Here's a link to the BornFree website. It has a good selection of BPA free baby items.

http://www.newbornfree.com/Catalog.aspx?categoryid=14163

Look into this for yourself.....

My friend Kim and I have been researching the BPA issue. Ever heard of it? Neither had we. It is a petroleum based chemical that is used in plastics. Basically....it is BAD for you. It leaches into your foods and can have serious effects on childrens bodies. I just read a book titled, "Boys Adrift" by Leonard Sax. He addressed the issue of BPA and what he believes it is doing to boys specifically. Apparently, this chemical replicates the estrogen hormone and is causing all sorts of problems in boys because they were not meant to be taking this hormone into their bodies. It is a possible factor in girls early onset of puberty (which apparently was uncommon a generation or two ago), and hurting boys neurologically and physically.

There's a lot to this. I can't pretend to be an expert. Read over the information I've blogged and do some research for yourself. It's worth the time.

I have vowed to not put disposable water bottles in my kids lunches anymore. Or use standard resusable water bottles. They all can leach BPA. I was able to find a small BPA free water bottle for Brigham's lunch box. Not cheap at 8.99 but when you learn about the risks of BPA it seems like a bargain.

Baby bottles, sippy cups, many pacifiers... they're all leaching BPA. But if you make the effort, you can replace them with safer alternatives! Don't use plastic dishes and cups with your family. Throw them out and use Corelle if you need something durable. I've googled
"BPA free pacifiers" and I found a website that listed different brands that made safe ones. It looks like silicone pacifiers are good and of course there's some expensive brands out there. I did see that Gerber makes some BPA free. Read the packaging carefully.

Spend some time looking into this and decide for yourself if you want to make some changes!

An article from the Daily Green.com

You may have read or heard lately about Bisphenol-A (BPA) and its many disturbing side effects. It was developed in the 30's as a synthetic estrogen, but is used mostly today in polycarbonate plastic. It's found in sunglasses, CD's and the fillings in your teeth, and is used to coat the inside of tin cans and make plastic shatterproof.

Unfortunately, BPA can activate estrogen receptors that lead to the same effects as the body's own estrogens. Some hormone disrupting effects in studies on animals and human cancer cells have been shown to occur at levels as low as 2-5 parts per billion. These health problems include lowered sperm count and infertile sperm in men, and exposure during development has been proven to have carcinogenic effects and produce precursors of breast cancer. BPA has been shown to have developmental toxicity, carcinogenic effects, and possible neurotoxicity.
So what about all the plastic baby bottles made with BPA out there? The Environment California Research & Policy Center published a report in February that found that five of the most popular baby bottles brands (Avent, Dr. Brown's, Evenflo, Gerber and Playtex) leach enough of this developmental, neural and reproductive toxicant into the liquids that come into contact with them to cause harm in lab animals. Scientists have linked very low doses of BPA exposure to cancers, impaired immune function, early onset of puberty, obesity and diabetes. In one recent study, a single, low dose of BPA administered to a newborn rat resulted in hyperactive behavior. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found BPA in the urine of over 95% of people they tested.
Since our book The Complete Organic Pregnancy was published we've seen public awareness of the dangers of BPA increase, but glass baby bottles are still not readily available. I use Evenflo's shatterproof glass bottles, and a company called Born Free has released a natural BPA-free alternative plastic bottle.
The study includes some other ways to limit your child's exposure to this toxic chemical:
At the store, parents should select baby bottles that are made from glass or a safer non-polycarbonate plastic. At home, parents should avoid washing plastic dishware with harsh dishwashing soap and hot water, which may allow chemicals to leach out of the plastic.
The Environmental Working Group published a survey of BPA in U.S. canned foods in March and found BPA in over half of 97 cans of name-brand fruit, vegetables, soda, and other commonly eaten canned goods.
They also found:
Of all foods tested, chicken soup, infant formula, and ravioli had BPA levels of highest concern. Just one to three servings of foods with these concentrations could expose a woman or child to BPA at levels that caused serious adverse effects in animal tests.
For 1 in 10 cans of all food tested, and 1 in 3 cans of infant formula, a single serving contained enough BPA to expose a woman or infant to BPA levels more than 200 times the government's traditional safe level of exposure for industrial chemicals. The government typically mandates a 1,000- to 3,000-fold margin of safety between human exposures and levels found to harm lab animals, but these servings contained levels of BPA less than 5 times lower than doses that harmed lab animals.
Until they solve the BPA problems, I've been going without canned soup.

Avoid BPA

BPA: 5 Tips to Avoid the Dangers in Plastics
Your plastic water bottle may not be safe
By Susan Seliger
You’ve probably seen the news reports about the dangers of chemicals such as BPA (bisphenol-A, an endocrine-disrupting chemical) and others in plastic. Now it’s time for you to do something about it.
I know you’re trying to do the green thing by re-using your plastic water and juice bottles instead of being like 80% of the rest of the world who toss them in the garbage and don’t even recycle.
But cut it out. BPA has been linked to various cancers (breast and prostate cancer), early onset puberty, Type II diabetes and neurobehavioral changes in offspring exposed in the womb. And BPA is not the only danger lurking in your plastic containers.
Here are some simple steps you can take to stay healthy and safe. These tips are advisable for everybody – but especially for those most vulnerable to the effects of these chemicals -- infants and young children, as well as pregnant women or anyone even thinking about getting pregnant.

1. Do not re-use plastic water – or soda or juice -- bottles.
The danger here is not BPA -- these containers do not contain BPA as they are made from PET (polyethylene terephthalate), a petroleum-based material. (Turn them upside-down and look for the number #1 inside the tiny triangle.)
The primary danger is bacteria. With those small mouths, they are almost impossible to wash properly.
Danger Number 2: Once you’ve put those bottles in the dishwasher and they’ve gotten scratched and dented, this degraded bottle allows a trace metal, antimony, to leach into whatever you are drinking, according to one of the leading researchers on plastics, University of Missouri’s Frederick S. vom Saal, in a recent New York Times article.


