Mindful Momma

Hurray for the Green Moms Carnival!!!

We won the Shorty Award in the 'green' category for 2008!  For anyone who doesn't know - the Shorty Awards recognize the best producers of short content (140 characters or less) on Twitter.  A group of us Green Mom bloggers do a monthly blog carnival and we also tweet about green news on Twitter.  Wanna know more?  Lynn at Organic Mania and MC at The Not Quite Crunchy Parent have already written up the story.  So in the spirit of Twitter - I'll keep this short!

Aaaaaaak! Did I Just Buy PVC Toys for my Child?

Are your kids into Pokemon?  Mine are - big time.  Yesterday, I gave in to a little impulse purchase on the clearance shelf at Target.  A set of plastic Pokemon figurines.  I hesitated, not wanting to bring any more 'cheap plastic crap' into the house.  But these figures looked substantial and I knew my boys would absolutely love them.  It was also a little consolation gift for my 4 year old who didn't get to go to the big basketball birthday party that his oldest brother was invited to that day.  

Long story short, as I was taking the figurines out of their complex packaging (another reason I shouldn't have bought them!), I noticed that familiar smell - PVC - I know it well.  The 'poison' plastic off-gasses toxic fumes from phthalates and other chemicals used in production and has a very distinct smell. 

This surprised me because I thought toys made with PVC were typically squishy - like the classic rubber duckie.  I didn't expect these rigid plastic figures to be made with the stuff.  And I still don't know for sure if they are but I did a search on HealthyToys.org and found some similar looking figures that did test positive for Chlorine/PVC. 

This is exactly the type of issue that the CPSIA will address and I'm glad of that.  Meanwhile, what the heck should I do with these toys?  I really can't see prying them out of my crying son's hands.  It's so darn tough to find the balance between being safe and being overprotective.  My gut tells me that one little set of toys shouldn't be a problem - as long as he doesn't suck on them, which he is not inclined to do.  What would your gut tell you?

Frugally Green: Second-Hand Diaper Covers

If you use cloth diapers, you know that having an ample supply of diaper covers is a BIG part of making it work.  They can be expensive though, especially the nice ones!  My friend Suzanne gave me a great tip:  buy them second hand!!

I did a search on my local craigslist and got a huge list of used diaper covers for sale.  Suzanne said she also finds them at her local baby store - they have an Eco-Boutique within the store selling second hand baby items - what a great idea!  

Finally, an LED I Can Live With

Some of you probably heard me ramble on about how I hated the LED Christmas lights that I bought last year.  They're just too darn bright and the light is cold instead of warm and twinkly. 

I'm happy to report that I finally found some LED lights that I like!  They are motion sensitive, battery operated, household lights from Mr. Beams.  I've used them in the dark corners of my house where bright white LED light is a bonus, not a bummer. 

The Spotlight is in my side door/stairway landing, where we unload the coats, boots and backpacks in the winter.  I can't tell you how nice it is to have a bright light automatically pop on when we walk in the door.  And an eco-friendly one at that!  

The Step Light was placed in the hallway right outside our boys' bedrooms.  Now when they wake up in the middle of the night, a light goes on to help them feel safe.  It's a bright light, but it points downward so it's not glaring.

Thank you Mr. Beams for finally getting me to like like LED's!

Minnesota Minutes

For all you locals out there, I'm experimenting with a new feature about green & healthy happenings in Minnesota.  It will be mostly Twin Cities-based stuff but I'll entertain pretty much anything interesting I come across that's up here in the hinterlands.  I'll try to do it every couple weeks or so.  Let me know what you think!

Here's what's come across my path this week:

Twin Cities Green is having a big sale this week.  10% to 60% off through Jan. 23rd.

Casa Verde is a new sustainable design showroom in Minneapolis.  I stopped by to take a peek the other day.  It's a lovely showroom featuring kitchen, bath and other living spaces all decked out in eco-luxe style.  It's pretty high-end but they do sell some affordable accessories.  The website is still under construction.  911 West 50th Street (near Bryant Ave.)

