FREE credits, gift certificates, and more that you'll want to know about!

As you know, sometimes I learn about things that are so phenomenal that I just HAVE to share it with you! So without further ado, here are somethings to know about for December 2011:

1) My gift to you! Use this link to receive a $5 credit at Plumb District: https://www.plumdistrict.com/?ref=u8d41d71a72e. I do believe that you have to use my referral (the link I posted) to get that credit. Not positive about that, but that's what I am interpreting from their website. After you do that, "like" them on Facebook (through their site) to get another $5 off. Combine that with their 40% off deals they often will give you, and you are well on your way to getting a LOT of free money to spend locally or on the Internet.

2) The Annual Mothering Handmade Christmas Gifts Idea Contest (wow! what a name!) is currently ongoing over at http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1337424/the-annual-mothering-handmade-gifts-ideas-contest. You post your idea for a handmade Christmas gift include a photo, and then whichever post gets the most "likes" by other readers will win a Boba 3g carrier. The deadline to enter is 12/10/11! While you're at it, be sure to send me your idea for a handmade Christmas gift so I can feature you on Life More Simply!

3) The Learning Tower is on Facebook. So am I. "like" them at http://Facebook.com/LearningTower. They hinted that they *might* give away something when they get 2,000 followers...and they got that number today! You can "like" me at http://Facebook.com/LifeMoreSimply while you're at it. ;-) PS--I would really enjoy having one of these, so feel free to order one and have it shipped to my house.

4) Restaurant.com is letting YOU give away free gift certificates! You can send up to 40 $10 gift certificates a day. Spread some love to people you know or even people you don't know! I do recommend that ya'll "friend" me on Facebook (Rachel East) so that you can easily send some my way, too. ;-) Want one but don't know anyone to send you one? Let me know in the comments section below and I'll hook you up! https://feeditforward.restaurant.com/

Million Baby Crawl & Giveaway

Seventh Generation needs your help making our nation’s outdated chemical law tougher, in order to make the world safer for our children. Join us in spreading the word about the Million Baby Crawl (http://www.millionbabycrawl.com/) to help educate and empower parents to raise their voices for stronger standards on toxic chemicals.

Did you know that…

• In the 33 years since Congress passed that nation’s chemical regulatory law, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TCSA), the Environmental Protection Agency has required testing on just 200 of the more than 80,000 chemical compounds developed for products used in the home.
• Under the current law, the EPA does not have the authority to demand the information it needs to evaluate a chemical’s risk, and neither manufacturers nor the EPA are required to prove a chemical’s safety as a condition of use.
• 1.25 million kids younger than six are unintentionally poisoned in the home each year by things like cosmetics and personal care products, cleaning substances, pain relievers and cough and cold medicines (American Association of Poison Control Centers)
• Studies show that nearly 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants have been found in the umbilical cord blood of newborns (EWG).
  

How you can help… It’s easy, visit http://www.millionbabycrawl.com/ and create a crawler that represents why you want chemical reform! As an extra incentive (and thank you), Seventh Generation will be giving away a Living Home Starter Kit to one of my readers who creates a crawler! The Living Home Starter Kit is valued at $50.00 and includes:

Ruby Grapefruit & Herb Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner
Green Mandarin & Leaf All-Purpose Cleaner
Emerald Cypress & Fir All-Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Natural Citrus Scent Shower Cleaner
Emerald Cypress & Fir Tub & Tile Cleaner
One Roll of Recycled Paper Towels
…and a Seventh Generation Tote to haul all your new stuff!

Once you've made your crawler, report back to me here and let me know these two things:

1) what the name of your crawler is and 2) one fact about this issue that you found to be compelling.

That's it! This contest will be open until Monday, November 16 at 0730 hours, EST. Please leave your email address and a separate comment for EACH entry into this contest.

Earn Extra Entries By...(after your initial entry)

*Tweeting about this contest (1x/day)
*Emailing 4 friends with "lifemoresimply-at-yahoo.com" CC'd in
*Following me
*Subscribing to me
*Grabbing my button (NOT onto a blog roll)
*Otherwise spreading the word!

Be blessed!

Nominate Me! (pretty please?)

Directions:

1) Read all of this post

2) Click the badge below

3) Nominate me!

I'd love to be nominated in the categories of:

• Working Mom Blog
  From the awkwardness of pumping at work to changing diapers in between conference calls, dish on your favorite working mommy blogger who may or may not have it all together, but pulls it off anyway.


