Ups and downs of a green working mom..

Sorry for leaving the blogspace for so long, during this time I've had millions of ideas of what should appear on green carpet.. but in the end they somehow got buried under the workload, delayed study load and trying to have the best quality family time one can have at the moment.


So to finish later on a positive note, I'll probably start with downs..

• Being away from my little one- she's growing so fast and I just wish I could be there all the time to be supportive, available when she needs me and facilitating her learning everything that interests her.. this is the biggest thing, but since she's still happy to give me bye bye kisses in the morning and waving out the windows, I feel that she's ok with that. Even though we are having the very normal "mommy is only mine!" moments in the mornings in bed or evenings when I come home, and during the night with very long extended nursing or just sleeping at the breast. And these moments are actually really important for both of us, so we continue as long as we need..
• My greenies suffer- I have totally failed on the "In and out"  project since I was not prepared technically to do the notes when not at home, but I'll re-make all that starting tomorrow (June) and I since I sense some support in that from my dear husband too, that will give the necessary encouragement.. and I hope I can make a comeback to blogosphere too.. the same goes for all of other green crafts, gardening etc- time is limited there, but I try to get back to it now and then since it is what makes green mom happy.. 
• I totally miss cooking all the meals properly, taking my time, so now we're trying to find quick and healthy solutions, but it's really not the same..great that summer is here and I can rely more on salads..
• Incredible lack of fresh air- I was so used to be a big part of the week at the countryside and going outside a lot, and now I'm stuck in the office. So I try to get as much out of the weekends or evenings that I commute back to countryside as possible.. 
• Health issues- sitting long hours at the computer has its impacts too.. I know yoga helps, but then again- I often feel guilty for thinking of going to another yoga class instead of being home with my family.. That's a difficult decision often.. 
• Stresses- ones at work, ones that come out of you feeling a little guilty for not having enough time for everything, ones that come up just of being tired, ones that come up if someone thinks your child is too needy and high spirited when she finally gets me etc.. breathing, yoga, positive thinking and most of all- prioritizing is what helps, but it's a work on yourself, not a holiday always.. 
• Falling behind at my studies- I miss studying, I so wanted to this properly, but now with job everyday and the natural need to be a mom too, the studies are a little left on the side bench. I'm trying to find a way to do it, but currently quite unsuccessful. Should probably take some vacation from work just to study..
• Business trips- as a greenie, it just makes me cringe to think how much I have to travel, and how big is the slice of air travel there.. umf.. nothing really I can do about it now, except creating my "green business trip rules", which I will share some time hopefully soon.. 

And now, finally - ups!!! 

• Having a job you like is a big thing- a greenie that can work at the Climate Change department with Adaptation issues? You kidding? I'm happy to be able to give an input, to have an opportunity to provide my effort towards saving the planet!
• Financially- even though almost all of my salary goes to nanny and commuting to work and back (since many days I drive my car to countryside), there's some extra flow of money in our family and some times a little left over from my salary too, and that's great!
• Discovering ways to be greener employee- in the office, going to work by bicycle (especially cool if together with my husband!), taking my home made meals to work, putting out some green initiatives at work, exploring options of car pooling when traveling to/from countryside etc. It just enlarges my green vision at times, and also allows to spot the problems in our society..
• Appreciation- of what you have, what you can do, your health, your hobbies, your interests and most of all- family. Prioritization is a key to feeling great about what you are doing, and that only has become that clear since I started working. And that's a fantastic way to have all your cups filled to be in harmony with your true nature..
• New visions for future- every step you take makes you realize what you want to be and how you want to live your life. Some new, some would even say extreme future visions have come up in our family, and I will be happy to share them here too. Not going into detail yet, but I can tell that it's about new levels of our family health, greenness in the lifestyle and family activities, educating our child and ourselves and even business. So I hope for your support when it all comes into light!
• Business trips- they have a bright side too- networking with Climate Change people, seeing new places, meeting also some friends that live on those locations, and learning to use the time wisely (both for work and pursuit of my own interests in "after work hours", doing yoga in the morning when no one is crying for you to stay in bed or climbing on you being at upward dog, etc..), which makes me tired, but also very happy and harmonized when I return!

