The Tooth Faerie :: marketing and magic

There's been a bit of excitement in our house... Wobbly teeth all over and Little Owlet has finally been visited for the first time. The owlets have decided that instead of just one universal tooth faerie, each of them has their own dedicated personal tooth faerie, who happens to be a millionaire (or at least have enough money for a gold coin for each tooth - gosh!). You'll be pleased to know that Little Owlet's tooth faerie is named Marigold and she wears a dress spun from spider's silk. There's much talk of silvery moons, dew drops and faerie magic!

Just as we're watching Little Owlet's teeth with anticipation, we're watching Tiny's with a degree of trepidation and making sure the products we use for her and for her teeth are of the purest and gentlest, most nurturing form. Regular fluoride toothpaste bit the dust long ago. We look for products that support and truly clean her teeth with their antibacterial qualities, and we don't mind that we are ingesting them because they are so pure.

With little changes have come some occasional resistance from the owlets. Switching to homemade toothpaste brought doubts from all of us, but I decided it was all in the magic and the marketing...

So I whipped this up:

2 x heaped tablespoons organic coconut oil
1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
10 drops peppermint oil

Mix it around in a small bowl, then pop in a jar and label appropriately. Use as you would regular toothpaste...

They loved it. At first the saltiness of the bi-carb shone through. You could tweak that if you fancied, adding as much coconut oil and peppermint as suits, and I believe you could add a natural sweetener like stevia, if sweetness was your thing. It doesn't bother us now.

Our teeth are cleaner than they've ever been before. And we're quietly surprised and pleased that we're saving money on expensive fluoride-free toothpastes that owlets eat like lollies.

There's also a buzz about having super shiny teeth ready for the tooth faerie's next visit. Yep. It's all in the marketing and in the magic. xx

milk teeth

Can you believe it? This tooth-remineralizing lark... it's working! *touch wood*

If you've not followed Tiny Owlet's journey with her teeth so far, here's a quick re-cap...

Her teeth were decaying and crumbling away as they erupted from the gum. She was in occasional, but increasingly frequent pain. The dentist took one look at them and announced that a GA would be needed to pull the worst and fill the others and there's nothing we could do about it... but it wasn't urgent until her pain was constant. So there was time...

So we looked at Ramiel Nagel's book Cure Tooth Decay with a renewed sense of urgency and removed all grains, sugars and most fruits from her diet, while upping good fats, meat, seafood and green leafy veggies. Our daily use of fermented cod liver oil and butter oil blend stepped up a notch to include skate liver oil. And we drank lots more water. And broth. Our house smells like soup.

A couple of months down the track and Tiny's teeth are completely pain-free. But better still, the decay is starting to go. On close inspection, her chipped front tooth, with brown at the back, has an increasing line of white dots appearing as the enamel grows and hardens. The skeptic in me is completely surprised. But the evidence is there before our eyes.

So it looks like this primal/WAPF/tooth decay diet thing really works. And it is here to stay... at least until those brown-turning-white milk teeth fall out on their own, in their own time. And the tooth fairy will most definitely celebrate.

Wish us luck. xx

primal nest

We seem to be finding some kind of rhythm in our nest with our meals most days. We're eating a smaller range of foods than ever, but we're feeling happier about our choices and healthier and stronger for them. Most days we are finding abundance within our smaller range of options. Nowadays, a visit to a supermarket means a quick tour around the perimeter and then home. The majority of aisles hold almost nothing for us... Smaller local shops and the farmers market are where we shop now and we're happy for the time saved, although our food bill has almost doubled. Our morning tea platters are looking a bit different...



Earlier in the month we woke daily with Tiny pointing to her chipped front tooth and saying "teeth hurting" with a pained expression. Big gulp and off to the dentist we went... where our suspicions and worst fears were confirmed. The dentist recommended a general anaesthetic to remove Tiny's tooth and fillings in 6 of her 8 top teeth. However, she did give us a glimmer of hope that as Tiny's pain wasn't constant, we could work on reducing its sensitivity and managing pain for as long as possible. Because Tiny is only 2yo, we're much more comfortable holding off any intervention for as long as we can... So we do this. Right now, thanks to our current diet, her pain has stopped and we are getting on with things as they are.

I'll save going into our regular meals and what we actually eat for another time, but I can tell you we are not eating any grains, sugars (refined or otherwise), legumes, nuts and most fruit. Dairy, meat/fish, vegetables, the occasional berry, eggs and fats are where it's at, for us. Most days are great! Some days are hard. Today was hard. We woke with extra hungry bellies and not much in the fridge. The owlets were missing comfort foods and baking them with me. So we made crackers. They lasted 10 minutes.



