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Archive for September, 2009

Teensy Meansy Halloweensy

Monday, September 28th, 2009

Just in time for Halloween, here are a few new designs I have finished. Select one (or more!) and I will hand embroider it on a shirt that you select (see full description below). I still have the uber-cute red monster design for sale too.
Charming Little Black Cats
Funky Orange Aliens
Simply Frightful Navy Blue Bunnies
Ravenous Red Monsters

Teensy Meansy Onesies/Shirts – $15.00 (+ shipping if applicable)
*$5.00 discount if you buy more than one item!
It’s true that only a mother could love some of the Teensy Meansy faces that grace our onesies or t-shirts, but we think they are so scary they’re cute! I will hand-embroider the face onto a onesie or t-shirt (please specify a size and style).
Teensy Meansy faces are handmade from two layers of recycled t-shirts (machine sewn – turned and top-stitched) and felt. I fuse and then hand-embroider the eyes and mouth on, and then do the same thing when attaching the face to the shirt. (At your request, I can finish it off by putting interfacing on the back).
You may consider laundering your Teensy Meansy garment in a lingerie bag and/or washing it on a more delicate cycle. While I construct the faces so that they are sure to stay put, a little caution can’t hurt. Each recycled t-shirt is pre-washed, checked for holes/stains/tears, and ships to you from our cat/fish friendly and smoke-free home.
Onesies and t-shirts are brand new and made of 100% cotton. I prewash and dry them before attaching the faces, so they may have shrunk from their original size.

*Please select a onesie or t-shirt and specify long or short sleeve. At this time, I am offering white Gerber brand long or short sleeve onesies/t-shirts or Hanes short sleeve t-shirts. I would not recommend sizes under 12 months or over a youth small. I would be happy to use a shirt that you ship me (you pay shipping) – I will even give you a $3.00 discount on the price.

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Posted in Stuff I Sell | 3 Comments »

Banana Nut Muffins

Sunday, September 27th, 2009

I love banana nut bread, but when I make it in a loaf pan, I can never get it to cook through correctly. Either the outside is too done, or the middle isn’t done enough. I decided to give it a try in muffin form, and I also changed my mom’s tried and true recipe to make it healthier. Below is my modified version; these measurements make a double batch (it made 4 dozen regular muffins and 2 dozen mini muffins). I rarely bake anything in a single batch, it’s so much easier to make more and feed the freezer.
I will probably try them next time without the muffin cups – they really stick to the paper. If anyone has tips on how to avoid that, please share them! I will also try them next time with a cup of honey and no brown sugar. Finally, no mini-muffins next time; the big ones are SO much better.
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup raw honey
2 Tbsp butter (softened)
8 bananas (mashed)
1 cup milk
6 cups flour (half wheat, half unbleached white)
7 tsp baking powder
1-2 tsp cinnamon
4 Tbsp flaxseed meal
1 1/2 tsp salt
Nuts (I used about 1 3/4 cups chopped pecans)
Dried cranberries (I probably used about 1 3/4 – 2 cups)
Mix together brown sugar, honey, and butter. Add bananas and milk (I mixed the bananas in with an electric hand mixer). Slowly add the dry mixture, stirring it in by hand. Add nuts and berries. I gave everything a good mix with the electric hand mixer before putting it in the muffin cups (fill about 2/3 – 3/4 full). Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
My taste tester approves.
Have a banana nutty day,
~d

Posted in Feed the Freezer, Food & Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Recipes | 6 Comments »

It was THIS big!

