Earth Day Book Reviews
April 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Here are a couple of books I’ve read lately that are just perfect for this week. If you want to brush up on your natural housekeeping, check these out. 
Organic Housekeeping by Ellen Sandbeck
When I first saw this book, I thought: "What’s there to fill up 425 pages with? It’s not that complicated explaining how to clean with vinegar."
But then I got the book and I was floored. This is no ordinary non toxic cleaning info. Ellen Sandbeck is like the Martha Stewart of Green. She’s the Heloise of the Eco friendly crowd. Only with a better sense of humor. This book is deep. And it’s one that will stay on my shelves as a reference for many years.
I learned a lot of money saving tips from this book too. For example, did you know that you can make your own automatic dishwashing detergent by mixing equal parts Borax and Washing Soda? That one tip will save me about $5 a month.
The book offers detailed recycling info to make the process easier for you. And it covers everything from basic non-toxic cleaning to more detailed information on every room of the house - inside and out. There are tips on decorating to minimize cleaning and environmental impact, decluttering the eco friendly way, automotive care, lawn care, dealing with pests, and a ton more.
Homemade by Reader’s Digest 
Here’s another wonderful reference guide to making everything you can imagine, homemade. The advantage of making your own, from an environmental standpoint, is that you eliminate a lot of wasteful packaging.
There are recipes for everything from homemade skin care and tooth care products to condiments (often some of the most expensive items in the store, ounce for ounce) and salad dressings. There are cleaning product recipes, pet supplies, gardening stuff, and home remedies.
Check out: Homemade: How-to Make Hundreds of Everyday Products Fast, Fresh, and More Naturally
And finally I’ll link to two more. The first is a short little number that is a fast easy read but really makes you think about simple everyday choices:
Seven Wonders - Everyday things for a healthier planet book review
And the last is all about having a green baby:
Raising Baby Green Book review
Earth Day Activities With the Kids
April 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Kids love to get involved with what their parents are doing. If you’re interested in the earth, your kids will be too. One way to get them excited is to involve them in some activities that will help them see the impact we humans have on the planet - both for good and for bad. Here are a couple of ideas for Earth Day activities you can enjoy with the kids.
Botanical Gardens
Why not spend the day at the botanical gardens in your area? If possible, take public transportation to the gardens. And bring your own lunch and water in a reusable container.
Not only are the plants beautiful, but your family can learn about how we benefit from the plants and how we need them to survive. Talk to your kids about how plants provide food, medicines and oxygen. They also provide ground cover that helps prevent erosion and flooding. Your local botanical gardens probably offer free tours or educational information for kids. Take advantage of it.
After visiting the gardens, it might be fun to plant your own garden at home - at the very least a tomato plant or some kitchen herbs. Research the plants that will be the best for your climate. It will be a great family activity that will last beyond Earth Day and will be a reminder to help care for the planet as you care for your own garden.
Visit a Local Farm or U Pick
You can find a local farm that offers tours or where you can pick your own produce at LocalHarvest .
We’re very disconnected from our food these days. It’s a great lesson for kids to learn that food comes from the ground, and that someone - actually a lot of someones!- has to work very hard to get it to our table.
My kids love to see the cows peacefully grazing and eating lush green grass at the farm where we get our milk.
It always leads to a conversation about the importance of what these people are doing - providing a healthy source of food for us, their neighbors. I’m quick to point out how thankful I am that there are people so dedicated to organic, sustainable farming because that means we get healthy and delicious milk!
You can also keep it low key. Today I’m going to snuggle up with the kids and read The Lorax by Dr. Seuss . Even my 5 year old understood the meaning of this book. She kept asking why the Once-ler kept cutting down trees.
Another good choice for older kids would be The Secret Garden . I love the message that when the garden healed, Mary and Colin also healed. It’s a powerful metaphor. Spending time in nature is best for us human types. We don’t do well if we don’t get our hands dirty and enjoy the sun on our backs from time to time.
You could also watch The Story of Stuff together with your kids and talk about what it means for your family, and changes you can all make together to create less waste. Make it fun! Hold a contest in your family to see who can be the fastest to turn off lights and water and unplug appliances when they’re not in use.
