tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56833961507290582702024-03-20T22:35:55.981+02:00Natural living familyThe natural parenting place....Crunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-30507347612077670462009-03-25T09:03:00.006+02:002009-03-25T14:55:35.336+02:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family:Papyrus;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I haven't been posting much lately, partly because setting up a business around three kids is more than a full-time job in itself, but also because I simply have't had anything to say.. but the e-mail in my in box from <a href="http://www.avaaz.org/">www.avaaz.org</a> this morning about South Africa refusing to give the Dalai Lama a visa to enter the country just made me mad and really sad. How ludicrous that the SA govt refuses a Visa to the Dalai Lama to keep </span><st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">China</span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> happy. </span><st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">China</span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> with its horrible, horrible human rights track record and its general lack of respect for life (human and animal).</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Papyrus;color:blue;"><span style=" ;font-family:Papyrus;color:blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My blood pressure just goes through the roof when I think that I live in a country (a country that I love) where the shops are flooded with cheap Chinese rubbish, made by what amounts to slave labour in China and then refuses to allow somebody like the Dalai Lama into the country. It is really sad that people who fought for the human rights of their fellow people can feel so little for what the Chinese government is doing to its own people – all in the name of money.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Papyrus;color:blue;"><span style=" ;font-family:Papyrus;color:blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">To me the issue is not about whether the Dalai Lama is allowed into SA, but rather about the fact that South Africa bows to what the Chinese govt wants, whether it is because the ANC feels they 'owe China' because of arms received during the struggle or because of pure greed, SA is allowing China to dictate what should be done. They are allowing the events in Zimbabwe to just carry on...<br />I now feel the need to go play with my kids outside or my whole day will be wrercked, all this and the <a href="http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=181&art_id=vn20090325060236429C510601">taxi strike</a> we narrowly missed in Gauteng yesterday is really not the kind of future I envision for my kids - raising them in a world where money is more important than human rights. :-(</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family:Papyrus;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family:Papyrus;"><a href="http://www.avaaz.org/en/visa_for_the_dalai_lama">e-mail I received from avaaz.org</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Papyrus;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Despite its denial this week, </span><b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">our government appears to have refused the Dalai Lama an entry visa </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">because of fears it may affect the burgeoning trade relationship with </span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">China</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">.<br /><br />Archbishop Desmond Tutu has called this act a </span><b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">‘total betrayal of our struggle's history’ </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">and along with other Nobel laureates including FW de Klerk has announced he will boycott the World Cup peace conference, which the Dalai Lama was planning to attend before it was postponed today.<br /><br /></span><b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Generations of South Africans fought long and hard for cultural respect, political equality and democracy in this beloved country. </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">They struggled hand in hand with friends around the world for freedom. </span><b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We appeal to you to sign the petition to President Motlanthe </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">reminding him that the New South Africa is a country built on solidarity and calling on him to safeguard our sovereignty from unwanted Chinese government intervention. </span><b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">If enough of us sign, our voices will be heard by the President </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">to reverse his decision and allow the Dalai Lama into the country before the World Cup:<br /><br /></span><a title="blocked::http://www.avaaz.org/en/visa_for_the_dalai_lama/?cl=205804116&v=3058" href="http://www.avaaz.org/en/visa_for_the_dalai_lama/?cl=205804116&v=3058"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">http://www.avaaz.org/en/visa_for_the_dalai_lama</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><br /></span><b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">South Africans have a proud history that must not be bargained away. </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Global solidarity and international leadership were instrumental in the demise of Apartheid. While economic ties with </span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">China</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> have grown, culminating in last year's undisclosed agreement between our two countries, this opportunity should not come at the expense of human rights or support for </span><b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">one of the world's leading lights of peace and non-violence.</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><br /></span><b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The Dalai Lama has been campaigning non-violently for autonomy for the Asian nation of </span><st1:country-region st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Tibet</span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> from </span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">China</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> for more than 50 years. </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Denying him a visa will weaken the resolve of other nations to stand up for human rights. </span><b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It will certainly not serve the interests of South Africans. </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Almost a century ago, </span><st1:personname st="on"><b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Ma</span></span></b></st1:personname><b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">hatma Gandhi was thrown off a train in </span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">South Africa</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">because of apartheid abuse. We must appeal to our government not to mete out similar disrespect to one of the most revered international figures of our times.<br /><br />A Chinese official has admitted that they asked South Africa not to grant the visa citing the danger it would do to their bilateral relationship; the South African government has in turn said “it would not be in the interests of South Africa” to allow the Dalai Lama in. Let's together let our President know that </span><b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">abandoning an international human rights struggle for a trade relationship is a rejection of South African history,</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and unacceptable for the South Africa of today:<br /><br /></span><a title="blocked::http://www.avaaz.org/en/visa_for_the_dalai_lama/?cl=205804116&v=3058" href="http://www.avaaz.org/en/visa_for_the_dalai_lama/?cl=205804116&v=3058"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">http://www.avaaz.org/en/visa_for_the_dalai_lama</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><br />This recent visa decision comes on the back of the South African government blocking vital UN Security Council decisions which would have encouraged human rights and democracy in Zimbabwe and Burma. Now </span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">China</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> appears to have been successful in telling our government who should and should not enter South African territory. </span><b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This sets a dangerous precedent and we must appeal to the President of </span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">South Africa</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> not to bow down to bullying tactics.</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><br />As we commemorate the 50 year anniversary of the Dalai Lama being forced to flee his home in Tibet, </span><b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">let's together call upon the government to issue a visa to enter the land known internationally for its commitment to political freedom and human rights.</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><br />With hope,<br /><br />Elinor Sisulu, Human Rights Activist<br />and the Avaaz team<br /><br />Sources:<br /><br />South African trading relationship with </span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">China</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:<br /></span><a title="blocked::http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/southafrica/5038641/South-Africa-accused-of-selling-out-after-Dalai-Lama-barred-from-peace-conference.html" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/southafrica/5038641/South-Africa-accused-of-selling-out-after-Dalai-Lama-barred-from-peace-conference.