Organic Sheets

About 3 weeks ago our old "safari" sheets got a little rip in them. Though I have no evidence to prove it, I suspect that it may have occurred when my oldest little man was having his rest time in my room. You know how with 4 1/2 year old boys "rest time" for them really means "playing with my legos and having a Star Wars fight really quietly so mom can't hear"? Yeah, well I think the Star Wars fight segment may have accidentally created a little tear in my sheets, which I was fine with. I mean, they ARE 5 years old and were basically the only pair of sheets we ever used on our bed (I'm just not one of those people who likes to buy 4 pairs of expensive sheets and rotate them in between . . .it'd kind of be nice if I was made like that, but alas, I have realized, and accepted, that I am not.) And, what started out as an incidental little tear soon turned into a rip the size of my arm. How do I know so? Well every night I inevitably woke up with my arm stuck between the airy safari sheets and the confines of the mattress. That's how. Tired of my already precious sleep being interrupted by my jailed arm, I set out on a quest to find some economical organic sheets.

"Economical" and "Organic", I have discovered over the past several months, do not often go hand in hand. It is quite sad for me to realize that with a healthier version of something comes a heftier price tag, but alas, it is true (at least for the time being). I suspect the fact that the proliferate use of chemicals propels mass production of commodities such as cotton, for example, which in turn creates a larger production of things such as cotton sheets, and subsequently a cheaper price tag. Well. Where do we go from here?

I have pretty much resigned myself, at least temporarily, to the fact that choosing an organic (o.k. mostly organic) lifestyle comes with a higher price tag. This higher price tag, however, is offset by the comfort of having more peace of mind . . .peace of mind that what I am putting into my kids' bodies is real food, is healthful, and will help them grow; peace of mind that the beds we sleep on and the pillows that cradle the heads of my most precious possesions are providing not only comforting but safe places to sleep. And so, I ventured on in my quest to increase the healthy quotient in my home by researching organic sheets for my bed.

Along my journey to seek out economical sheets, here are some options I came across:

Coyuchi: (about 270.00 for a Queen size set of sheets)They have a great reputation for high quality organic bedding and their prices prove it. I bought the Coyuchi jersey knit sheets in indigo for my oldest little man's new bedding and I love it (so does he). It's soft, stretchy but not as stretchy as a t-shirt, and is a great color.

Gaiam: (129.99 for a Queen set in white, 250 thread count). There are mixed reviews on the softness of these sheets but that was a common concern for most of the organic sheets I researched. This is a good moderate price for organic sheets but they didn't have the color I wanted.

Target: (49.99 for a Queen set, available in stores). I was hesitant about these sheets. I mean, it seems the best option money-wise, but would I be compromising healthiness? How are they offered so, shall we say, economically? My sister warned me that some reviewers had complained of a chemical-ly smell.
Well. What was I to do? I slept on it (ha!) for a week or so, diligently researching and re-researching my options each night. I finally decided to take one for the team and opted for the Target sheets. One, because I could see and feel them in person. I gave them the sniff test and didn't detect any chemical-ish smell at all. They were even certified by Oetek as organic. That's what sold me. I couldn't find any untruths about the validity of them truly being organic, so I went with it. Got 'em home, gave them a good wash (and a quick ironing . . .more on that later) and ta-da! they are nice and at home on my loving bed. Here's my lowdown on them:
1) They're exactly what I was envisioning. From all the research I've done, I've realized that organic sheets are not typically as soft as standard, conventional cotton sheets. This is due to the absence of harsh chemicals used during the processing of the cotton. I can deal with that. I haven't been sleeping on 1500 thread count sheets anyway so I figured I'd hardly notice 300 thread count instead of 550, and it's a worthy trade-off.
2) They are wrinkly. As in pug-dog, wrinkly all over wrinkly. Even fresh from the drier and I mean fresh as in I pulled them out even before the drying cycle was done, they were wrinkly. This too, I had read about. At least a handful of reviewers from every online store I looked at commented that the sheets were pretty wrinkly. Now I don' thave any scientific evidence or research findings to prove this, but I would surmise that this factor too, is due to the absence of harsh chemicals that are used to create softness in conventional sheets.
I gave the top 1/3 of the sheets a quick ironing, as in 3 minutes tops, and then made my beautiful new bed, hospital corners and all (it's the nurse in me!)

