Childbirth Options Class to be held at Kissui in Redlands

Can I have a natural birth in a hospital? How can I avoid a c-section? Is homebirth safe? What is a doula and how do they help with labor? What kind of childbirth classes fit my view of birth?

Childbirth can be a confusing subject for expectant mothers. What type of birth your mom, sister, or best friend had may not be the kind of birth you need. Add to that a bunch of well-meaning moms talking about their birth experiences as if they were war stories and birth suddenly seems intimidating.

On Saturday, January 17^th at 10:00am at Kissui four birth experts will be available to answer your questions about traditional and non-traditional birth. There will be limited space so register today. The registration fee is only $5 and includes discounts and goodies.

Call (909) 307-9500 to reserve your spot.

Holiday Cheer in a Grinchy Economy

In the movie "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" the Grinch develops a plan to destroy the Christmas cheer for the Whos in Whoville with a devious plan that involved stealing all of the presents under each Christmas tree. Despite being robbed of their gifts the Whos were able to gather together in song on Christmas morning and celebrate the holiday, teaching the Grinch that material possessions were not as signicant as the love of family and friends.

Much can be learned from the Whos, especially when we live in a time where most families are having to cut back on their gift giving due to ecomonic hardship.

Here are some ideas that will melt your heart, make the environment smile, and save you some green:

- Framed Family Photo

Print out one of your display-worthy photos and custom decorate a plain wooden frame using paint, beads, glitter, felt, or other crafty materials.

-Our Family Tree

Turn a gift into a memorable occasion by giving a tree that your family can plant together. Give each child a job, such as watering, fetilizing, or helping fill in the hole. Be sure to take pictures to commemorate the day you helped the earth and worked together as a family to help a living thing grow.

-Vintage Blooms

Go through a second hand store and find teacups, saucers, and wide mouth vases and planting pots. Include a packet of flower seeds and a little soil and you have yourself a beautiful bloom in a unique pot. You can also give kitchen herbs, such as dill, cilantro, and basil.

-Recycled Toys

Have siblings or friends wrap one of their own toys for another child. This is a great way to avoid toy overflow in your closets while teaching children the joys of giving from their hearts.

-IOU Gifts

Who wouldn't enjoy a back rub or a day where someone else helps with chores? An IOU certificate is a great way to show the person you love that you would go out of your way to make them happy.

-Smell the Joy

Making a sweet smelling sachet is easy! Just find a couple of scraps of material and put some potpourri or herbs inside. Then using a hot glue gun just glue three sides, let dry, put the desired scent inside and glue shut.

The sweater you buy for grandma won't last forever but you can be sure that a grandchild's handmade gift will be a treasure that she will save for years to come. Please check this website for more ideas. Remember also that re-using fabric, draw string bags, or last year's gift bags is better for the environment and cuts down on waste.

Enjoy your holiday season!

by Wendy Drewelow

USA Today: Maternity-care failings can be remedied with cost-saving fixes!

Imagine my excitement to read this article in USA today paired right beside this article on the unneccesary high-tech interventions that do not benefit pregnant women or their babies. I'm so happy that the media is catching wind of what most of us already know: pregnant women are not a medical emergency waiting to happen.



Happy reading!



Written by Wendy Drewelow

Special Discount to our Members!!!

My dear friend Krista joined us at our meeting tonight to share information on the opening of the Calimesa Holistic Wellness Center. Krista is the owner and a colonic therapist. I must say, this is a beautiful wellness center. I walked in the other day and immediately felt calm and relaxed (even though I was holding my one year old :) Krista has done an amazing job decorating and has an eye for incorporating key elements to create a feeling of tranquility and wellness. I also immediately fell in love with her "Tea Room." This is a special room to relax before/after services and "just be." I was ready to stay. My plan is to schedule several services and make an afternoon for myself.

She has hand picked a collaboration of people to provide various services for clients who seek wellness. Her center offers the following: Colonics, Yoga Classes, Infant Massage, Body Wraps/Facials, Reflexology/Massage and services from a highly experienced Herbalist.

Krista has generously offered our Barefoot Mamas' a special discount. We have been invited to join her for a pre-opening special. Your first colonic is at the discounted price of $45.00 (usually $65.00). This must be scheduled ahead of time by appointment only. Please let her know that you are a "Barefoot Mama."

Please stop by the Calimesa Holistic Wellness Center and say hi to Krista...you might also find me relaxing in the Tea Room.

