The Yard Haunter
A cool site teaching you how to haunt your yard properly. 
A little late for this year but maybe next.
Pumpkin Recipes (including Vegan Pumpkin Pie)
Monthly Archive for October, 2006
Okay, here’s the deal. San Francisco became the first city in our nation to sign into law via The Stop Toxic Toys bill a ban on two toxic chemicals — phthalates and bisphenol-A. YAY..right?
Phthalates have been linked to reproductive birth defects, early onset of puberty, asthma, and reduced testosterone in boys. Bisphenol-A is a known hormone disrupter and even in low doses has been found to cause obesity, early onset of puberty, behavioral problems, reduced sperm production, increased cancer cell growth, and impaired immune function. It is used in hard plastic, as in baby bottles AND has been found to leach out into whatever is in the bottle.
Here’s the kicker, this past Wednesday a group of chemical manufacturers, toymakers, retailers and the owner of the children’s store Citikids (largest children’s dept store in San Fran) initiated a lawsuit to overthrow the ban! Yes, let us use our children as toxic punching bags and guinea pigs. I am so furious.
I am asking everyone to pass this information on and to make a statement with your dollars by avoiding those organizations and anyone associated with them. AND write them and tell them what you think of their ethics and desires to include these clearly toxic chemicals in products we expose our babies to everyday.
Here are the plaintiffs in the lawsuit;
• Citikids Baby News Store - San Francisco’s largest children’s department store;
• California Retailers Association - representing a broad base of California’s retail companies;
• California Grocers Association – representing California’s food industry, including national, statewide and independent retailers and suppliers;
• Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association - representing the manufacturers of children’s products including baby bottles and other feeding products such as cups, plates, bowls and eating utensils, teethers and pacifiers; and
• American Chemistry Council - representing the manufacturers of materials, including BPA, used to make these products.
Mr. Woo of Citikids Baby News, in a press release said in regard to the toxic chemical ban;
“The volume of our sales will drop and so will the number of our employees, since we won’t be able to keep them.”
Why not show him that his sales will drop even more if he pursues this malarcky? I’m honestly thinking of researching further to list EVERY SINGLE company associated with these organizations so we can all avoid them as much as possible. If you are interested in seeing such a list, please comment and I’ll do it.
Here’s more info on these toxic chemicals and why every industry is now having to deal with the alarming data;
http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/Policy/2006/2006-0107ab319.html
Most of us in natural circles know that triclosan isn’t a good thing due to promoting resistant bacteria. However, now there’s another reason to avoid this chemical altogether.
Current research now shows that Triclosan is an endocrine disrupter in frogs AND humans. Read more here; http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2006/oct/science/jp_triclosan.html
For anyone not getting to the link above, basically Triclosan has been shown in studies to have a chemical structure very similar to PCBs, can accumulate in the body and has been found in mother’s milk. The new research shows that Triclosan doesn’t mimic hormones rather when tested along with thyroid hormones actually sped up the impact of them.
“The data suggest that triclosan, at concentrations as low as 0.15 ppb, is capable of perturbing a fundamental hormone signaling mechanism that is nearly identical in frogs and humans”
This is scary stuff.
As a mother, I understand the germ issue. Sometimes keeping our kids from licking germ ridden shopping cart handles can be a chore. You can easily combat germs without having to use such chemicals. Look for a future post on what to use instead of Triclosan.
Last month, JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Assoc) published yet another study showing that ear infections, if left alone will go away without antibiotics. Add that to the American Academy of Pediatric’s stand that 80% of those ear infections will disappear on their own if left untreated by antibiotics.
So why are doctors still regularly prescribing antibiotics for ear infections? The answer is because their patients don’t know any better. We need to help educate our parent friends of the risks of antibiotics for ear infections. Its only when they are assured of their children’s safety that a change will happen.
More on this issue; http://www.webmd.com/content/article/127/116676.htm
A compilation of the studies showing antibiotic use for ear infections is not necessary as well as other risks of continued use;Â http://www.icpa4kids.org/research/children/antibiotics.htm
There are a number of natural alternative remedies that can be used for ear infections. The main concern to me is dealing with any pain my child might be experiencing. We dealt with numerous ear infections and fluid in the ear until my son was diagnosed with food allergies.
