Now through Saturday, March 13th you can save a whopping $25 off all orders of $100 or more. And better yet? You’ll also get free shipping!

All you need to do to take advantage of this week’s specials is to place an order at www.gardengirlskincare.com and use coupon code March8 when you check out.

Happy shopping!!

I have been dying to get my hands on a steam cleaner. What better way to clean the house without chemicals? I had watched (an embarrassingly large number of times) the infomercial for the Shark steam pocket. I read reviews online which were mixed – so I checked into other steam cleaners, some of which had better reviews. But when it came down to it, I was at Costco this weekend and they had the Shark. I think it was $80ish? So I figured, what the heck? Costco has an amazing return policy so I knew if it was a piece of junk, then I could always return it. I brought it home and couldn’t wait to use it. Much to my husband’s eye-rolling, I pulled it out at 9pm on Saturday night after I finally had a minute to check it out.

I got all the zillions of pieces out and quickly read the quick start guide. Then I got going on our bathroom sink – and my first reaction was.. “eh”. It was OK. Definitely NOT like what I saw on the infomercial (I know, how SHOCKING!).  We have hard water here so we get calcification on the faucets. I was really hoping that this would soften that – but not so much. However, I did notice that it loosened it enough for me to scrape it off more effectively than I’ve been able to do in the past. So that’s not bad, I guess?

It did an amazing job on the toilets which was a bonus. Suffice it to say, I live with 3 males (…) so the toilets can be, um, disgusting. Cleaning with the Shark,I didn’t actually have to touch anything (yea!) and was able to sanitize and clean the outside of the toilet and around the bottom easily. What they don’t show on TV, though, is that you usually have to wipe up after steaming. But still, overall, I was happy with the toilet cleaning bit.

Cleaning the showers was more “eh”. It does make the chrome sparkle which is nice. But there’s still a lot of elbow grease needed to get rid of soap scum etc. I guess I was wishfully thinking that this would be some miracle tool that would make cleaning fun (I know, I must have been watching the infomercial after that second glass of wine…).

So here’s my boiled-down (so to speak) assessment:

The good:

• Relatively easy to use (some flaws, see bel0w)
• Chemical-free
• Works great on chrome, toilets, getting dirt from nooks & crannies and tiny places
• Excellent at getting rid of greasy grime in the kitchen (stove top, microwave, toaster oven)
• It comes with a canvas bag that you can easily store everything in
• It is very portable – the cord is super long

The “not what I’d hoped for”:

• Didn’t get rid of hard water stains without a lot of elbow-grease
• Didn’t do any better than scrubbing with Bon Ami on getting rid of burnt-on mess on the stove top
• A little messier than I had thought – can leave a lot of water behind that you have to wipe up
• Not sure that using the attachments with the cloth steam pockets is actually disinfecting anything – it doesn’t seem hot enough. The cloth pockets seem to trap and cool the steam? I need to investigate more.
• It is hard to press the steam button with one hand and scrub with another if you need to hold onto smaller items. In general this isn’t a problem but cleaning the teapot was tricky.

So I guess if I was giving it a rating using a 5 star scale, I would give it a 2 1/2 stars rating. I suspect I’ll keep it because it is handy for certain jobs. But definitely not the revolutionary tool I was dreaming of…

I had seen the BeautyBlender on the Purely Cosmetics website many times and had read reviews of the funny pink egg on blogs but I just never felt compelled to buy it. What is it? It’s a funky spongy pink egg thingie that is touted as “The Ultimate Make Up Sponge Applicator”. I mean really – how “ultimate” can a make up sponge be? I thought I was happy with my flat-top brush from Purely Cosmetics so I figured I didn’t need this bizarre looking tool.

Then on the Bionic Beauty blog (fun blog – check it out) – they said there was a special offer for Valentine’s Day – you got 2 Blenders plus a bunch of sponge-cleanser packets to keep it fresh. I checked out the site and decided that it was time to try this thing out. (I actually bought the one without the cleansers as I like to use Garden Girl shower gel to clean brushes and sponges.)

