Natural Dental Care is HERE! Review and GIVEAWAY!

That's right, you heard me! Featured in the 2013 Eco Baby Gear Buying Guide from Green Child Magazine: 

via Instagram @mymackey

Jack n Jill Natural Toothpaste and dental care supplies! Review and GIVEAWAY to follow! Stay tuned! 

In the meantime, be sure to follow Jack n Jill on Facebook, Twitter, and on the web and let them know NurturingtheNaturalMama sent ya! 

Day 6 #12DaysofChristmas #SeasonofGiving: Arbonne International, ABC Baby Line Natural Skin Scare

Arbonne International ABC Baby Line

Natural Skin Care for your little one 
You can also participate in her ADOPT A GRANDPARENT holiday campaign HERE

photo courtesy of Nannette Locke, Arbonne International Independent Consultant, Area Manager

It’s that time of year again where the temperatures continue to drop, and it really takes a toll on our skin, especially for the babies in our lives whose skin is so much more delicate than our own.

That’s why I’ve always loved Arbonne’s Baby Care Line! It’s great for everyday use on babies, children and adults. It’s perfect for those that struggle with eczema and it works great for rosacea too. 

photo courtesy of Nannette Locke, Arbonne International Independent Consultant Area Manager

The ABC line is formulated for your babies delicate skin without the use of animal products or bi-products, formaldehyde-donating preservatives, petroleum based ingredients such as: benzene, mineral oil, petrolatum, phthalates & toluene, and PABA. 

This line is botanically based and formulated with Oat (skin moisturizer), Shea (skin conditioner; helps moisturize dry skin, and diminishes the appearance of fine lines), Aloe Barbadensis (Helps moisturize and soothe skin, Oat Kernal Extract (skin conditioner, moisturizer), Safflower Seed Oil (emollient, skin conditioner), Apricot Kernal Oil (moisturizer).

If you want to be using a safe line of products on your baby, then our ABC Line is for you! There are 5 products total including: ABC Hair & Body Wash, ABC Body Lotion, ABC Diaper Rash Cream, ABC Body Oil and ABC Sunscreen SPF30. 

Visit www.liveyourdreams.myarbonne.com to get your set today! 

**** GIVEAWAY*****

Make sure to “Like” Nurturing the Natural Mama on Facebook and comment on this blog to be entered to win a full size 

ABC Hair & Body Wash. 

Additional Entries; 

* RETWEET any #12daysofChristmas post on Twitter and add #ArbonneABC

* REPIN any #12daysofChristmas pin on Pinterest (@mymackey)

* Instagram a pic to NNM @mymackey of your babe and #ArbonneABC

Goodluck! WINNER will be chosen Friday at 5pm EST. 

NNM NEWS: GIVEAWAY & upcoming guest post

* GIVEAWAY *  


CLOSED 4/28/11 7pm EST WINNER is al_arely! Congratulations!

ONE more day left to enter The Clean Bedroom Giveaway for a $25.00 Gift Card and copy of the Green Babies, Sage Moms book, which includes an introduction by my FAVE Harvey Karp! 

* GUEST POST * 

And, keep an eye out May 12th for my guest post about Newborn Parenting on Mama Eve- Your Natural Parenting Resource!

Find her on Facebook and Twitter 

and let her know NNM sent ya! <3

Putting the SKOY cloth to the test!

Natural Family Supplies is an amazing website with 'green' gear for the whole family! Initially I had checked it out for it's cloth diaper selection, but pleasantly found many green home products I had been looking for! 

About the store and blog:

As you'll see from their About Us page, Natural Family Supplies started off as many mommy-businesses do. Nicole & Jeremiah discovered they were pregnant, and wanted the natural products that fit their family but with the same convenient accessibility as disposable options. 

After much research and experimentation, they found their favorites, and decided to share them with their community, then to all of US by offering online ordering!  (YAY!) :) 

Their blog follows their business, and their natural life in the mountains! Homeschooling, concerts, products, parenting, and everything in between!!

