Home made play dough recipe

Kids love play dough. I can still remember watching while my Mum cooked up play dough, impatiently waited for it to cool, then spent hours making and creating all sorts of fun things. Naturally I want to repeat this with my girls, so I dug out the play dough recipe, sat little missy on the bench, and got cooking.

This recipe is made from ingredients in your pantry. It's totally non-toxic, and cheaper than the commercial variety.

Christmas: a time for giving or a time for mindless consumerism

It's THAT time of year again. Every day on the news we are given the exact number of days left until Christmas. Cue sigh. When I was younger I adored Christmas. I went crazy buying gifts for everyone I knew, and wrapped them in lavish paper to be posted all over the country. I dreamed of glittering table decorations and feasts. However, the last few years have seen my enthusiasm wane to the point where this year the thought of Christmas fills me with dread.

What does Christmas even mean anymore? It feels like a hollow obligation. We must spend it with family, whether we want to or not. Gifts must be purchased for a varied assortment of people in our lives, and rarely is it something they really need. This mass consumerism is depressing, costing us more than we can really afford (can anyone say 'credit card bill') and fills our cupboards and bins with more things we don't use. Over the years, I have given up pretty wrapping. I flat out refuse to buy cards and if your gift is wrapped, usually it will be a recycled gift bag, recycled paper or, in one case, lolly bags made from the pages of old magazines (that did not go down well at work).

This year I have pledged to only buy gifts from local craftspeople or small business. I refuse to go to the big shopping centers and give my money to the massive conglomerates. I have drastically reduced the list of who I will buy for, and our children will get money in their bank accounts instead of toys or clothing. I'm hoping these small acts go some way to reducing the negative impacts of Christmas on the planet and on my pocket.

What I long to do is fly the whole family to a developing country and volunteer our time. Just the four of us, spending time together, bonding over a shared experience and giving to people who really need it. When I first mentioned this to my husband, I expected to get a funny look and some statement about Christmas being a time for family. What I got was a statement of support. I loved him even more in that minute. While we won't be doing it this year, I think it's something we will seriously consider for future years.

In the meantime if you're lucky enough to get my home made truffles, expect them in a magazine lolly bag.

What makes a treat?

A couple of weeks ago I had to take the car to the mechanics. The required new brakes, and the mechanic we love several suburbs away, conspired to mean I had to sit and wait hours for the car to be ready. With a toddler and a new born. Oh what fresh hell would this be?

The night before I packed a bag of toys, downloaded a Justine Clarke DVD onto the iPad, made toddler snacks and braced myself for the long day ahead (it was actually only going in for a service, but it was pretty obvious the brakes were in a bad way).

The only shops and entertainment nearby were a Bunnings, a fruit store, a service station and a park. We broke the day up by starting at Bunnings. My toddler helped me chose and carry seedlings. I must write about how awesome the Bunnings staff were. Baby decided she needed a feed while there. I asked a garden centre staff member if there was somewhere I could sit and feed. She not only told me to use the comfy outdoor setting displays, but came and checked I was okay. All the staff who passed me smiled warmly and a few asked if I needed anything. What a wonderful experience breast feeding in a store. Thanks Bunnings. After feeding, changing nappies and chasing the errant toddler, we purchased our herbs and returned to the mechanics.

The next trip out was around lunch. I wanted to get some fresh food and yoghurt and head to the park. I let Boo guide me on which fruit to buy, and she chose cherries, red grapes and a mandarin. We walked over to the park and opened our bounty.

Watching the pure enjoyment on Boo's face as she tucked into juicy mandarins, then devoured those fresh seasonal cherries was just bliss. It brings up the question: what makes a treat? Why do we associate treats with junk food? To my toddler that day, running round a park while enjoying fresh fruit was every bit as delightful as eating a chocolate bar. Maybe more, as the energy and nutrients from the fruit provided her with lasting energy, instead of the crash from the processed sugars. One of my favourite treats is a bag full of lychees. I love peeling those little fruits and feeling the burst of juice and natural sweetness. So, so good.

Maybe what we need is to redefine the idea of a treat. And fresh, seasonal fruits are the perfect place to start.

