Johnson & Johnson : And cancer-causing ingredients

Reading one article about Johnson & Johnson products containing cancer-causing ingredients was enough of a reason for me to pitch every J&J product in our house. And it's not just Johnson & Johnson either - it's an array of brands....

"Those include Johnson's baby lotion and bath products and Desitin for diaper rash, as well as adult skin care brands including Aveeno, Neutrogena, RoC, Clean & Clear and Lubriderm. J&J, based in New Brunswick, N.J., also makes prescription drugs and medical devices." - Huffington Post

A friend of mine had posted this post on facebook and I just couldn't believe it. So I did a Google search and found this and this and this and this and this... (you get the point).

I gathered my information - including the chemical names - and emailed Johnson & Johnson here.

After I received the e-mail back from them, I called. And I really wish I wouldn't have because it was a complete waste of time. The person that I talked to on the phone (a man named Kevin) couldn't tell me anything. In the e-mail they said they had wanted me to call so they could "provide you a thorough answer" but when I called Kevin just said that he couldn't answer my questions.

Well, a few e-mails later - and I basically was at the same point. I simply wanted to know why these ingredients were being used when they are clearly unsafe and many other companies do NOT use them. And I was never given an answer.

Every response I was sent I was given the run-around.
So after about 5 emails back and forth - I gave up.

These are the products we are currently using that are completely safe:

These are the main chemical names that you need to watch out for:

• Quaternium - 15 (releases formaldehyde)

• Dioxane

I'm just so thankful that my friend had posted about this issue. I would still be using Johnson & Johnson products on myself and Wyatt if I wasn't aware of the situation. I think this was just the thing I needed to really push me to go natural with the products used in our home. Yeah, they are way more expensive - but when it comes to your family's health - can you really afford NOT to?

What are YOUR opinions?

Do you use all-natural products in your home?

Please feel free to share links to posts you've written!

Baking with your toddler : Cupcakes!

Let's face it.
Sometimes being a stay-at-home mom can get a little boring.
You've got to be creative to keep you and your little one busy. So when I opened up the cupboard one morning and saw the box of cake mix I said to myself...

ooh yeah, it's cupcake time

I got out all kinds of stuff for Wyatt to play with and just let him go crazy! He had so much fun mixing his own ingredients together as he made a special treat for his a-da (dad). I narrated the whole time we were playing - telling him each ingredient, what color it was, etc.

He took his mixing duties very seriously. He dumped the contents from bowl to bowl while much of it landed on the floor. The final product was not only pretty but it was "special" too. At one point Wyatt had actually put his foot in the bowl.

It was messy, really messy. But it was so much fun! Something as simple as making cupcakes turned into an hour of laughing and having fun with my little man in the floor of our kitchen.

Making cupcakes turned into a fun learning activity that we could do together - and when we were done we were left with some delicious cupcakes!

May Group Giveaway - Starbucks Gift Card!!

Well, hello there! I am so excited about this month's Group Giveaway - because seriously, who doesn't love Starbucks? Even though I'm preggo and cut out the caffeine I still like to go and treat myself to a decaf every now and then! Just imagine how many yummy drinks you could get with this gift card! A HUGE thank you to all of my wonderful sponsors who made this possible!

Enter for your chance to win via the Rafflecopter below:

GOOD LUCK!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

when you're being judged.

Source: findinghappyy.tumblr.com via Kendall on Pinterest

Today I spent a good 15 minutes crying in my car.

Wyatt and I had our first (and last) Speech Delay Support group meeting. We woke up early, got ready, and drove 35 minutes to the library where it was being held. It was a small group of about 5 children and their mothers. We walked into the room and met with the instructor - she seemed nice and the nervousness I had all morning was slowly beginning to melt.

The other moms arrived and brought their children in the room and everyone sat around a white mat with two plastic bins in the center. The bins were filled with some small toys. Wyatt was running around the room, looking out the windows, and stopping every few seconds to smile at the other kids. But the other children were sitting still in front of their parents. I tried to get Wyatt to sit with me on the floor and he immediately started to cry. He didn't want to sit. He wanted to explore the room, he wanted to look out the windows and watch the flower petals float off the blooms of the trees.

While I was walking around the room with Wyatt - someone asked me if I was pregnant - then made sure to tell me that she spaced out her pregnancies a few years so she wouldn't have to chase after a toddler. And when she said it - she used... "the tone".

