Attachment parenting - a good blog!

Hi from the middle of boxes! We are packing like crazy and moving in a couple of weeks to California. I wanted to recommend this wonderful blog about compassionate parenting. And you know what, it turns out that the writer lives actually close to where we are about to move! Anyway, here is the link.

Compassionate Parenting

For you interested in the subject and looking for more to read, check out also my other favorites:

Unconditional parenting

Enjoy Parenting and the free Daily Groove newsletter

Bye!

Sirpa

Color eggs naturally

As Easter is approaching, I read today in Mothering magazine's newsletters tips about how to dye eggs naturally instead of using those unnatural food colorings. For instance, you can use beets for pink, boiled spinach for green or tea for brown. Read more here.

In Finland when I was a child we painted the boiled eggs with brushes and ate them later. I have never dyed them like this, maybe I will try now. I bought organic eggs from sale today.

Ruston Farmers market opens on Saturday!

Ruston Farmers market starts the season earlier this year, April 4! This month's theme is “Come Dig into Spring” with us! Don’t forget to bring your extra seeds and plants for a seed swap this week­end. They will have some knowledgeable folks on hand to help answer questions about gardening.

Please note: The Ruston Farmers' Market will not be able to take recycling at this time. Please ask the Welcome tent for information on where to take your plastics, paper, metal, and cans.

RFM website

How exciting: New moderator for the group and the blog

Hi everyone!

We are going to move away for a year. We are moving from LA to L.A. (California) so if the blog name was Living Naturally in LA I guess I could keep posting. I am lucky to have found someone who will take over the blog though, so no worries!

The blog moderator will be Rachel. I am very glad to leave this to her, I think she will do great. I will miss this blog though so I might visit from time to time and let you know how my no-poo-experiment-that-turned-into-a-permanent-hair-washing-solution is going. You can also visit me in my Kaiku Lifestyle blog.

This still is a group blog so anyone from the Living Naturally in Louisiana group, write to livingnaturallyinla @ gmail.com / to the Yahoo group if you want to start writing to the blog. It is possible to write also anonymously.

I wish the group and the blog can be a place where anyone wanting to live a more natural life in Louisiana can find support, ask questions, get answers and discuss subjects that interest them.

I wish you all the best and talk to you soon, I hope. Live naturally!
Sirpa

Bradley class series starting again in Ruston

Crystal Garcia's Bradley method birth classes are about to start again in Ruston! She has still a couple of spots available. Register for classes starting on April 16th (Thursday nights 6-8 PM) now! More info and contact information on Crystal's website.

Bradley Classes offer a comprehensive curriculum. Bradley Method® classes cover it all: nutrition, exercise, being more comfortable during pregnancy, the coaches role, introductory information about labor and birth, advanced techniques for labor and birth, complications, cesarean sections, postpartum care, breastfeeding and caring for your new baby.

Our classes cover a few topics that are rarely discussed in other classes like: how to reduce the need for an episiotomy and the likelihood of a tear, how to avoid needing a cesarean, how to make the best of it if a cesarean is necessary, and what the coach should do if the baby is accidentally born in the car.

Ecofriendly alternatives for tampons and pads.

20 billions menstrual pads and tampons are discarded each year - just in the USA, according to Green Living Tips. The good news is that there ARE more ecofriendly alternatives for tampons and pads! Have you ever heard of the menstrual cups and cloth pads? Someone mentioned them in the comments of the previous posting and I realized I haven't posted anything about them.

One year ago I started using a menstrual cup (in my case Diva cup, a brand name, there are different ones) instead of tampons and I am extremely happy with it. It feels comfortable, clean and secure (after I learned to use it, I have a tip though: don't choose white summer dress to wear the first few times you try it). I love it that I can use it over and over again. For me, it feels so much more comfortable than tampons or pads. It is supposed to last for up to 10-15 years. They have two models - one for women under thirty and who haven't had a baby and the other one is for women over thirty / have had a baby). Read more here and google for more info.

I have also organic cotton cloth pads and find them comfortable and easy to use too. Mine have wings with snaps so they stay quite well in place. I bought mine in Finland, but you can order them online. They are easy to wash, I usually wash them with the cloth diapers in hot water.

Read more from Green Living Tips article too.

Home made laundry detergent and soap nuts.