Pineapple and Mint Slushie

Today was a hot one in old Brisbane town. The girls were hot and bothered by the afternoon, and a sweaty husband looked very uncomfortable after working in the sun all day. I thought we all deserved a cooling treat.

The last of the pink grapefruit have been falling off the tree, and I thought these would make a lovely slushie. After cutting them open, I was dismayed to find fruit fly larvae. I'll have to put some exclusion bags over the young fruit before they ripen to ensure this doesn't happen again. For now, it's back to the vegie crisper to search for fruit to go in my slushie.

At the back of the fridge was some chopped pineapple. Perfect. Pineapple and mint slushies for us!

I threw some pineapple, ice and mint leaves into the blender and processed until smooth and creamy. While still blending, I poured some filtered water through the chute to thin it out a little.

It was a lovely cold treat to cool the family down on a hot day.

I love that!

Yummy, yummy, goodie balls

Now bub is 11 weeks old, I'm starting to think about shedding the extra weight I put on while pregnant. This is not easy for me, as while I'm breastfeeding I find I'm starving. Unfortunately when I'm feeling tired and busy with my two girls, I often find myself reaching for rubbishy sugary foods.

So, it's time to hit the kitchen and whip up some super easy goodie balls. I pack mine full of good fats to provide the calories I'm craving in a vitamin and mineral dense little package. The fats are also good for my little baby's developing brain. Fresh dates provide me with B vitamins and the sweetness my body desires. They really are an awesome treat.

Ingredients
2 cups fresh dates, seeds removed (approx. 16 dates)
2tbs coconut oil
2tbs tahini
1tbs chia seeds (optional, as they are a bit like bird seed)
1 capful vanilla
1tbs almond meal
1tbs ground flaxseed

Throw all ingredients into the food processor, and process well. Roll into little balls, then roll in coconut to coat.

I recommend storing these in a glass container to avoid the fats allowing chemicals from plastics to leach into your treats.

I'm enjoying a couple of these sweet treats with a cup of ginger tea right now. Yummy!

17 good reasons to buy secondhand

I have to show off my awesome purchase at the markets today. I got this pile of 17 organic bumgenius nappies, inserts and the nappy buckets for the bargain price of $20. Who says cloth has to be expensive.

A baby friendly birthday cake

At the beginning of the year, my baby girl had her first birthday. Like a lot of first time mums, I went a little crazy planning a party for her. However, there were a few things that were really important to me: eco friendly partyware, no excessive decorations, good healthy food and a baby friendly birthday cake. By this age little one had not even tried any sweeties; I did not want her first experience to be a cake laden with sugar and colourings. However, I still really wanted a lovely cake. This obviously presented some dilemmas.

Home made teething rusks

One thing I found impossible to find in the shops was a good, organic teething rusk with no salt and no unnecessary ingredients. My daughter had only started on a handful of simple foods; I did not want to start adding rubbish so early. What to do? Make my own of course!

The easiest way to make rusks is to buy some really high quality organic sourdough, cut it into sticks and bake in a slow oven. I didn't love this idea, as most breads still contain salt.

After searching for a recipe, I ended up just making something up. This recipe requires two ingredients! Simple and cheap :)

 The Natural Mum's super easy rusk recipe

-1 cup of cooked vegetable or fruit puree. I always used sweet potato.
-Approx. 2 cups of spelt flour

1. Preheat oven to 140c
2. Place the puree into a mixing bowl and gradually mix in the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until you get a stiff dough you can knead.
3. Turn onto a floured board and knead lovingly until smooth
4. Roll dough out until 1cm high
5. Cut with a large, sharp knife into fingers.
6. Arrange fingers on a baking tray, and bake in the oven until they are quite hard on the outside. They still need to have some give inside though, so your baby can chew them.

How easy is that! I used to make big batches, and keep them in the fridge. They last for ages, and taste heaps better than the commercial rubbish

I'd love to hear your flavour combinations.

Approaching teething naturally

My gorgeous angel did not pop a single tooth out until she was nearly 12mths old. She then proceeded to pop out 6 in a relatively fuss free 2 months. Cue a deep sigh of relief from hubby and I, as we assumed we had a 'good' teether. Damn fools we were.

