How to make Ethical Shopping Choices Everyday

It can be so confusing to know what companies own which products in the Grocery Store. The other day I only just discovered that 'Be Natural' was actually owned by Kelloggs, but you don't see the big Kelloggs label on their packaging like you do with Corn Flakes or other cereals. This makes it so confusing to know which companies your shopping dollar is ultimately supporting.

I know that its not something that everybody necessarily thinks about on a daily basis. We like the things that we like and we buy them not really thinking too much about where it comes from, how it is made or the actions of the company that is making it. At least that is how I used to be. If I liked the product and it was good value for money, then I would buy it, simple.

It wasn't until I started working for World Vision, before my Mummy days, that my eyes were opened to how unethical many companies are in their business proceedings, and how many terrible practices are going on that are being ignored by big businesses making a buck. And, then they get away with it, because many of us are unknowingly spending our money on their products and most of the time without realising it we are supporting these unethical practices.

A really easy way to figure out which company is which, and who is owned by who is the Ethical Shopping Guide. I have the IPhone App called Shop Ethical, which costs a few bucks, but well worth it. I can browse and find the product I am looking for and see the best companies to put my dollars towards. You can actually find out exactly who owns what, and what these companies are doing that is deemed unethical, and make a conscious shopping decision based on that. If you don't have an IPhone you can get a hard copy found at their website HERE.

Our consumer voice and dollar can make a huge difference, we see that many companies are becoming 'Fair Trade Certified' because they realised that is what the consumer wants, and demands of them. A lot of time the only way to make these companies wake up is to stop supporting them until they    change their practices, and contact them to let them know why you are no longer buying their products.  I remember when a campaign started against Arnott's to make sure their chocolate is sourced from child-labour free sources, very soon after they started receiving the postcards, they responded.

For me, I feel it is important to know what I am buying, who I am supporting and basically what kind of actions I am saying are OK. It is not OK for me that children are being enslaved in the cocoa industry and stolen from their families. It is not OK that companies are falsely advertising and claiming things that just are not true about the 'health benefits' of their products. It is not OK with me that mothers in third world countries were influenced to use baby formula instead of breastfeeding even though they didn't have access to clean water and their babies ended up dying (Nestle Boycott).

I am however OK with people thinking, I am one of "those" people, because I try to make sure the 'stuff' I have doesn't come at someone else's expense. I am OK with my Son growing up and understanding that his voice, even if it is just one voice can make a difference, and that his choices have consequences. 

Do you know the ethics of the companies behind the products you buy? 

Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with this product, it is simply something that I use and find helpful and believe in the cause that they are supporting.

Easy Family Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne

Finally I have pulled myself out of the haze of sickness that has engulfed our house in the last week, if that doesn't make you want to follow a recipe I have for you, then I don't know what will. 

This is one of my all time favourites, I made it tonight and Joel asked me why I made his birthday dish a week early. Whoops, I didn't realise he liked it that much. 

It is a great dinner for the whole family. I only cook one meal a night (and that is on a good night) so it has to be edible for us big people and the one little person too. I read that ricotta is recommended for babies over 7 months.  It is such an easy recipe, you don't have to pre-cook the lasagne noodles and it is delicious. It takes about 15 minutes of prep and then it just cooks away on its own. 

Ingredients: 

Lasagne Sheets

Mozzarella Cheese (250g) 

Baby Spinach (fresh or frozen) 200g frozen or a large bowlful fresh.

Ricotta Cheese (500g) 

Pasta Sauce (700grams approx) 

Oregano (1 tsp)

Tarragon (1 tsp)

Pepper 

Salt (optional, I don't add it until after because of the little man) 

Instructions:

- Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius

- If you have frozen spinach defrost it or fresh Spinach boil or steam until cooked.

- Chop Spinach into small pieces

- Mix Spinach and Ricotta Cheese (I buy a 500g container and use about 3/4 of it)

- Add oregano, tarragon, pepper, (and salt if desired) and stir

- Pour 1/4 of your pasta sauce onto the bottom of your dish and spread evenly

- Add the first layer of lasagne noodles, covering the bottom of the dish

- Spread half (1/2) of the ricotta, spinach mixture evenly over the noodles

- Pour another 1/4 of the sauce on top of mixture

- Repeat these steps to make another layer

- Add the final layer of noodles on top

- Spread the last 1/4 of pasta sauce evenly over noodles

- Cover generously with Mozzarella 

- Pour 1/2 a cup of water around the edges to help the noodles cook thoroughly

- Cover the whole dish with aluminium foil and bake at 180 degrees celsius for 1 hour and 15 minutes for the last ten minutes I like to turn the grill on and remove the foil to brown the cheese

-Serve with a salad or steamed vegetables

Hope you enjoy!!

