MamAnomolie

Sophie just had her first modeling gig! Before you worry that I'm on my way to appearing on the next episode of Dance Moms, let me explain.

My friend Carla is starting a sewing business, Flying Fox Studio, making kid clothes, hats, pet accessories, bags and pillows from organic, upcylced, and locally sourced materials. She needed to get some photos for the organic kids line she's working on, called Fox Tots Organic. Carla wanted pictures of her handiwork on someone, and that someone was Sophie.

I know Carla back from my working days. She is a writer/editor who I got to know during several different projects. Her attention to detail and desire to get things just right were apparent (and appreciated!) in her work as an editor. These qualities are also evident in her new endeavor. She isn't using a little bit of organic fabric here and there as a marketing gimmick. She is thinking about the entire textile production process, researching different options (like kapok instead of fiber fill, who knew?), and aiming for complete transparency in her marketing.

We were discussing some of the difficulties of finding organic textiles, especially from the U.S., at prices artists and consumers can afford when Carla said, "I'm starting to think I want to change the old phrase to 'think locally, think globally, act locally, act globally.' That's certainly not daunting, is it?" No, not at all, Carla. Hey, at least I have a cute model to lend to the cause!

Of course I had to post some adorable photos of Sophie on here, but I also wanted to showcase Carla's other work. How great are these purses?! And that wrist wallet? A ridiculous amount of cuteness going on there! Well, I'm off...now that Sophie is a model she has become quite demanding of attention!

In honor of Take a Child Outside Week, I have decided to sit inside at my computer and resume blogging. No, really!

Before I was a stay-at-home mom, I worked in the field of environmental education. Not just casually, as a seasonal thing, either. I was in it full throttle. My Master's degree is in environmental education, and I worked for the state Office of Environmental Education. Previously, in preparation for the annual, national Take a Child Outside Week I would be feverishly adding events to the online calendar, attending meetings about how to hype it up and spread the word, and editing the office's website so that it was featured on every page.

So, that is why I found it wonderfully ironic that on September 24th, the first official day of Take a Child Outside Week, it was my husband who said, "Hey, it's Take a Child Outside Week." "Really?" I replied. "Yeah, it says so right here." We were at Historic Yates Mill County Park, taking a walk with Sophie.




So, I could tell you that in honor of Take a Child Outside Week we took Sophie to the park, but the truth is that Sophie and I are outside all the time. We don't need a special week to enjoy picking up sticks, looking at bugs, and collecting leaves, and for that I am grateful.

This has definitely been my favorite Take a Child Outside Week to date!

I just wanted to say what a big fan I am of the Fresh Baby food trays that I bought to make baby food! They are BPA- and phthalate-free and made in the USA. Not only that, but they are relatively inexpensive and easy to use. The lids actually do stay on (which seems to be an issue with some of the baby food freezing dishes), and they stack easily in the freezer.


I bought two of them to begin with (they come two to a pack) and have since gotten four more. I will be honest, I was worried about making Sophie's food. I don't like to cook. I want to like to cook. I like the idea of cooking. I even like the idea of finding fresh and local produce to cook my meals, but the sad truth is that right now (I'm not giving up on the dream) I don't like to cook. So, I was worried that making Sophie's food would be something that I wanted to do and liked the idea of doing but wouldn't actually happen.

I am proud to say that I have been making most of Sophie's food, and it has been going really well. I'm finally getting some good use out of the food processor we were given for our wedding, and the Fresh Baby food cube trays make it easy to make a lot of food at once and have it ready for later. So far I've made sweet potatoes, bananas, butternut squash, prunes, carrots, mangoes, avocado, pear and peaches - all organic. I've also used the trays to freeze yogurt and tofu that would have otherwise spoiled. It's been great, and all but the avocado has proved palatable.

We all want to use the safest products for our wee ones, but who has the time to research all of the products out there and find out which ones are free of BPA, PVC, and other potentially harmful chemicals? Thanks to the hard work of the folks over at SafeMama, now you don't have to!

in 2007, Kathy Scoleri was a mom like the rest of us who was totally overwhelmed by having to research safety issues for the products she was purchasing. Not only did she do her research, but she also decided to start SafeMama to help other parents who were also in search of the safest options out there. Kathy, from one mother to another, let me just say THANK YOU!

My favorite part of the SafeMama web site is the cheat sheets. They make it so easy to find all of the information you need in one place on a single topic. I wanted to get some teethers for Sophie, but didn't want her putting things in her mouth that were full of BPA or phthalates. I went to SafeMama's BPA-Free Pacifiers and Teethers Cheat Sheet and immediately had a list of available options from a source that I trust. Over the past few days, I've been checking out the cheat sheet covering dishes and utensils in preparation for Sophie beginning solid foods.

There are more than 20 cheat sheets on the SafeMama site. This is a resource, like the Cosmetic Safety Database, that I will keep going back to. You rock, SafeMama! Now, if you could just create a cheat sheet on putting babies down for a nap, all will be right with the world.

