This post brought to you by White Cloud. All opinions are 100% mine.

I am not a facial tissue consumer. We almost never, ever buy them. At home we opt for reusable cloth hankerchiefs. They are soft, easy to clean, and easy to always keep on hand when we need them. This is a practice I learned from my dad. He wore suits nearly every day and you would not find wadded up pieces of paper tissue in his pockets. He carried around a nice “hankie” at all times.

Of course I did say we almost never buy facial tissues. There is one time each year when we do buy them and that time is actually right around the corner….back to school season. My kids are about to begin summer break this week but within a 3-4 weeks I will likely start thinking about all the stuff they will need to return to school with and one of those items is facial tissues (the paper kind). They are always on the school supplies lists and since I take so many liberties with the other items (ie no plastic baggies and beeswax crayons instead of Crayola) I am happy to get exactly what they want in this regard. I can make a more conscious and savvy decision on what to buy though and a good option in my mind is White Cloud.

Why are they just a bit better than their competitors? Well, White Cloud Facial Tissue is made from renewable sources and is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. You are also supporting a worthy cause. Last January they teamed up with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and asked children who were receiving treamtment there to design some tissue boxes. The top ten were then posted to the White Cloud Facebook Page where fans voted for their favorites. The three designs that got the most votes are available now in Walmart stores (since May 25) for a limited time and the company will donate $15,000 to each of the winning artist’s hospitals. I like the idea of buying a product made with more environmental awareness obviously but I also like supporting a company who is doing philanthropic work.

If you want to look for them in your own back to school shopping check the White Cloud Store Locator. And make sure to check out July’s All You magainze for a .75 cents off coupon. Every litle bit helps!

Other links: White Cloud Twitter Page | White Cloud Pinterest Page

This post brought to you by Allstate. All opinions are 100% mine.

I am not generally an optimistic person. I don’t see the glass as half full without a little effort. I worry a lot. I stress a lot. My stomach being tied in knot is almost a daily occurance. It doesn’t have to be over anything big either. It could be the fact that I have to float a bill (I hate that) or that I got stuck in traffic and my kids have to survive ten minutes at home without me after school. I take little stresses like that and turn them into a big deal. That is just what I do. Doubt, worry, and fear are the enemies of happiness.

To overcome that part of myself I have to be more conscious of my attitude, my reaction to things and situations, and I have to live in the moment. When you live in the moment you don’t allow yourself to worry and stress. You just breathe and exist and find the joy in right this minute.

“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”

I am writing about this because AllState has prompted me to write about the subject and their Allstate Good Life slogan. I am not a customer actually but I adore their slogan and I love their mayhem commercials. They always make me laugh out loud and that is one of the things I try to be more conscious to do (see more below). It is WORK for me to stay positive and live in the moment but it is worthwhile work. When I do, I can be grateful for just how good my life is. I have an AMAZING life and I refuse to let life’s little worries and issues morph into anything that robs me of my happiness. Here are my personal tips for amplifying the good things and letting go of the bad…

• Minimalism – Less clutter, less cleaning, less stress.
• Affirmations – I read and recite them daily to remind me of how good I have it.
• Follow Passions – I love to write (and so I do – every day).
• The Law of Attraction – Think it, dream it, feel it and good things just happen.
• Laugh and Smile – When feeling down I watch funny movies or Youtube videos (ahem… the Allstate Mayhem commercials) until I am no longer down. I also smile at everyone I come across.
• Work Hard – Who has time to worry when you are busy, busy, busy.
• Take One Step at a Time – When anything seems daunting or out of my reach I make an action plan and tackle it step by step until it is done.
• Take Time for Myself – I take lots of “me time” when I need it. I read, I go to a movie, I go execise, I get a pedicure or a haircut. I spend time and money on nothing but me.
• Slow Down – Look out windows, go for walks, sit with a cup of tea and nature. Do nothing for short spells and realize that life doesn’t have to hurried.

