‘We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures’ – [Thornton Wilder]

When you are a busy mama raising a home grown family, I find that most of the time I’m not in my body at all. In fact at the end of a long day, just before sleep, I usually find myself saying ‘oh, there you are’, like somehow I’ve lost myself for the whole day only to find me again at bed time. And then I lose myself the very next morning again. Inspired by mindfulness I have started writing a ‘today’ gratitude list. The main gist of this is to write down whatever I am feeling grateful for in your life…right now; here and now; in the present.

This is the first one I am sharing. It’s a lovely practice for busy mama’s. You might want to give it a go. Beauty and simplicity surround us all the time and if we are not careful we can miss it.

:Today:

I took time to meditate for 5 whole minutes.

I had coconut oil melt in my mouth for breakfast.

My egg yolk is like a creamy sunset.

Someone made me soup at the organic cafe for lunch.

I ate sweet juicy pink guava. They are nearly out of season. Goodbye guava. Thankyou.

I watched Adiva’s abundant joy as she showed me the gap where he tooth once was.

Thinking that it’s time to surrender to the ever-expanding laundry pile. I loose. You win.

I need to ask for more help with my busy schedule.

I watched Jedda sit on the trampoline eating mandarines and talking to her dolly named Raspberry (see photo).

Happy anniversary my dear Jase. Eight of the best years of my life. I feel blessed to be travelling this journey with you.

Life is better when you are creating….

I was wondering what to do with our beautful rosy and plump Rosella’s in our garden (jam, yes, but I did that last year) so yesterday I made a special ‘taste of the season’ Kombucha and named it Spicy Rosella. It’s amazing. Tenderly hand picked by Adiva and I, steam softened to maintain as much of the potent antioxidents as possible, and sweetened with hints of delicious cinamon quills and apple. If you are in Brizzy come down for taste at Northy St markets this weekend, or give me an email and I will put a bottle aside for you because there are only select number. I feel most happy when I am crafting and creating. Give it go. It’s good for the soul.

Do Small Things with Great Love….

We are bringing Kombucha to Northy St Organic Markets! (in fact my post is a little late as we’ve been there for a few weeks now, sorry). We feel so grateful to be so well received in this beautiful community. It’s very satisfying to be around people equally passionate about fermented foods and health. And to be honest we’ve been struggling to keep up with the demand for our Kombucha. It’s been a sell out every week. But we hope we have it all handled now with over 1000ltrs of blissful brewing Kombucha. And we just got word from Saturday’s West End Markets and they have a spot for us too (no weekends for us anymore, but bringing kombucha to the people feels very right).

So if you are in the Brisbane area come and visit us for a sample. We have four different Kombucha varieties: i) Buchi Mama Origional (made on the SCOBY mother and that’s all); Deep Green Kombucha (yes, we use the Miessence Deep Alkalising Green mix with loads of blue green algae (spirillina), wheat grass, barley grass, kamut grass etc); Ginger Tumeric Kombucha (packs a punch for people who like that ginger kick); and Hibiscus Pine Lime Kombucha (this was made for people transitioning to Kombucha and who need a little sweetness in their drink).

And for people who are not in the area, but in Australia, you can still contribute to our crowdfunding (Pozible) for the next few weeks and we will send some delicious Buchi Kombucha your way. Check out our site http://buchi.pozible.com and make a pledge.  Don’t worry about your location, we’ll be shipping Buchi all around the country to say thanks for your support.

I don’t know about you, but I’m still ‘pushing’ through life, despite my earlier reflections. I grind away at a marking essays. I push through the pain to get to an article done. I force myself to drink that green smoothie in the morning when I don’t feel like drinking it. I fight through a headache. Some would say that this ‘pushing’ is an admirable quality – committed and not afraid to go after what you want. But to be honest it doesn’t feel so good being a bulldozer. I’m often in struggle. And it’s exhausting. And there’s no peace.

I heard Sheryl Crow’s song on the radio this morning, ‘Soak Up the Sun’… and the line: ‘It’s not getting what you want, it’s wanting what you’ve got’ that reasonated with me. Graditude. Living in the flow. And when there’s no flow, to let go.

