No More Plastic!

In our home, we avoid plastics. It is not an easy task at all, but with the handmade market places exploding with products...it is becoming easier.

But first, I came across this video, which by far has been the most convicting for us.

"A Wake Up Story" by Healthy Child, Healthy World

I know that this conviction isn't the same for everyone, but for those wanting to live a more natural life, it seems to be a step we eventually all take.

We began our transition in the kitchen, shying away from plastic food containers and plastic wraps.

The bathroom was also pretty easy...we buy our natural soaps (or make some of them) in the bigger containers to avoid too much platic waste and really think if we need this new product. I switched to the Diva Cup and mama cloth.

Dining was also easy, instead of plastic plates, we bought Corelle. We believe that if kids are lovingly taught to take care of things, they will. Sure, a plate or bowl will break, but Corelle is inexpensive enough...and after all, it is a learning process (not to mention just a plate).

Kids stuff, however, was hard. Not only are we bombarded by plastic toys in the stores, our family, doesn't seem to understand it. We teach the girls to be grateful for the gift they received but we then try to pass it along.

Big toys are plastic, little tiny toys are plastic. 

Lets face it, alternatives aren't cheap!

Thankfully, Etsy can help.

I was browsing through the members list at Etsy Kids (it is about the time we start buying Christmas gifts...we spread out these purchases)...and found  Re-WoodToys.

I love the simplicity these toys evoke.

I have been a favorite of Applenamos for quite sometimes and I know that several of their items will become Christmas toys (we have 3 girls, a baby on the way, 2 nephews and another niece or nephew on the way)

If you are taking the long road to plastic free, please check out these stores (and more) on Etsy. Without Etsy, I don't think we would have been able to make the change ourselves.

Sometimes it isn't cheaper than plastic, but what is more important?

Jacki can be found blogging about natural living, parenting and homeschooling over at Crafted by Mama. She is on Facebook and Twitter. Her shop, Crafted by Mama, sells kids clothing and a little something for mama. She recently opened her reusables store Green Mama Shop to provide reusable, earth friendly items for home and family.

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Avoid the back to school bug

It is back to school time! Packed lunches, school uniform, homework, bus rides and sick bugs!!

When you have a group of small children in a confined space like a classroom, one little sniffle can quickly become a whole big group of sniffles!! Teaching young children about hygiene, germs and illnesses is not an easy task, and you don't want to scare them with horror stories. But there are some things you can teach your child to minimize the chances of them picking up the sniffles from the rest of the class.

Washing hands

The most common way of catching a bug or illness is by rubbing your eyes, finger sucking, nose picking after your hands have come into contact with germs. Research studies have shown that only about half of middle school students wash their hands after using the restroom, and even if they do wash their hands, most don't even use soap! So getting your child into the habit of washing their hand (properly!) after going to the bathroom and before eating can really help.

Get the Flu shot
Making sure your child is up to date with their scheduled vaccines is really important to keep them in good health. Speak with your child's doctor about them also getting a seasonal flu vaccine. The Center for Disease Control recommends that everyone over 6 months receive the flu vaccine. Although the flu vaccine does not protect your child from all strains of the virus, it does protect against some of the most rapid forms.

Hand sanitizer gel
Sometimes it is not always possible to wash hands before eating, so getting your child use to using hand sanitizer gel is also a good idea. It is important to show your child how to use the gel effectively by rubbing it all over their hands and fingers and letting it dry. You should check your school's policy to make sure it is allowed to send to school with your child, and let the teachers know.

Sharing stuff
We all want our kids to be kind and share their stuff with the other kids, but it is important the know what is ok to share and what is not ok to share while at school. For older children make sure they know not to share things like make-up, creams, lip gloss and other such products as these can be ideal for the spread of MRSA, and other skin infections. Also sharing items like towels, sports clothing and equipment can spread germs.

Teaching your child about germs
As I mentioned above, you do not want to tell horror stories to your child about big nasty germs and turn them into a germophobe, but you can sit and talk with your child and explain how germs travel, that they cause colds and tummy bugs. Explain how when another child at school is sick, coughing and sneezing they should give them some extra space. And when your child is sick make sure they know how important it is to cough and sneeze into a tissue and wash their hands.

While even with all these tips you can not avoid catching a bug or cold, I hope it helps minimize the number bugs your child get this school year.

