H2Ooono

Did you know that the production and transportation of U.S. bottled water uses the equivalent of 50 million barrels of oil annually. WOW! and we complain about gas prices. So here is a good stocking stuffer idea, a reusable water bottle, I picked mine up at the health food store for $12 (All Ways Healthy in Lake Zurich) and you can find them just about anywhere now. Seriously let's take it back to the tap. Here is more info on the bottle water boycotts around the world.

how now brown cow!

VIDEO: Cutting Cows' Gas Emissions

via National Geographic News on 10/23/08

Cow's emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas, can be reduced with a more natural diet, farmers are learning. Methane is a powerful contributor to global warming.

Halloween Horrors

Slowly but surely we have been putting the garden to rest. Harvesting the last of the tomatoes, canning some sauce and salsa, apple picking and making apple sauce, and my favorite....the pumpkins are here!! Coleman is very into decorating them, we even got to pick two big green ones from our garden this year. And of course pumpkins means that halloween is right around the corner! Yeah! I do have quite a fondness for this holiday especially since Halloween and chocolate might as well be the same thing in my vocabulary. But recently I have come across an article that almost made m&m's come out my nose, it's about child labor in the cocoa industry, and how these kids work 12 hr days and don't even know what chocolate tastes like! Seriously, I knew it was important to buy Fair Trade coffee and chocolate, but I guess I just didn't realize the abuse involved. We usually don't get any trick or treaters and I end up inhaling the whole bag of Reese's cups myself, but you can bet this year my binge will be Fair Trade Certified!

Here is a defination of Fair Trade out of Gorgeously Green: "An alternate trading system that creates opportunities for farmers and artisans who are most vulnerable and disadvantaged by conventional trade." Fair Trade ensures that the farmers get a fair price and that sustainability is practiced. It also ensures that workers, especially women are empowered

here are some options for a Fair Trade Halloween:
https://www.progressivekid.com/shop/ecochocolate.aspx
http://chocosphere.com/
http://store.gxonlinestore.org/holiday2.html

oh and another article supporting this:
http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/fairtrade/trickortreat.cfm

Lowering Your Risk

I don't know how much of this is true but it makes sense, since it seems like all these products and things in the environment are possible carcinogens, but this was in a newsletter I received recently:

7 Ways to Lower Your Cancer Risk What does cancer have to do with eco-conscious living? A lot. More and more research is uncovering the links between environmental stressors and the harm they do to our bodies. It seems logical then to take as many preventative steps as possible. Weeding away the un-natural products and behaviors that our so-very-natural human systems have a hard time handling is the best place to start. In our four-part anti-cancer lifestyle series, expert Dr. David Servan-Schreiber ... himself a brain cancer survivor ... shares his tips for living a long, healthy life.

Avoid the following common household products:

• Percholoeethylene/Tetrachloro-ethylene, found in dry cleaning. Garments should be aired out for several hours before wearing.


• Cleaning products such as liquid detergents, disinfectants, and toilet bowl sanitizers that contain alkylphenols (nonoxynol, octoxynol, nonylphenol, actylphenol)


• Deodorants and antiperspirants containing aluminum.


• Cosmetics, shampoos, lotions, gels, hair color, nail polish, perfumes and sunscreen containing estrogens or placental products, or those with parabens or phthalttes.


• Chemical household pesticides and insecticides.


• Heating foods or liquids in plastic containers made with PVCs, polystyrene, or Styrofoam.


• Preparing food in scratched Teflon pans.

Clean Freak

Is anyone out there still using bleach and lysol and any other standard store bought cleaners? Here is some things to think about my friends, is your health and your kids health or your toilet bowl more important.....
• Women who work at home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than those who work away from home. The 15-year study concluded it was as a direct result of the much higher exposure rate to toxic chemicals in common household products!
-Toronto Indoor Air Conference 1990

•The toxic chemicals in household cleaners are three times more likely to cause cancer than air pollution.
- Environmental Protection Agency report in 1985

•Of chemicals commonly found in homes, 150 have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer, and psychological abnormalities.
-Consumer Product Safety Commission

•Within 26 seconds after exposure to chemicals such as cleaning products , traces of these chemicals can be found in every organ in the body.

•The Average American Uses about 25 Gallons of toxic, hazardous chemical products per year in their home... A major portion of these can be found in household cleaning products.
-"Prosperity Without Pollution," by Joel S. Hirschorn and Kirsten V. Oldenburg, 1991

•According to the National Research Council, no toxic information is available for more than 80% of the chemicals in everyday-use products. Only 1% of toxins are required to be listed on labels, because companies classify their formulas as "trade secrets."
-Lorie Dwornick, researcher, educator and activist, 2002

•In the past 50 years more than 75,000 chemicals have been introduced into the environment. Today 300 synthetic chemicals are found in the bodies of humans. Even newborn babies have synthetic chemicals passed on from their mothers.
-REACH (Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals, a European Union program)

•In homes where aerosol sprays and air fresheners were used frequently, mothers experienced 25 percent more headaches and were 19 percent more likely to suffer from depression. Additionally, infants under six months of age had 30 percent more ear infections and 22 percent higher incidence of diarrhea.
-According to a Study Published in the magazine, NEW SCIENTIST, 1999

•Cancer rates have increased since 1901 from only 1 in 8,000 Americans, to 1 in 3 today! By the year 2010, this disease will afflict 1 of every 2 individuals!
-American Cancer Society

•Cancer rates have continued to increase every year since 1970. Brain cancer in children is up 40% in 20 years. Toxic chemicals are largely to blame.
-NY Times, September 29, 1997

More than 1.4 million Americans exposed to household chemicals were referred to poison control centers in 2001. Of these, 824,000 were children under 6 years.

A New York sanitation worker was killed in 1998 when a hazardous liquid in household trash sprayed his face and clothes.

At any given time, there is 3.36 million tons of household hazardous waste to contend with in our country.

-Chec's HealtheHouse,
the resource for Environmental Health Risks
Affecting Your Children

In 1990, more than 4,000 toddlers under age four were admitted to hospital emergency rooms as a result of household cleaner-related injuries. That same year, three-fourths of the 18,000 pesticide-related hospital emergency room admissions were children.

Over 80 percent of adults and 90 percent of children in the United States have residues of one or more harmful pesticides in their bodies.

Petrochemical cleaning products in the home are easily absorbed into the skin. Once absorbed, the toxins travel to the blood stream and are deposited in the fatty tissues where they may exist indefinitely.