And here's my final verdict: I love them. My husband loves them. Bedding gets wrinkly after a night of sleeping in it anyway, so what's all the fuss about wrinkles anyway? I love the color, I love the fact that they have zero harmful chemicals, and I love love love the fact that I paid only 50 bucks for them. Now, someday, someday I have promised myself that I'll splurge on fancy schmancy bedding. And I will. Someday. Just not when Star Wars lego fights threaten the integrity of my precious bedding.

Lifekind Update
Remember a couple of weeks ago when I posted about having bought an organic, all natural latex mattress for my son? But that it arrived too soft, then too firm? Well, they said they were determined to get me the right firmness and sent out a third mattress, at absolutely no additional cost to me. And it arrived. Perfect. I LOVE Lifekind. They are very customer service oriented. They didn't harass me for being unhappy with the firmness of the first two mattresses. They just worked to get it right. I would highly, highly recommend them to anyone looking to invest in and create a healthy sleeping environment. By the way, for a great medium-firm feel, order a firmess of "20". It has just the right amount of give to cradle your shoulders and hips (if you're a side sleeper) but plenty of support at the same time. Ahhhh, makes me want to go nap on my son's bed right now. Guess I should start saving for a Lifekind mattress of my own!

And just as a sidenote, the sheets we bought for his bed are Coyuchi organic jersey cotton sheets.
I wanted organic sheets of course, but some of the reviews I read about organic sheets were that they were always wrinkly, or too rough/crisp. I wanted something soft, something cozy for him, and that's when my sister recommended looking into organic cotton jersey. Their lightweight so not as heavy as flannel, yet sturdy, soft, and perfect for his bed. I'll post a pic soon so you can see the finished product. I've been looking for a good headboard/footboard option but am running into trouble since we ordered a twin XL length. I ordered the XL length (basically a dorm room size twin) because we plan on the little man having this "investment" of a bed until he goes off to college, and being that his daddy is 6'3", his uncle is 6'4" and his grandpa is 6'3", I didn't think a standard size twin would cut it for him as a teenager. I'll keep you posted, though. Might have to get creative and make our own headboard for him!

The Dirty Dozen
One of the topics I find myself talking about more and more often is the "Dirty Dozen.". The "Dirty Dozen" are the top 12 fruits and vegetables that test the highest in pesticide levels. You can read about them here and here and here. I thought it was pretty common knowledge what the dirty dozen were but the more I talk to people about the benefits of eating organically and saying, "Hey, if you're gonna pick some foods to eat organically, go with the dirty dozen for sure" and getting blank stares after saying that, the more I realized, well, it's not so common knowledge. So, here are the top 12 fruits and vegetables you should eat organically, or should I say the 12 worst fruits and vegetables to eat conventionally . . .to put it easily, EAT THESE ORGANICALLY!!!: One of the articles says that "The group estimates that individuals can reduce their exposure by 80% if they switch to organic when buying these 12 foods." (!!!)

1. Strawberries (more to come on these little guys soon!)
2. Apples
3. Blueberries (mostly imported)
4. Nectarines
5. Grapes (mostly imported)
6. Lettuce/Kale
7. Potatoes
8. Celery
9. Bell Peppers
10. Peaches
11. Spinach
12. cherries (domestic)

The interesting thing here is that based on where you look for the dirty dozen, you'll come across different foods. It could be that different articles separate different foods i.e. on some lists spinach/kale/lettuce are all in one category whereas in other articles they're 3 separate items, so the list that combines them would default to the next highest pesticide ridden food, like cherries. The other thing is that the list is supposed to be revised annually based on the most current testing information available.

So, if you can't wrap your head around an overhaul in your refrigerator and pantry from conventional to organic completely, start with the dirty dozen. Because hey, we all have to start somewhere!

Although I have some backtracking to do with how I arrived at where I am today in regards to eating organically and being motivated in researching how to live as healthily as possible, I want to share one of the companies I've been working with to help transition my home to being healthy.