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/southafrica/5038641/South-Africa-accused-of-selling-out-after-Dalai-Lama-barred-from-peace-conference.html</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><br />Nobel Laureates respond to South African decision<br /></span><a title="blocked::http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/23/dalai-lama-south-africa-world-cup-ban" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/23/dalai-lama-south-africa-world-cup-ban"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/23/dalai-lama-south-africa-world-cup-ban</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><br />Some reasons why South African refused to grant the visa<br /></span><a title="blocked::http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/03/23/why_did_south_africa_deny_the_dalai_lama_a_visa" href="http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/03/23/why_did_south_africa_deny_the_dalai_lama_a_visa"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/03/23/why_did_south_africa_deny_the_dalai_lama_a_visa</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><br />China African relations<br /></span><a title="blocked::http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i9FyFIVCp0wNH4nph9741vqe__NwD973PKI80" href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i9FyFIVCp0wNH4nph9741vqe__NwD973PKI80"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i9FyFIVCp0wNH4nph9741vqe__NwD973PKI80</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><br />More information about </span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Tibet</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span><a title="blocked::http://www.saft.org.za/" href="http://www.saft.org.za/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">http://www.saft.org.za/</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p>Earthmamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06977115380537489293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-11672987599620078822009-03-06T17:00:00.000+02:002009-03-06T17:12:54.838+02:00Child Led LivingI have always thought that things like child led weaning and 'potty training' made a lot of sense, but weren't always easy to do. Recently I came to the realisation that in fact they are the simplest, easiest and most natural way of doing things.<br /><br />With Ryan we decided to go the child led weaning route and while I did start him on solids sooner than I now think was necessary, he very soon started to feed himself and was eating pretty much whatever we ate. I never forced or bribed him to eat something he didn’t want to eat. Now at almost three years old, he is a healthy eater who prefers veggies to sweets and loves salad. He even enjoys foods like olives, pickles (ok, so not exactly healthy) and camembert cheese. He has no problem eating mushrooms, brinjals and baby-marrows – all items my twelve year old hates. Unfortunately with our oldest we weren’t as enlightened. While I never believed in forcing him to eat something he clearly didn’t like, he did learn a lot of bad eating habits at pre-school, back in the days before I was able to be at home with the kids. Now I just wait for Ryan to decide he no longer needs his ‘nanas’, but he will stop breastfeeding when he is ready. At this stage the most frustrating part of still nursing two kids is the comments from my mum-in-law. To Ryan nursing is not only a source of nourishment but also security, he is pretty high needs and given the choices of forcing him to wean and making him miserable or listening to funny comments from MIL when she visits, I would rather just deal with her. Funny enough Storm – who is seven months old – is the total opposite, to her breastfeeding is a source of nourishment and her security comes from cuddling with mom or dad. I sometimes wonder who will decide to wean first.<br /><br />Ryan 'potty trained' – I use inverted commas because I didn’t do any training – he basically figured it out for himself by watching us - yippee. With the help of a kiddies potty learning book and the minimum of fuss, no star charts and bribes to get him to perform. I decided to put off getting him out of nappies until I felt he was ready for it. Also with a baby arriving two months after he turned two and us moving provinces shortly thereafter, the time just never seemed right. I am glad we went this route as it all just happened so naturally without any forcing.<br /><br />Over the years we have been homeschooling, we have come to the realization that child led learning is the way to go. Like so many parents new to homeschooling we went the formal curriculum route, this just didn’t work for us and caused a whole lot of stress before we saw the light and abandoned the curriculum and allowed our son to lead us. I must admit that I did get frustrated when he had no interest in doing anything even remotely school related, but we got him to read by allowing him to read (almost) whatever he chose and he is now an avid reader. He has also become quite motivated this year and is doing loads of schoolwork on his own. He talks about wanting to become an engineer or archaeologist and realizes that he will need to study to do these. I have days when he doesn’t want to play outside with his brother and rather sits in his room studying. He has developed a great enjoyment in doing maths and has whizzes his way through an entire grade 6 maths text book already this year. His other loves are science and art.<br /><br />I have definitely learned over the years that child led living is the way to go; it is far less stressful for all concerned, most importantly the children involved. It is like most things in life, they all happen in their own good time and if we can all find the patience to allow life to happen at its own pace our lives will be so much richer.Crunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-83760086745035629402009-03-02T12:42:00.002+02:002009-03-10T15:05:39.379+02:00Earthwear<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipssrN0xqZVTMz8sXfpoOwaUm-ol44YYBCHnPIQKDkw7XR_NaxRABiGiEOPM9BkVi2fN-9l52Bi4_Yab0Ixp5E62aAM1q3KS96SgiQKlhL3rCW1fiQWwpPFQ5pdF_U6Asa383yMUBWJHLS/s1600-h/Landscape_LOGO2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 182px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipssrN0xqZVTMz8sXfpoOwaUm-ol44YYBCHnPIQKDkw7XR_NaxRABiGiEOPM9BkVi2fN-9l52Bi4_Yab0Ixp5E62aAM1q3KS96SgiQKlhL3rCW1fiQWwpPFQ5pdF_U6Asa383yMUBWJHLS/s400/Landscape_LOGO2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311543412274583154" /></a><a href="http://www.earthwear.co.za"><br /></a><div><br /></div>Well I have finally done it!!! – Gotten EarthWear off the ground that is ;-). The website is <a href="http://www.earthwear.co.za/">www.earthwear.co.za</a>, and the Etsy Shop is <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6555203">http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6555203</a> .<br />The site is still a work in progress and I have some fabulous adults wrap pants and skirts that I will be adding shortly.Crunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-67596613787249262022009-03-02T12:16:00.004+02:002009-03-02T14:39:31.959+02:00Lemonade Award<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjifrntZUEeg9N2EKJbk5nN6_a9yFgh97wAvdQ3YROu8Hj2wQUf7hA2c_NSpoYgsuYaf5VhRT4Ja-9rqaVFjTYCBNamiy8Gg15ckrHhFAm2DeclEtPBaH7fiKt9ti30pXPzEiWqbzZYXgzF/s1600-h/lemonade_stand.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308538079580322050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 124px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 128px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjifrntZUEeg9N2EKJbk5nN6_a9yFgh97wAvdQ3YROu8Hj2wQUf7hA2c_NSpoYgsuYaf5VhRT4Ja-9rqaVFjTYCBNamiy8Gg15ckrHhFAm2DeclEtPBaH7fiKt9ti30pXPzEiWqbzZYXgzF/s320/lemonade_stand.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Thanks Carle from <a href="http://ourholisticlife.blogspot.com/">http://ourholisticlife.blogspot.com/</a> for nominating me for this!! It will hopefully motivate me to post more often. I have several posts that are a work in progress, but just cant seem to get finished...All part of trying to keep up with three kids. I don't know how moms do it all...<br /><br />Now to nominate 10 blogs, mmm there are so many I love!!<br /><br />I definitely want to nominate <a href="http://ourholisticlife.blogspot.com/">Carle's Blog</a>, it is an inspiration to me. Her pictures are great, and i love to read and see what she and her family are up to. Her <a href="http://www.waldorfmaths.blogspot.com/">Waldorf Maths</a> blog is way cool, and I look forward to using her gentle way of teaching maths for my little ones.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.urbansprout.co.za/">Urban Sprout</a> - is a South African blog I love to read, it is full of all sorts of 'green' info and one of the first places I look when I need info and products here in SA.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mama-is.com/">Heathers</a> Mama is... and <a href="http://www.thecowgoddess.com/">Hathor the Cow Goddess</a> blogs have kept me going through two pregnancies and homebirths. She writes comics about everything attachment parenting, birth, breastfeeding, homeschooling... I really look forward to reading her blogs.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/">Tiffany's</a> blog Naturemoms is another inspiring and full of info blog I really enjoy reading.<br /><br /><a href="http://downinthemeadowmarket.blogspot.com/">Suzane's</a> down in the meadow market blog has the cutest knitted gnomes and animals. I just love looking at her latest creations.<br /><br />So now that you have been nominated, this is what you must do...Pass on some lemonade & let someone know they have inspired you. Here’s what you do:<br />1.Put the logo on your blog or post<br />2.Nominate at least 10 blogs that show great Gratitude and/or Attitude.<br />3.Be sure to list and link your nominees within your post.<br />4.Let them know they have received this award by leaving a comment on their blog.<br />5.Nominate your favorites and link to your post.Crunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-49638384453701108292009-02-13T17:00:00.007+02:002009-02-13T20:20:09.408+02:00Announcing a birth video/documentary contest! $1000 prize!Birth and specially homebirth, is one of those life events that I am passionate about. Recently I was approached about a fantastic competition from <a href="http://www.birthmattersva.org/videocontest.html">Birth Matters Virginia</a>.<br /><br /><blockquote><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Announcing a birth video/documentary contest! $1000 prize!<br /><br />Birth Matters Virginia (an organization that works to promote an<br />evidence-based model of maternity care) is inviting mothers, fathers,<br />filmmakers, film students, birth advocates, and others to create a 4-7<br />minute educational video about birth. The first-place winner will<br />receive a cash prize of $1000. Second place $500 and an "honorable<br />mention" prize of $100 will also be awarded. The deadline for entering<br />the contest is Mother's Day, May 10, 2009.