milestones and reconnecting

This past weekend, Gwen had a bit of an adventure. For the first time she slept away from home without her father or me, her very first sleepover. Trav and I had a wedding to attend, and as it was very close to her grandparents' house, the easiest thing for all of us was to have Gwen sleep there. She was so excited for a sleepover with her Nonnie; Trav and I were so excited for a fun night together, and a chance for a bit of sleeping in!

It was surreal, driving away from my parents place. My preschooler was a baby just yesterday, and here she is, having her first sleep away. It was only for a night, but it was a milestone nonetheless.

Now, we are starting our week of vacation. Today is the beginning of our 3 days of camping, something I am so looking forward to. Life gets so busy and hectic sometimes. Its so easy to get caught up in the routine of the everyday, and let it all just slip by. We wake up, we get ready, we're off to school and work, we come home, make dinner, have bath time half the days, maybe have time for a brief play or some yoga, then its time to get ready for bed. A few precious hours of sleep and its time to do it all again. We get as much together time in there as possible, liberally sprinkle all waking hours with hugs and kisses and I love yous, but it isn't enough sometimes.

I'm so looking forward to the next 3-days as a way to relax and reconnect as a family. 3 days of enjoying nature, being outside (which we all love), hiking, cooking over a campfire, without the normal interruptions of school/work, chores, or technology. There will be no laundry, no dishes, no vacuuming. There will be no TV, no videos, no kindle, no computer. The iPhone will be there, but turned off in the car, in case of emergency only. We will sleep side-by-side, in our sleeping bags, under the moonlight. We will listen to the sound of the woods, and the rushing of waterfalls. We will make our fingers gooey with s'mores, then rinse them in the stream. We will hike until we are tired and sore, looking at all the beauty that the environment displays to us, then sleep deeply, satisfied. We will do it all together, without the normal distractions from each other.

Gwen is growing and changing everyday. I know these times are fleeting. This chance to reconnect is so cherished.

How do you reconnect when you feel like daily life is getting too distracting?

Moving As Motivation To Go Green

We're going to be moving into a new home in a few weeks. I plan to use this transition as an opportunity for increasing my crunchiness, so to speak, and getting just a little bit greener.

We take small steps now. We reduce, reuse, and recycle. We use cloth diapers and wipes most of the time. We're careful about our water use and combine car trips/errands whenever possible. (And not just because I hate driving.) However, I know we can do better. My hope is that setting up a new home will motivate me to encourage simple, everyday changes with our housekeeping, eating, and self-care.

What I really want is for my children to see that this is just how we do things. I want taking care of the earth, eating healthy, and using earth-friendly products to be a natural part of their lives, not an abstract concept. My plan is to concentrate on just three areas and continue to make steady progress while involving my children in my thought process as much as possible. Following are a few minor changes I'm looking forward to trying.

Cleaning. My goal is no chemical cleaners. At all. I'm going to try some of the cleaning suggestions here (an article posted in Whole Living, a wealth of great information). This one has another motive as well: my six-year-old recently became fascinated with helping me around the house. I certainly would not hand her a commercial cleaner to use on her own, but I would totally ask her to polish the furniture with olive oil or scrub the sink with a lemon. Learning home economics and helping Momma. Score! I've also considered making my own laundry detergent, but with the amount we go through around here, I'm not sure I want to take that on. (But if anyone has suggestions, I'm open to them.)

Food. Imagine a brand new kitchen with not one crumb of food. Where do you start? What do you bring in? A while back I had this brilliant idea to eliminate food dyes as a first step in our food overhaul plan. I even found this fabulous site and went all crazy looking for "numbers" in everything we bought. Unfortunately we never really got any further than that. My new goal is to buy more produce locally. We go through a lot of fruit and veggies around here, so I figured this would be a good next step. (I've even found a farmers market that will deliver a basket of seasonal produce every week to my door, which sounds tempting. Hmm.)

