Welcome to Bugs and Brooms!

To all of those who have served this country both at home and abroad, THANK YOU!  We can never offer enough recognition, support, and thanks for your devotion to protecting this country and our freedoms.  You are all heroes!  And a ‘thank you’ to your families and friends who often wait anxiously for word of your safety! 

The citizens of this nation are indebted to you for putting the well-being of our families in front of your own aspirations!  Nothing can be said or done to express how grateful the people of this country are to you for your sacrifice.  To all who have served and continue to serve in every branch and for those who have fought in battles past and current, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!  And my family thanks you too!  We sleep better at night knowing that you are guarding our safety and freedom!  God Bless You!

Tags: Community, Family and Friends, Give Back by
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Well, it has been months since my free giveway for Izzitgreen goodies!  I am so far behind on so many things and I apologize to those who have been anxiously awaiting their package in the mail!  All I can say is, morning sickness and fatigue in early pregnancy really can ruin a day (or lots of days in my case).  Anyway, I wanted to get the results out to everyone and (hopefully) get the goodies in the mail this week!

Izzitgreen t-shirt winners:

• Loretta Smith - NC
• Jennifer Janus - TN
• Melissa Bennett - TN
• Ryan Denny - IN
• Going Green Mama - IN
• Elizabeth Walker - NC

I also received a great tote bag and a stainless steel water bottle from Izzitgreen.  I decided that I would selfishly keep the water bottle for myself and have a drawing for the tote bag.  But that didn’t work out - DD took some of her washable markers to the tote bag (yes, they are washable but that doesn’t mean they COMPLETELY wash off) so, the water bottle is being given away.  I had a drawing of all those that entered (DD did the honors from a cap) and the winner is (drum roll please)………..   Janice Guazzo from TN! 

Congratulations to all and thank you for taking time to visit Izzitgreen and register on their site to help feed a hungry person.  Hopefully, Izzitgreen will be expanding to other cities soon so that we can all have a great resource for finding good and green businesses!

Tags: Community, Give Back, Green Living by
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This is my very first giveaway and I am very excited about it!!  A while back I wrote a post about a great new website based in Boston that helps consumers find products and services that are both good and green!  The site is Izzitgreen.com and the folks there have sent me some great goodies that I want to pass on to my readers!  I have izzitgreen t-shirts, stickers* to help spread the word, and organic, bees wax lip balm!  I also received a super water bottle but I am too selfish to give that one away!!!

I know that consuming isn’t great for the environment.  I have discussed this in previous posts as have the green blogging superheroes Arduous, Green Bean, Crunchy Chicken, and No Impact Man to name just a few.  But unless you are going to live completely away from civilization, consuming is a part of life.  But, we can make responsible choices and izzitgreen.com provides tools to help us choose the best product or service for ourselves while making wise decisions for our environment!

So how do you get in on the free goodies?  Well, izzitgreen.com is only running a beta version of their site in the Boston area right now but will hopefully expand to other cities in the near future.  If you go to their site and register (it only takes a minute) not only will you be eligible for my free giveaway, but izzitgreen will provide one local, organic meal to someone in need through the Feed the Hungry program!  It is a win, win, and eat scenario!  So, go to the izzitgreen site, register to feed a hungry person, and then leave a comment on this post so that I know you have registered!  First come, first serve on all the stuff and I will cover the postage!  Wow - free stuff that is REALLY FREE!!!  Act fast - there is a limited supply of all items!  When you post your comment that you have registered, include your t-shirt size so that I can keep track of how many I have left of each size!

Don’t delay!  If you have registered with izzitgreen previously, you are still eligible - just leave me a comment on this post!  Here are the steps to claim your goodies:

1. Go to izzitgreen.com and register - this is on the honor system!
2. Leave a comment on this post that you have registered - you must leave a comment here so that I will know that you registered!

Good luck to all!!!

