Beautiful hand-made cradle, crafted lovingly by Grandad Bob, and organic soft Fair Trade dolly?
Oh no no no, I much prefer...
A nappy bag full of poopy eco 'sposie or...
Just a nappy sack to carry my treasures around in.
Lovely wicker treasure baskets and hand-knitted bags are not good enough for me, don't you know. I'm all about the nappy sacks I'm afraid, much to my mammy's chagrin :)
But because my mammy says we do something called autonomous learning, she says it's ok and I can quite happily continue to be a kleptomaniac around the house and collect treasures in my nappy sack.
Oh, if you're wondering where your keys are...I probably have them in my nappy sack.
For the first time this week, Pixie has mentioned the colour of people's skins. I don't know why I was so surprised really, she is almost five.
My Saturday copy of The Times had a large picture of former US Secretary of State, Professor Condoleezza Rice. Phoebe had asked why the lady had "a brown face" when ours weren't brown. I explained that because the world is so big, everyone looks different even though we're all one.
We don't live in a culturally diverse place to be frank, and we have a population of about 3500 folk in our small town. We live on the outskirts and amongst the old-school farmer types who have never left the area, therefore have not seen very much of life, in my opinion.
I have lived here, there and everywhere, so very little shocks me these days. I have friends of every creed, colour and flavour there is, but my children are not immersed with the rich cultural environment I might hope for. Travel in the future is a possibility..
Anyhoooo, do you remember the United Colours of Benetton campaigns from the 90s? I do. Passing the billboards on the school bus, splashes of the familiar green logo surrounded by multi-cultural models always captivated me.
I know people who often say "I'm not racist but..." and then go on to quote the fascist shite that is the inner workings of the BNP.
We need to raise our children to be accepting of all, but with people like the ones I have described above, how, on a international scale, can this be? It feels like there is so much hatred in the world. I suppose by giving our children the tools of preservation and tolerance, we can only hope that they will go forward in their lives and outshine any bigotry and hate that they may come across.
I recently have been reading many of the teachings of the Dalai Lama. The man is just so peaceful it has a knock-on effect. His ideology is so simple, and how he believes compassion can genuinely be achieved for all. He is a great and wise man.
I'm not even sure what I'm writing here, just some thoughts that have crossed my mind that I wonder about often. Thanks for reading :)
Here is an amazing song. I actually prefer Johnny Cash's version, but the video is great on this one:
We ARE one, but we're not the same. I think that's a strong message.
A fab little book about seasons, perfect for our new project, and only 19p! Flippin' get in there!
And the complete set of Narnia books. I had the full set of these when I was little, but I think they actually belonged to my sister so thought we would re-purchase. £1.50. Bargaintastic.
And bargain of the day...
...a gorgeous Mini Boden tunic dress for Pixie: £1.20. I nearly peed with excitement and wished there was one that would stretch over my bangers, but nothing doing.
Still happily hibernating, seeing a few folk but really feeling like being nice and quiet. I organised a vaccination lecture by the very great Dr Jayne Donegan. She was brilliant to hear and it was great to have all of our research and concerns validated by a worthy source. Just the Boobs for Babes calendar to finish off - our graphic designer is currently working hard on the layout, and then I truly am having a nice break from everything.
I have recently been asked about my most favourite products I use on the children, and which I would recommend. The one I could not do without is Weleda's Calendula Nappy Cream. I tried to make my own but nothing at all as been as soothing and effective on my tiny girl's bottom.
It's always lovely to recommend products I find really great, especially with so many bottles and tubes of vileness on the shelves these days, it's good to find a company whose ethics and products I totally identify with.
