Baking Soda Vs Pot

Hello,

My name is "Bwings" and I burnt my pot!

I believe we have all done this before, you put rice,pasta,vegetables etc. in a pot of water, you walk away, become distracted and before you know it... you have burnt impressions of your food on your pan. You can scrub and scrub and it still won't come off and can be so incredibly frustrating. If you're anything like me you give up and resort to using this pan for things like boiling eggs until you can replace it.

Given the results from the stove I thought I'd give baking soda a try. You've already seen the before picture, so let's move on.

I ran some water through the pot to moisten it and then added a good helping of baking soda to the damaged goods.

After about 5 minutes of rubbing I had removed a lot of it. But the centre remained stubborn.

 I repeated this behavior twice more before deciding to add vinegar to the mix.

Of course it bubbled and foamed angrily and then I scrubbed just a little more off and then snarled. Baking soda was getting it's butt kicked. I had heard about boiling vinegar and can I just say that vinegar boils fast! After it boiled I added some baking soda and then scrubbed again. Less came off this time than the time before.

Before

After

So it did make a difference but I believe this will be an over time process. I also read about leaving it soaking for several hours in vinegar. I had done this once before with an egg as an experiment as a child. The vinegar ate away the shell of the egg and left me thinking it was the coolest and messiest experiment ever at 8. 

Moral of the story, don't leave minute rice unattended. For tonight Baking Soda vs Burnt Pan is in hiatus while the pot soaks in vinegar for the night.

Until then adieu from your friendly neighborhood hippie mom.

Let's wrap this up!

Hello,

My name is "Bwings" and I've started the holiday wrapping!

This Shiny Paper is not recyclable! But totally reusable!

In the policy of keeping Monday light I'm bringing up a previous topic. Wrapping paper, although most has already been mentioned on this topic it is good to note something brought to my attention that I missed. As a reminder you should know that not all wrapping paper is recyclable so if you are concerned about recycling you want to purchase paper that hasn't been overly treated and glossed. Not only is it not likely to be recyclable but consider the amount of toxins that were used in making that same paper. Second and what I missed last week is the fact that once you are tossing the the paper into your blue bags for the curb ensure you've removed all the tape from the paper. It may seem completely annoying but trucks will reject whole bags if they spot one spot of tape.

I have worked as a landlord and I can tell you 100% for certain that my cardboard recycling has gone untouched for a week in the past because tenants hadn't properly disposed of their boxes. As a result it was left for us to correct so the trucks would gather the recycling. If you don't have a huge hate on for your landlord or you just want to make sure your paper is recycled for another purpose, then make that extra effort and snatch the sticky stuff off of it. So check to see if your paper is recyclable and then call your local clean up crew to see if they will accept your wrapping paper. A lot will, provided it's recyclable.

I purchased my wrapping paper last week for a quick and easy $5. However, not all my presents will be wrapped in recyclable paper. WHOA, WHY NOT?! you might be asking. Well it's simple, last year, and years prior, I received gifts wrapped in over glossy, non-recyclable wrapping paper. When I open these presents the paper doesn't always become crazy destroyed. I'm not anal about unwrapping gently mind you. But if it wasn't crazy wrapped in tape the paper is salvageable. Once unwrapped we put all the paper in a big gift bag that I have out every year. While everyone is off playing with their presents I go though this gift bag and fold the salvageable paper into neat folded piles and store them for next season. This is my way of twice loving paper that is just otherwise going to sit in waste for years. It honestly only takes another 5 minutes out of the year and saves the paper from years in trash. Not to mention it stocks me up on paper every year and reduces my wasted cash. I have, this year, wrapped 10 presents in reused wrapping paper. The more I wrap my families gifts in the more I'll have for next year.

Remember, in the U.S. of A. alone an additional 5 million tones of waste is generated from Christmas!! 4 million of those tones are from wrapping paper! Do you know how much paper equates a ton?!

Well, I'm going to go back to wrapping presents with the beast now. Your friend neighborhood hippie mom.

Dear Hippie Mom - My Zapper's Zapped!

Hello,

My name is "Bwings" and today I'm answering an e-mail.

Dear Hippie Mom,

I have to replace my microwave since it is making some wierd noises and then there is a burnt smell. Not so good. So we are heading off to the store to buy one that hopefully won't burn down my house. I was wondering if there is any eco stuff i should know about appliance shopping? and also how to safely dispose of the one I have? Normally if I replace I give away the old one, but not such a good idea in this case lol

Yours, Happy Hippie

Dear Happy Hippie,
That's an excellent question, I have honestly questioned my possession of a microwave in the first place but when I did some research I discovered it's better on energy than your standard electric stove. Ergo as long as I'm okay with the small amounts of radiation it might emit I shouldn't have a problem using it. That and Asmerus is opposed to ever getting rid of it ;)

So what to do when homemakers best friend bites the electric bullet? A lot of people would just throw it in the garbage and not give it a second thought. But often your local trash disposal company will recycle them for you and if not they may know of a location that will. Another option, if you reside in the US of A is to go to Earth911.com where you will find a search engine to seek out appropriate recycling facilities in your location. Unfortunately I couldn't find much in the way of contact for Canada outside of B.C. in any case you still may be able to use the # 1-800-667-4321 to request a location. Of course you can also check to see if there is any good-will location nearby that might repair it and sell it or use it for parts.
Sadly there is not much in a microwave that is recyclable so if you've tried all your options I don't think you'll have any heavy amount of bad Karma if you do just toss it. I'd put it on Craig's List or Kijiji for a week nonetheless for free and needing repairs and see if maybe anyone has the parts and know how. Might give you piece of mind.

