Keeping Germs Under Control on Family Play Days #PurellWipes #ad #cbias

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PurellWipes #CollectiveBias

Now that the weather is nice, our family is spending a lot more time outside. We love to go to the park, friends' houses, and explore lots of local historical sites. It's hard to be spontaneous with this big group, but I try not to get overly-obsessive about planning. Sometimes though, it's the little things that will make or break a fun day---and dirt is a big one for me. Today we spent some time at a friend's house in the country and, since I knew the little ones would be outside, I brought along these PURELL® Hand Sanitizing Wipes. 

For me, there's nothing grosser than kids getting filthy outside and then sitting down to eat a picnic lunch or have a handful of chips. On the other hand, when they're playing outside and getting muddy, I don't want them walking through the house over and over to wash up. (I'm sounding a little OCD here, aren't I?) Having the container of wipes out saves clean floors from getting dirty and germophobe moms from freaking out at lunch time.

Another place I like to take the PURELL® Hand Sanitizing Wipes is out on our field trips around the area. This may look like a regular ol' group of clean and pristine children---but what you don't know is...

Just a short time before this photo, they'd discovered a fire pit down an old trail and came back up looking like Peter Pan's Lost Boys. A container of wipes in my bag takes care of the problem fast so I can continue to get adorable pictures of them enjoying the summer sunshine!

PURELL® Hand Sanitizing Wipes are a new product that can be found in the household cleaning section of most Walmart stores. They come scented or fragrance-free in 70-count and 35-count containers and are convenient for home, work, or in the car for messy adventures.

It's really nice to be able to pass around the container of wipes for a quick clean up they can do themselves. Formulated to remove dirt and kill illness-causing germs on the hands and face, they're perfect for those times when both cleaning and sanitizing hands is needed.

Check out the Purell® Loyalty Program to earn points toward prizes to keep you healthier, and make sure to grab a coupon and save $1.00 on any PURELL® Wipes canister or save $1.00 on any two PURELL® Products.

Prepping My Home for Springtime Entertaining #WicklessWonders #ad #cbias

 This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WicklessWonders #CollectiveBias

The weather is turning warm and humid, the trees and shrubs are blossoming, and Walmart is just about sold out of flower bulbs---it must be spring! As much as I love the cold weather, I really do like spring, too. Mostly because it means I can pull out all my pretty decorations! I love to decorate with birds. They symbolize new life---a beautiful reminder. The newest addition to my bird decor collection is this AromaBreeze Fan Fragrance System. I love using scent-producing decorations in my home and this one is like none I've seen before.

AromaBreeze can be found at Walmart in the candles and warmers section. The Fragrance Halos that go with it are located right above them and there are tons of scents to choose from. I went with fruity since I love the fresh scent and atmosphere it brings to my springtime decor. This photo was taken at the Bentonville Walmart, but if your store hasn't stocked them yet, it's easy to buy online, as well.

Selah couldn't wait to check out our new fragrance system. We were both really surprised at how large and pretty it is. This one is Peaceful Perch and it measures about 10 inches tall. I love the shabby metal design and the sweet little bird swinging inside. Super cute!

I've just begun hosting monthly book clubs in my home so I've been coming up with themed decorating ideas for each month. Here's the one I did for March. I think this fragrance system would make an adorable centerpiece because---get this---it doesn't require a cord! There's a cord included, but there's also the option to run it on a AAA battery. Isn't that awesome? I can put it wherever I want!

I like the AromaBreeze fragrance halos better than the wax melts I usually use because the unit does not warm up the fragrance halo---instead it blows air over it for immediate fragrance release. I love fruity scents in the spring and summer, so I grabbed these two to try out: Strawberries & Cream and Tropical Fiesta. 

Each fan unit comes with instructions both on the box and in a paper booklet. It's super important to read the instructions carefully so you'll be able to operate and display the unit safely. It was really easy to install the fragrance halo. I just removed the canopy from the fan unit, secured the halo in place, and replaced the canopy. Simple! Here's a short video that shows you how to do it: http://cbi.as/4kcq.

