Natural Sunscreen Recipe

My sister Mychelle is a natural beauty product guru, and she left an excellent sunscreen recipe in the comments on my Do We Really Need Sunscreen? post. Here is what she recommends:

"Shea butter has a natural SPF of 4, as does sesame oil. Pure titanium
dioxide mineral (available at most whole foods stores and candle-making
supply shops) is a highly-effective natural sunscreen! 4 tsp is an spf of about 12.
Melt 1 part shea butter with 2 parts oil (mixing the titanium dioxide into the
warmed oil) and allow to set overnight. You get a moisturizing natural sunscreen!"

Thanks Mychelle! Coming soon... she has promised to write an article for us about what to watch for in beauty products, including simple recipes for making our own.


Related posts/links:
Safe and Cheap: Homemade Detergent
Creating a Healthier Home
Safe Toys for Healthy Kids
Health Checklist

Life Without Groceries

I am totally the lady in that picture. In fact, today while at the grocery store something occurred to me that has never clicked before: I feel the same way at the grocery store as I do when I'm at Walmart-- exhausted, overwhelmed, dazed, unsure of what I want and need, stressed, and afraid to pass things buy without putting them in my cart. I suddenly realized that the grocery store is just like Walmart: It is filled with a lot of unnecessary junk all crying out for me to BUY. I know that what I want is to spend less money, buy only what I need, be intentional about the quality of the food and products I purchase, eat local and organic, and reduce packaging waste; I go into the store with these purposes clearly in my mind, but once I begin shopping, I lose all sense of clarity. I start compromising, buying the cheapest things, making excuses for why I need this or that, justifying why I can or can't afford this or that, buying pesticide-produced produce and luxuries wrapped in plastic, and my bill always ends up way more than I have budgeted. It is the same for me when I go to Walmart-- I forget why I went in the first place and end up with a bunch of things I may or may not really need, or that I might instead have been able to find at the thrift store or borrow from others.

Until today I've been believing that the grocery store is necessary, that I can't possibly take care of my family's needs without utilizing this giant one-stop source of food, but now I get that by going to the store I may be hurting myself more than supporting myself to stay on purpose. I think the grocery store might serve me in certain ways, like when we need something quick or can't find it elsewhere. But I am now going for creating different ways of finding food, such as growing my own, visiting the local health food store (which offers a smaller selection of organic and local foods), buying in bulk, buying through my coop, and finding farmers in my area.

Please leave a comment if you can relate to my experience at the store, and share your successes with purchasing food in other creative ways.


Related posts/links:
Plenty: An Experiment in Eating Locally
My Struggle with Living Purposefully
Some Good News on Food Prices
Eating Locally?

Winning at Parenting through Trust

For the past few days I've been listening to Gordon Neufeld's seminar "Counterwill In Children". Neufeld teaches us that counterwill is the natural human instinct to resist being coerced and controlled. When we push our children, demanding they do what we want them to, they naturally push back. As parents and teachers, we misinterpret their behavior, perceiving the child's defiance as purposeful rebellion and lack of respect, we label them with disorders or call them "strong-willed", and we even believe that teenage rebellion is a natural "phase". When we believe our children are intentionally pushing our buttons, we push harder, manipulating them with rewards or threats, using punishments like spanking or time-outs, getting angry, or ordering them to do what we say. According to Neufeld, it is our reactivity toward our children-- our continued pushing and trying to control-- that brings out their counterwill. It is not that our children are trying to control us or oppose us, rather they are simply doing what is natural to them: protecting themselves by resisting being controlled by someone they do not feel attached to.

Neufeld posits that it is the attachment relationship that causes children to want to obey. When kids feel connected to their caregiver, they want to please and obey him or her. They want to be loved and accepted as they are, to make their own choices, to follow their leader. There is so much to learn about attachment, and Neufeld explains it really well in his book Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers. In this lecture, he teaches us to "collect before direct", meaning before we ask our kids to do anything we should first get their eye contact, smiles and good intentions. Once they feel connected to us, they are more prone to follow our lead and do what they can to please us. In addition, to divert potential battles, he suggests having daily rituals (like clean-up and bedtime rituals) that children can count on. He also tells us that children have a need to find their own will and learn about their own preferences, likes and dislikes. In fact, if they don't find their own will they will not develop as healthy human beings. Rather than impose our will on them we can give them choices, letting them choose for themselves within the limits we set for them (we know we want them to brush their teeth, but rather then fight about it by ordering them to brush, instead we can collect them and then ask them if they want to brush with the red toothbrush or the blue toothbrush). Love and Logic is a great technique that goes right along with this. Love and Logic offers a huge variety of books and CDs with stories and practical ideas for keeping parents in our natural place as leaders while loving our children and letting them learn from their choices.

