Community Supported Agriculture

My husband and I have talked a number of times about subscribing to a CSA for produce and fruit. CSA stands for community supported agriculture and involves buying boxes usually monthly but receiving goods weekly that are grown on farms in your area. To find a farm we first googled: CSA, Santa Rosa and were led to this page: http://find.mapmuse.com/re1/map_brand_mm2.php?brandID=CSA&init=38.4377708487303,-122.712411778317,11&tlist=CSA,
This gave us choices for CSA-participating farms, where they were located and links to more information.
We signed up for one small box per week from Valley End Farm here in Santa Rosa. Baby girl and I went and picked up our first box on Tuesday. There was quite a bounty inside: eggplant, zukes, roma and cherry tomatoes, chard, purple bell peppers, crane melon, wax beans, radishes, sage..I think that was it. I was making a beef stew and added quite a few things right from the box. As the seasons change we will have what's growing in sonoma county which is cool for several reasons:
1) It will help me be more of a creative cook, using produce that I have tried before and some that are totally new to me.
2) I will be buying from a completely organic and sustainable farm and only have to make one short car trip to get a whole box of food there.
3) Our daughter will be able to see where our food comes from as she gets older.
4) Lots of veggies are GREAT for a healthy diet.
I am really looking forward to next week's box.
*The free-range,frisky resident chickens and roosters were pretty entertaining, too.

Making homemade baby food with lots of love

I love making food for my baby girl. With the exception of grains, tofu and yogurt, I make all of my girl's food. I love going to: http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/ and getting ideas for really nutritious, organic purees and finger foods. This website has given me the confidence to whip up creations for our baby.
Something that I am really excited about that jarred baby food doesn't seem to provide much of is eating seasonal foods. I think that it helps create a bank of memories and sensory experiences to eat the fruits and veggies that are growing locally. It also is better for the environment as the foods are grown nearby and not shipped from Exotic places. We have had lots of pumpkin sweet potato with cinnamon and ginger, yams, zucchini and squashes boiling on the stove lately and it is just heaven. The leaves are falling outside and we are inside with our baby eating delicious comfort foods. Pureed apples and pears have been a big favorite mixed with yogurt and wheat germ.
Since our baby girl is still under 10 months we haven't had a chance to try spinach and chard in her food (too high in nitrites for under 10 months) but hopefully she will have some pureed soon.
As we are trying a lot of new finger foods our girl is eating chopped banana dusted in wheat germ, sauteed tofu dusted in wheat germ, slightly cooled hard-boiled egg yolk, cottage cheese, Oatios (organic version of cheerios plus more protein) and vanilla teething biscuits: http://www.healthytimes.com/htbabybiscuits.htm.
With lots of new foods comes a little more gas as our girl is prone to it already. I am making her weak teas of fresh ginger and chamomile to ease the tummy ache.
It feels really good to know that in addition to breast milk, the food I make for Maya is clean, healthy and organic.

Awesome consignment sale!!

I just went to the Wee Three store's "Wee Peats" consignment sale at the LBC in Santa Rosa. There are sooo many awesome gently used clothes, costumes, shoes, and outerwear items for real cheap! I was on the hunt for used sleep sacks since my little one still uses one. I ended up finding some great gender-neutral jammies, some great pants and some cute hats for my baby girl and her baby cousin. This is a yearly event so if you missed it this year go next year!! It is worth the sifting and the crowds for sure!!!

It's not easy being green (money-wise)

I just wanted to dream aloud about organic clothes and organic clothing being so widely made (but not exploiting those who make them or distribute them) that one would be able to afford more of them. The organic food is much more affordable in my household b/c we mostly buy product and grains and not much meat. BUT, being a stay-at-home-mom and affording baby organic clothing and eco-friendly, non-toxic toys with one income is tricky. I just wanted to vent a bit! I look at the Old Navy sites and the clothing is cute and affordable and really accessible. BUT it goes against my goals. So as I am trying to be a green mama I am doing the best I can to buy organic but to also not go broke. Can anyone else relate?

