Green Living: Counting {organic} Sheep {An organic mattress review and organic pillow set giveaway}

**This giveaway is now closed. Johanna was chosen by random.org as the winner. **

I totally get why people count sheep when they have trouble falling asleep now.

Because way back before bedding manufacturers started dumping toxic materials into the mattresses we love to sink our tired bodies into, I think bed crafters must have used wool as a soft padding atop beds.

OK, I don't actually know that for certain, but I can tell you, if our ancestors did make mattresses from wool, they were onto something.

Because even though it smells a little like a {very clean} barnyard in our room when we slumber with slight scents of wool in the air, our {moderately} new natural latex mattress and organic cotton and wool quilted topper are so very comfortable.

And I can rest much easier sleeping atop of our natural, toxin-free bed.

We began researching organic beds a few years back after reading quite a few articles citing the chemicals and cancer-causing toxins that are used to manufacture mattresses.

And quite fraknly, it made me queasy to think about the gasses that were being emmitted from most of the mattresses we've ever owned.

Although, our older mattress actually was made before current laws regarding flamability were set, so we have one that has much lower emmissions than most of the newer mattresses that meet the flamability standards.

{Flame retardant mattresses contain boric acid, which is a known reproductive and developmental toxin. And you don't even want to know what compounds are found in the memory foam used in so many mattresses on the market -- think chemicals that cause birth defects as well compromise the nuerological and immune systems.}

It didn't take reading too many more articles before we began exploring organic and natural bedding options.

But, alas, John, our financial manager, deemed most of the mattresses to be too expensive. He said we'd have to save for quite awhile before we could afford one.

Plus, he'd said, there was no way he was dropping a few thousand dollars on a mattress he couldn't even try in person, as most of the organic bedding companies we'd found were based in other states.

But we began socking away money for one anyway because I expressed how strongly I felt about the situation.

We were both plesantly surprised to discover North Shore Bedding in Highland Park, Illinois -- just a short drive south on the expressway -- carried several brands and styles of organic and natural mattresses.

Brett, the owner of North Shore Bedding, welcomed us into his showroom, and he answered all of our questions as we plopped down atop all of the natural mattresses.

As we discussed what we were looking for, Brett suggested the WJ Southland Organic Charles Mattress.

While I liked many of the natural mattresses {some priced much more reasonably than others}, John really liked the Charles Southland.

So we took the plunge, and we bought our first king-sized {hey, we co-sleep with the kids!} non-toxic, natural fiber/materials mattress.



And honest to goodness, my only slight charge against the mattress is that it faintly smells like a { again, very clean} sheep is hiding in our bedroom.

{For the record -- a sheep is way better than a chemical plant fuming gases.}

It's comfortable, breathable, soft yet sturdy, spacious and wonderfully natural.

John agrees, as he prefers a soft-yet-moderately firm mattress.

Brett offered to sell the mattress to us at cost in exchange for reviewing it, so we did not pay full price.

However, in hindsight, our bed is worth every penny because its toxin free and we sleep so very well on it.

Our organic cotton/wool blend topper can also be flipped to extend its life span. Because the core of the matress is made from pure latex, I anticipate that it will actually last longer than many of the mattresses made of other less durable {and toxic} materials.

I appreciated our experience with Brett at Northshore Bedding, and I feel comfortable recommending not only the mattress but the store to friends looking for a new mattress. {NSB does have regular mattresses, and Brett says he will ship any of the mattresses to a customer.}

Brett was very generous with us, and he's also extending generosity to one of my blog friends!

You can win TWO queen-sized Natura Organic Cloud Contour Pillows {valued at $238} and rest easy knowing your head is resting against natural, organically grown fibers!




If you'd like to win TWO Natura Organic Cloud Contour Pillows, simply leave a comment saying why you would like to win.

If you'd like extra entries in the giveaway, you can become a fan of North Shore Bedding on Facebook or Tweet about the contest once. Please leave a comment {and your Twitter handle} for each so as to gain your extra entries.

The giveaway winner will be announced Sunday, September 26 at 9 p.m.

In the meantime, happy sleeping!

Full Disclosure: I only review family-friendly, natural products I use in my own home and would recommend to friends while having coffee or a playdate. We received this mattress at the wholesale rate in exchange for a review in which I vowed to give my 100 percent honest opinion of the mattress.