Why I Love Consignment

Or, the best $6 I've spent yet. 

Or, why going "green" is so easy when it comes to baby clothes.

Here is baby girl's wedding outfit for Uncle Jake's wedding!  He's getting married about 3 weeks after Baby is due.  It's a newborn size dress, so I'm hoping it'll fit.  I figure that dresses must be pretty forgiving, right?

I got tights, too.  Do people combine diaper covers and tights, or do you pick one or the other?  I have so much to learn about baby girls.

 

Hopefully baby girl will have daddy feet instead of mommy feet like Joseph, so she'll fit into the shoes!

 

I also got 10 pairs of Trumpette socks (mostly never worn) for $3.50!

Beans and Rice, Rice and Beans

Have you ever tried to cook a bag of dried beans? Did you succeed? Me neither - UNTIL TODAY!

Since I'm so excited about this, and I know that those who've tried and failed in the past are dying to know, let me share my secret:

1) Overnight soak
2) 7 hours in the crockpot on low
3) 2 hours in the crockpot on high

I'm sure there are a thousand combinations that would make this work. When I checked my beans after 7 hours on low, they were still hard and I figured it was another FAIL. I cranked it to high before going to the park in desperation, but stopped by Trader Joe's on the way home and bought canned beans because I thought it was futile. It worked, though! Amazing.

I know - those of you who have not spent half of their lifetime trying to decode this riddle are thinking "Jen, just go get a freaking can of beans". Let me tell you why you should cook them from dried, though:

1) It's cheap - a bag of beans cost $1 and makes almost 4 cans of beans. Try to beat $0.25/can.
2) It's better for you - unless you are buying a few special brands of beans, your cans are coming with a side of BPA. Garden of Eatin' and Trader Joe's are two of a few that sell bpa free cans of beans, but it'll cost you. Only $1.20/can at TJ's, but over $2 for GoE!
3) It's better for the environment - a one pound bag of dried beans equals four cans. Each can ways 14.5oz. So you are trucking almost 4 times the weight around with cans for the same amount of food.
4) It's FASTER - really - it took me about 30 seconds to fill up the bowl with water last night. Another 30 seconds to drain and refill this morning. 15 seconds to taste test at 4pm, but it took me a half an hour to pit stop at the grocery store on the way home to get the cans. And now I have the equivalent of 4 cans to put up for later. Sweet.

By the way, we made vegetarian tacos tonight for dinner. It's our meatless meal of the week. I'm hoping that by the end of the year we'll be up to eating 2 or 3 vegetarian dinners per week. That'll keep room in the budget for Niman Ranch bacon. If you've never had it, go forth, and feel free to lick your fingers when you are done.

Ditching shampoo - follow up

It's been about a month since I'd ditched the shampoo bottles, and I'm happy to report that I seem to still have friends! Seriously, though, my hair looks fine. I generally wash it every other day, but occasionally (weekends) I'll go another day. Then it gets a bit on the greasy side, but I'd say that it looks like it did after 1 day with shampoo when I do that - so I'd call it a win.

My scalp has been a bit itchy lately, but I'd been focusing on putting the vinegar only on the tips of my hair. I think that might be the culprit. So I'm trying to use a more diluted solution of vinegar, but putting it on my scalp, too. That should neutralize any leftover residue from the baking soda. I don't think the itchiness is serious - there are no flakes. Actually, my scalp is in much better shape, as I used to have a build up (shampoo/conditioner, I imagine) that is long gone!

Did anyone else bite the bullet? How's it working for you? I've heard reports that people with thin and/or fine hair are having trouble. Any readers have tips for those gals?

Eating Safe

I was going to title this post "Eating Healthy", but before that can even be addressed, you have to consider if you can even eat safely in the U.S. There are so many pesticides, herbicides, diseases in CAFO animals, etc... that it's hard to even make heads and tales of what you should and shouldn't eat.

One of my favorite not-for-profit organizations, the Environmental Working Group, has done great work in making it easier to keep your family healthy with their Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen food lists

But my latest obsession is reducing the amount of BPA in our bodies (probably an impossible task). Canned goods, glass jarred goods (the lids), waxy paper used for food wrapping, checkout reciepts, etc... can all contain BPA. I've been avoiding cans lately, but that is frankly causing me to eat LESS healthily, or give up entirely and go to Chick-Fil-A.