There are probably some more, but these were the first ones that come in mind when someone asks me whether it's worth to work currently and whether I like my job.. I do, and I will continue working as long as I like my job and as long as my priority list stays in the right order for me and our family to feel in harmony.. 

What are your ups and downs of being a greenie at work and being green working mom? 

Rugs and dusters

I spoke about some good deeds to make my life, home and country a greener place.
Well, one of such things that I've done recently is change from paper towels to rugs for 100% finally.
Often you really couldn't  find a paper towel here on green carpet since I neglect cleaning with such disposables that in addition soak in so little water and can clean only very limited surfaces. At least comparing to my rugs now!
My rugs and dusters are torn or cut from old bed linen or table cloths that my grandma gave me because they were unwashably stained or worn out with holes. Oh, linen cloths are the very best to clean up all liquids . Since we are not using diapers at home and sometimes elimination communication is not really working that well on busy moments, these rugs are gold worth.

And, of course, they are good on every thing else you need to clean- dusty places, bathroom sinks, floors, juice splashes or runny noses. Just take a clean one from the rug-bowl and put it in the bin afterwards. Once the bin is full, I wash them, hang them to dry and they're good to use again. And again. And again. Something you really can't say about paper towels.
Have you already switched to cloth rugs?

Baby cocoons

Although here on green carpet we support baby-wearing in a sling and just simple carrying in arms a lot, there are times when we also want to put our baby to sleep in bed or have a ride in a car.
What comes in very handy is baby cocoon.
My little princess spent a lot of her first autumn and winter day sleeping and car travels in this lovely cocoon. No need to dress her much for travel. No problems with a blanket that falls off when you put the baby in bed after cradling her in your arms. And no kicked off blankets.

Of course, this lovely piece with a hat is knitted by my own loving hands.

I enjoyed using it so much, that I also made this warming present when my cousins baby boy was born.









I have my fingers itching already to make another one for one of my best friends when her little one arrives!
Try knitting one yourself, it's super-simple!

Green travelling for us and a baby- vintage bicycles

Using a sling to go around with my baby has been a common practice on green carpet for quite a while now. We just discovered an upgrade for that.

On my husbands birthday, me, my family and his mom gave him a present- a bicycle by his choice. I suggested we go for retro (vintage) bikes. And we both found great ones that we fell in love with!

We didn't want our little one to miss this fantastic feeling of a warm, sunny day, wind blowing gently as you cycle through the nearby forest to see the seaside..

So we used our lovely organic cotton/hemp sling and off we went!

Try it out and enjoy green travelling with a baby!

Eco potty- Becopotty

Well, I have to admit that sometimes shopping for something is quite inevitable, especially when it comes to kids.So one of the most recent green consumerism proofs in our homes- Becopotty. 

Since cloth diapering mixed with Eco-nappies started to have another option- elimination communication, we needed a potty. Most of my friends asked me- why don't you just go to the nearest store and buy it for that little money. Most of them were very surprised when I told them that Emily's potty is... biodegradeable! 

Isn't that really cute when after the baby is done with baby potty, you can dig it in your garden and plant some flowers in it? However, I plan to use the potties (we have 2 of them since we still live in 2 homes) for all of my kids, as many my life will have.. It's still great, that I can then put it away and it won't cost the earth another plastic piece.

Besides- it is really stable and comfy. And even in fresh mornings it doesn't seem as cold as regular plastic for that little bottom!

Another green consumerism moment- even before Em started to use potty once in a while, during summer we used 'pee pants'. Just regular pants or leggings that she wore without nappies or diapers, simply on bare bottom. They are easier to pull off if I got the message for potty. And easier to change if we had a miss. She feels so much better in them than in cloth diapers that can be quite large and have the woolen overpants that are not so nice in warmer days.
How can buying many pairs of pants or leggings be green consumerism? It is when you choose organic and / or second hand. I opted for second option for pants and combined for tops. Just returned from the second-hand store with a batch of next size 'pee pants' for my little ones happy bottom :)