Neufeld's approach has greatly impacted me. Matt and I decided that for 2 weeks, rather than push Ashton to eat her food like we usually do and getting the usual resistance and dinnertime battle, we will let it go. As a general household rule she won't get dessert with the rest of us if she doesn't eat, but we will let her make her own decision about whether or not she will eat, and we won't push the issue. This is an experiment, and so far it has revealed to me the extent to which I feel afraid about my daughter's eating habits and how deeply I want to control her eating. I believe it is true that because she knows I demand that she eat, she naturally resists. I notice that when I relax about it, she eats. One day she didn't eat anything all day, and I let her not eat even though it was really hard for me, but then the next day she had diarrhea. She knew her body didn't need food, and I am thankful I didn't push her.

I notice this pattern in so many other ways. When I have a night of insomnia, the more I demand that I sleep, the less it happens; however, when I let go and allow it to be as it is, I relax and fall asleep. When Matt and I demand that the other be the way we want them to be, we are met with resistance; yet when we accept one another as we are and make our needs known, we get what we want. I've been reading about homeschooling, and realizing that kids learn best not when they are pushed to learn, but when they are allowed to pursue what they are interested in. With myself, the more I push and demand that I be a certain way or do a certain thing, the more resistance I feel in my body; on the other hand, when I allow myself to learn and do things because I am interested, it all happens effortlessly. The idea of letting go and trusting is in this way is profoundly enlightening and exciting to me, and I really want to put it into practice in my life. It is such an ingrained pattern for me to push, control, and demand; this way of being is a huge change. What would it be like to relax, enjoy, and just be?


Related posts/links:
Courses and seminars by Gordon Neufeld
The Intentional Family
Our Children Are Our Best Teachers
My Struggle With Living Purposefully

New Dessert Fave: Low Carb Cheesecake

We had a family birthday party for Matt last night, and I made him an awesome low-carb cheesecake. I found the original recipe at The Steaks Are High, a low-carb food blog, although hers has a yummy looking lemon topping that I didn't make.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Make the crust by mixing together:
1.5 cups almond meal
5 Tbsp butter
stevia to taste

Line a cake pan with greaseproof paper. Press the crust mixture into the pan and bake for 10-15 minutes.

While crust is baking, mix together:
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
lemon juice
1.5 cups sour cream
vanilla extract
stevia and/or xylitol to taste

Blend until combined, then mix in 16 ounces softened cream cheese and 2 tbsp melted butter.

Let crust cool a bit, then pour batter on top. Bake the cheesecake in an optional water bath (put the cake pan into a larger container half-filled with water or put a pan of wateron the shelf below the one you use for the cheesecake). Turn the oven down to 325 degrees and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Don't open oven when the cooking time finishes. Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool for awhile in the oven, then take it out and let it cool at room temp, then move to fridge. It will be hours before it is solid enough to eat (we ate it while it was still warm, and it was so good, but it was loose like custard).

I cooked frozen strawberries until they became soupy, like sauce, added some stevia to the sauce, and poured it over our slices of cheesecake. Although, the lemon topping from the original recipe looks delicious.

There are tons of low-carb cheesecake recipes on the internet, and they all look simple and good. I think this might be our new favorite dessert.


Related posts/links:
Low Carb Cafe
Our Low Carb Lifestyle
Coconut Oil: Our Favorite Snack
Health Checklist

Inner Child

Afraid as a child.
Still I am afraid.
On edge as a child.
Still I am on edge.
Powerless.
Scolded.
Emotionally neglected.
I grew.
To scold and neglect myself.
No other example to follow.
But slowly I wake up to take responsibility.
I give myself now the nurturing
that I have always deserved.
It is not the lack of nurturing from the past that makes me suffer now,
but the self nurturing I deny myself of
in the present.
by Rita Loyd at Nurturing Art

I don't know this artist personally; I found her website today and I feel in awe of her work. Her art and poetry resonate within me. This particular piece strikes such a chord in me that I had to share it.


