Happy Earth Day!

I really try to teach my kids to respect the Earth and to celebrate Earth day everyday. I expain how recycling and cutting out the chemicals in our lives really helps out. This year we also planted a huge garden, compared to our small one we used to plant on the side of our house. We planted carrots, tomatoes, corn, onions, peppers, cucumbers, squash, green beans, lettuce, and maybe a few more things I'm leaving out. The kids helped us out with making the garden and had so much fun. They are very excited to be able to pick all the fresh veggies out of it as soon as we can.
So here is a picture of the garden. We still have to put the wiring around it to protect it from the animals as well as our dogs and kiddos.

A closer picture.

I can't wait until it all starts growing!!!

Homemade insect repellent!

So looking into other summer must have's, insect repellent came to mind. So looking into it a little further I found that many are loaded with harmful chemicals as most of you can guess. So instead of posting all the chemical names this time I just decided to post about making some homemade bug spray. I have not tried any of these yet but definitely plan too. If you get a chance to try any, please let me know what you think and if it worked for you.

Instructions for Making Homemade Insect Spray
A variety of household products can be used to create non-toxic insect sprays. Experiment using any of the following sprays to determine your personal potion:

1.Apple cider vinegar: fill a spray bottle with one cup of water and ½ cup of apple cider vinegar and spray the solution on skin before going outdoors.

2.Garlic repellent: although garlic should not be directly applied to the skin, a garlic spray created with warm water and a few cloves or crushed garlic is excellent mosquito repellent. Place the mixture in a plastic spray bottle. Before an outdoor picnic, spray the surrounding area (plants, chairs, etc.), including clothing, with garlic spray to clear away pests.

3.Lemon eucalyptus oil: add 5-6 drops of lemon eucalyptus oil to 1 cup of water and fill a spray bottle. Spray clothing, plants, and surrounding area.

4.Vanilla spray: a sweeter choice than garlic, vanilla extract is a total turn-off to many types of bugs. Fill a spray bottle with one cup of water and one tablespoon of vanilla extract and spray directly onto the skin. Use a cloth or tissue to blend well into the skin.


Read more at Suite101: Keep Insects Away Using Non-Toxic Ingredients: Prevent Mosquitoes Naturally During Spring Rainy Season http://naturalmedicine.suite101.com/article.cfm/keep_insects_away_using_nontoxic_ingredients#ixzz0lnsG4cAY

So what does Organic mean?

I have had a few people ask me if my family is only eating ORGANIC food. Well I don't know? What exactly makes something organic?
So I looked up a definition for organic and this is what I got:

Organic Food – A Definition
Organic farming means that food has been grown and transported without chemical pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, or other additives, on land that conforms to the standards of an organic certification board. In the United States, it's the U.S. Department of Agriculture that controls the approval process for a farm's produce to be labeled "organic," while other countries like Japan and Australia have their own organic standards and regulatory bodies.
What this means is that organic meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables can only legally be called "organic" if the farm they come from has been checked and certified to produce organic food.
If produce, meats, poultry or milk products are called organic, it means fewer chemical additives (which have been linked to hormone disruption, cancer, and other diseases) and, usually, higher vitamin and mineral content, which is all to the good. Packaged foods, however, are a different story.
Read more at Suite101: What Does Organic Food Really Mean?: The Definition of Organic Farming, Produce and Health Food http://holistic-nutrition.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_does_organic_food_really_mean#ixzz0lmrygQe0

So after reading this definition the answer is no we don't eat only organic food. My basic plan for my family is to homecook every meal without using any of the harmful chemicals that are found in all the processed food. And yes, I said homecook everything. This doesn't mean I spend all day in the kitchen because with three kids and a very hectic schedule I don't have time for that. I try to devote about an hour a day to cooking (I don't count the time that something is in the oven). Its actually a lot easier than it sounds. I try at least two new recipes a week and most of my meals make enough for us to eat for a couple of days.
And no you don't have to give up any of your favorite meals. You can make almost anything from scratch thanks to the wonderful internet. I just type in a meal I would like to make and look for a recipe to make it from scratch. So far it hasn't been a problem to make the meals at all and I actually enjoy my cooking now. I also try to let the kids help me out as much as possible which they love.
No we are not a vegan family either, someone has asked me that too. I think if I tried to turn my family vegan I would be divorced and leaving in a cardboard box somewhere. But we do get our meat from Chris' cousin who farm raises a few cows every year for the family and our poultry comes from Whole Foods until I can find somewhere else to get them from.
So that is it in a nutshell. I guess I can't call us organic but we are eating healthier.

Another reason not to eat fast food!

OLATHE, KAN - According to their menu, the Sonic Chicken Wrap comes with grilled chicken breast, fresh lettuce and ranch dressing. But one metro customer says that he got an additional, unwelcome ingredient with his wrap, and now he says that he is looking into hiring a lawyer.

Robert Borushko says that he found a tomato dicer blade when he bit into a Chicken Wrap purchased from a Sonic Drive-In at 119th Street in Olathe. He says that he was shocked when he took a bite and pulled a razor blade out of his mouth.

"I thought I broke a tooth at first because when I bit down, it was hard," said Borushko. "It's about one inch, I put it up against a ruler."

Sonic's corporate office sent FOX 4 a statement saying that a very small piece of a blade of a tomato dicer broke off, and that they have apologized to the customer and offered Borushko $200 for the inconvenience.

According to the Sonic corporate office, the Sonic Drive-In in Olathe has a history of good scores on public health inspections and third-party food safety audits.

Borushko says that he was not impressed by their offer.

"It was a smack in the face for biting on a razor blade," said Borushko. "(The Sonic representative's) whole thing is there's no serious injury, I wasn't cut. It's not a serious matter to them."

