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Filter out that chlorine!

By on May 6, 2009 in health & nutrition, natural & green

Did you know that we absorb more chlorine by showering in chlorinated water than we do by drinking it? Unless you have a well, it is very likely that your water is chlorinated. Although chlorine is deemed “safe” and a highly effective disinfectant, it is toxic to breath and damages the skin and hair. If you have a problem with dry skin and/or dandruff, this is most likely the cause of the problem!

According to Renee Loux in Easy Green Living, “Under normal exposure chlorine is a gas, which is liquefied and then mixed with water to purify it. When chlorinated water (like in a hot, steamy shower), run through a faucet, or allowed to sit in a tub, much of the chlorine vaporizes into a gas. We absorb more chlorine by showering in chlorinated water than we do by drinking it.”

But chlorine is not the only cause for concern.

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Natural Stain Remover & Cleaning Agent: Hydrogen Peroxide!

By on April 29, 2009 in natural & green

While attempting to avoid chlorine products in our home and the health risks, I have come across a valuable alternative! Hydrogen Peroxide! It is not only good for cleaning out cuts and wounds, but is also an excellent natural alternative to bleach and other stain remover products at half the price. Hydrogen peroxide is also safe for the environment as it simply breaks down into water and oxygen! It is a great natural cleaning agent due to its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-mold and anti-mildew properties.

My tip: replace the cap of your hydrogen peroxide bottle with a spray nozzle! Now, it is readily available to spray directly on those stains!

What to use it on?

Carpet stains - spray directly on stain, allow to sit, and then pat dry!
Clothing stains - spray directly on stain. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before throwing into the washer. I like to use it in combination with oxygen bleach for real effective stain removing power. Simply use a old toothbrush to apply the oxygen bleach and scrub it in.
Blood stains – During one occasion when my younger brother had a serious arm injury (I won’t go into all the details), he ran all over the house trying to find someone to help. Blood was splattered all over our newly installed carpet. Amazingly enough, hydrogen peroxide removed all the stains!
Tub & Tile Cleaning - don’t you love the scum that builds up in the shower? Try applying a layer of hydrogen peroxide followed by a layer of vinegar and scrub clean! It works wonders and completely natural!
General cleaning – It can be used effectively to clean toilets, windows, walls and floors! More cleaning tips here. I really only use this along with vinegar now for two frugal, all-purpose household cleaners!

Did you know that hydrogen peroxide is also good for washing your produce, cleaning your teeth, fertilizing plants and removing mold? Read more of its wonderful uses here.

A standard 3% grade of hydrogen peroxide should work for all these uses!

For more natural bleach alternatives, visit here. It works for me!
Thanks to my SIL, Autumn, for reminding me of this one!

Have you used hydrogen peroxide? What uses have you found for it?

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Coconut Oil has decreased in price!

By on April 23, 2009 in natural & green, recipes & kitchen tips

I have been blessed to discover while checking out my recent Mountain Rose Herbs catalog that they have actually lowered the cost of coconut oil! It is now $37 per gallon compared to the previous $41. That is the first item I have seen decrease rather than increase in our current economy, and every little bit helps. You know I love it for its wonderful uses!

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Considering God’s Creation

By on April 22, 2009 in faith & womanhood, natural & green

Today is Earth Day…a day to rejoice in the glorious creation that God has bestowed unto our care! Why should I, as a Christian, be concerned with creation care?

“God writes the Gospel, not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.” – Martin Luther

As Romans 1:20 says, “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for knowing God.”

Isn’t that a beautiful reminder that God’s truth is communicated as we observe His glorious creation? He uses His creation to draw people out of darkness and into His marvelous light as they see His beauty displayed in His landscape. Should we not together actively seek to preserve the beauty of His creation by good stewardship? Together we can join hands and make a difference by careful decision making in our every day life.

Martin Luther continues, “Now if I believe in God’s Son and remember that He became man, all creatures will appear a hundred times more beautiful to me than before. Then I will properly appreciate the sun, the moon, the stars, the trees, apples, as I reflect that He is Lord over all things.”

He indeed is Lord over all creation! Being concerned about His creation, the environment, is one simple way of offering up worship to our King! He entrusted this earth to man’s care from the beginning of time…let us seek together to care, grow and nurture it as He intended.