DIY- Vintage Baby Cot- Photo report

As I already mentioned few posts ago, we've been busy with some DIY projects on green carpet. My personal favorite lately was my baby's cot.
In terms of anti-consumerism and boycotting low quality short usage products and choosing vintage instead- it's as green as can baby cot be- it's mine. Literally. I slept in it when I was a baby, my two brothers slept in it and now- my little princess will! (And I am sure- all our future children as well)
It all started with my husband cleaning it from previous paint and then I used linseed varnish and baby paint with  Zero VOC. Great guys in the store mixed all three colors I needed from one tin of paint so we don't waste more than we need!
I wanted this cot to be natural so I left some parts without a paint, just linseed varnish, which is also healthy option for little one to teeth on the upper parts of the bet as I remember my brother to do :)
I wanted this cot to be spring colorful so I chose my three favorites for my little princess- purple, spring green, yellow- all very light.
I wanted this cot to be fun for her, so I painted some butterfly, bee, snail, caterpillar silhouettes on the natural wood parts.
We took off one side of this conventional cot to turn it to a co-sleeper since I consider it as one of the basic 'pillars' of natural parenting- being close to your offspring also during the

Now it's already in our room, it seems so big comparing to our Roba co-sleeper that will go to our city apartment.. Coco and buckwheat mattress is already in place, organic cotton mattress cover and bed sheet as well, Oko-tex approved wool filled blanket is already within a cotton flannel cover made by me. We have a 'second hand' canopy thanks to our dear friend. I also hanged a linen bag of lavender and a bag of meadow sweet on her bed for calm and relaxing sleep.
Umf, now I kind of feel she's really growing and it moves me, makes me happy with a little hint of sadness- I already miss her being this tiny little baby. But I love her. And I love that she loves my DIY Vintage Cot!!!!

But here's the most important- PICTURES:

A project done with pure and unconditional love...

Fighting winter colds II

Umf, to some sneezing we added coughing - some sick times continues on green carpet. Well, winter is here and it's said that it's one of worst winters in pneumonia cases, so we continue to take in some natural remedies.

My little one:

• She has already tried her first syrup- the same homeopathic one I'm having- Stodal. She kind of liked it! 
• I had Unckalor homeopathic drops ready in case her cough gets worse since it's natural antibiotic, but very strong one. No need for that yet since she's in a good mood, playing, smiling, eating and sleeping quite well, and it seems we're getting better every day!
• I also tried tapping massage her with olive oil- that helps to expectorate.
• Instead of bathing her every night we are doing "steam bath"- putting a pot of boiling chamomile tea with a dash of baking soda. 

• She has experienced her first mustard patches on those tiny feet couple of hours every day. 
• I massaged her feet with cedar tincture for the night. 
• I made potato warmers for her. This is how to do it: boil a potato, smash it a bit, put it in a linen cloth and keep it on her chest for a while. It helps wonderfully, but be careful to check the temperature first on yourself since it's very hot!!! And remember, that babies have much more sensitive skin than you do. And check it under the warmer constantly! 
• On every nappy changing I put new warm linen cloth on her chest- linen has wonderful properties of keeping the warmth, so I just warm it up on the bathroom heater and then put it under her top.  

I also have "updated" my own remedy list:

• Homemade cabbage syrup: boil few cabbage leaves in little water, let them cool and soak in more, then drain and add honey to the liquid. Take by tablespoon several times a day. 
• Mustard patches on my feet and pepper patches on my chest. 
• Black radish syrup- if you have a large one, carve the radish and put the honey in it, let it soak for a while and take in the liquid several times a day. If you have a small one- grate it finely, add honey and let it soak. 

• I also had some potato warmers for myself (look above). 
• I also made some warmers from linseed. Here's how to do it: since  microwave are no no!, heat the linseed on the stove in a pan, then put it in a cloth bag or use the nylon sock, then put it around your neck and keep it there till it's cool. Got my voice back quickly. 
• My mom arrived from her trip and had another advice- there are those detox patches you put on your feet during the sleep to detox your body from all heavy metals, toxins etc. Well, we did put it on our chest. 

The basic things to eat and do to avoid the ills and to get rid of them faster:

• Garlic! One of the most basic natural remedies that can be there- eat it, chop it finely and put around the room to. 
• Pollen- eat it pure or with honey, how ever you like, but do eat it. It's rich with loads of good stuff.
• Black currant juice- drink a sip every day to keep your vitamin levels up! We make a lot in summer to last for whole winter.
• Ventilate your rooms. Even though it's middle of the winter, I still keep a tiny opening in my window during the night and we sleep very well. 