<br /><br />Guest judges include: Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein, acclaimed producers<br />of the Business of Being Born and Sarah J. Buckley., MD, international<br />birth expert and author of Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering. Ricki,<br />Abby, and Sarah will join a consumer-based panel of judges who will be<br />evaluating the tone, educational content, creativity and more. You<br />don't have to be a professional to enter and you don't have to be from<br />Virginia.<br /><br />As the national rate of c-sections surpasses 30% and the U.S. ranks<br />41st in terms of maternal mortality, it is more important than ever<br />for women and their partners to be educated about the options they<br />have during pregnancy and birth. Birth Matters Virginia advocates "evidence-based" maternity care, which simply means using the best available research on the safety and effectiveness of specific practices to help guide maternity care decisions and to facilitate optimal outcomes in mothers and newborns. There are a lot of ways to approach that topic, and we're looking forward to the variety of entries.<br /><br />For rules and to see how to enter, please visit<br />http://www.birthmattersva.org/videocontest.html<br /><br />You can also join our Facebook group to get updates about the contest<br />and exchange ideas with other participants at<br />http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=73753459808<br /><br />And if you have questions, email Sarah at Richmond@birthmattersva.org<br /><br />Even if you don't plan to make a video or submit an entry, please pass<br />this email on to everyone you can think of.</span></blockquote><br />Having birthed all three my kids at home, I consider myself among the lucky few to have had that experience. Partly I have to thank my mom for raising me to never follow the so called experts blindly - be they doctors, religeous leaders or other - this has taught me to question, research and question again anything that did not feel right. While statistics in the US quote c-section rates at 30%, I have read that here in South Africa they are as high as 60% in many private hospitals - a frightening fact! Specially if you consider that giving birth is something that women have been doing since the begining of time, I find it truly hard to belive that 60% of women are incapable of giving birth without all the interventions that doctors deem as necessary.<br /><br />I recently watched a Birth Stories episode on TV and realised yet again, that women simply are not educated enough about their choices when it comes to birth and many follow doctors blindly. I cannot recall one birth that I watched where there were not interventions, mostly to speed up labour that was not progressing sufficiently. When one woman asked about being induced, she was not warned that the induction would make for a more painfull labour, that she would be hooked up to an IV and require constant monitoring and most likely need pain relief meds - due to the drugs used to induce. The doctors all just said, that the gel or IV would simply get things going, no mention of side effects etc. In one case where the woman ended up needing a c-section, the father dared ask about being involved in the birth and was rudely shot down by the doctor (in my opinion, doctors are after all demi-gods and above being questioned, are they not!?!). Not to even mention that every woman who did give birth vaginally, did so lying on her back on the bed... Anyhow the reason for this post was to spread the word about the competition and not to vent my frustrated feelings - maybe I should stay away from these TV programs in future LOL.Crunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-61246258703134173202009-01-30T16:20:00.002+02:002009-01-30T16:25:38.741+02:00New Yahoo Group - Nature SoapI have decided to start a Yahoo Group. I must admit that for someone who was always a self confessed 'techno-idiot', I have learned how to do everything from setting up my own website, running a blog, doing graphics in Photoshop and CorelDraw and I am now even trying my hand at creating Flash Animation graphics, so I figure why not set up a group - what could be easier - all this while nursing my daughter on my lap.<br />The group link is - <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naturesoap">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naturesoap</a> - here we can share information about soapnuts and environmentaly friendly cleaning. The earth depends on us to minimise our carbon footprint and treat her with respect. What easier way to do this, than to get rid of all those awful chemical cleaners in your home and replacing them with equally effective; or better natural ones. This group is based in South Africa, but we welcome members from all around the world, after all 'the more the merrier' :-)Crunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-88594455754965543172009-01-30T05:55:00.001+02:002009-01-30T06:07:13.120+02:00Famous QuotesI recently decided to revive a blog I started a while ago. It is a random collection of quotes by famous and not so famous people. I just post them as I come across them, all of the quotes have touched me in some way or another. Many are meaningful, some just add a smile to the day.<br />http://famousquoteoftheday.blogspot.com/Crunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-213983052409577162009-01-26T05:01:00.003+02:002009-01-26T10:36:17.520+02:00Made in ChinaI recently made a vow never to buy items made in China again. I had originally decided to do this some time ago after the all the problems with toxins in the dog food, baby formula, honey, lead in kids toys, human rights abuses and too many other disturbing issues to mention. Sadly over time I got a bit lazy with this and didn't always check lables - after all who has the time to check the lable of every little item bought, when even the innocent looking tin of mussels turns out to be made in China. It's not that I don't want to, but just that shopping with 3 kids (one a toddler and one a baby) after a 2 hour drive when I need to buy a months worth of groceries is just not with in the realm of possibility, and quite frankly enough to drive hubby over the edge.<br /><br />After recently coming across a post about <a onmousedown="'UntrustedLink.bootstrap($(this)," href="http://animalsaviors.org/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://animalsaviors.org</a> I just knew I had to do something...<br />What that something would be is not yet certain, I am rather limited for time, what with trying to get a business off the ground, homeschooling a 12 year old and raising two little ones; not to even mention the veggie garden I am trying to get up and running in the interest of becoming more self sufficient; did I mention that I am supposed to be studying myself as well - yeah I have a bad habit of biting off way more than I can chew.<br />So in the meantime I decided to go back to not buying anything 'made in china', quite frankly I would rather go without than support a country with so little respect for living beings. It's not that I have anything against Chinese people as such, I am sure that the vast majority of them are decent caring human beings...but there are just too many issues that I feel I would be condoning by buying anything that comes from there.<br /><br />Some interesting reading:<br /><a href="http://www.chinalaborwatch.org/upload/Wal-MartLungcheongReport.pdf">http://www.chinalaborwatch.org/upload/Wal-MartLungcheongReport.pdf</a><br /><a href="http://newsblaze.com/story/20070126232727nnnn.nb/topstory.html">http://newsblaze.com/story/20070126232727nnnn.nb/topstory.html</a><br /><a href="http://www.chinalaborwatch.org/">http://www.chinalaborwatch.org/</a><br /><a href="http://www.spacepub.com/users/china/">http://www.spacepub.com/users/china/</a><br /><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/2139401.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/2139401.stm</a><br /><a href="http://casarana.wordpress.com/2007/08/22/dont-buy-chinese-goods/">http://casarana.wordpress.com/2007/08/22/dont-buy-chinese-goods/</a><br /><a href="http://richmond.injuryboard.com/defective-and-dangerous-products/dont-buy-chinese-made-products.aspx?googleid=219430">http://richmond.injuryboard.com/defective-and-dangerous-products/dont-buy-chinese-made-products.aspx?googleid=219430</a><br /><br /><br />These all come from just a brief "google", I am too scared to look deeper for fear of what I might find....<br />Not to even mention that China is the world's biggest emitter of carbon dioxide, mainly due to all its coal power plants.<br /><br />Somehow I am going to stick to my resolution - not new years, I don't do those - and if I can't get non Chinese I will do without. My first choice is still, always local, after all "Local is Lekker!!"Crunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-67549674222418691682009-01-24T07:48:00.004+02:002009-01-26T08:34:36.920+02:00Yoghurt & Cheese makingIn my recently revived mission to live frugally and minimise our consumption of preservatives and other chemicals, I have decided to start making youghurt - and hopefully cheese again.<br /><br />Over the last two weeks I have made the most amazing youghurt, thanks to recipes posted by two fantastic homeschool moms on a homeschool group I belong to - <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EnvironmentalHomeschooling/">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EnvironmentalHomeschooling/</a>. I have kept the recipe simple:<br /><br /><ul><li>2 Liters of full cream milk (any milk will do, though Woolies Organic / Ayershire milk make great youghurt - the Ayershire specially makes thick creamy youghurt.</li><li>1 cup plain youghurt (Use one without all the added muck, and keep a cup you made for future use)</li></ul><p>Bring the milk to just below boiling point, being carefull not to actually boil it. About 85 deg Celsius if you have a thermometer. Keep it at this temperature for 10 minutes.</p><p>Let the milk cool to about 45 deg C, luke warm. Now you can add the cup of yoghurt, make sure to mix thoroughly.</p><p>Decant the yoghurt into pre-warmed thermos flasks and leave to stand for about 8 hours in a warm spot.</p><p>A few things to watch out for:<br />Don't boil the milk - otherwise you will end up making ricotta cheese the way I have a few times.<br />Don't add the yoghurt while the milk is too hot, or you end up with curdled cheesy bits in the yoghurt, still edible, but not really pleasant.