Child of the Universe Positive Parenting July/August 2019

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KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS

What if Schools Taught Kindness

FREE DIGITAL MAG *ISSUE 56 JULY/AUGUST 2019

CHILDHOOD INNOCENCE

Your Child’s Likes & Dislikes

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Much Love

Linda

contents BABIES & BEYOND Montessori Style Toddler’s Room I hope you’re having a baby boy and not a girl!

LITTLE WELLNESS WARRIORS Anaemia Childhood Innocence LEARNING WITH EXCITEMENT PEACEFUL PARENTING Know Your Child by Likes & Dislikes Kids Say the Darndest Things Why is My Child so Angry The Particular Joy of Grand parenting YOUTH OF THE NATION What to Expect when you are Expecting a Teenager Curing Acne Naturally STORY & PLAY TIME What if Schools Taught Kindness Choosing Natural Material over Plastic YUMMY TUMMY Cooking with kids General Healthy Eating THE MAGICAL WORLD OF READING Hooked on Books Treasures on Amazon OUT & ABOUT ANIMAL LOVE REACH OUT Giving a helping hand

Montessori-Style Toddler's Room "There are many ingenious ways of 'fixing up' your child's room.“ —Elizabeth Hainstock Teaching Montessori in the Home

Once your child has learned to crawl and toddle, it's time to redesign the nursery. The baby's room was originally organized to make it easy and convenient for parents and caretakers. At this stage, it's time to adapt the environment to address your child's growth.

The nursery previously served as baby's place for sleeping, changing, nursing, and dressing. Now, it's time for some independence. By the age of 15 months, most children can walk without help, as well as comprehend and use some language. They are beginning to know what they want and are learning how to express their desires.

Transitioning from Crib to Bed Some Montessori parents choose to use a floor bed for their baby from the beginning, preferring the openness and freedom from confinement. Others find this too taxing on their backs and instead choose a crib that adjusts in height. By the time your child begins to climb out of the crib, it's time to move him to a junior bed or mattress on the floor. Have your child help with the redesign. Talk about the plan first and then include him in the execution of the change.

Ideally, all the furniture will be child-size, though you may continue to have a comfortable adult chair for reading stories, and the changing table might stay for now. If there's space, a child-size chair and table could be added.

Childproof from Ceiling to Floor Now that your child will be spending time alone in her room, childproof it carefully and thoroughly. Start at the top of the room and work your way down. Tie up curtains that could be pulled down and do the same with the strings from the blinds or shades. Be certain wall decorations are securely attached and free of glass. Make sure all electrical cords are out of reach—perhaps behind a bookcase or table. Cover all electrical outlets. If shelves are taller than your child, secure them to the wall. Put locks and drawer stops on the bureau drawers. Since you're familiar with the space and your child, you will know what needs to be done to ensure your child's safety.

Set Up the Closet for Independent Dressing Install a low rod in the closet so that your child can reach her clothes, or use low shelves and fold all items. Baskets or containers on the floor can hold a minimal number of clothing items— one for socks, another for underwear, and one for pajamas. The bottom drawer of the bureau is also an option. Choose to put out just a few items of clothing for your child to choose from, including only those items appropriate to the season and easy to coordinate.

Though you will probably help her dress for a while, be sure your child can find what's needed by keeping her clothing in consistent, easy-to-reach places. Show her how to dress herself, one item at a time, and once that is mastered, add another. Underwear or pants are a good place to begin. A small stool or child-size chair could be available for putting on shoes and socks—but, the floor is good, too. If possible, mount a mirror at your child's height and keep a comb and brush nearby. Remember to encourage your child to put her dirty clothes in the hamper.

Displaying and Organizing Toys Whether on the floor or low shelves, display a few toys that your toddler can choose to spend time exploring.

Toys might include a board puzzle with knobbed single pieces, some favorite stuffed animals, a box or tray with small trucks and cars, a stacking toy, and a set of blocks, along with some books. It is much better to rotate toys rather than overwhelm your child by displaying everything at once.

Teach your children the habit of returning each toy to its place before getting another—a place for everything and everything in its place. Of course you'll help your child put everything away until the routine is learned. When you notice that an item is seldom chosen or used, replace it with a new one. Children love to repeat activities and feel secure with consistency, so don't change things too frequently and try to include your child in the switch process.

Creating a Sense of Order and Beauty Maria Montessori stressed that children need a "prepared environment" that includes attractive art objects for them to enjoy. Try getting down at your child's level to survey the landscape. Is it attractive and interesting? Will your child be confident and independent in this room?

Dr. Montessori developed her theories early in the twentieth century, basing them on careful observations of infants and young children. Though our world has changed significantly since that time, the basic nature of the child is universal and has remained so. Young children become secure through a safe and orderly environment and a consistent routine that promotes independence as they spread their wings, first at home, and later, in the world.

Conscious Life Magazine

Anaemia

By Dr Werner Kerschbaumer

Anaemia is one of the most common conditions encountered by general practitioners. It affects an estimated 1.6 billion people globally - that’s almost 25% of the world population!

While anemia is often just seen as a mere inconvenience by the sufferer, it can have significant adverse consequences on your health and even have adverse educational, social and economic impacts. The World Health Organization (WHO) actually lists anaemia as “the world’s second leading cause of disability and thus one of the most serious global public health problems”.

So let’s unpack anaemia to see how it can affect your health and what you can do about it.

What is anaemia?

Anaemia is a condition in which your blood has too few red blood cells or Haemoglobin.

Haemoglobin is an iron-rich protein in your red blood cells that carries oxygen to all of the tissues in your body. Anaemia thus leads to insufficient oxygen for your physiological needs, which can lead to many health problems.

The most common and earliest warning sign or symptom of anemia is regular, easy tiredness or fatigue. Other warning signs include paleness, regular weakness, headaches, dizziness, easy shortness of breath, brittle nails, recurring colds or flu, inability of concentrate, and poor circulation with cold hands and feet.

There are hundreds of types of anemia that can be caused by any situation, condition or disease that affects either how much blood you have, or the size, shape, quantity and function of your red blood cells. Anemia is thus divided into 3 main categories, due to: a) blood loss (bleeding); b) decreased production or production of abnormal red blood cells; c) increased destruction of red blood cells.

Globally, approximately 50% of cases of anemia are estimated to be due to iron deficiency. In a recent South African study of a healthy adult population, 12% of the study population were found be anemic. Iron deficiency was found in 78% of those anemic test subjects! So even in apparently healthy people, iron deficiency anemia can be a very real risk and may be easily overlooked.

Iron is necessary for maintaining the normal structure and function of virtually all cells of the body, including the immune system. It therefor makes sense to address Iron Deficiency (ID) and Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) in South Africa.

Who may be affected by Iron Deficiency Anaemia?

If you regularly fee Tired or Fatigued The most common symptom of anemia is tiredness and fatigue. So, if you often wake up tired or feel fatigued, no matter how much sleep or rest you get, it might be due to more than just your hectic schedule or work load. Sufficient Iron is crucial for energising body and mind with oxygen.

But iron can be tricky to absorb from food and many simply don’t get enough of it!

Pregnancy and beyond Iron plays a critically important role in the making of a new little human. High amounts are required for production of new red blood cells and muscle cells and for brain development.

Mom also needs to build her own iron stores in preparation for blood loss during labour and for breastfeeding. With these huge demands on your iron levels, 1 in 7 women develop irondeficiency anaemia during pregnancy.

Vegans & vegetarians It’s a great idea to eat plant-based. Although many veggies are rich in iron, you are more likely to become deficient in this essential mineral if you don’t eat meat. This is because plants, eggs

and wholegrains contain non-haem iron which is harder for your body to absorb than haem iron from meat.

Kids & Teens Did you know that South Africa has a high national prevalence of IDA among children? A large number of children under the age of 5 years do not reach their developmental potential because of it. Preschool development, puberty, growth spurts and school sports all require huge amounts of iron. And teenage girls can easily become anemic and deficient in iron due to their periods. If malnutrition, junk food and fad diets are also in the picture, iron levels can plummet, leading to tiredness, apathy, (more) moodiness, as well as poor concentration.

Heavy exercise Whether you’re an elite athlete, fitness fanatic or gym bunny, regular intense workouts mean you need more iron and also lose more – largely through sweat. Just 1 hour of exercise can reduce levels by 5.7%. By topping up your iron you can improve energy, performance and muscle recovery. Smart move.

Heavy periods Heavy periods can be more than just a pain. All blood contains iron, in the form of hemoglobin. If you lose blood, you obviously also lose iron. So having prolonged, heavy periods is one of the main reasons women develop low iron levels fast.

Exhaustion, fogginess and mood swings are all symptoms of iron deficiency – symptoms that you can treat.

What to do if you suspect you might have Anaemia or Iron Deficiency Anaemia If you experience the most common warning sign of anemia – regular tiredness – and suspect you may have iron deficiency, you can do an online tiredness test at https://blueiron.co.za/tiredness-test/ If you experience several warning signs or scored very high in the Tiredness Test, a visit to your health practitioner is required. Get a Full Blood Count, Iron studies and Ferritin test as a start to either confirm or rule out iron deficiency.

