It is hard to believe that today is the first official day of summer seeing as we have been experiencing record high temperatures in the last few weeks. But alas, the golden days of summer are upon us. And what better way to protect ourselves from that ever-oppressive (but fabulous) sun? With LOTS of sunscreen. While it is important for us to take a few minutes before we head out to the beach, the pool, or even just working in the yard to throw on some sunscreen we must also remember it is twice as important to lather up our children and especially babies.

Did you know that a typical cotton t-shirt only provides an SPF of about 5? How about that one blistering sunburn for a child greatly increases their risk for melanoma later in life? Sunscreen is a MUST for children of all ages; here are some tips to remember when heading into the great outdoors…

• Apply sunscreen to children every two hours when they are playing sports or swimming
• Look for clothing that has UVB/UVA protection built into the fabric
• Get them in the habit of wearing a hat to cover their face when out in direct sun
• The American Academy of Pediatrics gives the green light to sunscreen on babies who are six months and older (look for an organic version such as Avalon Organics) but always keep baby in the shade and out of direct sunlight
• Wear sunscreen that has both UVA and UVB protection and at least SPF 15 (we recommend SPF 30 or SPF 45)

Remember, you are your children’s defense when it comes to the elements… so get them protected and get out there and have fun!

It is amazing what we put into our bodies, and no I am not just referring to the mega-super-jumbo-burger. The seemingly good things we eat aren’t always what they seem either. I know most of us think we’re doing what is best by having lots of fruits and veggies but if they are laden with the toxic chemicals found in pesticides then we may as well be eating fast food after all.

Buying organic produce can be tough on the wallet, so the Environmental Working Group was nice enough to break down what they have researched to be “The Dirty Dozen.” These are twelve items which you should spring for the next time you’re in the super market and choose organic instead (these have the highest levels of potentially dangerous pesticides when processed traditionally) –

• Peaches
• Apples
• Sweet Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Pears
• Grapes (imported)
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Potatoes

Additionally, here are twelve fruits/vegetables which usually don’t have as many pesticides found on them when processed traditionally, so you’re a little safer when not buying them organic –

• Onions
• Avocado
• Sweet Corn (frozen)
• Pineapples
• Mango
• Asparagus
• Sweet Peas (frozen)
• Kiwi
• Bananas
• Cabbage
• Broccoli
• Papaya

Unfortunately, washing produce doesn’t really do the trick of getting rid of the pesticides either. The EWG found that people can reduce their risk of exposure to pesticides up to 90% by eliminating the “Dirty Dozen” (better yet purchasing their organically grown alternatives), and consuming the safer twelve instead.

This summer - go one step beyond organic and check out a u-pick farm… nothing quite beats eating fresh berries and other delicious produce that you picked yourself!

In today’s world our time is more precious than ever and one thing most of us have done is farm out traditional “home” chores that would otherwise take forever. One such chore is the mind-numbing task of cleaning our clothes; isn’t it so much quicker to just drop them off at the dry cleaners and have someone else do all of the work?

We may want to think twice about our dry cleaning though. Have you ever noticed that clothes which are repeatedly dry cleaned have a dingy film to them, lose their color, or smell kind of weird? This is because the chemicals used in the dry cleaning process are extremely harmful, not only to your clothing but to you. The main toxic substance is called perchloroethylene (perc for short) and is not only a nervous system depressant but has also shown to damage the liver and the kidneys. Who needs that on their clothes! (not to mention on their skin when they wear the clothes!) And of the 35,000 dry cleaners in the United States only 15% of them use alternatives to perc?

There are alternatives, however, so don’t think you have to go back to washing with rocks in a stream anytime soon. One alternative is called GreenEarth, while this was once touted as the saving grace of the dry cleaning industry as greener standards emerged it is now under fire for causing cancer in animal tests and harming the liver (the main ingredient is a silicone-based solvent). 

The other alternatives are liquid carbon dioxide, which has shown the most promise through comparative testing with other methods, and wet cleaning. Wet cleaning basically uses biodegradable/nontoxic formulas and water pressure to get clothes clean. We like these last two methods… not only because they are gentle on the earth and us but also because they work!

Even better… try to wear clothes several more times before you clean them. Many things like wool, heavy cottons, and even some synthetics can hold up well with multiple wears without loosing their spiff or taking on unpleasant smells. For suits, sweaters, and heavy pants you can also try some squirts of water and essential oil (we recommend lavender) from a spray bottle - this keeps them smelling good!