Giveaway! Green People & Organic Babies Goodies

Green People are offering you lucky readers a full size Moisturising Shampoo & Conditioner Kit AND some of their new Organic Babies Baby Oil No Scent - a fabulous mama-baba package that would retail for over £30. For your chance to win, scroll down to "How do I get me some?". Below is my review of all the products included in the giveaway.*
This giveaway is open to UK residents.
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I love Green People skincare products, which are all-natural, all-organic and Fairtrade to boot. So I was thrilled to get the chance to review their lovely Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner and their new Organic Babies Baby Oil.


Green People was founded way back in 1994 by a mum who was looking for a way to clear up her daughter's eczema. After discovering that many of her daughter's allergies were being triggered by chemically-potent household and personal care products, she took action. "With a nursing background, knowledge of herbal medicine, and more than 11 years of experience within the pharmaceutical industry", Charlotte Vøhtz was well-placed to create what was to become one of the leading brands in natural, organic body care products in the UK.


From the Green People website:

"Green People are committed to offering products that are 100% natural, gentle, organic and highly effective.

None of our formulations or products are or ever have been tested on animals and most of our products are registered by the Vegan Society. All of our products are suitable for Vegetarians.

We believe that you have a fundamental right to know exactly what is contained in the products you are buying and therefore give full ingredient disclosure on all of our products."

Moisturising Shampoo & Conditioner
I have fine, wispy hair that has previously had highlights applied repeatedly and for the last year has been hennaed, so you can imagine how hard it is to find a shampoo & conditioner combo that really works to detangle my frazzled locks without leaving the rest of my hair limp and lank.


Until now I've tried umpteen types of conditioner in an attempt to save my tangled locks from turning into a bird's nest (particularly as I only brush my hair about 3 times a week these days!). It looks as if my search is over. Green People's Moisturising Shampoo teamed with their Moisturising Conditioner leave my hair beautifully tangle-free and hydrated yet full of bounce and life!


The shampoo is super-concentrated so a little goes a long way (and I have pretty long hair so this is a bonus!) and lathers up nicely without filling the shower with suds. Even on its own I suspect the shampoo would do wonders for most hair types, but mine does need the extra TLC of the moisture-rich conditioner.

Unlike most conditioners (particularly moisture-intensive ones), Green People's Moisturising Conditioner has a lovely non-greasy, almost creamy-gel-like consistency which feels lovely to put on and - more to the point - gets straight into those tangles to do its good work, rather than sitting greasily on top of your strands and simply feeling claggy. Massaged in well and through the dry ends, my bird's nest already feels much tamed without the need to get a comb out.


Rinsed out and dried as usual, I find I have beautiful tangle-free, well-hydrated and bouncy, glossy hair :)


Baby Oil No Scent
I have to say I'm not usually a great fan of baby oils, which tend to be pretty odious concoctions masked with some chemical perfume. I'd much rather use a base oil, such as almond on my baby's skin.


However, having the chance to try Organic Babies Baby Oil No Scent, I must say I'm more than pleasantly surprised. First of all, the ingredients list is just sublime - a gorgeous mixture of the best skin-loving, pure organic oils you can find:

Sunflower seed oil, sesame seed oil, evening primrose seed oil, rosehip fruit oil, elderberry seed oil, pomegranate seed oil.

Rightly so, given the ingredients, the oil claims that it is "suitable for children who may be prone to eczema and psoriasis". All those wonderful omegas!

Unfortunately my own skin just does not like oils - I've tried countless times. But I used this on boy Earthly where he has recently developed patches of eczema on the back of his knees.


The consistency is like any oil and so it's ingenious that comes in a handy pump dispenser rather than a bottle - much less messy! Rubbed between the palms and massaged into the skin, this is easily absorbed (if you don't use too much!) and the "No Scent" claim means of course that it doesn't have any powerful perfumed overtones, so you really feel like baby's skin is just getting the best.


The proof of the pudding? Boy Earthly's patches of eczema have cleared up after just one application!