Karen xx 

Smash Journal: More Baby's Firsts Journal

I finally have gotten around to doing two more pages for Ezra's Baby's Firsts album. 

You can see the first two pages HERE. 

I'm using a K & Company Smash Journal, and just trying to make it simple with a lot of handwritten journalling, (not overdone with scrapbooky goodness) and I'm just trying to be authentic of how we feel about our little man. One day he can look back and know he is so so so loved!

Karen xx

{Don't forgot to enter my GIVEAWAY for a SnoozeShade Plus Sun & Blockout Shade for your pram or stroller. Click HERE for details} 

Chilli Dogs and the 4th of July

I asked a lot of my husband when we decided to move to Perth, and settled in here. He left his native country, his friends and family, his A & W Root beer, Chik-fil-a, Fruit of the Loom underwear and socks, shooting guns, candy containing peanut butter, his big Dodge Ram truck and paying for fuel (gas) at the pump (whilst also ordering a pretzel melt..mmmm Sheetz), amongst other things.

So when he gets the opportunity to have a little taste of home, he jumps at it, especially when it is the 4th of July

Tonight we had a classic American meal at one of our favourite hot dog places. They served up a Chilli Dog, with the lot: guacamole, cheese, tortillas chips, sour cream. And it was amazing. We had a Budweiser to drink each, he also had an A&W Root Beer to drink, and Reese's peanut butter cups for dessert.

Yeah we overdid it, and are feeling horribly full and a bit gross, but hey, it isn't everyday you get an amazing feast of American style goodness in these parts!

SnoozeShade Plus: Review and Giveaway

I was really excited when I was contacted about the opportunity to review this product. After having a browse around their website I thought that the SnoozeShade Plus looked really good, and it looked like something I would actually use. It is both a sun shade and block out sleep-aid cover for your pram or stroller. It takes the place of using a towel or blanket to cover the pram, of which older babies like mine will simply grab and pull off.

This weekend we had the perfect opportunity to put it to the test. We were at a wedding (like I mentioned in my previous post) and Ezra's nap time was right in the middle of the proceedings. Before this point I hadn't even had a chance to pull it out of the packaging and have a good look at it, but it was so simple to use and attach to the pram, I just attached some velcro and it was ready to go. It is designed to fit any pram (stroller or buggy), I have an ICandy Peach pram, one that you don't see around too often, and it fits great.

I gave Ezra a quick feed, plopped him back in the pram, covered him up with the SnoozeShade Plus, went for a short stroll (in the bright sun) and very quickly he snoozing away! Now time for me to sit down and enjoy a drink!

One of my favourite features about the SnoozeShade Plus is the little zip opening, so that I can peek in on the little man to make sure he is asleep! The zipper is so nice and quiet that it didn't disturb him either.

You can use the SnoozeShade Plus to block out light (94% of outside light is blocked, and UPF 50+) if you want your baby to nap,  or it can be used just as a sun shade by unzipping the front panel, in this mode it shades their precious skin from UV rays (filters 80% of UV ) but lets them still look out at you and the world around them!

The ease of use and the fact that it is lightweight earned big bonus points with me, it is easy to fold back into the little mesh bag that it comes in. This means that when I'm not using it, I can store it in the bottom of the pram or in the nappy bag, or the bag draw string has little velcro bits so you can hook it around the handle of your pram. With the Australian sun being so harsh, it is a good peace of mind to know that it keeps their bare skin covered and protected from harmful UV rays. 

This product has become one of my new go-to items, especially as a sun shade, Ezra doesn't nap in the pram as much as he used to, but I know it will be very useful for future bubs whenever they come along!

He insisted on modelling the bag for me!

The SnoozeShade Plus Retails for $49.95 AUD and you can buy them from this list of Retailers in Australia: HERE. They are also available globally so check out their website: HERE for international retailers and distribution.

As a special deal for my Aussie readers if you use the discount code "YELLOWDANDY" to purchase online at www.snoozeshade.com.au you will get 20% off!! 

Here is a direct link to the shopping cart: snoozeshade cart

The lovely people at SnoozeShade have also sent me a SnoozeShade Plus to 
GIVEAWAY
So one of you can have one too, YAY!