Iron deficiency is usually treated with Iron supplements and / or dietary changes where required.

Dr Werner Kerschbaumer holds a Master’s Degree in homeopathic medicine from the Durban University of Technology. He ran a private homeopathic family practice with a focus on helping people of all ages to achieve optimal wellness through a combination of classical homeopathy, nutrition and lifestyle management. He believes in progressively implementing small changes that are sustainable and won’t suck your will to live .

After 15 years he put fulltime practice aside to join the family business (Flora Force Health Products) and he also works at a natural medicine manufacturing laboratory since 2005.

Contact details: Dr Werner Kerschbaumer Registered Homeopathic Doctor (AHPCSA) Office: +27 87 808 8370 Cell: +27 82 926 0091 drwerner@floraforce.co.za

Know Your Child

By Likes and Dislikes

By Maren Schmidt

What’s your child’s favorite food? Color? Outfit? What does your child dislike?

Preferences give important insights into our personalities. For the child who is agreeable in most situations, we have smooth sailing.

The child who expresses strong preferences, though, can push us to the limits of our patience.

How long can we listen to…I don’t like this. This is yucky. I won’t eat that. I won’t take a bath?

How do we deal with tantrums, object throwing, yelling or the heartbreaking “I hate you!”

It is crushing to hear your three-, four- or five-year-old yell, “I hate you!” but I doubt there is a parent who hasn’t heard this.

A mistake many of us make (me too!) is interpreting what that outburst means.

Outbursts are statements of preference and almost always have nothing to do with you.

When our children express a preference this strongly, it is hard to not let our emotions and our desire to be loved take over the situation. If we don’t step back and look for the underlying meaning of an outburst, we are likely to be held hostage to the child’s demands. (Another issue, of course, is teaching manners, respect and politeness, but that is another column.)

When children throw out a statement like “I hate you!”, they are expressing a strong dislike.

Children perceive that you have power to change the situation or environment and direct their frustration at you. Hate is an extreme form of dislike. Love is on the far continuum of like.

Like/dislike. Love/hate. These are words to express degrees of preference. I like pasta. I hate fish.

Emotionally, though, the opposite of love is not hate.

The opposite of love is fear, fear of losing love and fear of not being loved.

When we hear our children (and others, too) say, “I hate you!”, they are expressing either dislike or fear. We have to step back and look at the situation to understand the child’s hidden meaning, remembering that the statement is about the child’s preferences or fear.

Defuse the situation by translating “I hate you” into love language, for example: “I know you’re upset, but I love you. I know you love me too, but you are angry (unhappy, upset). Can you tell me what you want?”

Keep in mind children learn quickly that certain words “push buttons,” and parents will relent to their demands. “I hate you!” is a favorite button. A child will use strong language when his or her preferences are not taken into account.

In my experience, “I hate you” expressions usually come from two circumstances: not having preferences acknowledged or fear of separation.

Parents have shared some interesting stories with me.

One mom discovered that her son’s “I hate you” tantrums always occurred one day after her husband left on a business trip. Her son’s fear of separation from his dad was the hidden meaning in the “I hate you” statement to her. As soon as she was able to acknowledge his fear and his preference to have his dad at home, the tantrums ended.

One dad observed that running out of peanut butter would trigger an “I hate you” tantrum. He found that saying, “I know you prefer a peanut butter sandwich, but we only have turkey,” acknowledged his son’s preference. What he heard in reply surprised him: “Thanks, dad. Turkey is fine.” Amazingly, acknowledging a person’s likes and dislikes helps them feel loved and heard, and the need to act out to express preferences or fears may vanish.

Be aware of your child’s likes and dislikes, and acknowledge those preferences to make your child feel loved and connected.

With your guidance your child will learn to express preferences in an appropriate and kind manner. Strengthen your relationship with your child by being aware of those likes and dislikes.

When you hear “I hate you!” don’t take it personally. Put on your Sherlock Holmes’ hat to figure out if it is an expression of preference or fear.

Conscious Life Magazine

Kids Say the Darnedest Things

By Maren Schmidt

There is magnetism with a 2 1/2- to 3-year-old and their ability to blurt out observations in public. These comments can make us understand, that, yes, we are paying for our raising.

One teaching principle that I’ve found helpful to alleviate mortifying moments is the idea of indirect preparation. If you know it’s coming, prepare. Think of it as parent disaster preparedness.

If you live with a 3-year-old, be ready for him or her to make unsolicited comments about strangers or friends concerning size, color, shape, disability, clothes, age and hygiene. The list goes on.

Instead of wishing that the ground would open and swallow you, be prepared.

Your 3-year-old is in a natural and normal stage of development for observing the world and learning to connect language to new people, places and things.

Having some short talks about how people are different is one indirect preparation you can give. The book People by Peter Spier was on my classroom shelves, as well as at home. People does a wonderful job of depicting human diversity. Using this book with your child allows your child to ask questions in the privacy of your home and to begin to prepare for the variety of people he will encounter in the larger world.

With this book your child may ask questions like: Why is that man so fat? Why does that woman have pictures on her skin? Why does that person have no teeth? No clothes? Look wrinkly?

Have no legs? Dirty clothes?

Which leads us to the second indirect preparation: Help your child learn about how and when to ask questions in private. Explain to your child that he or she can ask any question or talk about anything at home in private, but when we go out to the store, to church, to the movies, to a restaurant or for a walk, we need be careful about what we say because we don’t want to hurt people with our words.

Explain that when we are away from home (in public), we might see people or things we’ve never seen before and want to ask a question or say something. Tell your child something like this: ”We need to stop and think: Do I need to say this in private?” ”If you need to ask a question in private, you may ask us, ‘Mommy or Daddy, may I ask you a question in private?’ Then you can whisper the question in my ear. I might have to say, ‘You need to wait until we get home, please,’ if it’s not a good time to answer you in public. That’s good manners.”

You can practice at home with some ”what if” situations. ”What if we were at the store, and we saw someone in a wheelchair. What would you say?”

A third preparation is to prepare yourself and know how to handle the inevitable embarrassing situation.

First, have an instant response for your child. To ”Why does that lady have big red lips?” you might say, ”Remember how we talked about how people come in all shapes and sizes?”

Second, know what you are going to say to the victim of your child’s remarks. ”Excuse me, my child is at a stage where he notices that people aren’t all the same. He didn’t mean to be unkind, just curious. I’m sorry.”

Third, when you’re at home, review the incident with your child. ”Remember when we saw the lady with the red lips and you asked, Why does that lady have big red lips?’ That was a private question, and you need to stop and think if your question needs to be asked in private.

Remember, you can ask me any question. But sometimes it needs to be done in private, so we don’t hurt people’s feelings. That’s good manners.”

Be prepared. Your child will make observations and comments because he or she is curious and literal.

Don’t make your child apologize for any remarks or scold them. You want to keep the lines of communication open. They will someday be teenagers. Be the adult in charge, and handle the inevitable ”situation,” protecting your child’s feelings as well as apologizing to the affected person, because kids will continue to say the darnedest things.

The Particular Joy of Being a Grandparent

By Jim Sollisch

I have raised five children. But I have never felt this pure, unfettered happiness.

I never thought I could hold a baby for an hour — my head a few inches from hers, hanging on every sigh, waiting intently for the next scrunch of her lips or arch of her barely visible eyebrows — perfectly happy, an idiot entranced by a magic trick. But there I was on my granddaughter Avery’s first day of life, so happy I didn’t recognize myself.

I have raised children. Five of them. I have held my own babies in their first minutes of life; I have felt that shock of recognition — this is a version of me. I have kvelled (a Yiddish word meaning a giddy mixture of pride and joy) at the things my babies did that all babies do.

But I have never felt this thing that stopped my brain, that put all plans on hold, that rendered me dumb.

O.K., I’ve had glimpses of this thing. But this was my first uninterrupted hour of it.

In the first moments of my own children’s lives, I couldn’t turn my brain off. When will we be able to leave the hospital? Is his skin sort of yellow? Will she take to the nipple?

Did my brother feed our dog like he was supposed to? Should I get my parents from the waiting room now? Does my wife need another blanket? Does the baby look like her brothers? Does she look like a Zoey?

And more existential concerns: What the hell were we thinking?

Becoming a father was a lot like becoming a German shepherd if German shepherds were capable of constantly calculating the risks of SIDS and peanut allergies.

When my second child, Max, came, I should have been more relaxed. After all, Zack had somehow managed to live till his third birthday. But whenever I held Max, whenever I started to get lost in his impossibly perfect newness, I’d remember that his older brother might at this very instant be about to fall off a bookcase and split his head open, which is exactly what he did a few weeks after Max was born.

Worry, vigilance — these are the things that keep us from experiencing rapture. These are also the things that keep children alive.

But that’s not my job with Avery. It’s her parents’ job.

