Week of January 25th

01/29/10

YOU CAN HELP THE HAITIAN RELIEF EFFORT BY DONATING YOUR BREAST MILK:


Just because money's tight right now, that doesn't mean there's nothing you can do to help the Haitian relief effort. Listen to this . . .


--Last week, Navy doctors on the USNS Comfort . . . a floating hospital docked off the coast of Haiti . . . put out a call requesting BREAST MILK donations to feed Haitian infants orphaned by the earthquake.


--Officials say it's better to feed babies breast milk than formula for two reasons:


#1.) Intestinal and respiratory infections are common after natural disasters, and breast milk contains antibodies that will help babies fight off infection.


#2.) And unlike formula, breast milk doesn't need to be mixed with water. Which is good since clean drinking water is in short supply in Haiti.


--So far, breast milk banks around the country have sent about 500 ounces of breast milk to aid the Haitian relief effort . . . but that's still not enough.


--According to a donor in Ohio, quote, "I would be very proud to know that my milk would be used to help orphaned infants or infants who are hospitalized." (Columbus Dispatch / Parent Dish)


(--You can get more information about donating your breast milk to Haiti here . . .)


http://www.hmbana.org/index/haiti

01/26/10

How do other moms do it? I thought after a couple of weeks back that it would get easier to leave my son Luke each morning - but it hasn't! I cant stand leaving that little face of his...



01/25/10

"NEW CAR" SMELL CAN KILL YOU:


An environmental group in Michigan called The Ecology Center says that "new car" smell can KILL YOU. The group's been publishing a guide to toxic chemicals in cars for the last three years. Basically, that new car smell we all love is produced by a bunch of toxic chemicals used in the plastic and textiles of your car's interior. That means the steering wheel, the dashboard, the arm-rest, the seats, the interior trim of your doors, and the carpet.
Just so you know, the list of chemicals includes antimony, bromine, chlorine and lead. And repeated, concentrated exposure to any of them can contribute to birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity and cancer.
Since the average American spends almost two hours in a car every day . . . that's not good. Even worse, the harmful toxicity of the chemicals is worsened by sunlight.

--The Ecology Center tests cars and then rates them on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the worst. Here are the nine worst offenders:


#1.) Chevy Aveo: 4.9

#2.) Mitsubishi Eclipse: 4.7

#3.) Hyundai Tucson 4.1

#4.) Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder: 3.9

#5.) Volkswagen Jetta: 3.9

#6.) Chevy Impala: 3.7

#7.) Volkswagen Beetle: 3.7

#8.) Volkswagen Eos: 3.5

#9.) Ford Expedition: 3.4


--And check out the nine LEAST toxic cars . . .


#1.) Pontiac G5: 0.6

#2.) Chevy Cobalt: 0.7

#3.) Toyota Corolla: 0.7

#4.) Honda Accord: 0.7

#5.) Nissan Cube Krom: 0.7

#6.) Honda Insight Hybrid: 0.8

#7.) Jeep Wrangler: 0.8

#8.) Toyota Prius: 0.8

#9.) Honda Civic: 0.9