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These covers are beautiful – check them out. Thank you, Udder Covers!
We hope that you are enjoying the beautiful day and soaking in every ounce of Mother’s Day Love!
Here’s a photo of me with two of the most amazing moms that I know, my Mom and Grandmother. My mother for her selflessness, passion, energy, strength and endless love; and my Grandmother for her loving and nurturing nature, patience, determination, and she has always told the best stories at bedtime. 
Many wishes to you for a happy Mother’s Day!!!
-Heather and Jasmine
My dear friend recently emailed an article to me that made my hair stand up on end. The “health food” cereal brand, Kashi, that many people have grown to love, including myself, has been getting some attention recently. The Cornucopia Institute recently found that Kashi, amongst other “healthy, all natural” breakfast cereals, contains high levels of GMOs (genetically modified organisms). And high levels of GMOs means pesticides.
I find this discovery very troubling for a number of reasons. According to Kashi’s website, they are “passionate about good, all-natural foods.” Um, you can’t be very passionate about your product if you don’t notice that the ingredients used to MAKE your products contain pesticides. And secondly, they tout that they are members of the “Non-GMO project.” How can that be if your products contain GMOs?
Here we are again, with another case of deceptive marketing tactics to dupe us consumers.
Shame on you, Kashi.
Here is the article if you’d like to read the findings.
And just so you know, we’re not the only ones peeved with this situation. If you look here on the company’s website, you can scroll through hundreds of other angry comments from former consumers of Kashi (look at the bottom of the page).
Here’s an excerpt from the article,
“The Cornucopia Institute’s “Cereal Scorecard” (http://www.cornucopia.org/2011/10/natural-vs-organic-cereal/) reveals some truly astonishing facts about what’s in our breakfast cereal:
• Kashi brand cereals (Kellogg’s) contains “high levels” of GMOs. Not just a trace of GMOs, in other words, but a high level meaning the key ingredients are genetically engineered from the get-go. In fact, NaturalNews has learned that test results reveal 100% of the soy used in tested boxes of Kashi cereal was genetically engineered soy.”
-What are your thoughts?
Last Christmas season, a few residents in my neighborhood decided to create a ‘freecycle’ Facebook page, in an effort to have a more “green” holiday. Basically the idea was to take toys your kids don’t use anymore and swap them for toys that your kids want/need.
One of the biggest benefits about a neighborhood site over craigslist and other freecycle sites is that the geography is limited so you know that the goods are just around the corner, which is super convenient. People leave the goods in plastic grocery bags, and you leave the money for the seller in a pre-determined spot (or hand it over at the door).
Well, pretty soon toys turned into clothing, household goods, and basically everything under the sun was getting listed on our ‘freecycle’ site. After the holidays, we decided to keep the site going, and ended up creating additional sales sites for various items to be sold.
You, too, can start a similar site for your neighborhood. Here is what you need to know to get started:
1. You’ll need to have a Facebook account. I’m pretty sure everyone has one these days, so this shouldn’t be a barrier.
2. Create a Facebook “Group” for your neighborhood and invite your neighbors and/or friends.
3. Don’t forget to set your Group’s security settings. We have ours set so that residents have to be invited by other residents, and other friends can’t see what you post / comment.
4. Take a photo of whatever you’d like to sell or give away, and post a brief description of the item.
And here are a few lessons we’ve learned along the way:
1. Decide how you want to limit the geography. At some point, you want to draw the line so you don’t lose the convenience of picking up items from a neighbor.
2. Relating to point #3 above about security settings, groups should be set to “secret”. The benefit is that your friends won’t see your posts or comments in their feeds. One woman in our community learned this the hard way. When the group was open, she posted a Christmas gift from her MIL who then saw her post. Also, a “secret” group can’t be found on Facebook. You have to be invited by a member of the group.
3. Don’t leave home addresses for the drop-off/pick up under the photo Comments for everyone to see. Instead, send a personal message to each other. At one point, items left on porches began to disappear. No one is sure whether it was because a member of the group was watching posts for addresses or if it was just a random thief spotting goods on porches, or whether donation-related services mistakenly picked up the bags on people’s porches. Either way, it’s always better to be anonymous with your home address.
Below are a couple of photos of things that were free or that I’ve bought for my kids (from the site):
These were free:
Ladybug Slippers
I bought this used bike for $15:
Used Bike
My kids love chicken nuggets. They eat them like they’re going out of style. Except with one caveat. They don’t like McDonald’s chicken nuggets. In fact, the last time we gave them McDonald’s chicken nuggets on a road trip, they cried. Not that we were upset or anything – we rarely eat fast food.