I worked part time for the first two years of my firstborn’s life. I got to spend a lot of time with Zack. He had terrible colic. I became a one-armed man:

Oh, I’m sure I’ll have lots of chances to exercise my highly advanced worrying skills, but I will always be the second line of defense, a bench player. Her parents will watch her sleep and weigh the newest research on side sleeping versus back sleeping. They will never have a moment as free as that first hour I had with her.

By the time he was 2 months old, I could do almost any task with Zack cradled face down in the crook of my arm, where his own weight applied constant, soothing pressure to his sputtering digestive tract.

But in keeping her alive, they will become fully alive. They will feel the awesome power of joy tinged with vulnerability. Only when you have everything to lose, do you have everything.

Then the ear infections started. One night when he was 4 months old and had a high fever, I went to check on him in his crib. His face had a bluish cast, and it appeared he wasn’t breathing. The paramedics assured us that it was just a febrile seizure, benign, except for the permanent heart damage it causes parents.

That’s what parenting teaches you.

Now that I am a grandparent, I look forward to learning more about this other kind of joy.

Sure, I spent time staring at Zack’s beautiful sleeping face. But my joy was always crowded by more questions, namely, “What are you going to throw at us next, little guy?”

Article courtesy of The New York Times.

Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook and Twitter (@NYTopinion), and sign up for the Opinion Today newsletter.

Jim Sollisch is a creative director at Marcus Thomas Advertising in Cleveland, Ohio.

What To Expect When You’re Expecting a Teenager

By Elizabeth Spencer

When I was expecting my babies, I never got too attached to books telling me what I was getting myself into.

TEENAGERS AND PARENTS I appreciated some of their practical advice, but they lost me with warnings like, “You may crave sweets, but be sure to limit your splurges to a scoop of frozen yogurt once or twice throughout your pregnancy.” It made me want to run straight for the cookies-and-cream, and yes I would like hot fudge sauce and whipped cream and a cherry, thanks very much.

All of which is just a round-about way of saying that I’m not going to try to tell anyone what life will definitively be like when their baby turns into a teenager. Consider this instead a guide to what it could be like. Unless it’s like something else.

Either way, you might want to stock up on ice cream.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Teenager •

You can expect to be amazed, frustrated, thrilled, bewildered, delighted, and infuriated by your teen, often all within the same 24 hours.

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Your teen may be happy, sad, moody, agreeable, relaxed, and edgy, often all within the same 24 hours. (Possibly all before 9 a.m.)

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You can expect the unexpected.

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You will love your teen even when you don’t particularly like her.

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And your teen will love you, even when he doesn’t particularly like you.

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Expect to blame a lot on the hormones.

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You will need patience like you’ve never needed it before.

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Expect to have a lot of conversations via text.

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When you’re the parent of a teen, you can expect to start keeping track of every activity your teen does that in any way shows leadership or initiative or community service, in case it might someday turn into a college scholarship.

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You can expect to want to hold on.

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And expect that you will have to let go.

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You can expect to never have any cash on hand.

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You will wonder what version of your teen is going to show up on any given morning.

Expect to choose your words carefully.

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You will think that your teen is one of the most amazing people you know.

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Parenting a teen means scrolling right past social media posts about college visits and graduation party ideas because you don’t have to worry about those until later…and then to realize that “later” is now.

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Expect to be inspired.

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And then stretched.

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When you’re baby becomes a teen, you can expect to always be running out of groceries.

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You will wonder if and how you’re going to make it through.

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You can expect to want to slow time down.

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Expect to cheer.

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And to cry.

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When you’re parenting a teenager, expect to listen.

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Expect to think that having a teenage driver is expensive and terrifying but that if you have a good one, it’s also pretty much the best thing no one ever talks about.

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Anticipate that you didn’t expect to feel this tired at this stage of the game.

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When you’re the parent of a teen, you can expect to be bursting with pride.

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You can expect to look back on the years when your son or daughter was little with nostalgia and longing.

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You can expect to be excited about the future.

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And know you will spend a lot of time waiting.

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You will feel your entire life has become an acronym: SSN, SAT, GPA, FAFSA. (SOS.)

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Expect to worry.

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And although you are a parent to a teen, you will still feel like you have absolutely no idea what you’re doing.

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You can expect to think that no one talks about how hard this is.

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Or that no one talks about how amazing this is.

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You can expect to redefine “special occasion” as any night when everyone in the family is eating dinner together at the same time in the same place.

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You can expect to always be checking off a list.

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Finally, you give up on the idea that you’ll ever be caught up on the laundry (or, really, anything else).

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Know that you will love your teen’s true friends like they’re your own kids.

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But you will always be paying for something.

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You can expect to look at your teenager and still see the toddler she was ten minutes and a lifetime ago.

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When you’re the parent of a teen, you can expect to automatically answer “busy” when someone asks how you are. Which will be a little cliché but also true.

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You can expect to have your heart broken and built up.

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And you can expect to be hit over and over again by a love so fierce, you never could have expected it.

Elizabeth Spencer is mom to two teenage daughters. When she’s not avoiding housework by spending time on her blog, Guilty Chocoholic Mama, or on Facebook, she plays the piano badly, bakes chocolate-chip cookies, and tries to keep up her lone talent of being able to stand on her head.

Curing Acne Naturally Is It Really Possible?

by Nina Geraghty for BaoCare

Acne vulgaris, the term for a group of skin conditions that causes most acne symptoms, is the 8th most common disease in the world affecting more than 633 million people globally. It’s a long-term skin disease which occurs when hair follicles are clogged with dead skin cells and sebum and primarily affects skin with a relatively high number of oil glands i.e.: the face, upper chest and back.

You know you have acne if you have any of the following symptoms: • blackheads or whiteheads (also known as comedones) occur when debris gets trapped in the follicle • pimples (papules and pustules - the technical name for pimples) which cause small or medium sized bumps on the skin that are round, red and don’t always have a visible “head”) • cysts or nodules which are inflamed • excessively oily skin • scarring from squeezing or scratching acne pimples.

There are different types of acne: • non-inflammatory acne (whiteheads, blackheads but not cysts or nodules) • inflammatory acne – usually caused by infections due to excessive growth of the bacterium Propionibacterium acnes.

• cystic acne (also called nodulocystic acne (an intense form of acne that results in large inflamed cysts and nodules) The main causes of acne are thought to be: • inflammation and infection of the sebaceous glands of the skin as a result of clogged pores, caused by excess oil Conscious Life Magazine

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production and dead skin cells.

Bacterial overgrowth of Propionibacterium acnes.

Hormone fluctuations or imbalances which is why acne is most often seen in teens and young adults, especially women experiencing PMS, irregular periods, pregnancy, early menopause, and other hormonal conditions such as poly-cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

Treatment of Acne Conventional methods of dealing with acne include prescription medications such as Acutane, antibiotics, birth control pills and heavy-duty skin cleansers with Benzoyl peroxide and Salicyclic acid. All of these can have unwanted side effects, with the cleansers also having a strong drying effect on the skin.

If conventional methods have been unsuccessful, we encourage you to consider taking a natural approach to healing acne.

There’s promising evidence that natural solutions can be extremely effective.

Acne Skin Care Let’s look at a 4-step skin care routine with some suggestions that may surprise you.

replacing the dirty oil with beneficial ones extracted from natural botanicals, vegetables and fruit that heal, protect and nourish your skin. When done properly and consistently, the OCM (Oil Cleansing Method) can clear the skin from issues like oily skin, dry skin, sensitive skin, blackheads, whiteheads and other problems caused by mild to moderate acne– while leaving your skin healthy, balanced and properly moisturized.’

See Wellness Mama’s excellent article on how to use OCM with botanical oils for acne here.

2. Toning Apple cider vinegar can be used externally for cystic acne. Dab a Q-tip in raw apple cider vinegar and then onto your cysts. This should be done twice a day. You can also make a 50/50 dilution of water to apple cider vinegar and use it as a toner.

For this to be effective, you need to use raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar that includes the ‘mother’. The ‘mother’ is the substance which ferments the apple cider into vinegar and comprises beneficial healing bacteria, enzymes and acids. It is the ‘mother’ which gives raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar its characteristic cloudy appearance.

3. Topical Tips

1. Cleansing To suggest cleansing with oils seems counterintuitive given that acne is often associated with an over-production of sebum. However, even Acne.org promotes the idea persuasively, explaining it this way: ‘Fact: Oil dissolves oil. One of the most basic principles of chemistry is that “like dissolves like.” The best way to dissolve a non-polar solvent like sebum/oil, is by using another non-polar solvent similar in composition: Other oils. By using the right oils, you can cleanse your pores of dirt and bacteria naturally, gently and effectively, while

Lavender essential oil can be applied to acne cysts with a q-tip several times a day. Most people can tolerate lavender essential oil neat (without diluting) If you find the oil to be too strong, dilute it with some coconut oil or castor oil first.

Tea tree essential oil can be a very powerful all natural remedy for acne, as it is antibacterial. To apply it, mix a small amount (5 to 10 drops) in a 1/4 cup water. Dip a cotton ball into the mixture and apply it to your skin. You can reapply throughout the day or leave it on under your makeup Conscious Life Magazine

Raw,unfiltered honey can be used topically for cystic acne a couple of times a day. Honey is a wonderful "medicine" because of its strong antiseptic and antibacterial effects.

