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.