New FDA Rules for Sunscreen Products Shines Spotlight on Skin Health

We are all educated about the harmful effects of prolonged sun exposure on our skin and the delicate skin of our children. Gone are the days of oiling up and laying out to soak up the sun. Skin cancer is real and deadly.

So we've become accustomed to wearing hats and sunglasses and slathering on the sunscreen, especially on the little ones. Just when you thought you and your kids were covered, the FDA is making changes to how sunscreens are marketed in the United States as part of the Agency's ongoing efforts to ensure that sunscreens meet modern-day standards for safety and effectiveness and to help consumers have the information they need so they can choose the right sun protection for themselves and their families.

The FDA is now requiring sunscreens to indicate whether they protect against UVB and UVA rays. If you see "Broad Spectrum SPF" on the label, that means the product has cleared the agency's bar for protecting against both types of ultraviolet radiation. And the SPF value will indicate the degree of that protection.

Only broad spectrum-designated sunscreens with SPF values of 15 and higher can claim to reduce the risk of skin cancer and premature aging (if used as directed and along with other protection measures). Sunscreens that don't carry the broad spectrum label or that do, but have an SPF of between 2 and 14, can claim only that they help prevent sunburn, the FDA says. SPF levels will be capped at 50 since the agency says there's not enough data that higher SPF levels provide significantly more protection.

In addition, sunscreens will no longer be labeled as waterproof or sweatproof, nor can they be called sunblocks. "These claims overstate their effectiveness," the FDA says. Sunscreens labeled as water-resistant are permitted, but the product label has to indicate whether it will be effective for 40 minutes or 80 minutes while swimming or sweating.

The final rule will take effect by the summer of 2012, but consumers may begin to see changes to sunscreen labels before the effective date. 

The takeaways: You might be buying a false sense of security with some sunscreens. Read the label. Check expiration dates. Reapply sunscreen every couple of hours and immediately after swimming or showering. Protect the skin you're in!

photo by HB Art on Flickr

Coupon Crackdown?

Becky G. at A Full Cup alerted me to this announcement from Kroger concerning the end of coupon stacking in their greater Houston area grocery stores. The page explains the new policy in full, but in a nutshell it means customers will no longer receive double or triple discounts on items for which they have multiple coupons.

I just got on the coupon bandwagon after following coupon-clipping blogs for the past year. One of the biggest draws is being able to stack coupons. I went to Kroger instead of Whole Foods this past weekend for that very reason. I hope this anti-stacking practice doesn't spread to Kroger stores in North Texas.

It seems that Kroger is going against the trend with this decision. Coupon stacking is very popular, some may even say it's a competitive sport. Just look at that new show on TLC from Extreme Couponing where shoppers walk out of stores with hundreds of dollars in merchandise for pennies on the dollar.

Personally, I think that Kroger is doing a public disservice. Couponing is a life-saver in these bleak economic times. We should write our grocery stores and urge them not to eliminate coupon stacking!

[Guest Post] Early Childhood Sign Language

Co-written by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas

One of the keys to surviving in a tilted economic system in which opportunities to achieve a decent standard of living will be limited is versatility – and the ability to communicate articulately in a variety of ways with the widest possible audience. This includes bilingual ability as well as the ability to communicate in non-verbal ways for the benefit of the disabled – primarily the deaf.

Signing Before They Can Speak

A great deal of research has clearly demonstrated that the best ages to teach a second language (where it be sign language or Spanish) is from the ages of 2 to 5. Many young children have a natural aptitude for signing as well. This can begin at home or if your child is enrolled in a child care facility, many programs have begun to incorporate it into their curriculum.

This is not as odd as you may think. As you may or may not know, many indigenous peoples around the world, including American Indian nations, have used sign language for centuries to facilitate communication with other tribes with whom they do not share a language.

