Lemon tea

When it is cold and flu season, There is nothing nicer than a hot cup of lemon and honey tea to soothe your throat. This coming weekend I am preparing for a concert, 

and we need to have something to soothe our throats after singing that long! So I thought I would pull out my lemon tea recipe!

This time I added a bit of ginger to calm our nervous stomachs! The recipe is very simple. Place in a 1/2 pint jar-

finely slice one whole lemon, 

dice 1 inch of ginger root, 

Fill to the top with a good quality, local honey. With the lid on tight, place in some warm water to incorporate everything, add more honey if your fruit is not covered, and keep in the refrigerator for up to a week and a half. When you would like a cup of tea, place 1 1/2 tablespoons of the  lemon mixture into a mug of boiling water! Enjoy!!

Can you afford a Doula?

check the video out for yourself!   Interesting video today, it was asking "can you afford not to have a Doula"? Personally, no, I can't afford not to have a Doula with me if I were to have another! She saved me from what could have been a devistating (to me) ending-cesarian section! Not only that, but the memories that were made, the satisfaction I had, the strength I gained from the support, the support she gave my husband=priceless!
So Can you afford a Doula? Ask me!

My health conscious adventures

Being a Doula, I believe that our bodies are made perfectly, given the right support, it can heal itself. But with all the contaminants we sometimes unknowingly introduce into it, things start to go haywire. I try use glass or paper when I can, instead of plastics.  Since I am cheap, I mean frugal, (my sister says I squeek) I have always tried to make items from scratch, but recently I have been more aware of all the chemicals and preservatives we are exposing ourselves to each and every day-like tooth paste! A very simple alternative we use is just coconut oil (love coconut oil), baking soda and some peppermint oil.
I use coconut oil constantly, I have had a tooth bothering me for about 2 yrs, the dentist says I need a root canal, but that is so costly and they can't garuntee that it will be fixed. So I did some research and learned about oil pulling. I have been able to ward off the root canal so far, with a bit of minor repair to the tooth when it cracked. I have also noticed my skin is a lot clearer after oil pulling as well, and my daughter who had such bad eczema, since she started oil pulling hasn't been bothered by it at all, even in the dry winter weather. All you do is put about 2 tsp in your mouth, swish it around, in between your teeth and hold it for as long as possible, but DO NOT swallow it! If you have a oral infection, the oil may very well be a different colour when you spit it out.  I use it straight as face cream as well, and sun screen too! It makes delicious popcorn and cookies too!
I also love to make my own rubs, mixes, sauces and such. here is my favourite list of home made mixes. The spaghetti sauce mix is so good! And I have been making my breakfast of oatmeal using a idea that is new to me-you don't cook it! In a mason jar you mix all the ingrediants, let it sit over night and wow, is it good!
The thing that has really grabbed my interest lately is soap making. My sister started it, and we have made a few batches together. One for laundry, one for body, and a shampoo bar. Now, first of all, it is quite a process, and handling the lye can be quite dangerous, both her and I were burnt but we neutralized it quickly.  I haven't been able to try the first 2 yet, we used a cold process, so it needs to cure for 4-6 weeks, this allowes the lye to neutralize.

My shampoo, I used basically the same recipe with a few different moisturizing oils, but I tried a hot process.  You cook the soap for a certain length of time to cure it instead of letting it sit. I like that it is fast, but I wasn't too happy with the end product until I let it sit outside for a few days, one of the oils stayed on top and it was quite greasy, but now that I have tried it, I love it!! You must rinse with vinegar to cleanse the hair, when dry you dont smell the vinegar and it leaves your hair very managable!

Thats it for now I think, I have a client coming in for a belly cast shortly, I will save that for another post :)
Have a good day, thanks for reading!

What is a Doula anyways??

