Author Archives: Rachael Flug

Rachael Flug is a Mother of three and the Inventor of Diaperaps diaper covers. She is the President of Sage Diaper™ and Baby’s Organic Nursery. Abraham and Rachael Flug have been leaders and innovators in this category for over 25 years. Their mission is to demonstrate how easy it is to “do the right thing” for your baby and the environment.

Nourishing Our Bodies – Simple Ways to Upgrade a Bath

08/18/2011

Just 15 minutes can nurture your Body and your Spirit

We seem to have time to pamper everyone but ourselves. Maybe we shouldn’t think of this as pampering but rather as nourishment or better yet as “no side effect medicine”. For additional enhancement, light a few candles in the bathroom — candles make everything more magical.

Your bath is a place of quiet, a private world where you can gently put aside the demands of your everyday life. Once you are alone, let the burdens of the day lift and empty your mind of all your concerns. Let your body become weightless, your arms float to the surface and your thoughts drift. Have a nice thick towel or robe handy to wrap around yourself when you leave the bath.

I will be blogging on 8 quick & easy recipes for transforming a bath into a Spa experience. Today’s post is about Milk Baths

Milk Baths

Bathing in Milk leaves the skin feeling conditioned and moisturized. Use one cup of powdered milk in the water, and as you are drawing your bath, slowly add it, swirling the powder around to help it dissolve. Or you can warm fresh milk up in a saucepan and add a little honey. Take if off the heat and if you have a favorite essential oil , you should add 6 drops to the milk. Then pour the milk immediately into a warm bath.

ADD A NATURAL FRAGRANCE : Not everyone enjoys the smell of milk in the bath, so either add a few drops of your favorite essential oil or throw some fresh or dried herbs and flowers such as chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, lemon verbena or rose petals into your bath. Just be sure they weren’t sprayed !

WATER TEMPERATURE MATTERS : Make sure the water isn’t too hot or cold for you. This should be a very pleasant experience not a trial. A warm bath (92 – 100 degrees) has a sedative and relaxing effect. A tepid bath ( 80 – 92 degrees ) is rejuvenating, cooling and anti-inflammatory. I prefer the warm bath since I always take mine in the evening. But if I ever had enough time to take a bath in the morning, it might be nice to have it be a rejuvenating one.

Chocolate Milk Bath Mix

for when you are very good (or very bad)

2 cups powdered milk
1/4 cup cocoa
2 tablespoons cornstarch (same as corn flour)
optional: 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix together all ingredients and place in a glass jar. Use 1/2 – 1 cup per bath.

Hmmm I love soaking in chocolate. Enjoy !

Posted in Ask the Sage Mamas, Beauty & Personal Care, How To's, Rachael's Musings, Recipes | Tagged Chocolate Milk Bath, How To, milk bath recipe, Momma Zen, Mommy Care, Renewal, Spa Bath, Wisdom Springs | Comments off

Wise Tips for New Parents

08/17/2011

We asked our Sage Mamas and Papas to share one piece of advice out of their experience that they would like to share with others. Here are some excerpts — Enjoy !

• I’m a sage mama and my piece of advice to expecting sage mamas is to enjoy every minute of that pregnancy. Those 40 weeks feel like they take forever but it’s such a blessed time and it may be your only time feeling it!

• Cherish every moment as they are learning experiences for both Mom & babies that you’ll never forget.

• Savor every moment while baby is still a baby. Time flies and baby grows fast!

• I am the mama of 2 baby boys who are 13 months apart. Aaron is now 22 months and Hunter is almost 9 months. One thing I have learned with having 2 babies so close in age is that when they are both having a break down – always go to your older one first. They will remember if you ignore them and they will get jealous of the little one.

Posted in Ask the Sage Mamas, Baby Care, Pregnancy | Tagged advice, babies, infant, Natural Parenting, newborn, parenting, Pregnancy, tips | Comments off

50% OFF – ALL ORGANIC BABY CLOTHING

07/20/2011

50% Organic Baby Clothing at SageDiaper.com

SageDiaper.com is offering 50% off all their inventory of certified organic baby clothing. Now is your time to get some beautiful certified organic baby clothing at 50% off. Nothing is being held back. No codes needed. Pass this on to your friends.

We have Kate Quinn organic baby basics and Kee-Ka adorable tee’s and Kicky Pants bamboo dresses. And lots more.

Plus we offer $5.00 flat shipping.

Sorry but this sale is only good for items in stock, no rain checks and this can’t be combined with any other discount offer.

Posted in All Things Organic, Sales | Tagged baby clothing, Organic clothing, Sale | Comments off

The Expectant Dad – Happy Father’s Day

06/18/2011

Believe it or not, expectant fathers have just as many questions, concerns, worries and doubts about pregnancy and parenthood as expectant mothers do. Unfortunately, it isn’t as easy for the father-to-be to get advice and helpful tips about pregnancy as there are for the mother-to-be. After all if they can’t ask for directions how in the world can they ask about something this intimate and personal ?

