I recently won a Better Life Starter Kit from ecoSafe, an online group that does "non-toxic reviews." I've been working on being more eco-conscious, and this kit seemed like a great place to "start" (no pun intended ... or maybe it was).
Before I received the kit, I had been using the Clorox Green Works series. Let me be brutally honest: I hate it. The products are ineffective and assault my nose and respiratory system, and I'm not too kean on cleaners that do not list their ingredients or which reportedly use ethanol and other irritants. I later found out that in 2008, the National Advertising Division of the BBB recommended that "The Clorox Company discontinue or modify certain advertising claims for the company’s “Green Works” product line to better communicate product performance and that the products are not disinfectants." Furthermore, when searching for the MSDS for the Green Works cleaners, I found out that those I have been using were subsequently discontinued. No matter -- my use of these products has been discontinued, as well. In fact, it's been replaced by a far "better" product.
Better Life has it all - safety, sass and superiority. The company was born from the desire to incorporate a truly green and safe cleaning regimine into the creators' homes. According to co-founder Kevin Tibbs, "[Better Life products are] safe for our families and our planet. No warning labels necessary." In fact, they challenge us to imagine a world where childproof cupboards and caps are not necessary, and answer that challenge with Better Life.
It's hard to overlook the witty product names. The Starter Kit includes full size bottles of four of their eight producs: what-EVER!, Simply Floored!, Even the Kitchen Sink, and I Can See Clearly, WOW!. The products arrived in a "a natural, durable, collapsing six-compartment Cleaning Caddy," and came complete with a Twist Euro Sponge and a 2-pack Twist Loofah Sponge.
I used the what-EVER! spray on, well, whatever I wanted. I cleaned the "outside" of the toilet, the walls, the sink, the vanity, and, later, the kitchen counter, the kitchen sink, and the stove. I also used the sponge where possible, avoiding cross-contamination (in other words, the sponge didn't touch the toilet). It was a miracle worker. It left everything sparkling and grease/grime/smudge free.
The I Can See Clearly, WOW! was hands-down, without a doubt, the best glass cleaner I have ever used. I used it on the bathroom mirrors and all the spots came clean without any elbow grease. It even removed those dried-on little white toothpaste spots that you need to scrape off with your fingernail -- you know the ones I'm talking about -- and it did so with one quick wipe of the cloth. And what's more important, I feel great knowing that the next time my toddler kisses "the baby in the mirror," he won't be getting a mouthful of harmful chemicals and irritants.
I used the Even the Kitchen Sink cleaner in combination with the loofah sponge to tackle the soap scum on my bath tub. I'll admit, this one was a little tricky. I didn't want to waste too much of the cleaner, and the previous cleaners worked so well with so little. I sprayed the bathtub with the hand-held shower head, poured a little drizzle of the Even the Kitchen Sink on the loofah, and went to work. I worked hard, and the scum didn't appear to dissolve like I expected. In fact, it just moved around. So I used more cleaner, and scrubbed. A little more cleaner, and scrubbed some more. Hmmm. Then it occurred to me that maybe I needed a little more water, and so I turned on the hand-held shower head and sprayed it around. Guess what? The scum immediately washed away, and the tub looked whiter than ever before! This may not sound like much, but if you stop and think for a moment about the incredible staying power of soap scum, then you know that you could aim a shower head at it all day and it wouldn't budge. I expected the cleaner to "eat up" the scum, when it did exactly what it needed to do -- loosened it so effectively that a small, short, spray of water sent it down the drain! How ecofriendly can you get? This product even helps you conserve water!
The Simply Floored! one-step floor cleaner might have been the icing on the cake. My apartment has hardwood floors that seem to attract and show-case dirt and grime like nothing else. Add a messy 1 year old food critic, and you have quite the daily display. Simply Floored! took care of all the sticky and grimy spots with ease, and not having to rinse the floor afterwards made this tired mom's day!
In short, Better Life has saved my life in more ways than one. Using these cleaners means I won't be exposing my small family to harsh and harmful chemicals. You won't find any alcohol, dyes, ethoxylates, petrochemical solvents, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, or VOCs here. But most importantly, they make cleaning my house so much easier that I'm sure not to die from exhaustion any time soon! All that's left now is to find a way to safely dispose of those other "green" cleaners that are lurking in my bathroom cupboard. I guess I'll have to continue to childproof that one for the time being!
Now, if only someone could save me from my paper towel addiction ...
*Disclaimer: I won this Starter Kit. I did not buy it, and was not compensated in any way for this review, neither by Better Life, nor by ecoSafe. These opinions, and any mistakes or oversights herein, are my own.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
{this moment} - For the Love of Reading
A Friday ritual, inspired by The Leaky B@@b via Soule Mama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
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| "Children are made readers on the laps of their parents." (Emilie Buchwald) |
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Breast Milk or No Breast Milk? That IS the Question
I just finished reading an article in the April 2011 issue of Today's Parent called "I Didn't Have Enough Milk: Why So Many Canadian Moms Quit Breastfeeding."
