Seventh Generation is a company that makes a variety of environmentally and health friendly household products. I am a big fan of their kitchen products and regularly use their dish detergent and dish soap. Apparently they are making a trip to Washington to discuss toxic chemical reform with our lawmakers in Congress. In conjunction with this, they have started the Million Baby Crawl event where people can show support! I have made my own little baby named after my dear son Dmitry.
If you've never tried Seventh Generation products, I encourage you to give them a try. They strike a great balance between being natural and actually doing a good job at what they are intended for! Seventh Generation is readily available in many chain stores including Target and Publix and works pretty well. If you join their website, you can get great coupon offers and try free samples!
Their name is based on the Great Law of the Iroquois that states, 'In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.'
Recycling Philanthropy
Two new ways to contribute with unwanted items!
1) There are groups who collect books and magazines to send to our deployed soldiers! I donated our rolling stone magazines, baby magazines, and some books I have already read.
2) Many people have garage sales to raise money for nonprofits and school groups. I donated many unwanted things to an amazing 16 year old young man who raises money for the March of Dimes. They raised almost $500 so far! These people offered me a tax write-off too.
1) There are groups who collect books and magazines to send to our deployed soldiers! I donated our rolling stone magazines, baby magazines, and some books I have already read.
2) Many people have garage sales to raise money for nonprofits and school groups. I donated many unwanted things to an amazing 16 year old young man who raises money for the March of Dimes. They raised almost $500 so far! These people offered me a tax write-off too.
Proven Ways to Confuse Ants!
Hey everyone! Hope you have plenty to be thankful for this week!
Following a paper due for one of my classes, my sleep schedule was completely messed up. The next night I fell asleep very early, but then woke up around 3 am. I went to use the restroom and much to my dismay, there were little black ants crawling all around my tub. They were coming through the faucet on the bathtub. This week they are cleaning the apartment next to us, which was left absolutely disgusting by the previous tenants and I suspect they are coming from there.
Now, let me explain to you. I LOVE ants. They are one of the coolest animals around, and they are a very important part of natures clockwork. They can lift something like 50x their body weight. Ants have very complex social systems, with different roles being played within the colony. Some ant species take over other colonies as slaves. Colonies will fight to the death against other colonies. Some ants have gardens and they can even "farm" aphids! Fire ants form live rafts with their own bodies to survive flooding (which is not so cool in the US since they are invasive).
Anyway, I didn't want to kill the ants because
1) I think ants are sweet (if you don't think so, get an ant farm sometime)
2) I hate killing things for no reason
3) Putting cancer causing chemicals in my house around a baby is not an option
4) Killing the ants in my house won't stop them from coming again as you are not getting the source of the problem (ie the colony). The ants coming in are the scout ants who find food and bring it back.
So I looked to the internet for some guidance and found some great ideas! Ants rely heavily on chemical cues so anything that can mess up their chemical scent or ruin the trail they have made will confuse them. I located several things online that will prevent them from coming in. It is important to find the spot of entrance and use it there. I tried a couple
-Cinnamon! I used this and it stopped additional ants from entering! When faced with cinnamon they immediately turned back and wouldn't pass! No new ants have come into our bathroom at all.
-Black pepper apparently does the same thing.
-Vinegar. Yet another use for this amazing product. I sprayed this around the bathroom door to prevent them from leaving the bathroom and getting into our food or the pets food. It worked.
Now I have no new ants, but the few ants left are confused without their trail to get out. They are just sitting up against the wall and I sort of feel bad. I would just put them outside, but I know they won't make it back to their colony and will end up getting into rumble with another colony. I am hoping they find a way out before they die.
Other suggestions include borax, soap water, baby powder, catnip and mint.
If you must kill colonies, particularly if you have some nasty fire ants, try diatomaceous earth. Apparently this stuff dries out exoskeletons of insects and can be used for other infestations like fleas, ticks, and roaches as well!
Anyway, I hope you have a slight bit more respect for ants and maybe will consider using natural remedies instead of pouring chemicals in your house or yard which are bad for you and the environment!
Following a paper due for one of my classes, my sleep schedule was completely messed up. The next night I fell asleep very early, but then woke up around 3 am. I went to use the restroom and much to my dismay, there were little black ants crawling all around my tub. They were coming through the faucet on the bathtub. This week they are cleaning the apartment next to us, which was left absolutely disgusting by the previous tenants and I suspect they are coming from there.
