Blog Posts by PureBebe

Courtesy of Olaf, Flickr

What is the one thing that you can do this year to safeguard your children's future and the future of our environment?

Buy organic food.

No, I promise that I haven't lost my marbles yet - just stay with me here.

1) It might be more expensive, but when you buy organic food, you are investing in your health.

I know that organic food is really expensive. I'm the one that does the grocery shopping in my household and I wince every time I checkout at the grocery store. But, I have begun to change my perception of food. I look at food the same way I look at vitamins - I am investing in a healthier life for my children.

2) You're also investing in the health of our environment.

Non-organic food (fruits and vegetables) is bathed in pesticides - several times - before they reach your kitchen table. According to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) website, the definition of a pesticide is "any agent used to kill or control undesired insects, weeds, rodents,

By Jamie Morris

As principal of a preschool, every year I am asked the same question: What can I do for my child's teacher this holiday season?

Gift cards are a great way to show your appreciation for a teacher while giving him or her the opportunity to choose something they need. Choose a gift card from a store where everyone shops such as Wal-Mart, Target or even a local grocery store. You will be surprised by how pleased they are with this gesture.

Another great gift idea is to buy something for your child's classroom. When visiting the classroom, spend time looking at what it needs such as a new easel, cushions for a soft area to read, books, or even a set of blocks. The teacher will appreciate you noticing, and the gift will benefit your child and his or her classmates.

While all the aforementioned are great practical gifts, what a teacher will most appreciate this holiday season is a heart-felt thank you. Teachers dedicate their lives to helping your

It was a normal weekday evening. My husband and I were in a rush to get dinner on the table so that our 2 year old would settle down and our 5 month old would stop crying.

We talked about everyone's day as we ate, and when I got up to clear the table, my two year old walked across the room to pick up one of her toys.

I didn't notice that she still had food in her mouth.

So when the dog stopped to lick her and she started to cry, I didn't flinch. This was commonplace. She gets a little sensitive sometimes when he licks her face. Within seconds, though, while crying, she gasped for breath and proceeded to suck her mouthful of food deep into her throat.

She couldn't cough, and started making a high pitching choking sound. By this point, I was standing next to her, panicking. I started pounding on her back and yelling "She's choking!"

I had taken enough CPR classes in the past to know that she had a full fledge constricted airway.

My world was in slow

1. "It's all fun and games until somebody pees on the floor."

2. "Bend over and touch your toes so that I can wipe your hiney."

3. "If you eat two more bites of your mac-n-cheese THEN you can have some more fruit."

4. "We only touch our privates in private - that's why they're called 'privates'."

5. "Hold still so that I can pick your nose."

6. "Please don't put your face in my hiney."

7. "No, honey, you are not a monkey, although you have eaten FOUR whole bananas in a row?!"

8. "Okay, I will give you 3 M&Ms, 2 stickers and a bowl of raisins if you put your coat on right now."

9. "We don't poop in the bed, we don't poop on the floor, we poop on the potty."

And last, but not least (this one was yesterday)…drum roll….

10. "Get back on the toilet, you're clearly not done."

So c'mon, don't be shy - let us know what crazy things you've said! We know we're not the only ones with embarrassing after-thoughts.

And if you like what you're

If you are like most American families, money will be tight this holiday season. But that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your wallet or health to have another beloved and cherished holiday.

Below are our tips for buying healthy meals on a budget this holiday season:

1. Buy fresh, buy local
Both of our neighborhood grocers have recently started carrying "locally grown" fruits and vegetables in the produce section. Many of these staple foods - sweet potatoes, squash, green beans, corn - are cornerstones of holiday fare. According to LocalHarvest, "Most produce in the US is picked 4 to 7 days before being placed on supermarket shelves, and is shipped for an average of 1500 miles before being sold."

Supporting local farmers is better for the environment (their produce doesn't require as much refrigeration, packaging, shipping, etc.), and, is better for your health since they don't have to travel far or wait long to get on your table (once harvested, produce

It's been months since the last hailstorm of children's product recalls due to lead contamination. For the past few years it seemed like lead was being detected in everything and those recalls would never end. With the exception of a few food recalls recently, the prevalence of lead-related product recalls have subsided. The U.S.'s safety measures appear to be working.

Claire's 'Best Friend's' Bracelet, Recalled Due to Cadmium, Courtesy of CPSC

But just when we all thought we could let our guard down, there is a new threat in town that is just as dangerous to your young child as lead, called cadmium. What's worse is federal guidelines for this new toxic metal are practically non-existent since new Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standards require manufacturers to determine cadmium exposure threat using an overly complicated - and objective - testing method.

Cadmium is extremely toxic even in low concentrations, and like lead, accumulates over time in the body. Only a small amount of cadmium is excreted from the body over time. According to

It took me about a year and a half to get over the birth of my first daughter. Not because anything went particularly wrong that day. My daughter was, and still is thankfully, a healthy and beautiful little girl. I was mad at my body for not doing what it was meant to do. And I'd be lying if I said that I didn't hold a grudge against my doctor.

I spent nine months preparing for the birth of my first child. Realistically, I had probably mentally been preparing for years. But I'll only count the time when I was actually physically doing things to prepare for the baby's arrival. Like going to childbirth classes. We took THREE of them. A hospital tour, a six week natural childbirth class called the Bradley method , and an afternoon childbirth class at our local hospital. I had decided early on that I would forego all the drugs and bring this baby into the world Au Natural.

During those childbirth classes, I always glazed over the c-section part. Afterall, that was never going

A couple of months ago, I decided that my family needed to make some "life changes." Afterall, how hypocritical was it to be such a proponent of BPA-free baby bottles when we were cleaning the bottles with phosphate-laden dish soap?

Since these types of changes are rarely well received from my hubby, I decided to start with some "smaller changes."

And so began the kitchen "eco-makeover":

1) Switch to environmentally friendly liquid dish soap.
Once the old soap was gone, we bought new, "plant based" dish soap that contains no phosphates or dyes, and is 100% biodegradable. The way I see it, soap ends up in our water supply and has to be filtered out. So, the more "biodegradable" and environmentally friendly, the better, and less overall taxing on the water treatment plants and ecosystem.

Note: I have been looking for good environmentally friendly dishwasher detergents (and have tried a few brands that didn't work out). Holler if you know of a good one!

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