Here you go!

Recently I was lucky enough to receive an Oh Plah! for review and I LOVE it! Are you wondering what on earth an Oh Plah! is? Oh Plah! (a french term for "here you go") is a teething cuff/bracelet for mom to wear made of medical grade thermoplastic that is phthalates, BPA and heavy metal free. It meets or exceeds all current safety standards for both the US and Canada so it's completely safe for for all babes and kids. Thermoplastic was a fantastic choice to make these bracelets out of because it is a recyclable material that won't loose it's shape over time or change, it will always looks the same as the day you got it. You cannot put your Oh Plah! in the dishwasher or boil it but it is bacteria resistant and all it will ever need is a quick wash in the sink with soap and water if you feel the need. You can freeze it though if you need something cool for baby to chew. My Oh Plah! is a wonderful hot pink (my favorite color!) with a flower; there are 6 different colors to choose from with 3 different designs. The Oh Plah! is very light and comfortable as a bracelet, it really could be dressed up or down. Baby K took to it right away and happily chewed away at it as soon as I gave it to him, even preschooler L loved playing with it and happily twisted and turned it and even wore it for a while too. I've only had the Oh Plah! for a short while but it's already come in handy keeping either K or L happy in public more than once. I really like how simple it is to pull off my bracelet and pass it to an unhappy babe or child in the backseat while I am driving without having to dig through my diaper bag and take my eyes off the road. Also because it is a one size fits all bracelet I find it hard too loose and it often winds up on K's wrist instead of the floor so it's easy to retrieve and give back to him. Not only is the Oh Plah! a beautiful and convenient teether/toy but the packaging is great also. The Oh Plah! comes in a cute little chinese style take out box surrounded by pretty crinkled paper strips. The outer packaging is a sheet of card stock like paper containing the name and info about the product but it slips off and turns around and on the other side is a gorgeous wrapping paper design making the Oh Plah! instantly gift-able. The packaging is also entirely recyclable. When you are done with Oh Plah! you can pass it off to a friend or send it back to Roundhouse (the makers of Oh Plah!) to be recycled, they will even pay your shipping.



Oh Plah! retails for $20US see here for a list of retailers in the US or the contact info for TDM Canada (Canadian Distributor) for an up to date list of Canadian retailers.

Clean with the power of green

Recently we've been using Sunlight Green Clean laundry soap and I love it! It works just as well as our regular laundry soap (Tide Free) but Green Clean contains plant based ingredients and is biodegradable. It's also super concentrated so it uses up to 40% less packaging, 25% less water in the manufacturing process, 27% less corrugate and 40% less diesel. So not only is is a green product but it was made green too. I have always been the type to use less soap than the package tells you so I was surprised by the small amount of soap required for a load with this new product. Sunlight Green Clean come in 4 scents; Citrus Fresh, Wild Lavender, Orchid Blossom and Free and Clear. It also comes in two sizes 946ml (32 loads) and 2.83L (96 loads). I tried out the Free and Clear 946ml, I am not big on scented laundry detergents I like my clothes to come out smelling clean and not like soap and they do with Green Clean. Green Clean is specially formulated for HE front loaders but can still be used in top loaders. The formula was created specifically for sensitive skin so it contains no drying alcohol, dyes, fragrances or enzymes, this also makes it a fabulous laundry soap for babies things as well. As a mom this is great as I want to use and buy only one laundry soap for everyone and everything in my household and you can with this soap.

Sunlight Green Clean laundry soap retails for $6.97CAD and can be purchased in both US and Canada at your local Walmart or most local grocery stores. Canadians can also score a $2 off coupon here.

When you want a fresh dishwasher

Before we redid our kitchen and bought a new dishwasher our old one stunk, literally. It had a foul odor lingering of old food I suppose that had somehow made it in and a funkyness that I can only assume was from water sitting inside it closed. I was thrilled to get a new dishwasher and even more excited when I found out about Affresh Dishwasher Cleaner. When you use Affresh once a month it eliminates odor-causing residue and prevents new ones from forming. Affresh Dishwasher Cleaner contains large dishwasher tabs that you run through your washer empty; one in the soap tray and one either in the extra soap tray or bottom of the dishwasher. Just insert the tabs and run on the hottest and heaviest setting and voila a clean smelling dishwasher. Because our dishwasher is brand new we had to wait a bit before we could try out Affresh but once I noticed a funk arising I happily ran an empty load with Affresh. Upon opening the dishwasher door a lemony scent filled the air, C didn't like the smell but I don't mind it. It also comes back a little with later loads. My only complaint would be that we can no longer put our Klean Kanteen's in the dishwasher, the first few times I used my insulted KK coffee mug at Starbucks I was sure they had screwed up my order and even after them remaking it my drink still tasted funny. After a few days I figured it out. Somehow the stainless steel was leaching the scent from the Affresh tabs, which have a pleasant smell but not a pleasant taste. So now we wash our KK by hand, our other dishes seem fine and were not affected by the scent. Overall this is a great product and much needed if you use your dishwasher a lot. I am a bit annoyed that I can't wash our KK's in the dishwasher now as we do have quite a few for every member in our household but I guess it's a small price to pay for a funk-free dishwasher.

Affresh Dishwasher Cleaner comes in a package of 6 tabs for a 3 months supply and retails for $8.99CAD, it can be purchased from any of the following retailers listed here.

HAAPY CANADA DAY!!