Visiting family or friends this summer?  Their home may not be safe for little ones.  Ask about potential hazards and what special equipment they have so you’ll know what to bring.

You want to know where you’re children will sleep.  If there are stairs, take along mesh stair gates.  Other items to consider: covers for faucets and door handles:  plastic zip ties to secure cabinets; an inflatable tub for bathtime; and a night-light.  If you don’t want to lug too many gadgets around, rent shortterm equipment in select locations from babysaway.com, babytravelpros.com, or the travelingbabyco.com.

Of course you can bring along our Natural First aid Kit or our All Natural Bug Spray.

Hope that helps,

MOBS

Not really sure how I feel about this man made disaster but I’m for certain I am sick of oil.  I am at an age (34) where I have grown up my whole life and all we ever talk about is oil.  Oil prices when they skyrocket, politicians getting donations or boosters from oil companies or the simple fact the last 2 out of three wars were essentially for oil.

What saddens me first is that I strongly believe we suppressed the scientific advancement for alternative solutions because at the time the oil companies were steering the movement more to line there pockets rather then thinking for the future.

http://www.rense.com/general72/oinvent.htm

http://byronwine.com/

I will not get too bogged down with all the conspiracy nonsense or look at the past and get angry.  The bad news is those companies and politicians got away with that nonsense in the old days.  The good news is we are changing and changing for the better.

This article is not about me and it’s not about you.  This article is for all the ones that can’t even read yet.  Yes, we are now moving towards alternatives faster then ever before and yes it seems the world as a whole it paying more attention to the footprint we leave but for all intensive purposes we are not doing enough to ensure we leave this place a better cleaner planet for our children then when we were given it.  The problem is as our awareness is growing so is the population.

Alright, so what is the immediate answer?  Hold on let me check the black book.  Well there really is no immediate answer but leverage is in the air and certainly in the water of the Gulf right now.  I can’t understand where Obama get’s all this money from but hey I’d rather have a paperless debt then a destroyed planet for my children.  Politics is simple the squeaky wheel gets the grease.  Use this spill to demand that your local politician lobby’s for more money on alternative fuel research.  Actually I think they should just get BP to use any of it’s profits for research for the next 1000 years.  Any who, sorry to get off on a tangent.  I have listed some sites below for donations that I feel will help the families suffering from this disaster.

Mark

http://www.matteroftrust.org/

http://www.gnof.org/gulf-coast-oil-spill-fund/disaster-on-the-gulf-coast//

Cloth Diaper Systems

by ALLABOUTCLOTHDIAPERS.COM

I remember how overwhelming it was when I first began cloth diapering.  There were so many choices (and SO many more now!) and I had no idea where to start.

The one thing I did know was disposable diapers are gross and I needed something else.  I refused to compromise my child’s health any more (the gel crystals all over his private areas was the stick that broke the camel’s back!).

I want to help you get off to a smooth start.  But, plan for bumps in the road.  No one cloth diaper will work for all babies.  No one laundry detergent will work for all households.  However, as long as you stick to your convictions (why you began looking into cloth diapers) then you’ll ensure success in the long run.

You may have noticed that there are different kinds of cloth diapers.  Some need a cover, others need inserts and then there are those that need nothing added to them.  The following is a condensed explanation of the different cloth diaper systems. (Click => How to Make Cloth Diapers for links on how to make many different types of cloth diapers.)

ALL IN ONES/ALL IN TWOS (AIO/AI2)

An AIO is generally viewed as a diaper that needs nothing else and is very similar to a disposable. The soaker is either sewn internally or externally (referred to as a quick dry soaker) and can close with snaps or Velcro (Velcro is a trademark but there are two other similar products: aplix (softer, long life, doesn’t roll in like touchtape can) or touchtape (stronger stick and available in a variety of colors) ).

An AIO does not require a cover. An AIO with an internal soaker will have a longer drying time because the air cannot circulate around the hidden material.

An external soaker, referred to as a Quick Dry (QD) soaker, allows for air to circulate around the soaker when drying, therefore quicker dry time.  The addition of a pocket to an AIO makes it a Stuffable AIO.

An AI2 has a snap in or lay in soaker . The name All in Two arose from the ability to get two uses out of each diaper.  When your child pees, theoretically you can remove the soaker and replace it with another if the shell did not get wet. AI2s also have a much faster drying time because the soaker is external.

POCKETS

A pocket diaper usually does not require a cover. The exception would be a fitted that has a pocket. A pocket can be made with a PUL (polyurethane laminate) or fleece outer.

The outer can also be any material backed or lined in PUL. Minky is lusciously soft and many makers offer this fabric for their pocket diapers.