Primal Cheddar & Herb Crackers

3 heaped tbsp coconut flour
1 large egg
1 - 2 cups grated cheddar cheese - organic and not ultra-pasteurised, if possible.
2tbsp butter - organic, grass fed if possible. Softened, unless you are using a food processor.
1/2 tsp baking powder
1tbsp sized bunch of fresh herbs
generous pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 180 deg.
Mix together in food processor or by hand, with a fork, until it comes together in a nice ball. Add more cheese if the dough feels too sticky.
Roll to about 2mm, between two sheets of baking paper, remove top sheet, and place on baking tray.
Score rolled dough into squares & mark all over with a fork.
Bake for about 12 mins until slightly golden and the house smells yummy.
Cool on a rack before devouring.

real food fix

We are on a bit of a new adventure. It's scary and daunting and exciting. We are learning lots and changing ever so slightly. For a while now, we have been moving towards choosing eating better foods. We've flirted on and off with removing refined sugar from our diets. I can say that I've been mostly free of refined sugar for a long time and healthier for it. Before Tiny was conceived, I read up on Weston A Price, read Nourishing Traditions and trialled increasing my consumption of pasture fed beef, organic milk, our own chookies' eggs and good fats... and my body recovered from some pretty serious post-miscarriage hormone weirdyness pretty quickly. It suited me well, but this way of eating was left behind in all the morning sickness and cravings that followed. Now it's time to revisit that thought.

It seems that some of that hormone weirdyness and a lack of certain minerals in my diet may have affected Tiny Owlet. Well, that's my theory. A few weeks ago, I was tickling her tummy and she threw her head back to laugh and I got a good glimpse at her teeth. *Cue sinking feeling in pit of stomach*. She had significant decay going on. Teeth that had yet to finish emerging were crumbling away. Her orange spotted bottom teeth had not improved, despite regular brushing... I jumped online right away and ordered fermented cod liver oil, kicking myself for not acting on it earlier, when my gut told me to...

We've been taking it daily for two weeks now, while researching what to do next. This fabulous post by a wonderful mama I know, on her Bohemian Family Living blog was a great staring point. Right now, my teeth feel firmer in the gum and sensitivity that ached when I drank a cup of tea, has stopped. Tiny Owlet's teeth are turning white as the enamel on them hardens and reforms... But there's still a way to go. She cries from the sensitivity in her teeth. So next up for us is a complete shift to eating real food. Grain free where possible, clean, organic and whole. I'm still researching madly and list making, trying to get my head around it as quickly as I can in the small amount of time I have each day.

I'm looking forward to getting to know our local food better. To eating the way my body prefers. I'm looking forward to seeing Tiny pain free and her teeth stronger. I'm looking forward to gaining a different understanding and new experience of food. Wish us luck! And we will keep you posted. xx

super easy brownies :: day 11 :: sugarfree

My sometimes friend, Anonymous, popped in to say hi earlier and asked about rapadura and other sugars. Although, I suspect Anonymous knows a thing or two about it already and may have been having a dig... Anonymous can get like that sometimes. Anyhow, it's a valid question. We claim to be going sugarfree, here. I suspect Anonymous may have missed my first sugarfree post, and other posts of mine on rapadura. So I'll have another go at clarifying this particular sugarfree journey.

We have removed all REFINED sugar from our diet. When cane sugar is refined, every nutrient, vitamin and mineral is stripped away until all you are left with is a product that is sweet and cheap. And highly addictive. And in EVERYTHING. Even most savoury food contains it. There is a reason for this. Peeps love sweet. Breastmilk is sweet. Fruits and berries that are ok for us to eat (not poisonous) are sweet. Its programmed into our DNA to love a little bit of sweet. It's not programmed into us to love the refined stuff though. So where we're at now with refined food sees us consuming sweet stuff that's just no good for us. Fructose is also not so super good for us. High fructose corn syrup is really not great and is often in foods that refined cane sugar is not. And even ones that it is. We choose to avoid that too.

A pre-sugarfree afternoon tea... hold the green spider!

So, what sweeteners do we allow ourselves, and why? On our list are honey, maple syrup and rapadura. At a pinch, we might use agave or concentrated fruit juice for a special occasion, if a recipe calls for it - although I prefer not to due to the super high fructose levels.  The reason we choose these products is because they are natural sugars, whole foods, or much closer to wholefood products than a highly refined product. They retain the minerals and vitamins and can actually be quite nutritive. Rapadura is dehydrated cane sugar juice. It hasn't gone through  huge refining or extraction process. Used in India for thousands of years, it keeps all its good stuff, is low GI and tastes good. We use it sparingly and find no negative body reaction in doing so. Honey (preferably raw) and maple syrup are similarly more of a whole food, so much better for us. We eat fruits with gay abandon too because we love fruit.

