Posted By: emmaspirit on

Sunday, June 1st, 2008, 3:10 pm

Bamboo made some new best friends this weekend. Yesterday, my niece, the new mother-to-be, unwrapped a living room full of baby gifts: little pink dresses, tiny dollies, a baby bathtub, diapers, a car seat and virtually all the other things a new mother and her first baby girl “needs”. For those of you who have attended a baby shower before, you know the prerequisite “oohs” and “ahs” that accompany every newly unwrapped gift. Well, yesterday, we took “ooh” and “ah” to a new level.

Hands down, the hit of the party was the smallest gift of the bunch. Inside a beautifully wrapped, small 8 ½ x 11 box lived the softest, the tiniest, the most elegant, the most pesticide-free, most sustainable, most organic and most bamboo baby clothes and woven baby blanket from Dreamsacks. Within seconds of opening the box, women were standing and squealing as hands reached across the room to touch the silky soft, natural fabric.

The baby outfit and gift set included a knit blanket, hat, socks, bib, long sleeve tee & pants. I explained that the baby clothes and blanket were made from bamboo, a sustainable natural product and that bamboo grows in the wild, free from pesticides and it is anti-microbial so it can help the baby stay odor free. (The moms loved that!) The fabric is breathable, dries quickly and feels so very soft. Plus, the light pink blush-like color further drove the moms in the room nuts because it didn’t scream PINK!

I knew our little green gifts were a hit when my niece held them all up for viewing and announced that this is what her baby will come home in from the hospital. What a nice thought to have the first clothes a baby wears on this planet be eco-friendly and natural.

Then the room virtually erupted when I explained that Dreamsacks also made super soft bamboo clothes for men and women as well as fabulous silky soft bamboo nightgowns and sheets. Women around the room quickly passed me their fondant cake napkins to write down the website address (www.dreamsack.com)!

I’m further impressed by Dreamsacks’ mission statement: “To provide wonderfully nurturing natural products while consciously caring for people and our environment.” I enjoy supporting green companies who believe in nurturing others as well as the environment. And they should be applauded for their conservation efforts as they live their mission thru “paperless billing, reusing and recycling paper products and working under solar harnessed lighting” as well as walking/biking to work and driving hybrid cars.

Small green companies like Dreamsacks face tough competition, cannot afford mass marketing campaigns and can only survive with our support. With something for everyone, I recommend that you try their products…they feel great against your skin and will make your soul feel good about going green.

Tags: gifts, natural, baby, bamboo

Posted By: emmaspirit on

Sunday, June 1st, 2008, 3:07 pm

Bamboo made some new best friends this weekend. Yesterday, my niece, the new mother-to-be, unwrapped a living room full of baby gifts: little pink dresses, tiny dollies, a baby bathtub, diapers, a car seat and virtually all the other things a new mother and her first baby girl “need”. For those of you who have attended a baby shower before, you know the prerequisite “oohs” and “ahs” that accompany every newly unwrapped gift. Well, yesterday, we took “ooh” and “ah” to a new level.

Hands down, the hit of the party was the smallest gift of the bunch. Inside a beautifully wrapped, small 8 ½ x 11 box lived the softest, the tiniest, the most elegant, the most pesticide-free, most sustainable and most bamboo baby clothes and woven baby blanket from Dreamsacks. Within seconds of opening the box, women were standing and squealing as hands reached across the room to touch the silky soft, natural fabric.

The baby outfit and gift set included a knit blanket, hat, socks, bib, long sleeve tee & pants. I explained that the baby clothes and blanket were made from bamboo, a sustainable natural product and that bamboo grows in the wild, free from pesticides and it is anti-microbial so it can help the baby stay odor free. (The moms loved that!) The fabric is breathable, dries quickly and feels so very soft. Plus, the light pink blush-like color further drove the moms in the room nuts because it didn’t scream PINK!

Tags: gifts, natural, baby, bamboo

Posted By: emmaspirit on

Sunday, February 3rd, 2008, 3:36 pm

Yes, please come Oil Pulling with me…what is that you ask? Oil Pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic homeopathic treatment for detoxification in which you swish a teaspoon of cold pressed, organic sesame oil in your mouth for 15 minutes first thing every morning before you’re eaten and then spit it out (into the toilet, not the sink, to avoid blocking up the pipes).

This oil treatment allegedly pulls toxins out of the blood as it circulates through the thin lining of the mouth. Hundreds of websites recommend Oil Pulling as a wonder cure and hundreds de-bunk the theory. Some claim the simple technique reverses everything from constipation to heart disease to snoring to diabetes to wrinkles to cancer to insomnia to skin disorders and more. I’m not here to take sides in the debate or analyze the results of those who oil pull. But I’ve got 15 minutes a day to devote to science to check it out for myself.

