Are you tired of the crap (fluoride) and chemicals in your toothpaste and want to make your own? In my ongoing attempt to make things myself, I’ve been searching for a good recipe for cleaning our teeth. I tried a recipe over a year ago but kept getting canker sores, so I ditched it. Upon my hunt, I came across this recipe from my amazing holistic Facebook group’s leader, Leigh Anne DuChene.
I’ve made two batches so far, and the latest one omitted the clove oil and added Emma’s probiotic. I’m still working on getting baby girl to like this second batch…I think I scared her with the first batch (clove oil).
It’s super easy to make and takes no time at all. Gather all these ingredients and go grab you a small glass bowl from Wally world and get to mixing!
1. Mix all ingredients together in glass bowl and stir to melt the coconut oil. Make it pastier instead of solid if it does solidify on you.
2. Add optional ingredients if desired. I added the probiotic and colloidal silver this time which made it runnier.
3. Spoon small amount on toothbrush and use daily.
Going back, I would just use plain ole water for the first two years of little one’s life, then switch over to this recipe once they turn two. Play around with it and see what your kid likes. I have been using this recipe for several months and love it! I finally got a small plastic container for travelling since I wanted to be able to use this on the go.
Try it out and let me know what you think. Have you ever made your own toothpaste or even thought about what’s in the one you use right now?
I almost titled this post, ‘She doesn’t know any better,’ but thought that wouldn’t be fair.
I wanted to do a post talking about the way Emma eats. Those crunchy people out there won’t really be surprised at what she eats, but most people I’ve encountered are shocked and maybe a little disgusted at what she eats, what she’s allowed to eat, and what is not mama-approved. Don’t get me wrong, we don’t eat the way I would prefer 100% of the time, after all I am human (and prego) so I allow myself off the hook now and then.
During this first trimester, though, all I wanted was junk and tons of food. My nutritionist told me my body wanted protein-I randomly craved grass-fed burgers and couldn’t seem to get enough of them! Luckily, I’m not eating like a savage through the second trimester, but I do have to force myself to eat more greens. I was told I should have 3 cups of greens a day (I think that goes for everyone), and still struggle to get that much in.
As for Emma, she’s pretty good at what I feed her. When I make breakfast: eggs, bacon, and sautéed spinach, she usually steals my serving and ends up asking for more. She’ll even go to the fridge and ask if we can have sardines for breakfast, knowing there are leftovers in the fridge from the day before. Most will balk at the thought of sardines (and I even have to force myself to eat them) especially for a 2-year old, but she doesn’t know they’re supposed to be nasty. I figure if I start her early on good sources of calcium, since we don’t do dairy, they we can stave off the osteoporosis that runs in my family. I was devastated when I found out I had osteopenia at 28, so this mama could learn a thing or two from the wee little one.
What got me to this point in how I feed her were a few reasons. When I read Primal Body, Primal Mind a year and a half ago, my world was turned upside down! I learned what our food does to us, good and bad, and knew that I needed to start her on the right path STAT. There seems to be too much junk in our food supply these days and I feel like we’re setting up our kids for illness down the road (or even sooner). I wanted to give her a fighting chance at setting the stage now, knowing I can’t control what she eats forever.
The kicker for me was probably her first birthday. Mind you, we were all still eating grains back then, but I struggled what to do when it came time to celebrate her turning one. She never had sugar, unless it was fruit, in the first year of her life, so why in the world would I set a big, sugar-laden cake/cupcake in front of her for the sake of pictures? It honestly was abhorrent to me. I’m not here to judge what others do, this is the thinking that goes on in my over-analyzing brain.
So, I settled on making her a Hummingbird cake (read more in this post). I fretted all the way until I set the homemade cake in front of her. Would she like it? Would she eat the whole thing? Was I a terrible mother for offering this to her when her system was still so fragile? Ironically, she wanted nothing to do with it! It could have been that she wasn’t feeling well, was over-tired, or didn’t like getting dirty, like her daddy. Either way, I was relieved. Yes, I just admitted I was happy that my one-year-old didn’t want sugar on her birthday, what can I say.
I would even go to the extremes of bringing her food everywhere, or asking waiters for the best possible thing she could have on the menu, like sliced avocado or steamed veggies. That’s not to say I ate the best then, but since she’s older and will want what I am having, I live by this motto:
“If I wouldn’t give it to my child, why should I eat it?”
Is it a bit extreme? Maybe. But that’s okay for me. It’s actually made me eat and drink better. Emma and I only consume water, hot herbal tea, and Kombucha. I don’t care to have sodas or sweet tea, knowing they cost more when eating out and do ZERO things for my body. I have to admit, once you kick the sugar habit you A) don’t want it anymore and B) will find sweet things are way too sweet. It’s been a win-win for me.
