Uh-Oh. Male Brainwashing Begins
November 16, 2007 | 3 Comments
Overheard in my kitchen.
First, a bit of background. My 9 year old made cupcakes. (Yes, we eat cupcakes and other sinful foods occasionally. Read my philosophy on nutrition. And we had collard greens and black eyes peas for dinner.)
I was taking a break enjoying a cup of Roobios tea and reading the new WC News. I walk into the kitchen and see that the chef has not cleaned up his cupcake cooking mess, and there are mixing bowls, spoons, batter splatter, etc scattered around the kitchen.
So I complement him on his tasty creations and say:
“Caleb, the thing about being a cook is, you have to clean up the mess afterwards.”
Son: “I hate that part. I am not tidy and neat, like a woman. I’m messy, like a man.”
(Me thinking: WHAT!? I didn’t raise my kids to think that your chromosomes decided your cleanliness and courtesy!)
I say: “Oooh, I wonder what your father would say if he heard you say that?” (You see, he can’t stand it when anyone makes stereotypical macho statements to him. He fancies himself a metrosexual. Hmmph!)
Son: “Yes, last time I was at his house it was a MESS. Clothes thrown all over the floor.”
He said it, not me!
Despite us, the male stereotyping happens.
Marni of Peppermint.com Babywearing Fame on TV
November 15, 2007 | 2 Comments
Congrats to Marni of Peppermint.com - she appeared on TV sharing babywearing and traveling with kids tips. Here’s the video.
Marni is our next guest on the show so stay tuned to hear her interview.
EcoWednesday - Family Cloth and Tree Houses
November 15, 2007 | 2 Comments
Getting rid of the toilet paper. Have you guys heard of the “family cloth”? It’s not a communal cloth used for the entire family, I’m not sure how it got the name. Basically it refers to using cloth “wipes” for potty needs - but not just the baby!
There’s a thread over at MDC about this. While I can’t say I would use this method for “number 2″, I think I could go for it for the rest. I don’t exactly go for the argument that it’s no different than cloth diapering - because with older babies, you can shake the poo into the potty first. I don’t like the idea of washing poopy clothes with, for instance, dish towels. I already use cloth pads for my monthlies though, so maybe this is just another case of “selective squeamishness”. Cloth certainly is more comfy! I admit I have used “family cloth” in a pinch - meaning the middle of the night when someone (ahem) forgot to replace the toilet roll and all I could reach was a washcloth!
One question I would have is how to keep the smell down. You would have to wash them daily, methinks. I live with boys, and have to clean the toilet daily to keep the smell from overtaking me.
Side note: I don’t know if these are any more eco friendly than a regular old house that sits on the ground, but aren’t these treehouse homes so cute! I want one! I have a secret Swiss Family Robinson fantasy.
Do You Need Chocolate? Contest!!
November 13, 2007 | 1 Comment
Well this is somewhat ironic - this week’s show is all about conquering your cravings, but I’m about to tell you how you can get a bunch of free chocolate with this week’s contest!
Well all things in moderation right? After all, chocolate does have some health benefits, so if you keep your intake to a little bit now and then, it’s A-OK.
Here’s how it works. Kelly McCausey of Moms Talk Radio/Moms Radio Network is actually hosting this contest. You can see all the details here.
Basically what you have to do to enter is interview, either by phone or email, your favorite podcast host. (Hint, hint!)
Craving Secrets
November 12, 2007 | 9 Comments
The following is a transcript of this week’s show. Enjoy!
Carrie: We’re going to talk about your ebook Cravings Secrets. What you do, helping women identify their cravings and what might be behind those, and how to deal with them nutritionally. Share with us the basic premise of your book.
Diana: How it started was that I’ve had cravings over the years for everything out there: sugar, salt, coffee, fast food, fried food, carbs, everything that everyone else deals with.
I’ve been very health minded for about 30 years but then would always be sabotaging myself with lots of high carb foods. That was my main downfall. What I mean by high carb is white bread. But even whole wheat bread; the carbs are hard on our bodies. I found that there was a need out there to help others once I was able to have my diet feel easy and free from cravings.
The basis of my book is that there are 5 things that make a difference with the cravings. It really is a complex subject, but if I can give you those 5 things that I base my book around.
