Simply Mel(Formerly Mama Monoblogs)

Greening Up Christmas

With my pursuit of a more natural and green lifestyle I couldn't not do a post about how to green up your Christmas a bit. Lindsay at Passionate Homemaking did a fabulous post on frugal and green alternatives to conventional wrapping paper. She has generously allowed me to just link to her post and not have to do any of the work of writing all those ideas down. Besides the whole reusing paper gifts bags and using the cloth gift bags she has some other great ideas on how to reuse stuff you have around the house for wrapping. I won't even be wrapping most of my children's stuff this year. Besides the fact that they are not at the age where they care about wrapping all that much it's a huge mess to clean up and so wasteful. After watching a couple of Christmas themed cartoons Katelyn has expressed to me that she does want her present to be red and white. So I may wrap a couple of her presents so she can have the thrill of seeing some wrapped gifts. If you read a lot of older children's story books or see older Christmas cartoons the toys on Christmas morning are actually  never wrapped and alway just set out under the tree.. I thought it would be fun to provide that visual this Christmas and see how it went. Of course, as the kids get older I will be wrapping their gifts. But I will probably be trying some of these "greener" ways. One idea that I thought of(I think! I haven't actually read it anywhere)is using canvas shopping bags as a gift bag. That way the person can also use that to go grocery shopping with later on. I'm a huge fan of the canvas bag and carry most of my groceries in them now. They are also great for lugging so many other things around- library books, beach stuff etc etc. I also liked the idea of kid-decorated wrapping. It's personalized, fun and cute. So check out Lindsay's post on frugal and green alternatives to wrapping. You'll find a lot of fun, cheaper and creative ways to reuse stuff around the house for wrapping those Christmas gifts. Happy reusing!

Madelyn's 15 Month Stats and Why I Refused the Flu Shot

Thank God we are almost back to normal here. Everyone is on the mend. Mike is off to work and Katelyn seems to be feeling better although she is not eating much.(which was her usual MO anyway!)We now resume our regular blog scheduling :o) As promised I wanted to fill you in on Madelyn's 15 month check up  as well as why we've decided we don't want the flu shot for our family.

Madelyn weighed 25 lbs and 4 oz at her appointment and has grown in length a bit in just the past three months. She went from 30 3/4 inches to 32 1/4 inches long. Katelyn at 15 months weighed 23 lbs 4 oz and was 32 1/4 inches long. So, they were very similar.

 I was a little taken aback  by how the nursing staff just assumed I wanted the flu shot along with Madelyn's other shots. They didn't ask me if I wanted it, they just said "Oh, she needs three shots today-her MMR, Chicken pox and the flu shot".  I've also been reading up on delayed vaccinations because of the harm the childhood vaccines can have on our children. But that's for another day :o) (Anyone ever hear of that or tried it yourself?)

 Now, on to why I refused the flu shot.

As you all know  we are trying to move onto a more natural lifestyle with less drugs and added chemicals in it than we were previously leading. I have read and heard that the flu shot is great and necessary for everyone. Pregnant women should get it. It should be mandatory for preschoolers and school aged children to have it before entering school. etc etc. This is what many of the flu shot advocates don't tell you (this info comes from Dr.Mercola's website. Emphasis their's):

-That when we inject the flu shot into our system we are taking into our bodies:

• Ethylene glycol (antifreeze)

• Phenol, also known as carbolic acid (this is used as a disinfectant, dye)

• Formaldehyde, a known cancer-causing agent
• Aluminum-which is associated with Alzheimer's disease and seizures and also cancer producing in laboratory mice (it is used as an additive to promote antibody response)

• Thimerosal (a  mercury disinfectant/preservative) can result in brain injury and autoimmune disease

• Neomycin and Streptomycin (used as antibiotics) have caused allergic reaction in some people

Not to mention that there is no real information out there that the flu shot really helps fight the flu. Here's another excerpt from an article from Dr. Mercola's website(italics mine):

If your child gets a flu shot, he can still get the flu (or flu-like symptoms). This is because it only protects against certain strains, and it’s anyone’s guess about which flu viruses will be in your area. According to the CDC:

“In some years when vaccine and circulating strains were not well-matched, no vaccine effectiveness can be demonstrated in some studies, even in healthy adults. It is not possible in advance of the influenza season to predict how well the vaccine and circulating strains will be matched, and how that match may affect the degree of vaccine effectiveness.”

