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Packaged Organic Snacks

Whether in a rush, traveling or simply trying to get that toddler out of the house…  Packaged snacks are a convenience and sometimes a necessity.  Without compromising the organic living standards, I have put together a list of what is in my pantry.

Yes, yes, we all try to eat a clean, organic and ‘whole’ diet, but sometimes processed foods are a convenience we say “yes” to.  On the run… at a party or barbecue as an alternative to the corn-syrup-filled junk…  traveling, ordering out, or simply trying to get through the day, packaged snacks are a welcomed alternative.

Certified Organic.. Non perishable..  No junky ingredients… No additives, preservatives or natural flavors…

Chips & Pretzels

Bare Baked Crunchy.  Buy Apple version here.

OK.. These are not really chips, but for the longest time, my kids thought dehydrated apples were actual ‘chips’.  These have a fantastic, truly ‘crunchy’ texture and can pass for chips.  Fuji and reds have a hint of ‘sweet’ but not overpowering.  Banana chips are also a popular choice.

MaryGone Crackers Pretzels (Gluten Free).  Buy here.

A favorite in our house.  Crunchy, taste good and are so easy to pack in anything and take with you.  These are also available as a “cracker”.  My kids cannot get enough. Continue Reading

Organic Kids, Posts

Children’s shoes NOT made in China. High quality and comfortable options.

I like my products as organic, as natural and as non-toxic as possible.  This is one area I am forced to compromise.  There are no perfectly non-toxic shoe options for children.  The compromise is comfortable children’s shoes not made in China.

It is that time of season again… Time to get new shoes for the kids.  About two or three times a year we go through this process. Tedious and very tiring but it has to be done.

Here’s what I do.  Continue Reading

Posts

Organic and Natural Cold, Cough and Flu Remedies that Work & Children Will Actually Take

Cold and Flu are common and inevitable.  These are trusted natural cold and flu remedies that we use in our home without compromising standards for clean, natural and organic living.  Truly natural remedies that are safe for kids and adults;  and those that children will actually take.

Sometimes one vitamin or supplement is enough, but sometimes, a combination of these will work best.

The best six doctors anywhere remain to be Diet, Water, Rest, Air, Sunshine and Exercise…

Healthy immune system that can fight infection is key.  Our bodies need real, nourishing food.  This especially holds true during an illness with a weakened immune system.  Eat well – no processed food and or refined sugars.  Lots of healthy food, especially colorful fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, lean meats…  Take it easy, rest and boost your immune system with these natural cold and flu remedies so it can do its job. Continue Reading

Organic Home, Posts

Best Natural and Organic Volumizing Mascara Reviews

The search for good non-toxic mascara began for me in 2011.  I was pregnant and instinctively knew I should be using better, organic or at least plant based non-toxic and natural products.  …This was way before the many bloggers and review sites available today.  And way before natural products were popular.  The choices were limited and information scarce.

Pre-pregnancy and certainly pre-awareness, I used to frequent Sephora and one of my absolute favorite products was the Dior Show Black Out Mascara.  It did not clump, did not give me raccoon eyes, did not crumble and gave me Va-Va-Voom eye lashes.

What more can a girl ask for?  An organic or a natural version of-course!

Ten non-toxic mascaras later, I have finally found a comparable truly natural replacement to Dior Show!  Have no doubt, there are no green washers on my list; all are a variance of as natural as it gets.

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Organic Home, Posts

Food grown in sewage sludge? Yes.

Have you seen The Martian?  Yuck, he had to grow his food in poop.  Turns out we have been doing it for years.  Food fertilized with human and industrial waste, or sewage sludge right here on Earth?  Sounds surreal but it is not.  In fact, it is very common and perfectly legal.

I am “organic” for close to five years now, why is this the first time I am hearing about this?  Turns out there is big money involved and there is a beautiful, non-threatening name for it – biosolids.  Conventional food is bad enough, read more here – Conventional Food, What’s in it? And the cherry on top is that it’s fertilized with sewage sludge.