Related posts/links:
Meet Rita Loyd
My Struggle With Living Purposefully
The Intentional Family

My Struggle With Living Purposefully

I've been having some inner turmoil for the past few days, wondering who I am and what my purpose is. I often come back to these questions. For some reason I keep getting off my purpose, even though inside myself I really do know what it is. Why do I do this? Why do I sabotage myself, keep myself from being who I truly am and doing what I truly want? I think this is the fundamental question we have as human beings. This is our struggle, this is why Christians seek Jesus, Buddhist become monks, and people read self-help books and do therapy.

This short article on Sabotaging Behaviors sums up nicely what I believe is happening inside me. I know I've got core beliefs that keep me from being who I really want to be, that keep me locked in my habits, that keep me from trusting, opening, loving, and enjoying. Often I wake up and realize that I've been living under my core beliefs (mine being "I'm a failure so I have to be a better mother, blogger, person, wife, gardener, whatever"), I see the effects of this way of being on myself and my family (I drive myself, get worried and exhausted, spend my time doing instead of being, snap at my husband, ignore my kids, have a flare-up of insomnia, and basically go around feeling stressed), and I know I want to go back to being my true self (loving, fun, light, warm, open, strong, motivated, clear, interested, successful).

Lately I've been getting so consumed with what I think I should be doing that I'm missing what is most important to me-- my mate, my children, myself, and the Divine in and all around us. I want to remember to relax, enjoy, walk purposefully, and let go of what are not my highest purposes.

I have tools to do the work of standing in truth and purpose. My knowledge of and experience with combating my core beliefs comes from the More to Life program. From their website:

"The More To Life course teaches you a series of process skills with specific applications, and each one gives you an opportunity to experience a shift of perspective on everyday life whenever it is used. They include the following:

• Strengthening the will - an exercise of personal discipline in which you give your word to do (or not do) a variety of things during the course. Allows you to see the pattern of your unconscious thinking, and step through it to create what you really want.
• Expanding your personal authority - a process that allows you to take a stand on your true 'yes' or your true 'no' at key moments in your life, without disconnecting from yourself or others.
• Truth-telling - the process of verifying your interpretations of events and clarifying the truth of what is happening, as it happens.
• Choosing - the practice of taking your stand on the way you personally want to be in your life, whatever the circumstances around you.
• Challenging old beliefs - a biodynamic physical exercise that enables you to break free of limiting beliefs you may have been holding about yourself and life.
• Practicing forgiveness - demonstrates why resentment affects us more than those we resent, and teaches you an effective way to let go of it.
• Forgiving ourselves - a way to access accusations and demands you may be holding against yourself, and experience the freedom of letting them go."

The More To Life program has served me well. Even though I fall into my negative beliefs and reactive patterns, I also have awareness, knowledge, and tools for dealing with it. And, I have a support partner to help me. Actually, I have two. Every week I talk with these women and we give and receive support: We help one another live more fully and authentically, we see each others' blind spots (ways we're holding ourselves back and not realizing it), and we basically hold each other up. I didn't have a support partner until last year, and I will never, ever go back to not having one.

So, I can deal with this. I can do my processing, refute the false beliefs, acknowledge myself, and tell the truth. I can let go of my drivenness and get back on purpose. I can keep doing this, over and over again. Maybe the point of being human isn't to "get it" and stop falling back into old patterns, but to keep taking a deep breath and moving forward again... and again... and again... and again...

I can. I will.


I stand in the wholeness of
self-love and acceptance.
Refusing to no longer hate any part of myself.
And now those parts of myself that use to
rage in war with each other,
Stand in agreement and face in the same direction.
And in this unified direction
I now move forward with purpose, potential and power.

by Rita Loyd at Nurturing Art


Related posts/links:
More To Life
Self-Sabotage: The Opposite of Self-Care-- idea for dealing with self-sabotage
Positive Self-Talk
Nurturing Art by Rita Loyd
Our Children Are Our Best Teachers
Confessions of a Mother

Our Low Carb Lifestyle

We've been eating a low carbohydrate diet for about 4 months. Matt has lost 30 pounds. I have lost zero. Why have I lost no pounds? I have no idea, and honestly I feel a little pissed about it. I've got 15 pounds of weight left from my last pregnancy (the baby is 12 months old), but for whatever reason my body wants to hang onto those pounds. But really it's OK, because I believe eating low carb has been a good choice for our sustained health-- it's a lifestyle now, not just a diet.

