Announcing Bring Birth Home TV!

02 February 2012

I am beyond excited to announce Bring Birth Home TV!

The story:

Last week I was approached by fellow birth advocate, Gena Kirby of Progressive Parenting (she’s way cool. I’ve been on her radio show twice – listen to Bring Birth Home on Progressive Parenting Radio).

She asked me to co-host a new TV show with her.

And here’s the cherry on top: I could call the show whatever I wanted to.

I could call the show whatever I wanted to? 

Yes.

Well golly! I’d like to call it Bring Birth Home TV thank you very much! <wide grin>

And so, in the snap of a finger, BBH  TV was born. Yay!

Bring Birth Home TV will air LIVE every Wednesday night from 9:30-10:00 pm EST, beginning next Wednesday, 2-8-12

I will be discussing pregnancy, home birth
preparation, how to find a midwife, relaxation techniques during labor, laboring at home, and much more!

We will interview the experts – midwives, doulas, and…YOU!

BBH TV will be a weekly event hosted live Vokle. You can participate with their chat feature and ask us questions, as well as use Twitter. Membership is free.

So, who wants to be a guest on my show?

You need to have a webcam and headset with a speaker. 

Home Birth Advocacy

Energizing & Relaxing Strategies for Non-Stop Moms

31 January 2012

I’m a non-stop stay at home mom.

There are days when I sit down on the couch after putting the kiddos to bed and wonder, is this the first time I’ve sat all day?

Does driving the car into town count? Wait a second, did I get a chance  to sit during dinner? For a moment, just before picking up the little one out of his exersaucer and bouncing him on my hip while taking those few last bites.

Ugh.

Sometimes I just want a break.

But honestly, that’s not in the cards right now.

Dear daughter nearly had a melt down when dad wanted to take her to get a slice of pizza the other night. “Mommy come too?” She asked, so innocent and sweet. When the answer was no, she nearly hyperventilated.

That’s okay. This is a mere moment in time. It will pass.

But  for now, what is a stir-crazy,  touched-out, 24/7 mom to do?

For sanity’s sake, I’ve come up with a few energizing AND relaxing strategies to get me through the day.

Because yes, we need to stay relaxed inside and get an energy boost at the same time. It keeps us going. I think of Cesar Milan (he’s calm and assertive at the same time!).

These strategies go beyond stepping the next room to take a deep breath and count down from 10.

They’re more in depth. More colorful and fun. And I’ve found that’s exactly what I need in my life. Another plus: they’ll work for stay at home or working moms!

Energizing & Relaxing Strategies for Non-Stop Moms

• First rule of thumb: don’t ever try to escape your children. That will never work. Join them. 
• Sing: childrens songs, Joni Mitchell, whatever. Just sing. Your toddler doesn’t care if you’re good. They’ll sing along.
• Instead of saying something you aren’t proud of in the heat of the moment, replace it with something positive like, “I love you!” or “my children are so curious and full of life!”
• Count your blessings. Literally. Write them down if you need to. I write mine on mirrors.
• Create a quiet space in a corner of the room that anyone can use to sit down and take a moment to themselves. It could be a rocking chair, bean bag or piece of carpet with some pillows. Get a CD player with relaxing music and a few picture books and a magazine for you.
• Have a dance party! Turn the music up loud and JIVE. Yesterday I put on a very wide spinney skirt which absolutely astounded my daughter when I twirled.
• Make popcorn. Eat it sitting on the floor.
• Take a family bubble bath. The key is getting in with the kids yourself. The warm water is relaxing and the kids will love the bubbles.
• Get outside! Fresh air is refreshing and invigorating!
• Hug and/or kiss your children. Close your eyes and breath in their scent.
• Lastly, when I’m feeling uber frustrated, I take a long hard look at myself in the mirror, directly in the eye. For some reason, it always calms me down. I just can’t be “hard” anymore

family music time

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Now it’s your turn! What do you do to calm down or relax during the day? Please share in the comments below. I can’t wait to hear from you!

Motherhood

Joe Valley is What I Call a “Smart Papa” | Audio Interview

30 January 2012

In this interview with Joe Valley of Empowered Papa, we discuss the need for support and empowerment for fathers.

Joe realized how much fathers need a guide through pregnancy during childbirth class with his wife Andrea. They were expecting their first child and planning a home birth.

The class was obviously geared toward mothers. Joe didn’t feel like he, or the other dads, really fit in.

So he decided to do something about it.

Empowered Papa is the result of Joe’s hard work.

Listen to our conversation below:

Find and LIKE Empowered Papa on Facebook right now (after you’re done listening that is).

