Seriously Spoiled

As babies, both of my boys wanted to be held as much as possible.  And of course, I loved holding them but I just couldn’t get anything done around the house. That’s when I started using a baby carrier.

When my first son was an infant, I used a Snuggi carrier which was awful. It didn’t hold the baby securely and was painful on my back and shoulders - not to mention, he quickly outgrew it.

With my second son, I used a Cuddly Wrap in the beginning. This wrap was wonderful, especially from birth until about 3 months.  It totally secured the baby to my body and I could do any household chore with him attached. No worries about him falling out and he loved to be snuggled so close to me.  But as he grew, it became hard to get his long legs in it and he hated having to be held so tight to my body.

As the months passed, his need to be carried didn’t seem to subside. I really think in our case, he just wanted to be part of everything I was doing. I found I could get more done if I just gave in and took them with me rather than causing him cry over being left out.  Most days if I could do whatever it was I was working on - cooking, laundry, gardening - with the boy in tow, he was happy as can be.  The only trouble was that my arm and back would eventually get exhausted.

So I began the search to find an affordable replacement that could handle the job.  I’d seen a ring sling before and thought it looked like a great choice, but because they had become so popular, the prices were ridiculous. That’s when I found SweetPea Ring Slings. These homemade slings were selling for a much more affordable price and after reading the benefits of baby wearing, I was sold on trying this style of carrier.

The creator of SweetPea was kind enough to send us one of her handmade slings to try.  We have fallen in love with our ring sling!

• It slips on quickly and is so comfortable and easy to use.
• It’s like having a third arm! I’m able to do most everything with my 7 month old, 25lb son right along side me.
• It gives my arm much needed support.
• It’s also much more comfortable for baby, relieving pain and pressure on his back from constantly being held tightly.

The SweetPea Ring Sling is also very well made.  I believe it will pass the test of time and last through mine and my sisters’ babies too.  Now I just need to get SweetPea to make a waterproof ring sling for the pool this year!

Tagged as: Attachment Parenting, Baby Carrier, Baby Wearing, Handmade, SweetPea Ring Sling

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It’s true, I’m wild about coconut oil.  I eat it, I wear it and I can’t get enough of it!  I thought I’d include the following excerpt from my interview for the book The Coconut Miracle just to show you how serious I am about it:

I began using coconut oil on my face and body, but never expected to watch years worth of keloid scars from injuries, surgeries and acne start vanishing before my eyes.  The deep pink color is fading quickly, the thick over-growth of skin is shrinking  and the itching has completely disappeared.  Scars were an area of my life that I had truly given up on, as all the treatments I’d tried in the past failed miserable.  I’m so thankful to be regaining the smooth, umblemished skin I had as a teenager.

Needless to say, when Jyl of Mom It Forward offered me the opportunity to try the new Basa Body product line, I jumped at the chance!  And from the minute I opened the box and the fragrant scents hit me - I was in love

Basa Body’s all natural body products are made using organic virgin coconut oil from wild coconuts harvested along the beautiful coast of Kenya. They are free from harsh chemicals and parabens that irritate the skin, and contain no artificial fragrance, color or preservatives. The ingredients in their hand and body products are kept to a bare minimum and are 100% natural.

I’ve tried many, many coconut-based products over the years, but this one was has definitely topped my list - and here’s why.  I have extremely sensitive skin and had no reaction to Basa Body’s Natural Coconut Oil Body Lotion, Cherry Chocolate and Mint Truffle Soaps or the Basa Body Stick.  Every single product is downright luxurious and feel spoiled everytime I use them!

3 reasons you need to stop what you’re doing and go get Basa Body right now!

1. You can make a difference in the lives of the Mombasa women in Kenya.  These intelligent women work hard to feed their families to produce the virgin organic coconut oil used in Basa Body.   Basa not only purchases all their coconut oil from Coconut Coast Farms, but they also donate 10% of our profits to projects in Kenya to fight poverty.
2. Purchase any Basa Body or Coast Coconut Farms product by May 12 and you will automatically be entered into their giveaway and will have the chance to win one of three prizes: 1) a $250 Disney Gift Card 2) $150 amazon.com gift card, and 3) a $100 Target gift card. You will also be entered if you make a cash donation of $20 or more.
3. Between now and May 12, when you use the promotion code “momitforward,”  you’ll receive an additional 10% off Kiss Me pack purchases. This is a great Mother’s Day item for now less than $30!

>> CLICK here to donate

Tagged as: Basa Body, Chemical-free Skin Care, Coast Coconut Farms, Coconut Oil, Fight Poverty, Mom it Forward

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If you had asked me a while ago whether I would try a reusable cotton menstrual pad, I would have said absolutely not.  But over the last few years I’ve taken to investigating the cocktail of chemicals used in so many of my personal care products - including disposable pads.   As a result, I began using Chlorine-free Pads by Seventh Generation about a year ago.

