Jon & Kate Drama

This is very petty and total time suck...but I love it! :) :)

Watch this: http://evilbeetgossip.film.com/2008/08/23/jon-and-kate-plus-eight-gets-nasty-aunt-jodi-tells-her-side/

Tell us your thoughts on NMF's favorite reality t.v. show! Do you think the show has changed? Do you think Kate has changed?

(Gossip was lovingly passed along by Holly! :))

Free Seeds

From the HMN (Holistic Mom's Network)

"I just wanted to share a great source for free seeds www.wintersown.org I just received 10 packets of flower seeds today and should be receiving 6 packets of tomatoes any day now. You just have to send a self addressed envelope. Lots of folks share seeds they save... Pretty cool and some amazing heirloom tomato varieties!"

Nikki

Question of the week!

Lord knows we all get way too much advice from veteran parents!!! Everyone has an opinion. Once in a while, someone has something insightful to share. What is the best parenting advice you received? Who was the person with the great advice???

Get Creative Online

Three ways to get kid stuff for free by trading or pawning off to others....

http://www.zwaggle.com

http://www.swaptree.com

http://www.freepeats.org

You can create a very cool music video for free.  

Just upload 12-20 photos, choose music from the site's 

library and in minutes, you will get a 30 second video back. 

Longer videos will cost $3.00

http://www.animoto.com

Watch a baby's monthly milestones in motion at

www.parenting.com/milestones

posted by: Maria

Question of the week!

What toy, t.v. show, book, etc. do you find to be the most educational? Feel free to list one from each category.

For example:

Book: 100 first words
Toy: flash cards and blocks for counting
T.V. Show: Sesame Street

Are There Felons In Your Neighborhood?

Enter your address at this website to find out if there are felons living nearby...

www.felonspy.com

Cool Website to Check Out

This is a new website, just started a couple weeks ago. It is similiar to an online boutique, but with a twist. They will carry only one "green" baby item per day at a remarkable discount of at least 50% off the retail price. They post the item each day at 12 noon, EST until it's gone! Then they will post a brand new item the next day. There will be a local pick up option for those of you who live near by!
www.greenbabybargains.com

Gorgeously Green

I just can't get enough information from this book!  I thought I would share some of my notes with you.  Remember, these are simply suggestions from the authors of Gorgeously Green on how to live a "greener" life!  :) Maria

When looking for "safe" beauty products (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lip products, hand lotions and cremes) look for the following RED ALERT products (these can be highly toxic to your skin and body)  Coal tar, fragrance, hydroquinone, ,aluminum, triclosan, phenylenediamine, lead and mercury.

Download the Skincare Shopping Cheat Sheet at www.gorgeouslygreen.com/cheatsheet

There are a list of "Orange Alert" chemicals as well but they say you can finish these products and purchase something different the next time versus throwing them out immediately.  Of course, this is all if you are interested in switching over to "green" products.

Some "safe" brands:  Suki cosmetics, Pangea cosmetics, Dr. Hauschka, Kuuma Made, Juice Beauty, Gorgeously Green , Jurlique, Aubrey Organics (I use these lotions and love them) Jasons, Terre Essentials, Kiss My Face and After Glow Cosmetics, Weleda, Target (Erba Organics) and Little Twig.

I looked up my makeup on www.safecosmetics.org and clicked on "skin deep" to find if the products I use have a rating of 5 and higher.  This was an interesting site!

"Safe" Home Brands: Mrs. Meyers, Ecological, Bon Ami, Daddy Van's, Method (can be found at Target) Seventh Generation.  I bet there are more but I wrote down the brands I've seen at the stores.

Save paper by stopping your Junk Mailers at 

1-888-567-8688

or Mail a request to:

Direct Marketing Association

P.O. Box 643

Carmel, NY  10512

The "Dirty Dozen"  12 Fruits/Veggies you should buy organic

strawberries, bell peppers, spinach, cherries, peaches, cantaloupe, cucumbers, grapes (chilean), green beans, apricots, apples, celery.

