Friday's Food for Thought: Health Dangers of Vaccines

Did you know that the H1N1 flu vaccine can cause narcolepsy? And that's actually one of the more tame side effects!

We read a lot about the dangers of vaccines for children, which is extremely important, given their still developing neurological systems, but what about the dangers for adults?

Check out this great article by Dr. Mercola to find out why you should avoid all vaccines, even flu vaccines, like the plague!

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/04/29/the-emergence-of-vaccine-induced-diseases.aspx

Have a great weekend everyone!

The Amazing Coconut Oil: How it Can Help You Lose Weight

Have you ever tried coconut oil? If not, you're in for a treat: this amazing oil can help you lose weight, regulate your thyroid, increase your energy levels and immune response, promote your heart health, and give you glowing skin!

Sound too good to be true? It's not. It's just the amazing coconut. I'll be sharing more in the days and weeks to come, but for now, check out these great articles by Dr. Mercola to whet your appetite. And keep tuning in to find out why I take 3-4 tablespoons per day of this amazing oil!

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/22/coconut-oil-and-saturated-fats-can-make-you-healthy.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/12/29/eat-fat.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2005/01/26/coconut-oil-part-eight.aspx

Toxin Free Body: Dr. Bronner's Castille Bar Soaps- A Little Bit of Luxury

We all need a little bit of luxury in our lives, and what better way to indulge than when you're in the shower or bath tub, since you're (hopefully!) still showering daily no matter how crazy life gets!

A great way to get a little luxury in your routine is with Dr. Bronner's organic castille soap! I have only tried the lavender, but it is truly luxurious. Made with organic oils like coconut and olive oil, and essential oils for the fragrance, it leaves skin soft and smelling very clean.

I love it so much, it is something I look forward to every day! It's just a little bit of sanity, and it makes your bathroom smell lovely!

They also have scents of almond, peppermint, citrus, and eucalyptus! Enjoy!

Toxin Free Home: The Amazing Glass & Polishing E Cloth

I'll confess: with a three year old, 16 month old, and a 5 week old newborn, I don't have time to clean my house. My husband has been an amazing help with the children and with the laundry, but the bathrooms, the floors, the vacuuming, it all has to wait.

It's waiting for me to clone myself.

That's not going to happen, so I have to keep things as easy as possible! I was so fed up with the bathroom mirror the other day (hadn't been cleaned in over a month!) that I quickly grabbed my Glass & Polishing E-Cloth to see how quickly I could get the job done.

In less time than you can say, "My bathroom is insanely dirty," the mirror was sparkling!

In fact, I just bought another Glass & Polishing cloth today to keep handy, since half the task of cleaning seems to be finding your tools! I now own three .

If you want sparkling mirrors, sinks, and door knobs in the bat of an eye, just grab a spray bottle of water and an E-Cloth. Seriously, I'm not exaggerating about these results. It kind of makes cleaning fun!

Oh, and the best part- you can wash these cloths up to 300 times, and there's no chemicals involved! You can't ask for too much more than that.

Enjoy your toxin free, done in a snap cleaning experience everyone!

Tip of the Day: Always Check Your Receipt!

(Photo courtesy of Compro)

The other day I was at Whole Foods, and upon checking out the cashier asked me if I wanted my receipt. I think it should definitely be standard procedure to give a receipt, so I was surprised he asked, but I said yes.

When it was time to pay, the amount seemed higher than I was expecting, so I quickly glanced over my receipt to see where I had gone wrong. It was immediately clear- the cashier had charged me for 11 dozen eggs!

I actually had 6 dozen, so I am not sure where he got the number 11, but I was glad I caught it- it was an $18 mistake once tax was factored in!

I had to go get a refund, and the cashier was not very apologetic, but it reminded me that there really can be mistakes- always check your receipts!

Friday's Food for Thought: Top 20 Things that Are Toxic to Your Child's Health

My good friend Angela sent me this AWESOME article talking about the top 20 toxic things that put our children in danger, that many people are unaware of.

