TGIF! Have a great weekend and Mother’s Day all! I am hoping to kickstart my weekend this morning with a viewing of Dark Shadows at the theater and then watching the Central East Regional CrossFit games on ESPN3 since some of the guys/gals from my gym are competing. Go team CFNA! It would be lovely to go in person since they are in Columbus, OH but I think my kids would be bored out of their minds. The rest of the weekend is pretty up in the air. We have been invited to a picnic and there is an herb festival the next town over. Lots of possibilities.

Stuff I am Reviewing…

Nature Box – This is another one of those monthly box deals and it is all about healthy snacks. We enjoyed our box and would have enjoyed it much more prior to going paleo since a couple of snacks were grain based. The dried cherries were phenomenal though, yum! My husband also really liked the dried veggie crisps and my kids did enjoy some non paleo snacking for a time. My kiddos never had a fig newton before trying the ones in this box, LOL. That kind of blew me away.

This concept is really awesome if you have a hard time sticking to your guns when it comes to healthy snacks. I don’t think they are organic but they are pretty natural and without artificial sweeteners, HFCS, food dyes, and other nasty stuff. The promo code HEALTHY may be used for 25% off your first month of subscription, if you care to give them a try.

Full Circle Fresh Air Kitchen Compost Collector - We got this shortly before Earth Day and I gave it a try. I didn’t realize at the time that it relies on bio plastic baggies to collect the kitchen scraps and I am not a fan of that but it it is still a good kitchen option for those who are not composting. It sits on your counter and you just drop the scraps in as you collect them. Every 3 to 4 days you are supposed to remove them but we typically went longer than that. There was no smell, which is a bonus, but it did attract fruit flies. I will be donating or freecycling mine as I just don’t like having to use plastic bags.

A Hadaki Cosmopolitan Tote bag – They consider it an eco-friendly option because their products are AZO free, contain no Phthalates / DEHP or DBP. I think we differ somewhat in our definition of eco friendly but I do not mind plastic based tote bags so much because they are durable and reusable. This particular bag is quite awesome in size and I can see myself taking it to the farmer’s market, the local pool, and to BlogHer12 in New York City (only 3 months away!) to carry all my goodies.

Astroglide Natural - Got some of this last week. I am not going to go into how I personally like it since that’s none of your business. :) I do however like that so many of the companies that make these personal lubricants are removing the toxic ingredients! Astroglide has no glycerin, fragrance, parabens, or alcohol. I also ran the ingredients list through the Skin Deep database and all scored a 1 or 2. Pretty good.

Books I am Reading…

The Other Baby Book: A Natural Approach to Baby’s First Year was one of my recent reads. I am not expecting nor will I ever be again, or that’s the plan at least, but I still enjoyed reading this book. I think it would have been much more beneficial to read a book like this when I was newly pregnant instead of the standard What to Expect books. It challenges many of the conventional ideas on birthing and baby care and it is so refreshing! It really takes a look all aspects of bringing a life into this world and caring it, and re-frames normal. I liked that it strongly advocates for attachment parenting and using your intuition as a guide, keeping birth interventions to a minimum, breastfeeding on demand, co-sleeping, and elimination communication among many other things. The tone was also very upbeat and encouraging, not scary. A+

168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think - Just finishing this book. It basically addresses the fact that we all have 168 hours a week to work with and that most of are not actually crunched for time we are just not using that 168 hours wisely and in ways that make sense for our dreams and goals. If we make sure to fill those hours only with things that deserve to be there, we build the lives we want. I really enjoyed this book.

Fifty Shades of Grey - Had to read it after all the media buzz and I was kind of surprised to find that I was not the least bit shocked by this book. I adored it actually and ordered the next two pronto. The author has been quoted as saying it is like the grown up version of Twilight (but with BDSM instead of vampires?) and I agree.

Other Link Worthy Stuff…

Love this Kickstarter Project for an iPad Sustainability story.

Hoping to make and eat soon… these Raw Lemon Pie Bars and these grain free Cake Batter Balls.