 

-The mercury amount in the flu shot is 25 micrograms which is considered unsafe for anyone weighing less than 550 lbs!! Mercury is linked to all sorts of health issues. You can read those here.

-87% of the doctors who make the guidelines for the flu shot have ties with the drug companies who create them. Read this for more info.

You can check out www.mercola.com and type in "flu shots" in the search engine for a host of articles on the subject.

I for one, do not want those added chemicals in my body or that of my family. I'm still reading up on this subject and am, of course, not an expert on it by any means. And I am also sure there are probably a bunch of articles that support the flu vaccine just as well. I just don't want that stuff in my body. I will do my best to fight the flu naturally by eating healthy, taking vitamins and supplements, exercising, getting enough rest and WASHING MY HANDS and those of my children often.

 

GONSH Update

 

I know how much you have all been just DYING to hear how my journey is going so I'll ease your minds with an update ;o) First off, I swear the Lord is performing miracles before my very eyes!! Mike, for the first time, has been eating oatmeal almost every day and he loves it!!! Be still my heart!! He is also eating an apple every morning for breakfast and getting up at 4:30am to go to the gym. Who is this man? He tried mango the other day(didn't care for it) and has been forcing down the veggies I've been serving for dinner. He even ate sugar snap peas tonight at dinner! Miracle I tell ya! The oatmeal that we have been eating is Steel Cut Oatmeal also known as Irish Oatmeal. It doesn't come out as smooth and mushy as the rolled oats kind but is "crunchier" for lack of a better word and  nutritionally way better for you than the rolled kind. I like to put butter and a little maple syrup in mine and Mike has been eating his with butter and honey.  He has also quit drinking any kind of soda and has been only drinking water. Oh, and did I mention he's on the organic bandwagon now? Whoa! All of this comes from the "Body By God 40 Day Whole Life Makeover" class he's taking once a week at our Chiropractor's office. We've both been reading "Body By God" by Dr. Ben Lerner. I highly recommend this book. It has taught me some things I never knew and changed my thinking on many nutritional and health issues I always thought were fact and aren't, necessarily.Here are some other changes I've made recently:

-I'm actually transitioning to using NO artificial sweeteners. I was a Splenda lover and am now no longer using Splenda. I have found an all natural sweetener that I like ok called Stevia. It has a taste I'm going to have to get used to. I have been using a little Stevia and some Agave Nectar in my coffee and tea and that works out well. Speaking of coffee and tea..

-I have cut myself "down" to two cups of coffee a day. That is actually pretty normal for me anyway but there were days I was known to have up to four so now I limit myself to two. When I feel like having a warm beverage later in the day or evening I have been having herbal tea with honey. That has been very satisfying and relaxing.

-We are trying to supplement some of our cow's milk for Almond and Rice Milk. I will also do a more at length post about that at some point . You can read Dr. Mercola's article on cow's milk here if you want some info on this topic before I post what I've been learning. I'm having trouble with this one, I can tell you that. I LOVE milk and have always heard that "milk does a body good". We've been buying our milk from a local farm in the area that is pasteurized but not homogenized. But, again, this topic is for another time.    

-We've been trying out and experimenting with different grains. It's been quite interesting!

 

That's my update for now.

Time For Another GONSH Update(Also known as the really long, detailed gonsh update)

*Please feel free to read this over the course of two days, weeks, not at all!. It is long but it's been a long time coming. So there you have it.*

So, I figured it was time for a little update again on my GONSH journey. For those of you who didn't read my old post on this, GONSH is short for Green/Organized/Natural/Simplified/Healthy. It's the lifestyle journey I'm on right now. It's a process, let me tell ya! My GONSH posts are always sort of random since they are about several things I'm doing, or NOT doing, as it were.

