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What I love about every ladies night I moderate is that I come away learning something, too. It’s also motivating for me to see how excited the women get about wanting to share what they’ve learned and eager to know more.

The information can seem overwhelming because there’s so much at once, but I like to assure the guests that they don’t have to leave remembering everything. Baby steps. Just being aware is a BIG step in the right direction.

I write these blogs after each event to recap the important points we covered, so the ladies can relax and not feel the need to take notes (unless they want to).

I presented my lovely host with a little gift bag that included soy candles scented with essential oils. I’m a huge candle fan, and used to frequent the local candle stores, until I learned that most mainstream candles contain paraffin wax, a petroleum by-product, and are scented with synthetic chemicals. Not so great when you consider that we primarily burn candles in the winter, when our homes are closed tightly. Soy candles tend to be pricier, but they, along with beeswax candles, also burn longer. Well worth the price if I can breathe easier, I think.

She also received artisan soap, again scented with essential oils. Watch for the term “fragrance” on cosmetics that you put on your body. It’s a corporate-protected term, which means manufacturers don’t have to disclose the chemicals that make up their fragrances. Testing has shown, however, that they usually include carcinogens and phthalates, which are hormone-disruptors, affecting various areas of our development, and that of our children. For those products we’re putting onto our skin (which soak into our bloodstream through our pores) we should use the best available. Check the Environmental Working Group page to see where your fave products rank.

We also discussed genetically-modified foods. Transgenic plants are not the same as hybrid plants, which have been around since the beginning of farming. Genetically-modified food is fairly new and is a fast-growing industry. There have never been long-term studies done on the effect of these foods, but there have been numerous warnings from scientists as to the potential dangers. Yet they continue to receive approval.

The food industry is counting on moms to be too busy to pay attention to the news about their food, and so much of what they’ve done has gone unnoticed. Until now. I, for one, can say first-hand that moms are waking up to what’s happening, to ourselves and to our children. We see the numbers of children with food allergies, with diabetes, autism, AD/HD, and cancer, and we know that it’s time to make changes.

A good place to start is with these documentaries, most of which you can find at the library:

*Food, Inc.
*The Future of Food
*King Corn
*Two Angry Moms
*A Chemical Reaction (about lawn chemicals)

Of course, the night isn’t all serious. We sample nutritious, easy-to-make goodies like chocolate date cookies, almond cheese, popcorn, barbecue rice, and smoothies. Last night’s snacks also included Mimi Kirk’s banana chia pudding with raspberries and the summer beet salad.

We discussed how greens are an excellent source of calcium, even better than dairy because they also include minerals like magnesium, selenium, and manganese, which help with the absorption of calcium. Greens, and veggies in general, are also high in antioxidants. We talked about what exactly those are, and why they’re important to our bodies.

And of course, we ended the night with our little door-prize giveaway, which last night’s beautiful host is demonstrating in the photo below. Can you guess what’s behind her back?

And look! We had our first dude at the party, too!
He was our comic relief, and we loved having him there.