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Crunchy-Chewy Mama

Living naturally, most of the time.

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The first day. A first poem

November 2, 2012 by Jessica Leave a Comment

When was the last time I wrote a poem? Months? Years? Poetry was how I was first published, but after my son was born, it felt too exact for the kind of time and brainpower I had available to me. A few poems came out of mothering and writing workshops, including one published in Hip…

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Halloween, NaBloPoMo, poetry, seasons

Upcoming conferences & events for healthy living

October 16, 2012 by Jessica Leave a Comment

It’s hard to keep track of all the amazing events coming up in the next few weeks! Here is a snapshot. Let me know what I should add! Thursday, October 18 Holistic Moms Network Arlington/Alexandria chapter presents: “Breathing Techniques” Learn about different breathing techniques and how they can contribute to health and wellness from VitalSelf…

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Filed Under: D.C. Metro, Healthy Eating, Holistic Health, Uncategorized Tagged With: birth, breathing techniques, breech birth, healing, health calendar, Holistic Moms, Holistic Moms Network, homebirth, midwives, natural birth

Active Parents: The Power of We

October 15, 2012 by Jessica Leave a Comment

My tendency to get involved in a lot of things has not abated since I became a parent. I just more passionate about more things! One recent success story I was proud to be involved in was in the building of a Wetlands Learning Lab at Campbell Elementary School. The school district wouldn’t pay to…

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: #BAD12, #powerofwe, activism, blog action day, breast cancer, Holistic Moms Network, motherblessing, Power of We, school, wetlands

The hazards of not gardening

September 27, 2012 by Jessica Leave a Comment

It was at last year’s Eat Grow Learn seminar about growing green in Arlington, Alexandria and Falls Church that I found newfound inspiration to frequent local farmers markets. I had been getting deliveries from South Mountain Veggies and only occasionally hitting the Sunday market at Columbia Pike. When Arlington County Board member Walter Tejada said,…

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Filed Under: Uncategorized

Dishing on diapers on TV

September 7, 2012 by Jessica Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago, Robin Shirley, organizer of the amazing Take Back Your Health Conference, pointed out to me that Liz Crenshaw of NBC4’s Consumer Watch needed a group of local moms for a piece. I wrote the producer who told me Liz was doing a story on the cost of diapers. I hoped to…

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Filed Under: Activism & Politics, D.C. Metro, Uncategorized Tagged With: cloth diapering, community, Consumer Watch, cost, diapers, economics, home, Liz Crenshaw, NBC4, tv

Confessions of a mostly natural parent

September 7, 2012 by Jessica 5 Comments

Welcome to the second edition of the “I’m a Natural Parent – BUT…” Carnival This post was written for inclusion in the carnival hosted by The Artful Mama and our feminist {play}school. During this carnival our participants have focused on how mainstream society has affected their natural parenting and how they have come to peace…

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: calm, diet, family, GAPS, GAPS diet, happiness, home, joy, moving, parenting, peace, priorities, renovation, rhythm, simplicity parenting, travel, working mother, writing mother

What other people tell you about your children

September 6, 2012 by Jessica Leave a Comment

“She’s amazing,” my daughter’s daycare provider said, not a gushing punctuated by an exclamation point but a simple, heartfelt declaration. My heart warmed. I wasn’t looking for praise. Mostly I was relieved that little AJ must have had a good day, her first day of full-day childcare. I mean, how could someone call her amazing…

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: childcare, labels, Montessori, priorities, school, siblings, temperament, Waldorf education

Ten things I love — and don’t — about summer

August 26, 2012 by Jessica Leave a Comment

The days are getting shorter. How sad. Thank goodness. The children will be out of the house soon. How sad. Thank goodness. We will have to adhere to an imposed schedule. How sad. Thank goodness. In the spirit of being two things at the same time (see the title of this blog!), here is my…

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: family, food, priorities, summer, swimming, travel, vacation

On the road, again and again

August 2, 2012 by Jessica 1 Comment

For the last month, it’s been neglect the blog or neglect the children. Or both. Today I am at BlogHer ’12, so it’s the kids who are getting none of mama’s love. They are, however, getting thoroughly entertained and spoiled by their cousins and aunt and uncle. Really, I think my son may learn to…

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: BlogHer, BlogHer '12, children, family, health, home, house, priorities, renovation, travel

Rockin’ Orioles! Tweet! Tweet!

June 20, 2012 by Jessica Leave a Comment

It isn’t every day that I have the chance to give my kids the kind of memorable experience we had last week at the Baltimore Orioles game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Since my son hadn’t ever been to a professional sporting event before, I’m not sure he fully appreciated just how special this event was….

