I met the postman at the door when I heard his truck pull up to the curb as my Nicki's Diapers order email stated they would arrive today. Too excited to wait any longer. I had ordered 3 covers and 9 inserts, they suggested you get 3 inserts per cover and when I checked the pricing of the inserts compared to me making them, they were very, very reasonable. I also ordered 7 packs of biodegradable inserts as they were on sale. It all came today and its all amazing! Definitely a great buy in my eyes so far. Granted the ultimate test will be when my little one arrives and we try them out. I'm so glad the diaper debockle is over, I think I was getting gray hairs over diapers.
I'm still very glad that I went to the Birth and Labor expo last weekend in Duluth so I could learn about cloth wipes and all natural wipe solution. I have everything to make the wipe solution with the exception of tea tree oil which I'm hoping to pick up on Wednesday when in Cook, MN. Though, I figured I don't need to make any until closer to the end of April so its fresh.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
Natural Cleaning Recipes put into action
So tonight I decided was a good night to make some home made natural cleaners to my liking. Like I've said before I do not consider Borax my friend. Just because its natural occurring doesn't mean its not poisonous as it is. Would you clean with poison ivy? Its naturally occurring.
The first recipe I put together was my laundry detergent which is in two parts. Wet and Dry. You keep them separate until you have your wash in the washer. I mixed equal parts of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda with Arm & Hammer Baking Soda and put it in a canning jar. Then because we are having a baby in about a month to a month and half (hopefully not longer) I have a baby food jar of Dr. Bronnor's Lavender Castile Soap and a baby food jar of Dr. Bronnor's Unscented Baby Castile Soap. You can add essential oils, I decided not to this time around. You can always add them. When your wash is in the washer add 2 T of the dry mix and 7.5mL of the Castile soap and that's it. I found a cooking syringe at Target in the cooking/baking aisle for $1.99. I washed my first load with this detergent tonight on whites, darks are currently washing and everything came out clean, no heavy smells, I plan on hanging them out side in the morning. I'm editing this part, I left my laundry in baskets last night so I could hang out this morning, before you put your wash in the washer turn the water on and put in the dry ingredients to let disintegrate before adding laundry, then add liquid. I had a few pieces this morning with the dry mix balled up on them.
The second recipe I put together was homemade window/glass cleaner. I bought spray bottles at the dollar store earlier this week to put the cleaners in as I didn't have any I could re-purpose, I think they got recycled. Its 1/4 c. vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon liquid dish soap, 2 c. water, shake to blend, and spray. I added a couple of drops of blue food coloring so my husband realizes what it is as he more then likely won't read "glass cleaner" that I've written on the side of it. I sprayed our bathroom mirror and tried with a squeegee first (not my forte) so I resprayed and dried with a microfiber cloth and its amazing! Streak Free, no lint and practically edible. The Liquid Dish soap I used is non toxic, not much left so soon I'll be making natural homemade dish soap. I can't begin to figure out how cheap this is vs buying Windex which is what these days $4-5. The total cost of the jug of vinegar was like $1.92, the water was free, the liquid dish soap around $4-5. HUGE savings and HUGE difference.
And last but not least the third recipe I put together was an all-natural all purpose cleaner which I got from Frugally Sustainable except I left out the borax and the Tea Tree Oil just because I didn't have any. But will be picking some up on Wednesday when I head up to Cook, MN. Tea Tree Oil is a natural anti-septic.
Will let you know when I make home made natural liquid hand soap and dish soap.
The first recipe I put together was my laundry detergent which is in two parts. Wet and Dry. You keep them separate until you have your wash in the washer. I mixed equal parts of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda with Arm & Hammer Baking Soda and put it in a canning jar. Then because we are having a baby in about a month to a month and half (hopefully not longer) I have a baby food jar of Dr. Bronnor's Lavender Castile Soap and a baby food jar of Dr. Bronnor's Unscented Baby Castile Soap. You can add essential oils, I decided not to this time around. You can always add them. When your wash is in the washer add 2 T of the dry mix and 7.5mL of the Castile soap and that's it. I found a cooking syringe at Target in the cooking/baking aisle for $1.99. I washed my first load with this detergent tonight on whites, darks are currently washing and everything came out clean, no heavy smells, I plan on hanging them out side in the morning. I'm editing this part, I left my laundry in baskets last night so I could hang out this morning, before you put your wash in the washer turn the water on and put in the dry ingredients to let disintegrate before adding laundry, then add liquid. I had a few pieces this morning with the dry mix balled up on them.
The second recipe I put together was homemade window/glass cleaner. I bought spray bottles at the dollar store earlier this week to put the cleaners in as I didn't have any I could re-purpose, I think they got recycled. Its 1/4 c. vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon liquid dish soap, 2 c. water, shake to blend, and spray. I added a couple of drops of blue food coloring so my husband realizes what it is as he more then likely won't read "glass cleaner" that I've written on the side of it. I sprayed our bathroom mirror and tried with a squeegee first (not my forte) so I resprayed and dried with a microfiber cloth and its amazing! Streak Free, no lint and practically edible. The Liquid Dish soap I used is non toxic, not much left so soon I'll be making natural homemade dish soap. I can't begin to figure out how cheap this is vs buying Windex which is what these days $4-5. The total cost of the jug of vinegar was like $1.92, the water was free, the liquid dish soap around $4-5. HUGE savings and HUGE difference.
And last but not least the third recipe I put together was an all-natural all purpose cleaner which I got from Frugally Sustainable except I left out the borax and the Tea Tree Oil just because I didn't have any. But will be picking some up on Wednesday when I head up to Cook, MN. Tea Tree Oil is a natural anti-septic.
