My 2 year old daughter came down with a sudden fever the other night. It was the first time she has ever had a fever. I will admit it I was a little caught off guard since she hadn't had one in 2 1/2 years so I contacted my neighbor who has a 3 year old to ask how she handles them.
She was was very thoughtful and brought some children's ibuprofen liquids over. I decided however to let my daughter's body fight it out without medication, unless the fever got dangerous. I gave her a lukewarm bath and then checked her throughout the night to make sure it did not get higher than the 102.8 she had going. Thankfully, she woke up in the morning feeling better and the fever left on it's own.
I was getting ready to take the medicine back to my neighbor when I decided to read the bottles to see what was in them. I was shocked! Both of them had High Fructose Corn Syrup and Red Dye #40 and Polysorbate 80.
I avoid all dyes in our food, especially Red Dye #40. It has been linked to hyperactivity in children all the way to being a known carcinogen. When I looked up Polysorbate 80, the possible side effects listed where anaphylactic shock and scientists say that polysorbate 80 causes infertility in mammals. Baby female rats were injected with the substance and experienced accelerated maturation, hormonal changes, decreased weight of the uterus and ovaries, and degenerative follicles. Also High Fructose Corn Syrup's possible side effects are weight gain and obesity, increased risk of developing Type-2 Diabetes, elevated triglyceride and HDL (cholesterol) levels, long term liver damage, oh yea and it contains alarmingly high levels of mercury!!
This is a medication to be given to a child while their body's immune system is under attack? So while their bodies are already vulnerable the ingredients in the medication supposed to help them can actually do way more harm then good. I don't think so!!!! Not my daughter.
I did research and even the dye-free options still contain High Fructose Corn Syrup and Polysorbate 80. Some of the even still had dyes listed!!
As shocking as it is there was not a safe non-toxic alternative I could find. There are some holistic methods that I read about, but for the most part it is the old school route for me. Lukewarm baths and socks soaked in cold water. The socks need to be able to cover the ankles and wrung out.
It caught me off guard this time but I will now know what I will and won't do in the future!
Till next blog....
Monday, March 26, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Simple Breakfast, or is it?
As I made breakfast this morning it seemed so simple, eggs, bacon and toast. Simple, right? Or was it?
Well it used to be. There used to be a time when people would go to the local store and pick up the bacon, eggs, and bread and not think twice about it. Unfortunately those days are long gone, for me and my family at least they are.
Now the bacon is hormone, antibiotic and nitrate free. The eggs are organic from a local farm. The bread I make to be sure it is preservative free and I know exactly what is in it. I cooked the breakfast on pans that are not non-stick to make sure the chemicals from non-stick (Teflon) cookware do not enter the food and possibly poison it. I used spatulas that are also stainless steel, no plastic here, to be sure that there are no chemicals that can leech into our food.
Seemed like a simple breakfast until you realize that there was alot of thought that went into the ingredients that go into the food that is served in my home everyday.
As sad as it may seem, there will never be another day that goes by that I don't know exactly what is in the food, or how it was grown that I feed my family. I cannot trust that my own government agency that is "supposed to" protect me and my family will actually do so.
As I looked at the meal I was making and thought about this, I longed for the days when going to the local store for all of these items wasn't toxic to my family. And it used to be the way things were. All before our government and big business started to run our food, and doing a damn awful job at it. AHHHH Long before Monsanto. Long before the company that created the toxic Round-up started to create our food.
A simple breakfast? Not in my house! But is it the best, safest breakfast my family could have!
Till next blog...
Well it used to be. There used to be a time when people would go to the local store and pick up the bacon, eggs, and bread and not think twice about it. Unfortunately those days are long gone, for me and my family at least they are.
Now the bacon is hormone, antibiotic and nitrate free. The eggs are organic from a local farm. The bread I make to be sure it is preservative free and I know exactly what is in it. I cooked the breakfast on pans that are not non-stick to make sure the chemicals from non-stick (Teflon) cookware do not enter the food and possibly poison it. I used spatulas that are also stainless steel, no plastic here, to be sure that there are no chemicals that can leech into our food.
Seemed like a simple breakfast until you realize that there was alot of thought that went into the ingredients that go into the food that is served in my home everyday.
As sad as it may seem, there will never be another day that goes by that I don't know exactly what is in the food, or how it was grown that I feed my family. I cannot trust that my own government agency that is "supposed to" protect me and my family will actually do so.
