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Glass baby bottles are making a big come back in recent months. One of the primary reasons for this is that so many of the plastic bottles on the market contain BPA or Bisphenol A. Basically it is an estrogen-like chemical used to make plastic but it is actually one of the last things we want to expose our children too. It can speed up puberty and add to weight gain, and may cause changes that can lead to breast and prostate cancer. Other studies have shown that is may cause brain damage, abnormal organ development, and hyperactivity. Not only is BPA itself bad news, but it is popping up everywhere from baby bottles to baby toys to formula cans. While the amount of BPA in each individual product might be considered to small to be unsafe (yeah right) the cumulative exposure from all the different sources can be significant.
So it is no wonder that so many parents decided to look for BPA free baby bottles and BPA free sippy cups. BUT I must admit that I had a heard time wrapping my head around using a glass bottle for a baby or toddler. Yes, they are made with very thick and safe glass but they are still….well…glass. Usually as parents we seek to keep our babies AWAY from glass right? Well, I stumbled upon a product that might ease your mind a little, Siliskin Baby Bottles. They are sturdy, glass baby bottles with a silicone sheath that helps to prevent the bottle from breaking. They come in 4 or 8 ounce sizes and they have several colors. Here is a description:
Microwave safe, hypo allergenic and dishwasher friendly, this translucent silicone sleeve allows you to see measurements and liquid in the bottle. Cleaner than any plastic, parents-in-the-know realize that glass bottles are the best.
At $10 and $12 respectively they are a great deal for a product that brings peace of mind.
Another option is the Wee-Go Glass Baby Bottle. It is a glass baby bottle with a protective sleeve. And it looks to be a wonderful product albeit a bit more expensive. The silicone nipple is latex-free and non-toxic. The plastic ring, plug and cap contain no polycarbonates and are food grade, FDA approved and recyclable. They are bisphenol A, phthalate, PVC and polycarbonate-free! The retail for $18.
A newer option for those that still opt for plastic baby bottles but BPA free is the Green to Grow baby bottle. They are free of phthalates, bisphenol A, lead, and PVC and they are quite reasonable in price.
One of the best tips for green living is to stop using disposables and opt for reusable items whenever we can. So of course whenver someone asks me if I want paper or plastic at the store the answer has to be neither. Reusable shopping bags are easy to use, they prevent plastic bags from entering our landfills, and as I recently found out they can be incredibly chic and attractive. Up until last week my shopping bag collection had a lot of plain canvas and solid colored nylon but that was before I had the opportunity to try a Mimsi Bag.
I got a Mimsi grocery bag in a pink and lime retro swirls print and I am incredibly happy with it. It fits compactly inside the carrying case or “stuff sack” that came with it so that it can fit in my purse or glove compartment but this is so deceiving because it opens up to a very generous size that could easily replace the load of 3-4 plastic bags. I have found it to be wonderful for lugging groceries, for taking packages to the post office, and for taking stacks of newspaper to the recycling center. It is heavy duty, efficient, and very fashionable. I absolutley LOVE the print and this is usually the first bag I reach for now.
I also see on the Mimsi Bags web site that you can get handbags, diaperbags, laptop bags, and numerous other shopping bags, including some canvas ones with cool environmental slogans. There are even matching mother-daughter shopping bags. My daughter would really like that.
So if you are looking to add some fashionable shopping bags to your collection or you would like an attractive bag to gift to someone… be sure to check out Mimsi Bags for stylish and eco friendly reusable bags!
When I first saw The Dangerous Book for Boys I was very excited to see that finally perhaps people were seeing the need for kids to unplug from their video games, iPods, and television sets and get outdoors and do some adventuring. If the ground breaking book Last Child in the Woods was a wake up call to parents then The Dangerous Book for Boys was the instruction manual for kids. It consisted of hundreds of activities, crafts, and games that generations past enjoyed…building forts…recreating battles, tying knots, and having an incredible amount of fun. It serves as a reminder of lore and technique that have not yet been completely lost to the digital age.
I did not have an issue with the actual name of the book and the reference to boys. I was a tomboy and I did all the stuff the boys did and never thought twice about it but I am still happy to see that a book specifically for girls has been released, The Daring Book for Girls by Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz. The back of the hard bound book is inscribed with the following: “For every girl with an independent spirit and a nose for trouble, here is the no-boys-allowed guide to adventure.” And it is brilliant. If I had this book when I was a young girl I might have forgotten what the indoors looked like. In fact even as I read the book a few weeks ago I couldn’t help but drag out my backpacking and camping books and start planning for spring….the spirit is infectious. My daughter is only 3 right now but I am positive that this book will be treasured in years to come. And it would make a wonderful gift for some of the older girls, tweens, and even teenagers in my life.