It reads: "What's the number one reason moms quit (breastfeeding)? Not enough milk. That's the finding of a recent Toronto Public Health survey of more than 900 new mothers. It was also the most common reason given for stopping nursing and introducing formula in the first two weeks of a baby's life" (Hoffman, p. 62).
The article starts out with what appears to be a legitimate low supply anecdote (5 day old child brought to hospital where mom learns she is dehydrated and had lost weight). It then goes on to suggest routine ways to encourage a successful nursing relationship (skin-to-skin contact, no formula unless absolutely necessary, rooming-in and feeding on demand, showing moms how to breastfeed). At no point, however, does the article explicitly mention that more often than not, breastfeeding moms assume low supply when, in fact, that is not the case. This really should have been at the core of the article. Connecting the dots between feeding on demand, supply and demand, frequent nursing in the first few weeks/months, and the popularity of suspected low supply would have been the icing on the cake!
I think the article's heart is in the right place, but the title of the piece needs to be revisited. Breastfeeding moms need to know that although low supply issues can happen (as was the suspected case with the 5 day old mentioned above), they are not as common as we might think. Furthermore, this needs to be explained clearly but sensitively so that mothers who think they might be battling low supply issues do not feel attacked and instead are encouraged to seek out the help they need to reestablish their nursing relationship with their baby or babies.
It reads: "What's the number one reason moms quit (breastfeeding)? Not enough milk. That's the finding of a recent Toronto Public Health survey of more than 900 new mothers. It was also the most common reason given for stopping nursing and introducing formula in the first two weeks of a baby's life" (Hoffman, p. 62).
The article starts out with what appears to be a legitimate low supply anecdote (5 day old child brought to hospital where mom learns she is dehydrated and had lost weight). It then goes on to suggest routine ways to encourage a successful nursing relationship (skin-to-skin contact, no formula unless absolutely necessary, rooming-in and feeding on demand, showing moms how to breastfeed). At no point, however, does the article explicitly mention that more often than not, breastfeeding moms assume low supply when, in fact, that is not the case. This really should have been at the core of the article. Connecting the dots between feeding on demand, supply and demand, frequent nursing in the first few weeks/months, and the popularity of suspected low supply would have been the icing on the cake!
I think the article's heart is in the right place, but the title of the piece needs to be revisited. Breastfeeding moms need to know that although low supply issues can happen (as was the suspected case with the 5 day old mentioned above), they are not as common as we might think. Furthermore, this needs to be explained clearly but sensitively so that mothers who think they might be battling low supply issues do not feel attacked and instead are encouraged to seek out the help they need to reestablish their nursing relationship with their baby or babies.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
"A baby nursing at a mother's breast ... is an undeniable affirmation of our rootedness in nature." (David Suzuki)
By now you know my agenda. I'm all for breastfeeding. I don't think breast is best - I think it's normal. I think that despite the fact that formula is necessary in certain situations (and thank goodness it exists for those situations), people have to wake up and realize that it is not equal to breastmilk -- in fact, there are huge risks associated with artificial infant feeding. I believe that extended breastfeeding is as normal as breastfeeding a newborn. More than anything, I believe in the sabatoging power of "booby traps" and I think that if more women were aware of these, more women might choose to breastfeed.
Today was my son's 12 month developmental/vaccination appointment at our local community health clinic. We don't see our public health nurse often so she doesn't know us well and doesn't know about our nursing relationship. I knew the dreaded "whole milk" question was coming, especially since at our last vaccination appointment at 6 months, I was told that I must introduce cow's milk between the ages of 9 and 12 months so that it would not shock his system. ["Shock his system." This phrase alone speaks volumes! It (a) assumes that I would wean him by at least one year, and presumably overnight, and (b) unkowingly hints at the fact that young humans are not meant to thrive on cow's milk! But moving on ...] I tried to prepare myself with some statistics and facts regarding the benefits of extended breastfeeding, including a neat fact I learned the other day over at The Leaky B@@B: breastmilk contains a lot of cholesterol, which helps develop a baby's brain, but formula contains NONE!
She didn't ask the question until the end of the appointment. And it was phrased in such a way that I felt like I had walked into a giant bear-sized extended breastfeeding booby trap. "Is he on whole milk?" she asked. [Not "Is he on breastmilk, formula or whole milk?" Or, even better, "Is he on breastmilk or whole milk?", leaving formula totally out of the equation. Just a simple-yet-deadly "Is he on whole milk?"] To which I replied "No, he's still on breastmilk." Cue awkward silence. And then a barely audible: "Ok, that's fine. That's fine." Who was she trying to convince? Not me. I already knew it was fine. I knew it was much more than fine. I knew it was normal.
