living sustainably

Saving Money in the New Year // Direct Energy Savings in Ohio!

January 14, 2016 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Winter has hit us in Ohio, finally! Last year was especially cold. And even though El Niño helped to delay winter this year; it’s definitely, definitely here. And we refuse to let our energy bill skyrocket because of it.

And one way of doing so is by reevaluating our electricity rates and finding if we can, first and foremost, save there.

Compare costs. Ohio residents should contact Direct Energy this month to see what special offers they have available. Save up to 14%* over DP&L’s electricity rate, and up to 10%* over Duke Energy’s electricity rate. There’s more! Save up to *5% over The Illuminating Company’s electricity rate, and up to 3%* over Ohio Edison’s electricity rate!
Make sure your windows and doors are energy efficient. If they aren’t, look into replacing them in the Spring! But in the meantime, use window shrink film to keep as much heat in your home as possible!
Unplug appliances when not in use. Guys. This is a major one in our house! We have something plugged into nearly every outlet in our home. Are these things always on? Absolutely not. But they are still using energy!

We’ve definitely been actively doing these things in hopes of saving a few bucks this winter! In addition, we use our wood burning stove when we are home — and we only burn Eco-bricks, which are made up of sawdust, are CO2 neutral, and burn longer than wood. It also helps that Direct Energy offers a fixed-rate energy plan: so our electricity rate won’t fluctuate throughout your contract term. They’re also the only energy provider to be a part of Plenti. You can earn rewards every month with Plenti!
Just go to their website and plug in your zip code!

*All savings refers to the current difference between Direct Energy’s fixed rate offer and the Utility’s current Fixed Rate for Basic Service as of January 8, 2016, and does not include any other component of the electricity bill. Utility rates are subject to change and there may be no savings following the respective official utility rate change date. Direct Energy’s fixed rates include electricity supply charges only and excludes delivery/transmission charges, taxes, and all other utility-related charges. Offer is limited and valid for new residential customers only.

holiday wreath making workshop //

December 8, 2015 by Rachel Leave a Comment

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending The Agrarian Collectives’ wreath making workshop at the Sunnybrook Preserve in Chesterland. Sure, Chesterland is a bit far from where we live (now), but Chad + I both grew up just minutes from this town, so we know the area very well.

I had signed up a few weeks ago, not knowing how I would be feeling, but knowing that I would desperately need to get out of the house. Turns out, I was right. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten outta the house solo, so I knew Chad & Ari could do without me for just a few hours. Ha!

I arrived early to give myself time to settle in, and I’m so glad I did! I was able to meet with Kelli from the Agrarian Collective (again) and snap some photos of the spread. — And let me tell you, it was an awesome spread!

Kelly and her crew did an amazing job at setting up this workshop. Everything looked Pinteresty-perfect! Which, admittedly, helped me tap into my creative side pretty quickly.

She gave us a quick run-down of what do to. I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing, but I felt empowered!

The result? Magical! It’s amazing what a little empowerment and creativity will spark! I got to business and finished my wreath very quickly!

Seriously. I went from nervous about HOW to create something to just getting it done in a snap! Great leadership from the AC crew! My new, beautiful, simplistic, wreath is now hanging on our door, helping to usher in the holidays!

Bonus — I, unknowingly, scratched #7 off of my 31 for 31 list by taking a “makers” workshop!

Please checkout the other events that they have going on, including the longest night, a winter solstice gathering, on Tuesday December 22nd! Tickets are $75 per person and can be purchased online here! From what I understand this event is nearly sold out!

Tea Tree Oil // Review + Giveaway

March 31, 2015 by Rachel 12 Comments

Over the last several months we’ve begun to delve into the world of essential oils. It started with friend giving us a sample of an essential oil used to treat coughs and respiratory issues when Ari was diagnosed with some breathing issues last fall.

I recently started using tea tree oil to treat some skin issues. Tea tree oil, known as Melaleuca alternifolia, is an essential oil native to Australia that is catching on with increasing popularity because of its incredible healing benefits.

