a little more help...

here are some basic tips for overall plastic safety, in case the last post had too much info:

Tips for Making Preventative Changes

HealthyChild.org has done an excellent job of arming us with the knowledge we need to begin making some foundational changes. Here are a few tips from their website to help you get started:

• Avoid baby bottles and sippy cups made of polycarbonate plastic. Choose non-toxic baby feeding gear made of glass, polyethylene, polypropylene (recycling symbol #’s 1, 2 or 5), polyamide or polyethersulfone (PES). There are many safer bottle and sippy cup options available. You can find a very helpful BPA Free Bottle and Sippy Cup Cheat Sheet at Safemama.
• Look for the recycling code (#1-7) on plastic bottles. If unlabelled, call the manufacturer to ask about the plastic used. Try to avoid #3 PVC, #6 PS, and #7 polycarbonate.
• Avoid heating breast milk and infant formula on the stove or in the microwave in plastic; dangerous chemicals are more likely to leach when you heat in plastic containers.
• Avoid plastic bottles that have decorations printed on the inside. These run into formula when it’s been heated. Also, avoid disposable nursers, as the plastic bags may leak or burst.
• Choose fresh, frozen and dried foods over those that are canned. (Metal cans are lined with plastic.)
• Make plastic your last choice: buy and store food in glass, ceramic or metal containers, as most plastic types have been reported to leak chemicals into food.
• Avoid dental sealants, which may contain BPA, for children’s baby teeth.
• Do not heat plastics, especially if they contain fatty foods. Heating fatty food in plastics can cause greater leaching.
• Microwave in glass or ceramic only. Do not use plastic wraps, plastic cutlery and dinnerware (such as plastic plate holders).
• If using plastic storage containers, make sure hot food items have cooled before placing them in the container.

original article here

Plastics 101 with Dr. Alan Greene

I realize people (esp people with kids) don't need one more thing to worry about when it comes to health, but for anyone who's ever wondered about which plastics are safe, here's help decoding all those codes.

from:The Soft Landing Blog

Plastics 101 with Dr. Alan Greene

Plastics 101 with Dr. Alan Greene

Healthy Child Healthy World + Dr. Greene + Plastics 101 =

In the same down-to-earth style of his must-have book Raising Baby Green, Dr. Greene takes the often confusing subject of plastic and exposes its bare-bones foundation in a way we can all understand.

Know Your Plastics

by Dr. Alan Greene

Plastics are everywhere. Some are eco-friendly and appear to be very safe for kids. Most are made from non-renewable petroleum, much of which needs to be imported. Some plastics cause dangerous pollution during manufacturing, and some contain chemicals suspected of causing harm – especially to kids.

You might choose to replace plastic water bottles with a refillable stainless steel version, or to replace plastic toy blocks with wooden ones, plastic teething chews with organic cotton, or plastic jars with glass. Even so, you’ll probably find yourself using a lot of plastic.

To select the plastics that are best for your children and for the environment, get to know the easy-to-identify plastic recycling codes you’ll usually find on the underside of the bottle or packaging. Look for these numbers and symbols before you buy. The safer plastic choices are coded 1, 2, 4, and 5. Try to avoid 3, 6, and most plastics labeled with number 7.

• Code 1: PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate). You’ll most commonly see this in the thin, clear plastic of bottled water (or bottled cooking oil, peanut butter, soda, etc.). It’s appears safe for single use, but these bottles should not be reused, refilled, or heated. This plastic can be recycled once into new secondary products, such as textiles, parking lot bumpers, or plastic lumber.
• Code 2: HDPE (high-density polyethylene). This is the thicker, milkier or opaque plastic found in milk and water jugs, juice bottles, detergent, shampoo, and motor oil containers, and toys. Unlike #1, these are safe to refill and reuse, even though they may not look as snazzy as #1 or #7. Recyclable once into products similar to those for # 1 plastics.
• Code 3: PVC (polyvinyl chloride). Found in bibs, mattress covers, squeeze bottles, cling wrap, some peanut butter jars, and a few other food and detergent containers. The manufacture of PVC releases dioxin into the environment, a potent carcinogen that accumulates in animals and in us. It may also contain phthalates, chemicals used, among other things, to soften plastics. Some phthalates are hormone disruptors that have been linked to possible reproductive problems and birth defects, and even to smaller penis size in boys. PVC workers have higher cancer rates. May be discarded at the recycling plant. AVOID #3!
• Code 4: LDPE (low-density polyethylene). Found in soft, flexible plastics such as those used in grocery story bags, plastic wrap, dry cleaning bags, shopping bags, and garbage bags. One of the safer plastics – but recycle, don’t throw away. Many of these bags could be better replaced with reusable bags, especially when shopping.
• Code 5: PP (polypropylene). Found in hard but flexible plastics, such as those used for ice cream and yogurt containers, drinking straws, syrup bottles, salad bar containers, and diapers. One of the safer plastics – but recycle, don’t throw away.
• Code 6: PS (polystyrene). Found in rigid plastics such as opaque plastic spoons and forks, and in Styrofoam, such as those found in coffee cups and meat trays. These plastics can leach styrene, a known neurotoxin with other negative health effects. AVOID #6.
• Code 7: Other (including polycarbonate, nylon, and acrylic). This is a grab bag symbol. It includes polycarbonate, an important source of the endocrine disruptor BPA, and found in most baby bottles. Polycarbonate is also common in 5-gallon water bottles, sports bottles, clear plastic cutlery, and in the lining of food and formula cans.