This Climate Change Carnival at Big Green Purse has many awesome links including one of my own articles. Check it out when you get the chance.

BlogHer Green also featured my stinky towels post.

Enjoy your weekend!!

TGIF! Have a great holiday weekend and spend lots of time hugging your babes and other loved ones. I am not religious so I tend to view this holiday as time I get to spend with my kiddos (and extended family) as they do something they love, like hunting for colorful eggs and getting some little treats. Whatever this season means for you… enjoy.

I kicked off the weekend with a good CrossFit workout… rowing, running, burpees, situps, pushups, squats, rope climbing, kettelbell swings, and hip extensions. Most of these were AMRAP or as many rounds/reps as possible. It was a tough one! I dived into my car afterwards and downed a dark chocolate coconut water. Lots of magnesium and potassium for recovery, plus it tastes like chocolate milk. Bonus! I will probably take a bath in magnesium flakes later too.

My post last Friday about my thyroid had some concerned about my carb intake. I am aware that there are a few in the WAPF blogging world who have suddenly decided that a high carb diet is best and that eating ice cream and pretzels for dinner is the way to go. First, I am not buying it, AT ALL. Second I am not low carb, nor is paleo low carb. What I am experiencing with my thyroid was due to calorie restriction. Not eating enough caused my body to be severely stressed, which made my thyroid go crazy. I upped my calories and things are improving. I can’t say everything is 100% fine now but that is because it is really darn easy to send your thyroid into a tailspin and really darn hard to work your way out of that. That is just the way it works unfortunately.

As for being me being low carb or paleo being low carb…. nah. This morning I had a cup of greek yogurt mixed with 4 Tablespoons of Linwoods Ground Flaxseed, Cocoa, Strawberries and Blueberries. I also had the coconut water. By 8:00 a.m. I already had over 60 grams of carbs and 50 or lower is generally considered low carb. I will end the day somewhere around 100-130ish grams. So no, not low carb. If you eat dairy like I do or have lots of fruits and veggies I am not sure how you can go low carb. I prefer to concentrate on getting good quality carbs instead of relying on junk carbs (like grains) and sometimes that is harder but oh well. My health is worth it. Love this satire article posted by Lea of Nourishing Treasures about all the reasons why going high carb is good for you. Losing weight from amputation?? I really shouldn’t laugh but I can’t help it.

Okay on to other stuff.

On My Bookshelf…

Reading Before They Are Gone right now. It is about a Dad who is uniquely positioned to see how climate change is affecting our National Parks and he decides his kids need to see them before they are forever changed. Thus he takes them on a year long journey to visit these endangered places. So far, very good.

Just finished Body Sculpting with Kettlebells for Women. It is an amazing book and I highly recommend it. Kettlebells are what you see in the photo at the top of this post and I have fallen deeply in love with them. Yes, I even wear a miniature size kettlebell necklace daily. This book demonstrates why they are so awesome and superior to dumbbells. I can testify to what the book says about how they manage to work deep muscles, down in your core, that dumbbells are ineffective with. My first workout with kettlebells I was sore for days and I had been working out 3-4 times a week with dumbbells for over a year and never got all the deep muscles that the kettlebells did. I was also used to heavier circuit machines weights… think 100+ pounds. After using Kettlebells once I could barely get on and off the toilet and had to get assistance taking my clothes off. I knew from there that these were miracle devices. Just one move, the Kettlebell Swing, works 9 different muscle groups. It would take 9 different dumbbell exercises and their corresponding reps to get the same results. The author also talks about how she was a workout junkie and had to workout 2 hours a day to keep her physique. Now she works less than half that, thanks to kettlebells.

On the docket is All the Money in the World which is supposed to be a good book about changing your perspective where money is concerned, to view it as a tool instead of a resource.

Also plan to read Pandemonium, the sequel to Delirium, which I loved. It takes place in a world similar to the one in the movie Equilibrium (which rocks BTW!) where everyone has decided that emotion is the source of all strife and so they medicate it out of you. In this book series they surgically alter the brains of their citizens to make love and deep emotion impossible. Why it is that I love dystopian novels so much cannot be explained. I think maybe it has to do with the inner strength required to stand up to the establishment.

