August 29, 2010

Celebrate the Harvest!

Celebrate the Harvest with …garden-fresh treats, wine, and raffles to benefit Salem Community Gardens, Inc.

This party takes place at Pamplemousse on Tuesday, August 31 from 7 to 9PM.

Advance tickets available at CGB and Pamplemousse, for a suggested donation of $20. Tickets also available at the door.

For more information, contact Lisa Spence at info@growsalem.org



August 28, 2010

Why Shop Local?

- Local businesses produce more income, jobs, and tax receipts for local communities than big box stores do.

- Local businesses are more likely to utilize local ads, banks and other services.

- Local businesses donate more money to non-profits and are more accountable to their local communities.

- Supporting local businesses preserves the economic diversity of our communities and the unique character of our neighborhoods.

- Supporting local businesses is good for the environment because it cuts down on fuel consumption. Buying locally produced goods reduces the need to ship good from thousands of miles away and also cuts down on the distances shoppers travel.

And although we realize it is not always possible to buy what you need locally, just think local first!

August 26, 2010

Great Homeopathy Class!

A few weeks ago, CGB hosted a fantastic Health & Healing with Homeopathy Class.

Class instructor Nancy Petino has always been interested in alternative medicines and therapies and practiced them herself.

She says, "As a new mother I became increasingly concerned with finding natural, safe, and non-invasive ways of treating the common ailments that affect children and families – without the harsh side effects and other undesired results of prescription drugs. I wanted an individualized approach to my family’s healthcare. Traditional Western medicine fell short in providing what I was looking for, so I returned to my interest in homeopathy. This path has lead me to be trained as homeopathy practitioner by Rodd Stockwell, MD through Empowerment Medicine."

Contact Nancy at nancypetino@aol.com to learn more.

August 24, 2010

Special Offer: Yoga Sakti

Click on the coupon above to download a coupon for $5 off of your first Prenatal Yoga class at Yoga Sakti with Spirit Wellness Center! View the full schedule here.

Celebrate the Harvest!

Salem Community Gardens invites you to Celebrate the Harvest. Get ready for an evening of garden-fresh treats and wonderful wines.

Time and place?

Hosted by:
Pamplemousse
185 Essex Street, Salem

Tuesday, Auguest 31
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

This fun-filled event will benefit to the Salem Community Gardens. Suggested donations are $20 and can be purchased at Crunchy Granola Baby, 72 Essex Street, or Pamplemousse.

Hope to see you there!

August 21, 2010

The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010

A Note from Emily Skin Soothers (Ipswich, MA):

"A few weeks ago, The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 (HR 5786) was introduced by Congressman Ed Markey (MA) and a few other congress persons. It would likely put small cosmetics manufacturers like myself (and maybe some of your other favorite companies)out of business.

Though well meaning, the bill calls for reporting, testing and labeling requirements for Cosmetics that would be extremely burdensome, costly and prohibitive to small companies that already make clean cosmetics. The big companies that make the cheap and potentially dangerous products have the resources to comply and would be able to jump through the hoops.

The bill has been pushed by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics who are using scare tactics like the Story of Cosmetics to inflame the public's fear. They'd like to overregulate and overhaul the whole industry with no regard for companies like ours. There are simpler ways to regulate that would not harm small businesses.

I believe that if the bill passes and hurts the small, green cosmetic companies it will also have extremely negative consequences for many of the small independent health food stores that you shop at.


In Europe over 1000 harmful or suspect ingredients are banned from cosmetics. In the USA, there are less than 20 banned. Wouldn't it be easier to have a list of known harmful and banned substances and enforce it? Would more cumbersome regulations keep us safer, or just be a big waste of time?


I hope you'll consider signing this petition against the ACT here. Thanks for your time and consideration." - Mike Arsenault, founder of Emily Skin Soothers

August 11, 2010

Health and Healing with Homeopathy

This Saturday, CGB will welcome Nancy Petino for a talk on Health and Healing with Homeopathy.

During this presentation you will:
  • Review the history of homeopathy
  • Review what’s in those little blue vials
  • Learn the difference between combination and single remedies, and how they work for you
  • Learn how homeopathy can work for you
  • Leave with a clearer understanding of how to effectively work with your homeopath for optimal results, as well as what to expect at your first visit

This free event begins at 11AM and will be led by Nancy Petino, a homeopathy practicioner. Nancy says "As a new mother I became increasingly concerned with finding natural, safe, and non-invasive ways of treating the common ailments that affect children and families – without the harsh side effects and other undesired results of prescription drugs. I wanted an individualized approach to my family’s healthcare. Traditional Western medicine fell short in providing what I was looking for, so I returned to my interest in homeopathy."

August 10, 2010

Market Mouse Activity Sets! Encourage kids to eat their veggies!


Just in at CGB is our locally-made Market Mouse Activity Set and Apron with Recipe Card. This is such a great way to get your children interested in local and organic produce, as it gets them involved with the shopping AND the cooking!

Market Mouse Activity Set (Includes reusable shopping tote, 35 full color cards, binder ring and blank cards.)

You can use the activity set at the market or at home. Simply select a few cards from the deck, attach them to your Market Mouse bag and off you go. At the market, play scavenger hunt with your food cards and place each item you find in the bag. At home the cards can be used as a game to learn more about food groups, letters, colors, and healthy eating habits.

Market Mouse Apron with Recipe Card and Spoon

Once you have used the Activity Set, the child will be ready to come home, put on the adorable apron, use his/her brand new wooden spoon, and help Mom and Dad in the kitchen. Make the "Cheesy Mouse Recipe" or "Berry Yummy Pancakes" included in the kit, or simply let your little one be creative with a little guidance from you.