The intro of the book read like a peek into my own childhood….a time when electronics consisted of record and cassette players and there was no concern for things like cell phones, texting your friends, emails, and instant messages. We walked to school, we rode banana-seat bikes, we roller skated, and spent countless hours playing hopscotch or tetherball. Well, The Daring book for Girls brings some of that to the current generation of girls. It is a book of possibilities and ideas for filling days with adventure, imagination, and fun. It teaches everything from the basic concepts of basketball, hopscotch, and Marco Polo to more instructional things like how to press flowers, put your hair up with a pencil, use impressive words like diaphanous, and administer first aid. There are also numerous historical things to learn such as the history of writing, Joan of Arc, women scientists and inventors, Cleopatra, and Greek and Latin word roots.
Some of my favorites sections of the book were how to play hearts and gin, making a girl’s toolbox, five karate moves, tying a bandana, how to climb, how to paddle a canoe, making a tree swing, changing a tire, yoga, and handclap games. By the time I got to the end of the book I was ready to get out and get adventuring! This book really is precious and deserves a spot on every girl’s bookshelf.
So are YOU ready to read it or gift it to a special girl in your life? Well, I am happy to help someone out with that. I am giving away a brand new copy of The Daring Books for Girls to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment below and answer this question: “If you had this book who would you give it to and why?” I hope to hear more about the daring girls in your life! I will announce a winner on Monday, December 3rd.
From some of my other posts you know I am a yoga fan. Yoga is awesome for stretching out those sore muscles you get from sitting too long at a computer…not that I…do that or anything. But I ran into a yoga problem at my new house. The room I like to do yoga in (floor to ceiling windows all along one wall) has a hard wood laminate floor and when you do yoga on a rug or a yoga mat…you slip and slide and almost break your neck…or smack your head into the brick fireplace…neither of which is very fun or calming. Even the so-called “sticky” mats don’t often work….I have a few different mats. Bare feet on the floor doesn’t work either…darn that oil slick in my family room.
Then I found a truly ingenious AND as luck would have it, eco friendly solution. They are called Yoga Stick-e Socks! Now I don’t need a rug or yoga mat anymore…these socks make it feel as if you are going barefoot but you don’t slip and slide. They feel like regular socks but they have a hole for each toe to extend through so the toes remain exposed.The exposed toes enable gripping during exercise.
With their soft-as-silk Bamboo fiber they provide a hygienic, non-slip, sweat-absorbing environment for all your barefoot exercise including Yoga, dance, Pilates, and Karate and they made form a sustainable and earth friendly material. They would be perfect for yoga classes to. Even if you bring a mat as it is nice to have something covering your feet while not sacrificing your ability to “stick” your poses. They come in black and beige and they very affordable in price. Check them out and with the holidays coming just around the corner think about any Yogis in your life that might like these!
I thought I would just pop in here to share an excellent article I read about vaccinations and the law…or rather how there is NO law requiring vaccines.
I did some research this morning and I found dozens of places that say vaccination is state law…but the more I think about the more outrageous it seems to me that our government can enact and enforce a law that requires ALL people to undergo a medical procedure. It boggles my mind that they could do that when I actually think about it. What kind of medical procedure can they mandate next??? So is there a law stating that we have to vaccinate?
According to Prison Planet the answer is no…
In reality, there is no law that says you have to vaccinate your children and waiver forms for personal or religious exemptions are freely available.
A situation in Prince George’s County, MD. has attracted media attention and once again provided the platform for a propaganda push that falsely implies it is the law for children to be vaccinated with mass produced big pharma shots that are often not stringently tested and have been linked with dangerous side-effects.
There is no law in America, aside from those applying to medical workers, that says you or your child has to take any vaccine whatsoever, no matter what any executive order, requirement, mandate or policy dictates, there is no situation where you can go to prison for refusing a government vaccine under the U.S. constitution and the law of the land.
As in the case of all other vaccines, executive orders and court mandates merely state that the vaccine is “recommended”.
