EcoStore + EcoFriendly = A Happy EcoHome

Melissa from EcoStore here in the United States contacted me and asked if I would like to try some of the Earth conscious and Earth friendly products she has. Since I have serious allergies, and usually after cleaning my house I am laid up for a couple days with sinus this and congestion that, I thought I sould give these a try. So she sent me some.

People? These products are AWESOME!

I’m usually a Method product user, and for many things I still am. (I’m still hoping someone finds a case of Pomegranate Tea Aroma Pills hidden away in the storeroom, because these? Just WILL NOT cut it.) However, Melissa told me to go peruse the website and pick some things I would be interested in trying.

In typical Shash fashion, I originally went to the wrong site. I went to the one for New Zealand (Where the company is based). And I picked many things. Many, many things. Many wonderful things. (Things not available in the U.S., by the way.)

And Melissa promptly told me that many things I picked was not available here in the U.S. I may have cried.

So she sent me the following:

Laundry Liquid
Vanilla Soap
All-Purpose Cleaner

Here are my thoughts:

Vanilla Soap

I wish I could say I got to enjoy the entire bar of this soap, because my first impression of it was that it lathered well, had a fresh, clean vanilla scent, and washed off easy. However, my sons STOLE the soap from my shower, and I never saw it again. What I liked about this soap was the vanilla scent. Most vanilla soaps I have tried have a cloying, vanilla scent that while I enjoy, can be a bit overpowering. This soap had none of that. It was light and the scent, not the soap lingered on my skin throughout the day. I will be ordering more of this soap.

Laundry Liquid

The Laundry Liquid I tried was fresh smelling, and in an easy-open container. However, I do have one complaint. In order to follow the package directions which told me how much to use, I had to use a measuring spoon. This did not sit well with my husband, who was a little bit taken aback that a kitchen utensil was being used to measure out my detergent. My suggestion would be to include a small plastic measuring cup or spoon with this. Besides that small oversight, the soap cleaned beautifully and my clothes came out soft and fresh smelling. The scent is slight, which is nice because it doesn’t overpower any perfumes I might be wearing. I appreciate that in a laundry soap.

All-Purpose Cleaner

The All-Purpose Cleaner is exactly that. The scent is fresh, and not cloying, and it does the job. This is the cleaner I use to wipe down my kitchen counters each night, and I love the power in this little bottle. A little definitely goes a long way.

She sent the products to me over a month ago, and I still have quite a bit left of the Laundry Soap and the All-Purpose Cleaner. A little definitely goes a long way. Which is, at least I think, what being eco-friendly is all about. Less product, less water, less waste. The products are priced right. There is only one thing missing…

MORE Products!! The New Zealand ECOStore website has so many products not available to us in the United States. Let’s get the word out so these products can wash up onto our shores!

Speaking of getting the word out, if you live in the Cincinnati, Ohio area, on Wednsday April 22, 2009 between 4- 6 PM, Disney will be promoting Ecostore USA ask Ecoman (Malcolm Rands) with a Meijer store tour at the 6550 Harrison Road Cincinnati Meijer with Radio Disney. This special event coincides with the premiere of the new Disney movie Earth.

The first 25 moms or dads that ask Malcolm the Ecoman a question will receive an organic Ecostore T-Shirt. There will be entertainment for the kids while mom and dad ask Malcolm ( Ecoman) questions.

Don’t miss it!

To find out more about ECOStore and their products, go here.

Yanni Voices: The Concert (Review)

I have been to many concerts. I was blessed to go to see The Police before their first implosion, and again when they reunited and performed in Miami. I’ve seen Genesis three times. Peter Gabriel puts on a heck of a show, if you are lucky enough to get tickets. Tori Amos put on one of the most amazing, intimate shows I’ve ever been to at Toad’s Place in New Haven.

Yanni Voices almost outdid her. Almost.

I saw a preview of Yanni Voices at BlissDom in February, and I met Ender Thomas and Nathan Pacheco. I told them I would see them in Orlando when they came. I don’t think they believed me.

They believe me now.

He remembered me from Nashville!!
And I wore purple for #Maddie!

If you’ve seen this show on DVD, or PBS, you are NOT getting the total package. You’re not even getting half of it. To truly experience it all, you have to go to a performance. Seriously.

I took my teenaged son with me who has Asperger’s Syndrome. He has issues with loud noises, and I thought this would be a good show to take him to as his first concert. Our seats were right down front, and I think the only people between us and the stage were family members of the performers.

It was sweet.

The stage was wrapped with a screen. We sat down, soon the lights dimmed, and the show began.

The best thing about this show was not the intimacy, even though that was nice. The best thing was Yanni himself, who was gregarious and friendly; stopping several times in between songs to engage the audience. (He lives in Florida, so we were like the “hometown crowd!”.) Most important was how proud he was of each and every performer on that stage that night. He acted like a proud father, showing off his children who have worked so hard with him to bring out their best. They definitely did, and it showed.



Ender brought the electric, his songs making you want to move in your seat.



Nathan brought his amazing voice that simply sounds better live.

Chloe was playful, and her songs and stage presence were beautiful to behold.



Leslie was the immediate object of my teenaged son’s crush, her voice being one of the few times he brought his hands down from his ears all night.

The show was intimate, and with the intermission, it clocked in at a little over 3 hours. I was never bored, and Yanni and crew came back for two encores before the curtain dropped for the final time. Every performer had a spotlight moment, and I’m talking about the large band/orchestra that backed Yanni and the Voices. It was magical.