It all started years ago when we read The Schwarzbein Principle: The Truth About Losing Weight, Being Healthy, and Feeling Younger, a book that changed the way we think about nutrition. Dr. Schwarzbein recommends a balanced diet of whole, unprocessed foods, including plenty of fat (including saturated fat), protein, and non-starchy vegetables, with a lower intake of carbohydrates. She goes into a lot of detail, in a very simple and easy to understand way, about the way the body metabolizes food and, in my ultra-basic summary, the factors that cause us to be healthy or not healthy. Since reading that book we've done well at reducing our sugar intake while eating whole foods in balanced meals.

The next most influential nutrition book that has come into my life is Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, which is not low carb but which totally deepened my understanding of what it means to eat a nutrient-dense, nourishing diet of unadulterated, high quality food. Since becoming involved with this book and the movement behind it, I've become more skilled at preparing my food from scratch, finding good food sources, eating super-foods, and using traditional methods of food preparation.

Then, most recently, I read and participated in a discussion group about Life Without Bread: How a Low-Carbohydrate Diet Can Save Your Life, a book that outlines the health benefits of low carb nutrition. The authors suggest that lowering carbohydrate intake can help prevent and cure a myriad of health problems, as well as cause weight loss.

Now here we are, eating protein, fat, vegetables, fermented foods and drinks (sauerkraut, kefir, and kombucha), and a small amount of fruit. All the food is as local and high quality as I can find right now. We have eliminated sugar, flour, and grains. I think after awhile I'll add small amounts of grain back in, but in much smaller amounts than what we were eating before. This diet is certainly more expensive and gives us fewer leftovers, but it also gives us the opportunity to be more creative with our food selection, pay close attention to our bodies, eat more nutrient-dense foods, eat less, heal our metabolism, and hopefully maintain optimal health.

What are your favorite nutrition books? Are you in favor of or against the low carb perspective?

Low-Carb Chocolate Cake
2 cups flax meal
1 cup almond meal
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
5 eggs
1/3 cup oil
3 Tbsp sour cream
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
xylitol and/or stevia to taste

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve with homemade ice cream or whipped cream.


Related posts/links:
Fit Day- online weight loss journal
The Schwarzbein Principle website
Weston A Price Foundation- the organization behind Nourishing Traditions
Life Without Bread Book Review
Coconut Oil: Our Favorite Snack
Health Checklist

Do We Really Need Sunscreen?

Crunchy Domestic Goddess recently posted a helpful article on harmful chemicals to watch out for in our childrens' sunscreen, as well as resources for finding safe sunscreens. I am wondering about the real need for sunscreen, so I've done a small amount of reading on the subject.

William Cambell Douglass, MD writes in his article Sunlight and Melanoma that sunlight actually reduces your risk of skin cancer. He recommends tossing the sunscreen, saying, "So when you slather on high-SPF sunscreens, not only are you increasing your risk of melanoma, you're also increasing your risk of developing all of the conditions that can arise from a vitamin D deficiency because you're literally blocking vitamin D synthesis in the skin." Some studies, on the other hand, advocate a more balanced approach of exposing unprotected skin to sunlight in small amounts of about 15-30 minutes per day. All of these studies highlight the body's need for the vitamin D generated by the sun.

I think the consensus from what I've read so far is that small amounts of sun is good, but getting burned is bad. So, I guess I'll be looking for safe sunscreen to use for those times when it looks like we risk getting burned. I've also heard rumors that coconut oil may be a sunscreen alternative, but I'm having trouble finding any literature on it. Any ideas?


Related posts/links:
UV Advantage- a variety of articles on sun exposure and vitamin D
Sources of Vitamin D: Sunlight
Sunscreen use actually causes cancer, and others from Natural News
Dr. Mercola on sunscreen
Natural Sun Protection
Is Your Sunscreen Safe?
Best sunscreen choices
Creating a Healthier Home

Plenty: An Experiment in Eating Locally

I am now complete with Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally, and it was a great read. The story is about a couple, Alisa and James, who create a 100 mile radius around their home in which they will find food for one year. Through the year they drive to local farms, meet interesting folks growing a variety of foods, learn about the history and geography of their region, and take a crash course in creative cooking and food preservation.

