Blog With Integrity, a result of this ongoing debate and need for blog reform, was started this month by four amazing bloggers - Kristen Chase (Motherhood Uncensored), Liz Gumbinner (Mom-101), Julie Marsh (The Mom Slant), and Susan Getgood (Marketing Roadmaps). The basis is this (taken verbatim from Susan Getgood, who put it best): Blog With Intergity is “a tangible and collective way to express our commitment to a simple code of blogging conduct. It recognizes that there’s no single right way to blog and more than enough room in the world for different approaches”. By signing the pledge and putting a button on your blog, you’re aligning yourself with wonderful people who truly care about the content they’re putting out there.

That being said, I wanted to make clear some things about my personal blogging policies. I have never taken cash or other cash-like entities to write a positive review (or any review) about a product. If I receive a product to test out, I acknowledge it within my review. I am extremely selective about the products I do write about - if I can’t use the product personally, I ask my contact for more information about it, so as not to waste anyone’s time or money. And, if I feel that a product is too expensive, I just won’t write about it, or, I’ll put it in a more general review about lovely but expensive green items we all wish we could afford. I was under contract as a paid blogger for Brita Water’s Filter For Good campaign, and every post I wrote for them was swag-free. That contract has now expired, and I am lone teensygreen blogger once again.

I have more often than not tried to steer teensygreen into a forum for discussions about issues regarding children and eco-activism, rather than a consumer platform. I have taken some time off lately - and probably more time to come - to figure out where I’d like the focus of teensygreen to go for the future. I do have issues with many eco-products out there - generally, they are very expensive for many, if not most of my readership (including myself). The green blogosphere is also incredibly saturated, which says a lot considering when I started teensygreen two years ago, I could barely find anyone writing quality eco-articles on the web.

So. I’ll keep blogging if you keep reading (and blogging). Only this time, remind yourself - how, why, who, and what you’re writing affects. Every. Single. Post.

One thing that really makes me go “grrrr” are party favors that end up in the trash faster than you can say “Happy Birthday”. For whatever reason, whether it be last-minuteness or the inability to find products locally, parents are still taking the easy way out. It really is possible to find great party activities and favors without breaking your bank or sucking too much time out of you! Here’s an example -

I was recently introduced to Calafant’s recycled cardboard, decorate yourself figure kits, and I’ve been telling everyone I know about them. The Calafant small kits let kids build and decorate dinosaurs, houses, race cars, fire trucks and more. They’re sturdy, and can hold up to markers, crayons, stickers, glitter, paint, anything your kids can think to throw on it. The high quality cardboard allows the toy to stand on it’s own, and they’re fully biodegradable. They may even outlast the junk food! You can buy them in party packs of eight, which puts them under $7 per piece - a very reasonable price for a thoughtful party favor.

I think this is a great main craft for a birthday party as well - no need for a goodie bag! The medium and large kits are even more amazing, with treehouses, forts, and castles that children can play with small dolls and figures. They’re also great for soon-to-be big brother and sister gifts to keep older kids busy with when a new baby comes home, too!

Craft parties for kids are all the rage right now. Instead of paying a company to come and set everything up, hosting a craft-based birthday party is a welcome change from arcades or other loud, obnoxious venues. Art parties are fun, creative, and always get great reactions from parents and kids!

Fortunately, there are amazing resources to find ideas for birthday party crafts, for any time of year. My favorite kid’s crafty website right now is No Time for Flash Cards. Started by Allison McDonald, a former preschool teacher and now full-time mom to her two-year-old son, No Time for Flash Cards keeps kids busy and educated through thoughtful yet simple hands-on activities. The site is broken up into “Crafts,” “Book Reviews,” “Songs,” “Alphabet Activities,”and “Naptime Creations” (for older kids who don’t always get a chance to use smaller items when little ones are around).

There’s something for every kind of child here - quieter activities for more meticulous kids, and more open-ended crafts for those who like to throw around the color and stickers with reckless abandon. There are many crafts using recycled materials, which is a huge plus in my house. And, we love the book reviews - my girls often ask to go right to the library after I read Allison’s review to them!

Since the Fourth is coming up, my girls have been really into the concept of fireworks. The “Light Up the Sky” craft is a perfect way for kids to imagine their perfect fireworks display. Instead of gluing the “fireworks” onto paper, I’m going to have the girls attach them to paper towel rolls, to bring to the beach when we see them this weekend. It’s a great way to get kids into the spirit of the night!

Here’s a great place to begin. Think of Green Planet Parties as your eco-party planner, from table decor to goodie bags. You can outfit your entire shindig right here - from the tablecloth and reusable decorations, to plates and napkins, right to the little extra something sent home with the kids.

