Arnica Gel for Muscle Soreness

All the painting and moving furniture around the house is a real workout. My arms and legs are super sore. A friend of mine tells me to take Tylenol, but taking a pain killer just for regular workout muscle soreness goes against my crunchy philosophy. Thankfully, I learned about Arnica Gel a while ago, and this thing works. Arnica is a well known plant used in homeopathic treatments for bruises and muscle soreness. It is absorbed into the skin pretty fast also. When I rub the gel on the sore areas, it doesn't feel like Bengay or Icy Hot, as in you don't feel that minty cold and then that warm heat. It feels like you just put some regular gel on, but I immediately feel a release of my muscle. I am thinking this might come in handy when my daughter is older and gets sore muscle from hiking or something.

Painting with Zero V.O.C. Paint

We finally started our project to repaint the house, we have been holding off this project mainly because of the concerns of the toxic fumes from paint. We didn't want to do it while pregnant and definitely didn't have the time to do it while my daughter was still little also. But now that she can entertain herself a little more, we decided to tackle this. I made sure that we were going to use zero or low V.O.C. paint. Luckily many major brands now make this option. One thing to pay attention to is that some of the zero or low V.O.C. paints are only zero or low V.O.C. on whites, and once you add color it doesn't matter anymore, so you will want to look for description like color is also zero or low V.O.C. The Olympic brand from Lowes is and also Kelly-Moore has it too, probably other brands have it too, but I didn't look further. We decided to go with Kelly-Moore since it has a summer deal coupon that saves you 30% off your purchase. I know there are even safer paints that are made with completely natural ingredients, but I didn't want to go to that extreme since we are on a tight budget. The zero V.O.C. paint from Kelly-Moore really is different from what  I was use to about paints. There is hardly any smell while you paint, a big difference from the nostril burning experience from regular paint. I am pretty sure it is still not that great to be constantly sniffing this thing, so it is still a good idea to ventilate the area, but it sure made the painting experience a lot more pleasurable.

Avoiding Flame Retardants in Children's PJs

http://www.5minutesforgoinggreen.com/299/avoiding-flame-retardants-in-cozy-childrens-pajamas/
When my daughter was 9 months old I learned about how all children's sleepwear from 9 months to 14 years are required to be flame resistant. I was shocked, I mean, really, why do I want my baby to be covered with nasty chemicals when no one in the house smokes, we never use the fireplace or candles. And if the house was really on fire, that flame retardants is not going to help me much as it is not even for that purpose (read link). I started to think well, maybe I can wash off these chemicals, but through my searching online, I realize that is naive thinking. These clothing are designed to be washed multiple times and still be flame resistant, it is impossible to get rid of them this easily. But there is still hope, I immediately returned the 9 month sized PJs I just bought and looked for ones that were snug fitting, made of cotton, and with a yellow tag that says not treated with flame retardants. And now, I don't even use PJs on my daughter anymore. I just buy her t-shirts and regular cotton pants to wear at night. But the sad thing is, flame retardant is everywhere, especially more true in California because of our tough safety standards. Chances are your furnitures, your carpet, and anything cushiony they are required to be flame resistant. It is only last year that California exempted strollers, nursing pillows and baby carriers from the flammability standard.

Recycling Made Easier

I am so happy to see a big recycle bin at Lowes. They take rechargeable batteries, cell phones, plastic shopping bags, and most importantly for me, CFLs, since many other places have bins for the rest of the items. I have been trying to look for a place to conveniently recycle CFLs and finally I am able to get rid of my pile of broken CFLs. For other hazardous wastes, many city also have free recycling. Like in my city there is a center that takes all your electronics, paint, etc for free as long as you are a resident. Now the only thing I am still searching for convenient recycling is all those CDs and DVDs that I want to get rid off. So far I am just collecting them in a box and maybe once I collect enough I will mail it in to a recycling center to recycle, but if they have drop boxes in stores like Lowes, it would make things a lot easier. I didn't even know that those CD and DVD disks should be recycled in the past and have been tossing them in the trash, I feel so bad now.