Link Love for the Week…

My lovely friend Stephanie at Good Girl Gone Green is giving away some organic and natural hair conditioner that she uses in conjunction with no poo to combat dryness. Make sure to stop by and check that out.

The aforementioned friend also alerted me to this article written by Annie Leonard of Story of Stuff fame. It is about consumer guilt surrounding Apple products.  It was timely for me because this month or next I plan to get the iPad 3 and it is a source of guilt for me. It will be my first iPad and the only other Apple products I have are my iPod and Shuffle which I bought 8 years ago and still use to this day. I think I am doing pretty good not buying things I don’t need or upgrading just because a newer, better model is out. Maybe I can ease up with the guilt.

Mark Sisson at Mark’s Daily Apple wrote a great article on Why Eating Meat is Ethical in response to the NY Times Essay contest. He is limited as to what he can bring into his argument because there is a word count and also a request not to mention issues like sustainability, factory versus pastured, local , etc. That is just plain ridiculous but his article is good. It might be said that in many ways he avoids the question by highlighting why we shouldn’t even question the ethics of meat because we aren’t questioning the ethics of plant based diets, which is also riddled with environmental problems and death to animal life. It is not a cop-out IMO, it is a valid point.

Fellow CrossFitter and green mom blogger Paige wrote about why she is doing CrossFit and is not going to go paleo. For those not familiar, CrossFit and paleo go together like peas and carrots. She quoted me in her article as well as fellow paleo gal Deanna Duke of Crunchy Chicken.

Spotted this article, The Toxic Truth About Gluten-Free Food and Celiac Disease, this week and enjoyed it as well. I too am not down with the gluten free trend I see. Gluten free junk is still junk no?

This HuffPo article, More Americans Went Without Medicine Last Year, made me appreciate how deal sites like Groupon are making it easier to get medical services you might need or want. I support these sites/deals because I want to see more of them. I get chiropractic care, acupuncture treatments, and just recently bought lab work of all things. The lab works includes a complete Thyroid profile, lipids testing, Vitamin D 25-hydroxy test, Iron profile, blood-count, C-reactive protein test, glucose, and Potassium. It’s good to have all this info so you can see where you are with nutrients and adjust your diet where necessary. You may think your diet is healthy and meeting all your requirements but what does your blood say? I hope to see naturopathic services on these sites soon. I think that so much of our healthcare problem in this country can be fixed with diet and exercise instead of medication but we still need a way to access cheaper services directly and deal sites are filling this need for many.

Also wanted to share that Abe’s Market is now offering sample products of many of their natural, green products and food. You pick the 3 samples you want, pay $2.00 for shipping, and you get to cheaply test some great products. They sent me a sample box and I really like their idea/concept. They also happened to send me some NutCase Crunch (a paleo cereal) which is a big favorite of mine. How did they know??! I also got a vegan soap with Yerba Mate leaves and an organic Cocoa Calendula Balm for irritated skin. All of it was great and I see some other stuff I would like to try as well. Can’t beat the price either. Check it out when you get a chance.

When my two youngest kiddos were little, I wore them close to me via ring slings, pouches, and wraps. I knew nothing of these amazing devices when my oldest was born but they sure would have been a lifesaver since he was my neediest baby by far. Wearing your baby was something that I was introduced to when I looked into attachment style parenting and it just seemed like a no-brainer way to not only deepen the bond with your child but also a great way to minimize gadgets and gear meant to entertain baby. The baby benefits from having a secure, safe environment that is close to mom and makes them feel protected in the same way swaddling does. Cooking, laundry, household chores, hiking, traveling, etc all became much easier for mom (or dad) when you can just put on a sling and wear your babies around. Baby wraps and slings are amazing!

