An Attack On Our Parental Rights

     Today I read a very informative, and a bit scary, post at The Homeschool Post about the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child treaty that it is pushing all member nations to ratify. To quote from The Homeschool Post article: "The CRC Treaty consists of 54 articles which spell out what members of the Convention believe are the rights of a child, ranging from the “right to live” to the “right to privacy from parents.”  But to understand why this treaty is so dangerous, we must first turn to our Constitution to understand how treaties affect our laws and protections. Our Constitution gives a very high value to the treaties into which our country enters.  Article VI, paragraph 2 states: “all Treaties made, or shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby.”  In short, any mandate of a treaty takes precedent over all state and federal laws, including rights and protections in our Constitution.  Passing the UNCRC would take away many rights and freedoms we currently enjoy, and we would be giving governing authority of our freedoms to the international community."


     You can go to http://www.parentalrights.org/ to view an article by article review of this treaty, as well as sign the pledge for the Parental Rights Amendment, which would protect parents and our rights. You can also find your list of Congressmen to contact about these issues. One Congressman in my state has signed the pledge, so I contacted the other 3 I could. If you are not quite sure what to say, they can also provide you with a general note that they have been using in their calls to Congressmen. I just edited it and used it in my emails. We as parents need to stand up on attacks against our parental rights. Please check out http://www.parentalrights.org/ for more information, and also for screenings of their showing The Child in your area. This is a short film that covers many of the issues the UNCRC would create for families, and the rights it would take away. Let's all do our part so we can see the Parental Rights Amendment ratified!

Natural Wood Toys - An Etsy Shop (Amazing!)

     In my quest to replace as many plastic items as I could, I began searching for quality wooden horses. My daughter loves horses, so this was a *must* replace item. We had accumulated many plastic horses with plastic hair that now made me cringe. There are a lot of great wooden products out there, but we really wanted decently big horses that we could customize a bit, and all non-toxic. We finally found what we were looking for: Natural Wooden Toys! They are an AMAZING shop on Etsy with beautiful and unique wooden toys. We were able to customize the colors on our horses, and we ordered 5 of them. My daughter was SO excited to be able to order them! When they arrived we were super busy so I didn't get to open the box until long after she had been asleep. I have to tell you - when I saw them, I almost started crying. They are beautiful, absolutely wonderful and I am sure they will be treasured for a very long time!

     I was blown away by the craftsmanship and the lovely detail on them. They were exactly as my daughter asked. Not only that, but the sellers themselves were so wonderful to work with! They were extremely patient and answered all of my (numerous) questions, kindly and with as much info as they could. The entire experience has been great, which is not something you always get to say when purchasing online. Natural Wood Toys displays kindness and professionalism, which makes the whole purchase a very pleasant experience!

     I love the unique quality in hand crafted, hand painted items. Each is a bit unique and special in it's own way. You don't get that "same as everything else" type mold used in mass produced plastic toys, so each toy has a bit of unique character to it. And no one has two exactly alike.

     There are tons of customization options with the horses, which is great if you have a horse lover like my daughter who wants one in each color and type! :0P We sat down together and looked at the horses listed, as well as the color/design options sent to me, and picked out her 5 top picks. I can honestly say neither of us was disappointed! My daughter adores them!

     Last night I set them up in her room near her bed so when she awoke she would see them. I woke her up and sat with her, usual morning routine as she wakes up and gets up, waiting for her to notice them. I saw her eyes glance over them and then go back - "Horsies!" she said happily, with a huge smile on her face. :0) She got up and started looking over them, counting them, and exclaiming over them all.

    And we cannot forget the two smaller friends who came to live with us as well. My daughter held up the rabbit, telling me, "I love rabbits! I have been trying to catch one like this outside!" We have wild rabbits that run around this area looking for food daily, and she's always chasing them haha. The chipmunk is so cute as well, with it's adorable detail! So welcome home to our new adorable friends!

     So if you are looking for a beautiful and long lasting gift for your child or for someone else, please stop by Natural Wood Toys and see what they have to offer. You will not be disappointed! :0) The toys are all beautiful and wood is so much more long lasting than plastic!