Moisturise!

Contrary to popular belief, acne-prone skin still needs to be moisturised. It’s well established that acne can only heal if the skin is sufficiently hydrated. However, great care needs to be taken in choosing a moisturiser that won’t irritate and further inflame already traumatised skin.

Baobab oil This nourishing amber-gold oil is cold pressed from the seeds of the baobab fruit pod. It’s a rare, naturally light oil which doesn’t clog pores and absorbs rapidly without leaving a greasy residue. Baobab oil has a unique fatty acid profile with exceptional quantities of Omega 6 and 9, helping to retain moisture and regenerate new skin cells. It’s also particularly recommended for healing scar tissue.

Linoleic acid is a natural component of sebum and plays a significant role in strengthening the lipid barrier of the epidermis and normalising skin metabolism. Applying it to problem skin can result in improved sebaceous gland function and the prevention of acne formation. A recent study on baobab oil shows that it has high levels of linoleic acid making it an excellent therapeutic choice for acne.

Coconut Oil Coconut oil can be an excellent moisturizer for acne-prone skin. A study found that lauric acid found in coconut oil demonstrates the strongest bacterial activity against acne caused by bacteria.

Rosehip oil Rosehip oil is full of essential fatty acids (80 percent omegas 3 and 6), which work exceptionally well to calm and soothe skin, while also helping treat scars and uneven skin tone.

Conscious Life Magazine

Evening Primrose Oil Acne-prone skin is deficient in linoleic acid and it is this deficiency which triggers pore-clogging and leads to acne and breakouts. Clogged pores are a perfect environment for bacterial growth which leads to inflammation. Evening Primrose oil contains exceptionally high levels of linoleic acid making it an excellent product for helping to resolve acne.

Ultimately, as the acne project says, curing acne is not a product, it’s a process. Everybody’s experience with acne is different and there isn’t a single solution that works for everyone. It’s likely, however, that at least one of the solutions we’ve proposed above could turn out to be exactly what you need. Experiment with what works best for you – acne can be cured naturally!

References: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18456568 https://wellnessmama.com/26504/natural-remedies-acne/ https://draxe.com/home-remedies-for-acne/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acne https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/eat-your-way-fabulous-skin https://www.faithful-to-nature.co.za/blog/natural-solutions-for-problem-skin/ http://www.clearskinforever.net/aloe-acne-does-aloe-really-help-acne/ http://theacneproject.com/best-moisturizers-for-acne-prone-skin/ file:///C:/Users/Nina/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/16A0SAGY/Komane%20et%20al% 202017%20Beauty%20in%20Baobab%20a%20pilot%20study%20of%20the%20safety%20and%20efficacy%20of%20Adan sonia%20digitata%20seed%20oil.pdf https://www.healthyskinglows.com/prevent-breakouts-future-acne/ http://www.minimalistbeauty.com/oils-specifically-for-acne-prone-skin/

Conscious Conscious Life Life Magazine Magazine

By Laura Pinger and Lisa Flook

Walking to class one day, one of us (Laura) saw a young student crying and waiting for his mother to arrive—he had split his chin while playing. When Laura got to class, the other students were very upset and afraid for their friend, full of questions about what would happen to him. Laura decided to ask the class how they could help him.

“Caring practice!” exclaimed one of the children—and they all sat in a circle offering support and well wishes. The children immediately calmed and they continued with their lesson.

This is what’s possible when kids learn to be kind at school.

Various mindfulness programs have been developed for adults, but we and our colleagues at the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, wanted to develop a curriculum for kids. Every school teaches math and reading, but what about mindfulness and kindness?

We ended up bringing a 12-week curriculum to six schools in the Midwest. Twice a week for 20 minutes, pre-kindergarten kids were introduced to stories and practices for paying attention, regulating their emotions, and cultivating kindness. It’s just the beginning, but the initial results of our research, coauthored with Professor Richard Davidson and graduate research assistant Simon Goldberg, suggest that this program can improve kids’ grades, cognitive abilities, and relationship skills.

Why teach kindness to kids?

The school environment can be very stressful; in addition to any issues they bring from home, many students struggle to make friends and perform well in class. Being excluded, ignored, or teased is very painful for a young child, and we thought it could be impactful to teach empathy and compassion.

When other kids are suffering—like that boy who split his chin—can we understand how they might be feeling? Kindness bridges those gaps and helps build a sense of connection among the students, the teachers, and even the parents. Learning to strengthen their attention and regulate their emotions are foundational skills that could benefit kids in school and throughout their whole lives.

On top of that, having classrooms full of mindful, kind kids completely changes the school environment. Imagine entire schools—entire districts—where kindness is emphasized. That would be truly powerful. Teaching kindness is a way to bubble up widespread transformation that doesn’t require big policy changes or extensive administrative involvement.

Running and studying a Kindness Curriculum If you had visited one of our classrooms during the 12-week program, you might have seen a poster on the wall called “Kindness Garden.” When kids performed an act of kindness or benefitted from one, they added a sticker to the poster. The idea is that friendship is like a seed—it needs to be nurtured and taken care of in order to grow. Through that exercise, we got students talking about how kindness feels good and how we might grow more friendship in the classroom.

Another day, you might have found students in pairs holding Peace Wands, one with a heart and one with a star. The child with the heart wand speaks (“from the heart”); the other child (the “star listener”) listens and then repeats back what was said. When there was a conflict between students, they used the wands to support the process of paying attention, expressing their feelings, and building empathy.

Our Kindness Curriculum combines creative activities like these, as well as books, songs, and movement, to communicate concepts in a way that is understandable to four year olds. Our instructors taught the curriculum with active participation by classroom teachers.

The Kindness Curriculum is designed around the ABCs — or, more specifically, A to G: 









Attention. Students learn that what they focus on is a choice. Through focusing attention on a variety of external sensations (the sound of a bell, the look of a stone) and internal sensations (feeling happy or sad), children learn they can direct their attention and maintain focus.

Breath and Body. Students learn to use their breath to cultivate some peace and quiet. Instead of listening to a meditation, we played a song from Betsy Rose’s CD Calm Down Boogie, “Breathing In, Breathing Out,” while the children rested on their backs with a beanie baby on their belly. The beanie provided an object to “rock to sleep” with the natural in- and out-breath, while the breathing calmed the body.

Caring. Here, we teach kids to think about how others are feeling and cultivate kindness. We read the book Sumi’s First Day of School Ever, the story of a foreign student who struggles with English, and brainstorm ways to help a student like Sumi—as simple as offering a smile.

Depending on other people. We emphasize that everyone supports and is supported by others through the book Somewhere Today, which describes acts of kindness that are going on in the world right now.

Students learn to see themselves as helpers and begin to develop gratitude for the kindness of others.

Emotions. What do emotions feel like and look like? How can you tell what you’re feeling? We play a game where the teacher and students take turns pretending to be angry, sad, happy, or surprised, guessing which emotion was expressed, and talking about what that emotion feels like in the body.





Forgiveness. Young kids can be particularly hard on themselves—and others—and we teach them that everyone makes mistakes. A book called Down the Road tells the story of a girl who breaks the eggs she bought for her parents, but they forgive her.

Gratitude. We want kids to recognize the kind acts that other people do for them, so we have them pretend to be various community workers like bus drivers and firefighters. Then, they talk about being thankful to those people for how they help us.

Sixty-eight students participated in the research, with about half going through the Kindness Curriculum and the other half measured as a comparison. To investigate the impact of the curriculum, we tested children before and after the training period.

The results of our study were promising. Students who went through the curriculum showed more empathy and kindness and a greater ability to calm themselves down when they felt upset, according to teachers’ ratings. In an exercise with stickers, they consistently shared about half of them, whereas students who hadn’t gone through the curriculum shared less over time.

They earned higher grades at the end of the year in certain areas (notably for social and emotional development), and they showed improvement in the ability to think flexibly and delay gratification, skills that have been linked to health and success later in life.

This was a small study, and we’d love to see deeper investigations into our Kindness Curriculum in the future. For example, what happens over a longer time if we support students’ practice throughout the year and into the next school year and beyond? If parents got involved in the curriculum, they could provide powerful support as well.

“Students who went through the curriculum showed more empathy and kindness and a greater ability to calm themselves down when they felt upset, according to teachers’ ratings.”

“Kindfulness” in daily life Mindfulness and kindness go hand in hand, so much so that the phrase “kindfulness” accidentally (but aptly) came out in one of our conversations and has stuck with us. While we administered a specific curriculum for the purposes of our study, any teacher or parent can bring the principles behind it to bear on their interactions with children.

The first key is simply to model mindfulness and kindness. For example, what quality of attention do we bring when we interact with our kids? Do we give them our full attention—eye contact, kneeling down to speak with them, asking questions—or are we distracted? Kids are extraordinarily observant, and they pick up on whether we are paying attention to them. By modeling behavior, and through our interactions, we show them what it’s like to be seen and heard and to be compassionate with others.

Another simple activity is to relax and feel the natural breath for a few moments during the day.