Cancer cures aside, many of the folks who have tried Oil Pulling claim to have whiter teeth within days. Visibly whiter, clean teeth after just a few swishes!?! In a world where folks pay $600 to whiten and brighten their teeth with harsh chemicals while stuck in the dentist’s chair, I figure paying $6.99 for a bottle of sesame oil fits my green lifestyle and wallet much better. Who doesn’t want a safe, easy, inexpensive, non-toxic, natural, teeth whitener?

So I’ve asked 5 people who see me everyday to take a good long look at my teeth up close. And together we will monitor their whiteness over the next 2 weeks. I promise to stick with my typical meat and veggie diet (no blueberry pie!) and continue to use the same natural toothpaste throughout this experiment.

And I welcome you to do the same. Come take my “Oil Pulling Challenge”, and we’ll share our results. One small swish for science…one large leap for teeth-kind!

Mary Beth Gonzalez

Tags: teeth, natural, detox, oil pulling

Posted By: kimmik7 on

Sunday, December 16th, 2007, 2:30 am

I want you to feel welcome to come into this group and see what I can offer for your health.  Write me some blogs and ask me questions. I have some natural suggestions "for example," I have some coffee that has been proven to help people lose weight naturally, and provide energy!

My wish for everyone is that they can get educated about the natural foods that do not offer any side affects and most of the time, prosperity of life.

Tags: coffee, health, natural

Posted By: emmaspirit on

Monday, November 12th, 2007, 3:31 pm

Who doesn’t have a friend who swore off makeup because it “clogged her pores”, “caused wrinkles” or “took too much time in the morning to put on or at night to remove”? Like many women, I was taught that wearing makeup harmed my skin and that a natural, no-makeup look was the best thing I could do to keep my skin young, healthy and clear.

Then I learned about natural mineral make-up. Did you know that you can wear simple, natural mineral makeup and not only look good but also do good for your skin?

I thought it was too good to be true so I put my face to the test and tried 4 natural mineral based makeup lines over the course of 4 months. I used each product for a month so I could see the effects through a monthly cycle and also gauge the reactions of others. Since we wear makeup so others will think we look more beautiful, I wanted to hear what they thought about my latest and most revealing Green experiment.

It seems that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. My best critics noticed that something was different, but they kept asking me if I had done something to my hair. I even tried wearing one makeup to bed one night because it was advertised to be so good for my skin that I could wear it overnight. I got more makeup on the sheets then I got compliments from my husband.

But it didn’t matter because I was already hooked, line and sinker. I didn’t need to look in the mirror. I knew that I looked healthier, more natural and more glowing…if only from the inside out.  Just knowing that my new makeup brands were natural, free of chemicals and preservatives (as well as not tested on animals) brought a rose to my cheeks. And while I wasn’t completely blemish free for 4 months, I did notice a decrease in periodic eruptions and overall redness.

My new favorite natural makeup lines:

-          Bare Escentuals: The most natural “bare” look imaginable with mineral makeup that actually heals and protects your skin. I sprung for the Introductory Kit because it was a great value with foundations, blushes and brushes as well as an easy to follow DVD showing how to get that gorgeous bare, natural look both day and night. Not only do you look like you don’t have makeup on (in a good way) but you don’t get that “I’m wearing makeup” goopy feeling.  Skin Deep scores: 1-3

-          Jane Iredale: Literally referred to as “The Skin Care Makeup”, this mineral makeup produces an effortless, flawless finish that dermatologists and plastic surgeons highly recommend. I’ve grown quite attached to her Moonglow Bronzer, Amazing Base, UnderEye brightener and her luxurious brushes. Skin Deep scores: 1-4 (mostly 1’s)

-          Dr. Hauschka: Combining mineral makeup with natural botanicals makes this makeup nourishing as well as beautiful. I found their lipstick with shea butter and carrot extract to be moisturizing and yummy too (important since the average woman ingests 4.4 pounds of lipstick a year) and I like their Translucent Makeup with carrot and witch hazel extracts that soothes and calms my skin while avocado and jojoba oils keep it moist and glowing.

-          Suki Color: Thought mineral makeup was just in powders? Well Suki Color has a fabulous pure mineral cream makeup that provides sheer, flawless coverage. Plus they include several organic ingredients throughout their makeup line. My favorite find is their Pure Cream Stain with chamomile extract to heal and soothe the skin.

I suggest that you select one brand and then use their products exclusively as they work best together to enhance, balance and nourish your skin. And then you just have one place to go to get all your makeup (cutting down on carbon emissions!). These products are all available through their online stores where they often provide a retailer locator.

And now I’ll never wander aimlessly through the halls of the Bloomingdale’s makeup floor again. I just look forward to the day when I can find these superior natural makeup products as easily as I can now find organic milk at my local deli.

Tags: organic, beauty, makeup, natural