-"In Harm's Way," a study by "The Clean Water Fund" and "Physicians for Social Responsibility"
May 11, 2000

More than 7 million accidental poisonings occur each year, with more than 75% involving children under age 6!
-The Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons

According to the U.S. Poison Control Centers, "A child is accidentally poisoned every 30 seconds at home..."

Unregulated air pollution has caused one in six children in the Central Valley of California to suffer from asthma. More than 5000 children in the San Joaquin Valley Air District are hospitalized each year for asthma. The death rate from respiratory diseases in the Imperial Valley -- at times more than double that of the rest of the state. Up to 2.2 million Californians suffer from asthma.
-California's State Department of Health Services

Seriously! How crazy is that!? And don't forget you can't just dump those cleaners down a drain you have to dispose of them at a hazardous waste facility! Or some towns have special days when they will take hazardous waste, I'll get you the link to that next post, for now the kids are up, gotta go!

Yes more stuff about BPA in plastics!

I am posting an e-newsletter I received that I think anyone who hasn't checked what kind of plastic cups and/or bottle your child is drinking out of(and yourself for that matter)should read, really couldn't say it better myself so I'm not even gonna try....

Dear Friends,

Just days before the California legislature will be considering passing a ban on the toxic chemical BPA in some children's products, the FDA has announced BPA is safe for human consumption. Although there are over 100 published reports by government scientists and independent research labs documenting the risks of BPA (particularly for infants and children), the FDA has relied solely on two chemical-industry funded studies that concluded BPA poses no risk to human health. At this point I would say it is entirely clear the FDA is more committed to protecting the interests of industry rather than ensuring the safety of the public.

It is important to note that the National Toxicology Program, an arm of National Institutes of Health, has produced studies that differ in their results from those that the FDA has chosen to accept. So what the FDA has chosen to do is ignore reports from within its own system in favor of those funded by special interests. A public meeting has been scheduled for September 16 to discuss issues arising from the preliminary report issued by the NIH, which expresses concern over the dangers of BPA, especially in relation to infants and children. One thing to keep in mind - and this is consistently misreported by the media - no one is saying that BPA is safe. Everyone acknowledges that it is a dangerous toxicant. The only argument is over the level required to inflict major and irreparable damage.

Please read the articles below to get a brief overview on this issue, particularly the Washington Post article titled "Studies on Chemical In Plastics Questioned: Congress Examines Role Of Industry in Regulation." This is essential reading. It is imperative that as representatives of Green to Grow you are able to answer questions such as: "But the FDA has declared BPA is safe; why should we carry a BPA-free alternative? Why should anyone care about this issue now?"

Last, two statistics for your consideration: More than 6 billion pounds of bisphenol A are produced in the U.S. each year by Dow Chemical, BASF, Bayer AG and other manufacturers. Studies indicate that 95% of us have detectable levels of BPA in our systems.

Thanks for your time and commitment to educating people about this issue. Clearly we can't rely on our government to do the right thing. It will be up to companies like Green to Grow, and those who support us, to keep the issue visible.

All the best,

Michael Ritterbrown
Shelley Aronoff
Green to Grow



Studies on Chemical In Plastics Questioned
Congress Examines Role Of Industry in Regulation
By Lyndsey Layton
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 27, 2008; A01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/26/AR2008042602126_pf.html

FDA Decision Over BPA Meant to Influence California Lawmakers?
http://www.ewg.org/node/27022
Environmental Working Group News Release, August 15, 2008
EWG is a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, DC that uses the power of information to protect human health and the environment.

FDA Says Chemical Found in Plastic Bottles is Safe
Associated Press, Matthew Perrone, August 15, 2008
http://www.ewg.org/node/27023

Parents Buying Guide

Here is another parents buying guide for products.
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/special/parentsguide/

I haven't been able to find much on no-tear formulas using anesthetizing ingredients. Somebody from J&J wrote in 2002 that it was just a vicious rumor by competitors and proceeded to list the ingredient list, which consisted of PEG's and Fragrance and a couple other things on the no-no list. But hey it's gentle right? Arbonne mentions it as well, so I'll try and do some more research. In the mean time if you really want to freak yourself out, read the following article...

http://healthychild.org/resources/article/do_you_know_whats_in_your_babys_mattress/

Ingredients List

Here is another link for an ingredient list to print out and put in your wallet or purse when buying products. You don't have to memorize them all, and after awhile of reading labels, you will recognize the stuff you don't want in there right away.

http://thegreenguide.com/doc/94/goodbadugly

They also have some buying guides for other products and household items, it's a good place to start your research when shopping, even for shoes :)

http://www.thegreenguide.com/products/

I'm Back!!!!

Hi everyone, yes I decided to take a summer hiatus, I'm sure everyone knows how busy things get so I don't even have to explain. But it's time to get going again, and I kicked things off with a little green party on Friday night. I think it was a big eye opener for some of you to find out what's in all those products you use everyday on yourself and on your kids. I know it's overwhelming and it seems daunting and expensive to go green, but remember it's all about baby steps and smart choices, and there is always a way to do it within your budget. I just want to thank everyone for participating Friday and here are some of the websites we discussed.

Lynne's website which has all the products(and the website I designed;))
littlegreenbooties.com

The Environmental Working Group site, which Dr. Otilia Naranjo talked about, and also the best and worst offenders as far as pesticides on food list. On the right hand bottom side is a cool little thing called more tools and resources that links you to most of the sites we talked about and some other too.
http://www.ewg.org/
http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php

Also the product ratings website
www.cosmeticsdatabase.com

Also thank you to Lindsey for the fab Arbonne presentation and footsoak and scrub, seriously was that not the best?
Arbonne.com
I think some of you seemed a bit overwhelmed with all the info, so I'm not gonna add any more...yet. But if you have any questions or concerns or want to know more, just let me know. Oh and there is also a "Little Things You Can Do to Go Green" night at the Ela Library this Wed Sept. 10th at 7pm and the woman who is doing the presentation is the owner of All Ways Healthy in Lake Zurich which I think is one of the best health food stores ever and they carry one of the largest selection of green products (ie-the natural deodorant that I think works best)
I know it's kind of a bad time but I'll see if I can get some notes.

Also if you are interested in trying to put together another Talkin' Green night, maybe next month, let me know and I'll get things going.

