Kid-Safe Chemicals - EWG Needs Our Support!

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) sent out an action alert to all their supporters asking for our help to "turn up the heat" on their effort for Kid-safe Chemicals.

Here is a snapshot from what the EWG sent out...

Tomorrow, October 6, we meet with leading scientists, policy experts, and business leaders for a historic conference to explore fundamental changes to U.S. chemicals policy, which EWG has been advocating for years. We will begin an intense, important, long-overdue conversation with key stakeholders about the steps needed to modernize our broken federal toxics law.

Watch our historic toxics policy conference online. You can join us by watching our conference livestream on (or after) October 6 and reading our blog updates throughout the conference on our Kid-Safe Chemicals site.


Please forward this on to your family and friends and let's tell Congress and the chemical industry that it is time we put children first and make positive change!

We are more powerful together: Ask 10 of your friends to sign our toxics petition.

Together we can send a powerful message to our representatives.

The Future of Food

What do we really know about "Genetically Modified Food (GMO)"? What will be the safety and long term affects on our food, our families and future generations? It is important for all of us to be aware and when possible, vote with our purchasing power for food that is grown naturally and safe. After watching The Future of Food, what is your opinion of GMO foods? Please share your thoughts and opinions.

White River Clean Up 2009

This coming weekend my family will join over 1,000 volunteers to find trash in and around the White River in Hamilton County. We have been participating in the White River Clean Up for almost 10 years. We started when my daughter was in Girl Scouts and now we work with the local Boy Scouts. Last year we found some big items... including tires. Participating in the White River Clean Up is a great opportunity to work along side our children in our local communities.

Steve Schwartz, founder of White River Rescue and owner of Schwartz's Bait and Tackle on the White River in Noblesville, has a better idea than most people on the health of the White River. Steve believes we have greatly improved the White River by making garbage dumping unacceptable. However, Tim Stottlemyer with Noblesville's Wastewater Utility feels that the next challenge deals more with problems that cannot be seen. Rain washes unseen soaps and harmful chemicals into streets and storm drains and then into our streams and local waterways. These unseen chemicals are not only an issue for the fish and wild life but also the health of everyone who enjoys the recreation on the White River and other local waterways.

If you would like to come out to help, organizers are meeting at the Moose Lodge at 950 Field Drive in Noblesville and hours are from 9 am to 3 pm. If you cannot help, I hope you will make safe choices when buying home care products and reduce chemicals in and around your home.

Most importantly, responsibly dispose of unwanted chemicals... including household cleaning products, pesticides, oil and old paint at the Household Hazardous Waste Center at 1717 Pleasant St., Noblesville.

Green Vacinations?

The idea of Green Vaccinations has been popping up in the news lately and there is an increased awareness of potential risk factors and possible links to vaccination complications. One factor may be that in 1983, the CDC vaccination schedule from birth to six years totaled 18 vaccines. Today, it’s 50 - that is a big jump! View the complete vaccine schedule for 2009 here: http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/2009-schedule.htm.

This issue has caught my attention and here are a few things to consider when preparing to immunize your child:

*Discuss with your doctor which vaccines are necessary for your child. We are all different and one size doesn't fit all.
*Avoid immunizing when your child is sick or recently recovered from an illness.
*Consider boosting your child's immune system before, during and after the immunization by providing a healthy balanced diet, eliminating or reducing sugar and increasing natural whole food supplements.
*Do not give your child a vaccine containing thimerosal. Insist on thimerosal-free vaccines. Those on the CDC routine immunization schedule should be thimerosal-free. Those not on the routine schedule, including the flu shot, typically contain thimerosal. If you give the flu shot, a thimerosal-free version may need to be special-ordered by your pediatrician.
*Always ask for and review the vaccine’s package insert. Read the section on ingredients so you know what is in the vaccine and ask your doctor any questions. Check for the following potentially harmful ingredients, which are called adjuvants: aluminum, antibiotics, and formaldehyde. Additionally, if your child is allergic to monosodium glutamate (MSG) or eggs, let your doctor know, and check the package insert for these ingredients. Note that all flu vaccines and the MMR vaccine contain egg protein.
*Some recommend one vaccine per visit. This may require multiple office visits, but giving one at a time (such as one vaccine per month) reduces any complications from the interaction of multiple vaccines. It will also help you identify which vaccine caused a problem if there are any adverse reactions.

To find natural health care professionals and resources in your area, visit http://www.integrativepeds.org/

FOOD, INC. In Local Theaters

FOOD, INC. is being held over in local Indianapolis Theaters for Another Week! if you haven't had a chance to go see it (like me), we are in luck. Landmark Theatres will be showing "Food Inc." for another week. FOOD, INC. is a must see for everyone who cares about what we eat, how it is grown and buying local. Whether you are new or a long time supporter to buying local, sustainability, food miles, or supporting and knowing local food growers, this is a movie for everyone. I will be taking my children this weekend and look forward to reinforcing buying local and similar concepts.

• "Food Inc." is playing at Landmark Keystone Arts Theater (Keystone at the Crossing)tickets.landmarktheatres.com/Landmark.aspx today through August 20.
• Current showtimes are 4:15 and 9:45 pm
• The film is rated PG, and has a running time of 1 hr 33 min.

For more information about the film, go to www.foodincmovie.com/

Juicing - Healthy and Fun with Kids

We bought our family a Jack Lalanne juicer and it has been a huge hit! I am always looking for new ways to introduce fruit and veggies into our diet and the juicer does that in a fun way for the kids. My son, who has traditionally been the pickiest eater of my kids, was the biggest fan initially but now it is a daily request by all the kids. They love it and I know they are getting extra fruits and veggies in a fun way. I even sneak in veggies in sweeter fruits and they don't suspect a thing. Here are some of our favorite recipe's, please share yours...

handful strawberries
1 apple
1 small carrot

handful strawberries
handful raspberries
pineapple

carrot
fresh ginger
apple

carrot
cucumber
fresh ginger
apple

Organic Chemical Free Gardening

I think one of the hardest places to eliminate chemicals for a busy mom is in the flower bed! I stopped using chemical weed prevention on my flower garden a couple years ago and I admit it has made my hobby a little harder to keep in line. Last year my husband teased me that I had a weed garden instead of a flower garden... the ratio of weeds to flowers was taking over. However, eleminating chemicals in our gardens and on our lawns is a growing concern among green moms. Healthy Child Healthy World is one of the leading advocates for organic chemical free gardening and shares that some of these chemicals have been linked to childhood illnesses including cancer. I admit it is difficult not to give in to using chemicals, especially when removing weeds manually can be so time consuming. However, I am excited to say there may be a safer solution that will not only save me time but save my back as well. Call your local garden center and ask for organic corn meal, a safe alternative to traditional chemical fertilizers. The Rocket Weeder I purchased last year and a good layer of mulch will also help me stay on my path of organic chemical free gardening... safer for my family and the planet. I'm looking forward to a relatively maintenance and weed free season without the traditional chemicals of the past.