My Manic Mother's Day Mantra

Stress will kill you… or so they say… and this is something that is not lost on me. I am hopeless when it comes to giving myself a break. I have 3 kids, I am working crazy hours to try and make my business successful, a TYPE A personality... and I just don't stop. I don’t exercise, I don’t eat properly and I don’t take a moment to 'just breathe every day'. I know you know what I mean...it is soo hard to take time for yourself...time for your body, your soul…it gets lost in the day to day, month to month struggle.

Today I went to Chadstone by myself, had one of those walk-in-off-the-street massages and then window-shopped for an hour or so! I came home and hubby then took the kids to find me a mothers day gift...what a man!!! I ran a bath and whilst laying there, I started thinking about you… well... about my next tumblemonkey blog post...and it came to me...here I am choosing all these natural, healthy products for my kids, my hubby, my household, my lifestyle and me...when I am ignoring the most important key to good health...balance. So I am making up a list that I am going to try and stick to...a list that ensures I get a better balance in my life...so here it is

Once a month I am going to try to

1. Have a massage

2. See a movie with a friend

3. Organize a date night

Once a week I am going to

1. Take a long hot bath for at least 45 minutes (no KIDS)

2. Use my Miessence mineral mask

3. Dry conditioner my hair with coconut oil

4. Have a coffee with a friend

5. Have a JUICE ONLY day

6. Do my nails with my daughter

7. LAUGH...really laugh...hire a movie, watch a you tube post ...just make sure it is a lying on the ground, wet my pants kind of an experience! Best done with my husband and kids...as he still makes me laugh the loudest!

My dad, Zahra and myself mucking around!!!

Once a day I am going to try to

1. Have a cup of tea and sit on my front porch swing for at least 15 minutes

2. Oil pull with coconut oil

3. Put on hand cream

4. Wash my face and moisturize

5. Eat breakfast… and not just drink coffee whilst making everyone else breakfast

6. Do 30 minutes of exercise

7. Cuddle my kids (a SIT DOWN CUDDLE...as they call it)

8.Try to start reading again (and not just my emails!)

So that is it...better stop there or I will set the bar too high... I can use any suggestions...I feel like I may have missed some obvious ones...what do you to make sure you keep a good balance in life? Or are you in the same boat as me?? 

My choices are mine... no judgements here!

SOAPNUTS in the big bag, eucalyptus oil, Bosistos spray for stains, Bosistos liquid for heavy duty situations, Lectric soda in the big container..I use it for presoaking and keeping lights light)

So I proudly show you how few products I am now using to clean my families clothes (as said I have 3 kids…2 very active girls and a boy who spills food on everything!!!) My cousin told me all she uses in vinegar and bicarb to clean her house…and man... am I sooo impressed by that and might one day get there. She recently told me I freaked her out when she saw the pic I posted of my cleaning products last year when I started on this journey…. Cringe …I guess that was the effect I was going for…but I am a little embarrassed by how little thought I had actually been putting into all those choices. But you know what... one thing I am sure of is that we all do the best we can... and in this busy world it is not always possible to spend hours researching and trying different options when it comes to natural choices in our lifestyles...THANKGOD for the internet!!!! Also, as already admitted...I am obsessed with this at the moment...and are probably spending too much energy on this and not enough time on my health and exercise...so my priorities are mine...and your are yours...but hopefully seeing some of these choices I have made will help you cut out all the expense and researching and cut to the chase and see how they go for you.

I find I still need a few more tricks when washing clothes to get rid of those pesky stains and keep all 5 of us in clean, stain free clothes. Even with these things pictured…my clothes are certainly not up to an FBI blue light scanner…but I think they get us about town OK!! I am also not washing nappies BUT I have to get tradie stains and armpit smells clean and 3 year old girls paint splattered kindy clothes (and I tell you what I am sure that paint is not waterproof!!!) refreshed on a daily basis. We (like many families) faced the dreaded gastro crisis of 2011… and at the time I was still using most of my heavy duty products (NAPISAN, LIQUID WASHING POWDER ETC)…and if we were to face another OUTBREAK I am not sure if I wouldn’t be tempted to bring out the big guns and buy myself a packet of NAPISAN…however armed with the knowledge that I now have... I think Soapnuts, Lectric soda and bloody hot water with lots of sunlight would see us through...I might also use a bit of my BOSISTOS liquid and spray as an extra barrier ….and this will be the way I happily and proudly head in the future.

Hair Care in a nutshell (coconut that is)

Natural Hair Care solutions has become a bit of an obsession with me lately.