We used a hot water bottle (surrounded by a soft fuzzy bear) for those times when pain was an issue. We also had a bottle of garlic/mullein oil which you can find at any health food store. The one we purchase is by Herbs for Kids. Garlic/mullein are a natural antibiotic working to resolve the infection. The oil can be warmed as well (sit the bottle in a glass of hot water) which can help soothe pain. We also use homeopathy for fluid. Euphrasia, which is the homeopathic version of eyebright, helps tremendously to eliminate excess fluids that cause all this trouble. We used it after each cold and when we were dealing with ear infections. There are other remedies that can be used depending upon the symptoms shown. A quick google will help!
I heard Marion Nestle on NPR the other day and it sent me searching the NPR archives to share here. I couldn’t find exactly what I was listening to but found an excerpt from Marion Nestle’s book, What to Eat: An Aisle by Aisle Guide to Saavy Food Choices and Good Eating. The research she did was tremendous and even she was confused at all the labeling and such. I haven’t read the book yet but put it on my “list”. Making good choices is hard enough, we don’t need supermarkets adding to the confusion!
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5474564
Allright, I have to admit it - I DO like when my kids’ clothing matches or at least goes nicely together. For some odd reason, my 7 year old HATES to match. I can’t tell you how this makes me feel but I say nothing and try to “encourage” this or that shirt which would look SO nice. All to no avail, the kid will not take any clothing direction from me whatsoever. :0
I’ve tried to step back and NOT care. I still recall the beginning of it all when their father would put their PJs on mismatched. I’d ask him, “Why can’t you find the matching top/bottom? They are all in the drawer”. “Does it matter”, He’d say. sigh. The answer obviously is NO it does not matter in the scheme of things. So I’d let it go and just listen to that little voice inside screaming at me for not helping everyone match better!
This all comes up because today was RED day at school and lol…I can’t tell you how happy it made me inside that Connor chose a RED pair of shorts and a RED top (with navy accents)…something he’d normally never put together.
The little joys of parenting. 
Red….the new “thing”. Created by Bono and a way to continue doing your regular shopping while helping. Every dollar you spend on (red) items (the parenthesis are called an embrace and hug the product being sold) gets the Global Fund some funds. They purchase anti-retroviral drugs and distribute them to our fellow man/woman in Africa.Â
So think (red) and use your dollars to help save the world!
If anyone hasn’t heard of Ebates yet, this one is worth the read.Â
Ebates is an online affiliate program that can help earn you discounts each time you shop online. You enroll with Ebates (free) and each time you want to shop, you start at the Ebates site and click on the store you want to shop with. Ebates tells you the discount each store is offering to members. The discount amount ranges greatly and most stores sit at about 4-6% but if you think about it, earning 6% back just for shopping………its FREE money. ;) There are also over 800 stores to choose from by searching keywords or browsing by category.
 As an example, I just ordered a very narrow wood console table for our hallway from Bellacor costing about $200 and $12 was credited to my Ebates account. This particular store offers a 6% rebate.Â
 I’ve been a member of Ebates for many years but have often forgotten to start my shopping on the Ebates site, missing out on my FREE money. But now Ebates has taken care of that for me! They have a toolbar that you can download and each time you point your browser to an Ebates associated store, Ebates automatically will record/track it to ensure you get your rebate! How wonderful for some of us mama fried brains!Â
When your get your friends to sign up…..you also get a $5 bonus when they make their first purchase.Â
Click here to sign up:
http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?id=1741577
Happy Shopping!
Ingredients in your personal care that have never been proven to be safe! Check out EWG’s action page on it (excerpt below).
An Environmental Working Group (EWG) analysis found that more than 250 products on the market today contain one or more of 57 different types of nano-scale or micronized ingredients identified on product labels. Another 9,500 products contain ingredients that are available in nano-form, but were not labeled as either nano-sized or conventional-sized on the label.Â
None of the nano-scale materials identified have been substantiated for safety by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the industry’s own Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel (CIR).
 Tell cosmeceutical companies that you do not want nanotech in the products you use by supporting EWG’s efforts to ensure that these ingredients are tested for safety;
Just when you thought it was safe to eat spinach………
Now there’s a problem with lettuce. Irrigation water for Foxy brand green leaf lettuce has been found to be contaminated with e.coli. So far no one has fallen ill but to be safe, avoid the V shaped lettuce frame in the cellophane sleeve with the Foxy logo and the number 6SL0024.Â
 My husband’s aunt almost lost her life a few weeks ago to e.coli (from meat, not lettuce or spinach). Its prudent that we all take extra precautions now.