Organic Baby Products

It’s here, it’s here!!  Environmental Working Group’s 2010 Sunscreen Guide just came out and I want to get it into your hot little hands immediately!!

I was very happy to see that a local Minnesota company, Purple Prairie Botanicals still ranks as one of the best overall sunscreen brands out there!  I use their SPF 15 on my face and just bought the SPF 30 for the beach bag.  And good old California Baby (which is readily available, even at Target) is still tops too!

Be sure to check out the 9 surprising truths about sunscreen and make sure you’re not using anything from the sunscreen Hall of Shame!

Meanwhile, hope you’re getting outside and enjoying the nice weather!

Do you mind if I vent a bit this morning?  I’m still recovering from the sticker shock I experienced yesterday during a trip to the co-op for the upcoming week’s groceries. 

I spent a whopping $182.89 (after deducting $5.50 in coupons) and holy crap, I just don’t feel like I bought all that much.  Granted, I did splurge for some wild-caught Alaskan salmon for dinner last night.  (And it was deeeeelish…served on a bed of home-grown spinach and baby lettuces.)

But I keep thinking about all the things I didn’t buy because I just couldn’t justify the cost.  Like the local, organic asparagus for $6.59/pound!!!  It would have been great with the salmon, but I opted for green beans instead.  The rosy red organic peppers were calling my name but at $7.99/pound I figured I could do without.  My kids would have been thrilled if I had brought home some organic berries, but at $6.99 for a 1/2 pint of raspberries, $5.99 for blueberries and $4.75 for strawberries I decided to take a pass this time and wait (not very patiently) for our garden strawberries to ripen.

Now I know one could argue that I shouldn’t be lusting after foods that are not in season here in Minnesota.  But I am.  A true locovore I will never be.

Do you ever get frustrated by the sticker shock of healthy food?  Are prices for organic sometimes out of reach?  Trust me, I love shopping at co-ops and natural food stores because I know the food is consistently healthier for my family and for the planet than what I can find at a conventional grocery.  Plus I prefer to spend my money locally whenever possible.  But I can’t always do it.  Sometimes I have to compromise.  And when I do I get frustrated. 

Part of my anxiety about it is because I’ve been reading the book The Conscious Kitchen by Alexandra Zissu.  It’s a fabulous book (which I will be writing more about in another post) but as I’m reading, I’m thinking heck, I really should be doing a better job at buying food….there’s lots of room for improvement here….blah, blah, blah.  And then I head to the store all determined to buy everything organic and totally freak out about the prices!!  Does this ever happen to you?  I hope I’m not the only one to get a little cranky sometimes about trying to live consciously.

BTW – I’m hosting a book discussion about The Conscious Kitchen tonight as part of the Friends of the Saint Paul Library’s Eating, Reading and Living Well book series!  If you’re local, I’d love to see you there!  I promise not to be cranky.

{full disclosure:  The Conscious Kitchen is part of my Amazon affiliate program. Buy the book through the link and I will get a few cents out of the deal!}

How do you make walking to school more appealing than taking the bus?  You create a walking school bus!!! 

How do you create a walking school bus?  You start with one super motivated parent, you get his enthusiastic wife on board, you round up a bunch of interested parent helpers and oh, it helps if you get a federal grant to pay for safety vests, stop-signs and t-shirts.

This is exactly what my neighbors Scott and Jenny Bordon did recently.  Their ‘walking school bus’  was kicked off on Earth Day to encourage more kids to walk to the neighborhood elementary school.  They set up 4 separate routes to the school, each with a parent leader who is armed with a safety vest and stop sign.  Each route picks up kids along the way and they have quite a crowd by the time they get to school!  So far it has been a huge success and has gotten a lot of local press. They have over 100 kids walking to school 2 days a week through the end of the school year!!  Pretty cool, huh?

Interested in starting a walking school bus in your area?  Jenny told me that it was pretty easy to pull together and they were happily surprised at how many parents and kids ‘climbed on board’ to help make it happen.  They received a grant from the Safe Routes to School program – a federal program that encourages kids to safely walk and bicycle to

school.  You certainly don’t need a grant to get people to walk to school but a little cash might help get things off the ground.

What are your thoughts on walking to school?  Did you walk to school as a child?  Do your kids walk?  Is walking encouraged or discouraged by your school?

{image from Startribune.com}

Pesticides.  They may help keep the bugs away but they are not something we want to be ingesting ourselves.  Inevitably though, pesticides find their way into the produce.  Even when we wash them it’s not possible to completely get rid of pesticide residue.  That’s one of the reasons why it’s important to buy pesticide-free as often as possible. 

Want to read more about getting rid of pesticides?  The Get the Junk Out Carnival over at Kitchen Stewardship is covering the topic of pesticides this week!  Read all about how to “Get the Pesticides Out” on Katie’s blog and then hop over to Heavenly
Homemakers for details on growing a pesticide-free garden yourself.  Plus there’s a giveaway for some organic gardening supplies!