Holistic Wellness Center
1007 Calimesa Blvd. Suite F Calimesa, CA 92399
909-795-6600
cell 951-692-8355

October's Meeting Recap

Tonight's meeting was incredibly informative. We were so fortunate to have Dr. Kathryn Leeman as our guest speaker. Dr. Leeman has a Ph.D. in Trans personal (Holistic) Psychology and Philosophy offering counseling in the following:

Life Purpose & Direction
Regression Therapy
Guided Imagery
Prosperity & Abundance
Meditation
Grief Counseling
Communication Enhancement
Health & Well-Being
Childhood Traumas

Dr. Leeman also specializes in N.A.E.T. (Natural Allergy Elimination Technique), Real-Time EEG Bio/Neuro-Feedback, Holistic Biofeedback Balancing, and Meditation Techniques. She also offers Aura/Chakra Photography and Balancing for Physical, Mental, Emotion & Spiritual Alignment.

In addition to her formal education, she has traveled extensively within the United States and worldwide studying with Shamans and Medicine People of many diverse cultures. She incorporates the customs and ceremonies that the people of these cultures have shared with her to enhance her counseling skills and intuitive abilities. She integrates the practical and mystical teachings and experiences into her private practice, classes, workshops and seminars.

Our quest for this month's meeting was to find "inner peace" and meditative techniques for everyday mommy hood. Dr. Leeman offered several meditation suggestions and shared the following Chakra Clearing with the group. We all stood and performed the following exercises:

Crown: Stare @ a point on the wall ~ move eyes around clockwise to count of 10. Do not skip any part of the circle. Then do counter clockwise for count of 10.
Brow: 10 Rotations of head/neck turn side to side.
Throat: 10 counts, extended arms in big circles both ways.
Heart: 10 counts, clasped hands with arms extended in front of you, swing side to side moving trunk but keep hips straight.
Stomach: 10 counts, circular hip rotations both direction (slow hula hoop movements)
Sacral: 10 counts, touch toes, arms all the way up above the head and slowly swing down to toes.
Root: 50 short and slow knee dips (prosperity)

After our group was finished with the Chakra Clearing it was amazing to look around the room and see the energy return to the moms in the room. Dr. Leeman says that this is a great exercise to do for instant de-stress and to increase your energy. It can be repeated as many times throughout the day as needed. It was also fun to see the toddlers in the room share in the exercise with us. I think that I will be doing this exercise often to keep our days calm and re-energize when needed.

You can read more about Dr. Leeman at her website: http://www.kathrynleeman.com/hello.html
She founded the Redlands Holistic Health Center located at 720 Brookside, Suite 105 in Redlands, CA. A variety of healing modalities to help balance body, mind and spirit are offered. Please feel welcome to visit the Center or call (909) 792-2094 ext. 3# to schedule a consultation.

Cloth Diapering 101: Getting Started

So you have written Pampers and Huggies their Dear John letters telling them that you will no longer be needing them. Now you are moving onto a long term relationship with cloth diapers but have no idea where to start or how much to spend. If you are still insist that Luvs is in love with your baby's bum wake up and smell the rash cream while reading this article.

Since I have started using cloth diapers a couple months ago I have had many friend and family ask me about how they can get started. First, you need to decide what kind of cloth diaper you need and which brand you would like. There are four different kinds of cloth diapers. I have listed them here along with their pros and cons:

1. All In Ones (AIOs)- A diaper that has the cover sewn on the fleece layer so it is all in one piece. No diaper cover required.

Pros: The most leak proof. Thinner than other cloth diapers. Fasten with a snap or velcro with the ease of use most like a disposable.

Cons: They take several dryer cycles to dry completely. They tend to hold more odors (especially if they do not dry all the way). I have heard some moms say that they don't feel like these get as clean as other diapers.

2. Fitted Cloth Diapers: Diapers that fasten with velcro or snaps that do require a diaper cover.

Pros: Dry faster than AIOs. Easier to fasten than pre-fold or flat diapers.

Cons: Require a diaper cover.

3. Flat or Pre-fold Diapers: The "old fashioned" diapers your grandma remembers. (DO NOT BUY THE GERBER BRAND! They are worthless!)

Pros: Less expensive. Multiple uses: burp cloth, cleaning, wiping up spills.

Cons: Require a diaper cover. Require pins or a Snappi (diaper faster pictured) to hold in place. Can leak.

4. Pocket Diapers: A diaper that has three main parts: a waterproof outer barrier fabric is sewn to the second component, an inner moisture-wicking fabric that keeps the skin feeling dry. These two fabrics form a pocket for the third component, an absorbent insert, to be placed.

Pros: Wicks moisture away from baby's bottom. Pieces are easier to clean and dry. Best for diaper rash.

