The Greenhorn Momma

MILLION BABY CRAWL!

2009-11-24T15:00:00.003-05:00

Seventh Generation is a company that makes a variety of environmentally and health friendly household products. I am a big fan of their kitchen products and regularly use their dish detergent and dish soap. Apparently they are making a trip to Washington to discuss toxic chemical reform with our lawmakers in Congress. In conjunction with this, they have started the Million Baby Crawl event where people can show support! I have made my own little baby named after my dear son Dmitry.

If you've never tried Seventh Generation products, I encourage you to give them a try. They strike a great balance between being natural and actually doing a good job at what they are intended for! Seventh Generation is readily available in many chain stores including Target and Publix and works pretty well. If you join their website, you can get great coupon offers and try free samples!

Their name is based on the Great Law of the Iroquois that states, 'In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.'

Rose in Bloom

2009-11-22T21:31:00.008-05:00

Recycling Philanthropy

2009-11-21T12:00:00.000-05:00

Two new ways to contribute with unwanted items!

1) There are groups who collect books and magazines to send to our deployed soldiers! I donated our rolling stone magazines, baby magazines, and some books I have already read.

2) Many people have garage sales to raise money for nonprofits and school groups. I donated many unwanted things to an amazing 16 year old young man who raises money for the March of Dimes. They raised almost $500 so far! These people offered me a tax write-off too.

Proven Ways to Confuse Ants!

2009-11-20T22:33:00.007-05:00

Hey everyone! Hope you have plenty to be thankful for this week!

Following a paper due for one of my classes, my sleep schedule was completely messed up. The next night I fell asleep very early, but then woke up around 3 am. I went to use the restroom and much to my dismay, there were little black ants crawling all around my tub. They were coming through the faucet on the bathtub. This week they are cleaning the apartment next to us, which was left absolutely disgusting by the previous tenants and I suspect they are coming from there.

Now, let me explain to you. I LOVE ants. They are one of the coolest animals around, and they are a very important part of natures clockwork. They can lift something like 50x their body weight. Ants have very complex social systems, with different roles being played within the colony. Some ant species take over other colonies as slaves. Colonies will fight to the death against other colonies. Some ants have gardens and they can even "farm" aphids! Fire ants form live rafts with their own bodies to survive flooding (which is not so cool in the US since they are invasive).

Anyway, I didn't want to kill the ants because
1) I think ants are sweet (if you don't think so, get an ant farm sometime)
2) I hate killing things for no reason
3) Putting cancer causing chemicals in my house around a baby is not an option
4) Killing the ants in my house won't stop them from coming again as you are not getting the source of the problem (ie the colony). The ants coming in are the scout ants who find food and bring it back.

So I looked to the internet for some guidance and found some great ideas! Ants rely heavily on chemical cues so anything that can mess up their chemical scent or ruin the trail they have made will confuse them. I located several things online that will prevent them from coming in. It is important to find the spot of entrance and use it there. I tried a couple
-Cinnamon! I used this and it stopped additional ants from entering! When faced with cinnamon they immediately turned back and wouldn't pass! No new ants have come into our bathroom at all.
-Black pepper apparently does the same thing.
-Vinegar. Yet another use for this amazing product. I sprayed this around the bathroom door to prevent them from leaving the bathroom and getting into our food or the pets food. It worked.

Now I have no new ants, but the few ants left are confused without their trail to get out. They are just sitting up against the wall and I sort of feel bad. I would just put them outside, but I know they won't make it back to their colony and will end up getting into rumble with another colony. I am hoping they find a way out before they die.

Other suggestions include borax, soap water, baby powder, catnip and mint.
If you must kill colonies, particularly if you have some nasty fire ants, try diatomaceous earth. Apparently this stuff dries out exoskeletons of insects and can be used for other infestations like fleas, ticks, and roaches as well!

Anyway, I hope you have a slight bit more respect for ants and maybe will consider using natural remedies instead of pouring chemicals in your house or yard which are bad for you and the environment!

