baby talk

daffodils, narcissus, jonquils and lent lilies

noreply@blogger.com (baby La Rue) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 20:36:00 +0000

quoted from teleflora.com

THE MEANING & SYMBOLISM OF
narcissus / daffodil

Symbolizing rebirth and new beginnings, the daffodil is virtually synonymous with spring. Though their botanic name is narcissus, daffodils are sometimes called jonquils, and in England, because of their long association with Lent, they’re known as the “Lent Lily.” Lore connecting the daffodil to not only a sign of winter’s end but a lucky emblem of future prosperity is found throughout the world. In Wales, it’s said if you spot the first daffodil of the season, your next 12 months will be filled with wealth, and Chinese legend has it that if a daffodil bulb is forced to bloom during the New Year, it will bring good luck to your home.

The birth flower for March and considered the 10th anniversary flower, a gift of daffodils is said to ensure happiness. But always remember to present daffodils in a bunch – the same legends that associate this cheerful flower with good fortune warn us that when given as a single bloom, a daffodil can foretell misfortune.

Earth Day 2 for 1 sale

noreply@blogger.com (baby La Rue) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:08:00 +0000

Buy any
baby La Rue onezee
on Earth Day and

receive a second organic cotton
BLR onezee 1/2 off!

The Scoop on Natural Egg Dyeing

noreply@blogger.com (baby La Rue) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 04:29:00 +0000

My gorgeous naturally dyed eggs!

It works! I've wanted to try for the last several years but never got around to it. Well, tonight I finally did it! I have proof that natural egg dyeing really works. This year, my Easter eggs are totally organic, from the eggs, to the vegetables used for color, to the vinegar. 100% organic!

While I was in the checkout this evening, with my sweet little Rowan (17 mos tomorrow) I said to her, "Are you ready to dye Easter eggs tonight?" And the lady behind me overheard, she asked, "Oh, do they have Easter egg dye here?" I proudly responded, "We're doing it all natural this year, with beets and onions and--" Before I could even finish she sort of frowned at me, with furrowed eye brows and said in a disapproving tone, "Well, you must have a lot of time on your hands." Sure lady, I am a first time, full time mom with a daughter who hasn't slept a full night in 17 mos, I work two jobs, neither of which are paying the bills, I have two dogs, two cats, two fish tanks, a house and a husband. I've got all the time in the world!

Truth be told, I do not have enough time on my hands, I am stretched pretty thin. But, these are the small things in life that add to up to really big memories and I am glad to have a project that forces me to slow down and live rather than just going through the motions.

The upside to natural egg dyeing, it's a lot more satisfying producing cool colors with a little sweat. The downside--more time consuming and definitely more money. In the end, for me it was worth it. The box of $1.99 Paaz dye (no offense to Paaz, I still have love for you and this is the very first time I have strayed...in 34 years!) just doesn't compare to doing it au natural.

http://www.mymommiescloset.blogspot.com/

noreply@blogger.com (baby La Rue) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 20:34:00 +0000

Thank you to my new customer Toni for taking the time to write about baby La Rue. She has a great blog that you should check out.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Baby La!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I was just turned on to the cutest online baby boutique and I just had to share! Baby LaRue is an online baby boutique featuring some of the cutest accessories and smell goods for babies and mommy's too!!! I really adore the "earth-friendly" onesies and the infant leg warmers are deliciously cute!!! If you have a baby, planning for one, or need a shower gift...Baby LaRue is just for you! Shipping is extra fast, locally ( I received my item in one day) and I even received a personalized, thank you note!! How's that for customer service!!! Do something great for the environment and for a small business!!! Your baby will thank you!

Live Long and Shop Well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Labels: baby boutique, baby larue, eco-friendly

New Jess Brown Rag Dolls just arrived

noreply@blogger.com (baby La Rue) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 18:02:00 +0000

Check em out! I love them and just can't get enough of them.
hand made & one of a kind. all made of cotton muslin and tea dyed. each doll is crafted using found, recycled, and antique fabrics and wools

noreply@blogger.com (baby La Rue) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 21:22:00 +0000

"When you choose organic, you do more than help yourself. You're making a difference for your family, the home in which you live and the environment around us. You're also investing in your future. It's worth it." Check out this great site for a simple explanation of why organic is "worth it."

http://www.organicitsworthit.com/index.html

Soy

noreply@blogger.com (baby La Rue) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:22:00 +0000

Check out Eco Salon's recent eye opening article "Debunking the Most Popular Soy Myths." I was surprised to find out that soy is among the 8 most common food allergens, "with reactions to be particularly common among children" and that goat's milk is second best to breast milk.
http://www.ecosalon.com/10-things-you-must-know-about-soy-before-you-eat-it-again/

Natural Egg Dyeing Techniques

noreply@blogger.com (baby La Rue) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:40:00 +0000

From Martha:

This Easter, try these natural and unique egg dyeing techniques that are simple to do and produce beautiful results. Before you dye any egg, wipe the eggshell gently with vinegar in order to help the egg absorb color.

