Holistic Moms Network Annual Natural Living Conference

The Holistic Moms Network will be holding their annual Natural Living Conference on October 17, 2009 from 8:30 to 4:30 at the Dolce Conference Center in Basking Ridge New Jersey. This is an excellent opportunity to Learn, share, and connect with like minded moms.

The Holistic Moms Network is a non-profit organization whose mission is to connect parents who are passionate about holistic health and green living. There are currently more than 100 chapters across the country working to build communities and educate parents on holistic health options and natural parenting. More information about the organization is available at their website.

The Natural Living Conference will feature nationally recognized speakers, breakout work sessions, and a large silent auction featuring in natural and sustainable products from many wonderful companies including our good friends at Hip Mountain Mama.

Be sure to check it out if you are in the area.

I'm Back

After nearly 5 months off from blogging I am back. I've been talking to a few of my followers and I decided to get back into it. I decided that promoting Conscious Parenting is too important not to take an active role. There are literally thousands of Mommy Bloggers who discuss similar topics, but most are just looking for a place to display pictures of their kids and what they are doing.

This blog has always been about spreading news on natural parenting issues. We cover topics ranging from recycling, clean energy, baby wearing, breastfeeding, organic gardening, natural toys, Waldorf inspired education, use of organic and natural materials, and whatever else comes up.

So buckle-up. There has never been a more important time to be conscious about how we raise our children than now.

Eco Dad

We always hear about Natural Moms, Eco Mamas, Green Moms, and even Hip Mountain Mamas. But what about the Natural Dads out there. Aren't there Eco Dads out there making conscious decisions to keep their families living sustainable lifestyles?

It seems like all of the green blogs and Natural Online Retailers are focusing on moms. There is organic lotion, handmade soap, hemp skirts, etc. all targeted to the conscious mamas. But most dads don't care about natural lotions, what is in the dish washing detergent, or what cute reusable bags are available.

But wait a minute. There are many dads who work really hard to keep their kids safe from toxic materials. These green dads are concerned about conserving energy, conserving water, and leaving the world in the best condition possible for their children.

Typically the men don't do the grocery shopping, clothes shopping, or possibly their share of the house cleaning. But Men do typically have a number of chores around the house and the ability to make many decisions that can really make a difference for the family and the planet.

So here they are...

The Top 10 Green Things Dad Can do for his Conscious Family.

1. Install a Low Flow Shower Head to Reduce the Amount of Water the Family Uses.

2. Change Light Bulbs to CFL Bulbs.

3. Install a Programmable Thermostat.

4. Inflate the Tires on Your Vehicles to the Appropriate Tire Pressure to Get the Most Out of Your Gas Mileage.

5. Insulate the House and Fill All Drafts Around Windows and Doors.

6. Use an Electric Lawn Mower

7. Replace Grassy Areas With Xeriscape Gardens to Reduce the Use of Water.

8. Wash Your Cars at a Car Wash That Recycles Water Instead of Sending Your Soapy Water Down the Drain and Into Our Waterways. (Street drains typically run straight to rivers and lakes)

9. Use Organic Fertilizers on the Lawn to be Sure the Kids Have a Safe Place to Play.

10. Don't Get Upset When You See How Much Your Wife Spends on Organic Groceries. :o

I know the last one is tough, but give it a shot.

Keeping Nature Outside

Spring is here! All the little critters are coming back out and trying to find ways into your house. How do you teach your children to deal with Nature in your house? Do you teach them that all of these creepy crawlers are important to the natural world around us? Or do you smash them and use harmful chemicals to put them out of their misery?

I understand that many people are scared of spiders. Arachnophobia is a serious condition for many Americans. But spiders actually play an important role for the ecosystem around your home. Learn more about spiders from the Animal Planet site located here.

This is a great opportunity to teach your children about the world around them. Children can learn that everything even these little bugs are important in the greater cycle of life. Teach your children that Spiders are actually the original insecticide. They help reduce the number of other pests including flies and mosquitoes. Then they become food for birds, wasps, and other animals.

Catching the bugs and spiders and releasing them outside is an opportunity for your child to see these creatures up close and learn about them. Your child doesn't learn anything productive from smashing bugs. And the use of hazardous chemicals is very dangerous to your child. Research shows that conventional bug sprays contain toxic chemicals that harm your child's brain and nervous system. These important organs are still developing in your child and can be very harmful for exposure to all kids under the age of 12.

So do the right thing and be the fun mom who catches bugs and lets the kids check them out and learn about all the different parts of this exciting world we live in.

