We came, we ate, we fermented!

Big thanks to Tom and Christy Przystawik for teaching us how to can, preserve, and ferment the summer's bounty. Our member email list has been lit up with success stories of the kefir people have made from Christy's grains. Thank you! We appreciated the tasty fermented okra and dried figs, too, and were so interested to learn about the Mother Earn News Fair where longtime chapter member Christy will be presenting alongside big names like Joel Salatin and Sandor Katz.

Thank you also to Ed of the Arlington Egg Project for talking with us about urban agriculture. We all learned a lot!

Notes have been posted to the chapter email list and can be requested by non-members writing to jessicahmnarlalex (at) gmail (dot) com.

Ah, summer!

It was wonderful to sit and talk at our social meeting in July. We shared thoughts on parenting and work, travel, moving, birth, health care, and more. Learning from one another is powerful and inspiring. Thanks to all who came out and shared! What a supportive community!

For our August meeting, member and holistic health coach Christy Przystawik and her husband Tom, formerly owners of Food Matters restaurant, will be teaching us how to can, preserve and ferment foods to make the most of the summer harvest. Join us on August 16 for a presentation and demonstration.

Social Meeting and Book Chat in July

Tonight’s meeting is a social meeting and casual book chat where we will talk about whatever is on our minds or whatever we’ve been reading.

Of interest might be the Atlantic article about women not being able to have it all or the news about the new Yahoo CEO who plans to work through her maternity leave. 

Or some of us might just want to talk about summer reading lists of fiction. 

Or maybe there’s a blog post you want to talk about, or a parenting book that recently got you thinking about things in a new way. 

In any case, tonight is our chance to chat and connect. See you there!

Wary of wifi? Check out our June meeting!

There may be a lot to love about convenient wireless devices and wifi internet access, but these technological developments also come with health risks.


At our June 21 meeting, Christine Hoch of the Center for Safer Wireless will discuss "Wireless Safety for the Home," including the following topics:

• Research regarding microwave radiation from cell phones
• Reported heath effects of cell phones
• Ways to use cell phones more safely
• Other wireless products in the home
• Living near cell towers and antennas
• Ways to reduce health effects from RFR in the home

Holistic dentistry

Thank you to Dr. Felix Liao of Whole Health Dental Center for a great presentation on Optimal Dental Facial Development for Children.

Dr. Liao shared a wealth of information about structural factors in the mouth that can influence whole health, and he explained how nutrition, breastfeeding, and toxins (from food, air, products, etc.) can impact the mouth and thus whole body health. What a fascinating talk!

Dr. Liao recommended that any children with crowing, jaw, posture, or learning problems or with clenching or pain issues be seen by a holistic dentist by age five. Remediation (often to expand the jaw, not just to align teeth) should be started before age 10 for maximum effectiveness.

Basics of Ayurvedic Medcine in April

Thanks to Whitney Paterson of Apurva Wellness for teaching us about Ayurvedic medicine, an ancient tradition that uses diet, seasonal eating, lifestyle, daily rhythms and herbs to create and maintain optimal health.
We covered the following questions:
· What are the different Ayurvedic doshas, or body types, and how can you use this information to help support your health and your children's health?

· What is your dosha?

· What are some common imbalances with these types and what are ways we can address them?

· Can diet/herbs improve these imbalances, and how so?

· How else can an understanding of Ayurveda help us understand our children and their specific needs?

Green Schools!

Thank you to our speakers Miriam Gennari, Katherine Sumner and Wendy Sparrow for sharing with us all that Arlington and Alexandria public schools have to offer. Check out this article by one of our leaders about the recent NoVA Outside Green Schools Expo that inspired our meeting and for more from meeting speaker Miriam Gennari on efforts in Arlington. Congratulations to Alexandria for being a winner at the Expo!