Number one is low blood sugar, and that’s the main trigger for food cravings. That can be caused when we are really really hungry, or if we have gone on a very restricted diet. The second one is blood sugar imbalance. If we’re having cravings and then we have something sugary; a chocolate bar or donut, then our body is flooded with sugar and we feel “high” and have energy for a little while, and then it goes down. And then we need something else again. So this can lead to a lot of mood swings too.
Then there’s emotional, number three. Emotional and psychological triggers. Of course, food is very emotionally charged for most of us. Number four would be hormones, and this is especially for women and a lot of strong food cravings happen just the week before we start our periods. So that can be the big hormonal swing, and that causes a lot of cravings. And it’s not all in your head, it’s a real hormonal thing.
And number five, sometimes we can become allergic or sensitive to foods like wheat, gluten and sugar, and our bodies just finally give up. It craves those things but we develop allergy or sensitivity to them.
I have my book laid out in those 5 main areas, and then how all our cravings tie in to that. And I give you solutions too.
Carrie: And do you think that sometimes several of those things can be going on at once? Because I know for me, I’ve had low blood sugar my whole life, and my sister and my mom have it. But at the same time it seems that kind of makes it worse… I don’t know what caused what. It’s the chicken and egg thing. Does the intolerance contribute to the low blood sugar o does the low blood sugar come up as a result of the food intolerance? What do you think?
Diana: I think that for most people it started with the low blood sugar. A lot of us have dieted a lot, right? We go without food or maybe we’ve been busy… busy moms don’t look after themselves.
Carrie: A lot of times I put the kids to bed and then I get up at about 10:30 and I just feel like I could eat a cow! I’m just ravenous and I go and eat another dinner because I just haven’t had enough calories all day.
Diana: Exactly! I think that probably started years ago and then that is something, from my point of view what has worked for me and many people, is some protein. That often is a big key to it. I’ve found that when I was strict vegetarian, I was not getting enough protein. And my cravings would be just unbelievable for sugars and carbs, or very hungry late at night. So I personally know that I have to have fish in my diet. Salmon/
Carrie: I had salmon for lunch.
Diana: Did you? Good girl!
Carrie: … and I took a picture of the children because I made a Japanese style meal. I had rice, and salmon cooked with teriyaki sauce, and carrots and broccoli cooked with garlic, and a little dash of teriyaki sauce, and they just licked the plates clean. And my 6 year old especially, he can eat as much salmon as a grown man. He just loves it!
You talk about the importance of Omega 3’s a lot. Especially for women childbearing age.
Diana: Absolutely. This is really something that unfortunately, most of us are very deficient in Omega 3’s. Not so much the Omega 6’s, so I’ll just talk about the Omega 3’s. And they’re found in salmon and tuna and sardines and also in flaxseed and hemp seeds. So there are vegetarian ways to get them. But, they really affect your mood if you are deficient in them. And it helps your – you get rid of chemicals and toxins that are in your body. So they help with cleansing your body. And you have to have them for repairing cells, and they affect your heart, your reproductive system, and nervous system. So how important is that?
Women need at least 1100 milligrams per day. I don’t take mine separately, I just eat fish. But you may want to do that, and here’s how it affects us as women in childbearing years. If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding you should increase to 1500 milligrams.
Carrie: We had an expert on the topic of breastfeeding and depression several weeks ago who talked about some pretty amazing research that has been done around depression and Omega 3 fatty acids. Because a lot of women don’t want to take antidepressants, they don’t want to go that route, and they may not be able to depending on whether they’re pregnant or nursing. And that’s really encouraging to know that.
Diana: Exactly. I’m definitely on the same wavelength with her because I think that could make such a difference. And it makes a difference with cravings too. Cravings aren’t a separate thing that suddenly happens to us, it’s mostly through nutrition or lack of nutrition. Most of us are malnourished from infancy.
It seems so odd to talk about being malnourished when we’re all eating so much, but for one thing, the fruits and vegetables that are grown have up to 80% less nutritional value. So even if you’re eating healthy, sometimes you could have cravings because your body is still looking and looking and looking for the right building materials to make your cells. So sometimes that can be the craving that you’re having – your body is actually malnourished. So it’s looking and looking and never satisfied. And if you’re craving salt for instance it can often be a mineral, lack of the right minerals in your body. So each one of your cravings – there can be different things.
Hormonally of course, around PMS time, most of us are familiar with that right? It can be that the less estrogen you have, your serotonin levels in the brain are decreased. So that explains why so many of us have a lot of cravings during that period of time.
Carrie: Ok I’m confused now! The lower estrogen levels, the lower the serotonin levels?