So I did a little research on BPA free cans the other night. Here are some brands that have BPA free canned goods:

1) Eden Organics - beans
2) Trader Joe's - beans, veggies, seafood
3) Vital Choice - tuna
4) Oregon's Choice - tuna
5) Wild Planet - tuna
6) Eco Fish - tuna
7) Edward & Sons - fruits, veggies, coconut milk

Notice that tomatoes aren't listed for any of these companies. So sad. And even if you can your own, the lids are pretty much guaranteed to have BPA in the lining. So what can you do? There are plastic canning lids (but really, what do those have in them that we just don't know about?), or live with it, I guess. I went ahead and bought a couple of cans of tomatoes at Whole Foods the other day, and just gave a big sigh about it. :) At least they are organic, right?

Oh, and I want to report that I'm pretty sure that the giant can of tomatoes I bought at Costco appeared to be unlined of any plastic coating! If that Italian company can do it, why can't the U.S. companies?

Ditching shampoo - continued

To answer the few questions I've received regarding this (so happy everyone didn't read and immediately unsubscribe!) here is a quick answer. This is the website [click] where I got most of my info:

Q: What amount do I use?
A: I use 1 tbsp and mix it with 1 cup of warm water before getting in the shower every other day. I stir it up with my hands once I'm in the shower - it dissolves quickly.

Q: How long should I leave it in?
A: I wet my hair thoroughly, then slowly pour the whole cup on my head, rubbing at the scalp really well. Then I let it sit for a couple of minutes. While I'm doing other washing.

Q: What about the vinegar?
A: I have a squirt bottle (the ones you see with ketchup in them at picnics) filled with regular white vinegar. The website I looked at (link above) recommended apple cider vinegar. I'm not sure if it matters, but this is what I have lots of on hand (I use it for cleaning and laundry, too). They said to mix 1 tbsp to 1c water, but I just try to squirt a little out all over my hair and let it sit a minute before rinsing.

Q: Does your hair smell like vinegar?
A: It never has smelled like vinegar once I've rinsed, but even if it did it would dissipate as it dried, just like when you use it in the laundry or for cleaning.

Q: Will the baking soda or vinegar harm my plumbing?
A: On the contrary! A very effective method of cleaning out clogged drains is baking soda and vinegar. If anything, this might help keep your pipes in better working order! Once it's in the water, it's well dissolved. It would not gunk anything up.

I think that's everything... post any other questions in this post or the original and I'll try to answer in the comment section!

Ditching shampoo and conditioner

I've kind of dropped the ball on the environmentally friendly part of this blog. It's something I'd like to pick up more this year. To start us off, I thought I'd tell you about my latest eco experiment...

I've stopped washing my hair with shampoo.

Yes, that's right. You mean you haven't noticed over the last 2 weeks? That's because my hair is still perfectly clean! I've switched to using baking soda and vinegar (is there anything that combo can't do???)

So here's the idea - shampoo and conditioner simultaneously strip all the oils from your scalp (making your body want to produce more) and then coat your hair with gunk and chemicals to replace the oils it stripped away. By using baking soda, you are mildly removing the extra oil from your hair without stripping everything away and forcing your body to produce more oil. The vinegar softens and relaxes your hair, acting as a conditioner.

I started out with using the baking soda/vinegar every other day. I did that for about 2 weeks, and now I'm trying to go every 3rd day between "washes". We'll see how it goes. From what I've read, I might be able to get away with washing once or twice a week. That'll make my showers much faster!

So far I have gotten two compliments on my hair. If you know me, you know that my hair is not often complimented! My hair has always tended to a wavy/frizzy/greasy ball of nastiness, so I've been especially amazed at the improvement.

Before: You can see the fly-aways!

After: sleek and smooth (but not greasy!) without any special effort. It's taking effort to post this awful picture, though. Please note hair only.

Don't get me wrong, I'll never be a pantene model. But if my routine of wash/dry/brush-and-go can improve my look, while lessening my exposure to potentially harmful chemicals, and cost pennies to boot, why not?

Making Toys

I follow a blog about child development (well, a mommy blogger who knows about development) and she had some suggestions for fine motor skill toys the other day. Joseph is very adept at using manipulating small objects, and I'm always trying to figure out how to give him new things to do with those skills. I read it, thought "wow, that's great" and promptly stole the ideas for myself.

Here are Joseph's new "toys":

Shape sorters: I had some empty containers that I washed out, and cut appropriate holes in the top (I do not recommend kitchen knives, though I did manage to keep all of my fingers). In one I put 50 popsicle sticks that I picked up at our local variety store on a whim a couple of months ago

This is too easy... where else could they go?

