"All Natural"?

I was standing in my kitchen, drinking a glass of Arizona Tea's Green Iced Tea and reading the label--shocker, I know.  I read the big print first, "green tea, vitamin C, antioxidant, ginseng and honey".  Then I read the back, "No preservatives, no artificial color, no artificial flavors, 100% natural".  And last, the ingredient list, "premium brewed green tea using filtered water, High Fructose Corn Syrup (Glucose-fructose syrup) honey, citric acid, natural flavors, ginseng extract, ascorbic acid (vitamin c)."  Being like I am, I got all indignent about the use of the term 100% natural in a product that contains HCFS and 3 other additives that can't be found in my kitchen.  How can they make the claim that it's All Natural when it clearly isn't--according to MY definition of what natural should be.  Tea and honey, add some ginseng if you like.  All the other stuff, that isn't all natural to me, but it is to the FDA.  According to FDA regulations a product may be labeled "Natural" if  'Nothing artificial or synthetic has been included in, or has been added to, a food that would not normally be expected in the food.'  The Huffington Post Article I got this info from  also states "Douglas Karas, a spokesman for the Food and Drug Administration, said in an e-mail it's difficult to define the term "natural" because the food has likely been processed. Although it has not developed a definition for natural, the FDA has not objected to its use if a product does not contain added color, artificial flavor or other synthetic substances, he said."

Once Upon A Child

I finally got all my clothes sorted and took the load to Goodwill and drove over to Once Upon A Child.  I was surprised at the HUGE inventory of clothes they had!  They aren't seasonal, which is good for resale, and I thought they had a fair selection of clothes in the sizes I looked at.  I read a review that said their prices were high and the staff was unfriendly, but I didn't find either of these to be true.  I thought the pricing was kind of funny.  The Faded Glory (Wal-Mart) dress I bought my daughter was only two dollars less than the Gymboree dress I got her.  I actually bought her the exact same dress from Gymboree that I was I brought in to sell, just two sizes bigger!  I got 3 dresses, a shorts set, two pairs of flip flops, crocs, a toddler suit and 3 pairs of boy's athletic shorts for about $50.  I took in a heaping laundry basket of clothes and got about $45 for it.  So overall, I really only spent $5, which isn't bad at all!  My biggest issues was that it was hard to size because some of the size 5 dresses weren't really size 5 anymore, after being washed and dried.  I was running to the issues I have with a lot of the dresses I was selling--too short.  But I was spending less than $5 or $6 on average for a dress, which I didn't think was too bad.  It made me feel good to know that I was being green, my kids got some new clothes that they needed, and I got some cash for clothes that I would normally have just tossed to Goodwill (which I guess is also good.).  All in all it was a good experience.  I was surprised how many baby clothes and items they have!  Once I know if I need to buy blue or pink I'll need to go back and check it out!

The Soap Works

I was planning my day in the shower this morning.  As I mentally made my to-do list I was brainstorming for a blog topic.  Then I looked down at my hands and realized I was holding a great topic...soap.  I've tried TONS of different soaps over the years, looking for one that's reasonably priced (I love Dr Bronner's, but $4 a bar gets to be a lot with 5 people), a bar soap (my oldest used 1/4 a bottle of shampoo the other day, just because it came out fast and he wasn't paying attention) and green (no parabens, phosphates or lauryl sulphates).  I also have to deal with my son's eczema.  Enter The Soap Works.  I found these soaps by accident at the Raisin Rack one day.  I was looking at something else, and my daughter found the display.  They are all unpackaged, which is also a plus for team green, and the smell and color display was too tempting for her to leave alone.  So we started looking at all the kinds of soaps they have and how their various properties work to improve the soap.  I bought the Goat Milk Soap for my big guy's eczema and we've also tried various different types.  I was using the Pumice in the shower this morning to clean all the dirt off my feet that I get from walking around barefoot in the yard.  I love that each soap has a brief explanation about what it does and that they only cost $1.99-$2.99 a bar.  The down side is that they're from Canada, which means they have to travel kind of far to get here...but I guess since it's Toronto, it's actually closer than a product from California (346 mi VS 2,369 mi).  Once I started checking out distances, I realized it's actually pretty close.  NYC is 445 mi away from me.  I redact my previous statement, they're not that far away so it's not really that big of a carbon footprint.  ANYWAY, check out the soaps!  There's one for every skin type.  I've been happy with every kind I've tried!