Cons: More pieces to keep track of. Need to "assemble" and "disassemble."

So now that you know a little bit about the different types of cloth diapers you will need to decide on which brand you want. There are so many brands to chose from that I cannot mention them all here. However, I will touch on some things to consider when you are chosing a brand:

-Does the diaper come as a one-size fits all or will you have to spend more money to buy each size?

-Does the diaper come with it's own inserts or covers?

-Is the diaper made of organic materials (this usually costs more)?

-Does the diaper come in different colors/designs?

Now that you have purchased your diapers what do you do with them? The first thing you should do is wash them. There are many different methods of washing cloth diapers but I am going to give you the one that I use. Do do not use baby detergent and never use fabric softener. Dreft and other detergents that are advertised on tv are not good for cloth diapers. In fact, commercial detergents aren't good for you or your clothes at all. So what do you wash them in? I have two favorites: Charlie Soap or Maggie's Soap Nuts. Both are great products. They leave no residue on the diapers that can irritate your baby. Fabric softener isn't needed because when fabric has no residue it will be naturally soft, plus fabric softer will make the diapers repel urine instead of absorbing it. Before you wash the diapers be sure any velcro tabs are folded down so they do not snag on other fabrics. Also be sure that all diaper parts are separated (take pocket inserts out) before washing. You can put your cloth diapers in the dryer on warm but they will last longer if hung on a clothes line. Most diapers can be washed warm (check your diaper's washing instructions) but any diaper that is soiled should be soaked for about 15 minutes first in cold to remove poop stains. Soaking in hot water will "cook" the poop proteins onto the diaper. Some people like to do an extra rinse cycle on their diapers. I have not done this and it's never been a problem, but Midge isn't that sensitive. A more sensitive baby or a newborn might benefit from the extra rinse cycle.

While we are talking about washing, let's go ahead and talk about poop. Admit it, you dread having to change a poopy cloth diaper. I was intimidated at first, too. You can read about my first adventure in poopy cloth diapering here. The good news is that there are extra products you can buy to help the process go a little smoother. If your baby is breastfed his or her poop will be soft and you really won't need to do a lot of pre-care. It's okay to put liquidy poop in the wash, but you will want to avoid putting anything solid in it as it will not break down and rinse away. If your baby is formula fed or eats solids the poop will require a little more care. You will shake the solid poop into the toilet carefully and flush away that waste. From there you just place the soiled diaper in a dry diaper pail. You can purchase a flushable liner to place inside of the diapers so the poop will not mash itself into the diaper's fabric. You just lift it out of the diaper and place it right in the toilet. Some pocket diapers come with a liner that releases poop pretty easily. If not you can purchase them separately. They are also great for heavy wetters or doubling up for overnight. Another option for cleaning off the soiled diapers is to use a diaper sprayer. These can hook to your bathroom sink or behind your toilet. These are also great for rinsing down your sink, tub, and toilet. You do not have to have all of these products, but chosing one or two would be good to make cleaning up poop less a little neater.

So eventually you will need to leave the house and when you do you will need to be prepared with a "wet bag" in your diaper bag. These are neat because they come in dozens of different colors and designs that make you look ultra-cool to the ladies in the public restrooms. I opted for one with a zipper and it has worked wonderfully. I have also seen the available with a draw string top. You just place your dirty diapers or any other wet clothing items in and dump them into your diaper pail or washer when you get home. They are washable but so far I have not noticed a smell coming from mine. You can opt to carry a small squirt bottle of water and wash cloths with you or use disposable packaged wipes. After your cloth diapering days are over your wet bag can be used for wet bathing suits or potty accidents.

What about diaper rashes? If your child develops irritation using cloth diapers try using less soap in the wash and doing an extra rinse cycle. If that doesn't help add 1/2 cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle. Vinegar helps strip the diapers of alkaline irritants. If you use a rash cream try one that does not contain fish oil, like A&D or Destitin. Instead try Burts Bees, Angel Baby Bottom Balm, Weleda, or Lemongrass Spa's Baby Bottoms Up Balm. If you do use a cream consider using a liner so that the diaper does not stain. Try giving your baby lots of naked time. Also, only use water to clean your baby's bottom.

Diaper pails can be done in two different manners...a wet pail or a dry pail. A wet pail is filled with water for diapers to soak in until wash day and a dry pail is just that...dry storage. The drawbacks to a wet pail are the odor, the need to change the water daily, potential drowning hazard for children, and some diapers cannot be stored in a wet pail, such as the AIOs. A dry pail is a safer and preferred option. You can purchase a trash can with a lid for cheap from your local Target for about $10 and it does a fine job. A sprinkle of baking soda helps reduce odors. You don't want to go any longer than two days between diaper washings. I generally wash mine with every poopy diaper but I have a toddler who poops once a day so it works out nicely.

