Green Pans

We stopped using Teflon awhile ago but I found myself sneaking out my skillets to cook eggs in. I hated cooking eggs in my stainless steel pans because for $4 a dozen for organic free-roaming/range eggs, I didnt want half of them sticking to the pan!

I saw these GREEN PANS on an infommercial and carefully considered them. My mom ended up getting them for me (ok, yes, she spoils us!) to try out and I really like them. You can cook perfect eggs with no oil (i always add coconut oil anyways for the benefits), you can brown, carmelize, etc and have no trouble cleaning them. They can handle much higher temps which means you can cook things on high without the coating breaking down - unlike Teflon which shouldnt be used any higher than medium. You CANT use metal utensils on them which the user guide clearly states (some of the reviews below claim it scratches - yes, of course, if you use metal!)

They are PTFE (bad for you) and PFOA (bad for the environment) - free which makes them much healthier than Teflon. There is still a risk that they harbor something else unhealthy but my guess is its still healthier than Teflon. So I now cook my eggs in them every day and dont waste an ounce :) I have noticed they are a little less non-stick while the pan is warming but once the eggs get hot it is fine.

They are often featured on HSN (see reviews at this link - some are good, some are horrible. Ive had no trouble with burn spots or cleaning them and I use mine every day)

There is no garuantee they are safe so this is NOT a recommendation - just sharing something that Ive chosen to use for our family :)

Stevia Flavors

My mom bought me EVERY flavor that SweetLeaf Stevia comes in so we've had fun trying them out. Since my kids never have juice its fun for them to have "stevia water" - yummy, healthy, and no sugar!


Vanilla Creme has been a longtime favorite of mine in coffee. English toffee is also good in coffe and I imagine it would be good in some healthy cookies too.

The kids love the grape and orange. I just put a few drops in their cup so it lasts forever! We'll definitely be using the "lemon drop" this summer to make lemonade or lemon slushies - a hot TX summer favorite at our house :) (even the big kids I make them for dont know they dont have sugar!!!)

I think these are great for summer, something sweet (and safe) and keeps them hydrated :)

btw - on Amazon the great deal on Regular Stevia is really hard to find on their search. Its basically two-for-the-price-of-one. HERE is a direct link.

US Newborn Fatality Rate

I will be honest and say I am a huge proponent of natural birth.....as I am many other natural things of course. I praise God for the medical technology that exists for those that TRULY *need* it and then say that otherwise I believe that a natural vaginal birth is the safest and healthiest route for mom and baby. I have had two drug-free births and we hope to have a waterbirth with this baby, due in August, at home (!!!). So Im going to post now and then about natural childbirth - its not about being "better" or getting a medal or showing off but about doing things the safest and healthiest way possible. FEAR is a big factor in the US - so many women now elect to have a csection becaues they are afraid of labor .... this is a tradegdy in our country.

Article from CNN - US has second highest infant deat rate in the industrialized world.

American babies are three times more likely to die in their first month as
children born in Japan, and newborn mortality is 2.5 times higher in the United
States than in Finland, Iceland or Norway, Save the Children researchers
found....

"The United States has more neonatologists and neonatal intensive care
beds per person than Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, but its newborn
rate is higher than any of those countries," said the annual State of the
World's Mothers report.

so all this begs the question - why????

maybe because Dr.s (immorally in my humble opinion) allow women to elect to have a csection for non-medical reasons, schedule csections at 39 or even 38 weeks and because of the constant PUSH to induce labor.

I believe God has created our bodies to birth our hand-crafted baby, usually, with absolutely no intervention or "help".

Pregnancy is not a medical condition - its a natural, beautiful, gift.

what will it take for Drs to stop putting God and His Creations on a timetable - to stop playing god themselves????

Asthma and Homeopathy

my second son has asthma. i remember him first wheezing when he was 9 months old and started to crawl on his hands and knees - just crawling around he would wheeze. It was during the winter and even minor colds do affect his breathing a lot. Both boys always had croup each winter until they were 3 or so as well as asthma issues so this has been a long-time issue in our home.

asthma is an immune system issue and NOT just a disease of the lungs. part of his asthma is genetics - both of my parents have asthma and allergies to food and the environment as do I and my sister. he also had thrush for many months as an infant, despite my drastic natural measures to fight it off and I believe this has impacted him as well.

