The Green Familia » Reviews

TGF Rated 1st Annual Awards – Part 4

Brenda — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:00:40 +0000

Finally the day has come to unveil some of the finalists in the first TGF Rated Annual Awards. The first two categories to be announced are GIFTS AND PARTY PRODUCTS AND PRACTICAL PRODUCTS.

All you have to do to vote for your favourite products is use the rating box below the individual product post you are voting for or add your rating out of 10 in the comments box of the awards post.

Voting will remain open until the 21st December and the winners will be announced in our end of year round up on the 31st December.

GIFTS AND PARTY PRODUCTS

Bespoke Milly Bee Picture

Charlie Moo´s Cloth Party Bag and Thank You Seed Tag

Handbag from Abbey Fair Trade

Handmade Party Bags and Cards from Sonny and Alfie

PRACTICAL PRODUCTS

Babyaid Compact

CarryEco Bag

Ecoezee Reusuable Paint Tray

Groom Mate Platinum XL Nose and Ear Hair Trimmer

Stokke Tripp Trapp

TGF Rated 1st Annual Awards – Part 3

Brenda — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:00:12 +0000

Finally the day has come to unveil some of the finalists in the first TGF Rated Annual Awards. The first two categories to be announced are CLOTHING AND FOOD AND DRINK.

All you have to do to vote for your favourite products is use the rating box below the individual product post you are voting for or add your rating out of 10 in the comments box of the awards post.

Voting will remain open until the 21st December and the winners will be announced in our end of year round up on the 31st December.

CLOTHING

Canboli Baby Clothes

Chatterpants Bamboo Pyjamas

Cool Green Attitude Girls T-shirts

Long Sleeved Top from Little Green Radicals

FOOD AND DRINK

Bounce Snack Foods Protein Balls

Geo Organics Mango Chutney

Geo Organics Tomato Fajita Cooking Sauce

Paganum Meat Hamper

Stoats Porridge Pots and Bars

The Co-op Truly Irresistible Fair Trade Chocolate Sauce

Tropical Wholefoods Fairtrade Apricot Kernels

TGF Rated 1st Annual Awards – Part 2

Brenda — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:00:38 +0000

Finally the day has come to unveil some of the finalists in the first TGF Rated Annual Awards. The first two categories to be announced are BOOKS AND CD’S AND CLEANING PRODUCTS.

All you have to do to vote for your favourite products is use the rating box below the individual product post you are voting for or add your rating out of 10 in the comments box of the awards post.

Voting will remain open until the 21st December and the winners will be announced in our end of year round up on the 31st December.

BOOKS AND CD’S

Eco Hotels of the World Book

Hope and the Magic Martian Book

Secret Seed Society

The Storymouse Children’s Stories

Tom’s Present Book

CLEANING PRODUCTS

Alma Win Eco Friendly Organic Cleaning Products

Baby Scents All Purpose Nursery Cleaner

Ecover Ocean Waves Toilet Cleaner

Ecover Window and Glass Cleaner

TGF Rated 1st Annual Awards – Part 1

Brenda — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:00:23 +0000

Finally the day has come to unveil some of the finalists in the first TGF Rated Annual Awards. The first two categories to be announced are BABY PRODUCTS AND BEAUTY PRODUCTS.

All you have to do to vote for your favourite products is use the rating box below the individual product post you are voting for or add your rating out of 10 in the comments box of the awards post.