In fact, recent research suggests that sign language is innate. An article published in the Boulder Daily Camera in 2003 presented strong evidence that children as young as six months old naturally communicate with their hands:

"...by 6 to 7 months, babies can remember a sign. At eight months, children
can begin to imitate gestures and sign single words. By 24 months, children
can sign compound words and full sentences. They say sign language reduces
frustration in young children by giving them a means to express themselves
before they know how to talk." (Glarion, 2003)

The author also cites study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development demonstrating that young children who are taught sign language at an early age actually develop better verbal skills as they get older.

The Best Time To Start

Pre-verbal youngsters having the ability to sign not only give them a way to communicate, it can also strengthen the parent-child bond – in addition to giving children a solid foundation for learning a skill that will serve them well in the future. The evidence suggests that the best time to start learning ASL is before a child can even walk – and the implications for facilitating the parent-child relationship are amazing.

Emily and Kathleen are Communications Coordinators for the network of Georgia child care facilities belonging to the AdvancED® accredited family of Primrose child care schools. Primrose Schools are located in 16 states throughout the U.S. and are dedicated to delivering progressive, early childhood, Balanced Learning® curriculum throughout their preschools.

Family Dollar - SIGN UP & SAVE!

I buy most of my greetings at Family Dollar. It is a great place to shop when you want to save money. They always seem to have the best sales. Now you can get great Family Dollar offers, contests, coupons and more delivered right to your inbox! Click on the banner to sign up!

Tons of Vistaprint Items Free for the Holidays!

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25% off Cyber Monday at My Baby Clothes Boutique

MyBabyClothesBoutique.com is offering 25% off their entire catalog on November 29th

Use the discount code below to get 25% OFF any order.

Simply enter the code during checkout at MyBabyClothesBoutique.com

Promo only valid from 11/29/2010 12am – 12 am est. Cannot be combined with other offers. Shipping not included.

Discount Code: CYBERSALE2010

*disclosure: I receive points toward merchandise for promoting My Baby Clothes Boutique*

Fluff and Stuff(ing) Deal: Earn FREE Patootie OS Cloth Diaper

Cutie-Patootie is running a promotion for a free one size Patootie cloth diaper until Jan 1, 2011.

All you have to do is refer six customers to earn your free Patootie (just pay $3.50 for shipping). Have your friends and readers mention your name or blog in the notes during checkout (mine is Marlie and Me). What a deal!

Share this opportunity with your readers so they can earn a free Patootie too!

Wait, there's more! Earn a 20% discount on future orders if you post a picture of your baby sporting a Patootie on Diaperswappers, Babycenter, or other big cloth diapering forums.

Follow Cutie-Patootie on Facebook to hear about future promotions and sale items.

Gooble Up The Savings This Week at My Baby Clothes Boutique!

MyBabyClothesBoutique.com is offering 15% off their entire catalog from November 22nd - November 24th 2010.

Place your orders before the holiday rush to get first pick of their holiday items before they run out of stock! Use the discount code below to get 15% OFF any order.

Simply enter the code during checkout at MyBabyClothesBoutique.com

Promo only valid from 11/22/2010 - 11/24/2010. Cannot be combined with other offers. Shipping not included.

Discount Code: BEATTHERUSH2010

*disclosure: I receive points toward merchandise for promoting My Baby Clothes Boutique*

Deals and Steals...Week of Nov. 1, 2010

Sign up now for the $29.99 plan on Weekly Cinema and get 6 tickets, plus 1 free ticket the first month! That's 7 movie tickets for less than $4.30 per ticket! This is great if you have family coming in to town for the holiday's, or just have a big family. You can take everyone out to a movie for cheap. Cancel anytime.

What is MyPicturetown?

• Nikon's official photo storage and sharing site
• Save photos and movies securely2GB of free storage
• Share photos with family
• Create a "PhotoMovie" with music, photos, messages, and backgrounds
• Show photos on your blog, Flickr, Facebook, and more!
• Put your photos on the map and remember vacations and trips
• Access photos anywhere, anytime. Even on your iPhone!
  

Get 3 months of MyPicturetown GOLD with code: FREE3MTHS. You'll get 20GB of storage and create PhotoMovies with up to 200 images!

