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This week “Smarter Homemaking” is the theme for this special hour long show, and I have two guests. First I spoke with New Zealand’s own “ecoman” Malcolm Rands of EcoStore. After years of success in New Zealand, EcoStore has brought their products to the US. Malcolm wants to educate Americans about the benefits of using plant-based ingredients for household cleaning, and shares the results that New Zealanders have experienced in terms of family health.  Many people have seen eczema and allergy symptoms improve or disappear all together. Next you’ll hear from Heather Legler of Modern American Housewife. She is sharing her love and knowledge of homemaking with us. Our topic is the Art and Science of Homemaking. Check out some of Heather’s book recommendations: Art of Homemaking and Joy of Homemaking by Daryl Hoole Organized Home by Real Simple Worlds Healthiest Foods by George Mateljan Clutter’s Last Stand: It’s Time to De-Junk Your Life! by Don Aslett Now about our giveaway! One commenter will win a Simply Pilates DVD and book set by Jennifer Pohlman. The DVD is a complete beginner or intermediate Pilates workout and the book has full color instructions to make learning the moves easier. In order to win, just leave a comment below. The winner will be chosen on Wednesday, February 4th at (12:00) NOON Eastern time. Leave one comment to enter once. To increase your chances of winning, do each of the following: Mention the contest on your blog, linking to this page Twitter about the contest Email your friends Let me know what you did to help spread the word in your comment and please leave a valid email address so I can contact you! (You must be a resident of the USA or Canada in order to win.)

[Note: The screaming you hear in my intro comments are my daughters playing together in their room!] This week on the show I spoke with Jennifer Vetere, co-owner of a small, local handmade business for babies, toddlers and their moms at Made By Moms. No doubt you’ve come across blog posts or news stories about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). Just What Is the CPSIA? According to Jennifer, The act, in a nutshell, states that all objects intended for a child 12 or under to use must be “final product, component tested” for lead. This means that every component in the final product must be tested to meet requirements — the lowest cost I’ve found (at an actual lab) has been $75 per component. This translates into costs ranging from $375 for a bib to over $600 for one of our Take-Me-Too blankets — quilts wouldn’t even be feasible, as there are usually quite a few fabrics that go into them. This cost wouldn’t be a burden for a company who manufactures 1,000 of an item, but I make (perhaps) ten blankets or bibs in a line before moving on to my next one. The worst part is that it covers ORGANIC fabrics — so even my certified-by-the-GOTS Harmony Art blankets would have to be tested. In addition to hand crafted items, used items for kids will be affected by the CPSIA. Jennifer states: This act doesn’t just affect handmade, however, it affects our second-hand stores and libraries as well. Come February 10th, anything that has not been tested becomes a “hazardous material” and banned from sale, trade, or gift. Libraries with children’s books are face with the option of either a) defying the law and accepting they might be liable for penalties, b) destroying their books or c) testing every children’s book in stock. According to http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322: General Counsel of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) that would require public, school, academic and museum libraries to either remove all their books or ban all children under 12 from visiting the facilities, beginning on February 10. “I sincerely doubt that Congress intended to require libraries to be subject to this law, but if Congress does not act soon, libraries across the country will be forced to remove books from the shelves, rather than keep them available to serve the educational needs of our nation’s children.” At this time of enormous economic upheaval, where more families than ever are using our library system, this is an unconscionable decision to force them to make. In addition, second hand retailers face the same situation.  Test, be liable or stop dealing in second-hand children’s articles like clothing, toys and cribs.  Again, at a time when families are relying on the cost savings of places like the Salvation Army and Goodwill, this is unfathomable. Jennifer continues: I hope to raise awareness as to how much this will devastate many stores, artisans and small businesses throughout the United States. Many people devoted to green living are reliant on small-scale manufacturers to supply organic, quality, safe cloth diapers, bibs, blankets and clothing — these same people will be at a loss when the government’s good intentions backfire. Come the 10th, I won’t be able to sell, trade, donate or give away my stock — it will have to go right in the garbage, something that stabs me right in the heart. February 10th has been dubbed “Bankruptcy Day” because of the number of children’s product retailers and manufacturers who will be forced to close their doors. photo credit: shortfatkid photo credit: imcountingufoz