The inner material choices for a pocket include: microfleece, suedecloth, velour, athletic wicking material, minky, cotton or bamboo. Different materials will feel different on the baby when wet. Of the fabrics listed above, microfleece, suedecloth and athletic wicking material are considered “stay dry”.  This means baby feels dry after a pee.

A pocket diaper is 2 layers of material sewn together on 3 sides leaving an opening for you to insert the amount of absorbent material you desire. The insert can range from a very trim microfiber towel to a bulkier infant prefold.  Another popular insert material is hemp. Hemp is a natural fiber that is antimicrobial and extremely absorbent as well.  Infant prefolds do double duty as an insert as well. Simply trifold the prefold and stuff the pocket. For added absorbency wrap the prefold around one of the above inserts.

FITTEDS

A fitted diaper is a diaper that contains no waterproof layer therefore requires a cover.  Fitted diapers are the easiest to make on your own because they can be made from any material you have laying around your house.

Fitted diapers can be made from cotton, hemp, fleece, velour, bamboo, knits, various types of terry cloth, kitchen towels, old t-shirts, sweatshirts and many other scrap fabrics you may have laying around. Fitteds are kind of like quiche…toss in any leftovers and out comes a great product!

Without a cover the pee will soak through and get you or the furniture wet. If you are just hanging out at the house for the day a cover isn’t necessary.  Just make sure to consistently change the diaper before a leak occurs.

You will undoubtedly stumble upon fitted cloth diapers and ask yourself the same question everyone asks at one time or another, “why are fitteds so expensive and cute when you just have to cover them up?”  Many factors go into the answer but just think of it like a good wine or expensive pair of shoes…you often get what you pay for.

PREFOLDS

Prefolds are an absolute staple that every mother should have in her basket. They are amazingly durable and versatile. A prefold diaper is a rectangular piece of cloth divided into 3 sections. The outside layers contain 4 layers of fabric and the middle contains either 6 or 8 layers. The middle layer is the absorbent layer.  You will see the prefolds described as 4×8×4 or 4×6×4. This describes the number of layers in the sections. It does not always mean the 4×8×4 are more absorbent. It is the weight of the fabric that indicates absorbency.

You will find some variations to the number of layers especially if you are purchasing specialized prefolds made with bamboo or velour. In some cases there may be 2 layers of bamboo with an extra layer of hemp in the middle.

Bamboo is a highly absorbent material, therefore needing fewer layers than cotton prefolds.  This allows for a trimmer fit as well. It comes down to what you want to pay and how soft a fabric you desire.

Prefolds generally come in three sizes-

• Preemie (4-10pounds),
• Infant (newborn to 15 pounds) &
• Premium/Toddler (15-30 pounds).

There are different types of prefolds out there and many abbreviations for them.

• DSQ simply means that it is Diaper Service Quality versus the type of diaper you would find in your discount store. They are more absorbent than the Gerber brand and are the type that you would pay money for from a diaper service company.

• CPF stands for Chinese Prefold
• Another option for prefolds are Indian Prefolds. Indian prefolds are said to be softer than the CPF and are made of gauze rather than twill.

• There is also the choice of bleached or unbleached. Bleached prefolds are not whitened with bleach but rather with peroxide. Unbleached are in a natural cream colored state. Unbleached do require extra prep time to remove the natural oils in the fibers.

Prefolds can be pinned or snappied on your baby or you can fold it in 3 (trifold) and lay it in a cover. If you choose to use a different system prefolds can still be used as pocket stuffers or doublers. They are an investment worth making.

We hope you enjoyed the article.  Please check out our recommended line of Organic Cloth Diapers.

-MOBS

Okay so it’s that time of year again when we send the little one’s out into the blazing summer sun all day where they go in and out of the water.  I’m just going to give you a quick rundown on sunblock.

Sun shielding products fall into two general types.  Absorbers, technically referred to as Sunscreens, soak up UV rays and preventing them from reaching the skin.  Reflectors, referred to as Sunblocks, bounce back or scatter UV rays away from the skin.

Ocean water and perspiration wash sunscreen off your skin so you will not have the same amount of protection you thought you had after swimming and tanning.  Choose a waterproof sunscreen to minimize reapplication.  Typically, water-resistant sunscreens lose their SPF after 40 minutes in the water; waterproof sunscreens after 90 minutes.  This varies brand to brand so remember to read your product’s instructions and re-apply as needed.

We recommend Mama Rose’s Naturals SunBlocker that offers 100% natural sunscreen protection against UVA and UVB rays, while being water and sweat resistent. This non-greasy formula absorbs easily into skin, and can be used effectively on face and body. Make no mistake, our Sunblocker meets the immediate need for a safe, chemical-free sunscreen for you and your family.