The GREEN Part-

-I may sound like a little old lady but I've begun hand washing and re-using my ziploc bags! It has actually saved me some money since I do tend to "bag" things a lot. I wash and reuse them until they look like they need to be thrown out. The only time I don't wash and reuse is when I've put raw meat in it. I hang them upside down on my bottle drying rack and let them air dry. Then I put them back in the basket that I keep all my baggies in. You should try it!

-I've been recycling almost everything. Every box that food comes in, plastic shampoo etc. containers, shaving cream containers etc etc.

-I've found this website www.greenbootcamp.blogspot.com to be really fun and filled with ideas on how to "green" your life a little more. The author ,Leah Ingram, gives one tip each week for 52 weeks. I've found many of her ideas very easy and also money saving as well.

-I've signed up at www.greendimes.com for free. I can go on their site and add catalogs and  mail from organizations I don't want mail from anymore. They tell you what you need to do to get off a mailing list or they do it for you.It keeps my mailbox less cluttered and keeps more paper from going to waste.

The ORGANIZED Part

- I think I've mentioned that I love Freecycle.org before. If not, I LOVE FREECYCLE! Not only can I add this to my "green" goal but it also helps my goal of being more organized by getting rid of clutter. I have been getting rid of junk, crap, erm, used treasures every week so far. I also keep an eye out for anything someone else is giving away that I might actually need. And, I get if for free.

My biggest challenge right now is getting our sunroom a.k.a home office/junk room cleaned out and organized. It's right off our living and an eyesore to boot. I'm setting aside 30 minutes a day to throwing things out(or freecycling them ;o) ), putting things away and organizing the mess of paperwork and books in there. I was going to post a  "before" picture but was so embarrassed by the chaos I decided not to.

The NATURAL LIVING Part

-I've finally ordered my first pair of  All-In-One cloth diapers. I found a girl in New Hampshire(again local to us since we live on the border) that makes them at home. She posts the ones she's made on her myspace page and they are soo cute! I ordered  two "trial" ones in the patterns I liked and she's going to make them  in Maddy's size and ship them to me. If I like them I will buy several more. Maddy has about another year of diapers and I think the upfront cost will more than make up for the cost of disposables over the next year. I am also planning on having more children so hopefully they will more than pay for themselves over the next few years. Again, this is just a trial. I may hate cloth diapering! On the same note, I also ordered several pairs of training underwear/pants for Katelyn. No more pull- ups!!! Well, no more pull-ups unless she's sleeping or we're out for an extended period of time, hem hem. Pull-Ups are ridiculously expensive and we go through them like water. Training pants absorb liquid better than underwear(obviously) but don't contain it like pull-ups do. They do begin to leak after awhile if they get too full.  I hope to not let Katelyn get to that point. I also figured Madelyn could use these once she begins potty training.

-I've been using Coconut Oil for many things besides cooking. I've read that it makes a great, natural deodorant. So far it's worked for me in that area. I was using Tom's of Maine natural deodorant but, to be honest, it burns my underarms! So, I've had to quit using it. I've also been using it on dry areas on my skin. It's supposed to be great for your skin and hair. I've yet to really use it for my face but I've read that it's great for a natural, facial moisturizer. I've been encouraging Mike to use it for his severe dishydrotic eczema. It's supposed to work wonders for that so we'll see! I'm curious to see if it it makes his eczema better since nothing else seems to be working. If we end up liking and seeing good results from using Coconut Oil I'll use that to replace a bunch of our other products, which in turn, will save us money!

-Because of Mike's severe eczema I've been trying to switch out his body care products for gentle ones. I've found Dr. Bronner's Pure Castille soap and plan on giving it a try for our whole family. It's all natural, vegan and very gentle. It comes in a large bottle and you are supposed to dilute it. It's supposed to last forever and be great as a face wash,bodywash and gentle enough for babies. So, if we love it, I'll be replacing my other products with this. I found it at drugstore.com.