Perhaps I should give her the benefit of the doubt. Afterall, I do live in the province with the lowest initiation rate, so she probably wasn't expecting that answer. Perhaps she even had a mild panic attack that after my initial "No," I might go on to say, "he gets bottles of juice and Pepsi. And sometimes Tetley tea with lots of sugar." I'm sure it's been known to be said. I bet quite a few babies still come through who are reared on Carnation milk. But I know, in my proverbial heart of hearts, that the awkward silence spoke more than any words she might have chosen to fill the silence. She wasn't sure what to make of a 12.5 month old that wasn't drinking baby cow food. So all I got was a "That's fine."
Please know, dear readers, that I was not looking for celebration or shouts of "Hip! Hip! Hooray!" I didn't even want a pat on the back. I'm just trying to keep my babe healthy by doing what's normal -- breastfeeding him for as long as he'll have me.
Today was my son's 12 month developmental/vaccination appointment at our local community health clinic. We don't see our public health nurse often so she doesn't know us well and doesn't know about our nursing relationship. I knew the dreaded "whole milk" question was coming, especially since at our last vaccination appointment at 6 months, I was told that I must introduce cow's milk between the ages of 9 and 12 months so that it would not shock his system. ["Shock his system." This phrase alone speaks volumes! It (a) assumes that I would wean him by at least one year, and presumably overnight, and (b) unkowingly hints at the fact that young humans are not meant to thrive on cow's milk! But moving on ...] I tried to prepare myself with some statistics and facts regarding the benefits of extended breastfeeding, including a neat fact I learned the other day over at The Leaky B@@B: breastmilk contains a lot of cholesterol, which helps develop a baby's brain, but formula contains NONE!
She didn't ask the question until the end of the appointment. And it was phrased in such a way that I felt like I had walked into a giant bear-sized extended breastfeeding booby trap. "Is he on whole milk?" she asked. [Not "Is he on breastmilk, formula or whole milk?" Or, even better, "Is he on breastmilk or whole milk?", leaving formula totally out of the equation. Just a simple-yet-deadly "Is he on whole milk?"] To which I replied "No, he's still on breastmilk." Cue awkward silence. And then a barely audible: "Ok, that's fine. That's fine." Who was she trying to convince? Not me. I already knew it was fine. I knew it was much more than fine. I knew it was normal.
Perhaps I should give her the benefit of the doubt. Afterall, I do live in the province with the lowest initiation rate, so she probably wasn't expecting that answer. Perhaps she even had a mild panic attack that after my initial "No," I might go on to say, "he gets bottles of juice and Pepsi. And sometimes Tetley tea with lots of sugar." I'm sure it's been known to be said. I bet quite a few babies still come through who are reared on Carnation milk. But I know, in my proverbial heart of hearts, that the awkward silence spoke more than any words she might have chosen to fill the silence. She wasn't sure what to make of a 12.5 month old that wasn't drinking baby cow food. So all I got was a "That's fine."
Please know, dear readers, that I was not looking for celebration or shouts of "Hip! Hip! Hooray!" I didn't even want a pat on the back. I'm just trying to keep my babe healthy by doing what's normal -- breastfeeding him for as long as he'll have me.
"People need to understand that when they're deciding between breastmilk and formula, they're not deciding between Coke and Pepsi. They're choosing between a live, pure substance and a dead substance made with the cheapest oils available." (Chele Marmet)
"When people set Booby Traps, I'll be the first to 'spring them' on my own and inform the trapper that this booby is not about to be caught." (Jennie Arnholtz, fellow "Leaky")
"When people set Booby Traps, I'll be the first to 'spring them' on my own and inform the trapper that this booby is not about to be caught." (Jennie Arnholtz, fellow "Leaky")
Friday, March 11, 2011
{this moment} - Balloon for Mason
A Friday ritual, inspired by The Leaky B@@b via Soule Mama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
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| "I've told my children that when I die, to release balloons in the sky to celebrate that I graduated. For me, death is a graduation." ~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross |
RIP Mason
10/22/10 - 03/05/11
Friday, February 18, 2011
{this moment} - Joy
A Friday ritual, inspired by The Leaky B@@b via Soule Mama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
*** *** ***
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| Joy |
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Assisted Caesarean
I'm not sharing this on my Facebook because I think it might offend/shock some people, but I think the idea of an assisted caesarean is amazing. I truly believe there is a caesarean epidemic in North America, but for those who medically HAVE to have one, this seems like a truly beautiful way to participate in the birth of your child and to maybe avoid some of that birthing guilt that often comes along with a section.
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