"Mommy, Come Up, Pease"

Wearing my little V was such a precious time.  Sadly, I thought the phase was over; I had lent out my sling for months then just last week, packed it up tight with the hopes that another baby would be held snuggly next to my heart, in it, someday.  Not more than two days later, Miss V decided that she wanted to be carried, again, regularly.  On our walks, “mommy, want to come up”, she’d say.  At the store, “mom, up, come up”, she’d plead.  To my delight, she was at peace being held again.

At this stage of independence I am warmed by her desired to be so close again.  Her changed attachment need is warmly welcomed after all the “do it self” (herself) jargon she added to her vocabulary.  My husband and I fell in love with the Baby Ktan, a double ring sling that rests on both shoulders for support without wrapping.  We found it versatile and cozy as it grows with her. 

This new carry me stage has led me to discover some new options to try and here you’ll see some wonderful options.  If you have any favorites for a toddler of 2 or older, please share with me in your comments.

Image above:  http://www.pixiekid.com/shop/images/meitai/Mei-Tai-Fauna-Zoo-2.jpg  What a fun print!I just love the color and happiness about it.

Mei Tai, or Asian Baby Carriers
These carriers are oblong fabric carriers with long straps to tie the little tyke to your body.  You can buy them for as little as $25 and easily transportable. It could fit in your coat pocket.  A toddler can be worn in a Mei Tai on your back, facing inwards on your front (called the cuddle carry) or hip carry. The back and hip carries are better for walking or hiking; and the cuddle carry is more suited to a toddler nap on the go. I’d suggest padded straps.

Moby WrapsThese are long, wide pieces of fabric that you tie around your body to become straps and pouches to hold your little one. Wider fabric makes for more comfortable straps but they have a learning curve. Master it and try the front, back and cuddle carry.

Soft Carriers
These are a bit more expensive than Mei Tai or Moby carriers, but are easy to use. They come with adjustable straps.  You just slip it on, slip them in and go. Front, back and cuddle carrying positions.  Ergo carriers are some of my friends’ favorites.

Backpack Carriers
Very comfortable to wear, but bulky, heavy duty, not so portable carriers suited for hiking and walking.  They can have significant weight and hard to put on solo but try using a chair to attach them to yourself.  Your little tyke will be high; some toddlers like this superior position and others not so much so make sure to try it out before you leave the store.

Found it!

And so I found myself among the most amazing group of women, The Long Island South Shore Chapter of Holistic Moms Network.  Here I am again, supported, loved and valued.  Thank you amazing women in my life.

Me, Myself & Mommy

What is happening to me?

Perhaps it’s the time of the week or month or hour.  My little one has gracefully flown past two as I have barely finished the blink of my eye. I completely devoted my body, my heart, and my mind to this munchkin and there are days when I am left wanting, tired and impatient.  I am continually craving some alone time and the desire to see my husband more than passing him in the hall to discuss the required things of the day.

I am not ungrateful for all those yummy mommy moments but only for the loss of myself, my peace or maybe something so simple as my sleep. 

In creating this child protected world in my home, sometimes I lose track of me.  There’s a constant battle of wits between me and me as mommy.  From the consolation advice of friends, this is apparently normal and a challenge of parenting.

Maybe you are a parent, maybe not.  Maybe you are just a giver, of everything.  So what do you do to keep you intact when your whole world is about being so available to others? 

 At some point, as I have heard another say, our bodies are our temples and we should honor them, right?  It’s high time to get back to that.  Honoring one-self to be better for her, my baby, is the task of my day.  Finding just 5 minutes to just listen to the waves hitting the shore outside or just nothing with no crying, no tugging, and no one hollering mom, mom, mom!  What happened to the pampering, the spa, the massages, the quiet reading and daydreaming time?   Seemingly, it’s selfish at times but ever so necessary I am starting to realize. 

If you have a unique way of balancing yourself with your giving, share it with me please…  I am looking for some creative ideas.

For the LOVE of CLEAN...

Let’s get every nook and cranny spick-and-span.  You like that, right; me too!  I love clean; really clean.  At one point I enjoyed that overwhelming smell that wafted in the air after the suds, sprays and scrubs where wiped away.  So much that I had to leave the house.  Ironic and that was the first warning sign that things in my home did not meet any balance or harmony with nature.  Home should be the safest place in the whole world.  We believe it can be again.

Go to your cupboard, right now, go on.  Pick a cleaner.  Did you know that traditional cleaners can contain sodium hydroxide, butyle cellosolve, or formaldehyde?  Turn on your tap.  Pour a glass of water.  It could contain nasty contaminants such as lead, atrazine, or benzene.  These may be harmful, as in not very clean at all.  Home is no place for stuff like that. 