Will let you know when I make home made natural liquid hand soap and dish soap.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Reusable Changes for the Planet = Frugality
This week I've been doing a lot of online research regarding healthier, greener, and cost effective ways of 'baby proofing' or getting our home ready for baby. Though I don't really want to call it 'baby proofing' because its not just for the baby's sake its for my husband's and mine as well. I already told you that I eliminated phyto and xenoesterogens from our home last summer and I got pregnant, that was step 1. I've been trying to make a greener living for myself for quite some time, I attempt it with my husband and he says he's on board but its me more or less making sure things get done.
People say a baby changes your life forever. Not just the fact that you are now responsible for someone other then yourself but that person depends on you for everything. 50-60 years ago people lived a lot more frugally then they do now and they didn't have the health problems we do now and they didn't abuse the earth as much as they do now. We are not changing for a greater good, maybe we are now as we are seeing our irresponsible careless attitude has had on our environment. We need to change.
I found a great blog this week: frugallysustainable.com its a great resource for a ton of simple, greener changes we can all make. I don't agree with all of her ingredients in her various cleaners as I have a real issue with Borax. But she grounds you in your thought process, reminds you of how life could be simplistic, happy, and frugal all at the same time. Its through her blog that I've decided to forgo toilet paper. We go through a lot of it right now as I'm 8 months pregnant and well nature calls quite often. We go through so much toilet paper its amazing and its mostly me. I always cringe when I have to buy more because its not cheap, plus it feels like sandpaper. We have to chop down so many trees in order to produce it, and its carbon footprint is quite large. So I'm in the process of making flannel wipes for my son's bottom as well as for my own. My husband sounded like he might try it too. You use the flannel wipes vs toilet paper and put it in a wet bag or similar to a diaper pail when done, soak, and then wash and dry like I will soon be doing with diapers. Material that can be reused and still sanitary, eco friendly, cost effective = Frugal.
Other changes we will start making as our paper counterparts run out are using microfiber cloths for cleaning vs paper towels or items like clorox wipes. Using only reusable sandwich bags vs plastic bags (my current selling item, our local whole foods co-op just purchased their first order this morning!), making fabric napkins vs paper towels or paper napkins, handkerchiefs instead of kleenex, natural cleaning supplies which cost a dime a dozen vs the conventional cleaners you buy from your local box store that are full of carcinogens, chemicals causing reproductive issues, and a host of other ailments and diseases. Even businesses out there like Melaleuca claim to be all-natural are a joke. We live in Northeastern Minnesota so we can't always bike/walk to get groceries or run errands so we will still need the use of our vehicles but even that will be cut down significantly by only shopping once a month, sticking to the budget we already do for every payday, and buying items on sale and only items we are going to use. I am usually a home health aide though I'm with out a client at the moment and I don't think they'll find me a new one till after my son is born and I have my doctor's permission to go back to work if I want to, so my gas consumption is quite low, but only shopping once a month, will save even more.
I told my husband this afternoon when we walked to Subway for lunch that by the time our son is in Kindergarden we should have our home paid off. He looked at me surprise. He earns the money and I budget the money. When we got married he was deployed for 6 months and when he returned and we did credit checks we found he had a lot of bad debt and his credit score was in the toilet. I got him out of his rut and into a decent credit score within a year and half. We are almost done paying off his car that he was upside down in. Then its paying my dad back for my car. Our credit cards will be paid off in 2 weeks and then cut up. I started the budget back in January so we could get his car paid off and our credit cards paid off to get those monthly bills out of the way for when our son arrived and my husband wouldn't have to work so much as I'm not working and so he can enjoy our son. When I lost my client I prayed that God would help us stay on budget so those big bills could still get paid off and we could still stick to the budget. And prayers truly do work because we are still on budget even though my on-call hours on the weekends don't bring in much money.
I can only imagine how much money we'll save by replacing our paper products with reusable products and natural cleaners which when made in bulk will last a year or longer.
I'm happy to say I'm happy living simplistic and frugal and healthier for not just me but my son and my husband.
People say a baby changes your life forever. Not just the fact that you are now responsible for someone other then yourself but that person depends on you for everything. 50-60 years ago people lived a lot more frugally then they do now and they didn't have the health problems we do now and they didn't abuse the earth as much as they do now. We are not changing for a greater good, maybe we are now as we are seeing our irresponsible careless attitude has had on our environment. We need to change.
I found a great blog this week: frugallysustainable.com its a great resource for a ton of simple, greener changes we can all make. I don't agree with all of her ingredients in her various cleaners as I have a real issue with Borax. But she grounds you in your thought process, reminds you of how life could be simplistic, happy, and frugal all at the same time. Its through her blog that I've decided to forgo toilet paper. We go through a lot of it right now as I'm 8 months pregnant and well nature calls quite often. We go through so much toilet paper its amazing and its mostly me. I always cringe when I have to buy more because its not cheap, plus it feels like sandpaper. We have to chop down so many trees in order to produce it, and its carbon footprint is quite large. So I'm in the process of making flannel wipes for my son's bottom as well as for my own. My husband sounded like he might try it too. You use the flannel wipes vs toilet paper and put it in a wet bag or similar to a diaper pail when done, soak, and then wash and dry like I will soon be doing with diapers. Material that can be reused and still sanitary, eco friendly, cost effective = Frugal.