I’ve had some sort of dry skin and eczema since I was a kid. My recent skin woes have been from running. Here’s a secret: running destroys the skin on the bottom of your feet. Blah. My feet are rough and calloused and just … not pretty. So I started using tea tree oil on the bottoms of my feet, mixed in a 4:1 ratio with coconut oil. What do ya know — my feet are feeling softer!

Tea tree oil is known for its topical antiseptic and anti-fungal treatment or infection-reducing benefits. It also has antibiotic properties and helps aid against aliments such as skin infections, rashes, burns, dandruff and much more! It’s not limited to it’s skin remedies — it can also be used as an all purpose cleaner (bonus for my yogi friends? it’s safe to use to clean your yoga mat when mixed with water!)!

Apothecary Extract Tea Tree Oil is 100% pure Australian pharmaceutical grade and never diluted. Also? — check out the label. No preservatives; No artificial colors; No fragrance; No parabens; No mineral oil; No petroleum; AND No chemical solvents!

Every large 4 ounce bottle of Apothecary Extracts (which retails at $24.99 with free shipping on Amazon), comes with a free 100 page guide on all the ways to use tea tree oil to improve your life, and replace harmful cleaners around the house.

About Apothecary Extracts 100% Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil:

Our Australian tea tree plantation has received awards for its industry-leading, conservation farming practices. They have the smallest carbon footprint of any producer of pure and natural Tea Tree Oil. The Australian Parliament has invited them to represent farming operators at a Carbon Farming Incentive forum. They were one of the first producers to be accredited under the Australian Tea Tree Industry Association Code of Practice. The nutrition program for the Tea Tree plants is based on organic fertilizers. When using pesticides (a necessity to ensure the health of the plants) they employ a shield sprayer to minimize any contact with the plant. Whenever possible natural crop protection products are used.

Enter to win a bottle of your own using the rafflecopter widget below!

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Disclosure: I was selected to receive a bottle of Australian Tea Tree Oil for my honest opinion and review of this product. The content and opinions expressed here are all my own. Thank you to Apothecary Extracts and Tomoson for sponsoring this post.

how we survived teething // amber teething necklace review

March 19, 2015 by Rachel Leave a Comment

By this point we all know that our little family of three is fairly crunchy-granola. Yep. We believe in holistic remedies and minimal use of traditional medicine. We did the whole baby-led weaning thing; we puréed baby food; we co-slept in the same room for the first 9-months; and, yeah, we kind of do that whole composting thing.

From an early age, we used a baltic amber teething necklace from KG Baby. Moosh (who we affectionately referred to as #BabyAri, back in the day), was a late bloomer with the teeth-poppin’! But we put that necklace on him early.

We did our research: the baltic amber against the natural body temperature of the baby is known to promote healing and act as a natural anti-inflammatory. These properties can be helpful to reduce pain and prevent all of that unnecessary drooling. Bonus? Prevention of all of that teething pain!

Moosh has been wearing his necklace since before he could crawl. And when his teeth started to come in (which was definitely late), it was… painless. At least for us. I can’t speak for Moosh, but it was easy peasy on this end.

Well, nearly easy-peasy! Only once did we have a “OMG THIS is teething.” moment. It was awful; but it was very short-lived. We had a couple of days of fuss and fever. I honestly think we got off easy with the teething drama, thanks in large part to the amber teething necklace.

What are some tricks you can give other moms of teething babies!? 🙂

Disclosure: I was selected to receive a KG Baby Baltic Amber Teething necklace for my honest opinion and review of this product (however, I also already had one). The content and opinions expressed here are all my own. Thank you to KG Baby for sponsoring this post.

Getting a Toddler to Eat // Easy Anywhere Pouches Review

March 12, 2015 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Confession: When Moosh was starting on solid foods, we spent a boatload of money on those organic baby food pouches for a couple of reasons: pouches are way more convenient than canned baby food; and also because we knew they were full of healthy ingredients. Next to making our own baby food, they were the best thing.