I know, my EARS!

(I'm positive that instead of stitches, our emergency room visits will include removing objects from Joseph's orifices)

The second one I cut a round hole and filled up the bucket with... wine corks. Hey, we have to do something with them, right? Cork boards are so passe. Ha! I did use the synthetic ones so they weren't full of old wine at least. Does that count for something?

Seriously, Mom? Don't blame me for how I turn out.

Feeding Tube: Empty paper towel roll, pipe cleaners, and voila! Fine motor skill tuning device. Joseph liked that quite a bit! I'm sure he'll find other stuff to shove through the roll, as well.



Hope this helps someone else!

Crunchy Knitting

Ya'll know that I'm a knitter, as I'm always AW'ing my FO's on my blog. And you also know that I'm a bit granola. Well, it turns out that the two go together quite well! I discovered this super awesome blog a few weeks back. Basically, the girl goes thrift store shopping for wool garments that she can repurpose for things like longies and soakers, toys, etc... anything you might make from felted wool.

She also picks up sweaters that are froggable (you can riiiiip-it back to reuse the yarn), which is what I'm most interested in right now. I just bought four sweaters to frog... I'm most excited about a 100% CASHMERE sweater (Ann Taylor) and 100% merino (Brooks Brothers) as I know their quality is quite good. I also got two generic "100% wool" sweaters (Abercrombie and JCrew) that I am sure are pretty decent, too. The best part is that I paid $40 total for all four of them, and they must have some decent yardage as they are adult sized sweaters. These should make some kick-ass projects for a song!

Does it get any better? Inexpensive, recycled, and high quality. Yey!

Puddle Jumping!

Joseph and I hit the Piedmont Park Green Market on Saturday while T.J. went golfing. We took the train to midtown and walked to the park, then checked out all the vendors. We ended up getting some pastured eggs, grass fed beef, and organic figs! Yum.

After that we settled into a table so Joseph could eat some breakfast, after which I let him wander about. He was the hit of the market! He was just walking in circles in his toddling little way... it was seriously adorable. Of course there were scores of dogs, which got him all excited.

We watched the crepe guys make crepes (after that I was *obligated* to buy one!) and went and watched a local band perform, which Joseph really seemed to enjoy.

In between all of that, he even found a puddle! Sorry for the poor image quality - use your imagination.

The Incredible Pastured Egg

I'd been hunting for pastured (wanders in a pasture, not pasteurized) eggs for some time, and upped my search efforts after watching Food, Inc. I found them at Whole Foods, but at $6/doz, I was ready to give them up before paying that price!

Enter the wonderful Nature's Harmony Farms. I may have posted about them in the past, as we get our free range ground beef from them (and I got a stewing chicken). I also got pastured eggs from them for $4/doz!
Since I've been doing a lot of baking, I've really been going through eggs. I picked up a dozen of organic "free range" eggs from Trader Joe's to help round me out until I can get more eggs from the farmer's market. While making pudding the other day, I used 3 of the pastured, and one organic egg.

Can you tell which is which?


So what? You say?

At first, googling I found a story that made it seem like there was no real difference, but all you had to was click on a link in THAT article to get the real info.

From Mother Earth News (who lists several studies as well as their own), pastured eggs have:

• 1/3 less cholesterol
• 1/4 less saturated fat
• 2/3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene

Huh.

I might go buy a package of regular conventional eggs and try to compare all three. I think it'd be interesting.

What a waste

Why can't manufacturers make replacement parts that are REASONABLY priced for their crappy products?

Joseph's go-to sippy is the Nuby Flip'n'Sip. It has a soft spout that he loved to chew on. I've cut two of them down to the little valve thing (which is also broken from chewing). Don't you think they'd realize that this is a common problem with teething children? Not to mention just losing straw pieces... they are small and clear and perfect for garbage disposals.

But no, you can't just replace the straw. You can pay $3 to replace the whole top. The cost of a new cup is only slightly more than that!

I know they do this to make you spend more on their product, but it's so darn wasteful. It makes me mad.

Doing it yourself: Bug Spray Edition

I've used essential oils in the past - most notably for my PUPPS rash during pregnancy. The tea tree oil is also useful for blemishes and cleaning, incidentally.

This time, I was looking for an affordable safe bug spray for Joseph. I've always been a big fan of DEET, but apparently it is not very good for you.

