I had put it off long enough, I had to go food shopping last night. It was Friday, the store was empty and it was a perfect night for a working mom to shop.

I’ve been following the Eco Chic Parents blog where Tara, inspired by KIWI’s “A Healthy Budget” in the June 2007 issue, has gone almost all “organic”. I was in turn, inspired by her to sort out my own shopping strategy.

I separated my purchases into three categories

1. Absolutely must be organic
2. Absolutely must be natural
3. Ok, I-can-compromise (or I-have-no-other-choice)

The first “absolutely must be organic” for me is dairy products. Milk, butter, cheese, yogurt have to be dairy and I will pay any price to avoid antibiotics and growth hormones in my family’s food (Horizon DHA Milk is a must for Maylee). Eggs are included in this too (Organic Valley eggs when I can find them). Also, I search for antibiotic, hormone-free meat/poultry (e.g. ShopRite’s Reddington Farms and Wegmans’ Food You Feel Good About organic poultry).

If it can’t be organic, it has to be natural. Absolutely no artificial colors, flavors or artificial sweeteners in my pantry. There are too many great alternatives to juices (Apple & Eve), fruit snacks (FruitaBü), cookies (Mi-Del, Back to Nature, Newman’s), salty snacks (Food Should Taste Good, Snyder’s of Hanover, Hain, Back to Nature, Annie’s Bunnies) and so on, that don’t have those nasty ingredients. And, there is no need to consume artificial sweeteners for any of us. (I do not believe that anyone has ever lost weight on artificial sweeteners.) I’d rather see my child have sugar in moderation than consume these products that have been linked to autoimmune diseases and other health risks.

The third category for me is a tough one, but when I have to compromise, I look at the products that are whole grain such as cereals and pasta brands. Again, not the ideal “organic” but better than the alternative with a whole grain benefit. Also, unfortunately, it’s not always easy to find eco-paper alternatives in many supermarkets (although plentiful in Whole Foods), so that’s a compromise area.

Thankfully, supermarkets have great store brands now. Whole Foods Market, ShopRite, Safeway (O Organics) and Wegmans have fabulous organic product lines. And, the prices are typically more reasonable than branded items.

This trip’s purchases were about 75% organic and natural, and totaled $358. For three people, I hope (!!) this lasts two weeks. Tara from Eco Chic Parent spent $229.40 for two adults and a baby. She raised a good point in her blog “I do believe that when looking at ones budget it is important to take into consideration medical bills. Healthier people are know for fewer illnesses: including colds”. I agree with Tara; the extra money we spend on organic and natural will surely come out of our medical expenses.

I’ll keep you posted as I strive to lower my “organic” shopping bills. Look for KIWI’s “2008 Shopping Organic On A Budget” feature in our August 2008 issue.

–Maxine Wolf, mom to Maylee, CEO & Publisher of KIWI Magazine

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And, yes, KIWI does know how to pick them! Liz Abzug, our esteemed advisory board member was just named by Women’s eNews as one its 21 Leaders for the 21st Century. The award goes to 20 women and one man who “are dedicated to improving the lives of women in their homes, in their communities, in their nations and across the globe”.

Here’s what Womens eNews has to say about Liz:

“Liz Abzug, a third-generation New Yorker, founded the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute, named after her mother, a former member of Congress and international women’s rights activist. This generation’s Abzug guides female teens as they study political advocacy and develop strategies to impact their communities. In November, Abzug brought together hundreds of women from all generations to commemorate the 1977 National Women’s Conference organized by her mother. Abzug’s goal is to ignite the flames of the next wave of women’s rights movement.”

Women’s eNews will do an expanded profile of Liz over the next few days, so make sure you visit their site. KIWI profiled the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute in our February 2007 issue. Click here to read “Mentoring Young Minds”.

Congratulations Liz! Thanks for being an inspiration to all of us at KIWI and to women and girls everywhere!

Congratulations to Jenny Bowen and Half the Sky! Jenny will carry the torch in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, helping to share the Olympic spirit with China’s orphans. She was selected as one of the 8 foreigners living in China who were picked to carry the Olympic Torch.

According to China Daily “262 people from 47 countries and regions vied for the eight available slots and another 245,000 voted with their mouse. Altogether, 1.5 million people comprising 156 nationalities visited the campaign webpage.”

Many of you may recall that Jenny Bowen was KIWI Magazine’s first “Mom with a Mission” in our September 2006 issue. She’s the executive director of Half the Sky, an organization she founded in 1998 in order to enrich the lives and enhance the prospects of orphaned children in China. I began to support HTS when I returned from China with Maylee in 1999. Jenny and her group have been an inspiration to me and to all adoptive parents. She is doing what we wish we could have done—helping the children that we weren’t able to bring home with us.

Jenny is hoping to have 8 children from HTS programs from 8 provinces run with her. She said in a recent email to her supporters:

“I do not yet know if I will be permitted to run with the children. That
will be up to the Olympic Committee. But you can be sure of one thing:
Whether or not I am allowed to run WITH the children, the world will know
that I am running FOR them.”

We now have an extra special reason to watch the Olympics. Jenny, we will be cheering for you and all of China’s children!

-Maxine Wolf
CEO & Publisher

It was so exciting today to get the new American Girl catalog and to see that AMG has finally added an Asian doll to their line of historical dolls! It’s been a bone of contention for many of us adoptive parents that American Girl did not feature an Asian doll with corresponding books as they do with other ethnicities.

As anyone with little girls knows, American Girl dolls and books are extremely popular and are powerful in influencing young girls. Now, American Girl brings us Ivy Ling. She’s Julie Albright’s best friend and their story takes place in the ‘70’s. One of the books even celebrates Chinese New Year. Okay, so Ivy isn’t the “star” of the story, but I’m happy with this first step and think that other parents will be too.

So, thanks American Girl from everyone with an Asian daughter. Ivy will surely be on Maylee’s holiday wish list!

Note: I write this as Maylee heads out for an American Girl party. She’s leaving with catalog in hand, excited to share the news with her friends!
—Maxine Wolf,

I have to share this with you all– mosquitoes love Maylee and I. We spend every summer suffering from bites. Maylee, in particular, gets bitten badly. I’ve experimented over the years with herbal insect repellents and have had limited success.

At the advice of our advisory board member, Dr. Alan Greene (see our August issue in “Bug Off”), I went looking for oil of lemon eucalyptus. I couldn’t find it, so I decided to try Burt’s Bees Herbal Insect Repellent instead. I’ve been using this on Maylee everyday when she goes to camp and she’s been mosquito bite-free!

This past weekend, we put it to the ultimate test– we went biking together at dusk (notoriously the worst time for mosquitoes). As soon as we went outside, the pests attacked us both. I ran in the house, got the Burt’s Bees and sprayed us, then went riding. NO MORE MOSQUITO BITES!! It was absolutely amazing!

Burt’s Bees Herbal Insect Repellent is all natural, DEET-free and is made with various oils including lemongrass oil. I found it in Whole Foods Market, but you can also buy it on Burt’s Bees‘ website. Let me know what you think about this product; if it works for you, too. I’m so happy to have a non-toxic way to battle bugs!

-Maxine
Mother of Maylee and CEO & Publisher of Kiwi Magazine