Info Share

I am a fan of blogs. I love all the information others share with me about what they do, how they do it and why. I trust the things I learn, so much more than the faceless, annonymous answers I get from internet searches. I also love the ideas I get, that I wouldn't even think to search for. I admit, I start to feel like everyone else is a gazillion times better at everything and I don't have anything to share, but that's just the pesky devil on my left shoulder making noise, so I've decided to blog about a few of the things I know/do. Unfortunately, these aren't the type of things that come with beautiful pictures, but maybe you'll still find them interesting.

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Since it's the first day of Summer, my first post will be about sunscreen. I'm not a doctor, but I have read a lot about this, so decide for yourself, what is best for you. I think it is sad that one of the most healing elements, our sun, has been so villianized. It's not the sun that's bad, but a lack of common sense in exposure that does so much damage. In fact, much like superman, we need the yellow sun for many health related benefits. With the advise to wear sunscreen all day, everyday, came a rise in depression and vitamin d deficincies. Boo! But noone wants skin cancer, or premature wrinkles either, so what is the answer?

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This is what I do. I get outside everyday, without sunscreen and get sun on my hands, face and arms... eyes included. If I had a privacy fence, I'd probably be running around naked for a bit, but that's just me. This causes your body to produce vitamin d, which does about a million good things for you and sunlight is free, so think of all the money you save at those pricey vitamin shops. Then when I am going to be out in the sun for a long time and might run the risk of getting burned, I... well let me tell you what I do for River, because I'm more careful with him, than myself. I put him in a sunhat with uv protection. (I like the adventure hat from Sun Day Afternoons) It is lightweight, so he'll keep it on, which made it worth the investment. I put him in a swimsuit that covers as much of his body as possible and is uv protective. That way he has "sunscreen" that doesn't wear off with time or water and that leaves me only a small area that I have to put sunscreen on.
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I like this approach, because your skin sucks things in like crazy and sunscreens have a lot of crud in them that do there own kind of damage. Plus kids hate putting it on and without fail, rub it in their eyes, so the less I use, the better. I also am really picky about the sunscreen I buy, but since I use way less of it, I don't mind paying a little more. Also, sunscreen has an expiration date, so buying those huge jumbo sizes, might not be the best idea. Nothing saves you money, if it doesn't work. I found this awesome link (http://breakingnews.ewg.org/2011sunscreen/?inlist=Y&utm_source=2011sunscreen2&utm_medium=email&utm_content=header&utm_campaign=toxics)that lets you know how your brand of sunscreen measures up. (Dang blogger won't let me link it to a word. Sorry for the ugliness.) It might be annoying to have to switch, but seriously... don't pay for stuff that's supposed to protect you, that is actually causing you damage instead.
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One last note... I was buying River a rash guard from the Children's Place earlier this year and noticed it didn't have specific uv protection number listed. I almost bought it anyway, thinking it's a swimsuit, why would they make one that wasn't uv protective, but I decided to call the company instead. It wasn't uv protective ( well all clothing is a little uv protective, from what I've been able to find out on google, between about 8-15spf) but with a swimming suit for a baby, you want more than that. So make sure to check the labels.

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Hopefully this was helpful and not boring. The information is out there, if you don't want to take my word for it. Keep those babies safe and maybe, if you have some extra time, keep yourself safe too.