A Little Breather.

I'm back.

Sorry for the short absence.

A Stomach Bug swept through our Family and both girls took a really long time to recover.

I've missed this space. But, I was feeling a little bit overwhelmed by Life and didn't have the energy or motivation to finish all the posts I had started for this Month.

Let's see how many I can squeeze in these last few days of April. Okay?

The Simplicity Month. 2014.

What can you look forward to this Simplicity Month?

Straightforward meals. Uncomplicated activities for kiddos. Simple Birthday ideas. A couple of easy Herb-y things. A few simple changes in habits that have made my life Healthier.

You know, the good stuff.

Welcome.

The Birthing Month. 2014.

This Month's Theme?

Birthing.

I won't be as literal this year, I promise.

Last year, I was revving up for the Birth of my 2nd Child, so there were a ton of Pregnant Mama posts. (You can see last year's Birthing Month's Round-up right here).

I plan on sharing some oldies but goodies. Plus, I have a few more posts I never got around to posting (Dealing with Afterbirth Pains, Post-partum Care: Reality Check).

My Nye-Nye will be turning 3 at the end of March, so I'm be sharing a few Birthday Party Ideas.

And, yes, I will FINALLY get around to sharing more details about my Belly-Binding Herbal Paste.

Spring-time is coming. I can't wait!

The Gratitude Month.

 

 

This Month's Theme is Gratitude.

 

Very soon after I started my Blog, TWO YEARS AGO, I decided I wanted to use a Monthly Theme to help me focus my writing. Some Months have been more success than others.

 

This is one of the easier ones.

 

Here is an older post about Giving Thanks.

 

What is one thing that I am Grateful about Today?

 

That I live in a State where Early Voting is so easy. Today, Papa Bear and I are traveling and therefore are not going to be able to make it to the Polls in time.

 

On Saturday, we were able to each take turns Voting, while the other one waited in the car with the girls (it was too close to Naptime for our Eldest...we decided not to risk a spectacular Meltdown).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was amazing convenient and made me very, very Grateful that I live in a Country where I don't have stand hours and hours in line to exercise my Right to Vote.



 

If you live in the United States, don't forget to exercise this fundamental Right!

 

Here is an old post on the first time I took my daughter to Vote with me. A very proud day for me.

 



 

 

 



Happy May Day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Round-up of the Birthing Month

 

I guess I lucked out that my Monthly Theme of Birthing fell right before I am due to give Birth to my second child. Writing posts for March was a cinch, since Birth is obviously on my mind right now.

Once this new baby comes, my posts on Pregnancy and Birthing will definitely slow down (a relief I am sure for those of you who have no interest in such topics). But, you will always be able to find tons of information I've shared on my Pregnant Mamas Page.

If you missed any of my posts in March, here is a quick run-down...


Second Birthday Present: Sandpaper Letters

Happy Second Birthday, Nye-Nye!

Compression Socks Update

Belly Cast

10 Strategies To Possibly Prevent Pre-Term Labor

Post-Partum Belly-Binding

What If My Baby Is Trransverse or Breech Before 37 Weeks?

A Goddess, A Cow and A Cat

How Do I know If I Am In Labor?

 

Galactogogue Cookies (aka Milk Makin' Cookies)

8 Ideas for Adding Eggs to Your Diet

Good Soups to Freeze. Carrot Ginger Soup

The Books that Helped During My Pregnancy and Labor

 

Meal Train for New Parents. Organizing for Your Post-Partum Food Needs.

Dealing with Heartburn During Pregnancy

Bradley Classes

Perineal Massage

The Importance of Having a Doula

 

Picking out an Indian Name

 

Progress on the New Baby's Bedroom

 

Toddler Art: Bunny Craft

Welcome Simplicity Month

It's that time aleady. Time to start a new Monthly Theme. Welcome, Simplicity...glad to see you!

This Month I will be sharing my list of simple Newborn Essentials, how to make your own chalk paint, a Grocery Delivery Service that specializes in Local Food, a basic Chicken-Soup recipe (perfect for Brand New Mamas), how to make a Toddler's Mud Kitchen in 5 Minutes, the power of Senna Tea, and a few Toddler Art Activities among other things.

Enjoy!

Month of Love Round-up. 2013.

 

Bye-Bye, February. It's been a roller-coaster Month of my family.  Physically, I've been doing pretty well this Month (except for when I started to feel sick ). Emotionally, this pregnancy has had it's rough moments. But, there have been numerous moments of Joy this past Month.

Nye-Nye and I had a blast working on Valentine's Day Cards this year (even more fun than last year ). Lots and lots of Valentines were made. I can't wait until she is old enough to make this Valentine. I was so happy to hear my friend, Erin, made a Spicy Valentine for her husband.

 Our Valentine's Day was a success. We loved our Ancient Ale Date.

I had a lovely day being Queen for the Day. Several friends and family members gathered together and worked on decorating my daughter's room. The room was inspired by the book, Can You See a Little Bear? - it's close to being finished.

