Changes again

when i was pregnant I had the nose of a bloodhound, I would get beautiful gifts of clothing and wraps and it always struck me how clearly I would get a whiff of chemicals when unwrapping them prior to putting them in the washing machine
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miss s is quite a chilled little lady (although there are signs this is changing). One of the things that she and I both love and have done since birth is lots of skin to skin time. It is noticeable how calm yet still alert she becomes when having a cuddle with lots of direct skin contact.
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these experiences and many others plus the absolute gorgeous "newness" of miss s' baby skin has made me more aware of my daily routines. I've decided to make a few changes, just a few at a time but with the idea that they are lasting decisions.

Firstly I've changed deodorant to using one that is more baby/ breastfeeding friendly and not full of nasty chemicals. I've been using nutter's  which is produced by a local lady who started her own range after her six year old daughter was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. It is great and actually seems even more effective than the supermarket brand I was using before (smells nicer too). 

Number 2 - I've always loved salad but I was doing a lot of cooking on the weekend and freezing it to have during the week. I was getting pretty tired so although we were having healthy meals, we weren't having a lot of fresh vegetables as it was easier to just pull something out of the freezer and nuke it.  If I had a busy day with Sienna and it took a while to settle her to sleep, we were often snacking on cheese and biscuits before sitting down to dinner. So one of the priorities in my day is to make up a platter of cut up vegetables to put on the kitchen bench that we snack on from the time mr k comes home from work until we sit down for dinner. Sometimes I even get fancy and make this hummus with a dollop of organic yoghurt and cayenne pepper. This was a tip from my mum but I just saw a similar post on Tabletonic (who has also inspired my family's health overhaul)

Number 3 - Coconut oil. Seeing a segment on this wondrous product on one of the tv shows this morning I thought this was timely. I've been using it for 2 weeks both in my cooking and on my skin. OMG!!! First time ever I can actually see a difference from using a product on my skin. It is a little greasier than my normal moisturiser but I just put it on earlier and it soaks in beautifully. I love the smell and the fact that I am not inadvertently rubbing off any nasty chemicals on my baby's skin.  I swear my skin seems to have improved. For cooking, I just use it in place of olive oil from everything to salads to frying.  I just bought some from the organic part of my local supermarket. It was expensive, about $11 for a jar but a little goes a long way so it seems to be a little cheaper.  I am using the Melrose brand but from my reading the key is to buy organic, virgin press from the pacific islands. A blurb from the Melrose Health site -

"coconut oil does not raise cholesterol levels but is quickly metabolized into energy. It is high in Lauric acid. Once mistakenly believed to be unhealthy because of its high saturated fat content, it is now known that the fat in coconut oil is short chain. It has no cholesterol and no dangerous trans-fats as found in other oils. Coconut fats are processed directly in the liver without putting strain on the digestive system and are highly recommended for those who have difficulty digesting fats." 

Lauric acid is the good stuff you find in breast milk.  What I like about using the coconut oil is that it is cheaper than my usual moisturiser but is more effective, cooks beautifully and it makes me feel good that I'm making good choices for my little family.

Next change...finding a good water source and getting the husband off his plastic bottles of water addiction....this local source looks good.