Random BOOGER ... RockerByeBaby $8.00	Happy Hanna the h... kookycritters $6.00	Wet Bag - Large Pur ... PinkPigeonCr... $20.00	Baby Girl Burp Cloth... katelyb $12.50
Soap, All Natural, Citr... greenchildcrea... $5.50	Retro Rockets Wash... ApplesauceCra... $6.00	Octopus Soap Favor... YourlittleCupc... $27.00	Personalized Sippy ... BowsNTangles $22.95

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Fun Snacks this Summer

This summer I have seen so many creative ideas to make fun creative foods for kids. Fruit and vegetables, breakfast, lunch and snacks! Here are some of our favorites, enjoy!

Berry Fish Bread from Funny Food Recipes

Peanut Butter Banana Split Sandwich from Inspired RD

Carrot & Zucchini Bars from MOMables

Rainbow Fruit Kebabs from Sumptuous Spoonfuls

Lemon Squares from Babble (plus other deserts)

UFO Banana Bagel from Spoonful

Peachy Parrot from Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons

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5 Harmful Effects Of Disposable Diapers And Training Pants

From Anthony and Steph of SuperSkivvies. 

Because our company is an eco-friendly and sustainable company we feel that it is necessary to help people make an educated decision when it comes to choosing which products to use for their children. This is for the benefit of you and your child, as well as the environment.

It still amazes us how many people out there give no thought or regard to how the products they use are destroying the very Earth we all call home, even after being educated and shown the truth about harmful products. Unfortunately, a lot of people want to sweep these problems under the rug and forget about them. However, I think we can all agree that we need Earth in order to survive and give future generations the basic necessities of clean air, clean water, and healthy food. Simple right?

Take a look at some of the information we found about disposable diapers and training pants:

1. 18 billion disposable diapers end up in landfills every year in the U.S. alone, adding 5 million tons of untreated human waste to the soil. And did you know that it is illegal to put human fecal matter in your household garbage? The American Public Health Association and American Academy of Pediatrics have advised parents that “fecal material and urine should not be allowed to be co-mingled and disposed of as regular trash. This contaminates ground water and spreads disease.” Yes, you must remove all of the fecal matter from disposables before you throw them out. (Click here for information on disposing of disposable diapers)
2. Sodium polyacrylate is a chemical that makes disposable diapers so absorbent that it can absorb up to 100 times its weight in water. However, it can stick to children’s genitals and cause allergic reactions. In the U.S., this chemical was removed from tampons in 1985 when it was linked to toxic shock syndrome. And when this chemical was tested and injected into rats, it caused hemorrhaging, cardiovascular failure, and ultimately death.
3. 500 years! This is how long it can take each disposable diaper and training pant to decompose in a landfill. That means that every disposable diaper and training pant ever used in the world is still decomposing in a landfill somewhere. And almost 30 percent of each disposable diaper and training pant consists of non biodegradable products such as absorbent vinyl layers, Velcro, absorbent gelling material, and plastic packaging that will never break down.
4. Dioxin is a by product of the paper bleaching process used in the manufacturing of disposable diapers and training pants. It is the most toxic of all the cancer causing chemicals and causes birth defects as well as liver disease in laboratory animals.
5. As many as 100 viruses can survive in soiled disposable diapers or training pants for months. This includes the live polio virus and hepatitis excreted by recently vaccinated babies. These viruses constitute a potential hazard to sanitation workers and garbage handlers. No to mention the critters that will crawl into the landfill to find a meal and the birds that will pick through this garbage and fly to who knows where.

This is obviously not an exhaustive list of harmful effects. Ultimately, the choice is yours.

Later this week, in honor of Earth Day, we'll showcase some of the amazing fitted cloth diaper options available from EtsyKids shops.

SuperSkivvies can be found online at their blog, facebook, twitter and of course on Etsy:

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Fall Recipe: Butternut Squash Soup

I’ve been waiting for fall since at least July, so when I found butternut squash in our farm share bag last week, I knew we were almost there. I planned one of my favorite soups for the first day of fall.

I’ll tell you right now – I don’t peel and chop winter squashes anymore. I have zero interest in fighting with the tough skins, and I’ve cut myself with the knife more than once. Instead, I bake them. Slice the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and bake skin up on a greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees. This can take 30-60 minutes (or more) depending on the type and size of the squash. But, it is way less frustrating than peeling it. It just means you need to plan ahead a little.



Let the squash cool, and from there you can easily scoop the squash out of its shell with a spoon. On thicker-shelled squash, you can sometimes just lift the shell off of the squash. I did that once with a pumpkin, and it was so cool.

Taking care of the squash is the hardest part of this butternut squash soup recipe, which I got from the side of a Silk carton a couple of years ago. It’s ridiculously easy and just about the only soup my nearly four-year-old son will eat.



Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

3c chunked butternut squash
3c vegetable stock
1 clove of garlic, halved
1c soymilk
Pinch of ground ginger
Salt and pepper to taste

Simmer the squash and garlic in the stock for 10 minutes. Puree in a blender, food processor, or with a hand blender, and return to the pan. Add milk and ginger. Reheat, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bon appetit!
-Cori of Peace, Baby! Batiks

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a couple of things I didn't know...

In my magazine reading this weekend I've stumbled across a couple of interesting things that I didn't know about and I wanted to share...

1. Are you wondering whether that piece of fruit you're about to serve your kid is organic? Look at the PLU code on the sticker or packaging. If it starts with a 9, it's organic. If not, it may have been treated with pesticides.

2. Having a Raccoon in your backyard may make your child sick..These animals choose a spot to repeatedly us as a latrine, and their feces can carry a dangerous parasite known as Baylisascaris procyonis. According to a recent study in Emerging Infectious Diseases, raccoon latrines were present in more than half of the back yards that researchers investigated in suburban Chicago. Raccoons are common across the country, so check your yard every other week for small pieces of poop, the diameter of your thumb, suggests study author Kristen Page, PHD. Use disposable gloves to put them in a plastic bag and douse the area with boiling water.

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5 Life Skills Every Kid Needs

I just finished reading a most interesting article in Parenting Magazine. I wanted share some snippets. If you'd like to read the entire article - it is from the April 2010 Issue called Parenting Early Years. You can read more at Parenting.com and also find them on twitter and FaceBook.

5 Skills Every Kid Needs

1. How to be a loser
~Not the good for nothing loser but how to loose at something and still be okay.
!Lead by example...Model being a good loser over and over.

2. How to be a joiner
~Not that your child should be indistinguishable from the flock, but knowing how to join in an activity or a preexisting group.
!Teach your child to recognize the 'friendly vibes' that certain kids in the group may be giving off. Eye contact...instead standing outside the circle and asking 'can I play' and not being heard by anyone. They should approach the child that is making eye contact and smiling.

3. How to fight for what's right
~Being the defender of someone lower on the social food chain than you is enormously scary- it can feel as though your entire social survival is at stake, which is why almost all kids need help to do so. Having both the confidence and the moral judgment to not only refuse to join in the teasing but also walk away or even better stand up for what's right.
!All this takes is basic conversation...kids instinctively know that its wrong to hurt someone elses feelings.

4. How to be a good actor
~Knowing which emotions to reveal and which ones are better kept under wraps, to be expressed later. It also means learning ho to be less than honest at times for the sake of others feelings. You will no doubt teach your child to say to his well meaning great aunt who didn't get him a Wii 'Thank you, I can really use these thermal tube socks'.
!This one is all about impulse control. You can teach them how to keep from blurting out by giving simple guidelines and steps.

5. How to question authority
~A kid who questions authority and manages to do so respectfully and effectively is a kid who will do well for himself in the long run.
!Kids question authority naturally - the key is to guide them on how to do it politely and on your end, say yes whenever possible

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WOW it has really been a while!!

I feel like such a slacker lately.

Back at the end of October I had a little girl, and she is such a cutie. But then all my holiday shoppers started coming, so I haven't had much time for anything besides my baby and getting product out. So again I wanted to apologize for not blogging and that is why it has been a while since I was last on here to blog.

But it is a new year and I am excited to see what happens with everything. I hopeful I will be able to keep up with blogging on a weekly basis and maybe I can share a few photos of my new one a little later.

I hope everyone has set up some great goals for themselves for this year, I know I have. I want to get twice as much stuff into my shop as I had last year and with an infant it might not be possible but that is my goal. My other goal is to try to participate more in the group/team.

Happy New year everyone and lets make this year better than last.

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Aaaaaaah! The New Year is Finally here :)

I have been so excited to start 2010...it seems like this year has been in slow motion - almost like walking through sand - not in a bad way, just moving slow.

The New Year always seem to be a fresh start and very exciting! Are you excited? Surely you are - tell me you are!!! Do you have the list of 500 things that you will improve this year, personally and professionally? NO? ...yeah, I know - when you're perfect - it's hard to find anything to improve on...I totally understand! LOL! but seriously....

I have a rather long list of goals that I will be starting on immediately! The first of which is spend more time with my kiddos...even if i don't get around to sewing until the weekends - that's my number 1 goal! Number 2 - I'm gonna turn my house (that I'm always complaining about) into a place I want to live - one room at a time, even if it takes me all year. And thirdly, I'm gonna to be fervent about keeping my finances in check -IF IT KILLS ME!!!!

SO! There's my top 3....anyone care to share what some of there goals for this year are? We'd love to hear! I hope you all had wonderful celebrations with your family and friends! Here's to a healthy and productive 2010! XO

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