Errrrrrr! Really! I was really mad. When the FDA recently declared BPA safe I was so mad and disappointed I didn’t even write about it as you probably noticed. I felt duped, or that they would say ok actually we are going to, that was a mistake. And when they released their findings that BPA was safe last month I thought it was unconscionable enough that they released info on how to avoid it. Ummm, its safe but you shouldn’t use it. As the Washington Post states “The (FDA) report stands in contrast to more than 100 studies performed by government scientists and university laboratories that have found health concerns associated with bisphenol A (BPA).”
The good news, some states are now taking action contrary to the FDA’s findings. They are going to baby product companies to ask them to avoid putting BPAs in their products. In addition, thankfully, many manufacturers have responded to the public’s desire to have BPA-free products for their babies, kids and even themselves. I find it amazing that the manufacturers and retailers like WalMart and Toys R’ Us are beating the government to the punch. (and I rarely have good things to say about big box stores, but here’s one place they are getting it right) Wasn’t it enough that it has been banned in kid’s products in Canada? When the FDA held off its ban on BPAs everyone should have said, “hmmm, what did the Canadian government get to see that these guys didn’t?” or were the lobbyist’s influence as usual too much to resist? Whatever the reason they deemed it safe, I think it better that we avoid it.
Yikes-BPA in your plastic bottles
BPA update…
BPA Primer from GreenMommy.com
After a lot of deliberation we had decided not to to send my daughter to preschool this year. Mostly based on lack openings and affordability of the 2 year old toddler programs in our area, we decided to wait another year. But one week before most schools began, I was talking to an acquaintance who told me about a very affordable school she was going to send her twin boys to. It was a little further away than any of the others we had looked into, but I decided to check it out. After the tour, and liking what I saw and heard, I decided we should enroll her and give it a shot. The director of the school alleviated any fears I might have about her not liking it by saying she could stop at anytime, and if she wanted- start back up again when she was ready.
The program is two days a week, Thursdays and Fridays for 2.5 hours each day. The first day the parents stayed, half in the class room and half at an orientation. The second day, the parents dropped their kids off at the classroom and headed off to have coffee in another room. I have to say that both days we left the house, she seemed pretty excited, but once we got there she didn’t want to get out of the car telling me it looked like they had enough kids already. After some coaxing she came out and we went inside. But after those first two days, there haven’t been any problems getting out of the car. In fact, we go in, hang up her jacket and lunch box, hit the bathroom for a last visit before they start their day and she excitedly bounces down the hall to her classroom. She says hi to her friends as they come in- sometimes even forgets to say good-bye to me.
I know, I am a stay at home mom, and I grappled with her going off so young while I had decided to stay home to be with her. But part of the reason I did, was because I saw it as a way for her to gain independence from me. We are together all the time, and she relies on me for everything, which is fine with me but I can’t do it forever and I feel like this makes the process less painless- probably for both of us. I feel so good when I pick her up and she has a big smile on her face eager to show me her newest art project. In the car ride home she tells me about her friends, and what happened at recess. I have to do a little prodding about what book they read, if she was a good listener and helper, but she seems to feel really good about each day there. For us it ended up the right decision, and I’ll keep her there as long as she enjoys it.
So I am back on my what seems to be on a never ending search to find an all natural deodorant that really works. Back in college (more than 10 years ago, and I’ll leave it at that) I heard a few reports about talc/aluminum, the number one ingredient in deodorant being tied to cancers, alzheimer’s and many other sad health affects. One report highlighted ties to breast cancer, think about where you put your deodorant and you put it on generally right after showering when you pores are open and most vulnerable to absorption. So I stopped using regular brands that contained aluminum and switched to all natural deodorants. Well, I smelled. No really, I spent a lot of money testing all sorts of brands, including Tom’s of Maine, Kiss My Face, Dr. Hauschka, Nature’s Gate, etc. And they didn’t work. Some had really nice light natural fragrances, but by mid-day trekking around campus, left me smelly. I have to point out that I am not an unusually sweaty person, but I work out (and in those days ran) and just couldn’t find one that worked. So I gave up after a couple of years of earnest effort and went back to wearing Secret.
Fast forward, when my daughter was born I almost entirely stopped wearing deodorant while I nursed her for the first year, I was more worried about some getting on her than I was about myself. But in the last 6 months or so I decided to give my search another chance. I figured with all the time that has passed surely someone has found the winning combination of ingredients that can match what aluminum does. So I went to Whole Foods where they have the best selection in my area, and asked lots of questions of what was new and worked well. First one I tried was a beeswax based formula and it worked ok, but it was yellow and anything it touched was stained yellow. That was no good, then I tried Tom’s of Maine Long Lasting Roll-On, I just felt like it never dried. The last one I am on is from Nature de France, le Stick, it has a nice light scent and works ok, I feel like if its an especially active day, reapplication is a must. I was going to try a rock crystal but was advised by a friend that they work pretty well but stings like crazy on a post shave application. For now I am using what I have but will probably try something else again. But I am going to try to stick with the safer all natural varieties. Do you have one you have tried and works? I’d love to hear about it and might even give it a try.
I am happy to see the days of summer dwindle for one reason, and one alone. The winter hiatus of the ice cream man. You would too if you lived in my house. We live in an urban area so the ice cream man is more than a daily visit, it’s 3 different trucks that drive down our street starting when school releases all the way to 7:30 at night. Two of them play music, one is something like “Pop goes the weasel” and the other is “When the saints go marching in”, the third just dings a bell. And they are the bane of my existence.
As you might know, I have a 2.5 year old daughter who loves ice cream and a well meaning husband who bought her ice cream from one of the trucks late last summer as a “special treat”. Well this summer rolled around and she knew, her ears primed for the music and bells and was excited the first warm day they came back to harass my neighborhood. No matter how hard we tried to tell her it was a special, occasional goody, she was in a flurry of panic when she heard the ice cream sounds coming from streets away. She would look for money, she would frantically tell the little kids in the neighborhood kids “ice cream is coming!!”, which they eventually caught on to, tricking her to think it was coming loving to get her whipped up about it.
But it was hard to get her off of the excitement and deliver the disappointment, “no, honey, we aren’t getting ice cream tonight”. Tears start, “No, why!!!!! Oh no! Why? Please!” and then to have it happen one or two times more, and she would get stressed to hear them and know we aren’t buying. She would actually say, “Oh no, not again! not again…” As if to even be saying herself, stop torturing me with your ice cream calls. But she’s hooked and we are too late to unhook her. Who knew it would turn into this, that the lure for terrible ice cream sold from trucks would be so strong. I know this is silly, a very no problem sort of an issue, but I want to know- do the ice cream men know how hard it is say no 3 times a night?!
Some healthier ice cream alternatives for your little ones:
Cool Fruits All Natural Freezer Pops
Fudgsicle a satisfying 60 calorie treat
Natural Choice Frozen Fruit Bars
Ciao Bella Sorbetto
365 Every Day ValueFrozen Fruit Bar