My personal experience sees one problem with it…when I lived in Arizona I went to a protest when a AZ court ruled that 2 children of a non-vaccinating mother be forcibly immunized. The mother and father of the kids had never vaccinated (the kids were both pre-teens) and when they got a divorce the lovely husband decided to stick it to his wife by petitioning that the courts force his wife to vaccinate their kids. He won and the kids were held down, kicking and screaming, and then vaccinated for EVERY vaccine that they had missed up to that point. If there is no law than how can this stuff go on? Perhaps it was just a case where a judge had to choose which parents wishes should be honored and the father won out since vaccines are considered the “responsible” thing to do in society today.
If vaccines were mandatory according to law wouldn’t your pediatrician have to turn you in for breaking the law when you decline them? According to the Think Twice Global Vaccine Institute the only regulation in place for vaccines are governed by individual states and even then they are not blanket laws but merely requirements for state funded public education not children in general and law dictates that you have waivers to opt out if you so choose.
There are many occasions for which we might seek to buy toys…holidays, birthdays, graduations, and other special events. These days though, walking into a big box store or shopping on Amazon to buy toys can be a dangerous thing. Foreign made toys can be downright unsafe if you don’t know the company or what they stand for and you might end up buying toys with toxic chemicals or lead paint. I am pretty sure that poisoning the children in our lives is NOT what we had in mind, so I have started compiling a list of the some of the better toy alternatives available to us. If you have any ideas to add please leave me a comment and let me know!
Wooden Toys:
Wooden Tool Set - This USA made tool set is beautiful. An oak carrying box holds a toy hammer, screwdriver, saw, a square, old-fashioned hand drill, and a 6 inch ruler. The tools are made of various solid woods including walnut, maple, and oak, with a natural oil finish. It is perfect for the little Mr. Fix-It in your life. Made in the USA.
Roy Toy Log Cabin Set - This set is very similar to Lincoln Logs (which my sons love) and it is made in the USA since the 1930s. All pieces are 100% hand cut wood. The red wooden gables and green roof planks are stained with non-toxic dyes. It is an American classic!
Wooden Doll Cradle - Little girls love their dolls and a wooden cradle is much more sturdy and safe than the a plastic one. This 1930s-style wooden cradle will be a charming addition to any play “household.” Handmade and handpainted in Morocco by Zid Zid Kids. Includes embroidered doll mattress, pillow, and blanket.
Wooden Sushi Bento Set - I got this for my kids and it is soooo cute. Although it is made in China it does come from a company in the natural toys industry that has a very trustworthy record, Melissa and Doug. It has wooden sushi, California rolls, soy sauce, wasabi, chopsticks, and cutting tools. The foods fit together with Velcro so that your little chef can cut them into pieces.
The Little Engine That Could Train Set - This train set is adorable and made in the USA so forget about that other train named Thomas, although this set can be fitted to that one. Includes the engine, three cars, and red caboose. Buy it along with the classic book and you have a great gift!
Wooden Lawnmower - Made in the USA. A unique old fashioned push lawnmower design handcrafted from hard maple with bright colorful wooden balls contained securely within a cage of matching colored dowels.
Faux Food
If you are planning on getting a wooden kitchen set or you already have one, there are many wooden food or cloth products that you might like. My daughter is getting a lovely wooden kitchen set. It is in the basement just waiting to be opened and filled with faux food. Here are some of the food options I like:
German Design also has some great wooden food from milk, to eggs, to mushrooms, to onions. They are adorable! Lots of “raw” or “vegan” food options for families that eat along those lines.
Haba is another company I love and they have a soft cloth sandwich that I recently discovered. Sandwich fixings include 4 slices of deli meat, 4 slices of cheese, 2 slices of bread, 1 slice tomato and 1 lettuce leaf….all cloth.
Wool Food! This is one of my favorite faux food options and it is oh so easy to find US made and even work-at-home-mom (wahm) made selections. Hyena Cart and Etsy are my two favorite places to look.
Pick Your Own Wool Food - Pick from a carrot, pumpkin, peapod, tomato or corn on the cob made from wool. The price is awesome.
Käthe Kruse “Nicki” Baby - These washable cloth dolls are adorable and they come in pink and blue. Dressed in a one piece velour jumper and colorful hat, these dolls are the perfect size for small hands to grasp and hold. They are made in Germany.
Mini It’s Me Waldorf Dolls - The Waldorf dolls are all individually handcrafted and not mass produced. They are warm and cuddly, tempting children to place them in their arms. The neutral features help to develop a child’s imagination to see the doll laugh, cry, sleep, be sad or happy. These dolls are also made in Germany. And don’t forget the Waldorf Doll Stroller.
