Happy Thanksgiving!

Tomorrow will be my 23rd Turkey-free Thanksgiving! You're welcome turkeys!

Not Just a Statistic

I am not just a statistic.  My baby was not just a statistic. October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Month.  In May 2007, after struggling to conceive for more than two years, my husband and I lost our first baby to miscarriage. It was devastating to say the least. Prior to my own personal experience, I had no idea how prevalent miscarriage is. It's shocking. So many parents just don't talk about their loss.  I was overwhelmed by the number people I knew who had quietly suffered, but never shared their story with me, until it happened to me too.

  

1 in 4 is not just a statistic.  It's me.
Speak out about pregnancy loss.

Image Source: www.facebook.com/pregnancyaftermiscarriage

The Daily Crunch: Fragrance Equals Toxic Chemicals

Fragrance equals toxic chemicals on your skin, hair, clothes, bedsheets, in your lungs and bloodstream! Yuck!
Used in laundry detergents, fabric softeners, dryer sheets, cleaning supplies, disinfectants, air fresheners, deodorizers, shampoos, hair sprays, gels, lotions, sunscreens, soaps, perfumes, powders, and scented candles—and dozens of other products . . .

synthetic fragrances may be the most common type of toxic chemical in your house.

Fragrances are a class of chemicals that are well worth the time and effort to avoid. The term “fragrance” or “parfum” on personal-care-product labels can be a cover for hundreds of harmful chemicals known to be carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and reproductive toxicants even at low levels.

What to use instead: Go the unscented route whenever possible, especially with soaps and detergents. Avoid any kind of air freshener or deodorizer, including sprays, gels, solid disks, and oils, suggests Anne Steinemann, PhD, a University of Washington researcher who focuses on fragrances in consumer products. “These products do not clean or disinfect the air, but they do add hazardous chemicals to the air we breathe,” she says. “Instead of chemical air fresheners, freshen the air with better ventilation and by setting out some baking soda,” she suggests. You also can place a bowl of white vinegar in a room to dispel a funky smell.

Here are some Crunchville Fragrance-Free Favorites:

• Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild Soap -- This is the only body soap we use at our house . .  in the bath and as hand soap in foaming pumps.
• Kiss My Face Deodorant Stick Natural Active Life Aluminum & Fragrance Free -- I thought I'd never find a crunchy alternative to Secret, but this one works really well for me and I love not poisoning myself with my deodorant everyday.
• Spectrum Organic Unrefined Coconut Oil -- Coconut oil is so multipurpose! You can replace your moisturizer, shaving cream, body lotion, conditioner*, hair gel*, personal lubricant :-), etc with this versatile gem! *Be careful putting it in your hair at first. It only works for some hair types. Sadly, mine is not one of them.
• Seventh Generation Natural Free & Clear Dish Liquid Soap -- Works just as well as Palmolive or Dawn, but it's not poisoning you and your family.
• Woolzies Wool Dryer Balls -- Skip the toxic and often expensive fabric softener or dryer sheets in favor of these natural and reusable dryer balls. After you stop using those harsh, chemically-scented products, you will notice just how nasty they truly smell when you do encounter them on other peoples' clothes or in their homes.

Sources: 

http://rodale.menshealth.com/12-household-toxins-you-should-banish-your-home?page=3

http://www.regardingcaroline.com/fragrance

The Daily Crunch: Educate Before You Vaccinate

If you were born in the 1970s or 1980s you most likely received 9 shots during your childhood, never more than two shots per doctor's visit.

For children today, the CDC is recommending 
49 doses of 14 different vaccines by the age of six.

Sounds extreme when you add it all up and compare it to the recommendations for children born just one generation ago.  Doctors and pharmaceutical companies are getting rich at the expense of our children's health.

The US Government has paid out more than 2 billion dollars to vaccine victims for their catastrophic vaccine injuries.  How much more than that do you think politicians and government officials are taking in bribes and kick-backs from pharmaceutical and medical corporations to keep upping the amount of recommended vaccines while turning a blind-eye to the havoc those same vaccines are playing on the health of our children?   I'm sure it's an obscene dollar amount, but only a pittance compared to the profit Big Pharma is making at our expense.

Sources: Proud Parents Of Unvaccinated Children and National Vaccine Information Center

The Daily Crunch: Crunchy Mamas Do It With Coconut Oil

Crunchy Mamas Do It With Coconut Oil!

Leave me a comment: What are your favorite healthy uses for coconut oil?
Let's see how many different uses we can come up with!