If your kids are anything like mine, they like TV. Me? Not so much. I have a couple things I watch each season and that’s about it (my sick semi-addiction to CNN notwithstanding). Since I tend to be critical of most television programming, particularly for kids, I generally only let mine watch certain things; things with some kind of educational value mostly. So yes, I’m a bit of a control freak when it comes to my kids’ media consumption. Whatever. Well, in case you didn’t know, that doesn’t leave much, but I’m always keeping my eyes open for new and interesting things that I can DVR and save for them to watch when they’re in the mood for some boob tubing. I recently became aware of Kid Guides, a show where two kids travel around to museums, zoos, aquariums and the like and share their adventures in nature and science with viewers. I let my kids watch some clips and they really liked it (they totally dug the “kid” hosts) and I liked it, too, because it was remarkably devoid of spastic, screaming, anthropomorphic cartoon animals (or sponges) and it’s not dumbed down to the point of tedium. And? Kid Guides has received the Parents Television Council Seal of Approval and scored an Emmy Award, to boot. You can check the Kid Guides site (under ‘Show Times’) to see if it airs in your area OR you can get Kid Guides on DVD from Amazon.com

Find It Here: Kid Guides

Win It: We’re giving away 2 Kid Guides DVD’s. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter KG7 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: Name three of the four available Kid Guide DVD’s. Enter by 7/13/09. $30 value. Open to US residents. Winner will be notified by email.

We don’t feature a lot of green stuff for the men here on The Green Mom Review. I’m not really sure why that is but I suppose it’s because we’re not men and what the heck do we know about guy stuff like power tools and beer and remote controls and cars? Do they even make green power tools and remote controls? Hell if I know… But Father’s Day is coming up yet again and we figure most men shave and most shaving stuff is toxic crap (no, really—it is) so why don’t we feature some yummy, non-toxic, organic, pamper-him-with-the-good-stuff shaving products. Hey, it’s better than neckties AGAIN or heaven forbid, a Billy Bass singing fish plaque. So anyway, I got my own husband to try  MiEssence shaving gel and after shave balm and while he’s not one of those metrosexual types that’s all IN to his  personal care and hygiene regimen, he really liked the MiEssence and I like it because I know he’s not introducing all kinds of toxic junk straight into his freshly shaven skin. Father’s Day is settled! He’s getting more MiEssence!  And just so you know, because only the best for my man—MiEssence products are pretty much the gold standard in USDA certified organic personal care products and are also guaranteed to be of organic food grade standard—meaning they are safe enough to go IN to your body, as well as go ON your body—not that you should eat them. But you could. Just sayin :)

Find It Here: Grand Strand Organics

Win It: We’re giving away a bottle of MiEssence Shaving Gel and a bottle of MiEssence After Shave Balm. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter MI6 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: What are three other MiEssence products you’d like to try? Enter by 6/24/09. $48 value. Open to residents of US and Canada. Winner will be notified by email.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve grappled over a gift for a new mom or mom-to-be because I wanted to give them something useful but also non-toxic/green/organic etc. Basically, I wanted to give them the same kinds of things I’d want for my own babies. The problem, however, is that we are a one income family and we have to live within certain budgetary constraints. Translation? I can’t always afford to buy the awesome new baby gifts I want to give. That’s why when I came across the baby gift sets at Lolababiez Organics, I had to share it with you. Not only do they come in a range of prices to suit every budget (starting at $25 and under) but the items in the sets are 1)cute/hip  2)useful (no stupid rhinestone-encrusted pacifiers!) 3)non-toxic/green/organic etc. and come in 100% recycled material boxes. Another item I HAVE to mention even though it’s not specifically green are the doorbell covers printed with messages to let guests know that your baby is sleeping so they don’t ring the bell or knock on the door. I wish I’d had one when my kids were babies. At this point, though, I just want to know why I didn’t think of these first because THEY ARE GENIUS. And lucky you! We’ve partnered with Lolababiez to give you a chance to win not only one of those genius doorbell covers but ALSO a Personalized Gift Set from Lolababiez containing one personalized embroidered organic tee and an organic doll of your choice. See details below!

Find It Here: Lolababiez Organics

Win It: We’re giving away a Personalized Gift Set and a doorbell cover from Lolababiez Organics. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter LB6 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: What kind of coupon do you get for signing up for the Lolababiez newsletter? Enter by 6/12/09. $34 value. Open to residents of US and Canada. Winner will be notified by email. Contest Closed. Congrats to Tina!