Carcinogens found in Baby Care Products

According to the Washington Post a new study shows more than half the baby shampoo, lotion and other infant care products analyzed by a health advocacy group were found to contain trace amounts of two chemicals that are believed to cause cancer.

Some of the largest well known products including Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo and Baby Magic lotion, tested positive for 1,4-dioxane or formaldehyde, or both, the nonprofit Campaign for Safe Cosmetics reported. The organization tested 48 baby bath products such as bubble bath and shampoo. Of those, 32 contained trace amounts of 1,4-dioxane and 23 contained small amounts of formaldehyde. Seventeen tested positive for both chemicals.

"Our intention is not to alarm parents, but to inform parents that products that claim to be gentle and pure are contaminated with carcinogens, which is completely unnecessary," said Stacy Malkan, a spokeswoman for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

The European Union has banned 1,4-dioxane as an ingredient in personal care products, but the Food and Drug Administration has not established a safe limit for the chemical in shampoo, lotion and other toiletries. It maintains that the trace amounts found in those products are not harmful. A 1982 study by the FDA showed that 1,4-dioxane can penetrate human skin when used in lotion.

"The fact that we are bathing our kids in products contaminated with carcinogens shows how woefully out of date our cosmetics laws are and how urgently they need to be updated," said Rep. Jan Schakowsky (Ill.). "The science has moved forward; now the FDA needs to catch up and be given the authority to protect the health of Americans."

What the heck is going on in our country when we are bathing our children in formaldehyde? The FDA has got to get their act together. But the only way to bring real change is for parents to 'vote with their dollars' and only buy natural and organic bath products for their children.

This falls into the "If you aren't outraged you aren't paying attention" category. Please tell your friends and family. We must make a change to provide a safe environment for our babies and children.

Thrifty and Green

Many people have the belief that it is too expensive to buy environmentally friendly items. It is true that organic cotton is more expensive than traditional cotton as is organic produce. Is it possible to be natural without going bankrupt? Absolutely.

Don't forget the 3 R's. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Lets focus on Reuse today.

The absolute best thing you can do to prevent waste and have the lightest carbon foot print is to simply reuse items from others. This is especially easy with children's clothes. Kids grow so fast that they can't possibly wear out clothes before they are in the next size. So talk to you friends with older kids, most people can't wait to get rid of the clothes that don't fit anymore.

Check the local thrift stores, Goodwill, etc. Just spending a little time looking around could save you a fortune on children's clothes. Also check out your local Freecycle. Freecycle is an awesome network of people giving items to members of their community. It is the ultimate in reuse and recycle.

If you are careful to save money on the majority of your child's clothes and get them from free or less expensive sources, you can afford to purchase organic cotton on the few items that you actually do need to purchase. By reusing items from your friends and neighbors you are keeping those items out of the landfill which is just as important as supporting organic farmers and it is cheaper.

To do the right thing for the planet you don't have to spend a ton of money. You just have to be thrifty. Then you can afford to make the conscious decisions and buy green products on the few items you must buy.

Cloth vs. Disposable Diapers

For many parents trying to raise their children in an environmentally conscious way cloth diapering seems like a must. But for many new parents this is very intimidating due to a society that has overwhelmingly accepted disposable diapers. After all, we are a disposable society.

Lets examine the benefits of cloth diapers:

• An average baby goes through 8000 diapers. This is a tremendous amount of landfill space.


• Disposable diapers use 1.3 million tons of wood pulp, the equivalent to 250,000 trees each year, along with plastics made from petroleum.


• The EPA estimates 3.3 million tons, nearly 18 billion diapers end up in landfills every year.


• Disposable diapers cause more diaper rash for your baby. Cloth diapers feel wet and get changed when necessary while disposables feel dry so they get changed less often causing more severe diaper rash.


• A study conducted by Anderson Laboratories in 1999 and published in the Archives of Environmental Health, found that disposable diapers release chemicals called Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), including toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene and dipentene. All of these VOCs have been shown to have toxic health effects, such as cancer and brain damage, with long-term or high level exposure.

Disposable diapers not only use paper and petroleum resources and fill landfills, they may also release toxic chemicals. If you are a new parent or a soon to be parent, do the research. If you stop listening to your friends who say it is too much work, you may discover that it really isn't that much more work and it may keep your child healthy and will definitely give your child a good step in the direction of living a sustainable life on this earth.

I still have one child in cloth diapers. It has been a wonderful experience and we have never regretted our decision. We are currently using Fuzi Bunz, you can buy them here.

For more information on cloth diapering read the archives at Mothering Magazine.