I have to say with pleasure- we're getting much better and soon we'll be back in our daily business! 

But we still have to be careful, germs are spreading around- my brother and my husband also got sick. I hope we will manage to get them well faster than ourselves. 

Now it's time to take another cup of herbal tea that smells so sweet of hot summer day..  Be well all of you!  

Fighting winter colds..

Today I was supposed to go to the Environmental Forum at the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development. This Forum covers the NGO work in environmental protection, cooperation with ministry and developing resolution. Well, the words "I was supposed to go" already tell you that I didn't. Why?
Winter colds put me and my little one down for a while..
Good news though- Ministry is streaming the forum online. Although I can't manage to see it all, at least I can grasp some moments, which is so much better than nothing, thank you so much!

Most of my attention though is now directed to get better. Since my little one has only running nose at the moment, I try to keep her daily life (walks outside, playtime etc) as usual, just watching her closely and "spraying" some breast milk in her nostrils. It is actually the best cure for little babies, known for generations and generations, and even suggested by my GP!
Weird thing- in the latest magazine Mans Mazais (Eng: My little one), which is one of the largest baby magazines in Latvia it was said that doctors do not suggest it since it may clog the nose even more due to sugars and fats in milk. Hmm... really weird? No.. sad actually. That makes me think that some magazines and doctors are bought by medical companies again. I mean- you can't sell the breast milk in the drugstore like other  'stuff', so you just tell people it's bad and they will go to look for something they can buy to help the baby. Horrible. I'm very happy that my GP is not one of such people and that I can find better reads like The Mother magazine- an international natural parenting magazine.
So for now I'm just keeping my baby drug-free and cross my fingers that she's getting better really fast!

As for myself- I'm still in the process of getting better. My coughing is less horrible today and nose is less running so that's a progress. So, here's a list of my remedies now (order is not prioritized, I use all of them together constantly):

• Hot milk (organic, unpasteurized) with tablespoon of honey (organic), then I add pinch of bicarbonate soda and 1/4tsp ghee or pure natural butter; other option- add ghee and turmeric powder; other option - add ground cinnamon. I drink all versions!
• Hot linden tea with honey. Sometimes I add some other herbs as well. More on teas - in this post. 
• Hot raspberry drink- add hot water to the frozen raspberries from summer and add honey. 
• Eat few teaspoons of aloe with honey every day.
• Stodal syrup - a homeopathic remedy for coughing. 
• Angin-Heel - a homeopathic remedy for coughing. 
• Herbal Ayurvedic Balm by Siddhalepa from our honeymoon in SriLanka- putting it under/around my nose to relieve breathing, put it on my chest to warm up. I also smear it around my room - on my bed railings, on my little ones bed to relieve her nose as well. It's actually very very multi-purpose balm and really good. 
• Mudras for upper breathing system and cough. 
• And all this is accompanied with handful of cranberries and bags of mandarins, yumm. 

Crafts for baby V- crocheted baby shoes and butterfly hat

It's nice to remember colorful summer and butterflies in the midst of winter, so here's a little piece of crafts on green carpet again. Baby shoes and butterfly hat for my little butterfly made of baby alpaca wool.

And one of the best things about this pretty hat is that I will be able to add some more layers to increase its size when she grows bigger!

Crafts for Baby IV- crocheted tiny hat and baby shoes

Those tiny little hats and super-tiny shoes for babies are just adorable! So my little princess had a pair of those as well. Made of baby-alpaca wool, warm and super-soft!

She's growing so fast! These did look cute on her tiny feet a while ago.. But yes, we still keep her pictures private :)

Crafts for Baby III- knitted Cardigan and booties

One more little piece to share on green carpet- knitted Cardigan and knee high booties made for my princess from Merino wool + Silk with a little silk ribbon for ties. Cardigan is done quite long to cover little bum as well since we experience long and cold winters here. She has already grown out of booties, but the cardigan will fit till the end of the winter. So I'll just have to make new booties now a size bigger. Enjoy knitting on green carpet!!!