My favorite part about this book is that it reads like a story, so I could get caught up in what the authors are feeling and experiencing as we move together through their year of eating locally. I was motivated to wonder how my life would be if I were fully committed, as they were, to seeking real, local, regional, and seasonal food. What kind of people would I meet? What would I learn about my own region and its history? How would my eating habits change if all that was available at a given time was potatoes or asparagus? How would the quality of my food improve if it came straight from the farm to my home?

Although I'm nowhere near making the kind of choice they made, because of this book I have been reevaluating what I actually need when I go to the grocery store. Is that box of Indian Spice tea really necessary, or could I live without it? In working on reducing the amount of money I spend on food each month, I've been asking myself how I can live within my means, select quality products that are as local as possible, buy in bulk, and let go of the luxury items that cost more. James and Alisa did this in a big way: They made do with what they had, found unexpected sources for what they needed, and got creative about how they used it. They made appetizing meals out of strange assortments of vegetables, used all parts of their food, and preserved what they had to make it last. They let go of needing the luxuries and embraced what was available.

What a big choice it is to commit to eating locally. I feel excited about the idea, and yet tentative about it at the same time. Would it mean no more peanut butter? But what amazing things would I find instead? How much time, research, driving, and money would it take? I will keep asking these questions and seeking food sources in my community. In the meantime I do look forward to a great bounty from the coming gardening season, and some saved money from my harvest preservation.

Readers, please share your thoughts on the practicality of eating locally.


Related posts/links:
100 Mile Diet.org- the official website behind the book
Eating Locally?
The Future of Food

Creamy Peanut Butter Apple Dip

Dipping is a fun food activity for our family. We like sharing food, feeding each other, using our fingers, and getting messy. This dip is easy, tasty, and fun treat.

1 cup whipped cream (or sour cream or softened cream cheese)
1 cup yogurt
1/2 cup peanut butter (or less depending on how peanut buttery you want it)
vanilla
honey or stevia
Optional: cinnamon, chopped nuts, raisins
Fruit to dip

I whip the cream first, then mix all ingredients together. Slice apples pears, bananas, strawberries or other fruit. Dip, get messy, and enjoy!


Related posts/links:
Healthy Banana Cookies
Coconutty Candies
Coconut Oil: Our Favorite Snack

Confessions of a Mother

Spring finally seems to be here, although you just never know what the weather will do in Montana. We hope the tomatoes don't get blessed with the classic Montana "Christmas in July". But for today, and hopefully the coming weeks and months, I feel the call of the warm sun, the outside, and the garden.

I've been struggling with how to balance taking care of my children while accomplishing my own goals and tasks. This, I think, is every mother's battle. How do I get my chores and projects done and take care of myself while I've got little people needing me, crying for me, and wanting my attention? When I resist the reality of life with young children, I feel frustrated by being so needed so much of the time. I want to yell, kick, stomp, and run away crying "leave me alone!" I should be unburdened, free, able to do whatever I want whenever I want, dammit! Then I try to reason with myself, telling myself that parenting is a lot easier when done in a community rather than on my own, that for all parents life is a challenge when kids are so young and demanding, and that I really need to take better care of myself. I know my kids just need to attach to me, to follow me, to be near me. I know that being a parent is the best, most rewarding, most fulfilling thing I can do. I know these things... but some days it is just so hard to live it out.

I am blessed to have family near me to talk with and get support from. My sister-in-law and I shared our mutual struggle with this issue recently. How do we balance our lives? How do we do what we want to do, and what we have to do, while constantly managing our children? How do we be the most connecting parents we can be, with happy, healthy, secure, attached kids? Does being a good parent mean giving our kids are undivided attention all day long? How do we trust ourselves to do well, God to lead us, and our children to show us what they need?

We agreed that all we can do is our best. And the best thing we can do is trust. I take a breath, I remind myself that I am doing OK, I feel inside the love and desire I have for my children, I pray for guidance, I remember my purpose. I make choices.

And I go for connecting with my children while doing my work. I would like my daughter to help me garden, cook, and clean. The end result may not be what I had in mind, and the process might be slower or messier, but it is for me to let go of my drivenness and expectation and enjoy the connection. For my baby, I can carry him in a sling or other carrier while I am doing my work. Sometimes just a few minutes of being held is all he wants. Sometimes holding the baby or including the older one doesn't work at all and I need to throw my hands up in the air and reevaluate my plan. Maybe flexibility is called for, or a reflection on my purpose. What is my real purpose? Is it to get my chores done or finish this project, or is it to connect with myself and my children? I keep wondering how homesteading women do their multitude of chores with babies. Did they have slings?