The expectant father’s physical distance from the process of pregnancy brings its own stress and worries. Most men have a positive reaction to finding out about the pregnancy, but may also have doubts, confusion and fear about all the changes taking place. “What kind of father will I be?” And they are generally clueless when it comes to understanding what their partner is going through. But thankfully they really want to be actively involved in the pregnancy and parenting process.

So here is a very helpful book for the “Dad to Be” by Jennifer Ash and Armin Brott

The Expectant Father: Facts, Tips and Advice for Dads-to-Be, Second Edition

“An information-packed guide to all the emotional, financial and physical changes the father-to-be may experience during the course of his partner’s pregnancy. Incorporating the wisdom of top experts in the field, from obstetricians and birth-class instructors to psychologists and sociologists, this book is filled with sound advice and practical tips for men, as well as New Yorker-style cartoons that will keep fathers-to-be chuckling.”

And to all the Moms out there, I can tell you that when the day comes , you will just melt when you see your hubbie holding a little baby so tenderly in his arms.

Happy Father’s Day to all you Papa’s out there !!!

thanks to www.bornfreemom.ca for the photo of dad and baby

Posted in How To's, Rachael's Musings | Tagged baby, expectant father, family, parenting, Pregnancy | Comments off

Free for New Parents & Parents needing New Inspiration

04/28/2011

Wise Tips from Sage Mamas

Talk to other mamas, they often can give the best advice from an experience standpoint. Nothing is ever “by the book” so it helps to get advice, opinions and ideas from others who have been there. But remember that every baby is unique in their own way.
Always listen to your inner wisdom, but be open to the wisdom that others have to share.

With this in mind, we asked our Sage Mamas and Papas to share one piece of advice out of their experience that they would like to share with others.

I have put together a lovely online booklet, with these quotes, along with some very cute photos and a rainbow of colors. I am happy to share them with you (for FREE of course) and I hope they are a source of inspiration and support on your parenting journey

To Get Your FREE Copy – Just Post a comment on this Blog – so I can see your email address.

With much gratitude to all who took the time to care and share,

Rachael Flug, mother of three , Blogger of Sage Mamas and owner of Sage Diaper

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged advice, baby, Healthy Child Healthy World, Natural Parenting, Pregnancy | Comments off

Tis A Gift To Be Simple

04/22/2011

Wishing you the Simple Joys of Life

I originally posted this in Dec 2009 but it seems appropriate to post again now. Happy Spring !

One positive that has emerged from the difficult times we are in, is that we are learning to live more simply. From growing a vegetable garden to making home cooked meals (instead of eating out) we are spending less time shopping and consuming. As we enter this holiday season I hope that you can continue to consume less without feeling guilty.

You might even discover that Simple is even better than you could have imagined.

This song Tis A Gift To Be Simple was originally written by Joseph Bracket a Shaker in 1848. Â I really like the newer verses that go with this melody. Â You’ll find the original verse with the sheet music

Tis the gift to be loved and that love to return,
‘Tis the gift to be taught and a richer gift to learn,
And when we expect of others what we try to live each day,
Then we’ll all live together and we’ll all learn to say,
‘Tis the gift to have friends and a true friend to be,
‘Tis the gift to think of others not to only think of “me”,
And when we hear what others really think and really feel,
Then we’ll all live together with a love that is real.

simple-gifts-lead-sheet

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments off

Mama expecting her second child and husband is deployed in Afghanistan – She needs our advice

02/08/2011

“I’m expecting my second child in May and my first will be about 20 months when the baby is born. I’m looking for creative ideas to celebrate him being a big brother to minimize the jealousy he will feel over the new baby. Thank you, I’m really looking forward to the feedback since my son is so used to getting all my attention since we are together 24/7, and also my husband is currently deployed in Afghanistan so he won’t have daddy to keep him busy when the new baby comes. It’s going to be interesting getting him to adjust.”

I received this thoughtful email from Michelle M. Although her situation is more challenging than many of us experienced with the birth of our second child , her concerns are universal.

Welcoming our First Born into Sibling-hood. Please join in and share your experiences and helpful suggestions.

I think you have taken the first important step, which is realizing that the excitement we as parents and grandparents feel over the birth of a second child is not exactly the same emotions that the big brother might experience. This kind of sensitivity , in the midst of all that you are carrying (literally) is a profound realization that will lead you to support your little boy in so many wonderful ways. So Congratulations !

As a mother of three I got to celebrate “big brother and big sister” twice. Here are some of the ideas that helped me (not in any specific order). There were four years between my first and second child, so there were some things that I could do with a four year old that isn’t possible with a 20 month old — so I don’t include those.

1) Grandparents can be a great help here. Mine were very careful to embrace the big brother and give him lots of attention instead of just running to gush over our newborn little girl.

2) We made a special little baby shower for the big brother / big sister . Kind of like the baby shower Mom would get only much simpler, with a few special games and of course a few presents for the them (don’t go overboard on the presents).