Now for the sticky business of finding a new one, you want to seek something durable with a good warranty it will cost you less in the long run. You'll also want to consider just how big you need it. The smallest size you can get away with will save energy. That is your main basis for energy consumption comparison as Energy Star doesn't rate microwaves. There isn't much else you can look at when buying a microwave as far as eco-friendly and practical use goes. Obviously there are a lot of other personal options that await you, child locks, pretty colors, you name it, but you'll figure out what you want I'm sure. Just don't boil your distilled water as mythbusters proved it can be quite dangerous if super heated
{See below}




Another microwaving no-no is plastic containers, take out containers and microwaved popcorn. I too am making a sad face right now. The plastic containers go without saying, you want to make sure if's microwave safe. Yet, even a microwave safe plastic container will leach into your food. It's best to just avoid them. Take out containers aren't usually microwave safe and you'll have melted styrofoam in your food.
Lastly and I feel more importantly, the microwave popcorn uses PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic Acid) to line their bags. PFOA is a carcinogen, leads to liver, developmental and immune system problems. It can also exert hormonal effects including altering your thyroid hormone levels.  that is also used in nonstick coatings of cookware and water-repellent fabrics. PFOA is to be phased out by major manufacturers by 2015, for now, make your popcorn on the stove in a pot with a little oil. Or one of those old popcorn poppers. I remember them when I was child. It was so loud and it took a few moments to heat up but then one kernal would fly out, it seemed it only took a few seconds after that and they were all flying. The extra positive is the unpopped kernels will stay in the machine so it'll be less picking. Mine also came with a tray for heating the butter while it popped your popcorn.

Now I've made myself hungry for popcorn and nostalgic for that old, loud popcorn popper.

So I'll leave you with a checklist of other things you might want to know about one of the most common household companions since the early 70's.

• Food cooked in a microwave does not become radioactive. 
• Radiation leakage is at a minimum and must meet FDA approval. If you are concerned about radiation you needn't run from spinning glass plate, simply step back. FDA research shows that radiation at 20 inches would be 1/100th of the value at 2 inches distance. 
• Microwave's ability to cook quickly in little to no water helps food retain vitamins and minerals. 
• Microwave's don't heat up the air, a welcomed relief in the summer months.
• They use far less energy (up to 80% less) than conventional ovens. Saves your electric bill. 

That's all for this week, I'll be back with more Monday. Until then, have a good weekend, your friendly neighborhood hippie mom.


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it's the most wasteful time of the year!

Hello,

My name is "Bwings" and I'm out of wrapping paper!

When it comes to wrapping paper and bags I have a system. In my storage closet there is a large plastic storage bin on a shelf. It contains within it gift bags of every size and occasion from years of collection. These bags are sorted by size making it easy to find what you are looking for. On the side of this container is a stack of folded neutrally colored tissue paper, neatly tucked for your packing pleasure. I have not had to purchase a gift bag in maybe 7 years! Gift wrapping paper I will keep in a similar style. Even when it's down to the sliver, I will use those slivers to make name tags for my gifts.
So after 6 years my wrapping paper has almost completely dried up. This year I am on a mission to replace it, the additional mission is to replace it with recyclable paper. A commonly missed fact is that christmas paper is not recyclable! Does that not make you a little sick?! Just think how much paper you go through in your house, now think how much paper your friends go through in their house. Now think of that estimated  6.6677 billion people who celebrate Christmas every year and how much they might be going through.
So now that I have run out wrapping paper that I admit I purchased cheap and was likely not recyclable in the slightest, I shall see what I can do. Of course the quick easy solution would be to chase down a recyclable variety. But that's boring, so I looked up some other methods of wrapping. Here are some of my ideas and some I found online.

• Personalized paper - Take standard brown paper (like a brown paper bag or big brown paper towel) and personalize it, color on it with your children, glue things on the finished wrap job. Sparkle it up. I really think I may do that this year. Get some large recyclable craft paper and go nuts with the family. Make it a family fun day of doodling. And on the bottom of each gift I might just stamp, "100% Recyclable" so the recipient knows to not toss this with the rest of the paper ;) 
• Gift Bags - Might not be as fun to open but you can reuse them over and over again. That's what I do for my adult friends. I love to wrap though and kids can sneak into bags. 
• Gift in a gift - Teen in university/college pack a laundry basket of goodies. Fisherman friend, tackle box of presents. Buy them a gift you can pack in a gift, like a gift and a towel. Wrap the towel around the gift and tie it off. 
• Fabric gift bags - Make your own fabric gift bags. As much as this sounds like a sweet idea it doesn't really seem cost effective to me. Unless you had some pact with your friends that you give them the fabric bag this year and next year they use it for you. That just seems like a lot of work for a once a year event. 
• Recycled wrapping paper - already mentioned but it goes without saying. 

Those are just some ideas, I'm sure if you think on it you can come up with so many more! I am set on the crafty idea, adds a personalized touch and can be personalized for every season so no need for me to have so many individual rolls in my storage closet. One roll to rule them all one roll to...wrap them!

That's all from your friendly neighborhood hippie mom.

Rocking around the Christmas Tree

Hello,

My name is "Bwings" and I'm still hearing comments on Christmas Trees.

After yesterday's post I took a survey to see how many of my friends used real and how many artificial and why. Their answers were dead on 50/50

There were 5 friends who commented real and 5 who commented fake and 1 who couldn't decide! It appears just as the chart showed this one is definitely a down the centre.

So what then is the environmental option. Research showed that buying a live tree that you can then plant later is growing increasingly more popular. But in many situations people are forced to use fake trees in their apartments, as previously mentioned, and that option is removed from them.

So I thought I'd involve the readers (please only vote once)

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Post your comments below as to why.
Tomorrow is another day but today is over, your friendly neighborhood hippie mom

OH Christmas Tree!

Hello,

My name is "Bwings" and I have an artificial tree.

Oh Artificial Christmas Tree, Oh Artificial Christmas tree, they leaves are so unchanging! Hey, that's more true for the artificial tree than the real ones. The real ones have to be watered, maintained and pose more of a fire hazard with those drying, dying leaves. Unchanging my butt!

As I sat glancing at my engagement ring I admit I had no idea what I would blog about today. It was then that I scolded my daughter for slapping the Christmas ornaments. My friend was on the phone with me at the time and commented on my tree. She mentioned how my blog had made her consider using an artificial tree from now on as it's more Eco-friendly. Of course I found myself surprised and flattered again that my blog has impacted another. Although I was mostly just thrilled to have such an obvious topic pointed out to me.

One might call my friend a tree hugger for wanting to save the trees. Perhaps even argue that it's only one tree! Nevertheless one must calculate that one tree per every house that celebrates Christmas every year for their natural life! Let's assume an 85 year life and a natural tree for each of them. That makes 85 trees per person and roughly 6.6677 billion people celebrate Christmas annually regardless of religion. Based on those numbers if everyone were to follow that logic that would be 6,667,700,000 trees per year and 566,754,500,000 trees per lifetime! Still think it's the most logical statement?

