7 Puppies – The Runyan Puppies – Coco and Captain

The diva family is fostering 7 puppies that are 4 weeks old – they had to be seperated from their mother who was too weak to care for them.

In a moment of weakness Dude talked me into this adventure. They have been dubbed the Runyan Miracle Puppies by their rescuer, comedian Rebecca Corry.

Read the full story of their rescue – the short version is it took Rebecca a week to talk their owner into surrendering them to her, the babies were near death and the mother not much better.

The mother has been fostered, but was unable to care for the babies. The diva family stepped in to foster the babies until they are old enough to be place in homes.

To donate to their care, Rebecca has set up this fund through Chip-In.

UPDATE – July 10, 2010

Lil’ Pip – just went to the vet.  He’s very seriously ill.  We’re not sure if he’ll make it.  We’ll keep you posted.

UPDATE – July 10, 2010 – Late Afternoon

Lil Pip was taken to heaven.  The little fighter didn’t make it.  We are so glad that he spent the entire morning cuddling with Lil Diva on his last day.

Update – July 19, 2010

Coco and Captain Morgan both went to their forever families tonight!  We are so happy for them.  There are 4 lil guys who are still looking for homes!  Dude is really hoping that Bella’s forever home is OUR home and of course Lil’ Diva is just assuming that is the case!

The negotiations are in full swing!

The Wild Chicken Way

We live in Los Angeles – one thing I never expected to hear from my children is “Mama, can we take the wild chicken way” as we go about our day.  Yet this is the chant that echo’s from the backseat of my mini van – repeatedly.

Not to far from our home we have discovered 2 wild chickens.  Yes.  You read that right.  Wild Chicken’s in LA! So, whenever we’re in the area the lil’s always ask for a drive by, I typically slow down to see if we can spot them.

You might be wondering how I do I know these particular chickens are in fact wild?  The first time I spotted them – I was take aback.  These chickens are hanging out a half a block from Ventura Boulevard – we’re talking a long way from Kansas.  So, being  Canadian – that means “too nice” according to Dude -  I stopped with the intention of coming to their aid.  I thought they must have owners missing them, but I didn’t really have a plan for EXACTLY how I was going to help them… I digress.

After I’d spent a little time trying to corral the hens a neighbor pulled up,  I asked if he know who the chickens belonged to – and he informed me they were wild and had been in the area for YEARS!!!

The “wild chicken way” isn’t usually the fastest way to our destination, yet I consistently detour hoping we spot the elusive hens.

When we actually spot the hens – we’ll usually take the time to double back and watch them peck around.  Nothing much happens, but the children love it and always hate it when I finally start inching the car away.

We’ll have conversations and wonder how they came to live here, where they sleep and how they stay safe at night.   We’ll not spot them for some time and wonder if they are OK.

In a world where the pace of life has gotten so fast my head often spins.  The “Wild Chicken Way” has become a tiny reminder to slow down and appreciate the little things in life.

Now clearly not everyone has “wild chicken’s” around the corner, but I’ll bet there is something unique in your neighborhood, something that will pull you out of the craziness of life and let you slow down to  take time and observe life’s little miracles.

Others might race through this intersection and miss the little treasure it hold for our family.  Plus, what mother’s heart wouldn’t melt just a little when hearing their childrens voices chime with this seemingly odd request…. “Mama, can we take the wild chicken way?”

4 Tips For Choosing Baby Formula

If You Are Formula Feeding – How do you choose the safest option for your Baby?

Use these 3 tips to steer you in the right direction.

1. Choose Organic Formula

If there is ever a time to spend the extra money on an organic, pesticide free options – this is it.  If you need to use formula – choose organic for the safest option.  The trickier part will be finding one.  To my knowledge there are only a few of brands on the market: my favorite Nature’s One, Earth’s Best, Similac Organic, and Walmart’s Parent’s Choice Organic.

2. Avoid Ready Made Formula in Cans

A toxic chemical called bisphenol A (BPA) can leach into liquid formula sold in metal cans. Canadian tests show no BPA leaching into powdered formula. The same brands are sold in the U.S., making powdered formula a low-risk for BPA contamination.

Some liquid formulas are sold in plastic, mostly polyethylene and polypropylene which do not contain any BPA. Avoid any plastic containers that are rigid and transparent, marked with “PC”. All liquid formulas sold in metal cans are lined with BPA-epoxy, which has been shown to leach into the product. If you buy formula in metal cans choose the concentrated type which is diluted with water prior to feeding. Avoid ready-to-eat formula in metal cans, which has the highest BPA leaching potential.

3. Select Powdered Formulas

Powdered formulas are the best choice for parents who want to avoid bisphenol A in their baby’s diet. While powdered formula has not been tested for BPA, it is diluted with much more water than liquid formulas which reduces the amount of BPA that the baby consumes in each feeding. Nestlé has made unsubstantiated claims that they don’t use any BPA to line their powdered formula cans. Nestlé, Enfamil and Similac use a mixed metal and cardboard package with less BPA-coating. Second best are Earth’s Best Organic and PBM’s store-brand powdered formulas that use a fully metal can.

