tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248Thu, 08 Mar 2012 13:21:06 +0000motherhoodbaby foodcreative spacegreen petsgood causeseco-living: green celebrationseco-living: urban gardeningrecipes: for springwaldorf/steiner/montessori inspiredgreen cleaningnatural toysnatural parenting: natural pregnancythe omnivorous familyguest postnatural parenting: breastfeedingurban gardeningeco-living: green on a budgetrecipes: seasonal eatingrecipes: dessertsgreen giftswith love to YOUcrafting sewing and knittingnatural babysummer snap mondaysnatural parenting: a tv-free childhoodeco-living: green beautyeco-living: thrifting upcycling recycling** tutorials **ayurveda yoga meditationserene sundaysgentle parentingnatural parenting: family traditionsrecipes: for autumnrecipes: traditional and nutritionalgiveawaysnatural pregnancynatural parenting: cloth nappieseco-living: green cleaning recipestv-free childhoodeco-living: crafting sewing knittingfamily traditionsrecipes: snacks and finger foodthe vegetarian familynatural parenting: gentle disciplinetraveling with childrengratitudenatural parenting: waldorf inspiredgreen celebrationsthrifting upcycling and recyclingeco-living: natural toyscloth nappiesgentle parenting and disciplinegreen on a budgetoutdoor playteas tonics and natural remedieswholegrain sundayseco-living: crafting sewing and knittinghandmade homerecipes: for summerrecipes: for wintereco-living: teas tonics and natural remediesreading recommendationsbreastfeedinggreen family traditions and celebrationsinspired playgreen beautyfor your reading liststory-tellingrhythms and routinesnatural parenting: rhythms and routineseco-living: ayurveda yoga meditationrecipes: homemade breadecoMILF sponsorsDaily insight from a mother taking steps towards a more sustainable, compassionate and conscious life. Because going eco is logical.http://www.thiswholefamily.com/noreply@blogger.com (Meagan)Blogger899125ecomilfhttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-2679056322705299568Thu, 08 Mar 2012 09:08:00 +00002012-03-08T20:10:02.366+11:00natural parenting: family traditionsnatural parenting: a tv-free childhoodThis is one of the wettest summers I have ever experienced in Sydney and it doesn't look like the rain is going to stop anytime soon. As a result, we've been teaching ourselves to brave the wet and cold and to get outside even if the storm clouds are brewing. It's been an eye-opening lesson- there is so much vibrancy, life and calm to be found in the raindrops which seem to cover the world with ahttp://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/03/getting-outside-when-it-rains.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-2287298198290621219Wed, 07 Mar 2012 09:36:00 +00002012-03-07T20:36:38.641+11:00** tutorials **recipes: for autumnrecipes: for summerI had the best of intentions today. I planned to write a tutorial on making beeswax ornaments and menu planned for pumpkin, spinach and chickpea stew... but while the children napped I let myself escape pursuing through online fashion shops and before I knew it they were awake, dinner had not been sorted and my blog post and photos had been neglected. So I decided to combine efforts and threw http://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/03/tutorial-fresh-and-healthy-dinner-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-7401171440552125977Tue, 06 Mar 2012 05:42:00 +00002012-03-08T20:09:06.691+11:00natural parenting: waldorf inspired a little gnome in warm jumper, a jack'o'lantern (in march...Australia!) and a little brown sparrow some red and yellow flowers, leaves collected on a bush walk, beeswax candles and a couple chickens beginning to represent upcoming Easter and one of many beeswax leaves to come Do you have a nature table to mark the seasons? Is yours reflecting Autumn or Spring at the moment?http://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/03/our-autumn-nature-table.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-3077350240838725650Sun, 04 Mar 2012 19:00:00 +00002012-03-05T06:00:02.767+11:00recipes: seasonal eatingrecipes: snacks and finger foodrecipes: traditional and nutritionaleco-living: urban gardeningrecipes: for summer Truth be told, on the day I decided to make our own cucumbers we didn't have any dill in the house- silly me. But I used sage and chives from the garden and it worked well enough. When I use dill next time these pickles are going to be off the charts because the whole family can't get enough of my dill-less pickles. They're really quite delicious. Making your own pickles couldn't be simpler. http://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/03/pickling-our-very-own-cucumbers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-701026060733322213Fri, 02 Mar 2012 19:00:00 +00002012-03-04T21:49:00.163+11:00Dragonfly Toys offers beautiful toys that inspire creative, open ended, imaginative play. Dragonfly Toys is the love and effort of Linda and Tracie who have six children between them. They believe children are often bombarded with ‘toys’ that overwhelm the senses and stunt creativity. It is their aim to provide toys that are beautiful and enchanting, strong and safe, environmentally friendly and http://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/03/giveaway-from-this-whole-family-sponsor.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)55tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-5925004864200034601Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:00:00 +00002012-03-02T04:00:09.910+11:00 This Whole Family has been nominated (thank you!) for Apartment Therapy's 2012 The Homeies: Best Family Blog. I would be honoured and grateful if you could head there today and vote! Voting closes March 2nd (3rd Australia). It's worth having a look around Apartment Therapy too- beautiful posts, apartments, interior design, green tips and much more. xxx m.http://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/03/favour-for-friday.