I most definitely had one of those you know you’re a mom when moments the second my wonderful mail carrier dropped off a medium brown box. I had been waiting for whatever in the world dryer balls were, and the anticipation was stretching the laundry basket! My Woolzies were here and on laundry day! I was super excited for this review because when Addie was born, I’d stopped using dryer sheets and fabric softener due to the chemicals in them that are not only bad for you and the environment, but reduce the absorbency of towels and destroys the fire retardant qualities in clothing. Oh yeah, and my tech-gear I use for running and biking? It’s all kind of ruined from fabric softener. Oops.

I was secretly jumping up and down on the inside when I threw my first load in the washer, patiently waiting for it’s departure to the dryer. (Yes, my basement IS scary!)

My personal dryer dilemmas include these:
Have you ever gone running and had a thong fall out of your sleeve? I have. Without my dryer sheets, I’d been having lots of moments like my running-thong issue. Another laundry issue: TIME! Why is my dryer ALWAYS behind the washer?! Lastly… chemicals! With a beautiful baby and a sensitive hubby, using “free” detergent and then dryer sheets that have nothing natural , organic or hypoallergenic in them is a waste and causes quite a few itchy family members. Not to mention the dog finds all of the dryer sheets and shreds them throughout the house for me to gather.

Woolzies have solved those issues, single-handedly. The box comes with 6 balls made from 100% New Zealand Wool. They look like white, uneven tennis balls.

Which brings me to an interesting question… have you ever used tennis balls in your laundry? I have never had a reaction to dryer sheets, but when I used tennis balls (in an attempt to reduce the chemicals in my life) I got SO itchy! Who knew that tennis balls released harsh PVCs and are made of lots of different chemicals? Now I know! Anyhow, with the six handmade, hypoallergenic balls in my dryer I dried a queen-size comforter, 2 square decorative pillows, and 2 shams in 80 minutes- 1 1/3 cycle- usually it’s two full cycles and then some. In fact, all of my regular laundry was dried in one cycle, from the towels to the jeans to the delicates. Sounds impossible, I know. Best part is… WAY less static, however, it was still there. To avoid the runner-thong situation again I added a ball of foil to the dryer as suggested on the information that comes with Woolzies- no more static here! All of my underwear is now separate from my running gear!

My favorite part of the Woolzies: there are no chemicals. None. Besides Dave’s sensitive skin, we want to, as parents, make sure that Addie isn’t exposed to any unnecessary fragrance or chemicals. In part because of baby-sensitivities and also because of her extra baby rolls, Addie breaks out in hives when there is an abundance of fragrance in detergent, washes, and dryer sheets. This is why Woolzies are for us. As a mom and wife, I want to give my family the healthiest lifestyle possible- that starts with what we consume and touch on a daily basis. Already using a free and clear all natural detergent left me feeling good about the washing, and the dryer cycle solution of Woolzies has brought me much inner-peace. It’s true, a few balls of wool can make a mother’s heart rest easy.

Finally, a simple mathematical equation based on 10 loads per week at 3 sheets per load (30 sheets/week):
A name-brand of dryer sheets are $9 for a box of 160.
I need 1,560 sheets, or 10 whole boxes. 10 x $9 = $90. In one year, I need $90 of dryer sheets.
One box of Woolzies at $34.50 provides 1,000 dries, instead of 3,000 sheets, which is ~19 boxes or $171.00!
1,000 dries at 10 loads per week (520 loads a year) with Woolzies equates to almost 2 years of drying!

The savings over 2 years? More than $300. For real.

How can you get your own box for free?

Leave a comment below mentioning which of the following actions you took and/or why you need Woolzies! (+1)
* Follow me on Twitter (+2)
* Follow Woolzies on Twitter (+2)
* Follow Addie on Facebook (+2)
* Follow Woolzies on Facebook (+2)
* Tweet about the giveaway (mention @martinka and @woolzies) (+3)
* Follow the blog (+5)
* Add my button to your blog (+10)
* Tweet more than one day? (+4) Just comment again!

A winner will be drawn from random.org on April 3rd.

Thank you for entering… I promise you will not be disappointed!

*I received a box of Woolzies as compensation for a review. All thoughts and opinions are mine, as always, and are not influenced by outside sources.

Hello readers.

These past few days have been some days of reckoning! I love my baby girl and sometimes taking the time to look inward and find my own strength instead of leaning on others is extremely important. Having so much love and support means the world to me, but I need to remember my own two legs, too!

That being said, let’s get some education out to the public!!! Enough is enough! There are so many negative things in the media about dwarfism- even just the use of the word midget. I said it. Once. And once is enough. I don’t care who thinks it’s an OK word to use to describe someone or themselves. It is NOT OK with me, and I won’t have the word used to describe my daughter. The more people who know about and understand dwarfism, all the many types AND that little people are just as capable as you or me, the less stereotyping and harassment will be out there.

There is a wonderful website I want everyone to help me promote… please visit the page and LIKE! their Facebook page. Spread the knowledge!

After you like their page and Addie’s page, please comment on this post. I will be doing a random drawing in September and I will post a blog with the winner! Of what? You may ask: a $25 Visa Gift Card to use however you please. SPREAD THE WORD, GET PAID!!!!

So, please go LIKE and LIKE, then post and… KEEP READING and spreading the word to get your payday!