Cloth Diaper Considerations

2009-10-20T22:16:00.002-04:00

As a new mom, I struggled over many decisions on what was best for my son. One choice I'm thrilled I made was to use cloth diapers. While I was pregnant I agonized over what was better for the environment: Cloth or disposable? While disposables obviously have issues for the environment including bleaching, landfill waste, and leeching of human waste, there were environmental considerations when using cloth as well. Obviously the impact of manufacturing, washing/drying, detergent, all had to be considered. In the end I opted for cloth mainly due the toxic absorbent gel, Sodium Polyacrylate, found in many disposable diapers. I wash my diapers myself in environmentally friendly detergent and cold water and hang dry them whenever possible. Washing diapers is particularly easy if you are breastfeeding.

I have been amazingly happy at how easy using cloth really is! My husband and I both jumped right into it. Today's cloth diapers do not require pins, folding or soaking. While the old fashioned prefold diapers are still the most economical, many modern types of cloth have emerged. The different types include pocket diapers, contour diapers, fitted diapers, and all in ones. I intend to discuss several types in future blog entries. I have used several different kinds with mixed results. I LOVE my Fuzzi Bunz!

Modern diapers may seem expensive initially, but they are an investment. You could save thousands of dollars over the lifetime of the diapers by using cloth. They can hold up for years, be used on multiple children, and then sold used for a substantial percentage of the original price. If you can't afford new ones, consider buying used! Yes, it sounds gross, but its perfectly safe. There are even diapers available that you can use from the time a baby is born until the time they are potty trained!

In addition, my son hardly ever gets diaper rash, and I've even read that cloth diapered babies tend to potty train younger.

While the world of cloth diapering can be intimidating, I hope that doesn't deter you! It was one of the best choices I've made.

Product Review: Boon Squirt Spoon

2009-10-19T21:46:00.004-04:00

While searching for things I needed to start Little Man on solid foods, I came across the Boon Squirt baby spoon on Target.com. Essentially the spoon has a barrel with a spoon screw on top. There is a small hole in the spoon and when you squeeze the barrel, it fills the spoon with just the right amount of food for the baby. I ended up getting one at our local Target for several reasons.

1) It looked like it would reduce waste! You don't need a bowl. Its all in one. Secondly, if baby decides he wants to throw it across the room, the whole bowl of food isn't ruined. Lastly, uneaten food isn't contaminated. Simply put the cover on the spoon and place it in the fridge for next time!

2) It was BpA-free, Phthalate-free, and PVC-free

3) It appeared to be easy to deal with, with less things to worry about at feeding time

4) It won't spill all over your house when baby throws it across the room.

5) The Boon Squirt also looks freakin sweet. :)

While I haven't used it much so far, I already LOVE this thing. I highly recommend it. It was everything I hoped it could be. The spoon is dishwasher safe.

The only cons I see are that the spoon is a little larger than some of the other first baby spoons. It takes a little longer to get used to for the baby. The price tag at $6.99 at Target is a bit high compared to your run of the mill spoon, but I think it will pay for itself. I am going to buy a couple more of these!

Dmitry's First Bite!

2009-10-18T21:23:00.011-04:00

So my little man took his first bite today! I tried the first of the two recipes for rice cereal I mentioned in a previous post. It worked out quite well. I didn't find short grain brown rice at the grocery store so I used organic whole grain brown rice. It seemed to work relatively well. I did have to use my food
processor on ice crush for a while before it got to a powder. While simmering, the liquid was soaked up pretty quickly. The end result was a bit grainy, but nothing that would make the baby choke. I probably would have run it once through the food processor again, but I dropped the processor on the floor and broke it. LAME! I've never seen regular rice cereal so I wasn't sure what to expect! But in the end, Dmitry actually stuck it in his mouth on multiple occasions. He even grabbed the spoon and brought it to his mouth. So I'll let him give you the final verdict:

New Challenge: Cleaning Products!

2009-10-14T21:18:00.004-04:00

So I have returned from the beautiful land of TN. I miss the mountains already :( I also miss my beloved salamanders. Did you know that the Appalachians have the largest diversity of salamanders anywhere in the world? Sadly it's also a place where large amounts of pollution and environmental degradation are occurring.

I recently blogged about the plight of amphibians worldwide and mentioned that amphibians are being greatly affected by human activity. Amphibians absorb things readily through their skin. When you use chemicals in your house, they almost always enter water and can harm wildlife, particularly amphibians. Everything from pesticides on your lawn to your laundry and dish soap can have an effect. I will NOT have chemicals I don't need around my baby! If they will kill salamanders that's enough to convince me that they shouldn't be anywhere near him.