This week on the show I spoke with Margarita McClure, creator of Blueberry Diapers and Swaddlebees. Margarita began sewing cloth diapers for her newborn baby in 2004. By 2005, she had a business in her basement,  Swaddlebees. Today, Swaddlebees and Blueberry Diapers, McClure’s designer line of premier cloth diapers are favorites of style conscious moms around the world. On the show we talk about what kinds of women are using cloth diapers, why they choose them, and the benefits of cloth diapering. Margarita also shares which diapers are her most popular among moms in different parts of the world and secrets to making cloth diapers work for your situation and your baby. Swaddlebees and Blueberry Diapers… · Contain no bleach, no chlorine and no pesticides on the cotton fibers. · Use only organic cotton to insure 100% good health and safety for America’s babies. · Prints use water-based ink, instead of oil-based. The water used is recycled, treated and cleaned before pumping it back into the sewer system. · Lamination is a non-solvent based laminate, which does not produce toxic fumes instead of solvent-based urethane laminate, which is what 95% of what most cloth diaper manufacturers use. · All fabrics (except for the Minky diaper’s outer shell), is made in the US. This ensures us that the fabric meets minimum standards for safety and is free from contaminants. · Is the only company that integrates hemp & organic cotton in the absorbent pads for our diapers, which makes them one of the most absorbent diapers in our industry. · Uses all biodegradable packaging on our products. Mentioned on the show: Green smoothies for kids and half price ads on Natural Moms Talk Radio

Michelle Barone is a licensed marriage and family therapist who counsels families to assist them in finding their way in homeschooling their children. Her book is called “Finding Your Way – Exploring Your Family’s Educational Journey” Making the decision to homeschool is a big one and parents may be overwhelmed by the options. This book contains exercises that helps parents figure out their feelings and expectations about education. It is a workbook of discussion topics and thought provoking exercises and also lists many resources for more information. The book encourages parents to dig deep into their memories, experiences, thoughts and feelings about family and education in order to find a way of homeschooling that works for them. It also takes parents into their family of origin and how those feelings around education can affect homeschooling, especially when challenges come up. It’s common for parents to have fears around homeschooling. Michelle finds that parents are worried about things that may or may not happen in the future, which is not particularly helpful. She suggests taking it one year (or one month) at a time and think about what’s going to be most helpful for right now. Michelle says that thinking about your personality style and your child’s learning style and designing homeschooling around that is one way to have success with homeschooling. An effective method to alleviate fear is to have more information. Michelle offers phone consultations to assist families.

My guest this week is Shelly Kalnitsky of Cell Phone Radiation News Bureau and WaveShield. CPRN was created to educate people on the latest news concerning cell phones. Today we’re talking about cell phones and children. Children are at greatest risk from cell phone radiation because their brain tissues are still developing. Radiation goes deeper into their brain than adults because their skulls are thinner. And yet kids (especially teenagers) seem to live on the phone. Some common symptoms are headache, fatigue, insomnia, hearing difficulties, short term memory loss. There is a connection between cell phones and cancer, especially in areas right behind the ear and also the parotid (salivary glands). Switzerland, Sweden and England have implemented boundaries around the use of cell phones for their youngest citizens. Many people use cell phones far too much. Instead of using them selectively, for emergencies and such, people use cell phones to avoid simply planning ahead. Much cell phone use is disruptive instead of helpful. Shelly noted that cell phone users exhibit addictive behavior, constantly checking their phones and even leaving movie theatres to take calls. Shelly found a material that blocks 99% of radiation that is used to protect people who work in radioactive environments. He created a product called WaveShield that you can simply stick on your cell or cordless phone. The ear happens to have the highest absorption rate of radiation of any area in the body. A recent study from UCLA showed that pregnant women who use cell phones can increase their child’s risk of autism. A world reknowned neurosurgeon who concluded a 15 year study recently predicted that cell phones may cause more cancer than cigarettes. The website lists cell phone manufacturers’ product radiation levels. It would be smart to check their listings to buy a model with lower radiation levels the next time you purchase a phone. Headset phones that stay on your ear are especially dangerous. Reports have shown that a man’s fertility can be negatively affected when their phones are kept on their hip. Some people notice symptoms from their computer monitors as well, especially if they use a computer for several hours a day. Shelly comments that everyone who claims that cell phones are safe are either ignorant of the facts or getting a paycheck from the industry. photo credit: snappybex