This is one of those moments where I admit that I am green because it saved me a buck or two. Not to mention time with decorating. Let me explain the pros with an artificial tree vs. a real one and then maybe offer some solution to those things you like about the real.

My personal pros with my personal artificial tree:

• Pre-decorated - You can have artificial trees with the lights already on them and wired in. I don't have one of those. Still, when I disassemble my tree at the end of the season I remove the garland & lights and leave the Christmas ornaments on the branches. The next year that's one less thing for me to do.
  
• Less maintenance - Depending on the age of your artificial there is little to no mess from fallen leaves. Mine has aged and so when first putting it up there is a dustpan of leaves to sweep up, still far fewer than there would be were it a real tree. I don't have to water it or pick it out in a lot.
  
• Cost efficient - returning to our 85 trees per life theory, let's say your parents bought 25 of those and you bought the remaining 60. At roughly $25 - $100 per tree off the lot that's $1500 - $6000 in a lifetime spent on a tree. Excluding decorations. A high end fake tree with lights already on it would run you $600. Mine cost me $20 and I have no complaints. I've saved myself $1480 - $5980 in trees!
  

Now, let's get a little negative, it's not as green as you think. 

Artificial trees are manufactures using PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) a petroleum-derived plastic. Non-renewable, does not biodegrade and results in unhealthy emission of many carcinogens (ex: dioxin, ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride.) In a lot of cases, this may concern you the most, the manufacturers will use lead and other additives to soften the needles. These have been linked with liver, kidney, neurological and reproductive system damage. The trees may shed lead-laced dust, which may cover branches or shower gifts and the floor. Some trees will contain warnings of their lead content. If you suspect your tree contains lead keep children away from them and avoid contact. If you do touch the tree wash your hands thoroughly before touching your face or handling food. Do not vacuum under the tree with a vacuum that does not have a HEPA filter. It would spread the dust through the air creating an inhalation problem. 

Hmmm ...keep your child away from the pretty decorated Christmas tree? Don't touch the shiny tree? Sounds like a Merry Christmas!

But let's not be all anti-artificial. On the flip side one should also consider the pesticides used on the natural tree, likely the case if purchased. Obviously this is bad for the environment as well as the air in your home. In addition to pesticides these trees are often subjected to chemicals to speed growth and therefore production. The positive spin of course would be while they were being produced they were reducing the carbon dioxide produced by industries. Heck, if you wanted to be really chipper about your natural tree, you could say these naturally grown trees were reducing the carbon dioxide produced by the manufacturers of artificial trees. In addition the christmas tree farms are usually placed in areas unusable to other forms of farming since they are such a strong plant. Of course whenever a tree is cut down it will be replaced, naturally as this is the farmers source of income, however did you know most farmers will plant one to three trees for every one they cut down. This is done to increase their annual profit, as a result they increase the tree population thus reducing CO2 in the air that much more. That one tree a year for 85 years  doesn't sound as bad now.

It's obvious you can save yourself some money by purchasing an artificial tree and yes it is reusable. Nevertheless, when you decide you don't like the sparkle of the old one that tree is not recyclable or biodegradable and will significantly impact the environment. These trees when produced added many chemicals to the environment and when tossed out will never break down and become a permanent decoration in a local landfill. If incinerated the PVC will go into the atmosphere, dioxins and other carcinogens will be added to our air..  YAY

So what is my conclusion? I am completely frazzeled? I went into this post today feeling I had chosen an easy topic. Yet again I have forced myself to question my own actions and reconsider my stand on something. This might be reassuring to those reading as it confirms my lack of bias when researching a topic. Still it doesn't settle my mind. I may be a hippie, I am also a nerd and being the nerd that I am I made a chart

{click picture to see in full size}

I have reviewed the chart over and over and still it is quite 50/50 for me. I must admit though, that as far as personal health goes the natural tree is the obvious choice. As far as Environment goes, surprisingly the scales are still tipped, even if only in a slight amount, towards the natural tree.

As a whole Christmas trees (real or fake) are bad for the environment and completely illogical. As far as religion goes what in the heck do they have to do with Christ. What does the day have to do with him. He was allegedly born on another day entirely!! I'm going to celebrate my birthday in June from now on because I always wanted a summer birthday!! If Christ can do it so can I!! 

The last tiny figure to take into account is apartment dwellers. If you, like myself, reside in an establishment that does not permit the use of real trees there are still ways you can reduce your impact on the environment and even further save your money. Do like I did, purchase your fake tree second hand, give a non-biodegradable tree another chance to brighten a room once a year. When you are done with your tree try to sell it or give it away to a needy family. This will not just reduce your carbon footprint but will also improve your karma ;) {later is not a guarantee} If you are worried about your personal health I would worry less about the PVC in this case and more about the lead. Look for labels, warnings and never take for granted what you are purchasing. If you want that smell but will have or have to have an artificial pal then find a scented essential oil that matches that of a tree. If you must go with a scented candle obviously remember to make it as natural as possible. Reduce the smog in your home. 

For now, as with the PVC entry, I must admit I am mostly undecided. Notwithstanding I have no choice in my current situation. My location does not permit natural trees and thus I shall have an artificial or none at all. I will continue to use the tree I have and when I am done with it I will donate it to a worthy individual. Although I will be taking a peek to see if my tree allegedly contains lead. If that is the case, for the health and well being of my daughter, as was the purpose of this entire blog, I will be forced to discard it and seek a healthier substitute. Sorry earth, my hands are tied on this one.

Some fun, light hearted facts, you know, the useless stuff that Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper would throw at you in casual conversation:

The first artificial Christmas trees originated in Germany as metal wire trees covered with greenly dyed goose/turkey/ostrich/swan feathers. By 1930 Addis Brush Company created the first artificial-brush tree using the same machines used to make their toilet brushes! They patented their "Silver Pine" in 1950 which was designed to have a revolving light source under it and used colored gels to allow the light to shine in different shades as it revolved around the tree.

This entry took longer than expected so I must rest, your friendly neighborhood hippie mom. 

The day has arrived

Hello,

My name is "Bwings" and I'm getting married!

Alright, so maybe I am looking for an excuse to announce it! Maybe I just like to keep Monday's posts light. Or maybe I am looking for a way to direct you to my alternate blog! No matter what the reason for today's topic it is the topic. So let's continue forward.