So these cute little guys arrived at my doorstep and I was immediately intrigued. I have to say, for some reason I expected them to be firmer – not as soft. But they are very soft and they are AMAZING with mineral powders! I said I had “thought” I was happy with brushes but once I tried this I knew I’d never go back – at least not for the base powders (I still prefer a brush for blush and obviously eye liner).  No more powder messes that have always frustrated me. Plus – the egg shape is perfect for getting different areas covered – the wider ends for the forehead, cheeks and chin – the pointier end for eyes and nose areas. Really – it’s a simple but fantastic little tool.

So I highly recommend getting the blenders – either from PurelyCosmetics or straight from the BeautyBlender website where, by the way, they are still having their special offer! Even if you use cream based foundations or other non-mineral products, check them out – you’ll love them!

Of course they’re not going to come right out and say that the current lining of their cans is bad, but major food manufacturers are getting the message that consumers don’t want BPA leeching into their food and so they are slowly and quietly testing out alternatives that hopefully will soon become the norm.

It’s not easy to find cans that don’t have BPA linings in them. Pretty much all cans (soda, food, baby formula etc) have linings that are laden with the chemical BPA (or Bisphenol A). For those of you who haven’t heard, BPA has been linked to a whole host of issues including cancer and reproductive issues. The FDA announced last month that they have reversed their previous position that BPA was “safe” and now have requested further studies to determine the real impact of this chemical that is used in so many things.

But according to an article in the Washington Post this week , a number of major manufacturers are investigating alternatives and new can liners. Of course, it is not going to be an easy – or a cheap – fix. The reason that the can linings have been so ubiquitous is that they are excellent at protecting food from spoiling  and protecting consumers from food borne illness. Of course, we are only now beginning to see the toll it is taking on health in other ways.

The new liners that are being tested are not foolproof – nor are they cheap. Food touted to be packed in “BPA Free” cans are still showing levels of BPA after being tested by the Consumers Union. Why? Maybe some of the products used in the production of the end product were already contaminated by the cans they came from (think canned tomatoes used in a tomato sauce) – or perhaps they are getting exposed at some point during the production. The Washington Post article details a couple of companies that area trying to do the right thing but are getting frustrated along the way with continued BPA presence in their food. But at least they are trying!

So while it may be awhile before our food sources are all BPA-free, it is good to know that there are finally steps being taken to get the process moving forward.

Ok obviously some signs of stress are abundantly clear – like rapid heart rate, a twitchy eye etc. But in this month’s Prevention magazine, they listed a few signs that you might find surprising.  Sadly, I have experienced ALL of these firsthand…

• Weekend Headaches -”A sudden drop in stress can prompt migraines, says Todd Schwedt, MD, director of the Washington University Headache Center. Stick closely to your weekday sleeping and each schedule to minimize other triggers.”

This is one that used to happen to me a lot – I always called them my “post-stress” migraines. It was at its peak during college – I’d get the migraines AFTER all of my finals were over. Or actually, worse than that, after the worst exams were over but when I was finishing up the others. Very disruptive….Ended up doing biofeedback work that helped (along with lots of advil!).

• An achy mouth -”A sore jaw may be a sign of teeth grinding, which can be worsened by stress, says Matthew Messina, DDS, a consumer advisor to the American Dental Association. Ask your dentist about a nighttime mouth guard – up to 70% of people who use one reduce grinding or stop it altogether.”

Again – in college I was a terrible teeth grinder. Can you tell I internalized stress? Is this TMI (too much information) ?  I’m sure my roommate loved it! ThankfullyI think I’ve overcome this one.

• Odd Dreams “Dreams usually get progressively more positive as you sleep, so you wake  up happier than you were before bed, says Rosalind Cartwright, PhD, and emeritus professor of psychology at Rush University Medical Center. When stressed, you wake up more often, disrupting this process and allowing unpleasant imagery all night. Good sleep habits can also prevent this; aim for 7 to 8 hours a night, and avoid caffeine and alcohol close to bedtime.”

Yep – add this to my list too. I remember having terrible, freaky dreams throughout grad school and even into my regular “corporate” life when I had big projects due. Once in awhile they pop up again, which is a clear sign for me that I need to chill. It’s typically now when I have too much going on and I’m afraid I’m going to drop a ball somewhere.