Green Babies, Sage Moms by Lynda Fassa

     Green Babies, Sage Momsis a book I definitely recommend. It's got amazing advice for pregnant women as well as new moms. What's great about the book is that you can take it and apply it to older children as well. I'm able to take the information in it and use it with my 4 year old. There was a lot in it I already knew, but it was amazing to get another perspective on it. She's got great tips and advice, and actually color codes levels of "green" for readers so that if you cannot make a big green change, you can make a smaller one! I think this is an awesome idea because it helps people getting started make little changes for now, as they work up to the bigger ones. The advice and information is shared in an easy to read way, by someone who has done this all. It's great to get the wisdom from a person who not only lived the "norm" conventional lifestyle, but who also sees the need to live more eco-friendly and organically. The book is available on Amazon, just click the link to go there. I checked out a copy from my local library, which you may be able to do as well.

     Lynda Fassa, the author, is also the creator of Green Babies organic and green baby items! The site offers a lot for new mothers, and their stuff is really cute! I recommend reading the book for sure. So many new mothers get taught the same stuff from the conventional/non-organic culture, I know I sure did. This book is a refreshing change from the usual, and gives you a deeper look into things that are typical for new mom's. It's important to make really good choice for your new baby, so please check out this book! :0)

Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Connor Grennan

      Little Princes is a book I highly recommend reading! It's an inspiring and heartbreaking story of children who have been trafficked in Nepal. Traffickers are going into remote villages and convincing families to sell their children so they can get a better life. They promise them a an education, plenty of food, and a good environment. Unfortunately that is not what these children at getting. Most are randomly dumped places where they are left starving, others are sold as slaves. These children suffer and often believe their families are dead. This book chronicles the creation of Next Generation Nepal, an organization created to reunite these lost children with their families, as well as take care of them. This is a wonderful organization, and the book is a  great way to learn all about why it was created and the need it is filling.

     Please take the time to visit the site of Next Generation Nepal and see if there is some way you can help. Even the smallest help makes a huge difference! And it feels amazing to know you are impacting the lives of lost children. Take a minute to imagine what it feels like to be taken away from your family, completely alone, and terrified. These children need our support. Even by purchasing the book Little Princes you are helping, because portions of the proceeds go to help NGN and the lost children. This make the $10 well worth spending! I couldn't put the book down - it is a really wonderful book that gives you such a personal look into the lives of these children. If you are able to help out NGN and want to do more, check out their Partners page to find other organizations that are also trying to help these children. Two that are in the book are: Karya Nepal (the site is in French, you'll need to translate the page) and Umbrella Foundation. These groups have similar missions and are determined to impact the lives of these lost children for the good! At the very least, buy the book. You won't regret it! :0)

100% Organic Cotton Reusable Tea Bags - Great Idea!

     Once again, on my quest for organic and reusable items I realized that individually wrapped tea bags are a waste...and I don't know what's in/on them! That's a little unnerving, especially for someone trying to watch what kind of chemicals and materials we are exposed to. So I went on a search (on eBay again) for reusable organic tea bags. Oh, reusable tea bags are out there, but not all organic ones. I was so glad when I found GraceNotes listing on eBay for 100% organic reusable tea bags! Even the string is organic!

     Basically this is what you get in the mail. I love the tea bags and the little info on the sticker, but my only suggestion would be to cut out the plastic bag ad put them in tissue paper or some other non-plastic packaging. I'm not a big fan of plastic since it is very hard to recycle. Other than that, the packaging is very cute and offers you step by step info on using your new tea bags!

     This is what your tea bag looks like out of the bag before use. It's really cute; simple but charming with the beads on the side. You take a teaspoon of your tea and just put it in the little tea bag, then cinch up the strings and it's ready to go! You can tie your strings in a single knot if you like, but I find mine stays closed fine by just pulling it tightly closed with the strings. You use it as you would with a disposable tea bag: just add water!

     When I first tried mine out I thought I didn't use enough tea because the water didn't seem as dark as when I used the disposable tea bags. So I added more tea and steeped it in my cup longer. Boy did that make some strong tea! I did not need to any extra tea to it, the flavor was fine and just as I normally like it with the recommended amount. Of course, you can add more or less to your liking. But don't let the lighter color fool you, if you happen to experience this as well, the tea flavor is still strong.