You know what I'm talking about. The "i'm-better-than-you" tone.
I didn't really feel like diving into our fertility issues with this women. I didn't feel like explaining  that I had Endometriosis that was growing at an abnormal pace. That if we wanted to have another baby at all - it had to be now. Instead I just nodded my head and was silent.

The moms in the room just stared at me. Stared like I was the worst mother in the world. They looked at Wyatt - looked at him like he was crazy. I watched as they glanced at him, then at each other.

They were judging us.

One of the moms even said...
                                                is he always like this?

I felt my heart sinking. This was a place where we were supposed to feel safe. Where we were supposed to be welcomed. Everyone in that room had a child with a speech delay - weren't we supposed to be supportive of one another?

The instructor left the room for a moment and it became extremely quiet.
I could feel the heat of the eyes of those moms on me, on Wyatt.

I picked up my bag just as the instructor was coming back in. I told her that we were leaving. I walked over, grabbed Wyatt's hand, and walked out of the room without giving those women the terrible stink eye that they had been giving us.

As the door closed behind me, I felt my face get warm and flushed. I tried to hold it in until we got to the car. But the elevator ride back down to the first floor with my sons hand in mine was too intense. I looked down at him and he was looking up at me, excited that we were walking together. By the time the elevator doors opened tears were streaming down my face. I kept my head down, put Wyatt on my hip and walked as fast as I could toward the front doors.

It took me 15 minutes to calm down before starting the drive home.
15 minutes of sobbing with my head on the steering wheel while calling my mother.

It made me realize just how hateful some people are. But at the same time, it made me really appreciate my family. I love my son. I don't care if he likes to run and play - he's nearly a 2 year old for crying out loud.

Have you ever felt judged?

Source: vineyarddreams.tumblr.com via Kendall on Pinterest

a mother's love.

The palm on your fevered brow, the soft kisses when you need them most, the grip that steadies you on rocky roads, the hand that feeds and nurtures you, the voice that tells you that you are loved, the shadow that walks beside you unconditional and enduring, a mother's love. -Sunita Sharma

about the testing that comes with a Speech Delay.

The main thing that I've learned about speech delay is that it's hard.
It's hard to watch as Wyatt struggles to try and speak.
It's hard to be on this path, attempting to figure out what is wrong - or if there is anything wrong.
It seems like a mix of opinions from people who have evaluated Wyatt.

Either way, the poor little man has been through a lot lately - and slowly but surely it's breaking my heart. I just want to take all of the pain away from him. The pain of blood testing, doctors visits, and the countless evaluations. I want to make everyday a good day for him.

Yesterday I watched as my father-in-law and husband walked Wyatt into the Lab for blood testing. I couldn't bring myself to go in. The last time I left a sobbing mess. So I sat in the waiting room and listened as my little baby screamed and cried. I kept getting up from my chair and peeking in at him to see if it was done. To see if I could rush in and grab him and cover his tear-stained cheeks with kisses. People in the waiting room talked to me - but I didn't listen. They asked if he was my son. What he was there for. Why they were taking his blood.

I blocked them out. I politely nodded and responded with simple phrases. I didn't want to discuss my sons medical history with everyone there. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I wanted to make sure my son was okay. And then I heard it - a muffled - but clear - ALL DONE.

I rushed to the door and pulled it open. Wyatt was being lifted off of Williams lap and was being safety lifted into his Puppa's arms. It was over. I could see the sadness in William and his father's face. I knew it was a difficult thing for them to do.

The next big test is Wyatt's MRI.
The only day I could schedule it was on Wyatt's birthday (go figure).

QUESTION:

Has your child ever gotten an MRI? 

What was your experience like?

the little things.

It's the little things.
Like sneaking in to listen to your baby's sweet little snores.
Going to the grocery store and spending half the time holding hands.
Buying a bouquet of orange carnations, just because.
Watching the excitement on Wyatt's face as he runs in the park.
Picking pretty white flowers on a nature walk and putting them in Wyatt's room so he can fall asleep to the smell of their sweet nectar.
And watching as your two favorite people in the world walk off into the sunset..
And thinking that in a few short months another little one will join our family.

It's all about remembering these sweet and precious moments.