Holiday Social this week!

Please join us Thursday, December 15 for our holiday social potluck. We're starting at 6:30 to accommodate little ones' bedtimes. Bring the whole family! Or come solo if that sounds more fun!

Bring whatever yummy treat you'd like, but please label with all ingredients for those with restrictions or sensitivities. And bringing your own dish & silverware will cut down on our waste.

New this year:
If you have a fun item that is not getting fully optimized use at your home, consider bringing it along for a white elephant gift exchange.

Food pantry and children's clothing (and diaper) donations for our host church are always welcome.

Learn about Integrative Family Medicine

Curious about integrating holistic approaches to treating illnesses with that of mainstream providers?
Looking to add tools to your toolbox for treating common ailments?
Or just curious to learn more about more comprehensive approaches to medical treatment?

Please join us on Thursday, November 17 for our monthly meeting, where guest speaker Dr. Marie Steinmetz – founder of Steinmetz Medical Associates and long-time believer in looking at the whole picture when treating patients -- will discuss an integrative approach to family medicine and answer your questions.

Holistic Moms Network Arlington/Alexandria Chapter July Meeting
Date: Thursday, November 17, 2011
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Location: 716 S. Glebe Road, Arlington, VA, 22204 (in Arlington United Methodist Church)

Children are always welcome. HMN meetings are open to members and first-time visitors. Come see what we're about!
(RSVPs are helpful but not required. jessicahmnarlalex (at) gmail (dot) com )

Holistic Moms Network is not affiliated with any church. However, we do appreciate the generosity of AUMC in hosting our meetings and encourage members and visitors to bring donations of non-perishable food for the church's food pantry, which serves the homeless population in Arlington.

Directions: AUMC is on S. Glebe between S. 7th and S. 8th St., a few blocks north of Columbia Pike, on the west side of the street. Enter the church parking lot from S. Glebe or from S. 7th St. where there is a traffic light (on the north side of church).

October meeting to discuss parenting styles

Join us on October 20 for a member-led discussion about parenting styles.

What does it mean to identify with certain styles of parenting?

Let's talk about various approaches, including, but not limited to:

• attachment parenting
• conscious parenting
• playful parenting
• positive parenting
• simplicity parenting
• mindful parenting
• compassionate parenting

Please bring your favorite books & magazines or parenting accessories for a show and tell.

We can also incorporate ideas about schooling, feeding, toileting and whatever else comes up. Let's share our passions and learn from each other in a non-judgmental environment.

Special note to community members in the fields of parenting education and counseling:
You are welcome to join to contribute to the discussion. We'd love to hear from you. However, we are not seeking speakers for the evening, and solicitation is prohibited. We will have a place for displaying materials for people to peruse at their leisure, but please refrain from promoting any services during the meeting.

If you are a parenting expert, therapist or other related professional and you are interested in joining in the meeting or sending resources ahead, please contact Jessica at jessicahmnarlalex (at) gmail (dot) com.

As usual, the meeting is 7-9 p.m. at AUMC, 716 S. Glebe Rd., Arlington, VA 22204.

Traditional Diets in September

Thanks to Real Food blogger and Weston A. Price Foundation publicist Kimberly Hartke for talking to our group at our September meeting on Traditional Diets. We learned a lot!

For any members who missed the presentation or who just want to discuss further, Jessica will be hosting a recap discussion at a playgroup on Friday, October 14, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Email jessicahmnarlalex (at) gmail (dot) com to RSVP and for the address.

Motherblessing!

We had another wonderful motherblessing earlier this month honoring two mamas. One this past week had a "peaceful and joyous" homebirth and that the "support and warm thoughts" shared during the evening helped that happen. How great to hear!

No matter what the birth plan, we love to honor and pamper mothers as they near such big life transition.

A motherblessing is a special way to honor a woman on her journey to motherhood or to becoming a mom of two, or three, or whatever is next! When we pause to take stock of where we are and where we're headed, we can honor our role as mothers and all our other roles. Our chapter has held motherblessings in groups and for individuals. It's a great way to share our experience and help the mothers feel powerful and supported as they approach birth and their new mothering role. Plus, we eat! And we pamper the expectant with massage.

Thanks to Kristine for these great photos from our July motherblessing honoring three mamas. It was so nice to hear about their birth and postpartum plans, to share fears and joys, and to just celebrate the amazing work our bodies do to grow new little beings!

Congratulations to all three women on the birth of their baby boys!

And here are a few photos of our September motherblessing at which we had another three pregnant women in attendance, the next in line! If you are a member and are expecting, please make sure the leaders know so that we can plan to honor you!

