Giving up the Bottle

Harvesting nettles and cleavers from the nearby forest.

Recently we weaned the baby off her night bottle. Although she was only drinking a small amount of cow's milk before bed, she loved it; it was a source of comfort before falling into dreamland. She has mastered drinking from a straw and a cup and gets enough nutrients and calcium in her daily diet, she doesn't need it anymore.

The first night of the weaning she scanned the room in the usual places for her bottle, the feeling of guilt was overwhelming. She moaned and gazed at me as if to say, "Why Mama?". We quickly distracted her with a bedtime story and about two pages into "Baby Tail The Elephant", she had forgotten all about the bottle. The following three nights, her behaviour and my feelings were the same; however, by night four, she reached for her bedtime story instead of the bottle.

After we removed the night time bottle, the next thing I needed to do was to get her to fall asleep on her own. Cuddling and chilling during the day isn't her thing, she is too active, and there is too much to do and see. Selfishly, I look forward to those night time cuddles. They are hypnotic and so relaxing. I had to set my selfish needs aside and accept that it isn't good for her, and as she grows from cot to bed, which won't be long now, she needs to be able to fall asleep on her own. The new routine is a nighttime story, quick cuddle, a song, prayers and then into the cot. It didn't take her long to adjust, and a few nights later she was falling asleep on her own.

On the first night, I quietly crept into her room to check on her. Standing in the nursery, listening to her little breaths, the energy in the room was calm and soothing; she expels peace over my mind and soul. I thought of all the women that stood before me, like my mother, my granny, great granny, that looked at their babies sleeping in the cot. As I listened to the wind howling outside and watched as the last of the daylight peeped through the curtains, I felt an emotional lump in my throat thinking how brave and resilient you are, baby girl.

We give babies so many comforts, teddies, soothers, blankets, bottles and then one day decide they can't have them anymore. It seems almost cruel, but they are so resilient, brave and strong. I try to think of it as advancement rather than deprivation; it is the only way to get through it as a parent.

Are we adults as brave and strong? Can we easily give up our comforts? Or advance ourselves into a new and better routine? In an effort of solidarity, I am giving up Coffee and Tea and joining the 5 am club.

Since I read "The Moneyless Man" by Mark Boyle, my shopping experience and my knowledge of the food industry supply chain has completely changed, and for the better. I am not a converted vegan yet, nor do I intend to live without electricity, but he has made me more aware of the energy it takes to bring something to the supermarket's shelves. To be honest, I wasn't tuned into this before. I am now trying to buy only organic and local—Supervalu and Quay's Co-Op display goods from many local supplier's. For example, I didn't realise I was previously buying fresh Basil from Kenya and Celery from Spain to mention a few. I now read where the product is sourced from and think about how much energy and time it must have taken to get this small pack of Basil from Kenya to our Irish shelves. I need to be more responsible and grow herbs at home, but that is a topic for another day.

In the "Moneyless Man", Mark talks about sane and insane Tea. How "sane tea" follows a process that has a substantial environmental impact.

To roughly quote Mark: "Get some people in India to grow, weed and harvest some tea, send it 5000 miles to Ireland, transport it to warehouses, shops. Buy the Tea for a few euro, plug in the kettle, thus ordering the national grid to give you electricity, feel awake for a while, then feel tired when the caffeine hit wears off, and in the long term tea, strips your body of nutrients."

This section of his book blew my mind. As good as a cup of tea and coffee tastes and even now as I type, I am thinking about going downstairs to make some freshly brewed coffee. Is the environmental impact worth it? Coffee or Tea doesn't have any nutritional value; in fact, they add toxins to our bodies and often dehydrate us. While his tea choice, which many considered the "insane method", has a multitude of benefits. He goes into the forest or fields to harvest nettles and cleavers, boils them in his outdoor burner and after 10 min has a cup of environmentally and body-friendly Tea.

My parents used to drink nettle tea as children. My Mam often tells the story at first sight of winter; her Dad would send them out to harvest nettles for Tea. It was like medicine for them. So the concept of nettle or herb tea isn't new to me, but the deep reflection of where beverages and our products come from, and the environmental impact of these products is certainly thought-provoking.

I have given up coffee and Tea several times in my life, for many different reasons, but this time I am dreading the withdrawals and headaches. I never replaced these legal addictions with another drink, but this time I am giving up my comfort and replacing it with home harvested Nettle and Cleaver tea. I am also now a member of the 5 am club so you can look forward to some stories to come!

Will I cry like an adult or be as brave as the baby?

Bracing myself to drink my first cup of nettle and cleaver tea.

The tea was lovely, very refreshing! I did have to wash a few bugs off the nettle leaves but that is par for the course!

A few health benefits:

Cleavers Health Benefits:

Worldwide, cleavers are most commonly used as a cleansing herb for treating ailments from kidney and urinary disorders to infections and itching. It is excellent for skin conditions like eczema.

Nettle health benefits:

Stinging nettle's leaves and root provide a wide variety of nutrients, including:

• Vitamins: Vitamins A, C and K, as well as several B vitamins

• Minerals: Calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium

• Fats: Linoleic acid, linolenic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid and oleic acid

• Amino acids: All of the essential amino acids.

• Polyphenols: Kaempferol, quercetin, caffeic acid, coumarins and other flavonoids

• Pigments: Beta-carotene, lutein, luteoxanthin and other carotenoids

Will you join me in a cup of nettle and cleaver tea? Maybe next time you are having a virtual coffee at work or with a friend might replace it with a home-brewed nettle tea. I look forward to hearing how it goes!

FYI: If you are on blood pressure medicine or pregnant you should consult a doctor before drinking nettle tea.

Stay at home and stay safe,

Regards,

Working from Hawaii