Soapopular

Its been a LONG time (2 months!) since I posted.....our fourth blessing is here and keeping me busy with other things :)

but I wanted to share one of my favorite new products.....I know that we shouldnt over-sanitize ourselves because that can lead to more issues. I do believe that theory is correct and I never buy antibacterial soap for the house. BUT there are definitely times when soap and water arent convenient but I just cant stomach what may be on my childrens hands - like after playing at the park, after they crawl on the floor at the store looking for pennies (please let that phase end soon!), coming out of church, etc.

I hated using Purell because of the alcohol and mostly because of the fragrance. blech. I saw a test done on TV of a new product called SOAPOPULAR and was very excited to find it at our WalMart!

Its alcohol and fragrance-free. It doesnt stink and doesnt dry your skin. It lasts much longer than purell so it costs less. The foam also doesnt slide off the kids hands as soon as they turn them to rub them together! I love it - especially with a newborn in the house. I use it a lot and my hands feel soft and clean!

If you go to THEIR SITE you can even get a free sample. If you are kind of a germ-phobe like me, you have to check this out!

Stained Concrete

We first saw stained concrete at our good friend's home. They pulled up all the carpet and stained the concrete. At first I never thought Id like it for my own house but as our carpet downstairs gets older/dirtier and we suffer more each spring with allergies, the idea has really grown on me.

We cant afford hardwood floors or even cork which are the healthiest options Ive found (less toxic offgassing than laminate and new carpeting especially if you use a non-toxic sealer on the wod). But stained concrete is a VERY affordable, VERY allergy-friendly option! And we can also install something else over it later.

I found a product online called SoyCrete. Its a non-toxic, enviromentally-safe concrete stain. It comes in many different colors and its easy to apply. They also make an eco-friendly top coat called Acri-soy and another one called Poly-soy. Check out the SoyCrete colors HERE.

If we dont move before the baby comes (lots of showings, no offers yet!) we'll definitely be pulling out the carpet downstairs and staining it. I like the "espresso" and the "Leather Brown" :) Im excited there is a healthy and affordable option!!!!

(We have about 700 sq. ft of carpeting downstairs - the rest is tile. We were quote about $6k to put in laminate flooring. Installying something ourselves would still be around $2800. The cost of the stain and sealer, with shipping, would be $262!)

Dr. Bonners suing big companies like Estee Lauder

THIS recent article is very interesting....

We knew before that the requirements for labeling cosmetics and beauty products are loosely defined - to say the least. Well now someone is doing something about it! You may have seen Dr. Bonner soaps at your local health food store...... They are suing several large companies for basically distorting the term "organic" just like they have done with "natural".

The FDA requires food to be 95% organic to be labeled organic. There are no such requirements for healthy and beauty products. Some companies like Aubrey Organics (my fav!) and Dr. Bonners take the responsibility seriously and set requirements for themselves - Dr Bonner's uses the same 95% rule for their products. But other products use no standards at all.

In that article I learned that Aveno is owned by Estee Lauder - one of the companies getting sued. Aveno does have some natural ingredients and is seen by most as a healthier brand of lotions - BUT their products do contain many of the same chemicals as mainstream brands do. Its largely a marketing scam.

*Hopefully* this lawsuit will result in some firm standards for these big companies to prevent them from cashing in on the growing trend of being more "green" and seeking out safer products. They are ripping off the public and making tons of money on it and it needs to stop (remember my post on Johnson&Johnson's "natural" line?)

Mother's Touch Paint

I was shocked today at Target when I saw a ZERO-VOC paint today called "Mother's Touch". Yay for Target!!!!! (this was a super Target - if you dont have one, Im sincerely so sorry, you are missing out. I love that place!)

They come in premade colors, beige, light pink, baby blue, etc.

It was $19.99/gallon which is HALF of what the zero-VOC paint I buy from Sherman Williams costs (although I always get a discount, this is still a much better deal). I will definitely be looking into this when we move into our new house!!!!!!

You may remember from my previous post on Green Paint that traditional paint contains many toxic chemcials and those toxins can leach into your air for YEARS....... YEARS! I really think that this is one thing to put extra money in for the sake of you and especially your children! I was so happy to see a more affordable option!

Oprah and "Going Green"

Did anyone else see Oprahs recent show about going green?

It was so neat to see some real hard-core facts making it onto a nationally broadcast TV show.

Im very interested in composting - I think I may take this up when we move to the new house! If Julia Roberts can do it - we all can :) anyone do it now? share! share!

Here is a RECAP of issues covered if you missed the show (they even touched on products to avoid in your skin care products! hooray! and my favorite - Aubrey Organics - was mentioned)

The Business of Being born

There is a new documentary that will be available in May called "The Business of Being Born". The executive producer is Ricci Lake. You can rent it now through Netflix (I did a trial membership then cancelled it).

Anyone who is considering natural childbirth, is studying the effects of commonly-used interventions in American, is mourning a birth-gone-wrong and needs answers, wants to know more about the difference between OBs and midwives or is just a birth junkie like me would love it.

It is full of eye-opening info. For example. In other developed countries like Japan and Sweden (etc, etc, etc) midwives deliver 70+% of all babies born. In the US (and we stand alone in this!) midwives deliver less than 10%. Consequently, we have the WORST infant and mother mortality rate in the the 7 developed countries with similar birth rates. This is disturbing.

OBs are highly-trained surgeons. They are trained to diagnose and treat problems. But 98% of pregnancies are completely normal and natural events if left alone - so why do some hospitals have csection rates near 50%?! Something doesnt add up. Our interventions are causing the problems, OBs then come and "save the day" and now most American women believe their bodies are defective and they need a Dr to help them deliver.

Ill stop there ;) OBs and csections are great blessings when medically necessary - the problems is that they are rarely, rarely necessary.

So. If you are intersted - check out "The Business of Being Born" :)

Pampering :)

Ive posted several times about my love for Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil :) Well a good friend bought me their skin exfoliator for Christmas and I am posting to say I LOVE it!!!!! Ive been using it on my legs after I shave and they are SO soft (such a pampering for a tired mama!) and you need very little so it lasts. Ive also noticed that the hair grows back much more slowly for some reason - I dont know why but it works for me! Sometimes essential oils bother my allergies but I have the lavendar and its very mild - I highly recommend it! (one caution: it has a lot of oil so it can make the shower slippery. be careful!)

Another product the same friend turned me onto is the PedEgg. It really works to get your feet super soft and smooth. No soaking, no chemicals, no pain ....I was skeptical but ended up very impressed. I got mine for $9.99 at Target.

I say spring is the perfect time for some pampering! :)

off to show my eyebrows some love LOL..........