Turns out they like REAL chicken nuggets.
I have tried making nuggets a million ways, but this is the easiest, tastiest and healthiest recipe. As you will see, you only need 3 ingredients. THREE. When I made these last, I cut them into strips, so you will notice in the picture that they’re not shaped like a nugget. But since my kids aren’t familiar with the Ronald McDonald kind, they really don’t care what shape they come in. My 4-year old likes to dip them in a side of ketchup, but you could make your own honey-mustard sauce (equal parts honey and mustard) or give your kiddos a side of BBQ sauce. My hubby and I prefer to serve these nuggets with pre-cut organic french cut fries that I buy in the frozen section in the grocery store. Kind of feels like a ‘fast food’ meal, but without the saturated fat, sodium, and upset bellies afterwards.
The best part about this recipe is that the entire family will enjoy this one, and it really takes a minimal amount of effort. And since you aren’t frying these, there’s nothing soggy about them! I used to fry mine in olive oil, but they always either burned or were soggy. YUCK!
Also, if your busiest time of the day is dinner time (like in my house), you can make this ahead of time! I make them in the morning, cover ‘em with aluminum foil or saran wrap and place them in my refrigerator until later in the day, when I just pop them in the oven.
For this recipe, you will also need a cookie cooling rack and a cookie sheet to be placed underneath the cookie cooling rack.
Guiltless Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients:
Boneless, skinless breasts of chicken, cut into strips or small pieces
2 eggs, beaten, in bowl
Bread crumbs, on large plate (I use organic panko bread crumbs)
Instructions:
Place strips of raw chicken into bowl with beaten egg. Using a fork (or you can use your clean hands, which is what I usually do), cover chicken with egg, letting the extra egg drip off of the chicken and then place chicken strip in bread crumbs. Cover chicken strip with bread crumbs.
Place chicken strips on top of cookie cooling rack, which should be placed directly on top of a cookie sheet.
Bake chicken at 350 degrees for 12-20 minutes, depending on your oven AND the thickness of the chicken strips. Check chicken after 12 minutes to see if they need more cooking time by cutting a thick piece in half with a knife. Once the pink is gone, the chicken is fully cooked.
Enjoy!
-Do your kids like chicken nuggets?
-Do you think you’ll try these?
Welcome to this week’s highlights, our weekly post that recaps important health and safety news, research, and recalls from the previous week and other great finds we’ve come across in our internet travels. If you see anything you think we should feature, please send it to jasmine@purebebe.com. Thanks, and we hope your week is off to a great start! - Jasmine
Ban on BPA? FDA Says No - In a truly disappointing but not surprising decision, the FDA will not place a ban on BPA in food packaging, citing a lack of sufficient scientific evidence to support the ban.
Despite the FDA decision, the FDA has not changed its position that it holds “some concern” over the effects of BPA in children, and the government is currently funding $30 million to conduct additional studies.
FDA Responds to GMO Label Petition - In yet another truly disappointing and, again, not surprising decision, the FDA has decided it needs more time to consider labeling of genetically-modified foods.
While no one should be surprised by the decision, much controversy has arisen over the petition as the FDA has severely discounted the number of responses it received. While the Just Label It organizers say the petition garnered over a million signatures, more than any petition submitted to the FDA in history, the FDA says it has officially received a measly 394.
Some say the FDA has deleted signatures, however I suspect that is not the case. The FDA’s official rules require signatures to be submitted individually via their regulations.gov website in order to be counted. Because the website is difficult to navigate, Just Label It organizers collected and accumulated signatures on their website before submitting them to the FDA.
While each submission may have contained over thousands of signatures, each submission counts as just 1. Ultimately, it is just semantics. The FDA has to understand that there is overwhelming support for labeling GMOs. The question is just if and when they will act.
Alicia Silverstone Premasticates Her Child’s Food - Not long after celebrity Alicia Silverstone posted the video below to her blog, intense criticism ensued for her method of feeding her child.
While I admit I was a bit puzzled when I saw the video myself, I was more intrigued when I discovered that the idea of premastication is actually used in some cultures to promote infant health as it gives baby access to nutrients from foods they cannot chew and promotes immunity through antibodies received in the mother’s saliva.