Speaking of affirmations…this is one of my favorite quotes/sayings about fear (or it’s cousin worry). Can you tell me (in the comments) where it comes from???? ;)

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

So far in 2013 I have had an amazing ride. I am grateful I have gotten to:

• Travel to Detroit for the big auto show and meet up with some of my best girlfriends.
• Take the family for a weekend at an indoor waterpark in the middle of winter.
• Compete (and do very well) in The CrossFit Games Open.
• Watch my husband squat 335 lbs and deadlift 450 lbs at a regional CrossFit competion.
• Learn to brew my own delicious Kombucha at home.
• Attend a Climate Change rally in Washington D.C. (and see the sites) with my 12 year old son.
• Take my kids to the zoo weekly with our season passes.
• Visit local gardens and take my kids fishing.
• Take my daughter to Manhattan for the weekend to see a red carpet movie premiere.
• Win a bunch of free stuff online.
• Find all of our needs and wants second hand via Craigslist and thrift stores.
• Go garaging saling on Saturdays.

I could go on and I could certainly list a few bad things that have happened but the good is numerous and it outweighs any of the bad. I have a great life! And I need to remember it.

How do YOU stay positive and reflect on your good life? Comment if you have tips to share!

Photo credit: Shane @ www.environmentalbooty.com

This past weekend I had the great pleasure of seeing the new animated film EPIC (released today). My nine year old daughter and I traveled to Manhattan for the “green carpet” premiere with the team from Energy Star. I am in the middle of the above photo along with some of my online and IRL friends… Shane at Environmental Booty, Lori at Groovy Green Livin, Diane at Big Green Purse, and Leigh Ann of Green 4 U. I simply adore these ladies!

It’s always exciting when a new eco themed movie comes out and it is especially exciting when it is geared towards kids and families because that is the future. With climate change and other environmental issues bearing down on us we all need to find the inspiration to band together to fix our planetary problems. EPIC is actually about that very thing…coming together to save the world. Who better to bring that message to than children?

I absolutely ADORED this movie. I laughed, I cried, and I was mesmerized by the images and story. My daughter loved it as well and is saying it is her second favorite movie of all time (after Wreck it Ralph). I don’t think I have ever seen  a more beautiful animated movie actually.  Blue Sky Studios and director Chris Wedge did a fantastic job creating a fantasy world hidden within our own world.

The story centers around Mary Katherine or M.K as she is called. Her mother has passed away and she goes to live with her father, a man she hardly knows. Their relationship is strained because he is a reclusive professor who has dedicated his life to the discovery of a race of tiny beings that he believes live in the forest surrounding his home. His dedication has left little time for family and his daughter does not understand the obsession that is causing their estrangement. This all changes one day when she chases the family dog into the forest and runs across one these beings…the Queen, who is in grave trouble and must rely on a human for help.

M.K. is transformed and finds herself the same size as these tiny beings and she is in the middle of a great battle between the forces of good (warriors called the Leafmen and all those they protect) and the forces of evil (Boggans and their leader Mandrake). The Queen and her Leafmen want to defend and protect the forest, the eco system, and all the creatures who call it home. The Boggons want to destroy it and live in the decay. It is here that she meets Nod, a rookie Leafmen warrior, Ronin, the leader of the Leafmen, a valiant snail named Grub, and a lovable slug named Mub. Together they join forces to save this tiny world and find a way to return M.K. to her father so she can tell him he was right all along.

So obviously it has a strong eco message. It does a great job of making the case that the world of nature is another fantastical world to explore and that we need to protect it. It needs to be a team effort. It also has great messages about coping with loss, relating to your parents and family, and finding new people to call your family and friends. Another aspect that rocked were all the celebrity voices. Beyonce as Queen Tara, Colin Farrell as Ronin, Aziz Ansari as Mub, and Christoph Waltz as Mandrake were all perfectly cast and made the movie extra special.

It was just amazing, amazing. amazing. And what was even more amazing is that some of us bloggers attending the event got to meet and chat up some of the stars afterwards!!

Here is a snippet from Colin Farrell after he was asked if the movie’s eco message had inspired his participation:

This is me on the environmental warpath, absolutely.  There’s no doubt that there’s a message that’s inherent in the script just by the representation of the beauty of nature and the minutia of nature and the simultaneous fragility and strength of nature.  So, that’s all inherent in the script.

So, to respond to the script, I think you’re responding to those ideals.  But, no, it’s just a case of meeting Chris and his team and really seeing the visuals and just loving the story and loving the world.

And as Chris said, if anyone can come out of this with a moment’s more pause for thought than they would have had before it or if kids want to go out and pick up a rock and see what lies underneath it and put the iPad down for five minutes, happy days, you know?

Chris Wedge, Colin Farrell, and Amanda Seyfried. I am 3rd from the right.

