I know, I’ve been gone a loooong time. BUT, if you have to come back with a post, then it may as well  be with one about how to extend the life of all those beautiful Christmas cards we’re receiving this time of year. When the season is over you can ship the ones that are regular holiday cards, i.e. no photo cards, to St. Jude’s and they have a huge program in place to repurpose and sell the cards for the following year. The program has been such a success that they receive nearly 1 million cards per year now, and it’s the kids at St. Jude’s who tackle the project.

LOVE. From Bon Appetit:

I had a post last fall about the insane amount of trash that we send to the landfill. Using biodegradable bags that allow air to reach the garbage so it can do what it’s meant to do – biodegrade – seemed like a step in the right direction. Unfortunately those bags aren’t quite where they need to be yet, they’re just not as strong as they should be, which means…more plastic bags. Not sure why it took me so long but eventually it just hit me that composting is not some hippie-dippie thing to do, it’s the responsible thing to do. every two days I keep sending a bag to the dump with stuff inside it that is completely biodegradable. All those vegetable trimmings, leftover food. It may sound simple but it’s taken me this long to get it: I’m part of a system that makes no sense.

While I was researching composting systems I came across something I did not know: the city of Berlin (Germany) actually takes up its citizens’ food waste separate from everything else, and composts it, giving it to farmers and such. That blew my mind. Really it just goes to show that necessity is the mother of invention (like most European cities Berlin has more people than space). But whatever the reason, it shows that when pushed to the limit people will find ways to do things that make sense. Talk about closing the circle. And like most heavily populated urban spaces, Berlin also has a problem with dog poop, so now they are trying a pilot program to compost dog poop – yep – to see if it can fuel some public transportation. (Think about all the little plastic bags that never biodegrade, sitting in landfills because they’re filled with dog poop. Talk about not closing the circle.) There are alot of options for composting, all really depending more or less on how much you want to have to think about it. I got this Green Cone Solar Digester System because the reviews said you could literally forget about it and it would still do its job, to which I said to the computer: sign me up! Let you know how it goes.

Forget the summer solstice – for mothers summer begins the minute school ends which means that summer is officially here. All the mothers are looking at each other with a mild panic in their eyes: “what are you planning to do with them this summer??,” hoping for ideas. The panic is that when they’re still small, camps are not an option. We must be millions strong who are wondering what the heck we’re gonna do with our kids for three months. If you live somewhere hot like we do then Little Gym and swimming are about the best options that you have. Those are great, but like anything there’s only so much you can do of that. We need more options close to home. Like, at home. And if like us Texans you’re wondering how you can play with them outside without melting, I got my Magic Cabin catalog a couple of weeks ago and fell in love with both of these ideas for outdoor play. Since we’re going to the beach for the first time that Miss P will actually be able to play there, I have a feeling that it’s going to be a hard landing when we get back. That kind of fun activity can’t be topped really for summer. So I’m planning to invest in this sandbox. Not only will it keep the beach fun alive, it won’t look unsightly in our backyard. Made from solid spruce, the roof cranks down to cover the sand when you’re inside (so bye bye critters that seem to be making Miss P cry these days). And a friend of mine told me about Safesand.com, which unlike most all sand sold in stores does not contain crystallized silica, a potentially carcinogenic dust.

Because lets face it: sitting inside some days can be like watching paint dry. I’m going to give Miss P a shady place to sit outside with this Gardenfort, it’s sooo dreamy. At least here if we have to watch something it’s watching nature grow. So between these, Little Gym and swimming lessons (plus the occasional trip to the mall where all the strollers gather to watch whichever puppeteer or musician is thankfully putting on a 30 minute show), we may just survive summer yet, and even enjoy doing it!

The other day I was watching television and an ad came on that caught my attention right away. Mom holding baby, baby with a hacking cough, hand-held camera, quick edits, scary music…It was an ad about how moms can be the ones to actually give their children Pertussis, and doing its best to make that prospect really, really scary. I’m certainly not saying that Pertussis is not a big deal, or that children should not get vaccinated. Both of mine have been. What I am saying is that the alarmist tone of the commercial seemed unfair in that it preys not just on a mother’s fear of her child getting sick, but it actually seemed to be trying to tap into a real Achilles heel for all mothers and that is her guilt. About…everything.Then just as the ad was ending, there it was at the bottom of the screen: Paid for by Sanofi Pasteur. Excuse me while I clear my throat. Now I know they have every right to advertise their products, but color me skeptical when the maker of a vaccine is the one telling you why you should get it. And making you feel terrible if you don’t. Maybe this commercial is for a certain demographic that is not up on vaccinations, I have no clue. But it bugs. See for yourself.