The Linden Hills Co-op has some great educational classes coming up.  They are inexpensive and cover all sorts of topics from natural healing to Chinese food therapy to co-op shopping on a budget.  Call 612-922-1159 with questions.  These ones look particularly intriguing to me:

Raising Healthy Kids, Tuesday, 1/20, 7 – 8:30 p.m.

Dr. Tim Fargo, Director of Chiropractic Health & Wellness Center .  Please pre-register; $5/$3 members.  We’ll look at many health challenges facing children and explore natural solutions to these problems, including:  ADD/ADHD, ear infections, colic, bedwetting, scoliosis, natural immunity, and weight loss.  Dr. Fargo has completed post-graduate work in nutrition, sports injuries and Applied Kinesiology.

Health Advocacy 101, Tuesday, 2/24, 6:30 – 8 p.m.

Claudine Arndt, Certified Health Coach, & Marcus Seyward,  Fairview Patient Advocate.  Please pre-register; $15/$10 members.  This workshop is designed to promote an awareness about how each person in this country is ultimately responsible for his/her own health and health care in a system that can be difficult to navigate and understand.  While doctors try to provide the best care possible with the time and tools available to them, many people are still left stranded and confused.  How does our health care system really work?  How do we choose a good doctor?  What is the responsibility of the patient in determining the level of care that he/she receives?   When should one get a second opinion?  This course proposes to educate the average individual how to be a great advocate for him/herself within our health care system so he/she can begin taking control of their own health care journey.

Speaking of Linden Hills - the Linden Hills EcoParents group is meeting this coming Tuesday (Jan. 20th) in the Linden Hills park building (43 & Xerxes) from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.  Check the website for more deets.  http://lindenhillsecoparents.blogspot.com/

 

 

Rule Breaking Temps

I don't usually let the car idle when I'm dropping someone off.  An idling car emits 20 times more pollution than a traveling one.

I never start the car ahead of time to let it warm up.  Cars don't need to warm up before they are ready to drive.

Unless the temperatures have plummeted to double-digits below zero, like they are right now.  These are rule-breaking temps indeed!

(warm-up starts tomorrow!)

Homemade Peanut Butter, Anyone?

What better time to start making your own peanut butter than when there's a big peanut butter recall going on? 

I just whipped up a batch in the new Vita-Mix blender that I'm testing out.  I guess I never knew how easy it was to make peanut butter.  You just toss a couple cups of roasted, unsalted peanuts into the machine.  Turn it on and use the special tamper stick to push the peanuts down a bit.  In about 1 minute you have a batch of homemade peanut butter!  And the best part is - it's warm!!  I had never tasted warm peanut butter before and let me tell you - it's super-yum!!  (I'll be talking more about this Vita-Mix as I experiment with it...and keep your eyes out for a big GIVEAWAY coming soon!!!) 

The good news is, you don't need a Vita-Mix to make your own peanut butter - you can make a batch in your food processor or your blender.  I noticed that these recipes call for a small amount of peanut oil added to the peanuts.  Not exactly sure why - but I didn't need to add any oil in the Vita-mix recipe.

About the peanut butter recall.  It's not a commercial brand like Peter Pan this time, but a food service brand served at many nursing homes, schools and other institutions.  The affected brands are King Nut and Parnell's Pride but you won't find them on the shelves at your local grocery store.

Bag Lady

Here's what I brought with me to the co-op yesterday to go grocery shopping:

• Two large, empty oatmeal containers to fill up (one regular, one quick oats)
• An egg carton to load up with eggs (4 year old loves that job!)
• Two empty plastic bottles for refills of body care products (liquid soap and sweet almond oil)
• A bunch of plastic bags to use for produce and bulk items (I really need to get me some of those reusable produce bags!)
• A big bag of plastic bags to recycle (the have a bin you can stuff them in)
• And last but not least, my reusable shopping bags.

I felt like a bag lady hauling all that stuff into the store!  But in the end, I'm always glad that I made the effort.  How do you feel about the extra work that it takes to bring your own packaging to the store?  I thought I'd try out a poll - my very first!

