February 2012
32 posts
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Guest Post: Bath and Body Product Safety and...
Today we are lucky enough to have Sarah from Made in USA Challenge guest posting for us.  Sarah is a crusader in the “buy local” movement, encouraging us to look for quality, eco-friendly, safer alternatives to the products we buy every day that may have a lower price point but are also possible harming our health and endangering our children.  She is the best resource for sussing...
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The Great Swag Swap Giveaway Hop
Welcome to The Great Swag Swap Giveaway Hop hosted by Gypsy Mama Logsand Mama goes BAM. This is a special event to thank you our readers, and is your 2nd chance to get your hands on some of the best swag from some of your favorite bloggers.
The event begins at 12:01 AM February 29 & ends 11:59 PM March 7th!!
The Organic Blonde is giving away, as our contribution to the hop, a bottle of...
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Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast Day 8
Paper or Plastic?  How about none of the above… Day 8 of the Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast finds us using reusable shopping bags.  This is something we do already in our day to day lives.  I swear I am known as the “Crazy bag lady”  when I go to the supermarkets in my area because I am, I believe, the only one to bring her own bags.  I am bucking to start a new trend.
Start...
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Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast Day 7
Ok, I have totally calmed down from the “microwave” usage post from Day 5 and onward and upward to Day 7. I have to say, with all the science and pseudo science going around out there, I do believe we have some sort of impact on climate change and though I do believe strongly in conservation efforts and each one of us making our corner of the world greener and more eco-conscious, I...
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Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast: Day 6
Day 5Â of the Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast had me fuming, but I have calmed down sufficiently to read and post Day 6. Â I like this challenge because taking out just ONE light bulb (especially in a room with more than one light) reduces your energy use.
We have one room with no less than 9 lightbulbs. Â I have taken out one and have vowed to keep my husband from putting it back in during the...
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The Oxygen Diet: Breathslim Review and Giveaway
What if I told you there was a way to jump start your way to the perfect way or even lose those stubborn 10 pounds of baby weight with which many women struggle and all you have to do is breathe? Â
Ok, before you all boo me out of the blogosphere let me assure you I rolled my eyes at the concept too.  I was contacted by Breathslim® and asked if I would do a review of their device that...
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Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast Day 5
Day 5 of the  Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast and I am hopping mad.  Let me explain.  These boneheads may have a point about microwaves being more energy efficient. ( I tend to disagree cooking with natural gas much of the time but ok…. whatever.)  I am of the camp that believes the Japanese Study that shows food cooked in a microwave lose their valuable Vitamin B-12 content.
I know, I...
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Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast Day 4
This challenge was tough for me because there aren’t companies that do audits here, however, luckily for me, I know how much electricity we use and I have pretty much cut every possible energy drain in the house.
My husband is notorious for turning every light in the house ON before we sleep and I go behind him and turn them off. He worries that the dogs will wake up in the middle of the...
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Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast Day 3
Day 3 is a snap for me because living in both Europe and the Middle East, I have always had washing machines but no dryers. Â I don’t know whether it is a space issue (probably) or they are more eco-conscious than us Americans (in Europe maybe, in the Middle East HIGHLY doubtful) but all the washing machines are front loading which automatically makes them more energy efficient.
None of...
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Healthy Vegan Orange Julius Smoothie
I don’t believe there was a kid alive who didn’t love Orange Julius growing up. There is something about that vanilla, orange, milky combination that made my mouth water every time I entered the mall. Years later as I embarked on a healthy lifestyle, I learned a few things. Milk and citrus do not mix well in the body and the sugar in the milk, orange juice and mass amounts of added...
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Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast Day 2
Today’s challenge, for me, is bittersweet. The tap water in the country I am in at the moment is undrinkable, gunked up with sand, smelling like a bottle of Clorox, and, I am almost positive, rife with enough giardia to give the Sixth Fleet amoebic dysentary. (Ah the joys of living in a pseudo developed third world country.)
We use bottled water in the 20 liter size attached to a...
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Clip it with Clipix and Organize Your Life
If you are anything like me who spends 8 hours a day at my computer, you have between 12 and 20 tabs open in my browser at any one time. Whether it is a news article I want to read, research I am doing for my blogs, shopping, or emails to family and friends, my computer is constantly buckling under the strain of the constant running of programs in the background. Because I stay busy and never get...
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CTWW: Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Today is the first day of the Lenten Fast/Ash Wednesday and as we are about to embark upon our predominantly vegetarian diet for the next 40 days, The Organic Blonde has also joined Reduce Footprints  in the Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast for 2012.
Today’s Challenge:
Day 1 - Ash Wednesday
What you can do today
Calculate your carbon footprint today...
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Michael Pollan's Food Rules Animated
Michael Pollan, food activist and author, is our favorite “go to” guy for helping us decipher the treacherous codes of the modern food industry and navigate our way to a healthier, more natural, less science-based way of eating. His Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual has been a valuable source for simple ways to understand what to eat, and, more importantly, what NOT to eat.
In...
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CTWW: Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Today is the first day of the Lenten Fast/Ash Wednesday and as we are about to embark upon our predominantly vegetarian diet for the next 40 days, The Organic Blonde has also joined Reduce Footprints  in the Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast for 2012.
Today’s Challenge:
Day 1 - Ash Wednesday
What you can do today
Calculate your carbon footprint today...
1 tag
Michael Pollan's Food Rules Animated
Michael Pollan, food activist and author, is our favorite “go to” guy for helping us decipher the treacherous codes of the modern food industry and navigate our way to a healthier, more natural, less science-based way of eating. His Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual has been a valuable source for simple ways to understand what to eat, and, more importantly, what NOT to eat.
In...