One day you may go to smell your fresh clean diapers and realize that they aren't so fresh anymore. If this happens you will need to strip your diapers of oils and detergent residues. Before you start this process check your diapers for washing instructions to make sure you will not damage your diapers First, turn up your water heater and let your water get very hot. If you are going to do this please be so careful to make sure everyone in your home is aware of the change so they do not burn themselves. Be especially careful if you have older siblings who may be forgetful when going to wash their hands or take a shower. You may want to do this when they are in bed. Start with clean diapers. Run them through the very hot wash cycle without detergent. You can add a drop or two of liquid dish soap to help remove oils. Perform an extra rinse cycle where you will add 1/2-1 cup of white vinegar. The vinegar smell will disappear once the diapers are dry. Then you will want to rinse rinse rinse your diapers until all suds are gone (still not using soap). This will remove all of the residue. Be sure to turn your hot water heater back down. If you find that your diapers have stains sunlight is a great stain remover. Just place your stained articles in the sun for natural bleaching. If your diapers are too stiff after air drying put them in the dryer for 15 minutes before hanging out to dry.

So now you are wondering what the costs are. Well let's do a rough estimate:

Diapers: This depends on which diaper you chose and if the diaper is a one size fits all. I highly recommend using BumGenius 3.0 pocket diapers. They are easy to use, come with inserts (which eliminates the need for flushable liners or a sprayer), and they are one size fits all. It also depends on how early or late you are beginning to cloth diaper. A newborn can go through a diaper every hour whereas a toddler will go through one every 3-4 hours. Let's say you want to buy an average of 12 diapers. BumGenius 3.0 pocket diapers run an average of $17. So a little over $200. With tax, shipping, etc will say $250. When you are buying diapers look for deals for buying them in larger quantities.

Detergent: Let's say you use Charlie's Soap. It runs $15 a bag that lasts 80 loads. White vinegar costs you a few bucks.

Diaper Pail: You can easily use a lided trash can or diaper pail that you already own or you can spend $10 at Target for a pail.

Wet Bag: They average anywhere from $14-$24 but let's say $20.

Cloth Wipes: I use regular wash cloths when I am not using disposable wipes. You can purchase special fleece wipes but they are not necessary.

So $250 for diapers+ $15 for Charlie's Soap + $3 for vinegar + $10 for a diaper pail + $20 for a wet bag.

Grand total= $298.

Now of course this is going to vary depending on your needs and extras but to start out that is basically what you need. Compare this to the cost of disposable diapers and you are saving some significant money.

Happy diapering!

Written by Wendy Drewelow

September 8 Meeting Recap

This month's meeting was incredibly informative and I personally walked away feeling more confident in my approach to natural family planning. Our guest speaker was Karen Baker who is a local licensed midwife and has "caught" many of the babies in our group.

Karen opened the meeting with Natural Family Planning and emphasized, "You need to want to study yourself and take the time to study yourself." She reviewed several home fertility testers that uses your saliva to determine if you are nearing ovulation. You place a sample of your saliva on the microscopic lens each day and look for patterns that indicate you are ovulating. One of the sample kits she brought is called the Ovulens. You can find this product at http://www.ovulens.com/ and is available for purchase for around $40.00. It seems very easy to use. I'm ordering mine today and I will report back with results.

Karen also discussed the cervical cap, diaphragm and other "natural methods" to use for birth control. She also suggested that you see your midwife or health care provider for your individual needs as each person is anatomically different and what works well for one person may not work for the next. The following books were recommended by Karen for further information on natural family planning: The Art of Natural Family Planning, Luncapetion, Breastfeeding and Natural Childspacing, Conscious Conception and A Cooperative Method of Natural Birth Control. We are hoping to order a few of these books for our Lending Library so look for them in the upcoming meetings.

Karen discussed natural childbirth and the differences between hospital birth and home birth and midwifery model of care versus medical model of care. We discussed the rate of Caesarean birth being 1 in 3 in the hospital and reviewed some of the reasons that doctors may perform a Ceasearean.

It was wonderful to hear all of the questions that our members had. Karen was wonderful at taking time to provide explanations and information on this wonderful subject. If you are considering a "home birth," Karen will be happy to speak with you. You can visit her website at www.birthsenseandbeyond.com. Thank you Karen!!!

How to protect our kids from the FLU!

