Bountiful Baskets VS. Farmers Market

Most people have no idea what a Bountiful Basket is. Today I experienced it for the first time and found it to be interesting. Not what I expected it to be. I heard about this from a friend and it sounded good so I thought I would try it out. She said they are a group of volunteers that give out food in laundry baskets and they get there food locally. Anyway so I went online and ordered two Organic baskets which are twenty five dollars (non-organic is 15 dollars each). On their website they say that if you volunteer that you be there an hour early. So I brought #1 with me and we went at the volunteer time. I knew the food had to get there some how but it came on a huge freight truck which I was not expecting. Then the organic variety was all presorted and most of the non-organic food was labeled from Mexico and California, which was surprising. Anyway when I looked at what I got in the box it was more of the same, Mexico and California. It was just disappointing. Later another friend said maybe it is because it has been super dry here. I hope that is the only reason because I like the idea of volunteer based food system but I really want local.

I like going to the farmers markets here. I like being able to see who is growing my food and being able to ask questions. There is usually a lot of variety and sellers of other goods like bread and honey. There's still that unknown factor, is the food really pesticide free or are they just saying that to get you to buy their food. I've asked a few when I've gone and gotten the yes answer but in my gut I don't believe it. I do know that all the food there is local, that's what I like most, though it is pretty important to me to have pesticide and hormone free!

The point I am trying to make is that where you get your food from is important! I am going to the first best thing and that is to grow my own garden but until things are ready I need a second best and I think I might just stick to farmers markets. I like supporting my local farmer and I can bring my own bags and produce less trash. Prices are just as reasonable. Also if you go towards the end of the day you can get some really great deals.

P.S. I was going to buy a share of a CSA which is the very best second option to get your food but apparently I was to late in the game this year and all the shares were sold out to my favorite farms already when I tried to get it.

Recipes..Part One

I have many people emailing me asking me what my recipes are for my natural cleaning and personal care products. This post will be focused on giving those to you. I usually Google them and try them out before tweaking them to our specific needs.

There are a ton of recipes for laundry detergent, my favorite one come from http://www.homemadelaundrysoap.net/ and I kept this one just like it says, it works great and smells great. I think that my clothes come out brighter than with all of the other detergents we used. This is just for the liquid detergent, that's what I prefer to use and would recommend because I know it works.

What you need:
If you make a double batch of the liquid detergent you need a bucket, I recycled a cat litter bucket, worked great! You also need a greater and a large pan.

Where to Buy Ingredients:
Most of the ingredients can be found at your local grocery store in the laundry aisle and at some Walmarts and Targets. Some people have a difficult time Fels Naptha soap. If this happens, you can either try a substitute (such as Zote, Ivory or Sunlight bar soaps, or other low-scented soap) or buy it online at Amazon.com. I got the Borax at Target (76oz for 3.50) I got the washing soda (55oz for 4.50) and Fels Naptha (1 bar for 1.50) soap at Ace Hardware.

What to Store Your Soap In:
To keep your large batch of liquid laundry detergent in a 5-gallon bucket with lid and keep a large wooden spoon in it to stir it before each use. I reused two liquid laundry soap containers and just stirred before transferring it. I did wash them before using them and you do have to shake them before using.

Scented Soap:
"The detergent has a fairly strong scent right after you make it, but it fades quickly. After the clothes are washed, there is little, if any, scent on the clothes. If you’ve never tried a non-scented laundry detergent before, it might be hard for you to accept that the clothes are actually clean. They are, whether they smell like soap or not. But if it continues to bother you, you might want to try adding a liquid fabric softener to your wash or even adding your favorite essential oil to your preferred liquid laundry detergent recipe"

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap Recipe

This is about .0096 cent per load for 10 dollars you get 1041.66 loads. lol

Ingredients:
1/3 bar Fels Naptha Soap (1 full bar Ivory or 1/3 bar Zote will also work)
½ cup washing soda (
½ cup borax powder
2 gallons water

Instructions:

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda (NOT baking soda) and the borax. Stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into a 2-gallon bucket. Add soap mixture and stir. Add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours until it gels. Use a ½ cup detergent per load of laundry.