I found some all natural bug spray - but when I checked the ingredients I gave it a big side-eye. $12 for 6oz bottle with a little bit of citronella, lemongrass, and cedar wood essential oil in a 94% solution of water? Psha!

I got a little "co-op" together with my mom's group, ordered some essential oils (EO) and bought some spray bottles and a gallon of distilled water. Voila! All-natural bug spray.

The good news is that it seems to work for Joseph.

The bad news is that it most definitely does NOT work for me, if the 30+ bug bites on my legs are any indication. I'm one of those people that bugs love, though.

I've heard good things about "Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus" so that is my next stop. Since my 8 oz bottle of natural stuff came to $7/bottle, this stuff is still ridiculously expensive. I might see if I can find the oil locally and make my own.

Jen's Knock-Off Bug Spray (Makes 10 8-oz bottles):

4 oz citronella EO
1/2 oz cedar wood EO
1/2 oz lemongrass EO
75 oz distilled water

I combined the EO's and put them into the bottles first, then topped off with the water. Shake well before each use, as there is no emulsifier in this solution. Works based on smell, so reapply often. Safe for clothes and babies!

Saturday Market

We had a great time this morning at the Green Market at Piedmont Park. I specifically wanted to go because a local grass fed beef/pastured poultry farm, Nature's Harmony was there this week. We've gotten some beef from them a few times, and I've gotten on their wait list to be part of their CSA, so I was excited to see what they had available.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the wide range of offerings. We picked up a stewing chicken (to become coq au vin), a pound of grass fed beef, and a dozen pastured eggs. I was very excited about the chicken and eggs. The chickens are out in the pasture with the cows, eating bugs, grass, and whatever else chickens eat when they follow cows around. I've been exploring pastured eggs for a while now, and finally found some at Whole Foods, but they were $6/dozen! Yikes! I scored these eggs for $4/doz and could not be happier! The stewing chicken was $3/lb, slightly more than the organic one I pick up at Trader Joe's, but I think it's worth it to get a chicken from a sustainable and local farm. Stewing chickens require slow cooking, but the flavor is supposed to be more intense. I'm sure it'll be tasty.

After the farmer's market, we went down to the dog park to watch the dogs. Joseph LOVES dogs. It was nice because the dogs were running around and chasing each other, which we don't usually see on our evening walks. After all the dogs left, we headed up to the playground. Joseph played on the swings and slide, and followed all the bigger kids around. He's almost as obsessed with older kids as he is with dogs!

We really wore him out, because he passed out on the way home (which totally ruined his nap - argh!). It was worth it for such a fun morning, though.

Thred Up!

I heard about Thred Up, new clothing swap site for kids from one of my favorite bloggers a few weeks ago. The idea is that you list groups of your clothing by season/size/gender, put it all in a medium flat rate USPS box, and when someone picks it, you mail it off to them using pre-paid postage from the site. You get to pick a box for every box someone picks of yours (you get a freebee when you start), and when you pick one, you pay the $13 for the shipping.

It sounded pretty cool, and I've gotten serious about de-cluttering around here, so I sorted through Joseph's things and listed 5 boxes of clothes.

So far I've received two boxes. Both have had pretty high quality items (Janie and Jack, Gymboree, Hanna Andersen, Polo, Carters, etc...), but the box I got today was a total jackpot! All of it is size 2T, so it should fit this in the winter/spring/summer seasons next year.

Two cute button up short sleeved shirts and a pair of chinos

Three adorable sweater vests (so preppy!)

One little boy suit (are you kidding me!?!) - So adorable

Four long-sleeved button up shirts

You should seriously consider signing up for this website if you have kids. It definitely seems worth it. It's a bit of a mystery what you'll get (the first box had nice stuff but wasn't totally my style) but it costs very little. If you get two or three nice things you are way ahead! It's a fast alternative to consignment shopping, and much better (and more environmentally friendly) than paying full price!

Plus, I need someone to grab my boxes so I can select more! Keep an eye out for infant boy boxes from Jennifer C.

What a Hippy

It's not easy being green.

We are so lucky to have our Farmer's Market which sells really low-cost organic foods, but sometimes I still get down.

Last week, I bought a $12 chicken (organic - $2.50/lb). Then I went to Costco and they are selling rotisserie chickens for $4. And you wouldn't even have to cook! They have grass fed organic beef at Costco, now. A "steal" at $4.50/lb for ground beef. But their 91% lean regular beef is $2.30/lb. I could have got pork loin for $1.99/lb. I can't even FIND "happy" pig anywhere but some local farmer's markets, and I learned too much from Michael Pollan to buy a lot of the regular stuff. I do buy bacon, but I can't swallow the $6/package for sulfite-free, so I still get the sulfite-laden bacon. Milk is $1.99/gal at Kroger, but $5.99+/gal for organic everywhere else.

