Small Business Christmas ~ Baby J Inspirations

Baby J Inspirations is an Australian business specialising in handmade items.

Each item is lovingly made by Danielle who was inspired by her young son to start the business.

Her product range includes

Bandana Bibs

Buntings

Taggies

Fabric Flower Clips

Earrings

Bracelets

Baby J Inspirations have some great specials on at the moment.

You can get bandana bibs or taggies $8 each or 2 for $15 ( plus postage) 

Animal taggies $5 each ( plus postage) 

Bracelets $3 each or 2 for $5 ( plus postage)  

There are lot's of Christmas products so be sure to check out their Facebook page and let them know that you saw them here.

Let's make Christmas all about small business

This great image is once again making the rounds on Facebook and I thought it was a perfect opportunity to showcase some of these small businesses.

So over the next couple of weeks I will be sharing a handful of my favourite small businesses with you who all have wonderful gifts available for Christmas.

Here's a sneak peek at some of the things they have on offer.

The dangers of swallowing a button battery

We all know how much babies and toddlers love to put things in their mouths. For little ones it is a tactile experience and helps them to learn textures. But what happens when this process becomes dangerous.

Choking is not the only hazard involved. There is poisoning, but as responsible parents we keep poisons locked away up high and out of reach, or do we?
Not all poisons are obvious or are labelled as such. An item that you would most likely consider a choking hazard can in fact be one of the deadliest poisons our little ones can ingest.

The button battery, found in watches, musical greeting cards, toys, games and kitchen timers and scales can have devastating consequences if swallowed.

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This situation touched very close to home for me recently, when a friends little girl was rushed to hospital after having swallowed a battery. Her family had no idea this had happened and at first thought she was just unwell or perhaps cutting teeth.
It started with vomiting, followed by almost constant crying and the inability to settle. When she was no better, her mother took her to the Dr's and was sent to the hospital for immediate treatment. They were later sent to a bigger hospital with "light's and siren's" wailing.

After hours of surgery and a stay in ICU, she is now recovering in the Children's Ward and will make a full recovery. But things could have been very different like it was for this little girl.

There are several sites with valuable information regarding battery safety and how to recognise the symptoms associated with the swallowing of a button battery like SAFE KIDS WORLDWIDE, The Battery Controlled and Emmett's Fight, which is a blog about little Emmett's survival after swallowing a battery.

But let's look at a few things that we can do to make sure this never happens again

• Keep your batteries locked away like you do your other poisons
• Check toys, cards and other items that contain button batteries and make sure they are secure
• Dispose of used batteries safely, as they still contain enough poisons to be deadly
• SPREAD THE WORD make sure your friends and family are aware of the dangers. The more people that know, the better chance we have at preventing these accidents from happening.

Here are some warning signs that a child may of swallowed a button battery

• chest pain
• coughing
• nausea and/or vomiting
• diarrhea
• abdominal pain
• fever

And remember if you suspect a child has swallowed a button battery, get them to the hospital immediately. The batteries can start causing damage within 2 hours, so the sooner they can be treated, the better the outcome.

Linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT

I need a nap

This is a post I’ve been putting off for a very long time.

I’ve tried to ignore the need for it.

I’ve made excuses.

But I cannot ignore it any longer.

For years my overall health has gotten progressively worse, I’ve developed allergies, asthma and digestion issues. But over the last 18 months things have escalated. I am barely sleeping (a few hours a night with regular periods of wakefulness), my asthma has gotten to the point where I require regular doses of steroids (which has added to my health problems), I have developed eczema, psoriasis, debilitating exhaustion, severe brain fog, an inability to focus or concentrate and body aches and pains (like fibromyalgia). 

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My doctor tried to tell me that it was due to my allergies and raising 6 children. I know the difference between exhaustion from raising kids and what I was suffering and I also knew it was far more complicated and serious than allergies (hayfever, grass, cats, mice, dust and mold) but he just wouldn’t listen. I had to fight for the few tests that he did run and couldn’t convince him to run others.

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So I did my research. I’m a bit of a nerd and love, love, love to research things. I found some really interesting info and spoke to some great people about my symptoms and what tests I should have done and worked up the courage to find a different doctor. The doctor I wanted to see is no longer living in my town so I decided to go to my old doctor (who diagnosed Mr Pete’s hemochromatosis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and got him to run the tests. I also saw a naturopath as I wanted a more natural approach to my treatment.

As suspected, it wasn’t just allergies and lots of kids. I have hormonal imbalances (not enough progesterone and estrogen dominance), a congested liver (which had been previously diagnosed), very poor gut health (also previously diagnosed), an underactive thyroid (although not enough to register on the standard tests), some vitamin and mineral deficiencies (magnesium, potassium, Vit D) and Adrenal Fatigue (which explains some of the deficiencies).

I’m thankful that I got on top of this when I did, as I was very, very close to Adrenal Burnout and by trying to do the right thing, and detoxing, I had caused my adrenals to crash. Which is why I had been hit with an onslaught and increase of symptoms over such a short period. The steroids had put extra strain on my adrenals during this time as well.

So now it's time to 

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I will post again regarding my treatment and how it’s all going but basically the reason for this post is to apologise for my lack of posts and to explain why blogging regularly is so difficult for me at the moment. I’m hoping that as my treatment progresses and my health improves I will be able to post more regularly and provide you all with useful tips on saving money, time and sanity while raising your families, whether they are large or small.

Thanks for sticking around

Linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT 

Maggi Stir Fry Creations, quick easy and delicious

I love when I get the opportunity to review products and especially when they are products that make life easier around Great Googa Moogas HQ.

Thanks to Product Talk by Nuffnang we got to enjoy the Maggi Stir Fry Creations range recently. What's great about these stir fry sauces is that they are so quick and easy to use which is fantastic if, like me, you don't always have a lot of time to prepare dinner for your family.

They are a two part sauce which allows for a "layering of flavours" and can be used with whatever meat and veg you have on hand. The first part is an infusion sauce which you marinate your meat in and the second is a finishing sauce which gets stirred through at the end.
They come in a great range of flavours and are available at Woolworths/Safeway, Coles and some Independent Supermarkets for $3.29 RRP

So far we have had Sweet Chilli, Ginger and Lemongrass chicken stirfry served with basmati rice, made quick and easy with a bag of frozen vegies and thigh fillets, Chinese Five Spice Beef served with Maggi Noodles and fresh vegies from the fridge, Teriyaki and Sesame Chicken stir fry with a combination of frozen and fresh vegies (hey, you use what you've got) and noodles.

Thinking outside the box we also decided to try Honey, Soy and Garlic chicken wraps with lettuce, tomato and cheese. These were amazing and all we did was add the finishing sauce after the chicken was cooked and let the whole thing simmer for a few minutes before adding it to our wraps I plan to do the same tomorrow night with the Garlic and Ginger Chicken.

Sweet Chilli, Ginger and Lemongrass Chicken

Terriyaki and Sesame Chicken

Honey, Soy and Garlic Chicken Wraps

Chinese Five Spice Beef

These will definitely be added to our shopping list and being so easy to use, even the kids can help with dinner.