Homemade Tooth Powder

A few months ago my family switched to tooth powder instead of store bought toothpaste. We wanted to save money, be more self sufficient and I wanted to know exactly what we were using to brush our teeth with. Since we've been using it, my gums feel healthier and there's no weird after taste.

This tooth powder is SLS and flouride free. It's made with baking soda to gently clean and freshen breath, xylitol to sweeten the tooth powder and promote gum healing, sea salt to act as a mild abbrasive to gently clean and peppermint essential oil to reduce inflammation of the gums and freshen breath.

Making and using this tooth powder is very cost efficient. I'm guessing each batch I make costs about $1-2 where as a tube of Green Beaver tooth paste (which is what I used to buy) was $6.

Try it and let me know what you think!

Homemade Tooth Powder
Combine 2 heaping tablespoons of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of xylitol, 1/2 tsp of sea salt, and about 10 drops of your favourite essential oils (I mostly use traditional peppermint but I would love to recreate Green Beaver's Cilantro Mint or do a lime flavoured one).

Store in a resealable jar. To use, place a small spoon (I use a baby spoon) of tooth powder in your palm and dip a wet toothbrush in it. Brush as usual.

Birthday Tea!

As I mentioned in my last post, we recently celebrated Parker's third birthday! Except for a balloon pump, all his gifts from us were handmade. I'm trying to keep gifts simple and not the focal point in our family's celebrations.

Along with a few other handmade gifts, I made Parker some "birthday tea". I had wanted to make fairy tea but couldn't find any hibiscus which gives the tea a lovely purple colour so I decided to mix up some kid friendly ingredients and call it "birthday tea". Parker loves to drink tea so this was something I thought he'd enjoy. As it turns out, it's not only something he likes but we like it as well.

Keep in mind that I'm not an expert in tea making! I looked up child friendly tea ingredients and just mixed them up to my liking. I purchased my ingredients from our local health food store as I didn't have any leftover dried herbs from last growing season. Always choose organic when making teas.

Birthday Tea
In a small bowl, combine a tablespoon or so of the following dried herbs:
~peppermint, clover, nettles, chamomile, lavender and lemon balm.

You can also add dried stevia but I find the peppermint and lemon balm to be sweet enough. The lavender hides the bitter taste of the nettles (which are super good for you).

I put this all into a 4 ounce metal tin and attached a fun label to it.

When ready to use, put a teaspoons worth in a resuable tea bag or a tea ball and cover with barely boiling water. Allow to steep for about ~10 minutes.

Homemade Natural Deodorant

I started a new etsy shop in addition to The Felted Fern called Nature's Cupboard. From it I sell natural alternatives to store bought chemical filled items such as tooth powders, playdough, hair teas (that's tea for hair!) and deodorant. I've sold a few tins of everything but the shipping is KILLING me. So much so that I don't think I'm going to sell online anymore and either just sell it locally or not at all. I can't decide.

But what I do know is that I want to share my recipes with you! Natural deodorant had me skeptical at first when I found the recipe. I have tried every single natural deodorant out there and they have all failed me. But this... this stuff works!

Make up a batch for yourself and let me know if it works (or if you're local or dont' mind paying an arm and a leg in shipping let me know and I'll sell you a tin!).

Natural Deodorant

In a small mixing bowl combine:
6 tablespoons organic unrefined coconut oil
1/4 cup kaolin clay
1/8 cup baking soda
1/8 cup arrowroot powder
Optional: you can also add a few drops of essential oil. My favourite combo is 3 drops each of lavender and peppermint e.o. So yummy!

Mix until a thick paste much like convential deodorant is achieved. Put in a tin or even an old deodorant tube. Apply a dime sized amount with fingers from tin (use as regular deodorant if using tube). I buy my kaolin clay from Island Artisan Supply. You can use 1/4 baking soda and 1/4 arrowroot or even cornstarch but baking soda has a very high ph level so many people get rashes from it.

Elderberry Syrup

It's cold and flu season again and this year I'm determined to not get sick! I don't usually get sick often but the past few years, I have been getting one or two colds which knock me out.

I've been reading about elderberries and their effectiveness against the cold and flu viruses. Elderberries contain vitamin A, vitmain C, calcium, potassium and iron. They are also anti-viral and boost the immune system! Making a syrup from elderberries and taking it daily can prevent getting sick. If you do become sick with a cold, a flu or suffer from a viral infection, taking elderberry syrup will lessen the severity of the symptoms and decrease the length of illness.

So last month I made a batch of elderberry syrup and have been doing my best to take it daily. I don't mind the taste but my oldest daughter and my husband need some coaxing to take it!