Recently, I was offered the opportunity to try Lunapads, and I have to be honest - I only did it because I trusted the person who recommended them.  I kept thinking to myself, “I’m pretty sure reusable pads are for the extremely green gals out there who are willing to go through some torture to make a difference in the our landfills.”  But I decided to give them a try anyway, and my pleasant experience was more than I ever could have banked on.

My eco-friendly side is more of a light green, but I found that there are many more aspects to the Lunapads that make them desirable:

• Made with 100% cotton (available in organic), making them amazingly soft and breathable - unlike disposable pads and pantyliners.
• They don’t cause me to feel sticky and sweaty
• No glue means no pulling ouchies!
• Great for my sensitive skin (I experienced much less skin irritation caused by plastic and chemicals)
• I feel great about not adding to the 14 billion pads, tampons and applicators going into North American landfills every year

One concern I had in the beginning was how to go about using them while out in public, but they’ve solved that problem too with the waterproof Moon Bag.  It’s basically the same thing as the wet bags we use for storing cloth diapers, so I threw them in and washed the bag and all in a snap.  It couldn’t get much easier - and boy is it worth the new found comfort.  I’m a convert!

>> READ other informative reviews on Lunapads here and here.

Tagged as: Chemical-free, Disposable Menstrual Pads, Lunapad, Non-toxic, Product Review, Reusable Cotton Pads

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We love 5minutesformom and everything they stand for.  We feel an especially deep connection with them, because they’re sisters working their business and blog together, just like us!  Janice and Susan have started a whole new tradition that we’re excited to take part in.

Say it Forward is a great concept in a world of too much to do with too little time.  It’s special way to thank our loyal blog readers and commenters.  You know - those sweet souls who take time out of their busy day to whisper a little something about how they appreciate your hard work

We’ve already mentioned how spoiled we are, right?  Well, a fellow blogging Mommy contributes constantly to our happy state of being.  Everything about her is wonderful - she makes our world go ’round:

Melissa Moog, founder of the amazing Itsabelly Baby Concierge, has truly become one of our favorite Super Mommies.  We’ve only met one time in person last September at the ABC Kids Expo - and that was after a full year of anxiously waiting (that’s Melissa to next to me on the far right).

But the best part of our story is that we met through 5minutesformom . . .

Melissa emailed me to say she was so excited to find our business highlighted on their website.  She was a major part of the Green Baby Planning movement, and explained how excited she was to find our non-toxic feeding gear store.  Our friendship grew quickly, and today she’s one of our most vocal supporters!  She still takes time to read every blog post, leaving comments for us

So as you can see, Susan and Janice aren’t kidding when they sing the praises of supporting other bloggers by leaving comments!  You’ll reap huge benefits in the long run, even thought it takes a little bit of time now.

>> TAKE a minute to visit Melissa’s blog.

P.S. Just in case you were wondering if Melissa and I really are cool enough to hang out with Christopher Gavigan, CEO of Healthy Child Healthy World (to my left), Jil Howard (Melissa’s right hand gal) and Kevin Brodwick, founder of Thinkbaby (far left) - the answer is YES

Tagged as: 5minutesformom, blogging tips, Itsabelly Baby Concierge, Melissa Moog, Say it Forward

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Photo shared by mofmann via Flickr

The following is a guest post written by Karen Randall of New and Green Baby Co.

This is a big question on the minds of new parents.  Common opinions out there may say that cloth diapers are equal to or less environmentally friendly than disposables.  Have a look at the following information and decide for yourself.

Let’s take a closer look at some numbers:

How many diaper changes will your baby go through in the next three years?  7200!

Those thousands of diaper changes can be managed with 7200 disposable diapers or 24-48 cloth diapers!  Keeping these numbers in mind, let’s look what disposable and reusable diapers are composed of and what kind of draw they have on the environment - from manufacturing to end use.

Most disposables are made of petroleum based plastics for the outer layer, an absorbent layer of wood pulp fluff + super absorbent gel beads (sodium polyacrylate) and bleached paper.  Disposables typically also have dyes and fragrances in them to make them more pleasing to the consumer.

Each disposable diaper requires 1 cup of crude oil to manufacture the plastic.  Disposable diapers create 2.3 times as much water waste, use 3.5 times as much energy than cloth diapers.  The bleaching process also creates dioxins as a byproduct.  Multiply these factors by 7200 to extrapolate the environmental impact of diapering one child in disposable diapers.

Cloth diapers are made from various textiles, the most eco-friendly being bamboo, hemp, organic cotton and wool.  Home laundering of diapers each week uses about as much water as flushing your toilet 5 times each day during that week.  You can take steps to reduce your energy footprint by washing other laundry in cold, hang drying where able and using an earth-friendly detergent.