There’s another great quote by Abraham-Hicks that reminds me of my pushing and righteous. I hope you like it and it gives us all the grace to let go…

Even in your rightness about a subject, when you try to push your rightness toward another who disagrees, no matter how right you are, it causes more pushing against. In other words, it isn’t until you stop pushing, that any real allowing of what you want can take place.’ (Abraham-Hicks)

In my last post I said to stay tuned for more information about going commercial with Kombucha…and here it is! Jase (my partner) and our dear friend Matt are now brewmasters for Buchi (pronounced ‘boochi‘) Kombucha and are seeking crowdfunding so that the people of Australia will be able to access high quality, low-cost, local, sustainable, certified organic, raw Kombucha. And for people who contribute to the crowdfunding project they will all receive some awesome in-kind rewards…umm Kombucha!

Kombucha is a fermented health elixer that is just packed with vitality and goodness. The bacteria converts sugars into health giving organic acids such as glucuronic, lactic and acetic. So it’s nutritious, detoxifying and delicious all at the same time, and linked to a range of health benefits including organ cleansing, detoxification, improved digestion, better skin, stronger immunity and anti-aging benefits.

The link and video below show the boys, their passion for Kombucha, the business plan, why its a glocal production, and how to get some free Buchi by becoming a supporter and contributing to the crowdfunding. Have a watch and vote with your dollars:

>CLICK HERE to support Buchi Kombucha and find out more about this amazing project.

It’s been a few months since my last post – the longest writing drought since I started writing this blog nearly three years ago now. I’ve felt somewhat paralysed to write lately, not exactly knowing my path in life anymore, feeling unsure, sensitive. In numerology I’m in a year one of the nine-year cycle. A new beginning which holds the promise of new adventures and daring feats, and yet while the prospect of starting something new is certainly exciting, it is also a little daunting….and to be honest it had me a little stumped as to how I move forward. And when I do take steps it’s often feeling a little ungainly, like a newborn colt trying to stand up after birth.

This year I’ve said goodbye to my postdoctoral research (although my next book is still in the wings) and old ways of doing work.  Jase and I have made the decision to take concrete steps towards financial independence and freedom of time. We’re getting responsible for generating our own ethical wealth and want to break the cycle of trading our time and money (for someone else). Our experience of working is one reminiscent of Robert Frost‘s quote ‘By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually become the boss and work 12 hour days’. Instead, we want to move even closer towards more everyday sustainable living, conscious health, deliberate wealth. And the path is not always so clear how we do that yet.

What is clear though is that to get something we’ve never had, we need to do something we’ve never done before. So I have started to do just that… and I try to remember that from little things, big things grow!

So this is how I have become unstuck (sometimes anyway)…

In January I started making my own sour dough bread. Our family mission is make and bake our own real bread from now on. To do this we have become the proud parents of a beautiful sourdough ‘starter’ culture that we feed and house and in return she provides us with a spectrum of bacteria that raises and ferments our dough and tastes sour and magnificent. Nothing better than a warm sourdough bread for in the morning with real butter…and lots of it! We get beautiful creamy yellow butter made from cultured cream from Northy St organic markets here in Brisbane. We have churned our own butter before, but it’s not particularly cost effective so far. So until we have our own cow, we will stick to with the butter that the butter man sells at the markets.

Later in the month I conquered the software program Prezi and made my own ‘Start your own ethical organic business in 2012’ presentation (with the help of some supportive friends). It took me a while to get my head around this program, but it was worth the brain strain to produce a presentation that is visually stimulating and compelling.  I have been delivering this presentation across Brisbane and to international audiences via webinars. If you want to check it out, just let me know.