Here's how I made it:
1 cup dried elderberries (if you can find fresh even better. They're usually found in September locally)
3 cups water
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup local honey, preferablly raw

In a pot, combine elderberries, water and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain by squeezing all liquids from the elderberries over a mesh strainer then pour back into pot. Pour in honey and stir until melted. Pour into sterilized jar and refridgerate for up to 3 months.

I take two teaspoons daily, my kids take one (I made one without honey for Sophie as she's under 15 months) and should we become sick, we'll increase to 3 or 4 doses per day.

Caring for your amber necklace

Parents are ditching chemical relief for their teething babies and are instead taking a more natural approach. Teething  baltic amber necklaces are super popular right now with good reason. Amber has succininc acid which relieves inflammation and provides pain relief when the warmth of your baby's skin releases the oil.

Parker's been wearing his for about two years now and Sophie's been wearing hers for about 6 months and they both benefit from wearing their baltic amber teething necklaces. I love them, they're super cute and they really do provide relief to my children which then provides relief for me. :)

But did you know that you need to take special care of your amber necklace? Amber should not be worn in chlorinated swimming pools, when bathing or when wearing sunscreen or lotion. The chemicals and soap will create a film on the beads over time, keeping the oils from being released.

Don't fret if you've been forgetting to remove the necklace when in the bath or out at the beach... you can wash your amber! Take a clean toothbrush and using only water, lightly scrub each amber bead until clean.

You can also recharge your amber necklace by placing it in a sunny spot for a few hours. I did this last summer after Parker was struggling with his two year molars coming through. I cleaned them with water and put them on the deck for the afternoon in full sun. Doing this made the necklace like new again and Parker was able to cope again with teething.

Goodbye Saran wrap, hello Abeego wrap!

I went to see a friend of mine in Vancouver before she went back home to Australia to have her baby. We spent the afternoon on Granville Island which I just love, haven't been there in ages. While we were looking around for a gelato shop, I spotted some Abeego wraps in one of the little stands. I was so excited as I have been reading online about this great product!

Abeego is made up of a hemp blend fabric which is infused with essential oils and beeswax. This makes the material so it can be molded around food or containers to keep it fresh. No more plastic wrap! Best of all about this product is that not only is it made in Canada but it's made in Victoria.

This picture here is using one of the flats (it comes in a set of three flat sheets of various sizes) over a brick of cheese. Works fantastic!! I also bought the sandwhich wrap, love love love it!

Seriously, you need to check this stuff out. I *heart* it very much and know you all will too!

Herbal Salves

I've been absent, I know. Our computer's USB ports aren't working and I haven't been able to upload pictures and for some reason I'm having a hard time blogging without the use of photos! But I'm here today and hopefully we'll remember to take the computer in to be repaired (a super quick repair we've been told) so that I feel more inspired to blog!

Anyhoo... this is about salves. I *love* salves and have been buying them from farmer's markets, health food stores and small brick and mortar stores for years now. But I always assumed making them was so difficult so I didn't even bother. Well, let me tell you: they're super duper easy!! I made up a placenta salve for a client using a basic first aid salve recipe and then adding about a teaspoon of her dried placenta. I've heard amazing things about placenta salves for cesarean moms and I know of someone who belongs to my placenta service providers group who's daughter nearly had her fingers amputated in a paper shredder accident (!!) and her mother applied placenta salve to it to speed up the healing. But I had no personal experience nor did I personally know someone who used it postpartum so I offered it free to a few clients in exchange for feedback. I also made up a batch without added placenta for a friend's birthday on the weekend. Now I just need to get around to making myself a batch (I want both placenta and regular first aid salve).

Here's a recipe and how to:

First Aid Salve

• First you need to make an herbal infused oil. I used one part herbs to 2 parts oil. The oil I chose was a mixture of organic (make sure to only use organic ingredients for salves) virgin coconut oil and apricot kernal oil. I used comfrey, calendula and goldenseal and placed a tablespoon of each into a crockpot. Then I added 4 tablespoons of coconut oil and 2 tablespoons of apricot kernal oil. Turn the crockpot onto low and let the oil infuse for about 3 hours. Let cool and strain into a clean container using cheesecloth.
• In a pot on low-medium heat, warm the infused oil and add about a tablespoon of grated beeswax (use local beeswax if available). Then you can add 800 IUs of vitamin E and a drop of lavender essential oil. You can also add 1/2 a tsp of tea tree oil but I chose not to. Stir until beeswax melts into oil.
• You'll know your mixture is the right consistency by dipping a teaspoon into the pot and then sticking it into the freezer to set. When it sets, test it to make sure it's not too hard or too soft. If it's too soft, add a little more beeswax. If it's too hard, add more oil.
• Pour into sterile brown glass jars and seal.
• Voila... you are done! This can be used on cuts, scrapes, bug bites, etc.

