"Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning"

It's summer, and that means pool time.  Luckily for me, C is a cautious child who will barely dip a toe in the pool without clinging to me for dear life, so I've never had to worry about her drowning.  (Can I be so lucky twice?)  Nevertheless, when my friend posted this to her Facebook page, I knew that it was too important not to share.  Please read, as it may save a life.

• http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/

Arsenic in Brown Rice

Given my unflagging support of the croissant industry, I can't really claim to be a gluten-phobe, but the hubby is, so for a while at home our grain of choice has been brown rice.  That is, until a friend of mind alerted me to the fact that brown rice and brown rice products contain elevated levels of arsenic.  (Healthy efforts foiled again, dangnabbit!)  Though I'm the first to acknowledge that the media is always quick to jump on the hyperbole bandwagon and send consumers spiraling into unnecessarily panicked tizzies (APPLE JUICE WILL KILL YOU!!!), I can also see how a mom who feeds her baby formula containing brown rice syrup might be somewhat concerned about the findings reported here (and every other news agency, I guess):

• http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Diet/arsenic-organics-rice/story?id=15642428

Anyway, I still love me some brown rice, but I have to admit somewhat sheepishly that we've become less frequent eaters of the stuff.  In related news, because I'm always a silver lining kind of gal, I can happily report that I don't feel so guilty any more asking for sticky coconut rice from my favorite Thai restaurant.  (Shut up, waistline.)

Help for Autism?

First, a huge huge huge disclaimer.  I have little to know knowledge about autism, I am not a scientist (in fact, contrary to the stereotype pertaining to my ethnicity, I was TERRIBLE at sciences) or a doctor, and I don't have children with autism.  Having said that much, I thought this information was too important (or at least interesting enough) not to share.  So without much further ado:

My husband is the music director of a symphony in Northwest Arkansas.  Recently, my girls and I joined him for one of his week-long trips to the area.  While at a cocktail party for symphony donors, I had an utterly fascinating, albeit brief, conversation with one of the potential donors, Dr. Houston of Houston Nutriceuticals. 

• http://www.houston-enzymes.com/index.php   

In short, there's a theory floating around in the scientific/medical community that the body's inability to process gluten and casein (from dairy) might in fact be an environmental culprit when it comes to autism.  You can read more about it here:

• http://www.autismweb.com/diet.htm

So while many parents put their children on gluten/casein-free diets, the reality in these days of pizza parties and cupcakes is that this kind of diet is incredibly difficult to maintain.  Thus, the enzymes.  Admittedly, my mind went into panic mode when he started describing the science behind the enzymes (curse my pea-sized brain!), but the basic gist of what he was saying was that these enzymes aid the body's digestion of gluten and casein.  Because he doesn't want to tangle with the FDA, he's not allowed to market these enzymes as an aid for autism, but he tells me that the anecdotal feedback he's received has been striking.  (You can read some of the comments on Amazon, if you were so inclined:  http://www.amazon.com/TriEnza-DPP-Activity-Houston-Nutraceuticals/dp/B0026QTVVK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335285673&sr=8-1)  One of his earliest stories about the enzymes involved a woman who called him up, crying, to tell him that her autistic five-year-old son had one day, out of the blue, told her that he loved her.  To put this seemingly inconsequential story into perspective, this woman and her husband had no idea that their boy even knew how to talk.  Makes me misty-eyed just thinking about it!

Yikes, this post is getting long, but feel free to comment/rebut/supplement/share this post if you think it worthwhile...

The Most Amazing Product in the Entire Universe

...is how I feel about the Magic Eraser. And while I just assumed that EVERYONE knew about the Magic Eraser, I have now met around 3 people who've never heard of it. So, on the off-chance that you've never heard of this miracle product, the Magic Eraser will wipe off nearly any stain/mark on any hard surface, which is highly useful when, for instance, your two-year-old decides to use your walls as an art project involving crayons. I love this product so much that 'd marry it if I could (and it doesn't hurt that Mr. Clean is hunky, in a Yul Brunner-esque type of way). Have no idea what witchcraftery is involved in getting this product to work as well as it does, but whatever it is, every family with kids should have a 20-year supply stocked somewhere. And they're not even paying me!

http://www.mrclean.com/en_US/magic-eraser.do

The Diabetes-Dairy Connection?

Found out yesterday that my friend's two-year-old boy was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. My heart broke a little for this adorable little boy and his parents. C's grandmother is a Type 1 diabetic, so I've been able to witness first-hand the diabetic lifestyle -- the constant monitoring, the injections, the reactions, the carb counting, etc. (To her credit, C's grandmother is a phenomenal whirlwind of a woman who hasn't let diabetes slow her down a whit.) So, given my tendency towards hypochondria, I've been somewhat obsessed with diabetes -- or, more specifically, the possibility that C or L could get it, even though the genetic risk seems to be passed on by parents and not by grandparents (at least that's what my google search tells me)? To whit:

• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/type-1-diabetes/DS00329/DSECTION=risk-factors

And then there's the theory that cow milk may be one of the causes of Type 1 diabetes, which is yet another reason why I've never bought a carton of cow milk for C. If you're interested in an explanation of exactly how it is that dairy can potentially lead to diabetes, here's a link to an eye-opening video:

• http://www.vegsource.com/news/2011/05/dr-mcdougall-type-1-diabetes-caused-by-milk-video.html

I'm not a doctor, nor am I any sort of biologist -- and I have no idea how my pediatrician would react to this -- but his description sounds convincing to me. Food for thought?

Snacks on the Go

For all of my pre-baby ambition to be a mama chef -- providing the girls only organic, home-cooked meal -- I've certainly ordered C her fair share of pizzas and chicken fingers. And let's not forget about the landfill's worth of jarred baby food (that is, until I found out that jarred food contains BPA). But then we fell in love with the fruit/veggie pouches -- Plum Organics being a favorite -- and life on the go seemed remarkably easier. And yet...the nagging guilt of contributing to the aforementioned landfill persists. Which is why I am so excited to try out the following product:

• http://thesilico.com/products.html

Sili Squeeze: reusable squeeze pouches! Blend up your favorite fruits and (boiled) veggies. Et voila -- squeezable nutrition on the go! Once I receive my Sili Squeezes, I'll provide an update. In the meantime, thanks, Andrew, for the tip!

"No More Tears", my a**

With all the organic baby product alternatives proliferating these days, it's a wonder why anyone uses Johnson & Johnson baby products any more. The information in the links below is somewhat old, but not THAT old. What's infuriating is that, as with M&Ms, manufacturers have been producing safer formulations for European consumers but fail to provide the same for American consumers. Blame the FDA, I suppose. And it's going to take J&J two years to clean up its act??? Eff that.

• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/17/baby-shampoo-toxins_n_1098803.html
• http://www.forbes.com/sites/amywestervelt/2011/11/01/as-report-reveals-toxic-ingredients-in-baby-shampoo-johnson-johnson-goes-public-with-plans-to-clean-up-products/