Each ingredient in this outstanding product has been carefully chosen to serve its own individual purpose in nourishing, protecting, and moisturizing the skin. Mama Rose’s Naturals SunBlocker is the perfect blend of ingredients resulting in a pleasant-smelling sunscreen lotion without any dangerous artificial chemicals or synthetic fragrances. For this reason you can feel great about putting it on your skin, as well as your baby’s! SunBlocker provides safe broad-spectrum protection for infants, children, and adults.

Click Here to get our Organic Baby Sunblock.

-MOBS

Making your own soap is not very hard and can be allot of fun.  Natural soap can be made using the cold process, the melt and pour and the hot process, all of which are surprisingly easy to do. It may take some experimentation to come up with the right formulation. All you need is the willingness to learn and the patience to keep on trying to get the best formulation for your skin

Cold Process Soap:

Called Grandma made soap it’s made by combining fatty acids and sodium hydroxide (lye) together.  The condensed version of this type of soapmaking is that there is a certain proportion of lye (sodium hydroxide) and water to fatty acids that forms a chemical reaction called “saponifaction.” During saponification, the oils and lye mix and become soap – the process takes approximately six weeks to fully complete.

When making soap, you will need the right tools and supplies to get everything right. The tools you use will depend largely on the method you will use. However, most of these tools can be found in your kitchen, while some are very accessible (available in your local supermarket).

All you need are containers, a mixing bowl, a wooden spoon, a boiling pot, molding trays and clean cloths.

Let’s get a beginner 4.5 pound soap recipe

16oz Canola Oil
16oz Coconut Oil
16oz Palm Oil
6.9oz Lye (5% superfatted)
15.8oz Water

General Instructions:

If you make your very own organic handmade soap, you will be providing your skin with the best luxury it can ever experience. Natural, pure soap will give your skin the healthiest and the most natural nourishing effect that it deserves.

MOBS

USDA’s 2002 organic rules said that dairy herds must have access to pasture. They did not say the animals had to actually be fed on pasture. This loophole is now supposed to be fixed. USDA has just issued new rules.

Starting in June, organic dairy herds must be sent to pasture for the entire grazing season of at least 120 days and must get at least 30% of their food from pasture during that season. Smaller organic dairy farmers are already doing this. Now the big ones will have to come into line. And about time too.

Here’s how the New York Times explains this action.

Before this final rule, the Cornucopia Institute had a number of concerns (in 2008). The proposed rules were bundled together with provisions that had not been properly reviewed by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). These problems have now been solved.

Mark Kastel of the Cornocopia Institute writes:

In its final version we are virtually 100% satisfied (still doing some technical review). Even more importantly we are highly impressed by the professional approach taken by Kathleen Merrigan and the staff at the organic program as to how they plan to implement this.

He sends the Institute’s most recent press release celebrating the new rules.

Score this one as a win for organic advocates!

Organic Baby is a great all around starter book, that not only provides organic baby food options as well as organic baby product reviews, it also provides some great advice for those who may not be able to afford the full head-first jump into organic. The author, Kim Rider, gives her insight into buying conventional baby products, and what to look for, as well as what to look out for.

Although it’s received mixed reviews on Amazon, it’s a great resource for those mothers looking into organic living. It’s definitely good for someone who is just beginning to go organic. Those who are already living their life organically may be turned off by the basics in this book.

Nevertheless, it is a fantastic book for those new to living organically, and are wishing to surround their baby with organic materials and feed them organic meals.

Click here to get our version….

-Mark

Okay let’s get out the definition book first.  By definition water is water. That is to say, all water on Earth is a compound of two hydrogen and one oxygen molecule. The difference between various types of bottled waters lies mainly in where the source is located and what processes the water goes through before it is sold to consumers.

Some types of bottled water, such as well or spring, get their designation from their original source. Mineral water must contain a specified amount of trace minerals naturally before it can be sold. Distilled or purified water must be put through a filtration or mechanical process in order to remove contaminants and minerals. Some water types may actually fit into several different categories- distilled water, for example, is also purified by definition. Spring and well waters make excellent refreshments during and after exercise, but distilled water lacks trace minerals and may not have a satisfying taste. Mineral water may have a natural sparkle and refreshing taste, but a little may go a long way.

Water-Quality Regulation

Two different groups govern the quality of drinking water in the United States. The Food and
Administration sets standards for bottled water, while the Environmental Protection Agency
sets standards for tap water. Side-by-side there are very few differences between these two
sets of guidelines. However, proponents of both bottled water and tap water would have you
believe otherwise.