Other changes we will start making as our paper counterparts run out are using microfiber cloths for cleaning vs paper towels or items like clorox wipes. Using only reusable sandwich bags vs plastic bags (my current selling item, our local whole foods co-op just purchased their first order this morning!), making fabric napkins vs paper towels or paper napkins, handkerchiefs instead of kleenex, natural cleaning supplies which cost a dime a dozen vs the conventional cleaners you buy from your local box store that are full of carcinogens, chemicals causing reproductive issues, and a host of other ailments and diseases. Even businesses out there like Melaleuca claim to be all-natural are a joke. We live in Northeastern Minnesota so we can't always bike/walk to get groceries or run errands so we will still need the use of our vehicles but even that will be cut down significantly by only shopping once a month, sticking to the budget we already do for every payday, and buying items on sale and only items we are going to use. I am usually a home health aide though I'm with out a client at the moment and I don't think they'll find me a new one till after my son is born and I have my doctor's permission to go back to work if I want to, so my gas consumption is quite low, but only shopping once a month, will save even more.
I told my husband this afternoon when we walked to Subway for lunch that by the time our son is in Kindergarden we should have our home paid off. He looked at me surprise. He earns the money and I budget the money. When we got married he was deployed for 6 months and when he returned and we did credit checks we found he had a lot of bad debt and his credit score was in the toilet. I got him out of his rut and into a decent credit score within a year and half. We are almost done paying off his car that he was upside down in. Then its paying my dad back for my car. Our credit cards will be paid off in 2 weeks and then cut up. I started the budget back in January so we could get his car paid off and our credit cards paid off to get those monthly bills out of the way for when our son arrived and my husband wouldn't have to work so much as I'm not working and so he can enjoy our son. When I lost my client I prayed that God would help us stay on budget so those big bills could still get paid off and we could still stick to the budget. And prayers truly do work because we are still on budget even though my on-call hours on the weekends don't bring in much money.
I can only imagine how much money we'll save by replacing our paper products with reusable products and natural cleaners which when made in bulk will last a year or longer.
I'm happy to say I'm happy living simplistic and frugal and healthier for not just me but my son and my husband.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Amazing Diapers
So it is true, Best Bottom Diapers are truly made for infants to approximately 35+ lb child or to when they start potty training. I was so confused I think I emailed Nicki's Diapers 4x today to get clarification, but what they old me was to watch a video on YouTube of their diapers an how they work. Its fantastic. We are going with Best Bottom Diapers from Nicki's Diapers in Wisconsin! We're gonna start out with 3 covers. As for inserts they have stay dry inserts, hemp/organic cotton inserts, overnight inserts, hemp/organic overnight inserts, micro doublers. So clearly I still have another step of research I need to do. The diaper covers ship free with Nicki's Diapers and all purchases $75+ are shipped free, they seem to have a point system too so for each item you purchase each item is worth so many points which can buy you diapers or other items they sell. I am going to be using biodegradable inserts on top of which ever insert I go with.
On another note, we stopped by Target after our last birthing class tonight to make a return and wanted to check out the bottle/nipple department as we learned that if you are going to breast feed not to use a nook or a bottle for the first 4-6 weeks which was news to me, but I'm glad they told me. I've seen those bottles with the nipples that look like a nipple:
Wondering how they would work, but we already bought playtex nursers. Though in the same aisle I realized were diaper wipes. I thought maybe, just maybe they might have some biodegradable wipes. They did. They were on clearance. Though I flipped it over and the first brand I found which was a name brand contained alcohol. I put it back on the shelf, moved over to the Target brand which stated it was biodegradable super affordable on clearance, 50 for $1.68, so I figured for $1.68 doesn't hurt to take them home and look them up on the skin deep website. Well, they are a no go. The Vitamin A Palmitate according to skin deep can cause cancer and major reporductive issues as well as being harmful for a pregnant woman to use as it can cause damage to the fetus. And yet they include it in a product for use on a child? Pays to do research. While I was out on Skin Deep I looked up the gdiaper wipes and they passed with flying colors.
I did grab all the flannel I had in the house this morning on my way to my studio. Cut out 8x8" squares, put right sides together and pinned. I'll get around to sewing them and top stitching them this week or next when I'm not sewing reusable sandwich and produce bags for a new account. I have 27 cloth wipes ready to sew.
On another note, we stopped by Target after our last birthing class tonight to make a return and wanted to check out the bottle/nipple department as we learned that if you are going to breast feed not to use a nook or a bottle for the first 4-6 weeks which was news to me, but I'm glad they told me. I've seen those bottles with the nipples that look like a nipple:
Wondering how they would work, but we already bought playtex nursers. Though in the same aisle I realized were diaper wipes. I thought maybe, just maybe they might have some biodegradable wipes. They did. They were on clearance. Though I flipped it over and the first brand I found which was a name brand contained alcohol. I put it back on the shelf, moved over to the Target brand which stated it was biodegradable super affordable on clearance, 50 for $1.68, so I figured for $1.68 doesn't hurt to take them home and look them up on the skin deep website. Well, they are a no go. The Vitamin A Palmitate according to skin deep can cause cancer and major reporductive issues as well as being harmful for a pregnant woman to use as it can cause damage to the fetus. And yet they include it in a product for use on a child? Pays to do research. While I was out on Skin Deep I looked up the gdiaper wipes and they passed with flying colors.
I did grab all the flannel I had in the house this morning on my way to my studio. Cut out 8x8" squares, put right sides together and pinned. I'll get around to sewing them and top stitching them this week or next when I'm not sewing reusable sandwich and produce bags for a new account. I have 27 cloth wipes ready to sew.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Diapering
So diapering has been a major viewpoint in my pregnancy. I knew I wanted to do cloth diapering but I'm completely new to all this and do you know how many cloth diapering systems are out there? I read about gdiapers early on and I still like their philosophy. Though you have to buy new outter pants as your baby grows. Then I thought I would do Honest.com diapers which are mostly biodegradable disposables except that the tabs are not biodegradable. Now yesterday I was reading the most current issue of Pregnancy and Newborn and found an ad for Nicki's Diapers out of Wisconsin. According to the website, this Nicki person developed her own cloth diapers that take all the pro's from all cloth diapering systems and eliminated all of the con's from them making ultimately 1 outer shell that will fit a newborn up to a child that is 35+ lbs. I did email them to confirm this and am still waiting.