Monday Morning Parenting: Natural Relief for the Terrible Tooths

You know when it comes to aches and pains I'm going to seek natural remedies, so it should come as no surprise that I practice the same philosophy when it comes to treating Marlie's ouchies. Here's what's in my toolkit for teething pain relief:

1. amber teething necklace
2. maple wood teething ring
   
3. homeopathic teething tablets
4. 1 drop of clove oil diluted in 1 tbsp of olive oil rubbed on gum to numb pain
5. wrap an ice cube in a washcloth and let baby suckle
   

Monday Morning Parenting: Sex and the Baby

WARNING: This post is about sex. No one really wants to talk about, but I do.

The most focused amount of sex me and the husband unit ever had was when we were making a baby. They say practice makes perfect. It never occurred to me to video tape our love-making for posterity's sake. I'm mostly kidding, but there is a small kernel of truth to my wistful thinking. If I had known that those six months of TTC were going to be "it" for awhile, I would have given careful consideration to becoming a video vixen. I could be watching myself doing "it" instead of just wishing I was doing "it."

There were so many hurdles to overcome to regain a normal sex life post-baby. For me, the first problem was atrophic vaginitis, which is basically a lack of lubrication caused by plummeting estrogen levels. It feels so much worse than it sounds, like tiny razor blades nicking you on the insides during intercourse. I had to use an estrogen cream for several weeks. Once I got over that I faced another obstacle...

Low self-esteem. My body did not feel or look like my own. The muscle and tissues in my pelvic region were still in recovery, my breasts had become a feeding trough, and let's not even talk about the sagging, stretch mark-pocked landscape of my abdomen. These were small sacrifices in the name of giving birth to the joy of my life, but I did not anticipate the physiological and psychological fallout. It was as if a seismic tremor had split me in two and it was hard to reconcile the two parts...woman and mother. Where did my baby's need to nurse and bond end and my need for intimacy and pleasure begin? I did not feel sexy, much less like having sex. It took a lot of lot of mental and physical exercise, but I was finally able to find balance in the bedroom and then...

I was hit with chronic lethargy. I am already low-energy due to an anemic disorder, so couple that with a lack of sleep, and I am too tired to do the nasty. Who wants a 2 am booty call when you're fighting for every last zzz? Even when I mustered up the strength to get busy, the baby would inevitably start crying from the other room. I think she has motion sensors hidden in our bed that alert her when her parents are about to get their freak on. Nothing kills the mood for me like a crying baby. But eventually, I found ways around this problem as well like scheduling mommy-daddy time during her REM cycle.

It has taken a full year to hit my sexual stride after having a baby. I don't know if this is average or not. We talk about everything else when it comes to TTC, pregnancy, labor and delivery and baby care, but we fail to have candid conversations with each other about sex after the baby. What is that about? Are we supposed to stop needing/wanting it because we've procreated? I wish there was a manual for this topic, like a What to Expect Out of Sex When You Are Done Expecting.

Care to share your struggles and triumphs to achieve a healthy sex life after having a baby?

HUGE Savings on Classic Toys!

Coupons.com has just listed a shopping cart worth of big savings on many of your favorite toys and games. Check it out and get some Christmas shopping done early!

• $2.00 off (1) PLAYSKOOL MR. POTATO HEAD Classic
• $2.00 off (1) PLAYSKOOL LULLABY GLOWORM
• $5.00 off (1) PLAYSKOOL BUSY BALL POPPER
• $5.00 off (1) PLAYSKOOL SIT N' SPIN
• $2.00 off (1) PLAYSKOOL WHEEL PALS Mini 4-pack
• $2.00 off (1) PLAYSKOOL WHEEL PALS Playset
• $5.00 off (1) PLAYSKOOL EXPLORE 'N GROW
• $5.00 off (1) PLAYSKOOL WEEBLES TREEHOUSE
• $2.00 off (1) PLAYSKOOL WEEBLES 2-pack
• $5.00 off one (1) MLP Rainbow Dash Plane
• $4.00 off (1) U-BUILD MONOPOLY
• $4.00 off the purchase of (1) MONOPOLY Electronic
• $5.00 off any total CHUCK & FRIENDS purchase

