toxin-free cleaning to benefit our pets

Sometimes we do for others what we won't do for ourselves. It was not until I had babies that I started to care about the toxicity of my environment, and I then made the switch to natural cleaning products. At the time, I didn't even think about what impact the "traditional" products I was using were having on my pets, but as I did more research and gained knowledge about the dangers of commonly used household cleaners, I began to realize that these products have an equal or greater impact on our animals. But, why?

Pets are closer to the ground. Floor cleaners and other household products often contain harmful toxins. Our pets' paws absorb these toxins even after the floor has dried. Our pets also lay on the ground, sniff the ground, and even sometimes lick the ground. They lay on the floor and lick their fur and their paws. Each time they get a dose of whatever cleaning products we used that have accumulated on them by walking or lying around. They are absorbing chemicals through their skin, mouth, and respiratory system.

They breathe the same air we do. Almost all household cleaners become airborne when we use them, so we breathe them in. Pets are even more susceptible to these the toxins in the air than we are. They don't understand that breathing in chemicals should be avoided, and since they are smaller and have faster metabolisms than we do, they process the chemicals at a faster rate.

They love their blankies. Laundry detergent used to wash pet blankets, beds, or other fabric your pet comes in contact with can be harmful. Pets rub their faces on these fabrics and some even chew on them, putting them at greater risk.

Pets lick their plates clean. Most dishwashing detergents contain harmful chemicals. It's bad enough that we're eating our food off of these dishes. Pets take it to the next level. Some lick and lick and lick...and lick their feeding dishes until not a morsel is left behind. If you're washing your pet's dish in a "traditional" dishwashing detergent, you're exposing him to these harmful toxins.

Their palates aren't discriminating. Not only to pets lick the floor or lick their fur and paws after being on the floor, they may also taste things we wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. Consider a dog who drinks out of the toilet. That's pretty gross in and of itself, but when you stop to think that he is likely ingesting the harsh, toxic toilet bowl cleaner you used, the prospect is frightening. 

The most common toxins found in household cleaners are bleach, formaldehyde, ammonia, and chlorine. Regular exposure to these can put our pets (and us) at risk for cancer  and liver and kidney damage. Even after the cleaners are sealed and put away, the residue and vapors remain and continue to be a risk. So what can we do?

The solution is not one-size-fits-all. 

We can just not clean. While that may sound like a relief at first....eh...not so much. Try this for a couple of weeks and you'll be back.

Make your own cleaners. There are a gazillion great recipes out there for natural soaps and cleaners using baking soda, lemon, vinegar, etc. This is an EXCELLENT option, both in terms of health and economics. I tried, but just didn't have the patience for it. It came down to convenience for me. It's difficult enough to find the time to clean the house, much less produce the cleaners. 

Purchase the natural cleaners at the supermarket. Another great option, but just read the labels and know what is in each product. There are some truly natural cleaners out there, and then there are the posers. Stay away from the posers. I tried just about every single natural cleaner on the market. Most were at least twice as expensive as Clorox and the like, and they were not as effective, in my opinion. If you've got lots of extra money and don't notice the difference, this is a great option for you.

Purchase your cleaners from a wellness company. I was super happy when I discovered Melaleuca. Are they perfect?–no, but their cleaners don't contain any chemicals, and they are economical. Plus, they are super convenient, delivered right to your door. This was a great option for our family. 

Regardless of what option you choose, it's important to consider your pets' health when selecting which cleaners to use. We love our pets, and keeping them safe is a top priority. If their environment is as free of toxins as it can be. That means fewer visits to the vet and a longer, healthier life! If you're going to drink out of the toilet, at least drink responsibly.

If you'd like to learn more about Melaleuca, the Wellness Company, or the ways our family reduces toxins in our home for our pets and ourselves, please feel free to contact me.

This article written by me originally appeared on Hybrid Rasta Mama in April 2014.

goodbye, sweet goldie: losing my child's pet

I hate to admit that as a professional pet sitter, I had no idea about how to care for a betta fish. Sure, we had large aquariums growing up, but never just a little fish in a bowl. It couldn't be that difficult, right? Yet, still, I had to do all the research and talk to multiple experts before we brought ours home. The littles had started begging for their own pets, so I figured a fish would be a relatively painless choice. I take care of all sorts of animals, and frankly, if I think of what types of pets I'd like to care for in my family (because you damn well know I'm doing all the work), some are more work than they are worth. Thank goodness I get to satisfy my yearnings to include all things animal into our home in other people's homes. 

I digress. The betta seemed like a good choice, and it was. So approximately two years ago, when Porter was five and Campbell was three, armed with my nefound betta knowledge, we set off to find them each a fish and a habitat. 

