Mother's Day

There's a little bit of mother in all of us. 

Maybe it’s just a piece of your mother. 

You feel her, radiating love, tenderness and strength.  Part of her runs through your veins and perhaps brings tears to your eyes. 

Mother is a place of peace, a place to heal, a place to just be you. 

I find that being a mother has opened my eyes. 

I have learned to share in my selfish moments. 

I have learned to have patience at my wits end. 

I have learned to be more open to change and difference. 

Motherhood has made me a better woman. 

Thank you for that child. 

Thank you to all mothers’ who are making differences in their communities. 

Thank you for all the moms walking the road alone. 

Thank you for the opening your whole being to your child. 

I celebrate you all today!

A Moment for Me & Baby by Tracy Newton

As a serving “mother to be” I thought I would share with all of you the wonderful experience I had, after Kelly’s excellent referral, at Breathe and Flow Yoga.  Breathe and Flow is a fairly new, family run, Yoga studio in Freeport. They have an abundance of classes offered each week in two beautifully tranquil Yoga studios. I am a Yoga newbie and therefore, was a little apprehensive that my first Yoga class would be when I am 14 weeks pregnant. I arrived last night for the 7:15 class and was greeted with students from the previous class exiting the studio expressing how much they enjoyed their class, a great sign. 

Lea, the owner of the studio made me feel extremely comfortable right away, they showed me around the studio where the prenatal class was held, pointed out the props I would need for the class and let me get settled. Lea entered the studio and advised me that even if I was the only person to show up she would give me a private lesson. This is something Kelly had pre-warned me about, she knew Lea was someone who catered to anyone who came out to take a class even if you were the only one. Of course, I might not always get a private lesson, but it sure was nice especially for my first class. Lea was amazing, she is kind, and was an extremely knowledgeable Yoga instructor. She is reassuring and supportive; two things I really needed as I ventured out into this new Yoga world. She taught me so many of the positions that can be modified when pregnant and made adjustments to my positions when necessary. It is evident that Lea is dedicated to establishing her Yoga studio as a place that grows with the families of her patrons.

I really needed this experience…first for nourishment of my body, but most importantly for the nourishment of my soul and peace of mind. It was nice to just have something for me and my baby to share alone…for in a few months I know there will be rare opportunities like these.  During our session Lea gave me so many opportunities to connect with my baby; it was a wonderful experience. I can not wait for my class on Saturday morning.

Breathe N Flow Yoga -

361 Atlantic Avenue

- Freeport, NY -  t: 516.632.9626

http://www.breathenflowyoga.com/

JUST S.T.O.P. IT!

Dumping chemicals into our environment I mean.
As my family is a big proponent for using safe cleaning products, we do a lot of encouraging our community to dispose of those “questionable” cleaners in a safe way.  The thought of these hazardous ingredients leaking into our ground and water from landfills just disgusts me! 

I am pleased to share that the city of Long Beach, NY is offering to dispose of such things properly at their local drive; S.T.O.P., Stop Throwing Out Pollutants, will be in Long Beach on Sunday, April 10 from 8am to 3pm in the parking lot behind City Hall.  They accept propane tanks under 20 lbs. too!

Just take a look around the house and garden, collect the hazardous materials and dispose of them on April 10. Click here to view the S.T.O.P. flier to see what items you can drop off.

20 Ways to Be Green                             
Live Healthier, Save the Planet

20.  Call your power company and ask them if they use Green energy?

19.  Use energy efficient light bulbs.  Replacing one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb will save 150 lbs. of carbon dioxide a year.

18.  Check your tires.  If you can afford one, buy a hybrid car.  Keeping your tires inflated properly can improve gas mileage by more than 3%.

17.  Use energy efficient appliances, or if you can’t afford to change them, can you do without any of them.  Turn them off whenever possible.  Simply turning off your T.V., DVD player, stereo and computer when you are not using them will save thousands of lbs. of carbon dioxide a year.

16.  Walk, Bike or use mass transit whenever possible.  Carpool.  You’ll save one pound of carbon dioxide for every mile you don’t drive.

15.  If you can afford it, use solar or water power to heat your home.

14.  Speak up in your community about the benefits of making a difference for the environment of today and tomorrow.

13.  Unplug cell phone charges.  They zap energy even if you phone is not plugged in and increase your electric bill!

12.  Encourage others and members of congress to reduce our dependence on oil.  You can write a letter to your state representative.

11.  Recycle everything you can.  You can save 2400 lbs. of carbon dioxide per year by recycling just half of your household waste.