As I looked at the meal I was making and thought about this, I longed for the days when going to the local store for all of these items wasn't toxic to my family. And it used to be the way things were. All before our government and big business started to run our food, and doing a damn awful job at it. AHHHH Long before Monsanto. Long before the company that created the toxic Round-up started to create our food.
A simple breakfast? Not in my house! But is it the best, safest breakfast my family could have!
Till next blog...
Saturday, February 25, 2012
My New Love.......Coconut Oil
I have been hearing so many things about coconut oil and it's many benefits that I decided to do some research and give it a shot.
Some of the benefits of coconut oil include: healthy hair, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism and on and on. It seems too good to be true. How can one product provide so many things?
The benefits can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid. These acids are known for their antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, and antibacterial abilities. The human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin which is claimed to help dealing with viruses and bacterias.
Is that all? An oil that is good for you inside and out. Sign me up!
I bought a certified organic coconut oil. What is surprising is that it is a solid at room temperature. I took some of it out and heated it up gently and put it into a glass dropper bottle to keep in the bathroom.
I decided to use it for all the beauty benefits and see what happens. I started using it as my nightime moisturizer and my skin looks amazing! I use it as my eye makeup remover and not only does it remove makeup gently and easily but it has the added benefit of soft healthy eye lashes. I mixed it with sugar to make a body scrub for the shower and it made my skin is super soft, better and cheaper than any scrub I have used. I put it on my hair all day then shampoo'd it out for the best hair treatment I have ever used. I also used a small dot on dried hair to make it shiny and smooth. It also makes a great lip moisturizer and cuticle soother.
All that and I used it to make my eggs in the morning!
It's incredible that this one product can do so much. The best part is that I don't have to check the back of the package to see if it contains phthalates, SLS, triclosan, or parabens.
It seems to good to be true, but I am loving it.
Till next blog...
Some of the benefits of coconut oil include: healthy hair, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism and on and on. It seems too good to be true. How can one product provide so many things?
The benefits can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid. These acids are known for their antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, and antibacterial abilities. The human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin which is claimed to help dealing with viruses and bacterias.
Is that all? An oil that is good for you inside and out. Sign me up!
I bought a certified organic coconut oil. What is surprising is that it is a solid at room temperature. I took some of it out and heated it up gently and put it into a glass dropper bottle to keep in the bathroom.
I decided to use it for all the beauty benefits and see what happens. I started using it as my nightime moisturizer and my skin looks amazing! I use it as my eye makeup remover and not only does it remove makeup gently and easily but it has the added benefit of soft healthy eye lashes. I mixed it with sugar to make a body scrub for the shower and it made my skin is super soft, better and cheaper than any scrub I have used. I put it on my hair all day then shampoo'd it out for the best hair treatment I have ever used. I also used a small dot on dried hair to make it shiny and smooth. It also makes a great lip moisturizer and cuticle soother.
All that and I used it to make my eggs in the morning!
It's incredible that this one product can do so much. The best part is that I don't have to check the back of the package to see if it contains phthalates, SLS, triclosan, or parabens.
It seems to good to be true, but I am loving it.
Till next blog...
Saturday, February 18, 2012
New Favorite Non-Toxic Laundry Cleaners
I have discovered 2 new non-toxic laundry items and I HAVE to share!!
I went to the Fresh Market at the Shoppes at Wiregrass today and met an amazing woman named Monica. She has a company called Molly's Suds. They are a non-toxic laundry detergent company. After talking to her about her products I decided to tried the Laundry Powder today and I LOVE it. It is fragrance free, dye free, contains no SLS, phosphates, parabens, no. 1.4 dioxane or formaldehyde. It is biodegradable, certified vegan and cruelty free.
It cleaned my clothes as good or better than any other non-toxic cleaner I have used. Sorry 7th Generation and Mrs. Meyers!! It contains organic peppermint oil, but the scent does not stay in your clothes. It washed out in the rinse cycle. My clothes came out super clean and fragrance free!
For $21 the bag will clean 128 loads! It is safe for HE washer too.
They also have a product called All Sport for sport's clothes and equipment. I did not try that, although with my husband in baseball I probably will, but I did get to smell it and it had a wonderful orange scent to it.
The website is http://www.mollyssuds.com/ You can shop from the website, or if you live local, you can find places that are selling their items.