Friday, September 25th, 2009

Some of the ideas Kieran comes up with just amaze me. We have a book that we read daily called “My Grandma and Me.” In said book, the grandma takes the grandchild fishing (the text reads: “we like to go fishing without any hooks”). At one point months ago, I casually mentioned that Auntie Shawna (or “YaYa,” as Kieran calls her) loves to go fishing.
Two weeks ago, we were playing at a park with a fishing pond. We happened to be on the dock when a little boy and his parents caught a fish. Kieran didn’t seem terribly interested, but that night he started grabbing at the page about fishing and saying “YaYa!” while doing the sign for fish. This happened every time we read the book. I would ask him “do you want to go fishing?”, and he would practically scream “Yeah! YaYa!”, while frantically signing fish.
It got to the point where I hid the book, he was so upset about wanting to fish. It was a classic fixation.
Finally, I broke down and begged Shawna to come fish with us. She fishes all the time, and we already had an understanding that she would be taking Kieran on his first fishing expedition – we just didn’t know it would be this soon.
Shawna showed up yesterday with a kid-sized fishing pole. Kieran was fascinated. We drove to the pond and Kieran made a beeline for the dock.
Within minutes of Shawna and Kieran putting the hook in the water, they had their first bite. Whatever was on the line was pulling so hard, I started getting worried that we’d find a turtle.
When we got our first glimpse of what was at the end of the line, Shawna and I squealed so loudly that we drew an audience.
Kieran’s first catch was a catfish – and he was a big’un! Probably two pounds or so. We had to walk the line around the dock so Shawna could climb down into the weeds to pull him out of the water. Kieran was not quite as excited. He was pretty hesitant to touch his first fish, but he did manage to swipe a quick finger down the catfish’s soft, slimy side.
In the thirty minutes we were there, Kieran caught 6 or 7 fish: one catfish and the rest bluegill. He loved putting the bobber in the water, he was a little reluctant to pull a fish back out.
It was an awesome first experience fishing for him! Of course the first time he ever goes to a different lake, he’ll wonder why the fish aren’t biting every five minutes.  ;)

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Posted in Activities for Toddlers, Educational, Fun & Games, Just for Fun, Kieran, My Family, Toddlerhood | 6 Comments »

My Response to Your Comments on Simply Divine

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

My response was so long that I got cut off when trying to post it as a comment, so I’ll just make a new entry.
I have good news – I found someone who will act as judge for the contest. Brookie-Lee runs a wonderful store called Happybottomus.  Happybottomus is a green baby store that carries Earth-friendly mama and baby products, including the Diva Cup!
Brookie-Lee is going to give a special discount to anyone who comments on the Simply Divine post: you will receive 10% off of any non-diaper item and 5% off of any diaper item. Be sure to let the salesperson know before you ring up (or include a note in your order if you’re buying something online).
Also, please be sure to check back to see if you won – unless I know you personally or you commented using a profile that linked to your own blog, I won’t have any way to reach you.
______________________________________
And now my comments to you (to be updated if/when more people comment on the original post):
Wow! I am so honored by all of your responses. I wish we could give a Diva Cup to every one of you! I do hope that of the ladies who don’t get a free one, you will still try to scrounge up the pennies to order one of your own. You should get your savings back in 2 months, 3 months tops.
Sara – I know that feeling! The great thing about a menstrual cup is that you can put it in *before* you start your period!! It rocks.
Jill – thank you for giving me some footnote love. I had to restrain myself from “bluebook’ing” my article.
Allison – free is wonderful, but think of how much more invested you’ll be in the cup if you have to buy it ;)
Emily – of everyone who reads this, *you* are the person I would most expect to get on the bandwagon ;)
Jessica – I *hate* pads! Hate them. They are so itchy and uncomfortable!
Mae – you were the one who finally inspired me enough to write the post! I remember you pre- and post- Diva Cup, I wanted to help others see the light :)
Angie – I am so glad that I will have an impartial 3rd party judging comments. I cannot be forced to choose from all of you guys!!
Lindsay – Instead cups are definitely better for the environment than tampons, but since they are disposable, you do run into some of the same problems (albeit less so than the alternatives). I hope you can try a Diva Cup (or some other brand of menstrual cup), I bet you’d be pleased.
Tammy – I love you. I’m so happy that you’re willing to embrace my weirdness (menstrual cups, pee pads, natural birth with all of its accoutrements, etc.) ;)
Michelle – sizing is really easy! http://www.divacup.com/en/home/sizing/
Mandy – well what the heck are you waiting for? ;)
Aravinda – I think that needs to be Diva Cup’s new tagline!
Tonia – the thought of a teenage you listening in shock and horror to your grandma explaining how to use a sanitary belt made me giggle. I’m sorry.
Meghanmongeon – it’s so sad to hear stories from women who were not helped to celebrate such a monumental milestone as their first period. Mine wasn’t “celebrated,” per se, but my mother didn’t make me feel ashamed or anything. It just wasn’t a big deal. If I ever have a daughter, I am going to plan something elaborate :)
bishoujosempai – I was really surprised at the numbers too. One site that I didn’t end up including in the article said that women use over 300 POUNDS of tampons over their lifetime. Yikes, dude.
Stacey – thank you so much for giving one away! Feel free to cut me a check out of your advertising budget too (wink wink! I am *totally* kidding!)
J’s Curious Alley – your comment made me choke on my grape, I snorted so hard. The Diva Cup should solve your problem though, I have definitely never wanted to eat mine.
none – Hmmm, I don’t have an IUD, so I didn’t know that!
Cari – you need to take a break, lady! And I can sympathize with wanting to live a more Earth-conscious lifestyle but not always being able to afford it. By the way, that is one thing I really love about “The Green Book” I cited to – it gives concrete examples of how your small changes can make a big impact. I will be quoting that book in future posts.
broomgrass – I so remember the bulky pads of my teenage years. I was mortified people could see the outlines through my pants!
maileachan – thank you for stopping by!
Monica – I know, the numbers were shocking. Did you see above where I mentioned that women use over 300 POUNDS of tampons over their lifetime?! Ridiculous.
KailaE – thank you :) I’m really pleased that it was educational and fun! That’s exactly what I was going for!!
Jenny Z – obviously, we are sister nerds ;)
AndreiaRFPS – on one of the sites I read while researching this article, it said that some European women didn’t wear any protection 100 years ago – think of the days of the big hoop skirt dresses. It said it would have been difficult to use the bathroom in those things, much less change a tampon or pad. Hmm, I think I would have gone to the trouble. It would have been easier than washing stained clothing!
Heather – what a fascinating connection to the Y2K scare, I’d love to know how this topic came up in that context!
LillyRose – you’d probably be best served by researching the different fits of the menstrual cups, since you are worried about comfort. These sites might be helpful: http://menstrualcups.wordpress.com/
http://community.livejournal.com/menstrual_cups/tag/brand+comparisons
I think the Diva Cup is comfortable, but I never had any problem with how tampons fit (I just didn’t like the dry feeling or the pain when taking them out).
tepym3 – thank you so much for commenting! Many many hugs and congrats for being good to your body. One thing I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older (and had a miracle baby of my own) is how important it is for women to cherish the intricacies of our bodies and souls just the way we are. My hippie mama friends and I have discussed that one several times :)

