I am featured on Eco Toys!!

A few months ago I saw that one of my favourite sites http://www.ecotoys.com.au/ was after articles for their blog. I happily put pen to paper (or in this day and age, fingers to keyboard) and wrote about something that I am truly passionate about - connecting children with nature! I was delighted to get an email today saying that my article had been published - http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2010/11/connecting-children-with-nature/

Hopefully this will be the kickstart I need to get this blog back on track and really get cracking with some writing!

Food, glorious food!!

Well our little puddin' has been into the solid foods for a little while now and is LOVING them. One thing I am finding a challenge at the moment is being creative with his food without any uneccessary ingredients. I am committed to making our baby food myself and eventually getting him eating what we are eating! In the process I am hoping that it encourages Arron and I to become better eaters ourselves - less processed foods (which are bad for so many reasons - preservatives, chemicals, impact on the environment...) and more fresh, healthy meals!

So in attempt to create mouthwatering meals for my little man I have been googling (thank god for google!) and have come across some great sites that I thought would be worthwhile sharing:
* http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/
* http://www.annabelkarmel.com/

So far for us it has been simple purees and thankfully there has been nothing that our little man has turned his nose up at. His current "menu" consists of:

* Potato

* Pumpkin

* Sweet potato

* Banana

* Apple
* Pear

* Rockmelon

* Carrot

* Broccoli

* Cauliflower

* Zuchinni

* Rice cereal

* Rusks

He is at the point now where he is really wanting to feed himself - grabbing at the spoon or bowl, using his  tommee tippee mesh feeder to shovel banana in his gob and gumming a rusk until there is nothing left.

 This has led me to look into the baby led weaning route...something that is often mentioned on parenting forums and at mothers groups.

For more info on BLW check out http://www.babyledweaning.com/

BLW basically introduces solid foods as exactly that - solid! Rather than pureeing, you simply cut food into bite sized pieces and allow bub to feed themselves.

For us, I think it is about balance - B loves his pureed vegies, so I wont be taking them away anytime soon. On the other hand he is keen to do things for himself so we will start giving him a few bite sized pieces for him to explore.

I would love to hear what sort of feeding journey others are on... do you make your own or buy it? purees or BLW? When did you start??

Amber teething necklaces

About a month ago we bought an amber teething necklace for our little man when it appeared that his first tooth was coming through. Four weeks on and that tooth has poked its way through with very little fuss. If it wasnt for the bright red cheeks and constant drooling you wouldnt even know he was teething! Now some sceptics may say that the necklace isnt really doing anything, but while ever my little one is a happy camper when new teeth are coming through - I will stick with it thanks!

My gorgeous boy in his spunky necklace!

I would love to know what other people think of Amber Teething necklaces and if you havent got one and would love to get your hands on a freebie,The amazing blog hip little one, are giving away a gorgeous set frrom Bambeado!

Soap Nuts...are they any good?

In my random online browsing I stumbled across "Soap Nuts" at http://www.soapinanutshell.com.au/ and they have gotten me thinking.... at this point in life (with a 4month old in cloth nappies and going through countless bibs a day!) washing has become a major part of our day.I try to make eco-friendly choices when buying washing powder/detergent, but there don't seem to be a great deal of options on the market!Every time I scoop detergent ut of the box I wonder what chemicals are in it and what they could be doing to our skin and our earth!  As someone with sensitive skin and a young bub, I do choose "sensitive" options...but it still worries me!

So when I found these soap nuts I was intrigued...this is what they look like:

I have a few questions that I will be looking into...but would love to hear from anyone who uses SoapNuts.
* Do they get your clothes clean?
* Do they leave any residue?
* Do you think you save money?
* If you have sensitive skin how do you find them?
* If you wash cloth nappies how do you go?

Can't wait to hear more about this innovative product...

Wood Play Gym!

Well after looking and looking it appeared that there were only a small selection of wooden play gyms available online and they were pretty expensive. So my very clever partner decided he would make one (although when he suggested it I thought it might be just a ploy to visit Bunnings - his favourite place!)

Well it took a little time, but finally last week it was all finished. I love the wavy detail that he has put into it and the squares and triangles on the sides. Mum and I did our bit - adding the soft blocks, and one of my besties Tash bought the beautiful wooden beaded owl hanging for Bodhi before he was even born. So the whole thing is a bit of a team effort!

And from the expression on his face I think its clear that B loves it just as much as I do.

