Well this day last year i was meeting my new little man. And now what seems like within a blink of an eye my baby boy is turning one. So firstly Happy Birthday to my spunky little man. It seems like life pre-baby simply didn’t exist. I mean how could i ever go a day with out every thought being about them??

I just wanted to pop by and put in a little post about our birthday cake… Well soon to be birthday cake (once i bake it!) some how i always seem to manage to find an excuse to be making 3 or 4 birthday cakes for the kids… So today begins our week of cake and birthdays I thought I might suggest a couple of not so naughty birthday cakes that will leave the kids loving the cake but not end as a sugar high crash!

Tonight we have my mum flying in and well a birthday is not a birthday with out cake!!! So I am doing up a banana bread. I have the best ever banana bread recipe – funny enough it is called the best ever banana bread recipe  I usually add an extra banana and reduce the amount of sugar. Also i just cook it till i think it’s ready – could just be my oven but i seem to think the time is wrong on the recipe. I GUARANTEE that if you were to cook this people WILL ask for the recipe!!

Then roll on ‘cake’ number two! Tomorrow night we have a bit more extended family heading over – we have Grandparents, Aunty’s and Cousins i am going to do something a wee bit different – I have some meringue’s and I am going to make a messy nest. It’s a glass layered with meringue, banana, strawberry, kiwi fruit and passionfruit pulp – hehe sneaking the fruit into the desert again I will form these into a number one and pop a candle in one of the glasses.

Then comes the big one!!! We have a party for about 50+ people all coming to our house – it’s now that i have stopped counting… possibly because i am scared too Anyway I have a cowboy themed party and I am baking a cake out of the good old women’s weekly children’s birthday cake book. We have chosen the Sheriff’s Badge and I am now going to let you in on a little secret… I cheated and bought a Vanilla cake mix. HOWEVER… now for the fun bit, Cook up a tin of plums and a really good handful of sultana’s. Cook on the stove until they kind of combine into a compote and then push the fruit through a strainer into a bowl. Add this to the cake mix and it makes beautiful smooth and moist cake with a hint of the fruit compote. The kids (and you) will love it!

I know this is a little of the ‘Eco Subject’ but i just wanted to write a little about little ways to encorporate whole foods into ‘naughty foods’ I am on the whole foods wagon for 95% of the party! There will be some treats but i am loving good wholesome foods and not a sugar high in sight (hopefully). These little idea’s are proof that it doesn’t have to be boring I shall post up a few pics later – now back to the kitchen

xo

The other day I was taking out the recycling and just happened to see the little notice on the empty box from the latest pencils for my Miss Ruby, it stated that they only used reforested wood and ensured no rainforest wood was used.  I thought that was interesting, I don’t think I ever stopped to think about the wood going into little things like pencils.  So it got me thinking and I jumped onto the website and I must say I was shocked. Shocked in a good way, they are a great ‘green company’, and a fantastic global citizen!

I always love to read the ‘About Us’ section of any website – it’s a bit of the face behind the company!  This is the first couple of lines of their ‘about’ page :

“At Crayola we believe being “responsible” means doing what is right. It is being a good citizen in the communities and countries where we operate and our products are found.”

And they back this up with some amazing green initiatives along with the reforested wood initiative. For starters you may have realised that the traditional Crayola texta barrel has changed from White to Black – this is because they are now using recycled bottle tops in the production. They use over 1 million pounds of recycled plastic.

But wait it gets better ! Crayola have set up a 15 acre solar farm with more than 26,000 solar panels. This means that they have enough solar energy to produce 1 billion of the 3 billion crayons produced annually!

WOW – so that’s how Crayola are making a difference in 3 ways ! You can read more from the Crayola Website which is where I got all the stats and figures! Also check out the Crayola website as there are HEAPS of activities for the kids ! I know that next time a pack of Crayola hits my shopping basket i am supporting a responsible green company – again Kudos to you Crayola and thanks !

