I've Moved!

Hey Everyone! Thanks for visiting! I wanted to let you all know that I've moved over to:

http://makersdietmom.com/

Check me out over there, where I'm updating daily! Also check me out on my Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Makers-Diet-Mom/147690398594768

Talk to you soon!

Coming Tomorrow: SURPRISE!

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a great Father's Day weekend!

Just wanted to let you all know...be sure to check in tomorrow for an awesome surprise I have for you...something I am very excited about!!!

See you then!

Toxin Free Body: Sale on Organic Blueberries Tomorrow!

I got an email from Whole Foods last night announcing an awesome sale on Friday: organic blueberries for only $1.99 a pint! I will definitely be going to pick some up! Blueberries are currently in season, are loaded with antioxidants, and are also high in fiber!

And they are so easy to use! Use them in yogurt, smoothies, in baked goods, or just straight out of the box!

Enjoy the great price tomorrow on one of the world's healthiest foods!

The Perils of Shopping at Whole Foods...

Ok, my sister in law sent this video to my husband this morning, and I had to share. It is hilarious, and so accurate! (Especially in CA, where I'm from.)

If you want a good laugh, check it out. I have to warn you that they do use a couple of curse words, (the "s" word and "hell") so just be aware of that before you watch!

Enjoy!

Friday's Food for Thought: Never Feed Your Child Food From a Microwave Oven!

If you want your kids to grow up healthy, then ban a microwave oven from your home! Check out this Dr. Mercola article to find out why!

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/06/10/now-they-want-you-to-microwave-your-toddlers-food-in-plastic-bowls.aspx

Have a great weekend everyone!

Toxin Free Body: Best Ever Hot Dogs for Summer!

I don't know about you, but I have always loved hot dogs. Melt some cheese on top, add a whole bunch of mayo, ketchup, mustard, and some bread or hot dog buns- YUM!

But conventional hot dogs are filled with everything gross under the sun! Avoid them at all costs!

The good news is, there is a fabulous organic alternative that tastes GREAT!

I think these hot dogs are our family's favorite food.

They are organic, made from grass fed beef, and full of omega-3's. You have to try them for yourself- they are amazing on the grill, or even on the stove top.

Check out more info at their website:
http://www.applegatefarms.com/products/organic_hot_dog.aspx

Let me know if you get some, and what you think! I promise you'll love them as much as we do!

Aspartame: Avoid it Like the Plague!

In case you or anyone you love regularly drink beverages sweetened with toxic aspartame, check out this Dr. Mercola article describing how aspartame is linked to cancer:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/06/08/aspartame-toxic-sweetener.aspx

And avoid it like the plague! :)

Toxin Free Baby: Straw Sippy

For the last 6 months or so, I've been on a hunt for a sippy cup. Not just any sippy cup, mind you, but a toxin free model that meets my high standards, and also has a straw.

Talk about a lot of criteria! Some have a straw but are only BPA free, not phthalate free, and some are neither. I wanted all of the above, and so I am pleased to introduce the Zoli Bot straw sippy!

I had seen it online before, but hesitated to buy something I couldn't see in person. However, when my beautiful friend Rebekah of Mixbook.com (head over to their site for some memorable Father's Day presents!) said her daughter loved it, I decided to make the $14.95 plunge.

Seems expensive for a sippy, and it is. But we love it too! Micah (18 months) caught the hang of the straw in less than a day. He also loves the handles. Nathaniel loves the handles, too, so much so that he is always swiping Micah's sippy and running off with it! It also has a flip top cap which both of the boys love.

What I love:

It doesn't leak, it has a straw, it holds 6 oz, it's kid friendly and unbreakable, and most importantly, it's BPA & phthalate free. It also comes in orange and pink!

Check it out at their site: http://www.zolibaby.com/products/feeding/green-bot#

Toxin Free Home: Vinegar for the Laundry

If you need a helping hand with the cleaning, look no further than the $2 bottle of vinegar at your local drugstore or Walmart. You can get an enormous bottle of vinegar that will last a long time, and using it for everything from laundry to cleaning your drains!

I'd like to highlight the use of vinegar for the laundry today- I use it regularly as a toxin free fabric softener. I use 1 cup of vinegar, and you're just supposed to add it to the final rinse cycle! It's so easy (and cheap) and it really works!

It also works great for stripping ammonia from cloth diapers.

Hope that helps you save some money and some chemicals!

What are your other favorite uses for household white vinegar?

Friday's Food for Thought: Cell Phones & Brain Cancer

I saw this in the Weston A. Price Foundation newsletter online, and had to pass it on:

CELL PHONES AND BRAIN CANCER

"Does epidemiological evidence show an association between long-term cell phone usage and the risk of developing a brain tumor? Yes, it does.

A recently published meta-analysis indicates that use of a cell phone for ten years or more approximately doubles the risk of being diagnosed with a brain tumor on the same side of the head as that preferred for cell phone use.

For two types of cancer (glioma and acoustic neuroma) the data showed statistical significance (Surgical Neurology, 2009 Sept;72(3):205-14). What to do? Send text messages, use a land line and limit cell phone use to short emergency calls. Above all, eat plenty of good fats, especially choline-rich egg yolks, which will protect your brain."

Before you pass this off as health hodgepodge, know that my husband Mark saw an article saying this exact same thing on Google news about 3 days ago. I'll have to find it and pass it on!

One other solution not mentioned in this article, pick up a radiation reducing headset from Dr. Mercola. Note: traditional headsets actually INCREASE radiation from cell phones. Dr. Mercola's reduces it significantly and costs less than $30, with discounts for family packs. A small price to pay when brain cancer is a possibility!