Voting will remain open until the 21st December and the winners will be announced in our end of year round up on the 31st December.BABY PRODUCTS

Baby Boo Lavender Lotion

Beaming Baby Baby Wipes

Bentley Organic Baby Care Range

Cheeky Wipes

Derma H20 Water Wipes

Weleda Calendula Nappy Change Cream

BEAUTY PRODUCTS

Aveeno Products

Beaming Baby Facial Wipes

Bentley Organic Calming and Moisturising Range

Bentley Organic Hand Sanitizer

Essential Women with Frangipani by Live Native

Finger and Heel Balm from Potions & Possibilities

Green People Organic Limited Edition Range

Kissable Lips Organic Lip Balm

Mango Butter from Boots

Pure Chamomile Handmade Soap

Rawganic Facial Wipes

Ultra Relaxing Clinical Bath Oil from Potions & Possibilities

Zoya Nail Polish

TGF Rated Review: The Story Mouse children’s stories

sue — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:00:24 +0000

What is it? Children love listening to stories and they enjoy it all the more when the reader uses funny voices to bring the stories to life. However, many parents often feel too nervous or embarrassed to read to their children in this way. The Story Mouse is a new website which offers a whole series of children’s stories all read by professional presenters from the UK network radio industry. As well as stories, the website also offers a free audio master-class in voice characterisation so parents can get tips on improving their own story-telling too!

Who is testing it? Me, a mum and teacher, with help from my two daughters aged 2 and 4, who both love books and listening to stories.In use: The Story Mouse website is very clear and easy to use. Simply choose the stories you wish to download and add them to your shopping basket. I was pleased to see that there are lots of traditional stories available as I think it’s really good for children to be able to listen to different versions of stories they know well.

We reviewed 5 stories: Jack and the Beanstalk, The Princess and the Pea, The Elves and the Shoemaker, The 3 Billy Goats Gruff and Cinderella. All the stories were very well told using just the actor’s voice, there are no distracting sound effects, so children can just enjoy the story.

My daughters and I both loved all the stories and we have listened to them several times now. Initially we just sat and listened to the stories together so that we could really concentrate. This was lovely as it really encouraged them to listen to the different characters and try and guess what would happen next. We don’t always have time to sit like this though so we often listened to the stories in the car or while the girls were playing indoors. It was interesting that although they were both very busy playing, they were obviously still listening carefully to the story because they kept laughing at the funny bits and joining in. They kept looking at me to see if I was laughing too!

Any negatives?: None at all

Price and Availability: There are currently 17 stories available from The Story Mouse, with more planned for the future. Each story costs 95p and can be downloaded instantly to your computer as an MP3 file. Once downloaded, you can either burn the story onto a CD or copy it onto an MP3 player.

I think 95p is very good value for such good quality and well-read stories. They will be listened to over and over again and can be used in many different ways e.g. put onto a cd to play in the car or for children to listen to themselves or put onto an MP3 player to take on holiday.

Overall: As a teacher, I know how important story-telling and good stories are for children’s educational development. As well as encouraging them to read themselves, well-told stories help them develop their imaginations and extend their vocabularies. The Story Mouse stories are perfect for that. They encourage children to listen and concentrate as well as firing their imaginations and entertaining them. I will definitely be downloading more of these stories for my children, I think they’re wonderful.

TGF Rating: 5 out of 5

TGF Rated Review: Ultra Relaxing Clinical Bath Oil from Potions & Possibilities

Brenda — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:00:42 +0000

What is is? The ultra relaxing clinical bath oil from Potions & Possibilities is a fragrant smelling essential oils, that helps relax your tired muscles after a stressful day.

Who is testing it? Moi! I am feeling the stress, ever so slightly at the moment. Have a 101 things to do and not enough time to do it. So the thought of locking myself away in the bathroom with a good book and a glass of wine is very tempting!

Set up Coming in a gorgeous blue bottle with a black screw top lid, it has a white label giving you all the necessary information.

In use Very easy to use, just add one tablespoon to running hot water. The smells were very nice and welcoming. I felt myself starting to relax, before I had even stepped inside the bath!!Any negatives No negatives from my point of view.

Price £10.99 for 150ml.

Overall The bath oil was made from a base of luxurious coconut oil, with a hand blended mix of Bergamot, Orange Sweet, Lavender and Geranium essential oils, which meant it moisturised and nourished your skin, but did not leave an oily scum in the bath.

TGF Rating 5/5

TGF Rated Review: Stokke Tripp Trapp Highchair

Brenda — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:00:43 +0000

What is it?

