Posts from — February 2009

Need a new Tilty sippy cup?  Well, here’s your chance to grab one at 15% off!  We recently purcahsed this cup and REALLY like it!  It’s BPA free, dye free, and PVC free.  I got an email from the company this week encouraging me to share this code with you!

COUPON CODE:  THKU09
For all of you that can’t find a store near you selling TILTY, here is a coupon code for 15% off all orders of two double packs (12.00).  It is good until March 31, 2009.  PASS IT ON to your friends and family.  By the way, shipping on two double packs is the same as one double pack.  Good to know.  Just follow the above Tilty link to get yours!

Scared of Salmonella?  Make Your Own Peanut Butter
Hmm, sounds pretty easy and tasty!

How Cheap Food Distorts Our Choices and Makes Us Fat
Pretty interesting article…especially if buy cheap food.  Either at a restaurant or in the grocery store.

So, I’ve had this question for a while, and since I will be dealing with it sometime later this year, I thought I would let you in on a little secret….YES!!  You probably can!  

You just have to find the narrow type.  Yep, they do make narrow car seats! The best ones, and really only ones marketed for “3 across” that I’ve found are Sunshine Kids Radians.  They have great safety ratings as well.  There are two different seats available. The Radian65  is for a child 5-65 lbs. and the Radian 80 is for a child 5-80 lbs. You can read all the great ratings on Amazon.  Both of the Radians have  4.5 stars!  While these seats are a little pricey, they are definitely cheaper than a new car.

If you’re looking for a narrow infant carrier seat, Baby Cheapskate did some research and recommends the Baby Trend Flex-Loc. If you’d like to read their article on the infant carriers, search for “infant car seat guide” and choose the January 2009 article.

If you have some more questions about car seats, here are a couple of helpful sites:

Carseatdata.org

Car-safety.org

I hope this helps somebody out there!  It really wasn’t that easy for me to find information about fitting 3 car seats in a backseat.  Hopefully I did a little research for some of you out there!

10 Dangerous Everyday Things in Your Home
I ran across this list earlier in the week and thought it was a great one to share.

Fake It Till You Make It
Another good reason to smile!

How to Find Hidden MSG on Food Labels
These different names for MSG really surprised me!

 Ok, so are you thinking I’m crazy because I’ve got a filter on my bath faucet?  Well, maybe you won’t after reading this.  You see, just as the lotion and other body products you put on your body need to be safe, so does your bath water.  Because, yep, your skin is soaking it up, just like anything else you put on your body.

According to Dr. Mercola, here’s what’s in your tap water:

Tap water – High in disinfection byproducts (DBPs), chloroform, and fluoride. Chloroform and other DBPs are formed when chlorine is added to water. This is the most common form of water disinfection in the U.S. Unfortunately, chloroform can cause cancer, potential reproductive damage, birth defects, dizziness, fatigue, headache, liver and kidney damage.

Another byproduct of water chlorination is trihalomethanes (THMs), which are Cancer Group B carcinogens, meaning they’ve been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals. They’ve also been linked to reproductive problems in both animals and humans.

Fluoride is another serious danger silently lurking in most people’s tap water. Fluoride alters your endocrine function, especially in your thyroid, increases your risk of bone fractures, and can lower IQ.

Filtering the water in your home (including the water in your shower) with a reverse osmosis filter is your best option here.

So, after reading that, I guess you can understand why I want a bath water filter!  If that didn’t convince you, then please look at these articles or videos as well.

Tap Water Toxins:  Is Your Water Trying to Kill You?

The Dirty Little Secret Behind the Chlorine in Your Water

The Dangers of Chlorine and Issues with Sucralose

The Negative Health Effects of Chlorine

Just as soon as we can, we will be installing a whole house Reverse Osmosis water filter so that we aren’t exposed to unfiltered tap water in our own home anymore.  In the mean time, I love that my Bath Ball will last me 1 year and that I can buy replacement filters for it.  And, Johnny is also using his shower head water filter. I hope you found this information helpful!