The Math!

.04 per ounce borax

.08 per ounce washing soda

.50 per 1/3 bar Fels Naptha

.62 for 2 gallons of soap

16 cups in a gallon 

32 cups in a batch

1/2 cup per load

64 cups per batch

.0096 cents per load

Hair Spray

This is important to me and I found basically 2 recipes. One with lemons or oranges and one with water and sugar. I like my Hairspray to be extra extra hold so I combined the two and made my own.

Ingredients: 

2 cups water

1 orange cut in to pieces

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 ounce Vodka (preservative)

Sauce pan

Cheese cloth or similar (I used a wash cloth)

Instructions:

Put water and orange slices in sauce pan and boil until is reduced by half. Before adding slices squeeze juice into pan and throw slices in after. Strain with cloth in bowel. Add liquid back into pan and add sugar, stir until completely dissolved. Add vodka and let cool. put in a bottle with a fine mist. (should be good for 2 weeks or longer, I'm not sure exactly as I just made this)   I recycled a hairspray bottle.

The Math 
.50 cent vodka (Cheap is fine) you can even use rubbing alcohol. 
.25 cents orange
.003 cents sugar
.753 Per bottle  .503 if you use rubbing alcohol 

Red Robin...A Deliciously Wasteful Restaurant

Last night my husband took us to Red Robin for dinner, with a little protest as I don't think they are very healthy. I also want to mention that the other day as were planning to go there I called and asked where they get their meat from and if it is hormone free. The manager came to the phone and said that they get it from the Wolverine Packing Company in MI. He also stated that their meat does not or no longer has pink slime. Which I thought was good but I told him that that is not the same as hormones. I Googled Wolverine and called them the next day and asked them if they inject their cows with hormones and a guy told me no, I asked him how he could know that and he said they test the meat. I hung up the phone and was thinking that how could that really had been his answer? How could he just not tell me that they don't shoot up their cows with hormones? Now I may not be a super genus but I don't believe him. If he knew for sure that they don't, I think that's what he would've said.  I also called the main office of Red Robin in Greenwood Village near Denver and have not gotten a response yet.

 Anyway the main reason I wanted to write about this is because all I could think about while eating there is how wasteful it was. I asked to be seated outside as it was nice out and couldn't help but notice a family walk to their can and they had 3 balloons, the little girl, maybe 2 or 3 years old, accidently let go of hers. The family just stared up at it as it went into the sky. Right then and there I decided that my girls would not be getting anymore balloons, ever. They are so wasteful. Where do they end up? Popped somewhere, just laying there not biodegrading. What is there purpose anyway, they are useless, they don't clean anything, you can't really play with them, you just end up throwing them away and they are probably more toxic then we like to think about. The other wasteful thing was the napkins we of a ton of napkins and my husband asked for more, which we didn't use. They probably throw them away when they cleaned up our table. I decided to remedy this that I will be making napkins that we can take with us. I can just stick them in our diaper backpack for now and when I am no longer using that I will stick them in my purse. The 3rd thing was my fault I forgot to bring a dang container for leftovers and had to use their Styrofoam crap! Uhhggg!  I hate styrofoam! Not good for your health what so ever! Also terrible for our planet! I have been keeping all the styrofoam I have been accumulating and I am going to take it to the Denver to be recycled as I found out there is a place there that does it. Only one in the state. 

I want to mention that this is not intended to me a personal attack on Red Robin that this occurs in many restaurants. Consumers and restaurants need to be aware and help out! Red Robin DOES need to get rid of their balloons though! Also my husband did end up getting #1 a balloon, I was very disappointed and told why I didn't want her having them anymore. He told me that I was a meany and a  party pooper. After I explained how I felt they where super wasteful he didn't say anything back but hopefully we won't be that wasteful at a meal ever again!

