Composting Tip
Oct 18, 2008
Does your indoor compost bucket start smelling stinky quickly? Here’s a tip I’ve found to be most useful. If you line your compost bucket with newspaper it helps to keep the odor down as well as making it easier to dump it all out once full. The newspaper can go in the compost along with kitchen scraps. Your compost pile shouldn’t smell much if done correctly. All you need is the proper balance between ‘browns’ and ‘greens.’ The newspaper in the bucket serves as a ‘brown’ in amongst all your ‘greens’ and that’s why it helps. :)
Posted In: Green Living | Gardening • Comments (1)
Baklava!
Oct 16, 2008
I tried my hand at making Baklava the other day. I’m planning on freezing it so we can get it out to celebrate after the baby is born. This is a sentimental thing for me since my parents made Baklava when I was born at home!
Amy Carroll has a great baklava tutorial that I used. I love how she adds grated orange peel! The only thing I did differently was to make it with pecans instead of walnuts & almonds (they were all out at the store). It did take longer than I thought because of all the layers and the fillo dough was a little tricky at first. After tasting it though I can say it was well worth the effort! It took a great deal of self-control not to eat more than one piece!
Posted In: In the Kitchen • Comments (1)
NOT Better Homes & Gardens
Oct 15, 2008
How many times do you open up a magazine and see a picture of a house as it is in day-to-day life? Everything is color co-coordinated with very few belongings actually pictured. There might be perfect, fresh fruit on the table and no dirty dishes in sight. Blogs can be this way too. With a blog, I can control what I choose to share which can sometimes give a wrong impression. It might appear that I have it all together; that I serve fabulously nutritious meals everyday, that I spend all day nurturing my daughter, or that everything I do is environmentally friendly. Some days go well and I’m able to keep things clean and keep a good balance to my day. But a lot of times my days are quite imperfect.
I live in a community that HIGHLY values perfectionism and orderliness so I feel the pressure of that. Thanks people like my dear friend, Jami I’ve been able to let go of that pressure so that it doesn’t control me. It’s so freeing! I think we all need a break from the pressure of having a spotless home at all times. WE know that our home isn’t always perfect and we may believe the lie that we are the only ones that live that way. So, to help sever that lie, here’s a refreshing look at my kitchen this morning. Cheers to being real! (Ok, now that I’ve uploaded the picture, you can’t tell how messy it is, but believe me, it IS messy!)
On that note, I need to go fold the laundry that’s been sitting in the laundry basket for two days and put away the wilting produce! :)
Posted In: My Life • Comments (1)
Puppet Theatre
Oct 15, 2008
Puppets are a lot of fun and inspire so much creativity! It’s fascinating how puppets seem to captivate the attentions of young children. For Emma’s 5th birthday this past week I decided to make her a puppet theatre. Amy Karol has written a fabulous book titled, “Bend the Rules Sewing” that I just love! Each step of her sewing projects are accompanied by simple diagrams that make sewing easier for visual people like myself. Thanks to her easy-to-understand instructions I was able to make it. Because I wasn’t feeling up to it the week before her birthday I ended up sewing it the day of her party. I didn’t finish it until 30 minutes after her party was supposed to start! Yikes! Thank God for my husband who graciously welcomed guests and served up the Haitian food that he had spent days preparing! What a sweetie!
Posted In: Crafts • Comments (1)
Types of Plastic & Their Health Effects
Sep 19, 2008
I have to say, I’m not a fan of plastic. There are just too many health issues associated with it. I’ve replaced a lot of plastic in my kitchen/home with glass. It’s taken time to do this but I figure that each container I replace reduces the amount of chemicals we’re exposed to. While avoiding plastic altogether is the safest bet, sometimes that can be hard to do. Here is a guide to the various types of plastic that will help you choose the safer options when there is no other option:
#1 (PET or PETE) This is a very common plastic, most commonly used with bottled water. This type of plastic is intended to be used only ONCE and then recycled. This type has caused developmental delays in unborn babies and young children born to workers exposed to the chemical.
My advice is stay avoid water bottles whenever possible and never reuse them. There is more to the whole bottled water issue than just the health of the plastic it’s packaged in. Most bottles aren’t being recycled and the water that’s in them usually isn’t any better than tap water anyway.
#2 (HDPE) Research is still being carried out regarding this plastic but so far it appears to be the safest option available.
#3 (Vinyl or PVC) A component of PVC called phthalates causes many of the problems associated with this plastic. Potential health effects include: endocrine disruption (mimics estrogen), asthma, allergic symptoms, decrease in sperm count, DNA damage in sperm, & brain cancer. Phthalates can be found in such products as toys, wallpaper, cosmetics and anything made of vinyl. The European Union, Fiji, Argentina & Mexico have already banned phthalates from being used in plastic toys for young children (Interesting that the U.S. still hasn’t banned it. Europe usually seems to be ahead of us health-wise).
#4 (LDPE) Research ongoing. Appears to be a somewhat safe option. The downside is this type may not always be accepted in recycling programs.
#5 (PP) Research ongoing. The second-best plastic option.
#6 (PS) (One form is “styrofoam") Possible health effects: Endocrine disruption that can cause serious reproductive & developmental problems. Hot, oily foods are especially bad in this plastic as they cause the container to leach the chemical, styrene. This type should especially be avoided by pregnant women.
#7 (Other) This plastic often contains Bisphenol A (BPA), the chemical that many are trying to avoid in plastic baby bottles. BPA can be found in “dental sealants, eyeglass lenses, toys, consumer electronics, CDs, DVDs, medical equipment, cans, and reusable water bottles” (Source 2). BPA is also used as the lining in metal food cans (Grrr. That one makes me mad!). Possible health effects include: reproductive system damage/cancer, low sperm count and early puberty.
Summary:
Choose glass whenever possible!
Best plastics: #2, #4, #5
Worst plastics: #3, #6, #7
Here’s a handy guide to the plastic codes that I keep in my purse: Plastic Code Quick Guide
Sources:
Life Without Plastic: Plastic Types chart
Environmental Working Group: Are Plastics Safe?
Posted In: Nutrition/Health • Comments (1)
