I often admit to newer mamas that some of my worst parenting moments with Kieran happened at bedtime. While Kieran has always required a lot of sleep, he was one of those children for whom Ferber built his empire. (He was also, however, one for whom Ferberizing would have never worked.)

Kieran was difficult to put down. He did not learn how to soothe himself back to sleep until he was a preschooler. In fact, I basically held and/or nursed Kieran while he was sleeping for about the first two years of his life.

I just went back through my local AP board (where I gripe to mamas in my home town), chuckling at posts like this one:

And he very rarely lets me put him down for naps – he had to be right in my f’n lap to sleep longer than 20 minutes. So here I sit for 3 hours a day with a kid snoozing away on my lap. I’m such a *do-er* – all my life I’ve been that type A person with way too much on her plate. So this forced slow-down has been pretty maddening for me (I’m definitely learning patience). There are days (like today) when I feel like I’m going to explode.
~A post I wrote when Kieran was 11 months old

I tried so many things: leaving one of my shirts he could smell/cuddle, putting him in a back carry, having a mother’s helper to decrease my daytime stress level (he refused to let her do anything with him), have Tom put him down, etc. etc. etc.

Nothing worked. And this was pre-smart phone days for me, and it was often difficult to get Kieran to sleep while multi-tasking.

Sleep was tough. There were nights I cried I was so angry. There were nights I handed Kieran to Tom and stomped out of the room. There were nights I felt like leaving him to cry alone, just to give myself a break. There were nights when I angrily demanded that he just. go. the. f. to. sleep. (No, I don’t particularly like that book, but I can commiserate with the sentiment.)

But Kieran needed to cosleep. He needed that nighttime comfort of having his parents present. If we would have tried sleep training (aka “crying it out“) with our sensitive kiddo, I think the results would have been disastrous.

And to be honest, when all was said and done, I liked having my little one with us. Yes, the actual putting down times were trying, but the bulk of our nights were fine. Later, I was sad when I was too busy tending to a newborn to snuggle my older child.

Fast forward a few years: Kieran is 5.5 years old, falls asleep quickly (usually) and easily (either one of us can sit in bed and read, play with a phone, and/or pat his back for a few minutes, then we can often get up and let him fall asleep solo). He still sleeps in the family bed, because that choice works for us (well, except for the occasional feet to Tom’s face).

And now I have toddler number two who gives me occasional cases of the crazies because of sleep issues. Ailia has been SO much easier with respect to sleep. She’s usually lets me lay her down (at least for a little while), she often soothes herself back to sleep if she rouses awake, and I don’t think she’s had quite as many late night parties as Kieran did.

But we still have the inevitable sleep woes. Teething. Developmental spurts. Stuffy noses (and the accompanying trouble nursing). And sometimes she just does not want to sleep unless she is snuggled securely against my chest.

There are still nights where I get angry, because I wish I had more hands free time to get work done. There are nights where I harshly demand that she just. go. the. f. t. sleep.

Thankfully, those nights are fewer and further between. Partially because we’re having an easier go of it with child #2, and partially because I know this time is fleeting.

This, too, shall pass.

Do you have sleep woes? What do you do when you reach the end of your rope at bedtime?

And be sure to sign up for the Natural Parents Network – Code Name: Mama – Hobo Mama Newsletter. Our topic for June is all about sleep!

Check Out My Book!

For My Children: A Mother's Journal of Memories, Wishes and Wisdom

Click the cover to order now!

Today’s post is from Paige, and I encourage you to check out her new online course, Transformative Parenting. I am an affiliate for her course because I trust Paige. She is a good teacher and parent. If you do enroll, I’d appreciate you using one of the affiliate links from this post.

I don’t remember the exact moment I realized that gentle parenting was for me. The idea that “children are our future” touted in public didn’t seem to be practiced in reality.

In reality, putting children on the “naughty step” and letting them cry out for comfort without any emotional response from their parent seemed to be the best advice for living with children.

I just knew that felt wrong to me. Finding a community of other parents that believed the radical idea that children are people was so comforting. Here were other parents who were letting go of power and control and parenting from a place of love.

I’ve been very blessed to be part of this movement through Parenting Gently and the annual Carnival of Gentle Discipline. Getting the word out that there is another way to parent and that it works has been very rewarding.

I’ve also been humbled by the parents who come to me for advice on how to handle situations with their children in a gentle manner. I know how much these parents love their kids so to be trusted with helping them is really an honor.

Do you remember the first time you tried a gentle discipline technique and it worked? Did you have that aha moment?

Gentle parenting is kind of like a drug. That first hit is like “wow! I had no idea parenting could be this fun!” and then you’re hooked.

But, do you sometimes feel like you are still speaking a foreign language? That your initial reaction is always punitive and you have to translate or shift gears into “gentle” mode to react like you want?

Maybe in moments of stress you revert back to your old parenting paradigm and later you feel upset about they way you handled a situation?

Plus you might be getting naysayers from all sides telling you “you’re doing it wrong!”

Wouldn’t it be nice to have the gentle response be the first response that pops into your mind? So that without even thinking about it you can handle any issue in a peaceful manner? So that regardless of the opinion of others you feel confident in your choices?

The thing I realized about gentle parenting is that it isn’t just about gentle alternatives to punishment like spanking and time out.

Instead, it is a fundamental shift in how you relate to your kids.  A fundamental shift in how you relate to everyone.

And a shift like that doesn’t come from constantly having to translate every situation into a gentle alternative.  Sometimes, that can be even more stressful!

When you can find your own authentic voice and drive your parenting from the inside out, suddenly you’re not struggling to translate each situation into a gentle framework.

You find yourself connecting with your kids more and connecting with yourself more. You smile more and feel stressed out less.

Parenting is fun. Life is fun.

It is just pure awesomeness! I want everyone to experience this personal transformation!

What if I could help you look inside and find your own authentic parenting voice and use that to make your parenting choices?

