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Crunchy-Chewy Mama

Living naturally, most of the time.

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Jessica

Itemizing and strategizing at year’s end

December 23, 2014 by Jessica 2 Comments

As 2014 winds down, I’ve been feeling a little better physically but am still somewhat overwhelmed in general and in my head. It’s becoming clearer and clearer to me how physical health is related to emotional, spiritual and mental well-being. This post is my attempt to inventory all the destinations of my energy so I know…

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Filed Under: Featured, Holistic Health, Uncategorized

Holiday at home

December 10, 2014 by Jessica Leave a Comment

Since I was planning to travel to visit my mom in early November and we are planning to spend time with family in Indiana over Christmas, it seemed like a good idea to just hang out at home for Thanksgiving this year. And mostly it was. But it was also kind of long and sometimes…

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Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: holidays, home, priorities, Thanksgiving

Life after antidepressants

November 22, 2014 by Jessica 7 Comments

Antidepressants saved my life at least once and might have saved my brother’s if he’d sought help instead of taking his life. Saturday, November 22 is International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day. This is the story of why I am grateful I had medication and how and why I hope to avoid it for the…

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Filed Under: Holistic Health, Uncategorized Tagged With: acupuncture, complementary medicine, depression, medication, mental health, mental wellness, suicide, thyroid

Grounding in fall

November 21, 2014 by Jessica Leave a Comment

This fall I have noticed the leaves without trying so hard and have immersed myself in a lot of interesting activities that seemed to land in my lap. I have been so many great talks and events, and I’ve wanted to write thoughtful and helpful recaps of all of them for my website, Mindful Healthy…

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Filed Under: Activism & Politics, D.C. Metro, Holistic Health, The Arts, Uncategorized Tagged With: community, Freedom for Family Wellness summit, health, Holistic Moms Network, inspiration, mind-body connection, mindfulness, positive thinking, priorities, volunteerism, wellness, working mom, working mother, writing, writing mama, writing mother

How to talk to depressed people

November 17, 2014 by Jessica Leave a Comment

Memory assistance is one of the best things about blogging. I was looking everywhere for a piece I knew I’d started on what to say and not say to someone who is depressed. When I logged in to update the blog after a nearly season-long hiatus, there was the draft, from July 20, 2014. I’m…

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Filed Under: Featured, Holistic Health, Uncategorized Tagged With: advice, community, depression, disappointment, help, hope, mental health, mental wellness, priorities, sadness

Conjuring home: intention in renovation

September 9, 2014 by Jessica 20 Comments

Welcome to the September 2014 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Home Tour This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have opened up their doors and given us a photo-rich glimpse into how they arrange their living spaces. *** It’s been two…

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Filed Under: Featured, The Arts, Uncategorized

Author Dav Pilkey shares history of learning challenges

August 30, 2014 by Jessica 1 Comment

A few hours ago, my eight-year-old son and I popped back on the Metro from the Library of Congress National Book Festival at the DC Convention Center after sampling just a fraction of what the event had to offer in this, its first year taking place inside. The key attraction that got us there by 11…

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Filed Under: D.C. Metro, Featured, The Arts Tagged With: authors, books, Dav Pilkey, mother-son, National Book festival, reading, writing

Activist, educator, mother: spin the dial

July 31, 2014 by Jessica 1 Comment

What words would you use to describe yourself? How do those words change when you become a parent? What do your choices look like with the glasses of parenthood on? This week I felt like some of my many identities came together outside the Federal Triangle Metro station at the Moms Clean Air Force-organized rally…

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Filed Under: Activism & Politics, D.C. Metro, Featured, Holistic Health, Uncategorized Tagged With: activism, advocacy, clean air, climate change, engagement, environment, identity, Moms Clean Air Force, Play-In for Climate Action, policy, politics, priorities, roles

What I wish for my daughter on her fourth birthday

July 30, 2014 by Jessica 1 Comment

My daughter is about to turn four. Her grandparents are asking what they can get for her. The question has made me feel hollow and heavy at the same time.   I don’t feel like I can give her the things I really, truly want her to have.   She is a hilarious and fascinating…

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Filed Under: Holistic Health, Uncategorized Tagged With: birthday, daughter, family, health, parenting, priorities, wellness, wishes

Pulling the plug on BlogHer14

July 17, 2014 by Jessica 2 Comments

It is with an ache in my gut — literally — that I have to come to terms with the fact that I am not going to BlogHer ’14. I had to believe the trip was possible when I bought the ticket. We’d had two snow days that week (including my birthday. What a rockin’…

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Filed Under: Featured, The Arts Tagged With: BlogHer, BlogHer'14, digestion, dreams, family, gut, health, illness, priorities, travel, work, writing

Conviction and compromise on the road

July 7, 2014 by Jessica 13 Comments

Welcome to the July 2014 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Family Vacation This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared their family-travel tips, challenges, and delights. Please read to the end to find a list of links…

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Filed Under: D.C. Metro, Featured, Holistic Health Tagged With: Carnival of Natural Parenting, family, Healthy Eating, priorities, travel, vacation