Talking about Traditional Diets: September meeting

How can the wisdom of traditional diets address modern-day health concerns?

What connections between health and nutrition did pioneering dentist Weston A. Price find when he traveled the world in the 1920s, and how can we benefit from what he learned?

What is so great about raw milk?

How come obesity rates started rising when low-fat diets came on the scene?

What are healthy fats and why do we (and our children, especially) need them in our diets?

These questions and more will be addressed by “Hartke Is Online!” Real Food blogger and Weston A. Price Foundation publicist Kimberly Hartke at our September 15 meeting. Hope to see you there!

Oh, the food! Amazing August potluck

What an amazing array of delicious food we had at our August social potluck! It was wonderful to get a chance to chat over dinner and to see each other's kiddos in rare form. Counting kids, we had over 50 friends in attendance! Thanks to everyone who came out and who cooked. What an inspiring spread among such enjoyable company!

Our next social/potluck meeting will be December 15.

Thanks for these photos goes to Kristan and Arjuna, new chapter members who just moved from Florida, where they were already members of HMN. Welcome, and thank you!

August Moms Night Out - Chinese Brush painting

Thanks to Genevieve Lynn of Jade River Studio for leading us in a creative evening of Chinese brush painting for our August Moms Night Out.

How nice to create beauty together!

Summer and fall meetings announced

Have you wanted to come out to a meeting just to meet other HMN members rather than hear a presentation? Our August 18 meeting will be a social potluck starting at 6:30 and taking place (weather permitting) on the patio and lawn in from the AUMC, the church where our meetings are regularly held (at 716 S. Glebe in Arlington). Bring a healthy (or at least healthy-ish!) dish to share with listed ingredients. Or if you just bring what your family needs, that will work, too! After a string of great presentations, we look forward to having the chance to just catch up with old friends and get to know new ones! Come find out just who these holistic mamas are!

September's presentation is the final in our series of food-related presentations in 2010-11. On September 15, Kimberly Hartke, Real Food blogger and publicist for the Weston A. Price Foundation, will explain how traditional diets worked and what their benefits are. Weston A. Price was a dentist who traveled the world in the 1920s and found commonalities among groups of people who had good dental, mental and physical health -- and who eschewed processed foods. Learn what else he found and how to use this information to support your family's health at our September meeting.

In October, we're excited about a member-led discussion of parenting styles. Keeping in mind that no one size fits all, we could all stand to learn what works for other people. Some of us identify as "attachment" parents, others as "mindful" parents or "simplicity parents." Some follow books that espouse "positive discipline" or "unconditional parenting" while others utilize reward system and have more structured ideas about behavior expectations. Some of us are influenced by Waldorf or Montessori education traditions and value a certain kind of order in our home life while others are more free-wheeling. On October 20, let's bring some of our favorite books, our insights, and our questions for a lively conversation about what works or might work for our families.

On November 17, we will learn about Integrative Family Medicine from a representative from Steinmetz Medical Associates. What does it mean to have a holistic, integrative approach to healthcare for your family?

In December, we will enjoy another social evening. Details to come, but we're thinking we'll combine a low-key discussion of holistic holiday celebrations with some kind of white elephant exchange and a potluck on December 15.

Veggin' in July!

Thanks to Jennifer Reilly for talking to us about vegetarian and vegan diets at our July meeting. Jen, a dietician and mostly vegan mom of three, began her presentation by making us a yummy green smoothie with spinach, kale, coconut milk, and a bunch of fruits.

The diversity in the room was wide, from one omnivorous member who said she couldn't imagine a meal without meat to a vegetarian member who said she had a hard time conceiving of meat as a food. And plenty of visitors seeking a supportive community. We all enjoyed the presentation and learned from the discussion.

July meeting: Vegetarian, Vegan and Macrobiotic Diets

Have you considered going vegetarian or vegan?

Do you want to learn more about how to use diet to fight cancer?

Join us on July 21 when The Cancer Project senior nutritionist Jennifer K. Reilly, L.D., R.D. will present to our group.

As always, children are welcome to attend. See the sidebar at right for directions to AUMC. Meetings are always 7-9 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Massage meeting in June

Thank you to Brenda Teal of The Teal Center for Therapeutic Bodywork for a great meeting in June. Brenda brought a whole panel of folks to talk to us about a variety of hands-on healing modalities, including craniosacral therapy, lymphatic drainage, and acupuncture. She also described what different types of massages feel like and what they are good for.

One lucky member will be enjoying the door prize of a free massage soon. Thank you, Brenda and all the other practitioners who shared the evening with us!

