Looking for something a little diffrent this holiday season?

I've really started taking account of the things we buy for this household. I've replaced 90% of our paper towel usage with using washable rags, most if not all of our household cleaners are now ecofriendly and a good portion of Connors clothes are now made from renewable sources. Mind you we have a long long way to go before I can truly declare us a green household but I've made it my goal to make a few small changes every month not only in the way we live, but eat, and play.

I know man of you would like to start making green choices in your life and have no idea where to start and the holiday season is no exception with so many choices out there its just a bit overwhelming not only to pick products that are exciting but also ecoconcious this includes items that qualify for fair trade. I'm sure some of you are asking what exactly is fair trade? The US has been doing business with developing nations for some time but up till recently very little thought among the consumer mind was given to where exactly do these products come from and are the people who make these products treated fairly? Well the answer to that is not always a good one as sadly in some developing countries workers are treated somewhat like slaves and are paid wages that would make the average Americans jaw drop. Mind you a fair wage to you and to them may be something quite different as the cost of living differs highly as well but regardless a worker should make enough money to feed and take care of his family, I think we should all agree on that one.

Needless to say even I am still a bit puzzled as to where to start when it comes to buying items that quality as fair trade friendly though I think I'm getting the hang of organic and green products these days. When I saw Taraluna's shop I was overjoyed as not only does it offer a great tutorial on fair trade but you can find articles on everything from bamboo to building a "no waste lunch". Not to mention Taraluna offers a fabulous selection of fair trade and ecofriendly products that range from baby and toys, cosmetics, clothing, pet supplies and more! You can find a gift for virtually everyone on your wish list and feel good about your choices as well.

I know I've mentioned it before but one of our favorite toys around this household is Connor's wooden blocks. After all blocks can be anything you want them to be, castles, houses, I've even caught Connor using one as a car. However things really get fun if you introduce little wooden figures to your block collection as it just brings a whole new dimension to the play possibilities. Not to mention our new recent love of wooden puzzles. Up till a few weeks ago Connor would just rip the pieces out of the puzzles and then that was the end of it but now we are just starting to understand that puzzles fit together. Well his new puzzle that we got from Taraluna, an Imagiplay Puzzle Play Set, does both, its a wooden puzzle which fits together to make sort of a scene but the pieces are individual little animals each a toy all on its own.

Actually while your over at Taraluna check out their entire selection of baby and children's products. There is a table and chairs set under the furniture section that I would absolutely love to get my hands on. I can actually say without a doubt if I got one of those Crosby and Friends tables I would get rid of my small table in the kitchen and just replace it with that toddler table as its so gorgeous.

Head on over to Taraluna to check out their entire collection of gift ideas, while your over there don't forget to check out the learning section so you can learn more about fair trade, organic products, and becoming more "green".

In the meantime Taraluna has been amazing enough to give us a $25 gift certificate for one of our lucky readers!

To enter :

• Leave a comment on this post. Check out Taraluna and tell me which product other than the ones we mentioned is your favorite!!
• Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
• Please US entries only.
• To get extra credit :
  • For an extra entry :
  • Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
  • Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
  • One extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
  • This contest will end Dec 30th at midnight!