Happy for no reason- just in happy

The title is a quote from some “English” stationary I got in Korea. I do have a reason for being in happy though- free chocolate and peaches!
I get Mama Earth Organic delivery and have been really happy with them. They try really hard to avoid packaging and the service (and food) is great. I always tip the driver and if I can’t, I leave baking in the box for her. I also use reused envelopes or Aurora’s drawings to put the money in and sometimes I include little notes or pamphlets about projects I’m working on.
This week, along with our delivery was a complimentary (compostable) bag of peaches and apricots and an amazing organic chocolate bar. They left a little note saying thanks for being a good customer and for doing this blog and for the goodies and tips. Awwww. I actually cried. Aurora immediately grabbed and ate one of the peaches.I loooove chocolate-in fact most of you probably know I am totally addicted to it. It was such a nice touch. I also love peaches and wish they were in season for longer.
PS If you are in the Toronto area and decide to sign up with Mama Earth, drop my name and I will get a discount.

What is the one item you can’t live without?

Have you ever noticed that most interviews of famous women (especially if they are sex symbols) include this question? Sometimes they say “What is the one thing you can’t like without” and I always think “air”, but the answers are things like “My #12 red Mac lipstick” or “My Prada stilettos”.
If I was asked that question (not that I am claiming to be a sex symbol;), I would have to answer baking soda!
We use it in baking, wash the house with it*, brush our teeth with it, put it under our arms, and now I’m washing my face with it. I tried it on my hair but that experiment failed.
I do, however, highly recommend it as a facial cleanser. I was having a hard time with finding or making a good cleanser that didn’t leave my skin dry and pimply at the same time. Yes I am a thirty something with pimples-what of it? Finally I broke down and started washing with Dr.Bronners mild baby soap, which I can buy in bulk at Grass Roots, Big Carrot or Eco-Existence. It works great! Just wet your face and rub the baking soda on until it looks like a mask. Then rinse it off,with hot water, then cold. If I need to moisturize I use a little coconut oil, and if I want to exfoliate I use baking soda. It kind of tingles and leaves my face feeling clean and soft.
* Since we have had a child we use baking soda way more than borax because borax is a little caustic. We use baking soda and vinegar for the toilet, sinks, bathtub, walls, and diaper pail. We also use baking soda on pots and pans that have had food burnt onto them. Just dump a bunch in with a bit of water and let it sit overnight before scrubbing ( a scrunched up and knotted onion bag makes a great scrubber).

Help with Trashless Toronto

When I started this blog, I had high hopes for the Trashless Toronto section. What I really want is an interactive map that people can click on to see where to go to buy what they need without packaging. The problem is that I don’t have the skills or time to do it.
Do you? If so, please contact me. I would love that page to be easier to navigate, more helpful, bigger, and better!
I just added Khmer Thai and the Nutrutionista to the page as it is, as well as a few more farmers market. There are a few more places I need to add as well but it makes me a little sad to look at the page because it is so far from what I want it to be. sniff sniff.

Apparently I love talking about underarms-that’s trashy right?

Despite the fact that someone has asked me why I already talked about deoderant more than once, I am going to mention it again.
We have been using home-made deoderant which works really well, cuts out trash and is simple and easy to make. It’s coconut oil, baking soda and tea tree oil and or patcholi. We discovered it irritated Kyle’s skin, but fixed that by making an oilier version. The problem is the oilier version is staining our clothes. So far using baby powder to soak it up and then dish soap has seemed to work. I thought of getting mainstream stain remover or even grease fighting dishsoap, but that seems to sort of defeat the purpose of having all natural deoderant.
Hmmm what to do, what to do.
I finally tried the Thyme to wash cleanser that I mentioned in the DIY hygiene post. I don’t like it. I have way more pimples then before and I have to keep it in the fridge, which I find terribly inconvenient. Really, I want to be able to just leave it in the bathroom so it’s there when I need it. It’s not pure laziness- once I am in the bathroom for a shower, I can’t leave again because Aurora will see me and freak out “mommm-MEEE!” I have to sort of sneak away.
I think I’ll try the ginger one next and tell you how it goes.

Fuch’s No, Preserve is a Go!

If you read my post about what I do in the bathroom, you’ll know that up until now I used Fuch’s toothbrushes because they were biodegradable. I tired the brand with Aurora and she refused to brush her teeth altogether until I figured out the toothbrush was the problem and switched her to a softer brush.
About a month ago a friend asked me how I liked Fuch’s. I hadn’t really thought about it at all, I just used them because it seemed the right thing to do. Upon ponderance ( I made up that word but I’m going to use it any way), in the three years I’ve used them I’ve never seen one break down in the compost and I’m not sure how long it takes. When I stopped to think about how I liked them, I had to truthfully answer, not very much. They are very stiff and boxy and the bristles fall out in my mouth. Fuch Fuch’s!
Said friend told me she used Preserve, so I bought one yesterday and Oh I have happy teeth! It is so soft and sleek and my teeth feel so clean. I just want to brush all the time. They are also made out of recycled plastic and you can mail it back to the company (free of charge) to be recycled when you are finished.
I’m hoping they make a child’s one because I think Aurora would like it. I think I can convert the whole family-this toothbrush is amazing.