Monday Morning Parent: My Baby's Veggie Tales

You should see/hear the reactions we get when we tell people that we are raising Marlie as a vegetarian. Most of it is simple curiosity, like how does she get her protein? I realize we live in America where beef is king (or is it chicken?) and that meat is a diet staple in this country. But it is a big misconception that human children or adults need to eat meat for sustenance. I am not bashing meat-eaters. Hey, I eat it too...although in better qualities and far less quantities than I used to. My point is that meat is a dietary choice not a dietary necessity, not to mention the negative impact that large-scale meat production has on our environment. I'll end my preaching there.

It's not hard to prepare vegetarian meals that provide the nourishment that your child's growing body needs. You will need to educate yourself about food and buy a good cookbook. A meatless diet doesn't have to be boring or restrictive. For example, I make (un)fries instead of french fries by boiling a potato, cutting it french-style, coating the pieces in olive or coconut oil, and baking until crisp. Even fruit and veggies can be fun! I smear almond butter on sliced pears, drizzle yogurt on bananas, and sprinkle grounded flax seeds on sweet potatoes. I also experiment with smoothies by mixing greens and fruit with almond or coconut milk for a refreshing treat packed with vitamins and minerals!

Here is a sample of Marlie's daily menu:

Breakfast: scrambled egg, porridge, fruit, almond/coconut milk
Morning Snack: fruit, almond/coconut milk
Lunch: organic Greek yogurt, vegetable, breastmilk
Afternoon Snack: fruit or vegetable*, water
Dinner: beans, vegetable, almond/coconut milk
*fruits and vegetables are bought fresh (preferably organic and locally grown), cooked or ripened to soften, then cut into spears or cubed so she can hold it and feed herself.

Here is a list of Marlie's favorite foods and some of the nutrients they provide:

• almond butter: iron, calcium, protein, riboflavin, folate, Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids
  
• almond milk: calcium, vitamin D, vitamin E, manganese, selenium, Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids
  
• apples: fiber, vitamin C
  
• avocados: fiber, protein, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, folate, potassium, magnesium
  
• bananas: vitamin B6, vitamin C, potassium
• beets: vitamin C, fiber, iron, folate, manganese
  
• blueberries: vitamin C, vitamin , manganese (also good source of antioxidants)
  
• carrots: vitamin A
  
• chickpeas/hummus: protein, fiber, iron, folate, manganese,
  
• coconut milk: vitamin B12, vitamin D (also a good source of medium chain fatty acids)
  
• eggs: vitamin B12
• kale: vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K
  
• mangoes: vitamin A, vitamin C
• oatmeal, protein, fiber, iron, thiamin, Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids
• peaches: vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium
  
• pears: fiber, vitamin C
  
• pinto beans: protein, fiber, iron, folate
  
• potatoes: fiber, protein, iron, vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium
  
• quinoa cereal: protein, iron, fiber, folate, manganese
• spinach: vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, calcium, protein
  
• sweet potatoes: fiber, iron, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6
  
• tomatoes: vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium
  
• yogurt (Greek-style): protein, calcium (also a good source of probiotics)
  

There are some foods that we let Marlie have occasionally, but I call these the seldom/rarely foods:

• bread (whole grain or sprouted)
  
• cheese
• chips (blue corn tortilla)
• corn/corn grits
  
• fruit juices
• ginger cookies/arrowroot teething biscuits
• pancakes
• pasta
  
• popcorn
• rice
  

Not ready to convert yet? Try a meatless day or two with your family. Happy eating!

Disclaimer: I am not a professional dietitian or a nutritionist. Consult your family physician about making dietary changes. Please be mindful that some foods such as eggs and nuts are not recommended for babies under a year old. Always introduce new foods one at a time and watch for allergic reactions. Report any suspected food allergies to your child's pediatrician.