I mean most of us aren’t parenting from deep inside of us.  We are parenting on the fly as situations arise.  Struggling with subconscious assumptions built on our own upbringing, our own personality and fears, and the silent societal messages about what parenting should be.

You can use alternatives to time out, spanking, or other punishment everyday and never find that comfortable, joyful parenting groove.

That groove that comes from parenting that is rooted in your own values and goals.  After all the best parenting is your own authentic parenting.

This is why I’m so excited to be partnering with Everyday Feminism to offer the first ever Transformative Parenting: Finding Your Authentic Parenting Voice online course.

Everyday Feminism is all about transforming your life through feminism and that fits just perfectly with this idea that through self-transformation we can become the best parents we can be.

This online course won’t be hitting you on the head with feminist theory or with gentle parenting doctrine. You don’t need more external lists of do’s and don’ts.

Instead I will walk you through a process of self-exploration that will help you align your parenting choices with your deepest core values.

We’ll look at:

• The cultural messages we receive and internalize about parenthood
• How our upbringing and personality shape our parenting
• How to break out of the cycle of parenting from a place of fear
• Finding your own core values and goals for your children and translate them into daily action
• How to communicate with compassion even in times of conflict
• How to work with your feelings and needs and help your children do the same
• And more!

All in a supportive community of fellow parents who want to break the old habits of parenting we see in our society and forge new, connected bonds with our kids.

I know that parenting is a busy task.  I’ll use several different methods of delivery so you can find what works best for you.  Each lesson should only take 1-2 hours a week and not all at once!

So you can break it up to fit your schedule.

I hope you’ll join me! You won’t regret the time spent on your own self-improvement and you will notice a profound change in your daily life with your kids.

Check Out My Book!

For My Children: A Mother's Journal of Memories, Wishes and Wisdom

Click the cover to order now!

Welcome to the May 2013 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Emergency Preparedness

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared their plans to keep their families safe. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

***

Ailia is a mouther. She will put just about anything in her mouth. It doesn’t need to taste, smell or look appetizing – it simply needs to fit.

As a crawler, she would methodically pull bits of hair and dirt from my broom and ingest them by the fistful. When she learned to pull herself up, I caught her several times sampling morsels from the trash can. Most recently I found her happily gnoshing away on a clump of mud from the garden. I have pulled coins, marbles, legos, and other assorted toys and household objects out of her little mouth.

She is the baby – and now toddler – for whom childproofing manuals are written. Her tendency to put foreign objects in her mouth has instigated three calls to Poison Control and one visit to the emergency room.

The $800 Twig

The scariest incident of ingestion happened right after Ailia turned nine months old. I was unloading the car, Kieran was watching Ailia crawl around on our driveway. Suddenly Kieran yelled, “Mama! Ailia is throwing up!” I ran over to check and found her gagging.

I swept her mouth and could not feel anything. I asked Kieran if he had seen Ailia with anything in her hand or mouth; he was unsure. For another minute or two, Ailia gagged like she was trying to get something up, and eventually she choked up a little pointy twig.

Covered in drool, I wasn’t sure what kind of plant Ailia had eaten, so my first call was to Poison Control (1-800-222-1222). The calm, non-judgmental voice on the other end of the line helped me feel better.

Just when I thought the ordeal was over, Ailia started gagging again. This time when she spit up a little, there was blood. She stopped gagging again, and the Poison Control representative and I chatted about how the twig might have scratched her throat. After another time or two of gagging, Ailia settled down, nursed, and fell asleep.

She slept for about an hour. When she woke up, a friend – who also happened to be in nursing school – had stopped by our house. We were chatting about Ailia and her twig when Ailia started gagging again. Thinking that she must have another piece of the twig lodged in her throat, I decided to take her to Children’s Mercy’s emergency room. My almost-nurse friend agreed.

I gathered supplies for an ER wait (books, toys, snacks). My friend volunteered to drive so that I could sit in back with Ailia. I called another friend to come get Kieran from the ER. And I called my mom and Tom, who both decided to meet us at the hospital.

To make a long story short, Ailia only gagged once or twice more, and never in front of the doctors (of course). She was x-rayed, prodded, and pronounced to have an abrasion or laceration in her throat from the twig.

I kept the twig. That’s it in the picture up there with the quarter.

Keeping Ailia Safe: Five Ideas that Work for Us

When Kieran was little, my floors were pristine. But it’s not as easy to keep small objects out of a baby’s mouth when you have older children.

I take some solace in the fact that babies’ gag reflexes are more toward the front of their mouths, and by mouthing objects (albeit, preferably objects bigger than marbles and coins), they are actually preparing their tongues and mouths to eat solid food. When a baby gags, that is usually a good sign that they are effectively moving the object out of their mouth (this is opposed to when they choke, which means the object is lodged in their throat). As babies get older and experiment with mouthing objects and their gag reflex, the reflex moves farther back on their tongues.¹

Of course I’m not advocating that you give your 6 month old marbles to play with to help her learn how to eat. (Did I even need to say that?!)

At any rate, we’ve had to be more vigilant about keeping inedible objects out of Ailia’s reach. Here are a few things we have tried with success:

1. Teach Baby What Can and Cannot Be Eaten: I don’t know why I am continuously amazed by how much babies and toddlers can understand of what we are saying, but I am. Because we use baby signs with our children, they can communicate with us much, much earlier than the average child starts to speak. This reinforces to me that babies are simply phenomenal – and we often underestimate them. What I’m trying to get at is this: talk to your little one. I’ve simply made it a habit to say to Ailia as I’m taking {insert inappropriate object} out of her mouth, “This is a marble. Marbles are to play with in our hands. Here, put this {insert appropriate chew toy} into your mouth. You can chew on {this}!” Dr. Sears calls this “distract and substitute,” but instead of merely distracting baby, use it as an opportunity to educate. And remember, there is a difference between knowing not to do something, and having the self-control not to do it. Self-control comes much later, which is why #2 is . . .

