We are giving away *NEW* Earth Babies products which were launched the week end at the Natural & Organics show in Jhb

♥ 3 of One-Size-Fits-All nappy Trial Packs worth R280 each
Each pack consists of:
2 OSFA nappies
1 PUL cover (of our new fabric range)
1 booster
1 liner
(total product value is R333)

AND

♥ 1 Traditional Kikoi wrap (baby carrier) worth R360

To enter you need to:
Comment below,(let us know if you saw them at the show or not)
AND do one of the following (or already be listed on one or all):

* Like us on Facebook / Follow on Twitter or register on the Earth Babies website to qualify.
(remember to let us know in the comment what username to look out for, so we can make a match)

* Retweets of this post, Comment on the related Facebook post and Blog posts mentioning Earth Babies Teething Necklaces (remember we need to be aware of the post) get extra entries

winners name will be drawn 30 September 2010
*South Africa only

You may also like to enter our competitions for:
an Amber Necklace
A Newborn nappy gift pack
ALSO enter

♥♥WIN AN AMBER TEETHING NECKLACE♥♥
We are giving away 1 Amber teething necklace. In order to win it you need to comment below AND do one of the following (or already be listed on one or all):

Like us on Facebook / Follow on Twitter or register on the Earth Babies website to qualify.
(remember to let us know in the comment what username to look out for, so we can make a match)

Retweets of this post, Comment on the related Facebook post and Blog posts mentioning Earth Babies Teething Necklaces (remember we need to be aware of the post) get extra entries
winners name will be drawn 23 September 2010
*South Africa only

What is Amber?
AMBER is fossilized resin (not tree sap) from certain kinds of trees (a few conifers and angiosperms). Most of the world’s amber ranges from 30-90 million years old. Semi-fossilized resin or sub-fossil amber is known as copal. It occurs in the southern regions of Northern Europe (Scandinavia and area close to the Baltic sea bed). Although it is not mineralized it is often referred to as a gemstone.

Baltic amber (known as succinite) is an organic substance known and sought after for its unique qualities. It is the only fossil resin containing 3 to 8% succinic acid, which is a multi-purpose therapeutic substance.

Resin was produced by the tree to protect itself from disease and injury caused by insects and fungi by sealing and healing the wounds of a tree (such as a broken branch). This was the origin of the belief that it holds healing energy (pre-scientific research)!

Originally the word Amber meant Baltic Amber (which accounts for 80% of the world’s amber and according to scientists is a fossil pine resin from that region that through oxidation attained a stable state). However according to the process of how amber is formed, other ‘amber’ varieties have since been traced in different parts of the world. Although more than 125 types of fossil resins are known in the world (Europe, America & some in Asia), these resins are not amber but its relatives and each have their own name.

In appearance, some amber is clear and others contain ‘debris’ within the bead – these foreign particles (insects, foliage, flora, seeds and feathers), referred to as the “fire” in the gem, are natural and these inclusions give each piece a unique personality.
The colour of amber varies quite dramatically – it can vary from crystal clear transparency to completely opaque with colours ranging from white, yellow, dark brown to less common ones such as red, green, bluish, grey and black amber – it can also occur in 2 or more colours intermixed.
Amber is one of the earliest gems used in jewellery and talismans. It’s energy is often referred to as being like liquid sunshine. It is always temperate to the touch (unlike stone which is cold) and is said to enhance the beauty of the wearer. Light and comfortable to wear, it is not an irritant to the skin.

Amber Teething Necklace

How does it work?
There have been many studies (still ongoing) on the beneficial characteristics of amber and there are three main philosophies:

The first being that when in contact with skin, body heat causes the amber to release microscopic amounts of healing oils (succinic acid) which are then absorbed via the skin into the bloodstream.
The anti-inflammatory and curative properties of amber are recognized by allopathic (conventional) medicine. Doctors and pharmacists have long been familiar with the healing properties of amber which include calmative, pain-relief, antispasmodic, expectorant, and fever relief functions.

A second more commonly known theory is based on the concept of energy (similar to the copper bracelets worn for arthritis).
Scientific findings have shown that amber is electromagnetically alive and carries a substantial charge of organic energy. Wearing amber produces negative ionization on the skin’s surface (this is its significant attribute, that it is electronegative) which in turn, has a positive affect on the human body. The negative ions assist in the prevention of illness. These health-promoting effects apply to babies, children and adults alike.

The third school of thought which has been derived through empirical observation (practical experience and not merely theory) is that the soothing and calming characteristics of amber is a combination of the factors listed in the first two theories.