How have we come this far; our sacred spaces invaded by chemicals in our questionable cleaners?  It seems socially acceptable to breathe, eat, feel, absorb play, and lay in comfort with these toxic tyrants; of which we have little concern for how they affect our health.  There are over 80,000 chemicals registered with the EPA and less than 20% have been tested for human toxicity. ¹

These toxic chemicals exist in practically everything we use in our homes today, especially what we use to clean with.  Read the labels of your detergents, all-purpose sprays, window sprays, polishes, dish soaps, hand soaps, tub & tile cleaners.  Does WARNING or POISON look familiar as you read these labels? Most likely you lock these products up, with the hope that little hands, wandering eyes and curious taste buds bypass them.  Unfortunately the labels don’t share the whole story about what they may be doing to your health.  On average, there are 63 hazardous chemicals in the American home, roughly 10 gallons of hazardous waste. ²  Ewe! 

From carcinogens, hormone disruptors, neurotoxins and a whole other plethora of nasty instigators, our “cleaning” agents are not cleaning anything at all!  We just dirty things up in a more frightening way. 





Sloan Barnett, author of Green Goes With Everything,
regular contributor to NBC's Today show and the Green Editor for KNTV,

the NBC affiliate in San Francisco,

 wife of Roger Barnett, CEO, Shaklee Corporation.



“Most Americans, but especially children, have dozens of pesticides and other toxic compounds in their bodies, many of them linked to health threats.  A source of many of these toxins?  Common, every day, run of the mill household consumer products.  There’s no polite way to say this: your body is a landfill, a dumping ground for a mind-boggling array of toxic chemicals.  So is mine.  So is your child’s.”  Sloan Barnett³

Here’s your peace of mind in the matter. 

Making the switch to safer suds is easy.  It’s one the best things you can do for your families’ health.  At virtually every supermarket there are options; buyer take notice, beware of “green-washing” (changing the colors of the labels or adding a catchy phrase to entice your green buying venture, but do they really walk the talk). 

Here’s what to avoid:

·          Sodium Hydroxide

·          Hydrochloric acid

·          Butyl cellosolve (2-Butoxyethanol)

·          Formaldehyde

·          Bleach (sodium hypochlorite)

·          Ammonia

·          Sulfamic Acid

·          Petroleum distillates

·          Sulfuric acid

·          Lye (potassium hydroxide)

·          Morpholine

To find out what's lurking on your shelves, go to the National Institutes of Health Library of Medicine Household Products Database. You can search almost any brand of cleaner you use, find out what's in it, and uncover its links to health effects.

You may be, but don’t have to be the earthy type to make the switch either.  All that’s required is to make sure when you clean, you do it right.  Use products that are safe and well tested for toxicity, especially around the little ones.  Use products that are powerful and get the job done well.  Use products that are green for the planet but even more important, smart for your wallet.

If you are the ambitious type and choose to concoct your own cleaning brew, try this non-toxic trio:

Baking Soda.  Multipurpose; softens water, neutralizes minerals, helping the soap to clean better, absorbs odors, and can be used as an abrasive for cleaning sinks, tubs and helps lift dirt away from whatever surface you are cleaning.  A bit of baking soda on a sponge cleans up most countertop stains. 

Soap.  Soap cleans by dissolving oil that binds dirt to a surface.  Opt for natural vegetable oil-based soaps such as Castile or glycerin.

Vinegar.  You can get this by the gallon.  COST EFFECTIVE.  White distilled vinegar dissolves soap scum, mineral buildup and kills mold and bacteria so it’s especially effective on sinks and bathrooms.  It’s strong and when poured disappears almost completely after drying. 

Here’s a few others to consider.Hydrogen Peroxide.  A natural bleaching agent and antimicrobial.  Great for removing blood stains
Lemon juice.  A powerful acidic cleaner that fights mineral scum and grease. 
Essential oils.  Try lavender and thyme, add safe fragrance to cleansers and even boost antibacterial properties.

If you are like me, a little on the fence of no-time, a desire to do better and you happen to love some convenience, don’t worry, there are options for us too.  A little due diligence got my family a long way and a close relationship with Shaklee Corporation’s GET CLEAN line.  Without sacrificing our powerful convictions for powerful cleaners, or vice versa, we now clean our homes with 100% money back guaranteed, non-toxic, natural, biodegradable, concentrated products that even save us money ounce for ounce.  Not much gets better than that as I sit listening to the pitter patter of those little feet running across the hardwood floor after a warm bath. 

At whatever place you are in your journey to scrubbing safer and having a real clean, take it slow.  Set your priorities, research your options, and get started.  You may smile now.  You just made your home a healthier one.  Pass it on.

Sources:

1.      U.S. EPA, New Chemicals Program; Landrigan, P.J., et al, (2006). The national children’s study: a 21-year prospective study of 100,000 American children. Pediatrics, 118(5), 2173-2186.

2.     Consumer  Product Safety Commission, 2004

3.     Green Goes With Everything, Sloan Barnett, 2008, pg. 15