The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) is a consortium of bottled-water companies that
joined forces to promote and help regulate the bottled-water industry. They created a policy called
“The Model Bottled Water Regulation,” (available at www.bottledwater.org). All companies in the
IBWA abide by these regulations and claim that bottled water is subject to certain standards that
are more aggressive than those governing tap water. No third-party investigations have
demonstrated that bottled water passes more safety and health checks before reaching
the consumer.

So at the end of the day what we need to be clear on here people is that when you are buying that cheap bottled water just to fill up your fridge you are essentially buying tap water that has probably been sitting in warm plastic bottles for a long stretch of time.  We all know how I feel about plastic and heat.

There are some exceptions.  If you are out and about and need to hydrate then by all means go ahead and get a bottled water.  I don’t know about you but FIJI water is my favorite.  A bit pricey but worth it.

If your refrigerator comes with it’s own carbon filtration system (most do now a days) then you are essentially getting better quality water then 95% of the bottled waters available.

If you are looking for a plain water filter then BRITA is the way to go.  They are simply the best.

So remember the plastic in those plastic water bottles is cheap.  Go ahead and get one of those hiker bottles to put your filtrated water in for on the go.  Or you can check out our Stainless Steel Baby Bottle for hot and cold liquids or our entire line of PVC, Phthalate, BPA and Nitorsamine Free (what a mouth full) Bottles.

Hope that helps,

MARK

Ohh Momma!!! Today is your day to get adored, appreciated, and most of all loved.  So of course I will have to give a shout out to my beautiful MOM To Be Shirley and the best MOM on the planet Grammy JOY.  I love you both!!!

Mothers Day was originally conceived by Julia Ward Howe after the American Civil War as a day honoring (in her opinion) the inherent pacifism of mothers, Mother’s Day now simply celebrates motherhood and thanking mothers.  Mothers often receive gifts on this day.

Mother’s Days are celebrated on various days of the year in different countries because they have a number of different origins. One school of thought claims this day emerged from a custom of mother worship in ancient Greece. Mother worship — which kept a festival to Cybele, a great mother of gods, and Rhea, the wife of Cronus — was held on March 15 to March 18 around Asia Minor.

In most countries, Mother’s Day is a new concept copied from western civilization. In many African countries, Mother’s Day has its origins in copying the British concept. In most of East Asia, Mother’s Day is a heavily marketed and commercialized concept copied straight from Mother’s Day in the USA.

Julia Ward Howe wrote the original Mother’s Day Proclamation in 1870, as a call for peace and disarmament. An excerpt follows:

From the voice of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: “Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice.”
Blood does not wipe our dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace…

Howe failed in her attempt to get formal recognition of a Mother’s Day for Peace. Her idea was influenced by Anna Jarvis, a young Appalachian homemaker who, starting in 1858, had attempted to improve sanitation through what she called Mothers’ Work Days. She organized women throughout the Civil War to work for better sanitary conditions for both sides, and in 1868 she began work to reconcile Union and Confederate neighbors.

Jarvis’ daughter, also named Anna Jarvis, would, of course, have known of her mother’s work, and the work of Howe. Much later, when her mother died, this second Anna Jarvis started her own crusade to found a memorial day for women. The first such Mother’s Day was celebrated in Grafton, West Virginia, on May 10, 1908, in the church where the elder Anna Jarvis had taught Sunday School. Grafton is the home to the International Mother’s Day Shrine. From there, the custom caught on — spreading eventually to 45 states. The holiday was declared officially by some states beginning in 1912. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson declared the first national Mother’s Day.

Here is a nice little poem that sums it all up.

I Said a Mother’s Prayer for You
Author Unknown

I said a Mother’s Day prayer for you
to thank the Lord above
for blessing me with a lifetime
of your tenderhearted love.
I thanked God for the caring
you’ve shown me through the years,
for the closeness we’ve enjoyed
in time of laughter and of tears.

And so, I thank you from the heart
for all you’ve done for me
and I bless the Lord for giving me
the best mother there could be!

Go ahead and Treat yourself today… and this is a special shout out to all mom’s.  Just for reading this post we are giving a special 50% off to those who have read through this little post.  The code is below:

50% entire order 1025650

A little gift that indulges a special mama in a big way. From lips to toes, and everywhere in-between, she will adore Earth Mama Angel Baby’s pampering pack of essential natural and organic goodies.

Its just a little something that says a big “I Love You” – naturally! CLICK HERE

That’s the News and I’m otta here….  HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO EVERY MOTHER OUT THERE….

WITH LOVE,

MARK