The reason why we choose to consume them at this point is because we are aiming to eat a healthier, whole food diet.  One that doesn't involve deprivation and seriously sad owlets. And a similarly sad Huz who would previously have eaten about 1kg of sugary food per day just to get through. We'd like this to be a lasting thing, so its baby steps. I also find that if we limit ourselves to natural sugars, we end up eating less sugar overall because its more of a hassle to prepare it. We have to make sweet treats, rather than buy a packet of bikkies. So we think it through more. And hey, everything in moderation... This approach may not be the ideal of everyone. There are loads of authorities on the subject who will tell you all sugar is evil. Or that some sweeteners are better than the ones we've chosen (and we may try others in the future). For us, a little bit of the right kind of natural sweeteners is having a huge effect. Huz's orb, for one, but in my own body I've noticed yeast infections disappear and hormones balance out. This moderate approach is one that suits our family well and maintains a balance.

Lunchtime at ours these days...

So in going sugar free (or our definition of it), we removed all refined sugar and products containing it, from our house. Gradually using them up, or just throwing them all out at once this latest time. Then comes the healthy shop. Being conscious about our food choices. Feeling good about them. Then cooking. Staples at first and on occasion, a treat. Sweet treats through the day consist of fruit, fresh or dried. Usually with nuts too. A friend of ours put us onto hazelnut butter, which is a winner for cravings and dips in blood sugar level. Then about once or twice a week, we might have something home baked, containing one of the natural sweeteners mentioned above. I mostly fiddle with old favourite recipes, substituting where possible. Rapadura can dry things out a smidge, so a dash of maple syrup or honey can balance things out.

With that in mind, here's Sunday night's dessert. An old fave I've modified. Not the best brownies ever, but easy and super chocolatey when there's no actual chocolate in the house. My sister and I used to make this one after school and sometimes we even baked it...

Super Easy Brownies


Preheat the oven to 150 degrees, then melt...
125g butter, with...
1/2 cup cocoa, in a saucepan...
Add 1 cup of rapadura (I added less because it's quite sweet!)
and two beaten eggs.
Add 1tsp vanilla essence or maple syrup.
Add some walnuts if you like (we don't)
Add 3/4 cup of wholemeal SR flour
Add 1 pinch salt


Mix together in the pot, then put in a small baking tray. I use a square cake tin. Then bake for 25-30 mins. Eat warm and gooey, with cream.


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We've found the following resources helpful in researching the kinds of natural sweeteners we've chosen...
Sweet Sustenance by Joanne Hay
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig
My Years Without Sugar Blog

Huz and the glowing inner orb of golden light :: sugarfree :: day 9

I mentioned before how when we first went sugar free, we felt better than ever. Huz noticed the change most dramatically, having indulged more than any of us. The extent of his indulgence is not something he discloses when sugar is part of his day, such is the extent of his attachment to it. Last time, he glowed. People noticed it. They commented. Lots. His glow became known as the glowing inner orb of golden light. It had a name. He felt so good that he smiled more. He was a calmer parent (this is helpful). He saw more colours than he had before - seriously! Imagine that!

Anyhow, we're at day 9 of our current sugarfree stint and the glowing inner orb is returning... Speaking to Mum on the phone during the week, she noticed it. He sounded lighter. Happier. His mind is clearer. Physically, his face is less puffy, his skin clearer. Incredible stuff! Can you see it there? His glowing inner orb? Here's a man up at 8 am on a Sunday morning, making butter, in his pyjamas, grinning at goodness knows what and glowing with happiness. I love that! We're now realising that this sugarfree lifestyle is not just a 30 day challenge, as it was when we began. It's a way of life for us now.



As to the butter... how beautifully simple. This morning there was no butter for toast. But there was a jar, marbles and a small bottle of organic cream... Butter! And a spring activity crossed off my list of things to do with Little Owlet, who's obsessed with all things farm related right now. She's decided home made butter is the best ever.



Alongside our Sunday indulgence... Wholemeal chocolate rapadura brownies, with cream. This is the kind of sugarfree life I'm very comfortable with ;)

weekending... so far

Drinking chai.
Wearing new slippers, purchased on organic/wholefoods grocery jaunt last week.
Giggling at the bourgeois hippiedom of it all.



