need cloth diapers at a great price??

I just got this email from Blueberry Diapers. Blueberrys and Swaddlebees will be on sale, two of my favorites!

This is a heads up to let you know that we will be putting up a lot of items on clearance starting tomorrow, Friday at 3 pm ET.

These items will be available to order through the Outlet Store section of our sister company Swaddlebees.com. A mix of both Swaddlebees and Blueberry diapers will be offered and stocked on the Outlet store tomorrow. Full descriptions of all items will be available on this page: http://swaddlebees.com/products/newoutlet

Please note that this will be an Outlet Clearance Sale, which means that all items will be sold as is, without any warranties, and are not eligible for return or exchange. Elastics are guaranteed though. All item flaws will be clearly described.

pure fruit popcicles.... do they exist??

Last night after dinner Matt wanted to run to Publix to get some ice cream. Charlie hit the popcicle aisle and wanted to pack the whole aisle up and take it home. We told him he could get one box of popcicles. Do you know how hard it was to convince him that he really didn't want the Dora or Superman ones that were nothing but HFCS and artifical coloring. I was amazed at several that "claimed" to be all natural and had HFCS as one of the main ingredients. The Edy's fruit bars above were the best I could come up with. They aren't perfect by any means, but better than the alternatives. I guess I need to head to Whole Foods and see if there is a pure fruit popcicle around....

ps... I know I could make them.. I probably will, but he really wanted to pick out his own treat last night, kwim?! I think I am going to make the deceptively delicious yogurt fruit pops, I just need to get some molds.

vaccines....I hate this part of parenting!

Today was Gracie's 15 month appointment. I also go into these appointments feeling like I am playing Russian Roulette with my child. I have attempted to research vaccines in the past and always feel like I am being scared into believing that either the shot will be super detrimental to my child or by not giving the shot I am risking my child's life. It is so hard to figure out what is the right thing to do and what to believe. With Charlie, I started off just doing what the pediatrician recommended.

I was a first time mom and pretty much thought vaccines were an all or none, you either gave them or you didn't.While I still have so much to learn, I have learned since then that it is not a black or white issue. I can deny only certain vaccines if I feel the need and I can space them out so Gracie doesn't get a gazillion vaccines in one visit. This has kind of been my method this time around and I am sure the next time around I will be even more educated and picky.

All that to say, I am ordering Dr.Sear's Vaccine Book today from Amazon. I have heard really good things about the book and that he doesn't try to scare you and that he offers a good delayed vaccine schedule. Right now, I will only allow Gracie two vaccines a visit. We delayed the MMR and the chicken pox vaccine today until later. I am pretty sure she will eventually get the MMR, but not before her second birthday. I am not sure about the chicken pox vaccine....

I would love to hear your take on this. As a parent it is my responsibility to research and advocate for my children. The only way I can do this is to keep reading and talking about it with other mothers, so I love hearing other peoples perspectives (please keep them respectful though!). Also, if you have heard about green vaccines, share that info too! Thanks!

healthy hot dog or not??

I thought I was doing something really healthy and good for my family by purchasing nitrate free hot dogs. I mean I know a hot dog is a hot dog, but I hated depriving my kids of a summer time classic, but also wanted to make it as healthy as possible.

I just stumbled upon this article from seriouseats.com and now I am second guessing myself. You can read the whole article for yourself, and you should because it really has challenged my thinking, but I will summarize what it says. Basically she says that no nitrates added does not mean that it is nitrate free. That most "no nitrate added" hot dogs have celery juice in them which has nitrates in it, so while they aren't straight nitrates added to them, they still have nitrates in them. I am going to have to look into that information some more and figure out exactly what it all means because if she is right, hotdogs like the ones pictured above actually do have nitrates in them even though the label says they don't.

Bottom line, the article made me more aware of the fact that I can't believe something is healthy for my family just because it's labeled organic or bought at a store like Whole Foods. I need to be better about reading labels and learning exactly what it is I am putting in my body and the bodies of my family.

there's has got to be a better "lunchable"

Dear readers I need your help! My 3 year old has discovered lunchables and thinks they are the greatest things in the world. Several children brought them to VBS this summer and by the end of the week I caved and let him bring one too. Seriously, how bad could turkey, cheese and crackers be right..... apparently pretty bad. After reading the ingredient list I realized how little actual turkey, cheese and crackers were in the lunchable. We won't even discuss how many of the ingredients I could not identify. So, my wonderful readers.... please tell me there is something out there that will appeal to him just as much as these yucky things, because there is nothing worse than having to explain to your three year old that lunchables are not a healthy choice and than fear he will go and condem everyone at the table for eating unhealthy food. Besides, I don't want to give the boy a complex, just some none chemical, nitrate filled food.

Please share with me ideas! I am deseperate!

ps... those cute stinkin' little lunchable jr's that have food already chopped to the perfect size for my little one are just as bad and I finally thought I found something super easy to take with us when we are out!

a "healthy" chip for the fourth of july

 

Let's face it, a chip is a chip and none are exactly "healthy", but Terra makes a healthier version of a chip and the Stripes and Blues are perfect to bring to that picnic or cook out on Friday while celebrating the Fourth of July. They are super yummy with a mix of blue potato, sweet potato and striped beet chips (really they are yummy, I promise!). They are so fun and festive too! And on any other day of the year, you can find me munching down on the sweet potato chips, SOOOOO good!

Check for these in your local grocery stores organic section today!

yummy mango cilantro grilled chicken

I made some really yummy chicken the other night using Annie's Organic Mango Cilantro Marinade. I took a few frozen chicken breasts and threw them into this marinade for the day. It was so yummy! We grilled it on the grill. I made some sweet potato fries and corn on the cobb to go with. Charlie (the picky 3 year old) ate everything but the corn (he had applesauce instead). I love when my family gets a really good dinner! Annie's Natural products make this much easier!