Family Friday: How to Strengthen Your Family’s Immune Systems

All the media coverage of swine flu, or influenza A H1N1, is causing some people to panic. As I listened to the news on my way home from dropping my youngest at preschool, I could feel my own worries growing. So I started thinking about what action I could take. Action is a great antidote to panic!

Once I took a deep breath (OK, a couple of deep breaths), I realized one of the best things would be to make sure my kids, Rich, and I have strong immune systems. Our time at preschool, elementary school, and work gives us exposure to plenty of local germs. I wanted to make sure all our defenses were in tip-top fighting shape for whatever we encountered.

Here are some of the best ways to bolster immune systems. As I wrote this, I was struck by how many of these items have multiple benefits. If we did these things all the time, my family would be leaner, happier, and healthier. Read more

Product Review for Priti Nail Polish and Polish Remover

It is safe to say that, in many ways, our girls are girly girls.* Whenever I sweep, I find glitter in the dustpan. When dressing in the morning, we often hear requests for “skirts that twirl.” The girly girl side of them meant that nail polish was needed. Read more

Be Green While Conceiving

You might have, ahem, other things on your mind if you are trying to conceive but know that there are green choices even in this portion of your life.

Richard and I have been open about our earlier battle with infertility, in part because we felt so alone at the time. One topic that has come up repeatedly in our conversations with others is how helpful we both found the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health (Revised Edition)
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler.

There are many, many ovulation predictor kits and fertility monitors on the market, some of which are quite pricey, but the information in this paperback book was truly valuable. After reading the book, I was able to accurately track my cycle with nothing more than a thermometer and a piece of paper. Read more

Organic Linen Sale at Gaiam

I just received an email from Gaiam highlighting their current sale on selected organic cotton sheets and towels. The sale is for 20% off their (already good) prices on organic cotton items. To access the sale, visit their website at Gaiam and type “organic cotton” into their search bar. The items on sale have their sales prices marked. This sale ends November 24, 2008 so check it out now if interested.

In case you are in the midst of your holiday shopping, these would make good gifts! Gaiam is an earth-friendly company so even your greenest friends and family members would be excited to see a package from them. Gaiam was the first company to use a carbon-neutral shipping program, which they developed with The Conservation Fund. The program, called Go Zero, allows customers to add a small, tax-deductible donation at checkout. Each donation is used to plant trees, which offset the carbon dioxide emissions that result from shipping the order. Their mailing supplies are comprised of 100% recycled materials. Gaiam can also provide gift wrapping for your package. Read more

Need for Alternative Fuels Larger than Today’s Gas Prices

Over the past several weeks, I’ve read several articles questioning whether the desire for alternative fuels will remain intense if the price of gasoline drops long-term. The latest is today’s Oil Shock column in the Washington Post. Read more

Making Life Greener – Simplify Your Soap

One of the goals of Greening Families is to help families make their lives greener more easily. To that end, we are adding the “Making Life Greener” series to the site. This series will profile simple changes you and your family can make to green your lives. No family is alike so pick and choose the changes that work best for your family now. As we go along, we’ll organize the suggestions in a variety of ways to help you group changes if you prefer. Read more

Yet Another Reason to Consider Joining a CSA

I’ve previously highlighted some of the benefits our family has experienced since joining a Community Sponsored Agriculture or CSA group to expand our food horizons. New research published in the recent Wisconsin Medical Journal provides further reason to add more fruits and vegetables into your family’s diet. Read more

Congress Bans Some Phthalates from Children’s Toys

Earlier this week, Congress agreed to ban several types of phthalates from children’s toys as well as to consider a future ban on other phthalates after further study into their health effects on children and pregnant women. (The above link leads to the Washington Post, which is a free site requiring registration.)
Read more

What Does ‘Body Burden’ Mean and How Does this Affect My Family?

When I first heard the term ‘body burden,’ I thought it had more to do with remaining baby weight than anything else. (It’s still alright to call it baby weight when the babies are no longer babies, right?) Body burden actually refers to the accumulation of toxic chemicals in one’s body. You read that correctly – toxic chemicals are building up in your body and, even more frightening, in the body of your child. Read more