Little miss then started to cut her last two incisors, and all hell was let loose in our house. Screaming tantrums over everything, poor sleep, constant grumpiness and two overwhelmed parents who were not prepared for this. One day I was holding her while she writhed around in pain, and I realised if I was in this much pain I'd take some nurofen! I dug out the bottle, dosed her up and 20 minutes later we had peace again! Blessed relief. Three days later I realised I was constantly reaching for the nurofen and decided enough was enough. It was time to seek out effective natural remedies.

Still around, and still blogging

I know I have been really quiet lately, but I can assure you that I am still blogging away. A combination of things, mostly revolving around the typical busyness of life and a shoddy laptop, have prevented me from publishing posts recently. I have a ton of draft posts though, that need basic polishing and will be ready to go.

To help you follow my blog, I have installed the 'follow by email' option. I have been reading lots of awesome Mummy blogs of late, and find myself frequently using this option to stay involved with their blogs. I thought I'd do the same for you.

Looking forward to seeing all your lovely comments again soon. Now, off to choose one of these draft posts to polish...

My favourite cloth nappies

People often ask me what brand of cloth nappy is best. Having just been asked this three times in two days I thought I'd blog about it :)

My answer is always the same; I love different ones for different reasons. I have about nine different brands now, so I'll give you the run down on the pro's and con's of each. This is essentially The Natural Mum's 'cloth nappy review'.

And baby makes four :)

It's been awhile since I last posted, and I've been feeling a bit guilty about neglecting my blog. However there has been big news in our house; I'm pregnant! When our amazing daughter was 11mths we discovered she was going to have a sibling soon. While not entirely planned or expected, it was blessed news indeed.

Like a lot of pregnancies, the initial excitement was soon overtaken by fatigue and morning sickness. In my case I also developed antenatal depression. My early fears of how I was going to cope with two children under two soon morphed into a full scale depression, and to be frank, I was not coping.

I think it's important to blog about this, as depression is so common yet still stigmatized. I have a history of anxiety and depression, so both my husband and I recognized the early warning signs: I was crying, stressed beyond normal, easily frustrated with little things and just wanted to sleep all day. It was time to seek help!

The new dirty word

Vaccination.. no word causes more debate or worries a new parent more. Should you or shouldn't you, and what will people say about your decision.

I, for one, am sick to death of this topic and want to stick my fingers in my ears and hum 'la la la la la' every time it gets brought up. So why am I blogging about it? Because I want to ask for a vaccination time out.

Breast feeding 'politics' - a post and a response

I absolutely had to share this recent post and comment doing the rounds on the net.

Well known Australian blogger and social commentator Mia Freedman recently posted on her blog about her thoughts on the over zealous promotion of breast feeding becoming 'borderline bullying'. Within this post she shared the story of a friend in hospital who needed some formula. Read the original blog here http://www.mamamia.com.au/parenting/lets-chill-out-about-breasts/

Model and author Tara Moss, who is also a UNICEF ambassador, responded to this blog post with an articulate and evidence based response. It is one of the best articles I have read in a long time. This response is not supposed to demonise those who formula feed, for any reason. It is instead a comment on the importance of health workers continuing to promote breast feeding at every opportunity. Read Tara's response here http://blog.taramoss.com/index.php?itemid=739

I hope you enjoy these blogs if you have not seen them already, and find them as informative as I did.

Breast feeding baby: a recipe for for a challenging baby?

Not long ago, some new research was released on breast feeding babies. After studying questionnaires filled in by mothers of babies aged 3 months, the researchers concluded that breast fed babies were harder to soothe, less likely to smile or laugh and more likely to be distressed. This research received wide publicity in the media, and triggered much debate and discussion amongst my peer group.

I am massively pro-breast, and find this type of research to be truly alarming. Not because I am worried my baby may be 'difficult', but because I am worried it will influence new mothers decisions about breast feeding.

So is the research right?

TV for the under two's

Oh TV! That blessed time waster and entertainer of the masses. I will be the first to admit that I like to watch the old boob tube, and there are some programs I would not give up easily. My husband and I try to limit our viewing time (except for sports!), and have in the past only allowed ourselves 3 programs each week. I like to believe this is a relatively healthy attitude to TV watching. So does our baby get 3 programs a week too? No way!