Homemade wipe solution

As I mentioned in earlier posts, my baby girl has had some baaaaaad diaper rash. It makes sense as I have pretty sensitive skin, too. When we were travelling in August it reached an all time nastiness and I had to make a solution on the road with some help from an herbalist in Kaua'i. It was originally just aloe vera juice and bottled water chilled before and after use. No double-dipping and being very careful not to get the solution dirty with my hands was a must.
As I continued to use this solution over the past two months I noticed the baby girl's diaper area wasn't smelling too fresh in between changings so I decided to amp up the cleansing agents in the wipe solution. Here is the new wipe solution:
equal parts: aloe vera juice (lily of the desert brand) and witch hazel (Humphrey's)
the rest-chilled, bottled water
I have used cut-up cloth diapers but most recently ordered some great hemp and organic cotton cloth wipes.
The kinds I am using are: Babykicks and Happy Heiny from http://bananapeelsdiapers.com/catalog.php?category=170
This has been working great!

Home remedy for clogged tear ducts??

So, my baby girl has had a clogged tear duct in her left eye since she came home from the hospital. I am pretty sure that it was from the eye ointment they apply the first day baby is born to prevent infections and disease transmission through the eye. Although our girl was not in danger of this, really, we had them do it anyway. First hours of parenthood to blame, I guess? Anyway..poor Maya has had the clogged duct consistently since then. We've done the antibiotic drops when the built up tear/mocuous has gotten real crusty and yellow but that was once. Mostly it just looks like Maya has been crying. Her eyes are extremely gooky in the morning,too.
Well, it is supposed to clear up by 9 months and we're getting close to that time and it hadn't cleared up at all. So, I looked into home remedies to avoid having the duct manually opened by a wire with baby under light anesthesia. That freaks me out! To avoid this I started doing research online and talked to my pediatrician to let him know I wanted one month to try to clear this on my own.
So, here is what I have been doing:
Warm compresses soaked in loose, simmered, chamomile tea (new cloths each time)
Wiping the eye off with the chamomile tea (with washed hands and new cloths)
Massaging in a semi-circle from the inner eye area to the nose (kind of like a sinus massage)
Putting breastmilk on the duct area (Yes, that's right)
I started this on Sunday and now it is Wednesday and for the first time in many months, I did not have to clean Maya's eyes upon waking. Yessssss!!! I do have to resort to very silly faces and animal noises during the compress so that baby girl doesn't lose it but it's well worth it!