My other motto is ‘Kids are blank slates, so why not expose them to the world?‘ They don’t know what’s supposed to be gross or nasty at this young age. Just because some adults don’t eat Kipper, capers, or kale chips, doesn’t mean the child needs to dislike them without being exposed to them. Emma doesn’t know what chicken nuggets, soda, or candy are and I intend to keep it that way for a long time. I want to educate her that food is fuel for our bodies and can also hurt them at the same time. I constantly tell her that water is good for us because it keeps us hydrated and cleans out the body. Ya’ll know I over-explain things to her, but I guarantee she understands and is filing it away for the future. It’s sometimes scary what kids will remember!
This way of thinking has led us down a really exciting road. Our whole family is trying things I never had considered before: collard greens, sorrel, kohlrabi, sardines, bone marrow, Kombucha, organ meats, etc. I have to say it’s been fun branching out into a world I never knew. I know it helps going to Farmer’s Markets or local shops and asking the growers what certain foods are and how to prepare them. What’s even better, is with Emma being so young I can set in her mind that these foods are good for her and actually tasty. I know this will carry through with her as she starts cooking with me and when she goes out on her own. I figure I owe it to her as her mother to set a solid foundation. Maybe I’m a little obsessed with food, but that’s been my life ever since getting diagnosed with celiac disease over 30 years ago, so I can’t help it!
Yikes! I had no idea this post would be this lengthy, but this topic is very important to me. Food does so many positive and negative things for our body, that if I can give my family the best possible choices, we might have a fighting chance at not getting cancers and having good health in general.
What about you? Am I alone in this venture? Do you feed your kids any ‘crazy’ foods? My hope is that this gets you thinking and exploring with your kids-I promise it’s never too late to set them on the healthy path!
PS-I’d like to send a shout out to my mama (Emma’s Nonna), who’s 35 years young today! Happy Birthday to the most amazing and beautiful woman I know!
I’m super excited that it’s growing so well. Now just a few more years and we might have some fruit…and I won’t have to spend so much on avocados every week. Woo Hoo!
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JUST KIDDING!
This is more like it:
Yup, that’s right; Crunchy Hot Mama is having another baby! According to BabyCenter, at 16 weeks, baby is the size of an avocado so I thought it fitting to put that in the title.
I’ve had several random strangers friends ask when? when? when? we were having another baby and I told them, I’m just not sure. Emma definitely wasn’t planned (conceiving just one month after we got married), so it was hard to plan a second. I’ve expressed my apprehension about another child, but have had several pleas to not let her be an only child. I knew we would at some point, since I love having a sister, but kind of let it happen as it may.
I’m not sure what took me so long to blog about it, but now the word is out and it’s time to start rethinking what I’d do differently this time. You’ve seen me post pictures of going to the chiropractor- which is new for both Emma and me. I also found a Midwife through a local group on Facebook, so that’s definitely new, too. I promise to let you know what I did before, what I will do this time, and my thoughts on it all. My ‘plan’ is a water birth at home…but that could change depending on how I feel. I owe ya’ll lots of posts, but will *try* not to make it all about bébés.
Come join me on my adventure and please to pass along any tips you may have. I’m all ears as I go totally crunchy this pregnancy (I’ve already been adding raw pasture-raised eggs to my smoothie), so spread the love if you got it!
PS: Tomorrow we have a local plant nursery coming out to set up some landscaping and build me a garden, so needless to say…I’M SUPER STOKED!!! Details to follow.
There have been lots of changes going on the past few weeks, and now it’s time to get serious. I know I’ve talked about eating Paleo, which means cutting out dairy, but for some reason, I’ve given myself permission to literally gorge on the stuff. Those days are no more. It’s been affecting me AND Emma pretty badly. I doubt you want to hear my symptoms, but in case you do, here they are:
bloating
gas
constipation
yeast (Emma)
foul-smelling girl parts (Emma)
air in stomach (Emma)
That last one really got me. I’ve known she has a bigger belly, as strangers love to point out to me, but Emma’s Pedi said not to worry, so I didn’t. But, last week I took her to the minor ER to check on her pesky croupy cough that wouldn’t go away. After she did a chest x-ray (staying still like a champ), the tech showed us the results. I didn’t think to snap a pic, though it was pretty cool, but I’ll give you the lowdown. If you remember that I love to show and tell Emma everything, I took this as an opportunity to show baby girl what’s under her skin. The tech tried to say ‘mom, I’m not interested in that!’ Poor thing doesn’t know I’m an oversharer educator.
We showed Emma her lungs, liver, ribs, and finally stomach. I asked if it was unusually large and the tech said it was full of air. What the hell does that mean? I’m not a clueless person but A) how does one get air in their stomach and B) how the hell do you get it out? Turns out it’s gas…from none other than the cursed DAIRY! So it has officially cursed me and my child. Game over Elsie.
This revelation, along with my annoying and persistent issues, has made this mama mad. I’m a stubborn, full-blooded Italian, so you don’t want to mess with me when I get pissed…just ask my hubby.