The SIMPLIFYING Part

-This is my hardest goal to really tackle. I tend to be the type of person that makes things harder on myself, not less! LOL One of the things I've been trying to do is prioritize my "to do" list for the day and not sweat the small stuff. I think my de-cluttering is going to go a long way in helping me simplify my  life. I'm trying to streamline my daily routines and the way I do things so they are the  most efficient. I'm trying to manage my time better( not so much time on the computer) and spend more time just enjoying my girls. I'm learning to say "no" more often, even to good stuff. I've also found that spending some time with the Lord in the mornings(making that a priority) really helps the rest of my day go better. I've found the more I let that part go, or think  " I'll just do that later" the worse things get. The Lord wants to be at the top of my "to do" list. He wants to come even before the "to do"  list comes out! So, I've been spending some time while I eat breakfast reading the Bible and praying. Usually , the girls are done eating by this time and are enjoying their favorite morning cartoons. Which, in turn, is keeping them quiet so I can focus on my Bible reading. I keep my notepad next to me so I can write any pressing matter that pops into my mind and takes my focus from God on that pad so I know I'll remember it when I'm done with my morning quiet time.

The HEALTHY

I've started taking vitamins and herbal supplements the past few months. I've read up on some specific ones that are good so I'm trying those. I'm sure I'm deficient in some areas since my diet hasn't been that great. I've also seen my grandparents taking vitamins and supplements for years and they are healthy and doing great at almost 80! Those vitamins must be doing something for their well being.

These are the supplements I've been taking:

• Women's Multivitamin
• Vitamin B6 with Folic acid and vitamin C(I've read it's good for a healthy nervous system, energy and also fertility),
• Probiotic Acidophilus(for a healthy digestive system, intestinal microflora balance and increased absorption of vital  nutrients your body needs from food),
• Garlic Supplement (for cardiovascular health and strengthening your immune system)
• Echinacea (also strengthens your immune system)

I've been taking these based on research and reading I've done and speaking with others who take these. I'm not a health care professional by any means so don't take my word as professional advice or anything. When I go for my next physical I will speak to my doctor some more about these.

As for  my diet, it has STUNK this summer! That's all I can say about that! Even with my healthy eating intentions I still haven't done that great. My problem is portion control and self discipline. I've been slowly switching out our snack items for healthier alternatives and less variety at that. My husband and children aren't real thrilled with this. We had gotten off having chips in the house but with the cookouts this summer they have been available and all our hands have snuck one too many times into the bag for a quick munch. I've been trying to have whole wheat snack crackers and such to munch on but haven't quite found a kind that we can all agree on yet. I had mentioned I'm trying to stay away from highly processed foods, high fructose corn syrup and a lot of sugar. Well, there just aren't too many of those snacks out there! Any ideas you might have for interesting, healthy and tasty snack ideas would be great. Especially ones that would be attractive to picky toddlers :o)

These are some of the snacks I have cut out because they have HFCS(high fructose corn syrup) in them. I will call it the HFCS Naughty List:

-Graham Crackers(!!! I knooowww, I was surprised too!)

- Wheat Thins

-Teddy Grahams

-Ritz Bitz

-Regular Nestle's Quick

-Kellogg's Corn Flakes(and probably many other cereals as well. I'll keep you posted)

Now, I am not suggesting you immediately stop buying all of these things. I know these are popular snacks and most kids eat them. I am trying to stay away from these because HFCS is linked to diabetes as well as the cause for obesity in children these days. Read here, here  and here for more info on HFCS. While it's not a proven fact that HFCS causes these issues, I'd rather stay away from it.

I've made these changes in my cooking as well:

-I don't buy Kraft anything anymore. I buy "Annie's Homegrown" Mac 'N Cheese. I usually get the whole wheat shells and cheese. The price is slightly higher than Kraft Macaroni and Cheese but not outrageous or anything.

-I don't buy any processed cheese, a la Kraft singles. I get sliced cheese from the deli. Usually Muester or Provolone.

-I've been trying to use Honey or Agave Nectar as my sweeting agent instead of sugar all the time

-I buy plane rolled oats and make my own oatmeal instead of the Quaker pre-packaged singles. That tends to have a lot of extra sugar and stuff in it.

