Swanson Health Products Review and Giveaway

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Congratulations! Winner  #16 cw

Recently I was given the opportunity to review several products from Swanson Health Products. Swanson Health Products was founded in 1969 with the goal and desire of bringing health and wellness to the world. They carry a vast array of products varying from supplements and vitamins to bath and beauty products and even healthy foods and more. Shopping on their site can be a little overwhelming with all the items they offer but it's almost certain you will find what you are looking for. You can even search for products based on health concern, which is pretty handy. I am a big believer in natural and organic products and love the variety that Swanson Health Products offers.   

"Swanson Health Products sells discount vitamins and supplements, organic foods, natural skincare products, homeopathic remedies and more at the lowest possible prices. From old favorites like vitamin D, fish oil and weight loss supplements to health food products like organic coconut oil, you won’t find a better value anywhere else. In fact, we guarantee it—we guarantee our prices, our service and our quality. So start shopping and enjoy the savings."

Here are just a few of the products that Swanson Health Products carries and that I was given the chance to try.

Tom's of Maine Unscented Beauty Bar Soap and Tom's of Maine Toothpaste

I am very familiar with Tom's of Maine products and have used several of them. We regularly use Tom's of Maine toothpaste and love it. I had never tried this specific soap bar but was happy to see that it was unscented and for sensitive skin. Both my husband and little girl have sensitive skin and so I regularly purchase items that are free of synthetic fragrances and harsh chemicals. These are great products and Swanson Health carries a nice selection of other Tom's of Maine high quality products.

Alba Botanica Clean Enzyme Aloe Deodorant Stick

I have seen the Alba Botanica brand before but have never tried their products. This deodorant is unscented and does not contain any harsh or harmful ingredients. Alba Botanica makes natural bath and beauty products and they can all be found while shopping online at Swanson Health Products. I am very interested in trying some of their facial cleansers as well. This deodorant is a wonderful product if you are concerned about aluminum and other additives commonly found in other deodorants.

Now Foods European Clay Powder

This is a 100% natural clay facial skin mask. "This mask will help draw out impurities from the pores and remove debris from under the skin, decreasing pore size." This stuff was a little messy to use but I loved how smooth and clean my skin felt after using it. I think this mask is great for people that tend to have an oily skin type. It really feels like it is absorbing the excess oil and I notice my pores did appear smaller after using it. Now also makes vitamins and supplements and has a nice selection of essential oils as well as healthy foods all which can be found on Swanson's.

Garden of Life CODmega

This is just one of many supplements that Garden of Life makes. This is a product I was glad I received because I believe that EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids play a great role in your overall health. This particular brand is dairy free, gluten free and  contains no artificial colors or preservatives. Omega-3s support cardiovascular, brain, nerve, bone, skin, eye and immune system health.

Australis Something Goof Classic Bread Mix 

                                      "Warm up your home with the smell of fresh baked bread with Something Good Classic Bread Mix. Gluten free, this simple white bread is easy to mix and bake. It makes a medium sized loaf that is light with a subtle taste. It can be made ahead of time and frozen until you need it. Free of gluten, wheat, dairy, egg, peanut, tree nut, soya and fructose." This stuff is perfect if you are on a gluten or dairy free diet and it really is very simple to make. For those not watching their dairy intake you have the option of adding butter and egg to the mix which I did and it made a very fresh and tasty loaf of bread. Australis Foods also makes a few other food products for people on a gluten free or vegan diet. Swanson Health Products even has gluten free as a search option when shopping.

You can get all these products and many more at http://www.swansonvitamins.com/. Also be sure to follow them on Facebook for info on new products and promotions.

Want to win a $10 gift certificate to shop Swanson Health Products?

To Enter: Visit Swanson Health Products online and tell me something you would purchase. You can also get extra entries for following GGG through GFC, Subscribing via email, liking us on Facebook and following via Twitter.

This giveaway will end on April 11. 2011. I will choose the winner using Random.org. Please leave a valid email address if it is not visible in your profile. US entries only.

***Monica***

The featured product{s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone.

Super Quick Eco Frugal Tip

Save the tissue inside the gift bag and use it to make colorful flowers with your kids.

COVERGIRL Lip Perfection Review

Want luxurious lips in vibrant colors that pop? The new COVERGIRL Lip Perfection Lipcolor are designed to do just that . These new lipsticks hit the store shelves in January of this year in 44 shades made to compliment any skin complexion, but beautiful colors are not all that this new product has to offer. With a blend of silk therapy moisturizers Lip Perfection Lipcolor also moisturize your lips making them incredibly smooth. They are also hypoallergenic and suitable for sensitive skin.