I knew what I had to do. It was so easy yet so freakin’ hard. I’m a self-proclaimed mouse lover of cheese, so this really is no easy feat. But alas that ship has sailed. I HAVE TO STOP EATING DAIRY IN ALL SHAPES AND FORMS (and so does Emma). The kid asks for it constantly, so I know she needs an intervention STAT!
It didn’t help that I just got back from my nutritionist appointment, and had her tell me that dairy is considered crack. Yes, you read that right: dairy=crack. Makes sense to me. I have heard that there is a chemical in breastmilk to makes babies crave it, not necessarily the empty stomach part. So, if human milk is addictive for humans, then there is definitely something in cow’s milk to make calves crave it. Well no wonder half the entire population can’t get enough milk, cheese, yogurt, sour cream, etc. We are literally ADDICTED TO IT! And what does that mean when you’re addicted? You will go through withdrawals. Yup, my nutritionist said that I would have withdrawals from the stuff. Gravy baby, just what I wanted to hear.
It’s cool though, I got this…that’s what I’m telling myself anyway. Um yeah, I’ll keep ya posted on how the rehab goes for me along with the 2-year old.
I know dairy intolerance can go along with Celiac Disease, so it only makes sense that it would affect Emma and myself. I was doing so well last year with being off of it, but somehow was led astray. The pain has to stop here and now.
It has always bothered me that humans drink another animal’s milk. We’re even told as parents to give our kids cow’s milk when they turn one (which we didn’t do). What in the world for? We constantly hear how we should get three servings of dairy a day for good bone health. Wait, so bovine milk has more calcium than leafy greens? I think not. I’m pretty sure the cavemen didn’t have access to squirts of calves’ food before heading out for the big hunt. Try again dairy industry. It’s amazing what gets drilled into our brain when we watch ad after ad, and see celebrity after celebrity get paid to say ‘it does a body good.’ BS!
So, I ask you, are you addicted to dairy? Do you think you could stop if it made you sick (if it’s not already)? Can you do without your chips and queso at parties, your cheese and crackers for noshing, or your big ole glass of cow juice first thing in the morning? Maybe it’s time to rethink what ‘they’ tell us is good for us.
I know this is kind of a random topic, but go with it.
This past weekend, the family loaded up in Josh’s truck and headed south to Carter Blood Care. We both were getting calls saying they were running low on donations, and wanted to know when we could come in. Well, since I stay at home with Emma, it wasn’t really an option to go during the week. Sure, I could have gotten a sitter or had a friend watch her, but my underlying plan was to get Josh to go, too.
Ever since we started dating, back in 2002, we had this ritual of donating blood together. I’m sure it sounds cheesy, but I’ve been doing it since I was 18, so I wanted to keep that tradition going. I always saw my dad donate, and I told myself I would do it when I was 18, even though I don’t really care for needles. I used to be skittish, but it’s fun when Josh and I go together, and I like that it has become our ‘thing’ as a couple. I know it’s not typical…but as you can see from the name of my blog, I’m not typical.
My reason for blogging about this is two-fold: 1) to get people over their fear of needles and donate so you can SAVE up to 3 LIVES and 2) to set an example for Emma. I remember being bummed that I couldn’t donate while pregnant, for obvious reasons, but couldn’t wait to start back up as soon as I could. We went in when she was 6 weeks old, since that was the earliest time after giving birth, and was able to donate even while nursing-score buddy! She had a good time hanging out with Josh while I got drained, so it’s nothing new for her.
That’s how we usually do it, I go first because I’m faster doing Whole Blood, and Josh goes second because he takes longer doing Double Red (he’s O+). This time we had a competition on who had higher iron and the winner was me! Awe yeah, I was super stoked that I beat him this go ’round. Trust me, I’ve come a long way in the iron department; I can remember crossing my fingers and praying that my iron wasn’t too low, and was totally bummed when I got turned away (on several attempts). I wanted them to take my blood, but I wasn’t eating foods high in iron to make the cut. I was always anemic in high school, and hated going to get my levels checked every 3 months (thanks Celiac Disease). But now that we’re Paleo, I don’t even flinch when they prick me to get my iron count. Hooray for success!
While we were waiting on Josh, I had a guy tell me he thought it was a great thing, showing Emma about donating blood, and being there together as a family. I told him she said she wants to donate blood when she turns 18 as well (she totally said that!). He said you can actually start at 16 with a parent’s consent-woo to the hoo! Emma doesn’t know it yet, but we both consent, and we will both take her her first time. I know I’m weird, but it’s the little things in life for me.
Weigh at least 130 lbs. Please note higher requirements may apply in certain cases. Check with your donor center to confirm.
If you are female, you must:
Be healthy
Be at least 17 years old in most states
Be at least 5’5″
Weigh at least 150 lbs. Please note higher requirements may apply in certain cases. Check with your donor center to confirm.
I figure it’s half an hour out of my day, every three months, to save a few lives. No biggie. It has now become a game to see how fast we can both pump, and Josh was so proud of himself when he beat that location’s record the last time. See, donating blood can be a fun, family-friendly event, right? Okay, maybe not.