In February we started making our own kombucha. Kombucha is a passion of ours, as are fermented foods generally. Jase is now our very own brewmaster and making us our very own delectable fermented brews. Like our soughdough starter culture, we are now the house to many healthy kombucha ‘mothers’ who’s symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeasts breathe life into our sweetened tea. The microorganisms ferment the tea, converting the sugars into health giving organic acids such as glucuronic, lactic and acetic. So it’s nutritious, detoxifying and delicious all at the same time. We have equally passionate friends who are embarking on this endeavor commercially with us. Stay tuned as we go into large production later in the year…

And then there was the Earth Frequency Festival in the Sunshine Coast…

And at the Bodhi Festival in Newcastle we had a Miessence nutritional stall and I managed to sneak in a yoga practice and a healing with the Shanti Mission…

And in March was the Glocals Forum organized by Organic Farm Share that I spoke at. I felt particularly honoured to be on the panel and alongside some of the most incredible local community leaders. Glocal is a term which defines local leaders actualising transformative ideas that have the capacity to regenerate both society and the environment we currently live in. And it’s a privilege to be part of the organic farm share community.

This is a year that is certainly thrusting me, us, our family into new projects. I don’t know yet how to make these passions into a generous sustainable income for my family, or how they fit together, but I am clear that taking small steps in sustainable living is crucial to living a more connected, content life. And if you are like me, taking small steps do not come naturally. I usually have a clear path. So here are a few tips I’ve learned over the last few months to cultivate more trust and patience:

Trust my Intuition: Intuition is our ability to hold space for uncertainty and our willingness to trust the many ways we’ve developed knowledge and insight, including instinct, experience, faith, and reason. When I feel overwhelmed by uncertainty I often panic and make my decisions with my head rather than my heart. I don’t listen to that strong, initial gut response and I start polling people around me for an answer.

Feel More – Think Less: ‘Drop’ into yourself. Ask yourself what is the next step that makes you feel happy, that feels ‘right’.

Exercises in gratitude: In times when I feel uncertain as to my path I can often spiral into a self-conversation about scarcity and I wait wondering when things will all fall apart around me (or that I will fall apart). I am learning to sit with uncertainty and be appreciative for what I have in these precious moment. I’m not sure that it will ever be easy for me to do this, but I have learned to trust this practice.

In the middle of a very busy New Years Eve, slightly stressful, energetic day, I found this 
small 
simple 
sweet 
sunny
 moment of bliss to watch the kookaburras from the balcony our family beach house. And laugh they did.

Ahhhhhh.

Happy New Year

For the love of books…

I grew up in a family of readers. Everyday from the age of 4, my mother would send us to our rooms to read for at least 1 hour. It didn’t matter that my brothers and I at that time couldn’t read. We all sat in silence and flicked through the colorful pages of books. This ritual still lives inside of me today, and I am passing it on to my chicks. And as I am reading them Dr Seuss I am reminded by his famous saying ‘The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.’

There are many books that have helped me become a stronger and more vulnerable woman in 2011. Here is my top 10 list in the hope that others on a similar journey will find these useful:

1. Food Rules by Michael Pollan (I do love anything by Michael Pollan)
2. Feed your Skin by Carla Oates
3. The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawke
4. Medicine Woman by Lynn V Andrews
5. The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel
6. Business of the 21st century by Robert Kiyosaki
7. Raising Elijah: Protecting Our Children in an Age of Environmental Crisis by Sandra Steingraber
8. Writing Spirit by by Lynn V Andrews
9. Animal, Vegatable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
10. Tribes by Seth Godin

What were your highlights of 2011? What books would recommend to others? I for one am keen to know….

Habitat: The Eco-system Within

This is an article I am proud of and feel grateful to Peppermint Magazine for publishing it. I have also had quite a number of people email me as a result of the article expressing thanks and appreciation. I feel deeply honoured by their corrospondance to me. Click the link to read the entire Habitat Article…. Enjoy!

Now, I make no apologies for being a Miessence warrior. I love the stuff. Raw. Potent. Certified Organic. Shipped fresh. But  the  Darling Salt Glow is very special product.

When we asked Miessence Director Narelle Chenery to create a special product for the holiday season, we knew that she would deliver an exceptional treat – and she has! The environmental-saving Darling Salt Glow is an eco-conscious body scrub made from salt sourced from the troubled Murray-Darling Basin located in southeastern Australia. The salt in the body scrub is produced naturally from underground saline aquifers that have been lying dormant for thousands of years. By utilizing these waters the salinity problems are reduced, the environment is improved, and a unique, pure, inland salt is produced. I haven’t found a product on the market that is this environmentally conscious.