Well, now that you know way more than you wanted to about my bad habit of internalizing stress (which I have worked on improving over the years – and thankfully it seems to have gotten much much better), I figured I’d throw in Prevention’s suggestions for relieving stress. This page has a ton of links – and they are worth a look. Whether you want quick tips to use throughout the day or more lifestyle changes that can help you destress overall, they’ve got some great suggestions.

http://www.prevention.com/health/health/emotional-health/stress

And of course – just exercising regularly can help tremendously. My new addiction? Wii Fit! Love it. I’m convinced my key to getting rid of belly squish is through Wii Fit Hula Hoop! Fingers crossed…

It was inevitable. Boys would get sucked into the beauty industry at some point. And it has happened. According to a recent New York Times article, boys from tweens through their 20’s are now targeted heavily by the manufacturers of grooming products like hair products, deodorants, body sprays, colognes, etc. All of these products with all of these scents. Not only are parents getting fed up with the clouds of fragrance trailing their sons (thankfully mine are still too young for this…) – but the kids are getting more than they bargained for.

As Stacy Malkan, the founder of Campaign for Safe Cosmetics says in her blog posting:

“The irony of this story, which the Times missed entirely, is that the ads promise virility and masculinity, yet the products may have the exact opposite effect on the bodies of developing boys. Most fragranced products contain diethyl phthalate, a chemical that has been linked to sperm damage and feminized genitals. Many of the products, from body spray to shampoo, also contain parabens, a chemical that acts like estrogen in the body.

In all, the 18 body-care products used by the above-mentioned teenagers contain roughly 200 synthetic chemicals that the boys are putting on their bodies each day before breakfast. This daily dose includes dozens of chemicals linked to cancer, skin problems, allergies and hormone disruption, according to an analysis of a typical suite of these products on the Skin Deep database.”

Boys have just as much to lose as girls through exposure to these unnecessary chemicals. Teach them at a young age to read labels and avoid the fragrances. Look for natural, essential oil-based products instead – they are out there, they’re just harder to find. Otherwise, the consequences can be serious. And really, they’ll be doing everyone else around them a favor anyway. Have you ever been around a teen doused in Axe. Iiiiicccccckkkkkk.

Yep – time for another completely random recipe blog posting. I’m posting this because these are on my mind – I have to make a new batch. For awhile I was really good about making these every couple of weeks so my kids had something healthy-ish for a snack in their lunchbag. But I started to slack off – now I’m hoping I’ll get back into it. I found these searching the web for a good granola bar recipe for my nut-allergic son. The thing is – granola bars can be a very handy snack. BUT I challenge you to find one that is nut safe. It’s unbelievable. And if when you do finally hunt one down, check out the ingredients and I’m sure you’ll find high fructose corn syrup. Crazy. So when I found this recipe I was excited – chewy, yummy (albeit a bit sweet) granola bars that lend themselves to be tweaked by adding whatever you want to them.

Nut-Safe Granola Bars

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 c packed brown suagr
• 1/2 c wheat germ
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 c flour (I use white whole wheat)
• 1/2 c raisins (or dried cranberries)
• 1/2 c chocolate chips
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 c honey (or blue agave syrup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 c canola oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Tweaks I’ve made: add some cheerios or rice krispies, add 1/4 c ground flax seed, throw in a few tablespoons of cocoa to make them “chocolate”, add other chopped/dried fruit, add some sunflower seeds for extra protein (or of course nuts if you don’t have nut allergies to worry about!). You might need to adjust the flour/oat/oil combination if you add too much of these things. Also – you can reduce the sugar a bit and it will be OK.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish well with oil spray like Pam.
2. In a large bowl, mix together oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat this mixture evenly and firmly into the prepared pan. Make sure it’s packed in well so it’s not too crumbly.
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven until the bars begin to turn golden brown at the edges. Do no over cook them or they will be crunchy instead of chewy! Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. That’s VERY important – don’t let the bars cool or they will be too hard to cut.
4. I wrap these individually in plastic wrap then keep them in a big zip top bag. They keep for a couple of weeks this way, surprisingly!

I hope you try this. And it’s not just for kids – it’s better for you than many of the “power bars” and will give you some good energy!