The flu season is approaching! The media will start bombarding us with images of the deadly flu! I am very passionate about alternatives to the flu shot to protect our families. Here are ways to boost your family's immune systems, so no matter what is "going around" it will pass your family by. Remember this quote by Louis Pasteur (vaccine maker),

"The germ is nothing,

the terrain is everything."

10 ways to Boost the immune system:

1. Get chiropractic adjustments.

The immune system is linked to your nervous system. If your nervous system is not functioning at 100%, neither is your immune system. (Chiropractors work with the nervous system...it's not all about back pain.)

2. Increase your intake of Vitamin C.

3. Decrease or eliminate food that weaken the immune system:

a. Processed sugar

b. Processed foods

c. High Fructose Corn Syrup

d. Don't eat non-organic food that contain pesticides and GMO's

4. Get lots of rest.

5. Get out in the sun!

6. Keep up on your whole food supplements.

7. Keep your body alkaline by getting lots of oxygen into your cells.

a. Take a nice walk, breath deeply!

b. Eat RAW FOODS that are in season

c. Drink lots water

8. Keep a positive outlook and set the intention: "My family is healthy, with strong immune systems. We are able to use our natural immunity to fight the flu this year!"

9. Do things that make you happy! Laughter is a great way to increase the oxygen into your body.

10. Don't get the flu shot! (In my opinion, the flu shot weakens your immune system by injecting your body with the flu virus, countless other toxins, chemicals, and preservatives.)

Click on this link to watch a short Video on the Flu shot.

It's both funny and disturbing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWfCnjnShnM

Easy Peezy Organic Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup organic flour

1/2 cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda (aluminum free)

1/4 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)

1/4 teaspoon organic sea salt

1/3 cup of Agave nectar or 1 cup of organic evaporated cane juice

1 teaspoons of vanilla

3/4 cups organic milk (cow's, almond or rice)

1/3 cup organic coconut oil

1 organic egg

To make it "spiced" add

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon of ginger

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 1/2 in round cake pan. Set aside
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, evaporated cane juice, (If you are using agave, wait to add this to the wet ingredients) cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Add milk, oil and vanilla. ( Add agave if you are using it.)
4. Beat well on low speed for 2 minutes. Add egg, beat for 2 more minutes. Spread into pan.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool in cake pan on a rack for 10 min. That's it!

I like to put a glaze and fresh organic strawberries on top.

Organic Chocolate Glaze

Melt 4 oz of organic chopped chocolate and 3 tablespoons of organic butter over low heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Beat in 1 1/2 cups of organic powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons of hot water. Stir in more water if you want it thinner.

Eco-Friendly Birthday Ideas

My youngest son is going to turn one next month and I find myself pondering the inevitable...do we have a birthday party for him? We have considered the obvious such as, he is too young to realize he is having a party and do we want to spend money on such an event and if so, how much? We have always done something significant to acknowledge the birthdays of our family members because we sincerely see them as a celebration of life. My son has been on our earth for one year and I truly feel blessed to have been chosen as his mother. Yes, this deserves a party!

So, back to square one...what kind of party? We have decided on something small with family and a few close friends. Here are a few ideas that we have come up with to keep this party eco-friendly:

1) Instead of using traditional "paper" invitations we have decided to save a few trees and e-mail our invitations using www.evite.com. This is a great website and they have a ton of invitation options to choose from. We even found a "green" them design.

2) Instead of awful latex balloons we have opted for colorful paper lanterns to decorate the area.

3) We have found paperware tableware that is biodegradable and forest friendly. We also found an intersting line of cornware for table settings as well. We found these items at www.greenpartygoods.com. These are great alternatives to your typical plasticware and much easier on our environment. We have also opted for cloth tablecloths and cloth napkins. I am making about 20-30 8x8 cloth napkins out of fabric remnants. These are also great to have at home and use for each meal instead of napkins or paper towels.

4) We are going to serve organic fruits, veggies and trail mix for snacks. We are making an organic chocolate spice cake with a glaze instead of frosting and fruit on top. This is a great alternative to a traditional sugar-loaded cake and healthier too. I'm sure parents will appreciate this! (Lara has this recipe and we will post it for everyone very soon).

5) We are setting up an art/craft table for kids to create a project. We are using eco-friendly paints and supplies that we found at Michaels crafts www.michaels.com. The kiddos get to take their project home with them and ta-da it's a party favor. No small plastic junk bags here! It's something that they have created and we are not sending them home with candy and useless toys. Hooray!