Do you make your own laundry detergent? I am almost out and I want to start making my own. Do you have a good recipe? I have been looking for one online. The recipes often contain borax and I am somehow suspicious about it, is it safe to use?

I have been using from time to time the ultimate natural laundry detergent, soap nuts, instead of detergent. The soap nuts are little nuts that you put a little bit crushed in a mesh bag to the laundry machine. You can use them twice. They don't leave really any smell to the laundry but if you are allergic to nuts beware.



I don't think they have worked that well for REALLY dirty laundry though. I use them for laundry that is only a little bit dirty and doesn't have bad stains. I guess then stains need to be treated well before (gall soap for instance is a good natural stain treatment, but it definitively isn't vegan). My friend told me that some of the soap nuts are better than the others, so maybe I just had bad ones. Google "soap nuts" if you want to try them or read more.

From soap nuts you can boil also a soap liquid to clean your hair for instance, I guess it can work for other things too. I tried it but I think I am sticking in my baking soda and vinegar.

But yes, to my original question, can anyone help me with a good natural laundry detergent recipe? Liquid or powder, doesn't matter.

Five months without shampoo!

I started the no poo experiment when I started this blog. I am still no poo, haven't used shampoo. I wash my hair with baking soda and rinse with apple cider vinegar (read more from earlier no poo postings) about twice a week. In the beginning I washed more often and I have tried to reduce the amount of BS/ACV washes but my hair gets greasy after 3 days approximately. But it seems fine with the washing, it hasn't gotten dry yet or anything so I am quite happy. If anyone has good tips how to continue from here and become really shampoo free (without my hair being greasy ;)), let me know.

Buy these organic (produce with most pesticides)

Here is a list from Environmental Working Group of produce that has the most pesticides.

Top 10 (highest pesticide load)

1. Peach
2. Apple
3. Sweet Bell Pepper
4. Celery
5. Nectarine
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes - Imported

My Kaiku Lifestyle shop and other good news

I have been a little lazy in writing recently because I have had my hands full with other things. Among other things I started my own business, Kaiku Lifestyle, in making stuff out of mainly recycled materials. Check out my blog and my Etsy shop!

I got today a link to this interesting news release.

Doctors Endorse Vegan and Vegetarian Diets for Healthy Pregnancies

Nutrition Experts Available for Comment in Response to
NIH Study About B12

WASHINGTON—Well-planned vegetarian and vegan diets are healthful choices for pregnant women and their children, and vitamin B12 needs can be easily met with fortified foods or any common multivitamin, say doctors and dietitians with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). PCRM nutrition experts are available for comment in response to a new Pediatrics study showing that low levels of vitamin B12 may increase the risk for neural tube defects. Read more

Dishwasher soap, RFM and sidewalks

I have heard now very good reviews from friends who tried the homemade dishwashing soap, read the earlier posting and recipe from here. You can use this soap for washing dishes by hand or in the machine. My friend from Finland had made it and she wrote to me today that it works well and that the cups and plates even feel more gentle than before. She made the liquid castile soap required in the recipe by melting castile soap bars in water.

I am so excited to hear that Ruston Farmers market will open this spring again (maybe already in the end of March!). They need volunteers so if you live in Ruston, come to a meeting on Sunday February 15th at 2 pm at the Lincoln Parish Public Library meeting room. Everyone who volunteers for at least one market day gets a Ruston Farmers' Market yellow tote bag. Read more from the RFM forum. Check out also the RFM website at www.rustonfarmersmarket.org.

I was interviewed for the Ruston Daily Leader about going green and I mentioned there that I dream of better sidewalks in Ruston so that it would be easier to walk and bike everywhere instead of always driving. I was donated a bike recently by a friend (thanks!) and I bought a seat for it for my son. It has been really fun to bike around but it feels a bit scary to bike among the cars especially with a child on the bike. If you live in Ruston and miss proper sidewalks too, write to the city and tell them! They have now a Ruston 21 project and they take ideas to improve the city on their website, just click here and choose "online participation". I also wrote them about recycling.

Plastic bag and bottle recycling in Super1

Happy New Year!

I went to Ruston Super1 today and noticed that they have a recycle bin (made of recycled milk jugs) for plastic bags and plastic bottles. Maybe the other Super1 stores do the same.

Read also the earlier posting about the discount Super1 gives for using your own reusable bags.

In Living Naturally in Louisiana group's Facebook page there was some discussion about the recycling, check it out and join the group!