Today, conservation, recycling, and “going green” are a big concern for many moms.  After all, you want to leave your children the best environment possible, right?  But, some moms are overwhelmed by the whole “green” movement.  However, there are some simple things you can do at home to be more environmentally conscious:

In the bathroom:

• Take shorter showers to conserve water.
• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth and washing your hands.
• Reuse a towel for repeated showers (less laundry to do).
• Use real cups instead of disposable Dixie cups.

In the kitchen:

• Use hand towels instead of paper towels.
• Wash your clothes in cold water instead of warm or hot.
• Replace bottled water with filtered tap water.
• Use natural products for cleaning.
• Set your refrigerator to 37 degrees and your freezer to 0 degrees.
• Replace your paper coffee filter with a reusable filter.

Around the rest of the house:

• Keep the lights off as much as possible –open your curtains on sunny days.
• Lower your water heater to 120 degrees.
• Set your thermostat to 78 degrees during the summer.
• Replace your traditional light bulbs with compact florescent bulbs.
• Unplug unused appliances and electronic devices (even when not used, they still draw energy)
• Use both sides of printer paper before discarding.

Going green is not only good for the environment, but also good for your wallet.  Just take a little time to notice things around you and you can find many easy ways to conserve around the house.

Children love to play, but parents often worry if their children are playing with toys that are safe to use.  While it may be easy to look at a toy and see small pieces that might break off, most of the recent toy recall hazards has to do with lead paint – something you cannot tell by looking at a toy.  How do you know if a toy has been recalled and if so, what should you do?

There are a couple of ways to find out the latest toy recalls.  First, most stores post recall notices at their customer service desk.  This is usually located near the entrance of the store, so when you walk in, make it a habit to check the board that list recalls.  If there is a recall on a toy you have purchased, the notice will tell you how to get a refund or new product. 

Another way to find out the latest toy recalls is online.  Use your favorite search engine to search for “toy recall” and you will find many sites.  While you can usually find toy recall information at the home page of the toy manufacturer, one of the best resources is the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Hazardous Toy Recall page.   This page lists all toys recalled. Each link lists the toy, a picture of the toy, the manufacturer’s name, product number, where the toy was sold and during what time periods, what the hazard is, if any children have been hurt and how, and what to do if you have a recalled item.

Remember when you are looking at recalled toy notices that you make sure that your purchase date coincides within that listed on the recall information sheet and that you have the exact product numbers listed.  There are times when you may find you have an item that looks just like the one recalled, but you bought it at a different time or it has a different product number.  These items will not be affected by the toy recall.

I don’t have many vices in my life.  I rarely drink (and if I do so it’s maybe one drink), I don’t smoke and I have never done drugs.  I do have one vice, though, and that is diet soda.  My soda of choice is Diet Pepsi.  I know I have a problem with it because every time I’ve tried to quit I can’t.  Sometimes that first sip in the morning is the best tasting thing I’ve ever had.

Now I am not so sure about drinking them anymore.  I was watching Good Morning America this morning and there was a story about how diet sodas make you fat.  Purdue University recently published a study linking artificial sweeteners to an increased likelihood for weight gain and other health problems.  The study used rats.  (As an aside I think it’s hard to say that what happens in rats will happen in humans but who am I?). 

In the simplest terms I could understand, the study found that artificial sweeteners confuse the brain and can alter the body’s metabolism.  I guess that when you eat something sweet your brain recognizes it and the fact that it is probably full of calories so it reves up your body to burn the calories.  With a product sweetened with a calorie free sweetener the body gets all ready for the calorie intake but finds nothing.  This confuses the brain and can lead to problems. 

The study could not say if any products with artificial sweeteners caused this problem or if it is only diet soda alone.  The researchers said that even having one diet soda a day can lead to problems.

I’m not sure if I believe this or not, but here it goes – I’m quitting cold turkey.  It’s just after 2:00 in the afternoon and I have not had one sip of diet soda today.  My head is killing me and I’m really wanting some but so far I’m staying strong.  I don’t want t to take the chance of having health problems because of my habit, so I figured better safe than sorry.  Even if the research comes back that this study is wrong I’ll still be better off by drinking more water.  As a parent I think that you need to try and be healthy to show a good example to your children.  What kind of message was I sending when I had a diet soda with my breakfast every day?

I started subscribing to an email alert from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in the hopes of finding out about products I have in my home.  If they are not safe then there is no way I want them around.  I don’t know if I would even bother with taking them back for a refund….I would just want them out of the reach of my children. 

I looked at a recent email I got and it was a recall for toy garden rakes sold in home improvement and toy stores nationwide.  It listed on the email the name of the product “Backyard and Beyond Garden Tools”.  I don’t know about you but I never save the tags from the toys I buy for my kids.  I mean if it’s a toy like a Fisher Price farmhouse or something that is immediately recognizable, then yes I would be able to identify it in the event of a recall. 