In the news last week was an announcement from the FDA that they acknowledge that the chemical bisphenol A (or BPA) causes “some concern” and they are going to investigate it further. According to an article in the Boston Globe, while the FDA did say that there is not yet any evidence to further regulate the use of BPA , the Department of Health and Human Services did suggest that people throw away scratched plastic cups and baby bottles with BPA to avoid the ingestion of small amounts of the chemical that can seep out into drinks. It looks like the governmental agencies are showing potential to give this the attention it deserves.

The Health and Human Services has a great posting on their website at :http://www.hhs.gov/safety/bpa/. They give some good explanations of what is being investigated further, and they also list other helpful suggestions – in addition to the one above – to avoid exposing your children to BPA. One interesting fact is that powdered infant formula is generally free of BPA, it’s the liquid version that can be contaminated.

The only tip they offer that I disagree with is the one that says it is generally OK for infants to suck on soft plastic toys. They may be safe from BPA but they are often packed with phthalates (a whole different concern) – so always find out as much as you can about the safety of plastic toys before you allow your infant to suck on them. Wish I’d know about all of this before I had kids. Ugh. It’s scary to think about all that they may have been exposed to!

For the past few years, instead of buying extravagant gifts that we don’t need, my husband and I have picked one thing that we wanted to have that is useful but fun. I know, not that romantic, but we are trying our best to keep things simple (which doesn’t always work…) Anyway, this year we decided to get the SodaStream Seltzer machine. We drink a lot of seltzer around here – we aren’t big soda drinkers. So my husband had seen this machine (or a similar one) at our friend’s house (thanks Lisa!!) and thought it would be a great thing for us to have.

Here’s the deal. This “machine” doesn’t use any electricity. The seltzer is made from tap water. The bottles are BPA-free and reusable so we don’t add as much to landfills. The power comes from CO2 canisters that make 60 to 110 liters of seltzer. Canisters are refilled when they are done. We add natural flavorings (no sugar or artificial sweeteners) to make berry, lemon-lime or orange seltzer. Cool, huh?

We are LOVING it. I think we spent around $150 for a huge kit that included 3 canisters of CO2, the natural seltzer flavors, 4 bottles and the “machine” (which is sleek enough to keep on the counter). Plus we bought one extra canister. Oh – and it came with a sampler of soda flavors (but not a big fan of those – filled with artificial flavors and sweeteners, but my oldest son can’t WAIT to make them!). The whole kit will make something close to 300 liters. Not bad!

So if you are a big seltzer drinker – or if you’d like to easily make your own soda – definitely check this out! Not only will you save money, but you’ll also reduce your carbon footprint!

I have a great disdain for phthalates. I have posted many times about this category of chemicals that are used as a plasticizer and strangely also used commonly in fragrances (both perfumes as well as fragrances/scents for products). All Garden Girl products are phthalate-free for the very reason that there is a lot of research popping up that points to phthalates being a very harmful chemical.

Well now there’s more research to point to the dangers of phthalates. On Monday, Reuters published an article regarding recent research on the chemical.

“Researchers from Turkey found higher blood levels of the most commonly used plasticizer, DEHP (the most common phthalate), in a group of boys with abnormal enlargement of the breasts — a common condition seen in up to 65 percent of adolescent boys called pubertal gynecomastia. The condition usually resolves on its own after boys get through puberty.”

The report goes on to say that boys with the highest levels of MEHP (another type of phthalate) were 25 times more likely to have breast enlargement. Yowzah.

The study was unfortunately very small, so there are many valid issues with the testing process. But it does add to the growing list of concerning information about phthalates. Exposure to phthalates can be from an almost unlimited number of sources, including: personal care products, paints, building materials, household furnishing, clothing, dentures, children’s toys, cleaning materials, insecticides, food, certain medical devices and pharmaceuticals. Ugh.

So until the chemical is banned, the best we can do is avoid what we can. Some tips: avoid using plastics with hot foods, keep them out of the dishwasher and microwave, and try to use alternatives whenever possible. Also – avoid soft plastic toys for babies that might get chewed on, and don’t microwave baby bottles to heat them. If at all possible, try to use glass baby bottles.