The Darling Salt Glow helps to reduce the serious salinity problem in the Murray-Darling Basin. The impact of salinity is immense, resulting in losses in fertile productive land and decreased biodiversity in the native wetlands. An area the size of a football oval is being lost to salinity every hour. So scrub up!

Exfoliation of the skin has significant benefits.

● Blended with nourishing, organic coconut oil
● Delicious organic citrus and spice essential oils
● Revitalizes skin, leaving it feeling silky soft and smooth
● Exfoliates dead, dry skin cells, revealing plump, fresh skin
● Boosts circulation and stimulates the senses
● Smooths rough, dry areas
● Leaves skin supple, glowing and nourished

And here are the certified ingredients for the Darling Salt Glow:

Sodium Chloride from inland salt produced by solar evaporation of brine in Australia. Exfoliates, revitalizes, smooths, boosts circulation, stimulates the senses.

*Cocosnucifera (coconut) oil – Virgin coconut oil from the Pacific Islands, collected, grated, and cold-pressed within hours of opening the nut. Antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial, soothes, softens, smooths. Relieves dry, rough and wrinkled skin.

*Citrus dulcis (sweet orange) essential oil – Cold-pressed from the peel of the fruit grown in Italy. Astringent, antibacterial, antiseptic, toning and cleansing.

*Citrus aurantifolia (lime) essential oil – Steam distilled from the peel of fruit grown in the West Indies. Cleansing and antiseptic.

*Cinnamomum zeylanicum (cinnamon) leaf essential oil – Steam distilled from the leaf grown in Sri Lanka. Soothes, cools, antimicrobial and astringent.

*Syzygium aromatica (clove) bud essential oil – Steam distilled from the flower buds grown in Sri Lanka. Antiseptic, stimulating and painkilling.

*Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf CO2 extract – Antioxidant and protective.

*Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil – Cold-pressed from the bean of the desert plant in Argentina. Emollient, moisturizing, high in vitamins, skin protective, helps regulate PH, soothes inflamed skin.

*Certified Organic Ingredients

The Darling Salt Scrub is only around during the festive season so if you want to try some CLICK HERE

Happy scrubbing for your health and the environment!

I must confess: this has been a challenging to write about. The tension around vaccinating children is, how do I diplomatically say it – palpable.

Look at any parenting site dedicated to openly discussing vaccination and the dialogues are brutal. It’s apparent that the predatory instinct of the Wolf that lurks behind any good mother emerges when defending and protecting her cub. And like a wolf, we hunt in packs (gathering evidence and like-minded parents and practitioners to defend our decisions) and strike for juggler when we are cornered or feel threatened. Make no mistake, I too, can be one of those wolves I admit. Put oxybenzone on my child’s skin, an ingredient commonly found in conventional sunscreen and a known endocrine (hormone)-disrupting chemical, and I am known to hunt you down and attack without prejudice. It’s not personal – it’s primal, and I will defend my pack.

And it seems debate around vaccination has become even more divided these days as the Federal government moves to wed the vaccination schedule with the family tax benefit. If you are a ‘conscious objector’ to vaccinations you may not be affected –you just have to put in the form. But if you have missed or delayed your child’s vaccinations, or just don’t want some of the vaccinations, the government will doc you almost $2100 per child.

It’s been these latest government moves that have got me thinking more about the future of vaccinations, about control, the role of the State, and about the information (and science) we accept or reject about vaccination based on our values, faith, risk perceptions, intuition, and ideals that reinforce our opinions or identity as part of a social group.

Where paths diverge…

So what does the science say about vaccinations?

In short, that any risks associated with vaccinations are outweighed by the numerous benefits. Or in scientific terms – the correlation between vaccinated children and certain diseases does not equal causation.

