A Wonderful Parenting Resource

Natural Family Living

I am loving this book and it seems very fairly priced for the amount of information it covers! Western culture, though I am materialistic beyond what I would like to be, slightly disgusts me. This book covers alternative methods for education, medicine, and eating. I wish I had studied up on homeopathic medicine and Ayurveda prior to going to the doctor office every time E had an earache and getting him another antibiotic to "cure" it (which actually led to diarrhea from the antibiotics, diaper rash from the diarrhea, and only a temporary solution to the earache- eventually leading to him getting tubes put in).

After reading this book I have a whole new perspective on parenting and I am filled with new methods and ideas. I am very thankful Mothering Magazine printed this book and further for my library having it available :)

A Bit Of This and A Bit Of That: Sandpaper Letters

I will be making these over the weekend! I am VERY excited!

A Bit Of This and A Bit Of That: Sandpaper Letters

Waldorf Window Stars

Today we made window stars! I really like how they turned out so I plan to make more… Three ended up being enough to be theraputic and almost made me tiresome of folding so I figure I will just do some when I'm in need of some folding paper therapy :) The kids LOVE them and can't stop pointing and talking about stars. 

The boys shared the couch to read today. Ez Man read The Earth Book by Todd Parr- my favorite children's author. Seriously, Todd Parr, I love you. Lo read a Baby Einstein book.

Did I say read… I meant chew...

The poster that came with The Earth Book. It brings me smiles :)

Crafting with Bottle Caps

Crafting a Green World is an awesome resource for getting ideas on things to craft that are Eco-friendly!

If anyone out there wants to start collecting bottle caps of any sort (pop bottles, baby food pouches, yogurt, milk cartons, etc) I will gladly take them. They aren't recyclable but the are reuseable. We can use them to sort by color (educational purposes) and make art with so I will gladly be accepting your stash of caps (don't fill a landfill with them, hooray!).

Chemical free

A concern of mine, and what seems to be the vogue movement of our society, is to use products that are natural. I do feel like that title is slapped on just about everything for marketing purposes and the validity of "natural" simply doesn't exist. So, the way I base my preference is to be chemical free, when possible. I like to try and only have things that don't require a call to poison control if digested. I know that my entire house can't be proofed like that but I can give my effort in certain areas! I like this quote from the Guide to Less Toxic Products, "Most of us take it for granted that babies should be soothed with petroleum jelly and mineral oil, washed and shampooed with chemical-based cleansers, fed from plastic bottles, swaddled in disposable diapers, surrounded by scented products and put to sleep in pajamas treated with fire-retardant chemicals. But although parents act out of love, they are often unaware that the choices they make may be harmful to their child. There are baby care products by the hundred. How can a parent identify healthy alternatives?" 

Now, I am NOT perfect in my chemical free beliefs. I have to face it, convenience overpowers viewpoints more often than I wish… But, having a viewpoint and being informed and educating yourself is better than nothing. The more of us that choose a chemical free lifestyle and encourage others to- the cheaper and more available it will become! And our children will greatly benefit from it! Here are some easy areas to make the switch to being chemical free:

1. Baby Wipes- I don't know what it is about baby wipes that draws every small child to put them in their mouth and suck on. They taste disgusting! So, a way to combat the exposure to all the chemicals and toxins in baby wipes (yes, they are made  with harmful ingredients: alcohol, perfume, chlorine, dioxin). Plus, they are made from melted plastic pellets and synthetic materials! I am not completely against using wipes for the sake of convenience but there are other options than the typical commercial products- Huggies and Pampers! Seventh Generation makes non-chlorinated, unscented, and alcohol free wipes. You could also just opt for non-scented wipes and save baby from the added perfumes in wipes. If you are really ambitious to avoid commercial wipes all together- use cloth! I wet a bundle of cloths (easy to make or you can buy, two-sided cloths have terry on one side for extra duty) and pop them into the wipes warmer. The warmth and enclosure of the warmer keep the wipes wet and its no shocker to baby's bum when the wipe rubs on them. You can add tea tree oil to keep any molds or bacteria out and it helps with any rash or irritation on baby's skin. There are also a ton of remedies for natural solutions to use on baby's bum without having to use a diaper cream.
2. Laundry Soap- I just want to share two sources to help you make your own laundry soap- if you want cheaper and healthier options! This link has a video made by a group just around the corner from us- The Urban Farming Guys. Just scroll down to DIY Laundry Soap and watch her make laundry soap to last her family for months! Mother Earth News, a magazine that I love, produced this article to help you have fresh clothes with no harsh chemicals! I haven't found the time to make my own laundry soap so my buddy, the UPS delivery guy, brings mine each month :) I use Amazon Mom for free prime shipping and I subscribe to save 15% on Charlie's Soap. I love everything about it- non-toxic, safe for the environment, biodegradable, non-scented, it takes the smallest amount imaginable to get clothes clean, and it is made in the USA! I use it to wash diapers (no signs of poo!), and it gets the deodorant stains out of my love's work clothes!
3. Cleaning Products- I use Babyganics for my household cleaning needs! The products they make are safe, plant based from sustainable resources, natural and gentle. I highly recommend looking into the science behind the product. They share some scary statistics-

Childhood asthma has nearly doubled in the last 20 years (American Lung Assoc.)... And Some Cleaners May Be Triggers To Asthma Attacks.

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

When combined, chemicals are even more dangerous. Deadly fumes result from mixing ammonia with bleach (both found in many household products).

Peak concentrations of 20 toxic compounds - some linked with cancer and birth defects - were 200 to 500 times higher inside some homes than outdoors.

More than 7 million accidental poisonings occur each year, with more than 75% involving children under age 6! 

A child is accidentally poisoned every 30 seconds at home…

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." 

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! 

Of chemicals commonly found in homes, 150 have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer, and psychological abnormalities.