But code 7 also includes some of the newer, compostable green plastics, such as those made from corn, potatoes, rice, or tapioca. (I wish they would make a code 8 for these!) AVOID # 7, unless it is labeled as one of these new bio-based plastics.

Whatever plastics you choose, when microwaving food or drink, try to opt for glass or ceramic containers instead of plastic, where possible, and wax paper instead of plastic wrap.

This year two of the largest toy retailers have announced new guidelines to cut kids exposure to phthalates in their toys. Wal-Mart and Toys R Us (and their Babies R Us stores) have taken the lead in requiring independent third-party lab testing of each batch of toys imported to the US for sale in their stores to slash kids’ risk of being exposed from their toys. I hope more companies (and state and national governments) will take similar steps. In the meantime, Know Your Plastics!

Source: Healthy Child Healthy World

Posted in Bisphenol-a (BPA), Glass, Phthalates, PP (Polypropylene), PVC, Safer Materials Used in Feeding Gear, Toxic Chemical Research Tagged: BPA, Dr. Alan Greene, Healthy Child Healthy World, Plastic Codes, PVC, Raising Baby Green, Recycling Codes, Toxic Plastic

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more pool pics

frog pool

thanks grammy jo :).

Christmas 1977

guess who?

famous baze

been meaning to blog this for a while... at Hudson's shower (before he was born), some dear friends got him this sweet onesie... and the company they ordered it from liked it so much, it's featured on their site (as what to get when the pesky expecting couple won't find out the baby's sex)!
http://www.sunnysideupboutique.com/new.asp?cat=Chic+Baby+and+Kids&sCat=Onesies
(you'll have to scroll down a bit :)

walker boy

hudson is SO excited to be walking... here's a pic of him early last month when it was still very new :)...

slings

making baby slings this week...

i found a great pattern online - super simple... you can stuff it in a purse, & it won't make you & baby hot! the great thing about these slings is that i've used the same one since he was just a few months old... you just change the way you carry your baby in it.
http://www.mykarmababy.com/pages/BabySlingPattern.php

i'm on a roll, so if you want help making one (or feel helpless & would like me to make one for you :) let me know!!

this isn't a very good pic, but Hudson's in a sling i just made with some cool fabric we picked up in Tanzania...

beth

beth moore offers a great audio bible study broadcast weekly...
go to this link... it's updated every monday... right now she's doing romans & talking about the stronger & weaker brothers... good stuff!

http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Living_Proof_with_Beth_Moore/

shrimp new orleans

mom's recipe...


SHRIMP NEW ORLEANS

2lbs shrimp (in the shells... mom says it's more fun that way)
1 stick butter
1/2 small bottle Tabasco sauce
lots of garlic (like 8-10 cloves or so, chopped or pressed)
OOPS! i forgot the Worcestershire sauce! Wet it all with some Worcestershire sauce!!
french bread for dipping

1. spread out the shrimp on a broiler-safe pan
2. cut butter on top of shrimp
3. splash Tobasco all over the shrimp
4. press garlic all over the shrimp
5. broil until tops of shrimp are done (a few minutes)
6. flip shrimp over with a spatula
7. broil until done (no more grey -- all pink, but not too long!)

Sit around the table with close friends, stick the pan in the middle, peel & eat while dipping bread into the sauce. Have cardiac doc on call.

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

my mother-in-love just sent this to me.... thought it was blog-worthy! let me know if you try it!!


5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional) (NOT OPTIONAL IN MY BOOK!)
a small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug
Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well.
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world?
Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

update

a HUGE thanks to Matt, Deb, & Emma for taking some awesome family pics of us during our visit!

to catch you up, we moved into a townhouse about a mile from work in july, Hudson turned 1 on August 26th, walked about 2 weeks before that & got his first tooth about 2 weeks later...

we're back to work with the JESUS film, but we've been assigned to full-time support-raising due to our low monthly income... we had the chance to reconnect with a supporting church & lots of current supporters in the Ohio area, but we're looking for more! we're trying to make up a lot of lost support & to raise additional to cover increases in health care, cost of living, ministry expenses & various other increases related to having a baby :). we are praying we'll be back on the field by early next year!

mike primarily works from home, but is going into the office once or twice a week -- mostly to work on support -- but also to keep abreast of what's happening in his new position -- he'll be taking over the production of new JESUS film translations & recordings for Europe (including Eastern Europe & Russia), the Americas (north, south & central), and an area called "Oceania", which includes Australia & New Zealand... so we're anxious to get back to work! A big push right now in JESUS film is the translation & recording of a new tool targeting women called "Magdalena"... to learn more about this film, which focuses on Jesus' interaction with women during his time on earth, go to http://www.magdalenamovie.com/.
caryn is also looking into ways she can be involved with the ministry... she's been helping a bit with an event at headquarters & is doing research for a writing project related to Magdalena when she's not chasing Hudson around or going to the free Jazzercise classes at headquarters - the doc says she's got osteopenia in her hips, so she's committed to weight-bearing exercise!
in mike's free time, he's gotten back into his kempo classes, volunteering doing handyman stuff at church, and is currently helping a friend get a roof on his house.

birthday boy... a little late