My current addictions

Trader Joe's pumpkin bread muffins. We just cooked our third box in as many weeks. They are easy, delicious, so cozy for the holidays. Having fresh muffins lying around is wonderful for snacking when I get up with Beckett in the morning, or when the day is busy and I don't have a break yet for a meal. I haven't looked too closely at the nutrition information on it... Not yet.

The Zero Waste Home blog. My sister in law referred me to it in a blog comment, and now I'm hooked! I'm fascinated by how people can change their way of life with dedicated effort and some thoughtfulness. Today I was intrigued to find in a back post that the blogger and her family are churchgoers. I was curious about the role that plays in their eco-consciousness... And I am definitely inspired to think about how I can get beyond thinking that I am caring for the creation when I merely divert my trash to the recycle bin.

Pumpkin pie from scratch. I mean, roasted the pumpkin, rolled and pinched the crust... If I could churn my own butter, that would be the next step closer. :) But the recipe had a variation for honey instead of sugar, and oh my goodness I'm in love. It tastes so much better to me! This recipes a keeper.

Brothers and Sisters in syndication. In spite of the fact that it keeps playing repeat episodes with the wrong titles (can someone not work a DVD player at the station???), I love watching this show and getting the back story from the old episodes. James says its a soap opera at night time, but I don't see him leaving the room. :)

Printing pictures of my cute boy. This is so un-eco friendly of me... Picture paper is not recyclable. And he probably will not want all these shots someday. But I do! I might have to get another job just to finance my picture habit.

Watching Friends at bedtime. In bed. It's a terrible habit. I started it when I was having trouble sleeping when I was pregnant. Beckett is almost 8 months. I won't try to figure out how many times we've watched through all 10 seasons. I keep telling myself that soon I will just read before bed again. New Year's?

Scramble on my phone, or on facebook. It's just such a good game! I can play Boggle all by myself, anytime I have a free minute!

These are my Sunday night confessions.
And now it is time for bed. I'm such a parent. It's 9:30.

Beckett's first Thanksgiving

Yesterday was Beckett's first Thanksgiving day. By the time he was in bed for the evening, I was feeling the poignancy of the day... Firsts are rather amazing things. They only happen that one time, and the responses that a person has cannot be reproduced. We just have to treasure what we can remember. It is strange to think that for each of us, so many of our firsts are not remembered by us, but by those who love us and watched as we grew.
Beckett won't remember that we spent yesterday with my family (in our alternating Thanksgiving Day tradition with James' family) at the house where I lived from 7 years old on. He won't remember that he was a bit overwhelmed by the hubbub produced by two doting grandparents, four aunts and uncles, two parents, three other cousins, between 2 and 6 dogs (depending on how many were currently shut up in a room), many cooking activities, and the parade on TV. He'll have no memory of how he and his cousin Freddy both showed up in striped collared shirts with pullover sweater vests, looking ready for a photo shoot. He won't recall that he ate homemade chicken and apples baby food alongside his multigrain cereal, and that he too had his own version of pumpkin pie made from some of the fresh pureed pumpkin, cinnamon, and a little ginger. B won't relive playing with his cousins on the floor, or how he loved giving a few baby kisses to his oldest cousin, Jade. He will not be able to think back fondly of how my dad, his grandpa, was eager to hold him and give him "horsey rides" on his knee.
But all these sweet and funny moments will be filed in a little corner of my mind. My favorite part was seeing him sitting for his first meal at my mom and dad's table with my side of his extended family. It is rare enough that he gets to eat with both James and I with his early bedtime, so this was an exciting opportunity. He sat between James and I, and we both fed him his food. He was too excited for more than a five minute nap while we were there, and by the end of the day he was tired and needing to stay close to me to be calm. But he was sweet and curious and enjoying our family. And me... these days, with my sweet husband and my darling baby, I felt like the most blessed woman in the world.

"There's a Beckett on my face"

Kids do the darndest things, an old saying goes. One of Beckett's favorite funny things lately involves applying his mouth to my cheek or my chin or along my jawline. Sometimes he just tongues me a little. Sometimes he bites down with his two little teeth (not the most comfortable feeling...) And sometimes he starts sucking. On my chin. I think it's actually his form of kissing right now. But it has become quite a game for us. It tickles, and my view is of his big eyes and the top of his head is so funny that it makes me laugh a lot. I've taken to doing a fake scream--a rather mild and quiet "Ahhh," and then I say, "There's a Beckett on my face!" And we both laugh. I don't know that this will be a long-lasting game, but he's been doing it for about a month now. We'll see how long I can handle the biting part. :)
It makes me glad I've given extra thought since he was born into what I am willing to put on my skin. I feel pretty good knowing that my bare minerals makeup has a very low number rating on the Environmental Working Group's cosmetics database. The database is one of the favorite new online tools I've found to help me evaluate products that I use every day. It's not infallible: sometimes I have looked up products that should probably have a lower hazard rating because the labels specifically rule out contaminants that the rating system is still including in its factoring. But overall it is extremely helpful, especially when it comes to avoiding a few of the ingredients that seem to be the worst offenders. Like parabens and phthalates, both of which are commonly used in beauty products.
Parabens are apparently used as a sort of antimicrobial ingredient, so that products last longer. Phthalates are used in fragrance cocktails, nail polishes, and a host of other things, and they help to preserve the fragrance. I don't know that I've read what they are meant to do in the other products. But they are also used in some kinds of plastics. Now, there are several different kinds of parabens and phthalates, and they each have varying levels of toxicity. But none are really very good. Some contribute to cancer, some can change hormones, some can damage organ systems. Here's a look at one, for example: dibutyl phthalate. It has the highest toxicity rating on the database. And it's in nail polishes. (Turns out most nail polishes are pretty awful health-wise.) But other types of phthalates are used in lotions, washes, and many other things... without ever appearing on the label because they are part of the fragrance blend that companies can conceal to keep them proprietary. Parabens are a bit more straightforward, and are usually listed among ingredients.
For people concerned about increasing exposure to toxic chemicals, parabens and phthalates are some of the top on the list to avoid. One of my favorite new sites, Healthy Child, Healthy World, lists them among a few other ingredients to avoid in personal care products if you want to minimize your own exposure. Now, it's not as if your one favorite lotion with methylparaben is going to get you in your sleep. But, the problem is a lifetime of exposure to not one but maybe 20 or 30 or 40 products that all have these ingredients. When I looked through my bathroom and shower, I found many. For instance: my body wash... a couple of lotions. My chapstick (which is actually ubiquitous in my house, so that I can use it all the time.)

Fortunately, there are some good products out there that are made paraben free and phthalate free. I found some new soap for the shower, and new lotion. And guess what: they still smell pretty nice, and they still get me clean and soft.

And, what's even better... they will hopefully not interfere with a long and healthy life for either me or my little skin-sucking baby boy. Maybe his whole world won't be safe to put in his mouth, but I'd like it if just my chin could be.
What about you...? Are there any products you've ever been concerned about putting on yourself, or your child coming into contact with?