The other wonderful item I purchased and LOVE is the Wool Dryer Balls from Stoney Mountain Farm. They are eco-friendly dryer balls made from 100% wool. No chemicals, no dyes. They reduce static, soften clothes, even reduce drying time.
I had stopped using dryer sheets since even the free and clear ones still contain chemicals that can stay on your clothes and in turn harm me and my family. I had looked into dryer balls as a possible option, but they are all made from toxic PVC and the combination of PVC with the heat of the dryer cannot be a good combination inside my home and on our clothes.
The wool dryer balls honestly made my clothes softer, wrinkle free, static free and it really did reduce the drying time for the clothes!!
They are available on the Mollys Suds website or you can go to http://www.stoneymountainfarm.com/pages/product-list/wool-dryer-balls.php to check them out.
My 2 new laundry favorites! Non-toxic that get the job done!
Till Next Blog........
I went to the Fresh Market at the Shoppes at Wiregrass today and met an amazing woman named Monica. She has a company called Molly's Suds. They are a non-toxic laundry detergent company. After talking to her about her products I decided to tried the Laundry Powder today and I LOVE it. It is fragrance free, dye free, contains no SLS, phosphates, parabens, no. 1.4 dioxane or formaldehyde. It is biodegradable, certified vegan and cruelty free.
It cleaned my clothes as good or better than any other non-toxic cleaner I have used. Sorry 7th Generation and Mrs. Meyers!! It contains organic peppermint oil, but the scent does not stay in your clothes. It washed out in the rinse cycle. My clothes came out super clean and fragrance free!
For $21 the bag will clean 128 loads! It is safe for HE washer too.
They also have a product called All Sport for sport's clothes and equipment. I did not try that, although with my husband in baseball I probably will, but I did get to smell it and it had a wonderful orange scent to it.
The website is http://www.mollyssuds.com/ You can shop from the website, or if you live local, you can find places that are selling their items.
The other wonderful item I purchased and LOVE is the Wool Dryer Balls from Stoney Mountain Farm. They are eco-friendly dryer balls made from 100% wool. No chemicals, no dyes. They reduce static, soften clothes, even reduce drying time.
I had stopped using dryer sheets since even the free and clear ones still contain chemicals that can stay on your clothes and in turn harm me and my family. I had looked into dryer balls as a possible option, but they are all made from toxic PVC and the combination of PVC with the heat of the dryer cannot be a good combination inside my home and on our clothes.
The wool dryer balls honestly made my clothes softer, wrinkle free, static free and it really did reduce the drying time for the clothes!!
They are available on the Mollys Suds website or you can go to http://www.stoneymountainfarm.com/pages/product-list/wool-dryer-balls.php to check them out.
My 2 new laundry favorites! Non-toxic that get the job done!
Till Next Blog........
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Easy Yummy Broccoli Soup
With all of our broccoli sprouting in our organic garden I have been coming up with different things to make with it. It is delicious raw, or even lightly steamed, but I thought I would make a soup out of it. This was so simple to make and as my 2 year old said the whole time she ate it, "Yummy".
I took a head of broccoli and the stem chopped and steamed them. Then I put them in my chopper, or blender. I put the chopped broccoli into a pot with 2 cups of Organic chicken broth and 1/2 cup of Organic heavy cream. Brought it to a simmer and added some fresh cracked black pepper and salt. THAT'S IT!
It is so simple and yet has big flavor!! I love hearing "mmmm, mmmm" while my daughter is enjoying broccoli.
Till next blog.........
I took a head of broccoli and the stem chopped and steamed them. Then I put them in my chopper, or blender. I put the chopped broccoli into a pot with 2 cups of Organic chicken broth and 1/2 cup of Organic heavy cream. Brought it to a simmer and added some fresh cracked black pepper and salt. THAT'S IT!
It is so simple and yet has big flavor!! I love hearing "mmmm, mmmm" while my daughter is enjoying broccoli.
Till next blog.........
Monday, February 6, 2012
The Stress of My Daughter Going to A Birthday Party
My daughter was invited recently to her friend's 3 year old birthday party. She was so excited! She picked out presents for her friend and even wrote her name on the card, as well as a 2 year old can.
Thankfully the mother of her friend has hanged their food to more organic so it made me feel a better about going since they were providing lunch. It's easy to control things in my own home but going to someone else's home can be stressful since I only feed my daughter organic.