Keeping with the topic of going green and being green I decided to look into ways I could have a green wedding. When you think of a wedding it is one of the least green events. It's also the least economical for a household. $600-$1,000,000 spent on a dress that will most likely be worn once. Not very wise! Then there is all the wasted food that will most likely result from the reception. As beautiful and exciting as a wedding can be it still maintains mass potential as an exceptionally wasteful event.

If you're having a wedding chances are you or your groom have envisioned this day for many, many years! You've imagined the flowers upon flowers down the aisle. Your silk dress with it's silk train leading out the door. Candles lit all over the church or hall. A cake that was taller than you and three different types of chicken with enough for seconds, thirds and left overs for everybody. The question is then posed, how much are you willing to sacrifice to make a wedding green? How expensive is an organic wedding? How much or how little will make you hypocritical towards all your morals for the day? There is no easy answer, it's all preference. Yet, one thing is readily available, greener solutions to the very things you desired and in most cases you are actually saving yourself some money.

I have only touched the surface today on all my green wedding options. With the little bit I've looked into I imagine it'll not only save my values and standards from a blemish but also my wallet from bleeding out. We wouldn't want that to happen, now would we?

Here are a few of the ideas I've come up with so far to be more cost-efficient and green, I feel most are obvious:

• Bonbonniere - In case you don't know what a bonbonniere is, it is the gifts or trinkets you send home with your guests. Little things like candles with your names on them, small containers of bubbles...with your names on them. Maybe a bag of candy. Bag of seeds etc. In this case the goal would simply be to make sure the gifts were eco-friendly ie: not a candle. Or if it was a candle one that is more eco-friendly (see previous post) I do think I will hand out eco-friendly gifts while not being pushy eco-friendly gifts. I'm not about to hand out small "go vegetarian" booklets, but I might give a gift of seeds to be planted or maybe some eco-friendly bubble solutions that do not have and EDTA in them.
  
• Dinner - This one is simple, don't over cook and go vegetarian. Will I be doing that? Yes and no. I'll certainly not be cooking too much and YES I will offer a massive amount of vegetarian friendly food. Hello, I'm a vegetarian!!! My daughter is vegetarian and my fiancée has always been on the fence. So why on earth would I make it so we were only getting salad while our guests dined on the finest death platters we could afford.
  I plan to have a middle eastern food platter. The food is delicious and largely vegetarian. That doesn't mean I'm going to be filling my guests with egg plants and chickpeas with no carcass on their menu. Of course we'll have chicken, and likely cow, we'll simply have more vegetarian options. Honestly there are only three main animals that people dine on regularly, Pigs, Cows and Chickens. Why on earth should there be seven different variations of dead cow at one event and only one salad? I'm not going to make my wedding about converting the carnivores in my circle, that simply isn't my style. I'm also not going to violate an entire barn of animals either. I feel I'll be fair and offer an opportunity for my carnivorous family and friends to experience alternative vegetarian meals. A lot of people believe if you're a vegetarian you eat tofu everyday. I have not digested tofu in 2 years and when I do it's usually exceptionally random. There really are good meals out there for us eggplant lovers. I also don't eat eggplant!
  
• Dresses - Buying a bunch of dresses that people are going to wear only once seems wasteful, yes. There are those who buy them from a second hand establishment or agree simply to wear one of their own and have matching colors. Again, I don't think I'll be doing that. I have promised my bridesmaids they won't have to wear anything...that will end up on a "bad bridesmaid dress" website. I keep my promises. I would like to pick out dresses that my bridesmaids can wear out after the wedding for years to come. Assuming they fit for years to come, that part I can't control
  
• THE DRESS - Then there is THE dress. Of course one could go vintage, or wear their mothers. No offense to my mother but giant frilly shoulders is no longer the style. As for vintage from other family members, we are not the , er.. same...body type. I want my dress to be my own so although vintage may be an option it won't be heirloom vintage.
  There is also the option of purchasing or having your dress custom made using eco fabrics such as cotton, hemp, bamboo and Peace Silk. Peace silk is made by harvesting the fibre after the silkworm have left their cocoons rather than boiling the silkworms alive. Certainly a much more animal friendly method. It is a bit more expensive at roughly $25 a yard. But I'm short, I don't need that many yards right? As long as there is still something left to the imagination right? Right?!
  
• Flowers - Face it, chances are there are going to be a lot of flowers at your wedding. Most conventional flowers are grown using irrigation and often hazardous chemical pesticides/fertilizers. There are a lot of options in major cities for eco-minded florists who specialize in organic or more environmental and sustainable growing methods. You can ask the florist if they are eco-friendly VeriFlora, Florverde and FLP certified flowers. {see below for some Canadian options}. If organic isn't possible you can always try to find in-season, locally-grown flowers. In Canada this would mean a wedding between May and October. I imagine I'll just have fewer flowers than some of the traditional weddings. I will have the bouquets and boutonnieres but I'm not planning to be wed in a church so I don't picture pews decorated with flowers.
  
• Gifts - Okay, this one doesn't stand out as quickly to me. But there, I suppose, is the issue of wrapping paper and luxury or frilly gifts. A thought would be to request some donate instead to an eco-charity. I don't imagine that is what we're going to do. However we might offer it up as an alternative to a gift. It's a nice idea but I don't feel pots, pans and millions of toasters is that wasteful of a gift. A boat maybe, but not a spatula.
  
• Invitations - This was an obvious one, for each invitation you send there will be an rsvp coming back. Depending on the size of your wedding party that is a lot of paper waste. I don't know about anybody else but I don't want to e-mail my invites. A solution might be to have the RSVP's be electronic. I don't know which I will do. I imagine I'll go the standard route with RSVP's coming back in paper form. I don't feel too awful terrible about this as my wedding should be well under 100 attendants. Another save would be to print the invites on recycled or plantable paper.  I'll likely do the first although the later sounds really interesting. It is paper that is embedded with seeds so once planted will grow wildflowers.
  

Organic Florists:

Toronto area, EcoFlora, Whole Food Market 
Vancouver area, Amoda Flowers ,  Capers Community Market/Whole Foods 
New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia, Canadian Sierra Eco website .

So as I said, fairly obvious for most of those and it is all personal preference. Even I won't be sacrificing it all but I will certainly be saving a dollar or two on the other things.