Check it out here: http://products.mercola.com/blue-tube-headset/

Toxin Free Home: All Natural Room Freshener

We all love a home that smells wonderful, clean, and inviting, but when most room fresheners and candles are loaded with cancer- causing toxins like phthalates and petroleum byproducts, what are we to do?

I have discovered a wonderful room freshener spray by Aura Cacia. They use only 100% essential oils in their products, they smell lovely, and they work great! I bought the tangerine grapefruit one for the bathrooms, (the process of cloth diapers can be a little, ahem, smelly!) and we've been loving it.

They also sell electric air fresheners that you can plug in, and diffusers for your car!

So throw out those toxic room fresheners you have, and get some real essential oils to do the job!

Check out their site:

http://www.auracacia.com/auracacia/acproducts/acaccessories.html

Food for Thought: Sleep, Beautiful Sleep

With a newborn in the house, ANY article talking about sleep grabs my attention these days!

Check out this article from Dr. Mercola talking about how loss of sleep can damage your brain! Uh oh!!! : )

Get a good night's rest tonight everyone!

Tip of the Day: Hardboil Some Eggs!

(Photo courtesy of Timothy Titus)

Hi Everyone! I was making my lunch today and thought I'd share with you a little tip that helps me a lot-

(I like anything that helps me a lot these days.)

When you get home from the grocery store each week, or however often you go, put a dozen eggs on the stove to hard boil.

After they're done, store them in a glass container or even a plastic bag, in their shells. Then you have a quick, easy, & nutritious snack ready to go all week! You can also use them in a salad for an easy meal- just toss in some raw cheese, avocados, and you're ready to go!

Hope this tip helps you!

Toxin Free Body: Top 7 Supermarket Foods to Avoid

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Here's a great article from Dr. Mercola explaining the top 7 foods you and your family should avoid, such as:

Conventional Canned Tomatoes
Conventional Beef
Farmed Salmon
Microwaved Popcorn
Conventional Milk
Conventional Apples...

and more!

Check out this article and make sure to scratch these items from your standard supermarket list! ;)

Happy Friday: A Few of My Favorite Things!

Today I had a rather harrowing experience with my three little ones at the grocery store. Why can grocery shopping with little people be so extremely difficult? Things didn't get better until both boys had 3 bananas.

And then I came home and saw my lovely hibiscus smiling at me.

And things felt a little bit better.

Here are some more favorite things from my organic garden:

Lavender in a pot. Beautifully green, graceful, and calming.

I absolutely love the mint that comes back year after year. Mint is wonderful served in a pitcher of ice cold water with some lemon wedges!

And the joy of my week- peonies cut from my neighbor's front yard. She says her husband is allergic to the smell and that I can have as many as I want!


I love plants & living things! What are a few of your favorite things?

Toxin Free Baby: The Soft Landing

Navigating the world of kid's toys and products can be a tricky one. For instance, there are certain brands that have "some" products which are toxin free, but the rest of their line is loaded with chemicals. (Does that make any sense to you? Not to me, either!)

Fortunately, I have something to tell you that will make your life a little easier.

Isn't that what we all need as busy parents?

The sister of my neighbor, Becky, runs a WONDERFUL website called The Soft Landing. All of their products are free of toxins like BPA, phthalates, PVC, melamine & flame retardants.

They have great prices, and a wide variety of products: everything from bath toys to sippy cups to bug spray and shampoo.

So check it out! Again, the site is: http://www.thesoftlanding.com/

Happy toxin free shopping!

Tornadoes & Thankfulness

Hey there everyone!

I wish I had an amazing post today about some fabulous toxin free something or other that would change your life, but I spent a good part of the morning camped out in our basement, praying a tornado wouldn't rip my house apart!

I am from California, and this is my first time sitting in the basement, listening to a tornado warning siren go off for over an hour.

Real weather is crazy. Really crazy.

The dead bugs and mice droppings in our unfinished basement are also crazy.

Especially when you have two very small boys. ;)

BUT, we are all safe! And that is truly something to be thankful for.

What do you have to be thankful for today?

Toxin Free Body: A Healthy Tanning Bed!

With summer coming up, we all love having a nice tan! Unfortunately most tanning beds promote cancer, rather than promoting health. That's unfortunate because Vitamin D, from the sun, is one of the healthiest nutrients around, and you can get a tan in the process!

Enter Dr. Mercola- who says that we all look better with a tan, and that we all need Vitamin D!

I couldn't agree more.

And someday, I will own one of his awesome, toxin free, tan promoting, and Vitamin D enhancing Tanning Beds:
I just will. And I will be tan, the toxin free way- all year round.

I am determined. Can you tell?!

Check these out, and please let me know if you ever get one! Hopefully I beat you to it! ;)

Friday's Food for Thought: Is Frankenfood In Your Cupboard?

Scary, scary, scary!

Check out this enlightening Dr. Mercola article to find out about the dangers of genetically modified foods, found in over 80% of foods on supermarket shelves!

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/05/20/most-evil-company-on-planet-soon-allowed-to-police-itself.aspx

And have a great weekend everyone! :)

Toxin Free Baby: My Favorite SAHM Store for Cloth Diaper Accessories & More

Can a wet bag make you happy? Yes, it can, if my lovely friend Charlotte Lee, founder of an awesome new stay at home mom business, adorably named Monday's Child, makes it!

You all have got to check out Charlotte's awesome products. They are creative, durable, practical, and PRETTY!


For Christmas, she sent me four wet bags for my enormous cloth diaper collection- two large, and two small. The fabric is adorable, they hold up amazing in the wash, and they fit a ton of diapers inside! (Even the medium sized bags!) I love them and use them every day.

She also sells the cutest snack bags I've ever seen!

Check out her online store here, and support an awesome stay at home mom!

http://www.facebook.com/ShopMondaysChild?sk=app_135607783795