Sort of Wordless Wednesday

My front yard after a month of above 100 degree temps and no rain

The only flower still blooming in my garden.





But then we got some Rain. Not a lot, but just enough for the kids to go out and play in it.

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Phthalates - Avoiding Toxins

This post is part of an ongoing series on Avoiding Toxins in our Lives.  To read more on how to avoid toxins click here





Perhaps you have heard of Phthalates, but do you know what they are?
Phthalates are chemicals used to soften plastics and lengthen the life of fragrances.  They mimic our hormones, and are especially damaging to babies, children, teens and pregnant moms.
So what it the problem with phthalates? Phthalates have been linked to endocrine system  male genital  abnormalities, liver and kidney lesions, and higher rates of childhood asthma and allergies. The effects are most damaging to teen, children and babies. Additionally, because it crosses through the placental blood, pregnant women should avoid it as well.  But the most amazing thing to me is that as of 2003 Europe has banned their  use in cosmetics and in 2005 the use of phthalates was banned in children’s toys. However here in the United States we are not as lucky. It is up to us to police the products coming in to our house for our families.
How do we know what products have Phthalates?
Phthalates are used in many products as a fragrance enhancer, they are also used to make plastics soft. Think vinyl. It is almost impossible to tell if your  lotion or shampoo contains phthalates because personal care companies are not required to list all of their ingredients on product labels. They can simply list it as “fragrance”.  So at the very least, look for personal care products that are labeled “fragrance-free”. It is more  likely that they won’t contain phthalates. Better yet, look for products that are certified “phthalate-free.” 
Phthalates are also found in cleaning  products such as carpet cleaners, household cleaners and air fresheners to name a few. The spray type and the gel types.  The stronger the smell the more likely it has phthalates in it. My advice is to avoid that aisle in the store.
When trying to avoid phthalates are  found in plastic products be careful with plastic wrap, plastic bottles(including baby bottles), food storage containers. If you want to avoid phthalates look for plastics that have recycle codes  1, 2 or 5. Recycling codes 3 and 7 are more likely to contain phthalates and bisphenol-a (another known endocrine disruptor).
If want to read labels, and I suggest you do you can look for these names and avoid them to stay away from phthalates.

• DBP (di-n-butyl phthalate) and DEP (diethyl phthalate) are often found in personal care products, including nail polishes, deodorants, perfumes and cologne, aftershave lotions, shampoos, hair gels and hand lotions.
• DEHP (di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate or Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate) is used in PVC plastics, including some medical devices.
• BzBP (benzylbutyl phthalate) is used in some flooring, car products and personal care products.
• DMP (dimethyl phthalate) is used in insect repellent and some plastics (as well as rocket propellant)

 

Avoiding Phthalates
Keep in mind that you will not find recycling codes or material labels on all products.  But you can read the ingredients. There are some ways to identify whether or not there is phthalates in it are to look for these chemical abbreviations 

1. • DBP (di-n-butyl phthalate) and DEP (diethyl phthalate) are often found in personal care products, including nail polishes, deodorants, perfumes and cologne, aftershave lotions, shampoos, hair gels and hand lotions. (BzBP, see below, is also in some personal care products.)
   • DEHP (di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate or Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate) is used in PVC plastics, including some medical devices.
   • BzBP (benzylbutyl phthalate) is used in some flooring, car products and personal care products.
   • DMP (dimethyl phthalate) is used in insect repellent and some plastics (as well as rocket propellant)

The best way to avoid phthalates is to avoid fragrance in products and stay away from plastics. But I understand that not all of us can go out and immediately replace all of our household products at once. Going Green can be done in baby steps.

If you have plastics in the kitchen, please do not use them in the microwave to reheat foot. There is some evidence that phthalates are more likely to leach out of plastic when heated. For that reason you should also reconsider your travel mug. You are after all putting a hot beverage in it. If you save your leftovers try  mason jars. I love these. I even take my lunch in these if all of our thermoses are being used.
instead of storing your leftovers in plastic containers try mason jars. I love these. I even take my lunch in these if all of our thermoses are being used.

