Naturally Clean

I just finished reading "Naturally Clean - The Seventh Generation Guide to Safe & Healthy Non-Toxic Cleaning." It is definitely a must have in my opinion. The book in the authors' own words is based on the Precautionary Principle that "When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically." Wow, I couldn't have said it better myself. While all the vested interests are asking us to prove their products harm people or the environment by being their guinea pigs, we continue to see the smoking gun of rising immune system disorders. I agree with the authors that to err on the side of caution is the wisest choice. This book not only gives us the history of chemicals but shows us how to protect our loved ones and the loved ones of others by being informed consumers and learning how to decipher the labels and make informed choices that reduce our risks. Join the revolution at the checkout counter.

NOOMA

Have you heard of Rob Bell? If not, I think you should check him out. His DVD "Everything is Spiritual" is thought provoking and fascinating in a NOVA sort of way. And then you can go to NOOMA for a little more of things that make you go hmmm. I have ordered his books Velvet Elvis: The Repainting of Christianity and Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections between Sexuality and Spirituality. I'll let you know what I think of them.

More on Going Green on Today's Money on MSNBC

Watch David Bach interview about saving money while going green.

After you watch David Bach, download and/or print The Seventh Generation Guide to a Toxin-Free Home. I think you'll find it very informative and quite useful in many areas you may not have thought about.

Seriously, how can there not be a Creator!

Beautiful pictures from outer space.

Clean Hands, Safe Products

Here's another site with products that won't hurt you or your loved ones - Clean Well Today. With all the concern about alcohol based and antibacterial hand cleaners, it's great to know there are other options besides the old standby soap and water and that you can buy them at Target or Whole Foods. Also check out Dr. Larry Weiss' blog, A Better Way to Clean and Newsweek article The Chemicals Within for more information about questionable products and the common sense of going green. Seventh Generation and Burt's Bees also offer products and information on how to find safe products for your family which we all know can be confusing.

However, help is here in the form of a seal that really means natural from the Natural Products Association and the Household Hazards Report from Women's Voices for the Earth. Do your part to change our future. As the old saying goes - An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

New Cell Phone Study Says Hang Up and Use a Landline

"The new study, Mobile Phones and Brain Tumors – A Public Health Concern, was conducted by noted Australian brain surgeon Dr. Vini Gautam Khurana. Dr. Khurana analyzed more than 100 separate studies, both pro and con, on the potential health effects of cellular phone usage and concluded that the electromagnetic radiation (EMR) emitted by cell phones will likely lead to an epidemic of brain cancers within the next decade." To read the full article, go to Seventh Generation and find out how choosing a phone with a low Specific Energy Absorption (SAR) value and RF Safe to buy a shielded headset which can help reduce your risks in addition to using a land line whenever possible.

One thing leads to another.

When I had my first two children, I used cloth diapers - there were no disposables. When I had my last child several years later disposables were on the supermarket shelves so I used them. I never really thought about it. It seemed like an improvement even though using cloth diapers weren't a convenience issue since I used a diaper service. You just used diaper liners, flushed them, and dropped the diaper into a diaper pail similar to the ones you use for disposables.

So wouldn't you know it I heard some bad press about disposable diapers and the chemicals they use which is not only bad for the environment (I was aware of that.) but also bad for the child. (Huh?) So of course the Internet research began and I must say the data is convincing. What do you think disposable diapers are made of? Check it out for yourself at The Diaper Hyena, Chemistry Explained or What's Wrong With "Disposable" Single-Use Diapers? from The Diaper Facts. If you are convinced but not enthusiastic about going to cloth, I understand. But I hope you decide to make the change to better living without chemicals and at least use chlorine free disposable diapers and baby wipes.

Saturday Morning over Coffee

We were having a conversation at our house about some of the things I've been writing about on my blog i.e. energy, plastics, organic foods, vaccines, etc. and what we could personally do to improve life for ourselves and others.

During this conversation my husband mentioned Deirdre Imus and her efforts to raise awareness of the risks of vaccines. So I did a search on her name and found several articles about her work and that led me to Inside Vaccines - A Forum for Parents from Parents which I found to be a great online resource as well as the Vaccine Information Statement your doctor is required to give you before your child is immunized.

Deirdre is also an proponent of Eco-friendly living and has some good ideas for environmentally friendly cleaning. To be honest some things may be beyond our control except at the consumer level. My advice is to always read the labels. I love Deirdre's quote from an African proverb in an interview on April 18th, "If you think you're too small to have an impact, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito." So we just have to focus on the things we can do and pray that our numbers grow. If you want more ideas on how you can do an impersonation of a mosquito, check out Wendy's Blog and visit Seventh Generation to find green cleaning products.

A Logical Approach to Childrearing

A few years back while searching the Internet for a child biting solution, I ran across Love and Logic and I liked what I read. It's a commonsense approach to getting the results you want and helping your child learn to make good decisions at the same time by letting the natural and sometime delayed consequences teach the lesson. Here are some great one liners from Love and Logic and funny parenting stories. Dr. Jim LeFay is a great storyteller! Enjoy it.