I would recommend Elena's Nature Collection Day Cream, which you can get through the NHS - you will need to obtain a prescription from your GP. I used this on both my children and it worked a treat. It is light so perfect to massage in all over as part of the bedtime routine. The lavender scent is very soothing, I am sure it's helped them relax and sleep better too.
I also used to infuse oats in the bath water (use old tights).
Otherwise, I made a blend of essential oils for my 10-year-old niece, including lavender and chamomile, which gets diluted in sweet almond oil at a concentration suitable for children. She really enjoys using it, which is great, because the treatment works better if you keep it up. And so far, it's proved positive. Result.
Friday, 6 September 2013
Cooking (direction 4): make your own
Ms Harris in her Book of Green Household Management
recommends making your own:
Now, I have tried to make yogurt before. I borrowed a friend's yogurt maker. It felt like a lot of faff for something I don't fancy that much myself, and it didn't taste better than the shop-bought variety. Often, if you make something at home, it tastes better than the stuff from the shop and you know what's in it, so it seems worth the effort. Not in this case. Although I would love to skip all the kids' yogurt pots. If only I lived in Chester where they recycle yogurt pots as well as plastic bottles! Sigh. Perhaps one day people will choose where they live on the basis of the school catchment area first and the recycling facilities second.
recommends making your own:
- yogurt
- bread
- pulses
- jams
Now, I have tried to make yogurt before. I borrowed a friend's yogurt maker. It felt like a lot of faff for something I don't fancy that much myself, and it didn't taste better than the shop-bought variety. Often, if you make something at home, it tastes better than the stuff from the shop and you know what's in it, so it seems worth the effort. Not in this case. Although I would love to skip all the kids' yogurt pots. If only I lived in Chester where they recycle yogurt pots as well as plastic bottles! Sigh. Perhaps one day people will choose where they live on the basis of the school catchment area first and the recycling facilities second.
As far as bread is concerned, I have mentioned before than we have a bread maker, which I never use anymore because the bread I make with it always goes stale. Slicing seems to be an issue. It's hard living with people who are even lazier than me! But it would be better to make our own as we could use organic ingredients, lessen the salt content and skip the plastic bag.
Preparing pulses (soaking, boiling, etc.) is something I used to do a little before we had kids. I must admit it really doesn't register on the radar at the moment. The crux of the matter is planning. Of course, it is quicker to do in the pressure cooker. I would gain in terms of transport but I do wonder about the energy consumption.
Jams: I mentioned before the occasional lemon curd, but again, it didn't taste that much nicer than a shop-bought one, especially as there are a lot of locally produced options in this case. And of course, no more Nutella for me - see previous post. Argh.
Preparing pulses (soaking, boiling, etc.) is something I used to do a little before we had kids. I must admit it really doesn't register on the radar at the moment. The crux of the matter is planning. Of course, it is quicker to do in the pressure cooker. I would gain in terms of transport but I do wonder about the energy consumption.
Jams: I mentioned before the occasional lemon curd, but again, it didn't taste that much nicer than a shop-bought one, especially as there are a lot of locally produced options in this case. And of course, no more Nutella for me - see previous post. Argh.
Beauty products (direction 2): reviews
I just had to tell you about this fabulous face cream I got from Boots, Good Things Face the Day Moisturiser.
Face The Day
So, OK, I'm supposed to be blending my own stuff, but I had some points spare and it was on offer, so... And I chose well. It's free from parabens etc., and it's got SPF 15, and it's lovely to use, smells nice, not too rich so perfect for face and neck. Plus, it comes in a 100ml tube so is lighter on packaging than the usual 50ml tubes or pots.
Another product I can recommend is Green People's Face Scrub.
It doesn't foam, which is disconcerting at first, but it is effective yet gentle for the skin. It really gives a good scrub (feels like ground apricot stone)
but is nourishing at the same time.