10.  Buy recycled and recyclable products.  Avoid products with a lot of packaging.  Safe for you, your family, and the environment.  www.searcy.myshaklee.com

9.  Watch an “Inconvenient Truth”  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0497116/

8.  Visit www.climatecrisis.net

7.  Learn as much as you can about our increasingly changing environment.  www.globalwarming101.org

6.  Don’t take for granted the resources that we have today, they might not be there for our children tomorrow. Conserve.

5.  Use less hot water.  It takes a lot of energy to heat water.

4.  Plant Trees.  A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.

3.  Adjust your thermostat.  Moving your thermostat just 2 degrees in winter and up 2 degrees in summer, you could save 2000 lbs. of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment.

2.  You can even buy low- VOC Paints (low Volatile organic compounds)!

1.  Spread the word!!  We can make a difference.

"Mommy, Come Up, Pease"

Wearing my little V was such a precious time.  Sadly, I thought the phase was over; I had lent out my sling for months then just last week, packed it up tight with the hopes that another baby would be held snuggly next to my heart, in it, someday.  Not more than two days later, Miss V decided that she wanted to be carried, again, regularly.  On our walks, “mommy, want to come up”, she’d say.  At the store, “mom, up, come up”, she’d plead.  To my delight, she was at peace being held again.

At this stage of independence I am warmed by her desired to be so close again.  Her changed attachment need is warmly welcomed after all the “do it self” (herself) jargon she added to her vocabulary.  My husband and I fell in love with the Baby Ktan, a double ring sling that rests on both shoulders for support without wrapping.  We found it versatile and cozy as it grows with her. 

This new carry me stage has led me to discover some new options to try and here you’ll see some wonderful options.  If you have any favorites for a toddler of 2 or older, please share with me in your comments.

Image above:  http://www.pixiekid.com/shop/images/meitai/Mei-Tai-Fauna-Zoo-2.jpg  What a fun print!I just love the color and happiness about it.

Mei Tai, or Asian Baby Carriers
These carriers are oblong fabric carriers with long straps to tie the little tyke to your body.  You can buy them for as little as $25 and easily transportable. It could fit in your coat pocket.  A toddler can be worn in a Mei Tai on your back, facing inwards on your front (called the cuddle carry) or hip carry. The back and hip carries are better for walking or hiking; and the cuddle carry is more suited to a toddler nap on the go. I’d suggest padded straps.

Moby WrapsThese are long, wide pieces of fabric that you tie around your body to become straps and pouches to hold your little one. Wider fabric makes for more comfortable straps but they have a learning curve. Master it and try the front, back and cuddle carry.

Soft Carriers
These are a bit more expensive than Mei Tai or Moby carriers, but are easy to use. They come with adjustable straps.  You just slip it on, slip them in and go. Front, back and cuddle carrying positions.  Ergo carriers are some of my friends’ favorites.

Backpack Carriers
Very comfortable to wear, but bulky, heavy duty, not so portable carriers suited for hiking and walking.  They can have significant weight and hard to put on solo but try using a chair to attach them to yourself.  Your little tyke will be high; some toddlers like this superior position and others not so much so make sure to try it out before you leave the store.

Found it!

And so I found myself among the most amazing group of women, The Long Island South Shore Chapter of Holistic Moms Network.  Here I am again, supported, loved and valued.  Thank you amazing women in my life.

Me, Myself & Mommy

What is happening to me?

Perhaps it’s the time of the week or month or hour.  My little one has gracefully flown past two as I have barely finished the blink of my eye. I completely devoted my body, my heart, and my mind to this munchkin and there are days when I am left wanting, tired and impatient.  I am continually craving some alone time and the desire to see my husband more than passing him in the hall to discuss the required things of the day.

I am not ungrateful for all those yummy mommy moments but only for the loss of myself, my peace or maybe something so simple as my sleep. 

In creating this child protected world in my home, sometimes I lose track of me.  There’s a constant battle of wits between me and me as mommy.  From the consolation advice of friends, this is apparently normal and a challenge of parenting.

Maybe you are a parent, maybe not.  Maybe you are just a giver, of everything.  So what do you do to keep you intact when your whole world is about being so available to others? 

 At some point, as I have heard another say, our bodies are our temples and we should honor them, right?  It’s high time to get back to that.  Honoring one-self to be better for her, my baby, is the task of my day.  Finding just 5 minutes to just listen to the waves hitting the shore outside or just nothing with no crying, no tugging, and no one hollering mom, mom, mom!  What happened to the pampering, the spa, the massages, the quiet reading and daydreaming time?   Seemingly, it’s selfish at times but ever so necessary I am starting to realize. 

If you have a unique way of balancing yourself with your giving, share it with me please…  I am looking for some creative ideas.