Since  Phthalates are what make vinyl (PVC) toys soft,  don’t give children plastic toys, this is especially important if you have a little one who puts things in their mouth. Try some wooden or cloth toys. You may be able to find toys that are  phthalate-free toys.
Paint: Paints and other hobby products may contain phthalates as solvents, so be sure to use them in a well-ventilated space.
Fragrance: Diethyl phthalate (DEP) is often used as part of the “fragrance” in some products. Manufacturers of personal care products are not required to list  DEP separately, so  choose personal care products, detergents, and cleansers that don’t have the word “fragrance” on the ingredients list. If you want fragrance try essential oils.
Vinyl: Vinyl shows up in a lot of different products; lawn furniture, garden hoses, building materials, backpacks, shower curtains and items of clothing (like some raincoats) . Opt for real wood furniture, and canvas or a non-vinyl shower curtain, and backpacks for you and your kids.
Finding Phthalate Free Products

Luckily for us, Safe Mama's has done some research for us and has a  cheat sheet of  paraben and phthalate free baby products. For products and brands not listed here you can check EWG’s Cosmetic Database.

When it comes to cleaning supplies stick to simple and natural products, like Bon Ami, or castile soap. Better yet, make your own natural cleaners. Just remember if it has a strong smell, it does not belong in your house.
As for plastics there are so many alternatives, instead of storing your leftovers in plastic containers try mason jars. I love these. I even take my lunch in these if all of our thermoses are being used.

 

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When it Rains it Pours

Since I haven’t done this in a while, I thought I would link up with the Real Housewives Of Oklahoma and tell you What is Going on in My Neck of the Woods

Well in my neck of the woods we were dancing this week. After what feels like all summer of HOT weather and it rained. Now it was not a lot of rain. But it lasted long enough that my kids were able to go out and DANCE  
The little guy (okay he is not so little any more), decided he needed an umbrella.












My oldest was literally leaping for joy. If you squint just right you can see the pouring down rain here.

The rain lasted long enough for the kids to get wet.


But the rain was not enough, it is still a raging hot furnace here and the front yard looks dead. The only thing blooming is this lonely sunflower that I am sure the birds planted.




The weathermen are saying that the only thing that will move this High Pressure weather system off of us is for a Hurricane to come through the gulf of Mexico and hit Texas, moving up our way. Now I don’t want anyone to be divested by a hurricane but I am praying for a little bitty one none the less.  This has been one LOOONG and HOT summer and it is time for it to be over. Not really, since we still have our hottest month ahead of us –August.
And that is what is going on in My Neck of the Woods

Much ado About Shampoo

Why Shampoo?

In our quest to live a more naturally green and frugal lifestyle we have been making some changes in the products in our home.  Lately we have been making some changes to how we wash our hair. 


But first a quick history of shampoo. Shampoo is an Indian word, meaning to massage, as you are massaging your head as you clean it. Prior to the 20th century shampoos were not commercially available. The first ad for shampoo appeared in 1914, it was for a brand called Cantrox. Rexall, a brand name I recognize, advertised  Harmony Hair Beautifier and Shampoo.
Originally, soap and shampoo were very similar products; both containing the same naturally derived surfactants, a type of detergent. Modern shampoo as it is known today was first introduced in the 1930s with Drene, the first shampoo with synthetic surfactants.   But it was not until the 1970’s when a cultural change took place and it became more common for women to wash their hair more than once a week. I can remember seeing the shampoo commercials whenever we watched TV. I wanted to be a Breck Girl, but loved Herbal Essences. Even if it was a weird green color.
Flash forward another 40 years and washing our hair, for most of us, is a daily occurrence.
But before you wash your hair again, I want you to consider a few things. Most shampoos are a alphabet soup of chemicals. Do you really know what is in your shampoo? When is the last time you read the label, or considered what the ingredients are or why they are being used?

Ingredients to Watch For


Phthalates,  these are used as fragrance and appear on the ingredients lists of around 70 percent of shampoos. They mimic our bodies hormones and have been linked to a list of medical problems.

Formaldehyde –it is used as a preservative and to keep bacteria from growing.