2. Watch and Intervene: Honestly, the best way to keep babies and toddlers safe is to keep an eye on them. Even when all of the rooms are childproofed, even when you think there is absolutely nothing that can harm baby, baby will find something. In our house, it’s often that Ailia has grown half an inch and can all of a sudden reach something we previously thought was out of her range. Or baby will start pulling himself up when you happen to be in the next room. But since we can’t be with our little ones every second of the day, here are a few more practical things that help in our house.

3. Clean Sweep: One method that has worked consistently is a regular sweep of a room before Ailia enters. Dump small toys into a container, then put them up at your (and your older child’s) leisure. And just like you do when you childproof a room, get down on your baby’s (or toddler’s) level – see that pebble just under the couch? The lego sticking out from under the couch cushion? Adults wouldn’t see those small things, but a creeping/cruising baby would!

In this category I’d also like to mention – get rid of your commercial cleaning products. There are so many more effective ways to clean naturally that will not leave chemicals all over your floors, toys, and other surfaces. Check out my Pinterest Board on Greening Your Home: Safe and Natural Cleaning Ideas for recipes and articles.

4. Special Toy Areas and Play Time: We’ve instituted special spaces where Kieran can play with small toys. When Ailia was creeping and crawling, this was most often at the dining room table. As Ailia has become much more mobile, that means Kieran gets special “alone time” in a completely different room. If you have a child (like we do) who does not like to play away from you for long, try setting them up with an audiobook in their play space. Kieran can sit and listen to audiobooks for hours. (Our current favorites are The BFG, Dragon Rider and Junkyard Tales, a series from Sparkle Stories).

5. Give Baby Appropriate Things to Mouth: It is little wonder that Ailia’s favorite objects and constant companions have been a green toddler toothbrush (her “eee!”) and tubes of lip balm (we buy the kind with all natural and safe ingredients that won’t make me cringe too much if she eats it). We keep handy lots of safe toys we can stick in the freezer (for when she is teething). She also still has access to nurse just about any time she wants.

And to give you real peace of mind, I’d encourage every new parent to take a class in infant and child first aid and CPR. Learn what to do if gagging becomes choking.

Keep Poison Control’s phone number handy – make sure your child’s caregivers know it, too.

Below is a list of resources on childproofing, gagging and choking, etc.

Has your child ever choked? Have you ever had to call Poison Control? Share your story in the comments!

More Resources

• For more resources on preventing choking and other family emergency preparedness, see my Pinterest Board: Keeping Families Safe (Emergency Preparedness, Safety and More!)
• First aid for choking: an illustrated guide
• First aid for choking and CPR: An illustrated guide for children 12 months and older
• Choking hazards for children
• Mouth Toys Open the Sensory Doorway
• Teething and Mouthing Toys By Age and Stage

***

Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

(This list will be updated by afternoon May 14 with all the carnival links.)

• Be Prepared for Emergencies — Becky at Crafty Garden Mama is reviewing Angela England’s new ebook, The Untrained Housewife’s Guide to Getting Prepared. See what measures she is learning to adopt in her family.
• Prepare to Expect a Safe and Beautiful Natural Birth — What do you need to have prepared so that you can have a nice and relaxing birth at home? Lisa at The Squishable Baby shares her list in a guest post at Natural Parents Network.
• Fire Boxes for Emergency Preparedness — Jana of Jananas tells why she bought a fire box to store important documents and what is stored in the box.
• Firefighter Training Homeschool Curriculum — Kellie at Our Mindful Life helped her homeschooled kids prepare for emergencies through a Firefighter Training unit.
• 3 Secrets to a Royal Emergency — Jaye Anne at Wide Awake, Half Asleep tells the secret to living like kings during a storm-induced power outage.
• Is Your Family Prepared for an Emergency? — Chrystal at Happy Mothering shares an overview of what her family has done to become more prepared for emergencies.
• What to Do in an Earthquake — Julia at A Little Bit of All of It gives instructions for staying safe in the event of an earthquake as well as tips for teaching your children to keep safe and where to find information online after an earthquake.
• Spring Cleaning & Preparing, Part 2 — Justine at The Lone Home Ranger organizes and replenishes her emergency supply every spring and is learning to add to the food stockpile by preserving year-round.
• 15 Must-Haves For The Natural Minded Family When Disaster or Emergency Strikes — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares how she prepares for disaster or an emergency as a natural minded mama. Learn what 15 natural items you should consider having on hand!

• Emergency Preparedness: Cosleeping, Cheezits, Chocolate — Kristine at All the Things in the World was happy to have cosleeping in her emergency tool kit during Hurricane Sandy.
• Being Prepared For Personal Disasters — Luschka at Diary of a First Child draws on her own recent experiences and considers five things every parent should have in place to ease the burden when sudden disaster strikes.
• The Natural Emergency Kit That I Always Carry in My Diaper Bag — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares the four green and natural items in her emergency kit that she can’t do without when she’s out and about with her little ones.
• Prepared… or not? — Is it dangerous to not prepare? Jorje of Momma Jorje shares whether her family prepares…or not.
• Pack a car safety kit: 25 must-have items for emergencies — Whether you’re out for a leisurely drive or fleeing a disaster, Lauren at Hobo Mama offers tips on stocking your car with emergency supplies that will tide you over if you’re stranded.
• Teaching My Children About Tornados — Destany at They Are All of Me writes about preparing her children for tornado season.
• Preparing our children for emergencies — Preparing for emergencies means preparing your children, and Robbie at Going Green Mama shares ways on how to empower kids when it comes to emergencies.
• Emergency Preparedness in Sub-Saharan Africa — After living in Sub-Saharan Africa for 7 years, emergency preparedness is not just a concept any more to Laura from Authentic Parenting.
• Five Ideas to Keep Babies and Toddlers Safe from Choking — Do you have a baby or toddler who likes to put everything (and I mean *everything*) in her mouth? Dionna at Code Name: Mama does, and today she’s sharing a story and some tips on how to keep your little ones safe from choking.