3) After baby was born, we made sure there was a simple activity that he could do for the baby. It could be handing you a diaper or holding baby’s hand , etc.

4) Try to make going to bed for the big brother a little more special. If you don’t already sing them a song or recite some favorite nursery rhymes or say a prayer together, then you can add one or all of these to your nightly routine.

5) If there are any changes you need to make , such as where the big brother will be sleeping, do it before the baby is born. But if possible, keep changes to a minimum.

And of course, Patience and Understanding go a long way to helping big brother adjust to the big changes.

Good luck and let me know how it goes for you.

Posted in Ask the Sage Mamas, For Grandparents, How To's, Pregnancy, Rachael's Musings | Tagged advice, How To, Natural Parenting | Comments off

Natural Unbleached Cloth Diapers – They’re the real thing

01/31/2011

There are sooooo many choices out their for Cloth Diapers. And we are happy to offer you 4 different diaper systems to meet your personal needs. But the one that experienced cloth diaper moms keep coming back to are these. 100% premium cloth diapers. They are often called “prefold” diapers but new to cloth parents are confused by this title since a little folding is required. So we call them ” Easy Fold” diapers. Basically you just fold them in thirds and lay them into your waterproof diaper cover. They dry much faster than other diaper options and they will last and last and last AND LAST. For $296 you can get a birth to potty package which is everything you need to go from birth to potty (hence the name ! ).

We were out of stock of this great product for a few weeks so are really glad to have them back again. We now offer them only in Unbleached cotton for their superior durability and softness . (If you really want them white all you have to do is use a little bleach in the first wash).

Easy to Fold – Quick Dry – 100% Cotton comfort and YOU WILL SAVE THOUSANDS ON DIAPERING

PLUS you’ll only be using 6 dozen diapers instead of 7000 Disposables or hybrid inserts.

Now you understand why so many experienced cloth diaper users choose these with our waterproof diaper covers.

Posted in Baby Shower Ideas, Natural Diapering, Uncategorized | Tagged baby, birth to potty diaper package, cloth diapers, natural, new to cloth diapers, prefold diapers, Sage Diaper | Comments off

Give a Gift that will cover them with comfort all year

12/07/2010

A Gift Certificate with a Bonus ! We’ll add 15% to whatever amount you purchase.

A Sage Diaper | Baby’s Organic Nursery Gift Certificate is a great way for you to give someone in your life a special gift and allow them to select the exact products they are looking for.

In these more difficult economic times, you can help them to choose cloth diapers for their little one. They will save thousands over the cost of disposables and you will be giving them a reusable, easy, chemical free cotton diapering system.

Of course the gift certificate is good for anything on our website which includes a beautiful selection of certified organic baby bedding, organic baby clothing and organic crib mattresses.

Giving one of our gift certificates is super easy — just fill it in online and “send”. If you prefer not to order online, just call us at 1-800-477-3424 and we’ll be happy to help.

Posted in Sales, Uncategorized | Tagged Cloth diaper sale, cloth diapers, diaper packages, gift certificate, organic baby clothing | Comments off

25% OFF Organic Baby Items – Bad Photo Day

12/03/2010

I have some absolutely beautiful Certified organic cotton baby footsies, sheets and towels that I just love to cuddle since they are so amazingly soft. However, they don’t photograph well , so for our online store that means people don’t buy it.

We are offering a 25% discount on these organic baby items whose only blemish is that they are difficult to photograph well.

Limited Stock on hand. Sale good while supplies last.

Organic little duck footsie

Organic Cotton Footed Playsuit for Baby Our cozy footsie keeps baby’s tender tootsies warm in this certified organic cotton interlock with nickel free snaps. Adorable allover baby duck print has little mitten fold over cuffs. Newborn Size only fits up to 3 months.

Regular Price: $34
Sale Price : $25.50

Organic Infant Hat with 3 little ducks embroidered on front. One Size fits 3-12 months. This hat runs large.

Regular Price: $10
Sale Price: $ 7.50

Organic Hooded Towel with Little Ducks This is an absolutely thick, luscious and absorbent certified organic hooded terry towel with three sweet little embroidered ducks. It’s the nicest one I’ve seen (and I’m very picky). The photo is terrible but I promise you will love how this looks and feels.

Regular Price: $ 42.00
Sale Price: $ 31.50

Certified Organic Cotton Little duck crib sheet

Little Duck Organic Jersey Crib Sheet This certified organic crib sheet has the sweetest little duck print on a white background. There are lots of organic sheets out there and many don’t live up to the “organic name” . These are unbelievably soft . It’s packaged in its own matching re-usable drawstring bag.

Regular Price: $ 48.00
Sale Price : $ 36.00

Little Bear Organic jersey crib sheet

Little Bear Organic Jersery Crib Sheet . Same quality as the Little Duck crib sheet. This certified fitted crib sheet has sweet little “chocolate” bear paws on a medium blue background.