STICKY NOTES
Simple Winter Strategies for Family Well-being
Motherhood is messy and overfull all by itself. Often, this season pulls families in many competing directions. It is easy to lose our balance as the days grow shorter and the weather is chilly and wet. Much of our work during this time of year focuses on simplifying our daily routines and creating seasonal rituals…
Read MoreThe Mobile Mama Essential Self Care: Food, Water, Sleep, Exercise, and Support
There are so many times in our motherhood journeys when the world feels like it’s upside down, and our bodies and rhythms feel untethered. As we move from pre-conception through the stages of pregnancy, labor, delivery, and all of the phases of postpartum, our bodies adjust to changes in weight, fluids, hormones, and sleep. These…
Read MoreThe five perfect Yiddish words that capture pregnancy and parenting
Schlep, Schmutz, Shluf, Schmuck, and Kvell… As a young child, my world was infused with Yiddish – a blend of German and Hebrew that my grandparents and others brought over from Europe when they emigrated to the US. The magic of Yiddish is that it has an edge of humor and often captures the essence…
Read MoreLessons from a Sea Turtle Hatchling and the Journey to Motherhood
Playing at sunset on an island off the south coast of Florida, as my daughter dove for the frisbee, her hand landed beside a tiny sea turtle hatchling emerging from an unmarked nest in the sand. We gathered in awe around the creature, no larger than a newborn’s hand, and watched it scale the tiny…
Read MoreSimple Strategies for Life’s Stressful Situations
For years, I was that parent who disembarked the airplane, three kids in tow, Sharpie scribbles on my cheek and yogurt (or some other sticky food item) glommed onto my clothes. With my husband away for extended periods, I routinely traveled solo with the kiddos, coast to coast, to see family. Upon arrival at our…
Read MoreLessons From the Labyrinth: The Ancient Map for Pregnancy, Birth and Motherhood
Just yesterday, I was reminded how long, arduous, and unpredictable the birth journey can be through a friend’s experiences. Regardless of hearing the (sometimes complex) birth stories of others, we often expect a direct route to a predictable outcome: conception → pregnancy → labor → birth → postpartum period… When there are unexpected events –…
Read MoreIncidents, Accidents, and Hilarity – Travels with a Toddler
Like so many of our clients, the dance of managing diapers, dinners, dollars and keeping the house in some sort of organized manner, oftentimes feels impossible and unsustainable. Sometimes, we need to make radical changes to reconnect as a family and reassess our goals. This was the case in 2013, when the pressures of three…
Read MoreHow to Be Imperfect: A Guide for Mothers
In preparation for my daughter’s ballet recital a few weeks ago, I was pinning up the last strands of her hair into a bun when I noticed another mom dropping off her tutu-wearing 4 year old. “Be perfect,” I overheard the mother say to her daughter, as she scurried off with her ballet class. I…
Read MoreEasy Ways to Deeply Relax
A common theme that runs through many conversations with clients is the sheer busyness of life throughout the season of pregnancy, newborn stage, and into the far reaches of motherhood. Add to that work outside the home, managing the details of family, and minimal – if any – space to attend to one’s most basic…
Read MoreHow am I Really Feeling? My Daily Weather Report
Walking along the icy trail among towering, snow-covered cedars, I notice the drifting flakes and wonder at the stillness. I breath in the beauty of the weather and am reminded of the rhythmic nature of the seasons, with it’s variation in temperature, precipitation, stillness, and storms. I am struck by how this rings true for both…
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