Thursday, September 1, 2011

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!

Monday, August 15, 2011

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!

Friday, August 5, 2011

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.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

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.

Monday, July 4, 2011

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.

Friday, July 1, 2011

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!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

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).