Author--Jennifer (The Smart Mama)

Avoiding Flame Retardants In Cozy Children's Pajamas
With the turn of the seasons and the cold weather, you might be looking to buy your children new pajamas. Or, if you are like me, new pajamas are given the night we decorate the tree. (…)

Hide Those Plastic Bags Quick! The Green Police Are Coming!
Shhhh . . . the green police are coming.
I had a party to celebrate my 40th birthday and invited several of my “green” friends. (…)

Green Beauty: Are Cosmetic Labels Meaningless to Determine Safe Products?
How do you figure out what’s safe in beauty and personal care products? I previously posted about how the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not test cosmetics before they go on the market. (…)

Can You Trust The Beauty Industry? Are Safe Cosmetics A Myth?
Do you think that the beauty and personal care products on the shelves at your local drugstore or department store are safe? Do you think they are tested for safety by an independent agency before they are marketed? (…)

Do You Need a Hazardous Chemical Warning Label?
Most of us think that toxic chemical exposures can't be very good for us. Yet, it seems that we go about our busy days blissfully unaware of the alphabet soup of toxic chemicals to which we expose ourselves each day. If you think about it, you start to wonder whether you should have a hazardous chemical warning label inked on your chest. (…)

Greening The Magazines
Before children, I used to love to curl up with a couple of favorite magazines and a Coke and laze away an afternoon. Important part of that sentence - "before children." Now, mmm, I don't have the time. Yeah, right, I would get an opportunity to "laze away an afternoon." That would be nice. Now, I'm lucky if I can get through 3 pages of advertisements, let alone any substance, before some small body hurls itself at me, demanding attention, and ripping any wayward page that just happens to get in the way. Or dripping Otter Pop stickiness all over the only page I wanted to read. Not to mention the dirty laundry that calls me or a number of other chores needing to be done. (…)

We Are All Connected: The PlayStation War
While I certainly know that we are all connected, sometimes I forget. Not today. I was shaken out of my complacency today. I usually think I'm doing my best to go green and save the world, making solid choices, trying to consume less, and teaching my children to do the same. But, sometimes some story or event comes along and smacks you in the face, jolting you so much that you have to go out and do something. And thus, an advocate is born. Or hatched. Or created. (…)