The SKOY Cloth: 

So, if you're anything like me, you do your best to be 'green' but certainly still have some work to do. I use plastic trash bags, and paper napkins, and yes, sometimes even paper plates (gasp!). But one item that always bothers me in my kitchen, not only because of the PRICE (ugh!), but because we seem to go through so MUCH of them- is paper towels. 

I am sick of paper towel rolls in my kitchen. 

I am sick of the cardboard insert being used as a weapon by my 3 yr old. 

I am sick of the dish towel that I leave on the stove (and now the one I leave on the sink, since no one was using the one on the stove) remaining clean and untouched for weeks, while I continue to purchase rolls of this paper that fills my garbage can (granted, lined with a plastic trash bag- but that's not the point!)

Ladies and gentlemen, enter.... The SKOY Cloth. 100% biodegradable, absorbent, re usable cloth that can be used in your kitchen, bathroom, ANYWHERE in your home! 

"The SKOY cloth is a durable product due to the reusability factor and can last months.  Using a SKOY cloth is equivalent to using 15 rolls of paper towels in an average home.  With the high cost of paper towels, as much as $2 per roll, SKOY cloth is the obvious choice for your wallet and the environment."

- direct from SKOY cloth website

So how did the SKOY cloth stand up in my house of 5? No lie, incredible. 

- SUPER absorbent

- Cleans baby mess, food, barf, etc :) 

- I had the 'luxury' of getting to try it on dog vomit in the carpet.... greeeeat.... but it worked FABULOUS! A little Nature's Miracle and we were good to go! And no little paper towel pieces grinded into the carpet!

- Mess around the sink after doing dishes? Done.

- Food stuck to the stove after making dinner? Done. (although it did take a little added elbow grease from my new greener-clean sponge :) )

- toddler finger painting in the kitchen, and all over the floor? Done. 

- teen spill soda? Done. 

- hubby spill beer? Done. 

And after a few days? Just stuck it in the microwave to sterilize. It's now been a few weeks, and I have several of them in my dishwasher washing up for their next several months of use!

Best part??

2 packs seem to be the going amount for a family of my size, and each pack is only $ 6. 99 for 4 cloths! Savings from buying paper towels?? Well, in my house, we were (sadly) going through at least 2 rolls per week. Over a month? That's over $12! In one month! 

The cost savings, and environmental savings (plus, I'm saving on trash bags since I'm not filling them up with paper towels :)) = HUGE SCORE for this family! 

What is your favorite product from Natural Family Supplies ?

 * Don't forget to check out their GEAR TO GO GREEN Sweepstakes in honor of Earth Day (which is April 22nd, 2011)

I am a good mom, and other reasons labels don't work.....

As I read On Labels and Limits: Why I no longer call myself an attached parent by Happiest Mom, and then came across The Mom You Are is the Mom Your Children Need, also by the Happiest Mom, it got me thinking...

I am a good mom. 

I love my kids, and they love me. 

They look to me for guidance, respect, affection, and compassion. 

I hope they always feel they get that. 

I baby wear, 

I breastfeed, 

I buy mostly organic, 

I do my best to find alternatives to most disposable items, 

I cloth diaper, 

My family eats a majority of whole foods, 

We barter,

We recycle, 

We compost,

We LOVE hand me downs and other thrifty finds, 

We are avid craigslist-ers, 

We heat our home with biofuel, 

We keep our heat down, 

We run our washer on cold, 

and we air dry when possible (we do live in Maine, mind you)...

...That being said, 

I have also bottle fed and formula fed both my babies in addition to nursing, 

my kids also occasionally eat McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts, 

we eat meat, 

my kids only co-slept until they were both about 4 months old, 

my son IS circumcised, 

we do not wear organic clothing, 

I buy sheets and other necessecities at stores by supporting stores like WalMart and Target, 

my kids watch TV,

my husband drinks water out of disposable water bottles (even though it makes me shudder), 

we run the dishwasher,

we take hot showers, 

we probably let the water run to long,

I use disposable pads and tampons, 

and regular baby wipes....

THERE. So if all this means I'm not a 'natural parent', or an 'attached parent', then I am ok with that. 