While some experts express concern over the possibility of spreading disease such as HIV and tooth decay, it depends in large part on the health of the mother and child. And other experts have expressed more concern that the practice is dwindling in some poorer societies where it may be critical to the child’s health.
Hmm, you learn something new every day.
CDC: New High in Autism Rates
The CDC’s latest analysis reports that about 1 in 88 children in the U.S. experience autism or a related disorder, nearly double the rate 10 years ago with cases in boys outnumbering girls 5 to 1.
The report analyzed data from 2008 in 14 states, and found rates much higher in some states like Utah; however, increased awareness and access to services are cited as likely factors in those states.
In fact, increased awareness and better diagnoses are cited as major factors in general for the rise, but recent research also points to environmental factors as a possible contributor.
Pinpointing the environmental culprit, however, seems next to impossible when we’re exposed to a veritable soup of chemicals daily. Two large studies funded by the National Institutes of Health are hoping to do just that, though, by examining everything from what mother eats during pregnancy to toxins in the home.
Ultimately, earlier diagnosis is needed. The earlier a child is diagnosed and gets help, the better their chances are for reaching their full potential.
Babies Take Longer to Come Out Than They Did in Grandma’s Day
A comparison of nearly 140,000 births found that first-time mothers today labor longer than they did fifty years ago, about 2 1/2 hours on average. The reason for longer labor is not entirely clear, but today’s mothers are older, delivering larger babies, and more likely to use epidural anesthesia. Epidurals can prolong labor anywhere from 40 to 90 minutes.
The more striking implication is that OB’s today may be rushing to C-sections based on an out-of-date expectation as to how long a “normal” labor should take. OB’s today still rely on a definition of normal labor that was defined back in the 50′s.
Weekend Detox For Your Home from Houzz - Some easy steps you can take to green your home and improve your health. Now that spring is in the air, I love the idea of completely unplugging on a Friday night after a long week at work and getting outside, and then waking up Saturday to open the windows and freshen the air.
I came across this image this week as I am working to rearrange and redecorate my family’s home office/playroom. I love this arrangement that creates a fantastic workspace for the entire family. These stools are a little high for young ones, but the concept still applies. As our family grows, I want us to have a place where we can all be together as we do homework, pay bills, blog, etc.
I’m sure something like this could be a reasonable DIY project - cube bookshelves could be used to form the bases. I’d probably choose to use planks of wood for the surface and sand them down as opposed to plywood or other large particle board which often uses formaldehyde-based adhesives to bind.
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CPSC Child Product Recalls
Child Safety Seat Recalls
No child safety seat recall announcements this week.
USDA/FDA Recalls
LMFAO’s “I’m Sexy and I Know It” has proven to be prime material for parodies, and this parody is dedicated to all the pregnant mamas out there. Preggo mama Angela Proffitt struts her stuff and shakes her booty belly at 36 weeks, all the while making light of all the discomforts that come with pregnancy from leg cramps to bladder control issues.
The lyrics are pretty clever - apparently written by her musician husband yet inspired by Angela walking down the hall one day singing “waddle, waddle, waddle, waddle, waddle” in lieu of the tune’s original lyrics “wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle”. Husband Tommy got busy writing and promptly convinced his shy wife to go on camera. Their video has been up for just over a week and has now been viewed almost a million times on YouTube and continues to trend.
Have a good laugh! Happy Friday!
Every year, U.S. poison centers take over 2 million calls related to poison exposures in people, and over 50% of those calls are for children under the age of 5. The most common substances involved are painkillers, cosmetics and personal care products, and household cleaning products; and overwhelmingly, poison exposures occur in the home (over 90%).
Most incidents are resolved over the phone, but there are occasions where a child may need to be taken to the ER. For instance, more than 60,000 children under age 5 are treated in the ER each year due to accidental medication poisoning.
My little sister was one of those children years ago. Nana was visiting and had put her purse away in the bedroom closet where she’d been staying, but when little sis went down for her nap one afternoon she got into what she thought was Nana’s “candy” instead. My poor little sister ended up in the ER getting charcoal treatment and her stomach pumped. Fortunately, she came away from it unscathed, but I’m sure everyone was terrified and scarred.