But, let me reiterate — they are crazy expensive — between $2 – $3 per pouch. PER POUCH! Some days Moosh would eat 5 (he was a hungry, hungry little dude).

Nowadays little man is eating all big people food, but our great eater has become increasingly picky as of late. I’ll try just about anything to get him to eat nutritious foods. He’s such a busybody toddler that he doesn’t want to slow down to eat.

The other day I mixed up some apples and bananas in the Vitamix and poured the mix directly into Easy Anywhere Reusable Baby Food Pouches. I had tried other reusable pouches previously and they all proved to be incredibly messy at filling. But in all honesty, I didn’t even have to break out a spoon. The pouches were wide enough to where I just held it open and poured the fruit mix in!

Moosh was deeply enthralled in an intense Jake and the Neverland Pirates episode while playing with his own pirate ship and choo-choo trains at the time. But I just walked in, handed him a full pouch, and he went to town.

Hallelujah! The kid is eating actual food and not just crackers (his desired food of the moment – ha).

I loved the fact that I could see how much was left in the pouch (because low and behold he handed it to me saying “More please?” and I just had to push some up and tell him there was still more left. (Also? Mommy success! He asked for MORE!)

And of course the hippy-granola-chick in me loves that these are BPA, PVC, and phthalate-free AND easy to clean.

If you’re looking to snag a couple for yourself, head on over to Amazon here. You can get four for $12.99 with free amazon prime shipping.

So moms (and dads) — any other tricks up your sleeve for a “too-busy-to-stop-and-eat” toddler!? HELP!

Disclosure: I was selected to receive four pouches for my honest opinion and review of this product. The content and opinions expressed here are all my own. Thank you to Easy Anywhere for sponsoring this post.

Making Your Home A Smart Home //

October 6, 2014 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Winter is right around the corner. And fall rolled into town with full force this weekend. It got downright C-O-L-D! We pay close attention to our energy consumption year-round, but we pay extra attention during the winter.

Need help thinking of ways to make your home smarter and more convenient? Here’s a mixture of energy efficient and smart home ideas for you!

1. Install a smart thermostat, such as the Nest Learning Thermostat. Smart thermostats offer you climate control, the convenience of programming away from home, and more.

2. Your living room typically has multiple active light sources available. Make sure your lighting is energy efficient by switching traditional bulbs to CFLs or LEDs. We switched all of the bulbs in our house out for CFLs/LEDs. Sure, they were expensive up front, but are a huge savings in the long run.

3. Replace your old, inefficient appliances with new, efficient, Energy Star® appliances. Old appliances tend to run inefficiently. And sure, it’s not exactly an inexpensive feat, but when you have the opportunity to switch them out, go for HE/Energy Star appliances.

4. Replace the showerhead in your bathroom with low flow showerheads. These showerheads regulate the flow of water, assuring you a more efficient shower. Plus, those rain-like shower heads are incredible.

5. Make sure you have a strong Wi-fi signal from your smart thermostat and smart devices. Because you can remotely control your smart thermostat via the internet, periodically check the signal strength in the network settings on the thermostat’s control screen.

6. Installing light dimmers can save cut your electricity use 40% over time and make your lightbulbs last 20 times longer.

7. Use an automated pet food and water dispensing system so you don’t have to worry about feeding your pets if you happen to be away from home for longer than you had intended.

8. Planting trees in optimal spots on your property will provide shade during the warmer months making your system work less hard to cool your home down.

9. Even when your appliances are turned off, they are still using electricity. Use smart power strips to combat energy vampires.

10. Use a smart sprinkler to control your sprinkler system from your smartphone. They adjust setting based on weather and time of day so you don’t have to.

Want a chance to win one of FIVE Nest Learning Thermostats?? Enter HERE!

Thank you Direct Energy for helping me learn how to make my home more energy efficient!