Spring on the babies!

I've noticed with the break in the weather the blossoming of flowers and the bellies of our expecting divine mamas! With so many expecting mama's, many of you maybe pondering what to get the modern mother...

Yummies


Try Vegan Green Tea Cupcakes from "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World"








The Earth Element...












Inspiration



Born Yogi's Gift book









Comfort



mama and baby massage oil by Aromatic Health









Practical



Yum bib by babybe

::Food Revolution::

This day I sit in the waiting room of St. Joseph's Hospital in Syracuse, NY waiting to receive my step father after his emergency quadruple bypass surgery. The doctor described to us the journey of heart disease and how it begins early in life. In my step dad's case it began some 40 years ago.

I hear often about friends of friends and family finding out they have developed diabetes, or blood pressure is high, and how hard it is to lose weight.

WE MUST begin a new way of thinking. We must care for and maintain our temples, the most sacred possession we have. The one thing we cannot replace.

As parents, we must take responsibility for our children and help facilitate a healthy start for them.

... and, hey- I know I'm preaching to the choir....

Jamie Oliver deserves props for his passionate focus and incredibly difficult journey to change the very stubborn minds of the American public school lunch program.

Have you watched his show Food Revolution? A common discussion in society is our ever horizontally growing population with a specific concentration on our children.

This is an amazing opportunity for us to rally around each other and pressure our school systems to change. For the sake of our babies that we care so deeply for.

Sure I can pack my son's lunch, I make sure he has his whole wheat bread and Honest juice boxes. I am fortunate enough to be able to give him that nutrition. What about those children whose parents cannot afford $5 a pack organic juice?

It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a village to raise a child.

In the Organic Spirit

In the organic spirit of spring... I would love to share some organic tips and favorites!

greenrainbowshop.com offers the best organic and earth friendly spirited offerings for spring and Easter. Add some Eco-Dough to your baby bunny's Easter basket! Eco-dough is a molding dough handmade with flour, salt, cream of tartar, organic rosemary oil, vitamin E oil, soybean oil, coconut oil, potassium sorbate, citric acid, natural and organic fruit, plant and vegetable extracts from beets, spinach, paprika, carrots, purple sweet potato, red cabbage, blueberries and tomatoes.
Whowww!!!
Conforms to ASTM D-4236. CPSIA compliant.
By eco-kids.


While food shopping today, I was excited to find some fruit that I'd forgotten with the winter snow. We all want so much to be able to provide 100% organic diet for our little ones. Organic fruits and veggies can be very expensive and lets face it, many of us find it difficult to buy EVERY fruit and veggie organic. Well, let me help lift some guilt off your perfect mama shoulders!

Here.... are the "Clean 15", lowest in pesticides
Onion
Avocado
Sweet Corn
Pineapple
Mango
Asparagus
Sweet Peas
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Papaya
Watermelon
Broccoli
Tomato
Sweet Potato

You don't have to sweat buying these fruits and veggies not organic. Happy Spring!

Ayurveda and the Doshas

Courtesy of holisticonline.com

In Ayurvedic philosophy, the five elements combine in pairs to form three dynamic forces or interactions called doshas. Dosha means "that which changes." It is a word derived from the root dus, which is equivalent to the English prefix 'dys', such as in dysfunction, dystrophy, etc. In this sense, dosha can be regarded as a fault, mistake, error, or a transgression against the cosmic rhythm. The doshas are constantly moving in dynamic balance, one with the others. Doshas are required for the life to happen. In Ayurveda, dosha is also known as the governing principles as every living thing in nature is characterized by the dosha.

The three active doshas are called
Vata,
Pitta and Kapha.

We all carry characteristics of each of the doshas. You will find that you are predominately one over the other two.

Once you understand your dosha, you can understand how to keep in balance.

For example, I am predominately Pitta. When Pitta is out of balance these are some of the characteristics I might exhibit (don't be scared...)