For placenta salve, I make a second batch of infused oil using a teaspoon (or 1 or two capsules) of dried and ground placenta in 100mls of carrier oil: I used apricot kernel oil). Either in a double boiler or a crockpot set on low, allow the placenta to infuse the oil for abuot an hour or so. You'll know it's done when you start to smell placenta (not burnt or overly strong, just placenta-y.) Strain into a small pot using cheesecloth and then add 3 tablespoons of the first aid salve and follow above instructions.

To use placenta salve on a cesarean incision, wait until the bandages have been removed and the wound has closed up. A mother who birthed vaginally can also use this cream on tender or torn and reparied bits too. The same rule for taking encapsulated placenta internally applies for placenta salve: if infection of any kind is suspected, stop use until all symptoms disappear.

It's soapnut love all over again!

I posted already about using soapnuts for your laundry and mentioned that I was wanting to try using the liquid for general cleaning, etc. Well... on Saturday after losing the muslin bag ful of nuts three times in my wash I was getting frustrated with using them. I crave simplicity and these were not proving to be as simple as I first thought with having to shake and turn out each article of clothing from the washer looking for the muslin bag of soapnuts before putting it in the dryer.
So before I was going to decide if I was going to give up on soapnuts, I thought I'd give the liquid a shot. And I'm glad I did. :) I'm back in love with soapnuts and maybe even a little more now. I boiled about 12-14 new soapnuts in 6 cups of water for about 30 minutes then added enough water to bring it back up to 4 cups worth of liquid. I left in the soapnuts but you can take them out if you like. Also, don't be afraid of the tea coloured liquid, it will NOT stain your clothing! :) For an extra boost and to add some scent, I added a few drops (I accidently used too many of TTO) of tea tree oil and lavender essential oils.
For laundry (including cloth), I add in 3 tablespoons (which is how much the oxyclean scoop holds, so I just use an old one to measure it out).
I also added 3tlbs to my bottle of general cleaner and it works SO much better! I just didn't add the essential oils since the soapnut liquid already has some in there. I tried it on my very dirty patio windows and it works fantastic, works great on floors too.
All in all, I"m very happy with the results. I'd like to play around with some scents as I've been checking out the Rockin' Green laundry detergent website and they've come up with some yummy scents that I was thinking of trying.

ETA: A friend of mine just reminded me (thanks Shona!!) that this doesn't keep that long. I've been using the jar for 4 days now stored in my cupboard for 4 days now and it's still perfectly fine but this won't keep for too long. If you weren't a family of 5 who cloth diapers two children and uses this as your main cleaner (lol!) then I'd store it in the fridge or even better, freeze it in ice cube trays and pop up to 3 in the washing machine. If you're using cold water, I'd let the cubes melt first! :)

ETA (May 14, 2010): I made my second batch of soapnut liquid today and have learned something: This stuff loves to boil over furiously! Last time I made it, I used a big stockpot but this time I used a medium sized pot which boiled over all over the place. It's fine to use a medium sized pot, just watch it until it comes to a boil and turn to a simmer right away.

Simple and Natural Cleaning

Some of the most toxic stuff in our homes are those that are used for cleaning. So toxic that people die each year from the chemicals in cleaners.
Some of the toxins in commercially made cleansers are:

• formaldehyde which is a known carcinogen.
• chlorine which is the #1 cause of breast cancer and has also been used in chemical warfare.
• triclosan which can cause liver damage
• petroleum distillates causes skin and lung cancer
• amonia which causes respiratory problems
• perchlorethylene damages liver, kidney and nervous systems.
• hydrochloric acid damages kidney and liver.
• hypochlorite bleach damaging to skin, eyes and respiratory system and pulmanory edema.
• enzymes and phosphorus cause rashes, allergies and sinus infections

This is just a SMALL list of what is in commercially made cleansers. Since world war 2, more than 80,000 chemicals have been invented. Most of these have been invented for chemical warfare but are now used in our cleaners, food and water supplies.
Once I found this out, I had to make a change! For the past few years I've stopped using most commerical cleansers and went back to basics: vinegar, baking soda, aromatherapy, washing soda, etc. These clean just as well if not better than what you can buy at the store and best of all you save SO much money.
Here's a list of recipes for cleaners:

Soft Scrubber: Mix 1/2 cup baking soda with just enough liquid detergent (I like 7th Generation) to make a paste. Scoop some onto a wet cloth and scrub away! Works great for the bathtub.
Window Cleaner: In a spray bottle, mix in 1/4tsp liquid detergent, 3 tbls vinegar and 2 cups water.
All purpose cleaner: Fill a spray bottle 1/4 of the way full with vinegar (5%), add 20 drops tea tree oil, 10 drops lavender essential oil and fill with water. Shake well before each use. I use this cleaner the most to wash down my counters, spray on cutting boards, wash the bathroom, etc.
Floor Wash: To clean my floors, I fill up the sink abouta  1/4 way with hot water and add a glug (1/4 cup maybe?) of vinegar with 10 drops tea tree oil and 5 drops of lavender. The essential oils will not only help disinfect your floors but leaves your house smelling great!
Mold Killer: Mix 2 tsp tea tree oil in 2 cups water in either a bucket or a spray bottle and apply to moldy area. Do not rinse. Works better than anythign I've ever used!
Disinfectant: To wash cutting boards or when cleaning the toilet bowl, use straight vinegar and leave on as long as possible. I spray vinegar on my cutting boards before I go to bed at night and just rinse in the morning.

Give it a try and I promise you'll never go back to toxin filled chemical cleaners!

Understanding Cloth Diapers

(the kids are still napping so why not throw in another blog post today!)

Deciding to use cloth diapers was an easy choice for me (see previous post). Deciding which cloth diapers to use wasn't so easy! The easiest way to get started is to explain the differences in diapers out there.

• Flats These are the diapers your mothers and grandmothers probably used. It's a big square of flannel or cotton that is folded to fit your baby. It's fastened with either a pin or a snappi and requires a cover.
• Prefolds A rectangle piece of layered cotton (can be hemp or bamboo as well). Gets folded into thirds and either pinned or snappied together or placed in a wrap-style cover as is. Requires a cover. Also great to use as an insert in pocket style diapers.
• Contoured Prefolds Same idea as the regular prefold but is more shaped and imo, easier to snappi. Requies a cover.
• Fitted Just as the name suggests, this is a diaper fitted to your baby's shape. No folding required but a cover is needed. Usually closes with snaps or velcro although some require a pin or snappi to close.

• Pocket Diaper This is a two piece system that comes with an insert (absorbant part of diaper) and a cover. There is an opening so that you can stuff the insert into the diaper. It closes with either snaps or velcro. Can be stuffed with multiple inserts to tailor absorbancy needs.

• All-in-one This is as close the ease of disposables as you can get. No need to stuff with inserts. Just put diaper on as is. Closes with either snaps or velcro.
• One Size Typically fit from birth to toilet learning. These can come in pocket, all in one and even fitteds. Usually sized with snaps that you can adjust as baby grows.

• Covers Used over flats, prefolds and fitteds. There is a lot of choice out there in covers: PUL is in most covers and especially in pockets and all-in-ones. But you can also get covers in wool, fleece and some people still use plastic pants.

To get started here's what you need:

• Pail or hanging wet bag To store soiled diapers until washing.
• 24-36 diapers I suggest going with 36 so you don't need to wash every day. Don't forget covers depending on type of diaper.
• Wash cloths If you're using cloth, you might as well use cloth wipes too.
• Wet bag To put soiled diapers in when out and about.
• Snappis or Pins Depending on what type of diaper you are using, you may want to use these.
• Diaper friendly detergent I always use Country Save laundry soap. Doesn't cause build-up and is bio-degradable. Remember you only need 1/4 to 1/2 scoop!
• Oxyginated Bleach Powder Gets rid of stains and boosts your laundry detergent. Optional.
• Tea Tree Oil and Lavender Oil Both of these essential oils are great for cloth diapers. A few drops on a cloth dropped into your diaper pail eliminates odours. A few drops added to the rinse cycle will help disinfect your diapers. Optional.
• Diaper friendly diaper rash cream You'll find that your child doesn't often get a diaper rash but it's handy to have around. Be sure it's diaper friendly (such as Bum Bum Balm) and use sparingly to avoid build-up.