Tools and Materials
Vinegar
Raw eggs
Cheesecloth
Twist ties
Pot of water
Salt

For Various Egg Colors:
Red onions (create a sienna egg)
Red cabbage (creates a bluish egg)
Coffee (creates a brown egg)
Beets (creates a pink egg)
Turmeric (creates a yellow egg)

Onion Skin Natural Egg Dyeing How-To
1. For a mottled look, wrap onion skins around the raw eggs covering the entire egg. Wrap the covered egg with cheese cloth tightly, being careful not to break the egg. This keeps the skins close to the shell. Secure cheesecloth with a twist tie.

2. Lower the wrapped egg into a boiling mixture of 1 quart water and 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Boil for 20 minutes.

3. Remove eggs and let cool. Unwrap cheesecloth and onion skins.

4. As an alternative, you can create an onion skin bath consisting of 2 quarts water, 2 quarts packed onion skins, 1/4 cup vinegar, and 1/4 cup salt. Soak precooked eggs overnight in the mixture.

Red Cabbage Egg Dyeing How-To
1. Hard-boil eggs until cooked.

2. Boil one head of cabbage in two quarts of water for 30 minutes. Strain pre-boiled cabbage water into bowl.

3. Add 4 tablespoons salt and 4 tablespoons vinegar.

4. Lower egg into bath. Let soak 30 seconds to 1 minute for pale color. For deeper colors, let soak overnight.

Turmeric Egg Dyeing How-To
1. Hard-boil eggs until cooked.

2. To a pot filled with two quarts of water, add 4 tablespoons salt, 4 tablespoons vinegar, and 6 tablespoons turmeric.

3. Lower egg into bath. To make a green egg, you can swap cabbage and turmeric eggs into opposite baths.

Coffee Egg Dyeing How-To
1. Hard-boil eggs until cooked.

2. To a pot filled with two quarts of very strong coffee, add 1/4 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup salt.

3. Lower egg into bath. Let soak overnight.

Beet Egg Dyeing How-To
1. Hard-boil eggs until cooked.

2. To a pot filled with 8 cups of water, add 8 cups chopped beets, 1/4 cup vinegar, and 1/4 cup salt.

3. Lower egg into bath.

Its been a long time

noreply@blogger.com (baby La Rue) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:08:00 +0000

Hello moms, dads and everyone in between,
It's been a long time and that's because I've been exhausted. In addition to all of the craziness of a being a full time mom I've been working on baby La Rue and "repping" for a great organic onezee company.

Well, I am back and plan to stay on top of my entries. I have lots of great green products to tell you about and I look forward to being in touch.

Be on the look out for more to come!

And as always,
thanks for your support!

jess brown: for baby la rue

noreply@blogger.com (baby La Rue) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:15:00 +0000

jess brown: for baby la rue

can be found at www.shopbabylarue.com

Some more organic info

noreply@blogger.com (baby La Rue) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:17:00 +0000

Organic Facts of the Week from the Organic Consumer's Association:

If organic farming methods were practiced on all the planet's food-growing land, it would be like taking more than 1.5 billion cars off the road.

You can increase your antioxidant intake by 30 percent by choosing organic.

The average child in America is exposed to five pesticides daily in their food and drinking water.

The U.S. water system is regularly contaminated above safe limits immediately following chemical fertilizer applications to farm fields.

Farms in developing countries that use organic techniques produce an average of 79% more than farms that don't

Now tell me organic doesn't matter!

Do you know what's in your personal care products?

noreply@blogger.com (baby La Rue) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 20:48:00 +0000

If you want to know, go to

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php?nothanks=1

Skin Deep is a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products brought to you by researchers at the Environmental Working Group.