Well done Green People for creating a truly gorgeous, natural skin tonic and remedy for our precious babies (and I daresay, a few Mums and Dads might be stealing some for their own skin too!).


The only downside to this lovely product is that it does not come with a cap for the pump top. This makes it difficult to put in a wash bag for travel, and means keeping it well out of baby's reach!


How do I get me some?
For your chance to win this fabulous trio of goodies, simply do both of the following:

• Complete the statement "I would love a Green People Mum and Baby Goodie Pack because..." in the comments below AND
• Head on over to Green People's Organic Babies Facebook page to "like" them, and tell me that you have done so in your comment.

Bonus Entries
Increase your chances of winning by:

• Tell me what other Green People/Organic Babies products you would love to try
• Follow Give an Earthly publicly on Google Friend Connect
• Like Give an Earthly on Facebook
• Follow Green People on Twitter
• Follow Give an Earthly on Twitter
• Tweet about this giveaway, saying "#Win a luscious @GreenPeopleUK #mumandbaby goodie pack at @GiveAnEarthly http://tinyurl.com/4xomae3"
• Post about this giveaway on Facebook, mentioning both @Green People and @Give an Earthly

Rules

• Competition open to UK addresses
• Please leave each entry as a separate comment
• If you already follow/subscribe, please let me know
• Remember to leave an email address/link in your comment so I can contact you if you win

A winner will be drawn using random.org on Saturday 20th August. Entries must be posted by Friday 19th August 23:59 BST.

* Disclosure: Green People sent me each of the three items above for review.
I only ever review and recommend items that I genuinely love and think you should know about.

Guest Post: 7 Things That Helped Me Survive Pregnancy. By Mampoekie

Laura Schuerwegen a.k.a. Mamapoekie is a Belgian expat mother and wife, currently living at the banks of the Kasai river in DR Congo. She has an unschooled three year old and a little one due December. She writes about Life, the Universe and Everything at Authentic Parenting.

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Pregnancy

A while back I read an article on Babble entitled just this. I was appalled to find that more than half of her pregnancy savers were either junk food or medication, both are things which your baby doesn’t need during gestation. Even though I'm not very fond of the title, since it makes pregnancy sound like the plague, I decided to write my own.

I must admit I do take the occasional antacid, as I have had serious reflux with my first pregnancy, and this time around had it from the moment of conception. I am still looking for natural alternatives (if you have any, please add them in the comments below), but so far no luck.


1. Pillows
On this point, I agree with the Babble author: pillows are a great way to create a comfortable sleeping and even sitting arrangement. I have one under the head of my mattress (against the reflux), and use a nursing pillow between my legs. Towards the end of my previous pregnancy, I had another one behind my back, and one under the back of the mattress, to battle heavy legs and fluid retention.


2. My Special Morning Sickness Brew
The first few months of this pregnancy I was attached to the hip to my teapot and special brew. First thing in the morning, my husband would concoct a ginger and lemongrass infusion, fresh from the garden. I would then drink the first two cups warm and the rest of it cold. This is the recipe:

- an inch of ginger, cut in pieces - for the morning sickness

- one stem of lemongrass, rolled up - this calms the nervous system, and at that time I was dealing with a lot of anger and frustration, plus it is super yummy.

Just pour boiling water over the lot and drink hot or cold. You can add some honey for taste. Some days I added the juice of one lime, for the vitamins.

3. Prunes
Dried prunes or prune juice help really well when you are constipated, which is a common symptom of the hormones and later the pressure of your bowel. Always keep some handy. They make a delicious snack. You could also make compote from dried prunes, by stewing a cup of prunes and a cup of water, mix or mash, as desired.


4. Water
Water is really the source of life, especially when you’re pregnant. Drinking a lot of water replenishes the amniotic fluid, wards of fluid retention, helps against constipation and lots more. I always have a bottle and glass next to me, specifically when I am writing.


5. Rest
I try to listen to my body and rest as much as possible. This is not always easy with a three year old around the house, but I arrange it so I either nap with her, or someone is around to take care of her during a nap. If I am really low energy, I will take a quick cat nap while she’s watching a movie.


