A trip to McSmith's Organic Farm

I always love visiting new markets and farms in the area. Recently I took a jaunt out to McSmith's Organic Farm, just south of London. (Yup, I just said "jaunt" - I really am a mother now). I have always been meaning to go but just never got around to it. You know how it goes.

My baby does eat meat but it's important to me that she eats only organic meat. There will be no Fresh Co. specials for her! 

We picked up some large organic eggs for $5/dozen and a couple packages of organic lean ground beef at $5.00/lb. McSmith's advertise that they provide affordable organic for families, and I would say that's true. I was happy with my bill.

McSmith's Organic Farm is located at 42828 Shorlea Line in St.Thomas.

Which local markets do you like to go to?

Making Mommy Connections

I never thought that I would be one of those moms that would be hauling their baby off to playgroups, swimming lessons and story time at the library. It's really quite shocking that I now do all of those things and actually enjoy them. It's for my baby but also for my sanity, let's be honest here.

We signed up for a 10 week playgroup where we had discussions, play time, songs...and free muffins. We meet other moms for walks in the park and play dates. We took a 4 week Infant Massage class at Childreach. We took swimming lessons at South London Community Pool. And we took a Mommy Connections class.
     

We signed up for the 8 week Mommy Connections Mom & Baby class. Our classes were held at the Combine Centre in London. Besides swimming lessons, this is the only activity that I have paid for! It was well worth it.

The great thing about the Mom & Baby class was that you got a little taste of everything. Each 90 minute class featured two speakers/guests. Half of the class would be an activity (eg: yoga, infant massage, dancing) and the other half would be educational (eg: oral health, cloth diapers, baby carriers). Unfortunately I was away on holidays so I missed a few classes, including the day everyone got their pictures taken.

If you are a new mom and looking for a way to get out and meet other moms, then I definitely recommend the class.

Mommy Connections London
mommyconnections.ca
Facebook - facebook.com/MommyConnectionsLondon
Twitter - @MommyConnectLDN

Homemade is best

Homemade baby food is more nutritious and more economical than store bought food. In order to achieve a long shelf life the foods are heated to very high temperatures to sterilize them, which kills vitamins and nutrients.

Hannah started on solids about a month ago. The first food I attempted to make was rice cereal. It did NOT go well, let me tell you. The recipe seemed simple enough - grind up some brown rice, cook in water, and puree with breast milk or formula. Well the rice to water ratio in the recipe book I have was not even close to correct, so I ruined my first two batches. So now my man is in charge of making all of the cereals.

It's so easy (with the exception of cereals, as noted above) to make your own baby food and really doesn't take much time at all. I make food in large batches and freeze so I am not spending a lot of time in the kitchen each day preparing food.  Much to my chagrin, we are using our Baby Bullett!

I am also purchasing organic meat for my girl. There has been some debate in our house if Hannah should eat meat at all, as I am vegetarian. Since she will be eating some meat, I don't want that meat to be injected with hormones and who knows what else!

Measure 1 cup of long grain brown rice

Use milling attachment on Baby Bullet (if you have one)

Cook ground brown rice in water until done, and then transfer puree to blender. Whirl until smooth while adding breast milk or formula.

Freeze in ice cube or silicone trays and then transfer to storage bags or glass containers

The Cost of Homemade

Chicken

Where to buy: I bought boneless skinless chicken breasts from Field Gate Organics in Covent Garden Market
Cost: $13.95 (2 Breasts - $5.58 & $8.37)
Yield: 9 servings (current serving size is 2 tablespoons)
Cost Per Serving: $1.55

Brown Rice

Where to buy: I bought NuPak Long Grain Brown Rice at Fresh Co.
Cost: $1.97/900g (equal to about 3.5 cups)
Yield: 1 cup of rice yields 19 serving (current serving size is 2 tablespoons)
Cost Per Serving: 1 cup of rice costs about $0.57. That means each serving is $0.03.

Do you make some or all of your own baby food?

