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