Very excited to say that I have stumbled across a fabulous new little product ! We are in the bleary eyed midst of the terrible teething monster ! Master 1 is on his way to setting some sort of teething record and I think at last count there were 5 big bulging lumps in his little mouth ! I am not sure about you guys but along with teeth for my little man comes a big red bottom and a nasty nappy rash . Now I know that there are myths and old wive’s tales and many will tell you that there is no link to nappy rash and teeth but in my house and for my little man it always seems to co-incide. Anyway I digress, back to the product !

GrowVia Magic Stick – write it down, imprint it to your memory bank because it really is a MAGIC stick !! It is a nappy rash balm in a stick, so when you need it you just wind it up and apply directly to the area. No more dipping your fingers into the pot of cream ! It is all natural and organic and better still cloth nappy friendly ! It’s made from grapeseed oil, beeswax, meadowfoam oil, organic jojoba,  shea, organic rosehip plus essential oils. The smell is so yummy (as yummy as a bum cream could possibly be !)

Saturday afternoon we were starting to get the nasty teething rash and then I bought the stick and applied it after bath time for the first time. I usually find that a nasty rash can take a couple of days to work through. I always try the whole draw’ of remedies. This time it was a good run over with the magic stick and then by morning it was all gone ! Seriously ! Magic ! Plus it could not have been easier to use (imagine a glue stick – you roll it up and apply !) So I’m hooked! One thing to note is that they recommend one stick per child so no cross contamination.

I got mine from the wonderful ladies at Booloo Babe the website is currently undergoing a re-vamp and will soon offer a shopping cart but you can contact Sam sam@booloobabe.com.au or linda – linda@booloobabe.com.au for more info.

Hi Guys,

I just wanted to introduce myself as the new ‘Eco Mummy’ blogger. My name is Cassie, I am a mother of two beautiful little people Miss 3 and Master 1. I am a wife to my Darling Hubby (DH) who I adore and enjoy sharing my life with. Right so that is the formalities done! Now about me

I grew up in a small Gippsland town in country Victoria. Possibly one of the most beautiful places in the world ! I could just be slightly biased but I have the fondest memories of the seemingly endless green rolling hills dotted with cattle and little old farm houses. When 5 acres was a small block. When everyone had a dam not a pool and when the best days where the ones where you put the black tarp all the way down the slope of the back yard covered it with good old morning fresh and left the hose at the top for your very own slippery dip. The closest thing we knew to a water restriction was Mum turning off the water after realising that we had now removed any resemblance of grass down the middle of the yard. When you would head off in the morning with your bike and the only restriction was to be back by dark, AND you could buy 3 choc buds for 5 cents!!!

Ah the good old days, it’s such a stark contrast to the world in which we now live. The world in which our little ones are growing up in. I guess this childhood is the foundation for why I now feel so strongly to live as eco-friendly as possible. To ‘first do no harm’ and to raise my babes with a good social and eco conscious.  I now reside in Perth, it’s the complete opposite to my childhood. Gone are the green rolling hills switched for the red dirt and sand. But it is a whole new kind of beauty, the beaches (oh the BEAUTIFUL beaches !) and the seemingly endless ocean, and the many wineries on my back door step – now that’s a bonus! Oh and not to mention the sunshine!

I have recently launched my business Avidiva it is an online baby boutique stocking beautiful hand made, eco-friendly and organic baby products. My aim is to continually grow and add to the business so that it becomes a one stop shop for all things earth friendly and of course super funky for your little ones. Every now and then if I come across something really unique and eco savvy. I will let you all know and blog about it, I have no intention of this becoming a self promotion blog I am aiming to tackle all things ‘Eco and Organic’ be it around the house, for your little ones, for those mum’s to be and for anything that affects our world and our communities. If there is something i should know about, then please let me know !!!

I am looking forward to getting stuck in and joining the Beyond the Baby team!

Cass

British Petroleum have a lot to answer for. Every day I see new images of the devastation caused by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico …. I can’t say anymore than the pictures can and this video makes me so sad ….

Shame on you BP! I will never ever support BP or any of their affiliate companies and I honestly hope this brings their company to it’s knees, maybe then they will feel half the devastation the animals and people have felt from this devastating disaster. Animals lots, businesses are closed and people are set to lose everything in affected areas. That part of the world will never be the same.