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Natural Sunscreen Choices

By on April 1, 2009 in natural & green

Gayle wrote: These days, I’m trying to find a natural sunscreen and was wondering if you could recommend one. My philosophy is ‘less is more’ so although there seems to be many organic product lines out there, I’m just looking for something natural and simple!

This question seems to be on many minds lately as I have received it several times over the last month…Here are a few thoughts.

Receiving vitamin D from the sun is very valuable for our bodies.  It is estimated that 80% of Americans are vitamin D deficient. Where, besides milk, do we get Vitaim D? Exposure  to the sun! The sun is definitely not something to be afraid of under regular exposure.

Despite the widespread use of sunscreen, skin cancer rates continue to escalate. In fact, the sun actually helps prevent cancer! Did you know that it only takes a matter of minutes for the product that you apply to your skin to be absorbed into your body? Try rubbing garlic on your foot. In a few minutes you will be able to taste it in your mouth. This is good reason to choose wisely what you apply to your skin and the ingredients in your favorite sunscreen. Limiting extensive exposure to the sun and applying sunscreen sparingly is the safest choice!

It is definitely wise to use a natural sunscreen if you intend to be outside for extensive periods of time (vacation, hiking, etc). I have found that the SPF levels in my mineral makeup are adequate in protecting my skin in a natural manner, so I rarely apply any to myself. But I am more concerned for my kids. In such events, I will apply a thin coat  of sunscreen and use sun hats! Coconut oil is also another option for natural protection. Surprisingly enough, I have heard many people using coconut oil successfully for sunscreen while at the beach and various tropical locations – fair skinned individuals and all.

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Product Review: Green Bags!

By on March 25, 2009 in natural & green, recipes & kitchen tips

Have you experienced the joys of opening your vegetable drawer only to discover that your broccoli has gone yellow and your spinach is mushy? You are most likely better than me in using all your produce in a timely fashion. This can be a great source of frustration, especially when it is carefully purchased organic produce. For the last year, I have been purchasing produce through local sources, including trying out various CSA’s and a produce co-op. All this produce comes free of any storage bags. My dilemma has been…what do I store them in to preserve their freshness in the fridge? I tried storing them on their own which only resulted in flimsy/soggy produce.

Enter…green bags! I was very skeptical at first, especially after reading the reviews on Amazon, but after finding these at a local eco-friendly store, I thought I would give them a try. They do seem to work from my experience. I had placed some broccoli in one of these bags before the baby was born. Three weeks later, I am up and returning to the kitchen. My broccoli is still perfectly green! No waste whatsoever! You get 20 bags for $10 and they can be used up to 10 times each. Frugal and re-usable is a nice feature. According to the package they are perfectly safe and preserve the freshness with a natural mineral “oya” that extends the life of produce by absorbing and removing the ethylene gasses that cause normal deterioration. They discourage mold and decay from growing in your fridge!

It was definitely a good investment for the time being.  Ultimately, I would like to find a non-disposable alternative, but for now…this works for me!

Has anyone tried these bags? What was your experience? Any other recommendations for naturally preserving produce?

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Guest Post: Cloth Diapering 101 – Part 2

By on March 20, 2009 in bellies & babies, natural & green

Welcome back for part 2 from Lauren discussing all the different options available for cloth diapering! To read part 1, visit here. Lauren blogs over at Cloth Diaper Diaries.

Now that we’ve covered some of the main reasons for using cloth, I’d like to break down the methods of cloth diapering.  I know that when I first began my research I was incredibly intimidated by the whole idea of everything about it: from making the initial purchase, to actually using and washing cloth diapers.  In fact, I was so intimidated and overwhelmed that I researched…and researched…and researched!  My husband finally said, “If you’re going to do this, please just do it and stop spending so much time on the internet reading about it!”  I really hope that by the end of this post I’ve helped to simplify some of what’s mystifying, and supplied you with the information and encouragement you need to make the switch yourself!

What is meant by “cloth diapering”?

To me, there are four ways to diaper a child in cloth: prefolds and covers, fitteds and covers, pockets, and all-in-ones.  I’m going to try to give a complete explanation of each style, but it won’t be as thorough as the information you can find on my cloth blog or many other places online.  If you find you still have more questions after this post, please visit my blog and look in the “Quick-Click Table of Contents” on the right-hand side of the page.  If you don’t see a tab for your question, just leave a comment or send me an email and ask – I’m always happy to help when I can!