How do I know if it is real Baltic Amber?
All amber stones sold through Earth Babies are authentic, natural Baltic amber.
They are not artificial, plastic, synthetic, reconstituted or substitute for amber. In every batch bought we randomly test 1 in every 10 received.

A simple home tests to see if amber is genuine
Amber when rubbed vigorously against or in a natural material such as silk, cotton or wool will become heavily charged with static electricity and will be able to attract/lift light particles such as small pieces of paper or hair. Copal (what is commonly confused as amber) does not become static when rubbed. Another indication through this process of rubbing (or heating) is that Amber may have a faint resinous fragrance while copal could actually begin to soften and become sticky.
Amber used to be called Electron by the ancient Greeks specifically because of this static electricity.

READ MORE ABOUT THE BENEFITS & USES OF AMBER (such as teething necklaces)

Benefits of Amber:
♥ Acts as a mild natural analgesic (pain reliever).
♥ An excellent natural antibiotic.
♥ Soothes both emotional and physical – and can calm an irritable and niggly child.
♥ Boosts immune system and general wellness.
♥ Reduces inflammation of the gums, ears, stomach and throat.
♥ Useful in treating bacterial infections (and acne).
♥ Fights inflammation, infections & respiratory disease. (throat infections, bronchial disorders, joint pain, asthma, respiratory disease, stomach infections, rheumatism, earache.)
♥ Acts as a protective shield against radiation (x-rays, sun, technology)
♥ It helps post-operatively with tissue regeneration, scar tissue and helps to prevent secondary infections.
♥ Good for success, abundance, healing, vitality and joy (Enhances patience, love, strength, knowledge, correct choices, wisdom, calmness and healing).
♥ Balances, purifies and energizes body and mind (Great for absent-mindedness, depression, stress and nerves)
♥ Excellent detoxification – treats and aids the function of the abdomen, bladder, blood, eyes, kidney, stomach, spleen, tissue revitalization, throat, liver and gallbladder.

Features of the Earth Babies beads:
- Softly rounded, irregular, pure Baltic Amber beads
- Twist clasp closing (plastic)
- Strong thread, individually knotted between each bead.
- Length: 33 cm
- Bead size: 4×5x6mm to 10×7x5mm

EB mixed amber

Safety of teething necklaces:
One of the most common parental concerns with teething necklaces is whether it is a choking hazard.
The necklace is made from strong silk string and the claps it plastic – this means that though it is durable, if it gets caught on something & baby pulls away it would snap.
There is a knot after every bead so that if the necklace breaks only one bead will fall off.
Beads are non-toxic, light and small so if swallowed, it would pass through easily.

How should it be used:
Teething necklaces are not for baby to chew on and are not a teething toy – the benefit are from wearing amber in direct contact with the skin.
The necklace may be worn from two months and up (for as long as it fits).
Whether to remove or not is up to parent’s discretion. Some put it on and leave it on 24/7 for 2+ years others remove it for sleeping, bathing or if baby is unattended.
Amber summary:
- It is fossilized matter which has taken millions of years to form from tree resin.
- It comes in many colours and shade variations the most common are cognac, honey, lemon yellow, ivory and cream/yellow.
- Amber is an organic substance.
- Did you know? The biggest deposits are located below the Baltic sea and the easiest and oldest way to obtain Amber is by collecting it on the beach where the stones have been washed out by waves during storms.

WHAT IS AMBER? – READ MORE AND SEE DETAILS ON HOW TO WIN AN AMBER TEETHING NECKLACE

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

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…

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.

planting a vegetable box

I am not a keen gardener for 2 reasons a) somewhere along the line the green thumbs I should have inherited from 2 plant crazy parents got frostbite and turned black. and the bigger problem b) I hate sand and soil and mud on my hands and feet – I am gril’ing just at the idea of it.

I was not always like this there were many photos of me as a toddler covered in icky mud – especially in my mouth (yum – I was apparently a mud connoisseur). I also spent most of my childhood running around the hills and dust and forests barefoot – no more. BUT i will be sticking my hand in dirt and mud to plant some seeds in support of Planting Season on the 22nd.

I had hoped to actually get a vegetable garden going this spring (we have been working on making space for this) but I have put all on hold till I know where/what/how will be happening with our living arrangements in the next few months (staying, moving house, moving town … life is an adventure) Ü.

Sally guest-writes for the Jozi kids blog and did a Let’s get planting post for them last week – nice read.

I think I came pre-programmed to gravitate towards all things natural, quirky and simple. My parents gave me a great gift as a child – they taught me to ask questions and not just got with the flow. I think they may have come to regret this at times when they were the flow and I was going against.