Check Out My Book!

For My Children: A Mother's Journal of Memories, Wishes and Wisdom

Click the cover to order now!

Now through May 15, visit the Natural Parents Network Flickr Pool — join, if you haven’t yet! — and peruse the pics for the ones that speak to you. Vote for as many as you like by clicking on the star marked “favorite” that appears above the lefthand corner of each photo.

After the Flickr favorite-fest ends on May 15, we’ll compile the entries with the most “favorites” that also meet our contest criteria, and on May 21 the top twenty will go head-to-head in a voting-enabled post here on Natural Parents Network.

Who will be in the top twenty?

marnieandandrews‘s Nappies in the Sun?

anewsocialcontract‘s Walk in the Neighborhood?

Or Angeliina Lawson2013‘ Playfulness is the New Black?

You decide, so hop over to the group and start starring!

Please see our original contest post for details, restrictions, and a full listing of the fabulous prizes. Only one prize per participant. If a participant has more than one picture entered, NPN will choose the picture with the greatest number of votes as the entry in the second phase of voting.

Check Out My Book!

For My Children: A Mother's Journal of Memories, Wishes and Wisdom

Click the cover to order now!

We continue to be delighted with the inspiration and wisdom our Carnival of Natural Parenting participants share, and we hope you’ll join us for the next carnival in May 2013! (Check out April 2013, March 2013, January 2013, December 2012, November, October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January, and a summary of all our 2011 posts if you missed any.)

Your co-hosts are Lauren at Hobo Mama and Dionna at Code Name: Mama.

Here are the submission details for May 2013:

Theme: Emergency Preparedness: Have you ever lived through a natural (or man-made) disaster? Has your family stocked up on supplies to prepare for a future emergency? Could your family sustain itself through a long-term disaster? Share your stories and tips this month.

Deadline: Tuesday, May 7. Fill out the webform (at the link or at the bottom) and email your submission to us by 11:59 p.m. Pacific time: CarNatPar {at} NaturalParentsNetwork.com

Carnival date: Tuesday, May 14. Before you post, we will send you an email with a little blurb in html to paste into your submission that will introduce the carnival. You will publish your post on May 14 and email us the link if you haven’t done so already. Once everyone’s posts are published on May 14 by noon Eastern time, we will send out a finalized list of all the participants’ links to generate lots of link love for your site! We’ll include full instructions in the email we send before the posting date.

Please submit your details into our web form: This will help us as we compile the links list. Please enter your information on the form embedded at the end of this post, or click here to enter it on a separate page: May 2013 Carnival of Natural Parenting participant form

Please do: Write well. Write on topic. Write a brand new post for the carnival. As always, our carnival themes aren’t meant to be exclusionary. If your experience doesn’t perfectly mesh with the carnival theme, please lend your own perspective. Please also feel free to be creative within the gentle confines of the carnival structure. If you’re feeling so inspired, you could write a poem, a photo essay, a scholarly article, or a book review instead of a regular blog post (though those are welcomed, too!), as long as what you write is respectful of the carnival’s intent. If you want help determining that ahead of time, please talk with us.

Please don’t: Please don’t use profanity of the sort that might be offensive to more sensitive readers or their children. Please don’t submit irrelevant or argumentative pieces contrary to the principles of natural parenting. You don’t have to agree with all our ideals — and certainly you don’t have to live up to them all perfectly! — but your submission does have to fit the theme and values of the carnival.

Editors’ rights: We reserve the right to edit your piece or suggest edits to you. We reserve the right to courteously reject any submissions that are inappropriate for the carnival. Please also note that since there are two co-hosts on different schedules and conferring over email, our personal response to your submission might seem delayed. Don’t be alarmed. We also reserve the right to impose consequences if the responsibilities of the carnival are not fulfilled by the participants.

If you don’t have a blog: Contact us (CarNatPar {at} NaturalParentsNetwork.com) about potentially finding you a host blog to guest post. Please write your piece well in advance of the deadline in that case, so we can match you up with someone suitable. But if you really have something amazing to write — why not start your own blog? If you want advice, we find Scribbit’s free Blogging in Pink ebook to be a very helpful and down-to-earth guide, for beginners on up.

If you have questions: Please leave a comment or contact us: CarNatPar {at} NaturalParentsNetwork.com

Links to tutorials: Lauren, Dionna, and Dionna’s husband, Tom, have written several tutorials for our participants about how to schedule posts in advance, how to determine post URLs in advance, how to edit HTML — all for both WordPress and Blogger users. For these tutorials and more, please see this handy summary post at LaurenWayne.com.

Stay in touch:

• Bookmark the Carnival of Natural Parenting page, and check back for future themes.
• Subscribe to our RSS feeds: Hobo Mama’s feed and Code Name: Mama’s feed, as well as the shared feed of our Carnival of Natural Parenting authors.
• Follow us on Twitter: @Hobo_Mama and @CodeNameMama, plus the Twitter list of our #CarNatPar Tweeters.
• Check out our Facebook page and “like” us.
• Connect with us individually on Facebook: Hobo Mama on Facebook and Code Name: Mama on Facebook.
• Enjoy the community website that grew out of the Carnival: Natural Parents Network.

Show off: If you are a (former or current) participant or supporter and want our delightful button to put in your sidebar, grab this code and proclaim to the blogosphere that you are a natural parent!

Check Out My Book!

For My Children: A Mother's Journal of Memories, Wishes and Wisdom

Click the cover to order now!

I am thrilled to cohost a giveaway for moksa organics and another Earth-conscious company, Zoe Organics. Even if you don’t win, I encourage you to support these mama-owned businesses. Let’s show some love to the women who are making a difference!