Here is a photo taken at a BP fuel station in the USA …. They said it best themselves …

Eco Mummy xxx

Yesterday I took my baby boy to the hairdresser! I love our local kids salon Snippetty – Haircuts For Kids

it is a funky kids salon with a fun little play area and tv screens at each hair cutting station playing kids shows. They also have kid sized chairs so rather than boosting up their normal chairs with phonebooks or a step, the chairs are the perfect size for the little ones and move up to the height needed! I love it!

When I was there yesterday I decided to see what products they sell and was pleasantly surprised to find they only sell an eco brand called Eco.Kid. All products are organic (different levels from 45%-95% organic depending on the product). They promise there are no nasty chemicals, synthetics etc. Best of all the packaging is super funny! I love creative marketing minds and love that they “pinky swear” rather than promise and they also don’t include spinach in any of their products! So cute!

I haven’t used them yet but I was so impressed with the packaging I had to share straight away, so expect and update from me in a few days.

Eco Mummy xx

In a few days our beautiful earth will be celebrated with its own day. Earth Day is commemorating its 40th year and I would love to share some ideas to make your Earth Day count!

Over the past few days we have seen what a large impact grounding planes worldwide can do for our earth. Grounding 63,000 flights over 4 days has saved over 1.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide! Just 4 days! This is a great lesson to show that only a day off change can make a difference.

Here are a few ways to make a difference on Earth Day:

* Give yourself and energy audit!
- Check your light globes and change them to more energy efficient globes.
- Check your power points to see if you have unnecessary appliances plugged in and switched on. For example: Is your mobile phone charger plugged in, switched on and no mobile is attached?
- Check what setting your air conditioner or heater is set on. Can this be adjusted to make it more energy efficient? Raise your aircon temperature by a few degree’s and turn your heater down.

* Go over your current recycling process and see if you can make it easier to recycle more. Buy a larger bin; make a sign showing what can be recycled for your family to see.

* Plant a small organic vegetable garden or even start really small and grow your own herbs.

* Switch one cleaning product to a natural cleaning product and see how amazingly they work and how much safer they are for your family.

* Enjoy your local neighbourhood. Rather than driving somewhere, spend Earth Day walking and exploring your local area. Have a picnic in a local park, walk the dogs and even take photos along the way of your local area to remember where you lived.

* Have a meat free day! Red meat is a large contributor to carbon emissions – waste from the cow, production and transport. Why not have a meat free day and enjoy a vegetarian dish?

* Live 100% organic for one day! Buy some organic bread, milk and free range eggs. Make an organic dinner such as chicken and salad. Enjoy the wonderful world of organic food for one day and see the difference.

* Gather your old unused home wares and freecycle them or have a garage sale.

These are only a few ideas, any change no matter how small will make a difference to our future. Use Earth Day as your “New Year’s Resolution Day” for ways you can save the planet.

Eco Mummy xx

The awesome people at www.EcoPeko.com sent me one of their cute kids t-shirts for me to try!

Eco Peko clothing is created from 100% organic cotton and use organic materials where possible and is printed using “green” printing methods.

I loved the packaging the t-shirt came in. It is presented in a super cute mini hessian bag that I am sure kids would love to play with. They could be just like Mummy and use their eco bag when they go shopping!

I decided to try out the t-shirt at our local Sunday organic market. What better place to try something eco friendly! We got so many comments from everyone about his shirt. Everyone said it was the perfect shirt for the market with the slogan saying “Earth Baby”. People also commented on how fabulous it was to see him in organic cotton and everyone wanted the website name for Eco Peko!

All the great feedback from perfect strangers confirmed everything I already thought!

The shirt is super soft and thick without being too hot. The material is great quality and has washed really well. It still looks brand new and has not lost any shape or colour after 3 washes.

I love Eco Peko so much I am off to order another shirt! Both hubby and I love the shirt slogan “100% natural, no pest-inside”. I can’t wait to debut that shirt at our local market!