Here Fishy Fishy

I think everyone is sort of aware that there are certain fish you are not suppose to eat because they are over fished and at risk of becoming extinct and disrupting whole ecosystems. It's hard to know what is what thought so here is a great link from my fabulous friend Erica that breaks it down for you by eco-best, eco-okay and eco-worst. Anyway this all came about because I had too much cilantro (you know how you buy the big bunch at the store and it's always too much and goes bad) and decided to make up a salad dressing for taco salad and it turned out so good that I decided to use it as a marinade for fish, so here it is if you are so inclined to give it whirl on the grill:
Cilantro Lime Marinade or Salad Dressing
5 tbsns EVOO
3 tbsns Lime Juice
1 tbsn Vinegar (white, or really what ever you have on hand)
1 1/2 tsps Dijon mustard
1/4 - 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
garlic clove
salt and pepper
Toss in Magic Bullet and blend it up, or press the garlic and shake it up in a sealed container.
You might have to play with some of the proportions as we like things a bit on the vinegary side. Try with orange juice too! yummy. Let me know how you like it.

Rub a dub dub

Yes I know it's been forever, but it's summer and we have just been crazy busy. I feel like I have been learning so many new things though! For example and this is gross, almost all commercial soap is made with "fatty remains of slaughtered cows, sheep, and horses. Brains, fatty tissues, other unwanted parts of diseased or dead animals are collected into large vats and used to create "tallow." This tallow is shipped off to commercial soapmakers where it is processed into bars soaps." What!? Seriously people enough is enough. Not to mention Triclosan which is what is in all those antibacterial soaps in everyones bathrooms, it's almost hard to find a hand soap this isn't antibacterial anyway here is another quote about triclosan "Triclosan, an antibacterial chemical found in some bar soap, is a chlorophenol, a class of chemicals suspected of causing cancer in humans. It is also a chlorinated aromatic compound, similar in molecular structure to some of the most toxic chemicals on earth: dioxins, PCBs and Agent Orange. Do you really want these substances being applied intentionally to your skin?" Here is the full article about natural soaps if you would like to read for yourselves. While I have not tried the products from this company it was interesting reading none the less, and I have read about the dangers of antibacterial soaps from other sources other than a soap making company, I just thought the article was well written. Suggested by my lovely sister in law, though I'll have to ask her if she used their products I think the lotion maybe, lets see if we can get a review, shall we? So the point? Please don't use antibacterial soaps! Especially when you are washing your kids hands 50 times a day, warm water and regular soap work just as well. And while it would be great to always be able to use natural handmade soaps some are a bit pricey, but hey there is other options, Tom's of Maine Body Bar rates a 0 or 1 on the toxicity scale, and I'm sure there are other alternatives just read the ingredients, say no to Sodium Tallowate, Parfum or anything else you can't really pronounce. Besides nothing says clean in the summer like a little run through the sprinkler right? :)

Turtle Sprouts

Here is a link to a garden based activity for kids called turtle sprouts. I haven't tried it yet but maybe at my next playgroup. I think some parts I will have to do ahead to make it age appropriate for 2-3 year olds. I think they will enjoy decorating the foam turtles though.
http://www.hort.cornell.edu/gbl/planting/index.html

If you are wondering if gardening is a good activity for kids then here is a article supporting that thought. Basically let kids decide what to plant where to plant it, etc...not just the boring stuff like weeding and watering, although I gotta say I had Coleman out in the yard this morning watering my tomato plants! :)
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/254911

Hey Culligan Man!

Has anyone noticed that the big water cooler bottles are a #7 plastic? I'm pretty sure that's the worst one AND they are reused so the more they are used the more leaching of chemicals. What?! seriously? People do this? Anyway my sister-law's good friend took the matter into her own hands and called a bunch of drinking water supply companies to see if they cared about their customers health. From what I understand they don't. So here is a list of resources for safer water and filtration systems. This list is courtesy of Cody Chiropractic in Cary.
www.nontoxic.com
www.waterfiltercomparisons.net/WaterFilter_Comparison.cfm
www.advancedwaterfilters.com
www.aquasanastore.com
www.purwaterfilter.com
www.freedrinkingwater.com
www.waterfilter-usa.com
So you see there are some safe alternatives out there, let's vote with our dollars, shall we.

I love a rainy night

I am so excited!! I have all my tomato plants in! And my brilliant husband has installed a 500 gallon rain barrel, we got about 75 gallons in the last couple of days, what a crazy lady I am out there checking to see how much rain fell! Anyway we just need to hook up the soaker hoses and that will be the way we water our new garden this year! Like I said I'm very excited and actually feel like I'm doing something. Other than that sorry I have not been posting, but Coleman has decided that he is now gettting up at 5-5:30am so that has really cut into my research and writing time, not to mention just my mommy time. Hey I'll get up at 5am but if you don't bring me coffee(yes it's organic, fair trade and shade grown! Cage Femenino, at Trader Joes $6.99, it also supports women coffee farmers in Peru, now that's a feel good caffeine alone can't give you) then expect a grumpy mama. Okay enough about me....So I'm sure you are sick of hearing abou the plastics but here are a couple more links on BPA and another moms blog on sippy cup reviews
Also Ikea plastic is #5 and safe, if your kids have ever eaten at my house you know the multi-colored plates, bowls, and cups, I love them they are a great toddler size and super convenient.

Stinky Greenies

We all know that natural deodorants for lack of a better word...stink! I decided to conduct a little experiment today since I have been using the Tom's of Maine Lavender Deodorant and while it's probably okay for ladies that glow, it just doesn't quite do it for me. So Gorgeously Green recommends Dr Hauschka's roll on, but much as I try I just can't fork over $19.99 for something that goes in my armpit. She has a couple other recommendation that I will probably try at some point they are, Erbavia, Herbal Magic, Aubrey Organics, and Tom's of Maine for men, if you need more info on those call me. But I decided to go to the Health Food Store and just pick their brains. The very helpful lady at All Ways Healthy basically told me what I already knew...Natural deodorants just don't do the job that we have come to expect, especially since they are just deodorants, not, antiperspirants. She recommended two brands that actually have repeat purchases and those are Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Floral Deodorant and EarthScience either Lichen or Tea Tree Lavender. The Thursdays isn't totally "clean" it rates a #5 on the cosmetics database but it does not contain aluminum which is rather toxic, but it does contain "fragrance" which is why it only rates a #5, still not too bad, better than a #10. It comes in a roll-on. The Earth Science Deodorant rates a #1 (for those who haven't checked that out yet, that's very good, 0 being the lowest) and is a solid. So to test my two new purchases I applied one under each arm then hooked up the bike trailed and hauled to kids on a 27 minute bike ride to playgroup(It's ride a bike to work or play week too), ran around with the kiddies till noon, then hauled them back home, wearing a windproof jacket, did some cleaning, raked out the lettuce garden and planted some herbs and Swiss Chard, and finally put the kids to bed. I figured a day in the life was the best way to check for stink. And for the results.....(sniff sniff).....The Thursdays isn't the freshest, it's not as bad as the Tom's and probably on an average day you could get away with it, the floral scent isn't exactly exactly horrible, but kind of stale if you know what I mean. The Earth Science on the other hand I'm pleasantly surprised with, I can't smell anything, I'm tempted to ask my husband if he can, but really I can only put the poor man through so much :) Anyway I might try some others after I'm through with these, but I think I will be sticking with EarthScience for a bit, we'll see what happens in the dog days of summer. Just keep in mind this is only one girls opinion and everyones body chemistry is different, but like I said I'm not one of those lucky glow girls who don't even use deodorant! like Julia Roberts and my totally cool sister-in-law :)