If they do call to confirm, then I think we will be going with Nicki's Diapers Best Bottom Diapers as I will only have to buy so many outer layers that will grow with my son, so many of the cloth inserts and do disposable inserts on top that are 100% biodegradable that catch the poopy mess and you wash the cloth pads that hold the urine, then you're just supposed to be able to wipe out the cover and be good to go. There covers are $16.95 each though I do believe they have some discounts if you buy more than 3.
Cloth diapering proves to be earth friendly, as well as better for your baby's bottom, easier to potty train, and entirely more affordable then disposables. My two biggest reasons for being as "green" as possible is 1) the cost & 2) the impact on the earth. Which brings me to something new that I learned about this weekend at the Birth and Labor expo I attended Saturday morning in Duluth with my husband and my parents. Reusable Cloth wipes. Never did the idea cross my mind and yet people have been using them for quite some time, you can even buy solution to spray them with when you need a wipe for your baby's bottom. They seem to be made from 2 layers of 100% cotton flannel serged together on the ends to prevent frayed edges, which I don't own a serger but I could easily put two right sides together, sew, flip, and top stitch. Which I might try cause come on, wipes can be expensive and I'm looking at getting biodegradable wipes to use when visiting people or places where I won't be near my laundry room, but at home, that would be entirely easy. Let alone cost effective.
So all this research I've done the last 8 months and I've drempt about diapers and which ones I'd use, I think I know what I want to do, I definitely know I'm going to do cloth vs disposable. I just need to make a decision on which ones so I can purchase and have them washed and ready for when he arrives which could be as little as 6 weeks!
Have you cloth diapered? If you have what have you done? And what have you washed them in? Please leave a comment below.
If they do call to confirm, then I think we will be going with Nicki's Diapers Best Bottom Diapers as I will only have to buy so many outer layers that will grow with my son, so many of the cloth inserts and do disposable inserts on top that are 100% biodegradable that catch the poopy mess and you wash the cloth pads that hold the urine, then you're just supposed to be able to wipe out the cover and be good to go. There covers are $16.95 each though I do believe they have some discounts if you buy more than 3.
Cloth diapering proves to be earth friendly, as well as better for your baby's bottom, easier to potty train, and entirely more affordable then disposables. My two biggest reasons for being as "green" as possible is 1) the cost & 2) the impact on the earth. Which brings me to something new that I learned about this weekend at the Birth and Labor expo I attended Saturday morning in Duluth with my husband and my parents. Reusable Cloth wipes. Never did the idea cross my mind and yet people have been using them for quite some time, you can even buy solution to spray them with when you need a wipe for your baby's bottom. They seem to be made from 2 layers of 100% cotton flannel serged together on the ends to prevent frayed edges, which I don't own a serger but I could easily put two right sides together, sew, flip, and top stitch. Which I might try cause come on, wipes can be expensive and I'm looking at getting biodegradable wipes to use when visiting people or places where I won't be near my laundry room, but at home, that would be entirely easy. Let alone cost effective.
So all this research I've done the last 8 months and I've drempt about diapers and which ones I'd use, I think I know what I want to do, I definitely know I'm going to do cloth vs disposable. I just need to make a decision on which ones so I can purchase and have them washed and ready for when he arrives which could be as little as 6 weeks!
Have you cloth diapered? If you have what have you done? And what have you washed them in? Please leave a comment below.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Earth Friendly & Baby Friendly Cleaners
I have been nesting for a few months already, cleaning and organizing my home. Though as I've mentioned I don't like using conventional cleaning products because they are full of fake estrogens and other harmful crap. I ordered a discovery pack from Honest.com where I got 7 free almost completely biodegradable diapers and completely biodegradable wipes which look cute but obviously my son can't try them out yet cause he's not ready to join the world yet. But they also sent me a sample pack of their household products. Shampoo/bodywash, hand soap, body/face lotion, laundry detergent, and healing balm. The hand soap smells nice but doesn't do its job of cleaning your hands at all. The shampoo is less than to be desired, the lotion I used on my face and it was ok, I haven't had a need yet for the healing balm nor a nice sunny day to wash a load of laundry yet.
Though with the honest company you have to order so many products every month in order to get their products at all. You can't just pick and choose, which sits me on the fence and ultimately back to where I started. I've been trying to find a laundry detergent recipe that does NOT contain borax. Everyone on etsy seems to sell "natural laundry detergent" but when I asked their ingredients they all say borax. The main ingredient in Borax maybe a naturally occurring substance but its neither child safe or the natural in which I'm searching for, its poisonous and causes reproductive issues which is not my idea of natural, I'm looking for natural meaning safe. Through reading multiple discussion boards I don't know why I didn't get that Ah-hah sensation, but I already occasionally use a safe natural approach to laundry. When towels get that mildewy smell even though you've washed them and they still smell I throw about 1/4 c baking soda in with the wash and the smell is gone. So really I could just shave off some natural castile soap in with baking soda and some salt and be good to go and it would cost signficantly less then any of that crap you can buy at Target in a jug.
I'm also running low on hand soap. I found a super easy recipe for that today too. 1 gal water and 4oz of all-natural bar soap. You heat the water in a pot on the stove until it steams. While the water is heating, grate the entire bar of soap. When the water starts to steam, remove from burner, add all of soap, mix, let sit 15 min, mix with hand mixer, leave over night, mix again with mixer in the morning and pour into container with soap pump.
