League of Maternal Justice

Shame on Amazon: Falsely Promoting Products as BPA-free

We just received word from our friends at Z-Recs that Amazon, who recently launched a new "BPA-free" shop has included products in their listing that are not, in fact, BPA-free.

For more information about this, read here.

Because Vigilante Super Hero Moms Deserve A Treat Now And Then

I could write volumes on the number of bad-slash-inappropriate-slash-downright-startling gifts that I've received over the years. The case of beer from a (very short-term) boyfriend one not so memorable Valentine's Day. The denim overalls - way too big for me, which was irrelevant, because I was never, EVER going to where them anyway - from my mother one birthday. The completely unsexy full-body footy pajamas from my husband that Christmas that his mother stayed with us. The hairnet he shoved in my stocking that same year.

All of those gifts? Trashed. (Except the beer. I drank that.) Well, the hairnet got trashed. The overalls and the pajamas went to Goodwill, I think, in some giant bags filled with other assorted undesirable miscellany. But they might have gone to the landfill, or into the atmosphere to destroy the ozone, had I been upset enough to dramatically throw them in the trash or burn them.

It's for this reason that I consider it to be a public and environmental service that any and all persons purchasing gifts for women like myself give due care and consideration to both the desirability of the gift and the eco-friendliness of the gift - to reduce the chances that the gift will be turfed, and to reduce the impact of the gift upon the environment if it is turfed.

To assist in that service in advance of Mother's Day - and in honor of Earth Week - I have compiled a short list of gifts that are likely to meet that criteria of 'due care and consideration' (I'M TALKING TO YOU, HUSBAND-MAN. READ CAREFULLY):

Posting Photos Online: Tips from Shutter Sisters Kate Inglis and Tracey Clark

After speaking with Tracey and Kate last night on my podcast, I wanted to share some of their thoughts on posting photos safely on the internet. Of course, the safest course of action is to not post any at all.

However, if you are wanting to share photographs with your family, your friends, and your blog readers, that's not a viable option.

If you're looking to just share photos with family, you can check out certain sites that allow you to upload pics and keep them totally private -- invite only. Babyspot.com allows you to go public if you want, but can also be completely private. Additionally, Kinzin.com has a completely private system. A special feature that they offer is a mail service where you can sign up and have your pics printed and sent to a physical address. Both services are free (the Kinzin.com mail service has a fee attached).

If you do want to post pictures on your blog, be choosy about what you post. No bath pictures, naked pics, or anything that you feel might be abused.

And finally, if you use a site like Flickr do not title or tag your photos. If people are searching for specific things, your photos will not come up.

You can listen to more tips on the podcast and visit Shuttersisters!

Plastic Bottle Chemical May Be Harmful: Really? No Way!

It only took the Today Show about a good eight months to get with the picture when it came to the BPA reports in baby bottles, sippy cups, and formula. And now, finally, the NIH is asking the FDA to strongly reconsider their view on the safety of BPA in products for babies and kids.

Can I just say it's about FREAKING TIME?

Read the article

(And get more info on safe products for your babies/kids at Cool Mom Picks, Green Mom Finds, and Safemama!)

Posting Photos on the Internet: Live Podcast with Tracey Clark and Kate Inglis from Shutter Sisters

A few months back, we encouraged our readers to share their thoughts on how they post photos safely -- on their blog, through a photohosting service, and on the internet.

And you responded!

In conjunction with that request, I'll be speaking with Tracey Clark and Kate Inglis about their new photo blog and community, Shutter Sisters tomorrow night (Wednesday, April 16) from 9-9:30pm EST. They'll be discussing all sorts of photo related issues, like which camera, which class, and best of all, how we decide what and where to post photos.

Feel free to join in live via this link. Chat is enabled at the start of the show (click the link from the BTR homepage, but if you're not shy, call in and talk to our guests: (646) 915-8634.

*If you can't listen live, the archives are downloadable immediately after the show, or via iTunes. You can also subscribe to the weekly 30-minute show, Motherhood Uncensored, via your handy iPod.*

Turn Out The Lights

Tonight is - dum da da dum! - Earth Hour.

Which means - as Nelly Furtado would say, and will say, at a free concert tonight in Toronto - TURN OUT THE LIGHTS. For one hour. Tonight, starting at eight. The objective is to get as many communities and people around the world reducing their power-use, for just a little while, to what a difference it makes.

Which, cool (and dark, but in the best possible way.)

And as I hinted above, Nelly Furtado is going to kick off the hour with a free! concert! in Toronto:

The partners of Toronto’s Earth Hour today announced that multi-platinum Grammy and Juno Award-winner, and Canada’s own, Nelly Furtado will join Earth Hour as the first Canadian Earth Hour Ambassador. She will also perform a free concert at Nathan Phillips Square on March 29 to celebrate Earth Hour.

As an Earth Hour Ambassador and an advocate for the environment, Nelly Furtado will play an unplugged concert at the Earth Hour community event, starting at 7:30 p.m. The organizers are taking steps to make the event as carbon-neutral as possible - including powering the event with green, renewable energy from Bullfrog Power. People from across the GTA are invited to attend.

As I've said elsewhere, it really is awesome that they're making it carbon-neutral and unplugged and all, but I still don't get how it's going to be a particularly effective concert with all the lights out. I mean, will there be candles? Isn't that a fire hazard? Or will Nelly just light everything up with the glow of her own fabulousness?

Whatever. Wherever you are, bust out the candles and the organic wine and make this your night for eco-friendly romance.

Do it for the children.

More details on Earth Hour HERE. Earth Hour Canada: HERE.