All this got me thinking though at some point, in order to make an impact and work towards a better future for our kids, we will have to sacrifice something. I am so used to having my cake and eating it too, we are just a consumer culture and really at some point it has to stop, why is it so hard for use to give up our creature comforts? When I listen to myself hem and haw about it and make excuses, I sound like my 2yr old whining for a Popsicle. Seriously though before I get on my global warming rampage, I just want to say that we have to start giving some stuff up in order to make a difference, I think that the Earth and our children's future is worth it, don't you? I know natural deodorants won't save the planet, but it's the mind set I'm talking about, I have to be willing to give up those comfortable things because in the long run they are harmful to me and to all of my friends and family, I'm not saying be a stinky Greenie, but take a look and what you consume in a day, or week or whatever, and see if there is any place to cut back. So my quote for the day....Be the Change you want to see in the world - Gandhi (courtesy of Sophie Uliano)

New Sippy's

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all!
We tried out our new stainless steel sippy cups this weekend, in a trip downtown to my moms and the Museum of Science and Industry (I think I will have to take Chris there for Father's Day without the kids :))
I got the one with handles for Ostin and the straw one for Coleman
http://www.thermos.com/SubCategoriesCatalog.aspx?CatCode=Foog&SubMenuID=0
You can get them at Target, although I got the last ones at ours.
I read some of the reviews on Target.com and Amazon, and the sippy cup does have four parts and a bit of effort is required to disassemble and put back together, but not too bad. It sounds to me like some of the reviewers didn't realize the spout came off the lid though. Anyway I haven't had them long enough to have any off the ick problems they did, but the way I clean them I don't really see how anyway. I like the fact that they are insulated especially for the summer months coming up. Plus the other Munchin insulated cup we have is BPA free as well. So far to me they were a good purchase. I'm also attaching a link where if you scroll down this page a bit you can click on most of the major brands and they will tell you if your current cup is BPA free or not. Surprisingly a good number of them already are, so don't go emptying your cupboard just yet! Another thing I want to mention about this going green thing is that at least to me, it's not about going out and making a whole bunch of new purchases, and throwing out what you already have and is okay into a landfill. It's just about making wiser decisions next time around. Yes there are a some things you need to stop using pretty much right away (Anything with: Coal Tar, Fragrance[I know this one is hard maybe just use up what you have and move on], Hydroquinone, Aluminum, Triclosan, P-Phenylenediamine, and Lead and Mercury.) This list is from my Gorgeously Green book, so I don't want to sit here and type the whole book, but check these ingedients out on the skindeep database http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/index.php?nothanks=1
Anyway those are just the most toxic ones, there are still parabens and mineral oil...but that is a whole nother blog! So my point is check your sippy's, and if you don't have to buy new stuff don't! Try the most difficult R in the three R's reduce, reuse and recycle, and to me that is Reduce! Okay I gotta go and write a letter to Panera about their styrofoam cups! and #6 plastic lids, and before I get off on another tangent!
love to all

That's a Wrap

Mother's Day is coming up and I was just thinking about wrapping, and how much waste wrapping paper and bows and ribbons and all that packaging stuff creates. I know it looks nice but really everyone just rips it all off in like 2 seconds and off into a landfill it goes. So I got this tip from Sierra Club on Furoshiki, which are a type of traditional Japanese wrapping cloth that were frequently used to transport clothes, gifts, or other goods. (wikipedia)
furoshiki.com/techniques.php#basic_wrap

Anyway looks interesting and I'm willing to give it a try maybe with some organic cotton napkins, or scarves, or baby blankets, tableclothes, um bandanas or something. I've been looking for a way to address the issue of the boys birthdays coming up and the bags and bags of garbage we throw out afterwards, so this sounds like some creative problem solving!

I can hear some of your eyeballs rolling in the back of your heads, thinking I'm a nut and so much work, blah blah blah, well I said I would try it and well see how it goes. :) Anyone have a better suggestion?

Crazy Lady

I forgot to tell you that I was at the store yesterday and I think the fish guy thought I was so crazy because I didn't want the little styrofoam tray for the fish, I just wanted him to wrap it up! It was pretty funny, I had to really explain what I wanted a couple of times, oh well, was it worth the effort, I don't know, but it felt good. Maybe I should write the manager.....hmmmm....I'm sure he'd love the blog! So speaking of packaging, I thought I had done so good at the store and then I came home and realized that there is still so much packaging I am going to end up throwing away. I know that it's hard to fix everything and at some point you will end up using a plastic bag and it can be overwhelming and frustrating that all the conveniences that we so depend on end up in the landfill. But maybe this is where it starts, by being the crazy lady and refusing the styrofoam tray, I haven't gotten to the point of bringing my own containers to the deli yet, but I'm close!!! Oh and those veggie bags? I think I have to try and reuse them, anyone have any other ideas? Aside from the fact that soon I will be having delicious home grown veggies!! Oh and a crop share from http://www.angelicorganics.com/.
It breaks down to $32.50 a week for organic veggies, and considering that the prices of groceries are only going to go up, it was worth it for us. Seriously veggies grown locally and organically, now that is what I call making a difference!!! Till next time my friends
much love
The crazy lady at the store!

Yes Plastics again

This is a quickie. This whole BPA thing is so disturbing to me, I found a site that has started a petition to all major producers of kids and babies plastic products that contain BPA, take a look, decide if you would like to sign for your self.
http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/sign_the_petition_to_the_ceos_of_baby_bottle_manufacturers_to_get_bpa_out_o/

Plastics, the what and why

First let me apologize for not keeping up this week! Bad blogger mommy! We are putting in a new veggie garden, yeah!!!! 10'x40', so that's been keeping us quite busy, not to mention all the usual day to day stuff, my kitchen is a disaster!!!!, Anyway down to business.