Personal Care. While the idea of cleaning my kitchen with baking soda and a lemon seems totally do-able, when it comes to products I use on myself, eh . . . I'm iffy on whether or not I'm willing to craft, say, my own toothpaste. I also have no interest in going no poo, although I try to use as little as possible and I don't lather up every day. (But I did find this great post about going shampoo-free and must admit I find it slightly intriguing.) I am a bit giddy, however, about the opportunity to try out some more natural (albeit commercially available) products. I recently became a fan of Toms of Maine, and I'm especially thrilled that they have a children's toothpaste that does not contain the aforementioned nasty dyes. 

Like I said, baby steps. I know I'm not going to wake up one day and transform into the model green living example. But, we have to start somewhere and I'm hoping to capitalize on the novelty of a new home in a new area to inspire me.

What small steps have you taken to help your family get greener?

Thanks for reading and have a blessed day.

Cleaning Green

A couple of years ago, I picked up Renée Loux’s Easy Green Living and read it cover to cover. It’s an informative and inspiring book, filled with ways to live healthier while helping the earth. One of my favorite sections talks about making your own household cleaners. I decided to give it a try and have been hooked ever since. I haven’t bought a commercial cleaner in more than a year! Though I was already using non-toxic name-brand cleaners, I’ve found making my own rewarding, cheaper, and ultimately easier than I thought it would be.

Why switch to non-toxic cleaners in the first place?

Have you ever looked at the ingredients in a spray bottle of a conventional all-purpose cleaner? The list is scary—and dangerous for both human beings and the environment. Common ingredients can include (all sources for this information are cited in Renée’s book):

Ammonia, a toxic substance that can cause permanent damage to the eyes and can burn the skin.

Chlorine, which severely irritates the eyes, skin, and lungs, and is very harmful to inhale. It may cause permanent damage to the lungs, and children are especially at risk for its adverse effects.

Glycol ether, repeated exposure to which can cause liver and kidney damage.

Naptha, found in all purpose glass and surface cleaners, is a possible carcinogen and can cause skin damage, and is very dangerous to inhale.

Phenols, toxic compounds that irritate the eyes, skin, and lungs, and are toxic in the environment.

Terrifying, right? And that’s not even half of the most common ingredients. In the US, manufacturers are not required to list the ingredients in their cleaning products—so we may not even know all the toxic chemicals that we’re using. It’s bad enough to think of the harm this might be causing myself and my husband—but when I started thinking about the possible danger I’m exposing my kids to, for me, switching to non-toxic cleaners was a no-brainer.

Why make your own cleaners?

I look at making my own cleaners the way I look at making most of what we eat from scratch: I know every single thing that has gone into whatever it is we are ingesting, or cleaning with, in this case. No unpronounceable chemicals; no carcinogens or agents harmful to the earth. Before I switched to non-toxic cleaning products, I was always nervous about my kids being around when I cleaned—now I have no fear of them inhaling or swallowing something that can cause them permanent damage.

Making your own cleaners is exponentially less expensive than buying name brand non-toxic ones. There are some wonderful name brand natural cleaners out there, and they do the job well.  But they are pricey, and if you’re a neat freak like me and clean often, those costs can really add up. I order all my ingredients from Vitacost.com. Their prices are up to 40% less than other sites I have come across, and some things are as much as 75% less expensive! You can also visit your local natural health store for most of these. I get spray bottles from my local dollar store. You can even use old spray bottles from store-bought cleaners that have run out—just be sure to wash them out thoroughly before mixing your cleaner in them.

Making your own cleaners is also fun! I absolutely love learning about essential oils and their properties, and combining them to create my own scents gives me a chance to get creative. Be sure to keep your oils out of reach of children—ingesting them in large amounts can be harmful. Another note—if you are using a plastic measuring spoon for your essential oils, wash it out with soap immediately after you finish with it, otherwise the oil will corrode the plastic.