But, I do want to challenge you. If you have ever remotely given a thought about donating blood, go out there and try it. I’ve never had a problem in all my years, and to this day I still look away when they stick me. I’m getting braver, though. I know it’s not for everyone, though I admit I did the plasma thing in college…apparently that goes towards making makeup, so just I’ll stick (har har) to saving lives and donate my blood.
Let’s face it, no one likes to talk about BMs (bowel movements), as my grandmother used to call them, but they’re a fact of life. I’m pretty sure you should be going daily, and if you’re not, you might want to reexamine your ‘diet.”
I wanted to give you a tip on if you are dealing with diarrhea and how to ‘cure’ it. A couple of months ago, Emma had a week’s worth of it, and I was at my wit’s end! She’s potty trained and there’s nothing more fun than dealing with runny panties, especially in a restaurant. Emma would not even tell me when she had to go ‘stinkies’ and would just start going. It frustrated me to no avail. I was tired of throwing panties away, and after doing so many dirty cloth diapers, I didn’t feel like trying to save them. Not very green, I know.
We were at a kid’s birthday party in Houston, and she had just eaten some tacos, when I saw the face. She didn’t tell me but she had to GO! I called Josh in to help, since I was over doing it myself yet again, and that’s when I lost it. Besides the tacos (not cooked by me), I couldn’t figure out what changes we had made in our diet from the previous week. I did what any mama would do, and that was to ask what to give her on one of my holistic facebook sites. I knew I had the arsenal of Kombucha (fermented tea) and coconut water in the back of my mind, but was still unsure if she’s too young (age 2) to drink the ’booch. But desperate times call for desperate measures people.
My remedy: Kombucha and Coconut water (great for rehydration…NO GATORADE or PEDIALYTE)!
Let’s be clear, I’m not a doctor, nutritionist, etc., nor pretend to play one. I’ve just done some research in my crunchy world and came up with my own ideas.
After getting the green light with those two drinks, from my FB group, I knew I was on the right track. Basically the day after giving her Kombucha and coconut water, she had normal poops again. It was a small miracle and I just about cried. You feel helpless as a parent when you don’t know what’s going on with your little one and want to do the best, and most natural way of helping them.
I did happen to ask my nutritionist if that’s what ‘cured’ her and she said ABSOLUTELY! Kombucha is like a liquid probiotic, and coconut water has so many great components that it’s quite popular in the fitness world. I don’t have exact measurements, but I let her drink from both bottles every so often, and it worked.
Since this incident, I’ve taken to making my own Kombucha and make sure to keep coconut water in the fridge door, right at Emma’s level. If you know me, I don’t give her juice, unless I squeeze it myself, but I love how we now call them juice boxes. She constantly wants ‘booch daily and will occasionally ask for a sip of her ‘juice box.’ It’s the little things in life!
I’m guessing you won’t admit it, but do you have bathroom issues and don’t know what to do? I’ve dealt with BM issues my entire life, since having Celiac Disease, so it’s not uncommon to talk about in our home. This has me thinking that this will be ‘good to know’ especially with the holidays in full swing.
Drink up my friends!
P.S.-I’m super stoked to be making my own lard, from one of Josh’s brisket, then turning it into homemade lye soap (post to come)! Awe yeah!
Picture it with me…baby girl (or boy) sits down to a meal, feeds herself a bowl of scrumptious salmon chowder (you lovingly prepared) with a spoon, enjoys every bit of it, then asks for more, all the while none of it ends up on the floor. You think you’re dreaming, right? Then you open you your eyes to realize this is your reality, all day every day for EVERY meal. Think what I’m talking about is nuts? Guess again. Does this sound more like it: you pop open a delicious jar of some puréed meat and veggie/oat/fruit/bean blend, dip the spoon into said jar, aero plane the food towards baby’s smiling mouth, only to have it brutally rebuffed and spat on you in disgust. Sound familiar? I thought so.
What if the first scenario really existed and you didn’t have to fight to get your little one to eat? What if you didn’t have steam, steam, steam those veggies only to puree them and store them in those cute little freezer trays? Or, what if you didn’t have to peruse the baby food aisle thinking ‘peas, broccoli, turkey, bananas, and lima beans’ sound yummy right? Cuz you would totally eat that…NOT!
Okay, so you think I’m kidding, but the first scenario does exist and it can happen in your home or at a restaurant every.single.day! Want to know what in the world I’m talking about? Let me tell you about a little thing called Baby-Led Weaning (BLW).
Baby-Led Weaning was coined by Gill Rapley from England and it’s a means of “adding complementary foods, not giving up breastfeeding.” It’s not necessarily about weaning baby from mama’s milk, so much as getting them to feed themselves. She states that if it were up to her, “it would be called Baby Self-Feeding, but that ship has sailed, my friends, and Baby-Led Weaning it is.”