Diana: Yes.
Carrie: Ok. I don’t understand that because it seems pre-menstrually we have higher estrogen levels, but we don’t?
Diana: No.
Carrie: Ok that’s new to me!
Diana: Yeah, estrogen is down. And it does make the serotonin levels go down.
Carrie: Ok. And it seems to me that a lot of pre-menopausal women crave sweets more, but after menopause I’ve noticed a lot of women crave salty foods, and salty foods seem to be a more dominant craving among men. Is there any connection there between what’s going on hormonally and that craving?
Diana: You know I haven’t researched that. I don’t know. That would be interesting to research. Now, most of my research has centered around (in terms of salt cravings), the mineral deficiency that would be there. I’ll have to keep track. You’ve put me on the spot here Carrie!
Carrie: I’m sorry! Maybe it’s just something I’ve noticed among my small, very unscientific data that I’ve collected!
Diana: With perimenopause, you’re right – the sugar sugar sugar just seems to increase. That’s why I like to guide people – if they’re in their 20s and 30s to cut back on the sugars and become more knowledgeable. Find alternatives, exercise more, get more sunshine, all these things because if you don’t start doing that in your 2-s and 30s it’s going to be a lot worse in your 40s and 50s, because it’s cumulative.
Carrie: And it’s harder, too I think to stay the weight that you want to be, once you hit a certain age. I’ve just heard so many women say that they had no trouble staying thin until they hit about 50 and then it seems like just walking past the refrigerator they gain weight.
Diana: Exactly!
Carrie: So if you have those good habits in place then you don’t feel so deprived.
Diana: That’s right. And it’s really important to have support. And love comes into it, and all of our emotions. There’s really so many aspects to cravings. And I’ve been delving into it for a long time.
Carrie: yes I think the emotion thing is definitely the case for a lot of women. I think if we’re craving carbs or chocolate, a lot of times what we really need is to take a break and nurture ourselves somehow. But it’s somehow more acceptable to say, “Oh I need a brownie!” than to say: “I need two hours to be alone. And don’t talk to me, and don’t touch me, and don’t ask me for anything.”
Diana: Exactly!
Carrie: We have a hard time saying that, but it’s socially acceptable to get a brownie.
Diana: Yeah, that’s true isn’t it? Very true. So there are really a lot of emotional roller coasters that people can go through and then it becomes worse and worse. Because if that’s what we put into our bodies, then we start craving it more.
So each person has to decide what they’re going to deal with first, or just make one small change every week, or even every month. So, have more protein and more small meals or snacks in between. It doesn’t have to be the 5 snacks or the 5 meals a day that’s popular now. I really believe in looking at your own lifestyle. But it is better to eat more, earlier in the day, because I don’t know if this is true but I heard that Sumo wrestlers start eating at 4 o’clock in the afternoon and eat until midnight, because that helps put on the weight.
Carrie: Interesting. I’ve certainly noticed a difference in my mood and energy level when I eat more at lunch and breakfast. And you know I think too with kids – and this is something that I’ve written down before, and sometimes I forget to do it now, but if we just put a little spoonful of peanut butter in their mouth right before we think it’s going to be a meltdown time, sometimes it’s low blood sugar that causes them to misbehave.
Diana: That’s brilliant!
Carrie: And a little bite of cheese or handful of nuts of just a little bit of protein, like at 4 o’clock at that in between time, and it really does wonders for their behavior.
Diana: That’s wonderful, that is really really perfect. You should be teaching this! Thank you so much for having me on today.
Carrie: Thank you for sharing with us, we appreciate it!
P.S. There is also a review of Diana’s book here: Craving Secrets review
Mothering Monday: Kids School Lunches and Big Bird on Breastfeeding
November 12, 2007 | 3 Comments
Jen talks about how she gets her daughter to eat all her lunch.
Super cute video of a nursing Mom on Sesame Street, hat tip to Melodie. According to Big Bird, breastfeeding is sweet.
Join the fun - grab a graphic on the right sidebar!
Natural Moms Podcast #67
November 12, 2007 | 1 Comment
This week we are joined by Diana Walker, the Cravings Coach. She’s sharing her secrets to help moms reduce the cravings that may be robbing them of energy and good health.
Visit the site to listen or download the mp3 here.
The Solidarity of Women through the Powerful transformation that is Birth….
November 11, 2007 | 1 Comment
Hello again Ladies!