Now that you have some good information, why not give making your own household cleaners a try? Here are some of my favorite recipes, taken from Easy Green Living. I’d love to hear from you if you try these, and how you like them.

Lavender-Lemon Disinfecting Spray

Hands down, my favorite. Smells fantastic and I love that it naturally disinfects! You can use this to clean things like kitchen counters and cutting boards—just keep in mind that it won’t necessarily kill all bacteria from raw poultry and meat. Makes about one pint.

¼ cup inexpensive vodka

½ cup 3% hydrogen peroxide (69 cents a bottle at my local drugstore!)

1 cup water

10 drops essential oil of lavender

5 drops essential oil of lemon

Combine all the ingredients in a spray bottle and swirl to mix them. Be sure not to shake the bottle, or the active oxygen in the peroxide will go flat and lose its action. Spray the surface and wipe, or allow to air dry. Keeps indefinitely!

All-Purpose Citrus Spray

I love this recipe because it uses another inexpensive ingredient: white distilled vinegar. I buy the store brand and the cost ends up being pennies per bottle for this cleaner. One note—if the smell of vinegar bothers you, you may want to skip this one, as the scent does linger for a bit. You may be tempted to add more essential oils to mask the smell—but don’t. When it comes to essential oils, a little goes a long way! Makes about one pint.

½ cup white distilled vinegar

1 tablespoon Citra-Solv Cleaner and Degreaser Concentrate (available at Vitacost.com or your local natural health store)

½ teaspoon natural liquid dish soap or castile soap

1 ½ cups warm water

½ teaspoon total antiseptic essential oils (your choice as to which ones—get creative!)

Combine all the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well to mix. Keeps indefinitely!

All-Purpose Deodorizing Basic Soda Spray

This is a great recipe for scouring and scrubbing—and it uses two super-inexpensive ingredients—baking and club soda! Be sure to wipe off after spraying, because the baking soda can leave a residue. Makes about one pint.

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ castile soap

½ teaspoon total rosemary and sweet orange essential oils

1 cup very warm water

1 cup club soda

Combine the baking soda, soap, essential oils, and water in a spray bottle. Screw the top on, shake vigorously to combine the ingredients, and then add the club soda. Swirl to mix it in.

Heavy-Duty Floor Cleaner

I don’t know why, but it seems like commercial floor cleaners are the most expensive of the lot. This is easy, cheap, and smells wonderful! My kids and husband have all commented on how good the house smells after I’ve mopped with this.

2 gallons warm water

½ cup distilled white vinegar

¼ cup Citra-Solv Cleaner and Degreaser Concentrate

2 tablespoons natural liquid dish soap

½ teaspoon essential oil of lavender

Mix all ingredients in a bucket, and mop away!

Basic Soda Fizz Toilet Scrub

OK, the toilet situation can get yucky, and you may be temped to use a conventional toxic cleaner because it just makes the grime go away. Don’t do it! This recipe is easy, quick, and cleans just as well.

1 tablespoon castile or other natural liquid soap

1/3 cup baking soda

1/3 distilled white vinegar

8 drops essential oil of lavender, rosemary, or both

Squirt the soap into the toilet bowl, and then drop the baking soda on top. Pour in the vinegar and essential oils. Let it fizz for 2-3 minutes, then scrub the bowl with a toilet brush, and flush. Enjoy the sparkle!

***

Good luck and happy green cleaning!

Lysol In The Laundry

It has recently come to my attention that many of my apartment building's residents have been using disinfecting cleaners (specifically Lysol) inside the washing and drying machines of our laundry facilities. I was more than a little upset when I found this out, I want to limit my child's exposure to the harsh chemicals in disinfectants, finding out that these chemicals have potentially been in direct contact with my family's skin for the last 2 years is upsetting and more than a little scary for me.