Fast food baby

The other night I watched a TV show that was truly shocking. Fast food baby aired on ABC2, and followed three children under three who ate fast food at every meal. EVERY meal! One child even had 6 cups of coke a day!

This type of diet for a child is nothing short of abuse. We were all outraged by the 'smoking baby' in Indonesia, but fast food for children does not elicit the same response. Why? In Australia, obesity has now overtaken smoking as the leading preventable cause of death. A diet consisting of only takeaway or convenience foods, will lead to obesity in nearly all cases. Yet people remain apathetic about food choices for children.

I see diet as one of the most important aspects of parenthood. Nutritional needs are massive in the growing child, and this should only be met with high quality nutritious food, filtered water and a balance of protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats. All additives should be removed from the diet of young children; they just are not safe, especially in the quantity and variety consumed in a modern diet (additives are only tested for safety individually, there is no data available on the effects of combining additives. Information on safe amounts is also not released, so the consumption of multiple foods with additives may in fact be exceeding the safe daily level).

We all want our children to be healthy, and most of us would never deny our children an important medicine if they were very ill. Good nutrition is the medicine that ensures good health. A good diet gives nutrients for growth, energy for play, helps build a healthy immune system, ensures good brain development and makes for happy, energetic kids. Fast food gives nothing but a lifetime of health issues.

If you have trouble choosing or preparing healthy foods for your kids, get some help. See a naturopath, nutritionist or your local child health centre. There are plenty of resources for parents out there. If you have a picky eater, check out this book http://www.mangetoutkids.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=74&Itemid=50

Good food can be prepared easily and affordably. I find it so satisfying to see my daughter eat a beautiful, healthy meal I made with love for her. I know you will too.
Link to fast food baby program http://www.abc.net.au/iview/?series=3399586#/series/3399586

Tis the season to knock your head (and jam your fingers)

My baby girl is well on the move now, crawling and standing and into everything! It is so lovely to watch her little face as she examines new objects, plays with doors and explores her world. Her expressions change from wonder to puzzlement and back again as she finds new things to learn about. It's such a precious time :)

It's also a time of lots of little accidents though. Bruised knees are ever present, fingers have been jammed, and her head takes knocks all day long. So far for us the biggest problem is the bruised knees. Baby girl loves to explore the paved area outside, but this leaves her with sore, inflamed and bruised knees, which she then avoids crawling on. For the most part I like to allow her body to heal unaided (it needs to learn!), but I have been using some over the counter creams on her knees. My favourite is traumeel cream- a homeopathic cream that helps the soreness and swelling. I have used arnica cream on her too, which is specific for bruising.

Little cuts and scratches are also becoming common (normally on the face to advertise to the world that I'm a bad mother who let her child fall on her face *sigh*). My very favourite remedy for these? Wait for it.... Breastmilk!! Yep that's right, I express a little milk on my hands and rub it into her cuts. It is amazing stuff! If that's too weird for you, or you are no longer breastfeeding, then calendula ointment works really well. For older kids, or under dressings, manuka honey is another great option.

All of these things are super simple remedies available from health food stores. They are brilliant for minor oppsies and totally natural.

Interesting reading

Life has been crazy busy in our household the last 2 weeks, and it felt wrong to be blogging when I had so many other things to do. I'm having a moment of procrastination, so I thought I would cheat a little and put together a list of cool things I have read in the last few weeks. I am going to do this from time to time, as I am lucky to have an amazing and diverse range of friends who read some pretty cool articles.

The first two links are about the words we use when we speak to our kids. This is something I am really conscious of, and I try to actively choose words that are not negative. However it can be a lot harder than you might think. The first link, about speaking to young girls, highlighted to me how ingrained it is to compliment girls on their looks or clothing. It is something I do so unthinkingly, that I am struggling to find new words to fill their place.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-bloom/how-to-talk-to-little-gir_b_882510.html

This second link is about the perils of praising children for being 'smart'. I was already familiar with this idea, and have always tried to praise baby girl for her efforts (feeling especially ridiculous given that I started when she was 6 weeks old. 'You worked hard to stare wildly baby girl - well done'!)

http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/

This next bit is copied from an email newsletter by baby guru Pinky McKay. I love her so much, as I find that there are not many baby experts that I can look up to; people who believe in intuitive natural parenting, no crying and strong attachment parenting. When this came through in her email newsletter, I really felt like there was someone out there who got me.