I’m so excited to talk to you today about women and solidarity through Birth. I don’t have to tell you how much I love to talk about Birth as it’s own topic, but there’s nothing quite like the strength and connection women find when they walk through Birth together.
Someone asked me once if I’m against male OBs. They were commenting on how I speak of midwives most often in the female, and since I’m fiercely interested in equality between the sexes, well they thought they’d bring this inaccuracy to my attention. 
The term “midwife” means: “With Woman”. It would be inaccurate of me to say that there are no good male OB’s, no sensitive male GYNs, or no male Midwives. But the reality of it is that no matter how kind, gentle or compassionate they are, they can’t completely KNOW what women are experiencing in Birth, and can’t provide for them the benefit of having had a GYN exam, carried a baby in utero, or pushed a baby out of their vagina and into the world. I don’t personally subscribe to the belief that doctors “deliver” babies, and don’t even really think they should be the ones catching them…but that’s another topic.:)So in my book, they can’t really GO “with woman”. A man can hold her hand, hug her, provide physical and emotional support as labor companions and medical personnel, but they just can’t look her deep in her eyes, soul to soul and say: I’ve been where you are, and I know that when you will come through it, this will all be worth it.”
In many cultures women are the only ones allowed in the Birthing space. Men aren’t allowed in because they distract the women or start barking orders in a place they are not in charge. Many of these cultures are very male-dominant, and not equality based, but in that one sacred space, women are the ones with the wisdom-the ones who KNOW. Before I get any letters saying how supportive male partners are, and how important it is for them to be in the room….I’m not against men in the Birthing space, as long as they are wanted. As far as I’m concerned, the mother has the choice to have (or not have) anyone she pleases in her Birthing space. No exceptions. Period.
Women who have survived sexual abuse or rape, even when they’ve processed the pain and done everything they can to let it go, sometimes find this comes up in Birth, particularly when men are present. My opinion is that this is because Birth requires so much surrender, and is as powerful and as vulnerable as a women can ever be. The kind of nakedness you experience in Birth is beautiful, but also frightening and the “audience” makes a big difference in how you look back at it….but I’m going off on a tangent….
When women gather in that sacred moment-there is a comradarie you don’t find easily outside it. There is a deeper strength found between women, and a trust that can’t be described. Women just know. And it is this “just knowing” that makes us part of something greater. Something beautiful and life-alterning.
Many women find that they want to connect with other women, but may not have friends or family that understand the unique emotional/spiritual needs of a pregnant woman. They may attend childbirth classes, hoping for connection but although laughs are shared, and some connections made, these classes are primarily designed to teach about the physical process of Birth, what to expect in labor/delivery, and breathing/coaching techniques for the woman and her partner. It isn’t really designed to delve into the aspects of Birth that are transformational for the woman, or to encourage emotional and spiritual catharsis. That’s why I created She Births Workshops, and I love seeing women make those kinds of connections and rediscover the powerful person they are, form intimate connections with other women in similar “states of searching”, and leave the workshop with tools and wisdom they would rarely gain from traditional childbirth classes.
If this is something you inherently understand and feel drawn to, then here’s something I want to share with you!
www.shebirths.com offers a facilitator training course, which certifies women (and only women) to teach workshops that help women to prepare for the intangible aspects of the Birth process. The workshops are women-only…It is extremely women-centered and earthy, and a great way to help women prepare for the Rite of Birth.
This course is usually $600.00, but this month, the month of November I’m offering a special (very) opportunity for those on my mailing list, and readers/friends of Carrie’s Blog!
Here’s the info I sent to my list: Spaces are filling up quickly (just 5 left!), so if you’re interested be sure to get in touch with me soon!
________________________________________________________________________________
Hello Everyone!
We are offering the She Births Facilitator Certification Course for just $375.00! That’s $225.00 off the price!
Here’s the “small print”:
1) We are limiting the number of students at this price.
2) You must be willing to commit to finishing the course Before Feb. 1st 2008 (The course can easily be finished in 3 months, but we usually give 6 months to finish)
3) You need to be willing to provide feedback when requested, by means of either an online survey or an emailed questionaire, (we’ll determine which one) and be honest-this will help us improve the course.
4) At the conclusion of the course, there will be a more in-depth questionaire and comment section, and you should be willing to have your comments published on the website-along with your first name and your state.