Bamboo & Hemp Diapers are becoming more and more popular, and for good reason.  Read more about bamboo and hemp’s eco-friendly growing conditions and their excellent properties related to cloth diapering.

Wool is a fabulous, renewable resource to use for a diaper cover. Read more about wool and other diaper covers here.

By choosing to diaper your child in Reusable Cloth Diapers, you can:

• Make a dent in the 4,000,000 disposable diapers thrown away every day in Canada
• Keep 1 ton of solid waste out of our landfills (per child)
• Reduce the amount of petroleum dependent products you are using in your household
• Adhere to the three R’s - Reduce (only 24-48 diapers vs. 7200), Reuse (every two days you are washing and Reusing your diapers) and Recycle (use the same set of diapers for baby #2 or pass on to another family)
• Teach your children that small steps can make a big difference in their world

Tagged as: Cloth Diapers, Eco-friendly, Environment, Karen Randall, New and Green Baby Co.

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Karen Randall is the founder of the New and Green Baby Company, an online cloth diapering boutique based in Vancouver, Canada.  Karen’s Cloth Diapering 101 Workshops make quite an impression on parents who are intimidated by the idea of using cloth diapers.  She removes the guess work and gets right down to the real issues involved in making a decision to cloth diaper.

So if you’re still debating - asking yourself whether cloth diapering is really worth all of the up-front cost and ongoing effort - take a minute to find out what Karen has to say.

Top 5 Reasons to Choose Reusable Cloth Diapers

More and more families are choosing to investigate the merits of reusable cloth diapers.  Here are five reasons to take a closer look at reusable cloth diapers for your child.

1. Better for the Environment:   Cloth diapers are simply better for the environment.  In the entire life cycle of a cloth diaper, a cloth diaper consumes much less energy and resources and produces far less waste than it’s disposable counterpart.  Disposable diapers are the third largest solid waste contributor to our landfills.  In Canada each day, over 4 million diapers are thrown away!
2. Better for your Child’s Health:  Cloth diapers do not expose your child to potentially toxic chemicals. The most common disposables are made from plastics, bleached wood pulp and super absorbent polymers called sodium polylacryate.  This substance was banned from Tampons in the 80’s due to it’s association with Toxic Shock Syndrome.  Cloth diapers are also breathable and are typically changed more often which equates better skin health.
3. Better for your Budget: Though it feels like there is a large outlay to purchase cloth diapers, it is a one-time expense.  For the first three years, until potty learning, you will have spent over $3000 using a disposable diaper system.  By choosing a cloth diaper system, you can save up to$2500 during your diapering career (and then use this system on a second child to continue the cost savings)!  Read about cost comparisons here.
4. Better for Toilet Training: Because babies who are in cloth tend to feel the wetness that comes with a pee, they often make that association faster and learn to potty themselves faster.  Disposables have a chemical super absorbent core that wick away moisture and remove the opportunity for children to learn that association.
5. Better for your Baby’s comfort:  We can’t actually ask babies what they prefer, but what would you prefer?  Paper & Plastic or cloth underwear?  I think I know the answer!

>> FOLLOW Karen on Twitter for more great info!  You can find her at @newandgreenbaby

>> INTERESTED in making your own cloth diapers?  Check out our simple DIY Homemade Cloth Diaper Pattern.

Tagged as: Chemical-free, Cloth Diapering, Eco-friendly, Karen Randall, New and Green Baby Co., Why Use Cloth Diapers

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Blogging Mom’s endure the constant struggle of an ongoing balancing act:  nurturing family needs while keeping the blog fresh and competitive.  The struggle rages on minute by minute, especially for parents like me, who are extremely driven to accomplish their to-do list.

Sommer of the Green and Clean Mom Blog cut straight to the heart of the matter in her blog post Mommy Bloggers Are Quitting.  One of her favorite bloggers decided to take a permanent break, causing her to step back and reflect on her own situation:

I have not done a good job at balancing my computer time and the divide between work, play and socializing is a hard line to define. It all just sort of meshes together but I have tried to set some boundaries which I believe has made it easier for the family and me but these aren’t always easy to stick to. I admit, I flounder on days but I’m human.

Sommer began investigating what successful bloggers suggest to create a good balance.  In a guest post on ProBlogger, Leo Babauta of Zen Habits shared a doable game plan that made her realize her time was valuable.  A light bulb went off and she re-arranged her blogging time to be a better match to her personal and business goals.  So instead of allowing herself to be consumed, burning out and eventually quitting, she decided to make the necessary changes for success in the long run.