Policy makers and practitioners then interpret this science and implement it via the National Vaccination Schedule. This schedule is carried it out in two ways: on an individual basis to protect specific persons at risk; and on a population basis, to provide ‘herd immunity’ to protect individuals who have not been vaccinated. The argument is that the higher the immunisation rate in any population, the less likely that a pathogen will penetrate the group and find a susceptible person inside. As immunization rates drop, that protection grows thinner.

So why then do many parents disagree – sharply and persistently – about the facts on which scientists largely agree, and the government implements the schedule? Why is it that many parents choose not to vaccinate, or partially vaccinate their children given the evidence?

The thing about science is that whilst it seems all but omnipotent, given many of the impressive advances we have witnessed over the generations (and some advances that prove our other advances were not so successful) it never proves anything in an absolute sense. Nor is everything scientifically tested, including many vaccinations, and when some testing has been done, it hasn’t been done long term, nor has it been done in conjunction with other vaccines.

The area of chemicals is analogous to vaccines in many ways. 75% of everyday chemicals used in consumer chemicals have never been tested for their toxicity of the human body (or the environment), the long term effects are unknown, and testing of multiple variations to chemical exposure is rarely (if ever) carried out.

Also consider that some things may never be measurable. I was recently doing some research about the onset of labour and scientific uncertainty dominates this area. No one knows exactly what sets in motion the onset of labour – uterine contractions. Sure scientific papers focus on the intrinsic factors such as the cascade of biochemical changes that soften the cervix of the uterus and coax its muscles into a synchronized action. But the ultimate source of them remains unelucidated. When does a baby in utero tell the body when (s)he is ready to start her journey into this world? We don’t exactly know. And may never know. It’s what makes the journey of growing babies so celestial.

So vaccinations, like many topics, including climate change, global warming, chemical pollution, evolution, even the onset of labour remain contested. And perhaps always will be. Scientific uncertainty is a fact!

‘But what about the terrible life-threatening diseases of polio and measles,’ I hear you say. Indeed, while young parents today did not grow up with the debilitating and often fatal diseases such as polio and measles, parents across the globe continue to speak out about the severe regression and disabilities of their children following vaccine exposure, despite the scientific evidence. Asthma, cancer, autism, allergies, autoimmune diseases and neurological disorders are all on the rise, and most people experience these ‘disorders’ and diseases in our everyday lives. As parents of today, we are certainly not immune to the health challenges of our times.

Some say that science will eventually provide a way out of these diseases and diverging vaccinations debates – but as great as science is (and I’m part of this area myself)—it is not without limitations (or hindsight). There are some big questions, many ethical, that arise for me both as a researcher and a mother that frame the vaccination debate and yet are rarely discussed. Given that today’s children under five receive 13 injections and numerous oral vaccine courses, making up a total of 45 vaccine doses throughout childhood, I wonder if our children’s children continue to be vaccinated and in even more quantities than today’s children (as has been the case for the previous generations)? And what about their children’s children? How much is enough. How many vaccinations do we have to produce before we say enough is enough. When we reach one hundred? Or two hundred? Are we a culture that just continues to produce vaccines in response to disease? Is this really a way to live? I often wonder what kind of a path we are setting up for future generations by not asking these today.

Or is there another path? Surely with all of our knowledge and resources we are capable of developing a world where prevention is the cure. If we can put a man on the moon, surely we can create a clean sustainable environment that is harmony with the natural movements of the earth and seasons and where our children don’t have to be jabbed with concoctions and chemicals? I’d like to start talking about a path that is based on prevention not reaction. That seems so worthy of attention.

One of the  many challenges of being a parent is talking to our children about the terrible problems happening on earth today – that surely need to be solved by adults, but impact our children profoundly….and will do even more so in years to come if we don’t change our current course of action.

So how do we talk to our children about climate change, chemical pollution, the deforestation of the earth, wars, water shortages?

I don’t really know to be honest, and I’m struggling with it, but I can tell you that I’m being gentle as I learn how to tell my truth to my children, without frightening them. Parenting is an inherently political act. How we raise our children and the choices they make is significant to the course of our future, and the future of our planet.