Yummy and Yucky

Yummy
I’ve been working on the recipes section of my book. It’s been quite fun having to actually measure things out and once I have the quantities I can make the same dish exactly the same, 2 or more times in a row. Wow!
Tonight I made an amazing salad. I didn’t measure anything out so I’ll have to tinker with it, but I’ll pass it on as is for now.
Ingredients
-left over fried veggies (broccoli, carrots, zucchini, onions and garlic)
-pesto (basil, olive oil, sunflower seeds, pine nuts)
-the juice of half a lemon
-salt and pepper
-orzo
Mix together and eat!
I had left over orzo and veggies so it was quick and easy, and very delicious.
Yucky
We live in a house that has been split into apartments. The people upstairs have had visitors for the past 6 months who finally left today. They threw several bags of clothes in the garbage. Aurora and I watched the man of the house go through the bags, take what he wanted and put the rest back in! I’m not upset that he took some-that;s great. I just can’t believe he put the rest back in. Clothes do not need to be in the landfill. The Diabetes Association and Sick Kids come by at least once every few months to collect clothes. I am going to dig them out of the garbage again to donate- even though they are no longer neatly bagged. I may have to launder them now too. I just can’t believe someone would throw good clothes away. I kind of can understand his guests were in a hurry to catch a plane back home and had too much to bring, and may be they didn’t know clothes don’t go in the garbage. But then the upstairs tenant took things out of the neatly packed bags and back into the garbage bin. Why not take the bags out completely and take them somewhere, or leave them on the porch fro pickup? I am baffled. I almost went out to say something, but every time I try to talk to him, he doesn’t speak English anymore, so I didn’t bother.

I’m off to eat some pie and then go dumpster diving in my own backyard!

Oh Buggy

I had just about given up buying from the internet all together, due to hidden fees and crazy amounts of packaging. I ordered a percussion instrument in the shape of a banana and it came in a box about a foot by a foot filled with plastic and bubble wrap. UUUGH. I ordered an organic t-shirt from OH BUGGY and it came in an envelope padded with recycled paper. Yaaaay! No bubble wrap, no Styrofoam, no tape, no plastic!!! Also the shirts they make are awesome, and organic and the service was fantastic. So I will be ordering from the internet again after all.

Home Grown Revolution

There’s a line in a Modest Mouse song that is something like ” I sound the same when I’m happy and I’m sad” that’s always really resonated with me. I just watched Home Grown Revolution and cried with joy. I would love to meet this family. The one thing I noticed was that they do wrap their veggies in plastic, but it’s not a criticism at all because they are doing so many amazing things. I can’t express my excitement. Just watch or go to the website. Oh I love these people! WHEEEEEEE!

Creamy and Dreamy

Creamy
I finally made a cream that works! It’s the Calendula baby cream from Wholesome Baby foods. I use it for everything, lips, body and bum. It can be a diaper salve, a moisturizer and a lip balm-the latter two for adults as well. Here’s the recipe:
Calendula Baby Cream

2 cups calendula flower
1 cup comfrey leaf
1 cup chamomile flower
1 cup lavender flower
4 cups Sweet Almond Oil (Olive Oil works well too!)
1/4 to 1/3 grated beeswax
4 drips of Lavender oil
4 drips of Vitamin E Oil

The first thing you must do is infuse the oil with the flowers. I had some from my garden and the rest I bought at Tutti Frutti in Kensington Market.

To infuse, add the flowers/herbs to the Almond oil in a glass canning jar. Make sure cover is fitting tightly and then place the jar in a warm and/or sunny spot for 2-3 weeks.

After the required time, strain the oil through some cheesecloth. Make sure you squeeze out all the oil! This is hard and messy. I think a metal strainer would work just as well.

Using a double boiler, warm the oil for an hour on a low simmer then strain again if needed.

Add the beeswax and keep warming until the beeswax is melted. I had a hard time finding beeswax but finally got some at Evergreen on St.Clair and Bathurst.
To make sure this will harden, transfer 2 tablespoons of the mix into a plastic container and pop in the freezer. Check the container and see if the mix has hardened. If it has not, you may want to add more beeswax. If the mix is rock-hard you can add more oil to soften it up!

Add the vitamin E and Lavendar oils once you have the desired consistency and then transfer the mix into jars or tins as you like. This recipe made me one big jar and two small ones (to give away). Kyle was really impressed and thinks I should make more and sell it.

Dreamy
I was walking on a nap walk with Aurora today when I saw a beautiful turquoise and brown ( I love those colours together) store front sign that said “Eco Existence”. I went inside and immediately got really excited. It is a big beautiful well designed store with most of the products I usually buy. They have it set up like a house so things are very easy to find. There is a kitchen, bathroom, baby’s room, bedroom ( I think that’s where the stationary and books were) etc. In the baby’s room, the left half of the clothing section is organic bamboo and the right is organic cotton. Swoon. I actually love shopping, despite my reputation for being anti- consumer. I just think it’s important to try to be a smart consumer. This store makes it easy. The owner is really friendly and she said they are open to suggestions on what to have in stock, so maybe they will get more bulk products in (right now they have liquid soaps and shampoo and such in bulk) and then I won’t have to go across town any more! I bought eco friendly parchment paper and compost bags and an amazing little organic cotton gown for a friend’s new addition.

PS

I went to the Big Carrot yesterday and bought bulk Giovanni shampoo and condtioner. My hair is still a bit dull- I think it will take a few days to get back to normal, but it smells good and looks much better than it has in awhile.

not creamy

* I wrote this Saturday but forgot to publish it.

The cream I was making never turned into a cream, even after Kyle used the elecrtic mixer. Kettunian was right! So now we have a very nice moisterizing oil, for after showering or massaging. Truth be told, we don’t have time for massages much any more but we do try to shower every once in awhile;)
I have another recipe that includes beeswax so I think it will turn into a cream, but I haven’t been able to get past the stage of infusing and straining the oil. It takes an hour to simmer on the stove and it’s hard to find that time.
I’m still struggling with bad hair but some honey soap on it helped a bit and I have plans to go to the Big Carrot tommorw to buy some bulk Giovvani Shampoo and conditioner so I don’t have to struggle any longer. I am still trying to make some shampoo, but in the meantime I can still feel good:)