(Cross-posted at BlogHers Act Canada)

Source

Purge!

blog blast post by motherbumper

For the past three weekends, I've been meaning to do what seems for me to be harder than attaining Hanna freakin' Montana tickets - I've been trying to start that so called "Spring Cleaning" and purging.  My new tune is "Simplify my Life" (sung to Madonna's "Justify my love" because I'm totally stuck in the 80's).  But seriously - for me, there is no spring in this cleaning but there's lots of purge - it's like a big ol' heap of nauseatingly overwhelming frustration mixed with lots of sneeze-inducing dust.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Continuing with our collaboration with BloghersAct:Canada in our Eco Moms Act series, we're opening the discussion about how parents can reduce, reuse, and recycle when it comes to kid's gear and clothing as March is Eco-Fashion Month!

Most people that I talk to don't have a huge issue with accepting used gear or clothes. I've met the rare expectant mom who refused to let her friend's kids lay on her soon-to-be poop covered diaper changing table (I'm not kidding), but for the most part, if something is in decent condition (and sometimes, even that doesn't matter) people are happy to accept it.

So the question is, how do you find the stuff? And if you are a keeper or hoarder of stuff, where do you find someone to give it to?

Now there are the garage sales, consignment stores, and thrift shops, as well as the newly popular huge seasonal consignment sales. And then, there's eBay. Of course, parents have various different ways to get the best bang for your buck when it comes to those (and perhaps parents can share them on Friday for the PBN Blog Blast on this very topic).

How do you deal with remnant detergent from the previous user? How do know what's a good price for something? How do you make it so it's actually saving money (it's easy to drive around and try to find all these sales which = gas money!)?

So many people are using other avenues, like Freecycle or a new service Zwaggle.

Freecycle is a free service (duh!) that you join based on your location. It's an email list where you can offer items up for free. People find everything from old toys, to used socks, to glass baby food bottles.

The email listings can go from extremely helpful and cool, to downright annoying since people can actually post "wanted" emails. It's one thing when you want an exersaucer in any condition, but when you're looking for "a new computer that works," it gets a little frustrating. Here's my own take on it.

Also, there's really no rhyme or reason in terms of pick up. You email with the person, you set up the time, and then you hope they can come. No rating, no bad feedback, or anything of that matter.

Needless to say, people have positive experiences and swear by it.

Enter Zwaggle, a sort of organized Freecycle with an eBay twist. Similar to Freecycle, it's free to join (although you'll need to complete a bit of an application process since you will have the capability to print shipping labels off the site) and parents can list various items with pictures (for free!). You can decide if you are willing to ship (recipient pays) and/or if pick-up is an option.

And then, all transactions require "zoints" -- a point system that allows for some type of accountability. They are transferred over when the transaction is complete and they allow you to have some type of "say" in terms of who might be interested in receiving the item.

From what I can tell (I just signed up and disclosure, I'm working with them at Parent Bloggers Network), it seems to be a viable option. I will say it's nice when more people from your community are signed up because then you've got more pick-up options.

Those are just two of the many options that are out there to help parents save money, but also continue to "green" up their lives.

We're hoping parents will share with us (and Parent Bloggers) their tips about how they are saving, sharing, and simplifying as part of their Blog Blast this Friday. Not only can you win great prizes, but chances are, you'll really help someone else out!

*Sign up for Zwaggle via this link and you'll get 50 zoints to get you started. We'd love to hear your experience with the sites we mentioned or any others that you find useful!*

Related Posts:

Green is the New Black

Swapping Kid Gear is Green Hip Fun

Freecycling for Fashion

Museum tells Mom: stop breastfeeding in public or leave

It's still shocking to me each time a story like this crops up:  A couple of days ago in Albany, the Kelly family was visiting the New York State Museum with their three young children, age 5, 3 and 4 months.  While breastfeeding the youngest, Kristen Kelly was approached by a museum employee and told to move to the washroom or leave. 

Nice.  Everyone loves feeding a baby in the crapper.  Oh sure, the have a chair in the wc but that's not the point.  Why was she asked to stop breastfeeding and to move to the loo (twice)?  Why was she made to feel like she was doing something "wrong"?

The museum stance to the media is there is "no such policy prohibiting breast feeding anywhere".  Yet when the husband called to complain, he was told by a museum spokesperson that "he was not surprised Kristen was told to stop".

My guess? This wasn't the first time it's happened.

Kristen Kelly felt insulted and humiliated from this event but stood her ground.  She didn't go to the ladies room.  Instead she finished under the stare of the employee who had come around again. 

In my opinion, the Kelly family did the right things.  They stood up for the right to breast feed anywhere in public which is the law in New York.  They contacted the museum to complain, to let them know the employee's actions were wrong.  Concerned with the reaction they received, they contact the media.   I'd probably do the exact same thing.

That's what the league is all about, fighting injustices against the practices of mothering.

In an interview with NBC affiliate WNYT, Kristen said

"I have a right to feed my child where ever I want to feed him".

Way to go Kristen, stick up for your rights.  The League will be definitely be following this story to make sure justice prevails.

P.S. Hey, whoever that employee was at the Museum of New York? You Suck.

guest post by motherbumper

Congrats to Our Winners of NoMeatPoWeek!

We are pleased to announce our No Meat Posting Week winners, picked at random with the help of random.org.

Monica -- From Cootie Chronicles -- Won a fantastic Vegan (we promise it is) Bag from Lychee Line!

Leannthro -- From Soy is the New Black & Lindsay -- From Lindsayskiddos -- Won a cool vegan cuff from Smoy!

And Crunchy Domestic Goddess and Urban Mummy won a year subscription to Smart Foods Healthy Kids (as did the other three winners).

Please email us at leagueofmaternaljustice@gmail.com to claim your prizes!

Didn't win? No worries! We've got lots of prizes for our Plastic. Not Fantastic! Challenge.