Crafts for Baby II- knitted Christmas sweater

One of the things I love about hand-crafts on green carpet- you can make anything any size and any style you want. Since winter is coming along, it's the time my little one tries on her Christmas sweater. I love these patterns and it's warm from not dyed baby alpaca wool. Another thing I love about it- it fits both a girl and a boy, so if my little girl will have a brother some time after a while.. he'll love this warm, soft piece too :)

A note to myself- in future post my works before the little princess has started to wear them..
It looks much better on the baby rather than just flat on the surface. But I'm one of those moms who thinks that this little soul is so sacred that it is not yet ready to be shared with the whole world in pictures. That time will come too.. but- in a while!

Crafts for Baby I- crocheted blanket with flowers

After millionth reminder from my husband, I'm finally going public with my crafts on green carpet!

I believe that anything you create with your own hands is first of all special and full of love, because you have dedicated your time, fantasy, work and attention to someone (or yourself!!!) to do it for them (or yourself :) ). 

Second- it is also green, because it is a one baby-step at a time against this superconsumerism world, where everything is being overproduced, created cheap and bad quality just to buy the next one very soon. So I am taking my time to make things to make them special for those I love and to participate in this very quiet revolution against shelves of supermarkets that are full of stuff we don't need and stuff that we need but that won't last as long as we need it. The best buy is the one you do not make! 

So first public project- baby crocheted baby blanket with flowers from baby alpaca wool. I did this when I was expecting my little one, still having just a feeling that it is a girl. I love the colors- they remind me of early spring. And my little one enjoys it now during her naps. 

Unavoidable single use things? Avoidable!

With the baby on green carpet some more single use things had arrived as well.. Diapers, liners, breast pads, cotton pads, wet wipes etc... Wait.. are all these going to be single use -> throw out  -> pollute the planet stuff??? We found out- not at all, you just have to keep looking! Some of these are available multi-use washable items. And those that are still single use- welcome on the internet era, you can buy the organic/eco friendly version online if not available in your closest stores.
The story of diapers was already covered on green carpet. But apparently just as baby needed diapers, mommy needed liners and breast pads to avoid milk shots on your tshirts all the time. Well, feminine stuff like liners you can find now also in eco-friendly versions with organic cotton like Natracare in local health stores and online .
Since our little girl surprised us a little earlier than we expected, I didn't manage to make research on breast pads, so my dear husband first brought us the regular ones to hospital. Horrible. They were night ones which were supposed to have wonderful 8hr durability. Well, the feel in them was not good, my breasts felt wet all the time and that was no good. And I really hated that I had to throw so many single use stuff in my trash. So I went looking for other options and I found these wonderful Disana washable breast pads made of organic cotton. They are sold in pairs so I bought one to try first. They are fantastic! So I wash them every night to wear them again next day. This week I noticed that amount of milk is growing, so they get wet earlier than night comes. So now I am planning to buy another pair when I get to the store! And I suggest Disana washable breast pads to any breast-feeding mom!

A while ago I also bought some large washable organic cotton pads for removing make-up. Since I live mostly at home and give my face a rest from cosmetic stuff, I found another use for them. They are great for washing that tiny baby face in the mornings, cleaning underarms and other parts of my little friend! That reduces use of single use cotton pads greatly!
So we have managed to avoid these single use items that are very neccessary at the moment by choosing washable multi-use things. Good luck to everyone changing the single use habits!

Best bank for the baby :)

Autumn season on green carpet- harvesting and preserving time.. Well, already a while ago we did some baby food freezing for the spring.. But it is still a long time to go till she starts to eat foods like apple purees etc. Until then- the best of course is the breast-milk.
I really love to be a full-time mom, it's so amazing.. feels so natural to me just to be around all the time and take care of her.. But I already miss yoga classes... And I already have some plans to attend circus in December with my love.. And probably some other moments when I just will have to be away for this one feeding time.. And I would really hate to give my precious darling some infant formula..
So I am making the best bank for the baby- a milk bank!  Almost every day I collect the rest of the breast-milk after she's done eating. Best time for me is morning since she doesn't eat much at night and even after she's had breakfast- I still get quite a lot of milk left there. So I collect the milk and put it in the freezing bags, write how much is in there and the date, and that's it! When her dad or granny will have to feed her, they can just take it out, defrost, warm in the bottle and feed her with what's best for her.
My friend suggested to buy quite expensive reusable zipper freezer bags, made specifically for breast-milk. But I somehow didn't want to throw that money out for it. I use the regular small freezing bags. And in our home we open them carefully later on and reuse them, so it's greener than single use anyway. And at least I'm sure what my baby eats, since nothing is better or greener than milk!

