Amy Gates

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  1. School Garden Produce: Not Fit for Student Consumption?

    5/31/11 2:52pm by Amy Gates
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    Gardening with kids

    A school garden can be a wonderful outdoor classroom. Children can learn a variety of subjects while working with others to grow their own food. But in some school districts the children have the gardens to grow the food, but are forbidden from eating it in their lunchrooms.  Read more >

  2. Women in Control of Epidural in Labor Use 30% Less Anesthesia

    2/20/11 12:29pm by Amy Gates
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    Childbirth

    A new study on the use of epidurals in labor reports laboring women given control over their epidural anesthesia resulted in a 30 percent reduction of the amount of anesthesia used. The women were "basically as comfortable" as women on a continuous dose. Researchers also report a trend toward fewer deliveries that required instrument assistance, such as forceps, in the patient-controlled group.  Read more >

  3. Common Ingredient in Sunscreen the "Asbestos of the Future?"

    2/3/11 9:32am by Amy Gates
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    Sunscreen

    I recently read about a new Swiss study claiming that the ingredient titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles -- widely used as a white pigment in sunscreen, toothpaste and cosmetics -- provokes similar inflammatory effects on the lungs as asbestos. Yes, that asbestos. The stuff that can cause serious illnesses, "including malignant lung cancer, mesothelioma (a formerly rare cancer strongly associated with exposure to amphibole asbestos), and asbestosis (a type of pneumoconiosis)."  Read more >

  4. Americans Still Aren't Eating Their Vegetables

    10/18/10 8:47am by Amy Gates
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    Vegetable Stand

    Last month, the New York Times reported that despite 20 years of "public health initiatives, stricter government dietary guidelines, record growth of farmers’ markets and the ease of products like salad in a bag, Americans still aren't eating enough vegetables."  Read more >

  5. Green Your Halloween with National Costume Swap Day

    10/2/10 5:00am by Amy Gates
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    Halloween Costumes

    I have fond memories of Halloween from when I was a kid. My crafty mom made a point of sewing costumes for me and my siblings, often creating a theme for all three of us. One year we were Princess Leia, Darth Vader and an Ewok. Another year my brother was Superman and I was Batgirl. Our little sis was a clown. Not exactly sure how that tied in to our super hero theme. Oh yeah, it was a costume my mom made years prior that both me and my brother had outgrown. I'm not giving you grief for reusing costumes, Mom. Really, I'm not. :) I actually love it!  Read more >

  6. BPA Exposure "Much Higher" Than Believed and the Proposed BPA Ban

    9/27/10 6:56am by Amy Gates
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    Baby with a Bottle

    Bisphenol-A or BPA -- a chemical used primarily to make plastics -- has been under scrutiny in the United States since 2008 when its safety was called into question. Most recently, a study published September 20 in the online NIH journal Environmental Health Perspectives "suggests exposure to BPA is actually much greater than previously thought, and its authors urge the federal government to act quickly to regulate the chemical that is found in baby bottles, food-storage containers and many household products."  Read more >

  7. Booby Traps Set Breastfeeding Moms Up for Failure

    9/20/10 5:44am by Amy Gates
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    breastfeeding woman

    Many mothers start out with the best of intentions when it comes to breastfeeding. Health experts agree that "breast is best" and the benefits of breastfeeding for both the baby and the mother are numerous. Yet while a lot of people give lip service to the importance of breastfeeding, there isn’t a lot of support for women once they make the decision to breastfeed. In fact, our society offers very little support to breastfeeding moms and often sabotages breastfeeding altogether.  Read more >

  8. Spanking and Criminal Behavior

    9/7/10 11:00am by Amy Gates
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    Jail Bars

    It saddened and concerned me when I saw that nearly 109,000 people (at the time of this writing) on Facebook had "liked" the following statement: "I'd rather go to jail for spanking my kids than for them to go because I didn't." - Likey Does that mean spanked kids *never* go to jail? Or *only* unspanked kids go to jail? What the frack, people? What. the. frack.  Read more >

  9. Mom Follows Her Instincts, Revives 'Dead' Newborn with Kangaroo Care

    9/3/10 7:40am by Amy Gates
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    Baby Toes

    After Australian mom Kate Ogg gave birth to premature twins at 27 weeks gestation, her doctor gave her the news no mother wants to hear. One of the twins -- a boy -- didn't make it, but that's just the beginning of this heartwarming story.  Read more >

  10. Child-led Weaning: They Aren't Going to Nurse Forever

    8/30/10 7:54am by Amy Gates
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    A little more than two years ago, I wrote about my experiences nursing a preschooler. At the time I discussed the fact that my nearly 4-year-old daughter was still nursing and how I never planned or expected to be nursing a 4-year-old, yet it just happened.  Read more >

Amy

Full Name
Amy
Member Since
February 2007
About Me: 

My name is Amy Gates (also known on the ‘net as amygeekgrl or the Crunchy Domestic Goddess). I live in Colorado with my husband Jody (yes, he’s a guy) and my two children Ava (born 6/2004) and Julian (born at home 11/2006). I am passionate about natural childbirth, breastfeeding, gentle discipline, recycling, green living, organic and local foods, sustainable living, informed healthcare decisions and other things considered crunchy/granola/earthy. I practice Attachment Parenting (or parenting by instinct) because it feels right for me and my family.

Since Ava’s birth, I’ve felt a need to raise awareness on various issues - from women and children’s health to the environment - something I try to do via my blog. I truly do want to make the world a better place for her and Julian and I hope that I can do that even if it’s in a very small way. As Gandhi said, “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”

In addition to my wife and mama role, I’m the shopkeeper of two online stores - Attached At The Hip, featuring AP advocacy wear and more, and Cute As A Bug, featuring cute and original designs for babies, kids and adults.

I also do some freelance writing and am a contributing editor at BlogHer and a former writer for API Speaks and 5 Minutes For Going Green. I enjoy reading, writing, photography, gardening and hiking.

Email me: crunchydomesticgoddess AT gmail DOT com
Follow me on Twitter: CrunchyGoddess

….Knowledge is power…

About Me Tags: 

attachment parenting,urban homesteading,parenting,mothering,natural living,childbirth,home birth,health,green living,photography,maternal health,activism,children,breastfeeding,sustainable living

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