Top 10 Chemicals most likely to cause autism

2 days ago  /  0 notes

Attachment parenting

On Monday, I watched a fascinating debate on Anderson (Anderson Cooper) about Attachment Parenting, including a Skype interview with @MsJamieLynne (whom we had the opportunity to meet at Natural Products Expo back in March!) of Mommy Hates Chemicals. Check out the cover of Time magazine that she’s featured on, which has caused much debate.

When Jacob was only a few months old, I attended a workshop put on by two of Dr. Gordon Neufeld’s facilitators that talked about #attachmentparenting. It has been the one single parenting theory that changed and has shaped how I parent. 4 years later, there are a few premises that continue to stand out to me:

1. attachment parenting advocates creating a healthy dependence early in life that encourages a healthyindependance later in life. If you can give your children a safe, nurturing environment, they will grow into secure, confident adults. This does not mean suffocating them or hyper-parenting them - it simply means you allow them to just be..with much guidance and respect.
2. use empathy. Put yourself in your child’s shoes to help understand why they are behaving they way they are.
3. Child-lead weaning (of #breastfeeding): I breastfed my son till he was 23 months old and the one regret I have is that I wish I hadn’t quite forced it as much as I did at the time. At the time, he was only feeding 1x a day and I figured it was time to move on since I was returning to work. In retrospect, I wish I had let him choose the time rather than forcing the issue. The relationship is so special and unique one that never comes back once cut. Obviously not every one is able (or willing) to breastfeed. It is very much a personal decision and a personal experience that should not be judged by others.

What are your thoughts on attachment parenting and on the Time magazine cover?

1 week ago  /  0 notes

It’s not JUST about Earth Day

Every year, the celebration of Earth Day gets bigger and bigger.  Its been around for 41 years but its only until recent years that its experienced world-wide recognition.  Starting from a grassroots organization in the 1970s in the U.S., it has evolved into a world-wide event that encompasses anything for tree-planting events, music fests, community clean-ups, and bottle drives.  As with anything that grows to this dimension, comes commercialization.  Everybody jumps on the Earth Day bandwagon, advertising grand sales and fund raising in the name of Earth Day and – which is not a bad thing, per se…but what happens once the ‘celebration’ is over?

Earth Day may be a 1-day or even a 1-month long celebration.  But why stop there?  Our life on this great Earth means that each and every single day we engage in activities that are harmful and destructive.  Keep the momentum and behave like each and every single day IS Earth Day.  Be mindful.  Turn lights off every day when not needed, not just for Earth hour.  Recycle, reduce and / or re-use EVERYTHING you can.  Municipal recycling services has become much more readily available in communities all over.  Make small changes.  Rather than buying your usual shampoo or house cleaning product, commit to trying some new and less harmful.  And when you run out, try it again. And again. Buy a shower-timer at a discounted price during Earth Day sales and use it - at least a few times a week. Did I mention reduce, re-use and recycle? There are some amazing ideas / videos / tips on how to do so with anything and everything you may have in your home. Walk. Bike. Roller-blade. Exercise and fresh air is an uplifting cocktail. 

Small step, baby steps, can slowly but surely lead to life-long changes. Let’s  not make this just about Earth Hour or Earth Day.  Let’s make this about honoring the planet we call home each and every day.

#earthday

#earthday2012

#earthhour

1 month ago  /  1 note

It’s not JUST about Earth Day

Every year, the celebration of Earth Day gets bigger and bigger.  Its been around for 41 years but its only until recent years that its experienced world-wide recognition.  Starting from a grassroots organization in the 1970s in the U.S., it has evolved into a world-wide event that encompasses anything for tree-planting events, music fests, community clean-ups, and bottle drives.  As with anything that grows to this dimension, comes commercialization.  Everybody jumps on the Earth Day bandwagon, advertising grand sales and fund raising in the name of Earth Day and – which is not a bad thing, per se…but what happens once the ‘celebration’ is over?

Earth Day may be a 1-day or even a 1-month long celebration.  But why stop there?  Our life on this great Earth means that each and every single day we engage in activities that are harmful and destructive.  Keep the momentum and behave like each and every single day IS Earth Day.  Be mindful.  Turn lights off every day when not needed, not just for Earth hour.  Recycle, reduce and / or re-use EVERYTHING you can.  Municipal recycling services has become much more readily available in communities all over.  Make small changes.  Rather than buying your usual shampoo or house cleaning product, commit to trying some new and less harmful.  And when you run out, try it again. And again. Buy a shower-timer at a discounted price during Earth Day sales and use it - at least a few times a week. Did I mention reduce, re-use and recycle? There are some amazing ideas / videos / tips on how to do so with anything and everything you may have in your home. Walk. Bike. Roller-blade. Exercise and fresh air is an uplifting cocktail. 