I have to say this was one of the funnest experiences we had with Emma when it was time to start ‘solids.’ I had first heard about BLW from my crunchy/celiac friend while I was pregnant with baby girl. She only knew of the website but I happen to stumble upon the actual book while perusing Amazon. I needed to get a better handle on this concept, and when I started doing BLW the website wasn’t user-friendly, so I got the book. If you are like me and you need more ‘proof’ or encouragement get the book pronto! I don’t care if you’ve already been doing the jarred mush with your little one GET THIS BOOK!
Maybe you were like me in thinking, “hmph I don’t need those jarred foods-I’ll make my own and they’ll be 10x healthier.” Right? Yeah, I had the same mindset until I discovered this little gem. Instead of making additional food, in those cute little baby bullets, you could just feed baby boy or girl the same thing you were eating. There’s that crazy talk again! Let me explain…
We decided to start Emma on solids right around 6 months since she seemed to be showing interest in what we were doing. I did do a bit of the rice cereal, which seems to be all the rage, but after trying it myself and finding it disgusting, I tossed that in the trash. My mom said the same thing when we were little…apparently I should still be listening to my mom after 30 years. Ha!
Some of the first foods we started her on were avocados, bananas, sweet potato ‘fries’, and steamed veggies. And when I say steamed veggies, I mean a boatload of steamed veggies. I was fortunate to have my mom get me one of those double decker steamers by Hamilton Beach, and little did I know how handy that contraption would be with feeding Miss Emma. Since going Paleo though, I would probably be sautéing veggies a lot more in some good ole grass-fed butter or bacon fat.
I kinda sorta cleared it with our Pediatrician when the 6 month check-up rolled around. I think. They told me what I could start doing with her and I smiled and nodded, like a good mama, and may or may not have mentioned that I was doing BLW. One thing you’ll learn about me, if I put my mind to it, I’m doing it come hell-o or high water. And when we went back for other check-ups and they asked if she was eating this or this and staying away from that, I said yes.
This isn’t to say you should go against your doc. This is to show you you don’t have to do the norm when it comes to eating. My friend, Amy from Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, finally called me up and got on board after her son refused to have a spoon come at his face and was determined to do it himself. It’s hard at first to TRUST your child and let them do it, but YOU MUST! There were several times when Josh and I put the food in her mouth to get her to try it-but that’s a NO NO. It takes all your will power not to stare at them, like the book says, but it’s so darn cute and fun to see them explore this eating thing like mama and daddy do.
I will add for those who are worried about choking-don’t be. Or rather, try not to be and TRUST your child. Their gag reflex is so far forward that they will spit the food out themselves if it travels too far back. Should they choke (I don’t recall it with Emma), ‘ just smack them on the back and move along,’ as the book states. It’s tough, especially being a control freak, to trust your baby and let them handle it themselves, but I think it’s a good lesson early on for parents and kids alike.
To give you an idea of how to feed them: cut foods into French fry-like sizes for just about everything! Broccoli and cauliflower can be left as is, that way it gives them a handle and is easier to keep an eye on.
If you need ideas:
steamed, sautéed, or raw veggies cut into 2-inch sticks
all fruits (I didn’t wait on any of them)
pasta with homemade sauce
mashed potatoes/parsnips/turnips/etc.
grass-fed ground meats
shredded pork, chicken, or turkey
wild-caught steamed or canned fish
toasted bread cut into ‘sticks’ with hummus or smashed avocado
soups
I personally didn’t do any sugars, juices, or cow’s milk, but that’s up to you. I wanted to give Emma the best foods I could, especially since she was so little and it was a very formidable time for her.
Hopefully that gets you started. Don’t be afraid of good fats like butter and seasonings-they are used to flavors from the womb and in your milk if you are nursing. I will suggest that you offer utensils from the get-go, too. They like to mimic mama and daddy, so if you get them started early, they will be pros in no time. Try not to stress about it and have fun exploring the world of eating with your baby, you won’t regret it!
I’m pretty sure I could go on forever talking about this subject, but I’ll just let you explore it for yourself. Don’t get hung up on the choking or not trusting your child to do for themselves, just give it a shot.
Like I said, it was truly the most enjoyable time with Emma (though not always the cleanest), plus being Italian and cooking 3 squares a day, I feel like my world revolves around food. And for those that missed it in the beginning-Emma has NEVER HAD A SINGLE PUREE since she started eating at 6 months old. Okay, I may have made her some homemade applesauce in the Vitamix and added some cinnamon, chia, and flax seeds, but I swear that was it.
I will leave you with this…offer everything under the sun to your child, they are literally blank slates just waiting to try new things. Even now Emma loves sardines, marrow bones, capers, lemons, olives, etc. She doesn’t know those are supposed to be ‘nasty’ just because a lot of people don’t like them. Who knows, maybe it will get you to try new things for the first time since kids like ‘to monkey see, monkey do.’
Give me your feedback. Did you do BLW or are you doing so now? Is this a beyond crazy concept or have I grabbed your attention?
I tend to be overly passionate on certain topics and this one is HUGE to me. My promise, as I’ve said before, is that I don’t want to preach but rather to educate. Preaching gets us nowhere and definitely turns people away…not my goal.