heffervescent – thank you for stopping by! I’m in the old-fashioned “there’s got to be something beneficial about having periods” camp ;) I also don’t like injecting synthetic hormones into my body. So even though the experts seem to think it’s no more harmful than taking regular birth control, I won’t be doing either. Many wishes for you to have a safe and informed reproductive path (or not reproductive, for now, as the case may be).  :)

Rebecca – how awesome that it’s mainstream enough to grace the shelves of Walgreens!

Erica – I would love to hear more about Asia. This would be handy while traveling!

Ginny – if you don’t win, be sure to check out Happybottomus’s website (linked at the top of this post). They sell Diva cups :)

info – thank you :)

Cheryl – it’s your body, don’t be ick’d out! Be fascinated ;)

rakshasi – thanks for adding your own experience.

none – I wear a (resusable) liner too, I’d rather be safe than sorry. I totally agree with the ick factor of used tampons/pads – very good point! And I told my sister (who is ordering a Diva Cup) to be sure to trim the stem. That thing was horribly uncomfortable.

Funky Little Earthchild – thank you! And I’m sure the Diva Cup pays for itself faster if you’re already using Earth-friendly products. They are pricey!

Naomi – SO much better than pads. No contest!

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Posted in Giveaways, Going Green | No Comments »

Simply Divine

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

My sister’s boyfriend groans inwardly every time my sister and I get together, because we inevitably start talking about something related to the female body. We really can’t help it, it’s all so fascinating! Tom, on the other hand, has either become so accustomed to it that he’s no longer affected, or he’s now able to tune me out at the mere mention of certain words. It’s probably a combination of the two. At any rate, I’ll lose both of them with the next sentence:

Today’s post is about menses. (I’ll wait while several of the male persuasion consult Merriam and Webster about that one.)

Now that we’re alone, ladies, let’s talk about our periods. (And if you stick with me to the end of this long post, there’s a potential reward!) More specifically, let’s discuss the subject of tampons, pads, and one of  their alternatives, the menstrual cup. Tom gave me “the look” when I told him I was going to blog about my Diva Cup. But why not? I haven’t seen any widespread marketing campaigns for tampon/pad alternatives, nor is menstruation a subject that most women discuss over lunch, or coffee, or a rum and coke. Or, ever, really.