My daughter turned 23 Months and I wrote her a letter.

The Nesting Instinct has kicked in and I've started gathering ideas of everything I want to make before the baby comes. These are on my list. I shared the program the Cocoon Time Method and a very tasty vegetarian soup that's perfect to freeze for our Cocoon Time.

I talked about my love of Paperless Post, Port Discovery, the Neti-Pot and our a Collaborative Painting.

My Month of Love ended on a high-note with me sharing my Husband's Wedding Vow.

The Month of Love. 2013.

 

It's that time of year again. February. Full of Creativity, Hugs, Chocolate and My Birthday (and hopefully, not too many Blizzards). It's also known around these parts as my Month of Love.

Sit back and enjoy as I share with you several ideas for making Valentines, some Date Night ideas, a local Get-away, a video or two, some Herbal Love, and plenty of posts for those Pregnant Mamas out there. Much Love!

The Month of Courage Round-up. 2013.

 

It's hard to believe that January is gone already! Over the past Month on Catoctin Mountain Mama, I've shared several inspirational organizations including: Growing Power, Heifer International, Teaching for Change,  The Horse Boy Foundation and Kiva.

I've written about the Power of Poetry and the Bravery of one little boy, Mattie Stepanek.  He wrote this poem and this poem.

Beside Mattie, I told you about my Heroes, Miriam Lee and all the countless Midwives across the country who work so hard to bring Dignity and Respect to the Birthing Process.

I blogged about our awesome new Microgreens Kit and Mushroom Gardening with children. I shared A Wild Toddler Ride.

For Pregnant Mamas, I wrote about Dates and Shorter Labor Times, Herbs for Cold and Flu while Pregnant and how to make a Postpartum Herbal Sitz Bath.

To help EVERYONE stay strong and healthy this Winter, I posted How to make Elderberry Syrup for the Flu Season.

If you haven't read all these posts, click on them and tell me what you think! Don't be shy of the Comments Page. Thank you, for all kind words of support, if you haven't already, click on the Followers Link, which is the second gadget on left side of my Blog Post. Much Love!

Month of Courage. 2013.

Very soon after the beginning of Catoctin Mountain Mama, I decided to organize my blog around a Monthly Theme. My Monthly Themes were inspired by my time at a Friends School. Some Months have been more successful than others.

This Month, I plan on sharing people and organizations who inspire me. All have demonstrated Courage one way or another. Here is my Round-up of posts from last year's Month of Courage. Hope you find a something that moves you.

The Month of Beauty Round-up

1. Future Gardening Projects

2. Old Box Spring Use

3. Child's Grocery Store

4. Beautiful Stone Wall (with a Purpose)

5. French Garage Turned into a Home

6. Yellow Rag Rug

7. Kitchen Love

8. Alcove and Built in Beds

9. Art Inspiration for Our House

10. When Wood and Hand-made Paper Collide

11. Pretty Houseplant Help

12. Vizcaya

13. Garden Dreams

14. A Sentence

15. Gee's Bend Quilts

16. All in 425 Square Feet

Come On In....Joy

Saying Farewell to The Simplicity Month and Hello, to The Month of Joy.

I'm looking forward to sharing some local events that should put a smile on your face, a few gift ideas for those Mamas in your life, a Spring Salad that will make your stomach happy, and ways my family finds Joy in our daily lives.

The Birthing Month Round-up

I've moved on to writing about Simplicity already. But, I thought I should do a basic round-up of what I shared about Birthing (and Creating) last Month.

I wrote about....

a local place to check out New Mama and New Baby animals   (and maybe even check out a live birth!)

breathing new life into an old sofa

a gorgeous compost bin (to help you bring forth more productive gardens)

a helpful book when beginning new relationships (or deepening established relationships)

birthing a closer marriage (through Caring Behaviors)


a Birthday Cupcake recipe (bananas are healthy, right?)


an awesome writing class for Mamas (it's online, so you can find the time)


a little help for those have the time to sleep but can't (I'm trying not to be jealous of those with this problem)


a relationship tip that takes 10 minutes and makes all the difference (from our P.A.I.R.S class)


a brief re-telling of my Birth Story through my Husband's lens (I knew I wasn't going to get an entire story out of him, so I just asked a few questions)


should be every woman's friend


for the pregnant Mamas out there (I know a lot of you)


books that kept me company while I was pregnant (I love to read, what can I say?)


10 Assumptions I Made


There she is...My Lovely Round-up. I didn't include all the Catch-Up Letters I posted and some of my Birthday Party posts...I'm sure you are a bit tired of those ones, so I refrained from including those ones.

Wow...these Round-up Posts are fun! It makes me realize that I've kept up my intention to write, write, write. Enjoy!

This Month's Theme is.....Simplicity

Ciao, March...and writing about Birth. This Month my theme will be Simplicity.  For those new readers, I wrote about my Month Themes here.