Sulfates –are know as surfactants. Surfactants give shampoos their lather, but are also drying.
Some common sulfates are

• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate,
• Sodium Laureth Sulfate,
• Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate Ammonium
• Laureth Sulfate
• Ammonium Xylene Sulfonate
• TEA Lauryl Sulfate Sulfur (in dandruff shampoos)Selenium Sulfide (in dandruff shampoos)

What is the big deal with all these chemicals? Well, lets say you are a modern person and have decided that modern chemistry knows what it is doing and create a great product. When you use commercially prepared shampoos you dry out your scalp. When you dry out your scalp, it will over produce sebum (oil) and you hair will be oily, When you use some of these other methods your scalp will start to normalize and produce less oil. This may take some time.
Let’s say you  have decided you don’t want an alphabet soup of chemicals on your head or the heads of your children. Or you are tired of buying shampoo after shampoo, not getting the results you want, essentially money down the drain. What can you do?

• Check your current shampoo against the database  list on EWG see how it fairs.
• Try to find one that is lower on the scale than your current shampoo
• Consider some alternatives to using shampoo such as:
• no-poo method – baking soda and apple cider vinegar
• Castile Soap, liquid or bar
• Cornstarch or even Cocoa Powder for dark hair
• Soapnuts
• A rinse with a pint of herbal tea.
• A shampoo bar
• Mayonnaise – real mayonnaise is full of olive oil, eggs and vinegar all are great for your hair and will clean and nourish it
• Beer – this was a classic rinse back when I was a kid, and for good reason, it clears out the residue from the many products you may use.
• Water only – I don’t wash my hair everyday, but I will give it a rinse out, especially if I have been in a pool, or after working out. Sometimes I follow up the rinse out with a spray of apple cider vinegar to condition it.

Now it is your turn.
How do you clean your hair?
What method(s) have you tried? I would love to hear about your experiences.

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Surviving Church with Kids–A Dozen Ways to make it through Church.

Recently we talked about the importance of having our kids in church with us. It was great hearing from so many of you, here, on Facebook, twitter and even in real life.

So How do you Survive Mass with Kids?


As usual my readers were ready with great suggestions.

Catholic Mommy – said  we“my parents brought religious books for us to read, sat in front where we could see, and as a last resort walked around in the vestibule.”

Doreen – said she when her kids were little she “was always prepared with cheerios and a quiet toy”

I would like to add a few of my own tried and true suggestions.

1. Read the mass readings ahead of time. This way if you are distracted you will know at least have some idea of what the homily will be about.
2. Msgr Daniel Muggenburg has been giving in depth teachings of the Gospel for years. He now has podcasts available for free. His insights are wonderful. These may seem a little old but the great thing is the Catholic church cycles through each of the 4 Gospels in 3 years. So every three years Cycle A, B and C come around.
3. Sit up front so kids can see what is going on  OR
4. Sit in the back to be less distracting with a boisterous child and for quick escapes
5. Bring religious books for kids to look at/read
6. Feed them before you go if possible, hungry kids are more likely to act up
7. Arrive a little early, so your child can explore. You might even ask the Deacon to give them a tour.
8. Cheerios – did I mention cheerios? You can pass these out one at a time to occupy toddlers
9. A sling or light weight blanket for nursing a little one. If you sit strategically this is possible in the pew. Once had to nurse a 3 month old in Notre Dame in Paris
10. Sit child parent child parent- this works for older kids too. Then they can’t torment each other. Not that my kids ever bug each other in church never.
11. Catholic Mom has great resources for children in mass, including :
    • coloring pages these relate to the Sunday readings  – perfect for younger kids
    • Mass worksheets with questions relating to the mass and the readings, – 7-10, 11-14
    • Lesson Plan – great for teaching Sunday School
    • Word search – Puzzle, Solution these work well in the classroom too
    • Crossword puzzle – Puzzle, Solution
12. Bring your patience and remember that they are children, can be loud and quite active fidgety