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

1. LIKE the YELLOW DANDY Facebook page (click HERE or Like button below), or Follow via Google Friend Connect (on the right hand side of this blog) then, ALSO

2. Leave a Comment at the Bottom of this post in the Comments section letting me know which one you have done. 

I will then use a computer randomiser to pick the lucky Winner.

Winner Will Be Drawn on TUESDAY 17th JULY at 5pm (my time).

 This product was sent to me free of charge for the purpose of reviewing it, all opinions are my own and based on my experience with the product.

Dressing Up when your a Breastfeeding Mumma

We went to a wedding yesterday, and sitting in the car on the way there I was all flustered and felt like I didn't have any time to get ready myself. I guess this is how it works as a Mum, by the time you've organised everyone and everything else you have about five minutes to slap on some lippy and slide on your dress before gathering everything up and running out the door, only to realise you have a run in your stocking or you have a lovely smudge of peanut butter in your hair.  Or maybe you just gather everything and do your hair and makeup in the car.

This time I thought I would be really clever and somewhat organised, the night before I tried on a few of my dresses to see if any actually fit properly. It is winter here so I wanted a dress I could wear my tights and boots with, so not something too Summery. I was elated when I tried one of my favourite dresses that I thought didn't fit around the bust anymore, but this time it did, YAY, this is perfect, got my outfit sorted.

 Or so I thought. About 10 minutes before we were due to leave I was still running around in my tights, I had rollers still in my hair, finishing prepping the baby food and making sure the nappy bag was loaded. I got Ezra ready, ran to our room to get dressed, slipped on my Dress and what do you know, it doesn't actually fit. Wait, what, it fit last night though right? Yup, but since I am still breastfeeding I forgot to take empty vs full into account. And now it was uncomfortably tight and squashy, and I had a bad case of flat boobs. I rummaged through the wardrobe trying on one thing after another, the bed was covered in a huge pile of clothes. Until I became a breastfeeding Mum I just didn't understand how difficult it is to have a nice going out dress or outfit that allows access for feeds. Dressing up for things like weddings is just so much more difficult and stressful. Not surprisingly, I actually want to look good as well as wearing something practical that fits my Mummy needs.

I finally decided on something I thought looked 'ok' or more like the best option of what I had available, and ran out the door. As much as I am a huge advocate for, and love breastfeeding, I am secretly looking forward to my old dresses fitting again!! This is what I ended up with! And shhh don't tell anyone but this cardigan is the only black one I could dig up in my drawer and I was trying to hide the holes under the arms all day, whoops.

How do you do breastfeeding and dressing up? Do you have a 'go to outfit'? Or do you pump and bring milk along? Or are you a stylish Mumma guru who can let us in on how to make it work?

5 Tips to Teach your Kids to Swim

For a few years I spent my days as a Swimming Teacher. I know so many parents think that they have to pay for swimming lessons to make sure their kids are good swimmers, personally I'm not planning to pay for lessons until kids are at least 5 years old. I know a lot people don't feel confident teaching their kids if they aren't great swimmers themselves.

So I thought I would share some easy, basic tips to teach kids to swim and gain water confidence. I have never really officially taught babies, but I am taking Ezra to the pool a lot and just having fun. I'm sure I am stating the obvious, but just remember to be safe, make sure the pool depth is appropriate (where they can stand), and always swim between the flags at the beach. It's a good idea to learn CPR and basic water safety. These tips are for toddlers and children who are old enough to understand what you are telling them, not babies, although I think it is important to get babies used to the water.

1) Go swimming regularly. When I was teaching swimming would always get parents so upset with us if we moved their child back down a level, they would bring in last years certificate to prove their child should be in the higher level. But guess what, their child hadn't been swimming since the last lessons, and has now forgotten everything we worked so hard to teach them. They are struggling in the higher level and need to re-learn everything. They need to practice, develop that muscle memory and spend time enjoying themselves in the water, it does so much more for their confidence than a couple weeks of lessons.


2) Make it Fun. When I plan lessons for littlies I know they have short attention spans so I break my lessons into five minute blocks. So if your going to the pool with the intention of helping your child learn to swim, this is a good idea, have a plan of 5 minute activities that you can use. I would usually start with a little game, Ring a Rosie or similar. Great activities are encouraging them to reach under water for a toy. If you have more than one child you can throw a bunch of little toys or flat stones and get them to race to collect them from the bottom of the pool (in a shallow pool), swimming (or being pulled) through a hoola hoop. Don't push too hard, let them go at their own pace, but if it is fun, they might just want to participate!