This type of occurrence happens more often than you might think, and so often pills are indistinguishable from candy. I came across this cute and catchy little video that may help our kids learn that they should always STOP and ASK FIRST before they want to touch something or put something in their mouths that doesn’t belong to them:
Of course, ultimately, we don’t want our children to ever find themselves in these situations, and so poison-proofing our homes is the best prevention tool. Below are helpful tips for poison prevention as well as treatment if you suspect poisoning has occurred.
What are the potential dangers in your home?
For more information:
American Association of Poison Control Centers
Poison Prevention.Org
Welcome to this week’s highlights, our weekly post that recaps important health and safety news, research, and recalls from the previous week and other great finds we’ve come across in our internet travels. If you see anything you think we should feature, please send it to jasmine@purebebe.com. Thanks, and we hope your week is off to a great start! - Jasmine
Help for Postpartum Depression – The nation’s first inpatient unit for moms who suffer from postpartum depression at UNC Chapel Hill allows hospitalized moms to be with their babies, offers weekly therapy for mom and baby, as well as partner-assisted therapy for dad to learn how to be most helpful. The center has been open since August and sounds as if it has been a resounding success. If only more women could have access to this kind of therapy and support.
FDA to Decide on BPA by Week’s End - By the end of this week, the FDA is set to take a position on BPA in food packaging in response to a court order after ignoring a petition by the National Resources Defense Council. We’ve seen more research emerging as of late showing effects at even low doses. I’m with the NRDC – we need to get BPA out of our food, but we also need to ensure a safe replacement.
Sugar Takes Corn Syrup to Court - Sugar producers are taking on corn refiners as they accuse the corn industry of false advertising in its latest campaign that argues corn syrup is “nutritionally the same as table sugar.” In fact, corn industry reps are hoping to change the name from “high fructose corn syrup” to “corn sugar” in an attempt to improve its image. Call it what you want, but ultimately our society needs to reduce its overall consumption of sugars and sweeteners if we’re going to have much impact on the obesity epidemic.
Maryland Senate Proposes Ban on Smoking in Cars with Young Children - After a lively debate on the Senate floor, the Maryland Senate voted to send a bill to the House that would ban smoking in cars with children under the age of 8. While many opponents argue the intrusion of privacy, the dangers of smoking are well-established and in this case, I think the pendulum swings in favor of protecting those who cannot protect themselves.
New Research:
Early Exposure to Germs Does a Body Good – Some scientists think they’ve figured out the key to the “hygiene hypothesis”, the hypothesis that exposure to germs at an early age helps build immunity whereas a super clean environment increases susceptibility to allergic and autoimmune diseases.
In a recent study, researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital compared the immune systems of mice living in “germ-free” and normal environments and found that immune cells (invariant natural killer T cells) accumulated in the lungs and colon of the mice in germ-free environments and caused symptoms resembling asthma and colitis. When young mice were exposed to microbes during the first weeks of life (but not later as adults), on the other hand, they grew up with stronger immune systems protected from immune cell accumulation and disease.
The researchers caution that additional research in humans is needed, but the findings fall in line with years of research showing that exposure to microbes and parasites in childhood reduces the risk of autoimmune disease.
Spring Cleaning: 11 Germ Traps to Clean Today – Some surprising recommendations you might not think about.
The 4 Questions Anyone Struggling with Work-Life Balance Should Ask – A refreshing point-of-view on the idea of work-life balance. Her dialogue sure helps me feel better about my inability to keep up with life sometimes.
This week, we’re featuring pocket-size activities for your little ones – small enough to tuck away in your purse or diaper bag for a little entertainment on the go. The first feature comes from Made by Joel, an ingenious site that is full of DIY activities to do with your children. LOVE this site! I came across the second feature on Pinterest, and it comes to us from Etsy. I think I need to invest in some altoid tins. FYI – do a search for altoid tin crafts on google, and you’ll be amazed what else you might find.
Travel Size Paper City Paris! from Made by Joel
Wee Mouse Tin House PDF Pattern from mmmcrafts on Etsy
If you’d like to follow us on Pinterest, find us here.
CPSC Child Product Recalls
Child Safety Seat Recalls
No child safety seat recall announcements this week.
USDA/FDA Recalls
Get a load of this little stud! This little man has got moves, and boy does he know how to work the crowd. At the ripe old age of 2, little William Stokkebroe took a cue from his parents and the dancers of studie43 who’d taken the floor just before and rocks out to Elvis’ “Jailhouse Rock.”
Happy Friday!
- Jasmine & Heather
CPSC Child Product & Toy Recalls USDA Recalls