My guest this week is Dayna Martin of The Sparkling Martins. Dayna is a nationally recognized expert, writer and speaker on Unschooling. Her blog is a fun and fascinating look into the daily life of an unschooling family. Dayna and her husband own a natural wooden toys business, Willow Toys. We’re talking about natural parenting advocacy. Dayna talks about how moms can find an area they’re passionate about in order to pursue advocacy and then how to get their voice heard. We also talked about how a mom’s attitude about breastfeeding is such an important aspect of creating success. Visualization and an optimistic worldview has a tremendous impact on birth and breastfeeding. Dayna also recommends avoiding things that make you feel bad and guilty and fearful and instead doing the things that make you feel good. As an example, exercise during pregnancy. If you enjoy walking more than doing pelvic tilts, then forget the pelvic tilts and walk! Ditto for nutrition. Instead of being dogmatic and righteous about your choices, it’s better to find what foods make you feel well and healthy. If you take in fear with your food, you absorb less of the nutrients. This has been documented scientifically. What you believe about food and health tends to come true for you. Dayna encourages moms to find what feels good and right for them for their births and use that method instead of sticking to a preconceived idea. For instance, Dayna listened to heavy metal music during her birth because it worked for her instead of new age soft music. Dayna is developing a natural childbirth method that helps moms find what clicks with them as individuals. To be an authentic parent, we need to be who we are instead of living someone else’s script. Many people shift from mainstream parenting to natural parenting but this doesn’t mean doing what others are doing. I mentioned how uncomfortable I am with the question “What is a natural mom?” because I don’t want to set up some ideal. It’s about listening to your instincts instead of relying on external experts. Mentioned on the show: Ideal Bite – daily green living tips Vital Juice – weekly health tips for moms Margin Seligman’s books on optimism and happiness

Generation Text Dr. Michael Osit is a licensed clinical psychiatrist and author of Generation Text: Raising Well-Adjusted Kids in an Age of Instant Everything In the book, Dr. Osit reveals how the combination of high-tech interaction and immediate gratification is putting our children at risk for developing distorted self-image, poor work ethic, a sense of entitlement, and weakened social skills, as well as aggressive tendencies. Points from the show: Conflicts between parents and kids is changing and often the core of that conflict is some technological device. The “generation gap” has morphed into a generation crater. In previous generations, kids thought they knew more than their parents but really didn’t. Now, however, kids often DO understand more – especially about technology. Kids spend more than half of their playtime in front of screens. That’s making them disconnected to the family. Why should parents be concerned about this? Social skills - there is a lot of intermachine interaction instead of people interaction, so kids are not learning to pick up social nuances. For example, texting eliminates many challenges socially that contain important lessons for kids and teens to learn. Values - the attitudes and behavior of kids has declined because modern kids have access to the world. The messages they get are not always appropriate. Anonymity – we get more brazen and nervy when using technology. That’s not always healthy for relationships. Dr. Osit talks about “access” and “excess” in his book. Access refers to easy availability of the world and other people. Kids can be all over the world in their bedrooms. Excess – kids have too many privileges and possessions. It’s not unheard of for 7 year old girls to have spa days, sushi in school lunches, limos for the 6th grade dance, etc. There is nothing wrong with these things but there is a sense of entitlement with these things. What’s acceptable for the age is not always appropriate. Instant Gratification Too much technology can lead to weak delayed gratification muscles. As parents we need to help our kids learn how to delay gratification in order for them to be happy, healthy adults. Kids don’t understand the difference between wanting and needing a new iPod. We don’t have to be patient and wait anymore in our microwave, instant download society. Many parents are going overboard in expending too much money, time and resources. We’ve become too child centered (note from Carrie: this is a good point that is also mentioned in the The Continuum Concept: In Search Of Happiness Lost). Parents are operating in a busier, fast paced world. Because of guilt we say yes, sometimes to compensate for a lack of time. Dr. Osit suggests that kids earn more of their technology instead of always getting it right away. Studies show that kids – even teens – really do respect and admire their parents and want to do right and even spend more time with their parents. We need to start creating more balance with our kids. When used the right way, technology can be a parent’s asset. For instance, with shy kids technology can boost their social ability. It can compensate for their weakness. Establish limits and boundaries with your kids before you give your child the privilege of using technology such as the internet. Instruct them on what they should do for example, if they come across pornography online. Computers should be kept in a public area of the home and the rules of use posted nearby. Parental controls are easy to implement. Kids should be coached to come to the parents if they stumble on something inappropriate online. Encourage them to come to you if that happens and help them understand that you won’t get angry but will talk about it. This is an opportunity for you to hand down your values to your kids. Dr. Osit suggests eliminating distractions durin[...]

