Seventh Generation Review and Giveaway

Hopefully your child won't be coming home from school with more than just their backpack, pencils, notebooks, and homework. No, I am not talking about a note from the principal's office...although that would be something to dread too. I am talking about germs, those pesky tiny organisms, or living things, that can cause diseases or make you really sick. A lot of days of good learning time has been lost by germs making your kids sick. Don't just fret about the cleanliness of common school surfaces [as many as 2.7 million bacterial found per square inch on common school surfaces (NSF International)] in the classroom...instead try and help by sending your child's teacher supplies to keep things clean, germ-free, and make the classroom environment a healthier one.

Since my kids homeschool I try to keep my home a healthy learning environment by using eco-friendly products that will safely and effectively eradicate germs. Seventh Generation has some awesome cleaning products that do just that. They have botanical disinfectant spray cleaners and wipes that kill 99.99% of germs* naturally and they are effective against Influenza A virus using the active ingredient thymol, a component of thyme oil which is derived from the common herb thyme. *Refer to disinfecting product labels for full details.

Because I am a member of MyBlogSpark and accepted this free offer to review I received a Seventh Generation "Back-to-School" kit that included a Seventh Generation backpack, two canisters of Seventh Generation disinfecting wipes, disinfecting multi-surface spray cleaner, facial tissue and a roll of natural paper towels. I was very surprised with the multi-surface disinfecting spray cleaner and wipes and how well they worked at getting the surfaces clean. They did their job very well. I used them in my kitchen, bathrooms, and my boys' homeschool desks, etc. They smelled lovely of thyme and lemongrass. I also used the natural paper towels for spills and my husband loves using them for extracting the oils out of his face (He has found that brown, unbleached or unwhitened, paper towels and napkins seem to work better for oily complexions). These are made from 100% recycled paper (minimum 80% post-consumer). They are also hypo-allergenic because they are unbleached or unwhitened (no chlorine chemicals used), unscented, and dye-free. The facial tissue is also 100% recycled paper, hypo-allergenic, and instead of unwhitened they are whitened without chlorine bleach. They are super soft and great for sore noses.

This school year, Seventh Generation is sharing tips from best-selling author and pediatrician, Dr. Alan Greene, to help parents protect their child´s health during back-to-school season. Dr. Greene suggests taking the following precautions:

Optimize the immune system

* Reap the benefits of probiotics like those found in yogurt. A recent study showed that children who received enough probiotics daily throughout the cold and flu season had a significant reduction in the number of illnesses they had and, when they did get sick, the symptoms were both milder and didn't last as long.

* Be sure your child is getting plenty of vitamin D from the sun, from food, or from a supplement.

* Build a strong foundation. Good food, good sleep, and good physical activity all help the immune system to flourish.

Be wise about reducing unnecessary exposure to harmful germs

* Teach children the key times to clean their hands in the classroom/home. The most important times include after sneezing, coughing or using the restroom, upon leaving "high-risk" places (recess, nap-time, play stations) and before meals or snacks.

* Sixty percent of teachers surveyed said that they request that parents donate disinfecting wipes to the classroom. Seventh Generation disinfecting wipes are effective naturally with no toxins or unhealthy chemicals added.

* Stress the importance of not touching their eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

* Demonstrate to your children how to cover their mouth and nose for every cough and sneeze. This simple maneuver has spectacular results in decreasing the spread of viruses and bacteria floating about the room, waiting to be inhaled.

BUY IT:
You can purchase Seventh Generation products off their website HERE or find a store near you that carries Seventh Generation products.

WIN IT:
Jennifer at MyBlogSpark has has generously offered a Seventh Generation "Back-to-School" Kit Prize Pack [includes a Seventh Generation backpack, two canisters of Seventh Generation disinfecting wipes (one for home and one to donate to your child´s classroom), disinfecting multi-surface spray cleaner, facial tissue and paper towels] for one of my readers to win.

Mandatory:
1. Go to the Seventh Generation website and tell me what you learned OR what other product you would love to try that I didn't mention above.

Additional entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog by feedburner or by email and let me know which way. (2 extra entries each)

2. Become my fan/like on facebook and write that you are entering this giveaway on my wall. (1 extra entry)

3. Blog about this giveaway on your blog and provide me with the link. Make sure you have the link to this post and Seventh Generation in your blog entry or it won't count. (2 extra entries)

4. Grab My Button (see sidebar to the left) AND/OR Put My Blog URL in Your Blogroll - Leave Your Link. (1 extra entry)

5. Technorati my blog and let me know your link. (1 extra entry)

6. List this giveaway on any giveaway listing website or blog and tell me where you listed it. (2 extra entries)

7. Follow me on Twitter. (1 extra entry)

8. Tweet this: @finamoon: @seventhgen WIN A Seventh Generation Back-to-School Prize Pack #giveaway #myblogspark http://bit.ly/cIb82u
(Daily Extras are Available)

9. Fave me on Momfaves. (2 extra entries)

10. Comment on any of my other posts or enter my other giveaways and let me know which post you commented on. (1 extra entry per post you comment on)

11. Fan/Like Seventh Generation on Facebook. (1 extra entry)

12. Follow Seventh Generation on Twitter. (1 extra entry)

Make sure you leave me your email in all posts so that I can contact you. If you subscribed, blogged about this, listed it, or faved me on Momfaves leave 2 entries saying you did. This contest ends on Friday August 27, 2010 at midnight (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada). This Giveaway is open to U.S. Only!!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: The product, gift pack, information and additional gift pack to give away were all given to me free by Seventh Generation and MyBlogSpark. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.