I have pretty normal hair. It is blond and a little thin and frizzy sometimes. I used to just wash it with whatever shampoo and conditioner was on special or caught my eye...I never bought into the whole expensive shampoo thing...except when I was working for REDKIN on a magazine and we were all given a goodie bag as a way for us to bond with the product (the best perk I ever got as a designer)

But as I have been getting older and older I am finding I am needing to be more and more picky with what I use...and having 2 girls with longer hair and one with eczema I am trying to make to find a solution that will get the job done, for a reasonable price, that smells nice, makes our hair feel like silk, isnt too thick, doesnt sting our eyes...oooohhh the features go on and on...LOL

In the past I have done the Coal Tar shampoo thing at one stage for dandruff and a little bit of eczema in my hair...it smells and isnt really the nice indulgent experience I like it to be. I have also tried just washing with water. I got past the week four stage (your hair goes like a big ball of oil and then seems to return to a really even balanced stage eventually)...BUT again..I missed the nice smelling shampoo part of the whole experience. When I started using Miessence I really understood the wonderful results you can get when you use something natural. 

I have to talk about the Miessence experience in more detail....The first few weeks of shampoos I did with Miessence was a bit weird...my hair felt really dry and almost like straw...I have since found out that it was actually what they call a detox ...which happens when you STOP use shampoos with silicone in them (alot of supermarket brands basically coat your hair with silicone) The Miessence doesnt so eventually it clarifys your hair ...and this dry stage improves very quickly though and then it goes like silk!! I tried the lemon myrtle (my favourite) and dessert flower (which smelt a bit like wet dog to me personally)...then I had my next child and had to start watching the pennies again so switched back to the old faithfuls.

This lead me down the merry trail of silicone based shampoos for another few years till I tried Organic Care. I was hoping that for the price, easily accesibility and heaps of flavours...that this was going to be wonderful...alas...this product makes my scalp really tender and sore...whatever they are not putting in it is fantastic...and I am sure it works for alot of families...but annoyingly... whatever they are putting in it and not telling us on the label...effects me dreadfully (and my husband).

Organic Instinct (was Natural Instinct) PLUS my little girl showing you her green apple!!!

So that is when I decided to start looking again seriously at good natural shampoos. I tried Natural Instinct (now named Organic Instinct) and I really liked the product but got a lot of feedback about the company being not revealing all they were using on the label (again with the poor labelling in Australia issue) I was also using alot of their other products so I decided to skip them becuase it annoyed me that they were not necessarily being honest with me! I also tried SUKIN...smells great, is easily available, is very thick so you can water it down and it will go a long long way..but I eventually got dandruff (so too did a lot of my other facebook friends)...I am now currently using a combination of Ecostore baby shampoo..and coconut oil. The Ecostore is an interesting one...when you put it on...it almost feels like you have poured egg over your hair...you know how egg feels slippery and silky...but the smell is nice...and it feels good afterwards!.

SUKIN Shampoo and Conditioner available at most chemists/Priceline

ECOSTORE Range I am trialing at home. Baby shampoo far left.

Yes thats right..you heard me...coconut oil..it is an organic, cold pressed version..you can use it to cook with, moisturise your face with and condition your hair. I buy it at the local health food store...a small jar for about $10..but it lasts a while and has soo many applications it is well worth it (be sure to get the organic one so it has no pesticides in it...and I will talk more in detail about what else I use it for like whitening teeth in another post soon) Someone originally suggested it to me when I was trying to find something natural and gently enough to use on my 3 year-olds knotty hair. I now regularly dry condition my hair with it (which is where I basically rub a spoon of it through my dry dirty hair and leave it in all day..then wash out with 2 rounds of shampoo at the end of the day) It makes my hair smooth as silk and not fuzzy for a day or so...LOVE THE STUFF!!!

Coconut Oil bought from the Health Food Shop for about $10

I also recently watched a TV program where I picked up a few other natural hair treatments...I have not tried any of them..but they sound pretty safe and reliable.

The first one treats Frizzy Hair. You mix baking soda and water and spritz it into your hair and leave it on for an hour or so. It apparently reduces the frizz..The second one is an old japanese common sense recipe to detox your hair. You use the old rice water from boiling your rice (it is high in VITAMIN E and Amino acids) and you also add some ginger. This warms your scalp and removes any residue and dirt build up.

So there it is...my research on natural hair treatments that won't cost a packet and won't damage your hair with toxic chemicals! I am sure you all have many more that I have missed...or overlooked...let me know...I am always in the hunt!!Cath

Wiggle with me towards these Kids natural toothpaste ideas

After a particularly pleasant visit to the dentist the nurse handed my kids  tube of toothpaste...and a balloon. At the time I was thrilled...almost as much as the kids..afterall we had just paid alot of money for check-ups and it is always nice to get something for free...not quite a toothbrush..but paste is great!

After coming home, my kids wanted to hit the taps straight away and brush with their new gift. I squeezed the paste onto their brushes but checked the back first...and in tiny letters there was a warning that I had never really noticed before...something like..."only use a tiny pea sized amount AND be sure that it is not swallowed"...How ridiculous i thought...not swallowing toothpaste...it was enough to stop me in my track...I washed off their brushes and put the tube up in the cupboard...I was going to do a little more research into just why this extremely serious warning was on a packet of WIGGLES toothpaste obviously marketed at kids.

After doing a bit of reading I discovered that there are heaps of chemicals in alot of our supermarket bought toothpastes...some of which CAN trigger allergic reactions, behavioural issues, skin irritations, and can damage tooth enamel...to name just a few of the bad reactions (please google this topic for more info)

But the scariest thing I think, is that ingesting too much fluoride is dangerous...and children tend to swallow a large percentage of the toothpaste placed on their toothbrush so this is a danger serious enough for them to have these warnings.