I did a little research about balloons and the effect on the environment and there is evidence that they are biodegradable but not all of them. If you are interested just do a little google search and there is a ton of info on this. I personally would just like to avoid them and not be a part of a possible problem!

Eliminating The Trash...Part One

  This will be a series of posts as I am still in the process of reducing the amount of trash that we produce, including our recycles. My ultimate goal is to have no trash/recyclables. It is probably one of the most challenging things I have ever done. This should be easier but with all the things that are available to make your life "easier" it is a lot to have to replace or figure out another way. I took a long hard look at what it is that we are throwing away to figure out what I need to replace with reusables or need to make from scratch. I'm doing this in steps because it would just be to overwhelming to do it all at once and because it is expensive at first. Eventually I will save $ because I won't be buying these things anymore. 

So far I have discovered several things wrong with what we were doing besides all the waste. I didn't realize what I was doing to my family and I. The first thing was all the plastic. As you already know, if you've been following my blog, I've been getting rid of plastics. When I was thinking about the trash zip lock and grocery bags came to mind. We use these a lot and and they are so temporary. What I mean is you buy them, you use them, then just throw them away. Such a waste of money! Also no where on the box does it say BPA and phthalate free. So all those bags we where using for snacks and sandwiches probably were poisoning us. Anyway I got these reusable zipper bags made from nylon that is BPA and phthalate free. I love them! They are easy to clean, water resistant and airtight, so your sandwichs won't dry out. I also bought reusable produce bags which are made of cotton and have their weight listed on them. Most stores will take 10 cents off your bill for every bag you use. I put all the shopping bags on the front door handle so I don't forget to take them when I go shopping. This used to be something I often forget to do and when I would get to the check out I would get frustrated at myself for forgetting.

I am also trying to remember when we go out to eat to bring along a container to bring home leftovers in. I have yet to remember this, but I have faith that I will. I'm also in the process of making my own reusable paper towels. I am making them from birds eye fabric and surging the edges. The are super cute and can even wrap them around a paper towel holder to make them just as convenient as disposables. I am choosing to stop buying sponges as washcloths do a great job and I can wash those. I am keeping all the containers for my personal and cleaning items so I can put homemade products in them. I think that's all I've actually done so far. 

There is still a lot that I need to replace but I have done my homework on what and where I need to get.   For plastic wrap/ aluminium foil I found a great solution on Etsy. They are cloth waterproof container covers with elastic and for the oven silicone pan covers from reuseit.com. reuseit.com also has metal straws I would love to have. When we start seeing all the money savings I want to start getting royal crest milk to stop throwing all those away since they reuse them. I love love Swiffer because of how fast and easy it is to use. I am going to make pads for them that are washable. I will post these so you can see what they look like. I am also looking at getting these upcycled dryer pillows to replace clothes softener and dryer sheets.

I got the sandwich and shopping bags on Etsy. Below is the link to her store. She also sells produce bags and some other great items! 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/LoveForEarth

For Dryer Pillows

http://www.etsy.com/shop/zJayne

Luna Pads Rock!

These are my Luna Pads, I have had these for 2 years so yes they are a little worn but are still like new as far as for their performance. I love them! They work great, I never leak, not even once. They are comfortable, they feel like you are just wearing your underwear. Best of all they are cute. I know that it really doesn't matter what they look like and any guy who reads this will probably be like WTF? but I find comfort knowing that I have some thing totally cute down there. Oh and those of you who are concerned about the cleanliness factor, they don't smell as long as you change them regularly (as you should be doing anyway) and they are easy to clean. I wash mine like I would my own laundry with my all natural non bleach soap and dry on regular cycle. Just don't use fabric softener as it will prevent absorbentness.  

