandwiches, and plenty of ice water to keep our kids hydrated!

I set up our relay field grabbed my stop watch and let the fun begin!!

We had several relay races and filled the day with lots of crab crawls, frog hops, grass angels, jumping jacks, a running!  We had several water relays which kept the kids cooled down in the Arizona heat. 

At the end of our "Fit Made Fun" relay party each kid went home with a gift bag and a "Fit Made Fun" trophy!  All the kids and parents alike were great sports and enjoyed getting out and active.

The CLIF Kid bars were a huge hit and kept the kids fueled for all the activities.  

The LeapFrog Leap band activity trackers have not been put down other than having to charge the batteries!  My kids absolutely love playing with their virtual pets and gaining rewards for their activities.

Thank you Mom Select, LeapFrog, And CLIF Kids for sponsoring such a great day!

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/05/6681341/leapfrog-and-mia-hamm-declare.html#storylink=cpy

Finding My Mate...The Lost Sock Phenomenon...

I know...I know, I've been talking a lot about socks lately.  You see every time I do laundry and come across a lost sock I throw it into our "lost sock box".  Then every couple months I pull out my lost sock box and attempt to make some matches.  Well it happens to be that time of year again, every time I become more and more baffled by this crazy phenomenon!

I mean how does this even happen?  Really?  We wear a pair of socks, throw them in the laundry and wa-la only one sock comes out.  Looking for answers I went straight to the knower of all things...The Internet!  I know they say you can't believe everything you see on the Internet, but really I had no where else to turn.  I need answers!

  Folks have all sorts of theories on this phenomenon!  Psych doctors believe it's all in our head, that these socks are not really missing.  Pfft, whatever doc!  On to the next theory!  Some scientific math whiz came up with a whole new theory:

The first modern attempt to explain the fundamental questions of laundry involved the decay theory. The decay theory states that the quantity of socks in a load can be expressed as a decreasing exponential function of time which is analogous to radioactive decay (see equation 1).

            Nt =N0*exp(-pt) (1)

Um, what??  Did they really just use an equation on this matter??  Since I don't claim to be any sort of a math whiz, I have no Idea what they are talking about, so I continued my search!

I then came across the Bureau of Lost socks, (yes there is such a thing) again not much luck there as to where my socks have gone.

I decided to take some hints from folks like me who are on the same great hunt.  Folks who's mission is to be smarter than the average lost sock!  Some great tips I have come across are listed here:

1. Throw out all your socks, then go to the store and buy a package or two of all the same type of socks.  Throw them all in a drawer and just grab two out when you need a pair of socks!  Done!  No more sorting socks ever!  you can even get black socks and white socks and keep them in the same drawer...Brilliant!
2. use Sock Clips!  to be honest I didn't even know of these little gadgets. I do believe there are some great handy people out there who come up with everything!  Hopefully it will be me one of these days! These handy little clips hold your socks together in the wash, hence no more lost socks!  I did research these, they are available in all shapes and sizes, in all price ranges!
3. Tie your socks together as soon as you remove them from your feet...simple enough!
4. Put all your pairs of socks in a Mesh delicates Bag zip it up and keep all your socks together in the laundry!
5. Hang a small clothesline in your laundry room and hang your lost socks on it!  this way when you happen across the mate you can match them up right away!  As for me I would need a clothesline across my whole house to be able to hold all my lost socks!!

I hope these tips are able to help a few of you keep your socks together with their mates! 

 Back to tip number 1, if you are like me and hate to throw things away especially your fun printed socks, I came across a fun book while doing my Internet research.  The book is called Lost Sock!  200 Clever Ways To Use Your Single Socks!

This book would be a great housewarming gift, white elephant gift, or holiday gift for anyone really!  If you are interested in this book you can check it out here,  Lost Sock! 200 clever Ways To Use Your Single Socks!

Have a great day, Thank you for visiting my Blog :)

Soda Lovers, have I got some news for you!!

Disclosure:  I received product compliments of Zevia and greenmomsmeet in exchange for a review, however all opinions expressed within this post are my own :)

Do you have a love hate/relationship with soda pop?  You love the taste and the bubbles sliding down your throat to a party in your tummy thrown by your taste buds?  Yet soda is so bad for you, you know each time you drink it you are unleashing a monster of all sorts in your body.  This refreshing bubbly treat that everyone loves is usually the first thing cut out of their diets when they decide to make healthier choices.  It makes perfect sense!  A twelve ounce can of soda contains eight teaspoons or about 130 calories worth of sugar with absolutely no nutritional value!  Yikes!!  Most diet sodas are no better, containing artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose which can cause weight gain and may increase your chances of cancer.  So what's a soda lover to do??

If I told you you can still drink soda without all the "bad" stuff, would you be interested?  Fortunately for soda lovers there are healthier calorie free alternatives!!  All natural diet sodas like zevia are sweetened with the plant-based sweetener stevia, and have zero calories.  They are low carb, have zero glycemic index, and contain absolutely no artificial ingredients.  Thus making them a healthy option you can feel good about and feel good about serving your family!
Yes you heard right!  A soda that is healthy!!

What is Stevia you may ask?  Stevia is a sweet little miracle of nature!  Stevia was originally found in Paraguay and is a small shrub, native to the sunflower family.  Stevia if you can believe it provides 220 times the sweetness of sugar with no calories!  That is just crazy, I know!

Now to make this soda even cooler, With the commitment of continuous improvement and natural sweetener innovation, Zevia now has something really special!  SweetSmart, is their next generation of sweetening with a blend of Stevia combined with Monk Fruit.

Monk Fruit is a round, green fruit grown on lush vines in sub tropic conditions along Asian hillsides.  The fruit is harvested by hand to release it's natural sweetness.  Monk fruit contains no calories and no effect on blood glucose levels, so it is safe for those who have diabetes!

I was provided a case of Zevia in all the different flavors.  I will admit I was not a fan of all the flavors, but was able to pick out my favorites!  Amongst the Zevia I tired the rootbear and cream soda were my favorite!  Zevia currently has 15 flavors of smarter choices!!

So for all you soda lovers who are ready to make smarter, healthier choices you should give Zevia a try!!