Unilever Products and Family are #BetterTogether - Reduce, Reuse and Be Proud!

This time of year I start thinking about holiday food, shopping lists and what community service project our family will participate in. Last year we collected toys, but this year I am pregnant and finding it harder to tackle big projects on my own.

So I am really excited to share a little secret with you.

Okay, it's not a secret, but it is a great way to give back just by supporting your family's favorite products. Unilever is a company that promotes and participates in many amazing projects promoting sustainable living such as the Cross Off Hunger Campaign. It is all in an effort to be #BetterTogether.

Which Unilever products does your family use?

I was amazed at how many of their products my family already uses in our daily lives. In the bathroom I use Noxzema, love the Suave shampoo and conditioners, use Dove bar soap and deodorant, and we prefer Q-tips brand for our cotton swabs. In the kitchen we use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spread, Bertolli pasta sauces, Lipton teas, Popsicles and many other products. All of these are part of the Unilever family. While shopping I discovered Dove even has a dry shampoo as well. I can't wait to tell you what I thought of that product and how it will relate to my family's new project for the holiday season.

So, you might be wondering, what does Unilever have to do with sustainable living? Well, each brand is hoping to inspire all of us to make small changes that add up to big results. For example, Dove is championing a Self Esteem movement for young girls, Suave brand wants to encourage us all to "Turn off the Tap", and many of their brands have redesigned packaging to reduce waste, among other projects. Unilever is a company, I believe, Making Life Better.

There are 3 parts to Unilever's Sustainable Living Plan:

1.  Improving Health and Well Being (Health, Hygiene and Improved Nutrition)

2. Reducing Environmental Impact (Greenhouse Gases, Water, Waste & Sustainable Sourcing)

3. Enhancing Livelihoods  (Sustainable Sourcing and Better Livelihoods)

Small actions do make a BIG impact.

One Unilever project that really hits home around the holidays and beyond is Cross Off Hunger involved in Feeding America:

Unilever is committed to donating more than two million meals to families in need with Feeding America and every item on your shopping list counts.  Show your support by adding Unilever brands to your cart next time you shop.  Together we can help to Cross Off Hunger.

You can learn more about why this project can make such a difference on Unilever's website, MakingLifeBetter.com. Test your hunger IQ, learn what items your pantry needs, take a virtual food bank tour and even locate a Feeding America food bank near you right on the site. See how your family can get involved and see just how easy it really can be.

Yes, I am excited to get started with my family on our own sustainable living project. My children, ages 3 and 5, are eager and excited to take on more responsibility around the house. Goodness knows, with a new baby on the way I am going to need the help. I plan to create a chore chart and chore jar with recycled Unilever products to not only get my kids excited about helping out around the house, but also have them start thinking about reducing their own waste and water consumption.

I hope this project will help instill in them a greater awareness of their own actions and also greater self esteem for helping out and actively participating in the family. I can't wait to share the second half of this project with you. It is going to be a lot of fun!

Learn more by connecting with Unilever on Facebook and Twitter.

Also, join in on the Unilever Twitter Party

Follow: @MakeLifeBetter

Hashtag: #BetterTogether

When: Nov 15, 12-1 EST

*Disclaimer - I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and  Unilever  #CBias #SocialFabric. All opinions and experiences are my own.

Kids Going Green with the Gigglin' Garden Gang! #GoGreenNGiggle

Spring is here and our farm is a buzz with planting!

It is only natural that my children want to get in on the action. One great way to introduce young children to the thrill of growing their own plants is with a simple kit. I found some great green child-friendly ideas on the Gigglin' Garden Gang site. The site offers fun facts and activities for kids. I loved the characters like Sunflower Suzi and my 2-year old daughter loved the theme song you can play on the site. There is also a corner with information for parents and items for purchase.

 I purchased the "Go Green and Giggle"® Book & Tote Garden Activity Gift Set, pictured above. Check-out was simple and done through Amazon so no need for me to set up an account, etc.. The set came with everything to get my kids planting and preparing to garden outside. I received a book, song CD, Sunflower Greenhouse kit and an eco-friendly tote.

When the box arrived my kids were ready to tear into it. I hadn't told them it was coming so it was a nice surprise. The first thing they wanted to do was read the book that was included. I appreciated the message behind the products and especially the Go Green & Giggle Motto (#GoGreenNGiggle): Get Outdoors, Take a Breath of Fresh Air, Protect Mother Earth and Recycle with Care.

The book introduced the character Sunflower Suzi and also included some garden humor jokes that my 4-year old loved! Then on the last page there was a little treasure awaiting my young readers, a packet of sunflower seeds.

Of course we had to plant them immediately! My children have a hard time not planting seeds they find. My son did the honors of putting water on the planting discs.

Both children enjoyed watching the discs "grow" as they soaked in the water. Waiting for the soil to be ready was the hardest part. The kit included instructions for everything and was easy enough for my children to do just by looking at the pictures.

Because the kit uses the soil discs there was no mess to clean up. We rinsed the potting soil off fingers, closed the top and found a warm, bright spot to wait for our seeds to sprout. You can stop by http://gigglingardengang.com for information on how to transplant the seedlings when it is time.

The last piece of the kit was the song CD that includes the theme song found on the website. My daughter loves it. I wasn't so impressed with the second song, a rap, but maybe older children would enjoy it more.

If you are looking to get your children involved with planting this year, I would recommend the Gigglin' Garden Gang as a great place start. You can also connect with them on both twitter: @GoGreenNGiggle and on their Facebook page.

Do you have budding gardeners in your home? How do your children like to pitch in with Spring planting?

*Disclaimer - This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias. All opinions expressed are my own. Your experience may differ from mine.