This is a tampon that a girl was about to use and it got knocked out of its applicator. If that had not happened then she would've never known that she was using a MOLDY tampon! Can you say gross! I couldn't believe my eyes today as I saw this on my facebook page (I have lunapads,com liked on there and it streams its blog there). What really gets me is that I used to be a tampon wearer. I couldn't be more glad that I switched. What really gets me is the idea that people wear these not knowing where the materials are from, what kind of place they are made in, how clean they really are and not to mention the fact they are covered in plastic that isn't labeled BPA or phthalate free. (ok, well not all are wrapped in plastic but some are). I really hope that those people who told me that I was gross for wanting my vagina to be healthier and natural takes a second look at those disposables and make the switch to something that they know about. I know where my stuff has been and how safe it is!

To see the article “Eww” By Kotex

 http://lunapads.com/blog/

Those cute little Dandelions

I've heard about eating dandelions but never had the guts to actually try one, after all they are weeds. Well the other day I noticed that there was a few growing in the back yard. Well, with my new found greenness I wanted to try it so while nursing #2 I looked it up and apparently you can eat the whole dang plant including the flowers. After that I went out and harvested about seven of them I washed and sauteed them. Turned out to be pretty good food. I can't understand why people try and kill these plants instead of eating them, they are everywhere, free and delicious! 

"With all of the recent focus on eating locally for the sakes of our health and the environment, we may be overlooking one of the easiest and most wholesome vegetables available. The Dandelion is a highly nutritious and versatile wild food that has been harvested for ages, dating back to a time when our winter diets were heavy in fats and starches, and sorely lacked the lush, seasonal greens that we can now buy at the grocery store year-'round.   
Dandelion greens are rich in vitamins and minerals. Half a cup of leaves contains more calcium than a glass of milk, and they boast even more iron than spinach. Plus, they're packed with protein, inulin (a natural fiber) and pectin (which has been reported to lower cholesterol). And when you start looking at Dandelion greens as lunch, you'll be glad that they're so easy to come by. Unlike several other wild edibles, there's no need to worry about confusing Dandelions with poisonous look-alikes because there aren't any.ust be sure to avoid plants that may have been sprayed with chemicals by those who have yet to discover that Dandelions are delectable." (http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/newsletter/10/march/dandelion.php)

Removing plastics

I just watched a documentary, Plastics. I also did some of my own research. After doing so I realized that we have a ton of plastic in our house. This probably doesn't seem like a big deal, right? Well then I started really looking around and what did I see? Almost all of my kids dishes and toys are plastic! What do my kids do?, they put these in their mouths! I couldn't believe it. First thing I went down to the thrift store and bought ceramic and wood dishes for the girls. I went to Target and got new metal sippy cups and silverware. I also started listing all of their plastic toys on Craigslist so that I can afford to replace them with non-plastic toys.

Why am I doing all of this? Well most of the dishes where labeled BPA free but not phthalate free. Almost all of their toys were not either BPA or phthalate free. Below is part of an article that I found when doing research.

"Health Effects

Immediate Health Effects If SWALLOWED, phthalates is Slightly Toxic
If ABSORBED THROUGH SKIN, phthalates is Moderately Toxic
If INHALED (SNIFFED OR BREATHED IN), phthalates is Slightly Toxic

Longterm or Delayed Health Effects This chemical is likely to cause cancer. It is considered a Probable Carcinogen by the World Health Organization, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or another agency. Allergen Suspected Endocrine Disruptor = May interfere with, mimic or block hormones Development Toxicant = Can interfere with normal development of a fetus or child Reproductive Toxicant = Can harm reproductive system Other Birth defects, including cleft palate and in male reproductive organs, due to prenatal exposure. In laboratory animals, exposure to some phthalates prior to or after birth caused damaged, shrunken, undescended, or atrophied testicles; reduced sperm production; destruction of Sertoli cells, which produce sperm; lowered testosterone levels in offspring and ovarian abnormalities. In humans, some studies have found decreased sperm counts and damaged sperm in men with higher levels of some phthalates. Prenatal exposure may increase a child’s risk of developing behavioral problems in childhood. Some indication that a mother’s exposure to phthalates may shorten her pregnancy by one week. DEHP causes liver cancer in laboratory animals and the EPA considers it a carcinogen. Phthalates have been found in breast milk and may contribute to altered hormone levels in infants. At high doses some phthalates have damaged the liver and kidneys of laboratory animals. Respiratory difficulties in children with bronchial obstruction (such as asthma)." (http://healthychild.org/issues/chemical-pop/phthalates/)

Please Read The Rest Of This Article.