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Intentional Conscious Parenting and Literacy...
With so many things competing for our time and our children’s time it is important to prioritize what is necessary for your child’s development. Many studies show that reading to your child makes a significant difference in their development and sets them up for success later in life.
The Studies
According to an article by Literacy Connections, children who were read to several...
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Chopra 21 Day Meditation Challenge Day 1
It has been years since I have taken the time to meditate every single day. Â Some days I do and I feel great, and some days I am just too harried with everything I have going on around me with work and home. Â To be honest, if I am not stealing 20 minutes on my PranaMat “bed of nails”, I rarely get a chance to have a meditation session.
Deepak Chopra, a leader in mind/body medicine...
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7 Super Foods for February
February is the month of love so we at The Organic Blonde encourage you to love your body with these 7 fabulously tasty super foods bursting with vitamins and minerals.
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Original Article
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A Tale of Two (Vegan) Key Lime Pies
I am a huge Key Lime Pie fan. Â I can’t get enough of the tangy creaminess. Â I can eat it year round (though many claim it is decisively a summer pie) and since I have been having a little winter “blues” Â I thought I would endeavor to make one the other night. Â There is just one hitch. Â About three days ago, I embarked on a Clean Diet Pre-cleanse. Â (For those of you...
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Heart Disease Genes Switched Off by Healthy...
Written by Alan Parker, an active blogger out of New York City whose writing covers green technology, healthy living, and the great outdoors. You can follow him on Twitter @AGreenParker.
Most modern medical information will have you believe that genetic history can cause you to be predisposed to certain types of illness. If a condition is known to “run in the family,” it puts you...
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CTWW Challenge: Bottles and Light Bulbs and...
Once again The Organic Blonde is taking the Change the World Wednesday (#CTWW) Challenge from Reduce Footprints and this one is near and dear to my heart because, being in the Middle East much of the time, where they are woefully behind the times in recycling, I beat my head against the wall every time I change a battery or a light bulb or have to toss a bottle.
Today’s challenge is from...
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Green Valentine’s Day Ideas
Valentine’s Day often gets a bad rap for being entirely about consumerism and materialism. And while that might be true for those who sell cards, flowers, and chocolate, some of us just enjoy taking a day to celebrate the love in our lives. I have never heard anyone say they feel too loved, too cherished. Let’s do our part to tell our loved ones how much they mean to us. Here are a few...
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Truth in Food Labels
I can boil down my philosophy on genetically modified food (GMOs) to one word. BAD. Sure, there are no comprehensive studies telling us that they are harmful (none the big guns have released) but the rise in food allergies to the very foods that are most often genetically modified; peanuts, wheat and/or gluten, soy, corn and even tomatoes, lead me to believe that there are no redeeming qualities...
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Want to "Give" Like a Fashionista?: Feed 2 Kenya...
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Create a stir with all your friends and help feed 2 school children in Kenya through the UN World Food Program (WFP) and their School Feeding Program when you win this iconic FEED 2 Kenya bag. FEED was started by activist and model (and W’s little girl) Lauren Bush in 2006 when she designed a bag to benefit the UN WFP’s School Feeding Program. She had visited many...
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Go Crazy for $20 Instant Paypal Cash
Welcome to our Crazy Thursday Flash Cash Weekly Giveaway! Every Thursday you will have a chance to win $20 via paypal. Sponsored by some amazing mommy bloggers.
This giveaway starts every Thursday and closes on Fridays.
If you want to join Crazy Thursday Flash Cash Weekly Giveaway team, kindly join our group on facebook HERE for updates in our weekly giveaways.. Super easy entry with...
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Pull the Plug: 10 Electricity Free Home Activities
Please forgive the 2 day absence from posting by my hosting company decided to have server issues.It only took them a day to realize they had and another day to fix the problems. If I sound a little bitter and frustrated………….
Today is Change the World Wednesday Challenge day sponsored by Reduce Footprints and this challenge is a fun one! This one comes from Katie at All...
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7 Diet Wreckers: Wolves in Food's Clothing
These 7 foods are really wolves lurking to destroy your diet, help you pack on the pounds, suck the money from your wallet, and even contribute to health issues such as diabetes, heart disease and other diet related conditions. See what’s lurking in your favorite foods and find some healthier alternatives to banish that wolf.
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Below are links to some recipes that have...
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Put on that Red Dress Mama...
The number one killer of women in the United States today is heart disease. Many of the signs and symptoms go unnoticed until it is too late. The Go Red for Women movement and the The Heart Truth®, a National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute initiative is asking women to “put on that red dress” and help increase awareness of this disease that has been largely attributed to men yet,...
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Sharing is Caring
It seems the worst of times brings out the best in people. There aren’t many Americans who have been able to sail through this economic downturn without feeling some effects. Not everyone has lost their job, but many have had to tighten their belts and reconsider what is a want and what is a need.
However, if there is one thing American’s can pride themselves on, it’s that we...
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Crazy Thursday Flash Giveaway
Welcome to our Crazy Thursday Flash Cash Weekly Giveaway! Every Thursday you will have a chance to win $20 via paypal. Sponsored by some amazing mommy bloggers.
This giveaway starts every Thursday and closes on Fridays.
If you want to join Crazy Thursday Flash Cash Weekly Giveaway team, kindly join our group on facebook HERE for updates in our weekly giveaways.. Super easy entry with...
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CTWW: Kitchen Sink Vegetable Beef Soup
Once again, it’s “Change the World Wednesday” time sponsored by Reduce Footprints and this week’s challenge, from Mrs. Green  really appealed to me on so many levels because, in our family, because we travel, we always come home to a refrigerator full of vegetables that have gone way past their prime.
“This week (and throughout the month), experiment with left over...
