Favorite NON-TOXIC Sunscreens.

Although I should probably be wearing SPF every day of the year, it’s this particular time of year that I’m even more aware of the sunshine and its effect on my skin (and my boys’ skin!) So when it comes to choosing sunscreen, I take some time to consider the ingredients. Why? Because our skin is the largest organ in our body and anything we apply to our skin is immediately absorbed into our bloodstream. Conventional sunscreen is loaded with ingredients that are less than reputable. Did you know that the FDA is calling for sunscreen reform after discovering the way that traditional sunscreens penetrate the skin and potentially cause endocrine disruption and other harm? There are two surefire safe ingredients when it comes to sunscreen (titanium dioxide and zinc oxide), so those are the ones that I hone in on when I purchase!

If you’re confused about which ingredients to look out for, have no fear! I’m here to break down what I’ve learned (but please, know that this is just my research and my discovery - please do your own research, friends! I’m linking to everything in this post so please feel free to check all my sources!)

Okay, there are 2 types of sunscreen on the market- chemical and mineral. Because of the sneaky toxic ingredients that are in chemical sunscreen, I avoid those all together and look for mineral sunscreen.

Active Ingredients

First up, when checking out your sunscreen, make sure to look at the Active Ingredients. On the label, under “active ingredients”, look for:
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS TO LOOK FOR:

• Titanium Dioxide

• Zinc oxide

Conventional chemical sunscreens will use chemicals such as the following:
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS TO AVOID:

• Oxybenzone: detected in nearly every American and found in mother’s milk; this chemical acts like estrogen in the body, alters sperm production in animals and is associated with endometriosis in women.

• Octinoxate: also detected in mother’s milk, this chemical has hormone-like activity and is associated with reproductive system, thyroid and behavioral alterations in animals.

• Homosalate: disrupts estrogen, androgen and progesterone.

• Octocrylene: relatively high rates of skin allergy

Inactive Ingredients

After looking at the “active ingredients” I also look at the “inactive ingredients” to make sure they are free of harmful chemicals, too. This is where things can often get dicey. You don’t have to be an ingredient guru to make an informed decision here (seriously).

INACTIVE INGREDIENTS TO AVOID:

• Fragrance/Perfume – because it can contain up to thousands of undisclosed chemicals linked to a slew of disease, cancer, endocrine disruption as well as developmental and reproductive toxicity.

• Any ingredient ending in “paraben” like methylapraben, propylparaben, ethylparaben etc. Parabens act like preservatives in beauty products and mimic estrogen in the body. They are also linked to reproductive, immunological, neurological and skin irritation problems.

• Ethoxylated ingredients which can be identified with “eth” in their name like laureth, steareth or ceteareth which are linked to carcinogens and breast cancer.

• Phenoxyethanol – linked to skin and lung irritation. It's also toxic to the kidneys, nervous system, and liver, and repeated, long-term exposure can cause organ damage. Ew.

• PPGs or PEGs which may also contain 1,4 dioxane (known carcinogen).

Grossed out yet? Me too. But there’s no cause for alarm because I have found SO many great sunscreens that perform well without all the nasty toxic ingredients listed above. I’ve tried a LOT more than what is listed here, but these are the few that made it in the top running.

My Sunscreen Picks

• Kids - Badger Kids Broad Spectrum SPF 30
  This has protected my kids SO well this summer! It has great staying power so I don’t feel like I have to keep sunscreening them every time they get in and out of the water. Praise hands! (Note: this is scented, but not with “fragrance”)

• Myself (& Stevie!) - Badger Sport Broad Spectrum SPF 35

• Face - Suntegrity 5 in 1 Natural Moisturizing Sunscreen
  Basically the holy grail of face sunscreens. Pricey, but it’s going on YOUR FACE. Let’s keep things pretty.

• Lips - Raw Elements Lip Sunscreen

• Spray - All Good Kids Sunscreen Spray
  Spray sunscreens aren’t always the safest choice because we tend to inhale small amounts of them when we use, but this is the cleanest one I’ve found if you feel like you just need to have a bottle of this for that beach vacation. I get it. I have wiggly kids, too.

Runner Ups

• Bare Republic
  You have to check the individual types of sunscreen to make sure the ingredients are as clean as you would like. I like to use the Think Dirty app and the EWG as a resource for this. They also have some wild colors and metallic options which I think would be fun to try, but they aren’t so clean, ingredient-wise.