June meeting: Massage for health!

You know massage feels good, but how does it contribute to health and vitality?

Join us for a talk by Brenda Teal of The Teal Center for Therapeutic Bodywork (located in Ballston and at Virginia Hospital Center). Brenda will provide an overview of different types of massage, discuss what is effective for which kinds of issues, and explain how massage is part of a holistic approach to wellness.

Date: Thursday, June 16, 2011
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Location: 716 S. Glebe Road, Arlington, VA, 22204 (in Arlington United Methodist Church)

HMN meetings are open to members and first-time visitors. Children are always welcome. Come see what we're about!
(RSVPs are helpful but not required. holisticmomsarlalex (at) gmail (dot) com )

The Arlington/Alexandria chapter of the Holistic Moms Network is not affiliated with any church. However, we do appreciate the generosity of AUMC in hosting our meetings and encourage members and visitors to bring donations of non-perishable food for the church's food pantry, which serves the homeless population in Arlington.

Directions: AUMC is on S. Glebe between S. 7th and S. 8th St., a few blocks north of Columbia Pike, on the west side of the street. Enter the church parking lot from S. Glebe or from S. 7th St. where there is a traffic light (on the north side of church).

Homeopathy in May

Thank you to Dr. Christopher Johnson of Thrive Naturopathic for presenting to our group in May. We learned so much about homeopathy and also about naturopathic medicine in general.

Thank you for teaching us and for providing such great handouts!

Getting clean from the inside: raw, seasonal and cleansing diets

Thank you to Anita Capizzi and Michelle Pfennighaus for their wonderful presentation on raw, seasonal and cleansing diets. What a lot of great information and inspiration to give our livers a rest and to be good to our bodies this spring!

Thanks to Leigha for the guacamole and to Anita for the raw cookies and to Michelle for the door prize of a consultation/cleanse support.

Did we mention that Michelle brought her nine-week-old son? Congratulations to this new mama!

Raw Food, Seasonal Eating, and Cleansing Diets in April

Have you ever wondered why people talk about going on a raw foods diet or doing a spring detox?

Come join us for part two in our 2011 food/diet series: "Raw, Seasonal and Cleansing Diets." Our April meeting will focus on how to give your body a boost with raw foods, a seasonal diet, and
cleanses.

Anita Capizzi, with the Raw Food Institute, will discuss the philosophy and
details behind a diet focused on raw food. http://therawfoodinstitute.com/

Michelle Pfennighaus, certified health coach, will discuss seasonal eating and
cover cleansing/detoxing options and diets based on whole, seasonal food as well
as overcoming diet/commitment obstacles. http://findyourbalancehealth.com/

7-9 pm on Thursday, April 21 at the Arlington
United Methodist Church - 716 S. Glebe Road, Arlington, VA, 22204*

Meetings are open to members and first-time visitors to our chapter. Children
are always welcome to attend.

*HMN is not affiliated with any church, but our chapter’s host church does accept donations of items for its food pantry.

Getting fit! Moms Night Out

Thanks to Megan Brown of Mind the Mat for teaching us how to get and stay fit before, during and after pregnancy at our great Moms Night Out. Thanks also to member Nina Elliot for hosting us at her Health and Wholeness studio!

Green Cleaning on St. Patrick's Day!

Celebrate "green" with us on Thursday, March 17 to discuss non-toxic homes.

What does "Green Cleaning" mean?
What are the concerns about chemicals from cleaners and other harsh substances in our homes?
How can we reduce our exposure to toxins in the home?

This St. Patrick's day, get your Green on with Holistic Moms!

Learn about the big picture of what it means to have a clean, green, toxin-free home.
We will also discuss alternatives to commercial products and inspire us with the simplicity of homemade products, including a demo.

Learning about food sensitivities and allergies

Thank you to Dr. Venus Seleme of Seleme Chiropractic Wellness Center for a wonderful presentation and demonstration of muscle testing for N.A.E.T. allergy elimination and a great discussion of food sensitivities. We all learned a lot at our February meeting!

February meeting to discuss "Allergy Elimination"

Food, chemical and environmental allergies or sensitivities can have a variety of effects on the body -- physical, emotional, mental, behavioral.

Chronic conditions and disease can often be linked to a sensitivity that can be addressed without medication through "allergy elimination."

On February 17, Dr. Venus Seleme of Seleme Chiropractic Wellness Center will describe this healing modality.
Her talk will describe how to "deactivate" allergens and open up energy meridians to heal the body and mind.