Lifekind is a natural, organic mattress company based out of Grass Valley, CA that is committed to providing organic, natural, and thereby completely non-toxic mattresses, bedding, and other natural living products. I came across Lifekind during my mattress search for Brady. He is 4 1/2 and in the 90th percentile for his height which, still being in a toddler bed sleeping on a baby mattress, translates into feet hanging off the edge while sleeping :) We knew it was time to graduate up to a "big boy bed" and so began my mattress research. Upon researching mattresses I was SHOCKED to learn how many toxic chemicals are used to make the synthetic portions of a mattress as well as making a mattress fire retardant. Toluene, Boric Acid, melamine (which contains formaldehyde), are just a few chemicals used to make mattresses. If you're interest is piqued, read this fascinating article I found while researching before I wrote this post highlights some of the potential risks of having a conventional mattress. Needless to say, I wanted the healthiest option for my 4 year old, knowing his body is growing so quickly which means a high rate of cell growth and division. With putting healthy organic foods into our body being a priority for my family, wouldn't having a safe and healthy place to sleep be a no brainer? For me it was, but making the choice as to where to buy a mattress was difficult. I came across several well rated organic mattress manufacturers while doing my research. Ultimately, I chose Lifekind because their showroom was within driving distance and testing out the various mattresses and levels of softness/firmness was important to me. As it is, we have had to trade in Brady's mattress twice due to firmness issues, but that's where this story gets good! Now, you may balk at the fact that we have had to trade in a new mattress twice, but with 100% natural latex there is natural variation that occurs whereas with synthetic (chemical, artifical based) mattress there is little variation. Personally I would rather have to go through a couple of mattresses to get a perfect fit that is also completely non-toxic. And Lifekind has been wonderful through the whole process. Their customer service is amazing. Sylvia, our sales person and who we've dealt with during the whole process, is wonderful, kind, professional, and beyond helpful. We ordered a medium-firm mattress for Brady and our first mattress arrived a bit too soft. So we called up Sylvia who apologized and immediately put in an order for a medium-firm mattress , personally calling the facility that puts the mattresses together and having them select a medium-firm latex core that was on the firm side of medium-firm. Well, the new one was definitely firm. Too firm. Great for firm mattress sleepers, but definitely not a "medium-firm". So I reluctantly called her back, worrying about causing problems and worrying about her thinking I was one of those crazy, unable to be pleased kind of people (I'm really not!) But she was wonderful. She spent a good part of the day I called, talking with the founder of the company and the head manager at the mattress building factory working on a solution for us. SO, they are building a 3rd custom mattress for us, and all of this has been at no extra charge to us.
So while I write this and Brady is still waiting for his "perfectly medium-firm" mattress to snuggle into each night, I know that this company will ensure that he is sleeping on the perfect mattress. And that kind of customer service is what will bring me back to Lifekind when Andy and I buy our healthy mattress and when we buy Londen's "big boy bed" as well.
To read more about Lifekind's mattresses and about organic mattresses in general, click here

How does one start their first post in a new blog? However I want to I guess, as this is really my sounding board, my "notebook" if you will, for all of the research and inspirational ideas I come across. It is a place to put my thoughts, to put my findings and beliefs so in essence it is my own personal "not-so-personal" journal.

I became inspired to start this journaling process while reading The Prince of Wales' book titled Harmony. Have you ever had a reading experience where you read exactly what you are feeling inside? It's the weirdest thing to read something that someone else has written that "fits" you perfectly.

Anyway, this book Harmony, is essentially about restoring things to a healthier, purposeful, productive, and harmonious state. By "things" I mean the food we eat, the energy we use, the resources we are exhausting. Being on my own personal journey of creating a healthy and wholesome life for my family, this book really hit the mark for me. It echoes the importance of things like organic farming and eating organically and sustainably and the need to begin restoration of our earth's resources instead of continuing to deplete them. It even talks about the importance of spirituality in one's life, something that as a society as a whole we have turned away from and eliminated from our day to day lives. To be honest, I am only about 1/2 way through, but it has inspired, truly inspired me.

So here I am. If you would like to take a look at the reviews or purchase your own copy, you can head over to Amazon and take a look (it's at an amazing 11.99 price for a hardcover right now!). Or, check your local library (like I did!)