<br />Don't warm the thermos up too much or the above will happen too.</p><p>And after all those don'ts - DO enjoy the yoghurt!!! My 2yo loves plain yoghurt (same child who loves veggies and salad - go figure). It is stunning with just a bit of honey added.</p><p>Later this week I will share my ricotta cheese recipe, which is based on a lovely recipe posted by Carle on her blog - <a href="http://ourholisticlife.blogspot.com/2008/02/ricotta-cheese.html">http://ourholisticlife.blogspot.com/2008/02/ricotta-cheese.html</a> , I tend to simplify even the simplest recipes - if I can shave 5 minutes of the time it takes to make something, I have 5 minutes more to play with the kids, or surf the net *giggle*</p>Crunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-64726939021363849762009-01-22T05:04:00.006+02:002009-01-23T19:40:32.310+02:00Enviro-friendly cleaningOver the years I have experimented with various green cleaning options and wanted to share some of what I have learned.<br /><br /><br /><br />The criteria I try to stick to are that whatever cleaners I use are green, non-toxic, simple and cost effective. Green and non-toxic are non-negotiable in my book, I simply refuse to have cleaning products in my home that are going to have a negative impact on the environment or be toxic to my kids or pets - these two go hand in hand as I have yet to find a product that is safe for kids (really safe, not just pretend safe; which means no sodium laurel sulphate, and other unpronouncable chemicals) and truly green (again truly green, and not just green-washed). Biodegradability is particularly important since we have a septic tank / french drain system in our home and essentially everything that goes down the drain ends up in the soil.<br /><br />Before we moved I had all sorts of different cleaners for different applications and it seemed to work, but our new housekeeper just got confused with the array of vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, spray bottles etc so I decided to simplify things. AND since I haven't earned a proper income since moving house in September last year, cost effectiveness has become more and more important. I have basically narrowed it down to <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.naturesoap.co.za">soapnuts</a>, <a href="http://www.tripleorange.co.za/">Triple-orange</a> (for occasional greasy, tough cleaning), vinegar and bicarb.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Soapnuts </strong>- I use these for 99% of my laundry, including cloth nappies. Occasionally do a load with <a href="http://www.tripleorange.co.za/">Triple-Orange</a> (when there are stubborn / greasy stains). I also use these for household cleaning (see recipe below) and in the dishwasher - which hubby kindly bought me for christmas - a couple of soapnuts in the cultery basket and everything comes out spotless. Having done quite a lot of research into dishwashers before deciding I actually wanted one, I discovered that they not only clean better than hand washing, but use less water and energy too. My biggest concern was the lack of green dishwasher cleaners in SA, until I read about using soapnuts.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Vinegar</strong> - for windows, mirrors etc (dilute 1/2 cup in a bucket of water) and in the all purpose cleaner (see below). Can be used as rinse-aid in the dishwasher, but I find that I don't really need it when using soapnuts.<br /><br /><strong>Bicarbonate of soda</strong> - I use this instead of scourers like Vim; works just as well and isn't toxic. Great for cleaning the oven and burned on pots; a regular occurence in my house. Just sprinkle some in the oven or burned on pot, spray soapnut soap on and let it stand for 20 minutes before cleaning.<br />It is also a great odour absorber, I keep some in a bowl in the fridge, chuck a spoonful in the bottom of the nappy bucket and sprinkle onto cats littler box.<br />I even wash my hair with it on days when my hair is extra dirty; other days I use the soapnut liquid and always rinse with a rosemary infusion.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em>RECIPES</em></strong><br /><br /><br /><strong>Soapnut all-purpose cleaner recipe</strong> ~ I use this to clean my whole house.<br />Add about 30g (about 1/2 handful) of Soap Nut Shells and the peel of one orange to approximately 1.5 Liter of water. Bring to boil, and simmer for approximately 30 minutes. Be carefull, this boils over easily if not watched, but it does superclean your stove-top in the process. The boiling process extracts the saponin from the nut shells and the essential oil from the orange peel. Lemon peel should work just as well, though I haven't tried it yet since I had oranges left over from last season; which while no good for eating were great for this. <br />Add a table-spoon of salt (disinfectant & preservative) while the liquid is still hot. Let it steep overnight. Strain and compost the remaining shells. Add a cupfull of vinegar. I sometimes add a few drops of essential oils when I don't have oranges. You can also save up soapnuts used in your washing machine and use them to make the liquid – there is still a lot of saponin to be extracted by boiling after they are no longer useful for laundry.<br /><br />I put this in a spray bottle and use it for everything from washing bathrooms, kitchen counters...everything else around the house, including dirty little hands. <br /><br />This is a concentrated, chemical free detergent that can then be used as a laundry detergent, shampoo, all purpose cleaner, car wash, liquid soap, pet shampoo, washing up liquid or any other things you would normally clean with a liquid.<br /><br /><strong>Rosemary infusion for hair</strong><br />2 sprigs fresh rosemary (about 10cm long), alternatively a tablespoon of dried can be used<br />2 cups water<br />Bring water and rosemary to the boil, let it simmer slowly for about 10 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool.<br />Strain and pour onto hair as a rinse after washing, do not rinse out.<br />This infusion is great as it makes hair soft and manageable. Your hair smells great too.<br />My sister told me about the benefits of using rosemary many, many years ago and I have used it instead of conditioner since.<br />A sprig of lavender can also be added to give that lovely lavender scent.<br /><br />Coming soon, some personal care recipes...Crunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-87823439790336647512009-01-21T09:17:00.003+02:002009-01-21T09:34:03.571+02:00Soapnuts<div>I haven't posted on here yet about my business ~ I import soapnuts from India and sell them on-line. To me they really are nature's miracle cleaner!!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Some more info:</div><br /><div>Now available in SA!!The environmentally friendly and affordable detergent - Soapnuts</div><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRT2BHYQRtsMqJYJCoCcNsKEuJr7kJm-F4gNH5g8OKmHVjtzI0fd590h4NKK6zAA6yq1E0xdim_ydOm9oLf80Fi9dt92yfkv6CGfMhmUMCuJYHBapTraEjU_3HeEep6Dhbcg5JyeJaSmT/s1600-h/soapnutlong-small.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293646259168394034" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 56px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRT2BHYQRtsMqJYJCoCcNsKEuJr7kJm-F4gNH5g8OKmHVjtzI0fd590h4NKK6zAA6yq1E0xdim_ydOm9oLf80Fi9dt92yfkv6CGfMhmUMCuJYHBapTraEjU_3HeEep6Dhbcg5JyeJaSmT/s320/soapnutlong-small.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>A washing detergent that grows on trees…literally - soapnuts are an environmentally friendly sustainably produced, bio-degradable and compostable way of cleaning not only your laundry, but also your whole house.<br />They are increasingly popular in Europe and the US, and Nature Soap are happy to be the first to bring this wonderful product to environmentally aware South Africans.<br />Soapnuts are all-natural with no chemical additives, they do the job of cleaning without any of the nasty side effects suffered by many people with allergies. They are even gentle enough to clean newborn baby clothes and nappies.<br />A 500g package contains enough soapnuts to wash about 135 laundry loads. No Fabric softener is needed. Your washing machine will last longer as there are no harsh chemicals to attack washing machine parts.<br />For more info or to place an order visit <a href="http://www.naturesoap.co.za/">http://www.naturesoap.co.za/</a> or contact Annie on 0833080086.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Later this week I will post some green cleaning tips and soapnut recipes.</div>Crunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-54550124328788327312008-12-29T07:39:00.012+02:002009-01-19T11:03:58.205+02:00Our African Christmas<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHhOJqDidUh8HP8aS0VKdttwYQOkCBDMFXFs-olfHLgVTmp6JUCKA2l_Uzz-LTjOXcC4pcXEI0RnPD8SVuDXy8zsA4uMMTSkbHLur6SNaeWf7Dsh5frvmEXTXL70m2WOgszh6iNFHXrSp/s1600-h/December-08-xmastree-web.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHhOJqDidUh8HP8aS0VKdttwYQOkCBDMFXFs-olfHLgVTmp6JUCKA2l_Uzz-LTjOXcC4pcXEI0RnPD8SVuDXy8zsA4uMMTSkbHLur6SNaeWf7Dsh5frvmEXTXL70m2WOgszh6iNFHXrSp/s1600-h/December-08-xmastree-web.jpg"></a>In our quest to be more enviro-friendly we decided to go the natural route for our Christmas tree again this year. Last years inverted tree root was great, but there were no trees that had been removed since we moved to our new house, so this was not really an option. We decided to find an indigenous tree that we could decorate.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsPFc8DHhCwm8vLhQGmr4IDgUGKJ2yfuiwFryKxPbgW3cWz8hV4iqxWkGBvEuXE6ZCo3ehObAEYH1scPjfRkTmHHeCsd9GdOrPdiOnghGcOGXHauDAL05ZAxyjZXIqKit0NWSaHzZhHfi/s1600-h/December-08-xmastree-web.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289159649856690946" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsPFc8DHhCwm8vLhQGmr4IDgUGKJ2yfuiwFryKxPbgW3cWz8hV4iqxWkGBvEuXE6ZCo3ehObAEYH1scPjfRkTmHHeCsd9GdOrPdiOnghGcOGXHauDAL05ZAxyjZXIqKit0NWSaHzZhHfi/s320/December-08-xmastree-web.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Since I have my hands full with the kids and trying to get a new business off the ground, not to mention trying to settle into our new home, hubby offered to find a tree; with his busy schedule it was the 23rd December before he managed to find some young acacia trees in an area of the farm that is earmarked for bush-clearing and planting in the new year. Since we prefer to decorate our tree on the 24th and didn't want to keep the tree inside too long, so as not to kill it, hubby gently removed it and brought it home on the 24th where we planted it into a terracotta pot. Sadly the other trees in this part of the farm will not meet with such a favourable fate; but we are planning on taking several more out for our garden.