Check it out, and see why things like anti bacterial soap, hot dogs, and mercury fillings are toxic to your child's health! (And yours, too!) :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Check out the article here:

http://www.naturalnews.com/022014_heavy_metals_childrens_health.html

Anyone Have a Good Vegetable Dip Recipe?

Hi All- I am currently hunting for a good vegetable dip recipe, something that would be good with carrots, celery, etc...

Do any of you know one? If so, leave me a comment with the recipe! Thanks for your help everyone!

Tip of the Day: How to Reheat Leftovers Without a Microwave

If you'd like an easy way to reheat leftovers without using a toxic microwave, try a small crock pot! I bought a 4 quart crock pot (pictured above) from WalMart that I use to reheat leftovers from dinner for our lunch. It requires some planning ahead, but not much!

In the morning, (I like to do it as part of breakfast cleanup) just put your leftovers in the crockpot, and add a small amount of water in the bottom of the pot, depending on what the food is. Turn it on low or high, using discretion as to which temperature is right, and then enjoy for lunch!

I reheat everything in crock pots- from leftover chicken to taco meat! Enjoy!

Toxin Free Body: Our Favorite Sparkling Mineral Water

Here's a tip of the day: if you want a refreshing drink that's not soda, try mineral water!

It feels "carbonated" and makes other drinks, like juices, taste bubbly when you combine them.

I don't care for the taste of mineral water by itself, but my husband loves it. I do love it mixed in with some organic apple juice though!

Try it for yourself and let me know if you like it! Our favorite brand of sparkling mineral water is Gerolsteiner.

Tip of the Day: Hydrogen Peroxide for Laundry

Last night as I was soaking cloth diapers in the washing machine with three 32 oz. bottles of hydrogen peroxide, I thought I'd share with you this super easy, super cheap remedy for a variety of laundry problems- from blood in fabric to awful smells.

Hospitals use hydrogen peroxide as a disinfectant and sanitizer, and you can too! It can also be used as a whitening agent- so use caution if you spot treat on laundry.

Here are a few uses for an 89 cent bottle of hydrogen peroxide:

• To strip cloth diapers, fill your washing machine and put the diapers in. Let them soak overnight in 3-4 large bottles (like 32 oz.) of hydrogen peroxide. The next morning, run a super wash on cold to rinse it out. Then wash them again with your normal soap on hot. This has worked wonderfully for our ammonia filled cloth diapers.

• To get blood stains out of fabric, spot treat with hydrogen peroxide and let soak overnight preferably. This is best if the stain is fresh, but it will work no matter when!

• You can also use hydrogen peroxide as a sanitizer in your kitchen and bathroom- it can even kill salmonella on cutting boards! Just spray on with a spray bottle. To use on counters just douse your cloth with it and wipe them down.

• Hydrogen peroxide used in your ears is also fabulous for too much ear wax, or for fending off colds and flu! See this article by Dr. Mercola for more info.
  

Do you know of any more uses for hydrogen peroxide? Please share if you do!!!

Friday's Food for Thought: Why You Should Think Twice About Buying Conventional Meat

My husband saw this article on Google news this morning and I had to pass it on- it's very disturbing!

Quoting from the L.A. Times:

"Nearly half of all meat and poultry sampled in a new study contained drug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, the type of bacteria that most commonly causes staph infections."

Check out the original article here:

http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-meat-bacteria-20110415,0,7997782.story

Have a great weekend everyone, and enjoy some safe, organic meat! ;)

Tip of the Day: An Easy Organic Breakfast! (Or Snack!)

If you need a quick organic breakfast, or snack, here's a great one- a favorite in our family:

Take a sprouted, organic whole grain bagel (we love Alvarado Street bagels) and top it with organic cream cheese. (Organic Valley makes a divine full fat version!) Then add several slices of smoked wild caught salmon for a bagel and lox.

The smoked salmon is a wonderful way to get some awesome brain & heart healthy Omega-3's, and this is actually quite a filling meal! Even our 16 month old Micah likes it! Well, the smoked salmon, that is. He doesn't get to have the bagel quite yet. ;)

Enjoy!

What's the Craziest Thing in Your Day Today?