Kids need to be active and run around, of course, but they can also benefit from cultivating a bit of stillness. For example, when Laura enters the classroom, she or one of her students rings a bell, which signals students to listen until the sound ends and then feel five in- and out-breaths together. This practice settles students and gathers their attention so they are more ready to learn.

We can also help kids reflect on their emotions, which sometimes feel overwhelming, and change their relationship to them. After a child calms down, we can sit with them and reflect on that feeling. Which part of the body felt angry, happy, or upset? All emotions are natural, so kids shouldn’t feel bad about experiencing them; we can teach them to cultivate a kinder attitude.

For example, a parent might say, “When I feel sad or angry, it doesn’t feel good in my body. But all people have feelings. Feelings help us learn about ourselves and others. I can be kind to myself no matter what feelings come. I can get better and better at learning from my feelings.”

And, by the way, practices like these are equally useful for parents and teachers, who are struggling with stressful workplaces or busy classrooms. For teachers, brief practices with students many times during the school day allow everyone to pause and be fully present to themselves, each other, and what is happening, whether it is pleasant or unpleasant. For parents, mindfulness and self-kindness training allow them to be more present with their spouse and children at home and with their coworkers at work.

Finally, to combine the concepts of mindfulness and kindness, we can teach caring practice to our kids. These phrases work well for children: May I be safe, may I be happy, may I be healthy, may I be peaceful.

When the boy split his chin, the other four-year-olds got together to do this practice: May you be safe, may you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be peaceful.

And these wishes can be extended further: To my entire classroom, my school, my neighborhood, my whole community…May we all be safe, may we all be happy, may we all be healthy, may we all be peaceful.

In the midst of their distress, the children found comfort and support for themselves and their friend rather than feeling upset and worried. They later shared with him that they had offered him these wishes. It’s these small changes, spread across classrooms, that could make schools more kind—and educate a new generation of more compassionate and connected citizens.

This article originally appeared on Greater Good, the online magazine of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, one of Mindful’s partners.

Laura Pinger and Lisa Flook share their lessons from creating a "kindness curriculum" for young students.

Laura Pinger completed her M.S. in communication sciences and disorders and is currently a Senior Outreach Specialist at the Center for Healthy Minds (CHM) at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, at the Waisman Center. She develops and teaches research-related mindfulness-based curricula for educators, students, and parents.

Lisa Flook completed her PhD in clinical psychology at UCLA and is currently a scientist at CHM. CHM has been investigating the impact of mindfulness-based practices in educational settings with students, teachers, and parents.

Raising Kids Positively Raising Kids Positively is all about improving your relationship with your children, growing their emotional intelligence, and a balance of kind and firm discipline.

Psychologist Carol Surya makes this easy with her new website www.raisingkidspositively.com and three easy-to-use routes: a children’s self-esteem game, a conscious parenting book and workshops.

InnerMagic Perfect for today’s busy families, is a game to consciously spend more quality time together, without devices or distractions. Expertly designed for selfreflection, self-expression and empowerment, InnerMagic benefits include teaching emotional intelligence while also strengthening all areas of development as you play! Everyone loves it because it gets all players moving, thinking and speaking. Magically encouraging children to talk more easily, develop critical thinking and practice making healthy choices. Ideal for parents, grandparents and educators to play with 5 to 13 year olds.

Order yours today and be reminded of your inner potential. All information available on

www.raisingkidspositively.com Email : info@raisingkidspositively.com Phone: (044) 533-5655 Mobile:: 071 671 6337

The Magic of Mindfulness Author Carmen Clews has found a magical way to bring mindfulness into your home and school! “The Magic Mat and its little secret…” is a delightful children’s book (with free DVD animation) offering fun, physical stretching and calming techniques to develop happy, relaxed, loving and healthy children. Used as a story at bedtime, or done actively with the DVD at home or as a group activity in the classroom - with regular use the benefits are magical. Children relax more, improving in balance and co-ordination, as well as memory, focus, patience and selfcontrol. Readers (age 5 to 12) hop on board their very own Magic Mat, transforming them into animals with various beautiful qualities. Finally, they relax, discovering their own higher selves, learning to feel love, compassion and gratitude. Read what buyers say about this magical tool kit, visit the Facebook page, watch the video clip – or simply order yours today.

The Planting Seeds for Life Education Series, also by Carmen Clews, teaches mindfulness and positive values to children aged 10 to 14 years. Enchanting African stories guide the reader through group discussions, visualizations, songs and other learning activities all aimed at improving well-being. The book’s 25 “seeds”, each written as a lesson plan, include the essential life skills of making wise choices; improving communication; managing emotions; problem solving; forgiveness; positive thinking; self-reliance and environmental conservation. If only we’d all learned these skills at school.

Contact details : Website : www.magicmatsecret.com Email : carmen@magicmatsecret.com Video : http://vimeo.com/100388148 Magic Mat Seeds for Life

Why we choose Natural Materials over Plastic

I was at a baby shower recently with my mom when another woman showed up with her grandkids and a small plastic children's computer game. We began talking and she asked if we had a similar toy. Before I could answer, my mom replied "No! She's a weirdo that won't let her kids have plastic!"

Now, I don't mean to throw my mother under the bus for an off hand comment, but I think this is a common misconception for people looking at the Montessori community. So, let me explain why we choose natural materials over plastic and when we don't.

First, I want to say, my children have plenty of plastic toys and materials. There are times, even, when I prefer plastic. One example, is animal figurines. I strive to give my children realistic representations and plastic is simply the best way to do this. Magnatiles and Legos also make my plastic list!

But, in many situations, I do strive to provide natural materials -- like wood, metal, fabric or glass - when I can.

What's the deal with no plastic?

I have a few reasons that I prefer natural materials over man-made ones. First, there is the environmental factor. There's BPA concerns and chemical concerns and its effect on our health and the environment. While, this is a concern, it's not a huge worry for me but I am aware of this issue. Maybe it should be something I worry more about, but it's not something I've done a lot of research into.

More important to me are the strictly Montessori concerns. First, I as a Montessori parent, I want to create an environment that is as beautiful as possible. I want to create spaces that show my children that they are valued. Montessori believes that children not only deserve beautiful spaces, they excel in them. Natural products are an important part in making our space beautiful.

Their understated nature and beauty provide something to an environment that cheaper plastic alternatives don't. Some plastic toys can provide the same effect, but they are harder to find.

Natural materials teach natural consequences. If you drop a plastic cup, you drop a plastic cup.

There's no need to be careful. No need to learn to respect the material. However, if you drop a glass cup, you get a very different story. Watching a glass break, or a toy even, teaches a child to be more exact and careful. But, it also teaches children to respect their materials and environment. To take ownership over it and to care for it.

Natural materials connect a person to nature. My children live in the city. Our natural interactions are more limited than others. By touching a wooden toy, they get to feel the warmth of the wood. They feel the grain, they feel the weight. It's just a connection that cold, hard plastic cannot provide.

Also, when I hand a child a beautiful natural material, I hand my child my respect and trust. I am showing them they are important enough to give them something real.

I'm not giving them some baby-proofed version of a real tool. I'm teaching them to use a real one. I'm trusting in their abilities, I'm respecting their whole self as a very capable person.

I'm also giving them the opportunity to make a mistake. To learn from that mistake. When a plate shatters, there is a lot to be learned. When a toy breaks, there is a lot to be learned. I'm giving them the space and the trust to handle disappointment, mistake and error.

So, that's why we limit plastic in our home. If that makes me weird, I'm cool with that!

What is your plastic policy? Have you seen any difference with your child's interest in non-plastic verses plastic materials?

EST. 2005

CALL FOR SPECIALS

Plant Based Pancakes

Photo & Recipe: Pieter Kotze Ingredients – Serves 2 • • • • • • •

3 cups Cake Flour 3 ½ cups of water Pinch of sea salt 1 leveled teaspoon of bicarb soda 1 leveled teaspoon of baking powder 2 tablespoons of Vinegar ¼ cup of vegetable oil

Method • • • • • • •

Sift dry ingredients together.

Mix wet ingredients together Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and fold in.

Add a drop of oil to a Crêpe Pan. Use a soup spoon to had a batch of pancake mixture to the pan.

Cook until ends curl up and flip over to other side.

Sprinkle cinnamon in the middle, roll up and enjoy.

Conscious Life Magazine

Protein-Packed Pesto Pasta

By Liz Moody Ingredients – Serves 2 • • • • • • • • •

4 cups dried pasta of choice 2 cups raw, shelled pumpkin seeds ⅓ cup hulled hemp hearts Juice and zest of 2 lemons ¾ teaspoon salt + an additional ¼ teaspoon 4 packed cups spinach 1 cup olive oil 6 cloves raw garlic, peeled with ends chopped off 2 tablespoons raw honey

Method •

•

•

•

Add a generous amount of salt (a small palmful) to a large pot of water. Boil, and cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente.

Heat a small saucepan over low heat; add pumpkin seeds and hemp hearts and toast, tossing occasionally, until fragrant and just beginning to become golden brown, about 3 minutes. Let cool and put ½ cup of seed mixture in food processor.