Though you do have to pay attention to what's in the bar soap, remember just because someone says its natural it could still contain crappy fillers. So do your homework, I always use the Skin Deep Database to find out just how safe each of the chemicals and oils are.
A lot of what I use for bath and body I buy from a local gal who has a shop in Cook, MN called Gilley's Naturals. The products she makes are amazing and as all-natural as she can possibly get. I use her shampoo, deodorant, headache relief, lotion bars, miracle oil, sunburn spray, my husband uses her stinky foot powder, lip balm, etc. Though she doesn't sell either of the items above and thus why I am going to attempt at making them.
Though with the honest company you have to order so many products every month in order to get their products at all. You can't just pick and choose, which sits me on the fence and ultimately back to where I started. I've been trying to find a laundry detergent recipe that does NOT contain borax. Everyone on etsy seems to sell "natural laundry detergent" but when I asked their ingredients they all say borax. The main ingredient in Borax maybe a naturally occurring substance but its neither child safe or the natural in which I'm searching for, its poisonous and causes reproductive issues which is not my idea of natural, I'm looking for natural meaning safe. Through reading multiple discussion boards I don't know why I didn't get that Ah-hah sensation, but I already occasionally use a safe natural approach to laundry. When towels get that mildewy smell even though you've washed them and they still smell I throw about 1/4 c baking soda in with the wash and the smell is gone. So really I could just shave off some natural castile soap in with baking soda and some salt and be good to go and it would cost signficantly less then any of that crap you can buy at Target in a jug.
I'm also running low on hand soap. I found a super easy recipe for that today too. 1 gal water and 4oz of all-natural bar soap. You heat the water in a pot on the stove until it steams. While the water is heating, grate the entire bar of soap. When the water starts to steam, remove from burner, add all of soap, mix, let sit 15 min, mix with hand mixer, leave over night, mix again with mixer in the morning and pour into container with soap pump.
Though you do have to pay attention to what's in the bar soap, remember just because someone says its natural it could still contain crappy fillers. So do your homework, I always use the Skin Deep Database to find out just how safe each of the chemicals and oils are.
A lot of what I use for bath and body I buy from a local gal who has a shop in Cook, MN called Gilley's Naturals. The products she makes are amazing and as all-natural as she can possibly get. I use her shampoo, deodorant, headache relief, lotion bars, miracle oil, sunburn spray, my husband uses her stinky foot powder, lip balm, etc. Though she doesn't sell either of the items above and thus why I am going to attempt at making them.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
My many reasons for going green
I'd like to think that ever since I was a little girl and learned about recycling and helping the planet that I've been doing it all along. And I do remember learning about the importance of recycling in school but at a very basic level. You look at the bottom of the container and see what number it is if it is plastic and you recycle it. Though growing up we seemed to have more paper in our household then plastic and so I only remember caring about paper.
Reason 1
Though I'm not a little girl anymore, well I'm sure my father might still think so, but I'm guessing he's always going to consider me his little girl. I've been educated and educated and I've sought out the education on living healthier not only for the planet but for myself. I think my major change came in 2007 when I moved home to the Iron Range after living four years in St. Cloud, MN. It wasn't really "due" to the move but what changes I made when I moved. I had been suffering from endometriosis from just soon after experiencing my first period and I was a 3rd grader when that happened. The only way the traditional M.D. could figure out how to attempt to manage my severe pain that time around the month was to put me on birth control even though I wasn't sexually active. I was on various forms of birth control for a decade! Do you know what that does to you and your body?
I probably still would have been on birth control if my MD at the time didn't forwarn me that the particular birth control that I was on was coming off the market due to people complaining about the side effects and that there just wasn't any other option at the time for the reason I was on birth control. I was a bit freaked out telling him, I can't handle the pain, its too much. So, when I moved home to the Iron Range I decided to go grocery shopping at our local foods Co-op where I saw the book, "Prescription for Nutritional Healing." Ah, maybe they've heard of endometriosis, in which they did and had a whole section on it, someone working in the supplement department saw me taking notes and she photocopied the supplement section for me and showed me where to find the supplements and then asked me if I had ever heard of Monica Liddle, N.D. I stated, "no, what's an N.D.?" She stated that an ND is a Natural Doctor and that this particular lady was in Duluth. She gave me one of her pamphlets and I made an appointment. Monica was Ah-ma-zing! Monica took me off the birth control IMMEDIATELY! Changed my diet and upon the research I had done myself had started exercising. She told me to drink some dandelion tea, milk thistle tea, take cod liver oil, as well as evening primrose oil, Vit E, and B complex. So by changing my diet, exercising and all I incorporated into my sedentary lifestyle was walking about 1 mile every day and doing resistance exercises on my upper half every other day and resistance exercises on my lower half the other days, and taking supplements, I HAD NO PAIN associated with my next period. I didn't get the migraine telling me my period was coming tomorrow, I didn't get any cramps or bloating, and I started to lose weight naturally. I had gone back to see her in about 3 months and she took a double take cause she couldn't believe I was sitting in the hall waiting for her current appointment to finish. She was amazed that I had lost so much weight, that my dry skin was healthier as well as my over all complection which really was all just a bonus, because I DIDN'T have pain!
I continued doing what she originally told me to do. I dropped about 20 lbs before my body stopped losing weight because I was where I should have been, around 130 lbs.
Reason 2
In 2007, I also bought a house. So now it was essential to save money and why not help the planet at the same time. I started recycling everything I could to save on trash bags. Where I live you have to buy city garbage bags as well as get a monthly service fee on your utility bill for them to haul it away. So the less garbage you have to throw out the more you save on not buying city garbage bags.