6) Ooh, gifts can also be an issue. In our particular situation we have decided to include on our invitation, "Please, no gifts." In all honesty, our son does not need anything. We want a simple celebration without unnecessary toys and wrapping paper. Oh the wrapping paper...need I go on? (Although I have seen people who have gotten incredibly creative and used newspaper or fabric to wrap gifts. Awesome idea!)

Another creative gift idea that I have seen for an older child is a family requesting their guests to bring a used toy that they have outgrown. The birthday child and their family donated the toys to an organization of their choice. I really enjoyed this idea of giving back. What a great opportunity to show your children the ability to do something selfless on their birthday and give to someone who may need it more than they do.

Yes, my youngest son is only turning one but as the mother of three children I see this as a great opportunity to teach all of my children the importance of being socially and economically conscious and how to have fun at the same time. We are going to have fun...alot of fun. And in this fun celebration process we are going to save a few trees, cut down on some waste and eat healthier. It really is a simple process, you just have to be a little creative and open-minded. Also, see what ideas you kids have. I am always amazed at how their creative minds work. If you have any other suggestions please share! I will post pictures and let you all know how it goes!

~Jen

Fabric Softener and Dryer Sheet Toxic Concerns

At our last meeting Lara spoke briefly about the negative effects of fabric softener. Here is a little more info for everyone.

Fabric softener and dryer sheets are some of the most toxic products around. These products contain chemicals that can cause cancer and brain damage. Some of the chemicals found in fabric softeners and dryer sheets include the following:

Benzyl acetate: Linked to pancreatic cancer
Benzyl Alcohol: Upper respiratory tract irritant
Ethanol: On the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Hazardous Waste list and can cause central nervous system disorders
Limonene: Known carcinogen A-Terpineol: Can cause respiratory problems, including fatal edema, and central nervous system damage
Ethyl Acetate: A narcotic on the EPA's Hazardous Waste list
Camphor: Causes central nervous system disorders
Chloroform: Neurotoxic, anesthetic and carcinogenic
Linalool: A narcotic that causes central nervous system disorders
Pentane: A chemical known to be harmful if inhaled

The chemicals in fabric softeners are irritating and strong smelling, thus strong fragrances are added to cover the chemical odors. Fabric softeners are made to stay in your clothing for long periods of time. These chemicals are slowly released either into the air you and your family inhale or absorbed into your skin. Dryer sheets may be even worse for you as they are heated in the dryer and the chemicals are then released out into the environment.

Health effects from being exposed to the chemicals in fabric softeners include the following:
Central nervous system disorders
Headaches
Nausea
Vomiting
Dizziness
Blood pressure reduction
Irritation to skin, mucus membranes and respiratory tract
Pancreatic cancer

The effects of these chemicals may not be seen today but may occur over time. Make changes to your laundry today. Children are especially vulnerable to the effects of these chemicals. If you still desire a nice smell to your clothing add essential oils that are clear with no coloring as the colored oils may stain your clothing. You will actually save money using alternative methods and find scents that your family enjoys. For example, Lavendar essential oil is wonderful to add to your children's pajamas as it helps soothe and calm them during pre-bedtime routines.


Natural Suggestions to soften your clothing:

Add a quarter cup of baking soda to wash cycle to soften fabric
Add a quarter cup of white vinegar to wash cycle to soften fabric and eliminate cling
Visit your local health food store for a natural fabric softener that uses a natural base instead of chemicals.

Tiny Revolutionary

We were recently introduced to this AMAZING line of children's clothing. Tiny Revolutionary is small kids clothing company on a BIG mission to make the world a kinder, more peaceful place by creating super cool, socially conscious children's clothing with messages of Peace, Hope, Love & Equality. Their clothes are 100% Sweatshop Free, Earth Friendly & as soft as the children who wear them. They also donate $1 from the sale of each of their Tee's to non-profit partners who are saving the lives of children all across the world. We also especially like this company because they sponsored "The Business of Being Born" film, a film we all truly found inspirational.
I browsed through several of their products and found children's shirts with quotes such as "I'll Change the World Someday" and "Be the Change You Want to See in the World" and "another one of my favorites, "A Child Without Courage is Like a Night Without Stars."
I emailed Breeanne who is one of the owners to compliment her on her company and tell her how much I appreciated the products she has created and the mission behind their company. She responded immediately and created a special coupon code for the Barefoot Mamas' members. All of our members can enter the coupon code: BAREFOOT upon checkout and you will receive $10 off of your entire order!!! We are so excited about this gracious opportunity and encourage you to visit their website and check out their products. www.tinyrevolutionary.com

Is my shampoo safe???