So my fabulous friend Erica sent me two links about the what and why of plastic usage and baby and kids. As a mom you've probably noticed that everything your child eats or drinks off of or out of is plastic. So you might want to get the facts, because most plastics contain Bisphenol A (BPA) which a a hormone disruptor that can mimic chemicals in your body and has been linked to obesity, prostate cancer and breast cancer. You can't really avoid it, but the less you expose yourself and your kids to it the better. Anyway here are those links, I'm about to order some new sippy cups for the kids, although we are trying to break Coleman of the habit cause my dentist said they are bad for the back of the teeth (the juice or whatever squirts directly at the back of the teeth and that spot isn't that easy for kids or mommies to brush) And I've been trying to get Ostin not even started on the habit, but you can't deny their convenience for travel, etc. Anyway here are those links for real this time.....
http://www.ewg. org/babysafe
http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2008/02/z-report-on-bpa-in-infant-care-products.html

ps-If you have not read Gorgeously Green by Sophi Uliano yet, check it out!! It has really become one of my inspirations and a resource I go back to quite often, not to mention her website which has some quick clips of green products you can get at Target, among other things
http://gorgeouslygreen.com

Hard Habit to Break

Did you know that paper waste contributes one third of all land fill waste? That is just way too much! Plus:

• One million trees would be saved if every U.S. household replaced just one 250-count package of virgin fiber napkins with 100 percent recycled ones.
• 544,000 trees would be saved by replacing a 70-sheet roll of virgin fiber paper towels.
• 424,000 trees would be spared by replacing a 500-sheet roll of virgin fiber toilet paper
• 170,000 trees would be saved by replacing one 175-count box of virgin fiber facial tissue.

source earthtreat.org

Is it that hard to stop using paper towels? Well we are about to find out! I raided my bag of things to be donated to GoodWill and found suitable fabrics to make napkins and rags. I made a 12"x12" template out of cardboard from the recycling bin, so I don't have to measure each square that I have to cut, traced them with one of the kids water soluable markers and started cutting. When I couldn't get a full 12"square I made smaller squares to use for face cloths for the kids and rags. I still need to find a sustainable cute basket to put them on my counter in, but I'm sure if I search hard enough I can find something in my house to Reuse! Oh old sheets are a good idea too. You can certainly edge your 12" square for nice looking table napkins, or get someone to do it for you (I'll help you if you are in the neighborhood!) I seriously urge you to take on this challenge with me, or at least buy recycled paper products, everytime you use a paper towel you are cutting down trees. I don't mean to sound like a tree hugger or a crazy activist but this is sooooo important!! Just try what have you got to lose. Seriously if you need help and want to bring me some old stuff to cut up for you, I'll do it!

Natural Urge to Splurge

I happened to stumble upon a cute little shop today coming home from class, called Aroma Chef www.aromachef.com. I walked in and immediatley noticed a fresh and clean aroma, not like a certain Bath and Body store that makes me sneeze if I'm in there for 5 mins. Anyway so Its a natural products boutique and all their products are free of parabens, mineral oils and petrolatums, not tested on animals and contain natural and organic ingredients. Maybe I sound like an ad, but my point is that there are people out there taking a stand and making products that are environmentally friendly, and they could be right down the street from you! I think it's good to pass the word along about such products and people making a difference. I was chatting with the owner and she said that alot of people say that her products would make great gifts, and her thought was "Why wouldn't you use it on yourself?" So here is my question to you, why are most women so willing to spend money on a pricey gift for friends, but not themselves and keep slathering poisons onto our skins? I get that maybe it's a lifetime of buying an $8 bar of soap as opposed to a one time deal but there are economical options out there, and aren't you and your family worth it? For example for the past 5 days I have been test driving a non-toxic nail polish on my toes called Honey Bee Gardens($6.99) www.honeybeegardens.com. I Love it!! not a chip! I've actually worn sandals most of the week and was in the sandbox and gardening, it might be my new favorite color too. I'll let you know how the removal process goes, supposedly you can remove it with rubbing alcohol, or vodka (What?! rather have it in my cosmo!) They were out of the non-toxic nail polish remover at the Health food store. So HBG is water-based, odor-free! and has no formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalates or FD&C colors, I like the sound of that on my twinkle toes!

Happy Earth Day

I have to admit I'm having a bit of a freak out about global warming. I watched the Alaskan Expedition on Discovery Channel(http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/globalwarming/globalwarming.html) the other night and seriously could not sleep! The whole thing about Polar Bears being extinct by 2050 and the permafrost thawing and releasing methane into the atmosphere! Anyway so here is a link to what you personally can do about it http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/solutions/what-you-can-do-about-global-warming.html

One of my problems with this is the whole car pooling ride your bike solution. It's just a tad difficult with two kids, not to mention car seats, groceries, etc. How do you car pool when most of our activities require at least one parent per child or trying to transfer car seats into an already full mini van? I live in the suburbs and riding my bike to stores is just not realistic, as much as I would love to save fuel and get my workout in all at the same time. Everywhere I go I see rows of mini-vans in the parking lot and it just frustrates me, what's a mom to do? Well without even realizing it my brilliant friend Bridget and I have been cutting down out carbon footprint by being shopping buddies. For example if she goes to Target to get say 4 things and I need 4 things, then if she gets the things on my list, that's one car less on the road, less fuel burned, etc,. And this is something we do regularly, The grocery store is a tad problematic so we kind of have a limit of say 5-7 items, but Target, Trader Joe's, the PetStore....whatever. It doesn't seem like much, but not only have we saved each other fuel and time, we have done something good for the earth. So why not see if your neighbor needs anything from Target, or anyone in playgroup needs anything at Babies R Us if you are making the trip, I don't know but you get the drift. If anyone else has any suggestions on reducing the amount of gas we burn while juggling car seats and babies and safety (I'm not packing two car seats into a Prius!) Let me know cause it's really eating at my concious. Otherwise I suppose the carpooling will have to wait (sigh) But I can't beat myself up too much, I've made many changes, so one thing at a time. I don't think it will do anyone any good if I get so freaked out that I can't sleep, so one change at a time. Much love to all out there, and Happy Earth Day!!! How are you celebrating?

Shout out to Sue S.

