Product safety

When you are reading the ingredients in the products you are buying for your family do you really know which ingredients are bad for your health. Most of the time you cant even pronounce the ingredients. I discovered this website SkinDeep. It rates all beauty and health products; which products are the safest for your health and which products are affecting your health. Here is cheat sheet for when you are shopping:

Your body

Getting clean
No { triclocarban (bar soap) or triclosan (liquid soap) }
Yes { hand sanitizers with ethanol/ethyl alcohol }

Moisturizing

No { retinyl palmitate or retinol in daytime skin products }

Your Teeth

No { triclosan in toothpaste }

Your Lips

No { retinyl palmitate or retinol }

Your skin + the sun

Very few sunscreens provide adequate sun protection and are free of harmful ingredients.

No
SPF above 50
Retinyl palmitate
Aerosol spray and powder sunscreen
Oxybenzone
Insect repellent

Yes
Hats and shade in mid-day sun.
Zinc or Titanium are the best active ingredients, otherwise Avobenzone at 3%
SPF 30 for intense sun
Use a lot and reapply frequently

Safer Sunscreens:

Aveeno
Baby Natural Protection Mineral Block Face Stick, SPF

Coppertone
Water Babies Pure & Simple Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50

Coppertone Sensitive Skin Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50

Coppertone Oil-Free Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 15

Your hair

No
Fragrance
PEGs, ceteareths and polyethylene
Parabens: propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl
DMDM hydantoin

Your nails

No
Formaldehyde or formalin in polish, hardeners or other nail products.
Toluene
Dibutyl phthalate (DBP).
Pregnant? Skip polish

Your kids

Kids are sensitive. Use few products and pick them carefully.

Diaper Cream
No Boric Acid

Baby Wipes
No 2-Bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol (bronopol)

Toothpaste
LIMIT fluoride toothpaste for kids who might swallow it (none for kids under 2)

5 problem products:

Some categories of products have major safety concerns. Avoid them, particularly for children.

Hair straighteners : cancer, allergy, skin and scalp irritation, hair damage and hair loss

Loose powders: inhalation risk

Perfumes/fragrances: allergy concerns

Dark permanent hair dyes: linked to cancer

Skin lighteners: skin irritation and damage

Spring Cleaning

Spring Cleaning Challenge

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Vacuum all upholstered furniture and vacuum or launder curtains.	Put away all Winter jackets, boots, mitts, hats and bring out umbrellas and spring jackets.	Give the bathroom(s) a deep clean, especially the parts you usually skip.	Give the kitchen a deep clean. (Vacuum refrigerator coils, washout all drawers and wipe down all handles and doors.	Dust light fixtures and ceiling fans--microfiber dampened with vinegar is good	Take rugs and mats outside and beat with a broom handle	Wash windows inside and out. A mix of water and vinegar with a microfiber cloth work great!
Take everything off the bed and launder, including things you might wash less often like comforters or bed skirts	Go through your wardrobe and either donate clothes or put in garbage.	Deep clean the walls especially around the toilet.	Clean Oven and Microwave. Pull out all appliances’ vacuum and wash underneath.	Sweep cobwebs in corners and along the ceiling	Spot-clean the carpet. Spot-clean the walls	Scrub out all window tracks with soapy water and an old toothbrush.
Sprinkle the mattress with baking soda and let sit for at least an hour, and then vacuum.	Bring summer clothes to the front and hide winter clothes in the back	Go through your make-up, WASH your make-up brushes.	Clean Fridge. Pull out crisper, wash and lay paper towel in crisper.	Dust all horizontal surfaces—tops of doors, picture frames, shelves, baseboards, counters.	Wash Kitchen table and chairs legs. Replace cushions on bottom of chair.	Vacuum all upholstered furniture and vacuum or launder curtains.
Check fire extinguishers, smoke alarms (change batteries) and air filters. A/C guy says, change the filters every 2 months	Cleaning the baseboards. You can just use the soft brush on your vacuum.	Clean Bath tub (Cooking spray or wet dryer sheet to clean water spots)	Check expiration dates in your fridge, pantry, and medicine cabinet, and bring things to the front—or to the garbage!	Wipe down circulating fans, wall, and floor vents with a cloth dampened with vinegar.	Polish and condition wood	Car Care: empty out, vacuum, clean windows, wash, wax, engine service

Before you start your cleaning make sure you have everything.

The Basics: Baking Soda x4, Wash clothes, Vinegar, window cleaner or homemade cleaner, Dish soap, air filter, vacuum filter, vacuum bags.

16 Ways to Flirt with Your Husband

1. Leave a love note on the mirror:
Using a dry erase marker (or even lipstick!), leave a love note on your honey’s bathroom mirror. To be even bolder, draw a picture of what you want to do later.
2. Kiss in the car at stoplights!
That never gets old. And don’t forget at least one 15 second kiss a day!
3. Have a secret code phrase
Want to tell him you think he’s hot? Try a secret code phrase, like “Are we due for an oil change?” No one else will know what you really mean but him, so you can say it in front of the kids, in front of your parents, in front of anybody!
4. Play the fortune cookie game

Whenever you get a fortune cookie, mentally add the words “in bed” to the end of it. You’ll giggle together at a Chinese restaurant as you pass them to your husband, but no one else will know why you’re laughing!
5. Grab some flesh
When he’s walking by, smack his butt!
6. Set up a cozy love nest for watching movies
Want to watch a flick tonight? Share pillows and a blanket and play footsie, says J, from Hot, Holy and Humorous. And one respondent on my survey for The Good Girl’s Guide to Great Sex says that she and her husband have “topless movies” where they snuggle up under the blankets minus any tops. Tons of fun!
7. Ask your husband to choose your panties for the day
If he chooses them, he’ll be picturing you in nothing but them–all day, advises Paul Byerley, The Generous Husband.
8. Leave sticky notes in unexpected places
And try to always use the same color so he knows they’re from you! If you are near his place of work during the day, stick under his windshield whipper. Get the waitress to put on his plate when you are eating out. Get the kids in on it too! (from The Generous Husband).
9. Text, text, text your husband
Text him about anything–song lyrics, memories of fun times you’ve had, what you’re wearing, what you’re thinking about, says Gina Parris from Winning at Romance.

 

10. Stick Notes in his lunch
One fan on my Facebook Page shared this idea:
11. Flirt in a crowd
Catch your husband’s eye in a crowded room and wink at him. Pass him a note that says you’re available and you think he’s cute, says Gina Parris.
12. Flash him–but not in public!
“Yes, this is ridiculously forward, but if you do it, while he’s watching TV,and then just walk away, at least you will have raised his blood pressure – and raised your own sexual energy for a greater chance of engaging in a little more fun,” says Gina.
One of my commenters on this site also recommended doing chores vigorously–and bralessly–so he can appreciate the bounce! When you mop the floor, wear a skirt but go commando and get down on all fours to see if he notices.
13. Stick a surprise somewhere interesting
Another Facebook Page reader emailed me this tidbit:
14. Go commando
Forget donning knickers under that dress or skirt for your date, then whisper to him in the restaurant what you’re doing tonight. (from J at Hot, Holy and Humorous).
15. Play “Strip” Anything
Turn any board game in your home into a sexy time by adding “strip” to the beginning: Strip Battleship (an item of clothing for each sunk ship), Strip Scrabble (for every word worth 20-30 points), Strip Monopoly (every time you pass go or an item of clothing to get out of jail), etc.
16. Play Footsie
When you’re at a restaurant with tablecloths, slip your shoe off and let your toes explore his legs. Get him all worked up while you carry on a normal conversation!