 

For the record, I am SO NOT the kind of person who normally freaks out about this kind of thing. I am no helicopter parent bent on micromanaging absolutely every person and environment my child comes in contact with. I realize that there are any number of potentially harmful chemicals being used regularly in public spaces that I cannot control. This is why I do my best to make safe choices inside our home so that my family's over-all exposure to potentially dangerous chemicals is reduced if not eliminated. By focusing on the things I CAN control, I find it liberatingly easy to relax about the things that I can't. But there is just something about commercial disinfectants that give me the creeps, and finding out that my son has been in direct contact with disinfectant cleaners 24/7 for his entire life outside of my womb is more than a little disconcerting. 

I think this article from Healthy Child Healthy World pretty much sums up why I feel this way about disinfectant cleaners, and a twitter friend wrapped it all up rather well when she coined the phrase: "germs are good for you, cancer is not!" (Please somebody make me this T-shirt!)

So now comes the big deep breath after my fit of boarder line hysterics about the Lysol in the Laundry room incident of 2011. What do I do about it?

On the one hand, there are any number of terrifying toxins in this apartment building. From building materials and older plumbing to the air fresheners and cleaning products used in the hallways, I hold no delusions that this building is otherwise toxin free. Even if the laundry room were free of disinfectant there would still be residues left behind from other people's detergents and fabric softeners. Can I really reasonably expect a toxin free environment when I live in such close proximity to, and share facilities with, my neighbours? I don't expect everyone to make the same choices that I would, even if it would be better for the health of the entire planet.

On the other hand I am an idealist. I genuinely believe that people can and will treat others with kindness and respect as best they know how a vast majority of the time. Could it be that my neighbours are simply unaware that the disinfectants they are using are likely to cause them, and me and my family, more harm than the remote possibility of picking up a harmful microbe from the washing facilities? This Idealistic part of me has already drafted a very polite and educational letter on the subject and plans to slip one under the doors of every tenant in the building. 

Being aware of the toxins our families come into contact with is important, but when you tend to flirt with the label 'control freak' as much as I do, being aware can often send you over the edge. 

Sometimes jumping over that edge can be good for you though. In my case it has made me determined. I can't control what products other people choose to use, even if those products will inevitably end up in contact with my family. It sucks, but it's true.

What I can do is get active in my community. I can educate other parents, friends, family and neighbours about how the product choices we make effect our health, our community's health, and the health of our planet. (click here to find out how you can host a Healthy child party for all your friends) 

I can ask my government representatives what they are doing to restrict and legislate the sale and use of toxic chemicals thereby making it harder for those chemicals to make it to my family. I can urge them to create stricter labeling laws to prevent companies from selling toxins under false labels like 'natural', 'green', 'nontoxic', and other buzz words, and require they clearly list ingredients in everything from cleaning to beauty products. 

If I don't like their answers I can vote, volunteer, and campaign for representatives who will do more to protect my family from pollutants. 

I can find out what organizations in my community are doing to reduce the amount of toxins in my environment and support them in doing so by donating either my time, money, or both. (This is one of my favourites)

I can continue to find new ways to make my own home a healthier environment for my family, to reduce our over-all exposure to toxins. For instance, this week I will be purging the last of my make-up and beauty products. (Did you know that: "The government does not require health studies or pre-market testing for [beauty] products before they are sold." - Skin Deep)

Maybe none of these things will stop my neighbors from leaving a film of pesticides inside the clothes dryer because they're afraid of germs in a washing facility, but maybe it will prevent my children's future neighbors from dumping toxins into their environment. 

What other things can I do to stem the flow of toxins into our environment? I'd love to hear your ideas in the comments section!

Dirty Little Secrets - the truth about Cloth Diapers versus Disposables

Pampers recently called into question whether sustainable diapers are a better choice than disposables for the environment.  Sustainable diapers, like traditional cloth diapers and newer hybrid diapers such as G-diapers, have been a subject of some controversy lately.  Why?  Because more parents are making the switch to cloth diapers from disposables.  The combination of greater eco-consciousness and better cloth diaper designs has made cloth diapering an increasingly popular choice.  Cloth diapers are sustainable diapers making them both an earth friendly and budget friendly choice.

