Gearhead Mom

Cool Shop For Sensory Processing / Autism

If you have a kiddo with sensory integration/processing challenges, then hustle on over and check out this cool site, The Therapy Shoppe. Sy’s a big fan of the Safety Grip Scooter Board. They are used in OT for vestibular input, motor planning, bilateral coordination, and body strength/stability. My four year old just thinks they are fun as hell to ride around on.

Detox: Week Three

Oh my heavenly stars, how on Earth can I stilllll be doing this detox!?? I’m on day 16 and I have to admit, I feel great. I also really miss chewing - I only get to do it once a day after all.

Week One: peppered with delirium and headaches (hence my lack of reviews).
Week Two: lots of energy, resolve and determination (hence my lack of reviews, I was too busy re-organizing my baking cabinet, but why? It’s not like I can BAKE).
Week Three: complete boredom (hence my lack of reviews, I can only daydream about chewing). BUT. I feel great, really I do. It’s so very sad to me that I have to bid a very fond farewell to refined sugar and caffeine.

Stupid health food.

Happy New Year! Time To Cleanse!

Happy New Year, everyone. May 2010 be full of adventure for us all.

I was feeling incredibly run-down during the holidays and realized I had been putting a LOT of bad choices down the hatch. Some friends were going to do the Clean program,* so I decided to jump on board. This detox is no Master Cleanse, rather, a pretty sensible way to detox - liquid meal/solid meal/liquid meal. But it is three weeks long. Three weeks! I’m only on day three, but I have hope that I’ll keep on track. The first two days were punctuated by not much more than a growling stomach and a severe headache (I opted out of the Elmination Diet phase where you cut back on caffeine and sugar, etc). Ahem. Apparently I was incredibly addicted to coffee! And sugar. And coffee. And more coffee.

The good news: I feel GREAT today. The bad news: I am supposed to have a beet/celery/apple juice for dinner.

I’ll keep you posted. If anyone is doing this cleanse, jump in the comments section and share your fave recipes!

*I did not purchase the $350 supplement kit sold on the site. I bought the book, bought some supplements at Whole Foods and a LOT of kale, beets, celery, apples and a brand-new Breville juicer. By the way, that Breville Juice Fountain Plus is OFF THE HOOK. We made the most amazing apple juice out of one pink lady apple. Sy went bananas for it. It’s enormous and expensive (I got mine on major sale at Macy’s last week). You don’t even have to peel most of the fruits or vegies, just toss em in and whir it up. It takes about a minute to make juice for four people, and about eight minutes to clean the entire contraption. Most of it is dishwasher-safe, but I hand wash it since I’m using it so much right now.

In A Shocking Turn Of Events, Lead Is Found In Some Toys At Target

“WASHINGTON - Children’s toys carrying the Barbie and Disney logos have turned up with high levels of lead in them, according to a California-based advocacy group — a finding that may give consumers pause as they shop for the holiday season…Among those with high lead levels: a Barbie Bike Flair Accessory Kit and a Disney Tinkerbell Water Lily necklace. The group said it also found excessive lead in a Dora the Explorer Activity Tote, two pairs of children’s shoes, a boys belt and a kids’ poncho.”

See full story here.

Too Much Lead in Red Wine Vinegars

Lead in red wine vinegar is not new information, but daunting all the same. My daughter loves balsamic vinegar! Oh well, I am sure she loves her developing brain even more…

“Although the amount of lead in vinegar is small, experts say regularly consuming it may pose a risk, particularly to children. Eating one tablespoon a day of some balsamic or red wine vinegars can raise a young child’s lead level by more than 30 percent.” That’s nice.

Oreck Halo

Bear with me; this is a long post. Most of the products we review here at GHM are things my crew and I use on a daily basis with our kids. From time to time a company asks us to review a product. When this happens, we always make sure it is noted in the review that the product has been sent to us. I think we are much tougher critics on gear we’ve been asked to review, we feel like we owe it to our readers. So without further adieu, I give you the Oreck Halo.

A few months ago, I got a request to review the Oreck Halo vacuum. A device sent directly to me that will wage massive war on the copious amount of dust mites in my home, therefore giving my asthmatic-allergic-to-dust-mite-kid a break? Awesome! Sign me up. And so one incredibly heavy vacuum arrived on my doorstep.

What does a Halo have that my regular ol’ Kenmore doesn’t? “Incredible suction vacuums dirt and debris, while the patented Oreck Halo light chamber kills many microscopic germs, bacteria, viruses, mold, dust mite eggs, and flea eggs using UV-C light.” This sucker kills things like Anthrax, people. ANTHRAX. Bet you weren’t worrying about that festering in your living room, now were you?