Well, I have invites to write and dates to pick, so until later this is all from your friendly neighborhood hippie mom. 

A look at my grocery list

Hi,

My name is "Bwings" and I need to stock my shelves!

Well pay day is here and I'm headed to the local grocer. Each pay day I plan to get at least one thing off my list of cleaning supplies. Some are pricier than others. For instance I wish to replace my standard mop with a microfiber mop. One that will actually pick up the dirt rather than pushing it around. However, something like that will run me at least $15 where as some of the new cleaning products will only cost me $3-$5 so I'm going to start with the less expensive expenses.

A lot of things on my list are already in my kitchen though. So it won't be long before I'm buying a new mop. Let me introduce you to my grocery list.

• Baking Soda - (Sodium Bicarbonate) Cleans, deodorizes, softens water, scours {Cleans your stove and tub like a wonder material!}
• Borax - (sodium borate) cleans, deodorizes, disinfects, softens waters, cleans wallpaper, painted wall and floors.
• Cornstarch - Cleans windows, polishes furniture, shampoos carpets & Rugs
• Lemon - One of the strongest food-acids, effective against most household bacteria.
• Soap - unscented soap in liquid form, powders and bars are biodegradable and will clean just about anything. But no soap with petroleum distillates.
• White Vinegar - Cuts grease, removes mildew, odors, some stains and wax build-up

But when looking at that list I have to say that in my opinion baking soda and vinegar will replace most cleaners. 

I'm off to go shopping, have a good weekend, your friendly neighborhood hippie mom. 

All you need is love, bah bah bada bah

Hi,

My name is Bwings and I've taken a lover!

Don't worry, there won't be any "I'm getting a divorce" posts any time soon. My lover goes by the name of "Baking Soda". Given the results I obtained washing the stove with baking soda I now have high hopes when talking about baking soda's cleaning power. I have no doubt it'll easily wash off my tub. In my previous domasile we had a fan and a ventalation system in the ceiling of our apartment. Now we have a hole. Just a venting hole, no powerd fan to suck up unwanted moisture. A hello, how are you, hole! As a result we have had, for the first time in our life together, Serratia Marcescens. This is a pink colored film that you may find in your tub/toilet/sink. Annoying as we'd never previously had to deal with it.

But cleaning a tub always meant a headache. You have to spray the tub & tile cleaner, let it sit, drip and then wipe. The lack of fan then becomes a double edged sword. You have to clean the tub more often because of the lack of fan and while cleaning there is no fan to suck out the fumes from cleaning. Joy! The prospect of being able to apply baking soda to my wash cloth and wipe down my tub is thrilling and I actually look forward to my daughters nap today so I can tackle the evil Serratia marcescens!

There are no before and after photos with this post as our tub isn't that dirty and therefore the pictures wouldn't show a visual difference. This was more of an experience in itself. No more nasty fumes, no more headaches, no more intense scrubbing. Also, I used to designate rags for chemical use because I was scared to wash those rags with our clothes, now my wash cloths are only being dosed in Baking Soda. Less loads of laundry separation.  So verdict is that it worked, reduced my chemical intake and I no longer have to worry about subjecting my daughter to a chemical bath when she soaks in the tub.

That's all for today from your friendly neighborhood hippie mom.

Rapunzel throw down your EDTA free hair!

Hi,

My name is "Bwings" and my luscious locks are EDTA free!

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I'd discovered some of our shampoos had EDTA in them. Among MANY other products. I had vowed that upon replacing the shampoo I would ensure it's EDTA free quality. Last night was that night and, as I suspected, an EDTA free product was not easily found. Let's do a refresher on what EDTA is in case you forgot. This most concerns my fish eating friends I suspect.

When it comes to EDTA you must take the god with the bad I'm afraid. EDTA has the unusual ability to bond with complex metals. This can be good if you have suffered lead poisoning. In such cases a doctor may choose to inject you with Na₂CaEDTA over 6 hours for 5 days. Another good use is to bind Ca⁺² ion as an anticoagulant in stored blood at blood banks. Great uses that help instead of hinder. 


Now the over used aspect would be it's common use in soap, hand cream, body wash, shampoo, detergents and bubble bath. In detergents it is used as a replacement for phosphates which suffocate fish by mass producing algae. However, is unable to bio-degrade in the environment. EDDS has started making cycles as a biodegradable replacement to EDTA. But you'd be amazed with just how much EDTA is still used. So why does this most effect my fish eating friends? EDTA goes into our water and bonds with metals. Fish then live in this water and ingest higher amounts of mercury. My friends then eat these fish and thus ingest even higher amounts of mercury. Similar story to my beef eating friends. We spray the fields with pesticides, the cow then eats the grain and becomes filled with pesticides, one then eats the beef with a side of grain and acquires twice as much pesticides. But I won't go into that right now.


Last night I went on a mission to replace my EDTA shampoo and discovered just how hard this was! I found 4 shampoos that were EDTA free, 1 of those had a paraben and went back on the shelf. 2 others were incredibly expensive and I'll stock up on ONLY when they are on sale. The last one, the one I purchased, was a brand called "Live Clean". The humor in this being my having read the back of each bottle before the front. Upon making my selection I flipped the bottle back to the front and discovered it to state it was pure vegan, sulfate and paraben free. My friend, who had accompanied me by phone, stated I'd have checked the back regardless of the front as one can never trust such statements. 


Absolute fact, true, some shampoos will claim 99.9% natural ingredients. What they don't state is that those natural ingredients were simply soaked in water and then that water was used as the basis for the chemical cocktail. Shampoo can soak rose petals in water and then use the water and claim to be using natural extract from roses. Tricky tricky.

As usual I encourage one to take what I find and form their own opinion. But for now, this is my report from the field, from your friendly neighborhood hippie mom. 

That messy business about cleaning

Hi,

My name is "Bwings" and I love me a clean stove.

But how to clean it without using massive amounts of naughty chemicals? A lot of soaking for the burners perhaps, but what about that little rim where food drips under and sticks, heats up, sticks, heats up rinse repeat. Sure, you could capture every spill before it dries, that's a start. But we're only humans and in day to day life there will be spills.

Standard cleaners are filled with chemicals and in the cases of sprays you're looking at propane and other such propellants. Alternatives to cleaners in most cases consist mostly of variations on Vinegar. In this case though the recommendation is either a green variety of cleaner such as something from Seventh Generation , Melaleuca or Eco-Green. But if you want to do it yourself most advise applying baking soda directly with a damp sponge.