So naturally a smear campaign has begun.  In actuality the debate regarding cloth versus disposable diapers is pretty simple.  Pampers has a few arguments in favor of disposables that boil down to the following ideas (read their fact sheet here)

According to Pampers: 
Disposables are healthier for baby than cloth.  MYTH!
Disposables have to be changed less than cloth diapers but that doesn't mean your child isn't urinating just as much!  Pampers "keep babies' skin dryer and more comfortable by reducing leaks and locking wetness inside the diaper in."  So would you rather your child sat in their own excrement for a couple extra hours because they couldn't feel it thanks to a chemically produced gelatinous substance and a layer of paper or that you had to change them into a soft, dry diaper? Advances in cloth diaper design also call this fact into question.  Try an All in One with a microfleece liner and microfiber insert, like Fuzzibunz, and see which comes out on top in the cloth versus disposable diapers debate!

There's no clear winner in terms of environmental friendliness!  MYTH!
Pampers cites a UK study of the environmental effects of cloth versus disposable diapers here.  In a nutshell this is one of the most flawed studies ever produced on the subject as it focuses primarily on cloth diaperers who use a commercial diaper service.  Let's just be honest here if the average child uses over 7000 disposable diapers in their lifetime and they are all going into into landfills, well, you get the point.  Cloth diapers can have an even smaller carbon footprint if caregivers wash during low energy use hours and primarily line dry.

"Pampers diapers are made of materials that are also frequently used in a wide range of other consumer products."  Ok, this may be true, but it shouldn't make you feel better!

But perhaps my favorite Pampers argument is "biodegradability does not provide a meaningful benefit, since the preferred method of disposal for household waste in the U.S. is landfill or incineration. Very little degrades in a landfill no matter what it is made of – even newspaper – since landfills are designed to contain waste, protect the ground water, and keep air and water out" (http://www.pampers.com/en_US/frequently-asked-questions).  Where do you even begin with this?  If everyone jumped off a bridge....

Here's some fun facts about the cloth versus disposable diapers debate Pampers isn't highlighting.
- Bowel movements need to be dumped in the toilet according to Pampers instructions, because established health standards from WHO and APHA show soiled diapers can contaminate ground water supply.  (Pampers instructons, click here.  APHA policy statement on disposal of diapers)

- There is a group of over 1000 parents united on Facebook claiming Pampers dipers gave their baby bleeding, blistering diaper rash.  Pampers claims none of the materials in their new revolutionary, Dry Max technology are new (insert head scratch here) and that this is simply diaper rash and competitors lying. Nice.  Well, dear Pampers, my mother warned me back in my disposable diapering days that my kid sis, who is now 21, would bleed if she was put into pampers.  My mom said it was like the diaper was sucking the moisture from her skin.  HMMMMMM.... (Check out the Facebook group here)

- The material list for Pampers:

• Petrolatum – skin protectant
• Stearyl Alcohol – Enhances the smoothness and softness of the special formulation and helps condition the skin.
• Aloe Extract – moisturizer
• Polyethylene (a moisture-proof material) – A moisture-proof material used on the backsheet (outer cover).... See More
• AGM – absorbs fluid and keeps it away from baby’s skin
• Polypropylene – a synthetic material for the inner layer
• Polypropylene and Polyethylene – inner layer top sheet
• Masking Perfume (small amounts) – Added between the core and backsheet to mask the natural odors of diaper ingredients.
• Pigment/colorant – for leg cuffs and ears
• Elastic – Spandex elastic that is covered with polypropylene-based nonwovens to provide a snug fit around the legs.

Sure doesn't sound very natural or safe for the environment.  By the way, try finding this on their website!

The bottom line is that cloth diapering should be the norm.  We can't get trapped by the myth of convenience when it comes to cloth versus disposable diapers, or parenting in general.  We need to start realizing that being a conscientious parent is about making the best choices not the ones sold to us as convenient options.