Skin Deep pairs ingredients in more than 25,000 products against 50 definitive toxicity and regulatory databases, making it the largest integrated data resource of its kind. Why did a small nonprofit take on such a big project? Because the FDA doesn't require companies to test their own products for safety.

why organic cotton

noreply@blogger.com (baby La Rue) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 23:06:00 +0000

conventional cotton (booo!) Cotton is a fiber woven throughout our world, and the way in which it is cultivated and grown bears significant impact on its environment, its communities and the individuals involved. Here are some facts on conventional, that is non-organic, cotton production:
Roughly 5% of the world’s agricultural land today is used for farming cotton, the vast majority grown using significant quantities of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.
Conventionally grown cotton is the 2nd most pesticide-laden crop in the world (after corn),
The crop consumes 25% of the insecticides, more than 10% of the pesticides used worldwide (275 million pounds in the US alone).
Conversion of conventional cotton into clothes uses numerous toxic chemicals at each stage - silicone waxes, harsh petroleum scours, softeners, brighteners, heavy metals, flame and soil retardants, ammonia and formaldehyde - to name just a few. ...that new shirt smell just doesn't seem the same...

"One acre of organic farmland can absorb and store 3500 lbs. of CO2 per year effectively removing this greenhouse gas from the atmosphere." (Organic Trade Association)

organic cotton (yeah!)

Organically grown cotton is cotton grown in soil that has been certified free from pesticides, herbicides and other cytotoxins for at least three years, Organic farming uses 50% less fossil fuels than conventional agriculture. way cool.
Organic cotton farming builds strong soil through crop rotation, compost and tillage, retains water more efficiently because of increased organic matter in the soil, and results in production yields either the same or better than organic cotton.
Certified organic cotton farming also prohibits the use of genetic engineering, irradiation, sewage sludge, toxic and persistent synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. By its very nature organic cotton cannot be grown from genetically engineered seed.
Zee Spot's manufacturer in India uses a delicate combination of buttermilk, cow's urine (holy cow!) and neem oil to reduce infestation of their cotton crops.

(information provide by http://www.zee-spot.com/) ~much thanks to the zee team, shabeer, christina, kate and jeff

how "green" it is

noreply@blogger.com (baby La Rue) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:50:00 +0000

You can use the search tools on this site to get our expert evaluation of labels on food, wood, personal care products and household cleaners. You can search by product, category, or certifier, and easily compare labels

http://www.greenerchoices.org:80/eco-labels/eco-home.cfm?redirect=1

Breast feeding

noreply@blogger.com (baby La Rue) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 22:34:00 +0000

recently some of my friends and i have gotten into the topic of breast feeding.

every different person i talk to seems to have a different comfort factor when it comes to "bf."

some say, "sure, well until their 6 months is fine, but until they're 2 is crazy!" others think of nursing as something to be done with quickly (3 mos max) and most certainly something never to be done publicly. then there is my good friend from senegal who just doesn't see what the big deal is ("back home women nurse walking down the street, sitting in crowded buses, they nurse wherever they happen to be when their baby is hungry...) my husband and i don't even agree on what is the right and wrong time to stop bf~ he thinks two is too old.

for me what it boils down to is that i really dislike the judgement factor. whether you choose to nurse or not is a private decision. but i hate to think that, because of public scrutiny, women are shying away from breast feeding.

if this subject has been a hot topic for you or you are interested in more information, please check out

http://www.earthybirthymama.com/articles/breastfeedingarticle2.html

if you don't feel like reading, here is some quick information:

The World Health Organization recommends breast feeding for a minimum of 2 years

The AAP recommends breast feeding for a minimum of 1 year

If naturally weaning is allowed the average age for weaning naturally ranges from 2 1/2 to 7 years

Hanami

noreply@blogger.com (baby La Rue) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 01:21:00 +0000

Take time to smell the roses...and the cherry blossoms, hyacinths, lily of the valley, lilacs...as you would in the art of Hanami or blossom viewing.

according to SOMA mag, in a memorable article written by Douglas Hargrave "Japan is known for its distinct seasons: lush, humid summers, drastically beautiful autumn, and cold, snowy winters. And when springtime arrives, the defining seasonal aspect in Japan is the cherry blossoms. Hanami, or blossom viewing, is a tradition in Japan that dates back over 1,200 years....Family, friends, coworkers or couples gather in a public area surrounded by dozens of well-tended trees in full bloom. Sitting on mats or on the grass, the talk, share food brought from home or bought locally, admire the blossoms, and usually drink plenty of sake, sometimes well into the evening...The transient, ungraspable nature of the cherry blossom strikes at the Buddhist core of Japanese culture. Life, youth and beauty are taken from us so quickly and irrevocably, yet we pass our days in a flurry of appointments, commutes and telephone calls. Sometimes it's just good to just sit back and enjoy the flowers."