Pulse with lemon zest and ¼ teaspoon salt; remove from food processor and set aside.

Pulse together olive oil, greens, remaining seed mixture, lemon juice, garlic, honey, and ¾ teaspoon salt until a smooth sauce forms (a bit of texture is totally fine).

Toss pasta with pesto sauce until generously coated. Top with crushed nuts and zest mixture and serve immediately.

Conscious Life Magazine

The Alkaline Diet: What Is It And Does It Work?

The alkaline diet is making news headlines. Why? Because the modern diet is increasing the acid content of our bodies. threatening our pH levels – the delicate but vital balance of alkali and acid in our systems. Let’s discuss the alkaline diet, how it works and if it’s worth it..

If you’re getting through your day on coffee, sweets, snacks, fast foods and after-work wine or beer (come on, we’ve seen those queues!), think twice. Your amazing body is, as they say, ‘a finely tuned machine’. It’s quite capable of maintaining that fine-tuning, and that includes the delicate job of balancing the levels of acid or alkaline (the pH levels) in its fluids and tissues.

Your body needs a tightly controlled pH level of 7.365 to 7.4 in its blood to function properly. If you eat poorly, the levels of acid in your system increase. That weakens your body’s defenses against degenerative diseases such as bone loss, arthritis and muscle wasting, and even tumours. ‘Even very tiny alterations in the pH level of various organisms can cause major problems,’ says natural health practitioner Dr Josh Axe.

So what is an alkaline diet?

We are what we eat

An alkaline diet helps balance the pH level of the fluids in your body, including your blood and urine. Your pH level is partially determined by the mineral density of the foods you eat, so eating an alkaline diet can help to:

In the past two centuries, mass industrialisation of our food supply has disturbed the mineral balance in our diet. So the food we eat contains less potassium, magnesium and chloride, but far more sodium (salt) than before. Normally, our kidneys keep our levels of calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium stable.

But a diet of overly acidic foods places a strain on this function.

We’re simply eating too many refined fats, simple sugars, sodium and chloride. And the result? We’re ageing faster, our organs are battling to work properly, our muscle strength is declining, and we’re losing bone mass. High acidity levels are robbing our bodies of vital minerals. And you know what?

These conditions are avoidable…

Improve the ratio between potassium and sodium, which may benefit bone health, reduce muscle wasting, and ease other chronic diseases such as hypertension and stroke.

• Increase magnesium – needed to activate vitamin D. • Improve the production of growth hormones and vitamin D absorption, which also help protect bones and ease other chronic diseases.

Growth hormones also promote cardiovascular health, memory and cognition.

• Help fight inflammation, and possibly help benefit certain chemotherapeutic agents that require a higher pH.

Take our advice to alkalinity in your body: • •

Wonder what ‘pH level’ means?

What we call pH is short for the potential of hydrogen, and is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of our body’s fluids and tissues. It’s measured on a scale from 0 to 14.

The more acidic a solution is, the lower its pH (battery acid is 0; bleach has a pH of 13). The more alkaline, the higher the number is. pH levels vary throughout the body (the stomach is the most acidic area), but the optimal human body tends to be around 7.4.

•

• •

•

improve

Get fresh. Eat seven to nine servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day.

(You’ll find a comprehensive list here.)

That includes all our favourites: avocado, baby potatoes, broccoli, bananas, ginger, garlic, lemons (yes!) and olive oil. Look to that perennial favourite – the Mediterranean diet.

Raw foods are the best. Most fruit and veg can be used fresh in salads – in fact, cooking depletes foods of their alkalising minerals. Tired of salads? Try steaming foods lightly. Juicing is good too, especially when you add fresh or powdered grasses – they’re a great source of chlorophyll, which helps alkalise the blood.

Up your intake of plant proteins. Eat nuts, especially almonds, seeds such as raw pumpkin seeds, and beans.

Exercise daily, but don’t spend hours at the gym.

Breathe deeply. You inhale oxygen and exhale acidic carbon dioxide. And relax too!

Take our advice to improve alkalinity in your body: • •

•

• • •

Get fresh. Eat seven to nine servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day.

(You’ll find a comprehensive list here.)

That includes all our favourites: avocado, baby potatoes, broccoli, bananas, ginger, garlic, lemons (yes!) and olive oil. Look to that perennial favourite – the Mediterranean diet.

Raw foods are the best. Most fruit and veg can be used fresh in salads – in fact, cooking depletes foods of their alkalising minerals. Tired of salads? Try steaming foods lightly. Juicing is good too, especially when you add fresh or powdered grasses – they’re a great source of chlorophyll, which helps alkalise the blood.

Up your intake of plant proteins. Eat nuts, especially almonds, seeds such as raw pumpkin seeds, and beans.

Exercise daily, but don’t spend hours at the gym.

Breathe deeply. You inhale oxygen and exhale acidic carbon dioxide. And relax too!

• •

Artificial sweeteners.

Trans fats, sugar, refined salts, refined foods, fast foods, takeaways, alcohol, tobacco, pizza, chips, chocolate, ice cream. You know the drill!

Chronic stress, not enough fibre, lack of exercise (or over-exercising), pesticides and pollution can also increase your body’s acid levels

Foods to avoid These foods contribute most to acidity and inflammation – cut them out if you already have acidity related conditions, or eat them in moderation to support your wellness: • • • • •

High-sodium foods such as processed meats and cheeses.

High sugar / refined carbohydrate containing processed breakfast cereals such as corn flakes, rice crispies, etc.

Eggs.

Caffeinated drinks and alcohol.

Pasta, rice, bread and packaged grain products. All grains, whole or not, create acidity. (Although barley and oats are only mildly acidic.)

Conscious Life Magazine

Support your body with wholeherb products Whole-herb products may help balance your body naturally – in conjunction with a healthy diet, exercise and the recommendations listed above.

Turmeric may help alkalise your body, and has natural anti-inflammatory properties. It also helps your liver, digestion and metabolism. Get Turmeric capsules here.

Cayenne is highly alkaline, with natural anti-inflammatory properties. Get Cayenne capsules here.

Turmerynne™ combines both turmeric and cayenne with a shot of black pepper to aid absorption – perfect if you’d rather take just a single capsule. Get Turmerynne™ capsules here.

Ginger has a pH of 5.6 to 5.9, similar to that of figs, fennel, leeks, parsnips and romaine lettuce. Ginger also improves digestion and boosts blood flow. Get Ginger capsules here

Flora Force wishes you a healthy, energetic spring!

CAUTION Consult your health practitioner before taking any herbal supplements.

Always consult your health practitioner before taking any herbal supplements, especially if you are taking other medication, and especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

References Axe, J. Alkaline diet: The key to longevity and fighting chronic disease? https://draxe.com/alkaline-diet/ New Life Nutrition.

Schwalfenberg, G.K.The alkaline diet: Is there evidence that an alkaline pH diet benefits health?

Journal of Environmental and Public Health. 2012. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC319 5546/

INTERNATIONAL SMASH HIT “STOMP” BASHES AND CRASHES ITS WAY BACK TO SA STOMP finds beauty and music in the mundane. It turns brooms into instruments and handclapping into a conversation; the junk and clutter of urban life becomes the source of infectious rhythm and wonder. The highly talented performers take the audience on a journey through sound, where rhythm is the only language.

For almost three decades STOMP has been wowing audiences all over the world with its unique blend of rhythm, movement, comedy and dance. A theatrical experience like no other, STOMP is the event that has shown the globe that even the most ordinary objects can be brought to life in extraordinary ways.

This wildly entertaining international show heads to Montecasino’s Teatro on Tuesday, 20 August for two weeks ending on Sunday, 08 September. Thereafter moving to Cape Town, at Artscape from Tuesday, 10 September to Sunday, 15 September.

STOMP is a unique combination of percussion, dance and physical comedy: seen by over 12 million people worldwide, there have been long running productions in London, Paris, Las Vegas, Boston and San Francisco, with the flagship New York still running, now celebrating its 25th year.

Book now for STOMP by calling Computicket on 083 915 8000 or booking online at www.computicket.com

Explore.

Experience.

Engage.

A membership to the iconic Two Oceans Aquarium means so much more than just a visit with the fish So, you’ve decided to become a member of the Two Oceans Aquarium. Imagine being asked if you would like a rehabilitated turtle with your annual pass?

Or perhaps some pensioners joining your meander through the Aquarium? Or a plastic-free seal? Or how about some underprivileged children to watch the shark feed with you?

You might think the Aquarium had gone slightly mad if you were asked such questions. But did you know that an annual membership makes so much more possible than just a visit with the fish? When you sign up for an Aquarium membership, you are not only contributing to the operations of the Aquarium – which include caring for more than 8 000 individual animals from more than 250 species and employing more than 150 people – but also supporting the Aquarium’s many educational and conservation initiatives: • • • •

The rescue, rehabilitation and release of endangered sea turtles Rescue of Cape fur seals from life-threatening plastic nooses Contributions to scientific research on sharks, sunfish and so much more Free visits to nearly 30 000 children in one year who can’t afford to come to us, with our Oceans in Motion and Smart Living outreach education programmes

So, while we don’t ask you strange questions when you become a member, isn’t it good to know that your membership does buy so much more than just visits to the Aquarium? It is something that lasts even when you’ve left the building ... And that’s worth every cent!