Reason 3
In 2009, my husband and I opened a shop named, "Smith's Infusion." Our soul purpose was to only sell and represent MN artists but their products had to be "functional." We were in the beginning of the recession and no one had disposable money any more, so whatever we sold had to be FUNCTIONAL. Though opening a store isn't a reason for being green. It was some of the products we got from Minnesota Artists that took a different spin on things, example reusable sandwich bags. How Cool! Granted they were priced around $5-6 but if you think about it, this is something that will last a life time vs something that lasts 1 time. It doesn't leak plastic chemicals into your food and they have your own personality on the outside.
Reason 4
In 2010, I thought I was pregnant. But when I went in for a check-up I wasn't, just severely stressed out I guess. Though we started talking about how I wanted to have a family and that we had miscarried in the past, that I also had endometriosis and no matter what we did we couldn't get pregnant. I went thru all kinds of tests to figure out why I couldn't get pregnant. Some were painful, some were in the form of a pill to make me ovulate more of which they didn't prep me for considering they knew I had endometriosis they were supposed to do a biopsy of my endometrial tissue before giving me the drug because the drug could cause cancer so I stopped because after 2 runs we didn't get pregnant. Invitro wasn't an option we couldn't afford it. We stopped all fertility treatment and I did my own research. Endometriosis produces more estrogen then progesterone and you need progesterone for your body to hold onto a baby and not miscarry it. So I researched different types of progesterone cream. Found a legit one that wasn't made from wild yams. But then in my research found out that there are a TON of things in our daily lives that produce phytoestrogens and xenoestrogens which both mimic estrogen in your body as well as soy. So I eliminated soy from my diet that was easy. But phytoestrogens and xenoestrogens are in everything! Conventional laundry detergent, dish detergent, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body spray, perfumes, antiperspirant, period pads, lotions, plastic baggies, some water bottles, plastic containers, the list goes on. I also read that once you eliminate these fake estrogen's from your body and your lifestyle it takes 1 month for them to get thru your system. I started doing this in the month of July of 2011. We got pregnant mid August of 2011. THIS IS MY #1 REASON for going green. There is so much crap out there its making us sick and causing all these diseases we didn't have 50 years ago. This is why I made my own post partum pads and I haven't used plastic period pads in 3 years. Why we recycle, why we don't use conventional cleaners, why we are picky when it comes to diapers to put on our little guy when he comes, why we compost what we can, why we look at the containers of food before we purchase the food to make sure plastic will not be leaking into our foods, why we don't use plastic containers at home to store food, we use glass.
So think about you and your family and how you could be healthier just by going green. Questions on how to be greener, leave a comment below.
-Jenni
Reason 1
Though I'm not a little girl anymore, well I'm sure my father might still think so, but I'm guessing he's always going to consider me his little girl. I've been educated and educated and I've sought out the education on living healthier not only for the planet but for myself. I think my major change came in 2007 when I moved home to the Iron Range after living four years in St. Cloud, MN. It wasn't really "due" to the move but what changes I made when I moved. I had been suffering from endometriosis from just soon after experiencing my first period and I was a 3rd grader when that happened. The only way the traditional M.D. could figure out how to attempt to manage my severe pain that time around the month was to put me on birth control even though I wasn't sexually active. I was on various forms of birth control for a decade! Do you know what that does to you and your body?
I probably still would have been on birth control if my MD at the time didn't forwarn me that the particular birth control that I was on was coming off the market due to people complaining about the side effects and that there just wasn't any other option at the time for the reason I was on birth control. I was a bit freaked out telling him, I can't handle the pain, its too much. So, when I moved home to the Iron Range I decided to go grocery shopping at our local foods Co-op where I saw the book, "Prescription for Nutritional Healing." Ah, maybe they've heard of endometriosis, in which they did and had a whole section on it, someone working in the supplement department saw me taking notes and she photocopied the supplement section for me and showed me where to find the supplements and then asked me if I had ever heard of Monica Liddle, N.D. I stated, "no, what's an N.D.?" She stated that an ND is a Natural Doctor and that this particular lady was in Duluth. She gave me one of her pamphlets and I made an appointment. Monica was Ah-ma-zing! Monica took me off the birth control IMMEDIATELY! Changed my diet and upon the research I had done myself had started exercising. She told me to drink some dandelion tea, milk thistle tea, take cod liver oil, as well as evening primrose oil, Vit E, and B complex. So by changing my diet, exercising and all I incorporated into my sedentary lifestyle was walking about 1 mile every day and doing resistance exercises on my upper half every other day and resistance exercises on my lower half the other days, and taking supplements, I HAD NO PAIN associated with my next period. I didn't get the migraine telling me my period was coming tomorrow, I didn't get any cramps or bloating, and I started to lose weight naturally. I had gone back to see her in about 3 months and she took a double take cause she couldn't believe I was sitting in the hall waiting for her current appointment to finish. She was amazed that I had lost so much weight, that my dry skin was healthier as well as my over all complection which really was all just a bonus, because I DIDN'T have pain!
I continued doing what she originally told me to do. I dropped about 20 lbs before my body stopped losing weight because I was where I should have been, around 130 lbs.
Reason 2
In 2007, I also bought a house. So now it was essential to save money and why not help the planet at the same time. I started recycling everything I could to save on trash bags. Where I live you have to buy city garbage bags as well as get a monthly service fee on your utility bill for them to haul it away. So the less garbage you have to throw out the more you save on not buying city garbage bags.
Reason 3
In 2009, my husband and I opened a shop named, "Smith's Infusion." Our soul purpose was to only sell and represent MN artists but their products had to be "functional." We were in the beginning of the recession and no one had disposable money any more, so whatever we sold had to be FUNCTIONAL. Though opening a store isn't a reason for being green. It was some of the products we got from Minnesota Artists that took a different spin on things, example reusable sandwich bags. How Cool! Granted they were priced around $5-6 but if you think about it, this is something that will last a life time vs something that lasts 1 time. It doesn't leak plastic chemicals into your food and they have your own personality on the outside.