And a snippet from director Chris Wedge:

The idea behind the movie was that we would go to a place that seems familiar to us, but we would see the magic inside of it.  And when I wanted always to get in touch with that from an emotional perspective, I thought about the times that I just walk into the forest, whenever I’m by myself, and just stop and listen and just feel it, because you can feel the presence of some kind of nature power going on all the time.

There’s a little movie going on with the squirrels that are chasing around and the things are growing out of trees, and it’s always happening, and you can feel the presence of that.

And, look, we’ve done a very stylized version of a magical forest here, but if it generates some more kind of respect for that in kids, if they think, wow, maybe if I walk out there, I’ll see this, because I am taking perspectives and showing you that, sometimes, it looks just like it does to us, right, you’ll see evidence that this is happening.

So, my hope was that a kid would go out and see like, wow, those birds making all that noise, that’s not just a sparrow chasing a crow away from its nest, it’s Leafman and Boggins that are fighting, that would be it for me.  There’s magic out there that we just don’t pay attention to.

I felt that both of these thoughts were beautiful and deep and had to share. All of the celebs were friendly and fun (and drop dead gorgeous – if you’re into that sort of thing). The way Chris Wedge spoke about the movie and the message made me fall in love with it even more AND want to see it again (which we will!) Colin Farrell was very deep and thoughtful. Amanda Seyfried is even more gorgeous in person if that is possible. Aziz Ansari and Chris O’Dowd (below) were hilarious. I am a big fan of Aziz’s and I was delighted to find that he and I share a love for an older movie that no one else in the room had even heard of, Flight of the Navigator. It was a childhood fave for both of us.

I enjoyed the experience thoroughly and it meant a lot to me to get that behind the scenes look and have to have the glitz and glamour of being at the premiere as a movie lover and now a huge fan of this particular movie. Many thanks to Energy Star for the opportunity! Please check out the reviews from other attendees over at Big Green Purse.

Side note: There is still time to join Team Energy Star and submit your children’s stories about how they conserve energy in the home for a chance to win lots of great prizes. Open until May 31st!

Disclosure: My trip and expenses were covered for this event. I am not being compensated nor am I obligated to share my thoughts about the experience and movie, I just really want to!!

There are some great deals on Zulily today. Enjoy!

A new Costco membership OR renewal plus some freebies is only $55.00. I am all over this one personally. I have been going with a friend and using her membership for the past couple years but this has increasingly become a hassle and we would like one of our own. We like to buy bulk coconut water, coffee, and rechargeable batteries there mostly but they also have lots of organic offerings.

Laptop Lunchboxes – One of our all time favorite lunch/bento boxes. We have four of them. :)

KidCraft Wood Toys – Trains sets, sandboxes, dollhouses, puppet theaters and lots of other good stuff. My daughter has the Glitz & Glamour Dollhouse and it is very high quality and will last for many, many years.

Slyvan Products - Great for homeschool or for summer learning. We have used (and enjoyed) several of their products in years past.

Sprout Non Toxic Nail Polish – Conventional nail polish has all sorts of toxic nasties in it so I always try to buy safer, non toxic versions for my daughter. Sprout is one brand I have not tried yet but perhaps today is the day to order some. :)

Did you know that there was a National Clean Out Your Purse Day? Neither did I, until I saw a few tweets about it this morning. Ever the joiner I decided to get busy with the purse cleaning outing. It probably would have been far more useful to me if it were national scrub your kitchen floor day since mine is currently sticky as all get out but I guess perhaps I need to drum up the motivation for that one on my own today.

Anyway my purse is actually in pretty decent condition. Its part of my dedication to minimalism that I carry a very small purse. It only has room for a wallet, phone, keys, and my Sony Walkman MP3 Player pretty much. Sometimes I might carry a pen. I can tell right away if I am carrying excess stuff because it begins to bulge and look funny thus indicating I need to go through it and declutter. I own two purses/handbags total and both are tiny. They are also both thrift store finds. It works for me. I never have a hard time locating anything in my purse. :)

As you can see the only items that did not belong are the receipt, the business card from the awesome guy who recently fixed my 12 year old’s iPod Touch, a movie ticket stub (Oblivion – which was okay but not great), about $1.30 in spare change, and two mint candies from Olive Garden. I forgot they were in there and they were slightly melty.

Even though it was an easy job I am feeling rather accomplished now on this great day of purse cleaning. How about you? If you clean out your purse and write a blog post about it or if  you share a photo via social media leave a link below!