Diapers, diapers, diapers....

This morning I sat down to work on an order for swim diapers, and I figured that since I would have my serger and machine out anyway I might as well get to work on making the new baby some more diapers (or have 15 when the baby comes... I dont think so!) So I already had diapers on my mind and was thinking about how happy I am that I hope to not buy a single disposable diaper for this new kid, and how much better cloth diapering is for the enviroment AND for the baby and the pocketbook!

SO when I sat down to check my facebook page I saw that someone had posted this article Pampers new dry max causes severe rashes I was a little bit intrigued because pampers were always the brand I bought when I would buy diapers, so I read it. WOW- I cannot even begin to tell you how sad I am for these babies and moms who are having to deal with incredible diaper rash problems just because the company changed the chemicals they use in creating the diapers. Yes, ChEmIcAlS... YUCK! Just another reason I am happy we use cloth and will be 100% exclusivley cloth with the new little one.

After I read this post I saw links for some more posts on Pampers on her site and this one caught my eye- Absurd Claims made by pampers another WOW....

So if you use disposables and ever want to take the plunge into cloth and see how amazing it can be for your baby, you, the enviroment and your pocket, please feel free to email me and I can help lead you in the right direction! I started using cloth because of monitary concerns, but I must say I will NEVER go back, no matter how much money we have! There are already enough chemicals out there getting on and into baby, there is no way I want to help that process along just so I dont have to change a diaper as often....

Guest Post Crunchy Tuesday- No Pooing

Yesterday as I was blog scanning I came across a subject I have been trying to figure out how to write about- but frankly, I have never tried. So I was very excited when my friend Jackie over at 3 little ones - said she would do a guest post about it! YIPEE! SO here is a little about Jackie and her takes on No pooing!

My name is Jackie - I am a wife to a great husband and a mommy to 3 little kids: a 3 year old boy, a 23 month old girl and a 6 month old girl. Before becoming a mom, I was a hardworking CPA (certified public accountant) at a local public accounting firm. I worked many long hours and put lots of effort into having a very rewarding career. And then came kids....I decided to stay at home after my second baby was born and haven't had an regrets! I love spending my days with them and knowing that I am the one raising them. Once I stopped working, I made many changes in our house to try to save money. As it turned out, many of those things were also things that were getting our family more "green". With my full time job as a mommy now, I look at so many things differently. I am always looking for new ways to go green & help our environment and to also save some money in the process!


Yes, I am going to go for round 2 and try to go "no 'poo" again.

When I first heard of "no 'poo" about a year ago, the first thought that came through my head was no more changing poo diapers!! As a mom that has had 2 kids in diapers for about 2 years now, you can probably understand why that would be on my mind. There are days when I feel all I do is change diapers (and more with poo in them that I would like to admit!)

But in all seriousness, "no 'poo" has nothing to do with dirty diapers. It is actually going shampoo-less. That's right, not using shampoo anymore! And why would I do such a thing? There are many reasons actually - avoid chemicals, it's healthier, less waste, and cheaper!

Avoiding Chemicals: There are so many harmful chemicals in many of the common brands of shampoos found at your local drugstore or grocery store. If you are ever curious about how harmful (or safe) your current personal care products are, you can always visit Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Database website. This website is a database of thousands of personal care items (shampoo, conditioner, lotion, shaving cream, bubble bath, sunscreen, etc.) that are evaluated by the researchers at the Environmental Working Group to determine the safety of these products. Based on the ingredients in the particular product, the product is given a safety rating on a scale of 0-10. O being the lowest rating while 10 being the highest. If you haven't been to this website before, I would strongly suggest heading over there and taking a look around. It is extremely interesting (and scary) to read about the various different ingredients that are in so many common name brand items and what types of health effects they could have on you or your children.

It's Healthier: Your body produces oil naturally to condition your hair and help keep it healthy. When you use shampoo on a daily basis, it upsets the natural balance and can cause you to produce more oil than necessary to compensate. I know my body does this because I tend to always have to switch brands of shampoo every so often because it starts to seem like my shampoo isn't working anymore.

Less Waste: There is a lot of waste produced with all those bottles of shampoo & conditioner that the average family goes through. Even if the plastic bottles are recycled, there was a lot of energy used to produce the bottles, ship the bottles and then to recylce the bottles.

It's Cheaper: And let's face it, shampoo can get expensive. Especially when your family is growing. When I was single, I didn't mind spending more money for salon hair products. But now there are 5 heads of hair that need to be cleaned in our house!

So after all that, I still haven't explained what "no 'poo" is. It is using baking soda and apple cider vinegar (ACV) to clean your hair. When I was first introduced to "no 'poo", it was about a year ago through this article I found on the web - The No Shampoo Alternative - No Poo . I did try this method last October but stopped after about 2 weeks. At the time, I was pregnant with my third baby. In all of my pregnancies, my hair got very thick and also very greasy. I know many people loved their hair while they were pregnant - I was the complete opposite!!! I would go through so many different brands until I could finally find one that worked for my hair. So I stopped after a few weeks and told myself I would try again after my baby was born. It has been 6 months since she was born and I just finished up my bottle of shampoo yesterday, so there is no better time than today to start again!