As a member of BzzAgent I was given the opportunity to try this  new lip color in my choice of two shades. I choose the Sweetheart and Spellbound. Sweetheart is a pale pink that shimmers and looks absolutely gorgeous. My husband complimented me on my lip color the first day I wore it. Spellbound is a deeper mauve color perfect for a night out. These lipsticks go on smooth and really do leave your lips softer. I also like that the color stays on your lips practically all day long. At $6.50 retail price these COVERGIRL Lip Perfection Lipcolor's are a bargain worth purchasing. Get your perfect shade wherever COVERGIRL cosmetics are sold. Want to stay informed on new COVERGIRL products? Like them on Facebook!

***Monica***

The featured product{s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by BzzAgent. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone.

Catching Babies

If you've read my other blog you'll know a few things about me including these three very important things - I'm very pro-life, very pro-midwife and very pro-adoption. Babies before they're born, as they're born and after they're born (and abandoned). Babies have been a passion of mine since I was in diapers myself.

I was recently given the opportunity to review the book Catching Babies by J.D. Kleinke and was excited because it fit in one of my passions and that is how babies are born.

Catching Babies is a fictional story with true birth stories intermixed. The book is fast-paced and dramatic! The excerpt from back of the book summarizes the book perfectly:

"Welcome to the world of Catching Babies. In the halls of a busy metropolitan teaching hospital, a group of OB/GYN doctors complete their residencies and embark on ambitious careers, all while trying to hold their lives together at the seams. Jay is running from a life he’s tried to leave behind, while Katie sacrifices everything she has to serve an endless parade of needy patients. Anna is out trying to save the world, while Tracy is trying to save twins dying in utero. Based on true stories from delivery rooms and labor decks, Catching Babies spins the doctors’ stories into a gripping mosaic of the obsessions, the anxieties, and the heroism of doctors who have chosen to preside over life’s greatest medical drama—high-risk childbirth."

The resident OB characters themselves are very colorful and range from neurotic to quiet, from selfless to selfish, from homosexual to straight, from pro-life to pro-abortion, from married to divorced or single, from midwife to OB, from religious to non-believing. Just about every controversial subject that can be hit on is hit on. The book seamlessly follows one resident to the next as they try to figure out the woman's complex body in one of the most beautiful and defining moments in her life; the birth of her baby. They are all connected in their crazy, upside-down world of high-risk obstetrics as they also fight the demons of their past, present and future.

The main thing I gleaned from this book is that obstetricians, the men and women who catch babies in the delivery room, are human just as I am. They have deep emotions and feelings about the work that they do, sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad. They're thrown into a residency that is so demanding of them emotionally and physically because it deals mostly with the high-risk and impoverished. The obstetricians find they do not know what a more "normal" birth would look like unless they happened to stumble upon the phenomenon randomly.

You'll meet an OB who absolutely hates doing cesarean sections and another OB who is very pro-woman and really listens to what the woman wants for her birth, even in a high-risk situation. But on the flip-side you'll meet an OB who finds women coming in to give birth as numbers to check off a chart and is emotionally detached from the each birth; it's just very medical to them.

The book gave me a better understanding of why our maternity care is the way it is in America. It gave me a better idea of why obstetricians treat birth as something to be controlled rather than a natural physiological event. I walked away feeling a little disturbed by how obstetricians are trained and wishing they were given the opportunity to witness both ends of the spectrum: the no/low-risk and the high-risk respectively. But high-risk is what they are thrust into in their training, it is what they know when they graduate from residency and become doctors.

The author, J.D. Kleinke, has a very impressive resumé that made his novel even more enticing. Not only is he an author but he is a medical economist, policy expert and health industry leader who has helped create health care information companies. He is a man who has been "on the inside" of the hospital wards. His book is riddled with the stereotypical "saving-my-own-butt doctor" who updates medical records when someone else catches his mistakes and nurses who make nasty racist comments to patients. I have a feeling, even though they were fictional in the book, that there were more than a few inspirations for those characters in Kleinke's real life experience.

All-in-all I think the book is a cannot-put-down-must-finish-now read. I would stay up late and get up early to read it. I have always said that a good book makes you feel something and this book had me on a roller coaster of emotions! I felt saddened, sorrowful, outraged, vindicated, offended, defended, disgusted, joy, elation, fear, justice, injustice, incredulous, shocked... the list just goes on and on. You never stay in one emotion for very long as I had mentioned it is fast-paced. I think the book is an important read because it exposes a side of maternity care that needs to be exposed.

Because I feel so passionately about the subject of our current maternity care crisis here in the USA and because this book is just so complex and captivating I will link you to an interview with the author that touches on important questions about the book (there are some mild spoilers over there). So go visit Birthing Beautiful Ideas!

If you want to purchase Catching Babies you can find it on Amazon.
Also join the Facebook page and give J.D. a shout-out!


PLEASE NOTE: If you are currently pregnant please read this book after you have had your baby. There are very disturbing and graphic birth scenes with horrible outcomes. While I am pregnant and did read this while pregnant most of these birth stories were ones I already knew, were similar to ones I have known and because I almost-daily immerse myself in this particular subject by way of research and other blogs I knew I was fine to read it. Just keep that in mind because if you're highly sensitive and need to put yourself in a state of peace while pregnant then definitely read the book after your birth. This is not a birth book.