As I made a plate of food for my daughter she asked me if she could have some chips. I noticed the bag that the corn chips had come from and they were not organic, meaning that they were made with GM (genetically Modified) corn, so I had to tell her no. Thankfully she was ok with this since there were organic strawberries. I also had brought my daughter's stainless steel sippy cup filled with water from our Reverse Osmosis system and I was happy I did. They had water bottles for everyone. I really wanted to say something about not drinking from plastic water bottles since the bottles that water come in contain BPA and that it leaches in the water, but I didn't.
The birthday cupcakes came and they asked who wanted ice cream. I see that the ice cream container and I see it is not organic and I know it is made with milk that contains growth hormones and antibiotics that were fed to the cows. No ice cream.
The party was over and we get a little gift bag on the way out. We walked in the door of our house and my daughter immediately opens the bag and there are cute pads of paper, non toxic crayons, cute hair ties and a plastic brush and plastic little mirror. Damn! As my daughter went down for her nap the plastic items mysteriously disappear from the house. There is a certainty that the plastic they are made with contains BPA or other chemicals that I do not want going into her mouth.
It was a great party. Not really a stress-free day, but I am aware that this is the way things are and will be for me to keep my daughter away from the chemicals, hormones, pesticides and genetically modified things that exist in the items and foods that most people use everyday without a second thought. I know that for people who don't do things the way I do it must seem odd, but I don't care. I want my daughter to have as healthy an existence as I possibly can as long as I can.
Till Next Blog......
Thankfully the mother of her friend has hanged their food to more organic so it made me feel a better about going since they were providing lunch. It's easy to control things in my own home but going to someone else's home can be stressful since I only feed my daughter organic.
As I made a plate of food for my daughter she asked me if she could have some chips. I noticed the bag that the corn chips had come from and they were not organic, meaning that they were made with GM (genetically Modified) corn, so I had to tell her no. Thankfully she was ok with this since there were organic strawberries. I also had brought my daughter's stainless steel sippy cup filled with water from our Reverse Osmosis system and I was happy I did. They had water bottles for everyone. I really wanted to say something about not drinking from plastic water bottles since the bottles that water come in contain BPA and that it leaches in the water, but I didn't.
The birthday cupcakes came and they asked who wanted ice cream. I see that the ice cream container and I see it is not organic and I know it is made with milk that contains growth hormones and antibiotics that were fed to the cows. No ice cream.
The party was over and we get a little gift bag on the way out. We walked in the door of our house and my daughter immediately opens the bag and there are cute pads of paper, non toxic crayons, cute hair ties and a plastic brush and plastic little mirror. Damn! As my daughter went down for her nap the plastic items mysteriously disappear from the house. There is a certainty that the plastic they are made with contains BPA or other chemicals that I do not want going into her mouth.
It was a great party. Not really a stress-free day, but I am aware that this is the way things are and will be for me to keep my daughter away from the chemicals, hormones, pesticides and genetically modified things that exist in the items and foods that most people use everyday without a second thought. I know that for people who don't do things the way I do it must seem odd, but I don't care. I want my daughter to have as healthy an existence as I possibly can as long as I can.
Till Next Blog......
FAVORITE Product Alert!!
I just purchased a product that is my new FAVORITE so I must share!
It's the Dirt Devil Easy Steam Express. It is an electric floor steam cleaner. It uses only water to clean floors so incredibly clean! It works on hardwood floors and tile. Chemical free easy cleaning.
I used it for the first time today and it was amazing!! It is vacuum height so it is really comfortable to use. We have a lot of ceramic tile in our house and it is a pain to clean, not anymore.
I put in the water and plugged it in and it started to steam right away. The spots on the floor that were dirtier I just kept the cleaner on it for an extra minute then moved the cleaner over it, dirt gone!
LOVE this item!!
http://dirtdevil.com/products/details/pd20030/easy-steam-express-
Till Next Blog............
It's the Dirt Devil Easy Steam Express. It is an electric floor steam cleaner. It uses only water to clean floors so incredibly clean! It works on hardwood floors and tile. Chemical free easy cleaning.
I used it for the first time today and it was amazing!! It is vacuum height so it is really comfortable to use. We have a lot of ceramic tile in our house and it is a pain to clean, not anymore.
I put in the water and plugged it in and it started to steam right away. The spots on the floor that were dirtier I just kept the cleaner on it for an extra minute then moved the cleaner over it, dirt gone!
LOVE this item!!
http://dirtdevil.com/products/details/pd20030/easy-steam-express-
Till Next Blog............
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