Code Name: Mama and Indigo + Sage are co-hosting a Mama Day giveaway!  

east coast meets west coast!  The moms behind moksa and Zoe have teamed up to bring you a gift set chock full of goodies for your special day.  Handcrafted, organic, eco-luxe, goodness for a special mom.

moksa organics is giving:
Amazon Lemon Liquid Hand Soap, 8 fl oz
Iceland Mint Organic Bar Soap, 6.5 oz
Lavender Avignon Organic Bar Soap, 6.5 oz

“Eco-Luxe bath & body. Social Entrepreneurship is the heart of our
Revolution. We desire to live in a world that offers peace & well
being for all. Our products reflect what we live & love.”

 

Zoe Organics is giving:
Ultra-Rich Extreme Cream, 2 fl oz
Pick-Me-Up Refresh Oil, .35 fl oz

“Zoe means “life,” and our mission is to celebrate and protect the
lives of our children, family, community and planet. Zoe Organics uses
only the most pure, organic ingredients because we believe in the
necessity of eliminating toxins from our bodies and the environment.

We also believe that green living doesn’t require that we
compromise quality or aesthetics. We practice fair trade and social
responsibility, with the goal of enhancing lives in every community we
touch.”

Gift set includes a collapsible bucket made of 100% recycled canvas with hand-printed, eco-friendly, soy-based inks.  This gorgeous bucket
looks lovely in the bathroom or nursery or can be used for countless
other purposes.   You can purchase one here and/or you can enter to win one below.  No purchase necessary.  2 winners will be drawn at the close of the giveaway on May 7th.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check Out My Book!

For My Children: A Mother's Journal of Memories, Wishes and Wisdom

Click the cover to order now!

1. Replace Bottled Water with Canteens.

Nearly 90% of plastic bottles are not recycled, instead taking thousands of years to decompose.  There are now 46,000 pieces of plastic per square kilometer in the worlds’ oceans.  Also, the bottled water industry is unregulated. 

Invest in a filter and take back the tap.  Retro-fitting your faucets with water filters shows a proven savings for your family.  Klean Kanteen offers baby bottles and sippy cups!  

2. Plant a Garden

Children are natural gardeners. They’re curious and they like to learn by doing and observing. They love to get dirty.  They can experience the satisfaction that comes from taking care of something, while observing the cycle of life firsthand. 

A few easy plants to grow:  sunflowers, tomatoes, radishes, mums, and pumpkins.  Remember to have a paint set handy to decorate garden boxes and gardening pots.  

3. DIY Recycled Gift Wrap

You can reuse gift bags, bows and event paper, but you can also make something unique by using old maps and newspaper. Flip a paper grocery bag inside out and give your child stamps, crayons or markers to create their own wrapping paper that’s environmentally friendly and extra special for the recipient.  Here are some beautiful DIY gift wrapping ideas. 

4. Use Fewer Napkins

Purchase a set of 4-6 reusable cloth napkins (you can even use washcloths if you’re on a tight budget) for each family member.  You can rotate
them out with each meal, and throw them in with a load of laundry. 

Each year, an American uses approximately 2,200 napkins, which equals 6 per day.  If everyone in the U.S. used one less napkin a day, more than a billion pounds of napkins could be saved from landfills each year.  By using cloth linens each day, your contribution would be even more significant!

5. Compost

Turning yard waste, paper and food scraps into compost means more than creating a useful garden fertilizer. It could potentially divert a huge percentage (14% equaling 34 million tons annually) of municipal solid waste from the nation’s landfills.  Plus it’s good for the Earth. 

Compost feeds diverse life in the soil and helps hold moisture and nutrients which supports healthy plant growth.  Feeling unsure about how to compost in an urban area, city or a small apartment?  It can be done!  You can learn more about it here.

6. Conserve Water

Water is our life force.  Most of us probably don’t think about the source of our drinking water.  Truth be told, our fresh water is not an infinite resource.  Americans have the highest average for daily consumptive water use in the world (150 gallons per person/day.)   A few things we can teach our little ones:

• Brush your teeth without running the water.  You’ll save 5 gallons of water per person each day.  Daily savings in the U.S.could add up to 1.5 billion per day!
• Take showers instead of baths.  By foregoing the bath and opting for a 5-10 minute shower, you’ll have a 30-50% savings in water usage.  If your little one is not old enough to shower yet, use the amount of water that you’ll actually need (plus a little more for fun bubbles) instead of filling the tub completely.
• A great read, Why Should I Save Water by Jen Green, helps kids learn how they can save water every day.

7. Ban Plastic Bags

Plastic bags are horrible for the environment. Between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags, which are not biodegradable, are used worldwide each year.  Millions upon millions of bags have already made their way into our oceans, and subsequently, the food chain.  Plastic bags cause over 100,000 sea turtle and other marine animal deaths every year when animals mistake them for food.  It takes 60-100 million barrels of oil to meet the worldwide demand for producing plastic bags. Canvas bags are a perfect remedy. Making a commitment to do away with plastic bags is one of the easiest changes we can make.

8. Support local farmers

Bring a local farm to your table.  Supporting local farmers is one of the most rewarding changes you can make for your family.  By supporting local, your money stays within your community and helps to build stronger
alliances and relationships between farmers and consumers.  Many organic local farms welcome visitors and children, offer tours, and have designated volunteer days.  Your kids can become more familiar with how farming works and will enjoy seeing the farm animals in a happy outdoor environment. By supporting local farms, you know where your food comes. It lessens the demand for factory farms (factory farms are very cruel environments for animals), and supports peaceful environments. 

Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) brings ultra fresh, beautiful produce to your door each week.  Your farmers will introduce you to new and many will supply recipes and instructions on how to prepare the week’s bounty.  Learn more about CSA programs here.  

9. Avoid Palm Oil

Palm oil is in almost all processed foods. It is found in about half of all packaged goods on the shelf. Harvesting palm oil is one of the leading causes of deforestation and habitat loss. Destroying Rainforests to create palm oil plantations is the reason many species are facing extinction. Orangutans are one of the most critically endangered of the great apes. 

An earnest call to all fellow mothers:  Orangutans are highly intelligent. The orangutan has the longest childhood dependence on the mother of any animal in the world, because there is so much for a young orangutan to learn in order to survive. The babies nurse until they are about six years of age. Orangutans form very strong family bonds.