<br /><br /><br /><br />We kept the decorations simple using some ribbons from my sewing supplies, tea lights, painted jacaranda seed-pods and felted ornaments made by Dylan (with supplies bought from Carle - <a href="http://ourholisticlife.blogspot.com/">http://ourholisticlife.blogspot.com/</a>)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5v10jHgqLzqNY3aZfYf0HuA9W0ZcWPeETHN3vgvvQ70dHkH2DsEOTXFgVr9SiVuWVKEYptCrjejsEMEdYCt1zGnr6TCrFzWD0W1qPXMrEiDHioPyh8LY-mYruRdTdWcz_0cR5tIEgSCF/s1600-h/December-08-treegnome-web.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292913050686206242" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5v10jHgqLzqNY3aZfYf0HuA9W0ZcWPeETHN3vgvvQ70dHkH2DsEOTXFgVr9SiVuWVKEYptCrjejsEMEdYCt1zGnr6TCrFzWD0W1qPXMrEiDHioPyh8LY-mYruRdTdWcz_0cR5tIEgSCF/s320/December-08-treegnome-web.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Gnome made by Dylan<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0naBsXqIWaPUMz3FThPRi_ZUzfhHB80yRw7n9U68L8zchN4YLc0Tuz9OzQkDEO9C1mzU5UqJQKkG900QtlPEGDPiCeympgKqLd3RMI_JJFzHGPIqP6WT3sxp8852Cig7d7cdEF_pbTGTV/s1600-h/December-08-treefaeries-web.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289160938913691778" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0naBsXqIWaPUMz3FThPRi_ZUzfhHB80yRw7n9U68L8zchN4YLc0Tuz9OzQkDEO9C1mzU5UqJQKkG900QtlPEGDPiCeympgKqLd3RMI_JJFzHGPIqP6WT3sxp8852Cig7d7cdEF_pbTGTV/s320/December-08-treefaeries-web.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Some more gnomes and faries<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHhOJqDidUh8HP8aS0VKdttwYQOkCBDMFXFs-olfHLgVTmp6JUCKA2l_Uzz-LTjOXcC4pcXEI0RnPD8SVuDXy8zsA4uMMTSkbHLur6SNaeWf7Dsh5frvmEXTXL70m2WOgszh6iNFHXrSp/s1600-h/December-08-xmastree-web.jpg"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHhOJqDidUh8HP8aS0VKdttwYQOkCBDMFXFs-olfHLgVTmp6JUCKA2l_Uzz-LTjOXcC4pcXEI0RnPD8SVuDXy8zsA4uMMTSkbHLur6SNaeWf7Dsh5frvmEXTXL70m2WOgszh6iNFHXrSp/s1600-h/December-08-xmastree-web.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXUpukPt10t01Wa2hHTbAmGLg5pLvlO03z9sQhb3_7nImEoTWDu4CNuz8cjxkQ3RSJ21-ctdIqaQLhfIfy4XbImH0To5j-RBrpd0BOkPAo_hB9hfqVZOK5UHY3JEjzRQU2bF0z0PFBd8sX/s1600-h/December-08-tree-web.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292913049954609522" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXUpukPt10t01Wa2hHTbAmGLg5pLvlO03z9sQhb3_7nImEoTWDu4CNuz8cjxkQ3RSJ21-ctdIqaQLhfIfy4XbImH0To5j-RBrpd0BOkPAo_hB9hfqVZOK5UHY3JEjzRQU2bF0z0PFBd8sX/s320/December-08-tree-web.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We added some gnomes made by a fellow homeschool mom and our painted jacaranda podsCrunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-86189106188199321112008-06-03T07:23:00.000+02:002008-06-03T07:39:29.314+02:00Bean TeepeeWe finally got round to building the bean teepee which I promised my kids we would make...<br />It was originally done by a homeschool mom on a forum I belong to and when my 11yo son saw it he wanted to make it for his brother to play in. It is still a work in progress, so far we have planted some granadilla plants and today we are going to plant some runner bean and pea seeds.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/photosbyannie/2547489352/" title="Bean-Teepee-1 by Photos by Annie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3082/2547489352_76d51192ee.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Bean-Teepee-1" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/photosbyannie/2547489550/" title="Bean-Teepee-2 by Photos by Annie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3272/2547489550_01f9ec8358.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Bean-Teepee-2" /></a><br /><br />Who would belive it is winter here in our part of the world....<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/photosbyannie/2547489554/" title="Bean-Teepee-3 by Photos by Annie, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3281/2547489554_575fa7a8bb.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Bean-Teepee-3" /></a>Crunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-66145534153506810562008-06-02T07:36:00.000+02:002008-06-02T12:22:53.784+02:00Where Oh Where does the time go!?I have been wanting to update this blog for months, and somehow just never seem to find a spare moment to do so - actually I should be outside working in the garden, or working on the pile of accounting work lying on my desk as I sit here and type this. My now two year old is demanding that we go outside...<br />So much has happened, that I would love to post about, we are still happily homeschooling, heading in a more and more unschool direction as time passes - schooling the kids has simply become part of sharing our lives with them. Ryan is now two and #3 is due in about 1 1/2 months.<br /><br />Only time will tell if I manage to post here more often...Crunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-4121231768742584492007-06-18T06:50:00.001+02:002007-06-18T18:55:54.285+02:00Gone off the rails...Recently I was browsing through a local newspaper and came across some articles; one was about child friendly MP3 players and featured a picture of a small baby ‘listening’ to music with headphones. The other article was about secondlife.com – an online imaginary world. <br /><br />This all left me wondering if all this modern technology is what is really wrong with the world today. Call me odd, but I firmly believe that society started going off the rails with the introduction of television and has gone downhill at an alarming rate since. It used to be that several generations of families would stay together and look after each other. Grandparents looking after little ones so parents could work the land tend the animals. Parents would take care of grandparents when they got too old to fend for themselves. Most things would be done as a family, and everyone had a part to play. Nowadays it’s everyone for themselves, our kids are shipped off to daycare and school before they are old enough to object, they are no longer a valuable part of the family unit where they have a part to play and chores to do, they are superfluous. The older generation is even less important, they are put in old age homes and all but forgotten.<br /><br />Has life really gotten better, or are we just living in a virtual fool’s paradise while the planet is destroyed?<br /><br />Used to be people would sit around the dinner table and discuss the day’s events while they had dinner, now they all sit around the TV. With both parents most likely working, just when do these families find the time to spend quality time together, or do they? Has the alarmingly high divorce rate or, the fact that young adults leave the family home just as soon as they can with barely a backward glance have something to do with this lack of family time. Have we traded our families for convenience? While most people will argue that they work so that their families can have a better life, would those families in fact not have a better life with less luxuries and more family time?<br /><br />Things just aren’t what they used to be; now I am not saying that everything was better in the days before TV. There was a lot of injustice – towards women, towards people of colour, and often children, but why can’t society take the good from progress and reconsider the bad?<br /><br />Most people believe that they have to go ‘out and work’, in the vast majority of families both parents work outside the home, while children are left in daycare. It should not necessarily be mother’s job to stay home and raise the kids, but should not one parent be around at least part of the time? Should we not be bringing up our kids instead of working our fingers to the bone making others rich, because if you think about it; that is what most of those ‘out there working’ are doing. They are not the ones reaping the benefits of their labour, instead some large corporation or business owner is, they bring home a paycheck which is not really enough and live from month to moth.<br /><br />All this in the name of progress. I would rather my kids survive without that new MP3 player they are far better off feeding chickens and tending the veggie garden. As for me, I can really do without an imaginary online world; I actually have a life I love – with my kids and husband.Crunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-1462280561005560202007-06-13T07:50:00.000+02:002007-06-13T08:09:37.177+02:00Voluntary Frugality – Green Cleaning<strong><em><span style="color:#990000;">by Annie Austin</span></em></strong><br /><p><br />Recently I was asked what we do to save money. In this day and age where it is pretty much expected that both parents go out and work, it is really difficult to make ends meet when one parents wants to be at home with the kids.<br /><br />I have put together a few tips of what we have done to help make ends meet. I do still work from home, but it is difficult to earn anywhere near as much as I would if I was ‘out there’, but watching my kids grow and being there for them makes any sacrifices well worth it.<br /><br />We grow our own veggies - a must here where we live since there is very little available. It does save quite a bit of money. I freeze a lot of the excess and have on occasion sold some. If you are doing this organically you need very little apart from some good compost. If you have the space you can make your own by recycling household waste – watch out for future article on compost making. </p><p>I have a menu I put together for the month, this way everyone knows what to expect and there is less waste from stuff going off in the fridge. I try to minimise the shopping trips and when we do go only buy what is on the list, makes a big difference to the monthly budget. We stick to budget foods during the week and have a treat on Sundays. Meat is something we have cut back on drastically, not only is it full of chemicals and I feel just awful for the way the animals are treated, but with the cost nowdays it is beyond most peoples means. We eat a lot of lentils, rice, beans and potatoes. Eggs are a staple, we did have our own chickens and had more than enough eggs. We only have a few chickens now and I want to build this up again. Chickens can eat a lot of kitchen scraps and weeds so are not too expensive to maintain if you have the space. The kids just love feeding the chickens and geese.