Keeping Promises

My kids grew.  I'm not sure when it happened, but their shorts and dresses are making it clear that all of a sudden, they're taller.  I've been thinking about when and where to get new clothes for them.  It's SO close to summer and I don't want to spend a lot of money buying them nice things that I know they're just going to outside in.  Also being close to summer, the realness of baby is coming closer and closer, and with that, the realness that we need to make room.  Enter the HUGE pile of clothes in the corner of my bedroom that my kids have outgrown, that need to be sorted into the "save for baby" and "go to Goodwill" pile.  Then I remembered a blog post from awhile back and my two projects merged.  I was talking about how I needed to think greener in more ways and "reduce, reuse, recycle" and I said that I should shop at consignment stores for kids clothes.  Here, hopefully is my answer to my growing children.  I'm going to add a third pile to my previous two, "to Once Upon A Child" and take in some clothes when I go to shop for some new ones.  The downfall I see is that this store also sells toys, which I'll have to address before we go, but I'm excited at the prospect of finding some "new" things so my kids aren't showing so much leg.  I'm also excited because I feel good about doing something ELSE green that I haven't done in the past.  I feel like I get stuck in a rut for awhile and keep doing the same things, which is good, but I also need to keep adding more ways to be greener in order to grow.  The bad news...I still have that HUGE pile of clothes to go through in my room.

Shopping Locally

I went to the Raisin Rack today.  I bought some blueberries (which were REALLY good for this early in the season!!) and they didn't scan.  They had to call to do a price check (which took just a second since the store is so much smaller than a chain grocery store) and they charged me $4.99.  As I was leaving, the produce manager stopped me on my way out to tell me that since it was the start of a new week, the blueberries were actually $3.99 this week and the next time I come into the store, I should tell the person at the register that I get a dollar off.  He said I could ask for him to verify, but he thought they'd believe me.  How great is that?!?!  It's just a dollar, but I felt like they cared about me as a customer.  I don't think a chain grocery store would have done that.  And I'm SURE they wouldn't have just told me to mention it the next time I came in.  They're just too big for that.  So my experience got me thinking about shopping locally.  I already posted that stat about buying local produce and I know from other things I've read how important it is to shop locally.  So I Googled "Benefits of shopping locally" and checked out a few sites.  I think this one was the most concise and easy to read.  It's from Monroe County, WI, but I think it applies everywhere.  Here's their top 12 list:

Top 12 Benefits to Buying Local

1. Money Spent Here Stays Here
   If residents of Monroe County would transition just 10% of their out-of-county retail spending to in-county spending, Monroe County businesses would gain an additional $4.1 million in sales.
2. Jobs and Wages
   Supporting local businesses provides support to the jobs they offer. Monroe County businesses employ over 20,000 people. An increase of 10% in local spending could add 100 new jobs to the county.
3. Stronger Tax Base
   A 10% increase in local spending will generate an over $700,000 increase in municipal tax revenues.
4. Local Business Owners Invest in our Community
   Local businesses are owned or managed by people who live and work in our communities, raising their families and investing in our communities' futures. They support our churches, our schools, our organizations, our quality of life.
5. Better Variety
   Local businesses provide a wide variety of products and services, right here in our community. Many of these are "one-of-a-kind" businesses that provide our community with its own distinct character. The more people shop here, the more products and services will be available.
6. Convenience Equals Savings
   Shopping locally saves you time and money. A shopping trip outside of our county costs you for every mile you drive, each way, and valuable time away from your home. Pocket the savings and treat your family to a night on the town!
7. Green-Friendly
   Shopping locally reduces your gas consumption and pollution. Also, local stores help to sustain vibrant, walkable communities, reducing sprawl and the need for automobiles.
8. Keeping Local Dollars in the Economy
   A 10% increase in spending in Monroe County would induce a total of $5.5 million in industry sales, 100 jobs and $3.5 million in new personal income.
9. Local Character and Prosperity
   In an increasingly homogenized world, communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character have an advantage in offering quality of life and unique experiences.
10. Friends and Neighbors
    Local businesses are staffed by local residents, your friends and neighbors. You get better service from people you know and who know you. And, you can catch up on "what's new" with other customers as you shop.
11. Non-profits receive greater support
    Monroe County non-profits, on average, receive 20% of their revenue from contributions and gifts. Your support of local businesses helps to ensure that they are able to continue their corporate giving to our local non-profits. Your own charitable gifts are a means of spending locally when you keep those donations in Monroe County.
12. Community Well-Being
    Vote with your pocketbook! Monroe County matters to you, so let our businesses know that you want them to stay in our communities.