And I’m not saying that because I live in the land of Disney.

I was granted two opportunities to go backstage. The first was when we arrived, and we saw Ender (in the photo above). After the show, we were invited again backstage to see Nathan, Chloe, and Leslie.

Leslie was a no-show. Bob tried really hard to find her, but to no avail. She sent me a Twitter later on thanking me for coming to the show, which was unexpected and very nice.



Just before we left, Ender came out to greet his guests, saw me and came over to thank me again and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

I may have swooned a little.

As we left, we went the wrong way and ended up out near the performer’s exit. Yanni was out there, signing autographs and chatting with the group of ladies who had congregated. Just as I made it there, he turned and headed toward his car. Bye, Yanni!

Even though I didn’t get a picture* with him or a chance to talk to him, it was nice to see him take time with the other ladies. He truly enjoys and appreciates his fans.

When Yanni Voices comes to your area, I implore (with a side of beg) you to go. It is an experience not to be missed.

*Okay, full disclosure time. First, I need to thank Bob Murray and The One2One Network for giving me the opportunity to see Yanni Voices live. I also need to thank Phyllis the security guard, who came over to me during the show while I was taking photos (without flash, that you can see here or here) to ask me to please put away my camera. I did, but again with the full disclosure, I still snapped some pics with my cameraphone. Shhhh. Because I’m a rebel. Or an idiot.

Win a Year’s Worth of FREE Faxes!

Have you always wished you could receive faxes to your home office, but you can’t afford a fax machine? Maybe you have a fax machine, but it’s seen better days. Or maybe you’re just looking for a green solution to all of those faxes you’ve been receiving!

I’ve got two printers in my home office, but no fax machine…and it’s frankly a little embarrassing when people ask where they can send me a fax!

Packetel’s Online Fax Service allows you to receive unlimited incoming faxes in your e-mail inbox for only $3.95 a month.

Packetel’s Online Fax Service sends faxes to multiple e-mail addresses, alerts you via text message when you have a new fax, and allows you to view your fax in PDF format. This service is perfect for small, at home businesses as it eliminates the need to buy and maintain a fax machine and eliminates the need to file away large amounts of paper.

How would you like to try this service for FREE for one year? Two lucky readers will win just that! Here’s how you can win:

1. Blog It!

a. Blog about Packetel’s Online Fax Service and link the text “online fax service” to http://packetel.com/fax/faxservicemain.asp

b. Fill out this entry form: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=cFFrTmlWY0lsMVFZalBHUWJIWkF4ZFE6MA

2. Facebook or MySpace

a. Write about Packetel’s Online Fax Service on your Facebook or MySpace page and link the text “online fax service” to http://packetel.com/fax/faxservicemain.asp

b. Fill out this entry form: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=cFFrTmlWY0lsMVFZalBHUWJIWkF4ZFE6MA

3. Flickr Group

Show us your cluttered office, your broken fax machine, or even just the space where you wish you had a fax!

a. Join the Flickr Packetel contest group and upload a picture: http://www.flickr.com/groups/packetel

b. Fill out this entry form:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=cFFrTmlWY0lsMVFZalBHUWJIWkF4ZFE6MA

4. YouTube

Do you remember that scene in Office Space where the employees destroy their fax machine? Here’s a refresher: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzGWvZAd228

a. Make your own video of how much you hate your broken fax/printer and upload it to YouTube with a link back to http://packetel.com/fax/faxservicemain.asp

b. Fill out this entry form: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=cFFrTmlWY0lsMVFZalBHUWJIWkF4ZFE6MA

Want a Bonus Entry? Become a Packetel Facebook Fan here:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Packetel-Online-Fax-Service/77071701974?ref=s

Then fill out this form: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=cFFrTmlWY0lsMVFZalBHUWJIWkF4ZFE6MA

Contest is open to all U.S. residents. The contest runs from Sunday, April 12th to Friday, May 1st. Two winners will be chosen by random number generator.

Win Yanni Voices Concert Tickets in Orlando!

Shash’s BookShelf Mondays: A Child’s Journey Out Of Autism

I was approached by a very nice person I know and asked to review a book they had, and I happily agreed. As an avid reader, I’m always up for reading anything that people want to send me, or even what my local library or Amazon may have.

(Amazon.com? I love you. Let’s go make out.)

However, when I received the book, I have to say I was not happy. The title alone made me cringe. I read the back cover. Then I read the forward. Then I set it down and walked away. I quickly surmised that I was going to have to try to read this with an open mind and report back what I thought. Then I read the book.

I knew it was not going to be easy.

The title of this book is called A Child’s Journey out of Autism and it is written by Leeann Whiffen. This book is the story of her son, Clay, who after many visits to doctors and specialists was diagnosed to be on the Autistic Spectrum. The book chronicles their journey through treatments and therapies to help him break out of the shell that his parents feel that vaccines given to him at a very young age created.

It is a well written book, and I definitely relate to and sympathize with Leeann and the rest of Clay’s family. Leeann gives you a front row seat to what it is like to be part of a family struggling to understand what is going on and the feelings of hopelessness parents can have when no one understands what to say, what to do or how to help. It can be difficult living with and parenting a child on the Autistic Spectrum; and yet, there is joy and so much to learn from them, it is the equivalent of receiving a rare and priceless gift. But a lot of the time it definitely doesn’t feel that way. Leeann explains that beautifully.

However, that being said, there is some things about this book that I do not like*, the first being the part where Leeann feels that she has “cured” her child of Autism.

Yes, I did use air quotes. Yep, I sure did.