To become a member, you can sign up online or simply activate on your next visit to the Two Oceans Aquarium. Alternatively, come for the day and if you like what you see, you can upgrade your day ticket to a membership on the spot. For more information, please visit https://www.aquarium.co.za/members

Child of the Universe Magazine

Child of the Universe Magazine

Child of the Universe Magazine

The Antbear Drakensberg Lodge is a thatched, whitewashed lodge built high on a natural platform overlooking the Bushman's River and Giants Castle.

Antbear Drakensberg Lodge offers various Drakensberg accommodation options in en suite double rooms, luxury suites, family units and also boasts a luxury cave too.

Antbear Drakensberg Lodge is one of those smaller intimate kind places which has been lovingly put together. The natural setting of the accommodation is stunning and we have managed to encase all this beauty with an atmosphere of comfort and ease.

The cottages are smartly appointed and individually designed and the fact that we are a small place makes for an intimate and personal accommodation experience. Each of the accommodation units are different and are decorated with uniquely eccentric and artistic wooden furniture.

It is a bit off the beaten track and is more of an insider tip than just another bed and breakfast. We cater for small intimate groups and never have more than 45 guests at a time. It's a laid back, lovingly cared for kind of place where you feel a sense of happiness and peace. Honeymoon stays turn into anniversary commemorations just as guests become friends. Even foreign tourists return for a second and third taste.

Attractions Drakensburg Hiking Trails Bushman Rock Art Giant’s Castle Kamberg Weenen Game Reserve Royal Natal National Park Drakensburg Boys Choir

Horse Trails Injasuti Nature Reserve Monks Cowl Natal Midlands Tugela Falls Sani Pass Fly Fishing

Retreats The Antbear Drakensberg Lodge is the ideal retreat venue where we can provide all the services and accommodation for your retreat. Situated 4 hours from Johannesburg and 2 hours from Durban with easy access from the N3 Antbear Lodge is easy to get to but has the feeling of being far from the madding crowd. This wonderful place for group retreats offers spectacular views, vast spaces, wild winds, rain, sunshine, clouds and rainbows and in all of this – silence and peace.

Retreat groups can book the whole lodge for their exclusive use.

The Lodge can accommodate 44 persons in 15 separate accommodation units Antbear Drakensberg Lodge has a spacious dining room with a wood-burning fireplace, a comfortable lounge with a fireplace and spectacular views, a breakaway meeting room, a large veranda and a large meeting room for retreat, team building or training activities. We provide excellent meals and will fit our menu to your expectations.

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Conscious Life Magazine

Because food is an important part of your stay Meals are part of the real surprises that the Antbear Lodge has to offer where home grown cooking is part of the deal. We like to use our own home grown organic vegetables and if we haven’t got, then we lean heavily on those local providers with similar attitudes to our own. Conny and Andrew both like cooking and are up to changing just about anything to suit tastes or philosophies. Our cooking experience is in part a journal, a record of events and memories expressed in recipes. In the course of our travels we have filed away many recipes and with them images of people and places and their lives. How food tastes has much to do with the associations we make and if you would like to hear the tales of our meals we would love to tell them.

Sustainable & responsible tourism is our social responsibility and what we do to give something back to our community and environment We believe in sustainable tourism and social responsibility. We live is a spectacularly beautiful place called the Drakensberg and our standard of living here is exceptional.

But around us lie contrasts of poverty and lack of development. If we are to keep our way of life then it surely follows that we must do everything in our power to contribute to the upliftment and prosperity of this rural area. We believe that the future of South Africa is linked to the prosperity of the people, and that upliftment is linked to education. And as such we have chosen to support our local primary school called Vulakani Primary School.

Pet friendly accommodation Drakensberg One of the few pet-friendly places in the Drakensberg. Beautiful, vast views of the Drakensberg with plenty of ground for my dogs to roam. Walk for hours.

Your dogs will be happy with lots of dams to swim in and horses to discover. One of the accommodation units at Antbear Lodge is fenced in so its really easy to leave your dog behind if you would like to explore some of the sights where pets are not that welcome. If country life is for you and you would love to take your pet with you then Antbear Lodge is a great accommodation choice. Your hosts will advise you on all the activities available. Antbear Lodge prides itself on being both family-friendly and petfriendly.

CONTACT Mobile 076 441 2362 Email: reservations@antbear.co.za Web: www.antbear.co.za

Conscious Life Magazine

Conscious Life Magazine

Your Pet's Proper Diet & Nutrition

by Dr. Karen Shaw Becker, mercola.com

The majority of pet owners today purchase food filled with carbohydrate fillers such as potato, wheat and corn.

Similar to humans, this causes weight gain and the development of other complications such as diabetes and cancer in pets. In short, these additives are biologically inappropriate for pets and should be avoided as much as possible.

A Raw, Homemade SpeciesAppropriate Diet Is Key for Optimal Health The proper solution is to make your own pet food at home using high-quality ingredients that your four-legged friend will enjoy. It’s important that you feed them raw ingredients because they contain important enzymes and phytonutrients that are typically destroyed during food processing.

The great thing about this approach is that you can be flexible and adjust the ingredients accordingly based on your Conscious Life Magazine Conscious Life Magazine

pet’s preferences. You can also cook the food if your pet won’t eat a raw diet.

The Best Supplements You Can Get for Your Pet Along with a healthy, species-appropriate diet, providing supplements to your pets can help address certain health issues and help support their health in the long run. Some of the most useful supplements can help improve their: • Gastrointestinal Tract: To support a healthy digestive system, two beneficial supplements are generally recommended: probiotics and digestive enzymes.

Probiotics are friendly bacteria that thrive in your pet’s digestive tract, which help prevent pathogenic microbes from creating diseases. However, be sure to avoid feeding your pet human probiotics because these products use different bacterial strains that may not be effective for animals. Only use high-quality probiotics that are specially formulated for pets.

Digestive enzymes, on the other hand, help aid the absorption of nutrients from the food your pets eat. This helps maximize the food your pets eat each and every meal.

• Liver and Kidney Function: Liver and kidney supplements can help provide additional support for your pet’s digestive functions and reduce the risk of urinary tract infections. There’s a diverse list that can help augment this area: Milk thistle, SAMe, L-glycine, chlorella, resveratrol, taurine, curcumin, decaffeinated green tea leaf extract and N-acetyl L-cysteine are all viable options.

• Cardiovascular Health: One valuable supplement that can help support healthy cardiovascular function is CoQ10, or ubiquinol, which is its reduced form. CoQ10 is a coenzyme produced in the liver to support energy and growth, and cardiovascular cells happen to demand high levels of it.

All pets ages 7 and above can benefit from taking this supplement.

• Joint Health: As pets grow older, they may need special care and attention on their joints due to years of running and jumping around, especially for larger breeds. A healthy diet and regular exercise are both helpful in maintaining proper joint function. But if these do not suffice, natural eggshell membrane may help support healthy joints.

• Skin and Coat Health: To support a healthy skin and coat, essential fatty acids should be at the top of your list, such as omega-3. They can come in natural forms, such as wild-caught salmon, sardines and anchovies. They can also come in supplement form, such as krill oil, which you can easily add to your pet’s food for convenient consumption.

Good Nutrition for Your Pets Starts at Home If you’ve been feeding your dog or cat regular canned pet food, it’s time to make a change.

Feeding them a natural, nutritious diet is more in line with their ancestors’ way of living, and is a sure way to lift their disposition. Not only will they thank you for it, but they will surely shower you with even more love in the years to come.

Conscious Life Magazine

Conscious Life Magazine

Conscious Life Magazine

Dear Reader, Because of animal lovers like you, Humane Society International is working around the clock to fight the gruesome dog meat industry – to end it for good.

We’ve slammed the doors permanently on nine dog meat farms in South Korea and rescued more than 900 dogs. Not only that, but we’re lobbying hard for better laws throughout Asia to fight the cruelty, transition farmers out of the business of cruelty, and so much more.

Here is one transformation that we can't stop smiling about. Sophie was rescued just this year from a horrible life on a dog meat farm. Now, she is running free and playing in the grass, surrounded by the love of her forever family:

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This kind of ending never gets old, but so many other dogs still need you.

You can make a difference for dogs caught up in this brutal industry: Sign the dog meat pledge today.

With you by our side, we're committed to this huge fight against the dog meat trade. We’re closing farms and rescuing the animals; we’re raising public and political awareness of the cruelty involved; and we’re growing substantial support for a phase out and ban of South Korea’s dog meat farms. Become a part of the global campaign to end the dog meat trade—sign your name right now.

Thank you, for protecting animals from cruelty all across the globe.