 

On Being Mindful...2009

I'm finding it hard to believe that this is the 3rd installment of On Being Mindful, my New Year's reflection on blogging about  adventures in living a green & healthy life.  Where has the time gone?

This year, instead of making a list of resolutions like I did last year or reflecting on ways to be more mindful in everyday life, I feel like taking a look at the year ahead and thinking about where I want to go with this blog in the coming year.  Mindful Momma started purely as a hobby but led to a pretty big project that has consumed much of my free time, leaving me less time for blogging than I would like.  (more deets about that coming soon, I promise!)  My work will be winding down in the next few months and then I'll have a little more time to devote to this blog.  And I'm looking forward to that!  

Here's my little wish list for what I'd like to see happen on the blog this year:

• More interaction with readers - Yes, that's you!!  I love the community that I've developed with readers so far.  Let's make it even stronger!  Feel free to email me with questions anytime and I'll try to ask more questions in my posts to get the convo going.  Would you like to see a reader poll every once in awhile?  I'm thinking that would be fun.  Maybe a monthly Ask Mindful Momma feature?
• More personal and informal - No, I'm not going to write about every friggin' detail of my life and bore you to death, but I want to let a little more of my personality out of the bag.  Do you have any blogs that you follow just because you're curious about the writer's life?  I know I do.  (One of my favorites is Luckybeans- I am fascinated by her life in Zambia with her 3 adorable children!)
• Shorter posts - When I visit other blogs, I really appreciate posts that are short and sweet.  I have a tendency to get into way too much detail.
• A weekly Minnesota-focused post - So I can keep the locals up to speed on all the good green things going on around here!

What else would you like to see on Mindful Momma?  Do you see it mostly as a resource for green living?  An interesting read?  What's your take on product reviews and giveaways - too many, too few, just right?  I welcome your feedback!

Meanwhile, remember that being mindful means being aware of your thoughts and actions in the present moment - in a non-judgmental way.  I think that's a heck of a good way to approach the new year! :) 

Consumer Protection Gone Too Far?

Consumer product safety is a good thing right?  So often I am struck with how we need more of it in this country.  But here's a situation that shows how we can have too much of a good thing. 

In case you haven't heard (and I know a lot of you already have), the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) is scheduled to go into effect on Feb. 10th, 2009.  In a nutshell, it bans or limits certain phthalates and lead in all products sold to children under the age of 12.  What this means is that ALL children's products - not just toys but also clothing, bedding - basically anything sold to kids - must be tested for lead and phthalates before it can be sold.

While this is a really good thing for new products created in factories overseas, there are a couple of pretty major negative side-effects coming into play.

• Resale shops will not be able to sell used children's clothing unless it has been tested.  This is a hurdle that most small business will not be able to meet.

• Producers of handmade toys and clothing will have to test their products or close up shop.  This type of testing is VERY expensive and it is doubtful that many small producers of handmade goods will be able to comply.

Word on the street is that changes to the bill are forthcoming, but it may take some time for it to happen.  Meanwhile, many businesses are hanging in limbo.  I don't envy them.  I called a couple of my local consignment shops and they are still taking children's items as usual.  Have any of you heard concern from your local resale retailers???  What's your take on this new legislation to protect our children?

Want to know more?  Instead of rehashing what's already been written, I'm going to steer you to a couple of other bloggers who have already done the research and have some interesting perspectives:

• The Smart Mama knows a lot about this topic.  She's a lawyer with an XRF analyzer (a machine that tests for lead, phthalates and other nasty chems).  Read her post about The CPSIA and the Resale/Thrift Industry.
• Change.org is looking for your vote in order to Save Handmade Toys from the CSPIA.  They will be passing on a proposal for amending the act so that artisans can both comply and survive, to the Obama administration.
• Cool Mom Picks has a great list of resources and links about the situation.  They also created the cute Save Handmade button (now in my right sidebar) that you can put on your site. 
• Z-Recs spells out 5 steps you can take to save natural/handmade toys from the CSPIA.