Diaper trouble..

Trouble on green carpet! Of course, just shortly after how I bragged about my diaper choice, how my baby hasn't seen any of the "regular" chemical, bleached etc diapers, we ran out of our Moltex ones. And guess what- in our nearby little town you can't get any eco-friendly ones. Neither in next city.
So I had to go for regular brand, I took Huggie's that claimed to have organic cotton in it. Well, it looked very bleached anyway, but at least something. Not sure whether I can believe the claim though. I just hope I can.
When this pack was coming to an end, I asked my husband to get some eco-friendly from the capital, where he was that day. Since he had something to do in central and he was coming by train, I suggested couple of big stores near the station or drug stores. My surprise was huge, when he called in slight despair that there are none of the nappy brands we used. Actually- no eco friendly nappies at all. I was shocked.. So how can one live a greener life till that little bum grows a little till cloth nappies fit if you actually do not have any better choice?
Good news- Wednesday we're going to see doctors and I will have time to go our city apartment where we already have 3 huge packs of Moltex, and I will also have time to visit a specific store which I know has Moltex just to buy some more in advance... Till then I had another option- buy regular diapers in our small town store by piece, so I bought just few to get through these days. They are terrible and it hurts in my heart to put them on my little one, so I try to have more "bum loves air" time in between.
I know that with a lot of green things you have to plan ahead- buy in advance many things which are not widely available. But I just could not imagine that the eco-friendly diapers will be so rare!

Another Welcome On Green Carpet!

A while ago, on sunny and hot Tuesday, 23 August, we welcomed Emily (real name in Latvian- Emīlija) in the world and also on green carpet.  This tiny, little person is now the most important part of my day and night, and I have set the task for myself to take care of her in as green way as possible..
It started with my "as green as possible pregnancy" - eating well, going outside, yoga.. I must say I bought just few pregnancy clothes, most of which are in use now for breastfeeding to make them longer lasting, and few of them- organic cotton. Other pregnancy clothes I had handed down from a friend and my mom (a dress she wore expecting my brother 22 years ago, that's a real eco-vintage!!!). Some more I bought were just regular dresses (maxi dresses for example) and tops that I could fit my bump in, but all of those are going to fit me next summer as well. So that's about my green "pregnancy -> after pregnancy" wardrobe.
I also prepared my body and mind (and my husband) for natural birth. Our choice was a birth centre that reminded just a regular house to have feeling of being at home, and we already arranged the midwife for waterbirth there. Unfortunately a week before Emily arrived my doctor sent me to cardiologist and even though I had no heart problems since the surgery when I was 2year-old, and I was in perfect shape, she put the note in our papers that we must have hospital birth. Crying my eyes out we saw the hospital and accepted the fact. Well, our little one surprised us and soon after that we had to go to hospital.
I must say- no matter what they say, the hospitals are still not very friendly to families who have their own wishes on how the birth should go on. They actually do not promote natural birth, they promote birth that is easier for doctors- using medical interventions, drugs, injections and birthing positions that are easier for doctors. So we had to fight in the hospital. Not gonna go in too much detail here and I just want to focus on positive. Even though taking 1,5 hour shower is not very green in terms of water usage, it's much greener and at least natural to my body and my baby than having an injection to reduce spasms. Breathing and exercising also has only positive effects on me and are clean in nature. So we took the showers, exercised, relaxed with massages, music, burned aroma candles (all natural origins), and drank handpicked camomile tea from our garden. With much love our baby finally arrived!

We had our Weleda Baby Calendula soap already packed in our hospital bag for washing our little one. Well, we had to ask twice for hospital staff to use it! I find it ridiculous that they would try to refuse and use their own (I'm afraid toxic) baby washing liquid. Yeak. At least I know that my child has never seen those chemicals. Also now we bathe her only in pure water with some chamomile tea added, and after bath- warming massage with Weleda Baby Calendula oil.
With baby there is usually another huge issue- diapers. We have bought Disana cloth nappy system, but our little one is so tiny that the nappies make her bum too packed, so we have left it for using a little later. So for now all her diapers have been only either Nature Baby or Moltex that are little more friendly to our planet than the regular big brands. We also do not use any baby wipes at home, best for her little bum- tap water, where she's washed at every nappy change. If we have to change on the go, we have NatraCare organic cotton wipes with organic apricot oil.

