Mindful Momma

Singin' the Bubble Bath Blues

Call me crazy but I don't think a person should need a PhD in chemistry to shop for bubble bath.  But apparently you do.  Not only do you need to understand what those largely unpronounceable ingredients really are, but you also have to know what chemical reactions might happen if more than one ingredient is combined or when they break down over time. 

Take a guess on which of these two ingredients is a toxic chemical and which is a natural substance:  diazolidinyl urea or potassium cocoate?  It’s hard to tell if you’re not a chemist.  Turns out that diazolidinyl urea is a chemical preservative (and a known human carcinogen) that can break down into formaldehyde in products.  Potassium cocoate is a natural salt derived from coconut and used as an emulsifier in many natural body care products.  See what I mean?  

And shopping at a co-op or Whole Foods doesn't necessarily save you from this guessing game.  Even the 'natural' products out there contain ingredients that sound like chemicals.  I've written before about how these toxic chems may be in so called 'natural' body care products and how much it frustrates me.  The latest findings from the Campaign for Cosmetic Safety didn't help.  The No More Toxic Tub report showed that a surprising number of bath products for infants and children contain known carcinogens - namely formaldehyde and 1,4 Dioxane.  It's hard enough to find the time to shop - why should we need to scour the labels at the store to make sure products are safe for our kiddos?  That's insane!

What can you do about it? 

• Sign the declaration for the Kids Safe Chemicals Act - to let our elected officials know that it's not OK to sell toxic body care for kids. 
• You can also send a message to congress through the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.
• Stick to simple liquid castile soap like Dr. Bronners (Trader Joe's makes a version of this too)
• Use the Skin Deep database to find the safest products.

There's been a lot of collective outrage about this lately...on twitter and on the blogs.  The Green Moms are blogging about it this week.  Head over to Green&Clean Mom on Wednesday, April 1st to read more perspectives about this issue and also about the controversy over Johnson & Johnson's Big Bubblin' Stars Contest (they're one of the brands mentioned in the Toxic Tub report...and probably the most commonly used bath products in the U.S.)  

Let's do what we can to make bath time fun again!

Earth Hour

Turn off your lights for one hour this Saturday night from 8:30 to 9:30.  In celebration of Earth Hour. 

I'll be out of town - for a not-so-happy occasion, so it will be a challenge for me to participate, but I will certainly be thinking about it and hoping that Earth Hour achieves it's purpose of educating people about the part they play in the big picture of protecting our precious earth.

Mindful Momma Giveaway: ecostore Products

There's a new eco-friendly brand in town...and I think it's destined to be a big one!  ecostore is a New Zealand based brand that has been around over there for over 15 years but has only recently come to the U.S.  So far, ecostore products are available online and at Meijer stores in the Midwest.

The company mantra is "No Nasty Chemicals" and if you look at the product ingredient lists (which they provide, even though they are not required to) you can see that is true.  Made from natural ingredients like vegetable-based surfactants and mineral salts and scented with essential oils, these products really are gentle on your family and the environment.  I also appreciate the fact that the products are ultra-concentrated - so a little bit goes a LONG way.

Would you like to try some?  Just leave a comment on this post with the ecostore product (or products!) you would most like to try.  The winner will receive a bottle of laundry liquid, the pure oxygen whitener and a bar of soap.  I had the good fortune to sample all 3 of these products and I have to say, I'm hooked.  The laundry liquid smells fabulous with its eucalyptus oil scent, the oxy whitener is a great alternative to bleach and the bar soap???  I'm in love with the scent of the lemongrass soap!   The contest will run through midnight, central time Friday, April 3rd.  (one entry per person please and you must have a U.S. shipping address.)

I'm not one to order my cleaning supplies online so I'll be anxiously waiting for these products to show up at a local retailer. (The Wedge, Linden Hills Natural Home, Target....are you listening???)

The winner of the ecostore products is...Suzanne Chen who said " I am all about the laundry products... with sensitive skin, its important to stay as pure as possible but they actually need to work too..." 

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Mindful Momma Giveaway: The Barefoot Book of Earth Tales

I've been a fan of Barefoot Books for years!  They do such a good job with children's books - from brightly colored board books for infants to inspiring stories from around the world that appeal to kids of all ages.  The illustrations are always amazing too.  I'm especially enamored with the hand-stitched pictures by Claire Beaton, an illustrator for many Barefoot Books.  