Because the unit uses no heat, it's safe for every room in the house---even kids' rooms.  No flame or heat means I feel more comfortable about leaving it in the living room when I'm not around. I love how stylish and clean this is, too. Since the halo does not melt, there's no wax or soot residue to clean up. I'll definitely be considering more of these for other rooms in my house. They'd make great Mother's Day gifts, as well.

Where will you put your AromaBreeze? Let me know in the comments below.

5 Steps to a Greener Homeschool #BringingInnovation #ad #cbias

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BringingInnovation #CollectiveBias

Batteries. The need for batteries is often the bane of my existence. We are a super techie family to begin with---but what is it with boys and batteries? It doesn't matter how many times I buy and hide new batteries, those boys can sniff them out like police dogs. If I ever need a battery, the first place I look is in the video game remotes. Then the boys' flashlights. Then their handheld games. My mom used to buy my husband a pack of batteries every Christmas because she knew he'd need them for the boys' new stuff. Now she just buys the boys each a pack on their birthdays. Guys are so hard to buy for---but batteries? Perfect gift every time.

You can imagine how thrilled I was to find Energizer's new EcoAdvanced recycled batteries at Walmart. I'll admit, there's a bit of guilt at how much our family throws away. We try to recycle, when possible, but it's not exactly safe to DIY-upcycle an old battery, you know? This is the first battery on the market to use recycled batteries and materials and is Energizer's longest lasting alkaline battery ever. They're good for up to 12 years in storage and provide guilt-free energy by taking something old and making it new. These will be excellent for our home and our homeschool. Here are some other tips on making a homeschool a little more environmentally-friendly.

Utilize Scratch Paper

We've had this old candy bar box as our scratch paper box for years. I fill it with paper that didn't print right, junk mail with blank backs, old grocery lists---anything that has some coloring space left on it. Before I started doing this, my kids would always ask for more and more paper to color on. Now they have a place they can find lots of scratch paper for doodling. Just be careful what you put in there---there has been more than one occasion where important bank documents got sent out into the world as pictures for pen pals!

Use the Library

Most homeschoolers know about the many resources their local libraries offer. From books to movies to reference manuals, we can plan an entire curriculum based on free library materials. This practice makes for a great green homeschool---shared materials are less natural resources used. However, there are other great benefits to the library. We love to hang out there in the dead of summer when it's so hot that air conditioning is a must. We can turn ours off and go enjoy theirs! In addition, many libraries offer classes on gardening, financial planning, and more to help you manage your green homeschool.

Turn it off

As a large family, we already use more than the average amount of water and electricity in a day. Compounded by the fact that we homeschool and are here using it all day, every day, this makes for some big utility bills! It's important to get in the habit of turning off lights, tv, and other plugged in appliances before leaving the room. Many homes, like ours, have light switches that are wired in to plug-ins. We arrange our rooms in such a way that the most-used lamps plug in to those outlets. That way we can turn off all the lights with one switch. In addition, save water by rinsing dishes in a pan of water, turning off the water while you brush, and showing the kids an imaginary line along the bathtub so they don't fill it too full.

Save your garbage

Several months ago, Selah taught us a great way to recycle toilet paper rolls by making bird feeders for the trees in our yard. This family goes through a lot of toilet paper---so this was something we were able to do easily to bless the wildlife in our yard. She spread peanut butter on each tube and then rolled it in bird seed. Some tubes we just slid over a thin, low branch. Others, we hung with twine. The birds and squirrels loved them!

Buy Recycled

Energizer's new EcoAdvanced recycled batteries are one of thousands of products that allow us to be smarter with our necessary "new" purchases. Available in AA and AAA, these batteries take what was destined for a landfill and turn it into something wonderfully new. Guess all those "dead batteries" aren't so dead anymore, eh?

Feeling inspired about these green homeschool ideas? Check out this GuiltFreeEnergy giveaway to win $1,000 in gift cards.

GuiltFreeEnergy Giveaway - $1,000 in Gift Cards

What are some ways you make your homeschool a greener place to learn?