In The Garden...

Yesterday I planted 3 types of greens in my backyard garden. Two types of lettuce and swiss chard. I hope they grow. I have never had a garden and never been much of a green thumb. This year I am determined to grow food! Last year I grew a couple of tomato plants in a couple of buckets. One did really well but only produced two tiny tomatoes then died. The other looked sickly then flourished near the end of the season but never grew any fruit. I guess it was more of an experiment to see if I could grow anything. So this year I have bought many types of seeds to try. I have tomatoes again (hopefully they will do better in the ground), squash, green beans, peas, lettuce, swiss chard, carrots, grapes and a variety of sunflowers. Also I have strawberries from last year. They actually did well. It helps that we have a drip watering system in our yard. I don't think that I can remember to water all the time. All of the seeds are organic as I don't want any pesticides in my food and should include the seeds which will be plants which will be food, lol.

I think if this goes well then I will do this every year. I like the idea of growing our own food. I was even considering getting some urban chickens so that we can have fresh eggs but even though the city says we can have up to ten our HOA says we can't have any. So its on my to do list to go to the monthly HOA meeting to see if I can have that rule changed. If I grow a lot, meaning more then my family can eat I might consider selling a share or two next year or maybe have a friend help with the garden and take a share that way. I think we need to have more back yard gardens. Its gets people and children outside instead of in front of the TV. My #1 girl was so cute! I got her a miniature set of garden tools and she was out there watering the seeds and helping plant them. I was just soaking up the learning opportunity and her cuteness!

Present Time, Eyes are opening!

The reason that I posted about the past couple of years is just to show that since my children have been born I feel like my eyes have been starting to open. It wasn't until I got Netflix that my eyes opened all the way. I started watching the documentaries. Which my husband says that every time I watch one something changes, lol. I don't think that there is anything wrong with change as long as it is for the betterment of our selves, others or the planet. So there were several that were really interesting to me but one in particular, The No Impact Man. http://noimpactproject.org/  I guess it was because I could see how they actually did it and it really didn't seem that hard. (a little side note, I don't think they should have gotten so much guff for doing that) After I saw that I started looking at my own house and there was still so much that I can change. None of the changes that I've made so far have been difficult  except maybe mentally. I think those mental blocks is what I have been thought my whole life have been the toughest thing to get past. One of the hardest, yet easiest thing to do was changing the toilet paper to the family cloth. I have always used toilet paper and when I met my husband we only use the most softest and luxurious of toilet papers, Charmin Ultra Soft. So when I went looking for an alternative I was a little stumped. What is going to be as clean and painless as our current wasteful tp? I googled it and found many people use all kinds of different things. Some use a bidet, some use cloth that they wash in the laundry that they already have to wash anyway. There are lots of choice when it comes which type of fabric and processes to use for reusable tp. I choose to make my own with fabric that I already had which is flannel. It is absorbent and I had many cute patterns. I made it 2 ply and just surged the edges. If you don't know how to make your own you can just use old wash cloths or you can purchase pre made "wipes" on Etsy. Anyway the ones I made cost me about two dollars for 70 sheets. I found that I only need one sheet per use. They are 6x6 and are very soft. We are using regular tp for my husband and myself when it comes to the #2 still but my #1 girl is using it for both and I am happy to report that she is doing great and wasting none! We are not using it for both because I can't figure how to make that clean for us yet or maybe I just can't get past that mental block yet.