One may think that baby doesn't need much clothes.. well, with all the "skipped the diaper" accidents and million burps- she does! Part of her clothes I have bought organic cotton, most from Frugi.. Oh, I really do love Frugi! The quality is fantastic! Unfortunately the price is not always what we can put up with, so part of her wardrobe is from "regular" shops. However, I noticed, that now H&M and other lower price shops are having organic material baby clothing that makes me really happy! That means that organic clothing is more available to wider public and that middle class brands are making a change in this superconsumerism world! Another positive note- I have bought also some second hand, and we have quite few handed down clothes. Some are from myself (!!!), some from my kid brother, some from my friends baby. So we are giving them second or even third lifetime :) And my plan- either to give all of them away to another child or to save it for later - Emily might have a baby brother or sister in a while! I just wish that organic clothing would be a little more happy-priced.
Nothing too much to talk about the babyfood yet since she's living on breastmilk at the moment. But I am also preparing "milk bank" on green carpet, so when we want to go to theater or somewhere, grannies can feed our little one with my defrost breastmilk. Now I just have to continue eating well, local and seasonal myself. And it is so super-easy at the moment, when we're harvesting everything from the garden! Mmmm.. delicious goods. For extra vitamin boost I have my fresh juices- carrots, beetroots, nettles, spinach, apples, pumpkins etc. Wonderful season!
Even though she doesn't really play with toys yet, we already have quite many of them. I our tradition, everyone seeing the baby for the first time, comes with a gift.. I love some of them so much- hand crocheted dolls, wooden toys.. but then- we have received also quite a lot of colourful plastic stuff already.. Well, not really a lot, but still- I just don't like plastic toys for my little one... It just feels, smells and I bet tastes as well so plastic.. unnatural... yeak.. I just don't know how to figure out how to let others know that we are trying to not have these kind of toxic toys for our baby. Many of them know already, so we have those nice handmade toys. I hope we will have more of those.. and if there's anything plastic, let it be at least really good for developing her skills!
One of the best features of living at my parents in countryside- fresh air. Little one loves to sleep outside, tucked in wollen blanket in the pram. And the windows are still open even during the night. Love the countryside! And with the pram it's so easy- we go to garden to harvest the carrots or apples, to forest walks to pick mushrooms, cranberries and cowberries. Sometimes we also return with basket full of.. plastic bottles, cigarette packs, plastic bags, broken toys etc.. everything you can pick up in the woods...  I just can't leave it there for staying forever.. It's horrible. So we make an effort and make it cleaner and greener everytime we go by!

So that's our life so far, living in as natural environment as possible right here on green carpet in the countryside. Welcoming our little one in the greenest available life to us now!

Frozen goodies IV - pear puree - baby food

With baby arrival coming closer on green carpet there has been more attention to baby food than ever before. Few posts before I already shared my apple puree. Now it was time for pear puree- so sweet and soft that I had to make it both for baby and grown-ups as well :)
This time I did two different purees, but first you have to

• Pick loads of green pears from the garden.

• Peel them, cut them in four, cut out the hearts.

Variation 1

• Slice the quarters
• Put all of them in deep oven bake tray and cover with foil
• Cook them in the oven, stir once in a while until all soft

Variation 2

• Cut the quarters in halves
• Put all of them in a pot 
• Boil them on low fire until soft and juicy

Next steps for both variations

• Smash the pears even more

• Let them cool completely
• Put the tiny baby portions in the ice cube trays

• Put the rest in larger freezing boxes
• Both trays and boxes go in the freezing bags and in the freezer
• Once frozen, take the baby puree cubes out of trays and put them in the larger box to take less space

Mmm... it smells so nice.. and tastes so good! And no added sugars, preservatives, artificial flavorings or any E-numbers for my little one :) Just pure pear puree here on green carpet. And the larger portions can be eaten as puree, used on cakes and other desserts ;)