But how many times do we pick something up quick for our children?  Say you’re at the store buying something for yourself and see a cute display of sunglasses for your daughter?  Do you remember the name on them, or when you bought them, or even when you got them?  I can’t remember every single thing I’ve picked up for my kids, let alone what the name on the tags were!

So I guess it’s coming down to a point where parents are going to need to write down what they buy for their children, when they buy it, what the name on the tags were and what store you purchased them at.  But is this really feasible?  How many parents have the time or the energy to do this?  How many times are you at Wal-Mart or Target with your kids and pick up something to amuse them?  Would I remember to note all the information before ripping the tags off it at the exit to prevent the inevitable crying for the new toy?

Have we, as Americans, gotten to a place where the cost of a toy is more important than the safety of our children?  Are we so consumer goods oriented and materialistic that we need to buy everything for our children, and since we must have everything we must get them at a good price?  I’m really not sure what all the toy recalls say about us as a group.  Is it the fault of the manufacturers or is it our fault, demanding everything for our kids, not willing to pay a lot of money?  Or is it that we are teaching our children the wrong values at an early age – sure honey, you can have everything you want as long as it’s cheap.

I know this is a rambling post, but the last email I got has really caused me to think.  If you are interested in signing up for the recall notices from the CPSC, you can go to their web site and select what alerts you want to receive.

My toddler boys are well into their second year of life, but until recently had been really kind of easy going and well behaved.  I knew the “terrible twos” were on the way at some point in time, but that does not make it any easier when the tantrums start coming.

One thing I have noticed is that the behavior gets worse when they are tired.  Now I subscribe to all the parenting magazines, have my books on parenting toddlers, and surf the internet and I’ve read all the articles that say when toddlers get tired their behavior goes down the toilet.  I just hoped it would not happen to me.

I started to wonder why exactly this happens.  Is there some physiological phenomenon that happens in a child when they are tired that turns them from my dear, sweet angel to a demon?  I immediately opened up my internet browser and typed in a search when I started to think about the whole situation from a different perspective – from my point of view.

I am a sleep deprived mother.  I know, hello – welcome to the club.  All mothers are sleep deprived to some extent.  Of course I think I have it the worst, but so does every other mother.  And then I started to think about how I act when I haven’t had a lot of sleep.  I’m cranky, I’m moody, I want to sit on the couch and do nothing.  Would my toddler boys really be any different?

But I have one advantage that my children don’t have.  I understand what is going on.  I can put words to my feelings and be able to say to my husband or friends “I’m sorry I’m cranky but I did not sleep last night.”  My boys have speech delays.  Even a child who did not have a speech delay is not going to be able to sort out his or her feelings and put into words what is going on.

When I’m tired I don’t want to do anything. Are my children any different?  When I ask them to do something and they defy me or ignore me are they really exhibiting bad behavior?  Or is this the only way they can control a situation they are unable to describe or understand?

My sources I see in the magazines will tell you to make sure your child gets enough sleep.  Sometimes I think that is easier said then done, especially when you have twins or multiples.  One gets up, the other wants to get up too.  Every once in a while I’d like to see the “experts” come into my home and figure out a way to get both of the boys to sleep when one does not want to sleep.  But I digress.

I guess the only answer to this problem is to recognize the fact that these children are toddlers and hopefully when they are able to better express themselves I won’t see all the defiance and poor behavior when they are so tired.  Or maybe the answer is for me to go to sleep and let daddy be in charge tonight.  I think I like that idea better!

My children are at a really scary point in their development (they are just over 2.5 years old).  My one son has discovered how to disengage the pressure mounted gate.  Both of the boys are starting to listen a little bit better and I have some trust in them (but not very much at all).  They know they are not allowed to touch certain things and are pretty good about it, but I get scared when I think about the night.  I put a pressure mounted gate on their door every night to keep them contained in a pretty baby-proof room.  I just don’t want them wandering around in the dark, half asleep.  Plus with the Christmas tree up and the living room furniture rearranged I’m afraid they might get disoriented and fall into the tree.

I was really worked up over the fact that they can open the gate.  They don’t climb over it, mind you – they actually lift up the arm and open the latch!  It had happened several times (and times when my husband put it on the door and when I put it on the door so I know one of us isn’t putting it on wrong) so I know it’s a fluke.  I thought I was going to be at the time when I’d have to go gate-less and no protection and then I had a thought:

What if I put the pressure mounted gate on the door upside down?

It was worth a try, right?  So one night a few days ago I sat there and tried to work it so I could put it on upside down.  It’s a challenge to do and takes more time than the right way but it can be done.  And so far my children haven’t been able to disengage it!  I’m thrilled for right now but have another concern:

How long do you think it will be until they figure out they can climb over it?