The practice of fertilizing with animal and human manure is not new.  It has been done for thousands of years.  Manure is rich in essential plan nutrients and is a great natural fertilizer.  I do not have a problem with fertilizing with natural composted manure from pastured animals fed an organic diet.

I do have a problem with using sewage sludge, a water treatment facility by-product that is full of viruses, germs, heavy metals, radioactive material, dioxins, PCBs, hormones, antibiotics, phthalates, flame retardants and other waste.

Sewage is a mixture of everything flushed down the toilet and poured down the drain in all the homes and commercial and industrial buildings — including hospitals, labs, restaurants, meat packaging plants, funeral homes, auto shops, chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturers — connected to a municipal waste system. (Some industries are required to pre-treat their waste before sending it down the drain.) (source)

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Organic Home, Posts

Conventional food. What’s in it?

A few weeks ago I took my son to a classmate’s birthday party.  They had the most gorgeous cake – a cosmos theme.  Rich navy blue universe with realistic red Mars, brown Jupiter, green Uranus, blue Neptune; the moon, the sun and even a beige Saturn with its belts.  The most beautiful cake I have ever seen.  Truly.

That morning, before the party, I was at home baking cupcakes.  With some delicious homemade frosting on top, I placed them into a to-go container so I could ask to substitute for the “blue” cake.  Well, several hours later, turned out I was right.  That cake was very blue…

I am often met with raised eyebrows.   Most people do not think about what they are eating.  We all know organic is better, but just how much?  Turns out quite a bit.

So what exactly is in conventional food?  Prepare to be shocked.  Continue Reading

Organic Home, Posts

Organic Mattress under $1000

THE single most common question I get is “What is the safest organic mattress?”.  That is an excellent question but it also carries a hefty price tag of at least $3,000.  If a mattress you are considering costs less, there is probably a reason.  Some or several components are either toxic, known to off-gas or are soaked in carcinogenic flame retardants.  To read why conventional mattresses are toxic and an incredibly budget friendly solution for an inexpensive, solid wood crib bed frame and an all organic crib mattress and/or toddler bed, click here!

A cheap, budget friendly twin/queen/king size certified organic mattress for under $1,000?  It simply does not exist in the marketplace.  However, if you get creative, my process can be repeated for a twin size bed and even an adult size bed with slight modifications.

$600 Twin size organic latex mattress

OR

$800 Queen or King size organic latex mattress Continue Reading

Organic Kids, Posts

Treating and healing eczema naturally – The Diet connection

Our beginning was rough.  I was on a round of antibiotics around 14 weeks gestation because my obstetrician found Strep B in my urine and two rounds of antibiotics at birth. The gut bacteria and the vaginal flora were sterilized and my child was deprived of critical bacteria that should have colonized his skin and his gut.  During the first week of life my sweet child had terrible diarrhea and around four months of age the eczema saga has begun.

I grew up with conventional medicine and that was the only way I knew so that is where I turned.  I saw the head of pediatric allergy department for a world-renowned major hospital; one of four licensed pediatric dermatologists in my state and two pediatricians.  Doctors said the eczema was genetic and there was nothing that can be done.  Genetic, even though there was zero history of eczema on either side of our families.

I was given topical steroid creams and was instructed to apply to affected areas.  At one point of time, I would have applied that steroid cream from hairline to the toes.  It was unacceptable.  So I found other answers and ways.  Turns out I even cheated and unknowingly have taken a short cut. Continue Reading

Organic Home, Posts

Mitigating and Eliminating EMFs – A Mom’s Guide (part 1)

There is always a list in the back of my mind with what I need to do…  Next steps at detoxifying our lives.  One of the things on my list was EMF remediation.  I knew it was a can of worms but I did not know just how complicated it would be.  Initial research made my head spin and I got nowhere fast.  Months and then years went by with me picking up this task but never finishing as it was just too complex.  Determined, I did some brief googling and came across Ray Pealer of EMR Safety.  It turned out that he serviced my area so I made a call.  Our lives will never be the same.

house before and after emf mitigation electromagnetic fields remediation

 

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