I love GPPs “Party in a Bag” - a generous set of plates, napkins, and utensils to make your celebration table chic and eco. Choose from Sugarcane Bagasse plates in white, or a more textured palm leaf plate, which has a great background story. These leaves come from India, where local villagers gather palm leaves that fall to the ground naturally. They are then thermoformed (heated and formed) and finished into a plate shape. No trees are harmed to make either plate, and both sets of plates are fully biodegradable and compostable after use, meaning they’ll return to the earth from which they came.

Each Party in a Bag contains:

25 - 7″ Earthenware Palm Leaf plates or 6″ Sugarcane Bagasse Plates

50 - plush napkins made from 100% recycled and 40% post-consumer materials

25 - 9oz cold cups made from PLA corn

75 - 25 each of spoons, forks, knives PLA corn based cutlery

1 - complimentary oxo-degradable garbage bag for clean-up

1 - complimentary reusable cotton bag for everyday use

Attention green party planners everywhere! Green Planet Parties is generously donating a “Party in a Bag” giveaway set for one party-giver (retail value $36.75 for palm leaf and $32.95 for sugarcane)! The rules are simple - visit Green Planet Parties, and leave a comment here with an answer to this: What item from Green Planet Parties will give your summer celebration the green kick it needs? It can be for the kids, for your table or an upcoming wedding. This giveaway will be open through next Tuesday, July 7th, at midnight PST. The giveaway is open to US residents only, the winner will be chosen at random. Good luck, and happy summer!

If your kids are like mine, you must get invited to a lot of homemade birthday parties (whether it’s really anyone’s birthday or not)! I’ve always kept a set of birthday goodies around to play with over and over. We have a wooden cake set from Melissa and Doug, but as I’m a self-professed Etsy addict, I wanted a handmade, soft version as well. Lo and behold, what a hit I’ve found with The Fakery Bakery!

Isn’t the name the best? Paula McCrosky hand sews adorable cakes, cookies, cupcakes, donuts and even Pop Tarts, in a variety of sizes and colors. Made from felt, these yummy creations are sure to last many a tea party or birthday extravaganza with your children’s stuffed animals. You can custom order products in various foods and colors, to please even the pickiest “eaters”.

If you love a wonderfully cozy look to your play food, Crazy Daisy knits adorable confections that are totally party-worthy. You can even order a nice big slice for the birthday boy or girl with their age, to really personalize their day. I love the detail on Crazy Daisy’s page, including fancy fondant cakes and conversation heart cupcakes.

Now, off to get my REAL birthday cake fix!

What you need to do:

• Make a 30 second clip of you using the lemon cream cleanser showing the effectiveness and how it is healthy and eco-friendly.
• Download your 30 second clip to any service such as YouTube, Google Video or Viddler.
• Link your video to the ecostore USA Facebook Fan page (you must also become a fan).
• One winner will be chosen by the ecostore USA team based on creativity, uniqueness, and effective use of the product.
• Video Contest begins June 16th and ends June 29th, 2009
• All Entries MUST Fill out our online entry form on their website.

What you get if you win:

• A $500 Visa Card
• A link to the ecostore USA website and blog to the winner’s blog, video or both.
• A link to the winner’s video, blog or both that will be used for a coupon at coupon.com to promote the lemon cream cleanser at Meijer stores.

Ok, so you don’t have a lot of time. BUT, a $500 Visa card to use for anything you want seems a pretty awesome incentive to get in front of a video camera. Can’t wait to see who wins! Good luck!

These days, I limit the amount of cereal we have in our pantry at one time (usually two or three - two “healthy” cereals and one “fun” one). This saves money by not allowing the cereal to go stale, cutting down on food and packaging waste. It also allows my kids to rotate what they eat, so they can try new cereals and enjoy them for a couple of weeks.

When I found Three Sisters Cereal at Whole Foods (where is available exclusively), I judged it right then and there strictly on the packaging. There, among the shelves of boxes, were not-too-big (12.5 ounces), see through bags of naturally sweetened, whole grain cereal. No box! For the same amount of food, the price was less than most cereals, and no need to recycle a box, Three Sisters also explains that their cereals are produced using sustainable energy. Three Sisters purchases wind-generated electricity credits from Windsource, a Colorado renewable energy program. They estimate on the bag that if even half of the cereal boxes used were simply bags, it would save “90,000 tons of paperboard…the energy saved could power 11,000 homes for a year.” All because of a cereal box!

I bought the Cinnamon Sweets flavor, which was definitely sweet without being overpowering. My older daughter loved it, and I have to say I had a few bowls myself. That being said, it’s not the most nutritious line of cereals, which puts it in my “fun cereal” rotation. I was also disappointed to find that Three Sisters’ Sweet Wheat and Marshmallow Oaties are made with an animal-derived gelatin, making the cereal not suitable for vegetarians, vegans, or people who are kosher or Halal (the other flavors are certified Kosher). Hopefully, this can change in the near future - and maybe cereal companies will catch on about Three Sisters’ innovative, waste-saving packaging.