I'm not sure how many of you are actually reading this, but if you haven't checked anyones comments, my fabulous friend Sue, who is a teacher posted some great book suggestions by the fingerpainting idea, I'm gonna paste it in here again just in case anyone missed it. If you've come across any great kid ideas or made up your own activity or have a great resource please pass it on!!! either comment or send me an email, let's get the word out :) Seriously Sue, You Rock!!! Love you!

hisue said...

Here are some good earth day (and everyday) children's books: Our Earth; The Earth and I (nice watercolors); Where Does the Garbage Go?; A Tree is Nice (Old, but I like it); Why Should I Recycle?; Where Once There was a Woods (good one); Great Kapok Tree (4 years and up, but good); The Tiny Seed (Carle classic); Planting a Rainbow (Ehlert classic); Growing Vegetable Soup (Ehlert classic); Clifford's Spring Clean Up (If your kid is a Clifford fan); Joseph Had a Little Overcoat (This one I use to talk about reusing things); I Had a Dream (maybe 5 or 6 and up, but very good book); Hey Little Ant (Very good for talking about being kind to all creatures). Go to Amazon to check out the descriptions because some of these are simpler than others. Besides reading and discussing these books, I always have my students clean up the area around school (wearing latex gloves), plant things, care for a creature of some sort (ants, caterpillars, or chicks that I of course brought back to the farm), and sort recyclables. I emphasize that we should care for where we live EVERYDAY.

Do I really have to buy Organic?!

I've checked out a couple of sources and most places agree there are about 12 foods that are really important to stick with the organics, they are the most contaminated and will make the most difference in the toxic levels you and your kids ingest. I will just give you the lists and if you want to read the why's I'll provide the links. Just print a little cheat sheet and put it in your wallet so you don't forget. Everyone thinks it's so expensive, but why are we willing to splurge on so many things and not something good for our bodies, especially if the alternatives are toxic and support a form of business that is harming the environment. Also if you buy organic it means it has not been made with Genetically Modified Organisms and also has not been irradiated. If you want some hardcore info read this :http://www.organicconsumers.org/monlink.cfm. , warning this one could get time consuming, but just take a look at whats out there! Also It's not just about what we ingest, it's also about what the farming practices of conventional groceries do to the environment. If we all just picked one thing on the lists to change over to organics, just think of the possible impact...one item on your list.....seriously.
Kids Organics - http://www.kidsorganics.com/10%20Most%20Important%20Foods%20to%20Eat%20Organic.htm
1-Baby Food
2-Strawberries
3-Rice
4-Green and Red Bell Peppers
5-Milk
6-Corn
7-Bananas
8-Green Beans
9-Peaches
10-Apples
11-Cherries
12-Celery
13-Apricots and Grapes
14-Soybeans

http://www.wikihow.com/Choose-the-Most-Important-Organic-Foods

• Beef, chicken and pork
• Dairy products: Milk, cheese and butter
• Strawberries, raspberries and cherries
• Apples and pears
• Tomatoes
• Spinach and salad greens
• Coffee
• Potatoes
• Stone fruits: Peaches, nectarines and apricots
• Grapes
• Celery
• Peppers (capsicums), green and red

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-top-10-foods-to-eat-organically.html
-Strawberries
-Bell Peppers
-Spinach
-Cherries
-Peaches
-Mexican Canteloupe
-Celery
-Apples
-Apricots
-Green Beans

-Meat
-Milk
-Coffee
-Peaches
-Apples
-Sweet Bell Peppers
-Celery
-Strawberries
-Lettuces
-Grapes
-Lettuces
-Tomatoes

That's My Bag Baby!

Inspired by an article in Body+Soul this month, I decided to try a quit my plastic bag habit cold turkey, and you know what, it wasn't as much of a disaster as I thought it would be! I'm actually feeling pretty good about it. I just gathered up all those canvas bags that I have collected over the years, from work and random events, and just put the bag of bags in my car with a couple of plasic ones just in case (hey at least they will get reused a couple of times before becoming poop bags) Trader Joe's was a breeze and I always shop big there, no matter how small my list, they were super helpful and friendly, and I got a raffle ticket for $10 of groceries for bringing in my bags. Dominick's gave me a coupon book for bringing in my bag, and it's actually stuff I would buy not some crazy processed junk, for example organic salad mixes, a house plant!, organic coffee and a free Ben&Jerry's mini cup! So exciting for me!! Health food store, and Walgreens purchases went right into my way to large to be a purse, purse, and voila I'm feelin' pretty good about myself. So try it once it's not as bad as I thought it would be, and I can go to sleep knowing I have made just a slight difference, that's all I can ask of myself. And if it is just too daunting of a task, at least give up the single purchase bags, you know your going to hide those cookies in your purse anyway so your husband and kids don't eat them, what do you need another bag for? (Wait did I just say that out loud?!)

Zap that Sponge

We all know that bleach is bad and we shouldn't use it. So how can you disinfect all those little germs that are using your kitchen sponges as breeding grounds. (incidentally we probably should be using organic cotton cloths because sponges contain polyurethane and natural sponges should be left in nature, Trader Joes carries a vegtable cellulose sponge though but they get stinky quick, this little tidbit helps though) Anyway my point, if you zap those sponges or clothes in the microwave for 60 seconds or run them through a heated dry cycle in your dishwasher you kill 99 percent of bacteria, yeast and molds, that's more that soaking them in a 10% bleach solution. This fun factoid is courtesy of one of my new favorite magazines - Clean Eating, most of the recipes are pretty good too, although anything made with fatfree ricotta, I gotta say has not worked for me. Off to zap my sponges!

Baby Fresh

So my 9 month old son Ostin had hypospadias repair surgery today. He's a bit crabby but I think doing well. I think I'm more freaked out than him! Poor little guy. Anyway that bring me to one of my favorite topics....Babies!!!!! How fun are all those cute products and lotions for babies, right? Oh so wrong!!!! Ever check the labels? Most have mineral oil or some sort of petroleum product, which coat the skin so it can't breath. Not to mention that it's now thought to be a carcinogen because of the way it is made. So why are we suffocated our babies skin with products they really don't even need. Here is an interesting link to an article on MSNBC about baby products titled:

Chemicals in baby shampoo: What to do now Leading pediatricians answer msnbc.com readers’ questions and concerns

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22999573

Oh and don't even get me started on Parabens, nasty things some of which had even been banned by the European Union.

Then there are Phthalates......I will never know why my son was born with a hypospadia (a penile birth defect) but being a product/lotion junkie, I'm sure I slathered myself in these nasty chemicals, could that have been the cause? I don't know, but I want to make sure everyone out there is aware of what they are slathering all over their bodies largest organ, not to mention the babies, who are so much more suseptible to everything. Check out this article below from safecosmetics.org...