Hillbilly Housewife
Here’s an interesting site with lots of home cooking recipes, even how to make your own baking mix and cream soups.   Some things I wouldn’t recommend, like using margarine, but you can still find some neat stuff here.

BPA, PVC, and Phthalates in Food Processors and Blenders
Great article on what’s in your food processor and blender, with recommended brands and products at the bottom of the article.  Thanks for all of your hard work Z Recs!

Lisa Leonard Designs
This jewelery is SO cute!  Lisa’s designs are great and so special!

This was a big question I had with my first born.  I knew he would nurse 8-10 times a day in those first few weeks, but what about as he grew older?  I found a helpful chart in the Babywise book that had the suggested number of feedings for a baby during their first year.  This is by no means a hard and fast rule, or what you have to do, but it was very helpful to me, and I’d like to share it here.  

• Weeks 0-8, 8 to 10 feedings per day 
• Weeks 9-15, 5 to 7 feedings per day
• Weeks 16-24, 4 to 6 feedings per day
• Weeks 24-52, 4 to 5 feedings per day

This feeding chart is actually the only helpful information that I took from the Babywise book.  The rest of it didn’t work for me.

One more thing I’d like to share with you is this breastfeeding log I made for my own use.  I didn’t want to purchase a tablet of them, so I just made this one, saved it on my computer, and printed it out weekly.  You may be thinking I’m crazy, but it really helped me to know, and be able to look back at these charts.  I always knew exactly when the last time baby had eaten, pooped, or peed.  This chart would also work for a formula fed baby.   I actually keep this chart for the entire first year and even write down the solids they start eating to help watch for food allergies, and to keep track of what their eating and how much.  It was helpful for me to look back at Gabriel’s charts and know what I did with him and when as compared to Nathaniel.

Hope these are a few tips you could use!  I know I could have used this information in those early weeks right after I was a new mom!

BPA Lingers Longer in the Body Than Previously Thought
Some new information on BPA that you may find interesting.

A Preschooler’s Allowance
A great article if you’ve been thinking about doing this. 

Chore Chart for Preschoolers
This goes along with the allowance article above.

E-Cloth-Perfect Cleaning
If you’re looking for some great microfiber, I just found this yesterday and it looks like something worth checking out!

I made the switch over to natural cleaning products when I was pregnant with my first child.  I started doing some reading and I knew cleaning products could be harmful to breathe or to be on your skin, so I decided to find some safe products to clean my home, and I’ve stuck with them ever since.

First of all, Johnny bought me this really cool book called Better Basics for the Home.  It is literally full of all kinds of recipes for things you can make yourself.  From furniture polish and window cleaner, to shampoo and toothpaste, to flea and tick powder!  There are usually several variations for any type of product you want to make.  I’ve used olive oil and vinegar to polish my furniture, and I’ve used tea tree oil and lavender oil mixed with water to do other cleaning.  I make my own soft scrub with castile soap and baking soda, and it works great!  I also use vinegar for lots of things.   I  highly recommend this book if you’re interested in natural cleaning.

I also use a few Method products to clean with.  For convenience sake I have some of their disposable all surface wipes, and I also like their window cleaner and I purchased the oMop recently.  I love all of these products and I bought one of their microfiber window cloths to use on my windows and mirrors.  It is wonderful!  And now I don’t go through all those paper towels anymore!  I have also used their laundry detergent for several years and really like it.

Speaking of microfiber, do you know what an awesome product it is?    Did you know that you can clean with only microfiber and water to clean and remove dirt and bacteria.  No chemicals needed!  Check out these two articles to learn more!  The Strange Case of the Missing Microfiber and Better Cleaning  Through Microfibers.

I hope you have learned plenty of new things about green cleaning!  Now I’ve got to go clean the bathrooms!