Blog Posts by MomsRising

Peanut Butter and Jelly 3By Claire Moshenberg

Picture it: Perfect stacks of crackers and sliced meats, portioned and packaged in plastic. Syrupy fruits in single serve cans. Plastic thermoses full of warm canned soup. And all of these goodies gathered into a shimmering, plastic lunch box.

These are the bright back to school images of lunch time that show up on our TV screens and in glossy, smiling-kid filled ads in magazines. But with toxic chemicals lurking in plastic lunch boxes and food packaging, and pesky BPA popping up in canned fruits and soups, this lunch time image needs a non-toxic makeover. Keep the kids smiling, and keep them safe from toxic chemicals, with these top 5 tips to makeover your lunch box staples:

Fruits and veggies: Make sure you always thoroughly wash your produce before packing it up for lunch. Rub fruits and veggies for 30 to 60 seconds under warm running water. Wash inedible peels; even though you discard the peel, cutting into the fruit or peeling the fruit can

The first day of school is around the corner, and back-to-school shopping season is in full swing. Kids spend most of their crucial developmental years in school buildings, interacting with their school supplies non-stop throughout the day, which makes picking the healthiest, least toxic supplies super important. Luckily, there are a few easy things you can do make this school year less toxic. This Tips Tuesday, we're giving you the top five tips for safer back to school shopping:

Say no to PVC: PVC, also known as "The Poison Plastic," is commonly used in lunch boxes, backpacks, and binders. This pesky plastic has earned its nickname by containing toxic chemicals like phthalates, lead, cadmium, and organotins. Congress banned phthalates from kids' toys this year because of safety. So why are they still lurking in the school supplies kids use every day?

The best way to avoid PVC is to choose non-plastic products whenever possible. If you do purchase plastic products, don't

By Claire Moshenberg

When it comes to college shopping, it's good to make solid, non-toxic choices at the beginning so that you don't have to invest money every year in replacing items. Toxic confession: I had the same plates all four years of school. They were plastic. Why didn't I replace them? Spare cash was rare, and when it showed up, plates were the last thing on my mind. Why would I replace something I already had when I could pay for things like food and laundry?

Back to school shopping doesn't end with backpacks and pencil cases: If your kids are on their way to college, there are plenty of goods they'll need for their dorms and plenty of toxic chemicals they probably want to avoid. For this week's Tips Tuesday, here are the top 5 non-toxic tips for your college freshman:

Water: Buy a water filter pitcher. Right now, college bound or not, is the best time to make this kind of purchase: Stores are anticipating the needs of the dorm-dwelling and

By Claire Moshenberg

I'm trying to stop biting my nails. Why? Because it's universally viewed as a gross habit, even by me, the lifelong on-again, off-again nail biter. This reason has never worked for me when it comes to giving up this unfortunate, stress-induced and inducing habit. But one reason that is working for me right now is the toxic chemicals exposure every nail biting moment is giving me.

We're all trying to keep toxic chemicals at bay. Luckily, there are quick, affordable changes you can start making today to lessen your chemical exposures (including putting an end to nail biting!). So in the spirit of breaking bad habits, here are the top 5 toxic habits you should break.

Biting your nails: Just like keeping your hands clean is an excellent way to lessen your chemical load, keeping your hands out of your mouth is equally important. Don't beat yourself up if quitting takes time; I'm a lifelong on-again, off-again nail biter, and I know how hard it is to break

By Claire Moshenberg

When I think about fire safety, I think about cartoons. Stick with me here. Every Saturday morning, half awake over bowls of cereal, my sister and I watched hours of Saturday morning cartoons. These blocks of animated programming were laced with PSAs preaching the importance of fire safety: Stop drop and roll. Be cool about fire safety. Hey kids, listen to this bear. You get the idea.

From day one, we're taught to avoid fire at all costs. Which is the twisted logic that sells flame retardants: If we all want to avoid fires, wouldn't we want our furniture to ward off flames? And even if those chemicals are toxic, it's not like we're gnawing on our couch cushions. If it keeps us safe, isn't it worth it?

Not quite. Lets break it down.

• Flame retardants appear in strollers, nursing pillows, couches, cell phones, TVs, computers, and more. And you don't have to snack on a couch cushion to absorb these chemicals: Exposures from furniture, baby products, car

By Claire Moshenberg

Wedding are whirlwinds. Even if you're the world's calmest couple, the amount of pre-wedding to-do's can be staggering. So when you do come out on the other side, when the cake has been cut and the dancing shoes have been discarded, it's time to cut back the stress. And you know what's added stress you don't need? An unwrapped pile of kitchen and home ware that is chock full of toxic chemicals.

This week, we want to make it easy for you, and your guests, to make nontoxic and less toxic choices when it comes to gift giving. Like last week's green baby registry guide, we're not pitching products. Instead, we're helping you create a nontoxic wedding registry strategy that makes sense for your life and your budget.

Choosing a china pattern: There's more to picking out a china pattern than just color and design. Use these tips from EDF and Katy Farber at Non Toxic Kids on what to avoid in china dishes:

• Home-made or handcrafted china, either from the U.S.

By Claire Moshenberg

I love gift guides. I love the holiday season when bloggers decide that they're gift mavens and publish lengthy lists of possible gifts for husbands, kids, pets, bank tellers, baristas, etc. Like window shopping in my pajamas, I like taking a long look at beautiful things that I will probably never buy.

Creating a registry is like doing the gift guide dance backwards. You're providing your friends and family with a handy list of what they should buy: basically, a you-themed-gift-guide. And as you set that up, you may start to feel like those top baby product lists, with their decadently priced nontoxic kid gear, don't quite make sense for your gift buying public.

Green baby gear doesn't have to be expensive. We're skipping the product-pitching gift guide and helping you develop a nontoxic baby registry strategy that makes sense for your life and your budget.

Baby Bedding: Conventional bedding can be home to pesticides, chemicals, allergens, and

By Claire Moshenberg

Hey…DIY projects are fun. I love the thought of making all of my own cosmetics and cleaning supplies. I also love the thought of having perfect hair every day and a super organized schedule and a unicorn. We all know the feeling of there just not being enough hours in the day; meanwhile, we all want healthy, non-toxic homes and products for our families.

This week, we're focusing on one ingredient fixes. These ingredients can be used on their own, and sometimes combined with water, to replace multiple cosmetics and cleaning products. These simple swaps are affordable, nontoxic, and best of all, most of the ingredients are probably already in your pantry.

Coconut Oil: Coconut oil is a heart healthy cooking oil that's a delicious alternative to the standard olive and canola options. It's also a fantastic cosmetics replacement. Use coconut oil as a replacement for body lotion, massage oil, diaper rash treatment, and face cream. You can also work a small