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-6651270654289816683Thu, 01 Mar 2012 09:17:00 +00002012-03-03T09:08:13.293+11:00recipes: snacks and finger food The perfect afternoon snack- zucchini and carrot pancakes with a dollop of yoghurt. The perfect way to sneak some veggies in without a protest. Ingredients 1 zucchini 1 carrot 1 small potato 2-3 tablespoons flour 1 egg salt and pepper coconut oil Directions Puree all ingredients (except coconut oil) in the food processor until smooth (I think you might be able to grate the veggies http://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/03/zucchini-and-carrot-pancakes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-7735761313692116270Wed, 29 Feb 2012 10:23:00 +00002012-02-29T21:23:36.871+11:00** tutorials **eco-living: crafting sewing and knitting When we went out bushwalking recently we came home with pockets full of nature's treasures and I had crafting in mind. The She-Oak (Casuarina) cones were just calling to be made into small forest creatures. North has been thoroughly enjoying our set of classic Beatrix Potter stories every evening. One of his favourite tales is that of Mrs. Tittlemouse who becomes very cross when a bumblebee http://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/02/tutorial-beatrix-potter-inspired-mouse.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-579318729135981108Mon, 27 Feb 2012 19:00:00 +00002012-02-28T06:00:01.559+11:00natural parenting: a tv-free childhoodWe had a few extra little feet in our home this weekend while some good friends of ours moved house. Everything went as smoothly and peacefully as it could with 4 children scampering in and out all day long. It was actually too easy, I started to think I could actually handle another child in our midst... oh my! The children we looked after also come from a TV-free home and it was just beautifulhttp://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/02/let-children-play.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-1970975537380460408Mon, 27 Feb 2012 06:31:00 +00002012-02-27T17:31:25.566+11:00eco-living: green cleaning recipes Lately, our poor little refrigerator has been threatened with warnings of gumtree classified ads. Brad often complains that it is too small and that we need to get a new one. I agree, it is tiny, and really not ideal for a family but it has served us well over the years and I hate to give up on something that is functioning perfectly well.  To me, it still looks new (other than a few crackshttp://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/02/homemade-natural-cream-cleanser.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-8045608427583712016Fri, 24 Feb 2012 01:51:00 +00002012-02-24T12:51:00.714+11:00 Although I have never been a morning person, I am determined to carve a space for myself in the wee hours before anyone in the house stirs. It's always been difficult to do this- I have early risers- the entire house is in full swing by 6:15 most mornings. So, to get a good hour of peace and quiet I need to be out of bed at 5. Now that Indigo is officially sleeping through the night (insert http://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/02/carving-space-for-me.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-7755925533816568608Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:47:00 +00002012-02-27T17:31:54.122+11:00the omnivorous familyOne of the intentions I set when I started Heather's Whole Food Kitchen was to increase the number of vegetables I eat in a day. I know I probably eat more veg than most, but I personally saw room to replace crackers, snacks and smoothies with greens and raw vegetables. Some mornings we have avocado and tomato with our eggs, others we have a whole selection of veggies piled into our omelette, andhttp://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/02/salad-each-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-305848446577203226Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:32:00 +00002012-02-22T21:32:13.052+11:00** tutorials **eco-living: teas tonics and natural remediesWe have a little wooden bowl filled with home remedies ranging from essential oils to homeopathic remedies to simple lollies that are sure to make any disaster just that wee bit sweeter. Some of the remedies were purchased in a kit from The Red Tent Health Centre after attending their Natural Kids First Aid Course (which I highly recommend). Others are essentials I have come to know and love on http://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/02/tutorial-make-your-own-natural-home.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-6329315520026876209Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:07:00 +00002012-02-21T22:07:52.665+11:00eco-living: urban gardening Our summer garden has only just started to really produce after a very slow and wet start this year in Sydney. We've already enjoyed green and purple beans as well as heaps of swiss chard, herbs, lettuce and a few eggplants. A while back we planted a few new veggies just for fun. I love to keep this urban garden interesting. It's as much a learning experience as it is a taste experience, if not http://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/02/summer-urban-garden.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-2162944623590471503Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:04:00 +00002012-02-20T21:05:15.066+11:00natural parenting: breastfeedingbreastfeeding For the past few weeks I have been slowly weaning Indigo from her usual hourly feeds. I started by cutting out her daytime feeds for two weeks and leaving her bedtime milk and her middle of the night feeds. Lately, I've been thinking long and hard about weaning her completely. She's always been so much more demanding than North was. At 18 months old, she has still only ever slept through the http://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/02/were-almost-there.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-8789807205588944746Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:49:00 +00002012-02-20T21:04:58.577+11:00natural parenting: gentle discipline Now that he's happily established at school twice a week, I am finding beautifully quiet and still moments with her. It's so nice to be able to slow down, stop talking and just be for a few moments a day with my littlest. And we do get up to all sorts of adventures... http://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/02/moments-with-her.