6. Yoga
Right now I am doing Shiva Rea’s Pregnancy Yoga, and so far it has really helped me control my back issues. I feel replenished and relaxed after a session and my daughter loves to join. I don’t do it as much as I like, but end up doing the whole session at least twice a week.


7. Positive Thinking
Probably the most important thing in pregnancy is your thoughts. It is in your power to control them, and turn around negative thought. Pregnancy should be a time of contemplation, where you benefit from dealing with and healing your grievances, in order to be radiant and ready when that little bubble arrives.

Buried in Books Monday

Well it's that time again! Littlest Earthly is 5 months old and rapidly going through the associated changes. So to my trusty bookshelf I turn and pick off the following (with the slightest of sighs):


First up: The No-Cry Sleep Solution. After being the most miraculous of baby sleepers from day one, a couple of months ago baby Earthly no. 2 turned into the sleeper from hell. At the time I blamed a growth spurt and teething; now I'm just cross (and sleep deprived). Pantley's suggestions did nothing for our first, but then (as we know now) he was exceptional. We had higher hopes for no. 2 and I feel disappointed that I've been forced to leaf through this again. Having said all that, I'm still not convinced this is the solution for us. While Pantley's tenets are great in theory, and obviously for all of the test cases she talks of, they just don't seem to work that well on our kids. From the start we've been able to put littlest Earthly down at night, straight into her hammock whilst sleepy but not sleeping. Now she will have none of it. Every night is torture, and for no apparent reason. She just refuses, point blank, and the only way she will go is if we (painfully, finally) have her fully asleep first before depositing her to beddy-byes. She has a routine (and always has), she's well fed (believe me!) during the day, she has a comfy and cosy bed, an early bedtime (when she goes), she naps (though erratically - like her brother she won't go down at any kind of routine time for a nap) and she is used to self-comforting and falling asleep in different ways. I've tried a 'lovey' but to no avail. She's too young to be weaned off night feeds altogether, but I could certainly do with the frequency being diminished!


For now I'm happy to keep trying with the Pantley techniques, as they make sense and baby's current clinginess may pass naturally enough to make things easier. Fingers crossed...



Baby Earthly no. 2 is (as I write) sitting in her brother's high chair and happily grabbing at anything within reach to shove greedily into her mouth. So, it's almost time for solids then... Step in Baby-led Weaning. This book was super helpful in weaning boy Earthly and contains all you need to know and more about the philosophy behind BLW and why it makes sense, how you know when your baby is 'ready', how BLW works, getting started, what to offer them and when... plus so much more. In essence, like many natural parenting books, it's about observing your baby, following their lead, and adapting to what they want when they show the sign. It worked wonders with our first and we hope the the transition will be just as smooth with no. 2: watch this space!

The 3rd book this week is more for baby no. 1's benefit for the moment, as he has just got over a nasty chest and ear infection. Knowing that the doctor would only offer antibiotics for this, I turned instead to my herbal remedy chest and my homeopathic emergency kit. Being naturally more confident with herbal remedies, I find myself at a bit of a loss when it comes to homeopathy, despite many of the underlying remedies being very similar - i.e. calendula for burns, cuts and grazes; urtica for bites, stings and allergic reactions etc. However, Homeopathy for Children is one of the best I have found as an easy reference guide - and useful not only for children, though it specialises in typical childhood complaints and illnesses. With a full background on homeopathy and how it works alongside case studies and an in-depth look at treatments for everything from first-aid to childhood diseases, this is a fantastic introduction to homeopathy for the whole family. Teamed with my Helios Remedy Kit, I refer to this book time and time again.

Buried in Books Monday

Father Earthly and I have always had a great weakness for books and it is no less so now, though there is precious litttle space aboard for them (but we do have a plan to fix that hopefully!) In the meantime we have boxes and boxes of books in storage with a select few currently shelved on the boat with us - and to which we cannot help but continue to add more by and more.

