Planting

is easy with the EarthWay planter!
My husband purchased it several years ago for me.
I love it!
You can find more info here.

I planted the Saturday before Mother's Day. It was a beautiful day to be out & the dirt felt wonderful between my toes.
Every year I have big dreams for my garden, this year was no exception. I am laughing now, because, there is no way I will be able to keep it weed free this summer. Tilling is pretty much out for this pregnant mama. The funny thing is, I don't really care. Weeds or no weeds, we will still have yummy produce to eat.

I planted Sweet Corn for fresh eating & Indian Corn, wellllll because it looked fun.
My dad plants a couple acres of sweet corn for us to freeze each year, my measly row of sweet corn won't provide much for my hungry tribe of sweet corn lovers, but it will satisfy a few meals.

Every year when I plant,
I doubt
I question
Will those little tiny seeds really sprout?
Will they grow into plants that produce?
Year after year, I get the same results...
about 10 days later, little green flecks start to line my garden.
Why do I doubt?
Because I can't see what is taking place in the seed under the ground.
I don't understand what happens as the soil houses the seeds, the spring rain nourishes, and God's miraculous engineering unfold.
It's a lot like our lives.
We speak Truth into those around us


French Fillet Green Beans are our favorite.
We have 4 rows of them!

Tenderette Green Beans produce later in the season & longer than the French Fillet.
We have those too.

Hopefully soon, green shoots of:

Radishes Peas Lettuce Green Onions Onions Cucumbers Pumpkins Corn Green Beans Brussel Sprouts
Potatoes

Will be popping!


There it is, minus the tomatoes, peppers & herbs.
Those will be going in today or tomorrow.

Now, to keep the weeds down...
Any suggestions?

Personal care Products

Taken directly from The Environmental Working Group

Better products are truthful in their marketing claims and free of potentially worrisome ingredients. Some products might make claims like "gentle" or "natural," but since the government does not require safety testing, personal care product manufacturers can use almost any chemical they want, regardless of risks.

How to read a label
Every personal care product must list its ingredients. Here's how to navigate the label:

• Start at the end, with preservatives. Avoid:
  
  
• Words ending in "paraben"
• DMDM hydantoin
• Imidazolidinyl urea
• Methylchloroisothiazolinone
• Methylisothiazolinone
• Triclosan
• Triclocarban
• Triethanolamine (or "TEA")
  
  
• Check the beginning of the ingredients lists, where soaps, surfactants, and lubricants show up. Try to avoid ingredients that start with "PEG" or have an "-eth" in the middle (e.g., sodium laureth sulfate).
  
  
• Read the ingredients in the middle. Look for these words: "FRAGRANCE," "FD&C," or "D&C."

For grown-ups
Many parents pay more attention to their kids' environmental health than their own, but adult bodies can be affected by toxic chemicals, too. EWG's Safer Shopping List has nine common-sense tips to reduce everyone's exposures. For instance, buy fragrance-free, skip the nail polish and use fewer products.

Just for kids
Extra caution is in order for kids because, pound for pound, they are exposed to more contaminants in everyday products than adults. Their immature metabolism and organ systems are typically less capable of fending off chemical assaults. Even subtle damage to young bodies can lead to disease later in life.

Follow EWG's top five tips for kids:

1. Use fewer products and use them less often.
2. Don't trust ad hype. Check ingredients.
3. Buy fragrance-free products.
4. Avoid the use of baby powder.
5. Always avoid EWG's top six chemicals of concern for kids:
   
   • 2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3 Diol
   • BHA
   • Boric acid and sodium borate
   • DMDM Hydantoin
   • Oxybenzone
   • Triclosan

FDA, Food dyes & Hyperactivity

From The New York Times...WASHINGTON — After staunchly defending the safety of artificial food colorings, the federal government is for the first time publicly reassessing whether foods like Jell-O, Lucky Charms cereal and Minute Maid Lemonade should carry warnings that the bright artificial colorings in them worsen behavior problems like hyperactivity in some children. Read full article here.

Just what are all those food colorings anyway?

• Blue #1 (Brilliant Blue)
  

  An unpublished study suggested the possibility that Blue 1 caused kidney tumors in mice. What it's in: Baked goods, beverages, desert powders, candies, cereal, drugs, and other products.

• Blue #2 (Indigo Carmine)
  

  Causes a statistically significant incidence of tumors, particularly brain gliomas, in male rats. What it's in: Colored beverages, candies, pet food, & other food and drugs.

• Citrus Red #2
  

  It's toxic to rodents at modest levels and caused tumors of the urinary bladder and possibly other organs. What it's in: Skins of Florida oranges.

• Green #3 (Fast Green)
  

  Caused significant increases in bladder and testes tumors in male rats. What it's in: Drugs, personal care products, cosmetic products except in eye area, candies, beverages, ice cream, sorbet; ingested drugs, lipsticks, and externally applied cosmetics.