Face The Day
So, OK, I'm supposed to be blending my own stuff, but I had some points spare and it was on offer, so... And I chose well. It's free from parabens etc., and it's got SPF 15, and it's lovely to use, smells nice, not too rich so perfect for face and neck. Plus, it comes in a 100ml tube so is lighter on packaging than the usual 50ml tubes or pots.
Another product I can recommend is Green People's Face Scrub.
It doesn't foam, which is disconcerting at first, but it is effective yet gentle for the skin. It really gives a good scrub (feels like ground apricot stone)
but is nourishing at the same time.
Callenbach's green triangle
I have been off the chocolate crepes for 5 weeks and, let me tell you, it's been a challenge. But after 3 people congratulated me for my pregnancy over the summer, when I am not pregnant, I could no longer kid myself that that flowery blouse that I stretched at the seams was shrinking in the wash. No, I have been expanding.
So time to cut back. Which gives me an opportunity to reflect on Callenbach's triangle. I came across this concept in The Lilypad List.
Here is what Marian Van Eyk McCain has to say about it:
'Ernest Callenbach speaks of what he calls "The Green Triangle". (...) The three points of the triangle are:
Saving Money
Caring for the Environment
Being Healthy
'Callenbach points out that whenever you do something beneficial for one of the points on that triangle, you will almost certainly be doing something beneficial for the other two as well, whether intentionally or otherwise.
'He gives the example of deciding to improve one's health, by eating less fatty meat and dairy products. Not only would such a decision lower one's chance of circulatory disease, and have a number of other health benefits as well, it would also save money, since meat and dairy products are relatively expensive items. Furthermore, such a decision would benefit the environment too. Meat production is one of the most wasteful uses of agricultural land and therefore takes up farm resources that could be better used in other ways.
'He goes on to explain that you can start at any point of the triangle and get the same result. When you do something beneficial for the environment, like walking or bicycling instead of driving, you are helping to cut down pollution emissions (...). But at the same time you are creating a benefit for your own health, since you will get more exercise. And of course by leaving your car at home you will save a lot of money on petrol, oil and care repairs.'
(Although, saving money by buying cheap clothes produced in sweat shops with synthetic fibres does not sound like a good starting point.)
Applied to my case, I have stopped eating chocolate crepes to lose weight, which is good for my health. I produce less waste as I don't need to dispose of the plastic packaging anymore, which is good for the environment, and I have saved £8.75!
So time to cut back. Which gives me an opportunity to reflect on Callenbach's triangle. I came across this concept in The Lilypad List.
Here is what Marian Van Eyk McCain has to say about it:
'Ernest Callenbach speaks of what he calls "The Green Triangle". (...) The three points of the triangle are:
Saving Money
Caring for the Environment
Being Healthy
'Callenbach points out that whenever you do something beneficial for one of the points on that triangle, you will almost certainly be doing something beneficial for the other two as well, whether intentionally or otherwise.
'He gives the example of deciding to improve one's health, by eating less fatty meat and dairy products. Not only would such a decision lower one's chance of circulatory disease, and have a number of other health benefits as well, it would also save money, since meat and dairy products are relatively expensive items. Furthermore, such a decision would benefit the environment too. Meat production is one of the most wasteful uses of agricultural land and therefore takes up farm resources that could be better used in other ways.
'He goes on to explain that you can start at any point of the triangle and get the same result. When you do something beneficial for the environment, like walking or bicycling instead of driving, you are helping to cut down pollution emissions (...). But at the same time you are creating a benefit for your own health, since you will get more exercise. And of course by leaving your car at home you will save a lot of money on petrol, oil and care repairs.'
(Although, saving money by buying cheap clothes produced in sweat shops with synthetic fibres does not sound like a good starting point.)
Applied to my case, I have stopped eating chocolate crepes to lose weight, which is good for my health. I produce less waste as I don't need to dispose of the plastic packaging anymore, which is good for the environment, and I have saved £8.75!
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