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Cleaning</strong><br /></p></span><ul><li>I try to keep this as non toxic as possible and have managed to save a lot of money by simply not using all those commercial cleaning products. </li><li>I use vinegar for most things from cleaning floors to bathrooms to kitchen counters and windows. Dilute one tablespoon of vinegar and one teaspoon salt to about 4L hot water, this is great for cleaning most things. I buy a 5L container of vinegar, it is cheap and best of all non toxic.</li><li>For windows put some undiluted vinegar in a spray blottle instead on ‘windowlene’. </li><li>If you need a scourer use bicarbonate of soda.</li><li>Vinegar and borax make a great mildew remover – <strong>but be careful borax is poisonous if ingested, keep away from little ones and pets.</strong><br /><br /><strong>Dishes</strong></li><li>I use really hot water for most and only use dish liquid for the really greasy stuff. </li><li>Lemon and bicarbonate of soda work pretty well too as a grease cutter and are brilliant for burnt on pots (something I have often) just sprinkle some bicarbonate add a teaspoon of lemon and cover with 5mm water. Soak over night. </li><li>Salt is anti bacterial as is tea tree oil, either added to hot water will kill any bacteria – specially useful if you have been preparing meat.<br /><br /><strong>Oven</strong></li><li>Bicarbonate of soda sprinkled on and sprayed with vinegar, leave for 20 minutes and wipe off. Any stubborn patches can be scrubbed with extra bicarbonate.<br /><br /><strong>Laundry</strong> </li><li>Use half a cup of vinegar instead of fabric softener. </li><li>I find that the Enchantrix <a href="http://www.enchantrix.co.za/">http://www.enchantrix.co.za/</a> laundry gel when bought in 5L containers actually works out cheaper than the commercial stuff. <br /><br /><strong>Air Freshners</strong> </li><li>Spin-Fresh Bathroom Deodorizer - Add a couple of drops of your favorite essential oil to the inside of the cardboard toilet tissue roll. With each turn, fragrance is released into the room. </li><li>Make a Lemon and baking soda spray - Dissolve baking soda in 2 cups hot water, add lemon juice, pour into spray bottle, spray into air as air freshener.</li><li>Bicarbonate of soda placed into an open container will freshen any area, works great in the fridge.</li><li>If you carpets are smelly, bicarbonate sprinkled over and left for 20 minutes before vacuuming is fantastic.<br /><br /><strong>Drain Cleaner</strong> ~ For slow drains, use this drain cleaner once a week to keep drains fresh and clog-free.<br />1/2 to 1 cup baking soda<br />1 cup white vinegar<br />3 liters boiling water<br />Pour baking soda down drain, followed by vinegar. Allow the mixture to foam for several minutes before flushing the drain with boiling water.<br /> </li></ul><p>Most of these are fairly simple tips that can make some difference to the montly budget, but also a huge difference to the environment. We have also started putting together a monthly budget and deciding before hand how much we can afford to spend on various things so that we know where we stand at any given point.<br /> </p>Crunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-62040881049212414352007-06-05T07:16:00.001+02:002008-06-02T07:32:35.744+02:00Keeping Baby Close<a title="Photo Sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/photosbyannie/17019781/"><img height="75" alt="frog small" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/12/17019781_c569d81e89_t.jpg" width="100" /></a> <a href="mailto:saparentlife@gmail.com"><strong><em><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#990000;">Written by Annie Austin</span></em></strong></a><br /><br />Baby wearing is just another one of those facets of attachment parenting that I am passionate about. It just feels so right, your baby nestled in close to your heart! After 9 months in your body what can be more natural than to nurture your baby right against it. Baby is happy and secure and mom’s hands are free to do what she needs to, it just makes everything easier, including nursing. Now don’t get me wrong baby wearing is not for moms only, my husband still carries our little one often.<br /><br />Baby wearing is something that comes naturally to many cultures – just look at our African ladies wearing their babies on their backs – these babies cry less and just look so content. Westerners are finally starting to see baby wearing for the wonderful attachment tool it is. While there is loads of info overseas about baby wearing there is still sadly little knowledge about this in SA.<br /><br />I have been wearing my youngest who is now a year old since birth, we have gone through different carriers in the different stages my son went through. When he was a newborn a sling worked well, but he soon started to dislike being so enclosed. I tried several of the commercially available carriers, but they just did not work for me and left my son’s legs dangling which is not healthy for hip development. I then discovered the Khanyisa African Baby carrier which till this day we can use comfortably for prolonged periods. We alternate this with a sling which, now that he can sit up in it he just loves.<br /><br />While it may not always be easy to find the right carrier and some trial and error may be necessary, once you find the right carrier you will never look back. I only wish I knew about slings when my older son was small, he like most babies did not much like being in a pram and I spent a lot of time simply carrying him.<br /><br />Some further reading:<br /><br />There are now several slings and carriers available in South Africa that are made locally. Among these is the African Baby Carrier and <a href="http://www.babyslings.co.za/"><strong><em><span style="color:#990000;">aSling</span></em></strong></a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.earthbabies.co.za/"><strong><em><span style="color:#990000;">Earthbabies</span></em></strong></a> have some lovely info on baby wearing and some great carriers and slings.Crunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-57672606352471074022007-06-03T01:39:00.000+02:002007-06-03T13:40:52.895+02:00Writer's Block...<span style="font-family:georgia;color:#990000;"><strong><em>by Annie Austin</em></strong></span><br /><br />I have been seemingly suffering from writers block...<br />But then at three o’clock this morning it dawned on me, I am not in fact suffering from writers block! But instead from sheer utter exhaustion! The mind numbing kind of exhaustion that renders one incapable of walking up-right let alone stringing a cohesive sentence together, why do you ask am I walking around in this dazed state? What was I doing up at 3am? Could it have something to do with a certain adorable little boy who recently turned one and is sprouting yet another molar? The very same little angel who now lies sleeping in my arms, my breast firmly in his mouth, while I one handedly type this? I look down at his precious angelic face and my heart just melts all over again.<br /><br />Looking around our toy strewn study, I once again think about what a wonderful roller-coaster ride the last year has been. Hurricane Ryan landed here abouts on the 4th May 2006 and has steadily been gaining momentum with every new skill acquired.<br /><br />The reason I say ‘our’ study is that my sons and I share a study – we homeschool and it is easier to have everything in one room – I am sure our house-keeper who probably lives in a home smaller than our kitchen finds our living arrangements most amusing. You see we also co-sleep and with the birth of Ryan our eldest has decided that he does not like being ‘left out’ and started sleeping in our room too. So while we live in a huge old farm house most of the rooms are unused while we all sleep in one room and spend the vast majority of our day either outside or in the study.<br /><br />Yes, I have a house-keeper (shock horror gasp – not very crunchy indeed!!), but I am a work at home mom (WAHM) who needs to work several hours a day, educate and love two growing boys and look after my family, find time to write; and edit this blog. Somehow house work just does not fit into the equation. As much as I am capable of multi-tasking I have not yet found the secret to being in more than one place at a time, and until I do I have a house-keeper.<br /><br />So here I sit on an unseasonably wet and cold autumn Saturday wondering just what the future holds for my nearest and dearest, will their kids too have the luxury of growing up on a farm – or will life as we now know it no longer exist? Will they get to run outside in the sun, or will the atmosphere have been destroyed so much that being out in the sun will be impossible? While many people choose not to think about global warming and what the human race is doing to this planet, one look at my children is all I need to know that unless we all do something drastic here and now, they face a future far bleaker than we can even begin to imagine.Crunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-49574981042529844452007-05-20T09:25:00.000+02:002007-05-20T22:22:33.913+02:00Why I choose to Homebirth<em>by <span style="font-family:georgia;color:#990000;"><strong>Annie Austin</strong></span></em><br /><br />While most doctors will tell you that giving birth is a medical event which needs to take place in a hospital, with doctor in attendance “in case something goes wrong”, there is a whole range of alternatives out there. From having baby in a hospital with a midwife instead of doctor, to unassisted childbirth. With a whole spectrum of options in between.<br /><br />Thought I would start with the birth of my second child. I had resigned myself to having a hospital birth, my husband was totally opposed to a home birth. He was worried that we were too far away from help if something went wrong. I think he realized that we would have to look at other options to hospital birth after a completely stressful visit to my now second OB. The first one and I parted ways on rather bad terms as he was completely unprepared to allow me to have a birth plan or to have any say whatsoever in the kind of birth I wanted. He said we would either do things his was or he was not prepared to be my doctor anymore. I was not about to let him bully me into having a medicated, medically controlled birth, especially since my first had been a home birth without complications. I changed OB’s only to end up with even more stress and being told I would probably need to have a c-section as my placenta was low lying – this was at about 24 weeks – I had had an ultra sound at 19 weeks and my placenta was nowhere near low lying. To cut a long and boring story short, the two OB’s know each other pretty well and both have an incredibly high c-section rate.