Sunscreen & DIY Bug Spray

There have been a lot of articles on the dangers of most popular sunscreens. They might not be providing the protection that they should and actually might increase children's chances of getting some cancers. It was important to me that I purchase a sunscreen that is made in Canada, is chemical free and fragrance free.

I am using the following sunscreens this summer:

Green Beaver Kids Sunscreen SPF 30
Price: $18.95/90 mL
Where to Buy: I purchased at S&H Health Food Store in WhiteOaks Mall

Belly Buttons & Babies Sunscreen SPF 30
Price: $24.95/250 mL
Where to Buy: I received a small sample of this sunscreen in my Little Eco Footprint June box. You can purchase this product on the Belly Buttons & Babies website.

On The Environmental Working Group website, both Green Beaver and Belly Buttons & Babies Suncreen received a score of 0-1, which is low hazard. 

DIY Bug Spray

I want to try making my own bug spray. Here is the recipe that I am going to try.
(Source: The Healthy Chickadee)

Ingredients:

• pure witch hazel
• distilled water
• essential oils
  
  Combine 4 oz. of witch hazel in an empty spray bottle. Add 20 drops of essential oils. Fill the bottle with distilled water.
  
  The Healthy Chickadee says the following herbs naturally repel bugs: Citronella, Lemon Eucalyptus, Cinnacmon, Rosemary, Lemongrass, Peppermint, Clove, Lavender, Cedar, Geranium, Basil, Catnip. The more essential oils you use, the more effective the bug spray.

Baby Food Storage - Silicone, Plastic or Glass?

My little one will soon be six months old so it's time to start thinking about starting her on solids. We received a Baby Bullet as a gift. I thought all I needed to do was go out and buy plastic ice cube trays for freezing food and I would be all set. 

You can buy ice cube trays that are BPA free, but is that good enough? When I was looking into plastic vs. glass bottles, I read that even BPA free plastic bottles can still have some chemicals that leach into the milk/formula.

What IS the Baby Bullet made of? Is it safe for baby food prep? What about silicone? Is silicone safe for babies? So many questions.

Alicia from The Soft Landing contacted Baby Bullet and asked:
"What Type of Plastic is the BPA-free Baby Bullet Made From?"

Response: "The Baby Bullet food contact plastic (blending cups, storage cups and Batch Bowl) is made of BPA-fee AS (Acrylonitrile Styrene). Other parts of the unit are made from ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) and PP (Polypropylene), and the Batch Tray is made of silicone. Only the motor housing is made of PC (Polycarbonate) which is not a food contact item). All materials above are BPA-free except but the PC (Polycarbonate) Motor Housing."(Source: The Soft Landing)

I didn't find anything saying that Acrylonitrile Styrene will seriously harm you, but I did read that research on risks associated with AS is ongoing. As I mentioned above, most plastics release chemicals so I simply don't trust that any plastic is safe.

I found an interesting article on silicone. You can read it on the Safbaby website. It sounds like silicone is a safer alternative than plastic, but how safe is it? Am I just thinking too much about this? I feel like after all my googling I don't really have a solid answer.

Glass is still the most eco friendly option. It is reusable, recyclable and made from natural raw materials. Yes, it is more expensive than plastic. I am sure it is more difficult to get frozen food out of a glass container as well. My mom suggested small glass canning jars as an alternative to plastic ice cube trays which I think is a great idea. It's almost important to make sure glass containers are freezer safe.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this or if you have read any good articles on plastic, silicone or glass food storage. What do you use for your baby food storage?

Organic Mattress Covers

My girls crib - soybean mattress & organic cotton sheets

My brother and his lovely lady have a baby on the way. He has actually been reading my blog posts and asking some questions about which products I purchased. I decided to write a follow up on my post from July about Organic Baby Cribs. You can read the post here.

I didn't end up purchasing a mattress from any of the suppliers that I listed in the post. I found a local store, Tummies to Tots, that carried a soybean mattress. I think I paid around $170.

My baby is still sleeping in the bassinet, so I haven't been in a rush to buy a mattress cover. I decided to see what canadian retailers had to offer in the way off mattress protectors.

