When you have a child with allergies and asthma, you rethink everything. When you spend night after night sleeping on the floor just willing that child to breathe normally, you question every choice you’ve ever made.
Should we put hardwood floors in the bedrooms?
Did I read that label 87 times to make sure there wasn’t even a hint of rice in that bread?
Are the insanely expensive mattress and pillow guards enough?
Did I buy the right air purifier? Is the HEPA filter really working?
Should we move somewhere else? Is the Los Angeles smog ruining her childhood?
Once you start questioning, it’s nearly impossible to stop. You walk through your house, room by room, assessing for possible culprits. What needs to change? What can I do today to help my daughter feel just a little bit better?
One day, as I scrubbed a bathroom top to bottom with the hope of eradicating any and all germs still lurking from the cold that swept through the family, I found myself staring at the bottle in my hand. A bleach-based bathroom cleaning product with approximately seven thousand ingredients. It smelled sterile – as you would expect. It smelled like a germ-free zone. But it caused my eyes to sting and water. When I stopped to catch my breath, I realized that I had actually been holding my breath.
Oh. My. God.
How could I possibly have such harsh chemicals in my home? If my eyes were stinging, my daughter’s lungs were probably screaming for help. Right then and there, I made a choice: Natural cleaning products from that moment on.
When my friends at Target reached out to me and asked me to try out some of their new naturally based cleaning and beauty products, I jumped at the chance. A natural product shopping spree at my favorite place to shop? Yes, please.
It started with a brand new reusable shopping tote. I have to tell you, I probably have close to thirty reusable bags in my pantry – but I never have them with me. Why? They’re bulky. They don’t fold up properly and they take up room in the car. And while I try to remember to grab them, I often forget and end up buying more.
Until this came along…
This little piece of reusable perfection fits right into my favorite Coach purse – ready at all times.
And then I shopped….
When I started my purge of harsh chemicals six months ago, I went to straight to Method Home. They have a cleaning product to tackle just about any job in your home, and Target carries a wide variety of their products.
I love the kitchen products. All purpose spray with a light, airy grapefruit scent? I’ll take two. And dish soap that feels soft on your hands but gets the job done? No argument here. But their bathroom cleaning products? Those have saved me. Bathroom cleaning products tend to be particularly harsh. But Method has amazing products made from naturally derived sources that get the job done. Love it.
And the hand soaps are gentle on little hands with big eczema…which makes hand-washing oh so much easier in this house.
But then…Target sent me over to the beauty products department to try out some of their incredible products by Burt’s Bees and Yes to Carrots. I have loved Burt’s Bees for quite some time now. The lotions and hand creams? Amazing. Not to mention the tinted lip balm in Red Dahlia. If you don’t have it in your purse, you need it. Now. Seriously.
And this line from the makers of Burt’s Bees is positively lovely. Who doesn’t want to smell like pears or vanilla or something else subtle but fresh each morning?
Yes to Carrots was new to me. And you know what? I’m hooked! I love love love the hydrating shower gel. Seriously, I can’t get enough. And Sean loves it too, which means I need to restock ASAP.
But the Yes to Blueberry Brightening Facial Towelettes are my new absolute favorite find. I use them for a quick make-up removal/cleansing at night and wow, my sensitive skin is in blueberry heaven.
And the best part of all of this is that you can get everything you need at Target. Super cute reusable totes that fit in your purse. Method cleaning products to keep your home sparkly without all of the gross chemicals that make you cringe. And skin and beauty products just for you – because, let’s face it, tired mommies need a little pampering from time to time.
So now that you know a little bit about my green shopping experience with Target…I have a little something for you.
That’s right. One lucky reader will win one those cute little totes filled with some amazing products from Method, Burt’s Bees, and Yes to Carrots!
All you have to do is this:
Leave me a comment here (NOT on Facebook – that’s a big no-no and it won’t count) telling me which product would really love to try and why.
If you want to enter the contest a second time…
Leave me a SECOND comment telling me one thing to do in your home to help teach your kids about the importance of going green.
You have until March 5th at 9:00am PST to get your comments in…what are you waiting for?
Disclosure: Target gave me the reusable shopping tote and a gift card, as part of their Target Inner Circle program, to try out some of their green products. They did ask me to try the specific brands mentioned in the post. But, as always, all opinions contained in this post are my own. I really, really love those facial wipes and everything else I mentioned. And I love that I can get it all at Target.