Better for the body, better for the environment

When I went to skin care school in 2003 I gained a world of information about product ingredients, food's effect on the body's largest organ and natural skin care lines. Since then, I have "cherry-picked" from brands and tried different things depending on what my skin needed. I have become very discriminating as far as mainstream brands go. I usually go to Whole Foods for my skin care or our local market Oliver's. Here are my favorite skin care brands:
Desert Essence Organics Facial Care--they make an incredible "Age Reversal Pomegranate Face Serum." It is really hydrating and regenerative.
Mychelle Fruit Enzyme Cleanser--it is sulfate free and uses organic essential oils and ingredients. I used this on some hormonal acne on my chin and it exfoliated it and helped it heal pronto.
Alba botanica-- I have loved EVERYTHING I have tried from them. I love their emollient body lotion called Daily Shade with spf 16 and alpha hydroxy. I have used almost their entire Hawaiian line including the aloe and green tea oil-free moisturizer, the hibiscus toner and pineapple face wash. Alba is owned by Avalon organics and they have an incredible line of Lavender products.
Better Botanicals--I love their sandalwood moisturizer and rose tulsi toner.
Earth Science-- I have sensitive eyes and I really like their chamomile and green tea eye makeup remover.
JASON pure, natural, organic--their Healthy Mouth gel tooth paste with tea tree and CoQ10 is very nice and really does make your mouth feel clean.
So..on to baby products..BTW I have tried all of these baby products. If it didn't bother my sensitive skin I would pass it on to baby.
On the bottom of a babe and all that dewey baby skin I will only put organic products--hands down. Here are some of the products that I have used on my little gal:
Avalon organics Baby Weightless Nourishing body lotion--I have used this on baby girl since her first week home. I love it for her skin as well as mine.
Avalon organics Baby Protective A, D, E ointment with chamomile--love this for protecting those chubby thigh folds from chafing.
Avalon organics Baby cornstarch powder--Talc is found to be a contributor to respiratory problems (asthma) so it uses baking soda, cornstarch, calendula and chamomile to soothe, cool and keep dry. My baby girl coos whenever I put this on her.
California Baby Calming hair and bodywash--perfect for evening baths.
California Baby Bubble bath--this stuff is incredible. It does not contain any chemical sudsing agent but coconut-derived sudsers. To get it to really bubble it you have to work the water a little but it is well worth it. We have tried: Overtired and Cranky, Light and Happy, Chamomile and Herbs, and my favorite..I Love You. The I Love You bubble bath has my favorite essential oils in it, ylang ylang and sweet orange.
California Baby warming Massage oil--in I Love You. You just rub it between your palms and the friction warms the oil. Baby loovves this massage oil.
California Baby diaper area wash/spray--Excellent wipe solution alternative. Also a great boo-boo spray.
I have used California Baby the most often because I totally believe in their products and their philosophy. All of their essential oils are grown sustainably and without any pesticide use. Also, none of their products contain synthetic fragrances. Even though it is pricier than some other products you might find the product line is concentrated so you get a lot for your money. It just smells so good, too!!!
I have found that my skin, my body and my baby's skin has responded really positively to organic products. It makes me feel good to know that the ingredients have been grown without leaving a footprint on the earth and that the bottles are made of the easiest type of plastic that can be recycled: HDPE #2
Avalon organics was the first organic line of skin care products that I researched for my own use years back. I have a soft spot for this company. They are committed to using sustainable agriculture to grow their ingredients, using recycled materials for their marketing and literature and providing their client with organic plant-based emollients and essential oils.
So, enjoy delicious-smelling, organic products and feel good about them.