Reason 4
In 2010, I thought I was pregnant. But when I went in for a check-up I wasn't, just severely stressed out I guess. Though we started talking about how I wanted to have a family and that we had miscarried in the past, that I also had endometriosis and no matter what we did we couldn't get pregnant. I went thru all kinds of tests to figure out why I couldn't get pregnant. Some were painful, some were in the form of a pill to make me ovulate more of which they didn't prep me for considering they knew I had endometriosis they were supposed to do a biopsy of my endometrial tissue before giving me the drug because the drug could cause cancer so I stopped because after 2 runs we didn't get pregnant. Invitro wasn't an option we couldn't afford it. We stopped all fertility treatment and I did my own research. Endometriosis produces more estrogen then progesterone and you need progesterone for your body to hold onto a baby and not miscarry it. So I researched different types of progesterone cream. Found a legit one that wasn't made from wild yams. But then in my research found out that there are a TON of things in our daily lives that produce phytoestrogens and xenoestrogens which both mimic estrogen in your body as well as soy. So I eliminated soy from my diet that was easy. But phytoestrogens and xenoestrogens are in everything! Conventional laundry detergent, dish detergent, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body spray, perfumes, antiperspirant, period pads, lotions, plastic baggies, some water bottles, plastic containers, the list goes on. I also read that once you eliminate these fake estrogen's from your body and your lifestyle it takes 1 month for them to get thru your system. I started doing this in the month of July of 2011. We got pregnant mid August of 2011. THIS IS MY #1 REASON for going green. There is so much crap out there its making us sick and causing all these diseases we didn't have 50 years ago. This is why I made my own post partum pads and I haven't used plastic period pads in 3 years. Why we recycle, why we don't use conventional cleaners, why we are picky when it comes to diapers to put on our little guy when he comes, why we compost what we can, why we look at the containers of food before we purchase the food to make sure plastic will not be leaking into our foods, why we don't use plastic containers at home to store food, we use glass.
So think about you and your family and how you could be healthier just by going green. Questions on how to be greener, leave a comment below.
-Jenni
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Green Projects for a Green Mom
Yesterday I had so much fun in my studio! My craft show on Saturday was more or less a bust but I think that was in major part to the fantastic weather we had, I wouldn't have gone to a craft show either if I hadn't paid for the booth. Since my next show isn't until Earth Day for Earth Day I did what I wanted in my studio yesterday. A lot of it was business related but I did get a chance to sneak in some reusable sandwich bags:
This particular reusable bag will be mine, the first one always is. Today I'll be making more, I have a lot of children themed fabric. I've been using them for 3 years now and they are wonderful. They obviously cut down on plastic consumption which is both harmful to the environment in its process of being made but as well as what ends up in the landfill. These are made from nylon and cotton, water resistant, hold their mess, and if they do get messy just flip up in side out and wash on cold and either hang dry or on the medium setting of your dryer. And being reusable and a lot sturdier then conventional plastic bags you clearly can reuse them and they are so much cuter.
Though, the other thing I made yesterday was postpartum pads for after my little guy is born. I have not worn conventional plastic period pads also in about 3 years. I had learned about luna-pads when I miscarried in 2008 and located a local shop that had them in 2009 and I've never gone back. I originally started with Luna Pads I had bought one main liner with wings and 2 fillers with wings and 2 pads with out wings that you use in conjunction with the main liner. Totally comfy, they never leaked. Then in 2010 I needed more and was a Etsy member and found a Etsy member who made similar period pads, so I bought a 5 pack. They're a lot shorter so perfect for lighter periods, they fold within themselves. But, now reading that after you have a baby you're gonna more then likely have a heavy period for about 2-3 weeks I was thinking money wise and green wise that I really need more pads, longer pads. On Etsy a set for postpartum mom's they cost anywhere between $65 and $135. Not exactly cash I want to spend on something I'm pretty sure I could make. So yesterday I made 3 liners with wings and 3 liners to go into each liner. I still need to pick up nylon buttons on a strap for the closure which I'll do today, but this is what they look like so far:
I used flannel like all the other pads I have for the wings and for the sewn in pad, but instead of using fleece as I didn't have any and some people use something called ZORB which looks just like felt which I happen to have in abundance I used 2 layers flannel and 1 layer felt. The separate pads to put into place are of the same. I usually use the main liner for more then one day depending on how light or heavy the flow is, so there will be more coming, but that's what I accomplished yesterday.
This particular reusable bag will be mine, the first one always is. Today I'll be making more, I have a lot of children themed fabric. I've been using them for 3 years now and they are wonderful. They obviously cut down on plastic consumption which is both harmful to the environment in its process of being made but as well as what ends up in the landfill. These are made from nylon and cotton, water resistant, hold their mess, and if they do get messy just flip up in side out and wash on cold and either hang dry or on the medium setting of your dryer. And being reusable and a lot sturdier then conventional plastic bags you clearly can reuse them and they are so much cuter.