<br /><br />So there we were 25 weeks along and no care giver, I was desperate enough to consider using my GP who operates from the only hospital in our nearest small town – a state hospital – but at least he would be reasonable and would not try to bully me further.<br /><br />I decided to look at other options, there had to be something better than the options I had considered thus far. Even if it meant me giving birth in Durban almost two hours drive away. I found a midwife in Ballito, not as far as Durban, but still over an hour away. I went to see her and we clicked immediately – she gave me the confidence to seriously consider home birth as an option, after all my first pregnancy and labour had been straightforward. My husband and I agreed (or rather I convinced him) that home birth would be the way to go and we haven’t looked back since.<br /><br />Our son was born on the fourth of May, after an amazing labour assisted by a midwife and doula. I used a birthing pool for pain relief and was allowed to labour at my own pace. Ryan was born in water, with the membranes still intact. I was able to nurse him as soon as he was ready, he went straight into daddy's arms and was never left alone to fend for himself for one second.<br /><br />After the birth we got into the family bed and got to know our youngest son better. Our oldest son was present to meet his new brother and the whole day was relaxed and pleasant. And I never had to eat hospital food!<br /><br />Compare this to how most birth happens in a hospital. Firstly there is the drive to the hospital, in our case 40miles along bad roads, then having to get checked into hospital. After arrival, spending time on your back attached to monitors, and being examined by a midwife and nurses you have never met before.<br /><br />If all this is not enough to stall labour, then chances are that the constant interruptions and offers of pain relief and IV needle in your arm would be. Not to even mention the fact that you are not allowed anything to eat or drink but clear fluids – just in case.<br /><br />If you are one of the lucky ones, labour will proceed as expected - doctors expectations that is - not yours. If your membranes have not ruptured, then labour will be ‘helped along’ with rupturing of membranes. This often has the effect of speeding labour up and making the whole process more far painful.<br /><br />Labour is given a time limit and if things take too long or start to slow down - due to all the interruptions - then drugs to speed up labour are given. Chances are that this will lead to the mother needing pain medication, as the labour inducing drugs cause harsher and more intense contractions, forcing baby out into the world before it is ready.<br /><br />Due to the drugs extra monitoring is required, mother is expected to lie on her back so that baby’s heart rate can be monitored. Lying on her back not only makes for a more painful labour, but will also have a negative effect on baby’s heart rate.<br /><br />If baby is seen to be in distress – possibly due to drugs given to the mother, or due to mother lying on her back, words like emergency c-section or forceps delivery start being bandied around.<br /><br />What started out as a straight forward birth, has been turned into a medical emergency. Unfortunately most doctors are taught to deal with medical emergencies and not healthy mothers giving birth to healthy babies. One intervention leads to the next.<br /><br />Add to this the risk of infection from other patients, risk of kidnapping (a common occurrence where we live in South Africa) and homebirth starts looking like a far better option.<br /><br />These are only two of the options available to moms, there are many great free-standing birthing centers available – these are staffed by midwives and doulas. Some hospitals are open to independent midwives attending births instead of doctors. On the other end of the spectrum is unassisted childbirth where the mom chooses to labour at home with only her partner present without any medical intervention whatsoever.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#990000;"><strong><em>Further reading on homebirth and birth stories:</em></strong></span><br />~<a href="http://www.earthbabies.co.za/"><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#000099;"><em><strong>Earthbabies</strong></em></span></a><br />~<a href="http://www.mothering.com/articles/pregnancy_birth/homebirth/give-birth-where.html"><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#333399;"><strong><em>Mothering homebirth article</em></strong></span></a><br />~<a href="http://www.mothering.com/community_tools/toolbox/pregnancy_birth/homebirth.html"><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#333399;"><strong><em>Mothering Reasons to choose homebirth article</em></strong></span></a>Crunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-40284454011447392922007-05-17T19:02:00.000+02:002007-05-17T19:04:40.690+02:00Quick and Easy Tomato Sauce Recipe<span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><br /><br />2kg tomatoes<br />1kg onions<br />1 house of garlic<br />3tbsp olive oil<br />Fresh parsley and either basil / thyme / oregano<br /><br />Tomatoes can be blanched and peeled, but I generally omit this step unless I am using really tough skinned tomatoes.<br /><br />Chop the onions and fry lightly in olive oil. Add the tomatoes and herbs mix well and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes until ingredients have cooked down and most of the liquid has evaporated. If you want a really chunky sauce, keep out about 500g tomatoes and add these in about half way through cooking.<br /><br />The riper the tomatoes the tastier the sauce will be, and of course if you can grow your own organic tomatoes and leave them on the vine until really ripe all the better!! This recipe is a really great way to store and freeze excess tomatoes for the winter.<br /><br />This sauce can be bottled and frozen – I use glass bottles – mainly as it is a good way to recycle them and also I try to avoid plastics as I just don’t trust that the chemicals will not leach out of them especially during freezing. If you are using glass, make sure to only put the lids on the jars after the contents have frozen to prevent the jars from cracking.</span>Crunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-76199804624762313252007-05-17T18:38:00.000+02:002007-05-17T18:41:13.676+02:00Cooking Kids<span style="font-family:lucida grande;">My 10yo son has decided to learn to cook; we have incorporated it into his homeschooling activities – after all what is cooking if not reading, maths and science all rolled into one.<br /><br />Here is one of his favorite recipes, it is easy to make with some supervision and tasty enough for the whole family to eat. This Veggie Bolognese is enjoyed by everyone in our family from my 1 year old to the adults to the cats and dogs!! My son now does most of the preparation himself (including cutting onions and putting the pasta into the boiling water, but you can let kids do as much or as little as they are up to doing – even just measuring some of the ingredients is a maths lesson)!<br /><br />Veggie Bolognese Sauce and Pasta:<br /><br />For the Sauce<br />1 cup red split peas<br />2 large carrots<br />2 sticks celery<br />1 onion<br />1 tbsp olive oil<br />500ml veggie stock<br />250ml tomato ‘sauce’<br />Salt to taste<br />Fresh parsley & oregano<br /><br />I usually make my own stock and tomato sauce (see next entry) but this can be the store bought kind if you prefer. The carrots, celery and onion come straight from the garden as do the stock and tomato sauce ingredients.<br /><br />Let the kids start by washing their hands and donning their aprons (look out for child size apron pattern soon!!). Then wash all the veggies, peel the onion, top and tail the carrots.<br /><br />The veggies can now be either mixed or grated in a food processor – kids love this part and it is something even the little ones can safely do.<br /><br />Heat the oil somewhat in a pan, remove the pan from the heat (I usually let my son put the pan on a heatproof pot holder on the table next to the stove) add all the veggies & herbs, mix well and return to heat.<br /><br />Allow to cook for about 5 minutes until veggies are starting to soften.<br /><br />Add the split peas, stock and tomato sauce, removing from heat before doing this – the reason I remove the pan from the heat each time is just an added safety measure for the kids. Mix all ingredients well and allow to cook for approximately 20 minutes, stirring from time to time. More stock can be added if necessary.<br /><br />While the sauce is cooking, cook pasta of your choice to accompany this.<br />This is also great with a bit of percorino cheese on top.<br /><br />Be sure to pop in again for more mouthwatering kid’s recipes!! </span>Crunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-50013643888454385152007-05-14T11:21:00.000+02:002007-05-20T21:45:45.757+02:00Co-sleeping in comfortI have always been pro sharing sleep, my first son spent the first six months of his life in my bed and first year in my room - at the time I was newly widowed and spent so much time away from my son during the day while I was at work that I hated to be parted from him when I didn't have to - including while we slept.<br /><br />After marrying a wonderful man and finding happiness in a marriage that I thought I would never find again, I was expecting my second child. We looked at cots and bassinets and started putting together a nursery for him, but somehow it just didn't feel right. The more I read parenting info the more the attachment parenting mindset made sense to me. I started reading forums and magazines like Mothering and realised that I agreed with the shared sleep philosophy and all it entailed. Now to convince my huband of this... unlike me he had a traditional South African upbringing and all the ideas that go with it. Anyhow I shared some of the info I had read and realised very quickly that my wonderful husband would prove to be even more wonderful, he agreed with my ideas and was happy to have our baby share our bed. I even convinced him that giving birth to our baby at home was the best option for us, even though we live on a farm and are some distance from the nearest hospital, but that is another story alltogether.