-I've started only using butter.Yes, I said BUTTER!! Gasp! I don't buy margarine or any kind of vegetable oil spread anymore. I try to get quality butter but not something that is going to financially break the bank. I buy "Kate's Homemade" butter at this time. It's made on a family farm in Maine(which to us in MA is practically local) and is DELICIOUSLY fresh tasting. Read here and here for more info on why butter has gotten a bad rap and is actually better for you than margarine or any of the "fake" stuff. Now, even though we've been using butter now we don't consume huge quantities of it. It's still a fat. I've also found that buying butter has been cheaper for the most part.

So, there you have it. What I've been working on so far. I'm not a Doctor, Nutrition Expert, Perfect or any such thing. This is all based on what I've been reading and researching and what I think makes sense for us right now. Your comments, questions and suggestions are welcome.

**Picture courtesy of allposters.com

I

How My Quest For A More Natural Lifestyle Is Going

Slowly, to be sure. I didn't realize how hard this was going to be!! I just look at all the changes that need to made and it can seem very overwhelming, not to mention expensive. I also have a husband who is not crazy about this whole process either. My cousin,Lydia, also brought up a good point. Something that she has been trying to do is also "simplify" her life- getting rid of clutter, stuff, debt etc. Which is also a good thing to add to my list of natural, greener living.

Here are the things I have done/been doing so far to be healthier and kinder to our environment. This is going to be a rambling and disjointed list so bear with me.

-I have been saving paper we have printed on that we have either made mistakes on or are not going to use and any other paper with a blank side for Katelyn to color and paint on. In the past, I would have just tossed it.
-I have been recycling every packaged food box I can once we are done with it. Cereal boxes, pasta boxes, pizza boxes etc. I have also been rinsing out any cans(canned fruit or veggies etc) and throwing those in too. These were all things I would have just thrown away in the past, so it's a big step for me.
-I'm slowly cleaning out my cosmetics bag and am trying to simplify  in that area. I have recently thrown away about 5, old eye shadow palettes. I still have several that are fairly new that I didn't have the heart to throw out. You are probably thinking-"who needs all that eye shadow??" Me apparently! But I love to have CHOICES when I go to apply eye shadow. The ones I did throw out I've had for way over a year and, hygienically speaking, you are supposed to throw out your eye shadow every six months. Since I only wear makeup on Sundays or when I'm going somewhere special I don't need all the makeup I currently have. Especially since I hardly ever use all of it before I have to throw it out due to it's age. I'm also trying to switch to mineral based makeup.
-I have recently found a less chemically laden Sunscreen. I have noticed that many natural living advocates are actually against the use of sunscreen. They have many valid and interesting points and mainly advise staying out of the sun when it is at it's peak and covering up with hats and appropriate clothing if you have to be in it. I am still not too sure about that since I am more afraid of skin damage than of the chemicals in sunscreen. There are many choices out there for more natural sunscreen and you can find great ones online and for more money. I have decided on a middle of the road one called "Blue Lizard" that I can find easily at some stores close by. It is more expensive that my "Water Babies" but so far I have liked it. I do miss the "beach" scent of my other sunscreens since this one is fragrance free.
-I have switched to "Seventh Generation" dishwasher powder. It's more natural, less toxic and easier on the earth. There are a couple of different powders I want to try too
-I've been using "Method" cleaners which are all natural and non-toxic. I love their "Lavender All Purpose Cleaner".
-I've decided to give cloth diapers a trial run. I've found a few sites online that have some good cloth diapering products. I'm going to go middle of the road with that too, however. If I decided to really make the switch and buy several days worth of cloth diapers, I'm only going to use them  at home and during the day. I will use disposable diapers at night, when my in laws are watching my kids and when we go to church.
-I'm in the process of collecting all my books that I don't plan on reading again or that I'm not saving for my girls and giving them away.  We have a non profit organization in our area called "Got Books?" and they will come up and pick up(for free) all your books and then sell the used books for charity. That will free up some space around here for sure!
-I am trying to not use wipes so much. Since I think wipes are some of the best things ever invented that is going to be hard! I am finishing up my Lysol and Clorox disinfecting wipes and am going to try to not buy them anymore. I'm also trying to not use my baby wipes for cleaning up my girls all the time. I've only been using them for cleaning little bottoms and using face cloths for hands and faces.