For laundry soap suggestions, I found Diaper Jungle to be really helpful: http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html

Reasons To Choose Cloth Diapers

I have lots of pregnant friends right now who are asking me about my experience cloth diapering 3 children (two of whom are currently still in diapers). I'm so happy to see cloth diapers becoming more and more popular and even happier to see the great changes made to cloth diapers since I started using them on my oldest nearly 14 years ago!
Cloth diapering is the obvious choice for my children for many reasons. Some reasons to consider cloth diapering are:

• Less of an environmental impact than disposables. The average child goes through between 6000-7000 diapers. That's a lot of garbage if using disposables. Only 30% of disposable diapers are actually biodegradable and what's worse is that a heavy majority of disosable diaper users don't bother to flush fecal matter so that gets sent to our landfills too. Many people don't know that you aren't actually allowed to throw human waste into the garbage because the viruses that can be found in fecal matter can make it's way into our water system. And that's just nasty! Also less energy is required to make cloth diapers. Choose a diaper made from a renewable resource and you're being ultra friendly to our planet!
• Cloth diapers are healthier for your baby! Male infertility has been linked to disposable diapers because it's believed that the gel warms up a boy's testicles and can stop normal growth. Also, consider the chemicals that are used to make disposable diapers: Tribulytin has been found in Pampers Baby Dry (Greenpeace, May 2000) which harms the immune system, is a hormone disrupter and is speculated to cause male infertility. Traces of dioxen which is a known carcinogen has been found in disposable diapers. The gel in disposable diapers is made from Sodium Polyacrylate which is linked to Toxic Shock Syndrome. And yet another health reason to switch to cloth: It's been shown that disposable diapers can cause asthma in children!
• Cloth diapers will save you money! Do the math! If a child goes through an average of 6000-7000 diapers the costs add up! On average, cloth diapers can cost you $500 over 3 years including laundering expenses. Disposables can cost on average $2000. That's already a savings of $1500... just imagine how much you'd save if you went on to have more children! And cloth diapers have an excellent resale value so you could easily get half your money back.
• Children potty learn at a younger age. Because cloth diapers do not hide the feeling of wetness, children tend to use the potty at a much younger age.
• Less diaper rashes and skin irritations. Disposable diapers tend to cause more skin irritations and diaper rashes than cloth diapers due to two reasons: the chemicals are irritating to the skin and because children feel dry parents tend to change their children's diapers less frequently.
• Cloth diapers are just cuter! Cloth diapers have changed so much in the last few years... they now come in adorable prints. No one will argue that cloth diapers beat out disposable diapers in the cuteness factor!

Wear Your Baby!

I really hope that babywearing doesn't get a bad wrap now that Infantino recalled their bag slings. Baby wearing advocates have never supported the use of those bag slings because of their dangers so hopefully babywearing will continue to rise in popularity with the general public!

Anyways... onto what this post is really about: I need a new baby carrier!! Even though my husband bugs me about my cloth diaper and babywearing obsessions, I honestly do need a new one.
When Parker was 7 days old I bought the cuddlywrap by Peapod Creations and I loved it. He was a very unhappy little man who was diagnosed with GERD so being in an upright position was really helpful plus he felt more secure being close up to his momma. Still to this day (at 22 months) he loves to be carried. I still use the cuddlywrap now that Sophie is here but meh... I'm not loving it as much as with Parker. I think because I am constantly changing positions chasing after Parker, it's losing it's stretch way quicker. It seems like it's fine for a bit but then if I take her out and then back in it goes all wonky and gets uncomfortable. And she's only 2 months old...I can't imagine carrying her in for more than another month or two.
I also have an upMama ring sling that I really like and use often. I originally bought it when I was pregnant and could no longer wear Parker in the Ergo. But it wasn't comfortable to side carry him and for some reason it made my belly go numb when he was in it. Sophie really likes it but only when upright in it (she does not like the cradle hold at all). But my darling husband was trying to be helpful and washed my sling in warm water and then dried it in the dryer. So while it still fits, the tail is really short and it just doesn't fit as great as it did pre-shrinkage!
Then when Parker was maybe about 6 months I bought an Ergo and it was a huge improvement from the pocket sling I was using (I'm not a fan of pocket slings as they are hard to fit to your body exactly) it still wasn't The One. It would fit great if there was just one more strap in the back or if the strap that buckles on your back was a bit lower. It sometimes felt like it was slipping off my shoulders. Plus this carrier was SO not attractive on a plus size momma, instead of holding me in like I would have preferred it highlighted and enhanced my momma belly. Not what I was looking for at all!
So now here I am looking for something new. I'm thinking either a woven wrap or a mei tei. I think the woven wrap would support me the best and have all the benefits that I love so much while not getting all stretched out like the stretchy wrap does. But the downside to that is that it's a pain to put on... with a busy toddler I want something a bit quicker to put on. So that leads me to thinking that a mei tei carrier would be best. Easy, supportive, super cute but just like the ergo, not the best for my body type.
Decisions, decisions....