I don't believe in sponges, although I do know they exist, they are germ ridden creatures I chose not to have in my home and certainly not my kitchen. However I do have some clothes and bygones aside I believe it'll be a similar if not the same result. I'm certain my stove won't be offended.

I am a little reluctant to believe baking soda as a lone product will get away that baked on junk. But I am willing to try mostly anything once. So let me present you with my before and after pictures and you be the judge. Be warned though, some of this caked on food has been here from previous tenants. It's anyone's guess as to how long. So it's not pretty. I wiped the entire stove down with soap and water and this is what was left. I could scrub for hours but this particular part never comes off.

After Soap & Water but before baking soda

I only took one before shot as I was pretty skeptical about this method. Now I wish I had taken multiple. Check out the results!!!

I will never go back again. I didn't have to apply any elbow grease like I have to with soap and water. I didn't have to let it soak in smelly fluids that give me headaches. I just put some baking soda on the cloth and rubbed. This was after one application. Never again will I go back.

Can you argue with these results? If you can, try it for yourself! I promise you will be as surprised as I was! Even after seeing this, I'm still surprised. I'll be bouncing around Asmerus when he comes home squealing about my new discovery.

I'm going to go clean out the interior of oven now while the beast slumbers.

That's all from me today, your friendly neighborhood hippie mom.

A future in my history

Hi, 

My name is "Bwings" and I was destined to be a Hippie Mom. 

Baby Bwings

Was having a discussion with one of my neighbors this weekend and she said how much like me my daughter is. She said, "you two are such hippies." I smirked and nodded saying, "Actually, recently I have accepted this as a fact." It's not that I was ever ashamed of my passion for earth and it's creatures. But the image of a hippie always made me think of pot smoking, acid dropping, free spirited nudist. None of which I was.

 Growing up, as early as 6 years old I told my mother I wanted to be a vegetarian. I was always very gentle with creatures, if I found a worm in a puddle I liberated it off the road so it would not meet it's demise. My mother, who was terrified of spiders, found she had to accept my need to free the house drawn creatures. I'd hear my mother scream and run for the vacuum. Before she got there I'd have the spider in a cup and be headed for the nearest window/door. It was the same with all bugs and critters no matter how ugly. In fact the uglier the critter the braver I thought it was. To live in a world as ugly as it, had to be hard. Few people coo over a rat, but show them a bunny and they go gaga in comparison.

I used to LOVE listening to my mothers Psychedelic Rock music on her record player. Sure I mixed it up with modern stuff but there was something so empowering about those old tracks. They sang to me, about not letting the man keep you down, about being yourself. Skipping, of course the drug themed ones, I would rock out to them in my room, occasionally flicking my light on and off to create a strobe like effect of myself in the mirror. Oh what I wouldn't have given for a strobe light as a kid.

As a pre-teen I hated when my dad would set a rat trap or mouse trap. By my teen years I'd done enough research and would set up a humane trap in my room. I did this by dangling a piece of a peanut butter sandwich from my ceiling over a bucket, there would be a ramp leading up to the bucket and inside there would be candy wrappers to generate a noise if I caught anything.

At 17 I almost caught a mouse, hearing the commotion near my bucket trap I crept out of bed. It was early in the morning and with the dark curtains I could barely see. I didn't want this mouse to meet it's death at the hands of one of the traps set throughout the house. I cautiously approached, unfortunately I was so focused on the mouse heading towards my bucket I didn't spot the corner of the shelf approaching my eye. SMACK of course I didn't catch a mouse that night, all I caught was a bloody face and a scar to show my love for animals.

About a year or so ago I became easily identifiable as a hippie, and since being a mom I must say the shoe lack of shoe certainly fits suits me. As a mom I am most definitely a card-carrying hippie mom. A breastfeeding, co-sleeping, child wearing, barefoot, pedestrian, vegetarian, au natural hippie mom. *see below for photos*  The hippie in me only grows more as I learn new things about our world and what surrounds us.

Although "Asmerus" remains quietly on the fence about some things he is terrified of some others. I guess you could call him the hypocritical hippie (he helped acquire this title I'm not a name-caller). He does not agree with the slaughterhouse but, unlike myself, eats meat. He is worried about the chemicals around us but tries instead to not think about it. As I've started this project though I've discovered he reads my blog and has made note of what to avoid buying. There could be no more perfect a match than he and I on this topic. For although he doesn't fully support his own morals he stands behind mine as I continue to evolve into who I was meant to be.

So what does that mean for our daughter? Well given that her father isn't a full-fledged hippie himself I'd say she has the world at her fingertips. However, she certainly has taken an incredible resemblance to myself as a child. She loves animals, thrives outdoors and prefers to be naked and barefoot as compared to running in shoes. When people see photographs of the two of us they say, as my neighbor said, "You guys are such hippies."

Of course for our daughter it is more of a visual comparison as she hasn't yet verbalized her desires or morals. Nor am I sure she's even formulated them. I do have hopes for her as she grows to maintain her kind nature towards the earths creatures as well as a respect for her surroundings. This is something both I and her father share, it's just not an identity for him. You could say I wear my heart on my sleeve when it comes to my morals where as he sits quietly in reflection on them.

Well I'll sign you off with a fun fact from this week's blog. Our daughter was a Hippie straight from the womb ;)

The beast flashing a Peace sign in utero

That's all for now, from your friendly neighborhood hippie mom.


*(photos below the fold)*

Self-taught

Hello,

My name is "Bwings" and I've taught myself well.

Happy Friday everyone. In light of this being the weekend I intend to make this short and light. I've done little research today but I am impressed with how much I've absorbed in the past few days. It's second nature for me now to look at the ingredients on items. But what's more exciting is I know what I'm looking for and what should stand out. I realize I have so much more to learn but to already be identifying carcinogen suspects and EDTA ridden objects.

Today I became an at home representative for an unnamed product line. When I met with the district manager she handed me some samples. While she talked away about the product line and how easy it will be to sell I instinctively read the back of the containers she was handing me and made mental notes, "EDTA.*put down one product to pick up next* Methylparaben." I then smirked to myself as I put it down. Here I was, about to embark on selling a product I won't be using. Not because it doesn't do it's job, I'm sure it's very good. Not because it's expensive, I am currently unaware of the price. Simply because it's not green and has a debated  carcinogen.