Many synthetic and plastic mattress covers contain chemicals that are not healthy for anyone. A vinyl cover is not a safe choice. Polyethylene is the safest plastic available. You can read more about preventing toxic off-gassing when you can't afford to buy an organic mattress here.

Canadian Suppliers:

Lusso Baby - Vancouver, BC
Baby Natura Organic Baby Crib Mattress Pad
Price: $99.99
http://www.lussobaby.ca/Baby-Natura-Organic-Crib-Mattress-Pad-BM98971.htm#sthash.RRfjZje5.dpbs

Lil Helper - Toronto, ON
Bamboo Mattress Protector
Price: $69.00
http://www.lilhelper.ca/organic-bamboo-crib-mattress-protector-made-in-canda-toronto-crib-mattress-protector/

Dormio Organic Beds - Mississauga, ON
Organic Cotton Crib Mattress Pad
Price: $113.00
http://dormio.ca/displayproduct.asp?pID=259&catid=5

I am going to be ordering the Bamboo Mattress Protector. The price is right, shipping is free, the item is made in Canada. Most importantly, it's safe for my baby.

Cleaning, Grandma Style

It's spring cleaning season. Maybe it's time to think about what you are using to clean your house.  Commercial cleaning products can not only be costly, but also bad for your health and the environment.

My grandma used to use vinegar and hydrogen peroxide as an antibacterial cleaner. Vinegar and water to clean glass. I think she was on to something. It's time we all went back to cleaning grandma style! I am not sure when we became so lazy as a society that we buy products like Lysol Wipes and Swiffer Wet Jets.
 
All it takes is a few safe and simple ingredients to clean your house. Here a couple of recipes that I use:

Vinegar & Hydrogen Peroxide.

Antibacterial Cleaner
Fill one spray bottle with hydrogen peroxide. Fill another bottle with vinegar. Don't ever mix the two in the same bottle!

Glass Cleaner
Mix equal parts water and vinegar in a spray bottle. Wipe with newspaper.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Place 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup borax, and 1 cup vinegar in toilet bowl. Mix with bowl brush and let sit for about 30 minutes before scrubbing.

You can also find some great green cleaning recipes on the David Suzuki website.

Happy (chemical free) cleaning!

"Sell it girls, don't give it away!"

That's David Snivley in the middle, doing his Caribbean workout!

"Sell it girls don't give it away!" - This is what David Snivley would shout out during TSN's Caribbean Workout. Do you remember this show?! I would occasionally do the caribbean workout in my parents basement back in the day, and for some reason this quote has stuck with me. David Snivley wasn't referring to clothes, but that's what I'm talking about.

If you have been reading my blog, you know I am a big fan of buying baby items off Kijiji. I refuse to buy from people that:
A) put little effort into their ad or B) can't spell.

If you spell "clothes" as "cloths" or "diapers" as "dippers", then I really don't want to buy anything from you. I also hate when people take a picture of a giant pile of clothes when they are selling a lot of clothing. You can't tell what anything looks like or what condition the clothes are in. I take the time to craft a nice little Kijiji ad, and I expect the same.

I like to try and sell items on Kijiji so that I can make some money to buy more things off Kijiji. If the items don't sell, then off to Goodwill they go.

Here are some recent items I have sold:
 
Bummis SuperBrite Diaper Covers
Details: 3 Newborn Size Cloth Diaper Covers
Paid: $41.97 + tax
Sold: $20.00

0-3 Months Lot of Clothing
Details: 7 Sleepers, 2 Footless Sleepers, 3 Onesies, 2 Piece Outfit, 3 Piece Outfit, New with tags - 2 Sleepers, 2 Onesies, 1 Outfit
Paid: $5.00 (Most of the items were received as gifts, and a couple of the items I purchased from Once Upon A Child)
Sold: $25.00 

Rub-a-dub-dub - Homemade Baby Wash is in the tub

Don't buy commercial baby products. It's pretty simple. Look at the ingredients listed on the bottle. I am pretty sure you haven't heard of most of them. There's a good chance some of those ingredients are harmful.

