With the birth of my son, four years later, I have found many new alternatives out there. And by far, my favourite, is the Live Clean non-petroleum jelly.

When I first bought it, my DH gave me his usual arguments- stating there was nothing wrong with his huge tub of petroleum gel. But then he tried it on Rafi and loved it. We don’t use it often, but feel very good about putting this product on his tender bottom when he does get a little red. We have since purchased their diaper ointment too.

For bathing, I was given a free bottle of lavender baby wash, the commercial one that everyone buys, with the matching cream- apparently proven to help baby sleep better. I used it once and gagged to the point of almost vomiting. Yes, it is true, that we are a green family and are not used to the mainstream chemicals anymore. But when I put a drop in the baby bath, I could not believe how strong the smell was- and the same holds true for the cream. I have since bought the Live Clean baby bath and love it. As all of their products are, it is free of pthalates and paraben, which have been proven to be harmful substances. It is super silky and odour free.

With all of the new information out there on BPA, pthalates and paraben, I urge you to be diligent- as these may be hidden under the tern fragrance. Why not try an alternative? You have nothing to lose as they have a money back guarantee. I bought mine at the local supermarket for under 4 dollars- a great bargain for my family if you ask me!

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FOOD INC. TRAILER   
  

We recently saw parts of the documentary Food Inc.  It really validated the food choices I have made and have been making for more family. It also was of great value in helping my husband understand why our grocery bills are so much higher than what he felt they should be.  But little, by little, he has come to my side of things.

It all started when we began dating.  How dare I take his hydrogenated, sugar laden, artery clogging peanut butter away?  Fast forward to today, and he can not only eat the natural one and is disgusted by the processed stuff.  The same for his bread- the other day we accidentally bought enriched brown bread and he begged me to get him some whole grain whole wheat while I was out shopping. 

Our last source of disagreement was cold meats. He loves his occasional sandwich, and fought me tooth and nail.  But now, the nitrate free ham at 20$ per kilo is just not good enough, and he asks me to get the 35$ per kilo phosphate and nitrate free ham from the butcher around the corner (which has to be eaten the same day as it spoils too quickly)! But we still had problem with his pepperoni on our home made pizza.  But yesterday, I found nitrate and phosphate free slices from Valens     http://www.boucherievalens.com   and we just gobbled it up (tastes just like quality pepperoni) and we had their phosphate, nitrate, hormone free Italian sausages on pasta- which was an absolute delicacy.

So today I called them up and found that they have whole chickens and ground beef that is organic, hormone free, and at less than double what you would pay for the regular stuff in the store.  We had been buying whole grain fed chickens and eggs, but can not wait to try to organic ones.  I am sure I will reminisce about my childhood, when my mother used to go to Ormstown to get our grain fed chicken.

I am glad that I now live in Canada where all milk is growth hormonefree. For that reason, I have opted to not buy organic milk, but our  organic yogurt will never be replaced as it is free of modified milk ingredients, corn starch, artificial colours or flavourings, gelatin, etc. 

So yes, we live in a very small, simple house compared to our peers.  We have old cars, and my children are cloth diapered.  And yet, I pay the equivalent of half of our mortgage on food. For me, it is a sacrifice and small price to pay for the quality and peace of mind it brings me. 

And that, my friends, is my very first blog.