We can all make a difference by choosing not to buy products with packaged with palm oil. A simple start is to read ingredient labels. Palm oil products can be identified through these names:  Cetyl Palmitate and Octyl Palmitate, Elaeis Guineensis (Taxonomic name for palm oil), Hexadecylic or Palmitic Acid, Hydrated Palm Glycerides Palm Oil Kernal, Palmate, or anything with Palmitate at the end.

Learn more about how you can help here.

10. Plant a Tree

It’s good for the soul, it’s good for your family, it’s good for the air and land. Often communities will have local tree plantings.  Start a meaningful tradition for the whole family.  Plant a tree for each member on Earth Day.

_________________________

About the Author

Melanie Martin is a wife and mom of 2.  She is the founder of moksa organics and works with both children attached to her.  Melanie is an environmentalist and activist in the state of Florida and serves on the Sierra Club (Florida group) Executive Committee. You can find her on any given night with a glass of wine writing about creative projects for preschoolers and toddlers.  Her parenting blog, Indigo and Sage, focuses on peaceful parenting, non violence, and life lessons from nature.
_________________________

Sources

• treehugger alachua county EPD
• Earth911
• seeturtles.org
• orangutans.com
  

  Photo Credits

  Earth Day 2013: Author
  Klean Kanteen
  Cucumber plant: Author
  Gift wrap: Author
  Crate + Barrel
  Compost: Author
  Why Should I Save Water (image from Amazon)
  Eco Friendly Personalized Reusable Shopping Bags – Go Green (from Amazon)
  Boy and goat: Author
  Orangutan (from wikipedia)
  Tree in hand: Author

  _________________________

  Have you written about Earth Day? Share your stories and ideas here to inspire others! Link up your post below.

  
  
  

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  Thank you for subscribing to my RSS feed at Code Name: Mama! I would appreciate your comments and feedback on the entry you just read, 10 Ways to Make Earth Day a Part of Your Family All Year ‘Round. If you write about similar topics, I would also like the opportunity to link to your blog or have you write a guest post. Contact me for details!
  

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  Related posts:

  1. Five Ways to Get Kids to Love Gardening
  2. Six Ways to Raise Eco-Conscious Toddlers
  3. 10 Unique Gardening Activities for Kids

  
  ]]> http://codenamemama.com/2013/04/22/10-ways-to-make-earth-day-all-year-round/feed/ 2 http://codenamemama.com/2013/04/22/10-ways-to-make-earth-day-all-year-round/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CodeNameMama/~3/7LWPUJoKMI8/ http://codenamemama.com/2013/04/18/enter-the-npn-flickr-photo-contest-by-april-30/#comments Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:19 +0000 Dionna http://codenamemama.com/?p=11133

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  Recently, Natural Parents Network launched a Flickr Photo Pool and corresponding Photo Contest with over $1000 in photography-related prizes up for grabs for our readers!

  Many NPN readers have already submitted photos of your beautiful families, showing us what natural parenting really looks like for you in many forms. We are loving the many images that have been added and the opportunity to see the diverse faces of our readers and fellow natural parents. There are almost 500 images added already to the Flickr Pool, and it is turning out to be a very fun way to see and share images of other parents and families like yours!

  
  

  The April 30 deadline is fast approaching!
  Don’t forget to enter for your chance to win a fabulous prize package.

  Enter your photos into the NPN Flickr Pool from your Flickr account, and favorite the photos you like best. Share the contest, and encourage family and friends to vote for your photos and their favorites.

  For details on how to submit your photos to the NPN Flickr Pool and our contest, read our launch post and Photo Submission/Contest Rules.

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  Thank you for subscribing to my RSS feed at Code Name: Mama! I would appreciate your comments and feedback on the entry you just read, Enter the NPN Flickr Photo Contest by April 30!. If you write about similar topics, I would also like the opportunity to link to your blog or have you write a guest post. Contact me for details!
  

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  For My Children: A Mother's Journal of Memories, Wishes and Wisdom

  Click the cover to order now!

  
  
  

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  Related posts:

  1. Contest: Write for NPN’s cloth diapering book!
  2. Co-Sleeping Essay Contest
  3. Papa’s Co-Sleeping Essay Contest Entry

  
  ]]> http://codenamemama.com/2013/04/18/enter-the-npn-flickr-photo-contest-by-april-30/feed/ 0 http://codenamemama.com/2013/04/18/enter-the-npn-flickr-photo-contest-by-april-30/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CodeNameMama/~3/cZQN_qGXaMo/ http://codenamemama.com/2013/04/12/its-a-natural-parenting-twitter-party-join-us/#comments Fri, 12 Apr 2013 10:00:31 +0000 Dionna http://codenamemama.com/?p=11128

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  Join us for the #NatParNet Twitter Party
  Monday, April 15th at 10pm EDT

  We are happy to announce that our very first Natural Parents Network Twitter party will be held Monday, April 15th (yes, tax day!) at 7 pm PDT (9pm CDT, 10pm EDT).

  Are you interested in learning more about natural parenting? Do you already consider yourself a Natural Parent? What is Natural Parenting? Chat about Natural Parenting with Dionna and Lauren – NPN’s cofounders – and a few other NPN volunteers at our first Twitter party, this April 15th.

  Our #NatParNet Twitter parties will inform, empower and inspire.

  We invite you to join @NatParNet in our new monthly chats on Twitter. The first of our monthly one-hour online chats will take place at 10pm EDT on Monday, April 15th, 2013.

  • Connect with like-minded parents.
  • Learn more about attachment parenting and natural family living.
  • Make new friends and discuss topics that are relevant to your family.

  How to participate in our monthly chats

  So what do you do to join in the fun? Follow @NatParNet (and me: @CodeNameMama) on Twitter, we’d love to connect with you! Then follow the #NatParNet hashtag on the night of each party. You can subscribe to the #NatParNet hashtag via Tweetchat so you can follow along more easily.

