skin deep, bar soap, and a contest!

Skin Deep: I've been telling lots of people about Skin Deep, a fabulous resource from the Environmental Working Group for finding out about the health and beauty products you use. I'm not trying to scare anyone, just give you a great resource for information. The ingredients in these types of products aren't regulated, and there are some nasty things in many products. There are also better alternatives! You can search for information on specific products you use (there are over 25000 on the database), and browse products if you're looking for a low hazard item. Items are rated on a scale of 1-10, and when you click on an item, you can read the explanation for the rating. Definitely worth spending some time perusing! My goal is to have all products I use rated 5 or under.


Bar soap & contest: There's also an interesting article here about benefits of using bar soap rather than liquid. Would you like me to make you some? I haven't really gotten into many blogging contests yet, so perhaps it's time to do one myself. I've had a hankering to make a batch of soap (and I always like comments) - I'll draw three names from those who have commented on this post on or before this Friday, September 7. Those drawn will receive a complimentary bar of soap made by yours truly! Comments need to include something about the cosmetics products you use. I can't wait to see the comments!

PS- Speaking of comments, I've had a couple of people tell me they've had trouble commenting. If you click on 'comments' under any post, a window should pop up where you can type your comment in the empty box. If you don't have a blogger account, you can choose 'anonymous' and 'publish your comment'. That should do the trick!

moby wrap

I received this Moby Wrap in yesterday's mail, and I LOVE it! (I ordered it, it didn't just appear in my mailbox.) I thought it would take quite awhile to get used to it, but it literally took 5 minutes. It is infinitely more comfortable than any of the many other carriers and slings we've tried, and Phillip loves it! At the aforementioned baby shower, I wore him in it for an hour and a half, and we were both comfortable and content. I don't find that I lean back the way I do when wearing him in a Snugli, for example, so that is easier on my back. The weight is distributed evenly, the fabric is incredibly soft and stretchy, I don't feel like I have to keep a hand up to support Phillip, it can be worn a zillion different ways, and on and on. I bought it directly from someone who was selling it on her own, but check out mobywrap.com for more info. We're travelling a bit this weekend, and it is number one on my packing list!

lemon bars & shower gift

I made these lemon bars for a friend's baby shower I attended last evening - they're one of those things I make when I'm taking them somewhere, otherwise I just might end up eating them all. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar, divided
2 tsp finely shredded lemon peel
1 cup plus 2 tbsp flour, divided
3 tbsp lemon juice
icing sugar

Steps:
Preheat oven to 350. Beat butter in medium mixing bowl for 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup sugar and beat until combined. Beat in 1 c flour until crumbly, and press into 8x8 pan. Bake 15-18 minutes, or until golden. In the meantime, combine eggs, 3/4 c sugar, 2 tbsp flour, lemon peel and lemon juice. Beat until combined. Remove shortbread base from oven and pour filling over it. Bake 20 minutes longer, or until set. Cool, cut into bars and sift icing sugar over top, if desired. Meyer lemons, limes, or any citrus fruit could be substituted in for the lemon. Yummmmmm!




And here are a couple of pictures of the gift tags I made for the mum-to-be. I thought they turned out quite well. In case you're curious, I included reusable and disposable nursing pads, a nursing canopy, and lanolin in the basket. All things I've found very useful!

messiness

I listened to most of an episode of Talking Books on CBC yesterday, as Phillip and I were driving home from my parent's house. "A Perfect Mess: the hidden benefits of disorder" by Eric Abrahamson and David H. Freedman was the book being discussed, and I think I would like to read it, if only to make myself more comfortable with the seemingly inevitable mess around me. I found it interesting that all of the guests described themselves as messy, as far as their workspaces were concerned - I think most people are, to varying degrees. One of the things that stuck out in my mind was that the universe was designed in an orderly way, but tends to chaos. Sounds just like my house! People fit into categories of truly neat and anal, peple having the appearance of neatness and order while the drawers are filled with mess (unfortunately, I think this is me) and messy people. I have two friends who pop to mind immediately when I think of people who have orderly minds. I find it interesting that one of them is also very orderly in her appearance and surroundings, while the other most definitely is not. I try to be orderly; I find it very calming. It's also nice to be able to find things when you need them, without a time-consuming hunt. While I love to have things organized, orderly, and easy to find, my mind is most definitely not. Especially these days, having the wee one around, I find it's like the jumble of tacks, elastics, erasers, post-its, paper clips in a desk drawer. Everything's piled together and it takes a bit of extracting in order to find what you need. Having said that, my desk at work is usually very neat, and I generally know where things are (paper clips are in one place, tacks in another). The car is tidy (canvas totes tucked neatly in the trunk), the bedroom is tidy, but I always feel as though I'm fighting "the mess", especially in the office-y room. These days, I'm starting to accept some of the mess, as I spend my time watching Phillip smiling and cooing. That makes just about everything better. At the same time, I can't wallow in clutter until he leaves home. Like everything else in life, I guess it's a balance; finding the right place on the continuum. Note the conspicuous absence of a picture accompanying this post; I'm not yet comfortable enough with my mess to share it with the world!