I want to play with my kids, too. To learn with them, teach them, visit friends with them, take walks and play in nature with them.

Being a mom is by far the most challenging task I have ever undertaken. Well, except maybe being a mom who is also a wife. My poor husband... but that is a saga for another day.


But check out the garden beds! I had a hell of week trying to get it done, but here it is. Next comes planting, and a summer of more work... and more learning.




Related posts/links:
The Intentional Family
Our Children Are Our Best Teachers
Healthy Family, Healthy Community

Healthy Banana Cookies

3 ripe organic bananas
1 cup dates or raisins
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 cups organic rolled oats (old-fashioned - NOT the quick variety)
1/3 cup organic coconut oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, mash the bananas - stir everything
else in and mix well using a spoon. Allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drop by
rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes.


Related posts:
Baked Custard and Macaroons
Coconutty Candies
Coconut Oil: Our Favorite Snack

Safe Toys for Healthy Kids

In my epic journey to create a green home, my kids' toy collection has been the focus of my attention. I saw that our toy collection had not only become cluttered and overflowing, but it also contained quite a bit of plastic. In my research on detoxifying the home, I came across lots of articles warning against putting plastic in the hands of my children-- many plastic toys contain a host of harmful chemicals like phthalates and bisephenol-A, which have been linked to cancer, premature development, infertility, impaired immune system, and other problems. There are also millions of toys, made in China, continuously being recalled due to high levels of lead, which causes even bigger problems in our children. Because children are young and still developing, they are highly susceptible to the negative effects of these chemicals.

I definitely don't want to risk harming my children, so what is the alternative? Natural toy choices might include those made from solid wood with a non-toxic finish, or toys made of organic cotton, wool, or hemp. We can choose to buy pricey toys from good companies like Nova Natural Toys, we can find non-toxic toys at the thrift store, or we can learn to make our own toys. A toy stove like this one I made is easy to make with pieces of wood and non-toxic paint and sealer. I even made the cookies out of non-toxic clay. The pots and pans are stainless steel from the thrift store, and the food in the pans are pieces from the wooden Melissa and Doug Cutting Food Box.

Here is a useful "Shopping for Toys Checklist" from Healthy Child Healthy World:
* Can something we already have be used as a toy? An empty box or set of stainless steel bowls can provide hours of happy play.
* Is the toy re-useable? Can it be added-to, creating new interest? For example, doll houses and building sets get repeated use, and adding one small accessory at a time can bring much joy.
* Will it last for several generations? Again, the doll house or building set are welcome hand-me-downs.
* Read labels carefully, looking for assurances that paints and finishes are non-toxic.
* Is this an antique or imported toy, which might be finished with toxic leaded paint?
* When in doubt, smell it! Toxic softeners in plastics can give them that "new smell." Strong fragrances and perfumes can provoke allergies or asthma.
* Did it harm the environment or people to produce this toy? For example, is it made of PVC plastic?
* How is the toy packaged? A huge box and lots of plastic wrap for a very small toy is unnecessary waste.
* Can we get this toy, or something like it, made locally, avoiding the pollution and fuel waste of shipping?

Sometimes I think my kids really don't need all the toys I find for them, even the natural ones. Paper and pens, water, dried beans, and books are the "toys" that seem to hold their attention the best. What kinds of creative toys do you think will entertain your kids while keeping them safe from chemicals?


Related posts/links:
Creating a Healthier Home
Out of the Mouths of Babes
Is It In Us
Healthy Toys.org
Lead Free Toy List
Finding Non-Toxic Toys
Blog post at Urban Mama with lots of comments and ideas

Want to live forever? Drink kombucha!

Kombucha is an ancient fermented beverage known around the world for its healing properties. The recorded history of the drink dates back to 250BC China, where the Chinese called it the "Immortal Health Elixir," because they believed kombucha balanced the Middle Qi (spleen and stomach) and aided in digestion, allowing the body to focus on healing. Kombucha contains many different cultures along with several organic acids, active enzymes, amino acids, anti-oxidants, and polyphenols.