This week we are joined by Victoria Jennings, Ph.D. Victoria is an anthropologist and she specializes in reproductive health. She directs the Institute for Reproductive Health at Georgetown University. We’re talking about natural methods of family planning. Victoria developed Cycle Beads – an easy to use, totally natural tool that makes it much easier to use natural family planning to predict ovulation and either prevent or plan a pregnancy. Cycle Beads are also useful for women to use not as a birth control device but to be more aware of their cycle. Young women just starting their cycle could use them to educate themselves. Studies have found that many people who choose natural family planning do so because it has no worrisome side effects. Dr. Jennings says that the failure rate of using Cycle Beads is about 5%. Women who have irregular cycles may not want to use Cycle Beads, but the majority of women can use them quite effectively. Moms who are nursing notice that breastfeeding has an effect on their cycle. It may take months or longer for fertility to return when a mom is nursing her baby. She needs to have had 4 periods after the birth of her baby before she begins using Cycle Beads for best results. And, her most recent cycle needs to have been between 26 – 32 days. There are a few different methods that fall under the umbrella of natural family planning. Dr. Jennings explains the differences between the calendar method, the Billings method, the two-day method, and others. Dr. Jennings notes that natural methods are “couple” methods. Communication and clear agreements are required for it to work successfully. Advocates of NFP say it brings a couple closer because they have to modify their sexual behavior. If one party is not willing to participate in the process, NFP may not be the best method for them. While there may be no hard science to prove this, it’s logical to think that NFP has a positive impact on a couple since it opens dialogue about their sexuality and their relationship. expecting parents finance guide

This week we are talking with Peggy Webb of West River Academy. We are talking about unschooling and eclectic homeschooling and what it all means for your family. You can listen to the audio below or read on for the transcript of our conversation. Carrie:  You’re back with Carrie at Natural Moms Talk Radio.  My guest this week is Peggy Webb,  Director of the West River Academy. Hi, Peggy. Peggy:  Hi, Carrie.  How are you?  Thanks for having me today. Carrie:  Oh, I’m glad to talk with you.  I was browsing your web site, and you have the most interesting thing going on.  I’m not even sure how to describe it, but I’ll let you do that.  We’re going to talk today about your philosophies and thoughts about unschooling, and how it fits into the over all homeschooling picture. Peggy:  Okay.  I can start maybe by mapping out a homeschooling philosophy continuum, so that the listeners know where we are here. Generally, when someone wants to homeschool, they think they’re going to do what schools did, except that they are going to do it at home.  I’m going to by a curriculum, I’m going to sit my kids down at the table or the front desk, and we’re going to go through the various subject areas.  I’m going to be the teacher and they’re going to be the students, and they’re going to do what I asked them to do.  I’m going to grade them, and do the homework and so forth. When people find out that there’s another way of doing it,  it’s really very refreshing and liberating to a lot of people that are open to the idea.  It’s not for everybody, because people come to this idea of allowing your children to have the freedom to participate in the decision about how they are going to be educated.  They find it rather different, because most people have gone through a school system, and they’ve been told what to do. This whole idea of being given a choice is a little bit scary for them.  A lot of questions come up about are they going to succeed in life if they’re given so much freedom?  I’m an adult, and I’ve got to make sure they learn this, that and the other thing so that they can be successful.  It’s a whole different mind set, it’s a different paradigm. But what you find on this spectrum is what we call school at home on one end, which is what I just described, and then on the other end is the opposite.  It’s more of a bottom up rather than a top down. It’s actually engaging your children in a discussion, where you want to check to see what is their learning style?  Do they learn better when they’re jumping on the trampoline reciting the multiplication facts, or when they’re sitting with a workbook and memorizing flash cards and that sort of thing?  What is the learning style?  What are your children’s goals? What do they want to accomplish with their life? Some kids, at a very young age, know very clearly what they want to be when they grow up, and they never change that.  You want to give them the honour and recognition that it is important that they are part of this decision. Then, you sit down and work together with a child to decide what’s going to be studied, what the materials are, if it’s going to be hands on, if it’s going to be through travel and field trips, or a combination of book study possibly with apprenticeships or mentorships, group activities, co-op learning with other families, … There’s just so many things out there to explore.  Your child is one of how many billion on the earth, and they are each different. What happens with the school system is that there’s a mass educational technique, because when you have 30 kids and one teacher, you can only make them all do the same thing at the same time.  So that model has been followed even right into the home.  It’s something that at least needs to be looked at and questi[...]