Element in lotions may enter babies' skin;
Researchers suggest avoiding use of products

By Susanne Rust

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
February 3, 2008

Researchers are suggesting that parents hold off on the lotions, creams, powders and shampoos they apply to their babies' skin -- unless those products are medically necessary.

Their study found that babies on whom these products have been used have higher urine concentrations of a family of chemicals known as phthalates than infants who haven't had the products applied. And it's likely that it's through the skin that the smallest of these tots are being exposed.

Phthalates are found in a variety of products. They make plastics soft and pliable and are used in many personal-care products to hold fragrance and color. These chemicals are known to cause a host of maladies in laboratory animals, including undescended testicles and malformed penises -- two birth defects that are on the rise in people.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of boys born with hypospadia, or a malformed urethra, in the United States has doubled since the late 1960s.

There is no definitive evidence that phthalates can cause harm to human babies.

For consumers, figuring out whether a particular product contains phthalates is difficult. Federal laws do not require companies to label chemicals if they are not considered key or critical ingredients in a product.

"The consumer has no way to know when they pick up a bottle of lotion if this product contains this chemical," said Patricia Hunt, a biologist at Washington State University, who has studied other chemicals thought to damage the reproductive system. "All a parent can do now is look for products that explicitly say they do not contain these chemicals."

The research study, conducted by a team from the University of Washington, the CDC and the Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, is published today in the journal Pediatrics.

It has sparked a strong rebuke from the chemical companies' trade group, the American Chemistry Council.

"In 50 or more years of use, no reliable evidence has ever been found that phthalates, either alone or in combination, causes negative health effects in humans," said Marian Stanley, the council'sPhthalates Esters Panel manager, in a statement.

"We take great exception to any effort to draw unfounded conclusions that suggest human health risks are associated with the mere presence of very low levels of metabolized phthalates in urine," she said.

Study of exposure

The Pediatrics study was designed to determine whether healthy babies from the general population were being exposed to phthalates. And if they were, said Sheela Sathyanarayana, the lead author of the paper, the question was: How?

Sathyanarayana, a pediatrician and environmental health researcher at the University of Washington, and her colleagues gathered information from a group of infants and mothers they had been following in California, Minnesota and Missouri.

They collected urine samples from 163 babies who ranged from 2 months to 28 months in age and asked mothers to fill out questionnaires that asked about product, toy and pacifier use.

In the urine samples, which were squeezed from wet diapers, the researchers looked for the chemical byproducts, or metabolites, of nine different phthalates.

They found that every baby they studied had at least one detectable phthalate metabolite in his or her urine, and more than 80% had seven or more different kinds.

They also discovered that babies whose mothers reported using infant lotion, infant powder or shampoo on their babies in the 24 hours before the urine sample was collected had the highest levels of phthalates. This relationship was especially strong in infants younger than 8 months.

"I was surprised that all of the younger infants were exposed," said Sathyanarayana. "I would have thought that a newborn baby would have the least exposure because they are not crawling or walking. They're not really being exposed to the outside environment as much as older children."

She called the result particularly worrisome because newborns are especially susceptible to reproductive and developmental toxins.

Effects being explored

Sathyanarayana said with so little known about the effects of these chemicals, it's wise not to use lotions, powder and shampoo on infants unless there is a medical reason to apply them.

The researchers also found phthalates in these babies that aren't associated with lotions, powders or creams. That means they are presumably picking up these chemicals elsewhere, said Sathyanarayana -- possibly ingesting them via breast milk and formula, or inhaling them from dust in their homes.

There has been enough compelling research on phthalate exposure in rodents and humans to raise some alarm, said Ted Schettler, science director of the Science and Environmental Health Network, an Iowa-based environmental health group.

In one study, the concentration of a specific phthalate metabolite in the urine of adult men was associated with sperm damage. In another study, conducted in part by three of the authors of the current paper, the researchers found a dose-dependent relationship between phthalate concentration in pregnant women and genital abnormalities in their newborn sons.

The preliminary research conducted in humans, as well as the hundreds of studies on animals, has been enough to spark both the European Union and California to ban some of these chemicals in children's products.

But Schettler cautioned that Sathyanarayana's study was not designed to look at the health impacts of phthalates on people.

"It just demonstrates that children are being exposed to phthalates," he said, adding it also indicates that skin absorption of these chemicals may be more important than researchers had previously thought.

The current study also looked at diaper rash ointments, wipes, toys and pacifiers.

But the authors did not find a relationship between these items and phthalate urine concentrations.

Schettler said that unlike diaper creams, which are designed to provide a barrier between a diaper and a babies' skin, products such as lotions contain chemicals designed to be absorbed by the skin. Therefore, it's probably the presence of these chemicals that enables phthalates to penetrate the skin.

So now that I have totally freaked you out, what to do? Well I took an infant massage class and we used seasame oil! What a novel concept, something that will moisturize the skin and if it happens to get on your babies hands and in his mouth no biggie cause it is edible!!!! Plus it is so much fun to bond with them through this fun afterbath ritual(or whenever really) You can experiment with all sorts of oils. Mothers in India have been doing it for generations, what makes us think that some man made chemical could be better for our children? Anyway I will step off my natural-soap box now and go attend to my baby. I hope I didn't scare anyone too much, but I just get so upset about this topic and just the thought that my sons surgery could have been prevented if I had been better informed, I don't know almost too much to wrap my brain around. I know they say there is no definitive evidence of harm to human babies, but seriously why take that risk?

Fingerpainting

Refilling fingerpaint squeezie bottles with homemade fingerpaints, not only saves some cash, but also reduces the waste we produce (the packaging, and bottles in the garbage) My son loves to get messy with fingerpaints and we have a tendency to go through a lot of it. Below is a recipe I found at this link http://www.care2.com/greenliving/homemade-finger-paints.html. Although I must admit I haven't tried the juice dyes but still use food coloring. Sometimes we don't even use paper, we just like to smear it around on our little kids table and squish it with our fingers, talk about a sensory activity.