  Share the love by tweeting about the party beforehand. Here are a couple of sample tweets you can use:

  • Join me & @NatParNet for a chat on natural #parenting 10pmEDT 4/15. Get connected, be inspired, #win prizes! http://bit.ly/XzwZaV
  • Interested in natural #parenting? Join @NatParNet to get informed & connected at the #NatParNet chat, 10pmEDT 4/15. http://bit.ly/XzwZaV

  We look forward to connecting, learning, having fun and sharing some great prizes.

  Follow the sponsors of our first twitter party

  CodeNameMama and UlyssesPress: NPN Cofounder Dionna of Code Name: Mama and Ulysses Press are giving away a copy of Dionna’s journal: For My Children: A Mother’s Journal of Memories, Wishes and Wisdom. “Beautifully designed and illustrated, this perfect gift contains creative prompts that spark Mom’s recollections of fun family vacations, favorite childhood games, and special holidays. The thought-provoking queries allow Mom to delve into her own lifetime of experiences — her childhood and school years, falling in love and getting married, and, most of all, having and raising children. This collection of fill-in-the-blank lists is the easiest way for a mother to record on paper answers to the questions her children never thought to ask but will love to discover.”¹

  Hobo_Mama: NPN Cofounder Lauren of Hobo Mama is giving away a copy of her book of poetry: Poetry of a Hobo Mama: The First Three Years. “Trying to find the right words to illuminate the beauty, pain, transformation, miracle, and power of the parenting journey is a daunting and humbling task, and I am so impressed with Lauren’s very apparent soul searching, raw honesty, and sheer talent. Lauren’s poems cover the full gamut of the early parenting journey from miscarriage (Why were we led all that way, and never to see your face?) to conception (Charting, temping, noting fluids and marking good days on each month’s calendar.) to pregnancy (Kicking me under my heart for all those months. Just under my heart.) to the first taste of mother’s intuition (People told me when you were due, as if you were a term paper and to turn in late would earn a failing grade. We ignored them, didn’t we?).”²

  1. Check out more raves and reviews of For My Children: A Mother’s Journal of Memories, Wishes and Wisdom on Dionna’s site and on Amazon! ↩
  2. Check out more raves and reviews of Poetry of a Hobo Mama: The First Three Years on Lauren’s site and on Amazon! ↩

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  Thank you for subscribing to my RSS feed at Code Name: Mama! I would appreciate your comments and feedback on the entry you just read, It’s a Natural Parenting Twitter Party – Join Us!. If you write about similar topics, I would also like the opportunity to link to your blog or have you write a guest post. Contact me for details!
  

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  Check Out My Book!

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  Related posts:

  1. April Carnival of Natural Parenting: Parenting Advice
  2. November Carnival of Natural Parenting: Call for Submissions
  3. April Carnival of Natural Parenting Call for Submissions

  
  ]]> http://codenamemama.com/2013/04/12/its-a-natural-parenting-twitter-party-join-us/feed/ 0 http://codenamemama.com/2013/04/12/its-a-natural-parenting-twitter-party-join-us/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CodeNameMama/~3/7i7CnIUrXqs/ http://codenamemama.com/2013/04/09/family-rules/#comments Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:00:16 +0000 Dionna http://codenamemama.com/?p=11065

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  Welcome to the April 2013 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Family Recipes

  This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants are sharing their recipes, their stories, their pictures, and their memories.

  ***

  

  Maybe it’s the neverending cold weather, maybe it’s a combination of five-and-a-half + a mama who has almost-but-not-quite gotten her cycle back, but things have seemed more explosive than usual the past few weeks in our house.

  I’ve seen recipes for disaster and recipes for success – all under one roof. Here is what happened a couple of weeks ago. Ever since, it’s been noticeably calmer.

  

  A Recipe for Disaster

  Start with:

  • 1 cooped up 5.5 year old
  • 1 teething, bouncing-off-the-walls toddler
  • 1 tired, cranky, hormonal mama
  • 1 overworked papa who is at the end of his rope
  • One cold, late Saturday afternoon after 5 months of winter weather

  

  Step 1:
  Toss teething, bouncing-off-the-walls toddler’s diaper aside, because she won’t wear it anyway.

  Step 2:
  Sift all ingredients together in 1 house that is in desperate need of spring cleaning.

  Step 3:
  Combine feelings of boredom, hunger, and frustration, and sprinkle in about 2 hours of non-stop whining. {Note: Whining is not necessarily just from the cooped up 5.5 year old!}

  Step 4:
  Dredge up one towel to take care of teething, bouncing-off-the-walls toddler’s potty, which just went all over the carpet. Quickly whisk toddler to potty chair.

  

  Step 5:
  Because 5.5 year old is grating (on both parents’ nerves), send him to another room. Simmer gently, and try not to boil over.

  Well, except that we did boil over: the tired, cranky, hormonal mama and the overworked papa at the end of his rope ended up arguing, the cooped up 5.5 year old ended up crying, and the teething, bouncing-off-the-walls toddler got an example of how not to handle stress.

  Fast forward about 24 hours, and our family was in the midst of peace talks. Here’s what we did:

  

  A Recipe for Family Harmony

  

  Start with:

  • 2 apologetic parents, who had stewed overnight
  • 1 normal 5.5 year old, who is always much more calm when he feels heard and loved
  • 1 teething, bouncing-off-the-walls toddler
  • 1 morning after a really bad day

  

  Step 1:
  Start by coating children liberally with love. Homemade muffins don’t hurt either.

  Step 2:
  Drizzle on heartfelt apologies, and talk about how we want our family to function (we talked about respect, listening, being kind, working toward cooperation, feeling safe, etc.).

  

  Step 3:
  Make a list of possible “family rules.”¹ Everyone seasons the list with rule ideas.

  Step 4:
  Blend ideas together into one list. Post somewhere that the whole family can see.