Recently I have added a fair few on all manner of subjects, from dressmaking to parenting. But the ones to which I keep turning most at the moment are my new-found volumes on Raw Food. I think I was most drawn to the idea of Raw Food over the last few months because my body has been through the mill somewhat of late - the last 2 years I've spent being pregnant, breastfeeding, pregnant again whilst looking after a 1 year old, breastfeeding again (as above) and getting no sleep (again). It's taken its toll and my body has craved nutrients like they're going out of fashion.

Kate Wood's Raw Living has been a nice introduction to the ins and outs and possibilities of raw food - particularly where it helpfully explains that one need not be 100% raw to reap the benefits, although (she says), once started on a raw adventure, you're unlikely to want to stray far from it! I like this perspective, and I think it's important to note, for I have found in the past when trying out veganism that the whole vegan movement and community can be a bit military-minded; you're either a 'proper' vegan or you're not, and if you're not then be prepared to have animal welfare leaflets shoved down your throat. [Mini-rant: apologies]. Not so with raw food it seems, and that immediately makes it all the more appealing as a lifestyle choice.



So far so good, and I have to say that on the whole I am very taken with her recipes, and certainly the explanation of some of the typical raw foodstuffs is really helpful, though as many of the staples are so foreign to a 'normal' diet, do think that some in-depth tasting notes would have been a real bonus. After all, you're going to have to go and source these expensive items and then put them all together, so it would be useful to know if you're likely to enjoy the end result!

One thing that is both boon and curse (in my mind) is the naming of the recipes. Many of them are quite descriptively ordinary (e.g. "Hemp Seed Hummus, "Curried Parsnips" or even "Crunchy Quinoa Crackers") but many also follow the veteran vegan tradition of fake similitude - from "Parsnip Rice" (a rice substitute in the form of parsnip 'bits') and "Tricolore Pasta" (spiral-sliced vegetables covered in sauce) to "Egg Mayonnaise" (actually cauliflower and avocado with flavourings) and "Tomato Quiche" (actually nothing like a quiche but more like a vegetable flan). The boon to this naming method is of course that you have more of an idea (supposedly) what it's supposed to emulate. The curse is that I don't think it helps - it just gives you a false impression of what it should be like when in fact it should really stand on its own merit. For example, the pasta could be much more appetizingly (and realistically) named as "Tricolore vegetable spirals in a tangy sweet and sour tomato sauce". I daresay it's a personal preference, but I just loathe my food to sound like a poor copy of something with meat/dairy/cooked food in it if it blatantly doesn't.
That all aside, it's a good introduction to raw food and the kinds of possibilities on offer. Personally I think a few too many of the recipes have 'added ingredients' - seaweed in one form or another being a particular favourite. But on the whole, a good staple for our cooking shelf I think!

What appeals to most newbies to raw food is of course, raw chocolate. I've only recently experienced this phenomenon and I enjoyed it so much I'm now reluctant to eat boring old normal cooked chocolate - even the excellent stuff like Montezuma's (though I can't see myself abandoning it completely, not yet...). In a bid to save some money and have some real fun experimenting, I bought myself the newly published Jessica's Raw Chocolate Recipes. I've not yet got my chocolate tools out (one benefit of course of raw chocolate making is you don't have to worry about the faff of tempering) but I can't wait to start. Almost everything sounds utterly mouthwatering and suitable for both traditional tastes (Raw Cacao Fudge to Peppermint Creams) and the more adventurous (Raw Chocolate Cheesecake, Raw Hemp and Chocolate Spread, Guarana and Goji Nutty Loaf). It is also filled with luscious pictures of the recipes which is so rare with a vegan cookbook (as this essentially is). Only one real downside that I can see to this book is that the author uses an awful lot of nuts, particularly cashews. My bad for being allergic to (some) nuts, but it does rather make a lot of the recipes a bit inaccessible if you're unwilling to eat pounds of the things for whatever reason. And like the Kate Wood book, I would say that more tasting notes are needed for both ingredients and recipes.