Let us know what activities you have planned with your kids for Earth Day - and every day.
Green Your Spring Cleaning
April 10, 2008 | 1 Comment
I already shared on the message forum that I’ve opted out of spring cleaning this year. I’d much rather read a book.
Actually, my spring cleaning efforts have been a little unorthodox. Mostly I’ve relied on that nesting instinct during late pregnancy. Y’know - those final weeks of pregnancy when you suddenly spend hours scrubbing the baseboards with a toothbrush at 2 A.M.
Which means that spring cleaning got done 4 times in 8 years… which is not bad actually. 
One of the reasons I’m not spring cleaning is because I’m a minimalist anyway. I don’t DO clutter. I’ve said many times that if this whole internet marketing thing stops working for me, I could totally start a business throwing out other people’s junk (I think the technical term is professional organizers.). And about once a month or so I go on a tear and clean and declutter like crazy all over again.
But, I do see the value in certain spring cleaning tasks, and I’ll mention some tips now to help you green up your spring cleaning efforts.
Clean Your Refrigerator Coils
They’re either at the bottom of the front of your fridge (you might have to remove a plastic guard that covers them) or at the back of the fridge, but do vacuum them periodically. Why? Because the fridge will use more energy to keep food cool if the coils are crusty and grody. And using more energy isn’t very green.
Grab Your Essential Oils
Spring cleaning is a wonderful time to have fun with essential oils. When you’re doing deep cleaning you’re going to be sticking your nose in dusty stanky places like closets and attics and basements. Grab your favorite essential oil and put a few drops on cotton balls, and leave them in these stanky places. Or make your own herbal sachets to put in these areas. You can buy muslin reusable tea bags at the health food store and stuff them with dried herbs like lavender, rosebud, cinnamon sticks, cloves and lemon peel. These are much better for your lungs than nasty petrochemical laden artificial air fresheners.
Discover Microfiber
How I love microfiber! I discovered microfiber cleaning cloths about 8 years ago and don’t know how I lived without it before then. It’s the nicest fabric to clean with and you don’t even need any cleaning products to clean most surfaces. Plus they’re washable - not disposable. The microfiber mop I bought several years ago is still going strong. Since it doesn’t require electricity, it’s the ultimate green cleaning tool.
Don’t Toss - Freecycle
The temptation is strong to just toss all your junk into the trash but that’s not very green. Freecycle it or donate it to Goodwill instead.
A lot of other people are talking about spring cleaning right now, including Susanne, who wrote a cool ebook that you can check out here: Spring Cleaning for Moms.
EcoWednesday - Reuse Magazines
April 9, 2008 | 1 Comment
I don’t have any magazine subscriptions at the moment (oh wait, I forgot, the dreaded Parents magazine!) and very rarely buy magazines, but I admit I feel a bit guilty because I haven’t been recycling the magazines that do come into my home. The only thing I do is cut out cool pictures and add them to my idea journal (which is kind of like a dream board, only in a journal instead).
No more. GreenDaily posted some cool tips about reusing magazines that I can totally do. In fact it reminded me of something.
I had a friend who lived across the state who used to write to me. Once she wrote me a letter on the page of a magazine in black ultra fine point Sharpie. It just so happened that the page was almost entirely a pale beige and the model on it was also dressed in a pale color, so the writing was completely legible. It was cool as crap! She was an out of the box kind of thinker for sure.
I noticed that my local library has a magazine sharing box in the foyer. People just drop in their old magazines and others can grab them if they want. So that’s what I plan on doing with mine.
I’m not the crafty type, but the jewelry idea would be fun for someone who is. I could teach my kids how to make envelopes out of the pages too.
Natural Moms Podcast #78
April 7, 2008 | Leave a Comment
With his eco-inspired clothing line, Gary of The Green Path Company hopes to encourage people to think about their choices and how they impact the planet.
It’s easy being green - instead of getting overwhelmed, pick a few eco-friendly changes you can make in your life and implement those first. Make it easier on yourself by scheduling reminders on your calendar. For instance, mark your calendar to remind you to check your tire pressure on a monthly basis. This will make your car burn less gas. Leverage the power of routine. Another idea is to replace your showerheads with low flow versions.