This was working great and it was fairly easy to do my bit and live a greener kind of lifestyle. And then my children exploded into my life changing it forever. Nothing prepares one fully for how much you will love the wrinkly, gorgeous little parasite that will invade more areas of your life and time that you ever thought possible. Using eco friendly and natural options helped me to parent in a way that feels congruent to what I believe. I feel like I am working with the parasite- oh I mean baby, in practices such as home birth, cloth nappies, extended breast feeding, co-sleeping, elimination communication etc they just made so much more sense to me than a lot of the do to the baby style parenting that seem so popular today.

Some days though things don’t go the way I planned and I find myself being rather a bright shade of orange (a quick check of the colour wheel shows that red/orange are lurking ominously opposite green) I have read a lot of natural parenting books and websites and have even written articles helping other who want to know about practices like Elimination communication (nappy free) baby wearing, the benefits of extended breast feeding amongst other things. But real life is sometimes far from the books and comes crashing in like a pot of bright orange paint splattering my Green Mom ambitions.

Now orange is a lovely colour one I am quite partial to but it does not fit into my idea of the super natural mom I want to be. The one who always looks cool calm and collected while she plants, bakes, breast feeds, recycles, home schools and all those other great things that earn us the Green Mommy Badge.

One day in particular I remember going to a museum with my sister, my daughter Rachel (3yrs), son Caleb (8 months) we where there to look at dinosaurs, Rachel’s latest craze.

I had duly carried Caleb in a sling while he slept and breast feed him sitting on the floor in a corner while being glared down at by some rather menacing looking ‘wotsit-o-saurus’. Afterwards dead on my feet and with a rather cranky 3year old who wanted mommy to buy lots of toys we collapse at a coffee shop. I just wanted to drink my coffee in relative peace and try to revive myself for the long journey home. I tired to get Caleb interested in an organic 3 wholegrain finger biscuit I had brought with me. After he threw the third biscuit on the floor, practiced standing and wriggling as much as possible on my lap, making it near impossible for me to actually get my drink near my mouth without sloshing the hot contents all over myself and him, my patients was wearing thin.

Caleb suddenly spotted one of those sugar paper tube thingy that they have on the tables and quick as a flash started chewing on it. I was just about to yank it out his hand when I noticed that this tube of sugar was winning where 3 organic biscuits and 2 rattles had failed, it was keeping him quiet and still on my lap. Long enough for me to drink my coffee and an inkling of calm return to my shattered nerves (In my defence it was natural brown sugar and not super processed white sugar – Semantic I am guessing) so with my ideals suffering from a splattering of orange I finish my coffee and trudge the kids back home.

There are plenty of times when I have driven instead of walking, bought some unnecessary thing in way too much packaging. I have even left the computer on all night when I went to settle Caleb back to sleep and landed up falling asleep on the bed with him instead of returning down to where I was working. I would be lying if I said that the TV is not occasionally used as the baby sitter so I don’t have 2 kids underfoot while I cook or clean or whatever other chore needs doing.

I realize that while I am not perfect feeling guilt for a bit of orange every now and again is not making me a better mother in anyway and I might as well recycle this emotion into something more useful, like the drive to do better next time and to think daily of ways to tread lightly on our planet. I think by trying to teach my kids responsible living hopefully it will be easier for them to follow a greener type lifestyle in the future. I think not having the emphasis on all thing eco friendly when I was a kid means that sometimes old habits die hard.

Of course there are the inevitable conversations with mainstream parents who are always keen to tell you about the baby sleeping through the night from a ridiculously early age, and how they go out and have their life back and ‘oh how expensive disposables are’ but how they could never use cloth like you, said with the slightly up turned nose as though the very thought is a beyond repulsive. Some time what they describe seems so easy.

They have the baby all trained so that it is does not really disrupt their life all that much and in comparison I think about the bucket of nappies I have at home to wash, the wooden toys strewn all over the floor, and the umpteen household chores that just never seem to be as important as reading a story or playing dress up going out for a walk. And so what if my son does not sleep though the night, I get to feel his soft breath against my check and I can kiss his fluffy little parasitic head any time I want to in the night.

It may not be the easy way and I am far from being green all the time, but it is the way that makes sense to me even if I get a little orange splatter every now and again. I think more important than trying to be a super green mom, I need to be a mom who is only human and teach my kids that we all have bad days and that sometimes a little orange is okay. So now I am off to find a eco friendly way to get rid of the snails eating our beans.