• Coola
  Same as the Bare Republic - some of the products are cleaner than others.

• REN Clean Screen SPF Mineral SPF 30
  Contains fragrance but otherwise has good ingredients.

That’s all I’ve got for you friends! I hope this guide is helpful as you navigate the sunscreen game! Keep in mind that this is simply my own research - PLEASE do your own research and trust your gut instinct when it comes to decisions for yourself and your family! Even though we are more than halfway through summer (say it ain’t so!), we will all be enjoying warm weather (and sun exposure) until basically November down here where I live in Georgia. So our sunscreen isn’t going to get retired for a good long while! Happy summer-ing to you! xx

TBT to That Time We Escaped Winter to Surf in Puerto Rico.

TBT That Time We Escaped Winter to Surf in Puerto Rico.

It was really, truly, very cold in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was the unbearable month of February, which can be an almost hopeless time in that town. Not close enough to spring to believe that the warmth could ever again penetrate my paled, dry skin again. The days turned dark at 4pm. The blizzards continued to howl their wrath down upon our top-floor apartment. I would stare out the window in horror, praying to God that the weather would calm enough just so I could scamper across the street in my gigantic puffer coat to snag a bag of coffee. Forget about groceries. The dirty slush caked up on the sidewalks, making the 8-minute walk to the subway to get downtown to work almost impossible. Impassable. Inconceivable.

I needed a break. We needed a break.

For a couple of Georgia-born kids, the winter was really beginning to take it's toll. A toll on our souls.

So what did we do? We cozied up in a quilt, got on Hotwire, researched flights, and booked a couple of ridiculously cheap tickets to anywhere warm. Spring break was next week. We had. To get OUT.

And that "anywhere" turned out to be Rincon, Puerto Rico. The trip that saved our sanity in the midst of yet another torrential nor'easter blizzard.

And this was a seriously, seriously adventurous trip.

Our hunger for fun and adventure even surprised us. We hiked to mountainous waterfalls. Swam with sea turtles. Snorkled in the coral reef. SURFED FOR THE FIRST TIME. Had the raddest time with our great friends and seriously considered not getting on that return flight back to reality. It just felt so good to be surrounded by sexy Spanish accents, hot hot heat and gorgeously exotic views. Throw in the fact that we took barefoot walks on the beach every night to a little shack on the water where we watched the sun set, ate fish tacos, drank cheap margaritas and talked about LIFE, and well, we were ready to drop our anchor right there in paradise. We sat out on that beach for hours, talking about the future as if it wasn't already happening to us. As if we weren't living the dreams we had so long dreamed about. As if anything was possible.

Yes. Stevie's shirt.

Surf's up!

Hiking with friends in the tropics.

Of course there was a hidden waterfall.

Of course Stevie had to jump off the hidden waterfall. These were the days of pre-baby risk taking people.

Obligatory lip smacking photo. Because PUERTO RICO!

Yeah, Stevie wore that shirt a lot. It was like being married to Jimmy Buffet for a week.

Looking back on this trip now, I have to laugh at the incredible bliss we felt. Sometimes you can't possibly appreciate the level of adventure that you're experiencing until you step away from it, take a moment to observe it, and then step back into current life, refreshed with vision. A bit of perspective awakened. This little last-minute escapade to Puerto Rico came at a time where we needed that fresh perspective, needed a contrast, needed to see each other in a different light. Needed to see ourselves in a different light. Thank God that light was from the sun and not another halogen lamp.

Life is a little different these days. Instead of taking spontaneous adventures to sunny islands, we are taking a few hours every other week to have a quick dinner date in our sweats. It's normally fajitas at the local Mexican joint, and the margaritas aren't quite so cheap. But they taste better than ever. And I wouldn't change this season of life for anything! Because I know our adventurous days aren't just behind us, they're looming somewhere ahead, too. Those adventures are still brimming on the horizon of our hearts, waiting for us to take another dive into the joyous spontaneity. And I can feel myself readying for another season of "anything's possible!" Thanks, Puerto Rico, for giving me that bit of reprieve a few years back. And thanks for the memories, because they're living on in my head and spinning up all kinds of adventurous momentum in my heart.

Here's to ALL of our adventures. May they live on.

Happening Lately.

These two. A little reunited party :)

Happening Lately.

