Party Like It's 1999

Last week I hosted a Healthy Home Party, a community event sponsored by Healthy Child Healthy World, LUNA and Klean Kanteen.  You invite a bunch of folks to your home and discuss how to protect children’s health and development from common toxics.

As soon as I agreed to host the Party, I felt twinges of regret and perhaps a tiny bit of dread. Because hosting parties is not really my thing.  Evangelizing about being green is not really my thing.  I mean, sure, I have this blog, but I don't tell everyone I meet about it for heaven's sake.  Half my family doesn't even know it exists.  This is just where I dump information, which I hope will benefit those who are interested.  In social settings, I keep most of my green opinions to myself.

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Eco-novice's Top 10 Resources

Here are 10 resources I regularly use in my research regarding healthier products and greener living.
 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The EPA's mission is "to protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment -- air, water and land -- upon which life depends."  The site has information on a range of topics, including human health and energy conservation.

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What About Mom?

A reader sent in the question below about organic bras. Since I know very little about the organic cotton clothing world, I asked Rachel (of Euphoria Baby and Euphoria Maternity) to address the question. 

Q: Have you done some research on organic clothing, especially good bras that don’t break the bank and are not made in sweatshops? I see there are lot of organic cotton baby products and not much for mommy.

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Green Cleaning - Kitchen

 

Possibly the hardest part of switching to greener cleaners is deciding which ones to buy.  Once you have a tried-and-true cleaning favorite, it's hard to bother to switch to something new.  Luckily, I've done all that annoying research plus trial-and-error stuff for you.  In the next couple of weeks I'll be introducing you to all of my favorite green cleaners.  There are definitely others out there that work.  These are just the ones that I've tried that have worked for me.

My Kitchen Cleaners

Kitchen table and counters

• Vinegar in a spray bottle (diluted or not):  vinegar naturally disinfects and gets rid of yucky smells
• Seventh Generation all-purpose or disinfecting spray (occasionally)

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How I Meal Plan

It's taken me a while to figure out a meal plan system that works well for me.  For many years, I've kept a list of all my greatest hit recipes to refer to when planning the next week's meals, but I always agonized over what to choose that week (Didn't I just make tostadas? Is that too much chicken in one week?) and often ended up forgetting an ingredient (because sometimes I'd forget to check the ingredient list for each recipe before going to the store) or tossing out a perishable ingredient that didn't get used up.

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10 Benefits of Green Cleaning

Possibly the hardest part of switching to greener cleaners is deciding which ones to buy.  Once you have a tried-and-true cleaning favorite, it's hard to bother to switch to something new.  Luckily, I've done all that annoying research plus trial-and-error stuff for you.  In the next couple of weeks I'll be introducing you to all of my favorite green cleaners.  There are definitely others out there that work.  These are just the ones that I've tried that have worked for me.

Here are some of the advantages of green cleaning:

1. One of the easiest ways to reduce your families' exposure to toxins
2. No toxic fumes - no need to worry about proper ventilation or indoor air pollution
3. No toxic residue - so you don't have to rinse after using on surfaces that come in contact with food which will eventually be eaten (which, in my house, includes kitchen counters, kitchen table plus all floors)
4. No need to change cleaners when pregnant
5. Kids can clean with you
6. No gloves required
7. Don't have to lock up cleaners to avoid poisoning
8. Don't have to worry about mixing 2 cleaners into a toxic cocktail
9. Better for the environment - the fishies will thank you
10. Cheaper, if you make them yourself 

Stay tuned for more posts on green cleaning. 


The complete Green Cleaning Series:

• 10 Benefits of Green Cleaning
• Kitchen: My Favorite Cleaning Products 
• Bathroom: My Favorite Cleaning Products 
• Laundry My Favorite Cleaning Products
• DIY Cleaning Recipes
• How to Identify a Green Cleaner

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Lazy and Cheap Ways to Be Green, Part 3 (Wear Less Make Up)

This edition of "Lazy and Cheap Ways to Be Green" is devoted to the idea use less or no beauty products. 

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I Love Board Books of Baby Faces

 And let me tell you why.

My one-year-old reading Smile! while sitting on the potty.

Because my one-year-old loves them, and has loved them for several months.  And her love of them is part of what makes her early potty training possible.

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10 Steps to Help You Avoid Eco-exhaustion

 
I fell down the rabbit hole of toxic information soon after I had my first baby. I spent hours and hours on the computer researching safer, more natural options with an infant on my lap. I had just left a job in policy research, so I was still in the research mode. And I was worried. And a bit obsessed. I wanted to know everything, change everything, fix everything - immediately!  Eventually, I chilled out. And now I'm going to share with you my tips for achieving some balance in your quest to go green.

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Preschooler Potty Training Finale (Plus Top Ten Benefits of Early Potty Training)

Toddler/Preschooler Potty Training
I think we've reached the end of the line with potty training my 3-year-old.  No #2 accidents for over one month.  He's had a few #1 accidents (mostly outside, because he has a hard time leaving the dirt in time to take off his shoes, come inside, and run to the potty), but I'm sure those will happen from time to time for years.  I'm not sure what really sealed the deal.  Was it the one-week vacation with cousins during which time he did not have a single accident?  Was it the showers my husband gave him every time he pooped in his underpants (just a regular warm temperature shower, but my 3-year-old did not seem to like them)?  Was it the stickers of two of his favorite loves (letters and construction vehicles) or the treats from Trader Joe's?  Was it limiting the fruit so that his #2's were not so urgent?  Or was it just. . . time?  We'll never know.  We're just very happy that he's pooping in the potty.

Baby Potty Training

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