Educational Toys
Classic ABC Blocks - What child doesn’t have blocks like these at some point? These are made in the USA and they are beautifully crafted and sure to last for a long time. These deluxe alphabets are patterned after classic blocks from the Golden Age of Toys. Sold worldwide since 1983, Uncle Goose ABC blocks are made in Michigan from basswood and child-safe, non-toxic ink.
Classic Change a Face Puzzles - This nine piece “make-a-face” puzzle allows children to make up to 144 different faces. Bright, colorful printing on glossy stock is bonded with non-toxic, child-safe adhesive to solid wood blocks. Made in the USA.
Other Toys and Items
Fortamajig - The Fortamajig allows children to create anything in any space! Imagine building a fort, teepee, tunnel, canopy, out of one ingenious square of nylon material. It is extremely portable with no hard pieces to break or lose. The Fortamajig is the ultimate washable, portable, storable and durable all in one play space. Comes in 3 colors: purple, blue and green. My 7 year old is sooo getting this!
I hope this gives you some ideas for your natural child…do you have any YOU want to add? Comment below.
A couple readers have emailed me privately to ask my opinion about flu shots or to ask that I write something about the subject. Wow…what an important topic. I congratulate anyone that takes a second to inquire about the dangers and side effects of the flu shot before making a decision that almost certainly impacts health. Unlike the scenario your doctor or the media presents, getting a flu shot is a major medical decision. Since this is the flu season I thought I would share just a few of the important things you need to know.
The number one thing I think that people need to know is that 80% of the flu shots contain mercury and not just trace amounts like many other vaccines, although trace amounts are still no good in my opinion. Here are a few alarming facts regarding mercury in flu shots from the Organic Consumers Association.
FACT: A typical flu shot contains 50,000 parts per billion of mercury. FACT: The EPA classifies a liquid with 200 parts per billion of mercury as hazardous waste. FACT: The legal “safe” limit for mercury in drinking water is 2 parts per billion FACT: For each flu-shot, a 22-pound baby gets more than 25 times the amount of mercury considered safe. And doctors are recommending that many babies and children get two flu shots this season. FACT: A material safety data sheet from Eli Lilly and Co., a former producer of flu vaccines, says exposure to thimerosal may include “fetal changes, decreased offspring survival and lung tissue changes. Exposure in utero and in children may cause mild to severe mental retardation and mild to severe motor coordination impairment.”
Mercury is among the most toxic heavy metals and is known to poison the central nervous system, liver, gastrointestinal tract and other systems in the body. Does that sound like something you want in your body your children’s body? The answer for me is a resounding NO.
If you decide that you do want to get the flu shot…ask for a mercury free version. They cost about $4.00 more than the shots with mercury so most doctors will not carry them….tell YOUR doctor that you insist he order a mercury free flu shot for you and your family or find another doctor. My father is asthmatic and he gets his flu shot religiously. I can only hope that he listened to my advice about getting a mercury free shot.
And don’t forget some of the other ingredients in a flu shot like embalming fluid (formaldehyde). There is no data to available to show that the benefit of avoiding the big bad flu outweighs the potential side effects of injecting yourself with dangerous chemicals. Remember my post about the flu remedy Tamiflu inciting teenagers to commit suicide? Scary stuff…
Second, please keep in mind that a flu vaccination is based upon the strain of flu going around last year. The vaccine created for the flu is based upon guesswork using data and flu samples from the previous year. A flu shot is not guaranteed to protect you from the flu at all and MANY times it doesn’t. How many stories have you heard about someone getting the worst flu ever…right after an inoculation?
Third, there are NO safety studies done before these vaccines are given to the American public. We are guinea pigs. They are treating a common illness like it is a disease. What is next…a vaccine for cold, cough, headache, upset stomach or diarrhea?
A book I recommend everyone read is What You Must Do To Escape the Bird Flu. Of course the common flu is not pandemic influenza but it has good information about staying healthy and avoiding illness in general. The information about vitamins, health supplements, and healthy lifestyle practices is great to have. And one of my web sites is referenced in the book (shameless plug). I need to pull this book off the shelf and read it again….it is THAT good. Read my review here.
Another book I recommend is Never Get Another Cold by Thomas Appell. It also talks about something better than a cure…prevention.
