This afternoon was pretty only with respect to the weather. The rest of it had lots of ugly moments, and buckets of tears from my five-year-old. No, I didn’t do yoga with my kids today, and we didn’t meditate together before bed or anything like that. But I did hold on to the imagined beauty…
Holistic Health
No expiration date on learning or growing
Today I led a meditation at a health & wellness fair at my children’s school! This happened because last year, after I attended the first National Kids Yoga Conference, I suggested to the principal that mindfulness activities at school be considered, in general and in particular using the wetlands learning lab we built three years ago….
What life smells like this fall
It smells like leaves. Leaves warming in the sun, leaves rotting in the rain. They are are plentiful in the woods, but not enough have fallen in our yard to put that much energy into raking, not compared to what is to come. It’s about time to sweep the deck and the walkway, though. The…
The art and joy of saying no
Sometimes it’s important to celebrate the fact that we didn’t do something. I don’t mean harmful or negative stuff, though, yes, it’s good to give yourself a pat on the back when you choose the high road. What I mean is the things I chose not to do because I chose calm instead. Long ago,…
Big kids are better than babies
“But they’re older now,” I thought, hopefully, as I prepared lunches for an outing to the pumpkin patch for which no friends would be joining us and as I thought about our previous trip two years earlier. Even though I know it’s always more fun for them to have buddies and for me to have…
Why I Feel Better
It’s been a long time since I’ve felt well, really well for more than maybe two weeks. It’s certainly been since before my second child was conceived, just about exactly six years ago. Since her birth in August 2010, and especially since the summer of 2011, I have felt fatigued and depressed a lot of…
Writing To-Do List: Making it Public for #NaBloPoMo
Since the start of November means the start of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month), I feel the need to make my Writing – and my writing support – To-Do list public: for accountability and to show the whole picture. I have come to understand that I can’t just say I will write every…
On not going to my 20-year college reunion
Since it was a relief when I finally decided I would not go to my 20-year college reunion, it’s a surprise to feel so emotional about it now that it’s happening. About a month ago, I check to see if the friends I most wanted to see were going. Most weren’t. A few of them…
Bring it, Fall!
In the past two days, I’ve actually done two things I really wanted to do and done them with joy. I spent the day at the Natural Products Expo East where I talked with some truly inspirational people about amazing products. And I talked with moms and other local leaders in the holistic parenting community…
Take Back Your Health Conference returns
I’ve attended every Take Back Your Health conference since it launched in 2011 and am so pleased that it is back again this year in Arlington, October 3-4, 2015. I wanted to be sure to share that ticket prices go up tonight, Tuesday, September 1. Buy your ticket here through our affiliate link and support…
End of summer, with grief and relief
As summer 2015 draws to a close, I am filled alternately with grief and with relief. Now, it’s pretty typical for me to flip-flop from one extreme to another in my emotions in the space of about two minutes. I remember one fall day I took my children to Ticonderoga Farms by myself and thought…
Modeling moderation when mama abstains
As a woman whose health can’t support her drinking any alcohol, I feel pretty out of the mainstream with all the funny jokes out there about needing a drink. I can’t even tolerate decaf coffee anymore, so I feel similarly out of step when others talk about the day not starting without java. It’s not…
To me, with love
Welcome to the June 2015 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Talking to Yourself This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have written letters to themselves. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the…
Identifying the good
It seems a little surprising that I’m feeling so calm on such a full day. It sure feels different to be trying to figure out why instead of figuring out why I don’t feel well, which is a lot more common! I woke this morning with a sore throat and tight chest thinking, “Oh, maybe…
Mental Health Blog Day
Today, before I remembered it was Mental Health Blog Day, I responded to two posts about depression in two different Facebook groups. In one, someone I don’t know was asking about natural remedies for depression. I didn’t know the poster and was the first to reply with: “oh, that’s a huge conversation! Read The Mood…
5 Things I wished I’d know before my c-section (and VBAC)
Today is the last day of Cesarean Awareness Month, something I would not have expected would apply to me when I first got pregnant a little more than 10 years ago. But it does. After my 2006 c-section, I went on to have a homebirth with my second child, thanks in no small part to…
Lukewarm on/in spring
Dear Spring, This is difficult to say, but I’m no longer sure that I love you. We’ve had some amazing times together, I know. And I have always loved your greeny-gold and that feeling of newness you bring with you. But lately things have just been too up and down. The temperature, for one. The…
Family legacy ambivalence
Welcome to the April 2015 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Family History This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have shared stories, lore, and wisdom about family history. Please read to the end to find a list of…
Our days, these days
Welcome to the March 2015 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Day in the Life 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 given us a special glimpse into their everyday. *** Since I’m always wondering where the time…
Why clean air matters to my family
After I’d attended the summer Moms Clean Air Force play-ins and had learned more about the organization‘s important work, I was honored to be invited me to speak at the Virginia Mama Summit at the Virginia General Assembly building. At first, I thought that since my children don’t have full-on asthma and I don’t work as a…