My last book off the shelf today was bought because I have long wanted a really good herbal guide and the other day a copy of Neal's Yard Remedies literally jumped into my hands at a local bookshop. I couldn't leave it on the shelf; I simply had to have it there and then. Not only is it a beautifully illustrated guide to all the common herbs used in this country for minor and major ailments and everyday vitality, it also boasts a series of superb recipes (for inside and outside use!) at the back. At first glance these simply look like delicious concoctions, but on closer inspection you can see the nutritional benefits and in fact that many of them are, again, raw e.g. Courgette Spaghetti with Coriander and Pine Nut Pesto; Nasturtium and Sprouted Seed Salad; Onion Squash and Ginger Soup.This I find particularly appealing - a book that simply gives you the food as it is without shouting "Hey, I'm raw, I'm vegan, I'm REALLY GOOD for you!" because when all you want is a really tasty snack or meal, you don't need to feel nagged at the same time!

Let the raw adventure begin!

Tea Tree vs The Black Mould: Who Will Win?

Not the nicest of jobs today on board. A very far cry from the "good life" that many would think of when they learn you live on a boat which you are building yourself. The bald and distasteful truth is, I have spent the last 3 hours scrubbing black and blooming mould off the wooden lining panels in our bow, which were only installed a few months ago.

The area has been curtained off from our living space as we hadn't finished it, and we were storing (amongst other things) our remaining lining boards. Now all of those, too, are covered in a significant amount of mould and I'm worried that the spores are here to stay.


The problem has been that our only heat source as yet is our woodburner which is situated at the stern - so the bow gets little to no heat but lots of condensation. It's a real quandary. If we put in a gas heater it produces more condensation; we haven't got the electricity required to run a dehumidifier, and to put in another woodburning stove in the bow (though a nice idea as this will be our bedroom eventually) is well outwith our budget at the moment.


For now I've doused it all in tea tree oil and we'll have to keep an eye on it until the warmer weather ensues!

Taking Charge and Feeling Revived

For the last year or so and in particular the past 6 months I have been physically, mentally and emotionally knackered. Exhausted, fatigued, pooped. Many are the reasons, not least that we had one small child 18 months ago and have recently added another. But I've been seriously so knackered I've considered all sorts - drugs, therapies, counselling... you name it. My pride has prevented me from going down any of these routes and in the end it has been the resolve to lose my baby-weight that has done the trick. Within a couple of weeks of eating more raw foods, cutting out bread and most wheat products and drastically reducing dairy and limiting treats significantly as well as drinking copious quantities of green tea and water, I already feel hugely energised and more mentally alert, positive and confident. I wouldn't have believed it possible.

Increasingly over the last few years I have started to believe in taking charge of my own health rather than tripping off to the doctor every time something seems amiss. This has not always been an easy road - far from it - but it seems to work for me on the whole. My biggest hurdle has been depression, not least over the last year or so whilst coping with the many and varied new responsibilities and demands of motherhood, coupled with another pregnancy (nevermind the hardships of living on a half-built canal boat in Winter with a toddler!). Whilst pregnant I was offered referral to NHS help, should I want it. I didn't. I know that I am the only one who can successfully manage my depression - drugs only numb and confuse and therapies make me dwell on the problem(s). My way of dealing with it has to be just to take the good days and the bad together, and get on with things as much as I can.

I do feel that as a society we must take more responsibility for ourselves, particularly in terms of our health. Empowerment is the key. Talk to any woman who has had a beautiful, natural home-birth and she will mention the enormous feeling of achievement and empowerment. The same goes for our general health. If we continue to defer our healthcare to those who hold no personal knowledge of us and whose expertise is heavily sponsored by the most dominant drug companies, how can we have confidence that we are finding the best solutions for ourselves? As a result we end up feeling belittled, insignificant, lost, and our healthcare issues go largely unresolved. We all have choices when it comes to caring for our own health, and I implore you to use them. Nobody can know you and your own unique health issues better than yourself, much like you know what kind of foods you like best, or which types of exercise you're most suited to. So go on, take charge and find the healthiest you you can!