Eli Manning became a rock star in my eyes when he lead the NY Giants to their Superbowl win in 2008. Now, I will be calling him a hero.

Eli Manning and his wife Abby announced today their undisclosed donation for the new state-of-the-art $10 million dollar Eli and Abby Manning Birthing Center at St. Vincent’s. The couple, who currently do not have any children, told the Daily News, “”We wanted to make it a special place to bring new life into the world… For Abby and I, it’s about being part of that, to make sure all the parents have a comfortable experience.”

The center will focus on natural childbirth and holistic care such as acupuncture and is slated to take five-years to complete. This renovation of St. Vincent’s existing obstetrics unit into a state-of-the-art Birthing Center will connect the sciences & compassion. St. Vincent’s has a strong tradition of midwifery, natural childbirth and holistic care. It also has one of the lowest C-section rates in the city. Thom Filicia of “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” will be designing the upgrades to the patient rooms, waiting areas and postpartum suites .

The hospital will be holding a Baby Ball at Cipriani,Wall Street on June 18th to raise funds for the center as well. Click here for more information on the event and stay tuned for more information about the new center.

This is very inspiring to see such change in Manhattan.

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Let’s face it. Babies are champions of dispelling urine, poo, vomit and more. It comes with the territory of babyhood & Parenthood. Parents are frequently daunted with the task of trying to figure out a safe yet effective way to clean up the after math in the war zone. Many over the counter cleaning agents contain harsh chemicals and allergens and residues that can cause skin and respiratory irritations. Here are 3 amazing eco-friendly agents/techniques that take down the competition in performance, economics and sustainability. They can be used on blankets, clothing, cloth diapers, bedding and more.

On the Shelves
Charlie’s Soap Laundry

This 3 lb bag of laundry powder can do up to 80 full wash loads. That’s only 1 TABLESPOON per large wash load. Charlies’ Soap is one of the very few brands that have a high performing detergent in a concentrate earth & people friendly solution. Made from a unique blend of biodegradable coconut-based detergents and high-grade, completely soluble, Green River washing soda, this product is available on the shelves of several green stores in your area such as the Green Depot.

$12.95-$15.49

On-line
Nature Bright® Laundry Booster and Stain Remover

This powerful chlorine-free, laundry booster is an effective alternative to chlorine bleach. The natural enzymes and active oxygen within the all natural stain remover re-brightens laundry, de-stains upholstery, and way more. Nature Bright is an excellent laundry pretreatment on organic stains like juice stains, blood, grass, poo, vomit and more. It outperformed Oxiclean® Versatile by 50% on grass stains in third-party performance tests*, performs in all temperatures, even cold water, is biodegradable, contains no phosphates and is safe for septic tanks and graywater.

Available from your Shaklee distributor at Member’s Price $ 9.30 Non-Member Price $10.95

Natural DIY Solution

The most common stains generated by babies are protein-based stains. Difficult protein stains can be removed by pre-soaking and then rubbing the stain in cold water before washing. NEVER use hot water; it will only embed the stain in the fibers of the fabric making the stain hard to remove. Put one cup of white vinegar in the rinse cycle to remove uric acids and other traces of stain makers. After you have rinsed the stained textile, spray with diluted lemon juice and then dry the textile in direct sunlight. The sunlight will naturally brighten up the fibers and your stain will be gone.