4. Soy vs Milk Based Formula

Of course you’ll want to consult your pediatrician, but unless your baby has a sensitivity to milk proteins and requires a soy formula – stay with milk based formulas.  The most significant reason to avoid soy unless you have no other options is because soy can mimic the effect of estrogen when consumed in large quantities.

If you do need to use a soy based formula – be sure to use an organic option to be sure you are getting non GMO soy.  Soy is one of the largest GMO crops.  Given how little we know about the long term effects of consuming GMO foods.  We would be wise to avoid experimenting with our infants!

Sodas Linked to Near Doubling Risk for Pancreatic Cancer

Just 2 sodas per day has been linked to almost doubling your risk for developing pancreatic cancer!

This is really scary given that pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer – only 5 percent of those diagnosed are are alive five years after diagnosis.

Researchers believe that the high level of sugar in soft drinks increases insulin levels, which then contributes to the cancer cell growth.

The study followed over 60,000 men and women in Singapore for 14 years, during this time there were 140 pancreatic cancer cases.

The results are being released by The American Association for Cancer Research – so they are taking them seriously.

Hopefully this will make it easier to deny your children a soda next time they are begging for one! Not to mention being a little kick in the butt for our own discipline.

Just in case this doesn’t make you think twice about your next soda, Dr. Oz recently quoted Harvard researchers, stating that drinking just ONE soda per day increases your risk for developing Type 2 diabetes by 83%!

To read the full report:

Soft Drink Consumption May Increase Risk of Pancreatic Cancer.

Pediatric Ear Infections & The Home Remedy That Works For Us!

Ear infections are one of the most commonly occurring illnesses for children.  With an annual price tag estimated between $3 – 5 Billion, it is worth learning more.

A study out of UCLA has demonstrated a direct correlation between air quality and and the incidence of ear infection in children.

Another study that demonstrates how our health is impacted by our environment.

Home Remedy for Ear Infection

Lil’ Diva recently had an ear infection that we treated using hydrogen peroxide.

This is how my mom treated many of my ear infections, but I couldn’t find any information to  that made me comfortable and my pediatrician advised against it, so I wasn’t sure what to do.  Recently I was watching Dr. Oz and he said this was a home remedy that he used in his home for his children.

We take a the lid of the hydrogen peroxide and fill it with the liquid, saturate a cotton ball and squeeze the contents into the ear.  If there is an infection you will see bubbling in short order.  Lil’ Diva thinks it feels funny.

We then use use a dry cotton ball to absorb the liquid – NO SWABS – ever, ever, ever inside the ear canal!!!

We usually do this 2- 3 times.  Morning, midday and before bed.

I am SUPER sensitive to ear issues, having suffered from chronic ear problems, so I really monitor the children if they have an infection.  If the pain isn’t manageable with Advil or Tylenol I’ll take them in to the doctor pretty quickly.

It’s worth noting that the current evidence suggests that 8 out of 10 ear infections will clear up on their own without the use of Antibiotics.

Read the Full Study here:

Improved Air Quality Linked to Fewer Pediatric Ear Infections.

Remember – I am not a doctor and this post should not substitute the advice of a doctor.  This is just something that has worked in our home for my family!!!

The Effect of Heavy Backpacks on Children’s Spines

You see little children carrying large backpacks that seem as big as their little bodies all the time. Do you ever wonder about it’s impact on their little bodies?

Turns out carrying heavy backpacks is bad for a child’s back.  It causes compression of the spinal disk and increased spinal curvature.  Curvature that is likely to be amplified if a backpack is worn over one shoulder.  According to a recent study out of Wolters Kluwer Health.

Carrying heavy backpacks likely has long term implications for the probability of these children experiencing back problems as adults.

This study confirms what common sense should indicate.  The good news is this is preventable!

In the near future:  It’s likely our children will be reading their texts from or “Kindle Like” devices – This will drastically reduce the weight and the need for lugging around all those texts.

For Now: Make sure they have a backpack with wheels that can be easily rolled without putting pressure on the back!

Read the study:

Heavy Backpacks Affect Children’s Spines.

Common Antidepressant Drugs Linked to Lactation Difficulties in Moms

Worth knowing for nursing mothers, or soon to be nursing mothers!

“Breastfeeding benefits both infants and mothers in many ways as breast milk is easy to digest and contains antibodies that can protect infants from bacterial and viral infections. The World Health Organization recommends that infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life. This new study shows that certain common antidepressant drugs may be linked to a common difficulty experienced by new mothers known as delayed secretory activation, defined as a delay in the initiation of full milk secretion.

