A tale of two conferences I’ve had a split personality this weekend. Much of my time has been spent at the wonderful blogging conference, Blogalicious. Since I first arrived at the conference Friday morning, I’ve met great people, caught up with friends, and learned a ton about social media and media resources in general. A…
D.C. Metro
Support VBAC in October!
When I first met my friend Elaine, she spoke warmly of her two homebirths. I had just one child who was born via c-section, which saddened me. Now I am the proud mama of a home VBAC — Vaginal Birth After Cesarean, or HBAC. And today Elaine is writing at TheDCMoms.com about homebirth. Here are…
The dental-health connection
I’d always been intrigued by the lectures I saw Dr. Felix Liao giving about the connection between dental health and whole body health, but his Whole Health Dental Center just seemed too far away. Then I noticed someone posting on the Northern Virgina Families for Natural Living list that his office had moved inside the…
Holistic Moms to host “Traditional Diets” guru
The first time I heard of the Weston A. Price Foundation was the day after Thanksgiving 2003. My face was full of acne, my belly was full of gas, mind was muddled, and I hadn’t had a period in almost three months. Not exactly the picture of health. But I was still offended when the…
On the road again
Once upon a time, I could go on a road trip without making all my own unprocessed, organic, starch-free food. Once upon a time I could go to my parents’ house without drooling over idea of family-provided childcare so that I could enjoy some time to catch up on all things computer — email (professional…
Dance at Strathmore + a giveaway
One of the highlights of our week last week was the CityDance performance at the Backyard Theater for Children at Strathmore. What a lively performance! It makes me feel good that my son got to see the beauty and athleticism of dance as expressed by children and adults, including male dancers. And who doesn’t love…
A marvelous day with SteveSongs + a giveaway!
The Washington, D.C. area was treated to some glorious weather this past weekend, and audience members for the final SteveSongs performance of the week at Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts soaked it up! The Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods was the perfect place to be Saturday morning to listen to stories with storyteller Baba Jamal Koram…
Gluten-free expo comes to D.C.: win free entry!
Going gluten-free in 2004 was part of my holistic effort to bring my body into balance and heal my thyroid from Graves’ Disease, autoimmune hyperthyroidism. My goal was to get off anti-thyroid medication and get healthy enough to get pregnant. Although I also hoped to go off anti-depressant medication, I didn’t really expect that a…
D.C. to host world premiere of film about war on family farms
If you consider yourself a locavore, a supporter of family farms, or just a parent concerned about your children’s health and the future of the planet they will inherit, be sure not to miss the world premiere of Farmageddon–the Unseen War on American Family Farms, a mom-created film that documents the FDA’s raids on small …
The transition begins: Waldorf to public school
Just how many different people can I be in my head in one day? Well, at least two solid positions are staking claim to my mental landscape. One is incredibly sad that yesterday was my son’s last day at his Waldorf school, and the other is very excited for our family to become part of…
10-Day Yoga Challenge: Day Ten: “Party in the pose”
It felt like a graduation. I completed my 10-Day Yoga Challenge Monday yesterday, taking my fourth class with the Anusara-inspired teacher who told me and the other students that we were all ready to kick it up a notch. We’d all gotten comfortable with her repeated calls to isometrically draw our legs together and to…
10-Day Yoga Challenge: Day Nine: “Play”
It didn’t take me long to get off my game. I finished class #8 of my 10-day Yoga Challenge at 8:00 p.m. on Friday night and spent Saturday virtually yoga-free, except for one sun salutation in the morning. When I finally returned today at 4:00 p.m., it felt at the start like that 44-hour break…
10-Day Yoga Challenge: Day Eight: “Expose your heart”
The theme of yesterday’s post was “reveal,” but I waited until this one to close that loop. I am not going to yoga on Day Eight. Instead I went back to a second class on the evening of Day Seven. This does feel like cheating, I admit. But looking at the day, with a wedding…
10-Day Yoga Challenge: Day Seven: “Reveal”
Today, I am tired. I had trouble focusing in the Anusara class on this, my seventh day of my 10-Day Yoga Challenge. I did not feel strong and bright. I’d gone to bed too late, the baby had woken too often, and I hadn’t gotten up early enough to eat enough to sustain me through…
10-Day Yoga Challenge: Day Six: “Brighten the belly”
I might have missed my exit if this were my first day driving into the District. The rising sun made it impossible to see the sign for Rosslyn/Key Bridge. But by now, this sixth day of my 10-Day Yoga Challenge, I feel like I know what I’m doing, and I know where to turn. And…
10-Day Yoga Challenge: Day Five: “Root and reach”
I cannot wait for tomorrow’s 6:30 a.m. yoga class. Seriously. I’m tired and sweaty, and at 9:00 p.m., both my kids have just gotten to sleep. I have miles to go before I can. But, when I look ahead at tomorrow, I think about crossing the Potomac just after sunrise and about arriving home at…
10-day Yoga Challenge: Day Four: “Surrender”
“Rest your shoulder blades on the back of your heart,” the teacher said. But what if the heart is tender? “Surrender,” she said later, in what felt at once like a welcoming to take a breather and at the same time, almost a dare. Am I capable of surrendering? Can I ever not try so…
10-day Yoga Challenge: Day Three: “Shine!”
I made it to my third yoga class in a row today in my self-imposed challenge to go every day for 10 days on my $10 ten-day pass at Centered Yoga. This class — the 9:30 a.m. Anusara-inspired yoga — was what drew me to the studio. I like what I know about this style,…
10-day Yoga Challenge: Day Two: “Let your bottom blossom”
After my first of what I hope will be ten consecutive days of yoga class, I woke today feeling like my calf muscles had wrapped themselves around my legs. Same with the triceps. It was an enjoyable, tightened sore, like I’d had someone squeeze me into Saran Wrap. I was feeling so good yesterday after…
10-day yoga challenge begins!
What would happen if I did yoga for 10 days in a row? I don’t mean just a home practice. But if I went to a yoga class every day for 10 days? Improved health? A clearer mind? A more settled heart? A bigger smile? A deeper sense of loving kindness? An enhanced sense of…