I did something really unfair awhile back, and it’s only in hindsight that I can see it: posting about how gross Jell-O is (what with all the boiled pig’s hooves and cartilage, you know, normal stuff you expect in your dessert), without giving you an alternative. It happened that way because until then I didn’t know about Kanten. But now that I do – and that it’s good- it’s time to share. Who knew, but Kanten has been called a healthy person’s Jell-O. It’s not one clear colored mass like Jell-O, it has fruits suspended in the mold. And you sweeten it with fruit or berry juice. But of course the real difference is that there’s no gelatin, it’s replaced with agar flakes. Agar flakes are derived from seaweed and Asians have used it for centuries in their desserts, i.e this is not a fad or anything new. Here’s the recipe we love, from the Real Food Daily Cookbook:

Strawberry Kanten (Serves 6)

4 1/4 cups of Apple juice

1 Tbs Arrowroot

1/4 cup Agar flakes

1/8 tsp Salt

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

3 cups Fresh strawberries, quartered

Stir 1/4 cup of juice and the arrowroot in a small bowl to blend; set aside. Combine the agar and salt with the remaining 4 cups juice in a heavy saucepan and bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring frequently for 15 minutes or until the agar dissolves. Whisk in the arrowroot mixture. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Transfer the kanten to a large bowl and allow to cool at room temperature. When just beginning to set, stir in the strawberries. Spoon the kanten into dessert bowls, cover and refrigerate for four hours or until set. The kanten will keep for 2 days, covered and refrigerated.

You’re going to the store anyway. Just throw a beet, orange, some blueberries and spinach in your basket while you’re there. While you’re cooking then the kids can dye their Easter eggs and you don’t have to worry about whether or not they’re eating it because it’s, well, edible! And if the idea of simmering each ingredient separately is too much, just bring the water to a boil, pour it over your fruit or veggie in a heat-proof bowl and cover for 15 minutes. It’s the same way you’d cook a hard-boiled egg without having to watch over it, and you can have a few going at one time this way.

Via Kiwi Magazine:

So I’ve been gone for awhile again – shocker! – but it hasn’t been without good reason, at least to my mind: I had a baby. We’ll call her Miss S. Miss S is 7-weeks-old, and an angel, just like her big sister. But Miss S’s beginning was very different than her sister’s in that she was born naturally, while her sister was a c-section. Which means that yes, I had her by VBAC. And I want to write about it because it’s such a loaded topic, and instills fear in the heart of many women (myself included, pre-Miss S). But the more I talked with people who supported the notion of a VBAC, and the more I read the information in places they directed me toward, I knew that the decision was, for me, the right one, and that it was not crazy. And then just last summer, in the middle of all this talk, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) issued a statement saying that:

Attempting a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) is a safe and appropriate choice for most women who have had a prior cesarean delivery, including for some women who have had two previous cesareans…”The current cesarean rate is undeniably high and absolutely concerns us as ob-gyns,” said Richard N. Waldman, MD, president of The College…”Moving forward, we need to work collaboratively with our patients and our colleagues, hospitals, and insurers to swing the pendulum back to fewer cesareans and a more reasonable VBAC rate.”

Let’s get this out of the way: I’m not some deluded earth-mother out to prove the world wrong. I had a healthy dose of skepticism myself, but at the end of the day I simply wanted the chance to TRY for a VBAC. Just getting my doctor to give me the chance to try was hard enough, let alone to feel that he would be supportive of my laboring like a normal, uncomplicated birth without jumping in for a caesarean for no good reason. Unfortunately, if I wanted a real shot it meant that I had to end my 18-year relationship with my OB-GYN and interview other doctors, which I did. They all had the same stature as him but were what they like to call “VBAC friendly”.