• Red #3 (Erythrosine)
  

  Recognized in 1990 by the FDA as a thyroid carcinogen in animals and is banned in cosmetics and externally applied drugs. What it's in: Sausage casings, oral medication, maraschino cherries, baked goods, candies.

• Red #40 (Allura Red)
  

  This is the most-widely used and consumed dye. It may accelerate the appearance of immune-system tumors in mice. It also causes hypersensitivity (allergy-like) reactions in some consumers and might trigger hyperactivity in children. What it's in: Beverages, bakery goods, dessert powders, candies, cereals, foods, drugs, and cosmetics.

• Yellow #5 (Tartrazine)
  

  Yellow 5 causes sometimes-severe hypersensitivity reactions and might trigger hyperactivity and other behavioral effects in children. What it's in: Pet foods, numerous bakery goods, beverages, dessert powders, candies, cereals, gelatin desserts, and many other foods, as well as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

• Yellow #6 (Sunset Yellow)
  

  Caused adrenal tumors in animals and occasionally causes severe hypersensitivity reactions. What it's in: Color bakery goods, cereals, beverages, dessert powders, candies, gelatin deserts, sausage, cosmetics and drugs.

For more information...
Freedom Food Network, Food Dyes: Toxic Situation
Food Dyes A Rainbow of Risks

The Dirty Dozen

Do you shop Organic? It can get pricey!
I try to buy the dirty dozen organic, but even then I don't always. Below is a shoppers guide to the 15 cleanest and 12 dirtiest fruits and vegetables.

To print your own out and see the complete list as well as their pesticide load score go here.

Did you know gardening and putting up your surplus is the cheapest way to eat organic?
Now is the time to start planning your garden.
More on that soon....

Happy Monday!

Nutrition and Herbs for Pregnancy part 1

Did you know...

Good nutrition can go a long way in preventing possible complications in pregnancy.

Mood swings and morning sickness, which are quite common, are connected to low blood sugar.

A lack of calcium can result in hypertension, backaches and severe labor pains.

Malnutrition during pregnancy can cause constipation, hemorrhoids, anemia, and even preeclampsia.

Some herbs are very beneficial (and a great source of nutrition) to use during pregnancy, others are very harmful. Always check before using an herb during pregnancy. A well written book I like is The Naturally Healthy Pregnancy, by Shonda Parker. Her website is Naturally Healthy.org. Shonda is a professional Family herbalist. She has written several books, speaks across the country at various midwifery and womens' events and oversees the NH Family Herbal Study Course. She is the mother of 7.

Beneficial Herbs to use during pregnancy:

Raspberry Leaf: Is one of the most popular herb used during pregnancy. It strengthens and tones the uterine and pelvic muscles. It is said to encourage easier childbirth because of it's ability to strengthen the uterus muscles.

Nettle Leaves: A nutritional powerhouse, containing every vitamin & mineral known to be needed for human growth. Regular use ensures a plentiful supply of nutrients, helps reduce hemorrhoids, helps prevent postpartum hemorrhage, eases leg cramps and muscle spasms and nourishes the kidneys. Nettle is a great herb for lactation as it promotes a rich supply of breast milk.

Chlorophyll: An herb used to build blood and give the liver an extra boost. Also used to support energy levels.

Ginger: Ginger has been used for a long time to treat gastrointestinal distress, including morning sickness during pregnancy. Dried root and ginger extract have been found to be the most effective to treat morning sickness during pregnancy.

A Natural Cure

Has the winter junk got your family feeling lousy?
I LOVE this company!
Hyland's Homeopathy is what we reach for when we are feeling ick.
"Homeopathy is a natural approach to medicine that works without contraindications (interference with other medications you may be taking) or side effects to stimulate the body's curative responses so the body heals itself."
"Homeopathic medicines stimulate your body's homeostatic mechanism so your body heals itself by dealing with the sources of your symptoms. Homeopathy is different from conventional medicine because conventional medicine simply defines health as the lack of symptoms. Homeopathy defines health as the lack of disease."

Above are just two of their products I have used with great success.
I also love their Sinus, Sore Throat, Complete Flu Care, Calms Forte, Teething Tabs and Gel, Ear Tabs and Ear Drops....
The best part of these products is they are natural.
In the Midwest you can get them at HyVee and local Natural Food Stores. If they don't have the product you want, be sure to ask. They will happily order it for you. Many online Health Stores carry Hyland's as well.

"The active ingredients in Hyland’s homeopathic medicines work by stimulating the most effective healing force known - the body's own natural defenses - and are therefore not heavy or overpowering. The medicines are virtually free of side effects and can be taken by nearly anyone at any time, from infants to the elderly, including anyone taking prescription medications."