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Filed Under: D.C. Metro, Uncategorized Tagged With: Baltimore Orioles, baseball, bloggers, Camden Yards, entertainment, family, Habitat for Humanity, memories, nostalgia, Orioles, Orioles Park, philanthropy, sports, TeachMama

Gluten-Free Expo returns to D.C.! + Giveaway

June 15, 2012 by Jessica 10 Comments

The Celiac Disease Program at Children’s National Medical Center is all about getting and keeping kids healthy and is hosting the second-annual DC Gluten-Free Expo this afternoon and evening at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel, 1201 K Street NW from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. If I’d eliminated gluten from my diet as a child, my…

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Filed Under: D.C. Metro, Healthy Eating, Holistic Health, Uncategorized Tagged With: celiac disease, Children's National Medical Center, DC Gluten-Free Expo, GAPS diet, gardening, gluten, gluten-free, Rudi's Gluten-Free Bakery

What’s to like about a c-section?

June 12, 2012 by Jessica 32 Comments

Welcome to the June 2012 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Embracing Your Birth Experience 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 about at least one part of their birth experience that they can hold up and…

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Filed Under: Activism & Politics, D.C. Metro, Holistic Health, Uncategorized Tagged With: birth, breastfeeding, c-section, Carnival of Natural Parenting, cesarean, home birth, homebirth, ICAN, placenta, water birth, waterbirth

What makes me feel like a parent

May 23, 2012 by Jessica Leave a Comment

The first time I’d heard of a “touch truck” event was in a With the Kids article in the Washington Post Weekend section. Herndon Truck Days sounded like a blast! And the article also inspired me a year later to pitch an article about the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra’s Children’s Music Festival. It was published and…

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Filed Under: D.C. Metro, Holistic Health, The Arts, Uncategorized Tagged With: Arlington Children's Chorus, family, Herdon Truck Days, Live It Up, Market Common Clarendon, mothering, music, priorities, Washington Sports Club

Yoga festival season gets underway

May 10, 2012 by Jessica Leave a Comment

Yoga festivals might seem counterintuitive for those seeking a peaceful, quiet practice, but they are great opportunities to try different styles and experience a sense of community. There’s something special about doing sun salutations in a group of two hundred people from around the country; it’s as though you all agree, which somehow makes lofty…

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Filed Under: D.C. Metro, Featured, Holistic Health

I don’t have a village

May 8, 2012 by Jessica 18 Comments

Welcome to the May 2012 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Parenting With or Without Extended Family 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 how relatives help or hinder their parenting. Please read to the end to…

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Filed Under: D.C. Metro, Holistic Health, Uncategorized Tagged With: Carnival of Natural Parenting, childcare, family, generations, home, priorities, relationships

20 years ago today: How I Met Their Father

April 24, 2012 by Jessica 2 Comments

I met my future husband at a dorm room party on Friday, April 24, 1992. Twenty years ago today. “You were babies!” people exclaim when I tell them this. Yes and no. I was 19, he almost 21. We did, in some ways, grow up together.  We’ve seen the world change together, from days of…

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: birth, breastfeeding, cesarean, commitment, family, health, Holistic Health, homebirth, marriage, nostalgia, past, pregnancy, priorities, relationship, thyroid

Investigating Ayurveda + a giveaway

April 17, 2012 by Jessica 2 Comments

Last spring, my sister-in-law advised me that the best thing I could do for my health would be to give myself a daily oil massage and to have a consistent schedule of sleeping and waking. And that would include a midday nap. Right. According to her, yoga instructor Charlotte Clews, when she advised me last…

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Filed Under: D.C. Metro, Healthy Eating, Holistic Health, Uncategorized Tagged With: Ayurveda, Cheeseslave, GAPS diet, Holistic Moms Network, John Douillard, juice, juicing, Lisa Wilson, Monica Corrado, Perfect Health for Kids, Raw Food Institute, Real Food Media, Take Back

Holistic health conference addresses body, mind, and planet

April 13, 2012 by Jessica Leave a Comment

If the organizers of this weekend’s Take Back Your Health conference could have any say in the health care debate, food would probably be listed as a medicine. Well, healthy, local, nutrient-dense food, that is. And the means to detoxify from all the chemicals in our air, water, and earth. After the success of last…

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Filed Under: D.C. Metro, Holistic Health

Diary of a wimpy kid’s mom

April 11, 2012 by Jessica 7 Comments

My son is not strong. He is, as the kids say, a shrimp. On the soccer field, the kids complain when picking teams, “But he’s so small.” When one of his good friends found out he was taking a sports class after school, he told my boy, “You suck at sports.” I imagine he’s probably…

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Filed Under: Holistic Health, The Arts, Uncategorized Tagged With: allergies, athletics, baseball, biking, endurance, Frisbee, From Left to Write Book Club, health, hiking, Holistic Health, running, school, sports, strength, weakness

Back on the mat: $5 class special at Radiance!

March 22, 2012 by Jessica Leave a Comment

When my friend and neighbor asked if I would watch her son so that she could take advantage of a $5 yoga deal, I said, “How about I offer up my babysitter instead and go with you?” I’ve been meaning to get to Old Town Alexandria’s Radiance Yoga for a while, but it’s just a…

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Filed Under: D.C. Metro, Holistic Health, Uncategorized Tagged With: adrena, Holistic Health, mental health, mental wellness, thyroid, yoga

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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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