1 c. cornstarch
1/2 c. water
1/3 cup soap flakes melted with 1/2 cup boiling water
juice dyes (see below)
* make your own soap flakes by grating a bar of homemade hand soap(available in your health food store) until you have 1/3 of a cup of soapflakes.
Combine the cornstarch, water, and melted soap in a bowl. Stir to blend. Letthe mixture set until it has become thick. Divide into separate bowls andstir in juice dyes for color.
How to Make Juice Dyes
One or more of the following: frozen berries, canned beets, or 1/2 cup plantmaterial (blueberries, beets, walnut hulls, cranberries, tea).
Water as needed.
Use the juice straight from thawed berries, or juice drained from cannedbeets. Mix colors for hue variations. If using fresh berries, fruit, walnuthulls, or tea, combine the plant material with 1 cup of water in a pan andsimmer over low heat for 1/2 hour or so, adding more water as it evaporates.

The Nature of What?!

I realize that I have named this site the Nature of Kids and as of today there is only one kid related thing on here. Sorry about that but I have had all these thoughts bouncing around in my head and I had to get them out first. This is more than just about kids though it's about the journey of becoming a green family, a good family, that communicates, respects each others needs and wants and those of the earth as well. I want my kids to learn that the earth and the environment need to be treated with care, but I also want them to develop a sense of wonder and creative spirit by trying different activites, that aren't going to fill up our landfills, or be toxic. So through trial and error I think we will find our way. I want to pass on the things that have worked for me and I'de love to have some suggestions as well. I'm hoping that through writing all this down it will make it more real and a way to hold myself accountable, I mean I can't just write something down and not be trying it, right?

Sprinkling

Did you know that watering from a sprinkler can waste 30-50% of water, and watering in the heat of the day up to 65%

How crazy is that?! And here I thought gardening was such a good thing for the environment. I know it's hard to think about watering in the middle of "April showers" but if you haven't already dragged out the hoses and made plans for the garden, maybe something to consider is soaker hoses.
-You only need to take them out once, and you don't get in trouble for leaving them out all over the yard for your husband to mow over.
-most are made from 65% recycled tires. (you gotta check the brand though, http://www.mrdrip.com/soakerhose.htm this one is 50% recycled tires and 50% recycled polyethylene products )
-wet foliage is more suseptible to fungus and disease.

Bad Bleach!!!

Did you know that the number-one cause of childhood poisoning is chlorinated compounds found in cleaning products and pesticides!! Not far behind is dishwash liquid and windex that are fun colors that look like some kids beverages.

Green Cleaning

I started becoming obsessed with green cleaning while I was pregnant with my first child, just the thought of all those toxic chemicals somehow effecting my children or myself, or even my pets is just so disturbing. Doesn't it just burn your nose when you walk down a cleaning products aisle? That's a slight clue! If you are willing to put in a bit more elbow grease into cleaning you don't have to use all those harmful chemicals. After some experimenting here is what I found that works best for me.
-Sinks, Bathtubs, showers, kitchen sinks, stoves, etc - Sprinkle with baking soda, then spray with white vinegar, let foam up and scrub. We have hard well water and after trying all sorts of crazy chemicals to clean rust stains off my terrazzo shower floor, I was amazed that baking soda and vinegar did better than anything! Yes sometimes I like to use an old toothbrush to get in the corners call me crazy.
-Windows, mirrors, wood floors, counters, microwave, just about anything really. Spray bottle filled with White vinegar! I know it sounds crazy but I clean just about everything with vinegar, then when my two year old decides that peanut butter and jelly would taste so much better smeared on the cabinet I just cleaned I'm not freaking out that he just licked a possible carcinogen or nervous systen toxin! People complain about the smell, but I guess I would rather smell vinegar than breathe something that can cause asthma or irritate nasal passages.

There are tons of Green Clean books out there, the one I found most helpful is Green Clean: The Environmentally Sound Guide to Cleaning Your Home (Paperback)
by Linda Mason Hunter. She also wrote an article in the March/April Mothering Magazine about Green Cleaning, here are some tips from that regarding kids:
-Use laundry detergent that does not contain phosphates, optical brightners, chlorine, perborates or synthetic fragrances.

-Use unscented biodegradable dryer sheets (shaklee has some that are okay, haven't tried anything else yet)

-Do not use synthetic pesticides

-Use natural disinfectants (Once again this is were I use vinegar for all)

-Do not use antibacterial soaps, Instead wash hands in warm soapy water far at least 20 seconds making sure you get inbetween fingers and under nails. (We sing a song, and we have to wash our hands till it's done, hey whatever works right!)

I feel like I have a ton more to say about this, but I'll try to break it up

Natural Poducts

One of my goals for this new year was to not purchase any products that are harmful to the family and environment. It's amazing how many so called "natural" products still have parabens in them and other toxic things. Anyway these are two websites that I found very helpful in disecting the confusing product labels www.cosmeticdatabase.com. You can go a bit crazy checking every ingredient, but it pays to know what you are slathering on your and your babies bodies every day.
Also very helpful is http://www.safecosmetics.org/companies/signers.cfm
This website lists "companies that have pledged to not use chemicals that are known or strongly suspected of causing cancer, mutation or birth defects in their products and to implement substitution plans that replace hazardous materials with safer alternatives in every market they serve. Several major cosmetics companies, including OPI, Avon, Estee Lauder, L'Oreal, Revlon, Proctor & Gamble and Unilever have thus far refused to sign the Compact for Safe Cosmetics."
Personally I have stuck with Burt's Bee's products for the kids, just because they are mostly Natural, easily accessable these days, and I love their company standards. As far as Burt's Bee's products for myself, their skin care is nice, but very fragrant if you are at all sensitive to that. Still more self-experimentation to be done in that department especially since I am a self-proclaimed product addict, and it's taking some effort in research to go green in this area, you just can't trust a label these days!

Finally Spring!

Yeah it's finally Spring, and all the kids want to do is play outside (and mom too) But of course it's raining every other day and mud all over the place. So we still have to come up with some indoor activites to distract my 2 1/2 year old as his little face is pressed against the window. Here are some things we've done that he seems to enjoy.
-Planted seeds in small peat pots. We took a 27 quart plastic container and put organic potting mix and peat pots in it and let Coleman go to town filling up the little pots. It made a bit of a mess but kept him busy. Next he very precisely inserted seeds into the pots. If you would like to recycle some newspapers and make some starter pots, (another keep them busy activity, although maybe not for a two year old) here is a good link with step by step pictures: http://www.geocities.com/newspaperpots/

We have a spray bottle filled with water and his "job" everyday is to spray the seedlings to make sure they don't get thirsty. He loves his bit of responsibility! It seems to make him feel important, and I think also begins to teach him responsibility for plants and living things around us. That might be a bit to deep for a 2 1/2 year old, but you gotta start somewhere.