You never know! You may just have a future chef on your hands!


August 9, 2010

A new face at CGB!


CGB has a new team member! We are super excited to have Kim Raines on board as the shop's Assistant Manager. Be sure to stop by and meet her! One thing is certain, Kim is never short on words or afraid of a good conversation with our oh-so valuable customers.
More about Kim:

Kim is a native Southern gal from West Virginia who has resided in Salem for nearly 12 years now. She is a former Salem store owner with a background in interior design and writing. Besides being an avid supporter of local businesses, Kim enjoys learning more and more about organic products and going the extra mile for customers. Her zen is cooking, especially with local produce to create rustic yet gourmet meals that she shares with her husband, Eric, and 14-year-old, adopted pug, Comet. Other passions include scouring flea markets for hidden treasures, photography, and all things outdoors.

August 7, 2010

Sales & Henna & No Tax, Oh My!

Only one more week to celebrate CGB's 4th Birthday!

Save up to 70% off storewide through Saturday, August 14. And don't forget: Next weekend is the Mass. Tax Free Holiday! There's no better weekend to stock up on cloth diapers, organic clothing, babywearing products, and everything else natural for you and baby.

We're also celebrating our 4th birthday with Henna! We will be welcoming Valerie Doyan of Nature's Body Art and Soulstice Shop in Rockport to decorate our bodies like no one else can.

So bring those pregnant bellies (and not-so pregnant bellies, too! Check out the arm tattoo at left.) to CGB on Sunday, August 15 at 1PM get some amazing Henna artwork! Call 978.741.0800 for your appointment, but be warned: Jennie's first in line. This event is free AND you can save 30% off your purchase during the celebration! Learn more about Valerie and her artwork here.

*And check out more of her amazing artwork here.

August 2, 2010

Birth Story: Christine's Birth of Acadia



Early on in my pregnancy I knew I wanted to have a natural birth. Sure, some friends and family thought I was crazy, but it was important for me to at least try. I took a Natural Childbirth class and had a birth plan prepared and thought that I was ready to go. I figured if I really needed some relief, medication was always there as a backup.

A week before my due date my husband and I went out with some friends. One asked me, “so do you think it’s going to happen soon?” My response, “I have plenty of time. I don’t feel any different.” We went home and I was in bed at about 11:00pm. At exactly 12:00am I woke up and said to my husband, “Either my water just broke or I wet the bed.” After we turned on the lights I knew my water had broke. I hobbled to the bathroom, leaking everywhere, and ended up just sitting on the toilet for the next 30 minutes. I heard that if your water breaks, it usually doesn’t gush and in general it doesn’t happen to most women. Well mine gushed and I couldn’t really move anywhere without a trail of fluid behind me. So I sat and relaxed thinking about what was about to happen.

After about 30 minutes my contractions started and they never let up. From this point on I had a contraction about every five minutes. This I expected because the same thing happened with my mom. We called the doctor’s office (yes, even though I wanted a natural birth, I still planned on giving birth at the hospital and they said to get some rest and if nothing progresses come in by 6:00 a.m. With my contractions already close together, I wasn’t able to sleep. I tried to rest in bed or on the couch, but it was tough. Slowly my contractions got stronger and at around 4 a.m. we left for the hospital.

Now, in the past, I’ve had numerous “female issues.” I’ve had more abnormal pap smears than I can count. I’ve also had a few biopsies of my cervix as well as a LEEP procedure. I always asked if this would affect my having children and was always told no. Soon I was going to find out what this did affect.

When I got to the hospital I went straight to triage and was seen by the midwife on staff. I immediately felt comfortable because I saw her at an earlier date when I was having early contractions. By this time my contractions were really strong, but still manageable. The midwife examined me to see how far along I was. After a very thorough exam, she still couldn’t tell (due to the scar tissue that had built up from my procedures) and called another midwife in to check. To this day I think her arm, up to the elbow was inside of me. I’ve never felt pain like this. They said they thought I was 4cm dilated, but still couldn’t be sure so they would have me rest and then do another exam. I broke down and cried. By this time I had been in labor for over eight hours and because of the extent of the exam, my contractions were now coming faster and stronger. I knew I couldn’t have another exam without a little help.

I was moved to a birthing room and was soon met with the anesthesiologist. I got an epidural and almost immediately felt better. I was able to sleep on and off but now I wasn’t able to walk around. I was okay with that since I had another exam and I was progressing nicely. Around 6:00 p.m. my nurse came in to check me and I was told it was time to push. This I was not expecting. I thought I would feel pressure, or something to indicate it was time. I didn’t get any of that so I wasn’t really sure what to do. I pushed and I pushed, and I pushed some more. Sometime in the middle of my marathon pushing, my epidural wore off. Now I felt the need to push and push hard. Unfortunately, my baby wasn’t budging. After three hours of pushing I broke down (again). I needed help. My options were an assisted forceps delivery, or a C-section. Both had risks, but, as I found out later, my baby was now in distress and had to get out. I opted for the forceps but was still taken to the OR in case that didn’t work. Luckily I was given a little more medication to numb me.

At 9:42 pm Acadia Ann Vogel was born. She was a little bruised from the forceps, but otherwise happy and healthy. I cried when I heard cry knowing that it was over and I had a healthy baby girl.

While things did not go as planned with Acadia, I’m happy that everything turned out okay. I have a healthy baby and would have done anything to ensure that. Maybe things will go more smoothly with the next one, maybe not. The most important thing for me is that I did what I had to do for me and my baby.

* Editors Note: Click to find out more about the LEEP procedure that Christine had previously had referred to.