The thing is, parenting is a 24 hour a day commitment. We can't expect to pop babies away like toys when we have finished playing with them or it's not convenient for us to be present. Of course it's great to have strategies to help everyone get enough sleep -I'm not arguing with that!   But we are nurturing small vulnerable people, not managing an inconvenience, and our choices do need to reflect this.  

 I believe a large part of the infant sleep 'dilemma' is that we have stone age babies in a space age world. Often our modern lifestyles are at odds with baby needs: although our lifestyles have changed, our babies have not evolved a consciousness that they are in a safety standards approved cot, with a monitor on the wall and attentive parents who will keep them safe from predators.  Babies are biologically programmed to need somebody near THEM to feel safe. Imagine if a cave mama left her baby in the back of the cave while she whipped off to pick berries. Chances are, a lion or a wolf or an eagle would have taken her baby while she was away, especially if the baby dared to cry loudly for mama. This sense of 'danger' is what makes your baby anxious when she isn't close to you.  At night time, your baby's sense of sight is at rest. He needs to rely on his senses of smell, touch and hearing to know that he is not alone and at various stages, separation anxiety will be more pronounced.  It is far better to consider that all behaviour is a communication and to ask, 'why is our baby waking?' than to simply try to change the behaviour, without addressing what is happening for your child. This way you can create an appropriate plan that will support your child's wellbeing and your own needs for sleep.

This is why I am focussing on sleep in this issue of Gentle Beginnings - to offer some extra support for the pressure you may be feeling about night time nurturing. Some of the opposition to gentle baby and toddler sleep practices includes: you can't stay in their room forever (as if they would want you to); you mustn't start things that you can't continue (any changes can be made 'gradually with love' when you and your child are ready); You will create bad habits (since when was a cuddle a bad habit?) and, your baby must learn to 'self-settle' -imagine, you are snuggled up to your partner and as you doze off, they poke you and say, "wake up, you must self-settle, this could create bad habits!  

Our expectations of babies who have just come out of a snug, warm womb with immature nervous systems, immature digestive systems and  whose only communication is a cry because they need someone or something, is often far from realistic. And so is the pressure to have a baby who self settles from birth and sleeps and eats according to the clock on the wall. We all need sleep but we don't have to achieve this at the cost of a little one's well-being, so please enjoy the information in this issue of Gentle Beginnings and share it if you know somebody who would find it help

The next one is a funny picture shared by another mummy with a young girl. The whine region and the worthwhile food cortex are quite active in my young baby!

I'm missing my blogging, but will be back into it soon. I also have some good new fodder, as I have had to use my natural medicine kit quite a bit lately.

Thanks for reading!

The not-so-subtle art of infant communication

My baby has become a whinger. At the tender age of 10 and a 1/2 months, my sweet little angel has learned to communicate. We are yet to master more than two words, but who has to when a shriek and crying works just as well. It's proving VERY effective for her too.

We are one of those 'radical' households who have a 'no crying' rule for our bub. I do not buy into the theory that been left to cry is in some way important for her development. However, this means that I am also not accustomed to ignoring crying. So all day long little miss has sooked and carried on, and all day long I've sighed and given her what she wants. Can't reach that toy? Mummy will get it. Don't want mummy to leave? Okay I'll stay. Want mummy's dinner instead of yours? Fine, have it. Oh dear! I can see a problem brewing here.

Baby girl has developed some effective methods too. Her very favourite is to grab her hand while crying and staring up at me. This has the effect of making me unsure if she's hurt herself or not. This trick works nicely during cooking. I'm stirring the meal and next thing baby girl cries out with gusto. I spin around and there she is, holding her hand, and demanding attention. There's no evidence of injury, but how can I be sure. I pick her up. She smiles. A point goes to the baby. Sigh.

Do I have a solution? Not yet. I have no doubt that there is a suitable response that allows me to teach my baby girl that not everything comes to you when you cry whilst still showing her that I am here to support her and help her. I just need to find it. In the meantime I can use this blog to have a little whinge...