Comfy Joey is a company that offers absolutely gorgeous ring slings and pouches. They are functional of course but also beautiful. I LOVE the colors. Their linen slings come in lots of great colors. If I were still in my sling years I am sure I would own several! The ones that really stood out to me were the mesh water slings. These can be worn wading in the pool or in the shower. Love them! I always stuck my babes on the bathroom floor with some toys and hoped they wouldn’t get into stuff while I showered. How much easier … and fun… life could have been if we could have showered together with one of these slings. ;)

The company is also mom owned which I always preferred in my sling buying days. It is owned and operated by Ayesha Ghatala Shoaib. Ayesha discovered babywearing after the birth of her second child and founded Comfy Joey when he was only a few months old. Now Ayesha is the proud mother of four. She still considers babywearing a valuable tool as she runs her business while raising her children.

The company has graciously offered to give one of my readers a $100 voucher to Comfy Joey. Woot! The giveaway will run from today through Sept 30th. To enter please like Comfy Joey and Gather for Good on facebook and then leave a comment on this blog post. For a second entry please share this blog post with friends and leave a second comment letting us know that you did, and how. A winner will be chosen at random.

Not only do you have an opportunity to win the prize you are also helping out with a great cause just by entering. 10 cents will be donated by Gather for Good to Bruce Roseneberg’s FIGHT against Stage 4 Melanoma Cancer for every valid entry made in this giveaway. You can read more about Bruce’s fight against cancer here. You can also help support Bruce’s fight by shopping at Comfy Joey and using coupon code BRUCE. 15% will be deducted from your total purchase price when you use this code, and that same 15% amount will be donated to Bruce’s cause. You can also donate to Bruce directly through paypal at rosenberg [at] comporium.net.

Good luck!

This giveaway made possible through Gather for Good.

UPDATE: We have a random winner!! Material Girl Green! Congrats!!!

One of my fave stores, Reuseit, it having a sale on their awesome Black + Blum lunchboxes. You may have just bought up some lunch boxes for the kiddos but these are deluxe adult versions, perfect for a working Mom or Dad. If only they had these when I worked outside the home! Right now Reuseit has them discounted more than 20% off which makes them a steal.

The Box Appetit has removable nesting containers so that half your lunch can be heated while the other half can remain cold.

The bento lunchbox is a smaller, sleeker version. Its unique design, deep tray and sauce container make it easy to use as a take-out container and to enjoy any meal on-the-go.

Enjoy!

We aren’t all that big on desserts around here. I think that may be because we live within 15 minutes of what has been called America’s best ice cream… the local artisan creations from Jeni’s. I have no problem loading the family into the car and making a trip there once or twice a week but recently we decided that needed to change some. We aren’t worried about our health or the size of our jeans. Rather we are trying to reduce the “dining out” portion of our monthly budget. Dagnabit! Since we can easily spend $30+ for each trip to Jeni’s we decided to get creative and make more dessert at home.

The first way to accomplish this was pretty glaring. We can have Jeni’s at home by using the recipes in her book Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home. So once or twice a month we plan to make some of her delicious recipes. Secondly we want to make more frozen kefir and frozen yogurt. I have made my own frozen yogurt from homemade yogurt but I have yet to make my own frozen kefir. Sadly I let my kefir grains die over the summer and need to buy some more but when I passed some Lifeway Frozen Kefir at the market I decided to give it a whirl.

We have tried two flavors now… original and strawberry. My 5 year old and I went to town on the strawberry and ate the whole container earlier this week. Don’t tell my other kids! I reserved the original for dessert tonight and spiced it up with some homemade blackberry compote. YUM!!!

The blackberry compote was super easy. I just simmered a cup of blackberries with 3 Tablespoons of Thai Coconut Sugar and a couple tablespoons of water. When it was sufficiently reduced and thick I blended it up in the Vita-Mix and poured it over the kefir. The one pint size was perfect for me and my 3 kiddos (Dad works at night). Divide by four and serve. I can see us buying these more often in the future. At $1.24 per serving (family of four) it will definitely help us keep the budget in check.

If any of my readers want to give it a try Lifeway has graciously given me a couple coupons for a free pint. Comment to let me know you want one and I will draw a winner at random next week. Good luck!