As the leaves start to shimmer scarlet and yellow, and gold is the "in" color for most of nature we marvel at another glorious season! The herbs have been harvested; perennials are tucked in with a hearty helping of mulch to keep them warm as the winter frost approaches, and you can almost smell the cinnamon and pumpkins in the air. We love to pause in November and give thanks for all the earth's bounty and wonder. And while we're at it we think about all the other Thankful Things that bring us happiness: mamas, babies, our employees, the Postal Service, mixed nuts and working space heaters. What are you thankful for?

Thankful Things

Weare thankful to have a wonderful staff here at Earth Mama Angel Baby. From the Order Mama to the Graphics Mama, Earth Mama Angel Baby wouldn't be able to spread love, joy and nipple butter if it weren't for every one of them. We thought we'd ask them what they are thankful for.

We Need You! (and we'll give you a $10 coupon)

EMAB mamas are the best. You're the ones who buy the safest, purest products on the planet, so we want you to tell us what you think! How we can get the word out so that all mamas are getting the pure, non-toxic pregnancy and baby care they deserve? What can we do to make our message clearer, and what, if anything, should we change to bring our message to mamas everywhere?

We know you've got great ideas and informed opinions! To help, click here to begin our 15-minute survey. At the end you'll get a coupon code good for $10 off Earth Mama Angel Baby products! Please feel free to forward this survey to others, even those who have never used Earth Mama Angel Baby products before. And you know we mean it when we say, "Thank you!"

Mama's Monthly Special

To celebrate Earth's bounty, we have a bounty of pure herbs on sale! For the month of November save 15% off all teas, Angel Baby Bath Blossoms and Postpartum Bath Herbs. This is one sale when the herbs stand alone, no oils, lotions or butters allowed! Earth Mama Angel Baby's USDA Certified 100% Organic and Kosher teas pack delicious, comforting herbs into each easy-to-brew tea bag. There's a tea for every stage of pregnancy, postpartum, PMS and even breastfeeding! Angel Baby Bath Blossoms baby bath soak is made without toxins, and is naturally soothing, and safely nourishes and moisturizes even sensitive newborn skin. Postpartum Bath Herbs helps reduce swelling and speed healing of vaginal soreness, episiotomy and perineal bruising and is great for both prenatal and postpartum hemorrhoids too.

All Earth Mama Angel Baby Tea, Angel Baby Bath Blossoms and Postpartum Bath Herbs are 15% off for the month of November. Just use coupon code HERBBOUNTY when you check out to get your discount!

Last month's Toxin Scavenger Hunt focused on Quaternium-15, a common formaldehyde-releasing preservative that causes irritation, from mild rashes to open oozing sores. And it also has a toxicity rating of 6 on the Skin Deep database, for organ system toxicity, developmental toxicity and even cancer. It's appalling that it's used in baby products, especially those that claim to be "natural" or "organic." So what did the winning mamas discover?

Joni was able to find a minute while her 6 month old was asleep to research some products containing Quaternium-15 and she wins A Little Something for Baby! She says, "I find it abhorrent that J & J has chemicals like this in some of their most widely used products! But until they are exposed and enough people complain, my guess is nothing will change. In my opinion, labeling products as "natural," "pure," and "gentle" is terribly misleading! PURE BABY CRADLE CAP SHAMPOO WITH BIOTIN & VITAMIN E [Skin Deep] score of 6!!! HUGGIES NATURAL CARE WASH FOR HAIR & BODY [Skin Deep] score of 5!!!" We're with you on those exclamation points, Joni!

Jessica wins the 5.3 oz. Angel Baby Shampoo & Body Wash and notated her list with surprise, "Here is my Quaternium-15 list, and they're mostly baby wipes! Sheesh! Canus Goat's Milk Baby Wipes. And normally I would see goat's milk and think the product must be all natural! Tushies Baby Wipes with Aloe Vera. Lil Dipper ShampooWash. They claim to be "naturally based" (per their website) but have tons of toxins in their products. Scary! I really question the need to put these ingredients in their products in the first place. Is it just a way to cut corners and "preserve" cheaply?" That's a big question, and we think it's a combination of economy, status quo and ignorance. But with mamas like Jessica on the case, we can all help spread the word about questionable labeling and safe ingredients.

Mande wins the 4 oz Angel Baby Lotion and is frustrated by confusing labeling. "I believe they try to use the words "natural", "pure", "botanical", and other natural-sounding words in their product packaging to take advantage of a sort of "halo effect" or positive consumer opinion of natural-sounding products. …I included products from mainstream companies who, in my opinion, used certain buzzwords in their product names that try to pass off their products as "safer" or "natural" when, in fact, their products are neither. Zia Natural Skincare 15 Minute Face Lift, SkinDeep score of 3. Tushies Baby Wipes with Aloe Vera, SkinDeep score of 4. Huggies Natural Care Wash, SkinDeep score 5. Johnson & Johnson's Baby Shampoo with Natural Chamomile, SkinDeep score 5. "Mill Creek SH Botanicals" oil-free conditioner, SkinDeep score 7. Nature's Gate Revitalizing Facial Scrub, SkinDeep score 7." That's some serious sleuthing Mande!

Thankful Things Contest

Here is a simple contest to thank you for being an Earth Mama Angle Baby mama. What are YOU thankful for? Email us by November 23, 2009, and tell us in one word what you are thankful for. (You can use a few words if you just have to!) We will draw three names at random to win one of three prizes. Winners' names and comments will be posted in the December newsletter. One entry per person, please! Good luck mama, and thanks!

Prizes!
1. One A Little Something for Mama-to-Be
2. One A Little Something for New Mama
3. One A Little Something for Baby

Have you been to one of our Twitter Parties? Hosted by the wonderful 3 Green Angels, we've had a lively, fun and informative Greenwashing Scavenger Hunt and discussions about toxins in baby and pregnancy products. If you're new to Twitter and curious about what all the squawking, er tweeting is about, check out our easy Join the Twitter Party guide, here.

This month, Wednesday, November 18 at 10 pm EST (7 pm PST), we'll be talking about baby loss, and the re-launch of the Healing Hearts Baby Loss web site. The holidays can be difficult for families who have lost babies, and it can be hard for people to know what to say.

This Twitter event will discuss honoring baby loss and ways to comfort families, and specifically ways to comfort mamas physically and emotionally. Look for expert co-hosts and bring your questions. This is the place to talk about everything from what to say to a friend who just had a miscarriage to what to expect as your body heals. Use hashtag #ecowed.