Get your Vitamin D in 15 minutes a day!

Most of us in the U.S. are Vitamin D deficient from living and working indoors most of the daylight hours. I know I was and Vitamin D deficiency is a major contributor to a host of illnesses including osteoporosis. I actually reversed my osteoporosis by getting an adequate supply of Vitamin D alone (without harmful drugs.) Now with Spring here and Summer fast approaching, we can all get our daily dose with 15 minutes of sunshine a day without sunscreen.

Speaking of sunscreen, did you know that some of them can do more harm than good? Read Nature Mom's Blog to find out which ones to buy. And remember all you need to keep insects at bay safely is just a few drops of Lemon Eucalyptus oil mixed with water in a spray bottle.

Happy Summer!

SPIDERS!

I ran across Nature Moms Blog while doing research on how to discourage spiders to stay outside naturally and found much more. It's been added to my Favorites and I've subscribed to her RSS feed. Check it out and you may do the same.

Healthy Child, Healthy World

This website, Healthy Child, feeds my passion for making a difference in keeping children safe and healthy. My loved ones are patient recipients of books and flowing streams of information. It's infuriating to find out how for the love of money, we are all being slowly poisoned. But we can make a difference by educating ourselves, making the changes we can, and by spreading the word. Read about the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act. Going Green is not about hugging trees so much as it is about hugging kids and each other.

Another great source of information is The Environmental Working Group.

Stop Big Media

Check out Stop Big Media's Wall and learn how you can join us at StopBigMedia.com.

Our Stolen Future

I'm adding a link to Our Stolen Future. I just recently heard of a neighbor's child being diagnosed with leukemia and I wanted to remind everyone of the risks of pesticides. Quoting a study in 2002 - "present results demonstrating a strong relationship between exposure to indoor pesticides and the risk of childhood leukemia."

The Seventh Generation book Naturally Clean: The Seventh Generation Guide to Safe & Healthy, Non-toxic Cleaning also warns against using flea collars for the same reason. I guess a good rule to follow is if it's designed to KILL, we should keep it away from our families and find more natural ways of keeping the critters away.

Did you also know that the wood chips in most playgrounds are treated with arsenic?

Myth:

That arsenic treated wood becomes safe for children as it ages.

Reality:

New research by the Environmental Working Group and the University of North Carolina demonstrates that old arsenic-treated wood structures are as dangerous as new ones. Arsenic continues to leach out of this wood for many years. And what had been thought to be protective—coating it with sealant— only works for 6 months or less. Some of the soil around decks and playgrounds where arsenic treated wood has been used actually is so contaminated that it qualifies for SuperFund.

You can find out about this and other toxins we are being exposed to at Myths vs. Reality.

Stay green and stay safe!

Who do you put your faith in?

We all have someone or something we put our faith in. Maybe it's God (my personal favorite) or maybe it was McCain or Obama, the Republicans or the Democrats, or Nader, etc. Whoever you voted for doesn't really matter at this point, but keeping up with what's coming down still is. I've added a couple of sites to my blog to help you do that. I'll add others as I run across them. I also welcome your suggestions for worthy sites.

Change.gov: The Obama-Biden Transition Team

Roll Call at Congress.org

Healthy Child Toy Lead Test

I have added the Healthy Toys Lead Check Widget to my blog. Just put the name of the toy in the box to check whether it's safe for your child before you buy or to decide whether you keep it.