Now, let me explain to you. I LOVE ants. They are one of the coolest animals around, and they are a very important part of natures clockwork. They can lift something like 50x their body weight. Ants have very complex social systems, with different roles being played within the colony. Some ant species take over other colonies as slaves. Colonies will fight to the death against other colonies. Some ants have gardens and they can even "farm" aphids! Fire ants form live rafts with their own bodies to survive flooding (which is not so cool in the US since they are invasive).
Anyway, I didn't want to kill the ants because
1) I think ants are sweet (if you don't think so, get an ant farm sometime)
2) I hate killing things for no reason
3) Putting cancer causing chemicals in my house around a baby is not an option
4) Killing the ants in my house won't stop them from coming again as you are not getting the source of the problem (ie the colony). The ants coming in are the scout ants who find food and bring it back.
So I looked to the internet for some guidance and found some great ideas! Ants rely heavily on chemical cues so anything that can mess up their chemical scent or ruin the trail they have made will confuse them. I located several things online that will prevent them from coming in. It is important to find the spot of entrance and use it there. I tried a couple
-Cinnamon! I used this and it stopped additional ants from entering! When faced with cinnamon they immediately turned back and wouldn't pass! No new ants have come into our bathroom at all.
-Black pepper apparently does the same thing.
-Vinegar. Yet another use for this amazing product. I sprayed this around the bathroom door to prevent them from leaving the bathroom and getting into our food or the pets food. It worked.
Now I have no new ants, but the few ants left are confused without their trail to get out. They are just sitting up against the wall and I sort of feel bad. I would just put them outside, but I know they won't make it back to their colony and will end up getting into rumble with another colony. I am hoping they find a way out before they die.
Other suggestions include borax, soap water, baby powder, catnip and mint.
If you must kill colonies, particularly if you have some nasty fire ants, try diatomaceous earth. Apparently this stuff dries out exoskeletons of insects and can be used for other infestations like fleas, ticks, and roaches as well!
Anyway, I hope you have a slight bit more respect for ants and maybe will consider using natural remedies instead of pouring chemicals in your house or yard which are bad for you and the environment!
Cloth Diaper Considerations
As a new mom, I struggled over many decisions on what was best for my son. One choice I'm thrilled I made was to use cloth diapers. While I was pregnant I agonized over what was better for the environment: Cloth or disposable? While disposables obviously have issues for the environment including bleaching, landfill waste, and leeching of human waste, there were environmental considerations when using cloth as well. Obviously the impact of manufacturing, washing/drying, detergent, all had to be considered. In the end I opted for cloth mainly due the toxic absorbent gel, Sodium Polyacrylate, found in many disposable diapers. I wash my diapers myself in environmentally friendly detergent and cold water and hang dry them whenever possible. Washing diapers is particularly easy if you are breastfeeding.
I have been amazingly happy at how easy using cloth really is! My husband and I both jumped right into it. Today's cloth diapers do not require pins, folding or soaking. While the old fashioned prefold diapers are still the most economical, many modern types of cloth have emerged. The different types include pocket diapers, contour diapers, fitted diapers, and all in ones. I intend to discuss several types in future blog entries. I have used several different kinds with mixed results. I LOVE my Fuzzi Bunz!
Modern diapers may seem expensive initially, but they are an investment. You could save thousands of dollars over the lifetime of the diapers by using cloth. They can hold up for years, be used on multiple children, and then sold used for a substantial percentage of the original price. If you can't afford new ones, consider buying used! Yes, it sounds gross, but its perfectly safe. There are even diapers available that you can use from the time a baby is born until the time they are potty trained!
In addition, my son hardly ever gets diaper rash, and I've even read that cloth diapered babies tend to potty train younger.
While the world of cloth diapering can be intimidating, I hope that doesn't deter you! It was one of the best choices I've made.
I have been amazingly happy at how easy using cloth really is! My husband and I both jumped right into it. Today's cloth diapers do not require pins, folding or soaking. While the old fashioned prefold diapers are still the most economical, many modern types of cloth have emerged. The different types include pocket diapers, contour diapers, fitted diapers, and all in ones. I intend to discuss several types in future blog entries. I have used several different kinds with mixed results. I LOVE my Fuzzi Bunz!