Porter chose "Planty," a blue-ish male with fancy fins, and a bluish habitat to match. Campbell had her heart set on a plain goldfish, but when I told her "no," because they required more care than a betta, she settled on "Goldie," a smaller, plain red male betta, who Campbell deemed a "she." If you want something bad enough these days, it is so. So it was so.

We brought the fish home and set up their individual habitats. You see, you can't put two betta fish together because they will fight to the death. Much like siblings close in age. Not that I have any experience with that. The littles watched their fish quite frequently at the beginning. Actually, more than I thought they would. They enjoyed feeding them and helping to clean their habitats.

I was happy because they were super easy to care for. (The fish, not the children.) Just a minute or so each day, then about thirty minutes on the weekend to do a water change, etc. No big whoop. And they were much more fun than I thought they'd be. They would dance joyfully every time we passed by. Most likely they were eager for food, but we preferred to imagine they loved us.

As with most children, the littles lost a lot of their interest as time passed. So I had to add "feed fish" and "clean fish habitat" to their chore charts. And they did the tasks. 

As they got a bit older and their imaginations expanded, they would talk to their fish. They still liked the fun part of betta parenting, at least. Campbell, especially, loved to talk to Goldie and tell her about the day or make up some fancy story for her. I enjoyed watching that.

Goldie was always less active than Planty. In fact, she gave us several scares over the past couple of years.  Planty is so active that we have to be careful when feeding him. We can only lift the lid on his habitat for a split second to deposit nourishment in order to prevent his leaping suicide attempts. Twice, now, I've had to rescue him off the table, as he's perfected his dolphin leaps. Goldie, however, had to be poked every now and then to make sure she was still with us. The kids would say "Mommy! Something's wrong with Goldie!" But all she needed was a little nudge. "She's fine. Just resting." 

This past Sunday after our family had spent a wonderful day swimming, Porter was checking on the fish and said "Mommy! Something's wrong with Goldie." 

"I'm sure she's fine. Just give the tank a little tap. She'll wake up," I said from across the room.

"No. Mommy. This time I really think there's something wrong," he reiterated. Campbell joined him tankside. She agreed.

I rolled my eyes and put down the dinner I was preparing. After two years of this, didn't they know everything was fine?

Only everything wasn't this time. There Goldie was, front and center, upside-down. She'd never rested upside-down before. I gave her tank a little jiggle, and she just swayed back and forth in the water, still upside-down. Shit. 

"Um. Guys. I think you're right about Goldie. I know this is really sad, but she's died. I'm so sorry," I broke the final news.

"But, Mommy, her eyes are open," Campbell reasoned. If the fish death wasn't breaking my heart, she surely was. 

"I know, baby. Sometimes animals die with their eyes open. She's not moving at all." I gave Campbell a big hug, and so did Porter–which you normally can't get him to do for $100–and told her that I was certain Goldie had passed on.

There were lots of tears and lots of hugs. Campbell asked if she could spend some time alone with Goldie, which I thought was quite mature. She must have seen that on TV, because it couldn't have come from me. So I took Goldie's habitat and placed it on the kitchen table. She sat in front of it and talked to Goldie. After a few minutes of that, I asked her what she'd like to do."We can do a little service for her, if you like, and then we can say goodbye," I suggested.

"What do we do with her? Where will she go?" Campbell asked.

As with most things, I took for granted that she'd know. "Well," I started, "we'll need to flush her down the toilet. That's the best thing for her."

"So she can go to the ocean?" Campbell asked.

"Yes, of course."

"But what about the sharks?'

Porter chimed in, "Sharks only like live prey. Like stuff that is bleeding or swimming around. They won't care about Goldie. They'll just ignore her." Oddly comforting.

Campbell looked at me for reassurance. "That's basically true. Sharks won't care about her at all. They'll leave her at peace."

"Okay," she gave her permission. "I want to make some things she can take with her. Her favorite things." 

"Like what?" I asked.

"I need some paper and some markers." She set out to work. She drew a picture of herself, a heart, and a flower. "Goldie loves me, she loves flowers, and I drew a heart because I love her." 

"That's really nice, Cam." My hard core child was showing more sentiment in this moment than she had in her life, and all I could worry about was whether we were going to clog the toilet. 

No matter. We'd put Daddy on the task if that happened. 

We staged Goldie in a smaller, more portable bowl with a bit of water and gave Cam a few more moments with her. She said she was ready, so she carried Goldie and the things she drew to the bathroom and the whole family of five gathered in the small quarters. Not wanting to be left out, the dog came, too. I asked Campbell if she wanted me to pour Goldie in. She said, "No, Mommy. She's my fish. I want to do it." Her maturity surpasses mine in so many ways. Of course she would do it.

She poured Goldie in. She dropped in the heart drawing, then the sketch of herself, then the flower. She looked up and asked "Are you sure about the sharks?"