I am sure this will become a precious part of our family for years to come!

Still here.... but back at work!

Just a super quick post...my poor blog has been neglected for the past few weeks while I unexpectedly returned from maternity leave. My fantabulous partner Arron now gets to be a stay at home dad on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while I spend time working on my other passion - early childhood education!

Lots of new things to add to the blog...including pics of the gorgeous timber baby play gym Arron made for Bodhi and a post about our new Baltic Amber teething necklace! For the moment I am engrossed in looking at my gorgeous friends' gorgeous photos of Vanautu, but I shall return soon!

Amazing Op Shop Finds

I am a lover of op-shopping, but since the little man arrived have had slightly less time to do it. In the last few weeks though I have managed to get out and score some geat stuff...

Some super cute overalls for $1

A gorgeous shirt  for .80c for my lil man!

Jeans for me for $4

A cute wooden mobile (part of a set) $5 for my little mans room

A wooden nutrcracker which now stands guard on Bodhi's bookshelf! - $4

The best thing about op-shopping is finding unique treasures that might otherwise have become landfill!!

Project Tricycle...

About 6 years ago we were helping a neighbour clear out her garage and we came across the most amazing vintage tricyle which she was going to throw out!!! I asked her if I could have it and much to Arron's dismay, wheeled it back home :)

Since we bought our house in 2004 it has been sitting in the garage, gathering dust, dirt and the occasional spider, but I just knew that one day we would do something special with it. When we found out we were having a baby, one of my first thoughts was about the tricycle... I decided then and there that we HAD to fix it up for our child.

Well a few weeks ago I asked Arron where the tricycle was and was amazed when he told me he had taken it to work so he could get it fixed up (he works for my Dad, so any spare time can be used on this fun project!...the other bonus is there is a bike store next door!)

I figured today that I better snap some pics of it before he does anything with it...nothing like a before and after. So these are some of the before shots...stay tuned for the after shots (it could be awhile though...be warned!!)

Connecting our bubba with nature...

In 2008, myself and a colleague presented at an Early Childhood Conference in Perth called Connecting Children with Nature. We were so excited to share our experiences and passion with other enthusiastic early childhood professionals. We were also priveliged to meet Claire Warden, an amazing educator from Scotland who is a revoluntionary when it comes to nature education

http://www.mindstretchers.co.uk/

The images I saw and the stories told at this conference have stayed with me and I promised myself that my son would be able to explore the natural world from the moment he arrived. Unfortunately it is winter, so our time outdoors is a little restricted by the weather, but we have been trying to get out and about!

Our latest venture has been exploring a beautiful new section of path that loops the lake and even goes out over the water. We started walking and Bodhi seemed very impressed to be sitting upright in his pram, taking it all in. The sounds of the birds, the smells (some good, some not so much!) and the sights. Although at times, I did wonder about his interest...he seemed happy simply licking his overalls and inspecting the elephant print on his wrap!!

But I figure that if we make it a habit to get outdoors and explore our beautiful lake area, he will start to notice more and more and as he grows older it will become a catalyst for conversation and imagination!!

Gorgeous "LunchSkins" - the eco friendly sandwich wrap

In an effort to reduce the amount of cling wrap and aluminium foil used in our household I've been looking into eco-friendly alternatives. Even though our little one isnt quite old enough for sandwiches and I'm still on maternity leave, Arron still needs to eat while he is at work! 

http://www.stateofgreen.com.au/ sells a gorgeous range of "Lunch Skins"

There are also a number of WAHM's selling homemade re-useable lunch wraps on sites such as http://www.madeit.com.au/

At the moment there is a great competition at the amazing Blog - Hip Little One, where viewers can win a lunchskins from State of Green. To enter - go to http://hiplittleone.blogspot.com/2010/05/state-of-green-giveaway.html 

What a great way to be eco-friendly and save money!

The MCN frenzy!

So at the moment I am engaged in a fun battle on facebook to score MCN's!

MCN's are set to take the world by storm...but what are they?? The MCN or Modern Cloth Nappy are quickly becoming popular with a new generation of mums who are eco concious and $$$ savvy! Before I was even pregnant with our son I knew that I wanted to use cloth nappies and when I began to research them online, I found that cloth nappies have come a LONG way! Gone are the bulky terry towelling nappies that required soaking, folding, pinning and pilchers and here are amazing nappies that are shaped to fit and feature buttons or velcro closures. Many do not require covers, soaking is not necessary and the colours and patterns available are amazing!