Modern diapers may seem expensive initially, but they are an investment. You could save thousands of dollars over the lifetime of the diapers by using cloth. They can hold up for years, be used on multiple children, and then sold used for a substantial percentage of the original price. If you can't afford new ones, consider buying used! Yes, it sounds gross, but its perfectly safe. There are even diapers available that you can use from the time a baby is born until the time they are potty trained!
In addition, my son hardly ever gets diaper rash, and I've even read that cloth diapered babies tend to potty train younger.
While the world of cloth diapering can be intimidating, I hope that doesn't deter you! It was one of the best choices I've made.
Product Review: Boon Squirt Spoon
While searching for things I needed to start Little Man on solid foods, I came across the Boon Squirt baby spoon on Target.com. Essentially the spoon has a barrel with a spoon screw on top. There is a small hole in the spoon and when you squeeze the barrel, it fills the spoon with just the right amount of food for the baby. I ended up getting one at our local Target for several reasons.
1) It looked like it would reduce waste! You don't need a bowl. Its all in one. Secondly, if baby decides he wants to throw it across the room, the whole bowl of food isn't ruined. Lastly, uneaten food isn't contaminated. Simply put the cover on the spoon and place it in the fridge for next time!
2) It was BpA-free, Phthalate-free, and PVC-free
3) It appeared to be easy to deal with, with less things to worry about at feeding time
4) It won't spill all over your house when baby throws it across the room.
5) The Boon Squirt also looks freakin sweet. :)
While I haven't used it much so far, I already LOVE this thing. I highly recommend it. It was everything I hoped it could be. The spoon is dishwasher safe.
The only cons I see are that the spoon is a little larger than some of the other first baby spoons. It takes a little longer to get used to for the baby. The price tag at $6.99 at Target is a bit high compared to your run of the mill spoon, but I think it will pay for itself. I am going to buy a couple more of these!
1) It looked like it would reduce waste! You don't need a bowl. Its all in one. Secondly, if baby decides he wants to throw it across the room, the whole bowl of food isn't ruined. Lastly, uneaten food isn't contaminated. Simply put the cover on the spoon and place it in the fridge for next time!
2) It was BpA-free, Phthalate-free, and PVC-free
3) It appeared to be easy to deal with, with less things to worry about at feeding time
4) It won't spill all over your house when baby throws it across the room.
5) The Boon Squirt also looks freakin sweet. :)
While I haven't used it much so far, I already LOVE this thing. I highly recommend it. It was everything I hoped it could be. The spoon is dishwasher safe.
The only cons I see are that the spoon is a little larger than some of the other first baby spoons. It takes a little longer to get used to for the baby. The price tag at $6.99 at Target is a bit high compared to your run of the mill spoon, but I think it will pay for itself. I am going to buy a couple more of these!
Dmitry's First Bite!
So my little man took his first bite today! I tried the first of the two recipes for rice cereal I mentioned in a previous post. It worked out quite well. I didn't find short grain brown rice at the grocery store so I used org
anic whole grain brown rice. It seemed to work relatively well. I did have to use my food
processor on ice crush for a while before it got to a powder. While simmering, the liquid was soaked up pretty quickly. The end result was a bit grainy, but nothing t
hat would make the baby choke. I probably would have run it once through the food processor again, but I dropped the processor on the floor and broke it. LAME! I've never seen regular rice cereal so I wasn't sure what to expect! But in the end, Dmitry actually stuck it in his mouth on multiple occasions. He even grabbed the spoon and brought it to his mouth. So I'll let him give you the final verdict:
anic whole grain brown rice. It seemed to work relatively well. I did have to use my foodprocessor on ice crush for a while before it got to a powder. While simmering, the liquid was soaked up pretty quickly. The end result was a bit grainy, but nothing t
hat would make the baby choke. I probably would have run it once through the food processor again, but I dropped the processor on the floor and broke it. LAME! I've never seen regular rice cereal so I wasn't sure what to expect! But in the end, Dmitry actually stuck it in his mouth on multiple occasions. He even grabbed the spoon and brought it to his mouth. So I'll let him give you the final verdict:
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