"Absolutely. She'll be just fine."

She looked down into the bowl. "Bye, Goldie. I love you." Then, without being told, she reached to the handle, paused for a moment, and flushed. 

We all stood there for a minute. We were sad. Not as much about the fish as about how touched our tough-as-nails Campbell was. We felt proud of her. And we felt bad for her. There was a collective sigh as we all filed out of the bathroom.

Campbell broke the silence with one more question. 

"Can I get a new fish?"

i didn't know we had a cat and other inspirations from my daughter

Somehow children can cut to the chase of complicated situations.

This past week has been a bit emotional for our family. On top of our busy circus escapades, we said goodbye to visiting family, which was really tough. We're also going through some family drama that I won't bore you with. Suffice it to say that I've been a bit emotional. There's also some tough stuff happening to some longtime friends that weighs heavily on us, which I'll choose not to exploit. Oh, and some disheartening news on another front. You don't want the details. Trust me.

It's been a rough week. 

My hubby, Big, who typically trudges through like a champion, shed a few tears as his brother drove away after a week-long visit. My attempts at comfort were appreciated, but only Campbell, our five-year-old daughter, could do the trick with her infinite wisdom.

If you want to see someone, just see them.

Daddy, I know you're so sad about your brother leaving. What you should do is just pretend he's still here. Then you can see him whenever you want. Any time. That's what I do about the cat. Because Mommy won't let me get a cat, so I pretend I have a cat, and then I can see him any time. His name is Shadow, and he's really cute and I love him. So if you want to see someone, just see them. 

Duh. Why didn't we think of that?

So now I know we have a cat. But we don't, really, and if you've been following along for some time you know that there's a good reason why we don't have a cat. 

The moral of the story? Fake it 'til you make it. It's okay to feel sad for what you've lost. And sometimes it's okay to pretend it's there, if it makes you feel better. 

Thanks, Cam. 

think YOU have a cool cat? check out "my name is bob" book review and #giveaway

Since the day my children were born, we've read bedtime stories every night. A few we just read once, but most we read over and over. It can get a bit tedious on my end, reading the same story over and over. My children are unrightfully impressed when I have a book memorized and can recite it for them. Needless to say, I'm always happy to fold a new favorite book into our lineup of regulars. I'm even more happy when the book is entertaining to someone over the age of eight (me). And when it features an animal? I'm sold.

This week our family was introduced to "a street cat named Bob" of children's book, My Name is Bob due out in early May.

My Name is Bob was written by the author team of James Bowen and Garry Jenkins, writers of the original A Street Cat Named Bob. They did a fantastic job of adapting the story for children. My littles, Porter (7) and Campbell (5) were touched by the tale of sweet, funny Bob, so–yes–we've read the book several times, now. I'm not sick of it, yet, nor do I expect to be any time soon. 

I'll try not to spoil things for you, but, as you might expect, Bob's life isn't worry-free. He meets some tough times, and these issues Bob faces are thought-provoking for my kids. They ask questions about his situation while we're reading and even days after, which I love. It lets me know that we're reading a book that is getting them thinking. The story is told in such a way that my littles can empathize with Bob's plight and root him on to better times. 

Gerald Kelley's charming illustrations bring Bob's world to life.

The best part? My Name is Bob is based on a true story. That always seems to make things more interesting for our family. There's even a whole spread in the back of the book that shares actual photos of Bob and his real-life person, James.

The publisher, Barron's Educational Series, summarizes the book:

Bowen inspires young minds by retelling his tale from a new perspective, Bob's. My Name is Bob explores what life was like for Bob before he met James. After his world is suddenly turned upside down, Bob finds himself living alone on the street. However, Bob's luck seems to change when he meets a street meow-sician named James. Along the way Bob learns that what started off as quite a cat-astrophe all worked out in the end. This uplifting tale of true friendship and second chances will be adored by both children and adults for years to come.

Check out the book trailer featuring James Bowen and Bob:

Did I mention that the real-life Bob loves to wear scarves, as pictured? What more do you need to know?

Aren't you excited to check it out for yourself?

Well, you're in luck. We're giving away two copies of My Name is Bob to two lucky winners! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Connect with Barron's Educational Series, Inc., on Facebook and Twitter and connect with James and Bob on Facebook and Twitter.

I was provided with a preview copy of My Name is Bob in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

rocky resting

I regularly care for a pretty cool pooch named Rocky. He's fabulous. An oldster in so many ways (he's seventeen), but then he gets this fun spunk every so often in the form of a burst of youthful exuberance. He's sweet on the inside, but a grumpy old man on the outside. 

One of Rocky's favorite pastimes is a good, solid nap. I captured one of his famous siestas the last time he stayed with us. It's pretty good for a laugh, so I thought I'd share.

He's pretty lovable, isn't he?