For example, a baby wash that I have claims to contain 95% plant ingredients and be eco friendly. Most people think this is probably a safe choice for your baby. One of the ingredients is Sodium Benzoate. I obviously had no idea what that was. I did some googling, and there are loads of articles on the possible dangers of it.

I recently read an article in EcoParent Magazine regarding Baby Care Lotions & Potions. I won't bore you with the whole article, but here is a great excerpt:
"You might wonder how children's products could possibly contain toxins. The answer is that petroleum-based synthetic ingredients are the cheapest to produce. Combine this with loose government regulations, an obtuse attitude by the chemical industry, and trusting consumers - and you have your answer."

So the point is, I decided I wanted to try making some of my own baby products. Like many people, I am addicted to Pinterest and have found some great pins on how to make your own personal care products. Here is one of them.

Homemade Baby Wash

Recipe from Crunchy Farm Baby.

The Ingredients:
- Dr.Bronner's Unscented Mild Pure Castile Soap
- Vitamin E Oil (I used Moroccan Argon Oil, which contains Vitamin E)
- Distilled Water
- Essential Oils (optional) I used Tea Tree & Lavender

The Directions:
In a soap bottle (foaming dispenser or pump bottle), combine 1/4 Dr.Bronner's, 2-3 drops of Vitamin E Oil, 10 drops of lavender essential oil, and 2-3 drops of tea tree oil. Then fill the bottle with distilled water.

The Cost:
I purchased the Dr.Bronner's, Argon Oil and Tea Tree Oil at Lyn-Dys and the Lavender Oil at Bulk Barn.

- Dr.Bronner's - $6.29 for 236 mL (on sale)
- Argon Oil - $11.19
- Tea Tree Oil -$8.99
- Lavender Oil -$12.99

This might seem like a lot of money when you can buy a bottle of Johnson & Johnson's Baby Wash for $4.99. Remember, the essential oils are optional. Also, I only used about 1/5 of the bottle of Dr.Bronner's. (So you are really spending $1.26 per batch on the castile soap)

Let me know if you try this recipe and what you think! I am really happy with how it turned out.

Little Eco Footprint & Peaches

"Healthy, Organic & Eco-friendly products delivered monthly for mom & baby!" 
That's Little Eco Footprint, a new company based out of London, ON.

I received my first box in the mail today. Each box is sent out on the 15th of each month and the cost is $25 (includes shipping).  

Millions of Peaches

So I am pretty sure I am most excited about the Caspar Babypants CD that was included in the box. Caspar Babypants is actually Chris Ballew, the guy who was the lead singer in Presidents of the United States of America. Who can forget their song "Peaches" - I know I can't. Millions of peaches, peaches for me!

We put the music on for Hannah and instantly became those parents we used to make fun of, who sing and dance around to horrid kids songs.

In The Box

Other stuff in the box worth noting - a wood car toy (wood is sustainably harvested), teething bling (jewelry that i wear and baby chews on), mama cream (for stretch marks) and chocolates (which i ate within 2 minutes of opening the box).

I am really happy with my first box! You can find out more about the company by visiting their website or Facebook page.

Size Small

A lot of people seem to buy a lot more house than they need. Some are also buying houses they can't necessarily afford. I grew up in a small bungalow with one bathroom. There were 4 people in my family. I am sure at times my parents would have liked more space, but we managed to get by. My parents weren't in debt up to their eyeballs and didn't have a credit card. They lived within their means.

According to a Globe and Mail report:  "in 1975, the average size of a house in Canada was 1,050 square feet. Fast forward to 2010 and new homes being built almost doubled to an average of 1,950 square feet. In 1999 the price of a home was 3.2 times income, this had ballooned to 5.9 times income in 2010."

I can't believe that people are spending so much of their income on housing. Also, imagine not having your house paid off when you are retired? To me that is really scary.

A view of my small (but efficient) kitchen.