5) Because of this special pricing, we are willing to do a payment plan of: 2 Payments of: $187.50, but they must be paid BEFORE you begin the course. We cannot have people only partially committed to this course, and expect an influx of potential facilitator trainees, and want to keep it simple.
6) Not everyone who wants to become certified will be accepted. We screen for certain belief systems and innate understand about Birth and it’s intangible aspects, as well as a passion for the topic. Once you are screened and accepted as an applicant, we will work out payment and send you your Welcome packet!
That’s it! Everything else is the same-you will have access to all the same resources, one on one time with Marcie Macari, and the opportunity to begin or enhance and already existing Birth Service! If you are interested in taking advantage of this special offer, please contact Anne Gilbert at: admin@shebirths.com , or Marcie Macari directly at: shebirths@gmail.com .
We look forward to sharing in your journey toward certification!
_______________________________________________________________________
Until next time…
Blessings of Flame and Wave.
Marcie
In which I ask Nell about tough decisions and discuss birth
November 10, 2007 | 13 Comments
This was her answer: not vaccinating. Then she asked me:
… tell me about your natural births. Why did you decide to go that route? Are you happy with the decision to go natural? What exactly did “natural birth” look like for you?
I love this question. I love birth, I love talking about birth, reading about birth, and even the smell of birth. Yep - birth has a smell and I’m always sad when the smell goes away a few days afterwards. 
My first baby was born in a hospital. I had been indoctrinated, if you will, into the cult of natural childbirth by my mother. When she had my sister, she was tied up (literally - her hands and legs were tied down). When she asked why, the hospital staff said: “So you won’t touch the baby.” My sister’s Dad was of course, not allowed anywhere near. This was just before the days of hippie husbands handcuffing themselves to their birthing women so they could be right there for the birth!
(Pic to the right - pushing with Sadie.)
She was drugged and felt nothing from the waist down. Then, for two days afterwards, she could not lift her head off the pillow because the Docs told her she could get a blood clot and die (wth?!). So, the ladies in the nursery took care of my sister. They also gave my mom a shot without her permission. When she inquired why, they told her “why, to dry up your milk, dear“. My mom was perplexed. Milk? What milk? She didn’t know anything about breastfeeding and they didn’t even give her the option!
Fast forward 7 years. She gave birth to me. My Dad was her “coach” and in the birth pictures, he figures so prominently (you can hardly see the Doctor because he did what good birthing Docs do - stay out of the way) that for years when I was little, I thought my dear ole Dad moonlighted as an OB!
My Mom said there was “no pain”. Of course, I think there is a hint of that Mom Amnesia that God throws in there to ensure that women will procreate, lol! But seriously - as soon as I was born, she looked up at my father and said: “Oh, when can we do this again!?”
I heard this story so many times in my childhood that it left a deep impression on me. It told me that birth is not like it is in the movies, with women screaming like banshees and losing control. My mother, with her deeply tanned skin and long dark wavy hair, looked like some kind of Native American princess giving birth to me. Hearing her contrast that experience with her first birth made me think that unmedicated was the way to go. 
(Pic to the left: me laboring in water with Sadie.)
Then I got the benefit of learning about my sister’s 4 births. Three of her babies were big, and she had them without drugs. She’s one stubborn woman! In fact, the same thing happened in all of her births. Her babies all had really round heads that didn’t seem to mold at all. At some point in her labor, the staff would start prepping for a C-section for “failure to progress”. At this point she would practically stand up on the bed and scream, “I didn’t come this far only to be cut open. Give me 5 minutes and I’ll get this kid out!” Then she would get real quiet and talk to her baby inside of her, and tell him to help her out! I know it sounds strange, but I did the exact same thing with a couple of mine. I would talk to them during my labor and asked them to help me. I also talked to God a lot.
I guess you could say unmedicated birth was my “norm”. So when I got pregnant with Caleb, I looked into childbirth education classes and picked the Bradley method. I liked their philosophy, so me and dh took classes. Caleb was born in the hospital. I insisted on not having continuous fetal monitoring. (I knew that led to increased Cesarean rates and false “babies in distress” drama.) I was like some kind of birth plan Nazi because every time a new nurse walked into the room I would nicely ask her to read it. I was determined that I was going to have the birth I wanted, not the birth the hospital administration wanted me to have. I never let Caleb leave my sight, and he slept in the hospital bed with me too.