Don’t buy into industry and media hype that you need the flu shot. And if you do decide to get the flu shot make sure to ask for a mercury free shot and give your immune suppressed system some TLC for awhile afterwards. To your health!
To close I just wanted to share one of my all time favorite YouTube videos..it is about the flu vaccine.
This morning a couple good friends notified me of a new development in the state of Maryland. State and County officials in Maryland have announced they will send parents to jail if they don’t submit their children to forced vaccinations. Well holy crap if this does not make me LIVID!
I think you all know my stance on vaccinations. My kids will NEVER be vaccinated and I will move to whatever state or country that respects my freedom in this regard. Vaccines contains toxic chemicals such as methyl mercury which is linked to brain damage, immune disorders, and autism. Thousands of children each year are injured due to vaccines and some die…all to provide the illusion of immunity from a disease that in all probability they would never be exposed to anyway…and if they were exposed…chances are it would not be the terrible thing that government makes it out to be.
It should be a parents choice to vaccinate their children since the risks can be great and the protection misleading. Up until now most states in the US have allowed parents to make their own decisions regarding this issue but I knew it would not be long before some government officials tried to undermine this. You see there is just too much money to be made from vaccines and since government and pharma companies are in bed together, trying to make sure we are sick, they need to work together to force us to vaccinate.
The action in Marlyland is backed by Circuit Judge William D. Missouri, Circuit Judge C. Philip Nichols Jr., and the chairman of the Prince George school board, R. Owen Johnson Jr. They are threatening parents with imprisonment and separation from their children if they do not bend to government will and inject poison into their kids. Attorney General Glenn F. Ivey said:
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way, but its got to get done.”
What is this garbage? Now corrupt politicians can tell us how to manage our health?! Well, the Health Ranger, Mike Adams, is starting a grassroots campaign to send a message to Maryland that this will not be tolerated. I am all over it Mike!
Thanks for letting me vent and I hope you will write some letters and make some phone calls too and make sure that this behavior is confronted and stopped. It is not up to the government to decide that the benefits outweigh the risks….that is OUR decision as parents and they need to keep their noses out of it! To your health!
Welcome! Here you will find the random thoughts and experiences of a mom trying to live a more natural family life, for health and for the planet. Enjoy! Also, feel free to e-mail me or Tweet with me
Glass baby bottles are making a big come back in recent months. One of the primary reasons for this is that so many of the plastic bottles on the market contain BPA or Bisphenol A. Basically it is an estrogen-like chemical used to make plastic but it is actually one of the last things we want to expose our children too. It can speed up puberty and add to weight gain, and may cause changes that can lead to breast and prostate cancer. Other studies have shown that is may cause brain damage, abnormal organ development, and hyperactivity. Not only is BPA itself bad news, but it is popping up everywhere from baby bottles to baby toys to formula cans. While the amount of BPA in each individual product might be considered to small to be unsafe (yeah right) the cumulative exposure from all the different sources can be significant.
Another option is the Wee-Go Glass Baby Bottle. It is a glass baby bottle with a protective sleeve. And it looks to be a wonderful product albeit a bit more expensive. The silicone nipple is latex-free and non-toxic. The plastic ring, plug and cap contain no polycarbonates and are food grade, FDA approved and recyclable. They are bisphenol A, phthalate, PVC and polycarbonate-free! The retail for $18.
bottle. They are free of phthalates, bisphenol A, lead, and PVC and they are quite reasonable in price.
One of the best tips for green living is to stop using disposables and opt for reusable items whenever we can. So of course whenver someone asks me if I want paper or plastic at the store the answer has to be neither. Reusable shopping bags are easy to use, they prevent plastic bags from entering our landfills, and as I recently found out they can be incredibly chic and attractive. Up until last week my shopping bag collection had a lot of plain canvas and solid colored nylon but that was before I had the opportunity to try a 
blanket.
A couple readers have emailed me privately to ask my opinion about flu shots or to ask that I write something about the subject. Wow…what an important topic. I congratulate anyone that takes a second to inquire about the dangers and side effects of the flu shot before making a decision that almost certainly impacts health. Unlike the scenario your doctor or the media presents, getting a flu shot is a major medical decision. Since this is the flu season I thought I would share just a few of the important things you need to know.
This morning a couple good friends notified me of a new development in the state of Maryland. State and County officials in Maryland have announced they will send parents to jail if they don’t submit their children to forced vaccinations. Well holy crap if this does not make me LIVID!