My guest this week is Sharon Silver of Proactive Parenting. The transcript of this interview appears below, and I really encourage you to listen or read all the way through because Sharon has some real gems to share! Sharon is a mom and educator and has 17 years of experience counseling parents both in person and through her audio downloads on her website. Carrie: You are back with Carrie at Natural Moms Talk Radio. I have with me Sharon Silver of ProactiveParenting.net. Hello, Sharon. Sharon: Hi, Carrie. Carrie: I’m excited to talk with you. I’ve been looking at your web site and listening to a bit of the audio you have there. I think that what you’re doing is great and very much needed. Tell us a little, briefly, about what proactive parenting is all about. Sharon: Proactive Parenting is a site that grew out of 17 years of teaching parenting, and really trying to help parents deal with things so they don’t have to end up going straight to punishment. I’m sure that what you listened to on my site was where I talked about the fact that every parent has a reaction, and so many parents think the only resource that they have is time outs. photo credit: nyki_m But the truth is that there’s a tremendous amount of information that lives in the middle between your reaction and sending a child to time out. And that’s what Proactive Parenting is about, ways to do this without going “Get your little fanny to time out right now.” C: That’s interesting that you say that, because my audience is mostly people who believe in attachment parenting and gentle discipline tools. But it’s very true that even a so called gentle discipline technique can cross that line, and time out can be very laid back, “Okay, I think that we need a minute to calm down here, so let’s have a time out.” Or this can be picking up the child and slamming them in the corner. It’s not necessarily what you do so much as how you do it. S: That’s very true. One of the top things on my web site are two completely different versions of time out. Because I have worked with a lot of attachment parenting parents, and parents that live on the fringes of that, and out of that grew my awareness, and also for my own children, that time out wasn’t accomplishing what I wanted It to accomplish. If I was already angry when I did it, then it could be one of those close to really angry “Get your little fanny in there,” or it could be what time out was originally intended to be, which was “Let’s both take a moment and come back and talk about it.” But there’s also a couple other things. For my preschoolers, which is seminar number two, because I’ve had to split them up, one for toddlers and one for preschoolers, the preschool one is very loving and really, it is “sweetheart, you need to do this.” So how I’m going to use time outs now is “have a seat for one minute, so you can get yourself internally ready to do what Mommy needs you to do. If you still need help with your emotions I’m right here.” Now, a toddler can’t handle that. A toddler needs the same loving support, but a toddler is still verbally not there yet. So a toddler needs to have actions included in this. The one that I do for toddlers is stop them, and you do this in 10 seconds. It gives you the perfect words to say that are very loving and scaled down to size so they can understand you, and then have the child, while they’re still emotional, dealing with the new information they were just passed so they can pull the whole thing together. And that’s my understanding of time outs in this day and age. I think it’s time that time out has an upgrade. C: To me, it’s more of a pattern interrupt than a punishment. S: That it is. But it can be a pattern interrupt with teaching. That’s where I am. I’m all about solutions, and I’m all about folding teaching, which is really what discipline is, into whatever method I use. Any moment that you have an opportunity to say “We need an interrupt,” it’s be[...]

My guest this week is Nora Coffey, president of the Hers Foundation. HERS aims to provide information about the consequences of hysterectomy and educate women about its alternatives. Nora is also the author of The H Word: The diagnostic studies to evaluate symptoms, alternatives in treatment, and coping with the aftereffects of hysterectomy. This video is a fascinating look at the female anatomy and its invisible functions. In mid November HERS is hosting a conference here in the Atlanta area. Friday night is a screening of the teleplay Unbecoming. Points from the Show: As evidenced by the questions they ask post surgery, many women do not understand the functions of the female organs. Hysterectomy is the 2nd most commonly performed surgery (after Cesarean section) The medically accurate term for removal of a woman’s ovaries (gonads) is castration Doctors still falsely tell women that their lives won’t change after hysterectomy The uterus is a hormone responsive sex organ that has structural as well as physiological functions. The ovaries produce hormones all through a woman’s life, and are needed all their life (including post menopause). The uterus and ovaries play a role in the immune system. Among common effects of hysterectomy are greater risk of heart attack (3 to 7 times greater) The average age of hysterectomy was 42 a decade ago and now it is 36. Now, it is not uncommon for teenagers to have hysterectomy. A woman never needs a hysterectomy for fibroids. When women experience inevitable problems post hysterectomy are often told by their Doctors that the symptoms are “all in their head“. Post hysterectomy, women will not experience uterine contractions during orgasm, diminishing their sexual experience. Hysterectomy is a $17 billion dollar annual industry. Hysterectomy is very rarely warranted. There are usually alternatives. Some treatment options include myomectomy, fibroid removal surgery Endometriosis is widely overdiagnosed. An MRI of the pelvis is a better diagnostic tool than exploratory surgery. Drugs commonly prescribed for endometriosis are very dangerous. Acupuncture can balance hormones and is good for treating endometriosis. Diet and exercise are also important treatments. Women who eat a lot of soy products develop more endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial cancer. Soy stimulates an abnormally high amount of estrogen in the body.