Note: This week the Great Green Post Awards are launching and we’re giving away FREE ad space in our sidebars to THREE random participants! Learn more here

Got little ones? Trying to raise them green? Then you might consider adding Sesame Street’s new DVD, Being Green to your eco-teaching arsenal. Being Green stars ultra-cute actor Paul Rudd as Mr. Earth, who teaches Elmo and Abby Cadabby how to be environmentally conscious by recycling, re-using, and conserving water and energy.  In her desire to help Elmo to be more “green,” Abby accidentally turns Elmo the color GREEN and can’t remember how to change him back!  Fun and hilarity ensue and Abby eventually turns Elmo red again and Cookie Monster, Rosita, and Telly Monster pitch in, pledging to be eco-friendly because they LOVE the earth! As a special bonus feature, Being Green also contains 16 pages of downloadable activities and story sheets to extend the learning at home. In addition, Being Green is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled cardstock and is printed with soy-based ink and uses reduced-plastic as compared to other DVD cases. Once your kids have watched it eleventeen thousand times and have the being green thing down pat, pass it on to some other kids and keep the message going. We’re going to help five lucky readers get started by giving away five copies of Sesame Street’s Going Green. See details below!

Find It Here: Being Green

Win It: We’re giving away five copies of Going Green. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter GG6 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: As Mr. Earth, what does Paul Rudd wear in Being Green? Enter by 6/6/09. $16 value. Open to residents of US. Winner will be notified by email. Contest closed. Congrats to our five winners!

I know…I’m, like, the LAST person on the internet to gush over the coolness of the Color Me Houses and Color Me Rockets but I don’t care because I think these playhouses made from recyclable cardboard are super awesometastic. Why? Well, mainly because you can play INSIDE them and we all know how much kids like stuff they can get inside. And? They can color, paint and marker them them any dang way they want to, as well. The word on the street is that kids TOTALLY DIG these award-winning, imagination-stimulating and creative play-inducing toys. As a parent, I dig that they take no batteries, use no electricity and contain zero plastic. The only thing that would up the DIG factor for me is if they were made of recycled cardboard and who knows, maybe someday they will. Nonetheless, I’m pretty sure a very special soon-to-be 4 year old will be getting the Color Me Rocket for his birthday next month. Don’t tell!

 Find It Here: Color Me House

When I’ve gone to my local party supply store, I was always struck by home much themed, matchy-matchy, character-driven junk they carry, none of which appears to be made from recycled materials or eco-friendly inks. It begs the question…What the hell am I doing in here?  In recent years, I’ve tried to avoid the party store altogether and find more unique and thoughtful ways to celebrate. One really neat thing I recently learned about are Big Day Chains kits; they contain everything you need to make a classic 30-day paper countdown chain in anticipation of a big event such as a birthday or a wedding. You simply assemble the links, which are 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper and printed with soy ink and hang it on a wall or from a doorway. You then tear off one link each day as the big day beckons. It’s especially fun for little ones to watch the big day get closer as the chain grows shorter!  For extra fun, the birthday links are printed in full color on one side and on the other side, have outlined birthday shapes ready for kids to color as an added activity. Recycled paper, soy inks and thirty days of old-fashioned countdown excitement makes Big Day Chains so appealing to us that we’d like to share them with one lucky reader! See below for details.

Find It Here: Big Day Chains

Win It: We’re giving away a Big Day Chains kit (winner can choose from the birthday or new baby kit). Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter BDC4 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: To which charity does Big Day Chains donate 5% of their profits? Enter by 4/27/09. $14.95 value.

Don’t take this the wrong way but if you haven’t heard about the chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA) showing up in baby bottles, amongst other things (food cans, milk container linings, water pipes, dental sealants), you need to get up to speed. BPA is a hormone disrupting chemical that, in animal testing, has been linked to a variety of health issues such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, genital abnormalities in male newborns, early puberty in females, poor semen quality, obesity, metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes and neurological problems like ADHD. Is it any coincidence that all of the aforementioned health problems seem to be on the rise over the past several decades as plastics have become more and more prevalent in our lives? My non-expert opinion is no. Fortunately, with the aforementioned information getting out, BPA-free baby bottles are now available so you can feed your baby and feel safer about limiting their exposure to this dangerous chemical. Even better? We’ve partnered with our friends at Mama Goes Green to give away to one lucky reader a Green To Grow BPA-free Baby Bottle Basics Gift Set that contains two BPA-free baby bottles and a package of non-toxic medical-grade silicone beginner (0 – 3 months) nipples all packaged in a super cute re-usable shopping tote. Squeee!

Find It Here: Mama Goes Green

Win It: We’re giving away a Green To Grow BPA-free Baby Bottle Basics Gift Set. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter GTG4 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: Name three other green or organic baby items carried by Mama Goes Green. Enter by 4/25/09. $47 value. Contest closed. Congrats to Andrea!

If there’s one thing we dislike about Easter time, it’s those awful baskets. You know the ones, right? Not only are they kind of um…ugly but they’re PLASTIC! This time last year we featured cool fair trade baskets handwoven in Africa (we love handmade stuff!) and this year we’re featuring these awesome handmade, hand-embroidered baskets made from reclaimed fabrics and buttons. Whimsical, adorable and reusable year after year, these one-of-a-kind baskets are a fun alternative to the plastic junk that’s available in most stores at Easter time and guess what? We’re giving one away!