  I think both Tom and I were skeptical about whether our family rules would be effective. What would we do if someone “broke” a rule? I searched Teacher Tom’s posts and found a comment from him that said a reminder to his preschoolers of the rules is usually enough. And it has been here, too!

  

  The rules have helped us feel like we can regain some measure of sanity when things are teetering on the brink, and they help Kieran feel like he is going to be treated fairly when either parent is upset. I’ve scattered some of our rules throughout this post – most of them are phrased in the negative, but we threw a few positive, uplifting rules in, too.

  Does your family have “family rules”? What are they, and why did you decide to enact them? How did they evolve over time?

  

  Wondering where my real recipe is for this month’s Carnival? You can find The Best Banana Muffin Recipe (Gluten Free & Vegan) at my guest post today over at Fine and Fair.

  ***

  Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

  Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

  • German Red Cabbage: A Family Tradition — At Living Peacefully with Children, Mandy shares her favorite dish and a part of her family’s history.
  • Rotisserie Chicken Recipes for Meal Planning — Becky at Crafty Garden Mama shares a new recipe that is in her family’s meal-planning rotation. Check out how she uses a rotisserie chicken to get through the week.
  • Grandma Wicken’s Sugar Cookies — Jana Falls at Jananas talks about how special her Grandma’s sugar cookies made her feel.
  • Recipe: Seed and Bean Burgers — ANonyMous at Radical Ramblings shares one of her favourite frugal recipes that is also super-healthy and totally delicious.
  • PULLING Dinner Together For the Kids – Crockpot Pulled Pork — Lisa at The Squishable Baby PULLS dinner together for the kids.
  • The Best Banana Muffin Recipe (Gluten Free & Vegan) — Dionna of Code Name: Mama’s adventures in gluten free baking have not been 100% successful. But today she is guest posting at Fine and Fair to share a banana muffin recipe that will knock your socks off!
  • The Pierogie Mama Whips Up Strawberry Pierogies! — Bianca at The Pierogie Mama shares her family’s recipe for strawberry pierogies…a sweet, summery version of the Polish dumplings that she affectionately named her daughter after.
  • Mom’s Cookbook — Tree at Mom Grooves digs into the big book her mom created for her six daughters and shares a favorite family recipe.
  • Crispy Duck Confit — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama takes the liberty of starting a family recipe tradition with this super simple, totally delicious crispy duck confit.
  • Stovetop BBQ Chicken — Amy at Me, Mothering, and Making it All Work shares a yummy BBQ chicken recipe that you can make on the stovetop in less than 25 minutes, fridge to table!
  • Twice-Baked Sweet Potato Casserole w/Bacon — Martine at Whey Beyond the Naked Truth shares a naked food twist on an old family favorite!
  • Strawberry Panna Cotta — KerryAnn at CookingTF.com shows you her favorite dessert, a quick and easy Strawberry Panna Cotta that she enjoys so much, she had it instead of a birthday cake this year.
  • Special crepes for a special day — Mikko at Hobo Mama is learning to cook his grandma’s signature holiday meal alongside his dad.
  • Three Favorite Family Recipes: To Eat, To Wash, To Play — Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings is back with three family favorites: gluten-free vanilla orange sugar cookies, DIY powdered laundry detergent, and something fun for the kids: homemade “Flubber”!
  • Black Bean Soup Forever — Mercedes at Project Procrastinot shares a soup recipe that’s been around forever.
  • Do you want to know a secret? — SRB at Little Chicken Nuggets lets go of her mac and cheese recipe, a comfort food favourite for friends and family for years.
  • Creating Our Own Family Recipes — Emily at S.A.H.M. i AM shares how she’s trying to create meals that her girls will want to pass down to their own children some day.
  • Vranameer Chicken: A Family Recipe — Luschka at Diary of a First Child shares a recipe that reminds her of childhood and more specifically, of her mother. It’s a South African take on sweet and sour chicken and what it lacks in healthy it makes up for in tantalising to the taste buds.
  • One Recipe, Three Uses: Dishwasher Liquid Detergent, Dish Soap, and Hand Soap — If you love saving money and time, you’ll love this green recipe from Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama, guest posting at Natural Parents Network.
  • Our Family’s Favorite Pies — Abbie at Farmer’s Daughter shares recipes and tutorials for the quintessential American dessert.
  • Deliciously Easy Crock Pot Chili — Lactating Girl shares her crock pot chili that is not only quick and easy, but awesome.
  • All-Purpose Crock Pot Pork — Crunchy Con Mommy‘s simple “recipe” for cooking perfect pork in the crock pot is for whatever mood her family is in!
  • Family Rules: A Recipe for Harmony — Cooped-up kids + winter weather + frazzled parents can all blend together into a recipe for disaster. Dionna at Code Name: Mama shares what brought back the peace in her house.
  • Favorite Healthy Family Recipes — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares her family’s healthy eating experiences along with links to free printable vegetarian recipes that her family has created with love.
  • Grandma’s Banana Bread — Megan at The Boho Mama has early and fond memories of her grandma’s banana bread. It’s love in a loaf!
  • Family Comfort Food — Jorje of Momma Jorje shares a recipe handed down that moms have made for their kids, for regular meals as well as to comfort.
  1. Adapted from Teacher Tom’s posts about classroom rules. ↩

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  Thank you for subscribing to my RSS feed at Code Name: Mama! I would appreciate your comments and feedback on the entry you just read, Family Rules: A Recipe for Harmony. If you write about similar topics, I would also like the opportunity to link to your blog or have you write a guest post. Contact me for details!
  

  ---

  

  Check Out My Book!

  For My Children: A Mother's Journal of Memories, Wishes and Wisdom

  Click the cover to order now!

  
  
  

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  Related posts:

  1. Unplugging and Creating a Rhythm: Our Experiment in Natural Family Living
  2. List-Making Activities to Celebrate Family and Connections
  3. Homemade Nut Butter Cup Recipe (with Coconut Oil!)

  
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