While his birth went wonderfully, there were things I was unhappy with, like my midwife leaving me during labor to go care for the patients in her practice, and then coming back - after I had pushed for FOUR hours. A homebirth midwife would have been there every second, helping me change positions to ease pushing. The labor and delivery nurse saw that I had an undilated “lip” of cervix that was impeding his head moving down the birth canal, so she put her hand inside to move it away as I pushed, which helped me make faster progress. But knowing what I know now, a lay midwife would have meant a much shorter birth and easier recovery for me.
After he was born, I got my hands on a copy of Spiritual Midwifery and after reading it, that was all she wrote! I was convinced that I would have my next baby at home. I had Julien 2 years and 9 months later and his birth was like a DREAM. I honestly felt little discomfort - it was like bad menstrual cramps. I labored for 8 hours, and only the last two were uncomfy. I was sold on homebirth!
23 months later came Ilana. Girlfriend weighed in at 10 pounds, and I’m certain that if I had been in a hospital, I would have had a C - section. The reason being, after a few hours of labor, things just stalled out. When you’re at home, the midwives don’t view this as any big emergency - they change your position, squirt some herbs under your tongue, send you to bed for a nap or some kootchie - koo with your husband (what put the baby in will often help get the baby out!) or whatever. They also realize that sometimes emotional stuff can impede birth. For me, it was some personal issues around my relationship with the Dad (not mine, the baby’s). When that came up I started to cry really hard, and after that things started to progress.
Another issue was the fact that my living room had become Grand Central Station with two midwives, one midwife apprentice, two kids, G-ma and G-pa, and dh. My main midwife sensed this and sent me to my room LOL! Being alone helped me focus, and that kickstarted things too.
2 years later came Sadie, and her birth was much like Julien’s - super easy. In fact the midwives almost didn’t arrive in time for the birth because I kept putting off calling them.
My births were definitely some of the most wonderful points of my life. One thing though - people are always saying to me that choosing homebirth makes me “brave”, but I don’t see it that way. I felt scared and out of control in the hospital environment. I didn’t feel fear at home, so I’m not brave for choosing homebirth. I just don’t see birth as a medical event. I love the fact that my older kids witnessed some of their sibling’s arrival. For them, birth is a social event. Nobody is screaming or carrying on, but there is a bit of grunting!
Also, I don’t feel like some kind of superwoman. I realize how lucky I was to have uneventful pregnancies. Some mothers shouldn’t even attempt homebirth because they have special circumstances going on. I’m very thankful! I loved every moment of birth - even the painful ones where you feel, as Carol Burnett put it, like your bottom lip is being stretched over the top of your head lol!
(Pic to the right - moments after Sadie’s birth)
There are many things I love about homebirth. Being able to walk around and do what you want are so nice. Being in your own comfy environment is nice. Having a midwife means you get to labor or push anywhere you like… on the toilet if it’s most comfortable! In water, out of water, in bed, on all fours, wherever.
You also get to shower in your own bathroom afterwards, eat wonderful delicous food (and beer - I always wanted Guinness after my births - try drinking that in a hospital!), and snuggle up with your new baby in your own bed minutes after the birth if you want to. It’s so nice.
Plus, you don’t have to drive home. That drive taking Caleb home from the hospital was the most stressful ride of my life! And wouldn’t you know that dh actually got LOST. How do you get lost going somewhere that’s 15 minutes from your house? LOL! It took us about 35 minutes to get home and I was totally stressed out. You don’t have to go anywhere after a homebirth. The midwife even comes to your house to check up on you and the baby postpartum!
So now I have a question for you: If you had never had children, what do you think you would be doing right now?
And for readers, if you haven’t read the other posts in the conversation with Nell, click on the “cross blog conversations” category to the right.
Frugal Friday: Free Tea
November 9, 2007 | 7 Comments
You can’t get much more frugal than free, can you?
I just love giving stuff away on this blog, and for Frugal Friday this week it’s a FREE Book of Tea: A Collection of Gourmet Tea Bags by Metropolitan Tea, one of the best sources of tea this side of the world.
It has 6 different varieties of tea all nicely packaged in unbleached paper sachet filters. The box is handmade with 100% recycled paper. It retails for $20 and would make a really neat gift for a tea lover friend or yourself mama - treat yourself to an afternoon cuppa!
You know the rules: Leave a comment below to enter. But this time, tell me something about your favorite tea or tea ritual, ok?
And be sure not to disappear! I will pick a winner on Monday, November 12th at noon eastern time. Be sure to check back here