Now I don't want to be a panic merchant or be perceived as a militant anti fluoride hippy... I understand we all make decisions... the best decisions we can for our selves and our kids...I have chosen one option...and those who are using the fluoride toothpastes with supervision..another...but we need to be aware that there are warnings on the packs for a reason and kids younger than 6 need to be supervised so they dont swallow the whole tube and end up in hospital. Reputable sources say that fluoride is important in fighting tooth decay..these organizations state that the absence or too small amount of fluoride may leave a child unprotected against the development of tooth decay. When fluoride use is monitored and given at the proper dose, it has been shown to help maintain good oral health. This is especially important since dental decay is one of the most common childhood diseases. For me and my children...well we live in melbourne and there is fluoride in the water...so I felt that surely there were more natural, healthy options that I could purchase locally when it came to toothpaste (whether from the supermarket OR the health food store)

I did ask on my tumblemonkey page if anyone had been using natural solutions like bicarb and lemon juice. I knew however, my kids wouldnt use this option regularly ...without alot of hard work my end...so I needed some other solutions.

We did try a few options like miessence lemon ...but even my husband and I couldnt come at this one...alot of people love it...but to me it wasnt going to be a long term solution either. We also bought SNAPPY JAWS and although this was OK...it soon got left behind. Then I found it...well I refound it actually....JACK & JILL.

Apparently Jack and Jill have been around since I was a child...my mum remembers buying it for me. So I jumped online and ordered 4 different flavours including bubblegum, strawberry, banana and rasberry flavoured. Only paid about $6 for postage and it arrived in a few days and we were all very excited. The kids love it...I have since seen it in the local health food store...so online is not the only place you can find it.

Another issue that was raised was about the safety of Xylitol (which is in Jack & Jill). I had a wonderful post from an australian pharmacist who said Xylitol is a safe and natural sweetener and does have scientifically proven defense against cavities.

I did give Jack & Jill a red hot go but for me it was a bit like brushing with lollies...so I ended up buying some GRANTS...which is easily available at the supermarket for only a few dollars (and has also been around for ages) It is more like the traditional mint toothpaste...which for my husband and I is much more do-able. 

As a little aside..apparently you can brush with soapnut liquid (which I tried but couldnt come at) OR Dr Bronner's soaps (google this product too..and I will talk about this more in upcoming posts..to me it was too much like using soap!!!)So that is where we are at with natural toothpaste options. Hopefully this might help you with your research on common sense, more natural choices for your kids toothpastes (and your own).

The Crafty Feltress has left the building

I am starting from the very beginning here...and now. As said at the top of this blog I am a mother on a journey of discovery. I have a pretty average family...me, my husband and our 3 wonderful kids. We also have eczema, asthma, psoriasis, rosacea, and a food intolerance or two thrown in for good measure.

I began noticing at the start of the year, that all the wonderful facebook fans who were visiting my tumblemonkey handmade page and buying my dryerballs for their money and energy saving features, were also really interested in searching and making better natural choices for their households...whether it was in their laundries, bathrooms, kitchens or even gardens.  We all have something in common...we are all looking for ways to improve our health and wellbeing...the best way we know how. Some of us are a little further down the track, some of us have more time to spend researching products, some of us can afford to buy more of these products BUT most of us are on a budget and need to balance making the right choices with keeping our households running.

These choices are often really tricky and priorities are different for all of us (I only need to look at the 5 different primary schools my mother's group choose when we were on the hunt for the perfect school for our children). So I set out to do some research for myself...but to also share with those who might not have the same time or budget to research and trial. I also find that since January this year, tumblemonkey on facebook has grown into a wonderful forum where I can post a query and know that there will be half a dozen ladies (or men) willing to help by adding their experiences and honestly to the subject.

As mentioned above...my daughter has eczema, sadly she never grew out of it (like I was told she would by the time she was 8)...so I am still searching for reasons and cures for her itchy, red skin. I first made my felt dryerballs as a way of removing the chemical fabric softeners in our laundry process... and softening all the scratchy, itchy linen and clothes she would complain about. Since then I have also discovered several wonderful products that I now ONLY use in my laundry. I can also say this about my household cleaning products and alot of the dietary choices we are now making. Sadly, she still has eczema... but I tell you what...the difference in our families health and wellbeing has to be an improvement when I look back at just what I was using without even thinking about the chemical nastys and additives in those bottles and packages. I feel like I am finally using my common sense.

THIS IS A PIC OF JUST SOME OF THE CHEMICALS I HAD IN MY CUPBOARD


I plan in my future posts to outline all these discoveries...so if you are a facebook follower...this might all seem a little boring and repetitive...but I wanted to give the newbies a little background knowledge before I start listing all these great choices for you to consider when next you are buying things like bubble bath, kids toothpaste, shampoos, washing detergents, dishwashing liquids and rinse-aids, hand wash etc etc