Christmas Hamper

Wow! We have such an amazing prize hamper for all you subscribers, resubscribers and people buying gift subscriptions for friends to go into the draw for!!!

We've included just some of the prizes here for you to have a look at - and there are more coming... So keep an eye out to see what else is being added....

Below is a list of some of the items that have been kindly donated by our sponsors, advertisers and distributors... Have a look at their websites and see all their amazing ideas for Christmas presents (if that's what you do!)

• Recipe Blocks Starter Pack from http://www.recipeblocks.com.au/


• Stainless Steel Drink bottle from http://www.goinggreensolutions.com.au/



• Honey Sticks Beeswax Crayons from http://www.spiralgarden.com.au/


• Organic Cotton Baby Wipes from http://www.natureschild.com.au/


• A toddle swaddle, some natural wax crayons & a wooden teether from http://www.thenaturalnewborn.com.au/


• A book from The Eltham Bookshop


• A red fish reusable swim nappy from http://www.newagenappies.com.au/


• Reusable hemp wipes and organic cotton nursing pads from http://www.greennappyco.com.au/


• A Pop in Nappy with Dry-Nite Booster from http://www.ozbabytrends.com.au/


• A set of regular and mini Fregie Sacks from http://www.thefregiesack.com.au/


• A tin of Mother's Little Helper Organic Soothing Balm from http://www.trifleshoppe.com/


• A fold away organic shopper & Stainless Steel food box from http://www.4myearth.com.au/


• Books from http://www.moonsong.com.au/
• A Hess Spielzeug Town rattle and matching pram string from http://www.treefrogtoys.com.au/

• A dog felt puppet from http://www.ecotoys.com.au/

and there's more to come!!!

So get subscribing for a friend for Christmas, or re-subscribe for yourself, or even better - subscribe just for you!

Have a good weekend.

Anna

ox

Surprise!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLOTTE!!!

We want the world to know that it's Charlotte's birthday today!

She is such an amazing and inspiring woman, and boy, can she dance!

We love you heaps Charlotte - thanks for everything you are to us, our families and to Barefoot.

Have a day full of fun and laughter..

Anna & Rach

xoox

Christmas Special

So you're already a subscriber and you miss out on all the great prizes on offer for subscribing??
This one is for you! Subscribe for a friend - get them a subscription for next year and YOU go into the draw to win a great hamper filled with goodies from our sponsors!
So all you need to do is jump onto our website and subscribe with your friend's details, then email me at anna@barefootmagazine.com.au with your name and I'll put you in the draw! Easy!
There! All your Christmas anxiety erased....
xo

Eltham Festival - November 7

If you're in Melbourne and you're looking for a small town festival with lots of free entertainment for the kids - come to the Eltham Rotary Festival on November 7, 2009 from 12pm

We'll be there and we'd love to meet some of our readers!

Come and say hello!

Scrunchies, hoarding and stories...

I have always been a hoarder. I think it’s a reaction to my father’s ‘If it hasn’t been used in six months then it should be thrown out’. To this day, my poor mum comes home to find the kitchen cupboards rearranged as dad has done a spot of culling. Ebay has been a boon for him!

When someone offers me their ‘stuff’, I can’t say ‘no’. So the other day, when I was offered an older friend’s complete scrunchie collection—collected over the past 30 years—how could I refuse? The large box filled with different colours, fabrics and sizes looked so cheery and beautiful and seemed to be calling my name.

My creative mind keeps telling me that ‘you never know when you might need 50 or so scrunchies for an 80’s theme party’ or ‘I’m sure they could be turned into an amazing fabric sculpture’ while the other side of me is saying ‘take them to the op shop…now!’

Actually we’ve had heaps of fun with them. The baby loves pulling them out of the box and throwing them in the air. My nearly 3-year-old boy loves putting them all up his arms and legs and turning himself into a colourful caterpillar. And, we all had fun the other night with my step-daughter dressing up and creating crazy hairstyles…dogs included.

I’m sure the reasons for hoarding are many and varied. I know part of it for me is about holding on to history, sort of documenting events and lives through objects. It’s the same reason I love writing and especially love working on Barefoot. Stories and words are another way of holding the history of an event or a person. We all use stories as a way of being anchored to the world and connected to others…and Barefoot is all about stories and connection.

So, for now the scrunchies are staying…you might even see a picture of an amazing scrunchie sculpture posted on this blog sometime soon!

Rachel

Downstream and listening

Rachel, in response to your question...What’s making you smile?

This week, two people (one in a conversation, the other in an article) have talked about ‘responding to life’, not having a big life plan or even a little one. Just responding to whatever comes their way and in so doing they have created fulfilling and supportive work – life work – for themselves; one’s an international aid worker and the other is a civil celebrant in Sydney.

The pressure to go out and ‘do’ starts young with the questions from well meaning adults—what are you going to do when you grow up? I don’t get asked that anymore (strangely enough) but I still sometimes ask it of myself. I had a few contented years off from this question, in happy surrender to birthing and mothering, just going with the flow, not needing to ‘do’ so much as to ‘be’.

Over the last few months though, as my youngest needs me less, I’ve felt this growing impulse to be in the world AND do. Dare I say it...to change it! So I really liked hearing these two women talk about just responding to circumstances; seeing a need and responding, then seeing another need and responding. This is a much more gentle way of contributing to the world, the community, the family, the self...It made me smile and think of water—saying ‘yes’ to the flow and ‘no’ to pushing the river.

The other thing that made me smile was hearing the same message twice, from completely different sources, just a few days apart...I think I needed to hear it!!

Charlotte

Recipe Blocks Book Launch

What have you got on this Saturday afternoon?

Are you in Melbourne?

Our very own Rachel Watts is launching a new book called "Recipe Blocks" by Kerrie Hancox & Claire Raymant on Saturday 10th October at the Urban Life Cafe (143 Maroondah Highway, Ringwood) from 3.00pm.

If you are interested in going, send an email to sarah@recipeblocks.com.au to reserve a ticket as there are limited spaces available.

Have a look at the flyer and come and say hello to us if you come!!

Anna

xo

Subscribe during October

It's nearly the end of October - and if you subscribe before November, you go into the draw to win a $50 voucher to Leatherwood Books! http://www.leatherwoodbooks.com.au/

So what are you waiting for?

Think about something that makes you smile...

We love Justine Clarke’s CDs for kids at our house, and I especially love the lines
‘Think about something that makes you smile,
Think about it for a little while,
What you feel and what you see
And give your smile to me’

Here are a few things that have made me smile over the past few weeks….

The man who walks his dogs along the same track as us, who always has a pocket full of dog treats, which he hands out to all the other dogs who are out walking with their owners. He’s a bit of a favourite with our dogs Jack and Ruby!

The teenage boy I met at the park, who had his pet chicken walking behind him.

The father with his two adult sons I met just after they’d kayaked down a very full and fast Yarra river. They were all bursting with the joy of seeing the river so swollen from the recent rain, and being able to travel faster than they had for 5 years or more.

The young man who helped an elderly gent get out of a tricky parking spot. The young guy offered his help respectfully and kindly, and the older man, who might have felt embarrassed had it been handled differently, was left with all his dignity in tact.

A photo from a friend in the country of the flowers blooming in her garden since the Spring rains have arrived.

What’s making you smile?

Rachel