It all started last week when Adiva wanted to dress up as a white rhinoceros. And as I pinned the light grey coloured tulle fabric and strips of leather hide around her little body, it occurred to me that his costume might well outlast the species. I decided not to tell her that. Then I heard her friend Ix tell her on the drive home that she thought that the earth and the animals were quite sick. That she had seen a turtle last week in Morton Bay with plastic wrapped around its flippers. The turtle limped its way through the water. And then one morning we recieved a short film clip that I am posting about here. We watched this 5 minute film together. I cried. Then Jase. Then Adiva. And then we talked gently about the earth and how she breathes…her beauty…her finite resources..how she is hurting…how she is fighting back…what we can do…and who we can be in the face of such changes.

This is how I have started talking to my children about these issues. I don’t know if it is right, or wrong. It just feels like the right place to start. I want to share this film with you. It’s a brilliant film.

Love Sarah xox

Since the release of the  Campaign for Safe Cosmetics report,  Johnson and Johnson have aggreed to reformulate its flagship baby shampoo to remove chemicals that release formaldehyde.

The company released a statement stating they are no longer introducing new products with formaldehyde-releasing preservatives and they have reduced their use of the chemical by 60% in the US market and 33% globally over the past few years.

The Johnson and Johnson statement said: ‘We know that some consumers are concerned about formaldehyde, which is why we offer many products without formaldehyde releasing preservatives, and are phasing out these types of preservatives in our baby products worldwide’.

And whilst this is undoubtably a step in the right direction, I still find it remarkable that a company like Johnson and Johnson, a household name, can be putting in carcinogenic ingrediants into their products for generations, and will not be called to account for this by any regulatory or government bodies. It raises profound intergenerational ethical issues.

If you want to avoid formaldehyde-releasing ingredients and 1,4-dioxane, you need to know what to look for as they’re NOT listed on the label; at least not in those words.

Common ingredients likely to contaminate products with formaldehyde include:

• Quaternium-15
• DMDM hydantoin
• Imidazolidinyl urea
• Diazolidinyl urea

To avoid 1,4-dioxane, watch out for these ingredients, which create 1,4-dioxane as a byproduct:

• PEG-100 stearate
• Sodium laureth sulfate
• Sodium myreth sulfate
• Polyethylene
• Ceteareth-20

If you want to get even more informed on this topic, CLICK HERE for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics Report, entitled Babys Tub Is Still Toxic

While researching overseas earlier in the year, I worked with the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics on a camapign targeting Johnson and Johnson baby products. The campaign purchased (I did the Australia and Indonesian section of this) and reviewed labels of the Johnson’s ‘No More Tears’ Baby Shampoo sold in 13 countries to see if the products contained quaternium-15, a chemical preservative that kills bacteria by releasing formaldehyde. These are the findings:

Products purchased in the following countries contained the formaldehyde-releasing preservative quaternium-15:

• Australia
• Canada
• China
• Indonesia
• United States

Products purchased in the following countries did NOT contain quaternium-15:

• Japan
• Netherlands*
• South Africa
• United Kingdom

*Products sold in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland use the same formulation as products purchased in the Netherlands.

Yes, that’s right. Everyday, Australian babies are subject to formaldehyde-releasing ingredients in Johnson’s Baby Shampoo while the company is making formaldehyde-free versions of the shampoo in several other countries!

And let me tell you a bit about  this chemical…Quaternium-15 is a formaldehyde releasing chemical.  Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen (causes cancer). It also causes allergies and contact dermatitis, headaches and linked to chronic fatigue. The vapor is irritating to the eyes, nose and throat (mucous membranes) – which is a little hilarious given that it’s ‘no tears’ shampoo we are talking about…its all around this region.  Formaldehyde was recently added to the U.S. government list of known human carcinogens by the National Toxicology Program, under the Department of Health and Human Services.  According to a peer-reviewed paper in the Journal of the Dermatology Nurses’ Association, quaternium-15 is ‘the most sensitizing formaldehyde-releasing preservative and has been repeatedly shown to be a strong allergen that can cause contact dermatitis.’

What a crazy toxic world we live in. Stay tuned for more information about the campaign…