This week I challenge you to change just one household cleaner to a more environmentally friendly (and healthier) version!
Many household cleaners are surprisingly easy to make..
Vinegar is amazing and cleans a ton of things (Laundry, counters, glass, carpet, etc!). Everyone should have white vinegar in their house. For scrubbing you can add baking soda! Lemon juice is also amazing and adds a nice smell :) Again, this can be a money saver as well.

Use hydrogen peroxide based products instead of bleach (chlorine-based).

If you are lazy like me, there are many green products available for purchase, but be careful about what you buy. Products should ideally be biodegradable. This means that chemicals will break down and cause less harm to the environment. Look for non-petroleum based and chlorine-free and phosphate-free products. Phosphate completely messes up ecosystems by giving extra nutrients to certain organisms that use them and causes to them to grow too rapidly (think algal blooms). These can cost a little more, but the products last a while. To me the extra dollar I spend every few months is negligible when compared to the benefits.

Happy cleaning! :)

Easy Recipes for Baby's First Cereal!

2009-10-14T19:47:00.007-04:00

So my little man is growing up so fast! We took him in for his 4 month appointment and he already weights almost 17 lbs and is 26.5 inches tall! The doc said we can start introducing solids whenever we want to. My husband and I have decided to make our own food for the little man. Not only should this save us a ton of money, even if we use organic, we will also be able to determine more of what is being put into our little man's food!

So obviously things like fruit and vegetables seemed sort of obvious on the way to make them. Rice cereal, however, baffled me.

I did some research on the internet and turns out it looks very easy to make! I am planning to try both of these recipes over the weekend and will let everyone know how it goes!

So things needed are:
-Obviously Rice! I read that short-grain brown rice is the best to use, but other types can be used as well. We will probably also use organic. As he gets older I think we will add some Basmati rice...its so TASTY!
-Breast milk, formula, or water
-A blender
-Optional: ice cube trays/Air tight container

So it seems there are two basic ways to do this:
1) Grind up rice into powder. Store this and use as needed. To make: simply take 1 cup boiling water and add 1/4 cup rice powder. Simmer for 10 minutes while whisking. Stir in some milk or formula if desired and you are done!

2) Cook three cups brown rice. Put in blender with 12 oz water, formula, or breast milk until pureed. Place into ice cube trays and freeze to use as needed. To serve, simply thaw and add milk/formula until the desired consistency is reached.

One helpful suggestion I saw is to you can add fruit or vegetables when baby is older to make it more interesting. Remember: no salt, spices, or other additives!

If you would like more info here is a great site with all sorts of other types of cereal you can make!

Good luck!

Why I care...

2009-10-10T00:04:00.008-04:00

So I am writing to you from the beautiful state of TN! There is nothing like a trip to the mountains to feel wonderful. I am up here for reasons pertaining to my masters research. This is why I care:
This is the mighty hellbender which is a very primitive type of salamander that lives in the Appalachian and Ozark regions in the United States. They get rather large (up to ~30 in) and are long lived. I study them :) Like many amphibians, their populations are declining. We are in the middle of a crisis for amphibians including frogs and toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians. While many people hear about the risk of extinction for mammals, birds etc, amphibians are considered by many to be the most vulnerable of all groups of organisms. Studies estimate that nearly 1/3 of amphibians are at risk for extinction in the near future and almost fifty percent are known to be declining! That is unbelievable, particularly when one considers that these species have been around for thousands to millions of years! What makes it worse is that nearly all the reasons for their decline are linked to human activity. While there have been five previous mass extinctions, none have been caused by a single species! I feel I have a duty to make sure my son and generations to come get to grow up hearing frogs calling at night and flipping rocks to find little slimy salamanders. In my previous job, I was trying to monitor a federally protected species. There is nothing quite as depressing as learning all about a species that probably won't be here in twenty years. The worst part is the last stronghold of this species is being turned into a road.

What is even scarier is that amphibians are a sort of canary in the mine type group. They are very sensitive to their environments so when things start happening to amphibians, its a good sign that things are out of whack. Humans, as much as people try to deny it, still rely on their environment and are in the web of life. If something is affecting amphibians, it is affecting us too. As an ecologist I have seen over and over in my education how a change in the environment can affect everything involved. Changes in climate aren't going to just make summer hotter, they can affect our food and water sources and disease rates. Pollution can make us very ill. Amphibians also serve humankind in many other ways, from pest control, food source, pets, potential cures for disease, to bait animal. They will be severely missed if nothing is done to stop their extinction.