For more information on allergy elimination, see
http://www.naet.com/
http://www.drellencutler.com/pages/thebiosetsystem/
and Dr. Seleme's site, http://www.drseleme.com/

If you or your children seem to have any sensitivities -- be it to certain foods, additives, fragrances, pollen -- or any other chronic conditions you can't seem to fix, consider coming to hear this talk. This modality stopped one chapter leader from turning beet red if she had even a sip of wine, and it rid her of seasonal (spring) allergies she'd treated with a variety of medications for years.

Dr. Seleme plans to focus on addressing the following with regard to food allergies:
Where do food allergies begin?
Genetics vs. Environments
Is something you are eating passing through your breastmilk?
Differences between true allergies and allergy sensitivities
Different test for allergies (RAST, IGG, Skin prick) vs. muscle testing. What do they tell us?
What is muscle testing?
How we use the concepts of Applied Kinesiology with allergy treatment
The most common allergens and all the components of these specific foods
Protein reaction symptom vs. sugar/preservative symptom
Cross reactivity within food groups, ie grasses and the wheat family
How NAET works with a demonstration.

Making our own beauty products: MNO

What a fun Moms Night Out! Thanks to Natalie for organizing and to Amy Fromm of Interlaken Soak Company for teaching us about ingredients to watch out for in our beauty and cleansing products and about healthy alternatives. We had a lively, interactive discussion and went home with custom-made body oil and a cute sampler of Amy's "Muskoka Bliss" Soothing Balm.

Thanks to everyone for coming out and to St. Elmo's Coffee Pub for hosting!

Members: look forward to our MNO on Reiki on February 8 at Food Matters!

"Special Diets" talk sheds light on diets and community

If anyone attending our January meeting had ever felt alone in his or her quest to eat well on a restricted diet, that isolation was put to rest last Thursday night. In a room packed full of folks working hard to figure out the healthiest diets for them and for their children, Cheryl Harris of Harris Whole Health described her own health journey and outlined several reasons to avoid certain foods.

Cheryl discussed about the Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) diet and the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) in addition to a more general talk about why people have problems with gluten, dairy and other foods and how to get tested. In this interactive talk, Cheryl combined research, personal experience and clinical wisdom.

Thank you to Cheryl for taking the time to share this information with us, for bringing so many wonderful books, and for donating a free gluten-free living class!

We also wish to thank the following businesses for their donations of door prizes:

Melissa Diane Smith, author of Going Against the Grain for a copy of her new book, Gluten Free Throughout the Year

Nancy Tringali Piho, author of My Two-Year-Old Eats Octopus, for a copy of her book

Mary Rand Hess, author of The Day I Met the Nuts for a copy of this children’s book (about discovering and living with food allergies)

Choices by Shawn restaurant for a $25 gift certificate (including many gluten-free choices)

Monica Corrado of Simply Being Well for a bean and grain chart and two essential oil misters.

Jessica Haney, founder and co-leader of the chapter, for a copy of Healthier Without Wheat by Dr. Stephen Wangen

And a special thanks also to all the people who brought yummy snacks to this meeting:
Marybeth, Sylvia (those delicious GF brownies!), Leigha, and Christy (homemade red sauerkraut!)

Arlington/Alexandria Chapter turns two!

Happy Birthday to our chapter! We are two years old!

The Arlington/Alexandria Chapter of Holistic Moms Network was launched January 22, 2009. Thank you to all the attendees of our January 2011 meeting for commemorating this anniversary. Pictured here is founder and co-leader Jessica Haney holding her lovely gift of tulips with co-leader Leigha S.(holding the delicious gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, sugar-free cake she made!) and new co-leader (in process) Mary H.

Thank you all for your service, thanks to the many volunteers who have kept the chapter going, and thanks to Michelle D., who just completed her year as co-leader.

January meeting 1/20: Special Diets

• Why do people go gluten-free or dairy-free?
• What is the latest research on food allergies and sensitivities?
• How do you know you or your children might have food sensitivities?
• What is celiac disease vs. gluten intolerance? Casein intolerance vs. lactose intolerance?
• How can conditions like ADD/ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, and sensory processing disorders be influenced by the food we eat?

On January 20, Cheryl Harris of Harris Whole Health will address these questions and in an interactive talk. Come learn about the whys behind special diets of all kinds and some of the hows, including the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) and the Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) diet.

Holistic Moms Network Arlington/Alexandria Meeting

Special Diets: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free and more

Thursday, January 20

7-9 p.m.

716 S. Glebe Rd., Arlington, VA 22204 in AUMC church*

Meetings are open to members and first-time visitors to our chapter. Children are always welcome to attend

*HMN is not affiliated with any church, but our host church does accept donations of items for its food pantry.