Loving colour. Lots of it.
Learning about buddhism and wilderness gardening.



Listening to Feist's new album. And a thunderstorm.
Watching Tiny Owlet explore music and respond to it. Usually with a funny dance and a cheeky grin.



Eating sugar free. Still. And feeling good for it. Not missing it, but finding my food cravings have changed. The owlets, as you can see, are choosing not to be sugar free. At home they eat what we provide (sometimes), but out, they choose to indulge. And they are noticing the effect it has on them. Hearing their bodies loud and clear. A good thing, I think.

Sewing bits and pieces for a shop order. Putting birds on things... the usual.

Planning what's next. 

Thanks to everyone who who responded to yesterday's post. Its been great to read what you all think and how commenting works (or doesn't) for you. It was quite validating to know that I'm not alone in my observations. I'm still quite happy if you're too busy to comment, but happy to read. Didn't want to guilt trip any peeps. But I would rather like to support more conversation and community here if you'd like to get involved, suggest stuff, ask questions, just chat... Hope your weekend is lovely, so far. xx

day 4 :: let them eat cake

Day four of our sugar free challenge promised to be challenging. Huz's birthday. His first sugarfree birthday. Huz took the day off work and we intended to go adventuring, but wound up staying home. Just stopping. So, cake was the highlight. But without sugar, and wanting to keep it white flour free too made it tricky. I asked a friend who knows about all things healthy and cake and she found this recipe for me...



We had no raspberries, but strawberries instead. So here's Huz's birthday cake. Strawberry Ganache Fudge Cake. It's raw, vegan, wheat, dairy and sugar free. Gooey and rich.



And so yummy! Yummy enough to feel naughty.



But healthy enough for everyone to enjoy. And we did! Happy Birthday Huz. xx

PS. So far we're feeling more energetic and cleaner. Already. Huz's mood is generally happier and I'm feeling calmer. This is sugarfree business is amazing stuff. 

blogtober :: day one :: sugarfree

Here we go again!! Wheee!! Another Blogtoberfest... one post every day for the month of October. I'm feeling quietly confident, although I have felt an element of apathy creep into my days. Apathy always reminds me of the Physics teacher at my school, Dr. Pepper. He invented the Apathy Cup, to be handed to the most apathetic student each year. It had ICBB (I can't be bothered) inscribed on it. He was frustrated that it seemed that rewards seemed to be the only thing that motivated people. I'm not sure if it had the effect he was after... But I do remember... I think perhaps he was frustrated a the lack of interest girls at my school felt in learning, contributing and making a difference. He was joking. Not really.  I'm pretty sure the girls at my school felt an overwhelm, felt tired, felt powerless... As you might when you are part of an authoritarian system that is based on rewards, and you have a whole heap of work and social angst thrust upon you... Sometimes apathy just means you need some space to gather your strength and thoughts, perhaps? Maybe you need some support, because it's just too much to tackle alone? Maybe it means you need to begin again? Start over? Whoah... This post just got all heavy.

Today, we are going sugarfree in the owlet nest. Again. The last time we did it in earnest, we lasted about five months. Huz and I felt amazing. Huz glowed. He frowned less. He saw colours brighter. Seriously. I just felt really, really well. And then Tiny crept on board and cravings for all manner of weird sweet things crept in and we fell way off the wagon. But now, the time is right, we have some supportive buddies doing it too, and we are starting again.

So let me clarify what we are doing... No REFINED sugar. Cos that's the white powder we are addicted to. They don't call it kiddie cocaine for nothing. That stuff is addictive. And it's in almost everything we buy at the supermarket. There's a reason for that, of course ;) We're giving up white flour too, because it hurts our guts. Big Owlet and I especially. So sugar/white flour free means making more stuff from scratch. Being conscious of our food choices. Less take away. I'm going to need MamaBake for help with that one. And my old friends, rapadura and honey for the hard days. For cravings, we're well stocked with chromium supplements, which seriously helped last time. I expect that within 2-4 weeks, our palates will have changed so that foods we would have previously tolerated are too sweet and we'll be relying on non-refined sweeteners less. At least that's what happened last time. I think it really, truly is going to be the best summer ever. xx

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I've had the following two resources recommended to me... I may follow up on them if I feel the need for a little support... if that apathy creeps in.

Sarah Wilson's "I Quit Sugar" eBook
Sweet Poison by David Gillespie

PS. I'm eating Berry Rice for breakfast. Brown rice and a handfull of frozen berries, thrown in the rice cooker, drizzled with milk, and a tiny bit of honey. Baby steps.