So how does the sunbeam cafe series go with grinding things like adzuki beans to a fine flour? (I use this as a face scrub...it is divine). Another one here wondering whether or not to just bite the bullet and get a vitamix or blendtec or something!

Well, I have been a bit slack in reporting in because I have been enjoying family snuggles with our fresh baby boy!

Wiremu was born at 8:42pm on Thursday 24th April - 4.2kg (9lb 4oz) after around an hour or so of intense freight train labour. He was born into his Dad's hands in a pool in our lounge with both of the older children right there watching him arrive earthside. We are all well, and our bub is just divine.

Yep - what Pinky said ;-) JB is the most comprehensive homebirth website for Australia. Yay homebirth!

Tempting to shave it again, but I'm kind of thinking I'm a bit old for a shaved head now?

Ah - you'd be surprised if you saw it in real life Pinky! Looks fairly big in perspective to the rest of me. ..bearing in mind that my SMALLEST bub so far was 9lb (well, 4.05kg)...although, as I have said before, you never know - this one could be a wee 8lber!! I can't believe how solid my belly is this time around, I usually have a bit more 'me' padding the baby but this time it is jam packed with baby and very little else...I wonder if this is because I was raw for so long before conceiving? Perhaps stripped away some false body first?

Go with your feelings Angie - I KNEW that Angus was going to arrive early and he did...a good couple of weeks before his 'due date' and still maanged to be a 10 lber! He chose 5th March as his birthday but wasnt expected until about the 21st March...and for some reason my family (4 years down the track) STILL get confused and think his birthday is mid-late March :-). With this one I have no particular feelings as to whether it is boy/girl or when he/she will arrive, I am really enjoying being totally unaware too.

Yes, about 2.5 weeks until I hit the 40 week mark now, and bub has really dropped down low in my pelvis, seems to be in a fabulous position too. Still giving me lots of physical communication with hands, feet, knees & elbows, but it is certainly clear that there is not much room to move in there now!

http://www.naturalnews.com/022956.html

In Australia's first known case of murder due to "water rage," a dispute over a suburban man's water usage led to him being beaten to death in front of his home. According to police, 66-year-old Ken Proctor was watering the lawn in front of his home in Sydney on October 31 at approximately 5:30 p.m. when a passerby made a comment to him about wasting water. Proctor then turned his hose on the other man, who knocked him to the ground and began to punch and kick him. The attacker was tackled by two bystanders, including an off-duty policeman, and an ambulance came for Proctor. Proctor later died in the hospital after experiencing a massive heart attack.

Due to a severe, nearly eight-year drought, intensive water restrictions are in place across most of Australia. Nearly all states have banned garden sprinklers and the use of hoses on cars or sidewalks.

Sydney, in addition, prohibits leaving hoses or taps unattended except to filling pools, and permits are required for pools larger than 10,000 gallons. The use of fire hoses is prohibited for any use other than firefighting. Hand watering of lawns or gardens is only allowed on Wednesdays or Sundays before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m.

Because the incident that led to his death happened on a Wednesday, Proctor was actually complying with the city's water rules at the time.

The drought is Australia's worst in at least 100 years. Combined with over-extraction of water, the drought has caused the flows of the country's two largest southeast rivers, the Murray and Darling, to dwindle. More than three-quarters of New South Wales is experiencing a drought, and Victoria has announced that 100 percent of its farmland has been hit.

While a number of suburban disputes, arguments and calls to police have risen from water restrictions, Proctor's is believed to be the first death cause by such a water dispute.

I think it is very personal - depends so much on you, your chidlren, the family dynamic etc...I have 5.5 years and 4 years between mine and I LOVE this age gap. It gives me time to return to myself bewteen children and it also give me the opportunity to fully BE with each one before another one comes along. It has also enabled the older children to feel very much a part of the pregnancy and birth journey, they feel like a new sibling is very much their baby too as opposed to being a new person pushing them out of their special relationship or a complete surprise that they are too young to comprehend. Again, this is very individual and depends largely on ALL of the personalities involved!

Well I'm just over 37 weeks now - all going smoothly and enjoying the ride so far...here is a photo of me at 36 weeks...

I am of the honouring belief, it always astounds me to hear of hospitals treating this precious life sustaining force as biohazardous waste! Anyhow - thought that this was an interesting (albeit brief) read from an International Midwifery newsletter...


Western culture tends to view the placenta as a waste product to be disposed of after the birth. In many cultures though important ceremonies takes place involving the placenta.

It is common to find the placenta being buried in or near the child's home, believing that the placenta binds a child to his or her ancestral beginnings. The Hmong communities in Asia call the placenta the "black jacket" - a child's finest clothing that will be carried with them after death. Balinese fathers are responsible for washing and preparing the placenta, and subsequently burying it by the front door of the family home. Maori of New Zealand also bury the placenta - the same word is used in the Maori language for placenta and land, "whenua". The Sundanese bury the placenta under a window at the back of the family home.

Navajo parents bury the placenta and the umbilical cord in a place that represents their dreams for their child. Thai parents also bury the placenta. It is first salted to preserve it, then it is placed in an earthenware pot, before being buried on an auspicious day. The location is chosen depending on when the child is born, with a site chosen where a plant that represents the child's year of birth is grown. For example, the coconut tree watches over the placentas of babies born in the year of the rat, the dragon or the rabbit, while the lotus protects babies born in the year of the tiger and dog.

Many cultures believe the placenta has its own spirit. Aymara and Quecha fathers from Bolivia wash and bury the placenta in a secret shady place to protect the mother and baby. The Ibo people of Ghana and Nigeria give the placenta a traditional burial as the twin of the child.

Traditional Turkish families believe that the way the placenta and umbilical cord are treated can influence the child's future. The umbilical cord will be buried in a place that then determines the child's characteristics as an adult. Burying the cord in the courtyard of a mosque ensures they will become devout, while throwing it into the water means the child will seek their destiny away from the family home. The placenta is believed to be a part of the child and, like the Ibo, it is wrapped and buried.

Hugs to all of those having a hard time of it - the lessons children bring with them (both in utero and beyond the womb) are quite something huh! I'm doing fine, just enjoying the last few weeks with my children before we have a whole new dynamic...wanting to nest, but still working at this point, so trying to multi-task by doing nesting and working at the same time (the children are immensely helpful with this...I am giving them special pre-baby tasks to do and they are having a ball!) ;-)

Big hugs BB, there is a little soul out there with the perfect time in mind xxx

Here's hoping BB!

thank you so much Beau, your words mean a lot to me...I really appreciate your sharing and wisdom xxx

All my earthbound babes have been born at home in the water, so that is the plan this time round too - always with the animals present and watching. Not sure whether or not I will call the midwife this time, will be a see how I feel at the time thing. My last two births were so short I may not have the chance this time to phone the midwife anyway! The children are pretty much the only people who I can guarantee will be here...I'm fine with that too...just need to suss out setting up and filling the pool so that I can do it on my own if necessary when the time comes.