In my particular situation, blogging is an integral piece of our online store.  So the question isn’t whether to blog or not, it’s simply how to go about blogging while successfully meeting my family’s needs.  I recently found some great advice posted by Adam Singer on The Future Buzz.  He offers realistic tips for successfully integrating blogging into your busy life.  Several points really struck me, and I’ve made a conscious effort to stick with my passion according to his common sense approach:

• Write what you know, write what flows easily - this should be a joy, as you’re writing on something you’re passionate about.
• Audit your time - to be successful, you should build blogging into the natural flow of your day.  To do this, you need to first audit your time.  Create a spreadsheet outlining every hour of the day you’re not at work.  Logically see where you can fit in 15-30 minutes to blog.  What do you do when you get home?  If you watch TV, spend hours on Facebook, or surf the web aimlessly consider using some of your free time to help yourself and write instead.
• Your blog and the benefits grow slowly over time if you stick with it - you don’t have to write 10 posts the first week.  In fact, you don’t even have to write every day, or every other day.

I’ve found that blogging while handling other responsibilities can definitely be done.  It’s not easy - in fact, some days it’s a constant battle to stay focused on my true priorities, and not to give in to those sideline distractions that steal my time and energy.  Sometimes I just have to stop and make myself listen to reason - choosing to ignore the draw of a looming deadline, the ideas swirling in my brain, or the Tweets calling my name.  Stepping back often to re-evaluate is non-negotiable for long-term success, and will help us avoid missing the target and eventual burn-out.

Tagged as: blogging tips, Home Based Business, Mommy Bloggers, ProBlogger, Re-Evaluating Priorities, The Future Buzz, WAHM, Working with Kids, Zen Habits

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The CaliBowl company was kind enough to let us give the stackable multi-pack a test drive.  We found the bowl’s bright colors and nice lines instantly pleasing, but we honestly wondered if the spill-resistant lip would live up to it’s name.

The CaliBowl is the brainchild of Jeff Bolinger, and we had the chance to interview him about the bowl’s unique design:

It’s simple! It’s a bowl designed with a wave like slope which pushes food onto your utensil avoiding any spillage and overflows. Like a wave in the ocean the lip pitches the food onto your desired utensil/chip or any eating medium. Whether its chips & salsa or any other type of food the versatility of the CaliBowl lends itself to endless applications.

Jeff confirmed for us that the bowl is made of tough polypropylene, which is free of BPA, PVC and phthalates.  The CaliBowl is gaining in popularity and will be highlighted on Food Network soon.  He was also excited to share that a new ceramic version, as well as a baby-friendly version with suction bottom and lid will be available in the coming months.

My son Kyle gave it a run for the money, and he loved it so much that he offered to demonstrate for our video review (that’s amazing for our shy boy!).  The Calibowl gets a definite thumbs up from us, and we can’t wait to try the baby-friendly version too!

>> JOIN their Facebook Group for more info and updates on availability here.

Tagged as: Baby Dishes, BPA Free, CaliBowl, Phthalate Free, Polypropylene, Product Reviews, PVC Free, Safer Eating Gear, Salsa Bowl, Spill-proof Bowl

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We finally got our hands on the Lolly chalkmat we mentioned a few months ago - and we’re in love!  PVC-free placemats are hard to find, so snagging one that is also reversible to a chalkmat is even better.  The mat rolls-up for easy storage and travel, making it perfect for dinners away from home.  Not only does it provide a clean eating surface, but also serves as instant entertainment for fidgety kiddos.

Sam and Bellie is well known for their unique yet practical products, and now they’re expanding their non-toxic niche.  Each Lolly product is made with water based dyes, BPA/PVC/phthalate-free materials and comes in recycled packaging (chalk is also included).

To top it all off, Sam and Bellie donates a portion of each Lolly sale to World Vision and the International Justice Mission to help stop child trafficking!  Now there’s a company we feel great about supporting

Giveaway!

We thought it would be fun to share them with you, so we’re giving away four Chalkmats (2 in Airplane Blue and 2 in Damask Pink)!

It’s easy to enter:

• Leave a comment on this blog post by Feb. 23, 2009 at midnight PST.
• For extra entries: 1) subscribe to our email updates (enter your email to the right) and note it in a separate comment, 2) blog about our contest and provide the link in a separate comment, 2) follow us on Twitter and leave your Twitter name in a separate comment, 3) Twitter about our contest and paste the url in a separate comment.
• Four winners will be chosen using a random integer generator and notified via email.
• Prize value $15.00 + free shipping.
• Open to U.S. residents.
• See our Privacy Policy here.

>> READ a great review of the Lolly Chalkmats by Safemama HERE.

You’ll only find the Lolly Airplane and Damask styles online at The Soft Landing.

Tagged as: BPA Free, Chalkmat, Child Trafficking, Ecobunga, International Justice Mission, Kids, Lead Free, Lolly, Placemat, PVC Free, Sam and Bellie, The Soft Landing, Toddlers, Twitter, World Vision

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