* Stickers should only be used on your personal property such as a car window.  Please do not post stickers in public places like street signs, etc.  We don’t want to give izzitgreen a bad name by not thinking about the consequences of our actions.  Generating trash is not the goal here so just be considerate to the environment and your neighbor when posting any stickers regardless of the message!

Tags: Consumerism, Give Back, Green Living by
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Since I started this blog, I have found some very inspiring and mind blowing fellow-bloggers on the scene.  Most have been blogging for a while and really know their stuff.  My blog was not focused on any particular issue - I wanted it to be a general blog that covered the happenings in my life.  Strangely, it has taken on a mind of it’s own with the primary focus being on green and sustainable living.  The main reason for this is my admiration and support of those superhero green bloggers out there - I spend a lot of time writing posts in support of their challenges and projects.  And, as a side-note, blogging is VERY time consuming - more on that in a later post. 

So the latest challenge out there is by Crunchy Chicken.  I have actually signed up for several of Crunchy’s challenges including The Diva Cup challenge and others (one involving bodily fluids that I am not brave enough to write about yet)! 

This particular challenge is ‘Keep Yer Cool - Save the Earth, Skip the A/C June - September 2008′!  That’s right!  It is going to be a super hot summer and we are going to sweat like pigs!  I mean stinky, stinky sweat!  Of course, I am cold natured so this won’t be too terrible for me BUT, DH is a furnace and LOVES his A/C!  And DD is the same.  We co-sleep and I am in the middle of these 2 furnaces!  Even in the dead of winter these two are HOT, HOT, HOT!  And not the sexy hot either (well, DH is sexy hot - oops, I digress)!  Where was I? 

Oh yeah.

In honor of this challenge, I have committed to turning up our thermostat to 80!  This could be a serious problem in the relationship department - men and women usually don’t agree about money and the temperature - but I am going to give it a try!  If a battle ensues, I will relent to 78 but only on extremely hot days or when DH seems ready to bolt!  DD will be fine - she likes to strip done to her skivvies anyway!  OK, she likes to run around butt naked like all of her fellow toddlers!  

So here’s to sweating and Keepin’ Your Cool Naturally!  Just think of all the money we will save by keeping that thermostat up! This one’s for you planet earth!!  And if want in on the fun, just click on the banner and post a comment!  The more the merrier!  I mean, the smellier (or would that be more smelly?) the merrier…

Tags: Frugal Living, Give Back, Green Living, Money Matters, Simple Living, Simple and Green, co-sleep by
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I wanted to get this post out over the weekend but I have had a very hectic past few days.  Anyway….

A few days ago, I wrote a quick post about Goods 4 Girls (didn’t do it much justice really), the program organized by Crunchy Chicken to provide feminine hygiene products to girls that, otherwise, would be without (and, most likely, staying isolated during their menstrual cycle each month).  This is a wonderful program and, the more I learn about it, the more important it becomes in my own mind. 

Recently, Green Bean ran a tribute to Crunchy (banner on the sidebar) in an effort to raise more awareness for the G4G program and to get some donations for the cause.  The donations could be monetary or through the purchase of kits for the program, etc.  I joined in the effort and have decided to purchase a kit from Lunapads for the G4G program.  I would LOVE to do more for this very worthy cause and hope to in the near future, but this will have to be my contribution for now.

I hope you can join in on the fun in any way that you can.  It is really easy to get involved (even for those of us who are technically challenged).  You can even contribute pads that you make yourself!  It doesn’t cost a lot and it is such a wonderful way that we can all give back to the world - no disposable products, uninterrupted education for these girls (benefits too many to mention - you can see the specifics on the website), and giving from those with so much (most of us in this country) to those in need!  But act soon - G4G’s is always accepting of donations, etc., but this tribute to the founder and greenest person I have ever read about (she is truly the Crunchiest), ends soon!  Click here or on the banner at right to do your part!

Tags: Community, Give Back, Green Living, Health, Simple and Green by
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