Franklin Goose

Cooking with your kids

by Sheri

 

Cooking is a really important activity in our family. My sister and I share a passion for cooking so it only makes sense that in one way or another our children would be influenced by this. My 2 1/2 year old niece is now becoming more and more helpful in the kitchen. She cracks eggs, stirs food and is the master of making homemade pizzas for our outdoor pizza oven ( who knew a little girl could roll such a mean dough :)  So when Heather ordered the Barefoot Books Kids Kitchen Recipe cards I couldn't wait to open it and try the recipes! 

I was surprised to see how healthy the recipes are and how well they are written for parents and kids! Knowing that it is hard, if not impossible to find the details about the recipes we decided to cook some of them and show you how yummy they are! 

The first one I tried was the Tabouleh recipe. This is a tough one in my family. My sister is not crazy about parsley ( a HUGE part of Tabouleh), and my husband J. does not like the vinegar taste some Tabouleh can have. So I looked forward to the challenge of this unique take on Tabouleh. The card was very colorful, large and laminated, with the ingredients listed alongside the utensils, bowls etc. which would be needed to make the recipe. On the back of the card were the very easy to understand and follow directions. The recipe was simple and tasted great! (Although I did add salt and some garlic which weren't called for in the recipe).  The unique thing in this recipe was the cucumber, and feta. It proved to be a great addition! 

I think any child would be able to help in some capacity with this recipe and would definitely eat this for dinner or lunch.  My finished product is shown in the Zoe b Anti-plastic bowl, a dishwasher safe bowl made from corn, which we love! 

FDA bans BPA from baby bottles & cups

The FDA finally banned BPA in children's bottles and cups yesterday. This is clearly a good thing. However, I am a little disappointed to be honest. Here is why:
-what about canned foods, water bottles, etc.
-it has taken so long most plastic bottles & cups for children didn't contain BPA anymore anyway
-BPE & BPF- feared to be worse than BPA-will it take this long to ban those if it is indeed worse?
-Other countries did it years ago! So it is a little embarrassing we are just doing it now.
-the government is spending 30 million on their own research to see if BPA is actually harmful

Well, something is better than nothing, and later is better than never.

Cloth Diaper Stains

When we talk to customers in the store about how to get stains out of cloth diapers we find it is really hard to make them believe that the sun, with all of its natural powers, can remove poop stains.

I understand this completely since it was hard for me to comprehend before I saw it myself. So when one of our customers sent this photo to us I thought it was a great opportunity to show all of you the difference a little sun can make.

This is a photo of a Gro-Via hemp/cotton stay dry pad. The pad on the left is clearly stained and well used (and well loved by the mama using it). The same pad on the right has been washed then dried in the sun. Nothing added, just nature doing what nature does. The cool thing is if you don't have outdoor space it isn't a problem, just putting your diapers in a sunny window can accomplish the same thing.

I keep meaning to try this with my white cloth napkins which are well used and unfortunately show it. This photo has definitely inspired me to try them. I will keep you posted!

 

 

Thirsties Hemp Inserts

by Jessica

Cloth diaperering parents come on in because we are now carrying Thirsties Hemp Inserts.  Need a doubler for a heavy wetter? Need extra absorbency for naps or nighttime? These are the inserts for you. They are made with 55% hemp and 45% cotton. They have 6 super thirsty layers of all natural absorbent material, and are made right here in the USA!  You get more absorbency and less bulk because of how trim these inserts are.  Traditional hemp inserts get stiff and rough over time, but these stay super soft.  You can place them in a pocket, or even just put a few in a cover for a super absorbent trim diapering option.  No need to worry about these being against your baby’s skin because they are so soft.  Thirsties Hemp Inserts are a great doubler for naptimes or overnight. These are a great option to keep your baby sleeping and comfortable without leaks. Just add one to your current diapering system and you are set.  Those of you who use prefolds can lay an insert in the cover under your prefold to add some extra protection for nighttime.

 

These inserts need to be washed and dried three times before use to rid the fibers of their natural oils. You want to wash them separately the first three times as well. After the three washes you can begin using them, but they will reach their maximum absorbency after about eight washes.  Normal wash routine for these inserts would be as follows… prewash on cold, wash on hot or warm, rinse twice, then dry in the dryer or hang to dry.

 

I have been using these inserts for the past two months now. I use them as extra absorbancy in my AIOs and in my hybrid diapers. These are amazing.  I could normally could go about an hour and half before diaper changing before leaks. These inserts have increased the time to 3 hours! I have had no leaks with any of my diapers despite some long car trips or naps. They are holding up great and wash beautifully.