Stink Free Poo

I know it's rather taboo to talk about poo, and all of us ladies know that our poo doesn't stink. But we also know that our men's poo does stink! Follow this link to Crunchy Betty's blog for a great way to prevent poo stink!

I just had to give it a try, so I bought the smallest bottle of eucalyptus oil I could find, put 2 drops in the toilet, and voila! No stink for me, er, I mean my husband! Because girl poo doesn't stink. Everyone knows that. 

Nail Polish

When I was pregnant with A, I quit nail polish because it was one of many questionable items that I knew I could live without. Even after he was born, I would wait until he was asleep and paint my nails outside, just to make sure the fumes stayed out of our home. When wedding season rolled around this summer, I had to paint my toes to match my new dress. I had never taken the time to research nail polish; I just assumed I wouldn't find anything I could afford that I could also feel good about.

Photo Source:  http://skagitfoodcoop.wordpress.com

However, today I made a trip to Mississippi Market and just happened to pass a lovely display of 3-free Savina polishes. This means they are free of DBP (Dibutyl phthalate, toluene, and formaldehyde). I have no idea what DBP is, but I try to avoid phthalates and formaldehyde as much as possible. At under $5 a bottle, I had to try one.

The color is rich. One coat covered nicely, and so far has held up very well. My favorite part is that it didn't smell up the whole house as I painted! I think my stash of stinky polishes might have to go.

Go Johnson & Johnson!

Image source: Johnsonsbaby.com

Johnson & Johnson has made a pledge to remove several toxic chemicals from their products by 2015! WOOHOO! This means I won't have to spend hours trying to discern if a new product will be safe for my family or not!

Thanks, Johnson & Johnson!

Lunch

This post is pretty basic. I went back to work this week after 8 weeks off (one of the perks of being an educator) and I was reminded of how much money N and I save by packing our own lunches. Then I realized how much healthier it is, and how much the environment benefits too.

On Monday, I baked a lasagna, which I prepared Sunday night so it was just a quick toss in the oven after my first day of work. Our family of 3 polished off a 4th of it Monday night, leaving me with leftovers for the week. I pack in glass so I can reheat in our ancient microwave at work without worrying about what might be coming off plastic.

I bring my own silverware from home (and usually a few weeks into the school year after forgetting a fork one too many times, I wind up just leaving a set at work).

By packing my own lunch, I'm eating healthier food, smaller portions, decreasing waste, and cooking in bulk with inexpensive organic food rather than pre-made pricey food.

Picture source: Pyrexware.com

Summer with an 18 month old

Apparently I've lacked inspiration over the spring and summer to blog. I've been spending way too much time on Pinterest trying to find recipes to cook and activities to keep the little man busy since I have summers off with him, and we've been having a blast! Some of the socially responsible fun we've had this summer includes:

• Visiting the Maplewood Nature Center 
• Creating art out of "treasures" found on our nature hike
• Homemade finger paints (which we've used for all of our painting projects)
• Painting with corn (corn supplied by a local farmer) 
• Visits to the Maplewood and St. Paul Farmer's Markets
• Visits with friends
• Story Time at the Maplewood library 
• Checking out the Ramsey County Fair
• Family vacations
• Shopping at thrift stores for new toys
• National Night Out (to which we were invited to bring our own plates and silverware in an effort to reduce trash...nice!)

I return to work soon, and I'm sure it will be a tough transition. I'm excited for old routines and returning to my old definition of myself as a school counselor. The summer has flown by, yet my professional identity seems very far away. We'd love to hear any more ideas we can use to stay busy and socially responsible for our final days of summer!