I feel it is my duty to do as much as I can to be a good steward to the Earth. Its here to be used, but not abused. For more detailed information on global amphibian decline, please read this good editorial I found. :) Amphibian ark also has a wealth of information and sort of serves as a main portal for amphibian conservation.

Your First Challenge!

2009-10-04T16:22:00.005-04:00

So based on the idea of reducing landfill waste mentioned in my previous post, I am presenting your first challenge: Sell or give away usable items instead of throwing them in the trash. It doesn't even have to be usable sometimes; people take cars, appliances, etc for scrap and then parts are recycled or reused that way. Trash just doesn't disappear, it has to go somewhere! There are people out there who would probably love your trash. You may think that shirt is outdated, but someone somewhere would just like some clothes! And it keeps things out of the landfill. I think this is especially important for moms. Think of all the things we have that hardly ever get used! I've had clothes that Dmitry wore one time, toys he doesn't like, things he has gotten bored with very quickly...What a shame to waste it.

In addition, if things are reused enough, less things will be produced in the first place.

Last but not least, giving things away that can help others always gives you the warm fuzzies. :)

You could try:
-Ebay or craigslist. Its really easy!
-Having a garage sale.
-Consignment shops
-Flea markets
-Starting a book exchange
-Put things on the curb or by the dumpster. They may have a way of disappearing! If you absolutely must get rid of something quickly, its important not to put things in a dumpster. Put it in front or beside it, you'd be surprised who might take it. I've gotten a palm tree and a vacuum cleaner that way.
-Bartering! I've heard this is making a huge comeback due to the economy..
-Exchanging things with friends. This can be extremely fun, particularly if there is alcohol involved hehe.
-Giving it to charity (Thrift Stores/Local Shelters/Churches/Animal Shelters). Some places take stuff you may not even think of. Our local spay/neuter clinics requests old towels. Charities recycle cell phones to help buy calling cards for deployed soldiers. The Lions Club collects old eyeglasses for those who can't afford to buy their own. Many of these charities can give you paperwork for a tax write-off. I particularly like donating to places who help people get job skills or employment. Some places use donated cars to train mechanics, computers to train repairmen, and computers are sometimes utilized to train people how to use them! In our area we have the Dignity Project which has placed almost 650 cars (repaired by students and volunteers) to low-income, single parent families. They also sell cars at low prices to help families who can't qualify for free ones, and the profits are used to fund the organization. They have branched out to include computers as well.
-FREECYCLE! I can't say enough about freecycle. Its one of my favorite things in life. There will be a whole post dedicated to it in the near future. The best part is that people can get your items from your house! No work beyond posting an ad is required on your part. Then when you need something, you can request items. I've gotten plants, cloth diapers, and even rocks all for free! But be warned, it can be addicting. I often just look for things to give away once I'm in the groove.

What other ideas do you have to deal with your unwanted things?
Do you know of any charities looking for specific things?

New Wood Alternative

2009-10-04T10:25:00.012-04:00

I just saw this interesting video on CNN. Some people are trying to come up with a new more earth-friendly building material. It biodegrades much faster and isn't produced with timber or petrochemicals. (These are essentially chemicals made with crude oil or other similar products. Usually nonrenewable.) Can't wait to see how it holds up!

I tried to find out more about building materials in landfills (as 40% of landfill waste surprised me!) I didn't find much but I did find out there is a website based overseas where builders are giving away or selling unneeded surplus to fellow builders. Very cool.

Green living and Expense.

2009-10-03T12:23:00.017-04:00

So I realize that most people who are going to read this blog already do care about the environment. In fact I've started a poll to monitor this. My ultimate goal, however, is to try to convince maybe a couple people to join the Earth's side. Even if you decide that being frugal and not green is important, many of my upcoming suggestions will still help! Don't get me wrong, I am still happy to share things with my brothers and sisters in arms :).