2. Avoid hard plastic Nalgene containers, made from polycarbonates -- #7 on the bottom.
Yes, those cool, colorful, rigid transparent plastic bottles that are labeled Number 7 – or PC on the bottom -- contain BPA. This plastic is also used for hard plastic baby bottles, toddlers’ sippy cups, 5 gallon water cooler bottles, plastic silverware, and Lexan products, according to a report by The Environmental Working Group.
“Some polycarbonate water bottles are marketed as 'non-leaching' for minimizing plastic taste or odor, however there is still a possibility that trace amounts of BPA will migrate from these containers, particularly if used to heat liquids,” according to the EWG.
When possible it is best to avoid #7 plastics, especially for children's food. Plastics with the recycling labels #1, #2 , #4 and #5 on the bottom are safer choices and do not contain BPA.
(NOTE FROM LILLIAN: I just went to Sports Authority and I found that Nalgene is now making water bottles that are BPA free. Just look for the big "BPA free" sticker on it. Get them for your kids lunch boxes!!!!!)

3. Use stainless steel containers – there’s a sippy cup adapter for toddlers.
And make sure you pick ones that do not have a plastic liner. That plastic liner can contain – you guessed it – BPA.
Here’s a web site – KleanKanteen -- with a selection of stainless steel bottles —one even has a sippy adapter for kids – instead of those plastic sippy cups.
(NOTE FROM LILLIAN: I've checked out that brand. They do have great little sippy cups. They are exensive though. I found BPA free bottles and nipples at my local Natural Grocery store. So I know they could be easily found online too. I didn't see BPA free pacifiers but I'll bet they can be found online.)

4. Do not microwave or heat foods in plastic containers.
That means any plastic – even if it is a safer variety. When you heat liquids or foods in a plastic container, it causes even more BPA (and possibly other chemicals) to leach out.
Don’t use plastic wrap in the microwave either. Though the American Chemistry Council reports that phthalates stopped being used in any US plastic wraps in 2006, companies aren't required to list what's in their plastic wrap. So why take chances?
Use glass containers in the microwave. And cover with a paper towel or a glass cover.

5. If you must use plastic containers, hand wash them.
For times when you can’t use glass – like when you’re out running or biking – and you must use plastic, at least make sure to wash your bottle by hand. Use a mild dishwashing soap – and do not put it in the dishwasher as this will degrade the plastic and allow more BPA (or trace metals iin the case of single-use plastic water bottles) to leach out.

Sorry. Haven't blogged in awhile. Just haven't had anything interesting to say. I'll get back to it soon!

One more tile project

I had left over tile and I had a sink downstairs with no backsplash. So hey, why not. I think it turned out pretty good. I don't know if the mirror looks right or not. I still have the receipt so I can return it. Any opinions?

this is kind of wierd to blog......

I just figured out something tonight that I have to share in case it helps someone else out.

Thirteen years ago I started getting pain/itching on a certain area by my right shoulder blade. It drives me crazy at times and bugs me every day. My dad has the exact same thing and I used to scratch his back EVERY day. Nephi AND my kids (yes, even my four year old) has been roped into scratching it for me because I can't reach it. I've talked to physical therapists and even a massage therapist and everyone thinks I have a kink in my back they can work out with a good massage. Wrong.
Well, tonight, I got the bright idea to google "itchy spot on right shoulder blade". How wierd is that. But you never know what you'll find on google. To my shock what I found was lots of people asking the same question. I am not a freak! It's much more common than I ever imagined! Lots of people going crazy with the same problem and nobody getting any answers. Well, after a little research I discovered it does have a medical name: Notalgia Paraesthetica. It is a nerve damage problem. That particular nerve coming from my spine was damaged at some point (how on earth did that happen?) and so the nerve ending is sending pain /itching sensation to my skin. It is not usually anything serious and can be helped with creams that diminish nerve sensation. I wish I could borrow my grandma's cream for shingles. I think it's the same stuff. Anywho.....does anybody have this problem? If you do, google that fancy medical name and you'll learn everything about something that most medical professionals think you've fabricated in your mind, or just need a massage for.

How I did it....

Hi. Thanks for the comments. I thought I'd expound on what I did since some people are interested. Our former backsplash was comprised of sheets of glass that they had literally rolled paint onto the back of and then glued on the wall. You can see it in the before picture. I had to break the glass off the wall. It was scary because it would break in shards and little needle-like pieces were always getting me. I finally used my brain and found some leather gloves to use. I had too many close calls.
When I had some tile work done in Idaho Falls by professionals I paid attention to what they did because I knew that it was something I wanted to try sometime. Other than that I researched how-to's online and read directions, that's it. It really is not that difficult if you have a good flat space to tile on. I love the tile at www.modwalls.com. Their tile is very modern and cool and you can find mosaic glass tile for as little as 5.99 a sheet. That's how much mine was. That is inexpensive for glass tile. Check it out if you're interested. You can contact me if you want advice on what mastic to use.
I really want to tile my bathroom floors but I think that is far beyond my meager skills. We'll see, maybe with more research I'll get up the courage some day. I doubt it.

Finished!

I'm done! Wooh! That was a project. Not super difficult just very labor intensive. I'm proud of my work for a first timer!

My current project. Tile a backsplash.

Here's a picture of the kitchen when we were looking to buy the house.

Here's a partial transformation I just did last night.

Here's the semi-completed job. This is a picture of all the tile on the wall with thin-set only. The outlet covers are off and I haven't grouted yet.