Before Bodhi arrived we met with a nappy consultant from Baby Beehinds (http://www.babybeehinds.com.au/) who guided us through the decision making process and a few weeks later we were (well at least I was) excited to receive a package of fluffy, colourful nappies. I was stoked to put them in the drawers and even enjoyed prewashing them so they were ready for use.

Since Bodhi arrived we have purchased a few more nappies from an amazing WAHM who creates beautiful, practical nappies - http://www.bonnibuns.com.au/ There are colours and patterns for all occasions and she regularly has sales, specials and facebook events (such as the one I have been eyeing off this morning!) These nappies are OSFM (one size fits most) and are fantastic! I'm sure that as our Buddha baby gets bigger and bigger he will soon outgrow his sized nappies and we definitely be topping up our stash (lovely MCN user term!) with Bonnibuns nappies :)

In my search for MCN's and MCN information, I have found a whole community simply addicted to them (yes believe it or not, something that is used for containing bodily fluids can actually become addictive!) There are groups committed to chatting about nappies on online parenting forums and there are facebook groups designed for selling second hand nappies.

It is fantastic to see that people are realising that cloth nappying is not hard! Sure it might add an extra load of washing or two, but isnt it worth it to see your bub in cute, fluffy prints and to know that you're not contributing to tonnes and tonnes of nappies sitting in landfill around the country?!

Highchairs - wooden vs plastic

So the time has come for us to start considering high chairs. Our little man is almost 3 months old and loves to be sitting up and already seems to be drooling at the mere sight of food!
While I was pregnant and doing countless hours baby researching in an effort to make the weeks go faster (haha...as if it worked!) I found a gorgeous timber high chair that I was dead set on getting for our son. However now that that the time has finally come - I am not so sure.
See, the timber highchair does meet my strict ctrieria of firstly not being plastic, but also of being made in Australia and made from sustainable timber.The one big problem though is that it looks bloody uncomfortable! It has no cushioning what so ever and looks like it wouldnt be fun to sit in! So now I face the dilemma...do we get a highchair that is eco friendly (and also looks gorgeous) or do I swallow my pride, ignore my inner self saying "no plastic, no plastic!" and get a chair that will be practical and comfortable for my little mans butt??
Arrrgghhh! Why cant I have both?!

The search for a wooden pram toy...

Over the last few weeks we have noticed that Bodhi is spending more and more time awake when we are out (previously we would no sooner get in the car and he would be crashed!) He's quite happy looking around in his pram, but we have started to wonder if we should put something in the pram for him to play with...

First of all - is a pram toy a necessity?? Almost every pram I pass has toys and gadgets hanging from it left right and centre, so much so that it can be hard to see the baby in there! But I have to admit, I do feel a slight pang of mother guilt when I look at my poor child staring longingly at the black inner of his pram hood!

So I guess if we are going to get a pram toy it has to meet some criteria:
1. It has to be wooden (my hatred for plastic toys is just too strong!)
2. It has to be made ethically
3. It has to be made of recycled or sutainable materials

Well...I've really created a challenge for myself. It seems nothing like this exists in any store near us, so it's off to the world wide web for me!
Finally after hours and hours of trawling, I am ecstatic to find just what I am looking for!!


Schaaf Kugelkette pram toy here at State of Green

Although it is made in Germany (would prefer to support local business and reduce my carbon footprint!) it does meet my criteria!!

So, with an order placed I can feel just a little less guilty when I see my son eyeing off the toys in other prams!!

A new day, a new blog!

Before our son was born I started a blog about my journey to become an eco-mumma! Well...I clearly didnt put the effort into my blog (can I blame being heavily pregnant??) so have decided to start fresh. I guess the big question is why even keep a blog? I think it's a good place to get out all my ramblings while I am on maternity leave and devoid of human contact! Seriously though, I am just a passionate person who loves to talk (or in this case write) so why not share what I am passionate about with the world?!

I hope that this blog might make people reflect, particularly on childhood, and encourage their children to just be kids! To focus less on material posessions (which usually end up in landfill very quickly) and more on connecting with people and places.

Hopefully I can fill this blog with lots of personal stories as well as links to some of the many amazing products I have been finding on the web. While I am not a fan of material posessions...there are definitely times when you need to make new purchases (toys, clothes etc), so why not make eco-friendly ones!!! Lately I have come across so many great sites selling handmade, free-trade or products made from recycled materials and I cant wait to share them.