“The breasts are serotonin-regulated glands, meaning the breasts’ ability to secrete milk at the right time is closely related to the body’s production and regulation of the hormone serotonin,” said Nelson Horseman, PhD, of the University of Cincinnati and co-author of the study. “Common antidepressant drugs like fluoxetine, sertraline and paroxetine are known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) drugs and while they can affect mood, emotion and sleep they may also impact serotonin regulation in the breast, placing new mothers at greater risk of a delay in the establishment of a full milk supply.””

READ THE FULL REPORT:

Common Antidepressant Drugs Linked to Lactation Difficulties in Moms.

Carnival of the Green #202

Pure Natural Diva is thrilled to be hosting the 202 Carnival of the Green for the first time!

Special thanks to last weeks host Oofoo.  Nicely Done.  Next week the Carnival will visit EcoSalon, be sure to check them out.

If you’d like to host Carnival of the Green on your site – CLICK HERE – to learn how.

If this is your first time visiting Pure Natural Diva – we focus on Whole Living with Style and Ease.  Simple ways that you can live a greener, healthier life.

For new visitors here are a few posts that have been popular on PND:

Tips for Getting More Vegetables in Your Diet

Use Less Plastic in Your Home

Bottled Water: Save Real Green

 

On this weeks compilation!

Tip- Scroll your cursor through the post to highlight links.

Beth Terry from Fake Plastic Fish presents a Profile of plastic bag artist Dianna Cohen who “painted” with plastic bags for years before realizing how harmful they are for the planet. This year, she became a founding member of the new Plastic Pollution Coalition.

Grant Meacham presents: Analyzing the environmental benefits of deconstructing vs. demolishing foreclosed homes. The piece focuses on specific houses in Syracuse NY, and then the bigger picture of the foreclosed, slated to be torn down house that are all over the country. The potential from reclaiming materials, recycling building components, and diverting mass from landfills can have a dramatic positive environmental impact.

Adam Pedley presents Eco Friendly School Supplies posted at Natural Parenting Tips.

TDL Blog presents Guide To Commuter Bikes: Bicycle Commuting Saves Money and The Environment posted at The Digerati Life.

Barbara Williams presents 100 Great, Green Career Links for the Jobs of Tomorrow posted at Online Degree Programs.org.

Chris Lang presents Prevent Asbestos Exposure in the Home: Healthy Tips and Green Alternatives posted at Home I Own.

emancave presents Why do automakers insist on making hybrid and electric cars so damn ugly? | e-ManCave.com posted at e-ManCave.com.

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg presents Simran’s Eco-Friendly Home Makeover Comes to Oprah.com posted at Sustainablog.

Tyler presents What?s Your Environmental Net Worth? posted at Frugally Green. To take the pulse of your finances, you check your net worth. So what do you check when you want to take the pulse of your environmental pursuits? Tracking your carbon footprint is the closest thing we have, but it comes with some unique challenges and there are still kinks to be worked out of the equation. Where do you stand?

Sally Kneidel presents A new study from Worldwatch Institute re-analyzes the United Nations’ document “Livestock’s Long Shadow”. The study draws even more startling conclusions about the impact of the livestock industry on our planet’s future. The Worldwatch scientists conclude that livestock account for 51% of the annual worldwide greenhouse gas emissions!

That’s all for this week. We hope you found something interesting. Don’t forget to stumble, add to technorati favorites, kristi this post and the posts of those who participated in the carnival!

Body Conscience Launches at Fred Segal

By Tania Reuben

My fabulous friend Barbara has been working diligently developing a fantastic line of body care products. Last night her labors bore fruit as Body Conscience launched at Fred Segal.

This line is Ultra Luxe and pure enough that you can eat it.

The turnout was fantastic and we can’t wait to share more about this great line.  CLICK HERE for a preview.

Hopefully we’ll have some Body Conscience to share with our readers soon!

Spraying for Bugs Could Increase Autoimmune Disease Risk

I’m sure many people routinely spray pesticides, or have a company that sprays their yard or home. We did.

Dude has asked me to call the exterminator a few times since I became “toxin concerned” and have committed to reducing exposure for my family. I just haven’t been able to find  a solution that I’m confident is 100% safe.

This article from Newswire reconfirms my concerns:

Insecticide exposure may increase the risk of developing two well known autoimmune rheumatic diseases in post-menopausal women, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Philadelphia, Pa.

“Although suggestive, we need to start thinking about what chemicals or other factors related to insecticide use could explain these findings,” says Christine G. Parks, PhD; epidemiologist, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md., and the lead investigator in the study. “Our results also provide support for the idea that environmental factors may increase susceptibility or trigger the development of autoimmune diseases in some individuals.”

CLICK HERE to read the study summary ~ Spraying for Bugs Could Increase Autoimmune Disease Risk.

To be clear, the evidence is not conclusive, the link is only suggested.  Personally, I’ll err on the side of caution, keep my house clean and look for proven safe, natural remedies, like Catnip to deter cockroaches. I haven’t tried it myself, but hear it works!

If you have sprayed in the past, like me. We can’t feel guilty. All we can do is move forward, get more informed and make better choices for our future.

For now, our exterminator is off the payroll.

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