First thing first, I don't think there is such thing as completely natural non toxic nail polish !  To have a liquid colour adheres to your nails and dry within seconds require some sort of chemicals mixing.  I think the level of toxic can be low but not completely free.  Buy with that info. in mind.

My girls like to have their nails painted.  I am pretty sure they saw it on ad some where as I don't paint my nails.  Being a mom who's always finding stuff to do with her girls, I thought it would be fun to do this together.  I did some research on it and found a few brands that promises no harmful ingredients.  I must say these past few years has been great for those who are after a non-toxic, natural and organic life style.  Because there are many choices available.  5 years ago I would be lucky to find just one non-toxic nail polish.

The brand we are trying out are Pacifica, Suncoat and Piggy Paint.  They are all around $10 each. 

PACIFICA 7-FREE
7 FREE is formulated without parabens, phthalates (dibutyl phthalate), toluene, xylene, camphor, formaldehyde, resin, and animals.

Pro:  Goes on smoothly, color is nice and coverage is good. Dry fast and last for a week +.  Has beautiful and bold colors.  More for adult than kids.
Con:  Smells really strong, typical nail polish smell.  Once open it takes over the room.  I don't know how I feel about buying this again because if it smell so intense, something isn't natural there :-/

SUNCOAT
Water-based nail polish for children. Odourless and VOC free (free of chemical solvents). Peels off. No remover needed! Not only free of toluene, formaldehyde, phthalate plasticizers (BDP etc) and alcohol, but also free of acetates and toxic preservatives such as parabens and methylisothiazolinone (Neolone 950).  Coloured with mineral pigments and natural colorants.

Pro:  Goes on nicely, a little on the thick side (no little ball inside to mix up the paint), and little to no smell.  Takes less than a min. to dry. Peels off in a day or two.  

Con:  Not too many color to pick from as it catered more for kids.  Peels off too fast.  It comes off when the kids soak in a bubble bath.  

PIGGY PAINT

Non-toxic, Virtually Odorless, Water-based formula, Hypoallergenic, Dries to a hard, durable finish

Cruelty-free, Does not peel, Kid-friendly, Safe for use during Pregnancy!  

Pro:  Lots of colors to pick from ! bold/bright adult and kids friendly colors.  Fast drying and little to no smell.  Paint has good thickness/coverage.  Last for about 3 days. 

Con:  Streaky, I can see the paint strokes. 

After trying them all out, I like Piggy Paint for the kids the best as it last a little longer than Suncoat and have many fun color.  If I am buying for me I would stick with Piggy Paint too for everyday kind of fun thing to do with the girls.  But if I'm going out I would buy Pacifica just because it has more classy grown up colors and less toxic ingredients than popular brands in stores.
   

A few days ago I was sent a package of zipzicle to try out !  My first tester and it was a success.  I filled some with strawberry banana smoothie and some with lychee juice (it was such a tasty drink so I wanted to make freezies out of them for me :) because it's so so so very hot out).

Here are my findings:

PROS:
- no stick, no drips, no crying baby over dropped ice cream !  it's mess free for kids
- excellent way to get your kids to eat fruits (& veggies)
- great for teething baby (my youngest screams (happy squeal) at the sight of it)
- easy for kids to push the ice goodness up
- pouch is reusable for at least 1 more freeze (or 2 :)
- inexpensive
- great on the go (I used it to keep the kids busy on long car ride :)
- better than store bought freezies as those are loaded with sugar, with zipzicle, you control what you put in there ! 

CONS:
- you need a funnel to get the liquid into the pouch
- you need to freeze the pouch (standing) in a container

If you're going to order these, order at least 36 pouches (or more) because you would want to try different recipes, mixes, etc.  Get the kids involve in the prepping and filling of pouches !  A fun family activity and then you get to enjoy the ice goodness together after. 

I was sent a care package from hubby's company and amongst all the treats was Everyday Superfood's Omega Mango cereal !  It looks good but I wasn't sure if I like to chow down on so much seeds first thing in the morning so I put it away. 

One morning, just one of those day, when I didn't feel like my usual breakfast fares, I opened my cupboard, saw it & thought heck, I should give it a try.  I pour the mostly-seeds-cereal on top of my vanilla yogurt and after the 1st spoon I couldn't stop.  It was delishhhh !  It was soooooooo good !  the dried mangos were so flavourful (I can smell the fruit !), the cranberries were chewy and has a nice tart/sweetness to it, and the mixture of seeds/nuts provide a perfect harmony of crunch.  I didn't have to pick anything out at all.  I like everything in there.  They all just blended so perfectly together.  It was a party in my mouth (like my daughter would say) after each spoonful !  And it has all the good nutrients like Omega 3 & 6.  Not only it tastes good but also GOOD for me !  I love it !  I love it !  !  Needless to say, I went and made myself another bowl :D  and had 1 more while prepping dinner !!! 

