Organico Bantry

From Taos and Beyond…

5th July till 4th September 2010

French sculptor / painter Linda Sébéo Cohu lives and works in the hills of West Cork, where she has a studio and gallery open to the public by appointment. Her recent paintings are the result of a 7-week retreat in Taos, New Mexico, where she experimented and explored new colours and landscapes. Inspiration for her work comes from the world of dreams and its interplay with the world of nature. At the boundary of these two worlds creativity emerges.

€€€ For Saving Money €€€

By the time your baby is potty trained he or she could have had as many as 4000 to 6000 nappy changes, or more!! So whilst all parents will have become a dab hand at a swift nappy change, parents who choose disposables end up throwing away their hard earned cash along with the dirty nappy.

In Ireland we pay by weight for our rubbish, and on the whole if you are recycling, nappies will make up the greatest weight in your black bin bag. So not only are you paying to buy a nappy you only use once, you then have to pay to dispose of it too!!

Even with the initial outlay costs with washable nappies you can save yourself up to €1,500 Euros. If you plan on having more than one child you will be saving even more as you can use the same nappies again! To save even more money use washable wipes – you can them throw them in to wash with your nappies and you could yourself at least another €300. See DIY tips overleaf for how to make them.

Its a good idea, when you can, to get your washable nappies when you are pregnant, so they are ready to use when you are ready – or ask for them as a baby shower or birth gift.

For Saving The Planet

Halve your weekly rubbish! In Ireland 600,000 disposable nappies are used every day!
Disposable Nappies take 500 years to biodegrade in landfill – and release Greenhouse gases as they do so which contributes to climate change.
Using washable nappies may reduce your carbon footprint by up to 40%
Help you live lighter on the planet – so your children may continue to live as we do in the future.
Unlike disposables, washable nappies put parents in control of the impact they have on the environment.

Follow these washing guidelines for the best benefits:

• Use A rated appliances powered by green energy
• Wash in full loads at no more than 60 degrees
• Avoid tumble drying – hang outside or use an airer
• Store used nappies in a lidded bucket – no need to soak
• Use an eco detergent but don’t use fabric conditioners or chemical sanitisers
• Use washable liners and wipes/flannels
• Never iron your nappies!
• Pass them on – reuse on another baby or sell them on

Nappies - You can – if you’re keen – make your entire nappies from scratch. There are loads of patterns available online, below are two I found.

http://www.thenappynetwork.org.nz/images/Wee%20Weka%20SML%20Fitted%20SM%20Pocket.pdf A really comprehensive fitted nappy pattern.

www.diapersewing.com lots of different styles and shapes

or alternatively if that seems like too much you can really easily make booster pads and wipes to reduce costs and re-use old fabrics.

Booster pads – Take an old towel, cut into pieces approx 30cm square. Fold in thirds lengthways, so the pad is ‘3-ply’! then hem the edges with a zig zag stitch. You can measure these to fit your childs shape and size.

Wipes – You can use old towels, cot sheets or any other soft cotton fabric for these. For extra comfort you can cover one side in fleece, though this isn’t necessary. Cut the fabric into squares, you can either do a simple hem or cut the fabric with pinking shears to prevent fraying. For when you are out and about pre wet some if your wipes then keep them in a zip lock bag for easy use!

You can then just wash the wipes in with your nappies.

Wipes ‘Solution’ – You can just use water on your babies bum but I like to use something with a nice odour and a bit of a healing touch. The below recipe makes a lovely solution:

Soak a Camomile tea bag in a pint of boiling water, remove bag and add:
Three drops of lavender oil
1 drop of Tea Tree oil (check sensitivity first and use with caution)

€€€ Another idea for money saving and recycling is to advertise for any unwanted washable nappies. Most people that have used real nappies are really happy for them to continue being used! Advertise online using sites such as Gum Tree, put a poster in your local Credit Union, or simply search by word of mouth!! €€€

Useful Websites

www.goreal.org.uk – UK Real Nappy Network

www.littlecomfort.com Irish manufacturers of washable bamboo nappies

www.diaperjungle.com American website with some interesting and useful articles

www.babyorchard.com online baby supplies

Also find Organico Baby Club on Facebook for tips, ideas and discussion. If you want to buy Little Comfort Nappies – bamboo nappies from an Irish company which we think are really good – click here for information

Before we start any detox plan, we must remind ourselves of the importance of relaxation, not only for our mental and physical well-being, but specifically for our digestive systems!

This week let’s concentrate on relaxing at every meal, and chewing our food thoroughly. This gives your body the opportunity to let the oxygen in your blood to flow to your digestive system helping it do it’s job properly. This is equally as important as what we put into our bodies.