And for those of you who are more visual learners...
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Time Magazine Cover

I feel like I need to blog about this.  My husband sent me a link to it, jokingly asking if I was jealous.  Of course I am.  Who doesn't want to look THAT good in skinny jeans?!?!  Then I realized he was probably talking about the kid on her boob.  I was really excited to read the article and see what Time had to say about nursing past a year.  I was surprised to find that it's not really about nursing, it's more about Dr. Bill Sears.  If you're not familiar with Dr. Sears (all 4 of them!) you can check out his/their website.  The link between the three year old on the cover (is there any way this pic is NOT going to make his wedding slide show?!?) and Dr. Sears is a philosophy of parenting called Attachment Parenting.  It's not a philosophy that Dr. Sears "invented" (baby brain is making it hard to come up with appropriate terms these days) but it's a philosophy that he embraces.  The misleading cover actually has nothing to do with the article, which is more an interview with the Dr. Bill Sears and his wife, Martha.  It talks a little about his pediatric practice, his books (The Baby Book, specifically) and how he subscribes to attachment parenting.  It's a really good article, if you're interested in the Sears', which I am.  I LOVE Dr. Sears' books, all 5 that I've read.  I love that they're written in such a way that you don't feel like he believes his way is the best and all others be damned, like I felt Gary Ezzo's book, BabyWise did.  I nursed all 3 of my kids until they were ready to stop (the last one was a little longer than I was planning to nurse, but I'm ok with that) I enjoy babywearing and I feel like it's the easiest option for my and my kids, not that I'm doing harm when I'm NOT wearing my baby.  The article talked a lot about the "cry it out" method and how that compares to AP's philosophy that you should never let your baby cry.  I think there's a balance that the article neglected to mention on both ends.  I personally think it's OK to let kids cry a little, having 3 it's hard NOT to have one crying while another one needs attention for a minute, but I also think that Dr Sears has a point that letting a kid cry for hours can be damaging.  Those were the big 3 that Time article addressed.
I don't follow attachment parenting strictly, I don't believe that any one parenting model works for all parents and all kids, but I do pull the parts of it what work for me and my family.  I thought the cover of Time was a great attention-grabber, and I hope it made more parents read the article, just to learn about different parenting styles.  My first year teaching first grade the teacher down the hall used to talk about a teacher's "bag of tricks".  In this imaginary bag were all the classroom management skills that teacher's use.  When one's not working, try another, then another.  The more "tricks" in the bag, the better able to deal with more situations a teacher will be.  I feel this is the same for parenting.  If all you know is one method, and it's not working for you or your child, then your stuck.  But if you know a bunch of different methods and one's not working for your child or your family, then you have a lot of resources to pull from.  Hopefully, the cover caused some parents to read the article and maybe they learned a thing or two to add to their "bag".  I could have done without the mom looking so great in those skinny jeans though.

Natural Weed killer

I've been gardening.  As I've been out digging in the dirt, I realized, I've read too many children's stories.  When I see a hole in the ground, indicating that some small creature has a burrow below, I try not to get any dirt in the hole, picturing a small mammal, dusting off his coffee table as he sits and reads a book in his armchair, wondering who is creating such a mess in his home.  I KNOW that they're not in there with a book, but I still worry about the life in the garden.  On the other hand, I have a weed problem.  I'm starting to think that my weed problem stems (no pun intended) from my lack of time spent weeding, but I also think that there are some products that I could use to kill those #@$%&* dandelions and thistle once and for all!  So I have a dilemma.  How do I kill the weeds and protect the literate mole living under my flower bed? (Maybe I should write a little note and stuff it down the hole asking for his opinion!)  I know that boiling water and vinegar works on my patio to kill the weeds that grow between the bricks.  I just don't think that's going to be strong enough for my beds.  I googled "safe weed killer for gardens"  and found this variation of my water and vinegar recipe:  
1 litre of white vinegar.

• 60 grammes of table salt. (about 4 TBSP)

• 1 squirt of washing up liquid. 
(It's an Irish site.)  Mix everything together making sure the salt is completely dissolved. You can then pour this into a spray bottle or one of those weed sprayers you can get at any garden center.

You spray this solution directly on the weeds you want to get rid of preferably on a hot day in full sun for best results. One thing to remember with this solution is to not get it on anything you don’t want to kill.It is non-selective in what it kills meaning it will kill any plant life it comes in contact with and it will sterilize the soil for up to two years depending on how much you get on the soil.
Please pay particular attention to this, the salt in the solution is what makes the soil uninhabitable for weed seedlings which are still to come. If you wish to effectively poison your soil to new sowings and plantings for approx two years, then add the the salt element, if not omit it. So with salt is best for patios, gravel drive etc, basically all areas designed to be free of growth, whereas without salt is better for beds, borders, lawns and veg areas, where you intend to plant again.
Also be aware that this solution cannot be sprayed wholesale over lawns to kill just weeds, as it is indiscriminate in its damage to both weed and grass. On a lawn it is better suited to spot treatment

If you are concerned about getting the vinegar solution on your desirable plants you can use a cloth to wipe the solution on the leafy parts of the weeds.
This will keep any of the solution from coming in contact with the plants you want to keep. If you use this method it is advisable to wear rubber gloves to protect your hands from the acidic affects of the vinegar. 

I think I'm going to try this out.  I'll use it without the salt in the beds and try the salt in the driveway and the patio.  Much cheaper than Round-Up and I won't be supporting Monsanto!