To Your Health!

Picture visuals are always more appealing.



Holy Coupons Batman!

I found a new blog that I must share because of the outstanding list of healthy and organic coupons listed. Little People Wealth has a list with over a hundred links to healthy and organic coupons. I have never seen such a great resource put together before, defiantly go and check it out!

YIKES! Sunscreen Exposed

The Environmental Working Group has come out with their 2010 sunscreen guide, with many surprises. The EWG only recommends 8% of the 500 sunscreens that were tested. I'm shocked! Sunscreen is VERY important to my fair skinned, blond hair, blue eyed family, that also has a family history of melanoma. The EWG even has a "Hall of Shame" with some of the worst sunscreens listed. Here is a few of them:

~Banana Boat Baby Max Protect, SPF 100
Why? Because "this product protects babies from UVB radiation and the sunburns it causes but leaves them exposed to UVA radiation that penetrates deep into the skin. UVA is known to accelerate skin aging and cause skin cancer" (quoted from the EWG website)

~Panama Jack Naturals Baby Sunblock, SPF 50
Why? Because of a potential hormone disruptor (oxybenzone) in the baby sunblock.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? This makes me so angry that this stuff is even allowed to be sold!

So what are some of the best sunscreen out there?

~California Baby Sunblock Stick No Fragrance, SPF 30+
~Loving Naturals Sunscreen, SPF 30+
~Soleo Organics All Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+

For more info about this new study, visit the EWG website

The Story of Stuff

I love this video. I think its a real eye opener! Ever since I've had children I've wanted a simpler life. A life that wasn't filled with all kinds of meaningless belongings and a nagging feeling that we should be "keeping up with the Jones".

I think about all the stories my mother (who was born in the 1950s) and my grandmother (born in the 1920s) would tell me about living in a house, that is small by today's standards, and still managing to keep it running smoothly and well organized, while being filled with 9 people!!!! Why could they do this? Because they didn't have a ton of useless stuff hanging around like we do today!

Think about all the kitchen gadgets we have: stand alone mixers, toaster ovens, coffee makers, food processors, magic bullets, sandwich pressers, microwaves, the list just goes on and on. My grandmother used to make dinner every night for herself, her husband, and their 7 children without the help of any of these new devices. It makes me wonder why I find it so tricky to feed myself, my husband and our TWO children, and I have most of these gadgets!

You MUST watch this video : THE STORY OF STUFF

The Dirty Dozen

Have you ever heard of the "dirty dozen"? It's a list of the top 12 fruits and vegetables you should always buy organic. Why? Because, according to the Environmental Working Group, we can reduce our pesticide exposure by 80% by avoiding the most contaminated fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables become "contaminated" when a large number of pesticides are used on a certain crop and the presence of those pesticides remain. Even if you scrub your food with warm water and soap, it is impossible to eliminate all the pesticides used to grow that item. SCARY! So here is the list of the Dirty Dozen, starting with the most contaminated:

1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Bell Peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Pears
9. Imported Grapes
10. Spinach
11. Lettuce
12. Potatoes