Homeopathy with my family

Arnica Gel for pain relief, Hyland's Teething tablets, and Boiron Cocyntal colic/gas drops ROCK!
Thank goodness for our homeopathic teething tablets!!! My little girl has recently cut her first two teeth. Exciting? Yes! Wet with drool?? Yes! New? Yes! Sad to watch? Yes!
Maya was a real trooper during the day while teething. She would chew on her sophie giraffe or other cool teething rings (I know, I know, I mentioned these already). I just wanted to emphasize how much our homeopathic meds have helped our baby already. Just the sight of the teething tab bottle now assures Maya that her discomfort will soon be soothed by the chamomile and extract of coffee that are some of the main ingredients of the tabs.
When Maya was first born my mom was staying with us and she made me all my old favorite foods: meat loaf, veggie casseroles, creamy rice with raisins..yum. My husband was also making some of my newer favorites: veggie pizza with cheese, vegetable pasta.. Well, we started noticing that every night around the same time Maya started arching her back and just screaming! I looked at my Nursing Mother's Companion book (you can check that out at: http://shop.nurturecenter.com/nurmotcom.html) and put two and two together---I was causing my baby to have A LOT of gas. Her face would get bright red and her whole body was angry. I remembered that a friend of mine had recommended the Boiron gas drops. As I slowly started an elimination diet for baby's gas I began cutting out dairy, dark green veggies, onion, garlic, tomatoes, and beans, we would use these drops for the residual gassiness. The diet change made a dramatic difference for Maya and I just found other versions of my fave foods. Now that Maya's stomach is "hardier" and more mature I just give her some of the drops if I have had something that is hurting my stomach to make sure it doesn't hurt hers as well.
Arnica gel--is awesome. I use it for bruising and soreness and have used it on Maya since her first set of shots. On a side note we are doing an alternative vaccine plan and Maya has had only two rounds of shots each session having only two vaccines. That said, we would bring the arnica gel and apply it to her thighs immediately after getting the shot. The combination of the gel and cool compresses have really helped ease the discomfort of those shots in the pudgy thigh.
I will be looking for homeopathic remedies for cold and flu symptoms as winter approaches to continue this more holistic approach to healing my little one. One that I am excited to try when the need arises is warm chamomile tea for baby with cough or sore throat. My pediatrician highly recommended it.
I also wanted to mention our good old friend Rescue Remedy by Bach's (http://www.bachflower.com/) and Motherlove Sitz Bath (http://www.motherlove.com/pressrelease-2004-11.php). I am pretty much a stress case and have had anxiety for my whole life and this really does help me as well as my baby AND my dogs. Let me tell you how the product works:
Rescue remedy "gently restore(s) the balance between mind and body by casting out negative emotions, such as, fear, worry, hatred and indecision which interfere with the equilibrium of the being as a whole. The Bach Flower Essences® allow peace and happiness to return to the sufferer so that the body is free to heal itself."
It seems like something that would have a placebo effect, right? Well it has worked for baby and dogs when they have no cognitive ability to anticipate that it is something good for them or helpful. Here are some situations where I used the Rescue Remedy on my baby girl (rubbed it on her forehead) and it calmed her and/or helped her sleep:
-When we were boarding a plane past her bedtime (aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!)
-When we were going to the Pediatrician
-When she was having a meltdown of terribly sad proportions.
Here are some times where I used it on my dogs (in case you are interested):
-When my chihuahua was attacking our new dog trainer. The trainer suggested it, I put several drops on the pup's nose, and she layed down on-leash next to the trainer
-During holidays or big gatherings at my house
-Car rides
-Times when we are anticipating separation anxiety (having someone dog-sit them)
Times when I've used it:
-During near-panic attack mode
-When not able to sleep
-When I'm feeling rushed or anxious in general
Sitz baths:
After my baby girl was born I had some stitches that needed to heal (from a vaginal delivery). At a certain point the skin/stitch area starts to feel tight and dry as the skin truly starts to heal through all layers of the dermis. Motherlove's Sitz Bath was great for this. It is made with: sea salt, sustainably crafted witch hazel leaf, certified organic yarrow and uva ursi. You can get either mesh bags for steeping or use loose-tea spoons and let them steep in your bath. I also used this sitz bath in baby girl's bath when her diaper rash was starting to heal and just looked so uncomfortable. We take baths with her (we take turns each evening) in our bath tub and I used about two of the spoons worth for half a tub full of water.

Wear it and share it

I used to be such a snob about hand-me-downs, hand-me-overs, and toss outs. Awful, I know. It wasn't until I received some really great heirlooms from when I was a baby that I saw what good energy you can get from having items around that have seen some fun times already. When my mom was pregnant with what she thought was one baby (joke was on you, young mom) she used scraps from her maternity clothes to make a quilt. She was pretty crafty like that. When my mom ended up pushing out two babies on my/our birthday we shared many things, including this quilt. I never really saw it around the house and then when I was pregnant she gave it to me at my baby shower. I wanted to wrap myself up in it and feel all the love she put into it. The only condition was that I had to hand it over to my twin brother for his first-born to use. We both, in our respective marriages, had a rough time getting pregnant but we ended up having our first-borns in the same year and they are both beautiful little girls. So, pretty soon I have to hand it over (I'm going to miss it a lot). Watching Maya play on it has been a pleasure.
So, my ego went down a few notches and I warmed up to the idea of using gently-worn items with my baby. I mean, just because you CAN afford to buy a new version of something doesn't mean it is the only choice. After all, it is better for the environment and they are given with love.
I was lucky to have been pregnant with two very good buddies (my pff's), my awesome sis-in-law, and some more casual friends, too. In addition to being able to support each other, hold arms going down staircases with our big bellies, do prenatal yoga, and share the awe of first-time-parenthood, we have been able have our babies share clothes. Even though I have a daughter, I love the look of a lot of boys' onesies and solid pants. One of my buddies had a onesy with little monkeys all over it and when her little man grew out of it we got to take a whirl with it.
Now that my brother and his wife have a darling little girl who is 6 months younger than my little cupcake I am able to pass hardly worn and gently worn favorites to them to be used and then passed on to another family.
My goal with baby clothes doesn't have to be yours but here it is anywho:
Buy organic clothing (it is so incredibly soft) whether it is made of soy, cotton, hemp, or bamboo. It has been made with pure ingredients from the start. Wear it and then share it.
If not, buy 100% cotton clothing--wear it and then share it.
If it has polyester or doesn't feel good then PASS. It might be cute but not cute enough to sit in a landfill for hundreds and hundreds of years, right?
So, the lesson for the day, my friends, is to wear it and then share it.