We have recently been introduced to a great website that answers many of our questions regarding beauty/bath products and the ingredients in them. http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/

"Skin Deep is a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products brought to you by researchers at the Environmental Working Group. Skin Deep pairs ingredients in more than 25,000 products against 50 definitive toxicity and regulatory databases, making it the largest integrated data resource of its kind. Why did a small nonprofit take on such a big project? Because the FDA doesn't require companies to test their own products for safety."

You can type in a product, ingredient or company name into their search engine and it will give you a "hazard score" and display a "score key." Each product will be evaluated with an explanation of all its ingredients and the concerns/risk factors. This is a great resource to share with friends and family and learn more about the ingredients in your products.

Kiwi Magazine

Yesterday I received my first issue of Kiwi Magazine. This magazine's motto is, "Growing families the natural and organic way." I immediately ran inside and began flipping the pages. Maybe this is my personality but I LOVE getting new magazines in the mail. I must say that I am very impressed by the information presented by Kiwi magazine. One of the articles that I found especially intriguing was titled, "Healthy Living on a Budget." Yes, we do find that living and eating naturally can be a bit pricey at times. This article gave many helpful suggestions to save a little money. At this time the magazine has 6 issues per year and you can visit www.kiwimagonline.com for price information. They even offer an online magazine subscription so that you can save trees and not have the issue printed on paper. We will bring the current issue to the next meeting if you would like to have a look. Have a wonderful week!

~Jen

Toddler Teething Biscuit Recipe

Toddler Teething Biscuits

1 cup Bob Red Mill’s gluten-free flour
1 cup brown rice flour
½ cup tapioca starch
½ cup instant non-fat dry milk powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup light agave
¼ cup grape seed oil
1 organic Omega-3 egg
½ cup organic unsweetened apple juice
½ cup ground golden flax seed

Preheated oven to 375º. In medium bowl, sift together gluten-free flour, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum and cinnamon. In stand up mixing bowl, combine agave and oil. Beat in the egg and apple juice. Gradually add flour mixture. Lastly, add flax seed. Dough will be sticky, but stiff. Dust hands with little extra flour and form dough into a ball. Refrigerate for two hours.
Fit a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Take the parchment paper off baking sheet and place on work surface. Place dough on fitted parchment paper and flatten by placing a bit of gluten-free flour on top of dough and pushing down with palm of hand. Next, place a piece of wax paper on top of dough. Roll dough out to within ½-inch of the edge of fitted parchment. Remove wax paper carefully. Cut rolled out dough into two-inch by one-inch bars. Separate the cookies slightly. Bake 15 minutes in preheated 375º oven until light brown. Cool on wire rack.
Yield: Four dozen biscuits.

Benefits of Fish Oil

At our last meeting, a discussion on fish oil started. Some moms had questions as to why this stuff is so good for the kids. Dr. Dale, (one of the chiropractors Lara works for), emailed me a great article on this subject. Here it is:

THE ROLE OF OMEGA-3's IN BRAIN HEALTH, COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING AND EMOTIONAL WELLNESS

This month's topic discusses how our intake levels of omega-3 fatty acids affect BRAIN FUNCTION and EMOTIONAL WELLNESS. In our January newsletter we described how sufficiency in omega-3's is critical during pregnancy and early childhood development. So you should know that DHA, in particular, is required for the optimal development and function of the central nervous system. This helps explain why breastfeeding is associated with better cognitive development as early as at 6 months of age and sustained throughout childhood and adolescence (breast milk is rich in DHA but ONLY when the mother is SUFFICIENT). What you might not know is research is now showing that up to 90% of women are not getting the minimum recommended daily intake of DHA during pregnancy (defined as 300 mg/day of DHA but remember that the minimum dietary recommendations are usually based on preventing disease and not on optimizing wellness.) You can rest easy knowing that one daily serving (1 teaspoon or 5 capsules) of Innate Choice™ Omega Sufficiency™ will provide 500-600 mg of DHA, well above the minimum recommendations.

As important as DHA is, at Innate Choice™ we always look at our interventions from a genetically-congruent perspective. Humans and all other animals are genetically designed to ingest, digest, absorb and utilize whole foods in their natural biochemical form. Based on these scientific facts we have chosen to keep Omega Sufficiency™ in its natural triglyceride form and in its natural EPA/DHA ratio. This means that each serving will also contain the highly beneficial EPA – just as nature intended.

Hope this is helpful,
Love,
Lara

Become Gorgeously Green with Us!

