Swimsuit Season! (And Soapbox Alert!)

Kendall wore her first swimsuit of the season...as well as her life! LOL! She sure looked cute! Here she is with Steph, looking cute! And with Mama! My first swimsuit of the season...bought on clearance at the store where my paychecks should just go directly...Target! It's OK, but the regular price suits weren't that great, so at least this clearance one was kind of cute. I haven't bought a new swimsuit in years! And...ahem...I am nursing, so I need a "bigger" suit...heehee...hope that wasn't too much info for you! :-)

Here are some cute pix of the boys...can't forget them! :-) Busy here...swim lessons (round 2 for Spencer)...music class for Coop...Vacation Bible School for Spence, he loves it! Kendall gets to enjoy it all. Luckily, she is so good about being in the car. She falls asleep as soon as we get going and usually stays asleep when we get to our destination.

So what's new with you?

I know I mentioned that I wanted to share some info about being "green" and "healthy"...it all started when I learned about the BPA in baby bottles (you've mostly likely heard this by now!) and how even Canada has outlawed those bottles, but the US still hasn't come to the consensus that BPA is unhealthy...well, anyway, it got me started thinking about the other things we use, and how safe are they? Guess what? Many things aren't. Now, I'm not trying to be crazy about this, but when you think about it for a sec, much of the lotions, shampoo, sunscreen, etc., we use hasn't been around for that long. Who knows what the long term effects are from using those items chock full of chemicals! Yes, those yummy smelling lotions, including the fragranced baby soaps, are hiding many chemicals known to cause cancer and allergies at the very least. Google "Skin Deep" and you can see a website that lists all the beauty products you might use, and how safe it is considered. Spend 10 minutes browsing http://www.safemama.com/ and see lists of things considered "safe" and "unsafe" for our children...plus find more info about plastics and BPA. Just a few small changes doesn't hurt, does it?

Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano (saw her on Oprah's Earth Day special) is a good resource, too (can pick up at Target). I just finished the beauty chapter, and spent some time going through the products in our house. She recommends throwing them out, but for the rest of us on a limited budget, I am using up and replacing with healthier options. The Safe Mama site has a store where they link you to the safer products, saving you some time researching. I bought some of the California Baby products to use on the kids: lotion, body wash and shampoo, diaper creme (and can be purchased at guess where...Target!). Yes, it's pricier, but I'll pay the few extra dollars to know my kids are not being exposed to those chemicals (some of which have been banned in the European Union for years, but not here!!!). Yes, these are the same kids that eat McDonald's probably once a week (bad mommy!) and mac and cheese for dinner at home....hey, gotta start somewhere, right? That's my first step....food is coming next...that will be harder since I'm all about convenience and not a fan of cooking...

So, anyway, off my soapbox...hope that made some sense to you. It's kind of frightening when you start doing some research. This post was about being healthy...next time I'll talk about some small earth friendly things to do...no, I am not going "granola-y" on you...you know me! But buy a reusable bag for that store you shop at a lot and save a plastic bag...I love my Target reusable bags...though I need to remember to use it for all my trips....sometimes I forget...oops! That's not helping!