This cereal is great for moms and those on the go like me !   it's great for a nutritious breakfast or as a mid afternoon snack (to re-energize and tide you over until dinner).   Us moms are so busy running our household, chasing our kids around, so anything fast gets a thumb up from us !  And this is what it is,  Fast !  and healthy, and tasty !  :D 

 

Don't let the small package fools you !   this package goes a long way !  Everyday Superfood has many other superfood mixes.  However, I like this too much at the moment to try out try out their other mixes :) 

 

You can find this yummy goody at stores listed here: 

http://www.everydaysuperfoods.ca/find-us.html

After a month of bringing my new born baby girl home, soft skin and wonderful, she started to have flaky dry skin.  Her face and feet were so dry they made her irritated.  I had baby Aveeno on hand so I tried rubbing them on her.  It lasted for about an hour and then her skin is all peeling again.  I can't stand it so I decided to try out something new. 

I went online and read reviews after reviews from other moms and set my heart on Avalon Organics.  I went and brought  nourishing baby lotions and shampoo/body wash.  The ingredients list aren't too long, so I looked them up and they're all seems to be ok.  Excited to try them out.

The nourishing baby lotion was light, non greasy, absorb quickly, and the best part, it made my baby skin soft again, for the whole day !  how awesome is that !  It's unscented but the smell is still very pleasant, probably from all the flowers extracts in it. 

As for the Avalon Organic shampoo and body wash, again, it was light, was non greasy, mild, doesn't foam much (which is what I'm looking for, because more foam = more chemicals), rinses off in a flash, and a little drop goes a long way.  I really like the light smell, very gentle limely like. 

Overall, I like both of the products and very pleased with the results.  With so many products on the market and so many containing harmful ingredients, I try to best to expose my babies to as minimal as possible.  I always read the label and check up on the ingredients.  By habit, the minute I see Sodium Laureth Sulfate, I would pass on the product.  A lady I knew has been telling me for over 10 year now, on how bad it is and it kinda stuck with me.  Back then, the internet wasn't what it is now so there's very little info on it.  Now that I know what it is, I would refrain from buying/using any product containing SLS. 

You can read more on SLS here:  http://www.davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/queen-of-green/faqs/toxics/whats-the-difference-between-sodium-lauryl-sulfate-sls-and-sodium-laureth-sulfat/

I'm still quite disappointed that Johnson & Johnson, the creator of so many baby products, came under fire in the recent years for putting in many harmful carcinogenic ingredients in their baby products.  You would think that they would use only the best (or at the least acceptable) ingredients since it's for baby, sensitive new born baby.  Truly disappointing.


highlight of the day:  it was a lazy Sunday at our house.  After church service we made flatbread veggies pizza for lunch, then we went out and sat in our yard, watered our little garden, and emerged ourselves in the warm June's sun.  Delightful !

When my daughter was old enough for bubble bath, she gets one every day.  Every few days or so, I noticed her skin got some red patches after she's done with her bath.  I decided to read the label on her bubble bath bottle.  It's a well know kids' products so I assumed the manufacturer used the mildest ingredients, but boy was I ever wrong.  Holding the bottle on my hand and my eyes zeroed in on the "sodium laureth sulfate", and then on the caution: that says "prolonged exposure can cause irritation to skin and urinary tract" !  I flipped because my daughter loves her bath and loves the bubbles !  I can't believe I exposed her to this harmful product.  Needless to say, we discontinued using that bubble bath.

*SLS - sodium laureth sulfate - a toxic ingredient used in products to make it bubble and foam.  You can read it more here:
http://davidsuzuki.org/issues/health/science/toxics/chemicals-in-your-cosmetics---sodium-laureth-sulfate/

So began my quest for natural organic bubble bath !  I'm looking for bath products that is gentle on skin, make adequate bubbles so my daughter can play with and doesn't have harmful ingredients.  Simple enough right ?  it wasn't.  I tried many products and noticed that, since they don't have SLS, the bubbles don't last !  or barely bubbly at all !  Then one day, I came across Green Beaver Bubble Bath !!!!!!!  It has few ingredients and most are organic.  It smells wonderful, the bubbles last a long time, and best of all, my daughter can sit in her bubble bath tub for a long time (20 min.) and no rash or irritation.   It was truly a life saver for us because I was beginning to pull out the hairs off my head, going mad with my daughter repeatedly asking every day, every hour, "bubble bath mommy, BUBBLE BATH !!!!"
Here's the product info:

Key ingredients :
- Formulated with the mildest plant-based cleanser
- Canadian organic raspberry and cranberry emollients
moisturizes skin leaving it soft and smooth.
- Instant foaming hand wash
- Rinses easily
- Non-drying
- Certified organic, nut free, gluten free, vegan, biodegradable

I brought Green Beaver bubble bath from Well.ca.  An online Canadian retailer that sells a lot of organic products.  I hope to try more products from this brand in the future.

Our girls enjoying bath time