Earth Babies Blog

Archive for September, 2009

Not sure if I am a cheap skate, frugal or practical but I often end up rather making my own things than buying so thought i would share some of the winners in our home.

home made playdough

Long lasting Play dough
Kids of all ages never tire of playing with clay – there are some fantastic products on the market but they are pricey so if like me they are only bought as a treat then this recipe may come in handy.

1 cup flour
½ cup salt
1 cup water
1 Tsp oil
2 tsp cream of tartar
food colouring

Stir all ingredients together and cook over a medium/high heat for 5 minutes or until right consistency (comes away from the sides of pan and form a ball).
Store in an airtight container or plastic bag.

Girl blowing bubbles

Bubble Recipe
The other thing that children never tire of is Bubbles – though with little ones they invariably spill most of the contents on the floor. This mix makes a large amount and is relatively cheap in comparison

1/2 cup of dishwashing liquid (good quality)
5 cups water (preferably soft water – if in a hard water area maybe use distilled or bottled water)
2 tablespoons glycerine (available at the pharmacy or supermarket)

Mix the ingredients together very carefully, so that you they don’t get too bubbly. Pour into storage containers and, if possible, leave overnight.

Bubble wands can be recycled from previous bought batches of bubbles (I save them), or make from wire, pipe cleaners (they do get soggy though), make a loop with your finger and thumb (messy but fun and effective), a straw makes teeny little bubbles.

Jake Long by Sheldene

Paper dolls
Remember how much fun we used to have with these! Why not reintroduce the idea to your little ones.
Barbie Doll
Variety of links for boys and girls

Face Paints
for my daughters 2nd birthday I had a face painting party – the kids LOVED it. It was messy and not so pretty by our standards but they had fun, painted themselves with such care and thought they were works of art.

Option 1:
(I made this recipe – I used Nivea cold cream but think plain aqueous would work as well and be more spreadable and much more economical)
1 tsp. Corn flour (Maizena)
½ tsp. Cold cream
½ tsp. Water
Food coloring (variety of colors)

NB. make the night before so the mixture can absorb and settle!
- Mix together corn flour and cream until well blended.
- Add water and stir. (the mixture looks a little curdled at this stage but by letting it stand the moisture in the cream absorbs the cornflour and settles to make a smooth paste).
- Divide into even amounts for colouring leave 1 white and add food colouring one drop at a time to the others until you get the desired colour.

Option 2 : (Not tested)

3 tblsps. Cornflour
1 tblsp. Flour
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
½ tsp. Liquid food colouring

Mix cornflour and flour together in a bowl. Gradually stir in corn syrup and water until smooth. Divide mixture into individual containers as needed and tint each one with the food colouring of your choice. Leave one batch untinted.

How important is it to you as a South African consumer that products you buy are made in South Africa? Imports are often a lot cheaper but how much extra are people willing to pay to support industry in South Africa or is price the bottom line? These questions have been going around in my head as we once again face this dilemma ourselves as we source fabric for our nappies.

We try as far as possible to make Earth Babies as South African as possible and to support other businesses here in South Africa. It has not always been easy and especially with the fabric we use to make our nappies it has been hard to keep it local, but we did find a SA weaver and were proud that our nappies are made start to finish in SA. But even this might be a thing of the past soon as very few local weavers survive at the moment and most fabric is imported. Price and ultimately if these small weavers close might force us to import which is sad.

Please fill in our poll as I would love to see what motivates you when buying.

Nobody likes me, everybody hates me,
I think I’ll go eat worms!
Big fat juicy ones,
Eensie weensy squeensy ones,
See how they wiggle and squirm!
Down goes the first one, down goes the second one,
Oh how they wiggle and squirm!
Up comes the first one, up comes the second one,
Oh how they wiggle and squirm!
I bite off the heads, and suck out the juice,
And throw the skins away!
Nobody knows how fat I grow,
On worms three times a day!
Nobody likes me, everybody hates me,
I think I’ll go eat worms!
Big fat juicy ones,
Eensie weensy squeensy ones,
See how they wiggle and squirm! – www.bussongs.com

Wow that song is a lot more gross than I remember as a child! But when I started this blog the beginning few lines were going round in my head and so I have added it for fun Now while I do not advocate cruelty to worms and am not sure of their culinary value you really do need to get some Eisenia Fetida in your life! They will enrich it in ways you did not even know were possible.