Eco Mummy xx

Something I never really thought about when I was thinking about unnecessary waste was the toothbrush. It’s something we use every day and we throw away (or should) every 2-3 months. They are 100% made from plastic which is not only bad for the environment going into landfill but the toxic chemical that are given off during its production are harmful. Over 30 million toothbrushes are thrown away every year in Australia alone, this equates to around 1000 tons of landfill yearly. One small country, in one small corner of the earth … imagine the rest ….

So when I heard about a toothbrush made from bamboo, a natural renewable material that is 100% biodegradable and does not contribute to deforestation, I had to give it a go!

I worked in dental for a number of years and I know firsthand how big companies use useless marketing techniques to sell toothbrushes. Every day I see countless ads about the latest and greatest toothbrush technology with cross action this or 360 degrees that. All of these fancy bells and whistles are not needed and are designed to sell toothbrushes! All you need is a small rounded head and soft bristles.

I stumbled across the Environmental Toothbrush when I was reading about the environmental awards run by a news site here in Australia. It was invented by a dentist in Australia.

I have been using the toothbrushes for about 10 months now and I love them! They are the perfect toothbrush – rounded head and soft bristles and they are lightweight and easy to hold.

I take a little extra care with these brushes and make sure I rinse them before and after use and put them in a dry place to dry completely after use. I do find towards the end of the 3 months the head of the brush starts to get a little rough. This is a good indication that it’s time to change brushes. I don’t find it a problem and actually use it as my reminder to change.

The brushes are really reasonably priced and are actually cheaper than the top brands! They come in a box of 12 for $33 so this works out to be $2.75 per brush.

You can purchase the Environmental Toothbrush from www.environmentaltoothbrush.com.au

I will leave you with a little slogan from their site … “The hundreds of choices we make each day impact the environment. Sometimes it’s a big decision… sometimes it’s as small as changing your toothbrush.”

Eco Mummy xxx

It is not possible to completely avoid plastic toys in our society. Everywhere you go be it a doctors surgery, friends houses etc children are always going to be exposed to the latest and greatest toy and these are all generally plastic and not so great for the environment.

Plastics in toys are not the only concerns so here are a few tips to make your kids toys a little greener!

1. Wood and Bamboo are great choices when buying toys. It’s much easier to get away with wood toys when children are under 2 and this is probably the most important time. Kids under 2 put everything in their mouths especially toys so choosing natural or bamboo from fair trade and sustainable resources is a safe choice for your childs health and the environment.

2. Avoid plastics! As I have said this is hard, but avoiding them as much as you can is all you need to do. Buy toys without PVC as it releases toxins from it’s manufacture right through to it’s resting place in landfill. PVC contains a toxins called Phalates that have been linked to cancer and hormone disruption much like the chemicals used in regular disposable nappies. So try and avoid these toys especially when your child is at the age where they are chewing everything they can get their hands on!

3. Battery free! Battery operated toys are not only annoying to parents but battery waste is one of the biggest environmental hazards in the world. Batteries not only clog landfills but their contents also leak into the ground and contaminate soil and water ways. So rather than buying your child a noisy annoying toy that needs 6 batteries why not find something different and help save the environment?

4. Make your own! Handy with a sewing machine? Craft stores or even Etsy have a great range of soft toy patterns. So why not make some soft toys made from organic fabric. They will be fun to play with and something special to pass down to the next generation … made with love.

5. Recycled! Recycled can mean a lot of things. Recycle old cardboard boxes and use them for craft projects or even egg cartons, wrapping paper rolls and any other bits you have laying around. Buy a new appliance? Why not use the box as a cubby house! Let the kids draw and paint on it and it will provide hours of fun and really cost you nothing!

6. Rotate! When children are small they usually find one or two toys they love and will keep going back to them. So why not rotate toys rather than buying more? Set up a 3 bucket system. Put a selection of toys in each bucket and each fortnight change buckets. The kids will think they have new toys all the time!

7. Great Outdoors! The best fun and the most environmentally friendly activities are generally outside. Why not build a vegie patch or ride bikes? Kick a football around? Enjoy some fresh air and have fun playing while you do it!

As I have always said, life is not perfect all the time. So even using one or two of these ideas will make a difference in the world around you.

Eco Mummy xx