Just three more days.

For nearly 18 months, I was a business owner of  Berrysong.  If you click on the Berrysong link after November 30th, you will find nothing. Come December 1st, Berrysong will be snowballed.

Like many home school moms I was eager to be a financial blessing to my husband. I thought if I found the perfect product, being a Merchant Mama would be relatively simple.  To some extent I did find the "perfect product". I had been using the product all along and had been recommending it to friends and relatives for a few years. It was economical and effective. And which home school mom didn't want to buy non-toxic stuff for her household use?

But having an online store was not as straightforward as I had thought. I will share the challenges of owning an online store one day. This post is more an announcement that as from December 1st, I'm no longer the owner of Berrysong.

Any regrets being a Merchant Mama for 18 months? Not really. I learned so much about Internet Marketing through this experience. That was invaluable!  I also enjoyed getting to know my customers. In fact, one of the ladies I met online has become one of my best friends. If not for Berrysong, I would not have met her!

The only regret is the time I had spent developing the business could have had been spent on my children, husband and my personal study and reading.

If I want the Berrysong to really succeed, I know I need to invest more time into it. And I'm not willing to sacrifice that kind of time now. In everything, there is a season. And this is not the season.

Did you know that candy, and many types of flowers and plants* found in bouquets are harmful to our canine and feline friends? Harmful that is, if they are ingested. For example, chocolate can cause vomitting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors and seizures, and in some extreme cases, chocolate poisoning can be fatal to dogs.

The Gibson household are chocolate-lovers. And I hope to get a nice big box of very dark chocolates from my husband for Valentine's Day. But you bet I won't be sharing that with our pet doggy Peppermint. BTW, if you want to see a picture of our new dog, visit my other website. Isn't he cute?

*Flowers and plants harmful to dogs and cats include: Aloe, Bird of Paradise, Calla lily, Daffodil, Easter Lily, Ferns, Honeysuckle. Morning glory, Mother-in-Law, Rhododendron, Tulip and Wisteria.

For a more complete list, visit this site.

1-888-426-4435

That's the number of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.

When my husband sent me the first bouquet of roses, we were courting long distance (literally, for I was living in another continent). And oh, my heart burst with pure bliss when I saw the pink roses beautifully arranged in an elegant vase and sitting on the kitchen table. I'll never forget that day. I was weary from work and the sight of those flowers lifted my spirit. I tenderly held the roses against my face and inhaled deeply the rose perfume as I thought of my beloved husband-to-be.

Many years later, I still get my bouquet of roses, especially on Valentine's Day. Being more frugal these days , I've suggested to my husband that he could wait a day and then get me birthday roses instead since my birthday falls on the day after Valentine's Day. Hmm....unless he reads this blog, he may forget again this year. He can save a bit by buying roses the day after Valentine's Day (and I can have an excuse to buy yet another book which I have no time to read...). But this blog is not about our domestic affairs. Really. It's about the dark side of roses.

You see, the roses you want to sink your face into have a deadly side. They are pesticide-laden. The flower growers, mostly from Columbia and Ecuador, from where the U.S. imports 70% of its flowers, often endure horrendous working conditions. They also suffer serious pesticide-related health problems and the children of female workers suffer from prenatal pesticide exposures.

It is with sadness that I learn that 35 out of 72 children in Ecuador, tested by the Harvard School of Public Health, had been exposed to organophosphate pesticides in the womb while their mothers worked for flower companies. The children showed higher blood pressure. They also suffered from poorer spatial ability than children without prenatal exposures. And the tragedy continues. Many of these children will continue to be exposed to these pesticides through contaminated food or home pesticide use.

So what are flower-lovers to do? And especially on Valentine's Day?

First, try to buy locally grown flowers before heading to the store. If local options are not available,, you might want to choose organically grown flowers from certified growers. The latter is probably beyond the reach of most of us. Finally, if store-bought flowers are what you will buy or get, just exercise precaution. Just don't let your children sniff them or kiss them. Avoid touching the blossoms and handle them as little as possible. And do wash your hands after arranging them in your vase.