• Eco-Friendly Mommy Blog
  From cloth diapers to all-natural cleaning products, being earth-conscious while still cutting corners is a pretty great talent if you ask us. Know any mom bloggers who share all their fab (and pocket-friendly) eco-tips? Share the wealth.

Why should you take five minutes to do this? Well, because you like to read my blog and it would hugely help me out if I won. The grand prize is $1,000 which would buy me two years' worth of Internet access. I don't have the Internet at home right now--just imagine all of the great posts and giveaways you could get in on if I did have Internet access! If I was a runner-up, I'd use the $100 gift certificate to Pottery Barn Kids to buy splendid things for my beautiful baby girl's birthday (on October 31!).

So please, take a few minutes and nominate your favorite blog (ME!). :-) *hugs* to everyone who is kind enough to do this for me.

Blessings,

Ovarian Cancer--Pay It Forward!

Did you know that 22,000 women are diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer every year?

Seventh Generation has partnered with the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund to help fight the all-too-often silent battle against Ovarian Cancer by donating $1 to OCRF for each person who registers at Seventh Generation's Let's Talk...Period website on September 1, 2009. Up to $22,000 will be donated...that's $1 for each affected woman this year!


Why care?

• Ovarian Cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women.
• The OCRF along with Woman to Woman, a volunteer network providing hope and support to women in treatment, will use those dollars to continue the conversation.

Signs & Symptoms

• Vague but persistent and unexplained gastrointestinal complaints
• Pelvic and/or abdominal swelling or pain
• Bloating and/or feelings of fullness
• Unexplained change in bowel habits
• Urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency)
• Unexplained weight gain or loss
• New and unexplained abnormal postmenopausal vaginal bleeding

Risk Factors (other than being female, haha)

• Peri or post-menopause
• Uninterrupted ovulation (having no pregnancies and no prior use of oral contraceptives)
• Family or personal history of breast/ovarian cancer
• Presence of BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutations

What You Can Do

• Visit http://www.letstalkperiod.com/ today and register so that one more dollar will be donated.
• Be educated. Check out these videos:

Woman on the Street: Find Out What’s In a Conventional Tampon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-CT_PgVHgI

Dr. Alan Greene discusses organic cotton tampons: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L79y6gkefso

Comedienne Jessica Bern, channels Aunt Flo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97ml4-L-1-o Comedienne Josie Leavitt, talks about tampons: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2vJT9GCwfA

PIF- Sandwich Swap & Share Program

Don't have the money to clothe orphans? Don't have the time to volunteer for your local fire department? Well now you can provide 91 meals for hungry people by spending only a few minutes of your time on a fun activity.

As moms, we know that no matter what lunch we prepare for our kids, they always seem to want to swap sandwiches with their friends once they get to the cafeteria at school! When it comes to the time-honored tradition of swapping sandwiches, our kids may be having all the fun. Luckily, Hellmann's® and Best Foods® Mayonnaise has teamed up with musician and actor Billy Ray Cyrus to encourage people of all ages to celebrate their favorite childhood ritual and join the virtual Sandwich Swap 'n' Share program to raise money for Feeding America®, the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity.

For every sandwich created as part of the virtual Sandwich Swap 'n' Share program on Facebook.com/hellmanns Hellmann's® and Best Foods® will donate 7 lunches to Feeding America®. If that isn't enough to get you to click over right now, you just might win something, too! Each sandwich created will automatically enter you for a chance to win a $250 grocery store gift certificate. And for every friend on Facebook® that you share your sandwich with, Hellmann's® and Best Foods® will donate an additional 7 lunches to the charity. (note: the previous two paragraphs were copied directly out of an E-mail sent to me by MomSelect)

I created my first sandwich and sent it to friends just now...it's addicting! The program is made with fast loading fun graphics that allow you to create a sandwich by choosing from a variety of breads, a billion meats (including lobster claws!), cheeses, veggies (felafel, anyone?), and toppings. You can go for the perfect sandwich (like I did with my "veggie-cheese-delight") or the most atrocious sandwich by piling the eggs and sardines sky high! After creating your sandwich, the website allows you to log in to your Facebook account and share your sandwich with 12 people. Only one sandwich can be made and shared per day, meaning that you'll be providing a whopping 91 sandwiches to hungry people every day that you do this (the program continues until 1159 hours on October 30, 2009).

It's fun, easy, and worth it to feed the hungry in America. Pay it forward!