Though, the other thing I made yesterday was postpartum pads for after my little guy is born. I have not worn conventional plastic period pads also in about 3 years. I had learned about luna-pads when I miscarried in 2008 and located a local shop that had them in 2009 and I've never gone back. I originally started with Luna Pads I had bought one main liner with wings and 2 fillers with wings and 2 pads with out wings that you use in conjunction with the main liner. Totally comfy, they never leaked. Then in 2010 I needed more and was a Etsy member and found a Etsy member who made similar period pads, so I bought a 5 pack. They're a lot shorter so perfect for lighter periods, they fold within themselves. But, now reading that after you have a baby you're gonna more then likely have a heavy period for about 2-3 weeks I was thinking money wise and green wise that I really need more pads, longer pads. On Etsy a set for postpartum mom's they cost anywhere between $65 and $135. Not exactly cash I want to spend on something I'm pretty sure I could make. So yesterday I made 3 liners with wings and 3 liners to go into each liner. I still need to pick up nylon buttons on a strap for the closure which I'll do today, but this is what they look like so far:
I used flannel like all the other pads I have for the wings and for the sewn in pad, but instead of using fleece as I didn't have any and some people use something called ZORB which looks just like felt which I happen to have in abundance I used 2 layers flannel and 1 layer felt. The separate pads to put into place are of the same. I usually use the main liner for more then one day depending on how light or heavy the flow is, so there will be more coming, but that's what I accomplished yesterday.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Welcome
Welcome to Maple Leaves under the Eves. This blog is my personal journey on becoming a new mom and sharing my ups and downs, my creative ideas, and tidbits with whom ever finds me.
I am very blessed for being able to take this journey as I miscarried 4-years-ago. I was quite early in my pregnancy when I lost my last child and we didn't know the sex as the child was too young for that to be depicted. So we named our lost child Peyton which is for a boy or a girl. Peyton has become part of my every day vocabulary as I do own and operate my own apron design company and I named the children's aprons "Peyton" so I would have a constant reminder in my life of the very loved child we lost.
In roughly 9 weeks I'm expecting the birth of my son, who I'm so very eager to meet. It has been absolutely amazing to hear his heart beat at 8 weeks and see how very small he was and then to see him again at 22 weeks where we found out he was a little boy. I've never truly experienced what I have experienced in this pregnancy. Its not easily explainable to a person who's never experienced carrying a child, its surreal, but truly a blessing, a miracle. I'm getting quite used to him squirming around and kicking, sticking arms or legs in not the most comfortable places such as my groin or rib cage, but definitely worth it.
With this pregnancy I didn't want to get my hopes up considering we lost Peyton sometime before 16 weeks. We didn't tell a lot of people until I was clearly beyond 12 weeks and even now some people still don't know as well they don't seem to have a place in our lives as they had in the past. In January my mother and I decided it was probably safe to start shopping for the baby after I passed 20 weeks and we knew what sex we were shopping for.
I made blankets, burp cloths, wash cloths, towels, wall hangings, we recovered an antique baby buggy that is on loan, from my dad. I made him a quilted dresser scarf, curtains, recovered a new lamp shade, and now am in the process of finding cute boys fabric for a sun hat and shoes. There is so much information in our world on what a baby needs and how a baby should be cared for and then there is all that crap out there that is crap. So I've been reading books, magazines, getting advice from my mother because I think she did a wonderful job with me. You can read about what is the best diaper out there now and you can read on how you should parent your child. I don't think I will need a book on how to parent my child. If you can provide love, comfort, support, I think I'll do just fine.
I have so much to share of how I got here and where I'm going and ideas of projects to do with our little boy when he arrives, I'll be sharing it all. My trials and errors of natural cleaning tips and tricks that are safe around kids and creative projects to make for your kids or with your kids. What ever happened to hands on parenting? Oh and by the way I will be a stay-at-home mom for the most part, working only occasionally when my husband can watch our little one. We need to learn from the mothers of the past, not the present.
-Jenni
I am very blessed for being able to take this journey as I miscarried 4-years-ago. I was quite early in my pregnancy when I lost my last child and we didn't know the sex as the child was too young for that to be depicted. So we named our lost child Peyton which is for a boy or a girl. Peyton has become part of my every day vocabulary as I do own and operate my own apron design company and I named the children's aprons "Peyton" so I would have a constant reminder in my life of the very loved child we lost.
In roughly 9 weeks I'm expecting the birth of my son, who I'm so very eager to meet. It has been absolutely amazing to hear his heart beat at 8 weeks and see how very small he was and then to see him again at 22 weeks where we found out he was a little boy. I've never truly experienced what I have experienced in this pregnancy. Its not easily explainable to a person who's never experienced carrying a child, its surreal, but truly a blessing, a miracle. I'm getting quite used to him squirming around and kicking, sticking arms or legs in not the most comfortable places such as my groin or rib cage, but definitely worth it.
With this pregnancy I didn't want to get my hopes up considering we lost Peyton sometime before 16 weeks. We didn't tell a lot of people until I was clearly beyond 12 weeks and even now some people still don't know as well they don't seem to have a place in our lives as they had in the past. In January my mother and I decided it was probably safe to start shopping for the baby after I passed 20 weeks and we knew what sex we were shopping for.
I made blankets, burp cloths, wash cloths, towels, wall hangings, we recovered an antique baby buggy that is on loan, from my dad. I made him a quilted dresser scarf, curtains, recovered a new lamp shade, and now am in the process of finding cute boys fabric for a sun hat and shoes. There is so much information in our world on what a baby needs and how a baby should be cared for and then there is all that crap out there that is crap. So I've been reading books, magazines, getting advice from my mother because I think she did a wonderful job with me. You can read about what is the best diaper out there now and you can read on how you should parent your child. I don't think I will need a book on how to parent my child. If you can provide love, comfort, support, I think I'll do just fine.
I have so much to share of how I got here and where I'm going and ideas of projects to do with our little boy when he arrives, I'll be sharing it all. My trials and errors of natural cleaning tips and tricks that are safe around kids and creative projects to make for your kids or with your kids. What ever happened to hands on parenting? Oh and by the way I will be a stay-at-home mom for the most part, working only occasionally when my husband can watch our little one. We need to learn from the mothers of the past, not the present.
-Jenni
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