3) Get them Underwater. Before you worry too much about kicking, or form or any of those things you want to teach them to 'blow bubbles underwater'. Being able to go under and blow bubbles is vital, and gives you extra time if they accidentally fall in, you know they can blow bubbles and won't panic. You can start by just getting them to blow bubbles with just their mouth under, and push a ping pong ball along the water with the bubbles. Like I said above using toys that they have to fetch underwater is a great way to get them under. You can put things underwater for them to look at as well, so they get their whole face in water, and keep reminding them 'bubbles,bubbles,bubbles'.

4) Floating on their back. If your child knows how to float on their back it can save their life. Start by lowering them into shallow water and supporting their head and shoulders, they should be able to look up at you and know you are there. Get them to put their arms and legs out like a starfish, wait till they relax and just keep them there for a while. As they get more confident you can give them empty milk bottles to hold onto with straight arms out, support them as they enter the water and let go so they can float on their own. Their eyes need to be looking up at the sky or roof, and their belly needs to be sticking up, or they will sink. I tell them to pretend I'm holding it up with a piece of string, or to make it stick out like Santa Claus. When they are ready, you can remove one or both bottles. You should also teach them to float on their back with one hand waving in a fist, to signal distress, so they know what to do if they are in trouble.

5) A Torpedo. This is one of the first things we taught, it is a basic skill that comes before kicking. A Torpedo is like it sounds. It is where your arms are straight in front, one hand is on top of the other, elbows are straight and should be squishing their ears. Their face needs to be in the water looking at the bottom of the pool and of course, blowing bubbles. Legs are straight out behind them, feet together. The goal is to get them to push off and glide through the water. The hardest part I found was getting kids to keep their face in the water looking down, but this is a foundation for freestyle (front crawl for the Brits), it is an important skill to learn to tuck your chin in and look down, and of course blow bubbles. Even if they are just running in the water with their arms out and face down this is a good first step. You can use a little kick board or the milk bottles for them to hang on to as they learn, as they gain confidence you can remove it. Some will pick it up quickly, some need the extra time to get comfortable, just encourage, encourage, encourage.

I was only going to do five, but I thought this was important too!

6) Be prepared to make a fool of yourself. Yes other people at the beach or pool may think you've lost your marbles as you jump, dance, sing and demonstrate all sorts of funny things to kids in the pool, but who cares, your kids will love it. I did all sorts of ridiculous things, like trekking through the kids pool going on a bear hunt, very loudly. But I found if I acted super excited like the people on Hi-5 then they were happier to participate.

(Fun Pool Game)
We're Going On a Bear Hunt:
When you say "you can't go over it" get them to jump up in the water and make a big splash.
Then "You Can't go Under it" get them to dunk under water
And when you say "You have to go through it" then they can do a Torpedo

I would love to hear if you find these helpful. If you have any more swimming related questions I am happy to answer!

Karen xx

Wordless Wednesday

Some of my favourite pictures from the last two weeks!

Mum and Dad this is mine skateboard now k?

Lunch at a favourite (Old Shanghai)

This guy came to lunch too!

Super Baby

Biggest Bump he's had yet.

Finally started on this project (ouch sore fingers)

New PJ's.. so so cute

The novelty hasn't worn off yet

Highlight of my week, meeting my Nephew for the first time! Isn't he so adorable!!

Linking up with Bree HERE

Going nuts over Knits

This winter I have been on the hunt for some lovely comfy and cute knit jumpers/sweaters. They are everywhere this winter, which is helpful! I find knit jumpers to be perfect for life with a wee one. They are simple and easy to throw on with a pair of jeans, and you can dress it up or down. 

This isn't a great picture, but this is the knit jumper I picked up on the weekend. I love it. So warm and cozy and I was surprised, it is really flattering. Yay. It is by Quirky Circus, from Myer (The Miss Shop Department, I'm not too old for it yet) it retails at $50. I was pretty stoked that I got it at a cool 40% off.  But I am kicking myself that I didn't buy another one in a different colour. 

 

Here are a few I have been eyeing off for a while now. I especially love the multicoloured ASOS cardigan pictured at the top and the mint Minkpink sweater at the bottom, I am a big fan of Mint right now. 

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Photo from Asos.com cardigan found HERE

Photo from Surfstich.com Minkpink Jumper HERE

Photo from Freepeople.com sweater HERE

Photo from Dangerfield.com.au Friend of Couture Sweater HERE

Photo from Asos.com cardigan HERE

Photo from Surfstitch.com, Minkpink Sweater HERE