And don't even get me started about the availability and price of food when we aren't at the peak of summer. I guess I'm more amazed at the price differential in industrial vs. local/organic* food, rather than the actual cost of organics. At least I can break things down by price per meal to help make it seem better. My $12 happy chicken created 6 meals + I've frozen the carcass for broth. At $2/serving we're rivaling McDonald's, right? Now that's a happy meal!

Sometimes it's not easy being green, but I think it's worth it.

* Sometimes the most annoying thing about organic food is that a lot of it still comes from the industrial food complex. That's why buying local is so important! I haven't committed too much to local, though I do try to choose the closer location when they have them listed in the grocery store.

Spotted! Another babywearer!

I went to the Dekalb Farmer's Market today and got a tom of delicious organic produce, organic grass-fed beef, and free range chicken. Yum. It should make us feel significantly better than the slew of fast-food restaurant burgers we've been eating.

While there, I ran into several people who commented that they wore their kids (one guy in full Native American dress - very cool) and I even ran into a fellow babywearer! It was the highlight of the trip.

With summer arriving, it's a great time to support your local farmer's market*. You can find one near you at Local Harvest

And don't forget the "dirty dozen" foods you should buy organic. Here is the updated list from the EWG:

http://www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php

The Full List: 47 Fruits & Veggies

RANK	FRUIT OR VEGGIE	SCORE
1 (worst)	Peach	100 (highest pesticide load)
2	Apple	93
3	Sweet Bell Pepper	83
4	Celery	82
5	Nectarine	81
6	Strawberries	80
7	Cherries	73
8	Kale	69
9	Lettuce	67
10	Grapes - Imported	66
11	Carrot	63
12	Pear	63
13	Collard Greens	60
14	Spinach	58
15	Potato	56
16	Green Beans	53
17	Summer Squash	53
18	Pepper	51
19	Cucumber	50
20	Raspberries	46
21	Grapes - Domestic	44
22	Plum	44
23	Orange	44
24	Cauliflower	39
25	Tangerine	37
26	Mushrooms	36
27	Banana	34
28	Winter Squash	34
29	Cantaloupe	33
30	Cranberries	33
31	Honeydew Melon	30
32	Grapefruit	29
33	Sweet Potato	29
34	Tomato	29
35	Broccoli	28
36	Watermelon	26
37	Papaya	20
38	Eggplant	20
39	Cabbage	17
40	Kiwi	13
41	Sweet Peas - Frozen	10
42	Asparagus	10
43	Mango	9
44	Pineapple	7
45	Sweet Corn - Frozen	2
46	Avocado	1
47 (best)	Onion	1 (lowest pesticide load)

* The place I went today is not local, but we'll do that on Wednesday hopefully!

Cloth diapers revisited

I thought I'd give a quick review of how cloth diapering is going for us thus far.

We are currently using:
21 Kissaluv size 0 (KL0)
14 Green Mountain Diaper orange edge prefolds (PFs)
1 Kissaluv contour (KL contour)
2 Drybees all-in-one hybrids (AIO)
1 Happy Heiny pocket with a hemp insert from artsyfartsyfoofoo
3 prowrap newborn size
1 prowrap small size
1 imse vimse organic newborn size
1 pail liner
1 wet bag
2 snappis
40 cloth wipes

So far we can do laundry every 2-3 days - definitely can stretch 3 days, but it's easier and less funky in the pail to do it every other day. I like all of our diapers - we haven't had any "blow outs" and only a couple pee leaks - generally user error (not tucking the cotton inside the cover or forgetting to change him).

Prefolds: I prefer the PFs generally, as they seem more trim than the KL0's, but T.J. absolutely abhors them. I think mostly because he saw me put them on one time then attempted it on his own without me to help. The cons are that sometimes they seem so small on him, but they still fit and I should probably prep the next size up so I don't get taken unawares one day!

Contour: I also really like the contour, which surprised me, but obviously I only use it one time every few days. It's easier to get on him than regular pf's and very very trim. I don't think it's as absorbant though, and I have only had him pee in it so far, so I'm not sure how it'd do with runny breastfed baby poo.