The Stokke Tripp Trapp highchair is made from sustainable sources and has a unique design, that is modern and stylish.

Who is testing it?

Claire and her second son George.

Set up?

Having bought through an on-line company, when it arrived it was fairly easy to put together with clear instructions.In Use?

We have loved using this chair, and other children who visit all fight to sit in “George’s” chair! We have used it from around 12 months (he is now 2 1/2). We love the fact that he is actually sitting at the table with us and the fact that the highchair can be used for so much longer.

Any negatives?

I think the only downside is they need to be sitting properly before you can use it, so it may not be suitable for using at the earlier stages of feeding than some of the other makes that recline, however the baby cushion you can add does help.

Price?

Prices start from £95 upwards online. Check out the website for your nearest shop www.stokke.com.

Overall thoughts?

Overall we have been very happy with this chair and is probably one of our favourite baby products and we have recommended it to lots of friends and family.

TGF Rating?

5/5

TGF Rated Review: Insect Repellent Balm by Potions & Possibilities

Brenda — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:00:37 +0000

What is it? Insect Repellent Balm by Potions & Possibilities. You apply this to ward off the creepy crawlies.

Who is testing it? Myself and my 9 year old daughter, who keeps getting bitten by the nasty insects during the night.

Set up It comes in a glass jar with a screw top lid, with sticker on the top giving you the name of the product and instructions for use and a sticker on the bottom with the ingredients.

In use We both found the smell to be slightly overpowering, and definitely you do not need to use very much. It suggests you spot test it for skin sensitivity, which we did and had no reactions. You can apply it to the skin and brush it into the hair if required.Any negatives? The smell it was very strong and quite pungent.

Price £6.50 for 60g.

Overall It works! When we were using it neither my daughter or I woke up with bites, which we normally would have done, which makes you want to perservere using it.

TGF Rating 4/5

TGF Rated Review: Finger & Heel Balm

Brenda — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:00:03 +0000

What is it? Finger and Heel Balm from Potions and Possibilities. It helps with dry, sore, cracked fingers and heels.

Who is testing it? Me, who has rough hands and feet.

Set up It comes in a 15g glass pot, with a screwtop lid, with a sticker on the lid with the name and info and a sticker on the bottom with the ingredients.

In use It has a gorgeous smell, that makes you want to sniff it as soon as you open it. It has a lovely bright colour and is very easy to apply. You only need a small amount to apply to the area required.Any negatives No none that I found.

Price £4.99 for 15g.

Overall Made with Benzoin and Tea Tree essential oils and Comfrey and Calendula herbs, this lovely smelling balm is a must for any bathroom cupboard.

TGF Rating 5/5

TGF Rated Review: Sheabutter Cottage

erica — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:00:47 +0000

What is it? Unrefined shea butter from a fair trade source and a soap made from a mix of the same shea butter and unrefined palm oil.

Who is testing it? Me – I feel I need some pampering this week as I’m been woken at night by a teething son.

Set Up Sheabutter Cottage is a fair trade, ethical business that buys direct from producers or through community projects e.g. the shea butter comes from a farmer co-operative in Ghana. There are no additives and the shea butter is produced by traditional methods. The shea butter can be used as it comes or you can use it to make your own toiletries. The Karite soap is a finished product using the shea butter and a fair trade, unrefined palm kernel oil.In Use The soap is very easy to use and left my skin feeling soft and moisturised. Using the shea butter as it comes is a little tricky at first, but it helps to warm it a little with you fingers before applying. It’s very thick and rich so great for giving your skin a treat. Also, it would be good used to make your own creams and body butters.

Any Negatives I probably wouldn’t give either product as a gift as the packaging isn’t really nice enough for that.

Price and Availability Both are available from Sheabutter Cottage with the shea butter costing from £2.85 for 50g and the soap is priced at £3.75 for 110g.

Overall It’s lovely to use such pure products and they are very effective too.

Rating 4/5 for both.