Find it Here:  Devzbagz

Win It: We’re giving away a Devzbagz Easter ‘Bag’sket. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter DB3 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: What four designs does Devzbagz offer for Easter? Open to US and Canadian residents. Enter by 3/18/09. $25 value. Contest Closed. Congrats Deanna!

When I work in my yard, I always wear gloves. This is partly because I’m kind of prissy and don’t really like getting dirty but also because gloves protect my hands from branches, thorns, stubborn weeds that can cut and of course all the bacterium that live in soil. I learned about all the aforementioned hazards the hard way…by NOT using gloves and thus, I’m now a big fan. Of course, I always wear my husband’s el cheapo grande work gloves and of course, I always swear I’m going to get myself a decent pair. The ones I have my eye on are the West County Gardener Work Gloves. Full of recycling goodness, they’re constructed with a high-tech spandex mesh fabric derived from recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) beverage bottles that have been ground up and spun into recycled yarn and each pair of gloves removes one 8-ounce beverage bottle from landfill. Only adding to their coolness is the fact that they also make them for kids. The Kid’s Classic glove is an exact replica of the adult Classic Glove, with all the same comfort and durability, but smaller. And cuter. My daughter, who always wants the gloves off my hands, literally, would be thrilled to have her very own and I’d be thrilled because then she could help me pull weeds!

Find It Here: West County Gloves

 Win It: We’re giving away three pair of West County Gardener gloves. The winner can choose from the Kid’s Classic and the Work Glove. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter WC3 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: What is a signature feature of the Work Glove? Open to US residents. Enter by 3/20/09. $60 value. Contest Closed. Congrats Shawn!

We know if you come here, there’s a chance you have older kids and thus, you may be familiar with Element for their skatewear and boards. What you may not know is that they also have a line of sustainably-produced 100% organic cotton clothing called Power to the Planet. The Power to the Planet project is about making a difference in the world, which is way cool. What makes their clothing a little different than your average line of eco-friendly clothing, however, is the distinct lack of…crunchiness. Nope, not an earth tone or green colored piece in the whole Power to the Planet collection. It’s all monochromatically colored in shades of white, grey and black and it’s incredibly edgy and hip (and those are words I don’t use loosely, lest I sound like a total dork) Of course, Element’s Power to the Planet line is for anyone who wants to wear it, but we think picky, way-too-hard-to-shop-for teens might really dig something from this collection. Hell, they might even think you’re cool for three and a half seconds for knowing about it ;)

Find it Here: Power to the Planet

Win It: We’re giving away a black organic cotton scoop neck Power to the Planet tee. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter PTP3 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: How many items are in the Power to the Planet collection? Open to residents worldwide. Enter by 3/10/09. $24 value. Contest Closed. Congrats to Linda.

Have you ever seen a purse or tote bag made from recycled candy wrappers? I have, at an Earth Day festival, and they’re way cool—just like the one pictured, from by Sweet-n-Handy Handbags. Made of 100% recycled candy wrappers, bottle wrappers, and similar wrapping materials—most of which were misprinted labels that would  otherwise have been trashed, spending all eternity in a landfill—their bags are bright, colorful, sturdy and of course, green! All Sweet-n-Handy bags are handmade in a small Northern Mexico village by skilled craftspeople and Sweet-n-Handy is also Kiva Microlender. This means they use a portion of their profits to help make microloans to entrepreneurs in developing countries, empowering them to move out of poverty, which we think is REALLY sweet.

Find It Here: Sweet-n-Handy Handbags

Win It: We’re giving away the “Pinata” handbag by Sweet-n-Handy!  Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter SH7 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: What are the names of the four Sweet-n-Handy handbag collections? Open to US residents. Enter by 3/3/09. $40 value. Contest closed. Congratultions, Paula!

Deal: Use the code “GreenMom” to receive a 15% discount on your entire purchase from Sweet-n-Handy.

Get your kids involved in coloring their own Valentine’s Day Cards this year with Color ‘n Kids recycled Valentine’s Day Cards from Stubby Pencil Studio - our favorite place for eco-friendly kiddie arts and crafts supplies! With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we’re excited to be giving away a deluxe Stubby Pencil Studio Green to the Letter Valentine Kit with a whole slew of their eco-friendly art supplies including all of the items below:

• 3 sets of Color ‘n Kids recycled Valentines
• Set of 8 Washable Markers (25% recycled plastic)
• Set of 16 Soy Crayons
• Set of 12 Giant Color Pencils (reforested wood)
• Set of 10 Graphite Pencils (recycled cedar)
• Pencil sharpener

Win It! Win a Green to the Letter Valentine Kit, courtesy of Stubby Pencil Studio! Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter VAL57 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: What is one other type of Color ‘n Kids Cards from Stubby Pencil Studio (besides Valentines)? Open to US and Canadian residents only. Enter by 1/30/09. $55 value. Contest closed. Congrats, Tina S.!

Deal! Receive a free set of Color ‘n Kids Birthday Wishes with purchase from Stubby Pencil Studio using code “GMF09″. Expires 3/31/09.