Growing Tree Toys Birthday Club + $10 off Coupon

Growing Tree Toys is a specialty toy store committed to providing educational toys that challenge, stimulate, and encourage children to express their creativity. They carry the most popular brands in educational toys and then some.

I signed Marlie up for the Growing Tree Toys Birthday Club for kids, which includes an special birthday surprise delivered by email and exclusive offers.

Right now, Growing Tree Toys is giving away a $10 coupon to fans on Facebook!

Tip(ful) Tuesday: Renew Baby's Interest in Played-Out Toys

photo credit: jbcurio/CC 2.0

Marlie has very few toys compared to other babies. This is on purpose. I personally don't believe kids need a ton of toys. Reason one: they are usually made of toxic, non-biodegradable material that glut our landfills. Reason two: kids always prefer playing with your keys, remote control, and pots and pans anyway. Reason two: kids get bored with toys really fast.

Case in point, I bought Marlie a developmental plush bunny toy when she was around 6 months old. It had textured paws and crinkly ears. She loved that stupid thing...for about a month. It didn't surprise me that she suddenly lost interest in it, but I was shocked when she started showing outright contempt for poor bunny. She would toss the bunny out of her crib like a used up Kleenex.

So I put Mr. Bunny away and kept him out of her sight for about a month. I recently introduced the bunny into her toy rotation and it was like she was seeing him for the first time! Eureka! This probably only works on babies.

Tip(ful) Tuesday: Get Your Groupon

Damon clued me in on this website that offers incredible deals from retailers in your community. It's called Groupon and it works like a group discount rate program...a minimum number of people have to purchase the "deal" in order to get the special price. I checked it out and saw some pretty amazing deals for spas, restaurants, and activities (like golf). You can sign up for email alerts to get the deal of the day delivered to your inbox. Yesterday, I purchased $40 worth of food for $20 at a Mediterranean cafe. I can't believe I didn't know about this sooner!

I'm Over at My Brown Baby Today

You know I'm passionate about natural healing for babies and children. Wrote an article about it. Want to read it? Here ya go:

The Skin They're In: Healing African American Babies' Skin Naturally

Tip(ful) Tuesday: Shop for Baby and Save!

A mommy could easily go broke buying all those cute clothes, blankets, and socks . That's why I love discount stores. There are two web sites that I know I can count on for great bargains on baby items.

Baby Half Off sells a baby/kid product everyday for over half off of the retail price. You can find out about about their deal of the day by subscribing to their blog, joining their Facebook fan page, or following them on Twitter.





MamaBargains.com posts multiple 50-80% deals daily and you have to check back frequently and act fast. They don't have an alert tool yet (it's under construction), but you can follow them on Twitter or Facebook and see updates whenever a new item is available.

Great Sale Going on Now at SproutBaby.com

Sprout Baby had become my go-to store for organic baby products that I can trust. The company only sells products that meet the strictest guidelines, so I know it is safe to use on Marlie.

Sprout Baby is having a HUGE 30% off sale on some of their customers' favorite products like Earth Mama Angle Baby. The sale is on now through December 31st.

Plus, if you are a new customer, you can get an extra 15% off your first order by using my referral code: SB002664

As always, orders of $75 or more ship FREE!

Tip(ful) Tuesday: FREE DVD Rental

Have you see those cherry red kiosks outside your local Walmart or Walgreens? They are self-serve DVD rental machines owned by a company called redbox, and I am in love! Let me count the ways:

• I love that rentals are only $1/day...no hidden fees!
  
• I love that you can reserve your DVD online to guarantee your selection is waiting for you...no disappointment from driving all the way to the video store to discover your movie is out-of-stock!
• I love that you can return your rental to any location (more than 17,000 nationwide)...no more special trips to inconvenient locations!
  
• I love that they never charge you a late fee if you don't return your rental on time, just pay for additional night(s)...no mad dash to the to video store to avoid penalties!
  

sign-up for their e-newsletter and get a promo code for one free night's rental!