I am looking forward to sharing a few effortless and beloved recipes, my easy, breezy method for keeping a Baby Journal, a recipe for Dandelion Cordial and a Teething Tincture, some advice from a Mama (who also happens to be a Buddhist priest), several exquisitely perfect Tiny Homes, an uncomplicated Art project for toddlers (and beyond), another quick P.A.I.R.S. tool, and Lina's easy Hand-washing station.

Thanks for joining me!

Talkin' About Love this Month

Very soon after I started my blog, I realized that I needed a bit of structure. I came up with the idea of Monthly Themes to help me focus my writing.

February is one of my favorite months because not only does it contain my birthday but Valentine's Day. One of my favorite things to go is make stuff out of paper, so this is a holiday right up my alley. In honor of this day, I have declared February the Month of Love right here on this blog.

I will be sharing ideas on how to make Valentines with babies, how to make some heart-felt gifts for your Loved Ones, some ideas for some inexpensive, fun Weekend Getaways this month, a few of my treasured books, a cheap Date Night idea or two, and some marriage enrichment ideas (among many other things). Lots of Love to share! Speaking of which, don't be shy... I know there is more than one person reading my blog (thanks Jen)! Please show me some Love by officially "following" my blog by becoming a member. It will make me a very Happy Lady...Much Love..

Saying Goodbye to January's Monthly Theme

January slipped past and I didn't get a chance to write about Gaviotas, a community of several hundred people living smack dab in one of the most dangerous places in the South America - eastern Columbia.

 I first heard about the village of Gaviotas about 7 or 8 years ago when I read this book. If you are interested in intentional communities or sustainability you definitely need to know about Gaviotas. Amazingly, after planting millions of pine trees in the surrounding area, an indigenous rainforest has begun to grow again! Here is an article with updates on what has been happening in the community over the last ten years.

Another community I wanted to write about is in West Virginia. I read this article in the wonderful magazine, Archaeology. I am embarrassed to say that I had never heard of the Battle of Blair Mountain, although I think I'm not alone.

In 1921, over 15,000 coal-miners participated in largest civil insurrection  since the Civil War. Now the site of this battle is threatened by surface mining (mountaintop removal coal mining). Numerous organizations are working together to save Blair Mountain including the organization called i Love Mountains. If you have five minutes, you can learn more by watching the video below.

The Month of Courage Round-Up 2012

The end of January is almost here, so that means I am wrapping up my posts on Courage and beginning to write about Love. Here is a explanation of my Monthly Themes. I have a long list of people, organizations and books that inspire me with their courage - I didn't even get to scratch the surface...more for next year!

1. Peace Pilgrim

2. Mattie's Mom

3. Pink and Say

4. Innermost House and a Video of Innermost House

5. Molly Murphy

6. Teaching for Change

7. Horse Boy Film and Foundation

8. Urban Homestead Path to Freedom

9. Kiva

10. Courage During Wedding Planning

The House is a Wreck and I'm Eating Chocolate Chip Cookies for Breakfast

I underestimated how much energy it would take to make and/or buy presents for 25 people, wrap said presents with a little pizazz, send out Holiday Cards with a hand-written message, pack for a mini-vacation, see all our families for Christmas, write thank-you cards and send time catching up with friends.

I'm learning. My husband and I kept saying "next year, we will...." We are learning what works for us and what doesn't.

Right now, I am beat. A wave of laundry has over-taken our bathroom. Boxes of presents cover every surface that the baby can't reach. The only thing in the fridge is some hummus. The dust-bunnies are waging a ruthless campaign across our floor.

Despite my best efforts no posting happened this week. I had grand plans of finishing off the "Giving Month" with posts on how to give to your community.

I wanted to take the baby to a retirement home. I wanted to make a meal at the Ronald MacDonald House in Fairfax. I wanted to make it out to the Buddhist Temple in Poolsville (founded by the first Western woman to be recognized in Tibetan Buddhism as a high-ranking lama) and join the monks there for their 24 hour Prayer Virgil for World Peace. I wanted to practice a "Random Act of Kindness" each day this week (donate blood, pick up trash in a neighborhood, deliver hand-made cookies to a firehouse). Lots of plans....none that happened this week.

What did happen is lots time with lots of friends we rarely see. A few met the baby for the first time. It was good. It was what the Holidays are about, right?

If you have a minute go check out the Ronald MacDonald House, the  KPC Temple and Random Acts of Kindness Foundation the Random Act - they are all doing good work. May it inspire you as we transition from one year to the next! Wishing you a Joyous New Year!!!

One of the Reasons a Friends Education Rocks...

Although, I am not a Quaker and knew very little about the Society of Friends before I started teaching, I quickly fell in love with the spiritual component of the school. The students and I were able to have a safe space to discuss their spiritual questions and learn about all the major World Religions.

Each month, our spiritual discussions revolved around a theme like Courage or Kindness. The teacher in me couldn't resist, so I've decided to give my blog a bit more structure by having a Monthly Theme. Check out my new page on Monthly Themes!