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The Heat is ON ! SOC

The Heat
Did you know you can get cabin fever during the Summer? This heat is brutal. We have experienced almost a whole month of temps above 100. Don’t tell me it is a dry heat. When the temp is 107 it does not matter if it is dry. It is too hot. 
I don’t know why they call it the Dog Days of Summer, well I do, but that is another story. Seriously, the dogs want to go outside but, will only spend a few minutes outside and two of our dogs prefer to be outside.
Speaking of outside I can’t throw the kids outside in when it is 102. CPS would be on my but if I did. Child Endagerment and all that.
We are on a water restriction here. No watering lawns and they even want us to limit washing dishes, laundry and showers. Okay I am all for less work for me. But do they want us to share showers? Because when it is 100+ outside people tend to sweat. Silly isn’t it.
Our long range forecast into August says we have a 50-50 shot of this weather continuing. Seriously, What does that mean? It means they don’t KNOW when we will cool off. My prediction is we will cool off the just in time for the kids to need winter coats for trick or treating.


The Rules
This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes only.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.
• Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
• Go to All Things Fadra and link up if you want.

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7 Quick Takes

1

It is hot, it is very hot. I know I wrote this last week, but the heat has no end in sight. They have just forecasted the next 8 days to be above 100 degrees. I don’t know if I can take the heat anymore. I am a New Englander. I know it gets hot there but it does not stay hot for more than a week or two. Not 2 months of temperatures 10 degrees above normal. My kids would love to be able to play outside. I would love to be able to work in the garden.  I just checked the 7 day outlook for weather and it does not look promising.  Unless you like 100 + temps and high electric bills.

Seriously though every time I drive by somewhere people are working outside I stop and say a prayer. I am just worried for those who must be out in this heat and those who have no where to go to cool off. And please if you are dealing with this heat check your cars. Heat like this will bring any underlying problem right up to the surface. Since we drive older cars, I am very cognizant of this.

2

School starts in less than 3 weeks. Yikes! We are trying to cram in as much fun as we can in the time that is left. We are also trying to get ready for back to school. This summer has flown by. It seems like we had something going on every week, a camp, swim lesson, ordination.

3

My yard and garden are officially dead. Even the weeds are dying. I am not a fan of lawns but I have one side of my front yard that is sooo dead there is more dirt than grass there. Hopefully the rain will come back in September, and I can plant some grass seed, or chamomile, or clover or some other useful plant. Sorry for the big shadow in the picture, but that is my house the front yard faces West, so morning is the only time to take a picture there.

4

I love my clothesline. It is wonderful this time of year. In this heat (101-106) a load of laundry dries quicker than the washing machine can wash the next load. However as much as I love my clothes line so do the wasps. Apparently they have decided to set up home there. Did you know that wasps are active at night? Well maybe only when you disturb them because they are sleeping on the towel you put in the basket.  We have had two wasp stings this week. I got stung putting on a pair of shorts that had been in my bureau. How that wasp got by me two other times I will never know.

5

How do you beat the heat when it is over 100 degree? Lots of swimming but even a pool can feel like bath water. So we headed to the creek. We took some friends with us and much to our  surprise we met up with some other friends of ours. Big surprise, becausee this creek is a one hour drive from our home. The water is a refreshing 50 degrees, as it is spring fed. Here the kids are sitting on a natural dam. Some parts of the creek are at least 10 feet deep and the creek is down 3 feet from last year. It was such great fun we may go back next week.

6

I have been trying some new things lately, I have been cleaning my face with honey and using the no poo method of washing my hair. My girls are trying these along with me. So far everyone if enjoying the changes.

7

Not only do I have a reputation for being natural and crunchy, I am getting a reputation for being fun and knowing my way around. People are telling me that my kids get to do fun things, funny is we don’t spend a lot of money.

As for the knowing my way around. I can get from point A – to point B with very little to no problem. I still don’t use a GPS when I travel, even long distances. Maybe that is because my father taught me to read a map and I have a memory for directions, or I inherited the GPS gene from my father and my mother’s brother, or as my 7 year old son says “Mom we have GPS’s in our brains”.  How do I know I am regarded as knowing my way around? Twice, this week friends have relied on me for directions. As I was sitting here trying to decide what to write for #7, I got a phone call from a friend who was driving through Ohio looking for directions to  Rhode Island. Yes that is a route I have driven before, by myself, with the kids.