A big green eco sticker of love for Weleda :)
Here is a sneaky peek in my small bag from the changing bag I take out with me:
By the way, this is also a handy tip for using a bottle holder as a well, bottle holder. But as seen as I carry my baby's milk in my boobs, it doubles-up nicely as a toiletry carrier :) Bach Flower Remedy - a must; Helios Arnica Cream; home-made bruise balm with arnica, sunflower, chamomile, lavender and beeswax; Weleda's Nappy Cream, Wild Rose Deodorant, Arnica tablets and Hypericum and Calendula Ointment (not pictured due to usage this afternoon at a friend's house!). Also a nice bottle of home-made hand sanitizer, made from vodka and tea tree (unfortunately, non-drinkable!)
My other staples:
Calendula Cream Bath
The Cream Bath makes the bath water feel quite silky, which in turn does not dry out the children's skin. I have noticed a difference in the children's skin not feeling as dry as it previously did, just bathing in normal bathwater. We don't live in an area which has particularly hard water, but I imagine if we did, the Calendula Cream Bath would be a perfect product to use.
Children's Tooth Gel
This tooth gel gets happy smiles from both baby and a small girl. The fresh taste and smoothness of the gel made the children's tooth brushing sessions much more pleasant, and as my four-year-old said "This is lovely and much better than the other rubbish, Mummy. It doesn't taste clacky!" So there you have it, a gold merit award from a very particular small girl.
Baby Calendula Shampoo and Body Wash
We've been using this for quite a time now and I love the gentleness of the product, and its all-round cleaning capability. I love that I can slather a little on baby's head and use the suds right down to her tiny toes, knowing that the product never dries or irritates her skin in any way. And that she is left super clean and smelling lovely, all without any dodgy chemicals that you find in most other brands. A big thumbs-up for this product.
Calendula Nappy Cream
This is another product we have used right from our Eveline's birth. It really should be re-labelled 'Magic in a Tube'. Any slight reddening of the nappy area is guaranteed to disappear with a little smudging of the cream onto sore bits. Every time. We have never been disappointed with it at all, and it has even found its way into Daddy's golfing bag when he's had a long round and gets chaffing - not really a thing he'd want you to know, but there it is! I use it too on our four-year-old occasionally, to great effect. Fabulous stuff.
What are your baby faves you couldn't live without??
Well it's 03.30 hrs in the morning and I'm awake. Not because of any fretful children I might add; no. All is quiet up there. I have the monitor next to me and I can hear my hefty fella snoring thunder, and my two pixies gently sleeping soundly. And I'm frickin' full of snot and blocked sinuses, so it was either get up and breathe, or lay still and suffocate under a mountain of snot.
This is some of our week (well, the tiny bits we've actually stayed in the house).
Some pebbles, carefully snatched from Daddy's rockery...
A little Mod Podge and some fabric (obviously, a curly girl too)
And some cool painted pebbles.
Pixie's happy little ladybird
Mammy's birdie
The start of our new throw, although admittedly, it might take beyond this year to finish.
But look at my new monster hook :) What a mother, compared to some of my other tiddlies. Can't wait to find some chunky, wispy yarn to play with.
Still in hibernation, which is great. I am rarely using the computer, aside from the odd dash of work, so it is lovely to be curled up on the bed with my babies, reading and snuggling.
That time of year has arrived where I want to tell everyone to feck off, put my PJs on, eat cakey and crochet. I have lots of half-started stuff to finish, with my lovely stash of...
Yum. Autumn and winter shades to play with. Hibernation hath come.
Pixie has been self-teaching herself to read of late, with a little assistance from us.
She goes to bed after our story time with a minimum of 12 books, and it's so lovely to hear her reading them out loud to herself.
The Cat in The Hat and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (a read together book) are current favourites
But the oldies are the best for self-teaching and reading out loud. Although Going To School is of absolutely no relevance to our household, the large and clear wording has delighted Tiddly Pom in being able to read it herself. These were my old books too :)
She has also managed (not sure how) to teach herself how to do joined-up writing. I think she found a letter that had beautiful cursive script in it. And she has done a marvellous job in practising it. In her words "Oooh Mammy, I'm ever so pleased with myself!". Autonomy at its best.