Third-Party Safety Tests Not Required For Mattel

So what do you think about this, readers?

SIGG BPA Confession

I just read a very well-written (as usual) piece over at ZRecommends on SIGG’s confession that oh yeah, we did use BPA in our water bottles. Check it out here.

Time to Refill the Epi-Pen

It’s not even August yet, but Hey! Lookee! School’s just around the corner. Well, according to the mall, that is. Get back outside!

But if you are like me and have a kid that needs an EpiPen, I suggest you go for your refill now. Last year when Sy was starting school, three different pharmacies were out of stock because everyone refills for the school year at the same time. Labor Day will be here before you know it, and you’ll be glad to hit those BBQs armed with your favorite Epinephrine Auto-Injector.

photo via epipen.com

A Plague Upon My House

My house is full of flu. I don’t have it, strangely enough. But the rest of the family has been wiped out. I don’t know if it is H1N1. Either way, it’s the flu. Either way, we went to the doctor to make sure Sy’s lungs were hanging in there (they are), and other than that, we’re all locked up at home looking out the window at summer. All that and washing hands a LOT.

But YUCK, swine or no swine, it’s one gnarly flu. My poor little 10 month old was so bummed out when his temperature hit 104.5, that’s for sure. The house has been so sick I’m TWO WEEKS BEHIND on the Bachelorette. That’s saying something.

Be healthy!

Rocket Fuel Chemical Detected in Powdered Infant Formula

I just can’t begin to describe how depressing this article is to me. Nothing like serving up your child a nice bottle of rocket fuel-laced formula. And no, this is not meant to spark a discussion about why “breast is best.” Not every mom breastfeeds their kid. Big deal. To each her own. But rocket fuel in formula? You gotta be kidding me. Let’s hope the EPA considers infant health as important as we do.

“Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have reported that 15 brands of powdered infant formula are contaminated with perchlorate, a rocket fuel component detected in drinking water in 28 states and territories. The two most contaminated brands, made from cow’s milk, accounted for 87 percent of the U.S. powdered formula market in 2000, the scientists said. The CDC scientists did not identify the formula brands they tested.”

More reading here.

New Guidelines for Your Gifted Child

A new study by the American Society of Sociologists was released today, and it addresses a favorite topic of playgrounds everywhere.  “Many mothers suspect their own child is highly intelligent,” Dr. Christina Gallagher states, “while at the same time being suspicious that their neighbor’s child is of sub par intelligence.  The truth is, they are correct.”  She goes on to state that if you think your own child is a genius, then it is most likely true.  And Johnny next door who puts pencils up his nose?  Moron.
The Society has released some guidelines to determine if your own child is highly intelligent:

Once Again I’ll Tell You About My Favorite Sunscreen

I went to the dermatologist the other day because I felt sure I had sun damage all over my face from almost four decades of Not Enough Sunscreen. Turns out I was right. My doc whipped out her handy can of Freeze the Crap Out of Your Face and burned those pesky pre-cancerous cells right off. Now I look like I have giant blisters on my forehead and nose, because oh yeah, I DO. Not without discomfort, freezing your skin off.

My doc recommended I get some SPF 60 sunscreen that they had there. I looked at the ingredients and couldn’t pronounce any of it but saw lots of nasty lurkers like PEG blech and oxybenzone yuck. I told her I wanted to stick with the all natural stuff I use for my kids. She said as long as it had at least 5% zinc in it, it had her blessing. I was very happy to see that my all time favorite stuff, the illustrious TruKid line, has just that in the Sunny Days sunscreen stick.

Woohoo! My nose will be safe from skin cancer and the rest of my body will appreciate keeping all the yucky toxins out.

Side Note: I see that TruKid now offers a lot of their products in a fairly inexpensive travel size, which I think is an excellent way to see if you actually like a product.

Treatment for Peanut Allergies

Roger sent me this article the other day - a very small study was done with children where after receiving daily doses of peanuts under medical supervision, some were able to build a tolerance. That would be exciting. I just think it’s downright cruel that Sy has never had a Reese’s peanut butter cup.

House of the Plague

We’re all sick or teething around here. It’s so much fun! What kind of five month old cuts teeth?? Sy is so snotty, yet she refuses to blow her nose; it’s apparently too messy and too painful.

Any good tips, mamas and papas?? We tried the sinus rinse. That went over well. Naught.

We’ll be back tomorrow with more of Jenny’s post holiday round-up!