“Sleeping Naked is Green” by Vanessa Farquharson Book Giveaway

11. June 2009 · 180 comments · Categories: Books, Contest, Product Review · Tags: , , ,

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Looking to green up your lifestyle?  Journalist Vanessa Farquharson was too.  While working for a conservative Toronto newspaper, she was inspired to do something to reduce her carbon footprint – something a little more drastic and – well, public.  Vanessa decided that over the following year, she’d add one new challenge a day to live a more eco-friendly life.  And she’d blog about it.  The result is Sleeping Naked Is Green: How an Eco-Cynic Unplugged Her Fridge, Sold Her Car, and Found Love in 366 Days, a funny, unbelievably candid, and inspiring book that takes you into the life of a young city woman gone eco.  

I found Sleeping Naked Is Greento be a true inspiration.  Vanessa didn’t start out as a tree hugging granola cruncher in Teva’s.  With a taste for the finer things in life, it was definitely going to be a challenge for her.  (Giving up imported wine for local can be a real drag if you don’t happen to live in France.) But day by day, she made changes – some small like switching to recycled paper, and others big like unplugging the refrigerator and (one of my personal favorites) building a compost bin filled with worms to sit in the corner of her apartment.  Farquharson is so open about everything from her mistakes and embarrassing mishaps to her dating life that readers will quickly think of her as a friend.

Even more so, anyone who reads Sleeping Naked is Green is bound to think, “Maybe I can do some of these too.”  Okay, so maybe we all don’t feel up to the challenge of composting in our living rooms or selling our cars and hoofing it more often.  But I don’t think Vanessa started out that way either. The biggest message here is that anyone can make some sort of change to their current lifestyle.  Even the smallest, such as turning off the lights when you leave a room, start to add up to something larger.  I thoroughly enjoyed Farquharson’s ability to make me laugh and the overall tone, which was not a finger-pointing “you’re killing the earth and you’ll go down with it”  smack over the head, but an inspiring “it wasn’t easy but I did it”.  I found that a lot of the simpler changes I was able to integrate into my own life immediately after reading about them.  (You’ll read about one of them soon on this blog –  and it’s a little extreme, but I’m doing it.)

If you learn best while laughing, if you’re looking for positive changes that you can handle, and if you need to be reminded it’s okay to make mistakes and keep on going anyway, then do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Sleeping Naked Is Green.  It hits bookstores today (June 11, 2009).  And what’s more, I have three copies to give away!  

(Check out Vanessa Farquharson’s blog Green as a Thistle while you’re at it – it’s added to my blogroll as well.  And make sure to look for the upcoming interview here with Vanessa Farquharson!)

Multiple Options for Multiple Entries:

1.) Just tell me something you’ve done, or something you’re willing to do, to try and be more green. (You may enter once a day.) Remember, leave an interesting comment. If I cannot contact the winner, you might be chosen instead based on your comment.

2.) Blog about, Twitter, and/or Subscribe! Get an extra entry for each of these activities.  Just leave a separate comment for each, giving me a link to your blog post, your Twitter name, and/or a note saying you’re a subscriber.  SUBSCRIBE HERE!  

(Psst!  My Twitter name is dkMommy.)

Feel free to do all four to gather multiple entries to win! You have until midnight EST on Thursday, June 18, 2009, to enter.

Peterson Field Guide “Trees and Shrubs” Book Giveaway

29. May 2009 · 211 comments · Categories: Books, Contest · Tags: , ,

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How I love trees!  They provide our oxygen, cleanse the air of pollutants, restore our planet to health.  Perhaps we’re becoming more aware these days of the importance of the grand and wooded inhabitants that share our earth.  I like to think so.  But what do we know about them as separate species?  Can you name the trees in your own yard?  Peterson Field Guides has a most invaluable volume called A Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs.  If you’re planning on spending any time outdoors this summer, whether it’s in the woods or in your own backyard, Trees and Shrubsis worthy of being at your side.

I’m a little rusty when it comes to trees.  I know a lot of my pines due to growing up in the northern regions of the U.S., and I can spot a maple, an elm, a mighty oak.  But there are many maples, elms, and oaks.  Distinguishing those gets a little hazy for me.  I had a 6th grade teacher who “made” us do very involved projects identifying about 50 different tree species, as well as collecting leaves from each.  Had I only had one of these guides, perhaps I’d have had an easier time locating that elusive osage orange!  (Heavens, that still gives me nightmares.)  Somehow, flipping through the pages of Trees and Shrubs is much more enjoyable than having my former teacher lecture us on the lobes of the sassafrass leaf.  I have even started bringing leaves home with me for identification if my guide isn’t nearby.  