After my first wash today with baking soda and ACV, I am very happy with the results. My hair is very soft and only a tiny bit greasy (I was expecting some since I know that there will be a transition period). Wish me luck! I hope this time goes better for me - and I will keep you all posted!

Crunchy Tuesday- HR4040

So for the past couple of years it seems like all we have heard about is lead in toys, lead in paint, lead, lead, lead. Now while I totally agree that I dont want my daughter chewing on a wall with lead paint, or swallowing something with lead in it, but then congress did something to make things better for us parents, they passed the HR4040 law. This law says that all childrens items, toys and clothes must be tested for lead and toxins and certified safe before they can be sold. That is really nice right? Well not so much if you ever plan on buying something hand made. In order to get something tested it can cost between $300 and $4,000 just for 1 item! I dont sell anything for $4,000, so pretty much, well you get the picture!

S0 essentially it will soon be illegal to sell home made baby clothes, toys, pretty much anything for kids under 12. Not to mention to buy things in thrift stores. Most of us would be lacking a lot of things if we couldnt buy second hand!

So how can we make sure this doesnt happen? Please take a minute and go here and sign the petition to save handmade! I of course wouldnt want you to go about this without reading up though. I dont know, what do you all think? Do you think this is a good law to go into effect?

Crunchy Tuesday - garden greens

So today I am taking a different look at the crunchy Tuesday and asking for your help! hehe- Now that the gardens are starting to be fruitful we all need a little help with our recipes! So today I am asking for your help! Please link us to, or comment with your favorite recipes that use Zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, peas and green beans!
Here is my contribution-
Hamburger and fried zuccini-
Take a pound of hamburger and 3-4 squash (zuccini and crook neck/yellow squash) Cut squash into circle slices and then in half. Put beef on the bottom of a frying pan and then layer squash and half an onion cut thin on top of it. Stir around some and keep the top on as you wish and stir as you want! Salt and pepper to taste!

Hope you like it! my MIL makes it ALL the time and it is yummy!

I like my zuccini dipped in water, then butter (sliced thin) and then fried in a frying pan until crispy!

Crunchy Tuesday

This one is a serious no brainer, but with the 4th coming we all need the reminder!

As the days go on we become more dependent on paper plates, cups, bowls, all disposable eatery.

Did you know that in an average year most office workers will throw out 500 paper cups a piece? Styrofoam and paper plates take years to break down in the land fills, and Styrofoam is even worse if you burn it, because it lets of toxic fumes!

Obviosly, I am urging you to go to Walmart or the dollar store and buy some festive plastic reusable plates for $1 and use those instead of trowing away your money! Obviosly actual blates would be much better, but plastic is one step closer! Then take a step more and use some cloth napkins and cloth table cloth!

Give it a try, it is well worth it!

Crunchy Tuesday- natural deodorant

Sorry im a bit late! :) Natural deodorant or the lack of deodorant at all is something that has always made me a bit... well scared! hehe. When I first joined the forum that I frequent, they had posts about how none of them use deodorant or how they make their own, and it totally freaked me out! I already only have one brand and fraguence that works for me as it is, so thinking about trying to use "earth friendly" brands kind of freaked me out.

Apparently breast cancer and althimers have been thought to have a link from deoderant. This has not been proved, but people still beleive it to be true. Have you ever read the label on you hair gel, toothpaste, hair spray, lotion, shaving cream or body wash? They all contain toxic chemicals and here are 5 that MSNBC says we should absolutly avoid-
* Parabens- meaning and including methyl, ethyl, propyl, benzyl and butyl, are preservatives that they say have been linked to breast cancer, and found in breast tumors.
* Aluminum and friends- meaning aluminum chlorohydrate, aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly or any other aluminum compound. Aluminum has been connected to Alzheimer’s disease.
* Triclosan- This is classified as a pesticide by the FDA! It’s thought to contain carcinogenic contaminants and is stored in body fat.
* Talc- Did you know that this baby powder ingrediant can actually contain asbestos?! Well the sad part is that the amount of asbestos is not regulated so you never know how much you will be getting in your talc!
*Propelyn glycol- It is actually believed to be a neurotoxin that may cause kidney or liver damage.

Did you have any idea that this stuff was actually in the products we use daily for ourselves and our family?!? I had NO idea and frankly, I am more scared of using these products than I am of being smelly! Hehe! So I will now be on the search for a natural, 5 product free deoderant that can make me happy! Anyone want to go on the search with me? Anyone use a product like this that they would like to recomend or review for us?

Here are some web sites that show us how to make our own- I might be trying some of these when I get home from my vacation! hehe
4 different easy kinds
Simple recipe
make your own recipe
Instructables
The greenest dollar

Good luck..... and let me know what works for you and what you like! hehe

Crunchy Tuesday

Household cleaning products-
With earth day last week, and a bad economy, many people are turning to natural cleaners instead of the harsh bleach and fumes that can make you sick to your tummy. I have tried a few of the different "natural cleaners" and "plant based cleaners" out there and YUCK! I really dislike the smell of the arm and hammer naturals yellow stuff. SO here are some links and recipes to natural cleaners. Try them and let me know what you think, and please leave me any recipes you have that you want to share! (around here we just use water, and if we need something a bit more I use some vinegar and water in a bottle! Works fine for us!)