Eisenia fetida as I learnt on Wikipedia , known under various common names, including redworms, brandling worms, tiger worms and red wiggler worms, are a species of earthworm adapted to decaying organic material. They thrive in rotting vegetation, compost, and manure; they are epigeal. They are rarely found in soil, instead like Lumbricus rubellus they prefer conditions where other worms cannot survive.

So I know after you read Eco Tips 1 that you have all rushed out and bought your lidded bin for the kitchen scraps and are merrily composting away – you have right? Don’t let me down, do it today, this is one of the easiest Eco tip to do, just wait until I get to the 5 minute showers later in the series! So now you need worms! Well you can do it without worms but these lovely little critters are going to help turn all that kitchen stuff into compost in double quick time. They have a thankless job of eating through rotting stuff – yuck.

Now see if I was a red wiggler I would also think that evolution was a smashing idea after all who wants to eat rotting stuff all day? But I guess since these wiggly worms are not capable of pondering their lot in life and are quite happy to be in a warm compost heap minding their own business with no worries in the world but munching and crunching all day – actually come to think of it that sounds quite nice. Maybe it is reincarnation I need to believe in and ask to come back as a red wriggler (do they come in pink?)

You can get a worm farm here fromMother Earthworms
All about vermicomposting (composting with worms) at Red Wriggler Haven
A composting blog – believe it or not
And the You Tube worms: G Word – Red Wigglers

I did not have a good night last night, thus the topic on my mind. It seems sleep is one of the main things that parents obsess about. My husband is currently working away from home and when we chat, our sleep from the previous night is one of the first topics of conversation – me being envious of his 3 nights a week un-child interrupted sleep and his I suppose being envious of us all sleeping in HIS bed (there is no bed like home they say).

I am one of those parents other new parents hate when they ask – “So when did they start sleeping through?” (the most common question asked by and of new parents).
Both my babies were absolute angels and slept ‘through’ (a solid 8-10 hours a night from about 6 weeks).
Rafe would go to sleep at about 11pm and sleep till 7am then wake for a feed and then we would sleep together till about 9am (Heaven, a well rested mom).
Kara would go to sleep at about 7pm (great some quality adult time not too late could be had), and sleep till around 4am then wake for a feed and then we would nap till about 6am – also good a nice earlier start to the day. Life with babies was all good.

BUT here is the twist in the tail. Both my children started waking more often the older they got – so where we got great sleep before, we are now getting very interrupted and sometimes little sleep … it is all a process though. I may moan about it, be grouchy on some days and have hissy-fits some nights when Kara decides at 2am we must get up now, but it is not something I would specifically try and change. They have their reasons for waking and needing to be close and if we give them what they need now maybe by 20+ they will be able to sleep on their own … or find a new bedpartner to kick awake.

We have some great articles on our site regarding sleep solutions – FAQ’s regarding sleep provided by Erica Neser and a range from the No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley so if sleeplessness is really getting you down and you need some perspective and tips on how to improve things read these as a starting point.

Erica Neser is a South African author of Sleep Guide for Babies and Toddlers – I read her first release which was a slim guide, very easy to read for a sleep deprived mom and I got through it in a night. I liked it as it gave me immediate answers and also put into perspective that it was me (pre the 6 week onward sleep bliss) that had a sleep problem and not my baby. She touches on all the sleep solution approaches out there – some i personally would not use or encourage – but she does approach them all with the focus of being gentle, realistic and loving towards your baby which I liked.

Erica Neser Sleep Guide

Elizabeth Pantley is the author of a wonderful range of ‘No Cry’ parenting books – specifically The No Cry Sleep Solution – loved this book though I did read it when I no longer felt I had a problem and was not feeling so sleep deprived – it is a bit of a longer read but an approach to ’sleep training’ that i feel happy with and recommend this approach above all others when asked.

Elizabeth Pantley's No Cry Sleep Solution

Why Compost?

Composting is one way that you can do your little bit to cut down the waste that goes to the landfill. New research has found that almost half of the food waste in their rubbish bins could have been put in the compost bin. You might be wondering why it is necessary to compost when the waste will break down on the landfill anyway.