Remember that chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate pesticide most commonly used on flowers, are associated with long-term neurological damage, headaches, blurred vision and loss of consciousness. Just be aware that you may be inhaling more than a sweet perfume when you take time to smell the beautiful imported roses.

I think I will ask my husband to plant me a rose garden when he asks me what I want for my birthday. 

What is unique about Berrysong products?
Our cleaner is blended from processed extracts of natural plants by 1st EnviroSafety, Inc. – a world leader in the development of organic colloidal cleaners. When the extracts are blended at specific time intervals, temperatures, and sequences, they lose their former characteristics. New particles are created, described as “colloidal micelles”. They are so small (.000,000,001 cm) that they can only be seen through a powerful electron microscope. Billions could be placed on the point of a needle.

How does the colloidal cleaner work?
It works on a sub-microscopic level. It is attracted to oil, grease, soap scum, and other hydrocarbon molecules (the basis of nearly all cleaning and degreasing jobs). Billions of the micelles surround individual oil molecules and separate (emulsify) them. Once separated, they can easily be wiped or rinsed away.

Does it contain toxic or dangerous chemicals?
No. It is blended completely from processed extracts of natural plants. It does not contain toxic chemicals such as butyl, chlorine, d-limonene, formaldehyde, hydroxides, phenols, phosphates, oil wastes, or other dangerous chemicals.

What are the ingredients?
The various proprietary blends contain extracts from plants such as coconuts, corn, grain, grass, potatoes, sugar cane, soy, trees, plus minute amounts of bio-based wetting agents.

There you have it. 

Be safe , and take the step to make your home closer to being less toxic today!

A recent study, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, suggests that women who exercise doing housework can reduce their risk of breast cancer.

The research on more than 200,000 women from nine European countries found doing housework like cooking, dusting, mopping and vacuuming was far more cancer protective than playing sport or having a physical job.

Housework cut breast cancer risk by 30% among pre-menopausal women and 20% among post-menopausal women. The women were studied over an average of 6.4 years, during which there were 3,423 cases of breast cancer. The authors of the UK-funded study said their results suggested that moderate forms of physical activity may be more important than less frequent but more intense recreational physical activity in reducing cancer risk.

Now, this is GREAT news!

But the downside is make sure you don't allow yourselves to be exposed to bad fumes and other toxic chemicals when you do your cleaning! Many cleaners unfortunately contain chemicals that well, are just plain bad for you and your children. You can be sure that Berrysong products do not have all the VOCs (volatile organic compounds) your family need to avoid.

Sure, embrace the benefits of housework, but also keep the level of toxins down!

VOCs are Volatile Organic Compounds which are released into the air from certain solids and liquids. These organic chemicals are common ingredients found in many household products. Paints, varnishes, furnishings all contain organic solvents, as do many cleaning, disinfecting, degreasing and cosmetic products.

Some VOCs are more harmful than others. Factors like level of exposure and length of time will also affect the extent and nature of he health problems. Some immediate symptoms include eye and respiratory tract irritation, headaches, dizziness and visual disorders. Some VOCs are suspected of causing or are known to cause cancer in animals and humans.

This website provides an excellent overview of this topic.

http://epa.gov/iaq/voc.html

Did you know that:

• The average American home has 3-10 gallons of hazardous materials.
  (Source: Children's Health Environmental Coalition)
  

• Women who work at home have a 55% greater chance of developing cancer than women who spend the majority of their time outside of the home.
  (Source: Toronto Indoor Air Commission)
  

• The U.S. government has not conducted even basic toxicity testing for about 75 percent of the 15,000 high volume chemicals in commercial use. More than 90 percent of these high volume chemicals have not been tested for health effects on children.
  (Source: Children's Health Environmental Coalition)
  

• In 1999, 2.1 million human poisonings were reported to the poison control centers in the United States. More than 50 percent of the cases involved children under the age of five.
  (Source: American Association of Poison Control Centers)