Teething rings that are not toxic

So, there are a lot of teething tools out there made by hundreds if not thousands of companies. I started doing research on teething rings that were not filled with anything weird or made soft by any weird chemicals. I was really excited to find not only teething rings but teething toys that would do the trick, weren't too expensive, and were non-toxic. My favorites were:
Sophie the giraffe (made of all natural rubber in France and hand painted with non-toxic, water-based pigment)
Nattursutten apple and fish-shaped teething rings (filled with ultra-sterilized water and not softened with pthalates) sold on zoebonline.com
Cloth, organic cotton teething doll (pour chilled water over it's knots and baby can gnaw on them) by Peppa and sold on the novatoys website
Cool-it soother by Vulli sold on zoebonline.com
My baby girl has gotten through her first two teeth cutting using these for comfort along with the Hyland homeopathic teething tabs.
I also highly recommend getting Born-Free sippy cups for 6months plus and keeping them chilled. When my girl was cutting her first tooth it helped ease the pain so she could calm down after a very painful spell at night and get on with her usual nursing.
love them all!!!!!

Cloth, disposable, or biodegradable?? Oh my??!

So, as my baby was nearing her entry to the rest of the world (outside my uterus) I was really going back and forth about what kind of diapers I would use. I told myself that I was going to use chlorine free 7th generation diapers till she was big enough for G diapers. I knew that I had no idea how much my baby would be going through diapers each day and wanted to kind of give myself a break (at the environment's expense--so sorry!) by using the 7th gen disposables. When Maya came home from the hospital her tiny booty was so flat and tiny that not even the smallest 7th gen size fit her. I felt like I was going to vomit as I put the huggies brand that my husband ran out and got. I was doing something I swore I would never do. Every time I put one on her with the butterflies and decorations and super-moisture-wicking-but-containing-harmful gel crotch I felt terrible guilt. As soon as Maya fit in them we bought G diapers and she used them during the day and the 7th gen diapers at night (the first round of g's leaked). They were awesome with their adorable outer cover with velcro..we used them from the time she was about 3 or 4 weeks old till she was 6 months old. I love that the inserts are biodegradable and that the outers are so easy to clean. I was still feeling bad, however, about tossing them in the garbage many times per day (g diapers and low-flow toilets don't love each other) even though they decompose in less than 30 days. I figured that since I was doing the laundry anyway, that I would look into cloth diapers. My girl had also broken out in a horrible, determined diaper rash that was not getting better with the usual combo of g diapers and Weleda calendula cream.
Our first set of cloth diapers were Bumkins. Bumkins waterproof cloth diaper sets are pvc free, pthalate free, vinyl free and bpa free. Basically everything you need in products that will be next to your baby. I ordered a set at a good price form Costco.
They come with cotton inserts and you can also buy bamboo boosters for heavy wetters (my girl is one). I really liked the outer designs and they are sturdy,albeit bulky. I was noticing that even with the cotton insert and bamboo booster that my girl was wetting through all the way to the core of the diaper. YEESH. I was going through 4 diapers a day, easy.
So, I thought I'd do a little research and see what other moms like and I got a lot of good info on Fuzzi Bunz. Fuzzi Bunz (LOVE THE NAME) is a pocket diaper that is made in the US and snaps to fit a big weight range (more for your money, friends). For example, size medium fits 15-30 pounds. The part that touches your baby's precious privates is made of fleece with a pocket that holds a microfiber insert that absorbs more liquid than I ever would have thought. The fleece seems to wick the pee and other goods away from baby's skin and the insert in the pocket soaks it up. I am able to use one diaper for 2-3 changes with just a swap of the insert!!!! Love it!!! Just don't use diaper cream with these diapers.
Now, back to the diaper rash. My girl had such a bad rash beginning while we were on vacation in Kaua'i that I had a sales clerk at a local health store help me make my own wipe solution--straight aloe vera juice and a little cool water. It helped heal the rash and we are still doing that at home. In a pinch or on the go we've used the California baby diaper area wash spray with cloths from home. I just got cloth diapers and cut them up to make wipes. Voila!!