Borushko says that it is a serious matter to him, and now he's looking into hiring a lawyer. He says that he filed a report with the Olathe Police Department, but officers said that they found no evidence of criminal misconduct.

"If I swallowed it or gave it to one of my nieces or nephews and a little kid got that razor blade and didn't know to quit chewing, the damage could have been done to them," said Borushko.

Great website!

Here is a great website for finding safe beauty products:
http://www.ewg.org/whichsunscreensarebest/2009report
You can find any suntan lotion and it will tell you how safe it is. Sorry there are so many posts about this but since it is getting to be that time of year that is all I can think about right now.
This is a great website for other products as well.
Enjoy!

A list of healthy suntan lotions!

Choose from among top rated sunscreens for broad spectrum protection with fewer hazardous ingredients. And follow our sun safety tips to protect your skin for a lifetime.

1. Loving Naturals Sunscreen, SPF 30+) 0
2. Badger Sunscreen Face Stick, SPF 30, Unscented 0
3. Heiko Kids 40 SPF 0
4. thinkbaby Sunscreen, SPF 30+ 0
5. Trukid Sunny Days Face & Body Stick, SPF 30+ 1
6. Beyond Coastal Lip and Face Screen, SPF 30 1
7. Purple Prairie Botanicals Sun Stick, SPF 30 1
8. Soleo/Wyland Organics All Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+ 1
9. Lavera Sunscreen Neutral, SPF 40
10. All Terrain TerraSport Performance Sunscreen, SPF 30 1

see all sunscreens

Does your sunscreen work? EWG's investigation of 535 beach and sport sunscreens finds that 2 out of 5 contain chemicals that may pose health hazards or don't adequately protect skin from the sun's damaging rays. Some of the worst offenders are leading brands like Coppertone, Banana Boat, and Neutrogena.

More Americans than ever are using sunscreen to protect from sunburn and guard against skin cancer. Top choices include products with high SPF ratings, and that are waterproof or that advertise "broad spectrum" protection.

Most people trust that the claims on the bottle will ensure that the product truly protects their health and their families'. Nothing could be less certain. Until FDA strengthens and finalizes sunscreen safety standards first drafted 31 years ago, consumers can't be confident that products on store shelves are safe and effective.

We found 21 sunscreens claiming SPFs from 55-100+ that might tempt you to stay out longer in the sun, but they block just 1 to 2% more sunburn rays than an SPF 30 sunscreen. These products violate FDA's sunscreen safety standards.

Four percent of high SPF sunscreens (SPF of at least 30) protect only from sunburn (UVB radiation), and provide poor protection from UVA, the sun rays linked to skin damage and aging, immune system problems, and potentially skin cancer. FDA does not require that sunscreens guard against UVA radiation.

Harmful chemicals found in suntan lotion!

I just found out from a friend today about a severe reaction her son (16 months old) just had to suntan lotion. She was using a very common suntan lotion called Banana Boat baby. After putting some suntan lotion on one of her twins he began to break out with a rash. The rash soon turned into blisters. Her and her husband are both paramedics so they were both treating the little boy but it was so bad they were to the point of taking him to the hospital. They immediately called their doctor who told them to give the baby some benedryl. They were finally able to get rid of the blisters without hurting him anymore but not without forever changing their opinion on suntan lotion. They were told he had an allergic reaction to the suntan lotion both externally as well as internally since the chemicals used in the lotion was absorbed through the skin. They were then told how harmful the chemicals were in suntan lotion.
So this brought on an interest to me. So I began reading about the harmful ingredients in suntan lotion since I also use popular products. WOW!!!! That is the best word I can say about what they put into suntan lotion! I have been putting this on my babies for 6 years and it is horrible!!!!!!
Here is a few things I have found.
This was too long to post and it was all good information so I figured I would just post the website: http://www.skinbiology.com/toxicsunscreens.html

Some other information I have found:


For 29 years, the FDA has refused to publish safety standards for sunscreen products. That's nearly three decades of keeping the public in the dark about the extremely harmful, cancer-causing chemicals found in sunscreen products. Any idea why the Food and Drug Administration has taken so long to set safety standards for a product used by over 100 million Americans? If you guessed, "Because the greedy corporations selling the toxic sunscreen products don't want the FDA to study the safety of their products," give yourself golden star sticker. You got it! The FDA has no interest in protecting the public from cancer-causing personal care products, and that simple fact is made abundantly clear by the FDA's 29-year delay to establish basic safety guidelines.

As is increasingly the case, non-profit groups are now doing the job the FDA should be doing but refuses to do. In this case, the Environmental Working Group (www.EWG.org), one of my top recommended non-profit organizations, has compiled a list of 700 name-brand sunscreens along with the toxic chemicals they contain. You'll find the list at http://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/

As the EWG reports, many sunscreen products contain cancer-causing chemicals that get absorbed right through the skin:

Some sunscreens absorb into the blood and raise safety concerns. Our review of the technical literature shows that some sunscreen ingredients absorb into the blood, and some are linked to toxic effects. Some release skin-damaging free radicals in sunlight, some act like estrogen and could disrupt hormone systems, several are strongly linked to allergic reactions, and still others may build up in the body or the environment. FDA has not established rigorous safety standards for sunscreen ingredients.

After 29 years of debate, the government has failed to set mandatory sunscreen safety standards. Companies are free to make their own decisions on everything from advertising claims to product quality. In lieu of setting final standards, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises people to stay out of the sun from 10 am to 4 pm. FDA now stands in direct violation a Congressional mandate requiring the agency to finalize sunscreen safety standards by May 2006, flouting not only Congress but also consumers, who are reliant on sunscreen to protect their health.


84% of sunscreen products harm consumers