People testify to a wide variety of physical health benefits from drinking kombucha. Many claim that kombucha detoxifies the body, making it unlikely for disease causing bacteria and viruses to find a suitable growth environment. In small doses, kombucha can benefit children with ADD and constipation. It is a potent immune system booster, and can be an important part of treatment for acne, aging skin, AIDS, hardening of the arteries, arthritis, asthma, bronchitis, cancer, candidiasis, chronic fatigue, constipation, diabetes, diarrhea and other digestive disorders, eyesight, headaches, hemorrhoids, hypoglycemia, menopoausal problems, mulitple sclerosis, psoriasis and other skin problems, weight problems, curbing alcohol and food cravings, stress and insomnia, and more.

Brewing kombucha requires a culture, sometimes mistakenly referred to as a mushroom, which is a symbiotic, probiotic colony of yeast and bacteria (the friendly type). Kombucha is made by combining the culture with a mixture of black or green tea and sugar. The ingredients are allowed to ferment, usually from 7-10 days. After fermentation the tea can be consumed, with a portion of it being reserved to inoculate the next batch of kombucha. Each time the kombucha culture goes through the fermentation process, it creates one new "mushroom" layer, or SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast), which will form atop of the original. After several layers have built up, the layers can be divided and propagated into new SCOBY's. In this way, the culture has survived for centuries, being passed from one family, and one generation, to the next.

Where do you find a SCOBY? Google it, and you'll come up with more than a few sources. I've got one source listed below. A friend recently mentioned one way she produced a SCOBY for free using a commercial brand of kombucha, found at any health food store. She poured a bottle of commercial kombucha into a mason jar, covered it with a clean cloth, and kept it in a dark area. After about 8 days, a SCOBY had formed, which of course she then used to start her own batches of kombucha.

Kombucha tastes somewhat like a sparkling apple cider with a tang of vinegar, depending on how long it ferments. Because the sugar in kombucha is used up during the fermentation process, it's a great substitute for juice when in need of something cool, sweet, and refreshing.


Related posts/links:
Simple recipe for brewing kombucha
Kombucha brewing guide (buy a SCOBY too)
Interesting kombucha info
More facts on kombucha
Kombucha troubleshooting
Health Checklist

Turds to Tomatoes: Composting Humanure

I just finished reading a radical, funny, and really interesting book called The Humanure Handbook: A Guide to Composting Human Manure by Joseph Jenkins. The book, obviously, is about composting our poo. What!? I thought that, too, until I read the book, and now I am convinced that getting in personal contact with our shit is a key part of moving forward on the path to sustainability.

According to Jenkins, in America we've adopted a policy of defecating and urinating in our drinking water and then piping it off somewhere to let someone else deal with it. Even after the contaminated water is treated at wastewater treatment plants, it may still be polluted with excessive levels of nitrates, chlorine (a potent cancer-causing poison), pharmaceutical drugs, industrial chemicals, detergents and other pollutants. The treated water, along with antibiotic-resistant bacteria that breeds in sewage sludge, is then discharged directly into the environment. The discharging of sludge, sewage, or wastewater into nature's waterways invariably creates pollution, the effects of which are far-reaching. Not only are we polluting our drinking water and our environment, but the billions of gallons we waste every day by flushing our toilets is depleting our water supplies in a time when water consumption is on the rise. Additionally, by dumping soil nutrients-- found in humanure-- down the toilet, we increase our need for synthetic fertilizers, which is now the largest diffuse source of water pollution in our lakes, rivers, and streams.

The squandering of our water resources, Jenkins argues, and pollution from sewage and synthetic fertilizers, results in part from the belief that humanure (human manure) and food scraps are waste materials rather then recyclable natural resources. We have a waste mentality plaguing our culture, yet the key to our long-term survival lies in our living in harmony with the planet. As an alternative to our current throw-away mentality, we can understand that all organic material is a resource, rather than a waste, that can be beneficially recycled using natural processes. Humanure is not waste at all-- it is an organic resource rich in soil nutrients. It originated from the soil and should be readily returned to the soil through the composting process. Returning organic materials to the soil gives back to the earth what we have taken from it; in this way humans can maintain the fertility of their soils indefinitely, rather than depleting them of nutrients as is done today. When humanure is composted, as it has been done for thousands of years by much of the world's population, it is converted to a hygienically safe form suitable for the purpose of human food production.

In addition to composting our manure, Jenkins says we should eliminate the use of all toxic chemicals in our households and reduce our water consumption altogether. This can be aided by collecting and using rainwater, and by recycling graywater through beneficial natural systems.