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-6822845491154019063Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:00:00 +00002012-02-16T06:00:00.518+11:00the omnivorous familyrecipes: traditional and nutritionalWe've been adding more homemade fermented food into our diets as much as we can. So far I've made sauerkraut, kimchi and this wonderful and child-friendly recipe- ginger carrots. It's perfect as a side dish or mixed in with a salad and filled with natural probiotic goodness. Exactly what we all need more of, especially Indigo with her allergies! The kids love a few teaspoons of this mixed with http://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/02/fermented-ginger-carrots.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-444953689586291713Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:42:00 +00002012-02-15T14:43:52.111+11:00** tutorials ** Supplies: glass jars if varying sizes- we used some old babyhood jars we had lying around (I have a problem letting go of glass jars. I keep and hoard them like a madwoman!) coloured tissue paper (eco-tip: have a little box somewhere to store tissue paper that comes with gift wrapped presents that you are given throughout the year) clear drying glue or like- we used hodgepodge as it is our http://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/02/tutorial-easy-colourful-magical.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-2032186746631165799Tue, 14 Feb 2012 03:11:00 +00002012-02-15T14:42:54.433+11:00natural parenting: family traditions Hoping you all had a beautiful and love filled day. Ingredients 1 cup desiccated coconut (no additives/preservatives/sweeteners added)3/4 cup rapadura sugar2 cups white spelt flour1/2 cup organic butter, room temperature (1 stick)1/4 cup coconut oil, room temperature5-7 tablespoons milk ( I used low fat) A couple of drops of a naturally pink food colouring (we used left over beetroot juice) http://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/02/happy-valentines-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-3249484167370666634Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:19:00 +00002012-02-15T14:43:14.208+11:00eco-living: thrifting upcycling recyclingeco-living: urban gardeningIt occurred to me this weekend that I have never mentioned our worm farm. We've had worms for quite some time and I think they are integral part of our urban gardening experience. They also lessen the feeling go guilt when I clear plates and see the food waste after a meal. With two little ones in the kitchen, there is always a bit more food waste than I am comfortable with but when I put scraps http://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/02/our-little-worm-farm.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-352962982601306230Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:06:00 +00002012-02-10T21:06:06.870+11:00 {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A [couple] of photo[s] - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.- soulemama http://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/02/this-moment.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-1533663819008052059Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:00:00 +00002012-02-09T06:00:06.934+11:00 I've written a guest post all about soy-based candles today at the Kindred Gifts blog. We use beeswax candles for everyday use around our home, but soy candles are an eco-friendly alternative to conventional paraffin based candles when you're in the mood for a relaxing scent or a bit more ambiance. Go and visit for the full post.http://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/02/benefits-of-using-soy-candles.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-1789053891029974138Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:00:00 +00002012-02-08T06:00:05.881+11:00** tutorials **natural parenting: waldorf inspiredeco-living: crafting sewing and knittingTo celebrate Valentine's Day (and to try to distract North from playing "Christmas" one. more. time!!) we made some beautiful love themed salt dough dyed with beetroot, scented with cinnamon and to add a bit of texture I added some dried rose I had left-over from making rosebud tea. Indigo was especially a fan of this saltdough recipe. She made little heart-shaped cookies and couldn't resist http://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/02/tutorial-naturally-dyed-and-scented.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-2283320805516208782Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:00:00 +00002012-02-07T22:11:05.382+11:00natural parenting: breastfeeding This blessed little girl of mine has got me all worked up. I have written a few times before about Indigo’s obsession with my breasts. Unlike North who fed until he was 20 months old, but did just that- fed, Indigo could spend all day playing, sucking, fiddling and cuddling up to my breasts. The mere sight of me is all it takes to remind her of the number one thing she likes doing besthttp://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/02/weaning-her-during-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461228147269301248.post-381152166343826777Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:00:00 +00002012-02-06T06:00:01.886+11:00recipes: for springrecipes: for autumnrecipes: for winterrecipes: for summer I got a questions recently from a reader about what we do for breakfast. Like me, she has cut a lot of wheat and unsoaked grains from her family's diets and was wondering what on earth I feed the little ones to keep them full all day long. I can answer the question with one word- EGGS. Here is our weekly breakfast menu plan at the moment: MONDAY: gluten-free multi-grain porridge (ground http://www.thiswholefamily.com/2012/02/look-at-our-family-breakfast-menu.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Meagan)6