The book is set up with sketches rather than photos, which is actually much simpler to reference.  Photos, due to lighting, etc. and a plant’s tendency to not always look like the perfect specimin, aren’t always a very easy way of identifying something.  But the clear line drawings of leaves and their branches in the Peterson Field Guidemake identification a lot easier.  Also included is plenty of information on each tree and shrub as well as text discussing the basic formations on leaves and branches.

Multiple Options for Multiple Entries:

1.) Just visit Peterson Field Guides and tell me another guide you’d like and why. (You may enter once a day.) Remember, leave an interesting comment. If I cannot contact the winner, you might be chosen instead based on your comment.

2.) Blog about, Twitter, and/or Subscribe! Get an extra entry for each of these activities.  Just leave a separate comment for each, giving me a link to your blog post, your Twitter name, and/or a note saying you’re a subscriber.  SUBSCRIBE HERE!  

(Psst!  My Twitter name is dkMommy.)

Feel free to do all four to gather multiple entries to win! You have until midnight EST on Friday, June 5, 2009, to enter.  

Winners will be contacted by email.

Bringing Nature Home – How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants – Book Giveaway

26. May 2009 · 173 comments · Categories: Books, Contest · Tags: , ,

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Occasionally a book revolutionizes my thought.  I find myself changing little by little as the pages turn, and by the close of the cover, I know I’ll be thinking differently from now on.  So was the case with Bringing Nature Home by Douglas W. Tallamy.  Sure, I knew all those wondrous woodland plants my mother pointed out to me as a child were important.  But I didn’t understand why – at least not to the depth I do now!  Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants is filled with gorgeous color photographs and inspiring text that is not only overflowing with Douglas Tallamy’s infectious love of nature, but with ideas of which I quickly adapted.

I’ve been wanting to add more natives to my garden.  I have said numerous times that, although I love herbs and searching for them in the woods and fields, I’m a lousy gardener.  About the time I started reading this book, I had added a few natives to my front garden, a spot infamous among the neighborhood for being filled with limp and unattractive species that are not fit for the shady little plot.  But the natives I added took off!  Why?  They belong there, that’s why!  In that soil, with those bugs and birds and animals.  While progressing through Bringing Nature Home, I gained a deeper understanding of how it all works – how, as Americans, we tend to love our lush green and weedless lawns, and how our native bugs depend on those weeds and native plants to survive.  Without the bugs and caterpillars, we have no butterflies.  Our songbirds have nothing proper to eat and so on.  Sure, alien ornamental trees and plants may be bug resistant, but what good is that to our land’s very necessary bugs?  And are our alien plants really bug resistant?  (See my tirades involving non-native Japanese Beetles and the death of my Asian plum trees!)

I also learned that, to my surprise, I actually found Tallamy’s discussion of bugs fascinating!  I found the entire book fascinating.  His enthusiasm for nature, and for helping restore our country’s biodiversity, is contagious and hopeful.  He doesn’t point fingers and make the reader feel our long history of gardening with alien species is all doom and gloom or irreversible.  He doesn’t suggest gardeners across the country rip up their beloved non-native plants either.  He does suggest we begin adding those natives back in, and he tells you how to do it easily and effectively, all the while building a gorgeous yard filled with butterflies, songbirds, and LIFE.  

I’m very happy to be able to offer THREE copies of the fascinating and beautiful book, Bringing Nature Home.  ($17.95 retail) If you have a garden, whether it be big or small, this book is a must-have.  

Multiple Options for Multiple Entries:

1.) Just visit PlantANative.com and tell me something you learned there. (You may enter once a day.) Remember, leave an interesting comment. If I cannot contact the winner, you might be chosen instead based on your comment.

2.) Blog about, Twitter, and/or Subscribe! Get an extra entry for each of these activities.  Just leave a separate comment for each, giving me a link to your blog post, your Twitter name, and/or a note saying you’re a subscriber.  SUBSCRIBE HERE!  

(Psst!  My Twitter name is dkMommy.)

Feel free to do all four to gather multiple entries to win! You have until midnight EST on Tuesday, June 2, 2009, to enter.  

Winners will be contacted by email.

“The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Organic Living” Giveaway

22. April 2009 · 242 comments · Categories: Books, Contest, Product Review · Tags: , , ,

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While no one knows for sure what the true cancer risks are for eating foods grown with pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals, we do know that these unnatural additions to our food are cancer causing.  This brings to mind the old saying “You are what you eat,” so why not eat organic fruits and vegetables as often as you can? Better yet, why not avoid chemical exposure in all areas of your life?  ”The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Organic Living” will help take away the sense that living organically is an overwhelming, daunting task.  With some simple know-how, you can reduce your family’s exposure to harmful chemicals, thus helping to lower the risk of cancer.  