On a landfill the volumes of waste are so great that air can not get to the organic waste, so as it breaks down it produces a harmful greenhouse gas, methane, which damages the earth atmosphere. At home when the same waste is composted above the ground, oxygen helps to decompose anaerobically which means that no dangerous methane is produced. So you are not only helping the planet but after about 9 months you get wonderful free fertilizer for your garden.

Composting at home for just one year can save global warming gases equivalent to all the CO2 your kettle produces annually, or your washing machine produces in three months.

What can you put on your compost heap?

THE GREEN: This list are quick to rot and provide essential nitrogen and moisture:
- Tea Bags
- Uncooked fruit and vegetable peelings and scraps
- Old flowers
- Coffee grounds and filter paper
- Old bedding plants
- Grass cuttings
-Salad leaves

THE BROWN: This is the slower to decompose, they provide carbon and fiber and allow air pockets to form
- Cardboard
- Egg boxes
- Egg Shells
- Scrunched up paper
- Fallen leaves
- Sawdust
- Twig, branches and bark

AVOID
these things are best to keep out of your compost heap

- Meat
- cooked vegetables
- dairy products
- diseased plants
- dog poo or cat litter
- nappies
- perennial weeds, or weeds with seed heads.

You need a good mix of Green and Brown for a healthy compost heap. I am not going to go into exact amounts as I find when something is too technical and too prescribed then people don’t even start as it sounds like too much effort. Aim for a good mix of the two. If it is too wet add some more Brown, if it looks a bit dry add some more Green. The Green items will contain bacteria that will generate the initial heat that is required by the process. A healthy compost bin is a living ecosystem. By keeping a good mix of green and brown material you will provide the perfect conditions for a variety of mini-beasts and can let them do all the hard work.

What equipment do you need?

I bought a lidded bucket from the local supermarket and have it handy in the kitchen so that collecting all the veggie and fruit peels, tea bag egg shell etc is really easy. The lid makes sure that the flies are not attracted to it and I empty it every few days.

A compost bin is not absolutely necessary and as long as you have a designated area all compost material will eventually break down. A bin however is a very nice to have compost tool as it helps keep everything in one place and is dark and hot which helps the decomposing process, limits the smell and make produces the compost faster. You can get compost bins from most garden or hardware stores.

When is the compost ready?

It takes about 6-9 months depending on the climate for the compost to totally decompose. You can also get compost activator to speed up the process but it is not totally necessary.
Once your compost has turned into a crumbly, dark material, resembling thick, moist soil and gives off an earthy, fresh aroma, you know it’s ready to use. Lift the bottom of the bin slightly or open the hatch at the bottom depending on the kind of bin you have. Scoop out the fresh compose with a spade or fork. Don’t worry if there are small twig or bits of egg shell still visible this is normal. You can now use this compost in your garden beds, on the lawn, in containers and in your vegetable garden.

This is the easy approach if you want the more technical stuff there are some links
Wikipedia
Compost guide - everything you ever need to know about home composting

So for red wrigglers and more about worms read tomorrows blog…

So I was thinking about how we give out green and eco tips but somethings thing are not as obvious as they seem. So the next few weeks I have thought of looking at some of these topics in more detail and try inspire you to make changes that are easy practicle and can have a big collective impact on caring for our environment.

The topics I have thought of are
1) Home composting
2) Earth worm
3) Home recycling
4) Water saving tips
5) Energy saving tips
6) Planting with kids
7) Bees – should we be worried
Organic food, why, what and where to buy it

If anyone can think of other things they want covered let me know.

I think most people realise the magnitude of becoming a parent, and the responsibility – the lifetime significance of it. We think about it from our own point of view and imagine our children growing older and how that will affect us and all realize that even 30+years down the line they will still be our baby and we will still be their mom/dad.

Have you ever sat down and thought of it from their side, how big a part you are of who they are. Think about your own parents how even all grown up and living your life you still need them. I never imagined that my own children would never get to love or be loved by my own parents – that ‘taken for granted’ was intricately woven into my dream of a family and children of my own.

My parents died in 2002 I was 27, married, working and already been out of the house and ‘independant’ for 10 years. I had been in hostel so from std 4 till std 9 I only saw them week-ends. In std 9 they moved to Zimbabwe but I chose to stay at the school I knew in South Africa so from there I only saw them holidays, once studying and then working we saw each other 2 or 3 times a year – sometimes more when they would climb in the car on a Friday and drive 1000km to surprise us on our birthdays or simply to take us out to supper on the Saturday evening and then drive the 1000km back home on the Sunday.