Often times it is the wildlife that is all around us that we know the least about. Take a look into the amazing life of the plastic bag. Join these bags in their journey from asphalt jungle to Pacific Ocean. A warning to the squeamish - there is one scene in which one plastic bag meets a grizzly end at the hands of one of its natural predators, a park maintenance staff member. Your heart will soar, however, as you watch a bag join its brethren in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, uniting with friends and family members.

There are some blogs that I follow simply to be inspired. Clean is one of those blogs. How can you not be inspired by what is described by the author as "your (crafty, organic, bubble-filled) happy place?" Clean is the blog from LuSa Organics, makers of baby, mama and body care products in Viroqua, Wisconsin and is written by Rachel Wolf.

Be forewarned - Rachel, like Beth Terry over at Fake Plastic Fish which I mentioned in my last post - lives a green lifestyle to the nth degree. Maybe everyone else out there is not like me and doesn't start comparing themselves and their efforts to other people, but just in case you are like me, don't compare yourself to Rachel. It will only leave you feeling uncrafty, bubbleless and sad. Instead, learn to do what I have done, and use her amazing work for your own inspiration.

Clean follows Rachel and her family on their everyday adventures. Now, "everyday adventures" could really mean anything, but these people really have adventures every day. Rachel shares her lessons as she homeschools her two children, invites us into her kitchen as she cooks, provides countless ideas and tutorials for sewing, knitting and other crafty projects, lets us tag along as she explores nature as well as her small town community. She has a way of describing her days that allow you to feel the connectedness and presentness that she fosters in her life. To be honest, the photographs that she takes and uses in her blog are reason enough to visit!

As I settle into motherhood, I am learning not to compare myself to others so much, to focus on the present and to enjoy the inspiration and joy that is all around. The Clean blog is definitely an inspirational source. I even dreamed the other night that we went to visit Viroqua and really tag along on a few adventures. In my dream we rescued baby owls, had to climb into Rachel's home through tree roots and, once inside, I was so impressed by her kitchen which had craft activities ready to go hanging on the pegboard walls. All of these things were creations of my own subconscious imagination, but Clean is full of stories and adventures with just as much whimsy, passion and charm. Check it out here!

Well, I have learned my lesson - never do my blog in installments. I end up partway through and decide that I'd rather blog about something else. And does sharing consumer guidelines that I made up make me sound preachy? I hope not. And while I ponder all of this I miss my window of opportunity while my daughter is asleep to post anything at all. So, today, you'll get not-meant-to-be-preachy guidelines #3-5 all in one wallop!

#3 - Look at the Big Picture
This is actually the guideline I was thinking of when I started writing this blog in response to the story about people who chose to not serve their kids fruits and vegetables if organic options were not available. While I think most people would agree that conventionally grown produce is better than no produce at all, many times the benefits of looking at the big picture are not so obvious. We humans tend to focus on one thing, one topic, one piece of information - it's easier that way. The truth is, though, that this is not the way the world works. You may be very passionate about organic produce, which is great, but if the only option for a certain organic fruit is to get it from halfway around the world, a non-organic local option might be better. It's easier to choose between organic vs. conventional, but chances are you can make a better decision if you take a step back and take a look at all of the options.

#4 - Don't Get Overwhelmed!
This might be the most difficult guideline to follow. It often is for me. On several occasions I have been scanning product after product in the store aisle, whether it be for BPA-free teethers or paraben-free lotion, and I'm ready to throw up my hands and give up. There are so many ingredients of concern and issues surrounding products that it's easy to get overwhelmed. And there are amazing people out there who seem to be able to do it all. Have you checked out Fake Plastic Fish before? That woman manages to live with so little plastic it's unreal! I applaud people who are taking on such challenges, but most of us won't get very far if we try and compare our efforts to what some of these folks are doing. I urge people and myself to be informed, make connections, look at the big picture...and then make the choices that are right for you that you can do right now. A friend of mine sent me a quote that I love - "don't let the perfect get in the way of the good." I'm not sure who it should be attributed to - let me know if you know the source - but I think it totally applies here. Do what you can - something is better than nothing!

#5 - Know That You Can Make a Difference
While you are standing in the cosmetics aisle at your local Target, searching for paraben-free lotion, wondering whether you should even be shopping at Target anymore and feeling a little crazy as loads of people have come and gotten what they needed and are already at the register but you're now inspecting bottle #18, it's easy to feel like your efforts may not matter at all. Why even bother - you're only one person after all. It's important to know that you can make a difference. Look at BPA, for example. Nalgene didn't get rid of the BPA in their water bottles because the government told them they had to. They did it because enough consumers were voicing their concern over it and searching for other options that it was in Nalgene's best interest. Individual consumers, who probably felt small and as though they were not making a difference, but who together got things changed. Hooray! Keep that in mind when you feel like all of your effort might not be worth it.

So, there are the rest of the five consumer guidelines. I hope they didn't sound preachy, and I hope they can be useful to you. If you have any ideas or guidelines that you use to consumer more thoughtfully I would love to hear them!