Having a grandchild got Gary thinking about what kind of planet she would inherit. When he lost his job he decided to launch a company that offers T shirts with green - inspired slogans to raise awareness about the environment. He also started a volunteer group that cleans up the nature trails in his area.
Making greener choices benefits more than the environment - it also typically saves you money and makes you feel more self sufficient and confident.
You can listen to this week’s show on the natural moms podcast site or download the mp3.
Another Natural Mommy Ponders Her Personal Care Product Choices
March 29, 2008 | 12 Comments
Beth over at NaturalMommy posted on her blog that she’s rethinking some of her makeup and skin care shopping as of late. I left a few lengthy comments over there but also wanted to discuss this on my blog. I’ve already expressed what I see as some of the problems of working the CVS system - the tempation to obtain products that really aren’t good for you or for the environment, just because they’re free.
Basically Beth was asking for other natural mommas to share their tips for getting pretty on a budget - and using natural and safer products all the while. This can be a challenge. Personally I hate spending money on beauty stuff, so I do a combination of things to get cute on a budget including:
1) Just plain using less stuff to begin with (a lot of skin care stuff is unnecessary and overkill). Most beauty experts agree that noone needs toner, for example. You need a gentle cleanser (only once a day, at night. Splashing your face with water in the morning is sufficient) and a moisturizer, preferably with sunscreen.
Washing your hair less (or skipping the shampoo altogether) works too. I have very thick, coarse, wavy/curly hair and only shampoo once every 4 days. Any more than that and I resemble a brunette Brillo pad. Or Simba with his finger stuck in a socket. And the styling product I use is a little bit of moisturizer in my hands mixed with a tiny bit of styling gel. I learned this trick years ago and it works great for my hair texture.
When it comes to the kids, I never used soap on their skin at all when they were babies. Ever. Water is sufficient to clean a baby’s skin. As they got older, Dr. Bronner’s was my friend. The stuff goes a LONG way. I dilute! dilute! mine just like it says on the bottle.
I never needed diaper rash cream because my kids didn’t get rashes because if they even looked rashy I just took the diaper off or loosely pinned on a prefold and it cleared up the same day.
2) Making my own or using really simple ingredients for skin care. For instance olive oil for a makeup remover and moisturizer. And sugar or salt scrubs to scrub my body, and baking soda to exfoliate my face. Oh and making my own homemade tooth powder. (which my Dentist approves, sans the cinnamon!) Here are some more of my cheap green beauty tips and natural skin care recipes.
One thing that surprised me was the Pollyanna attitude of some of the other commenters. Perhaps they don’t realize that cosmetics and personal care products aren’t regulated the way that the food supply is. Manufacturers can put pretty much whatever they want in makeup and skin care products without anyone looking over their shoulder. They don’t have to prove the safety of their products.
Putting our head in the sand about stuff we slather on our bodies isn’t smart. We take care to eat well - why would we pay less attention to what we rub in and on our skin, the body’s largest organ and the immune system’s first line of defense? To pretend that everything in the marketplace is safe is not smart. As an example, women in my mother’s generation thought they were doing the right thing by applying talc to their baby’s tushies. Now we know that talc can cause cancer. If we can easily make a safer choice, why wouldn’t we?
One good place to search for safer products is the Safe Cosmetics Database. Searching through the website, I’ve found that some of the data needs to be taken with a grain of salt. For example, some of the Burt’s Bees products get poor ratings, but upon closer inspection, it appears that the ingredients in question (like sodium borate or castor oil) are only harmful or toxic in very large amounts. Still, it’s a good place to start.
How do you get pretty on a tight budget - while still using natural ingredients?
Natural Moms Podcast #77
March 27, 2008 | 1 Comment
After becoming a mom, Kathy Cozonac of Broomhuggers switched to natural cleaning products. Then she started a business to meet the needs of people who only want non-toxic, safe products in their homes. Some of her customers have chemical sensitivities, others just want to minimize their exposure to harmful chemicals.
Kathy likes the Shaklee line of cleaning products and also makes other recommendations on her blog.