♥
Joy

Tropical Traditions Coconut Peanut Butter Review and Giveaway

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Congratulations! Winner  #33 Hannah

 

If you recall a few weeks ago I reviewed Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil. I was very impressed with that product and so when I was contacted by Tropical Traditions again and asked if I would be interested in trying one of their other many products of course I said yes. This time I chose to review Tropical Traditions Coconut Peanut Butter. As soon as I saw it on their website I just thought it sounded delicious.

Tropical Traditions Coconut Peanut Butter is made with two ingredients organic peanuts and organic coconut and nothing else. You don't need to worry about any fillers, preservatives or added sugar here this product is completely natural, organic and not to mention healthy. Tropical Traditions ensures that they use the best ingredients in their products and this is evident when you try this creamy Coconut Peanut Butter. It taste well, like coconut and peanut butter and makes a yummy Coconut Peanut Butter and jelly sandwich. My little girl Penelope also enjoyed it on crackers and my husband loves the stuff on ice cream. Ice cream?! That's right this stuff is temperature sensitive and when spread on top of frozen ice cream will turn into a hard shell. Mmmm. Tell me that doesn't sound good. There are many other ways to enjoy this delicious spread, just check out Free Coconut Recipes and do a search for coconut peanut butter. The Inside-Out Coconut Peanut Butter Cups look and sound amazing! I will definitely be making these really soon.

You can purchase a jar of Tropical Traditions Coconut Peanut Butter online.

Want to win a jar of this yummy stuff?

To Enter: Please visit Tropical Traditions online and subscribe to their newsletter. You can also get an extra entry for following them on Twitter and becoming a fan on Facebook. As usual you can also get extra entries for following GGG through GFC, Subscribing via email, liking us on Facebook and following via Twitter.

This giveaway will end on April 7, 2011. I will choose the winner using Random.org. Please leave a valid email address if it is not visible in your profile. US and Canada entries only.

***Monica***

Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Spoonk Acupressure Massage Mat Review

Image via Spoonk Space

When I write a review I try to always balance my feedback with things I like about a product and things I think should change or be improved in a product. However, every-now-and-then I get a product to review that I absolutely love and can't find much to improve or change about it. The Spoonk Acupressure Massage Mat is one of these products. It is one of my favorite products ever to review. 

When I first read about the Spoonk Acupressure Massage Mat I was intrigued and very interested, but at the same time skeptical about trying it. I wasn't skeptical that it was eco-friendly, but that the mat would have the healing benefits it was claimed to have. Would this little old mat really relax my back neck and shoulders or could it relieve tension in my neck jaw and face? Could it even remotely improve my mood and boost my energy?

My mat

In short... I am addicted to the mat. I cannot go to bed without using it. Well I can, but not without missing the mat. When I use the mat before going to sleep (sometimes accidentally falling asleep on it) I wake up and my back and mind feel so relaxed. I feel rested and ready to tackle another stressful day even if the night before I stayed up late. My sleep is deeper and I don't toss and turn as much either. 

During my testing of the mat I used it on my back, neck, legs, and even lying chest down on it too. Lying face up or down I have found that using the mat has relaxed me into sleep. Using it under my legs and rear at one point helped me relieve my fatigued and achy muscles. I never quite caught on how it worked with the feet. I felt strange just standing in the middle of the mat in the middle of the room, but I will continue to try it. 

I never used the mat on my bare skin. That mat stimulation points are too sharp for that, but I could comfortably use it with the clothes I had on. A towel between the mat and skin is suggested, but I found my towels to be too thick to get the full affect. 

How sharp are the points? The points are not needle or nail sharp, but sharp enough to stick you if you aren't paying attention. This did happen to me in the very beginning when I began to use it. Distracted and speaking to my husband as I reached back to readjust the mat behind me I stuck my pinky. It wasn't pleasant, but I got over it quick. This mat is worth it. I just make sure to roll it up, pack it in the mat and move it out of the way when I'm not using it. 

If I were to change anything I would make the mat bag a little easier to use. I don't like the narrow opening of the bag. I have to roll the mat tight in order to get it in the bag. What would I change about the mat? I'd like a longer mat. I found that a few times I wanted to use it all at once from head to toe. I don't know if it would work as well this way, but I would have loved to have tried. 

The mat takes a little getting use to but with a little patience it works wonders and I say that after using it only for a little over a month. I'm delighted that on top of its healing affect that mat is also eco-friendly as healing product should be in my opinion. How green is it? The mat is made of 55% organic hemp, 45% organic cotton, recycled non-toxic ABS plastic (stimulation points). Even the foam inside is eco-friendly.

  

Want one? Spoonk Space will be sponsoring a Spoonk Mat giveaway in April during Mama Palooza. So, keep your eyes peeled for this awesome giveaway! For more information visit their website.