My friend Liz, called me and told me about a book called, Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano. She was so excited about this book because it laid out how to "go green" in eight east steps. Well, I thought I would have to see what this book was all about, so I bought it on www.overstock.com for about $9.00. It arrived today, and I can't put it down! It really is easy to read and although I already feel I live a holistic lifestyle, a new passion for the environment is growing inside of me. There are things in this book that are shocking, like ingredients in tampons to the effects on our environment when we use common household cleaners. Anyway, in case any of you ladies want to check out this book, I highly recommend it. We will soon try to purchase a copy to circulate around the group. For more information, check out their website, it is really cool. www.gorgeouslygreen.com. See you soon, maybe we can discuss some of the topics in this book at our next meeting, after all it will be about the toxins in our environment that effects our kids. See ya then!

Yummy Recipes

Hi Ladies,

We enjoyed seeing all of you at the meeting last night. It was wonderful seeing new faces and we hope that everyone felt supported in their holistic parenting choices.
We promised to post a few of our favorite, healthy recipes that our kiddos LOVE and here they are. We will recommend places to purchase some of the items that we use but of course you can purchase them wherever you choose.

Chocolate Smoothie (serving is for 2 kiddos)

In a blender add the following items:

~ 1 organic banana

~ 1 handful of any organic frozen fruit (berries, mango, etc.)

~ 1/2 cup of organic plain yogurt (example is Horizon organic yogurt)

~ 1 handful of ice

~ 1 cup of milk (rice, almond, etc.)

~ 2 tsp. of fish oil (we use Innate Choice Omega Sufficiency available at Active Life Chiropractic or you can use any other brand that you prefer)

~ 2 scoops of Amazing Grass Kidz Superfood, Chocolate Flavor (available at Clark's)

Blend until smooth and then pour into glasses

~ open 1 capsule of probiotic and put 1/2 in each glass and mix with a spoon. (We use Original Medicine Multi-Probiotic, available at Active Life Chiropractic but again you can visit Clark's and find a huge selection of brands

We like to give the kids a colored straw to make it a little easier and fun to drink and the kids LOVE it but more importantly, it is HEALTHY! If you decide to try this recipe out we would love to hear your feedback. We hope you enjoy it!

Yummy Banana Yogurt

In a bowl add the following ingredients:

~ 1/4 cup of freshly ground flax seed

~ Organic plain yogurt

~ 1 TBSP of agave for sweetening

~ 1 banana (use a fork and mash it)

~ 1/2 capsule of probiotic

~ sprinkle cinnamon to taste

This is a yummy way to sneak in flax seed and the kids will not even taste it. You can always modify ingredients in this recipe but the cinnamon makes it extra yummy. Enjoy!

Please remember that we are still taking sign ups for the Vaccine Workshop. Spaces are filling up quickly so be sure to register soon. Feel free to contact us should you have any questions. Have a wonderful week!

~Lara and Jen

The kiddos

I love watching my children play. I think they are especially interesting when they don't know that I'm listening in on their play time. For instance, just last week I overheard my daughter Sophie talking to her "baby doll." She said, "Baby, you no feel good? Oh it's okay baby just take your herbs and it will help your body heal." She proceeded by "nursing" her baby doll, giving her kisses and putting her in bed. I sat back in amazement. My daughter did not use the word "sick" or "doctor," she simply did exactly what I have done with her numerous times and went about her day. I felt so proud that she was "taking care" of her baby and I know that my homeopathic remedies at home are comforting to my children. They know herbs, aromatherapy, snuggle time and peaceful music. Moments of illness are calmed by a parents reassuring words and love.
We would love to hear your stories. How has your holistic parenting influenced your children? What little things have your children expressed?

Organic Produce Co-op

We picked up our first order of organic produce today through the Inland Empire Organic Co-op. I was incredibly impressed at the great variety and quality of the my veggies and fruit. I am enjoying a fresh strawberry as I type this :) If you haven't heard of this group you can get information at http://organic.meetup.com/100/ Alexis is the group organizer and is wonderful for coordinating all of the produce that we receive. Much of the produce is from local farmers and picked that morning! The group meets every Saturday at Brookside Park in Redlands at 10 am and you pre-pay for the upcoming week. Yes, the produce changes weekly depending on what is in season and available, but that is how we should be eating. Make sure you sign up and thank Alexis for the amazing job she is doing for all of us!

ALL OF THIS FOR $20.25!!!

Fresh, beautiful produce that smells amazing, tastes amazing and keeps us healthy!!!

Welcome

Hello Everyone!

We are so excited to have our blog up and functioning now. We are going to provide frequent event updates and helpful information as we go along. Please remember that you are always welcome to contact us for suggestions/comments. We appreciate all of your support and look forward to seeing you at the next meeting!