The premise of the movie is talking about GMOs and what they have done to us as a human race and how they contribute to a lot of our ailments these days. It’s said that from the mid 90s (when GMOs were introduced), chronic illnesses have nearly doubled-think allergies, autoimmune diseases (Celiac Disease), inflammation, thyroid disease, heart disease, etc. In 1996, GM corn and soy were introduced into our food supply and since then, digestive issues have severely been on the rise.
For those unaware of them:
A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. Organisms that have been genetically modified include micro-organisms such as bacteria and yeast, plants, fish, and mammals. GMOs are the source of genetically modified foods, and are also widely used in scientific research and to produce useful goods other than food.-Wikipedia
The film is put out by Jeffrey M. Smith and tagline for the film is this:
Are you and your family on the wrong side of a bet?
When the US government ignored repeated warnings by its own scientists and allowed untested genetically modified (GM) crops into our environment and food supply, it was a gamble of unprecedented proportions. The health of all living things and all future generations were put at risk by an infant technology.After two decades, physicians and scientists have uncovered a grave trend. The same serious health problems found in lab animals, livestock, and pets that have been fed GM foods are now on the rise in the US population. And when people and animals stop eating genetically modified organisms (GMOs), their health improves.This seminal documentary provides compelling evidence to help explain the deteriorating health of Americans, especially among children, and offers a recipe for protecting ourselves and our future.
I really can’t put into words how disturbing the information was. Do me a favor and curl up on the couch tonight or in front or your computer this weekend and WATCH THIS! It’s free for viewing until November 6th, and as they say, ‘It’s a MUST SEE!’
I’ve always heard bad things about Monsanto and knew not to use Roundup, but know you will know why. It’s unfathomable what this company is doing to our planet let alone the people of the ENTIRE world. Please educate yourself and STOP buying GMOs. We need to take back our food and our children’s health.
Pass this onto your loved ones and let’s start educating one another and stop living in the dark. We deserve to know what’s in our food (Prop 37) and to stop these companies from controlling the world and what we eat!
Let me know if you do watch this documentary and what you think. I’m definitely on a mission to get this crap out of my body, especially when going out to eat or to friend’s houses!
Be still, my beating heart. Young House Love (YHL) is coming to Dallas and I couldn’t be more stoked about it!!!!!
If you’ve never heard of them, they’re totally famous DIY bloggers who get 5 million hits a month! They are a quirky couple, living in Richmond, with their daughter, Clara, and dog, Burger. Sherry and John are amazing writers and have tons of inspiring posts that get even a non-DIYer, like me, to want to do stuff mahself.
I was introduced to them when I was working at the Art Institute of Dallas. A co-worker told me about this cool blog, where a charming couple DIYs on the cheap and easy, and were pregnant with their first baby. I didn’t really catch on at first, nor was very big into the blogging world (ha!), but soon they became part of my daily ritual (even Josh knows about them). After logging in at work, I would open my email, Facebook, and YHL in that order. Probably not the best employee behavior but I did get my work done, promise.
They have inspired me to make a compost bin for cheap, become addicted to ORB (oil-rubbed bronze) spray paint, and taught me a few crunchy tips along the way. I may have a few too many products that I learned about from Sherry, but if it hadn’t been for her making cloth diapering (CDing) look so easy, I might not be where I am today. Thanks $herdog!
It didn’t help that our daughters are 2 months apart and Emma is obsessed with watching Clara videos. It MIGHT be Clara’s fault that Emma is addicted to ‘Moves Like Jagger’ and ‘The Alphabet Train.’ Just sayin’!
The point of the gush is this: they are coming out with a book! It’s a 243 page guide on DIYing with a boatload of inspirations and amazing projects concocted by this super sweet couple. I have never been so excited for someone’s book to come out like I am with them. I just know they will inspire me to decorate my barren house and give me tips on how to do stuff on the cheap (or at least empower me to ‘save my pennies’).
Before they released the tour dates, I just knew they had to come to Texas at some point-this state is just too darn big to pass up. Lo and behold, they are coming to Dallas, Houston, AND Austin! I have family in the last two, so I asked Sherry if it would be creepy if I saw them at each stop and she sweetly said ‘no.’ It sounds good now, but when they see me show up for the 3rd and final time in Austin, they may duck and hide when I come at them with yet another book to sign.
Honestly, my hope is that Emma can meet Clara. I told baby girl this morning that she could possibly meet Clara, if she comes along with John and Sherry, when they do their stop here in Dallas. I then asked if it would be exciting to meet Clara and she said ‘see Burger, too.’ Not sure if he will make an appearance but we shall see. The funniest part is when I asked Emma what she would say to Clara and she said ‘Quién es tu papi?’ (Who’s your daddy?). HAHAHA! She is going through a phase of watching her Brainy Baby Spanish video and ahem repeating every.single.thing we say around her. I nearly died laughing this morning as that was the start to my day…here’s hoping we do get to meet Miss Clara!