To increase speed and effectiveness with cleaning, use the right tool for the job. Homemade cleaners are fine for light, frequently cleaned areas, but for deeper cleaning or for neglected areas, a commercial product is often more effective.
Kathy mentioned that apple cider vinegar has been proven more potent at killing germs than white distilled vinegar.
You can listen on the site or download the mp3.
Just When I Thought It Was Safe to Read Parents Magazine
March 21, 2008 | 9 Comments
My incredible waste of paper Parents magazine arrived in the mail yesterday. As I’ve said before, I didn’t subscribe to this publication. It was a incredible waste of trees gift from a well meaning friend. I thought there was hope for them after last year’s “Green” issue, but apparently not. I’ve thought of asking them to stop sending the magazine, but their dumb parenting advice is such great blog fodder.
Their latest bit of bad journalism was an op-ed piece on cloth diapering. First they start with the usual refrain,
“Cloth diapering is too haaaaaarrrrdddd!…”
Oh, whine me a river. Birth is hard. Parenting is hard. Relationships are hard. Life is hard sometimes. Get over it already!
While I do give the guy props for at least trying cloth diapering, I’m so very disappointed in his very (in my opinion) biased and inaccurate depiction of what cloth diapering is really like.
Parents magazine seems to have a real prejudice against everything involved with natural parenting. Of course, I’m sure that has nothing to do with the fact that their advertisers with the deepest pockets are formula companies, does it?) Breastfeeding is TOO hard. Don’t try to make it work. Natural birth it TOO hard. Don’t try to endure the pain (nevermind it serves a useful biological purpose and is better for you and the baby). Nighttime parenting to TOO hard. Don’t answer your baby’s cries, buy earplugs. Do not get me started on the circumcision article they published awhile back.
Women are too weak to endure the pain of birth, remember? My personal view was that if I couldn’t get through a few hours of pain to birth my kid, how was I going to get through its adolescence?
But then they got really stupid. They started attacking the environmental superiority of cloth over disposables. That’s when I got irritated.
The piece referenced a British study that claimed that cloth diapers were not more eco friendly than disposables, but anyone with any common sense could poke holes in this “scientific” study. First of all, they didn’t look at the way cloth diapers are typically used. (Did you know there is a study that said that single use disposable coffee cups were more eco friendly commuter mugs? I’m not kidding.)
Every parent I have ever known who used cloth diapers did some or all of the following:
- They bought used cloth diapers (some or all of their stash)
- They sold or gave away their cloth diapers when the kid was potty trained (instead of tossing them in the trash)
- They used their diaper stash for a second or third or fourth (or more) baby
- They used their old cloth diapers as cleaning rags
- They made or bought cloth diapers sewn from recycled flannel baby blankets
That one thing (the almost infinite reusability of cloth diapers) blows this study out of the water because it didn’t take that factor into consideration.
Many cloth diapering parents also hang their diapers out to dry (using the bleaching properties of the sun). Most cloth diapering parents also don’t rinse every diaper (flushing afterwards would point to more water use). Even if they only rinsed the poopies, they don’t do it until the poopies are solid (around 6 months) and by then, the baby is only pooping once or twice a day anyway, meaning one or two extra flushes a day.
And if you wanted, you could time your own potty usage with changing baby’s diapers. I always did this. When I changed baby, I would go afterwards so I only had to wash my hands once after all was said and done.
You see, there is this little invention called a Washing Machine. It works remarkably well for removing all kinds of soiled clothing and I highly recommend it!
I love the quote on page 128 that says:
“Maybe, I thought, the disposable diaper is one of those inventions, like toilet paper, that the Western world just can’t live without - no matter the environmental impact. After all, if we really wanted to, we could wipe our own butts with cloth and throw the cloths into the wash every night.”
Ooh, what kind of freak would do a thing like that?
Another issue that was never even mentioned in the article is the health and safety superiority of cloth. I blogged before about being praised by my baby’s Pediatrician for using cloth, because, to quote him, disposables contribute to asthma and are bad for baby’s skin. Cloth diapered babies experience less rash and less yeast infection, and also tend to potty train several months before disposable diapered babies. There is also a concern with our little boy’s privates being wrapped up in hot plastic for the first two years of his life (or longer).