Laundry.  It has to be one of the worst parts about being a mom.  I hate laundry. Did you ever wonder how one small child can produce so many dirty clothes?  Now that my boys are toddlers it seems as if they are going through even more clothes.  We start off the day wearing one outfit, then move to another outfit later on.  I want to wear my football shirt this morning changes to I can’t live without my Elmo sweatshirt in the afternoon.  Sometimes when they get up in the morning they are wearing different pajamas because they decided to change some time in the middle of the night.

OK, you get it – I hate laundry.  But I did hear a really good tip that has helped me with keeping the laundry under control.  I heard it from someone at the hair salon a few weeks ago and it really works.  She suggested that you get rid of hampers, or if you use a hamper you clean it out every day and bring the laundry for the entire family to one central location.  Get three laundry baskets and sort the clothes by lights, darks and whites.  I actually do four because I wash towels and sheets separately.  You sort the clothes out at the end of ever day and then whatever basket is full you do that load of laundry that day.  Some days you might have two loads, some days you might not have a full load and don’t do any laundry at all.

What this does is save me time and energy.  If I run downstairs after the boys go to sleep I can throw a load of clothes in quickly.  If I forget to put them in the dryer that night before I go to bed, I go and throw them in the dryer first thing in the morning.  I try to time the dryer cycle to end while we are having breakfast.  The boys are in their booster chairs and I fold clothes while they eat.  Once they finish breakfast they help me to put their clothes away.

I know this might sound silly or stupid, but it really does work.  You don’t have to struggle carrying heavy hampers down the steps to your laundry, or sort through piles of dirty clothes to get your loads together.  Plus this method puts an end to those days when it seems as if your washer and dryer are running constantly.  I don’t think it cuts down on the number of loads of laundry you do – I think it just makes it easier on the person responsible for doing the laundry.

Did you ever think about becoming a chef when you were younger, or at some point in your life?  As a mother I’m always preparing meals for my family, and having two children under the age of three I’m constantly trying to find new and exciting ways to prepare the meals in a healthy way so my children will get the nutrition they need to thrive.  I’m a Food Network watcher too – not quite a junkie, but a watcher.  When I watch the professional chefs on the programs I realize that what I do is probably more akin to being a short order cook.  In order to excel in their profession I’m sure that many of the chefs on television had to attend schools like the Scottsdale Culinary Institute in Arizona.  Their website address is http://www.chefs.edu/ if you are interested in learning more about their programs.

I will say this, however.  I think that you can learn quite a bit from the cooking shows you watch on television, even if you have no intention of recreating their meals.  For example – I forgot to buy poultry seasoning for my Thanksgiving meal.  I use it in my stuffing.  I sent my husband out to the store early in the morning (the only grocery store open in the area) to pick up some and they were completely sold out.  I told him to buy some sausage instead, that I would use that to flavor the stuffing.  I have made sausage stuffing in the past so it’s really no big deal to me.  I told him to purchase the pan sausage (not in casings), but that was also completely sold out.  He came home with some large links of hot sausage.  Having watched several seasons of Top Chef I remember seeing the contestants make sausage and put it into the casing.  If you can make it, then it can’t be too hard to take it out of the casings.  I did that and the stuffing was a success.

I graduated from college about 15 years ago.  I remember the stress as a high school senior trying to decide what school to attend.  I also remember the pressure you can get from a lot of well-meaning people – parents, family, friends, and even teachers.  I’m not sure if times have changed when it comes to the types of schools that are available, or if I was not aware of some of the programs out there in different fields, programs where I could get a certificate or associate’s degree and go out into the working world without having to take a bunch of courses that, for all intents and purposes, in the real world are meaningless – philosophy, art history, music appreciation, and all of the other liberal arts courses.  Now there are schools like Gibbs College in Piscataway, NJ that offer programs to students that give them marketable skills specifically in their area of career interest without all the fluff courses.  Here’s their web site where you can visit for more specific information:  http://www.gibbseducation.com/.

It seems as if there is not as much importance placed on the liberal arts education that you might have seen in years gone by.  Employers want to know that the person they hire is skilled in the area in which they will work.  I think as parents we need to realize that times have changed and that this is really a good way for some of our children to go.  We need to be open minded as parents and be willing to think outside the box to help our children build a foundation for their future career.  Just because we went to four year colleges does not mean our children have to do the same.  I hope that when the time comes I will be able to be flexible and willing to listen and help my children achieve their career goals, whatever they might be.

We previously included an article about the hot toys form 2007 and mentioned Aqua Dots.  This product has been recalled because the chemical used to make the dots stick together can mimic GHB or the date rape drug when ingested.  Please note that this product has been recalled and if you have it in your house to return it to the store where you purchased it to get a refund.