Anyway I know I kinda went off on the tp thing but that's not all I changed. I made our own laundry detergent. Which I love. I think it works better then the store bought stuff and even though I was buying an organic type there was still things in it that I have no idea about. My laundry soap has 4 things in it that I control!  Bar soap, Borax, Washing Soda and water, that's it! Also It smells great! I've decided as we run out of something I will make that item myself.

I feel like my eyes are open now because before I didn't realize how bad some of these things that we use everyday are bad for us. I feel like I broke out of a dark closet that I've been in my whole life. Some of the reason I've been in this darkness is not all my own fault, I do believe that some of this is do to the way I was raised and companies. Companies don't want to help me they want to make money. Now I have taken my own body and my family's bodies into my own hands. I feel good about that and that we will be helping the planet along the way.

A little catch up...Diapers

When it came to diapering number one I just went with it, at first. The hospital gave me diapers, they were Pampers brand and they seemed great. They were soft and they didn't leak much. They even had a line on them that changed colors indicating they were wet. So I bought those for a couple of months. Then I saw an article on how it takes about 500 years for a typical diaper to decompose. I could not believe it! So I did some research and would you know it they weren't as good as they seemed.

According to http://www.realdiaperassociation.org There are many health risks and environmental concerns of why you shouldn't use disposable diapers. Here are the health reasons:

"Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S.
Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals.
Disposable diapers contain sodium polyacrylate, a type of super absorbent polymer (SAP), which becomes a gel-like substance when wet. A similar substance had been used in super-absorbency tampons until the early 1980s when it was revealed that the material increased the risk of toxic shock syndrome by increasing absorbency and improving the environment for the growth of toxin-producing bacteria.
In May 2000, the Archives of Disease in Childhood published research showing that scrotal temperature is increased in boys wearing disposable diapers, and that prolonged use of disposable diapers will blunt or completely abolish the physiological testicular cooling mechanism important for normal spermatogenesis."

I did notice the gel in the Pampers Brand diapers.

Here are some f the environmental reasons

"No one knows how long it takes for a disposable diaper to decompose, but it is estimated to be about 250-500 years, long after your children, grandchildren and great, great, great grandchildren will be gone. Disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in landfills, and represent about 4% of solid waste. In a house with a child in diapers, disposables make up 50% of household waste.5 Disposable diapers generate sixty times more solid waste and use twenty times more raw materials, like crude oil and wood pulp."

After reading this and many more articles I decided to go cloth, gcloth that is, http://www.gdiapers.com/. I love gdiapers, they work so great and take all the guess work out of washing cloth diapers. They come with great instructions and they seem very comfortable. They were a little expensive at first but quickly paid for them selves. I opted for the cloth insert because I thought they look more comfortable and I could reuse them instead of having to continue to buy something. gdiapers.com was was very helpful when I called them with questions. I am bummed that with my second baby they no longer directly sell their products and I had to buy them through a third party. To make things easier for the cleaning process a I bought a toilet sprayer so I don't even have to touch the "yucky" (as number one would say) part. I still use disposables when we are out and at night but I switched to Huggies Pure and Natural as they are more Eco friendly.

A little catch up... Baby # 2

Before we got pregnant with our second baby we (or I) decided that I was going to have it at home. I didn't want the experience I had the first time and wanted to be in control of my own birth.When I was pregnant with her I was sicker than the first time and still had to go to our local hospital as my husband gotten out of the Military upon his return from Afghanistan. So still had medical intervention during my pregnancy. I will thank the medical system for that because I feel I would've died. Probably the first time from dehydration. Anyway I do have a OB/GYN who I told I had a Midwife and that I was planning a home birth. I don't think he was thrilled at the idea but helped until it was safe for me to have my baby at home.