Also – you might want to familiarize yourself with the updated Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce put out by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) for 2010.  I was intrigued to notice a few changes to the list from last year: 

New to the Dirty Dozen:  Blueberries, Spinach and Potatoes

Off the Dirty Dozen:  Lettuce, Carrots and Pears

New to the Clean 15:  Cantaloupe, Grapefruit and Honeydew Melon

Off the Clean 15:  Tomatoes, Broccoli and Papaya

Now this doesn’t mean you should immediately change your shopping habits.  The list changes a bit with each new year of data and just because something is OFF the Dirty Dozen doesn’t mean it is pesticide free.  In fact, if you look at the full list of the 49 fruits and veggies tested, lettuce is the 13th worst item and carrots are the 15th. 

How do you manage pesticides in your diet?  Do you use the Dirty Dozen & Clean 15 lists?  Do you have a pesticide-free home garden?  Do you purchase a CSA? 

I tend to focus on the fruits & veggies that I buy most often and buy those organic almost all the time – like apples and carrots (yes, even though carrots are off the dirty dozen!)  As for the rest, I buy organic as often as possible but if I have to grab something conventional I don’t sweat it too much. 

In the summer, we have a small home garden where we experiment with different things and get the kids involved.  My husband just built me a new raised bed for Mother’s Day!!  And we also just joined a new CSA.  It’s called Common Harvest and it’s based in Osceola, WI.  I’m super excited to be part of this CSA that has been around for 20 years!!  And of course, I’ll hit the farmer’s markets now and then when I need to supplement.  Clearly, it’s much easier to eat pesticide-free in the summer than in the winter, at least here in Minnesota.

{image from RaeA’s photostream on Flickr}

Looking at the sleek packaging of the new Babo Botanicals line of hair care products for babies and kids, you would never guess they were made in a barn. 

A barn? Yep, a barn.  On an organic farm no less.

Kate Solomon, company founder and former Agricultural Peace Corps volunteer, wanted her products to be produced in an environmentally-friendly location as opposed to a giant factory.  She was excited to find an organic farm in Upstate New York that was not only beautiful but whose values matched her own.  Believe it or not, her salon-quality products are made in small batches in this quintessential red barn!!

The company mission is to provide high-quality, botanically-based hair, scalp and skin-care products that are safe for babies and kids (and nice enough that Mom will want to use them too!)  The ingredients are ultra-clean and there’s a whole list of things that you will NOT find in any Babo Botanicals product – things like parabens, sulfates and 1,4 Dioxane for starters.  Proof of their commitment to human safety – all 9 products have been given the lowest hazard rating (0-2) on the Skin Deep cosmetic safety database!!

 
My kids and I have been scrubbing up with some Babo Botanicals products for a couple weeks now and we give them a thumbs up!!  Actually, I don’t think my boys are wild about the Berry Primrose scent (I think they would prefer the Cucumber Aloe Vera) but I like the berry scent just fine.  Plus I love that their shampoos are color-safe for my hair!!  I’ve been using the detangler spray too and I can see how helpful it would be for a little girl’s long, tangly hair.  The Oatmilk Calendula lotion is moisturizing but not too heavy – just right for tender or sensitive skin.

Probably the most interesting products in the line are the Lice Repel shampoo and conditioning spray.  Have you ever received the dreaded lice notification from your kid’s school??  I have, dozens of times and (knock on wood) it’s never resulted in an actual case of lice.  These products are meant to be preventative so start using them when you hear of a lice outbreak or be proactive and send them with your kids to camp.  When used in combination these 2 products are clinically proven to be 95% effective at repelling head lice. (I know, it’s a gross subject – but someone’s got to talk about it!)

Moving on to a more exciting topic….Babo Botanicals has agreed to give away a Cucumber Aloe Vera gift set to one Mindful Momma reader.  The Cucumber Aloe Vera line is specially formulated for swim, sun and active play – it helps remove chlorine, salt and grime and protects hair from UV damage.  The set includes a Clean Sport shampoo and body wash, a UV conditioning spray, a set of 3 baby bunny soaps (so cute!) and a detangling hair comb (made from recycled plastic) all packaged up in a 100% natural juut bag.  Want a chance to win?  Just let me know which Babo Botanicals product you would most like to try.  For additional chances to win, subscribe to Mindful Momma via RSS feed or email, join my Mindful Momma Facebook Fan Page or follow me on Twitter.  (you must have a US shipping address to win). The contest will be open through midnight, Central time on Tuesday, May 18th.

Not the lucky winner but still want to try Babo Botanicals?  Mindful Momma readers can get 15% off any purchase through May 31st, 2010 by using the code BABOMOMMA at checkout.  Babo Botanicals products are also carried in beauty salons and select Ulta locations around the country.  Twin Cities readers can find them at Kasia Organic Salon near 50th & Bryant in South Minneapolis.

