What Would a Crunchy Chic Gal NEVER Do?

The Hands On Children's Museum in Olympia.
My new place of business, employer of many talented
working mothers, and Noëlle's new favorite place!

Okay everyone, I am more than a week overdue for a blog post. My sincere apologies! It really bums me out when I miss a post. There is a lot going on to make blogging more challenging than ever. About 3 weeks ago, I accepted the Development Manager position with the Hands On Children's Museum in Olympia, WA. Very excited to be a part of such a fantastic museum!! And it's a huge opportunity for me and my family. But it's a big adjustment from being home everyday as Noëlle's primary caregiver to rushing home from a full workday to spend the evening with her, the same evening during which I need to do my laundry, cook dinner, and prepare daycare meals. Many of you probably know the drill :) That said--guilty mom alert!--I am really enjoying the work, and I love my team! I am actually happy to be back. But it comes with its adjustment period. Where we live currently is about an hour from the Museum in Downtown Olympia. I am in the office four days a week; two days every week I travel with Noëlle, when she goes to daycare in Olympia, and 2 days I commute without her, when she is home with one-on-one care. I leave by 7:45 a.m. and I am rarely home before 7 p.m. The evenings are a mad rush to cook, eat all altogether, clean, get Noëlle ready for bed, read books, put her down, and then have a little time for ourselves (sometimes the "little time for ourselves" is what suffers - I actually fell asleep mid-conversation on Wed night.) Although being a stay-at-home mom is a lot of work with its own challenges, I have more respect than ever for all you working hands-on moms! One of my favorite parts of being a health/wellness and style blogger is taking time to research each topic and share informational videos, website and other links. Well, with a lack of available research time, in my first post as a working mom I going to share a list of things that a "Crunchy Chic Gal (and Mother) Would Never Do." I could give you this list in my sleep, which means research time is next to none. Ahh, that's a relief for my crossed eyes and tired typing fingers ;) So take a few minutes, review, consider whether you do some of these things and why, and see how your list compares to mine!

And now, without further ado (since I "further adoed" in my post entry) here is a master list-in-progress of some of What a Crunchy Chic Gal Would NEVER Do. Basically, the things I won't participate in for health, animal-welfare, political and environmental reasons. And I bet if you asked other hyper-conscious, crunchy-chic gals, you would find a consensus. I will spare a lot of detail both for its gruesome nature and for the sake of space and time (re: working mommyhood), but if you are intrigued or question why I wouldn't do something, please ask me on this blog, on my Facebook page, or do your own homework. I always hope to inspire you to learn and educate yourself more. Okay so I "adoed" after all. Now here goes!

Crunchy Chic Gals Would NEVER...

1. Buy fur. In short, and sparing detail, horrific practices go on in the industry, both legal and illegal.
2. Feed non-organic food to their kids regularly. There are many risks with non-organic food.
3. Feed her baby non-organic soy formula. Soy is questionable, and non-organic/gmo even worse!
4. Attend a circus. Wild animals like lions, tigers, and monkeys are not meant to live their lives in cages and entertain us. They are and will always be wild. If you wish to see them, find a wild animal sanctuary.
5. Attend a bull-run or bull fight. The bulls, who have been caged, tormented, agitated and terrified, are killed for "fun" and "entertainment" in the end. It's barbaric.
6. Buy personal care products with chemicals. Our bodies absorb everything we put on our skin.
7. Use petrolatum/mineral oil. Like traditional baby oil! Watch out for mineral oil in a lot of products, particularly cosmetics and lotions. The effects on the body are gross. I posted about this a few months ago.
8. Go to Sea World. Many of the marine animals at parks like Sea World are captured from the wild, from Japan and other parts of the world, sold for a lot of money and caged. Many fail to thrive in captivity and die. Including Shamoos. Be content to watch these creatures from afar or visit a marine hospital or aquarium with a strict policy on acting as a sanctuary for non-releasable/injured/disabled animals ONLY.
9. Buy meat, eggs or dairy from factory farms. Most are, so this takes care in research and selection.
10. Buy a pet from a breeder. Thousands of adoptable animals are euthanized every day in shelters.
11. Use antibiotics regularly. Unless you have a serious infection, think twice about using them. On NPR last week they had a fascinating segment on the importance of a healthy gut, and overusing antibiotics, poor diet, not breastfeeding and having unnecessary c-sections (sorry ladies!) are primary causes of poor gut health, which can lead to asthma, autism, allergies, obesity, diabetes, depression, and many other issues.
12. Throw recyclable materials in the trash. Like plastic! A little bit from a lot of people adds up in landfills and in oceans. Take a moment to find a recycling bin, or take the cup or bottle home to recycle later.
13. Store hot food in plastic containers. Ever notice how that plastic take-out container is warped from spicy thai soup or some other hot food? Well, plastic, an endocrine-disruptor, is now in your food! This goes for heating food in plastic as well. Plastic breaks down easily in heated conditions. Use glass or paper.
14. Use a microwave when there is an oven or stove-top. Microwaves change the molecular structure of food and decrease the nutrient value much more so than regular heating. But on that note, try not to overcook foods at all, as the less you heat, the less you damage the food and destroy enzymes and vitamins.
15. Use any product on her baby that isn't natural. Again, we are what we take into our bodies! It's our responsibility as parents to ensure the health and welfare of our precious babes. And this means read ingredient lists carefully! Don't believe clever marketing and phrases like, "natural," do your homework. Check previous posts and ask me about the best and most natural baby products. And which to avoid!
16. Feed wild animals. Studies show that wild animals who are fed regularly actually forget how to hunt/forage to feed themselves and can do poorly in the wild when human food is scare. Human food is also usually not good for them and can cause health problems. You can feed then on farms or petting zoos.
17. Let her child make calls on a cell phone regularly. The industry itself and health experts know that cell phone radiation causes damage to the brain and other organs. In fact there are warning labels on cell phone packaging that tell the consumer to keep them at a distance from the ear! The verdict is still out on how much damage it can do, so that means use with caution and only as necessary. You and your children!  
18. Hunt for any reason other than to eat.  I have no problem with hunting when it's done to provide food. But I think any crunchy chic gal has a problem with hunting for sport and entertainment.
19. Buy personal care products that are not "Cruelty-free." Testing on animals is just plain cruel. If the products you are using are truly all-natural, organic, and chemical-free, there is no reason to test!
20. Drink diet sodas. Asparthame turns into formaldehyde at your body's temperature. It is a neurotoxin, and it's also been shown to increase appetite and cause obesity! Kinda backward. I also steer clear of regular soda with high fructose corn syrup. There are plenty of natural sodas like Blue Sky and Hanson's that are delicious and use real cane sugar.
21. Forget to pass on the same wisdom to her children! Let's be responsible for raising a generation of kind, compassionate, forward-thinking individuals who want to make the world better for all.

Our first weekend activity as a working mom,
the Bothell Blues Festival in Bothell, WA

If you have any questions, I always welcome them! Feel free to ask me here, as a comment on this post, or on my Crunchy Chic Facebook Page. Remember, this list is just a start! A few things I was able to generate in between cleaning up dinner and crawling into bed at 9:30 on a Saturday night. One thing "Crunchy Chic Gals ALWAYS Do" is get good sleep and love every minute of it. Well, this crunchy chic gal does. And that is really all I have any business sharing anyway.

Sweet dreams everyone (using real, organic sugar and no high fructose corn syrup of course),

Ms. Crunchy Chic Working Mama