Signs of Pitta Aggravation Angry, Irritable
Hostile, Enraged, Destructive
Impatient
Critical of self and others
Argumentative, Aggressive
Bossy, controlling
Frustrated, Willful, Reckless
Acidity, heartburn, Stomach ulcer
Fitful sleep, Disturbing dreams
Diarrhea, Food allergies
Bad breath, Sour body odor
Very sensitive to heat, Hot flashes
Skin rashes
Boils
Bloodshot eyes
Acne
Weakness due to low blood sugar
Fevers, Night sweats

Sound familiar to anyone? More importantly, how can I bring this back into balance?
I can follow the food plan that favors the Pitta Dosha.

And follow these simple guidelines; Do things that cool the mind, emotions, and body. Avoid conflicts. Cultivate the virtues of honesty, morality, kindness, generosity, and self-control.

Ode to Surrender

This quote popped up during one of my many facebook surfing sessions:

"Love comes when manipulation stops; when you think more about the other person than about his or her reactions to you. When you dare to reveal yourself fully. When you dare to be vulnerable.”

Did you know this? Really know this? I guess it seems pretty obvious once read, but I wonder how many really live by this... I know it is a certain struggle for me. As the one of the many daughters of a generation of divorce, I imagine this is easier said than done. I suppose I am referring specifically to the vulnerable part.

Manipulation probably depends very much on your personality. However, over my short adult life (I am 30) I have observed a good portion of the population reacting to others.

Much of what I've observed is in effort to change (or manipulate, as the case may be) the environment to fit the need of the individual.

"Surrendering completely to love, be it human or divine, means giving up everything, including our own well-being or our ability to make decisions. It means loving in the deepest sense of the word. The truth is that we don't want to be saved in the way God has chosen; we want to keep absolute control over our every step, to be fully conscious of our decisions, to be capable of choosing the object of our devotion." - The Witch of Portobello, by Paulo Coelho

"If the opposition disarms, well and good. If it refuses to disarm, we shall disarm it ourselves." -Joseph Stalin (1879 - 1953)

And, ummmm how well does that work out? Not so much.

Om shanti.

Build A Nest buildanest.com

Find babybe products on buildanest.com
25% of proceeds go to the cause

Why Nest is Unique

“A man came to our community and offered to provide us with loans. It had high-interest and we could not afford it. He came and locked up our house while we were outside and would not let us in. We had to beg for help to pay off our loan before we could have our house again. With Nest loan, I have no fear.” - Lolita, Trichy, India -

Mission

Nest is a nonprofit organization that empowers female artists and artisans around the world. Using a unique combination of interest-free microfinance loans, mentoring from established designers, as well as a market in which to sell their crafts, Nest helps its loan recipients create successful small businesses. Nest instills pride of ownership, preserves ancient artistic traditions and successfully moves women from poverty to self-sufficiency.

Wholesome sweets for the most wholesome sweets in your life...

Vegan Oatmeal-Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
courtesy of...cookiemadness.net)

1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour – spoon and sweep, don’t pack
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons applesauce
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup natural type peanut butter (Jif would be fine too)
1/4 cup peanuts (salted is fine)
1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips or 1/3 cup chopped up good quality chocolate

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Grind oats in processor. Add flour, baking soda and salt and pulse to mix.

Stir oil and both sugars together in a medium bowl. It’s okay to do this with a spoon – no need to pull out the electric mixer. Beat in applesauce, peanut butter and vanilla. Add flour mixture and stir until blended. Stir in peanuts and chocolate chips.

Using about 2 tablespoons of dough, form dough into balls and place on ungreased baking sheet. Flatten slightly. Bake until edges are golden brown, about 12-14 minutes, Cool on sheets 5 minutes. Transfer to racks; cool completely. Cookies will firm up as they cool.

Makes about 6 cookies


NO BUTTER! Non-hydrogentated.... sweeten these cookies more with organic products. YUMMY!