I hear all the time that having a Doula at your birth is worth the investment. And it warms my heart each and every time!
So What Can a Doula do for you?
A Doula offers 
              Emotional Support-encouragement, reassurance, and a continuous physical presence
              Informational Support- assistance to families in gathering information about the course of their labor and their options, explanations, non-medical advice
               Physical Support- comfort measures, positioning, massage, breathing, relaxation, and other non- pharmacological  pain relief measures                            
               Advocacy- interpreting the woman's wishes to the hospital staff
               Partner Support- role modeling, encouragement, reassurance

A Doula will not  perform clinical tasks, such as blood pressure, vaginal exams, fetal heart monitor checks, etc. Doulas work from the waist up.

Doulas do not make decisions on behalf of the mother or partner. Doulas will assist with weighing the pros and cons if interventions are necessary or helping the couple find the right questions to ask the health care providers, but ultimately the decision rests with the couple.

Women who receive continuous labor support  are less likely to experience :
*Epidural or other regional analgesia ( 28% less likely)
*Any analgesia/anesthesia, including epidurals
*Birth with vacuum extraction or forceps (41% less likely)
*Birth by cesarean (26% less likely)
*Dissatisfaction or a negative rating of their experience (33% less likely)

More likely to experience:
*Enhanced breastfeeding
*Better maternal-infant interaction
*Less postpartum depression, anxiety, and greater self-esteem
*Higher maternal assessments of their baby when compared to the 'standard baby'
*Greater satisfaction with the birth experience
*Shorter labor by up to 98 Min

What does 'Doula' mean?The word Doula means to serve the mother with everything we have: our bodies, our minds, our hearts, and our spirit

What about my partner? A Doula does not replace a husband or birth partner; they work with them and can enhance their experience. They provide suggestions on how to support the mother, or allow them to be a bit more hands-off if they are feeling overwhelmed, since labor can be quite overwhelming at times for the people on the sidelines. The Doula can also relieve the birth partner so they can eat or take a nap. A Doula knows pregnancy, labor and birth, and the partner knows the mother — it's a perfect team ready and willing to do anything.

Give away

To kick off my new blog, in one months time I will do a give away! Share this blog with a friend and leave a comment on this post. Give away will be a cup/ wrist cozie similar to this one

Aviator hat

I had a emergency order come in the other day from a photographer I met at a recent baby show- of course I was happy to oblige:) this is what he requested, I can't wait to see how good he makes it look!!

Spring in Ontario-my introduction!

Welcome! I am Sarah,I am a Doula, a Belly Caster and I knit and crochet items for every day use and photo props.

I never went to college, I couldn't decide what I wanted to do with my life. Instead I became a wife, then a Mom. I had a birth Doula with both my deliveries, and after my first  in 2002 I decided that a birth Doula is what I wanted to be! She helped me out so much, gave me strength, showed me how strong I really was, gave me a voice when mine wouldn't work, was my eyes when mine were too tired to open and she knew exactly what I needed even when I didn't know what I needed! 2 weeks later, my SIL went into premature labour and called to ask for my birth ball. When I got there, I didn't  want to leave her, and she asked me not to. The amazing feed back I received from her really encouraged me to pursue. But God had another baby in store for me first. While the kids were small, I was blessed to be a SAHM. I started doing some Belly Casting to get my foot in the door in the world of pregnancy, to allow me to use my creativity and bring in a little money for my family.

 When my kids were 4 and 5, the chance to attend a birth Doula course came up. The money was saved, I found a ride with 2 other ladies in my town, child care just happened, nothing holding me back! It was amazing, I never knew it would be such a transforming experience.
  Then came 4 years of hands on experience, paper work, more paper work, volunteer births, a lot of hoops to jump threw, many hours with Moms, Dads and those beautiful babies-wouldn't trade any of it, and then in October 2012,  I received confirmation, I was officially CERTIFIED!  I love this type of work, even though I only attend about 3-4 births a year, I believe God knows when I am needed.


Anyways, We woke up this morning to a winter wonderland! Trees are down, hydro is out in many areas, some won't be back on until Sat night at 11pm!! So far today, I have had a photographer pick up an emergency order, I have finished a pair of slippers, tried to do a load of laundry and make lunch-both took a long time with the hydro going in and out. Fun fun :)
Please be patient as I figure out this blogging thing!