The distance and erratic time together never changed anything though, they were still my parents, I still needed them and depended on them to be my ‘safe place’ even if only in voice over the phone. I knew everyday that they were there thinking about us and loving us.

They have been gone for 7 years now you would think after all this time I would have stopped feeling that need to hear their voice and just feel safe and ‘home’ again – I haven’t though, that feeling is just as strong today as it was when I was a child.
I did not speak openly about what was going on in my life with my parents, they were never my confidante, they were never the ones I felt I could tell anything to BUT they were the place I knew I could always go to feel loved, protected and accepted just as I am. They knew when I was not at my best but never pushed for answers or tried to fix things or pushed me in any direction that they felt would be best for me. They were simply there for me quietly supportive and loving and understanding..

What got my train of thought going in this direction (apart from needing to hear their voice) – last night a friend’s husband stopped at my gate to quickly pick something up and when I asked how he was his answer was ‘Not so good today’, his father had had a stroke and died and that large, strong, older man stood there tears in his eyes looking broken at the loss of a parent.

A child no matter how old remains the child to a parent – not only in the eyes of the parent but also in the heart of the child.

The subject of sex offenders against children has come up a few times in a matter of weeks, which has had me thinking deeper on the subject ongoing and evolving. I am not going to reinvent the wheel and retype things that have already been said but rather ask you to take a little time to read these blog posts and then I would love to hear what your thoughts on the subject are.

Jozikids – How much freedom should we give our kids
Harassed Mom – Too often we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve. (related to the 1st)
Kiddies Corner – Sex Offenders Registry

I have recently had it re-emphasised to me how easily our children can come in contact with a sex offender without our suspecting it. It is always said is most often someone you know and would not necessarily suspect – and this is very true (it is only after the fact with the new knowledge that you can say I should have known, but at the time all seems innocent).
We are often on the look out for the creepy person where it is the ‘normal’ person who is creepy.

I have recently, due to a few blog posts, been thinking about the vivid dreams women have when pregnant (it is very common – like morning sickness).

Acidicice’s … Do Dream catchers really work? and
Louisa – 123blogmyself’s … Week 21 – She’s a Carrot

They got me wondering and reading as to why we have such vivid dreams when pg – there must be a reason as every pregnant woman I know has spoken of the dreams – happy, sad, nightmares, disturbing, erotic does not matter what it is they are generally very detailed and you do remember them when you wake.

This stunning picture is from Lauri’s blog where she also discusses/interprets common pregnancy dreams.

Other common dreams that reflect the first time mom’s impatience are:
*Dreaming the baby is born with teeth
*Dreaming the baby can talk
*Dreaming of giving birth to a toddler or child
*Dreaming you can see inside your belly

Pregnancy-info.net had an interesting read on the whats, why’s hows and how not to’s of pregnancy dreams

Are Pregnancy Dreams Normal?

Though these vivid dreams can often be confusing and even frightening, it is entirely normal to experience a large number of dreams during pregnancy. There are a variety of reasons that can help explain this dramatic increase in dreams:

* Pregnancy Hormones:
Throughout your pregnancy, your body pumps out a variety of different hormones, including progesterone and estrogen. It is thought that these hormones affect the way we sleep at night, causing us to experience longer periods of REM sleep. It is during REM sleep that our minds begin to dream.

*Increased Waking:
Pregnant women are much more likely to wake up during the night than women who aren’t pregnant. Whether you have a leg cramp or a backache, you may find that you wake up several times every night. When your body wakes up from a deep sleep, it has better dream recall than it would had you slept through the night. This means that you may be experiencing more vivid dreams simply because your body is better at recalling them.

* Pregnancy Anxiety:
Pregnancy is a time of distinct changes, many of which are scary and overwhelming. You probably have a number of anxieties over becoming a parent: for instance, you may worry how you will handle having a baby and if you will be a capable mother. Our subconscious mind often works through these anxieties while we are sleeping, in the form of dreams.

Sally(pinkhairgirl) passed this on to me and i also got tagged by Louisa (123blogmyself) thank you both ÜÜ

Since this is the EB blog I will do the meme about me but connected to Earth Babies – long winded sorry.