You might ask, "Don't you have a problem selling a product that isn't green?" The answer is a plain and simple no. The long answer is that I maintain everyone's individual right to decide for themselves what they want to do in life. I've said many times before that my daughter is a vegetarian right now because her father and I feel it is a healthier lifestyle. However, when she is 5 or 6 and old enough for us to sit down and explain what a hamburger is made of and the health benefits each way, she can decide for herself whether she wants to eat meat or not. I will not stop her from eating meat. Obviously I will be a little disheartened if she does chose to eat meat. But I would be equally disheartened if she decides not to go to school or drop-out. They are still her choices to make.

So selling a product that I won't use doesn't bother me. These are choices I make and if asked if I've ever used it ... well I'll just have to think on that one. Chances are I have used it in the past but I don't use it now because my skin type no longer needs it. I know it seems a little off to be selling something I'm so mindful against using myself where I can avoid. These are lifestyle choices for personal health and wellness not moral choices. It's not like I'm selling animals to a slaughterhouse. But that's a topic for another time.

For now I wish you all a great weekend, thank you for checking out the advertisements on my page and I'll see you again on Monday.

Parabens - Banned?

Hello,

My name is "Bwings" and my face is melting...melting... oh what a world what a world!

Today I finally broke down and looked at the ingredients on my foundation. PARABENS!!! There were 4 of them! I was expecting it but hoping for something else. As I write this I snicker at a friends comment earlier today, "You're becoming increasingly difficult to buy for." As my friend reads this I'm sure they are blushing. Fear not, dear friend, for your statement made me giggle and I continue to snicker at both the actuality of this fact and your kindness for taking into consideration my expanding research whilst shopping for Christmas presents. A hippie like myself has few true friends who are not themselves "hippies". So I take this moment to thank you for being one of them. <3

Onward and upward to Narnia and the North...or at least my make-up kit.

Upon inspection of the remainder of my make-up kit I found more upsetting news.

{To see please click chart below}

So what is Paraben? Let's review. Firstly a paraben is essentially anything ending in "aben" but most often it will include the full word "Paraben". It is found in breast tumors, mimics estrogen and combined with sun exposure will increase skin aging and DNA Damage. Our cosmetics, the very things we put on our face to look beautiful, vibrant and young, is assisting in our haggard appearance? NICE! Similar to how ciggerettes once were considered a young and cool appearance.

Parabens are effective preservatives used in shampoos, moisturizers, shaving gels, personal lubricants, topical/parenteral pharmaceuticals, spray tanning solution,toothpaste and occasionally food additives. Oh Em Gee you're saying! Why in the hell are they, like EDTA, in everything?! Cause they are cheap, effective, have been around forever and the alternatives, such as grapefruit seed extract, are hard to come by.
So do we really need to worry? What's all this breast cancer stuff about?

Well let's look into that first as it's the scariest of the side-effects. Low concentrations of Paraben's have been found fully intact in breast cancer tumors (an average of 20 nanograms/g of tissue). Additionally parabens have the ability to mimic estrogen (known to play a role in the development of breast cancer). The presence of the ester-bearing form of parabens in tumors indicates introduction by application to skin such as underarm deodorant, cream or body spray. Scientists theorize this to be why up to 60% of all breast tumors are found in just a fifth of the breast (upper-outer quadrant near the underarm) American Cancer Society state nothing to be conclusive yet and that further research will be needed before they back such a thought. In the meantime I'll avoid purchasing further products with parabens where I can.

There is a huge debate over the possiblity of negative side-effects. As there would be in any debate until something is found. Noahs ark will always be looked for if it never exists. If it is found the problem is solved, until it is found people will continue to look. However, in the case of parabens, even those who claim no ill effect could possibly accompany the use of parabens will admit their existance in breast cancer tumors and ability to mimic estrogen to require further research. Justly I shall be more studious of what products on the market have Parabens in them.

Steering away from the most scary of possible conclusions there still remains the aging of our skin through the reaction to UVB. Yikes, the very foundation on my face is reacting with UVB to increase my skins age?! Why don't I just take up smoking and call it a day?!

All-in-all I chose to not panic yet steer clear of further purchases involving parabens in my product.

Blinded by the light

Hi,

My name is "Bwings" and I can't give up my fuel consumption

Have you ever thought of why the flame in your candle stays lit? I know I never did, until today. I feel like a fool for having ignored the obvious for so long. I suppose I just figured as long as there was a wick to be aflame and nothing to put it out it'd just burn. But now that I've thought about it, even for a moment, I realize that was an embarrassing ignorance on my part. 

Blinded by the light, engulfed in the delightful aroma I just ignored what was actually going on with my candles.   The candle itself is a solid block of fuel with a wick. Most of these are paraffin wax but they can also be made from beeswax, soy (and other plants) and tallow (beef-fat by-product). But I'll touch more on that later. Let's focus on the actual flame. 

Lighting a candle is as simple as applying a flame to a wick. When you do this you're also melting a bit of the solid fuel to light the wick. As the candle melts the wick continues to absorb the fuel and thus fuel the flame. Ignoring the fact that Candles are a leading source of house fires and that the temperature of liquid wax can cause skin burns (usually not severe). Disregarding those glass candle holders that, when left unattended (and sometimes just out of bad luck) can become cracked and/or break. There is the simple fact that a candle flame that is long enough to smoke will emit soot. Have you ever read the bottom of your candle where it tells you to trim the wick? Have you ever actually given two hoots and trimmed it? I know I didn't, but I certainly will start. Proper wick trimming will prevent soot emissions from most candles.

Trimming the wick maintains a lower burning temperature and rate of fuel consumption and prevent smoking. A main concern for frequent indoor candle users is a smoke film and what can be referred to as ghosting, carbon tracking or carbon tracing. Smoke can be produced when wax fuel does not burn completely and a scented candle would be a source of candle smoke deposits. Trimming wicks would be the easiest method to produce less smoke. the smaller the flame the less flickering it can/will do. Another method to produce less smoke is to avoid a draft that would flicker a candle and create smoke. 