The Barefoot Book of Earth Tales by Dawn Casey is a collection of seven folk tales, each representing a different culture around the world and showing us how they live in harmony with nature.  Each story is accompanied by a craft project....like making a cornhusk doll, a mini water garden or a pot of 'anything-goes' vegetable soup.  The illustrations by Anne Wilson are absolutely beautiful too!

In celebration of Earth Day, Barefoot Books has teamed up with Eco-Libris to plant a tree for each copy of Earth Tales sold in the month of April.  They are also offering a coupon code for 10% off all online purchases through April 30th, 2009.  Just use the code SCETALES at checkout. 

If you would like a chance to win a copy of this beautiful, hardcover book just leave a comment on this post.  (one comment per person please and you must have a U.S. shipping address)  The contest will run through midnight, central time on Thursday, April 2nd.  Good Luck!

The winner is Amber who said:  "This book looks very sweet and fun! I love finding books like this for my son and I. Thank you."

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Whew!!!

I just delivered my final deliverable.  Which means...it's now my publisher's turn to work their magic and transform the book into its final form.  Copy-editing, design, photography...all that is still to come, but it's mostly out of of my hands.

I'll be getting at least one more peek at the manuscript at some point - but just for the small stuff.  The hardest work is past me now...and I need to stop and celebrate!  Virtual champagne for everyone!

Mindful Momma Giveaway: The Mom's Guide to Growing Your Family Green

If you are a Mom who is trying to lessen your impact on the earth while you raise your family, then I bet you'll like this book -  The Mom's Guide to Growing Your Family Green by Terra Wellington. 

It's filled with easy tips and useful ideas for home life, gardening, travel, work and community.  What I like is that it's the kind of book you can pick up whenever you have a spare moment...and if you have kids, you never know when that might be!  I'm looking forward to digging into the chapter on gardening when I have a chance.

Would you like a copy so you can see for yourself?  Just leave your name in the comment section and I'll pick a random winner in a week.  The giveaway will run through midnight, central time on Tuesday, March 31st  (only one comment per person please and you must have a U.S. shipping address.)  I will email the winner and post it on Prizey Winners.

The winner is Melanie who said:  "We'd love this book. We're trying to live greener everyday."  Congratulations Melanie! 

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Giveaway Central!!

It's going to be giveaway central around here in the next week or so.  I've got 2 books, some eco-friendly cleaning products and a Vita-Mix machine to give away to some lucky Mindful Momma readers!!  The fun starts tomorrow!

Happy Healthy Meal

This meal was so darn delicious - I just had to take a picture of it.  I was craving this stuff all day....brown rice, golden beets, swiss chard with garlic & onions and hard boiled egg.  It may not win a beauty contest but it's #1 in my book.

 

Miss Mabel

Mabel came to live at our house the other day.  I won her in a silent auction at my neighborhood fundraiser.  Handmade with love by my neighbor Maria out of fabric scraps.  I think she's mighty sweet.

GoodGuide...A New Website for Finding Safe, Healthy and Green Products

 

Did you know that 75% of white breads contain high fructose corn syrup or that a glass of cranberry juice has more sugar than a Coke?  You'll find these surprising facts and a lot more at a brand, spankin' new website called GoodGuide.  (in fact it's so new, it's still in Beta testing so you will probably see it evolve over time.)

The site appears to serve two purposes:  a rating system for products and a resource for learning about all sorts of health, environmental and social issues that are associated with the types of products we buy.

You can search for a specific product or browse by category for the following types of products:  Food, Personal Care, Household Chemicals and Toys.  Each product is given a rating score of 0 to 10 (10 is the best).  The rating is made up of data from 3 different types of performance:  health, environment and social.   If you're interested in the deets, click deeper for information about things like how the manufacturer is addressing global warming or workplace diversity. 

The site also provides links to current, relevant news stories and the latest product recall information. 

Yowza!  There's a lot of information on this website!  I've signed up for a free membership which hopefully doesn't mean my inbox will be bombarded with mail, but that I'll get a head's up on the latest product news that I can share with you!