1. Sally is correct I don’t consider myself a blogger (maybe a plodder lol). I blog here as it gives a space to post those things that I would love to share but our website is either not the right place or does not have the space for them. I don’t blog personally as I would probably write all those things I think and never say – and there is maybe a good reason they remain unsaid.

2. I am not a ‘green-person’, so feel like a hypocrite at times when getting shoved into a box of someone else’s expectations– what enviro-awareness I have, has come (and still is) secondary to my original motivations for the choices I have made. Like many things on EB if it makes sense I will discuss it, incorporate aspects of what I learn, share info with others on things they find interesting but don’t do anything that is not practical and possible for us as a family.

3. This company I love & co-founded is considered by many as a ‘green’ company – I don’t see it as such though. For me natural and green are very different (but ‘green’ is where most people categorize us, marketing seems to work for us and a large part of our supporters – and our green-passionate Sally Ü view themselves). I try to keep us available/open to everyone (and myself lol) – organic and middle of the roader’s. Sally and I both agree nothing in life has to be all or nothing you incorporate what works for you and leave the rest.

4. My lifestyle, focus and intentions with Earth Babies are different to Sally’s (which is what makes us work – we balance each other). My personal passion for EB is supporting South African parents who want to birth naturally, breastfeed and cloth nappy. I love the products we carry, I love trying to keep the focus local, I love offering practical alternatives to the commercial norm and really enjoy trying to help customers find the right information/product etc for them. All the rest is complementary to this focus, is what Sally is passionate about and I don’t oppose or our clients have asked about.

5. I birthed naturally, breastfed, used cloth nappies, did elimination communication with my 1st (not 2nd); baby signing with my 2nd not my 1st; am a doula and have a business that supports these things and more. Based on these points a lot of assumptions are made so I thought I would clarify: I have used disposables (was a combination user – so actually know very well the pro’s and cons of both); I did not do Attachment parenting (and hate being called an attachment parent); I did wear my babies in slings; I am not a co-sleeper though our kids do sleep in our bed on and off; I did not and would probably not breastfeed past 2 years though I have no issues with others breastfeeding or encouraging it for as long as it is beneficial to both parties; I tried very hard to get my kids to take dummies – they would not; I breastfed publicly but always covered because that is what I was comfortable with; I don’t believe everyone should birth naturally or breastfeed etc, I feel strongly for informed choice; I don’t homeschool (would not consider it unless there was NO other choice); My kids do watch TV and play on computers (no specific limits); eat junk (and healthy too) and have plastic toys (natural and some organic too).

6. I hate being told what to do so as such am repelled by anything that carries a label and has a set of rules you are meant to follow. I am not an all or nothing person and approach everything instinctually. (Sally and I have in the past differed on many things parenting related and in the journey of Earth Babies have had discussions and arguments with each other and others. Through these debates, time and personal experience we have both learnt to be more open and non-judgmental. Because of these differences though there were many subjects that we have ended up not incorporating into the website even though some readers have suggested we should – the subjects on the site got lots of editing till we both felt comfortable with what we are sharing).

7. A question I am asked often is which is the ‘BEST’ nappy on the market – in experience there is honestly NO best nappy – each one has their pros’ and cons’ and these are very subjective according to individual & lifestyle criteria and baby’s (body shape, elimination pattern etc) – I do have a personal favourite just the same as any other nappy user though.

8. I am put off from many natural/green/alternative approaches because of their esoteric connections. Many of them make actual or scientific sense but the strong esoteric jargon connected make me careful about them.

9. I have read very very few parenting books, I prefer to learn through observation and discussion (For the same reason as my label aversion thing – it is someone else’s 123 step guide on how to raise YOUR children and I feel this represses the natural parenting instincts). Basically my theory (unproven lol) is that your children are a combination of you and your partner and so have a combination of your personalities – so between the two of you, you should be able to realize what approaches will and wont work for your children based on what your own gut reactions to it would be … If it does not come naturally to you, all it will probably do is create stress, expectation and feeling of failure.

10. I am a pretty quiet person who write-talks way too much lol

I am meant to pass this one to other bloggers I like and admire – I am pretty new to blogging and following them and most have done it already so I am going to reserve the right to put some thought into this before I tag others.