Sincerely, Kitty Block President Humane Society International

Conscious Life Magazine

Conscious Life Magazine

Conscious Life Magazine

EVERY HOME NEEDS A LOVING PET! THERE ARE SO MANY BEAUTIFUL ANIMALS WAITING TO BE ADOPTED – PLEASE REACH OUT! WE ALSO ENCOCURAGE YOU TO REACH INTO YOUR HEARTS FOR THOSE WHO ARE LESS FORTUNATE AND REALLY NEED YOUR HELP.

Conscious Life Magazine

Conscious Life Magazine

Conscious Life Magazine

Who we are: The Monkey Helpline, started in 1995, is a volunteer group, based in Westville near Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, but operating throughout the province and also anywhere else in South Africa and abroad where our assistance and advice are requested.

Our team of dedicated rescuers and rescue assistants, veterinarians, educators, monitors, fund-raisers, administrative assistants and supporters is what makes this project the success that it is today.

Monkey Helpline is a registered NPO. 130-166 NPO What we do: As a team we devote our time to educating people about the reasons why the monkeys are here, why monkeys behave the way they do, the things people should do or not do when monkeys are around, and how to humanely keep monkeys away from those places where they are not welcome. Just knowing that monkeys will NOT attack and bite people, and that they DON’T carry rabies, is usually enough to change antagonism and fear into tolerance, and frequently into appreciation.

We also run a rescue operation and a “high care” unit. We rescue an average of three monkeys every two days, and their injuries range from wounds sustained during fights with other monkeys, dog bites, being run over by motor vehicles, electrocuted, snared, trapped or poisoned, shot with airguns (pellet/BB guns), catapults, paintball guns and firearms, as well as being caught or injured on razor-wire. Many are babies who are orphaned or injured when mother monkeys are attacked by dogs or other monkeys, or are severely injured or killed in human-related incidents.

Over eighty percent of the monkeys we rescue, irrespective of the reason why, have got air-gun pellets lodged in their bodies. Lead pellets cause terrible pain, suffering and a lingering death and no person, adult or child, should ever shoot monkeys, or any other animals, with an air-gun.

As the only dedicated monkey rescue project in KwaZulu-Natal, the Monkey Helpline is available to do rescues 24 hours a day, every day! On any given day we are treating ten or more monkeys in our home-based high care unit – frequently in excess of twenty monkeys! Once they have recovered from their injuries these monkeys are released back into their home territory, transferred to a rehabilitation facility or placed in a sanctuary.

Education is a vital tool in our hands and we distribute thousands of information leaflets, and visit many schools (at least two schools per week) to do educational talks about the monkeys. During 2009 we spoke to over 40 000 school learners and their teachers. We also do talks to many other interest groups such as police cadets, garden clubs, public service groups, conservation bodies, body corporates, etc. In addition, we advise farmers, businesses, hotels and casinos, housing and golfing estates, botanical gardens etc on the best ways to manage human/monkey “conflict”.

Monkey Helpline networks with a number of other Vervet-related individuals, groups, and general primate- and animal-care NGO’s.

NB. There is no charge for the services we offer, but donations towards the cost of running the project are welcome. Without your support we would not be able to change attitudes and legislation in favour of the monkeys nor would we be able to rescue the hundreds that we do every year and alleviate their suffering.

Conscious Life Magazine

Hotel Hope Ministries is a fully registered South African non-profit organisation established with aim of ensuring that each and every child is brought up in a safe, happy and healthy home so that they can grow up and develop into responsible and positive adults. Although children are our main focus, we have a holistic approach to the problem of orphaned and abandoned children. We realise that we need to focus on the cause of the problem too and not only the symptoms. So we have projects to focus on assisting Mothers and Fathers, so that they can look after themselves and their children.

We group our projects under three focus areas: BABIES IN NEED Creating and supporting several small family style foster homes for orphaned and abandoned babies.

MOTHERS IN CRISIS Providing young mothers facing unplanned pregnancies with counselling, guidance and practical support.

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE Helping Mothers and Fathers to help themselves by providing jobs and skill development opportunities through our fundraising and trading projects.

As a fully registered South African charity we are registered with the following authorities: · Section 21 company without share capital - 2010/006792/08 · Non-Profit Organization (NPO) number – 084 289 · Public Benefit Organization (PBO) number – 930 034 387 Mission statement: To engage the local Church Worldwide to embrace its God given responsibility of taking care of destitute mothers and orphaned and abandoned children.

Vision statement: To see a full service (either ourselves or in partner with others) covering: •Children’s homes •Adoption advocacy •Mothers in crisis •Counselling centres •Training Academy •Charity shops / trading Conscious Life Magazine

Our fundraising model: We have a unique funding model in place where we are able to generate funds to cover 100% of our administrative costs through our Charity Shop(s) as well as the output of our carpentry workshop and sewing workshop. We are extremely committed to Social enterprise as it creates employment in South Africa, funds for the Charity, volunteering opportunities as well as a lowpriced outlet for customers from low-income groups. Furthermore we can assure donors that 100% of their support will directly benefit the children in our care as well as mothers in crisispregnancy situations.

Thank you to our donors and corporate sponsors: As an organisation we are incredibly blessed to have many active supporters, individuals and corporates, who make it possible for us to do what we do and to make a difference. People often comment that it must be difficult to work in our environment hearing sad stories all the time, and it is sometimes hard, but it is also so rewarding to see those stories turning into stories of hope and it is so inspiring and such a privilege to witness people, like our supporters, coming forward to help and to give so generously. There are amazing people out there in the world, click here to see who some of them are and how they have made a difference‌ Click here Our Sponsors:

DONATE FINANCIALLY Deposit or Electronic transfer directly into our account First National Bank Account name: Hotel Hope Account number: 62194003382 Branch: Melville, Johannesburg Branch code (sort code): 256505 Account type: Cheque account SWIFT code: FIRNZAJJ (For international deposits) Reference: Donation (your name) OTHER WAYS TO DONATE/HELP US Conscious Life Magazine

Conscious Life Magazine

At Operation Smile we believe every child suffering from cleft lip or cleft palate deserves exceptional surgical care.

For too many families around the world, safe surgery is not an option.

At Operation Smile we believe every child deserves exceptional surgical care. We believe all children deserve to be treated as if they were our own.

EVERY 3 MINUTES, a child is born with a cleft lip or cleft palate and may suffer from torments, malnourishment and difficulty with speech.

We dream of a world where no child suffers from lack of access to safe surgery. Learn why we do what we do in the video below.

That’s what drives each and every one of us: our global network of medical professionals, who donate hundreds of thousands of hours toward the care of children around the world each year, and our supporters who are moved every day to make a difference in the lives of children they’ve never met.

How you can help Operation Smile South Africa Building 17, 103/104, Waverley Office Park 5 Wyecroft Rd, Observatory 7925 (+27) 021 447 3608 infosa@operationsmile.org NPO number 083-117 NPO

A child’s cleft lip or cleft palate can be repaired for as little as R5500 and in as few as 45 minutes, but your gift is more than a surgery. All of our supporters give renewed hope to children and families around the world.

Conscious Life Magazine

Help us bring hope to girls without and choices to those with none.

Founded in 2000 by Khanyisile Motsa, and run under her diligent care ever, Home of Hope for Girls is an autonomous, self-started initiative to provide real care for exploited, trafficked and abused children in the city of Johannesburg.

It is more than just a residential shelter; it is a loving home where dignity is restored, the past is healed and the girls are given the tools to take control of their futures. Home of Hope also reaches out to the community offering the most vulnerable members support, practical help and a lifeline.

The Background to Home of Hope An estimated 10,000 children are prostitutes in Johannesburg and this figure is increasing.

When Khanyisile Motsa relocated to Hillbrow she was shocked to observe girls as young as nine working as prostitutes and selling drugs on the streets at night. The truth about these forgotten children is: • • • • • •

Child Prostitute. Photo by Tseliso Monaheng

Criminals pay agents to recruit children They usually target often orphans or/and those from very disadvantaged rural communities Victims are trafficked or seduced to leave with lies about a life in the city Their IDs are frequently taken from them to make escape and identification difficult Their IDs are often sold on the black market ‘Owned’ by their exploiters they are prostituted, abused, made to sell drugs

Email: info@hopehome.org.za Mam Khanyi: 073 250 2086 Telephone: 011 614 0861 Conscious Life Magazine

Call 012 430 7775 Lines open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In South Africa and around the world, we work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When crisis strikes, and children are most vulnerable, we are always among the first to respond and the last to leave. We ensure children’s unique needs are met and their voices are heard. We deliver lasting results for millions of children, including those hardest to reach. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.

We need your help to ensure that no child is left behind.

In a tough funding environment, we have ensured we have multiple avenues of funding and are proud to have 11,000 generous individual donors contributing monthly. We will continue to be innovative in securing funding to enable us to reach more children and will work on increasing unrestricted and consistent funding streams.

You can help us make a difference. Even just by becoming aware of our work by reading our annual report.

To download and read the full annual report, click here.

Help us do whatever it takes to save the children.

Thank You Gugulethu Ndebele CEO

www.savethechildren.org.za Conscious Life Magazine

with much appreciation to our advertisers, contributors, endorsers and our readers namaste