Clothes, clothes everywhere but...not organic.

When I was a kid my Gpa Len would say: Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink. Well, that's how I felt when I began registering for organic blankets and clothing for my still unborn baby last fall. The market is getting more and more compaies who carry these things as time goes by made with bamboo, soy, wool and cotton. However, at the time I was torn between registering with places that offered organic items and registering somewhere where my shower guests and relatives could shop for little baby Maya. It was agonizing trying to find inexpensive organic blankets and crib sheets and towels (don't even get me started on organic hooded towels). I ended up finding some cute options at babiesrus.com and target.com like the following:
bumkins organic wash cloths
organic cotton fitted crib sheet by T.L Care
bumkins organic burp cloths
organic cotton thermal receiving blanket by T.L Care (we loved these)
So, back to the hooded towel dilemma. It makes me really mad when we have to pay so much extra for a non-toxic, sustainable version of a major necessity. I understand that they are not made as widely and organic farms producing organic cotton are not as common. BUT STILL. It is just frustrating. Finally I got some from Baby Gap that were 100% organic and were around 25.00 per towel. Yikes! I love them and they are soft and luxurious and have a bear face on the hood.
Probably one of my favorite organic purchases was the set of Adin and Anais muslin, organic swaddle blankets. They are pricey (around 50 for a set of 3 or 4) but the most all-purpose thing I have. I can use it for:
a stroller cover for sunny days
a blanket for Maya to play on on the floor or grass
to swaddle her in
a stroller blanket for cool days
a blanket big enough to tie onto the ergo carrier so that she is covered but the blanket isn't blowing around (excellent for the beach).
As far as clothing goes, it is more expensive but you can feeeeeeeeeeel the quality. Baby Soy clothing is made with by-products of making tofu and soy milk and such and then mixed with cotton and safely dyed. Such cute clothes and not that pricey. She has the set of pink and chocolate kimono tee with matching pink pants.
I have only found one organic item that was not up to par and I think that that was because the maker GAP is new to working with organic fibers. I bought an organic, cream colored onesie that was sort of sloppy-fitting and flimsy. I have faith that they will come around, though.

Where shall we begin??

I am creating this blog so that other moms like myself can share ideas on how to be greener while raising our kids. I also wanted a place where I could share the research that I'm doing as I sift through what's widely available to find quality, non-toxic toys and necessities for my little one. I am a first-time mom and my daughter is 7 months old and having a child has made me even more passionate about clean living. I have been passionate about eating organic foods and buying organic household products for the last 8 or 9 years. My then-boyfriend-now-husband and I decided that we would sacrifice other things so that we would have clean food and our household would be as chemical free as we could possibly make it. We lived in Berkeley at the time and we would walk to Monterey Market or go to Whole Foods and just love all the beautiful, organic foods and wares there. Fast forward to my pregnancy last year--I became very aware of how everything I was putting in my body was affecting my little one as she grew in my belly. I began eating organic-only and started eating almost exclusively whole foods and not packaged or preserved items. I found many delicious alternatives. I also found great cleansers for the body and home that were effective and good for the environment. However, my first big hurdle as a new mom was finding organic clothing and blankets for my new baby.