None of this was mentioned in the article. Then at the end, this little jab:
“And while I think it’s extremely important to make sacrifices for the environment, I need to be sure that my sacrifices are making a difference - especially when the thing I’m sacrificing is the most important time of all: time with Isaac.”
Oh please! Now the author gets to feel superior as a parent because he does two fewer loads of laundry a week than me. Yes, I admit it. I had to take my attention off my babies (who were usually strapped in a sling while I did laundry) to do those two extra loads a week. Poor things! The emotional pain and suffering they must have endured.
I came across this “Project Educate Parents” thread on Diaper Swappers. It’s worth a read if you want more info on why this argument is so very sill
y. Here’s another great article tackling why cloth is so much easier on the environment. Read some of the comments from cloth diapering parents to the article online.
All I’m sayin’ is, if you don’t want to do cloth diapers, at least be honest about it and admit you’re too lazy or grossed our by dealing with your kid’s poop and would rather pass along TWO TONS of biohazard waste and plastic in the landfill (per kid). Don’t come up with junk science and incredibly silly excuses already.
But, you can always make up for that by taking their recommendation to buy a diaper bag made from recycled materials. LOL!
Natural Moms Podcast #76
March 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment
This week on the show, Monica Salazar of Familia Libre again joins us to talk about fridge free living with a 
pot-in-pot.
Pot in pot is a refrigeration system that works with simple physics. Building a pot-in-pot is inexpensive and easy. It can be used to store food as well as medicine. Using a pot-in-pot saves money on utilities, so it is ideal for families who are on a tight budget as well as anyone who wants to be more self reliant.
I
t also provides a learning opportunity for kids, who will ask questions about how the pot-in-pot works. Similar to the human body, the pot-in-pot cools by a process of evaporation. When the water inbetween the two pots evaporates, it cools down the inner pot where the food is kept.
It’s important to use unglazed pots. Your pot-in-pot can be large or small. More important is how large the gap is where the sand is (evaporation area) and make sure you keep the sand wet. Keeping the pot-in-pot in a dry location where there is a breeze is also a good idea.
More information:
Mohammed Bah Abba revolutionising lives in Nigeria with pot-in-pot
Pot-in-pot was used in ancient times by the Egyptians and Abba has brought it back into popularity among his fellow Nigerians. This simple technology is producing some pretty incredible results in their lives.
Thanks to Monica for the pot-in-pot pictures and instructions (in Spanish)
You can listen to the interview at the natural moms talk radio site or download the mp3 link here.
FF: When Frugal Isn’t Best
February 29, 2008 | 5 Comments
Chele from Moms Love Shopping asked me to come back on her show to talk about what I see as a negative side of the CVS shopping “system”. As I said on the show, it was with much caution that I wrote about this. If you haven’t read it yet, go read my post on CVS and the natural mom.
One of the points that I made on the show is that we vote with our dollars. We make a statement with our purchases. And our non purchases. When we buy lots of single use products that pollute our environment and our bodies, we’re telling manufacturers to create more of these cheap disposable goods with unhealthy ingredients. We’re telling them that cost is the most important consideration for us. (When it should only be one consideration.)
We’re also getting caught up in the culture of spending, the culture of consumption. That’s a bad habit that leads to more of the same.
On the other hand, when we buy quality products that are built to last, that are reusable and not wrapped in multiple layers of plastic, we are also sending a message. To both the marketers of these products and our children.
There are better ways to be frugal in my opinion. We can make our own natural skin care products, we can use cloth menstrual pads or other alternatives. We can use cloth diapers. We can clean with natural home cleaning products that we make ourselves. And there are a million other ways to save money.
We can also buy products that last. For example, buying toys from family owned companies like Heirloom Wooden Toys so that our kids can pass these along to their own children.
Some other great related blog posts about when frugal isn’t best:
Get Rich Slowly: Shopping leads to more shopping
Being Frugal: When buying on sale isn’t frugal
So what do you think? When is the frugal choice not the best choice?