At the end of the day my decision was based on two things:  I did not want to have to recover from major surgery again after having my baby, and now there would be a toddler running around the house; but really most importantly was that for me the c-section the first time around was a complete disappointment, like I know that it can be for many first-time mothers. In the end the reason given for going into surgery was that the baby was too large and would not fit. Well, they were right, she was large. Nine pounds, eleven ounces large. So that was not a lie. That she wouldn’t have come out was always a doubtful prognosis from where I stood. But that is not anything for which we will ever have an answer. My husband and I were happy that she was healthy, and at the end of the day that’s all you can ask for. But I also left feeling like something had been taken away from me, and I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. It left me feeling resentful, a feeling that grew stronger as the time passed. But until we got pregnant again and the reality of a possible VBAC came into play, those emotions were vague and yet strong, with no place to put them that would resolve anything. Not except making peace with it, which I was not ready to do.

I heard, like everyone else, and read many accounts online, of women having successful VBAC’s. You read enough and begin to realize that this is happening, and whether your doctor wants to acknowledge it or not, it’s happening with success. But of course you read these accounts and think, “great, that was them. What about me? Could I be the .2% for whom VBAC’s turn out spectacularly badly?” A risk is a risk, after all. It helped that I switched doctors. Just interviewing other well-respected physicians who worked at the same hospital and were colleagues to my previous doctor immediately took away some of the residual fear. For the ones I chose to meet with, a VBAC was definitely an option. For them the reality was that there is a certain amount of risk involved in childbirth period. PERIOD. The task we are undertaking has danger involved no matter which route you go: natural, caesarean or VBAC. But the odds of them thanks to modern technology are very, very slim. And that actually includes VBAC’s. Most women hear the statistic that only 60-70% of VBAC’s are successful and (I’m assuming) they think that number means that a whopping 30-40% of those women end up with a uterine rupture, which of course is extremely dangerous. The truth is that while 60-70% of women who attempt VBAC are successful, the remainder of those women simply end up with a caesarean for the same reasons any other woman attempting natural childbirth does. Once that was cleared up for me, it really became clear that this decision was the right one.

The doctor I chose had delivered many VBAC’s, which immediately put us at ease. I say “us” because I needed my husband on board 150%, and he was. But she also in agreement with us that there would be no induction and was clear that her number one priority was a healthy baby and healthy mother, i.e. the first sign of distress and we were shutting her down. Not being a kamikaze personality, I agreed with enthusiasm on both accounts. If this was meant to happen, the baby would come on her own, and we would labor without a hitch. Both things babies have been doing for millenia.

So, we didn’t go in there hell bent on a VBAC regardless of whatever developments occurred during labor. We were, as they liked to call us, “reasonable” about our expectations. And that also meant that I had to let this birth go on as any birth would, and not labor under a shroud of “VBAC” the entire time. Doing that was not going to change a damn thing, so I had to go in there just doing what any other laboring mother would do. And in the case of modern medicine and epidurals that meant virtually nothing. Miss S did indeed start to come on her own, albeit 6 days late, just four days short of her deadline for surgery. She started her journey on her own and after I received the epidural continued that journey almost entirely on her own. After laying in bed for eleven hours, being monitored non-stop, they told me it was time to push. The knowledge that we – really she – had come to the point of no return was the most surreal moment of my life. And I did get scared right there. For a couple of minutes. Like shaking and vomiting scared. But the deal was closed. Miss S had done everything she could to get us through this journey safely, which meant that she handled every part of labor like a dream, and now it was my turn to step up and finish this thing we had started. After 45 minutes she was out, and my husband and I were not the only ones celebrating in that room. The doctor and all the nurses were so thrilled to have been a part of a successful VBAC, and it was beautiful to see all the support in that room. That was not something I had ever considered, the impact that our trying for a VBAC and being successful would have on the staff working with us. I think they so infrequently see mothers who are given the chance to try that when they do see it they are genuinely excited to be a part of it. But that morning I was laboring there was another woman down the hall trying for a VBAC as well. I think our numbers are getting stronger.

In those moments that followed, something happened that I did not expect: I not only made peace with my earlier caesarean, I was grateful for it. Miss P WAS large, and while I still think that I could have delivered her, I think it would have been at great physical cost to either one or both of us. My previous doctor had been the right doctor for that particular birth. While I had been resentful because I did not feel like I had been given a choice, I knew in my bones right then that we had been right to trust him and his judgement. And similarly I knew that trying for a VBAC this time had also been the right decision. They were simply two different moments. Two different circumstances which required different decisions. And the only reason I could savor that moment as the closing of a circle was because I had been supported in having a choice. And that’s what I want to say to anyone reading this who has ever considered a VBAC: if you want it, it all starts with your believing that you have the right to ask for it.