This new Complete Idiot’s Guide by Eliza Sarasohn with Sonai Weiss offers page after page of useful, practical info.  Organic recipes, raising your own organic produce, and learning to make your own chemical-free beauty products are just a few of the helpful topics covered in this book.  As one can expect from this popular series, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Organic Living is a breeze to reference, and a simple flip-through will make you want to take this book home and use it often.  I’m quite partial to the natural beauty recipes, as you can imagine! Learning to make aloe vera toners, shampoos, even toothpaste and cologne is so much fun you may stop buying these products altogether! And who doesn’t want to add to their healthy recipe collection? This book offers several tantalizing dishes like Corn and Pepper Frittata with Salsa Verde, Zucchini Hummus, and Family Apple Delight.  

There is so much to this book that I simply can’t cover it all here – but you can win your own copy ($18.95 retail) and start cutting back on your family’s chemical exposure.  Healthy, fun, and informative, organic living is made easy in this book.

 This week only: If you donate to help find a cure through the Geodynamo’s home page, email me at themommyspot (at) gmail (dot) com and you’ll receive 3 extra entries into every giveawaythroughout the week! You do NOT need to donate to enter the giveaways, but if you do (even $1) I want to say “thank you”. 

Multiple Options for Multiple Entries:

1.) Just tell me why you’d like to win the book The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Organic Living and what you hope to learn from it. (You may enter once a day.) Remember, leave an interesting comment. If I cannot contact the winner, you might be chosen instead based on your comment.

2.) Email subscribers get an extra entry for as long as their subscription is active.

Already a subscriber? Leave me a separate comment on this post to let me know you’re interested in this giveaway.

Want to subscribe? Just click here: Subscribe to dkMommy Spot by Email (Please make sure to verify your Feedburner subscription by responding to the email they send you. If you do not receive it, check your junk mail. Only verified subscriptions are entered for all the giveaways.)

3.) Blog about this giveaway on your blog with a link back to this post. Come back and leave me a Comment with a link to your blog post. (If your comment doesn’t show up right away, don’t worry – I may have to approve it first. My blog might think it’s spam but gosh darn, I certainly don’t!)

4.) I’m feeling Twittery. If you Twitter a link to this giveaway, come back and comment here to let me know your Twitter name for another entry!

Feel free to do all four to gather multiple entries to win! You have until midnight EST on Wednesday, April 29, 2009, to enter.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Natural Remedies – Giveaway

16. April 2009 · 354 comments · Categories: Books, Contest, Product Review · Tags: , ,

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If you’re looking for a informative reference book to grab when you or a family member need easy access to a natural remedy, The Complete Idiot’s Guide series has the book for you: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Natural Remedies.  This comprehensive guide is a breeze to thumb through, even being published in a convenient size.  It’s organized by medical condition, so one only has to locate their malady to find several simple remedies.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Natural Remedies begins with a few background chapters for those who want a little more indepth reading.  After that,  you’ll discover helpful chapters on everything from Acne and asthma to varicose veins and weight loss.  

What kind of remedies will you find?  Let’s look for natural remedies for depression:  There’s discussion on what may cause your depression, getting the proper nutrients, herb use such as St. John’s-wort, and other alternative therapies.  The book also offers sound advice on talking with your doctor and getting off those pharmaceutical meds responsibly when possible.

For anyone looking for a simple, straightforward guide to natural remedies, here’s your book.  Great for the family that seeks practical, natural health.

Multiple Options for Multiple Entries:

1.) Just visit the Complete Idiot’s Guide homepage and tell me either another book that interests you or something you learned there. (You may enter once a day.) Remember, leave an interesting comment. If I cannot contact the winner, you might be chosen instead based on your comment.

2.) Email subscribers get an extra entry for as long as their subscription is active.

Already a subscriber? Leave me a separate comment on this post to let me know you’re interested in this giveaway.

Want to subscribe? Just click here: Subscribe to dkMommy Spot by Email (Please make sure to verify your Feedburner subscription by responding to the email they send you. If you do not receive it, check your junk mail. Only verified subscriptions are entered for all the giveaways.)

3.) Blog about this giveaway on your blog with a link back to this post. Come back and leave me a Comment with a link to your blog post. (If your comment doesn’t show up right away, don’t worry – I may have to approve it first. My blog might think it’s spam but gosh darn, I certainly don’t!)

4.) I’m feeling Twittery. If you Twitter a link to this giveaway, come back and comment here to let me know your Twitter name for another entry!

Feel free to do all four to gather multiple entries to win! You have until midnight EST on Thursday, April 23, 2009, to enter.

To find more like The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Natural Remedies Book Giveaway, visit our More Giveaways page filled with contest fun from around the blogosphere.

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