A home composting toilet is simple: It involves simply adding some organic material such as sawdust to the toilet after each use. Instead of flushing, you cover. Once a week you take it out to the compost pile, cover it with more organic material, and let it decompose. No smell, no mess, no problem. Jenkins shows us how to construct a variety of toilet styles, all involving a 5 gallon bucket and a seat. Sawdusts toilet systems are simple, low-cost, low-tech, and, most importantly, sustainable.

Jenkins' argument makes great sense to me. As a composter and gardener, I know that I can only do right by my soil if I enrich it with organic material. And think of it... no flushing toilet means no clogging, no plunging, no scrubbing, no wasted water, and the benefit of being that much more connected with what it is to be a human being living on the planet.



Related posts/links:
How To Build a $25 Humanure Toilet
Photo Gallery of Owner-Built Humanure Toilets
Wikipedia Composting Toilet Info
Coffee to Compost
Garden, Not Lawn

Some Good News on Food Prices

An interesting article from the New York Times, "Some Good News on Food Prices", came my way today. Rising food prices might actually be a good thing, the author points out, because if American staples like soda, fast-food hamburgers don't seem like such a bargain anymore, the American public might turn its attention to local fruits and vegetables, milk and meat. I don't know what will or will not happen with food and the economy, but I do know that everywhere I turn I hear people talking about keeping their costs down by growing their own food or keeping chickens. I see people in town building and expanding greenhouses, starting front-yard gardens, and buying chicks because of higher egg prices. I'm on the bandwagon, too: I've been busy creating a garden that will grow enough veggies to get us through till next spring, and Matt and I are considering the cost of building a coop and getting some chickens. Many of us are working to figure out how not to spend so much; it just makes sense that we turn toward our own abilities and creativity, our neighbors, and our communities.


Related posts/links:
Eating Locally?
The Future of Food
Eating Better Than Organic

And So It Begins...

Gardening season is starting! I've been busy making my garden plan. This year I'm trying some new techniques, like creating wide, raised rows filled with plants that do well together (companion planting). I'll do successive planting, meaning I'll plant veggies like spinach, beets, beans, and corn every week or two rather than all of it at once. I'll also interplant veggies (plant certain veggies together), like bush beans that grow low to the ground with corn that stands tall. Also, my squash, melons, and cucumbers will climb on trellises instead of taking over the whole garden.


The rows are slowly being built. The first thing I'm doing is marking the rows with string. Then I'll add newspapers, leaves, rabbit manure, straw, coffee grounds and compost layered on top of one another to build up the beds with rich humus.


My compost mountains are slowly decomposing after a long, cold winter.


Matt has been working hard on a cold frame so we can extend our gardening season. I'm going to plant seeds in there this week so we can get some early greens, and in the fall we'll plant more greens in there for some good winter eating.


Books I've used this year:
Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening
The Vegetable Gardener's Bible: Discover Ed's High-Yield W-O-R-D System for All North American Gardening Regions


Related posts/links:
Lasagna Gardening
The Lasagna Project
Lasagna Gardening 101
Advantages of Raised Beds
Coffee to Compost
Garden, not Lawn

Safe and Cheap: Homemade Detergent

I made homemade dishwasher detergent using equal parts borax and washing soda today. I also made laundry soap using one of the recipes from 10 Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipes. For the laundry soap, I mixed about 1/2 cup each of grated Kirk's Castile Soap, washing soda, and borax in hot water. When the soap was melted and the ingredients mixed thoroughly, I put the mixture in a gallon bucket and filled it the rest of the way with cold water. Today it is more liquid than gel, but it does clean the clothes. It's a work in progress, it is non-toxic, and it is CHEAP.


Related posts/links:
Creating a Healthier Home
Green Household Cleaners
Non-Toxic Home Cleaning

Coconutty Candies

So far this snack is a kid success!

1/4 cup raisins, figs, or dates
1/4 cup soaked and dehydrated nuts (cashews or walnuts)
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp raw honey
vanilla
cocoa powder
coconut flakes

Process all but the last ingredient in food processor. Form into balls, roll in coconut flakes, and refrigerate. Yum!

Variations: Add peanut butter, banana or other fruit, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, butter, more coconut oil, or fresh/frozen coconut.


Related posts/links:
Coconut Oil: Our Favorite Snack
Baked Custard and Macaroons
Health Checklist