The past 10 days....

No rest for the wicked. The past 10 days have proved pretty exciting for me and Star Anise Organic Wholefoods. Now that I have come up for air I would love to share with you what I've been up to.... Growing Healthy Babies...naturally! Workshop

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I've spent the past 2 Saturday mornings running a 2 part workshop on "Growing Healthy Babies...Naturally!". It was very well received with over a dozen people attending both sessions. It was the first time I had run this workshop after I saw a need in the community.  I am frequently being asked questions by parents not just on dietary matters but all things relating to parenting (from what products to use on baby's skin, why didn't I childproof my house, why I don't apply my kids with sunscreen, where do I turn for support, why did I breastfeed for 3 years, what should a baby's first solids be, what do I think of co-sleeping, what's the best baby carrier or pram or high chair etc etc). So I wanted to pool together all of my learnings and experiences as a mother over the past 8 years.... what's worked and not worked for me, what I advocate and recommend, and how did our ancestors manage to give birth easily and raise healthy robust content children for millennia.

As I said to the group, I'm not an expert on all of the topics we covered but I see my role in the community as someone who knows who the experts are (be they laypeople or professional, local or international) and where people can find further information if they want it.  The workshop was directed to parents of young children and prospective parents or those who wanted to connect with like-minded people.

I brought in paediatrician friend Dr Chloe Baxter from the Sydney Children's Hospital to co-present on topics such as various birthing options, attachment parenting and co-sleeping. The inspirational Roni Rutland showcased baby carriers and elimination communication, and Sylvia Tarcharlska gave her views on why she is choosing to home birth her second child.

We spent a lot of time myth-busting (i.e. turning many mainstream dietary and parenting practices on their head), and trying to reconnect women with their innate parenting intuition. Mankind took a bit of a detour in the last century ....we got lost and some of us want to find the right path again.

Here's what a few people thought about the workshops:

"Hi Soulla, I just wanted t

o say how much I enjoyed the workshops, and how invaluable the information you gave us was.I'm so glad I had the opportunity to do it. Thank you so much. Rebecca"

"Hi Soulla,  Just a quick message to thank you for the workshop! It was fantastic!  I am so glad I met you and so happy to see that I am not the only one who believes and wants to promote the health benefits of eating a nutrient dense diet including traditional foods. I have been eating without sugar, grains and legumes for one year and I truly believe it helps my body to fight inflammation. Many thanks. Nathalie". 

"There is such a gaping hole in the market for this product, especially something as well collated as this - it took me freaking months of research/blogging/podcasts/facebooking/$$ to source half this stuff and i would have killed to have it all in the one spot whilst pregnant. Sylvia"

Given the feedback and response, I propose to run this workshop every year (and make each session longer!).

Conscious Club

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I was delighted to be asked to showcase some of my products at the last Conscious Club on Monday 18 June in Paddington. It was a great night - we were entertained by a local reggae band, inspired by internationally-renowned motivational speaker Thom Knoles, enlightened by a short film "The Story of Stuff" regarding our obsession with and the perils of consumerism, and mellowed by a 20 minute group mediation (have you meditated with 400 people before?!?!?). All followed by socialising and eating. My chocolate balls, coconut date balls and activated nuts were very well received - we came home empty handed and I must give a huge thanks to my close friends Natasha and Simon who helped me carry around platters of food and spread the word on what I'm all about.

For more information about The Conscious Club refer to one of my recent posts here.

Here's what one person thought about my products:

"Hi Soulla! Just thought I'd drop you a line to say I Loved your date, nut and coconut balls last night! I'm still in raptures! Well done & keep up the great work! Lise. xo"

And not that it has anything to do with raising healthy babies or traditional wholefoods BUT having FUN is just as important SO it would be remiss of me to omit to mention my attendance at the Lady GaGa concert amidst all of the above. Cherry Cherry Boom Boom...

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So now....I make a beeline to the kitchen for some culinary creation.... so stay tuned for lots of new recipes, and upcoming cooking classes and workshops. In the meantime if you would like to place an order for heart-warming and immune-building broth, probiotic-rich sauerkraut, iron-building chicken liver pate, moorish activated nuts, mouth-watering raw dark chocolate balls and other sugar-free gluten-free snacks, or to meet me for a nutrition consultation,  just give me a call on 0407 871 884 or drop me an email. I'll be away 2-12 July in warmer climes for a little fun in the sun (you can take the girl out of Queensland but....).