Good morning! Happiest of Mondays, to you. My little family just got back in town from what I like to call "the dueling spring breaks" - Stevie was in Istanbul for a wedding this past weekend, so I hopped in the car and headed down to my sister's place in St. Augustine! I am still soooooo jealous that he got to take such an exotic trip without me, but we didn't think it would be a great situation to bring Everett all the way over to Turkey and then not have a babysitter for the wedding. Womp womp. So he spent the weekend batchin' it up and eating Turkish Delights with his buds from business school. I had a blast, playing with my sister and her kids, taking Everett to the pool FOR THE FIRST TIME, and of course enjoying the ocean and the grand town of St. Augustine. We sent each other the silliest photos - me holding Everett in various swim hats, he taking selfies outside of mosques. He's going to share about his whirlwind experience in Istanbul here on the blog later this week, but for now, a few photos of Spring Break with my little man.

Time at my sisters' place includes jogs to the beach, exotic flowers in bloom everywhere, 5 o'clock mojitos, and yes, I'm aware that this isn't real life. But it's real fun.

Top: Everett attacks my sunglasses. Middle: We might have given him his first hair trim. Ah! Bottom: He attacks my sunglasses again. I wizened up and bought a cheapo pair that he can gnaw on to his heart's desire :)

Other Life-ish Things:

*New Site Coming!

I am soooo excited about the work that the lovely Maiedae ladies are doing on my new site. I can't wait to show you! I got a sneak preview of it over the weekend and it's going to be RAD. Much cleaner design, simpler navigation, and more robust user interface. So that YOU can access recipes, travel guides, etc. much easier - woohoo! Yaay for growth! I'll keep you posted on the switchover :)

*Future Travels.

Our fam is gearing up for a handful of travel dates over the next several months. I am most excited about our May trip to Madrid and Rome! If any of you have advice for traveling abroad with a baby, I am all ears! I've been researching and compiling lots of info, and so far this and this have been super helpful. The last time Stevie and I Eurotripped, we did it totally hippie-style, with backpacks as our only luggage and an eternally long list of "must-sees" - I have a feeling this little adventure (with a BABY) will be quite different.

*This Week.

I've got another great "salad"-ish recipe, our experience at The Color Run, and of course, Stevie's Istanbul trip, coming at ya this week. So many fun things to share! Hope your Monday is magnificent!

Spencers at Sea

Beach Time.

I am a smidge obsessed with my family. I'm just going to start by saying that.

We went on vacation this past week to the beach. Stevie and I haven't been to the beach with my entire family in years, and it really hit me when we were all together again. Wow, I have missed this. It's hard to put the beats of my heart into words, but these pictures really capture the essence of this much-needed trip. Babies. Cousins. Corona. Bocce Ball. Seafood. Sand in absolutely everything. Big hats. Small itinerary. Coffee clutch. And a million new miracles to celebrate. Oh, we found the time to celebrate.

I can't find enough words to encompass how much my hurried little heart needed this pause. The sea has a way of getting underneath my skin and smoothing out the folds of my unnecessarily-panting mind. Clarity always surfaces. God always speaks. And my family always, always makes me laugh big. Being at the beach with these astounding individuals is like taking a deep breath, holding it in and treasuring the moment, and then exhaling like a new woman. I am so thankful for them. The tan is a just an added bonus.

// Victory lap. For laying out all day. //

// Are your teeth rotting yet? That's how sweet these folks are. //

// Sisterhood looks like. We just need some traveling pants. //

// Mom and Cousin Amber (who might as well be a sis) // Sun setting like a champ //

// I know. Dorky. All-American. Linen. I don't even care. //

// Kites really don't get enough credit for being whimsically awesome. //

// These people again. I can't get enough. //

// Cousins. Their babes. Gobble gobble gobble. And again I want more. //

// Dad volleyballing like a champ. //

// The family models. // Rachel Lynn and her main squeeze Charlie. //

// Snorkeling (obviously) // Posing (what's new?) //

// Sunset and family love, with a side of Bocce //

// Morning running club (Los cuatro corredores!) // My mother looking like a French bike lady (we've seen too many Hepburn movies) // Views and Seafood //

This is a mere snapshot. My hurried heart finally took a breather and for that I am so glad. With the upcoming transition of this week, I feel like my head is on straight and my eyes are restfully focused forward. I hope you get the chance to vacation with your favorite people this summer. Take the moments you get with them and cherish it. Because somehow we are all growing up SO stinkin' fast.

Love love love.