That menstruation is taboo is not a new phenomenon, it has been this way for generations. In fact, while there is evidence that women have been using homemade pads and tampons as early as the ancient Egyptians in the fifteenth century B.C., the first commercial pad wasn’t manufactured until almost the twentieth century. (1) This first pad (a.k.a. the “sanitary napkin”) failed, because the makers couldn’t advertise it – such a topic was “improper.” (2) Even when Kotex came on the market around 1920, “[m]arketing these products was difficult because of society’s squeamishness.” (3) The company that made Kotex was so worried that the pad would ruin its image, it created a separate company to sell only pads. “Stores wouldn’t carry [Kotex], magazines wouldn’t advertise it, and sales unsurprisingly weren’t so hot[,]” until Montgomery Ward took a chance on it in a 1925 catalog. With the blessing of the retail giant, and with the “marketing innovation” that allowed women to buy a box of Kotex without having to ask a male store clerk to get it from behind the counter, the mass produced pad became mainstream. (4)

Early sanitary napkins were awkward things. (5) Women wore a belt that buckled around their waist and threaded a pocket between their legs. The pocket could be stuffed with whatever they chose – cotton, cheesecloth, etc.; almost all were washable and reusable. Women weren’t free of belts until the 1970s, when pads finally featured adhesive backings.

Tampons were available commercially (sans applicators) as early as the late 1920s; the first tampon with a plastic applicator appeared in the 1930s. (6) Surprisingly enough, menstrual cups aren’t new either – the first patents appeared in the 1930s. (7) The first cups were made of rubber; today most are “manufactured from silicone because of its hypoallergenic properties.” (8)

And while the market was slowly catching on to the convenience of more modern feminine products, the guys in charge were still reluctant to acknowledge the products’ existence. They were so reluctant that the National Association of Broadcasters banned advertising of sanitary napkins, tampons, and douches until 1972. (9) Today, we are more accustomed to advertisements for feminine products. Unfortunately, we still don’t like to talk about them or our periods.

Menstruation is a big part of a woman’s life. The average woman can have 350 to 450 menstrual periods in her lifetime. (10) Wow! That many periods means we go through a lot of tampons and/or pads. One site estimates that a woman uses almost 17,000 tampons throughout her lifetime. (11)

17,000 tampons. And if you are anything like I used to be, you might wear a tampon and a panty liner, just in case. Let’s stop and ponder the environmental impact of the millions of used tampons and pads floating around our Earth.

One waste consultant estimated “that 6.5 billion tampons and 13.5 billion sanitary pads, plus their packaging, ended up in landfills or sewer systems in 1998. And according to the Center for Marine Conservation, over 170,000 tampon applicators were collected along U.S. coastal areas between 1998 and 1999.” (12) Setting aside the issue of the toxic waste we create by disposing of our sanitary products, consider the environmental impact of the continuous production of disposable products – both the product and the packaging. Not only is there the pollution of the manufacturing process, but there is also the not-so-small matter of the toxins introduced into cotton during the growing process. “No less than 170 insecticides are registered for use on cotton crops[!]” (13) One author predicts that if only one in twenty women chose to switch “to organic tampons, we could eliminate 750,000 pounds of pesticides annually.” (14)

In the US, it’s estimated that conventional cotton farms apply about one-third of a pound of chemical fertilizers and pesticides for every pound of cotton harvested. The various chemicals used to treat conventional cotton can harm beneficial insects and soil micro-organisms, pollute ground and surface water, and adversely affect the health of humans and wildlife alike—including fish, birds, and livestock.

Almost half of the chemicals sprayed on global cotton crops annually—an estimated $2 billion worth—are classified as hazardous by the World Health Organization (WHO). Pesticide residues remain in tampons in the form of dioxins and other potentially harmful chemicals. The vaginal walls are made of the most absorbent tissues in the body, so these chemicals are absorbed directly into the blood stream. (15)

That brings me to my second point: the potential health concerns over using disposable feminine products. Aside from the toxins present due to the growing process, tampons can also contain absorbency enhancers, deodorants/fragrances, and chlorine compounds that are used to bleach the cotton. (16) Some of these substances may be carcinogens; others may “cause irritation, allergic reactions and may upset the vagina’s natural microbial balance.” (17)

Tampons also contain rayon, which is a manmade fiber composed of tiny strands of plastic. These fibers may cause “microtears of the vaginal wall when a tampon is inserted or removed, possibly leaving the vagina more susceptible to infection.” (18) And as we all likely know, both tampons and pads can increase your chance of developing a bacterial infection. (19)

As for the menstrual cup?

They are safe. There are no known health related risks to using a cup. (20) They are environmentally friendly: they can last for years, there is nothing to throw away, and they are not disposable (in the sense that tampons and pads are), so the manufacturing process does not have as negative of an impact.