To read the most current literature on the feasibility of a VBAC, the foremost resources are:

http://www.ican-online.org/vbac/home

http://www.childbirth.org/section/VBACFAQ.html

And not as in the pages are made from recycled paper. Forget that, I just want them to stop coming!! Does anyone use these anymore? Every time I see a bag on our front porch with the two of them that come to us it just bugs me. Great resource from a different time. And maybe they got sick of publishing this behemoth also because now they have made it possible for us to opt out of receiving them. Hallelujah!! Visit yellowpagesgoesgreen where you have to enter minimal info to register, they send you an email confirmation with a temporary password you use to log back and then click one button at the bottom to opt out of all future mailings. At least they managed to make that process short and sweet. Thanks Yellow Pages!

This post is not for our toddlers because I’m assuming we all still either use soap or body wash on their hair. No, this is for us. And, I guess, for anyone with older children. But it’s something to think about for when that day comes when we do need to start purchasing hair care products for our kids.

Unfortunately, our shampoos and conditioners are not exempt from the chemical laden messes we are seeing everywhere else and dissecting. The main problem is the sulfate class of ingredients – which are known skin irritants, possible carcinogens, and may actually contribute to hair loss and thinning – including Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Ammonium Lareth Sulfate and Myreth Sulfate. To break it down, sulfates are surfactants, chemicals created to interact with “surfaces” and to trap oil and whisk it away, and at the same time to make alot of foamy lather. Let’s face it, part of the trouble natural products have is that they don’t foam the way the products we’re used to do, and we have all been taught to associate lather with effectiveness, even though that is not the case. Apparently the foaming actually arises because the surfactants are trapping around air instead of oil, so in a way it’s a sign that the product is not working full force.

So why do the manufacturers use it? Apparently because it’s super cheap. It’s the same ingredient used in car washes and household products to get rid of grease. It’s everywhere. But now that people are starting to read what’s in the products they use it was only a matter of time before the big companies began turning out sulfate-free shampoos because they realize the huge market for it (i.e. Loreal’s new EverPure). That’s great and I applaud the effort, but count me as skeptical that the other 25 ingredients in the products they sell are any healthier for me. And my concern seems valid when you read this from TruthInAging.com:

At first glance, I was feeling pretty warm and fuzzy about my new EverPure Smooth Shampoo…but then things begin to go downhill. Additional primary cleansers and foaming agents include sodium lauryl sulfoacetate, which can be an irritant and isn’t considered very mild nor natural, and disodium laureth sulfosuccinate, which the Cosmetics Database actually rates as a moderate hazard ingredient because of its potential to carry ethylene oxide and 1,4 dioxane, known toxins and carcinogens. Sodium lauroyl sarcosinate is even worse, since it actually increases absorption levels, and can be contaminated with nitrosamines. There are also a number of PEGs, preservatives (like methylisothiazolinone, a human skin toxicant according to the CIR), and some irritating fragrance ingredients, although natural juniperus communis fruit oil and rosemary oil do provide the pleasant juniper and rosemary scent. L’Oreal may have gotten rid of the harsh sulfates, but it seems to have replaced them with unsavory substitutes. Perhaps it is 100% vegan, but after close examination of the ingredients list, that seems to be a nice marketing attempt to jump on the organic bandwagon without doing any of the work to create a natural product.

And on the flip side of that coin, I’ve tried alot of the “natural” shampoos at Whole Foods and the truth is that they just weren’t good. This is always a big problem when trying to go natural: either their claim to being natural is not entirely truthful or they are truthful and just not effective.

I came across this great website about a year ago, Killer Strands, which sells only sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners, in addition to having professional quality hair coloring that you can do at home. I’m only in it for the shampoos and conditioners though, and the first time I visited the site I remember reading something that struck me as so true: if your shampoo is really good for you, unless you have  super kinky hair or extenuating circumstances, you should not need a conditioner. That basically conditioners were developed as another product to sell you, and mainly because the shampoos don’t do their job. That all you should really need is maybe a leave-in conditioner spray. And since I started using their products all that has turned out to be true. Fortunately though, the shampoos and conditioners that she’s selling on Killer Strands are both harsh chemical free and effective. I’d never heard of some of these brands but apparently the Sudzz above is a cult favorite of Jennifer Aniston who’s made a good amount of her fame through association with some pretty great hair.