Cleanest 12: avacado, corn, onions, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, watermelon, broccoli, green onions, plums, bananas, brussel sprouts, grapes (non chiliean)

Bath For Baby to help with a babies immunity in the winter months:

Add 3-4 drops of lavender essential oil in your babies bath.  Slather your babe in organic sesame oil after the bath.

Potty Training

(submitted by Christine)

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/potty-training-seven-surprising-facts?ecd=wnl_prg_011509

Vicks VapoRub

(submitted by Kim)

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Vicks VapoRub, a common cold remedy, can cause respiratory distress in children under 2 when inappropriately applied directly under the nose, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

They said using the Procter & Gamble Co product in this way can cause a young child's tiny airways to swell and fill with mucus, triggering severe breathing problems."The only problem we've seen is in a small child when it has been put under the nose," Dr. Bruce Rubin of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina, said in a telephone interview.

Rubin said the ingredients in Vicks can be irritants, causing the body to produce more mucus to protect the airway. And since infants and young children have airways that are much narrower than those of an adult, any increase in mucus or swelling can narrow them severely.

"The company is really clear it should never go under the nose or in the nose for anybody and it shouldn't be used in children under 2," said Rubin, whose study appears in the journal Chest.
While the researchers only tested the Vicks product, Rubin said similar products, including generic versions, could cause the same negative effects in infants and toddlers.

Rubin and his colleagues began looking at use of the medication after treating an 18-month-old girl who developed respiratory distress after the salve was put under her nose. They studied ferrets, which have an airway anatomy similar to humans. In the animals with a chest infection, the product increased mucus secretion and decreased the animal's ability to clear mucus.
"We were able to document changes that we think explain this," Rubin said.

David Bernens, a spokesman for P&G, said the finding came as a surprise. "Vicks VapoRub has been proven safe and effective through multiple clinical trials. It has been in the market for over 100 years," Bernens said, noting that the label says the product should not be used in children under age 2 without a doctor's advice, and not under the nose.

"We warn people not to do that," he said. Since the initial episode, emergency doctors at the medical center have begun asking all parents of children in respiratory distress if they used the Vicks product in a similar way and they have seen two more cases, Rubin said.

"I recommend never putting Vicks in, or under, the nose of anybody -- adult or child," Rubin said in a statement, adding that he would never use it in a child under age 2. Dr. James Mathers, president of the American College of Chest Physicians, said in a statement that parents should consult their doctor before giving any over-the-counter medication to infants and young children, particularly cough and cold medications, which can be harmful.
(Editing by Maggie Fox)

Warning- Recall

(submitted by Kim)

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/01/14/salmonella.kellogg/index.html

Family Horoscopes

http://parenting.kaboose.com/tarot/

"Great parenting is all about how two parents work together.
Find out more about two parents' compatibility from the link above."

Question of the week!

What is your New Year's resolution? Do you really follow through?

Doula...Say What?

Find out more about what a doula is and how she can assist you in 

your next birthing experience.  

The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.

Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.

A Birth Doula

• Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life
• Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor
• Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth
• Stays with the woman throughout the labor
• Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make informed decision
• Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her clinical care providers
• Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman's memory of the birth experience
• Allows the woman's partner to participate at his/her comfort level

A Postpartum Doula

• Offers education, companionship and nonjudgmental support during the postpartum fourth trimester
• Assists with newborn care, family adjustment, meal preparation and light household tidying
• Offers evidence-based information on infant feeding, emotional and physical recovery from birth, infant soothing and coping skills for new parents and makes appropriate referrals when necessary

www.dona.org

www.center4cby.com

Ask Maria about her current experience with her certified Doula.

She's had two visits so far and plans on having her doula with her during 

her birth in April as well as postpartum.

FDA CHART

See how your pre-natal or child's multivitamin ranks! This chart ranks the vitamins based on levels of Lead in each vitamin.


http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/pbvitami.html

Question of the week!

Help!!!!

Many of us are starting to potty train...any suggestions?

Has anyone heard of the one-day potty-training technique? Does that really work?