They are cost effective. If you are concerned about your wallet, consider the cost: an average woman will spend approximately $10 each month on disposable feminine products. (21) You can get a menstrual cup for a one-time investment of $20-$30, and it should last you at least a year; some claim that their cups last up to ten years. Let’s say you spend $30 on a menstrual cup that you use for five years – that equals a savings to you of $570 (if you had spent $10/month in the same amount of time). Awesome!

They are comfortable. I’ve used mine for four cycles now, and I don’t notice its presence once I’ve inserted it correctly. (Insertion, by the way, has been my biggest complaint. It is a skill that you perfect over time, but it’s not really complicated.) One complaint many women have about tampons is that they cause overdryness. “More than a quarter of the fluids absorbed by a tampon are, in fact, natural and necessary vaginal secretions.” (22) Because menstrual cups collect, rather than absorb, fluid, you should not experience the feeling of dryness caused by tampons.

They are easy and clean. Menstrual cups hold more fluid than a highly absorbent tampon, so you need to “change” them much less often (normally two to four times on even your heaviest day). All you do when it’s time to change it is (carefully) pop it out, empty the cup into the toilet, give it a rinse (not necessary, but I always do), and reinsert. In between cycles, you should sterilize the cup by boiling it. And because of the secure seal they form, they are more effective than tampons or pads, plus they are perfectly safe for any activity – no leaks. For the record, I also use a thin cloth panty liner, just in case.

There are many menstrual cups to choose from. I use the Diva Cup; the other popular brand in the U.S. is The Keeper, and this Wikipedia page lists several other manufacturers.

______________________________

I have been so excited to share all of this with you, and if you’ve made it with me this far, (thank you!) there is a possible reward. The makers of Diva Cup are super cool, and they’ve agreed to sponsor a contest. Leave your comment about why you would like to try a Diva Cup. It can be serious, funny, clever, informative, or a straight plea for Diva Cup mercy.
I (and probably an impartial third party) will choose the best comment, and that person will receive a Diva Cup absolutely free! The winner will be chosen on October 1st, so please submit your comment no later than midnight on September 30.
I look forward to reading everyone’s comments. Also, be sure to tune in for an upcoming post on another hush hush topic . . . toilet paper!!

***Be sure to check back on October 1st to see if you are the winner. I’ll need to figure out how to contact you so Diva Cup can send you the correct size cup!***

(1) http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2252/who-invented-tampons (“The Straight Dope”) (quoting Freidman, Nancy, Everything You Must Know About Tampons (1981))
(2) The Straight Dope (citing Delaney, Janice, Lupton, Mary Jane & Toth, Emily, The Curse: A Cultural History of Menstruation (2d ed. 1988))
(3) The Straight Dope (citing Delaney, et al.)
(4) The Straight Dope (quoting Heinrich, Thomas & Batchelor, Bob, Kotex, Kleenex, Huggies: Kimberly-Clark And The Consumer Revolution In American Business (Historical Perspective on Business Enterprise) (2004))
(5) http://mum.org/belts.htm,http://www.mum.org/belt1908.htm
(6) The Straight Dope
(7) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstrual_cup#History (“Wikipedia”)
(8) Wikipedia
(9) The Straight Dope
(10) http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm?aid=1879
(11) http://www.emagazine.com/view/?510 (“E Magazine”)
(12) E Magazine
(13) http://www.fresh-moon.com/part-environmental-cost-menstrual-pads-tampons-a-22.html
(14) Rogers, Elizabeth & Kostigen, Thomas M., “The Green Book” at 105 (2007)
(15) http://www.greenyour.com/body/personal-care/feminine-hygiene/tips/choose-organic-tampons-or-organic-pads (“Green Living”) (citing http://www.sustainablecotton.org/html/who_we_are.html)
(16) http://www.miacup.co.za/eng/why_features.php (“Miacup”)
(17) Miacup (citing Armstrong, Liz & Adrienne Scott, “Stop the WhiteWash” (1992), Toronto: The Weed Foundation)
(18) Miacup
(19) Miacup (citing Wroblewski, Sandra Sieler, “Toxic Shock Syndrome” (January 1981), The American Journal of Nursing, vol. 81 (1), pp. 82-85; Neff, Melissa G., “Acute Female Cystitis”, US Pharmacist, vol 26 (9))
(20) Wikipedia
(21) http://www.comfyclothpads.com/
(22) Miacup (citing R. Levin et al., “Absorption of menstrual discharge by tampons inserted during menstruation: quantitative assessment of blood and total fluid content” (July 1986), BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, vol. 93 (7), pp. 765–772)

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Posted in Giveaways, Going Green, frugal living | 45 Comments »