A big problem in our society is that being environmentally friendly has a stigma that it is expensive or inconvenient, and I don't believe that is the case. Some of this can be attributed to a concept called "green marketing". Essentially many companies are profiting off of those who wish to live green by jacking up prices and misleading consumers with environmentally friendly claims. Have you ever seen a shirt with an environmental message? Check the tag. It may have a nice message but may not practice what it preaches. Products are sometimes labeled green that contain ingredients which don't agree with mother earth. Much of this is not regulated. Of those labels that are regulated, they are difficult to enforce, and opponents who are in the position to lose money are always putting out misleading information. For example a recent news report came out citing a study that organic produce wasn't healthier than non-organic. After looking at the actual study, it turns out organic food had no additional nutritional content, but the study had not examined additional health factors, such as long term cancer rates. Being an informed consumer is important.

Sometimes environmentally friendly choices are more costly because they can be more expensive to produce. Plant extracts can sometimes be quite expensive relative to lab made chemicals. The plants have to be found or grown, and then processed. This idea can also go farther to include environmental and social justice. Growing coffee without destroying the rain forest is more complicated, possibly more labor intensive, and produces less coffee per acre. Some products pay people "living wages" which essentially means they are paying them enough to live, not pennies a day to maximize profits. Spending the extra money is my choice.

However, don't let this fool you into thinking that green living is not affordable! I try to do many things that can and probably will save a lot of money. Lowering your electricity usage, growing your own vegetables, making your own cleaning products, reusing things, and buying second hand all help your wallet and the environment.

In the spirit of this post, I have decided to have several features on this blog.
1) I am going to try to have a weekly "challenge" for readers where I will post simple things people can do to reduce their impact on the environment. I will try to make these easy on the pocket book as well. Sometimes I will post things I haven't even tried yet and work my way along as well :) Maybe people can give me some challenges!
2) I would like to do reviews of green products to keep people from having to waste money finding good products. I know I have had to use several types of dish washing detergent before I found one that actually works! I will take suggestions :)
3) I will also post general information posts (such as an using and caring for cloth diapers, general overview of climate change, etc). I would also like people to submit ideas for this..
4) I would like to share how much of an impact people can have on their environment. Although some of these things may seem small, remember that many people doing little things can make a HUGE difference. As the saying goes="Think globally, act locally". I want to remind people WHY they should care...My first post will explain why I care! Then I will try to post relevant news articles showing how nature is important to humans, humans are important to nature, and demonstrate different ways our actions impact our environment and other people around the globe.

Hello and Welcome!

2009-09-25T22:28:00.001-04:00

Hi!

I'm Kirsten. I am starting a new blog to keep track of my hectic life and have a place to chronicle the challenges of being a new mom! More importantly, I would like to share ways to live green while being a wife, new mother, and a poor graduate student.

So, in essence I am a greenhorn to motherhood, but I'd also like to serve as a 'green horn' on spreading the message of green living! Yes, that's really cheesy. Making green choices is often not only easy, but also financially rewarding as well. Sometimes navigating these choices can be confusing however. I know! It took me MONTHS to figure out all about the modern cloth diapers!

Now that this cheesy foreword has been completed, let me tell you more about my life.

I have been married to my amazing husband, Paul, for about a year and a half. We were lucky to introduce our first son, Dmitry, into the world on May 30. Hes was the best surprise I've ever had! I am currently a graduate student at the University of Florida. I am a herpetologist, which is a person who studies reptiles and amphibians. I love music and creatures, including the little creepy crawlies and slimies.

My hope is that this blog will become a mixture of information about green living in general, environmentally friendly products particularly for baby/mother/households, motherhood in general, and interesting things about ecology and nature. I'm sure random things from my life will show up now and again as well. :) I also enjoy controversial subjects and occasional rants about current events and politics. A few upcoming topics will probably include: cloth diapering, homemade baby food, container gardening, and green feminine products. These are mainly things I am working on in my personal life and would like to discuss and share with others. I will of course be required to rant about global amphibian declines. Huzzah!

I am hoping for interaction in my blog so I can also learn from others!

So, thanks for stopping by! Things will probably start out slowly as being a graduate student and mother leaves approximately 5 minutes a day for free time. Thats just enough time to waste time playing zoo games on facebook and use the bathroom. Washing my hair has sort of gone out the window these days. I plan to slowly make this page prettier over time. Lastly, I am also a notoriously sloppy typer. Please forgive me.