Home Birth Advocacy

Soul Sunday: Winter Wonderland

29 January 2012

This morning, the whole family suited up headed outdoors for a winter wonderland sledding adventure.

It had been snowing all night. A good fresh pile of snow covered the ground and trees.

We bundled up in layers of pants and snow pants, two pairs of socks, sweaters, mittens, coats, scarves and hats. With Lucan in the Ergo, I quick grabbed the camera and followed Eric as he pulled Ella in the sled down the road to a field.

One thing I love about Sundays is the quiet. All I could hear was the sound of feet crunching in the snow, Ella’s happy giggles, Lucan’s sweet, rhythmic breathing beneath my chin, and chirping birds.

Spending time with family in nature is so full of soul. So for this Soul Sunday, I’d like to share with you a few shots I took on our adventure.

Uncategorized

One Moment, All the Time

22 January 2012

This is the philosophy I desire to live by.

I’m far from perfecting this lifestyle, but I try to remind myself countless times throughout the day about what truly matters.

Now matters.

More than anything else, this moment is the most important moment of your life. This one, right now.

Because this moment is the only thing that exists. One minute ago is gone, and one minute from now isn’t yet here.

This moment provides an incredible amount of opportunity.

When you see the “now” as the most important time of your life you can continually create your ideal reality.

The opportunity lies in making each meaningful moment transition into another meaningful moment. Increase the amount of pleasure, decrease the amount of pain and voila! There is no room for anything but joy, or at least, intention and awareness.

I’d like to apply this way of living to birth. Specifically, how to prepare for your version of a peaceful birth.

So what I’m basically saying is “live in the moment.” We’ve all heard that before. What it doesn’t mean is sitting around staring at the walls waiting for the paint to dry.

You can be present during any moment you create, such as planning a future goal. 

Being active in the present and participating in your future goals means you’re enjoying the process. Keep enjoying the process of reaching that goal – each and every moment of it accumulates and becomes that goal over time!

When planning a peaceful birth, whether at home, in a birth center or hospital, you can’t create that dream birth without first putting in the work to understand what an ideal birth means for you.

Take an independent childbirth class. Watch movies. Read books. Talk with me or other women who have given birth the way you desire to give birth. Be present and absorb the knowledge.

The reason why I gave birth at home is because I am acutely aware of how precious each moment is and I want to consciously create or be a part of situations that align with the ideal vision of what I’d like my life to be.

What could be more important than the moment of birth? It is supreme.

On your birth day, you won’t be able to help but be in the center of your own universe. You will enter a different type of consciousness that renders you incapable of recognizing anything but the moment (how lucky!).

Savor it.

Everything leads up to now. And now is the forecast of your future. Enjoy the process one moment at a time, all the time.

Uncategorized

Good Enough

17 January 2012

Since becoming a mother, I’ve often wondered if I’m doing good enough.

Am I doing a good enough job at all of this?

Am I a good enough mother? Am I doing a good enough job keeping this house put together?  Do I cook good enough meals? Am I a good enough lover? Am I treating myself good enough?

You know, we are often our harshest critics. I am often mine.

Well tonight, I had an idea, and I’d like to share it with you.

I though, maybe I am doing good enough.

Or at least, maybe that’s what I should start telling myself.

I’d like to believe we are living to the best of our capabilities every day.

We are always trying to do our best.

When we discover that we could do better in one area or another, I think we try to improve on our shortcomings most of the time.

At the end of the day, on the nights I have enough will power to muster myself out of the warm bed where I’ve just nursed the children into dreamland, I often ponder this subject, being good enough.

I reflect on the day.

I ask myself when I could have been better. When I should have taken a deep breath rather than raised my voice, or taken my time instead of rushed through the moment, eager for the next place to be.

There are several instances to look at, each and every day, where I can spot room to improve.

And here’s where the revelation comes in:

I used to go to bed with my brain in a tangled, worried mess. I couldn’t fall asleep.

Then tonight I thought, (or perhaps reminded myself is more accurate) that of course I was good enough!

I can say, “Today did my best. And tomorrow I will do better.”

What a great mantra!

Those areas that I’m not feeling  too proud of can be improved upon tomorrow.

While I can always do better, I shouldn’t beat myself up for being imperfect (human). I can forgive myself, make a promise to do better next time, and fall asleep in peace.

Think about that feeling you had when you rose to start the first day of the new year.

You can think of tomorrow the same way.

Resolutions are highly attainable when you create them one day at a time. I think that is much more likely to be accomplished than setting a goal for an entire year.

So start with tomorrow. What will you work to improve on? Pick just one thing.

Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Motherhood