{Full Disclosure:  I received free product samples from Babo Botanicals for review and they are providing a free gift set as a giveaway prize.}

Sometimes, I must admit, having only one car is a royal pain in the butt.  I fear that my friends are probably sick of me bumming a ride to get to book-club or a party when my husband’s got the car with the boys.  I get tired of having to work our weekend schedule around our transportation needs.  I’m sometimes annoyed when I have to ride my bike.  I get crabby when I have to delay or cancel plans because I have no wheels.

We’ve been a 1 car family for about 3 years now.  My husband works in downtown Minneapolis and he either rides his bike or takes the bus to work every day – he’s the real eco-super-hero around here!!  After he started riding his bike we hardly ever used our second car.  Our poor VW Jetta was ignored for so long that it wouldn’t start when we finally tried to use it.  That’s when we realized that we really didn’t NEED two cars, it was just a habit we had fallen into.

At first I was convinced that we would need to use a car sharing program like ZipCar but we decided to hold off on getting a membership until we had seen what living with one car was really like.  Surprisingly, we found that we didn’t need a second car very often at all.  Granted, we do have to plunk down money for rental cars when one of us needs to go
somewhere for the weekend.  And we even take the occasional cab when we run
into a jam.

What happened was that having one car forced us to get creative.   As much as I might complain about having to ask for rides and change my plans, it really isn’t that big of a deal most of the time.

Are you a one car family or do you think that you could be?  If not, what’s holding you back?

{Ironically, at the time of this post, we are a 2 car family.  We just bought a new (used, but new for us) Toyota Highlander to replace our beat-up old Honda minivan.  Would have loved to have bought a hybrid Highlander but we are just not willing to spend that much money on a car!  We won’t have 2 cars for long though. We’ll be getting rid of the Honda after a few trips to get mulch and possibly some building supplies (we’ve got a big project up our sleeves!)…and then we’ll be back to the status quo….as a one car family!}

This is my post for the Green Moms Carnival, which is all about transportation this month.  Diane at Big Green Purse is hosting.  Visit her blog starting Monday, May 10th for a great round-up of posts about everything from the oil spill to using mass transit to biking to…..

Wondering what’s new in green but don’t have time to search the web?  Here are a few fun things I’ve discovered lately…

Kiwi Slice - My favorite eco-parenting magazine, Kiwi, has a brand-spankin’-new, web-based mini-magazine filled with eco-info, healthy recipes and more!  Not just another boring newsletter, this eMag has a lively, interactive format that makes it fun to read.  Best of all…it’s FREE!! Check it out and sign up to be notified about each new bi-monthly issue. (I’ve already printed out recipes for grass-fed beef lasagna and blueberry oatmeal cookies!)

Hip Diaper Covers – Want your baby’s bottom to stand out in a crowd?  Look no further than the BrookieBABY Etsy shop.  These durable diaper covers come in funky, fun prints (no pastels here!) and will fit over any prefold or fitted cloth diaper.  Purple leopard anyone?  {discovered via Eco Craftiness}

 



Eco-Chic Stationery – In the era of email and cell phones, hand-writing a letter might be considered a bit old-fashioned.  But my kids know that Grandma expects a real thank-you letter in the mail, not just a quick “thanks” over the phone when she sends a gift!!  That’s why I was happy to see this new line of eco-friendly stationery for kids from Sweet Pea Papery.  Hopefully these fun designs will encourage kids to write a real letter every once in awhile!  All designs are printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper using non-toxic toner inks.  Designs can be personalized too!  Now if I could only get my son to send me a letter home from camp!

DIY Felt Craft Tutorials – One of my favorite crafty blogs, How about Orange posted a wonderful list of tutorials for projects made from felt.  You can use new felt purchased from a craft store but you’ll be sure to use felt made from recycled wool sweaters, now won’t you?  (if you’re new to felting sweaters, be sure to read my tips for getting them to shrink just right!)

Do you have any Green Discoveries to share?

After a lousy fall and a somewhat dreadful winter, we are having the most amazing spring ever in the Twin Cities.  Isn’t there some way I can get time to just STOP for awhile?  I want to enjoy the beauty of these spring flowers for more than just a fleeting week or two. 

My neighbors tulips are so soft and pretty on the way to the bus-stop in the morning…

And so bright and cheerful at pick-up time!

Our crabapple tree is literally bursting with blossoms.  I just want to eat them up!

Here’s one way you might save the spring beauty for awhile.  Betz White created this lovely pussy willow tree filled with brightly colored, felted-wool pussy willow buds.  Make one for yourself!

The 4 seasons are wonderful and all….but wouldn’t it be nice to keep spring around just a little bit longer?