We get so many warnings about what NOT to feed our kids. No dairy, no soy, no wheat, no sugar, no additives…..

Then there are the family ‘filters’ to consider – maybe you can’t eat meat for cultural reasons, or you just wouldn’t give up dairy. period.

We have done so much allergy work over the years, I can honestly say that we don’t have any adverse reaction to foods in our family, but we do eat well.  Wholegrain all the way, organic wherever we can, and I try as much as I can to avoid ‘numbers’ in our foods. BUT I still have days when I stand in the middle of the kitchen and wonder what on earth I am going to feed my kids for lunch.

So, I had this idea, we could each share a single lunch idea we’ve used – with success – for our kids. By success, I mean they LOVED it! And YOU loved it too, knowing it’s pure, fresh and additive free. Whether you are gluten free, casein free or ‘anything goes as long as it’s organic’, feel free to post your lunch idea below, because someone else will feel the same way you do about what is and is not OK to feed our kids. Click here to read more.. »

I am loving the internet.  What an amazing world we live in, where I can sit down at the end of the day – when everyone in my house is asleep – and find like-minded people all over the world.  It just blows me away…

Meet Susan Lutz.  Susan is a writer and film maker living in Costa Rica with her two children.
MotherJungle.com chronicles her adventures and daily search for paradise.  Susan recently completed her first documentary film, “The Coffee Dance,” and is the author of a video media arts book, “The Paradox of Paradise”.

Susan’s son was born with Down syndrome.  She recently wrote an article about how her son’s health improved through nutrition – a story I can obviously relate to!  Green juices.  Organic, fresh vegetables.  Nothing more complex than this. You can read the article here – http://crazysexylife.com/2010/my-sons-journey-with-down-syndrome-how-nutrition-improved-his-health/

Click here to read more.. »

I woke this morning to my son trying to ‘bite mummy’s nose’ with Dad’s glasses case.  I buried my nose in his delicious soft neck – ahh the smell of your own child’s skin! It’s kind of irrelevant to me now that as well as being cheeky and smelling divine, my son has Down syndrome.

Then I read today’s news. Two families from my home town are taking their doctors to court because they had children with Down syndrome – their diagnosis was not picked up during pregnancy.

The Herald Sun says ‘..in Victoria, people can sue for compensation for the continuing costs of raising a child to the age of 18, where the child was born as a result of negligent care’.

I am not one to judge.  Human challenges are many.. daily.. for all of us, and we all respond differently. I hear stories every day about how different parents react to a situation like this and I feel for every one of them.  It’s hard!

Click here to read more.. »

Recently, I posted about chamomile tea for conjunctivitis, and in reply several people sent me some of their own natural remedies.  My personal preference is for remedies using pantry items.  Why? because 1. it’s expensive stocking up on potions and lotions all the time, 2. the fewer things we need to buy, the fewer packages we have to throw away, and 3. it’s easy to avoid chemicals = better for our families, better for our planet.

Here are some of my favourites:

CHAMOMILE TEA
make some chamomile tea (I use organic tea bags), then I let it cool with the tea bag in the cup. Once cool (or even tepid), get some cotton pads or gauze pads (not cotton balls as they can leave fluff particles in the eye). Dip the cotton pad in the tea, squeeze most of the liquid out and then very gently wipe the eye – towards the nose. Usually I have to do this several times to get it clean, but I use a new pad each time. DO NOT use the same pad for each eye.
KM, Melbourne

MANUKA HONEY
Manuka Honey is magic for skin abrasions, you apply it directly onto the skin..and also as a natural antibiotic on toast ( yum )
LL, Melbourne

There’s been quite a bit in the news lately about the overdiagnosis of children with ADHD. I agree that a lot of kids who seem to manifest ‘worrisome’ behaviour are labelled where they shouldn’t be. I also know that a lot of this ‘worrisome behaviour’ can be alleviated through some of the simpler methods I discuss in my book – dietary changes, supplements, allergy work and even osteopathy can improve behaviour.

But for those kids who do have ‘special needs’ related to the brain, knowing what the real problem is can open the door to healing. Click here to read more.. »

Every day now, someone sends me something so beautiful, I get tears… this is one from today. Thank you Sandra for taking the time to write it, and for letting me share this!

Kristen x

Good morning Kristen,

I received your book 2 days ago and haven’t put it down since. I love it. I sincerely admire and respect you for the battle in the name of love. You prove that parents can change the lives of their children with patience, unconditional love and devotion. NO matter what medicine has to say, there is a way. Click here to read more.. »

I struggle to keep up with the growing list of things we should be avoiding for maximal health.  My newsfeed is full every day of information about why fluoride is bad for us, which chemicals are linked with Autism and why we should clean our homes without chemicals. Actually, I believe that most of this is probably true, but I don’t have time to read every article and then cross check it…who does?!

Seems to me the common denominator in most of these things, is that we humans were never meant to consume chemicals or rub them into our skin.  Click here to read more.. »

When someone first told me to try chamomile tea to treat my first child’s conjunctivitis, I was very sceptical! But it works! We had it again this week, and chamomile tea did the job once again!

So, this is what I do – I make some chamomile tea (I use organic tea bags), then I let it cool with the tea bag in the cup. Click here to read more.. »