To BlogHer, or not to BlogHer

June 6, 2014 by Jessica Leave a Comment

I’d already lost count of which snow day it was when I bought a registration ticket for BlogHer ’14 in San Jose, California, the annual blogging conference’s 10th anniversary year. There had been so many days that the weather had forced me to scrap plans to work toward the launch of my new site or…

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Filed Under: Featured, The Arts, Uncategorized Tagged With: adrenal health, alone time, belief, Blog Her '14, BlogHer, career, children, conference, confidence, cost, family, finances, health, priorities, profession, responsibilities, travel, writing, writing mother

What helps me feel un-depressed

June 6, 2014 by Jessica Leave a Comment

Spring has been a rough season around here, with cloudy attitudes despite sunny days. I’ve written a lot complaining about stuff in long, meandering posts like “Failure to thrive in motherhood” and ” I thought it might be more helpful to post the things that do make me feel good … and inspired to do…

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Filed Under: Featured

Good things coming (from the ground up)

May 9, 2014 by Jessica Leave a Comment

I may have had to pay someone to help me plant my garden, but the good news is that it actually happened, and things are growing. Maybe a little late, but they’re growing. Sometimes you have to throw out “perfect” for “done.” That doesn’t mean I’m doing the greatest job weeding or tending things, but…

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Filed Under: Holistic Health, Uncategorized Tagged With: clearing, EFT, energy work, Katrina Kenison, priorites, wisdom

Failure to thrive in motherhood

April 30, 2014 by Jessica 5 Comments

The moment I realized I could no longer handle teaching high school, I was sitting in a Teaching for Change-organized class with Enid Lee, one of the authors of Beyond Heroes and Holidays: A Practical Guide to K-12 Anti-Racist, Multicultural Education and Staff Development and a huge force in the area of critical literacy, which was…

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Filed Under: Featured, Holistic Health, The Arts, Uncategorized Tagged With: adrenal health, Arianna Huffington, balance, breathing, business, career, depression, family, health, Holistic Health, life purpose, Mindful Healthy Life, mindfulness, passion, priorities, tai chi, teaching, Thrive, thyroid, work, working mother, yoga

Anatomy of a spring “break”

April 22, 2014 by Jessica Leave a Comment

When I was a teacher, I considered spring break a reprieve from grading and early morning wake-ups and dealing with adolescent angst in 120 flavors. But now that I am a mom with school-aged children, spring “break” is a misnomer. It is a week when I feel the weight of responsibility of keeping to a…

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Filed Under: D.C. Metro, Featured, Holistic Health, Uncategorized Tagged With: family, priorities, spring break, vacation

Traffic choked the cherry tree

April 13, 2014 by Jessica 2 Comments

After my last post whined about the tough time I’ve been having, I really intended to write something more uplifting the following day when I was feeling better. My friend who has been teaching herself energy medicine did a phone consult with me that really turned things around Thursday night. The biggest issue she identified…

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Filed Under: D.C. Metro, Holistic Health, Uncategorized Tagged With: adrenal health, blood sugar, cherry blossoms, DC, photography, priorities, sightseeing, writing, writing mama, writing mother

Special Needs Mommy

April 10, 2014 by Jessica 1 Comment

You know that kid who’s always a handful at a playdate? The one who needs an extra eye at a birthday party? The one who can’t handle surprises, or who needs lots of support through transitions? The one who can’t tolerate the smell at the farm field trip no matter how many times the teacher…

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Filed Under: Healthy Eating, Holistic Health, The Arts, Uncategorized Tagged With: balance, chemical sensitivity, depression, food sensitivity, health, mental health, mental wellness, priorities, rhythm, routine, special diet, time, wellness, work, writing, writing mama, writing mother

The writing process: always in process

March 17, 2014 by Jessica 1 Comment

As a mother of two young children, my writing process is something that shifts greatly from day to day, week to week, month to month, depending on deadlines, health, and the number of spontaneous snow days that throw a wrinkle into work life and creativity. When Karen of TimeCrafted put out a call to other…

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Filed Under: Featured, The Arts, Uncategorized Tagged With: fiction, novel, work, working mother, writing, writing mama, writing mother, writing process

Finding space for moving pieces

February 27, 2014 by Jessica 1 Comment

I appreciate that parenting is an amazing opportunity for personal growth, but I kind of feel like my psyche is about to explode. I can’t say that it’s my brain, because that would imply a boast about smartifying, which I’m decidedly not. And I can’t say that it’s my heart exactly, because it’s not the…

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Filed Under: Featured, Holistic Health, Uncategorized Tagged With: alf, Brain, children, craniosacral therapy, dentistry, family, healing journey, health, holistic dentistry, journey, marriage, orthodontia, osteopathy, play, priorities, puzzles, relationships, time, time management, wellness, Weston A. Price, work, working mother

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Welcome to Crunchy-Chewy Mama, where the wilderness meets the sidewalk. Around here, I do my best to live as healthfully as possible. But compromises abound.

I also publish the resource blog Mindful Healthy Life of Metro DC. To learn about my writing and appearances and for details about the writing, editing and consulting services I offer, visit JessicaClaireHaney.com.

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