<br /><br />Our youngest is now a year old has slept with us from the begining and we just love having him in our bed. Though even with a king-size bed things were getting a bit cramped as he tends to stretch out across the bed. I then got the idea of putting a single bed next to our bed. We are fortunate in that we live in a really old farm house and the rooms are huge, so this is an option. I adjusted the legs of the bed so that the beds would be the same height and made a fitted sheet that fits over both beds. The single bed is now in the corner of the room, so that my son cannot fall off during the night - he learned how to get off the bed without falling off about two months ago, but I still worry he may fall off while asleep. I now sleep in the middle of the bed and no longer have a bedside table - which will take some getting used to, but there is now enough space for all of us - even my oldest (he sometimes sits on the bed with us and watches a movie) and the really great thing is that should we be fortunate enough to have another baby while this one still sleeps with us, there will be enough room for everyone to sleep safely. Now if I could just convince my body it is ready for the next one, but with Ryan still breast-feeding who knows when this will happen?<br /><br />Sharing sleep or co-sleeping really is an amazing way for both parents to bond with baby, and I find nothing easier than just feeding my baby when he is hungry during the night without having to leave my bed. While this is not an option that will work for all families I stronly recommend that it is something that is considered by future parents as an option. While many may say it is not safe to sleep with your baby in your bed, there is a lot of research out there that shows, that as long as a few simple rules are followed, it is a truly safe and rewarding experience for the whole family.<br /><br />After all babies have only been sleeping apart from their parents in recent history, a few hundred years ago nobody had even heard of cots...<br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#990000;"><strong><em>Recommended reading:</em></strong></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtX5Z8e-siByzNeXdqBUy0SE9WFmbP2Q7xaMi7V9ZAxyL5nw9jnWOICLrGoVCqcXO0I-lkCIxw_1VYYsrpKzhQ9mauZ8UEvo1hGXjtizVLEXjqlXI1p5EBU88uR5b_w8bdW8jZy6-e7jZG/s1600-h/threeinbed.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5065838124392317682" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtX5Z8e-siByzNeXdqBUy0SE9WFmbP2Q7xaMi7V9ZAxyL5nw9jnWOICLrGoVCqcXO0I-lkCIxw_1VYYsrpKzhQ9mauZ8UEvo1hGXjtizVLEXjqlXI1p5EBU88uR5b_w8bdW8jZy6-e7jZG/s200/threeinbed.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.kalahari.net/e-trader/referral.asp?toolbar=mweb&linkid=5&amp;partnerid=6256&sku=26424147">Get the book</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />~Three in a Bed: the benefits of sleeping with your baby by Deborah Jackson Mothering.com article <a href="http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/sleep/jackson.html">Three in a Bed</a> by Deborah Jackson<br />~<a href="http://www.earthbabies.co.za/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=66">Safe Co-Sleeping</a> article by Elizabeth Pantley (author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution)Crunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-77226515773758827852006-12-04T02:13:00.000+02:002007-05-20T22:27:00.978+02:00Ryan's home water birthWell, where to begin? I had resigned myself to having a hospital birth, hubby was worried that we are too far away from help if something went wrong and was totally opposed to a home birth. I think he realized that we would have to look at other options to hospital after a completely stressful visit to my now second OB.<br /><br />The first one and I parted ways on NOT good terms as he was completely unprepared to allow me to have a birth plan or any say whatsoever in the kind of birth I wanted, he said we would either do things his was or he was not prepared to be my dr anymore, needless to say I was not about to let him bully me into having a medicated, medically controlled birth, specially since my first had been born at home without any complications.<br /><br />I changed OB’s only to end up with even more stress and this one saying I would probably need to have a ceasar as my placenta was low lying – this was at about 24 weeks – I had had an u/s at 19 weeks and my placenta was nowhere near low lying. To cut a long and boring story short, the two OB’s know each other pretty well and both have an incredibly high c-section rate.So there we were 25 weeks along and no care giver, I was desperate enough to consider using my GP who operates from the only hospital in our nearest small town – a provincial one (state run) – but at least he is reasonable and would not try to bully me further.<br /><br />Then as luck would have it I contacted a doula, who put me onto my mw, who was nearer to us though still and hour and ¼ away but at least a bit closer than any of the others I had heard of. I went to see her and we clicked immediately – she gave me the confidence to seriously consider home birth as an option. Hubby and I agreed (or rather I convinced him) that that would be the way to go and we haven’t looked back since.<br /><br />My midwife was assisted by the doula I had originally contacted - they make a wonderful team. On the 4th May (Hubby’s birthday) I woke up feeling worried that I was feeling very little movement from the baby, and had not felt any during the night – he usually woke me up – I also found that he had moved from anterior to posterior position, so I could not find his heartbeat on my bebe sounds monitor. I started having minor, but regular (more or less) contractions at about 6:30 (by which time I was up and about – most unusual for me as I had battled to get up before 7:30 – 8:00 lately).<br /><br />I phoned my mw after 7:00 and she suggested that I go to my dr for a CTG and just keep monitoring the contractions. I got hold of my dr and he said to go to our local hospital for the ctg – he is in our nearest town, which is small and only has the prov hospital, but after my experiences with OB’s on private hospitals I decided that my GP (whom I trust) and a small town prov hospital was the lesser of the two evils (he would only be a back-up dr anyway). I went for the ctg and all was fine, it did not pick up any contractions – though I did have two very mild ones, but babies heartbeat was fine and that was all I needed to know. When the sister at my dr's rooms looked at the printout, she said that the scanner had not picked up any movement ito the contractions and that it probably wasn't working, but that baby's heartbeat was great.<br /><br />By 10:00 the contractions were stronger though still very short (about 20 sec) and about 7-10 minutes apart. I spoke to the Doula who said to have a nice warm bath and if the contractions don’t stop, we will know I am in early labour. I did this and had 3 contractions while lying in the bath – this was definitely it, I was starting to get very exited. I spoke to both the mw and doula and they were preparing to come out my way.<br /><br />At this stage I should also mention that I had my GP, sweep my membranes on Tuesday and I had been taking 2500mg of Evening Primrose Oil (orally and vaginally for the past two weeks) – I was desperate to have Ryan (we had chosen his name when we first found out he was a boy at 19 weeks). I started to get things ready with the help of my son – who is 9. By 12 the contractions were about 2 minutes apart though still short (about 20 sec) this carried on till after one, Hubby came home at 1:00 and helped me set up the last bits and pieces. The mw and doula arrived at about 2:30, by which time I was needing to stop what I was doing and breathe through the contractions. The mw did an internal and said I was 7cm dialated – I could have jumped for joy – hubby and the doula got the birthing pool ready and I got in – by this time I had stopped checking how far apart my contractions were and just let the mw guide me. My contractions were pretty intense, but still only about 20-30 sec long. I got to get into the pool and it was the most amazing feeling of relief to float in the water. I lost all track of time, and was aware only of what was happening in my body. Hubby was standing behind me and I held onto his hand. At one stage I recall the mw saying to me to breathe slowly as I am starting to hyperventilate. The one time I almost “lost it” was when Liza mentioned after an internal that I had an anterior lip, fortunately it didn’t stay long as I was desperate to push by then.<br /><br />Ryan was born at 15:32 with the membranes still in place over his head (born with the caul). He gave an almighty wail when he was lifted out of the water. I cuddled him for a while and when the cord stopped pulsing hubby clamped and cut the cord. He then took Ryan while I got out of the water and delivered the afterbirth. The mw then checked me, I had two small nicks, neither requiring stitching. Ryan and I had a bath after he was checked and weighed (3.18kg) and we got into bed to relax and get to know each other. Even though I don’t mention a lot about my hubby and Gillian(doula) they were an integral part of the ‘team’ that helped me deliver Ryan. They were simply wonderful and I am glad I got to share this experience with them.<br /><br />We ‘planted’ the placenta under a rose bush, bought specially to celebrate Ryan’s arrival.<br /><br />We would love to have another baby and plan to share the miracle of birth with my mw and doula again!!Crunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683396150729058270.post-55993897716553773492006-12-01T02:02:00.000+02:002007-05-21T07:42:28.708+02:00October 5th, 2005 - IntroOK, so where to begin - definitely not at the begining ;-). Photography has always been my thing, I am a beginer as a writer.<br /><br />We live in rural South Africa on a commercial sugar cane & citrus farm - which is something I find amusing and somewhat ironic, given my 'greenpeace' leanings and belief in organic farming. Coupled with this is the fact that I belive that sugar is BAD for you and we can all do very well without it! OK time to get off my soapbox.<br /><br />I am a WAHM (work at home mom), I love 'playing' on the computer and and aspirant writer, that is how I started this blog.Crunchy Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06699082313988467281noreply@blogger.com0