It was the most wonderful experience! I was laying in bed resting, I woke thinking that I urinated on my self but with closer examination realized that my water broke. I called my Midwife and told her what happened and that I felt like I had to use the bathroom. she told me not to do anything until she got to my house as she didn't want me to give birth in the toilet. She arrived about 20 mins. after I called her (about 30 min. before my husband could home from work) She was the best! She brought 2 helpers with her and they set everything up and helped make me comfortable, rubbed my back and helped me breathe. They filled a pool with water put me in there and she came out about 10 mins. later, healthy and beautiful. At first she didn't want to take a breath but they were completely knowledgeable and got her breathing in I bet under a min.

After the birth my Midwife and her team helped me into bed and they cleaned my baby and gave her to me right away. They helped me with the breast feeding.They left the placenta attached to her for about 45 min. It helps balance her blood. After a bit they weighed and measured her. They also gave me a choice when it came to giving her Vitamin K. I could give her a shot or give it orally. I choose oral. With my first daughter they kind of just told me they were giving her the shot. I really liked that my baby didn't need to experience pain right away. They were there for about 4 hours after the birth and came back to check on me once a day after that for 2 days. Then I went to their office once a week for a couple of weeks for check ups.

There was a clear difference between the way I was treated at home vs. the hospital. If I was to ever have another I would do it at home.

Decideing what my baby should eat.

After the birth of my first baby who I will call number one. It was a no brainier for me what my baby would eat. Breast milk! Natures best food. It was easy for me as I had my husband and my sisters support. I also have a surrogate parents who breastfeed their babies. It was difficult at first as number one didn't latch very well. I used a nipple shield for about 2 weeks and then is was no longer needed. She was a champ after that. At 4 months she was very very hungry and I tried baby cereal, Organic. We did this once a day for about a couple of months before introducing any real foods. When she was about 6 months I started her on baby food which I made all her food at home with organic or at least pesticide free veggies. I did all of this with little or no research. It just seemed right. Why would I give her anything else? I don't eat crap why give that to her? There were other parents that I knew that that were doing things different and I couldn't understand it. A perfect example of this was a friend of mine was feeding her baby run of the mill store bought baby food. I asked her if she thought of making her own baby food. She said she didn't have time. Later I was thinking about how much time it actually took me. Let's see, I buy the fresh veggies when I'm already a the store. Once a week I would chop them in peaces throw them in a double boiler to steam. I did this while cooking dinner. Then I would puree and freeze them. The rest of the week all I have to do is take it out and stick it in the microwave for a few sec. Just enough to melt it and then feed to baby. It wasn't more than having to trek down to the store and buy food.

Once I was visiting my mother in law and I bought a few of the organic baby food thinking it was better than the regular. I tasted it, oooooooohhh it was really gross. My daughter wouldn't touch the stuff. she liked the real thing better. She was like that with breast milk vs. formula too. We thought about weening her to formula because my husband thought that it might be good to do six month breast feeding and the other six months formula feed. Well needless to say she was breast feed until she was 13 months.

Now that shes two she is still eating healthy. She eats whatever we eat. Also whenever we go out to eat we always buy her an adult meal as we see that all the kids choices are crap and not worth the money. For a few dollars more she can have a healthier choice for only a few dollars more.

Anyone that is thinking of not breast feeding because they are afraid that their breasts are going to be saggy please don't worry about it, your breasts are not going to be that bad after and after gravity takes it toll its likely that you're going to be that way anyway. I know because My other in law told me that's why shes didn't and now my husband has the suckest immune system ever!

There are many benefits to breast feeding and there is a lot of research that you can do but http://www.americanpregnancy.org says it all with this table from their website:

Breastfeeding vs. Bottle-feeding

	Breastfeeding	Bottle-feeding
Nutrition
	Perfect balance of nutrients	Not as efficiently utilized as breast milk
	Contains high levels of nutrients	Nutritional content depends on proper preparation
	Easily digested and absorbed	Some babies have difficulty tolerating certain nutrients
	Content varies according to milk production stage, which meets the changing nutritional requirements	Pediatrician/care-giver determines amount
	Infant determines amount
Costs
	Free	Formula ranges from $54 to $198 per month depending on brand
	Nursing pads, nursing bras, etc.	Bottles, nipples, etc.
	Breast pump (optional)
Advantages
	Always the perfect temperature	Anyone can feed the baby
	No preparation time
	Milk is readily available at any time and any place
Disadvantages
	Mother must be available for feeding or to provide pumped milk if she is absent	Warming formula
	Mother must pump if feeding is missed	Preparation time varies
	Early breastfeeding may be uncomfortable	Baby may not tolerate formula well
	Certain medications can interrupt breastfeeding	Always have to carry bottles, formula/mixing items with you

A little catch up, The Birth

Since having my first child in 2009 I have been troubled. First by the system. What system? The hospital that is. Stupid Medical system is how I see it! Let me start by trying to tell you about the birth of my first child. You would think that because my husband was an officer in the Military that we would've had it good, right, WRONG. During my pregnancy I was very sick I had Hyperemesis. (For those who dont know what this is: Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is a severe form of morning sickness, with "unrelenting, excessive pregnancy-related nausea and/or vomiting that prevents adequate intake of food and fluids."Hyperemesis is considered a rare complication of pregnancy but, because nausea and vomiting during pregnancy exist on a continuum, there is often not a good diagnosis between common morning sickness and hyperemesis. Estimates of the percentage of pregnant women afflicted range from 0.3% to 2.0%) Anyway, I was so sick that I could not hold any thing down not even water! So I went to the ER (Which is more like an Emerge Care in the Military). I had to this about 15 times before I felt better and was about 20 weeks pregnant. Each time they would give me drugs, lots and lots of drugs. Everything from pain killers to anti-nausea strong enough for cancer. Anyway I was real lucky that my 2 years old is fine. Anyway the point is I should've known that they were going to be drug pushers when it came birth time. I think at the time I was to sick to care. Which is sad. Anyway when its was time to give birth I woke up at 5 am with the contractions really heavy. I sat straight up in bed looked at my husband and said its time. We got up, got our things together and I ate breakfast. Then we went to the hospital to labor and delivery. When we got there one of the first things they asked me was if I was going to have an epidural. I said no as I was planning to have a natural birth. I was then told that I would have to go home or walk around the hospital until I was closer to having the baby. As I lived 30 mins away I didn't want to go home. So for the next nine and half hours I walked around the hospital, with back labor I might add. Finally when I could not take anymore gocking from strangers and I was so tired that we went back to labor and delivery and asked if I could have a room yet. They said if I would get an epidural I could be checked in. So I did. I was exhausted at this point and now wished I has not done it. What can you do? I cant change the past. Anyway after receiving the epi I had our first baby at 6:30pm, 4 hours after I was checked in. The point to all of this? Well its that from the very start I didn't have the support to do what is right. They just wanted me in and out. They didn't want me hanging around doing what is natural for my body. Instead they treated me as I was a product that was to be controlled, a consumer.

A little about me...

I am a stay at home mom approaching my 30's (and may I say a little too fast). I am married to a wonderful man and have two of the most beautiful girls, a 2 year old and a 5 month old. I have gone to college on and off for the last 10 years. I haven't actually graduated with any kind of degree yet. Not that I haven't tried, lol. Life just keeps on happening. This is OK as I am happy. Well, for the most part.We live in Colorado. It's so beautiful here and I love the weather. Also most people here are very nice. The reason that I wanted to start this blog is because of my kids.  I am doing my very best to make them happy and healthy. I have to be honest in that I am finding it harder than I expected. I want them to be the healthiest they can be. From the what they eat to the things they play with. Even their education. So far in my experience there has been little support. Some of these things include doing things greener. This is because with research I have found that going back to the basics is healthier. This lack of support for these things I suspect it is because of lack of education. So this is for people who are interested in doing things greener but are scared or don't know how to start. Also can be for those who think that I am stupid or gross. Maybe reading about my experiences, trails and knowledge or lack of will get an understanding of me and others who are like me. I really hope this will help!