Two Meetings in July! Gardening and Outings

We had a a special daytime meeting on July 15 at Shirlington Library with HMN meeting coordinator and certified Master Gardener Maria Huynh, along with Heidi Young answering gardening questions and presenting how-tos, tips and free seeds for fall gardening.

Then, for our regular third Thursday evening meeting, chapter founder and outgoing co-leader Jessica Haney of Mindful Healthy Life blog facilitated a conversation on Greatest Hits: Favorite Spots & Activities in Metro DC. Jessica shared resources of great hikes, festivals and other activities and members shared their family's favorites, too. For an electronic copy of the handout, which was updated after the meeting, email jessica (at) mindfulhealthylife (dot) com. All the information will also be in her forthcoming eBook.

Summer Solstice Potluck Social!

Thanks to all who came out for our annual potluck social! It was a lovely evening. We had some great conversations and lots of tasty bites! The kids had a blast playing on a beautiful almost-summer night!

Breastfeeding through the Years

Thanks to Pat Shelly of the Breastfeeding Center for Greater Washington for her great talk at our May meeting.

May Member Tea

We had a lovely discussion in May to plan for the future of our chapter after chapter founder Jessica Haney steps down as co-leader this summer. It was great to connect and to share what the chapter has offered us and what we'd like to see it do going forward. Thanks to Mary for hosting and for all the folks who came out or shared their thoughts with the group.

Hiking and Camping as a Family

Our area is full of hiking and camping sites perfect for families. Thank you to experienced local moms D Ohlandt and our co-leader Mary Hackman for sharing with us some great information about hiking and camping as a family. The kids had a terrific time playing in tents and getting excited about being outdoors!

How to Be a Holistic Parent in Public Schools

Thank you to all the wonderful community activists who came out to our March 10 evening meeting to discuss how you can get involved in your school and school district.

The panelists and the accompanying handout shared tips on engagement and will cover what is happening in public schools in Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax regarding issues holistic parents care about, including food/nutrition, gardening, outdoor play, environmental issues, movement, and mindfulness.

If you missed the meeting or want to engage in further discussion, please join us for our special daytime meeting at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 30 to recap this evening panel. The daytime meeting will be led by chapter co-leaders Jessica Haney and Michelle Rief. 

March 30 URL: https://www.facebook.com/events/988303727903019/
RSVPs to holisticmomsarlalex (at) gmail (dot) com or on the Facebook event are appreciated but not required.

We welcome homeschoolers, parents of young children not yet of school age, school staff, and interested community members. As always, children are welcome, though the conversation is geared to adults.

Activity Room, Lower Level, UUCA, 4444 Arlington Blvd (entrance from eastbound Rt. 50 and from S. George Mason Drive) 

The handout will be updated after the March 30 meeting and can be emailed upon request to holisticmomsarlalex (at) gmail (dot) com. 
Please wait until after March 30 to request this document.

 

Wireless Safety

Many thanks to Desiree Jaworski from the The Center for Safer Wireless for a great presentation on how to protect your family in a wireless world.

 

Desire shared the science regarding health hazards associated with cell phones, laptops, tablets, and other wireless devices and talked about practical ways to protect yourselves and your children at home and in schools. 

We also discussed ways to get involved to change the political climate around this issue and to ensure greater safety for us all.

Desiree had a terrific handout that we will share electronically with members. 

To learn more, visit The Center for Safer Wireless website and Facebook page. The Center for Safer Wireless will be an exhibitor at the March 5 Grow Your Health Wellness, Gardening and Local Food festival at Fairfax High School, where Holistic Moms will also have a table.