Autumn brings the best and the worst in the same season. Long before the official beginning of fall, I am ready for the sweaters and the jeans. Reborn with the crisp morning air as I wake up, I long to snuggle into my warm comfy sheets at night. By far I am more peaceful (than usual) this time of year.
However, as the cooler temps bring me pleasure, they also bring me pain. I have seasonal allergies that irritate my sinuses when the leaves start to die and the mold count climbs. In the past, I have relied on prescription nasal decongestants to get me through.
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Written on
October 7, 2008 by
SusanC
The bathroom is often regarded as a sanctuary of the family home: a place to unwind in a hot shower, pamper oneself with a spa treatment, or simply take care of business in relative privacy. Unfortunately, however, the average American bathroom has become a haven of chemical exposure, housing a variety of personal care products that may be harmful to your health.
Just how toxic is your bathroom? To date, 89% of the 10,500 ingredients used in personal care products have not been evaluated for safety by the FDA, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (an in-house panel appointed by the cosmetics industry), or anyone else.
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What does the term “buy local” mean to you? There is an increasing push for people to start buying local foods and products of late. I think it’s a great idea. You need to first ask yourself, what does that mean to you? Does it mean that you buy foods and products from just your community? Your state? Our country?
It can mean all those things. Here in Idaho, we have a campaign called “Buy Idaho”. T.V. and radio ads encourage Idahoans to purchase goods and services within our state. I’m sure other states have this kind of program too.
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Written on
October 3, 2008 by
SusanC
toothpastefordinner.com
It’s hard to believe that sweatshops could possibly exist today. But they do. And if you buy stuff without paying attention to where it comes from, you may unknowingly be supporting the cycle that causes them. In an effort to make cheap stuff even cheaper, sweatshops exploit workers with long hours, unfair pay, and unsafe working conditions. Sweatshops are most common in poorer countries where labor practices and health and safety violations often go unreported. But these factories have also popped up in the U.S., as poor workers are lured with the promise of high pay and good benefits, only to essentially become indentured servants.
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Remember when someone would dare you? Taunt you. Tell you, you can’t do something. You wanted to prove them wrong. Well, that’s sort of my theory behind this post. I’m going to dare you. Taunt you. I want you to prove me wrong and join the EnviroMom Challenge of reducing your waste.
I’m bet you can’t do it.
Nah. Nah. Boo. Boo.
EnviroMom has is challenging families to cut back. Reduce, reuse and recycle. If the friendly garbage mans collects one can a week from your curb, make it one can a month now. The same can you use now just fill it once a month not once a week.
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When I first wrote this article, I was gung-ho all fired up about a campaign I started on my blog called Going Scratch. That was nearly a month ago. I write for this blog once a month, sometimes more when I get a bee in my bonnet. Going Scratch was an idea I had to help myself return to basics. My question to myself was: Why am I relying on the store to provide things for my family when I can just as effectively make them myself? It’s a good question I thought. Why not? Things like food items I would normally buy I can make at home.
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While I walked 20 miles each day for the Michigan Breast Cancer 3 day this weekend, I had a lot of time to look around and just think. One of my big realizations over the weekend was that we were the only ones walking around in the downtown, neighborhood and nature areas along our path.
Coming from living in downtown Chicago where we all walk around like crazy, it made me wonder. Let me clarify that I don’t think it has anything to do with Michigan suburbs. I actually think it has more to do with our country than anything. Take for example, the new campaign I saw for the first time last night as I cozied on the couch to rest my weary gams.
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Do you think that the beauty and personal care products on the shelves at your local drugstore or department store are safe? Do you think they are tested for safety by an independent agency before they are marketed?
If you think the answer is yes, you’re not alone. Most of us believe that the products we buy are safe, and that they are rigorously tested to address safety concerns before they are placed on store shelves. Various national surveys have found that a majority of us agree with statements such as “currently, the government carefully tests chemicals used in all major consumer products to make sure they are safe for people to use.”
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While the idea of going green is generally a popular lifestyle choice, there is a commonly held perception 
that going green is more expensive. This is true – many suggestions to go green end up being more expensive than the old way of doing things. So to help inspire you in your efforts to go green, here are some frugal ways to make a smaller environmental footprint while making your pocket book happy!
Re-usable coffee filters: If you’re not already using these kinds of filters switch now – you’ll still have great tasting coffee but you won’t have to run out to buy filters again!
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Written on
September 26, 2008 by
SusanC
I’ve got a sweet tooth that, when satisfied, can wire me for a peaceful calm, but also causes me to spend a ridiculous amount of money and occasionally compromise my health for a pleasure that comes and goes so fleetingly. If you allow yourself to be controlled suffer from a sugar addiction as I do, then you too may know (and understand) the cravings I experience. I have actually climbed into my car at 10pm at night because there was nothing in my house that would satisfy a craving I was having. On the whole, I eat very healthy and feed my family the same, but when it comes to desserts, I have to hold my head in shame.
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Autumn brings the best and the worst in the same season. Long before the official beginning of fall, I am ready for the sweaters and the jeans. Reborn with the crisp morning air as I wake up, I long to snuggle into my warm comfy sheets at night. By far I am more peaceful (than usual) this time of year.