There are several things I want to switch out for a natural more healthier one but want to wait to finish the current product  so I don't waste stuff and throw my money away too. My biggest struggle is trying to get away from all my convenience and pre-packaged foods. But that topic is for another blog since this one has become quite lengthy.
Stay tuned!

Going Healthy, Sorta Natural and Greenish

I know the title of this blog is a little confusing. I want to share what has been on my mind here lately. I have been reading some blogs recently of young moms who practice "natural and green living". They eat mostly whole,organic foods and practice very environmentally conscious ways of life. These women are also Christians and put forth very  interesting, motivating and thought provoking facts for living the way they do. Now, I am not the most wasteful, unhealthy person I know but I and my family could eat much healthier than we do and do more  to help the earth. You can find the two blogs I read the most on my "Links" page. Now there are certain things I will probably never do like composting, eating only organic and cutting out certain things from our diet. I will never be a true "crunchy" person but I would like to get a little closer to that life style. I certainly see the health benefits. I will keep you updated on my baby steps towards a healthier lifestyle. I would like to be more conscious of the products I use on myself and my family's skin and what my kids are actually taking into their bodies. We definitely eat WAY too much sugar, fat, convenience and processed foods in our house. I will buy organic when I can and it's  affordable and make do with just buying and eating the healthiest options of our favorite foods. Some of the things these women do is making/cooking a lot of their food from scratch. I have started doing some of that but I will never be a total "from scratch" person. I love freshly baked, homemade bread but doubt I'll ever get into that. Homemade pancakes to me are using Aunt Jemima mix instead of frozen! LOL Speaking of that, I have started only making whole wheat pancakes instead of white. It's actually going over well. Mike loves them. Who knew??? I would also like to start using more fresh ingredients instead of canned/frozen but that will be a slow process too. I will never quite get away from "convenience" foods I don't think. I have also been convicted that we need to really start setting a better example for Katelyn and Madelyn. Mike and I are both overweight and don't lead really healthy lifestyles. I don't want to pass our poor eating habits on to our children. No matter how much we tell them to eat their vegetables, if they don't see US enjoying veggies, they won't. I want it to be natural for them to reach for fruit as a snack instead of chips and to enjoy exercise and it not be a chore.
Here are some of the things I'm working on when it comes to food/ products in our home:
- Whole grain breads, pasta and pancakes only
-Organic produce when I can find it and if it's not too expensive
-Although "low fat" sometimes would not be accepted in a "natural living" lifestyle b/c of the ingredients that go into making the food "low fat", I am trying to substitute whatever we eat for the lower fat version when possible. If it has too much extra "stuff" to make it like that I won't serve it to my kids or won't buy it.
-I switched Madelyn over to the "organic" formula. It's till Parent's Choice so it's inexpensive compared to the formula she was on before. Some of you reading this blog may wonder why I am not breastfeeding, since that is the  most natural and healthy way to feed your baby.  I couldn't breast feed my other two since I was on seizure medication . Now that I'm off, I plan on trying to BF my next one. I am not a "breast- feeding- is- the- absolute- only- way" mother so if I find it's too hard or stressful on me with two other children, I will probably switch to formula again. But I will give it my best shot.
-All natural, organic, and healthier snacks. No more Doritoes(sniff), potato chips etc. sitting around the house. This is actually good for me since I'm on Weight Watchers anyway.
-More water! I drink iced tea that I brew myself and have with Splenda( a no-no in that natural world). I drink so much tea that if I used sugar to sweeten it I would gain a ton of poundage. Soda is more Mike's thing. I just won't let my kids drink it. Sorry, I'm not giving up coffee. I love it too much.
-Natural and non toxic cleaning and laundry products that are easy on our skin and on the earth
-More natural and gentle shampoos, lotions etc for all of us(and also easy on the earth)

I'll let you know how it goes. As I mentioned, it's slow going in the Mietzner household.

I already recycle our milk containers, plastic bottles and paper. I know there are many more things I could be recycling so I'm going to try to be more aware of that.

So, that's my story for today. I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject. I'll let you know what is working for me. I may even give cloth diapers a try in the future! Miracles happen!