     You can slightly see the strings with the beads hanging down. I had a small issue with my strings dripping a little, but after moving the beads up higher on the strings and then snipping the extra thread, my drip problem was pretty much solved. What I was told was that they are now making them with shorter strings, but in case you experience any dripping string issues that's how you fix it. :0)

     This is what your tea bag will look like after you've used it. You can let it dry out and then remove the tea, or empty and rinse it while it's still damp. There are cleaning and care instructions not only on their website, but on the little package as well. The price for these is EXTREMELY reasonable! Especially for all organic materials. On the GraceNotes eBay listing you can purchase one tea bag for $2.25 with free shipping. On the GraceNotes website they are $1.75 each + shipping, or $4.00 for 3 tea bags + shipping. Shipping costs seem to be $2.00 for 4 items and it goes up to more with the more you add. Still a great price! :0) They are durable, reusable and chemical free - all worth the cost!

     So please either stop by their website or their eBay listing and pick a few up. You can use these in a cute tea gift basket with a few different kinds of loose tea and a nice cup. These tea bags make a great gift and you are helping to cut back on disposable tea bags, which are a total waste! I believe even a few small "green" steps can make a big impact so why not start with these?

The Majestic Plastic Bag - A Mockumentary

     This is a great video, very amusing, but with a great message! Plastic bags are not natural, nor do they biodegrade in time. They end up polluting our landscapes and our oceans, contributing to the island of plastic trash. We do not need them, cloth bags are easily accessible and cheap. All it takes is for people to step up and refuse to let laziness keep them from helping cut down on these nasty plastic pollutants. To make matters worse, these bags separate into small pieces and get consumed by animals - many of which we eat! Do you want to eat plastic, because when you take a bit of that seafood that's exactly what you are eating. So many animals have been found dead with stomach's full of plastic. Take action to stop contributing to the death of animals and our environment - switch to reusable cloth bags!

Awesome Recycled Hair Clips! - Created by RECYCLEDLOVESA

     As I've been on the lookout for organic items to replace the non-organic ones that touch our skin, I've also been looking for recycled items that have been given a second life for us to take home. :0) It's been great how many I've seen! My daughter has lovely hair and she's outgrown the baby/toddler type hair clips and bows, usually because they are just to small. She also like unique things, just like her mom, so we went on a hunt (online) for cute recycled hair clips. Boy did we hit the jackpot! On Etsy we discovered a plethora of wonderful recycled items - including hair clips. Our favorites are from ReceycledLoveSA - these clips are totally unique, and absolutely adorable!

     Above is a pink bunny clip my daughter loves. We tried to get the best pictures possible to do these clips justice, but they look much better on the site!....hint, hint - go check the site ;0) I tried to buy clips to match my daughter's organic dresses, so that way we could not only simplify the mess of hair accessories in the hair clip box, but also have color coordinating clips.

     I think the flower shapes are my favorite, but I did see some other really cute designs on her site that we haven't tried yet. This one is perfect for any outfit with white in it!

     My daughter calls this her strawberry clip. :0) What a creative idea! These clips are made from felt and have an alligator clip, I believe, under it.

     This is our other color bunny clip. The very nice shop owner created this one for us by request - something I really appreciated! My daughter really liked the bunny clips so I was happy we could get them in multiple colors.

     This one is another of my daughter's favorites, mainly because her favorite color is green. I think the flower clips are very pretty and sweet.

     Ok this one is just awesome, I love it! I am a sucker for cute little animal items and this owl was no exception. It's so unique and super cute. :0)

     Yet another lovely little flower that was made by request. The shop owner was very easy to work with and very friendly. This is important because I buy and sell online a lot, so I'm always picking up on the attitude and communication of those I have transactions with. These clips were all just $1, and she has even more lovely clips for a couple extra bucks - so worth it! We received them quickly and my daughter asks to wear one of the every day. It's not very fun when I purchase something and my daughter dislikes it, so it has been great how much she enjoys these clips. The trick I've learned is to have her sit next to me and look over the items with me, so that way I know she will like what we pick out. I learned this after purchasing 3 sets of sheets she did not like, of course! That little experience taught me the need for discussing purchases with her, especially when they are for her. Oh and on that note, let's all say a big thanks to my lovely hair model, my daughter, who sat mostly very patiently while I repeatedly photographed her head. :0)

     RecycledLoveSA has detailed pictures and info on the listings, so you know exactly what you are getting and you can make your decisions with all the necessary info. She makes other great items as well: wine glasses, wine charms, picture frames, pendants, chalkboard labels, hats and more. So please go check out her store! Not only will you have a very unique item, but you are supporting reusing and re-purposing of things, which is extremely important to our planet. Even making a few "green" choices here and there has a big impact! So stop by and see what you can buy that has been made with Recycled Love. :0)