Mindful Momma

Book Review: Spit That Out!

Feeling like you might be on the verge of a green Mom's nervous breakdown?  Well, I've got a book for you!  Spit That Out! The Overly Informed Parent's Guide to Raising Children in the age of Environmental Guilt by Paige Wolf is perfect for parents who have become downright neurotic about the "right way" to feed, clothe and care for their little ones and who are living their lives wracked with endless eco-guilt.

As a new mother herself, Paige experienced the flood of constantly changing, oftentimes conflicting information about environmental toxins, our environmental footprints and the health risks of products we use every day.  Spit That Out helps parents wade through the confusion and make reasonable decisions based on the best facts available. 

Written with a dose of good humor and loaded with advice from all different kinds of Moms, the book covers the basics like eating, clothing, cleaning, pampering and playing.  It also delves into age-old debates like breast vs. bottle and cloth vs. disposable with an emphasis on making the choice that is best for you.

Each chapter ends with a set of Green Mom Sanity Tips - something I will refer to frequently - especially when I feel one of those green Mom's nervous breakdowns coming on. :)

(Full disclosure:  I received a free copy of Spit that Out for review purposes and there is an Amazon affiliate link in this post.)

 

Dreaming of DIY

What I wouldn't do to get my hands on a good old DIY project right about now.  Instead, my creativity will be flowing from my fingertips and into my computer as I catch up on lots of writing work.

Here are some of the DIY projects I've been dreaming about.  Maybe you can make them instead of me?!!

Felted wool soap - The minute I saw this project I wanted to make it.  Immediately.  I already had a bag of soap bits just waiting to be turned into something new.  Alas, I did not have any felted wool roving - so the project will have to wait - at least until I can find the time to hit up a yarn store.  By the way, if you have not discovered the Mossy blog yet, you should. It's a DIY lovers dream.

Homemade skin care products - This round-up of all-natural skin care remedies found on Organic Authority includes a hand cream made with avocado oil and an anti-cellulite treatment that may come in handy before swim suit season begins. :)

Recycled Puppet Theater - Looking for something to make with the kids this weekend?  Check out this tutorial for a puppet theater made from a recycled cardboard box.  Not only will the kiddos have fun decorating it but it will provide endless play value once you add in some homemade sock puppets! (created by Jennie Lyon via Inhabitots)

What have you DIY'd lately??

Eco-Escapism

This is the time of year when I really want to get the heck out of here and go somewhere warm and sunny....or at least somewhere away from all this snow!  But since that clearly won't be happening this year, I decided to do some eco-exploring of the online variety.  A girl can dream, right?

If money were no object, I'd book a trip to Soneva Kira, an eco-luxury resort in Thailand that looks to die for!  According to their website, everything was built using sustainable design and thoughtfully sourced using local materials whenever possible as well as Forest Stewardship Council certified pine.  I'm sure the dining is fabulous and apparently they use produce grown in their own organic fruit and vegetable gardens.  Electric carts and bicycles are the mode of transport around the resort.  All for a mere $2000 bucks for a 2-night stay!

 

For something way more affordable, check out the De La Costa Eco-Lodge in Venezuela.  Very basic-looking rooms for $56 to $67 include breakfast and use of the lodge's bicycles.

Or if overseas travel is not a possibility, how about a trip to New York?  It might not be t-shirt weather yet but it's probably warmer than Minnesota!  The brand new Element Hotel in Times Square is LEED-certified and has a sophisticated energy management system to regulate lighting and temperature throughout the building.  Plus it's loaded with green amenities including free bike rental so you can go explore the city the eco-friendly way!

Have you ever been to a "green" hotel or resort?  Would you seek one out if you were planning a trip?

Living in Gratitude

I have some sad news - my dear father passed away.  He had been sick for awhile but we didn't expect him to go quite this quickly.  My family is still in shock that our strong, smart Dad is no longer sitting at the head of the dinner table, listening to his favorite opera or typing away in his beloved office. 

Accepting his death has been a difficult transition.  Catch me on a bad day and gratitude is hard to come by - an elusive goal - more something I think I should be feeling than a true emotion.

But more and more often, I feel gratitude coming straight from my heart.  Gratitude for the very special time my sisters and Mom and I spent with him at the end.  Gratitude for the very full life that my father lived.  Gratitude for his action-packed final year - my Dad traveled to Europe, visited all of his family members, wrote a chapter for a colleague's book, spoke at his academic conference and spent lots of time with his best friend in the world, my Mom, whom he loved dearly.  WOW - that's a lot for a 79 year old!!

After my father's death, my sister Terry spent time in an old growth forest, noticing the circle of life that takes place there so naturally.  I want to share a bit of what she said:  "An old growth forest is a comforting place to be at a time like this. The forest is filled with so many nurse logs and tree snags that support a rich diversity of life, it is very apparent that life and death are part of an interconnected circle and support one another. Even after a tree dies, it is an integral part of the existing life system. I think Dad will live on through the people that his life touched and those who loved him. His spirit will always be alive."

Isn't that a wonderful way to look at it?  The death of a loved one is always sad but wallowing in our sorrow only gets us so far.  Similar to when my sweet brother-in-law passed away from cancer, I have a renewed sense that life is a special gift and that we should celebrate and be grateful for it each and every day.

Will you take a minute or two in your busy day to be grateful for your wonderful life?

(image from sodahead.com)

Working for Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families!

When I started this blog well over 4 years ago I had no idea where it would lead.  But as time went by and I became more and more invested in green & healthy living, it became clear to me that I wanted my blog to be a stepping stone to a career in this field that I care so much about. 

Things have worked out pretty well in that regard - I consider myself lucky!  First, the opportunity to write my book virtually landed in my lap.  Granted it was a ton of work with less than a ton of pay, but I am so proud to be the author of Practically Green: Your Guide to Ecofriendly Decision-Making!!

Now another great opportunity has come my way.  I recently started working for Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, writing blog posts, articles, fact sheets and helping with social media campaigns.  In case you're not familiar, Safer Chemicals is a non-profit coalition dedicated to passing laws that protect people from toxic chemicals in everyday products.  Specifically, they are focused on getting Congress to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) - the nation's primary law regulating chemicals in consumer products.  It is terribly outdated and does more to benefit chemical manufacturers than it does to protect Americans.

It's important work and I am excited to be involved with it.  One of my first assignments was working on a campaign urging President Obama to make cancer prevention a priority for President's Day. I also wrote a tips post filled with a bunch of ways to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals in everyday life.

If you are interested in the cause, please consider following Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families on Facebook and Twitter and subscribing to our blog.  We'll keep you updated on current news (like recent news about Walmart banning a toxic flame retardant), the latest research (toxic chemicals in pregnant women) as well as compelling personal stories about how toxic chemicals effect our lives.

You can also support the cause by becoming an individual coalition member (no cost to you and you will only receive occasional emails) and most importantly by signing our petition to President Obama asking him to protect us from cancer-causing chemicals.

Of course, I'll still be posting here at Mindful Momma too.  Hope to see you in both places!

P.S.  I have to thank Janelle from Healthy Child, Healthy World for letting me know about this job opportunity.  Thanks Janelle - you are a great connector!