Call me a-follow my childs lead-semi-organic-semi-natural-loving mommy.

Or you can just call me mommy, that's the best label I've ever had anyways :) 

The Big Boy Debate: Circumcision

As of late I have seen article after article and Facebook status after Facebook status addressing the issue of circumcision.

My fellow natural-mommy-bloggers all seem avidly against the act of circumcision. You can read the recent post from Peaceful Parenting and one by Living Peacefully with Children entitled Top 10 Reasons to Leave your Son Intact.

The veterinary technician in me gets the argument, just as I feel docked ears and cropped tails are an unnecessary cosmetic surgery... I can see where that label would fall unto our infant sons.

And for me it has been several years; I have read articles, reviewed information, talked with other parents, with my children's Doctor, and I don't know..... after all that,  I still feel like I would make the same decision if I had another son- I would have him circumcised.

Regardless of that, here is why I think this issue has me all fired up! SO MUCH JUDGEMENT! Really, you want to be all "natural" that's great- but share your info and reasons without the preaching.

Just like drop side cribs kill your kids, and every year they change if infants need to sleep on their backs or stomachs, and the divided camps of co sleeping suffocates children etc..... science will support both sides of circumcision. So all in all, it's a personal choice. And yes, we as parents HAVE to make personal choices for our kids. It's going to be a lot less painful now than if they're 14+, and a heck of a lot quicker recovery!

So let's just let bygones be bygones... because frankly, I'd like to see how many of these moms coming out of the woodwork against circumcision don't have their daughter's ears pierced, or their dogs ears cropped or tails docked, have had their pet neutered... you get where I'm going with this...

Myself, I think it's just one more issue to start a coup over... there are a lot bigger issues today to deal with my friends. Let's start with world peace and saving the planet, and let's leave individual parenting decisions up to the individual parents.

Simplifying Holidays

Avoid the basket of crap.

Yes, crap. Crap plastic, crap stuffed animals which will collect dust and never be looked at again, crap candy, and commercialized cards and other trinkets. This will save you money, piece of mind, and probably a few pounds on the scale :)

As I read the Eco-Easter basket ideas available through Celebrate Green today, it got me thinking about all of this..... well, crap. 

I described in Crafty Mama, how I simplified the Christmas holiday for my family this year. We, as a family, do not typically celebrate what I have branded as Hallmark holidays like Valentine's Day. However, this year my toddler did make adorable all-natural versions of the Rice Krispie treat at school, which were adorable and delicious (although I only got a bite, since he ate the rest lol)

So for Easter, what do you do? Do your kids really need a bucket full of chocolate and some marshmallow type substance pressed into the shapes of bunnies and chicks? Probably not (just a guess) :)

And no, they also do NOT need a real bunny for Easter! Bunnies and Easter DON'T MIX

Are there alternatives?

 YES! 1, which I did last year- No gifts. Have them paint some eggs with food coloring you already have in your house, then hide them, and my toddler had a blast finding all his eggs! That was enough for him, and my wallet.

My friend Christine, who wrote an article for REThinking Everything Magazine, came up with the following natural option for her toddler;

Other ideas include one natural toy, filling a small basket with some exotic fruits and a small handful of all natural candy or other treats they don't normally get. Grab a coloring book or some recycled paper and a pack of new crayons or markers (there are also natural options, like the ones available at Hip Mountain Mama) and create some Easter-theme crafts together.

You can find a lot to do/make/enjoy this Easter holiday that does not involve synthetic plastics, large stuffed animals, mass produced cards which waste paper, and the previously ever-popular basket full of candy!

Disclaimer: This short blog is focusing solely on the commercialization and artificiality of many holidays, I am well aware that there are religious implications which I am (purposely) completely ignoring.

Lastly, you WILL see me at some point before the end of April, enjoy my one decadent (albeit artificial and probably utterly disgusting if I ever took the time to read the label) Cadbury Cream Egg :) Spring just wouldn't be the same without it.

How do you simplify your holiday(s)? And what's your guilty pleasure?