I recently learned a few things that are trending in the Green Moms world.
Some links may be affiliate
- Interesting fact: Did you know that 1 out of every 4 meals is either fast food, eaten in a car, or eaten in front of a screen? It’s a sad but true reality in my family. We are so “on-the-go” that we often have to eat in the car (although I refuse to buy fast food when we have perfectly good food at home) The Chef Ann Foundation is making waves to get better school lunches and create healthier eating habits among families.
- If you have young children, you have got to check out the MomCo App. It’s like Tinder for moms! You put in your zip code and it locates moms in your area. You can also use it to find free local play dates! I tried it, and I live in a tiny podunk town and guess what? There were actually moms in my town who have kids the same ages as my kids and who are looking for other moms to hang out with! MomCo is spreading throughout the U.S., and was even recently featured on the Today Show. If you want more mom friends, you should look into this app.
- A highly relevant book on teens, Relating to Our Girls: The New Puberty, was written by Louise Greenspan, MD and Julianna Deardorff, PhD. Check the book’s website for the impressive credentials of these ladies. According to a snippet of the book,
“Early puberty is not just a matter of physical transformation — it’s deeply psychological too, with effects that can put a girl at higher risk for behavioral problems as well as long-term health challenges such as obesity, depression, eating disorders, and even cancer.”
Whether you have daughters or sons or no children at all, you will likely encounter a teenage girl at some time in your life. Therefore, everyone can benefit from the information in this book.
- Shopping guides that help you make informed decisions before buying? Yes, please! Ok, like the term “crunchy”, I did not know these exist so please excuse me if I’m a bit behind the times. But for those who aren’t familiar with apps by EWG (Environmental Working Group), here’s what they do: The SkinDeep app is a database of beauty products that are rated for safety based on hazardous ingredients and health concerns. The Dirty Dozen app has a list of 12+ fruits and vegetables that contain a high percentage of pesticides. Not to leave you stranded in the produce aisle, the Dirty Dozen also has a tab for the “Clean 15”, which has a list of the 15 fruits and vegetables that tend to test low for pesticide residues. You don’t have to buy all-organic everything if you can’t afford it, and these apps help you to decide which fruits and vegetables you may want to buy organic and which are safe commercially-grown. This week I was making turkey soup, and thanks to the dirty dozen app I knew I wanted to steer clear of commercially-grown celery and buy organic instead.
- Last week,the day before Baby John’s birthday party, I cleaned my whole apartment. I had heard how great Dr. Bronner’s products are, and I had a free sample, so I grated some of a bar of soap into a bucket of water and started scrubbing. I was blown away. The sticky, grimy linoleum floors cleaned up so quickly! I used the same bucket of water to clean the front of the cabinets, the walls and doors, the banister, and the bathroom! Our walls have gotten so gross that, after many attempts to scrub them clean, we gave up and painted over the handprints and crayon. Of course, not 5 months later, they were atrocious again. But not anymore! The Dr. Bronner soap got all the ick off my walls. It makes me so happy to not have to look at dark, dirty marks on my walls. I’ve always been skeptical of “green” cleaning products because I was worried they wouldn’t work. Dr. Bronner’s does work, and they have a blog with green tips for moms, but you can also find lots of green cleaning DIY information on the web.
When you have children, you want the best for them. It’s scary to think that the choices I make now can have lasting effects for my loved ones. I recently attended a conference called the Moms Meet Wow Summit, put on by Green Moms Meet where I learned about raising a healthy and happy family. The conference was not far in downtown San Diego so I stopped by. The information was eye-opening, and I encourage moms to visit the Kiwi Online Magazine for more info and for easy ideas on raising a healthier family.