Sorry for not being around...

Well I started my blog, and then I forgot it... BUT now I'm back.  It is a new year and I have many new changes that I am making to my life.

Every notice how everyone starts the new year off with their resolution(s) and they throw themselves 100% into it(them)?  Then a couple months go by and suddenly they realize they haven't been living up to their own expectations.  I am ALWAYS doing that.

This year I am trying something new.  My MAIN goal this year, is the same goal I had last year - to lose weight and become healthier.  Last year I actually did quite well.  I figured out how I was supposed to eat (PCOS symptoms often subside if a proper diet is followed) and I lost 45 lbs.  Then in October/November I found out I was FINALLY pregnant and, well, I gained 15 lbs in my first 14 weeks.  I kindof took the whole "I'm pregnant and I can eat what I want" to the extreme.  And sadly, I didn't change too much of my eating habits once Maddox was born.  So here I am, 6 months post-partum, still squeezing into my maternity jeans (b/c they are actually snug) or sweat pants.  My pre-pregnancy jeans are still hanging out in my dresser and I'm not sure when we will be reunited.  But I have a plan.... and my plan involves multiple steps.

1.) I need to quit drinking soda.  I think 2 or 3 Pepsi's a day is just a smidgen too much. Ok, it is WAY too much.  But you will all be happy to know that within this first week of January I have cut down to ONE Pepsi a day.  My goal is by the end of January to not be drinking ANY soda at all. 

2.) I need to drink more water.  This is happening naturally with me not picking up a soda every time I am thirsty.  Bing (at The Healthy Way in Massena) once told me that to lose weight you need to drink a certain amount of water.  He said to take your weight, divide it in half and drink that many ounces of water.  So I'll be honest - my current weight is 214 lbs so I should be drinking 107+ ounces of water a day.  And no, that doesn't mean guzzling down a couple cups at a time.  Did you know the best way to take in water was to do like 4 oz every 30 min?  This coming week that I was I will be doing. I'm going to set a timer and every 30 minutes I am going to drink 4 oz of water.

3.) I need to get off my ass and get some exercise.  I haven't figured out my exercise plan quite yet - but I will be starting it in February.  I know at least one day will include Zumba at Gotta Dance Studio in Massena.  I will probably incorporate my Wii Fit, and may catch a class or two a week with the Fitness Evolution Boot Camp.

4.) PORTION CONTROL - there is absolutely NO reason that my husband and I can sit down and eat a whole large pizza between the two of us... no, no, NO.

5.) More fruits and Veggies - less processed food.

Over all, since I lost 45 lbs in 6 months last year I would like to loose 50+ this year.

Ofcourse, I have other goals for this year that aren't health related - I would like to read more.  On my list of books to read this year are:
1.) Sookie Stackhouse Series
2.) Re-read the Twilight Series
3.) The Hunger Games
4.) Eat, Pray, Love
5.) The Help
6.) Magic Treehouse Stories (I know, don't laugh at me!)

I would like to blog more - even if no one reads or cares.

I would like to scrapbook at least once a week.

I would like to pay down some of my unnecessary debt.

I would like to continue to be happy and confident in all the decisions that I make for me and my family! :)

Toxic Baby Shampoo?

So the other day I was checking my facebook and saw that someone had posted an article on toxic ingredients in baby shampoo.  Ofcourse this caught my eye since I am a new mom and trying to live a greener life. So I open the link and start reading...

"The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics came out with the news two years ago that Johnson & Johnson’s iconic baby shampoo contained the formaldehyde-releasing preservative quaternium-15, as well as the chemical byproduct 1,4-dioxane. Formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane are known carcinogens. The federal Consumer Product Safety Commission has reported that “the presence of 1,4-dioxane, even as a trace contaminant, is cause for concern,” and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services added formaldehyde to its list of known human carcinogens in June 2011."

WHAT?! I was astonished!  Isn't Johnson & Johnson the "go to" baby product when you think of baby wash and baby lotion and baby oil?  Not only that, but I have been told by more than one person that they swear by Johnson & Johnson and that it is one of the safest brands.  I'm sure these well-meaning people weren't aware that they had been (or still are) washing their baby in "cancer wash".

The article includes a link to a letter sent to J&J from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, along with 40 other organizations urging J&J to remove these products and to live up to consumers expectations of them.

What is frustrating to me is that J&J KNOWS that these ingredents are harmful and these harmful ingredients have been removed from product that is sold in specific countries but is still being used in others (United States, Canada and China) where it hasn't been regulated.

These whole thing greatly upsets me.  I use J&J on Maddox everyday - whether it be baby wash, baby lotion, or baby oil.  And I know some people will read the article and say "well it is only a trace amount" or "I used J&J on my children and they are fine" or even "J&J was used on me and I'm ok".  But are you (they) really?

If you follow this link, it will bring you to a cosmetic database which allows you to lookup the ingredients and hazard levels of difference cosmetics.  Each item you look up with be categorized in one of three levels:

Green (0-2) is a low hazard level.
Orange (3-6) is a moderate hazard level.
Red (7-10) is a high hazard level.

You search your item and right off the bat you'll see if it falls in the green, yellow, or red category and what number it has scored.  Then you can click on the items for more information.

For example: I USED Johnson & Johnson's Baby Head-to-Toe Baby Wash (Original) on Maddox.  It scored a 4. BUT, the Johnson & Johnson's Cucumber Melon Baby Wash scores an 8! It's health concerns are HIGH in regards to Overall Hazard, Developmental & Reproductive Toxicity and MODERATE in it's concern for cancer.

How do I know whether or not my husbands and my infertility issues were caused by any number of products that were "safe" when they really weren't?  How do any of us know if our health issues are related to "safe" shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, etc.? 

The only thing I DON'T like about this site is you don't know if an item has been reformulated since this data was collected and most of the data collected is "limited".  The Cucumber Melon Baby Wash was the 2007 formulation - has it been reformulated since?  Could it actually be scoring lower in 2011? I HOPE so - but I don't think I'm willing to risk it.

First day of blogging...

Well hello everyone!  I've decided to try my hand at blogging.  I want to document my journey in this new life I've found myself in.  Since having my son, my priorities have changed greatly.  I'm trying to live a greener, healthier, more self-sufficient way of life.  And I am determined to have fun doing it!