So, I know this has nothing to do with health or the Maker's Diet, but let's just chalk up this post to pertaining to mental health!

Sometimes life is so crazy, especially with little people around- you just have to laugh!

Here's the craziest thing in my day so far:

This morning I went (with Nathaniel in tow and carrying Grace, our newborn) to get Micah, our 16 month old, up from his nap. When I got him up I discovered he had a dirty diaper, so I left to grab a clean one.

My mistake: leaving him wearing only his diaper. I should have known what would happen.

When I returned, there was poop everywhere. All over his sleep sack, his sheet, his blanket, his stuffed animals, his hands, his shirt, I mean, EVERYWHERE.

As I walked in to discover this disaster, he flashed me the biggest smile and was extremely pleased with himself. I, on the other hand, was anything but pleased, but at that point, what can you do?!!! There's nothing to do but clean it all up. Thank God for automatic washers and dryers!

What was the craziest thing to happen to you recently?

Food for Thought: Can Sleeplessness Make Kids (And Adults) Fat?

I saw this article from Dr. Mercola today, and since sleep is an important issue in my life right now, with a newborn, ;) I had to share!

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/04/08/lack-of-sleep-linked-to-childhood-obesity.aspx

Baby Grace: My Favorite Toxin Free Pacifier

Pacifiers and babies seem to be made for each other, but toxins and babies are a bad match! That's why I love Natursutten's BPA, phthalate, and PVC free version of the classic paci.

They have an orthodontic version (pictured above) and a rounded version. (Below)

Check out their website for more info and look for these toxin free pacifiers at your local health food store, or on Amazon!

Baby Grace: My Favorite Toxin Free Shampoo & Body Wash

When it comes to babies, the term "sensitive skin" is often an understatement. Their soft sweet skin needs delicate care, and what better way to get little ones clean than with a toxin and chemical free soap?

Our family's favorite baby shampoo & body wash is made by Earth Mama Angel Baby. It cleans delicate skin gently but effectively, foams wonderfully, and smells just lovely, since it is scented with organic vanilla extract and organic calendula. (I think there is nothing sweeter than the smell of a baby's skin after a bath!)

Here are some chemicals that are NOT in this wonderful shampoo/body wash:

• No 1,4-Dioxane, formaldehyde, or phthalates
• No sodium lauryl sulfate, cocomidopropyl betaine or other synthetic
  surfactants
• No artificial preservatives (parabens, phenoxyethanol, etc)

No chemicals, just sweetly scented cleaning suds! Check out Earth Mama's website to find out where you can buy some for your little angels!

Baby Grace: My Favorite Newborn Diaper Covers!

If you can't tell, I'm totally in love with our new little girl, Grace, 2 weeks old today! I thought I'd share with you my favorite cloth diaper covers for a newborn.

I have to admit- they're PUL, not a natural fabric. I'm not so thrilled with that, because I don't like synthetic things very much. But, as far as newborn cloth diapers go, there aren't many options.

My one size fits all Little Beetle wool covers are humongous on a newborn, so when Micah was born, I bought several white newborn size wraps, made by Real Nappies.(The ones I have are white, but I am showing you the pink one in honor of Grace!) :)

They contain messes AMAZINGLY well, (read: no blowouts) fit great, wash great, and look like little doll diapers! I highly recommend them. Check out their website: http://www.realnappiesusa.com

I use them with Bummi's organic cotton prefolds in the infant size.

For more on cloth diapering, check out my previous series:

http://makersdietmom.blogspot.com/2010/03/why-i-love-cloth-diapers.html

Baby Grace: My FAVORITE Organic Swaddling Blanket!

There's nothing as sweet as a swaddled newborn sleeping soundly! Pictured above is Grace, snuggled up in her organic Ultimate Receiving Blanket by Swaddle Designs.

This awesome, oversized swaddling blanket is made of soft organic cotton flannel, and survives the washer beautifully. It is also a great privacy blanket for nursing! My mother in law gave this to me when Nathaniel, our 3 year old, was born, and I adore it.

Now I just need the pink one for Lady Grace!Check out these awesome blankets at their website, Swaddle Designs.com.