AIOs and pocket: they are OK, but they are so costly compared to PFs, and I kind of like that I can tell right away if he's wet with fitteds by feeling under the cover. Definitely fast and easy to get on though, and I think Joseph sleeps better with them on because the inner fleece liner "wicks" moisture away from him.

I think I could use another cover, so I'm getting on the ball finally today and lanolizing the beautiful wool soakers that Tante Teresa made for Joseph. That'll give me another small cover to use, and wool longies as well.

We also ordered another pail liner and wet bag today, so we always have a clean one. So far we've been hanging them to dry, but then there is nowhere for the dirties to go! So that'll be remedied soon, and our floor will thank us, no doubt.

We have enough wipes to go three days as well (40) and you don't need more than 2 snappis so far as I can tell. I keep one in the diaper bag in case we switch to PFs while out, and one in the drawer or on him.

Our laundry is easy-peasy. In fact, it's way easier than regular baby laundry because it's a pain to fold all those bitty clothes. We do a "quick cycle" on cold with baking soda and vinegar, then a hot wash with detergent and an extra rinse. Then we toss them in the drier (hang the covers and AIOs and pocket) and we're done! I honestly don't know what all the fuss is about.

Green Feeding

Someone passed this great article on to me about breastfeeding:

http://www.llli.org/Release/GoGreen

Breastfeeding not only provides babies with optimum nutrition, but also helps reduce landfill waste, preserves valued energy, and helps prevent deforestation. Human milk remains the ultimate natural renewable resource and perhaps the most overlooked way of helping to create a healthier planet.

Human milk requires no resources for packaging, shipping, or disposal. The production and disposal of artificial baby milk products add to environmental problems by consuming energy and producing waste. The 550 million tins of formula sold in the United States alone, placed end to end, would circle the earth one and a half times. Each year in the United States, the production of artificial baby milk produces 86,000 tons of tin and 1,230 tons of paper labels which add substantially to the landfill waste.

Breastfeeding preserves valued energy. No energy is wasted producing human milk the way it is wasted when producing artificial baby milk. Precious fuel is used to transport the ingredients of formula and baby milk products. Energy is used for sterilizing bottles and refrigerating them.

The environment also pays a price for growing soybeans or raising cattle to produce artificial baby milk. Clearing land for pasture results in deforestation, which then results in land depletion and soil erosion. Growing soy requires fertilization and irrigation.

While breastfeeding is a wondrous act of nurturing between a mother and child, it also has an enormous impact on the global ecosystem. Breastfeeding not only grows a healthy mother and child but also grows a healthier planet.

Although we live in a polluted world, scientists agree that human milk is still the very best food to nourish our babies. This is further reinforced by reports in recent years of processing errors in the production of infant formula and the contamination of plastic baby bottles with bisphenol-A.

Human milk is not only the very best food for our babies, but it may even protect babies from some of the effects of pollution and contamination.

To find out more about why human milk is "green," that is, the healthiest and most ecologically sound way to nurture babies, or for breastfeeding information and support, contact La Leche League International at www.llli.org or call 847-519-7730. Since 1956, La Leche League International has been providing breastfeeding assistance through mother-to-mother support, education, and information.

Other great quotes:

"There can be no food more locally produced, more sustainable or more
environmentally friendly than a mother's breastmilk, the only food required by
an infant for the first 6 months of life. It is a naturally renewable resource,
which requires no packaging or transport, results in no wastage and is free."
http://www.theecologist.org/pages/archive_detail.asp?content_id=586


"Breastfeeding is a very environmentally friendly thing to do."

"Breastmilk... the original RAW food."

"Breastfeeding leaves no carbon footprint."

End to Children's Thrift and Handmade Stores

I'm trying to raise awareness about the new Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which goes into effect on February 10, 2009. It's supposed to protect consumers from harmful chemicals being found in children's goods (pthalates and lead, for example), but the way the law is written it includes anyone who sells used or handmade items, as well. The testing would cost several hundred to a few thousand dollars PER ITEM, making it impossible for thrift stores and places like Etsy sellers to comply to the law.

If you are interested in this topic, you can read more about it here or here.

How You can Help (from this blog):

Please write to your United States Congress Person and Senator to request changes in the CPSIA to save handmade and used toys. Use the sample letter or write your own. You can find your Congress Person here and Senator here .

It only takes a minute, and the effects really are far reaching. You won't be able to legally sell, consign, or donate your own children's clothes under this law, much less buy from these outlets.