The flash cards come in a pack of 48 cards, each one illustrated with a simple yet powerful suggestion fit for a child to understand. The Respect the Earth Flash Cards have sayings such as “When you play or read during the day…Use natural light. Turn on lights only when necessary!” “To better understand the planet…Spend time in Nature and see what it can teach you.” And, my personal favorite, one which I’m really trying to help my own kids - “Before opening the fridge…THINK before opening the fridge! Don’t let the cold air escape!”

Good Citizenship cards feature words of wisdom such as  “When someone is being unfair…Point out injustice!” “When a volunteer is needed…volunteer!” “When people talk about the news…listen and learn about your world.” Both sets of cards are great for kids who are ready to step up and learn about responsibilities both within the home and the larger world around them. Eeboo recommends these for kids ages 5 and up, but are a great tool for every child - as well as a reminder to parents about what’s important for children to learn beyond reading and writing.

I am not one to shy away from soda, but I have been trying to cut down/cut it out completely this year. One alternative I love is carbonated water, or club soda or seltzer, or “bubbly water” as my kids put it. I feel like I’m getting that carbonated soda-y feeling without the caffeine, sugar, or sodium. What I don’t like is buying bottles and bottles of seltzer and, even though I recycled the bottles, just felt like there could be an alternative to all the liters of water.

Sodastream is doing just that - liberating people from plastic bottles and soda cans by allowing people to make their own sodas and carbonated water at home. If the average American consumes almost 600 cans or bottles of soda every year, more than bottled water - doesn’t it make sense to stop the cycle and make your own, avoiding the waste? Here are the amazing environmental benefits of a soda maker -

• No batteries or electricity
• Reduces energy used to manufacture bottles and cans
• Reduces gas and pollution from shipping packaged beverages
• Eliminates pollution from batteries

I have the Pure home soda system, and I LOVE it. It doesn’t use electricity or batteries to work - just the power of carbon dioxide injected into their special water container. It’s very easy to use - install the carbon dioxide canister, fill the bottle with cold water, attach it to the system, and inject the CO2. You can leave the carbonated water as is, or add Sodastream’s large variety of soda-flavored syrups or natural essence water enhancers to give it great flavor.

I’m going to mention this about the SodaMix flavors. They do have less sugar than regular soda, but they are make with a Splenda-sugar mix, which is an often controversial alternative sweetner. I’ve tried a few of the flavors - ginger ale, root beer, orange - but am looking into alternatives to these syrups. My friend Tara Burner (follow on Twitter @taraburner) let me know about natural fruit syrups at Whole Foods, or simply adding fruit juice to the  water for a natural spritzer. It’s up to you if you want to use the syrups, and I have to admit, they’re good. I’m not comfortable endorsing a Splenda-flavored product, but it’s worth getting a Sodastream and using it as you’d like. I’m drinking more water now, and am happy to not have to add more waste, even to the recycling bin!

So, now to the fun part! I’m giving away one Pure Sodastream at-home soda making kit, which comes with a carbon dioxide canister, water bottles, and sample soda/water flavors. It’s a $150 value, and worth every penny! To enter, please leave a comment here with an answer to this question - What will you make with your Sodastream? Use these recipes as a handy guide, or make up your own flavor! I’m all about the Shirley Temple this weekend - ginger ale, grenadine, and cherries. And my husband think egg creams and black and white sodas are in order. Who’s with me?

The contest will be open now until next Thursday, June 11th at midnight, PST. Open to residents of the continental US only. The winner will be chosen at random. No PO boxes, please! Good luck!

While I do use my iPhone for everything from my calendar to grocery lists to Twitter on the go, I’m still a paper purist. I keep a running to-do list in a notebook that never leaves my side. I also am very aware of my phone use around my kids, and I make sure they know that the phone goes away when it’s play time with them, or when we’re out at an activity. While I have fully embraced technology and all it’s conveniences, I read more and more about how moms can take it a little too far. They find themselves sleeping less because they can’t tear away from the computer, or becoming preoccupied with their kids via texting or checking email. I’m the first to admit I’ve been there! But, I’m also not going to let my phone dictate my day.

So, while all of these gadgets can make life easier, don’t forget to literally unplug and take some time for yourself and your kids! I’d love to hear from you - do you have a personal set of rules and regulations when it comes to your computer or phone? Do your kids know how to use the computer or phone better than you? Leave a comment, or find me on Twitter @teensygreen, of course!