Small step, baby steps, can slowly but surely lead to life-long changes. Let’s  not make this just about Earth Hour or Earth Day.  Let’s make this about honoring the planet we call home each and every day.

#earthday

#earthday2012

#earthhour

1 month ago  /  0 notes

Safe #beauty product or #pretty poison?

#Cosmetics is a multi-billion dollar industry. With the veritable plethora of products out there, how do you know what’s safe and what isn’t? This article comes up with concerns related to commonly used products like hair dye, eyelash extensions, and mani/pedis and also gives safer alternatives.

1 month ago  /  0 notes

Momma Nature’s Earth Day weekend special!

In celebration of Earth Day, Momma Nature is running a special … 10% off all Momma Nature products with Coupon Code - “Earth Day”! Our products are all #vegan, many of them# gluten-free as well. Naturally scented or #scent-free available!

Coupon will expire Moday afternoon so be sure to check out the website and place your order before then! 

#earthday #organic #skincare #all-natural

1 month ago  /  0 notes

Update: Natural Products Expo, 2012

I can’t stop saying or thinking it. We are now on Day 3 of Natural Products Expo in Anaheim, CA and I’m in awe at what an amazing experience these past few days have been. 

First of all, the size of the Convention Centre alone is overwhelming. Someone mentioned the number of 250,000 people rolling through per day!!! Imagine talking (non-stop) to even a minuscule fraction of that amount! 

The energy in this place is off-the-charts! It’s all about educating, connecting, furthering a movement and sharing a passion. Have met some amazing people and cannot WAIT to where these new relationships go!

And then there’s the samples. The food samples. Holy sh*t!! I am in Whole Foods foody sample HEAVEN!! Imagine walking down a grocery aisle and being able to either sample anything you want or being able to take ANY product you want and walk away with it! THANK YOU to all the wonderful food vendors!

#vegan #natprodexpo #skincare #expowest #bloggeratti

2 months ago  /  1 note

Going green on your skin care routine

I often have friends who come to me looking for ways to instil #greener practices into their lifestyle.  Making changes can be easy enough if you do it in small, practical ways.  Getting motivated to make a #change is the first huge step – keep the momentum by not overwhelming yourself! Do it slowly and, rather than becoming a passing trend, it will incorporate itself into a lifestyle change. So what are some of the things you can do? Given that your skin is the largest organ on your body and it is going to last you a whole lifetime – it would be a good place to start!

•  Read your #labels!!! I’ve said this before and I will say it again. READ your labels.  Information is knowledge and knowledge is power and with power comes change. It’s just that simple. Here’s a couple of links including Green Beauty Team’s list of ingredients to avoid and David Suzuki’s list  that outline ingredients to avoid in your skincare products – either bookmark them on your smartphone or print them out and keep them in your purse for when you go shopping.  If you are going to clean out any leftover product currently in your home, rather than throwing them out and creating more waste, perhaps consider donating it to a women’s shelter that will take opened toiletries.

•  When reading labels, also be aware that, while some products may seem to have a long list of ingredients, it is simply because they include both their Latin names along with the common names.  The International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) is a worldwide (scientific) system of naming ingredients. If you know what the Latin name is, you know what the ingredient is no matter the country of origin of the product.

• Be aware – just because it says organic doesn’t mean it doesn’t have any junk in it.  Some ingredients might be organic but they may be mixed with other harmful ingredients. Again- read your labels.

• Look at the packaging of the product – is there a lot of wasteful boxing and plastic? Companies that truly care about the environment will find ways to reduce their packaging.

• If you are buying a TV, then you will likely look online for reviews behind the make/model you are looking into. Your skin is just as big, if not bigger an investment! So why not do the same? Check for reviews on the company or product you are considering buying.  Especially check the ‘About Us’ section as this will often give you a great feel of where the company’s mind set is. Also talk to friends and family and get referrals from them on what eco-friendly products they have been using that have worked for them.

There are many things that you can do to lessen the toxification of your personal environment.  Taking care of your skin should be a part of your daily routine. Taking care of it with products that are not only good for it but also not as harmful to the earth and you is an easy way to start!

 #skincare #personal care #ecofriendly #organic

3 months ago  /  2 notes