In January of 2018, instead of making the usual resolutions that we’ve given up on by the end of the month, we decided to break it up by dividing some big goals into manageable chunks. Each month, we invite you to overhaul one aspect of your life to reduce toxins, improve health, and increase your peace…
In January of 2018, instead of making the usual resolutions that we’ve given up on by the end of the month, we decided to break it up by dividing some big goals into manageable chunks. Each month, we invite you to overhaul one aspect of your life to reduce toxins, improve health, and increase your peace…
To celebrate my husband’s 40th birthday, we took a family vacation to Costa Rica in early April. Below are my tips for traveling to Costa Rica with kids, including where to find the very Best Stuff if you like to include healthful meals, eco-friendly hotels, and general wellness as part of your vacation. Best Itinerary for Costa…
This might be hard to believe, but there is an upside to the Tide Pod Challenge phenomenon that you’ve probably heard about at the time. It has caused scientists, doctors, politicians, newscasters and even Tide itself to publicly announce what our readers have known for a long time, which is that these laundry products contain “highly concentrated,…
Making Your Medicine Cabinet Healthier I am sure that my medicine cabinet doesn’t look like many 67-year-olds! I have been on a health quest since my mother died early in life when I was just 17 years old. Unlike my mother, I have lived to see my children grow up and I am now a…
Despite my longtime annoyance with Purell-toting moms, once I had my own children I found myself–to my horror–becoming something of a germaphobe. When my sons are sick, we all suffer–they miss school, I can’t work, and no one sleeps. I’m judicious with the use of fever reducers and painkillers (here’s why), so some level of…
Until recently, I was nursing three kids: a newborn, a two-year-old, and a four-year-old. When other women hear this, the most common thing they say is, “Oh my gosh, I could never do that!” Moms often share stories about how they weaned their older child in anticipation of a new baby arriving. I don’t think…
I hope you all are having a wonderfully relaxing holiday break! I always enjoy the week where my kids have lots of new stuff to play with from Christmas, and stop asking for screens! If you’re like me, you’re also spending this week getting organized–from new toy storage systems to winter gear organization to getting…
A new employee of mine, Casey, recently made the crazy decision to volunteer to make a gingerbread house with my kids. So on Friday evening, Casey came over, along with a couple of our other friends, a couple bottles of red wine, and big plans of making a healthy and delicious gingerbread house. The video below…
Every year when school starts, the runny noses and illnesses begin, too. I used to be a classroom teacher, and I saw it every year. Are you already fed up with the endless runny noses, coughs, and (worst of all) stomah bugs? Do you feel like you’re just bracing yourself for the next illness to…
It’s that time of year again! The newness of back-to- school is wearing off, and my grown children have started to complain about how hard it can be to pack healthy, tasty lunches for their own kids. I remember getting discouraged when my kids were young. At one point, all they wanted for their lunches…
Did you guys catch me on The Dr. Oz Show yesterday? I was invited to speak about phthalates in macaroni and cheese. Whether or not you saw the segment, I thought you might want to hear my thoughts on the scary headlines. Real Quick: Here’s What Phthalates Even Are The chemical compounds know as phthalates (pronounced f-THAL-…
Many of my health coaching clients are moms, and they often ask me about encouraging their kids to eat more healthfully—and in particular about the challenge of getting little ones to eat vegetables! As a mother and a grandmother, I have lived this challenge myself. Children have different needs and taste preferences just like adults do, so…
If you know us by now, you know that we are always trying to find products and solutions that keep toxins away from our homes and families. Sometime there are problems difficult enough to make us pay even closer attention. A good example of this is the problems with ticks and the diseases they spread….
t’s been a very wet April here in Brooklyn! I hate to rain on your parade, but gear like raincoats, rain pants, rain boots and umbrellas can be made with toxic materials that are bad for consumers, workers, and the environment. In the past, some studies have found worrisome stuff like heavy metals and phthalates in kids’ rain gear….
Every New Year, I write a post about resolutions for a healthier New Year. But this year, my friend and favorite yoga teacher, Amber, has inspired a different approach. Amber wrote this article for Yoga International. Amber says, “To me, a resolution feels like another “should” in a life full of shoulds — a demand for more…
I’m not much of a product junky, but one of the perks of this job is that I get lots of samples! Most of these products are nice enough, but every once and a while I find something I truly love and incorporate into my regular skincare routine. Such was the case with Lumion. Introducing Lumion…
UPDATED: 2018 When I first wrote this post on non-toxic shampoo, I also stopped using shampoo. I was closeted “no-pooer” for a while, and you can read about the no poo method here. Despite the fact that my hair genuinely looks better when I’m not washing it (see the picture on the left), I can’t seem…
When I was a young mother there was no such thing as healthful bars of any kind, let alone nutrition bars! These days, there are a million different ones available at health food stores, drug stores, and even gas stations. Different bars fit different diet trends: Paleo; high protein/low sugar; athletic fuel (high carb); gluten free;…
Project One-Eleven is our non-toxic home renovation project. We’re taking an old row house that’s been serving as an office and converting it back into a residence where you’ll be able to come test mattresses and other Good Stuff. Because we’re all about the Good Stuff, we’re using non-toxic and sustainable products, materials, and processes as much as…
Read our Safe Sofa Guide for a list of our favorite toxin-free sofas. Even if you live in an urban location, the air inside your home is likely more polluted than the air on the city streets outside. If you’re a reader of this blog, you probably know that indoor air contamination comes from places like the paint on…
I consider myself low-maintenance when it comes to fashion and beauty. Whether I make it to the gym or not, most days I wear exercise clothes and zero makeup. So friends of mine were surprised a few years ago when I got eyelash extensions. But they are actually the perfect solution if you’re low-maintenance but…
Project One-Eleven is our non-toxic home renovation project. We’re taking an old row house that’s been serving as an office and converting it back into a residence where you’ll be able to come test mattresses and other Good Stuff. Because we’re all about the Good Stuff, we’re using non- toxic and sustainable products, materials, and processes as much as…
Kid-friendly activities are a big topic for my husband and me because we’re lucky enough to have four young grandsons who are a regular part of our lives. We’re always looking for ways to engage them, and often this means luring them away from the glow of screens! This is particularly true as the weather…
Mascara is kind of magical, especially if you’re like me and are hashtag-blessed with stubby, pale, stick-straight eyelashes. I don’t often wear makeup, but with just a couple of swoops of a mascara wand, I look and feel refreshed and more put together. I guess I’m not alone, because many readers and clients have asked…
Some of you asked for the recipe for our homemade ice cream cake that I mentioned in the newsletter. Here are the details! For my son’s seventh birthday, he requested an ice cream cake with candy on top. We live near a candy shop, and we let him choose the aquatic-themed gummies that went on…
Bread has gotten a bad name in recent years due to the popularity of low-carbohydrate diets, grain-free diets, and gluten-free diets. These days, gluten is basically a dirty word! While some of the criticism of wheat and bread is well deserved—I wouldn’t call most of what you see in the grocery store Good Stuff–I have…
My “baby” recently turned 3. Unfortunately, his entire wish list consisted of plastic toys–from Legos to these weird Mashem things, there was nary a wooden/woolen/beeswax item to be found. My kids play with Legos more than any other toy, and fortunately, they are made of ABS plastic, which is of pretty low toxicity concern. As for…
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