Did you know, the stress we put our bodies under directly effects our digestive system? The stress is taking away our body’s ability to supply proper amounts of oxygen, which fuels our organs, to the digestive system by redirecting it to other areas. Therefor, disabling us to digest our food properly which could lead to more serious problems.

Here are a few tips to help:

1) Make yourself sit down at every meal.
2) Split up you meals so they’re smaller and eat more times in a day.
3) Actually count how many times you chew a bite of food and don’t swallow it until you’ve reached 20 (at least!)
4) put your cutlery down between bites

Remember to relax daily. Whether it’s taking a few deep breaths or doing a yoga class, find something that suits you, your tummy will thank you.

Posted by Lauren, June Healthy Eating Week

‘Healthy Weaning Advice’
Wednesday 9th June
Organico Café
10.30 – 11.30 am
Free of charge

Come along to a morning of weaning advice and tasty tips to help you encourage your baby to eat a varied healthy diet and to enjoy new flavours. It will be relaxed and informal, and hopefully helpful! And we’ll even give you a free cup of coffee…all welcome!

Men’s health is often ignored, both by our men and by our society. To start to redress this balance locally we have designated June Men’s Health Month in Organico. Click here for the list of events we have planned. We already get a lot of men calling in and asking for advice on health issues, but we know that there are many who need some encouragement to ask!

Martin Mulchrone from EmployAbility Services in Bantry is a customer who came to us for advice on reducing his cholesterol levels. He was so delighted with the results that he came back in to let us know and Liz decided to do a mini interview of his progress.
Read more…

Calling West Cork men!

If you would like to avail of our Free Men’s Health Consultations call in to Organico for your free Men’s Health Information Pack, or make an appointment with one of our Health Advisors who are available on the following dates for consultations:

9th June: Miram O’Shea (Higher Nature specialist)
10.00 to 12.30 free consultations on health weight management, cholesterol and men’s reproductive/sexual health.

18th June: Gabrielle McAuliff (A.Vogel specialist)
10.30 – 3.30 free consultations on all health issues including heart/cholesterol and prostate health.

22 June Brid Walsh (Solgar specialist)
11.30 – 2.30 free consultations on Healthy Strong Body; Bones, muscles, joints and ligaments.

14th July: Greg White (Psychotherapist):
‘Healthy Mind’ – evening talk in Organico Café at 7pm. Men only. Small cover charge will apply (approx €5).

I just found a couple of really interesting looking Guest Houses in our area, one I knew about and one I had never heard of though the owners are good customers in Organico. It’s great to find there are still surprises out there!

Gort-na Nain is run by a Lucy and Ultan, who I know from another lifetime when I lived the high life in the Big City. Ultan worked in the Science department in UCC before deciding to turn his hand to growing, and I still remember hearing him demolish opposition in a dinner-party debate on the merits of organic farming. I really intend on visiting this year – their menu looks fantastic, the farm look fascinating and they are near Kinsale! What more do you need?

Douce Mountain Farm also supply their own organic veg to their guests for dinner, but they also offer a range of yoga and meditation retreats which look very restful. Their farm looks very well tended and restful. Gerd and Renate are very welcoming and I am certainly going to watch their events calendar!

Another place people love on the Meditation front locally is Passaddhi Meditation Centre just up from where I live on the Beara.
I have been to a meditation evening there and loved it. Marjo also held a course of evenings in Organico one winter. She has a chalet and offers accommodation for guests who are attending the retreats also.

I am so happy to live in West Cork with so many amazing people!

Here are a number of local resources for pregnancy and afterwards – any you can see I’ve missed, please let me know!

Betty O’Toole for Shiatsu Massage and Pregnancy Yoga 087 7972059
Jessie Field for Pregnancy Yoga (and hopefully for mum and baby yoga in the autumn!) 086 0766608
Liz Ewing – for nutrition, general health and stress management 028 30895
Christine Meadows – nutritionist 027 51615
Catherine O’Sullivan Homeopath Bantry 027 52689
James Heggarty Homeopath Bantry 027 50501
Kieran English Osteopaths 028 38638
Florence Vion 085 8435680 Osteopath Clonakilty
Home Birth Association of Ireland http://www.homebirth.ie/
Noreen McCarthy is an excellent massage therapist, for sports injuries as well as pregnancy massage and baby massage.
Posted by Hannah

This is a delicious healthy soup. Smooth of chunky, you can serve it on it’s own or with some fresh bread. Great as part of a cleansing week; equally good for a lunch with friends. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 large onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste
1 large (350g) sweet potato
1 large leek, white and light green parts
225 g spinach
350 g Kale or chard
3 tablespoons (30 g) chopped fresh ginger, plus more to taste
500 ml vegetable stock, like marigold bouillion
2-4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
Read more…