Almost daily I walk with Rowan around my yard and talk to her about the flowers, shrubs and trees growing and blooming (her grandad likes to this with her too). She is only 5 months old, but as soon as she and I walk outside into the fresh air she relaxes and enjoys the moment with me.

I think babies are born with the spirit of Hanami. And I am so glad that the birth of my daughter has renewed my own sense of childhhood and what really matters.

Life is short. Remember to stop and smell the roses.

Plastic baby bottle warning

noreply@blogger.com (baby La Rue) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 21:45:00 +0000

check out this info:
http://green.yahoo.com/news/nm/20080415/sc_nm/plastic_bottles_dc.html

Baby Bottles, Better Safe than Sorry

noreply@blogger.com (baby La Rue) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:29:00 +0000

Lately there is a great deal of controversy over the use of Bisphenol A and Phthalate in baby products, particularly baby bottles.

Bisphenol A (or "BPA") is used in most common and popular plastic baby bottles. BPA exposure has been linked to hormone disrupting effects including lowered sperm count and infertile sperm, development of human cancer cells and production of precursors to breast cancer and developmental toxicity. BPA is known to leach from plastic with exposure to heat (while cleaning bottles, warming milk, etc).

Phthalate is a plasticizer added to a wide variety of common products, including baby bottles, lotions, powders, shampoos, and items with fragrance. Some phthalates are endocrine disruptors and can precipitate asthma, respiratory problems, rhinits and eczema, premature breast development in girls and poor semen quality in boys. The best thing to do for yourself and baby is to limit exposure to products containing phthalate (which does not always have to be listed as part of the ingredients). When in doubt, stay away from products with fragrance.

If you get people around you talking about this issue some will just brush this information aside and figure, "it didn't hurt me, it didn't hurt my parents... or "my baby is fine so far." However, the latest information from a predominent cancer society informs us that 1 out of 3 women and 1 out of 2 men and 3 out of 4 families will be affected by cancer. And the last I checked, 1 out 8 women will develop breast cancer.

It makes sense to me to avoid BPA and Phthalate because collectively they have many adverse side effects (cancer and hormone disruption included).

How many times do parents wash their hands daily to avoid exposing their children to germs but don't know that something as innocent as feeding their baby a bottle can be doing so much more damage than germ exposure ?

I believe we should ere on the side of caution for the sake of our babies and children.

Please buy baby bottles and sippy-cups, like those made by GreenToGrow and Born Free, that are free from BPA and Phthalate. They are relatively well priced (just a few dollars more) and in the end, peace of mind is priceless.

to be or not to be green

noreply@blogger.com (baby La Rue) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:33:00 +0000

I will be the first person to tell you that I don't know everything about being green. But I would like to say is this, the process is an evolution. You don't have to stop what you are doing and change everything all at once. My daughter is almost 5 months old and I have just, today, switched to chlorine-free diapers and wipes. I am super happy to make the switch after learning that most non-cloth diapers emit dioxin which is known to be cancer causing. Switching to chlorine-free diapers not only helps your little one but also reduces the amount of dioxin in our overall environment (affecting people of all ages) So, it is up to you to decide to be or not to be green but as far as I'm concerned the shades in the middle are a step in the right direction.

why baby La Rue

noreply@blogger.com (baby La Rue) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:26:00 +0000

After the recent birth of my daughter Rowan I became inspired to create baby La Rue. When I started to buy all the baby things we needed for Rowan I realized that there is a lot out there for babies, but not all of it is safe. In today's world of exposure to chemicals and toxins we are not as healthy as we once were when we lived more naturally. I believe it is important to do the best we can for our kids, through the products we put on them (their clothing, bath and body products) to what we put in them (safe milk from bottles that are bpa-free and phtalate-free) to what we give them (toys and teethers that are natural and toxin-free). It is time for us all to start taking responsibility for saving mother nature through supporting ethical and sustainable products. My daughter has given me a renewed sense of purpose and I want to help our children have a brighter, hea lthier, greener future~and be stylish while doing it.

I have carefully selected the products carried on my site and Rowan uses them all. I have even adopted the baby bath and body products by Little Twig for my own use. I am constantly on the lookout for new products to add to the site, they must be earth friendly, fashionable and affordable. I am using recycled and eco-friendly shipping materials and do my best to reduce any needless waste. I welcome any suggestions or comments and hope you enjoy the site.

I thank you for your support and would love for you to pass the word on that baby La Rue has launched

much love~
kira
owner and founder of baby La Rue
www.shopbabylarue.com