Mix in a sprayer bottle:

1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water

In the kitchen, use vinegar-and-water spray to clean countertops, lightly soiled range surfaces and backsplash areas.

In the bathroom, use vinegar spray cleaner to clean countertops, floors, and exterior surfaces of the toilet.

For really tough bathroom surfaces such as shower walls, pump up the cleaning power by removing the sprayer element and heating the solution in the microwave until barely hot. Spray shower walls with the warmed generously, allow to stand for 10 to 15 minutes, then scrub and rinse. The heat helps soften stubborn soap scum and loosens hard water deposits.

(http://organizedhome.com/pantry-recipes-homemade-cleaning-products)

Organic cleaning recipes
Non-toxic home care
eco-cycle

You know, there really isnt much to say about this topic, except for the fact that this is one of the easiest, most money saving thing you can do! Vinager is less than $3 for over a gallon! That could last you MONTHS! As opposed to the $4 a bottle you will spend every 3-4 weeks on cleaning supplies! Along with unpaper towels, you can save yourself up to $100 a month! Just think about it and let me know what you do!

Crunchy Tuesday

New feature alert!! I think everyone would like to be a little more crunchy, so I am going to devote Tuesdays to trying to help spread the word and teach a little bit about some of the things people might like to try, but don't know about! SO here goes!

Mama Pads-

Since I had so many questions when I posted about mama pads, I will take a little time to try to explain what I know. (If you are grossed out- dont be! It is SO not a gross out thing- just info!)

Cloth pads are just that- Cloth pads! I bet you had no idea there existed a thing did you? These pads are made to actually fit, made of cushy fabric, help make your flow lighter and can save you hundreds, probably thousands of dollars a year on feminine products.

This was my first experience with them, and I must say I was SO pleasantly impressed! They are completely waterproof, and minus a tiny bit of a wet feeling, they were WAY better than regular ones! ( No sticking, sweating, you know!)

Cloth pads can be worn by themselves or with something called a diva cup . I must admit, that when I first came across the whole idea, I was totally grossed out- but now just thinking of the hundreds of bucks that could be saved, I figured 'hey, lets give it a try'.

SO if you are pregnant and have a little trouble when you cough or sneeze.... (We have all been there!) Now would be a great time to try your hand at these little babies- trust me, they are GREAT!

SO anyway- if you want some more info on this subject here are some links
Wikipedia's definition
A store to buy them
Some good info

And finally, If I havnt lost you yet.... lol If you are interested and want to try one out to see what you think, then please shoot me an email (My addy is on the sidebar in a little box titled email me!) And I will send you one for free if you pay the shipping!

non-paper paper towels

I have felt the need to blog about this subject for some time now. Why? Well because I wholeheartedly beleive it is one of the few BIG things we did in our life to save a lot of money.

It started at first when we moved and didnt have the extra funds to go out and buy paper towels. I had gotten a couple of stacks of washcloths for our wedding and figured I would try them out until we got our next paycheck. I was hooked from then on!

These babies are the best! You can do anything with them, get them filthy and wash them to be brand new again! I alwasy felt terrible cleaning up with paper towels because I am not a fan of gunk, or of getting gunk onto my hands (as often happens with a thin papertowel!) And I would use like 1/4 a roll each time I would clean! This way, I can use as many as I want and not feel bad about it! I had washcloths coming out of my eyeballs! I seriosly had like 4 stacks full!

About 6 weeks ago there was a duck frying accident at our house....... (DH and his BFF decided to fry a duck in my fry daddy- in order to get it completely oiled up they filled it up too full. The entire counter, sink, cabinet, drawer full of baby feeding supplies, floor, and pretty much a weeks worth of mail were taken as casualties......) ANyway, after that incident, my washcloths were being grabbed out of every spot they could be found and being thrown onto the oil. Of course men dont understand the difference in many things, rags and wash cloths being one of those things. They grabbed, and managed to ruin, every single one of my nice washcloths! The only ones that made it out alive were the ones in the washer.... I was SO mad!

So being the cheepwad that I am, I have still yet to go buy myself more! I am using a couple of old towels that I have cut with a pocket knife! (anyone else have huge issues finding scissors in a time of need?!? lol) I am staging an intervention for myself tomarro, and I will be going out to buy myself new washcloths, if anyone wants to join in on the cause a simple email to me will give you my addres..... JUST KIDDING!!!!

Anyway- I LOVE washcloths- they are so great! So I dare you to try it for one week. If you dont think you can go paper towelless for a whole week, then try for a whole day, or two whole days- just think of the money you can save just by cutting something so simple out of your weekly budget! You will soon find them to be much better for scrubbing and much easier to deal with in the process!

So what do you think? I know many of my fellow crunchy diva's do this already, but I am certain at least half of my readers have never tried it- are you willing to take the challenge? Let me know!