Benefits of Small Space Living

1. Less to clean. I am slightly obsessive about cleaning. I couldn't imagine having to manage a larger space.
2. Lower carrying costs. We have a very low mortgage payment. Insurance, property tax, and utilities are reasonable. 
3. Less room for stuff. We simply don't have the room for a lot of things, so I think before I buy something and am constantly decluttering.
4. Not as much worry about rising interest rates. When we have to renew our mortgage, we don't have to worry about how we will afford it. If we had bought a house we could only afford because of a low interest rate, we might be in trouble.
5. Smaller footprint. Buying small means less energy consumed. Better for the environment!

Don't get me wrong, there are definitely drawbacks to a smaller space. But for the most part I am really happy with living small!

Call me Joanne McLeod

I am pathetically out of shape. I really need to get in shape but can't seem to get motivated. So, when I was at the London Bump, Baby and Toddler Expo, I received this postcard and was sort of intrigued.

Move More Mommy is a Postnatal Exercise Research Study through Western Health Sciences. You have to be between 12 and 52 weeks postnatal (okay, apparently this isn't true because I am only 6 weeks postnatal), have not been physically active more than 2 days per week for the past 6 months (or in my case, not active at all in the past 6 years), are able to participate in moderate intensity exercise (I'm not so sure if I am), and have access to the Internet (who doesn't, it's 2013).

So I decided to participate in this little study. I had to go to an orientation this week, and it was a little alarming when my 3 minute exercise step test had me totally winded. Next week I have to do a full blown 45 minute class so that should be interesting.

Here is a short list of why I am taking part in this exercise program:

- I attend one exercise class each week at the YMCA, but I get a free membership for the entire 8 week period. So I can go to the gym (for free) whenever I would like during that time
- I get to exit the house
- I may become slightly more in shape
- I get to fill out a lot of surveys (fact about me: I love a good survey)

So each week I get to throw on my New Balance runners and see if I can become the next Joanne McLeod. We will see how this goes!  

Baby essentials according to Kim

I spent a lot of time looking into what was really essential for our baby because I didn't want a house full of stuff. Items like a bottle warmer, bottle sterilizer and wipe warmer just aren't necessary. Babies really don't need that much, and I had intended on keeping things as minimal as possible. 

Since we had a baby shower before Hannah arrived, I only registered for items I thought we needed. However, due to having extremely generous family and friends, we received far more than we registered for! Just when I thought we couldn't possibly receive any more gifts, they kept coming in after Hannah was born.

We have so many receiving blankets, toys, books, and clothes that I feel guilty. She simply doesn't need all of this stuff! If anyone is having a baby and wondering what items are necessary, I have compiled a list of Hannah's must-haves for the first month of her life! This is all of the "other" items outside of a crib, stroller, car seat, etc.

Pictured above: Overly cute baby

Hannah's must-haves:

Sleepers & Onesies: About 12 sleepers and 12 onesies should do. We have a lot more than that, but 12 is really all you need. Newborns are basically in sleepers and onesies all of the time. It's nice to have a few cute outfits, but they are more of a hassle to put on. Note: Sleepers with zippers are alot easier than ones with snaps.

Sleep Sounds: We use a combination of things to help soothe Hannah to sleep. She loves her Baby Einstein Sea Dreams Soother. I also play a Rockabye baby CD to her every night. This week it is U2. At this point, I am getting a little sick of the lullaby version of Sunday Bloody Sunday, but whatever helps!

Baby Carrier: Sometimes I just need to get shit done. With a baby carrier Hannah can come along for all of my mundane household chores. I also use the carrier for walks.

Swaddler: Sure, you can just use a receiving blanket to swaddle your baby. But life is so much easier with a product like "The First Years Easy Wrap Swaddler" (that's what we have). It has velcro tabs that makes a nice fit every time.

Burp Cloths & Washcloths: I like the Kushies brand when it comes to burp cloths and washcloths. They aren't cheap and thin like a lot of other brands. Plus the items are actually made in Canada. Shocking.

Blankets: A couple of nice blankets to keep baby warm. We have about a dozen, but only use our favourite few.