For those of you who know about them and lurve them, like I do, here are their tour dates:
CINCINNATI: Saturday, October 20, 10:00 A – Books by the Banks Festival, Duke Energy Convention Center. Talk, meet & greet, and signing. More details here.
NEW YORK CITY: Thursday, November 1, 6:30 PM – FLOR, 142 Wooster Street; Book Party, Signing & Raffle (we’re unveiling and raffling an exclusive FLOR rug of our own design!) with wine, popcorn, cookies, and soda. More details here.
WILTON, CT: Friday, November 2, 9:30 AM – Wilton Library, 137 Old Ridgefield Road. Talk & Signing. For details, call the event partner, Elm Street Books, at 203-762-3950.
BOSTON: Wednesday, November 7, 6:00 PM -West Elm, 160 Brookline Avenue. Cookies, Cocoa + Crafting Ideas: A festive talk with signing and refreshments to follow. RSVP here.
RICHMOND, VA: Thursday, November 8, 7:00 PM – R*Home for the Holidays at The Visual Arts Center of Richmond, 1812 West Main Street. Talk, Signing & Silent Auction: we’re offering up some of our favorite finished projects from the book to support the The School of Richmond Ballet. Wine & Hors d’hoeuvres will be served. Tickets here. Update: we’re working on a second Richmond event as well, details to come.
CHICAGO: Saturday, November 10, 1:00 PM – West Elm, 1000 W North Avenue. Cookies, Cocoa + Crafting Ideas: A festive talk with signing and refreshments to follow. RSVP here.
TORONTO: Monday, November 12, 6:00 PM – West Elm, 109 Atlantic Avenue. Cookies, Cocoa + Crafting Ideas: A festive talk with signing and refreshments to follow. RSVP here.
MINNEAPOLIS: Wednesday, November 14, 6:00 PM – West Elm, 3879 Gallagher Drive, Edina, MN. Cookies, Cocoa + Crafting Ideas: A festive talk with signing and refreshments to follow. RSVP here.
HOUSTON: Thursday, November 15, 6:00 PM – West Elm, 3910 Westheimer Road. Cookies, Cocoa + Crafting Ideas: A festive talk with signing and refreshments to follow. RSVP here.
DALLAS: Saturday, November 17, 11:00 AM – West Elm, 5307 East Mockingbird Lane. Cookies, Cocoa + Crafting Ideas: A festive talk with signing and refreshments to follow. RSVP here.
WASHINGTON, DC: Wednesday, November 28, 6:30 PM – FLOR, 1037 33rd Street NW. Book Party, Signing (we’re raffling an exclusive FLOR rug of our own design!) with wine, popcorn, cookies and soda. RSVP here.
AUSTIN: Tuesday, January 8, 7:00 PM – BookPeople,603 North Lamar Boulevard. Talk & Book Signing. To reserve your copy and RSVP, call 512-472-5050.
MIAMI: Wednesday, January 9, Time TBD – Books & Books, 265 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables. Talk & Book Signing. To reserve your copy and RSVP, call 305-442-4408.
FORT LAUDERDALE: Thursday, January 10, Time TBD – Books & Books at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, 1 East Las Olas Boulevard. Lunchtime Talk & Book Signing. To RSVP call (954) 262-0255.
GRAND CAYMAN ISLANDS: Friday, January 11, Time TBD – Books & Books Grand Cayman, The Town Centre at Camana Bay, Grand Cayman. Talk & Book Signing. More info here.
TACOMA, WA: Friday, January 25, 1:00 PM – Tacoma Home & Garden Show. Talk & Book Signing. More info here.
PORTLAND: January date TBD, 6:00 PM – Rejuvenation, 1100 Southeast Grand Avenue. Talk & Book Signing. For more info call (503) 238-1900.
RIDGEWOOD, NJ: Friday, November 2, 7pm– Bookends, 211 Ridgewood Ave, book signing. More info here.
WASHINGTON, DC: Saturday, December 1st, Time TBD– Living Social, 918 F Street, Talk, holiday crafting, and book signing. More details to be released here.
RICHMOND, VA: Sunday, December 2nd, 1pm– Mongrel, 2924 W. Cary Street, book signing. Store information here.
CHARLOTTE, NC: Early February. Other details TBD
There are several that you have to RSVP to, since they are way famous, so get registered ASAP!
I will definitely follow-up with a post on when I do meet them, and if they ran from me or rolled their eyes seeing that’ Texas girl with the 2-year-old spitting out Spanish sayings’ coming at them. Ha.
Is anyone else obsessed with an avid reader/follower of YHL? Please tell me I’m not the only crazy one who has the same whale faucet cover, wet bag, and Joovy Kooper stroller as them. Bueller…Bueller…Bueller…
Emma and I just completed our 2nd shift at our work share this week and was given a very nice complement. My friend Casey happened to be working the farm as well and once Emma saw her, she just walked right over and sat down. Emma loves my girlfriends and for some strange reason likes to pet them. Don’t ask. It was time for me to get to work, so I asked Emma if she wanted to come plant kale with me across the field, and she said no. She had decided to stay and ‘play’ with Casey. No biggie.