I took him in yesterday to see our pediatric allergist beacause his asthma got so bad last week they called in a prescription for liquid predisone. We of course used it because Id never seen him struggle to breathe like that, even after the slightest physical exercise (he has a cold) he would heave and wheeze (SO scary because I know what it feels like!!!).

they want me to get a nebulizer and do daily cortisone treatments as a preventative measure. ive used these myself so I know they can work but I also know they bring risk (for example, of oral thrush). I DONT believe in treating symptoms, I want to get to the root of the problem - i just know that there is a better way to strengthen his immune system (besides what we already do, health diet, enough sleep, vitamin C, cod liver oil, etc) and fight the asthma. Now that the critical stage has passed I can think more clearly and consider other options.

so ive been reading online and im going to give homeopathy a try. ive had success using it myself in different instances, and even one called Rescue Remedy has helped me calm down during an attack. Thankfully he doesnt have anxiety when he has asthma, probably because he is only 3 (!) so it makes it easier to just treat the symtpoms. The ones I am going to try are called pulsatilla and Ipecacuanha ..... it cant hurt. Homeopathy is safe, even for newborns and pregnant women. I will update with how it goes!!!!!

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Misc.

Check out an awesome blog, with healthy sugar-free recipes for kids at KidFeed. She's inspired me to try some chocolate chip cookies today, using agave syrup instead of sugar! They still arent perfectly healthy but at least they wont have sugar ;) (Im using organic unbleached flour and organic butter - these are for mommy and daddy...and the baby in the belly!)

There is a new natural soda that actually ISNT bad for you! Its called ZEVIA. You can read all the details on their site or on Green Republican's blog. Our local health food store has it already. I tried the lemon-lime and it tastes like diet to me but it was fun to have soda (I never, ever drink it) and know it was ok!

I havent been doing great with my eating because this first trimester has hit me hard - often I make a ymmy, healthy, organic dinner, and it looks good, even tastes good but I cant physically chew and swallow more than a few bites.....then I cry and feel sorry for myself and eat anything that sounds good. So Ive had a lot of unhealthy bagels and cream cheese but right now thats all I can do, so Im giving myself some grace. I always lose weight when Im sick like this and I want to make sure Im getting enough to keep up my energy and feed the little bean inside :) I do intend to be more strick when the sickness passes - keep me accountable with the sugar!!! :)

Babies R Us Organic Line

Recently on a message board discussion about a safe, chemical-free, organic mattress bad for a baby's crib, someone posted about Babies R Us' line. So of course I had to check it out.......yet another example of marketing loopholes. Their mattress pad (and mattress) say "organic" but they arent 100% organic at all.

From their site:

A 100% natural cotton surface with an allergy barrier that is a soft knit fabric backed with ultra-thin breathable, waterproof polyurethane membrane.

so its organic cotton with a layer of what I presume is "soft knit" polyester and polyurethane (probably in the form of foam for cushioning).

Polyurethane materials can make hard plastics, soft plastics, foams, adhesives and even paints and varnishes. Definitely NOT something organic you want your baby breathing in all night long.

From an article called "Five Problems with Crib Mattresses (Toxic Chemicals)"

Polyurethane foam (essentially solid petroleum) is extremely flammable. To combat this hazard, industrial toxic fire retardants are added. The most common chemical fire retardant used to treat polyurethane foam has been pentaBDE, a toxin associated with hyperactivity and neuro-behavioral alterations. PentaBDE is not bound to the foam, and leaches out into the surrounding air.

And the sad thing is so many moms buy these products from BRU because they are trying to do whats best for their baby (its a top registered-for product on their site). Its another shameless marketing ploy.

More to come on how to make your mattresses safe for baby.......

Update

My apologies that its been FOREVER since I posted. I always have things running through my mind that I want to share - so there is definitely more to come. For now - an update on me and why Ive been MIA :)

- at the end of Oct I cut out dairy and sugar from my diet and committed to not eat after 7pm. I let myself eat what I wanted for the holidays. I have lost 22lbs!!! I felt like a huge hypocrite, posting blogs on how bad sugar is and then eating a pint of Ben and Jerrys at night so I buckled down and did it and I feel great!

- I am pregnant! Blessing #4 is due in early August. I became very sick with nausea nearly at conception so I have been very "under the weather" lately and not up to doing much at night. Im thankful for signs that this is a healthy pregnancy but its quite a battle taking care of 3 little ones when I feel like this!

- I am eating dairy again because right now Im eating whatever doesnt make me want to throw up :) I plan to get strict again once Im feeling better!

- I hope to write soon about natural pregnancy and childbirth.....lots of thoughts there! Stay tuned! :)

Rachel