Thursday, May 17, 2012

Recent Articles from The Smart Mama

Kumon Blog Hop – Kumon Poetry Challenge in Celebration of Earth Day – Win a $25 Barnes & Noble Gift Card Kumon Blog Hop – Kumon Poetry Challenge in Celebration of Earth Day – Win a $25 Barnes & Noble Gift Card

If you read my blog, you’ll know I don’t do a lot of giveaways or contest. But, for St. Patrick’s Day, I had dinner with some friends I hadn’t seen for quite awhile (old day care friends), and both families were raving about Kumon, the world’s largest after-school academic enrichment program. We haven’t used Kumon, but the two families both talked... [Read More]


Getting the Lead Out – Folk & Herbal Remedies Getting the Lead Out – Folk & Herbal Remedies

Healthy living often includes considering natural or herbal remedies for getting and/or staying well.  I’ve blogged before about how I have been growing and drying my own herbs for use in teas, tinctures, salves and other applications. However, several commonly used traditional and folk remedies have been found to contain lead.  Some are contaminated with lead from the manufacturing... [Read More]


Cleaning up indoor air quality – VOCs & paint Cleaning up indoor air quality – VOCs & paint

Indoor air quality is important to our health and wellbeing. Studies have shown that concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are consistently higher indoors than outdoors, with some VOC concentrations up to 10 times higher indoors. Some scientists believe that indoor pollutants are 1,000 times more likely to be inhaled as compared to outdoor pollutants because we spend... [Read More]


Has Universal Pictures’ The Lorax forgotten the lessons learned? #Loraxwashing Has Universal Pictures’ The Lorax forgotten the lessons learned? #Loraxwashing

My last blog post was about Universal Pictures’ The Lorax and how hope will change the world. I was actually optimistic that the new movie would inspire more people to change their worlds. I was optimistic that the movie The Lorax would reach more people with an uplifting environmental message. But, a recent article by Mother Jones has crushed that optimism. According to the... [Read More]


Lessons from The Lorax: Hope Will Change The World Lessons from The Lorax: Hope Will Change The World

I was so excited when I first learned that Universal Pictures was releasing Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. My kids and I saw the trailer in a movie theater, and they were excited too. Why? Because they were familiar with the tale, since I have repeatedly read it to them. Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax is oft read environmental children’s book in our house. And then, I was approached... [Read More]


For Those Over 40, Higher Levels of BPA in Urine Linked To Obesity For Those Over 40, Higher Levels of BPA in Urine Linked To Obesity

For those over 40 years of age (including this author), a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found higher levels of bisphenol A (BPA) in urine are associated with obesity, abdominal fat and insulin resistance. The study looked at 3,390 Chinese adults over the age of 40, and concluded that BPA was positively associated with generalized... [Read More]


We’re killing birds with our bottle caps We’re killing birds with our bottle caps

I’ve blogged before about the horrific impact of disposable plastic on our oceans – from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to animals stuck in plastic soda rings. Well, now, we’ve got one more thing to consider – bottle caps. Yep, those plastic bottle caps are killing birds. Why? Because birds eat those plastic caps thinking they are food, and then starve when... [Read More]