Casey had to leave half an hour after we got there, so after planting I went over to get Emma. I asked how it went (and happen to catch Emma putting the lettuce in the hole Casey had dug) and was told she did good! Casey continued to say that Emma is actually enjoyable to be around. They even had a conversation about Emma’s favorite vegetables (strawberries then peanuts) while passing the time together. Casey volunteers in a church on Sunday and deals with a boat load of toddlers, so I thought that’s pretty good to hear for a two-year-old.
Now don’t get me wrong, Emma has tantrums and fits like the rest of them. She also goes limp when I try to put clothes on her and will test the waters on hitting now and then. BUT, the girl minds pretty well for going through toddler transitions and seeing what she can get away with. I also vowed to call them the ‘Totally Awesome Twos’ since I want to have a better mindset going into her third year of life. I figure if I expect the twos to be awesome then MAYBE they will. Don’t worry, I’m not that naïve but I try to not contend with the norm.
Now I will say, I’m a pretty laid back mom for a 1st timer. I feel very safe when Emma is with other people, whom I trust, and I don’t fret when Josh and I go away somewhere together. I also encourage her to go play in the dirt and try not to say ‘be careful’ but instead ‘watch out’ or ‘let’s not do that.’ I never thought I’d be this way but I guess seeing other people’s parenting has helped me over the years. I took some bits here and there from others (without them or me noticing) and came up with my own concoction style.
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a reader. That’s where I get most of my inspiration from and it’s not uncommon to hear me say ‘today I read something about ____.’ And along with reading a lot, I’m easily influenced…which can be good and bad.
After giving birth to Emma, just 10 short months after we were married, I became a different person. Yes, I know becoming a parent does that to you, but it was the feeling of ‘we weren’t planning to have a kid just yet and now I’m growing a baby and about to become a mama-here we go!’ Whatever I thought I knew or read just went out the window, cuz a baby changes everything.
A flip was suddenly switched and I was crunchy! Not in the hardcore sense, but in a way of I wanted to try different approaches of rearing our child. Basically, I had no expectations. Wait. Maybe I had higher expectations.
I wasn’t very good at the baby talk. That seemed weird for me, so I talked to her like a person since that just felt right. I constantly pointed things out to her and narrated what I was doing. At six months old, I told her ‘Emma you need to lay still, mommy’s going to suction your nose to help you feel better,’ and she just stayed still while I did my thang. No kid likes getting their nose suctioned, but you can’t blame them for throwing a fit when you come at them with some device that they think is sucking out their brains! So I thought, why not just tell her what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. Seemed logical to me.
This way of thinking carried through to the one year mark. In my mind when babies turned one, I thought they began speaking. How was I to know that wasn’t the case? I’ve been around kids but didn’t remember their milestones and when they were ‘supposed’ to happen. I will say, ‘What to Expect the First Year‘ was a good guide for us but I kind of skimmed over it once Emma turned one.
I went back and forth on if I wanted to sign with her as I heard mixed reviews on delayed speech. But when the pediatrician said she once saw a mother and child hold a 50 word conversation in signs, that went out the window. We did some basic signing: milk, more, please, all done, water, thank you, etc. The part I think some parents forget to do is actually say the word(s) along with what they are doing. I’ve fallen victim to saying ‘Do you want this?’ and grabbing what she was pointing at without ever saying the actual word.
We made it a point to say/explain EVERYTHING that was going on. I even had to constantly remind Josh to clarify what ‘that’ was or narrate what he was doing. I did the Your Baby Can Read videos and flash cards from about 7 months on and tried my best to watch it with her and repeat everything she was seeing. Suffice it to say, Emma talks. A lot. It probably didn’t help that my parents called me Maggie the Magpie growing up.
I am also in the habit of having her say all sorts of words and in different languages. I would say a word like ‘accoutrement’ (ac-cou-tre-ment: French for accessories) then ask if she could say it or get her to sound it out. She could because I didn’t think it was too big for her. We would walk around outside or in the mall/zoo/store and I would ask her to say all sorts of words. She never said no because I think she was genuinely interested in learning. These kids are little sponges and willing to soak up all they can, if the opportunity is presented.
So get out there and talk to your kids! Explain every.single.thing-the world is open to them if you encourage it. Don’t think they are dumb or too young to understand…they are SO much smarter than we give them street cred credit for. Just because they may not be able to speak doesn’t mean they’re not comprehending it all.
To add to that, I also taught Emma the correct names for the body parts, and I intend to explain to her about the birds and the bees when the time comes. I guess I would rather be the source of her information than some kids at school or the TV. Just sayin’.
I know, I know, I could go on forever with what kids are capable of but I think I’ll stop here. I hope you are inspired to teach your child(ren) the world and all that is has to offer. We are their first and most influential teachers, so let’s show ‘em what we got!