So what does all this mean? It means you have smog (in small amounts of course) of whatever the fuel is being spread through your home. In respect to a carbon footprint any natural wax will have a neutral effect. This follows the logic that CO2 was removed from the environment to produce the wax thus burning would only replace that CO2 and thus leave a 0 balance. So let's break down the individual fuel sources. 

• Paraffin - a byproduct of petroleum refining.
• Burns far less cleanly and releases chemicals into the air. I have not confirmed this but I am told highly refined paraffin wax can burn just as cleanly as natural sources 
• Beeswax - a byproduct of honey collection
  Burns cleaner and releases fewer chemicals 
• Gel - Mixture of Resin and Mineral Oil
• Plant Wax - Palm, Carnauba, bayberry, soy. 
• Tallow/Stearin - Beef-fat byproduct using the hard fat found around the loins and kidneys, Rarely used anymore as it's not cost effective.
• Spermaceti - Extracted from the head of a sperm whale for use in candles, cosemetics, leatherworking and lubricants. 

When it gets right down to the nitty gritty though, it matters far less whether you're burning petroleum, beef fat, sperm whale skull, soy or beeswax if a lot of chemicals have been added to the fuel source. Consider your almonds. A container of untouched almonds are going to be far healthier than a container of candy coated or salted almonds. No brainer right? Same goes for your burning lump of beautifully scented, sparkly and colorful centrepiece. The cleanest burning candle will be built well, unscented, undyed, well trimmed and in a room free of drafts. In the end it's personal preference and balancing.

My resolve is to be more conscientious of the wax in my candles, the length of my wick and the amount of soot/smoke my candles may be emitting. I will also try to find some nice essential oils to replace my candles as a scent. I will never stop liking the lighting of a candle and the scent adds to the moment. But there are metal containers you can put on your lamps which you pour essential oils in. They heat and fill the room with the pleasant selected scent. If I could find an scented oil I liked I could replace my scented, dyed candles with natural chemical free candles. But in the end a few candles will certainly stay on my night stand *wink wink*

A final thought, how old is the candle you are using? Did you buy it from a second hand store? Is it your great-grandmothers? If so, you might want to toss it. Until the 1970's lead was used to hold the wicks straight up. I don't need to tell you why this is a bad thing. Current candle wicks use zinc or zinc alloy in lieu of the former lead cores. 

Water, water everywhere...

Hello,

My name is "Bwings" and I avoid bottled water.

Water, water everywhere, but not a drop for free. Oh, that's not how it goes? Well, it's sure how it is. Imagine, paying for tap water in a polyethylene or  polycarbonate container, the later being the worse. You could simply purchase a nice non-leaching bottle for a similar price and maintain filling it at home before your voyage. Would certainly be more economical considering.

Here goes the, "when I was young I walked uphill both ways" speech, but it is true. When I was younger, only 6 or 7 years ago, you could buy water out of a cooler for $1. I thought it a tad funny but considered myself as buying the container and not, in fact, the water. Although I knew it was wrong to do I'd continue to reuse this container for weeks. Looking back it makes me shiver a little at the frequency by which I used that plastic container as in comparison to the frequency that I washed it. *shiver* However, I digress, now when one finds oneself needing a quenching beverage outside of home, that same bottled water could run you $1.75! Sure 0.75 in 6 years doesn't seem like much....for general food. But for bottled water? Something you'd otherwise have for "free" at home. I put free in quotes of course because it'd come out of our tax dollars etc. but essentially to pay for bottled water, are you not paying for it twice?

That remains my biggest reason for avoiding bottled water. There are however the lovely alternative reasons for not buying bottled water. Some of these I don't buy into myself, no pun intended. But I am here to offer all the criteria for my decisions and so here it is.

1) Regulations - It is possible for your tap water (assuming not well) to be more tightly regulated than the bottled water you bought today. I say possible because not all bottled water would necessarily be as loosely watched as some others. However, tap water, by law, must be disinfected, frequently tested for bacteria and parasites and filtered to remove pathogens. None of this is required of bottled water. That does not mean they don't do it, simply that they needn't do it. Funny isn't it. Isn't it all tap water? Well...except for that spring water, mineral water, and/or water from the glaciers.

That is right, bottled water needn't be disinfected or tested as frequently, nor does it have to be filtered or tested for parasites. Yummy. But again, this doesn't mean they don't, simply that it's not enforced. One could argue that this is because it's tap water and already assumed (by the factory) to be regulated by the government. Why triple test what is presumed to be tested by the government already? Seems folly.

2) The container, that lovely, colorful (although often plain and translucent) container by which you transfer H20 to your body for quenching. It of course is our plastic buddy again. Although I am aware of glass alternatives. I don't likely need to go far into the plastic debate as it's all over the news. But to summerize there are the topics of BPA which is in the polycarbonate options. There are also heavy metals in plastic bottles that over time, regardless of temperature, break down and enter your body through that very source of thirst quenching fluid.

3) The icky studies performed by the National Resources Defense Council found that about 20% of bottled water tested contained known carcinogens or neurotoxins. 20% is a low number but it's a hell of a lot higher than 0%!

The study can be found online straight from the horses mouth. But here are the highlights:

Not even 50% passed! Close, but certainly not 50%

• Where is our water coming from? One alarming discovery by the NRDC was in Massachusetts  where there was a well designated as "spring water" sold under many labels. It was discovered that this well was in fact located IN a parking lot (oh it gets better) of an industrial warehouse facility (worst is yet to come) near a state-designated hazardous-waste site!!!! Did you just spit out your bottled water?! Feel free to dry off your monitor now. There's more. Several chemical contaminants were found in this water, duh, including Trichloroethylene (carcinogen), Dichloroethane and Methylene Chloride. The source was not identified and although contamination was found in 1993 through 1996 the company continued to sell the water! Dry off your monitor, the well is no longer in use thanks to a friendly whistle blower. But for 3 years the contamination was known and never addressed! 

Again, you can see the lengthy study for yourself and make your own judgement calls. I like to take everything I read with a grain of salt, research into it and then form my own opinion. So, in short, I would expect no less from people who read my blog.

However, I can assure you my honesty at all times and in the case of bottled water vs. tap water, I feel water can/will be contaminated regardless of source. I use tap water, filtered through a brita water filter. I avoid purchasing water bottles mostly because I'm cheap and less because of possible carcinogens. I can not deny the compelling study though and so I present it to you for your own judgement call. 

Tis all from your friendly neighborhood hippie mom.