small changes

I do not make new years resolutions... But this year I did decide to make a few small changes for our health. Nope, I didn't join a gym.

1. No more microwave popcorn bags! Those bags are coated with hazardous stuff that should not be around our food. Sure, you can buy organic microwave popcorn- but the bags are still full of toxins. So, I vow to only buy only organic AND non-gmo (super important that it is both- especially when it comes to corn. GMO=BAD!) popcorn kernels and use my new microwave popcorn popper-

It is made from laboratory grade glass and is awesome! You don't even need oil in with the kernels to pop- brilliant. I had been thinking about getting one of these for a while, as it came recommended from my healthy friend Angela, and I am so glad I finally did. Twenty bucks on Amazon with free shipping- why not buy one??? (I have tried the stove top method- fail. Burns every time.)

2. No more dryer sheets. Again, they are full of toxic crap that gets on our skin, and our kids skin too. So I discovered felted wool dryer balls.... You can buy them online, or you can make your own- so I thought why not have the girls over for a craft night and bust these things out? I was thrilled that 5 friends wanted to join me and follow my crazy idea. All they are is a ball of wool yarn, which gets washed and dried several times to become "felted," which means all the fibers get meshed together and will not unravel.

My balls, pre-wash-

My balls, post-wash-

Notice how the blue ones especially have become felted and you can barely even notice the individual strands of yarn compared to the before picture?


There are several reasons why we should use these- they replace dryer sheets (and fabric softener- which is equally as terrible, I've just always been too lazy to add it!) and keep your clothes soft, they cut down the necessary drying time, you can use them for up to a year. I attached a safety pin to each one to help cut down on static, which we are suffering terribly from this winter!

Here is a link about why dryer sheets are terrible, and how to make these balls-

http://healthylivinghowto.com/1/post/2013/04/how-to-make-wool-dryer-balls.html

3.  Natural laundry detergent. I've thought about making my own, but most recipes call for borax, which I've read contradictory reports about the safety of that stuff too. So I decided to go with Molly's Suds. My friend Angela uses, and recommend, it. And it has a cute name. I also like the back story- NICU nurse who delivered a still born, full-term baby, does research and realizes all of the toxins in EVERYTHING may have lead to the death of her child. She decided to make some changes- the first being laundry detergent, and created this company called Molly's Suds, named after her daughter who died.

I ordered it through Amazon and dollar for dollar, I think it is about the same as buying Tide. So why not?

4. Check more! Here is a great website where you can put in any household cleaner, laundry detergent, lots of make-up/suncreen/lotion products, and food brands to see how they rank for toxins- on us and the environment. Again, why not? The products are ranked A (best) to F (worst) and I was surprised that some brands I typically buy because they are natural, were an F or at best only a C. They list the reasons for the grade clearly too. Environmental Working Group


I KNOW there is no way I can protect my family from all the toxins and carcinogens out there. I just can't. But I have to start somewhere and these tiny baby steps are going to help...