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Guest Post: Cloth Diapering 101 – Part 1

By on March 19, 2009 in bellies & babies, natural & green

Guest post by Lauren, mother of two, who has tried practically every form of cloth diapering method on the market and offers her advice, reviews and recommendations through her blog, Cloth Diaper Diaries. Lauren has already been a huge resource for me in figuring out some diapering issues with our little people! Thanks for sharing Lauren!

When I was about three months pregnant with my daughter and my son was 16 months old, I suddenly began to think about the overwhelming cost of keeping two children in disposable diapers.  “How will we ever be able to afford that on our budget??” I frantically wondered.   So I turned back to something I had briefly mused on while pregnant with our son: cloth diapering.  I was amazed to learn how many more reasons to cloth diaper there are than just concerns for your budget!   Then, of course, I was a little stunned by all the different diapering styles and brands – it’s just so much information to absorb!  (Whoops, no pun intended!)  Today I hope to share some information with you on the why and how of cloth diapering.

There are three main reasons that people choose to cloth diaper: environmental concerns about the abundant waste caused by disposable diapers, the potential for adverse effects on a child’s health (including excessive or perpetual diaper rash) from using disposable diapers, and the tremendous expense of disposable diapers.

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Free Rebate for Physicians Formula Organic Wear Mascara

By on March 3, 2009 in natural & green

Physician’s Formula has recently released a completely 100% natural make-up line, called Organic Wear. No parabens, fragrances, preservatives or harsh chemicals. They are even offering a free rebate for their mascara product (which regularly sells for $9.95 – one of the cheapest natural brands available). After our recent discussion on natural mascara’s, I thought this would be a good tip to share, especially as you can find this product in many stores (Rite Aid, Walgreen’s, etc). Rite Aid is offering a buy one get one free sale on this product as well (Sale ends Saturday, March 7 – no coupon necessary)! From my research it looks like this is nation wide, but check the website for your local sales flyer. Click here for your rebate for Physicians Formula Organic Wear Mascara. Make sure to buy one marked with the “Try this Free” label to get the rebate. This rebate lasts from 1/1/09 to 12/31/09.  Together with the sale and rebate, I was able to buy two containers of natural mascara for free! Yipee! Thanks to Gloria for the tip about the Rite Aid sale this week!

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BumGenius cloth diapers are redeemed!

By on February 19, 2009 in bellies & babies, frugal & simple, natural & green

BEFORE

I have been a faithful fan of BumGenius one size pocket diapers for the duration of the 18 months of usage they have received at our home (read more about cloth diapering and my review here). It keeps my diapering simple, convenient and easy for everyone to use (even the grandparents)! My only complaint…the elastic around the legs of the diapers wore out relatively quickly, within the first year of use. Thankfully, Cotton Diapers (the manufacturer) offers a one year warranty on these diapers. They have amazing costumer service! I returned seven of my diapers within that one year warranty and received replacements in just two days. For more information on making returns/exchanges, visit here and check out the BumGenius FAQ page. Recently, the remainder of my stock was beginning to show wear in the elastic.

They remained in excellent shape beside the legs (velcro is working perfectly and fabric is still very soft), which was leading to more frequent leaking. I was not sure what to do, and was disappointed to think they were reaching the end of their life. Thanks to my friend, Chalon, my diapers have been redeemed! With the use of some new 1/4” elastic, small safety pins and a seam ripper (costing me a total of $2), I have been able to easily replace the elastic in my diapers and they now look brand new! Praise the Lord! You don’t know how excited I am! The Lord is providing all our basic needs…isn’t that awesome?

Find a step by step picture tutorial of the process of replacing the elastic here. The only requirement is very basic sewing skills, and then again, you can do it easily by hand as well!

AFTER

So if there is any other fellow BG diaper users out there, don’t give up too quickly! If you are considering cloth diapering, I give another vote to these diapers if you are willing to put a little effort into them (hanging them to dry is a good way to preserve their life as well). They are the second cheapest option for diapering beyond prefolds while remaining more convenient and softer on the babies bottom. I still have yet to see how well they fit on a newborn, as we started Karis on them at four months (thus the reason I have prefolds for our baby). They will fit your little one all the way through to potty training! Karis can wear one of diapers for at least 3 hours (often times up to 5 hours) without any leaking problems! I have tried a few other one size diapers (Happy Heiny’s, Haute Pockets), and BG diapers surpass them all!

Further Resources

Recommended Cloth Diaper Detergents
Bum Genius FAQ Page

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