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DIY Beeswax Wraps

December 13, 2022April 18, 2023 Holistic Moms

A great quick last minute gift that is both useful and environmentally friendly is a beeswax wrap! Gather your supplies: 100% cotton cloth – consider upcycling an old button down shirt, cloth napkins or other similar weight fabric Beeswax – pastilles or shavings from a block Pinking shears or scissors Parchment paper Baking sheets Paintbrush Oven Clothesline and pins to hang to dry Preheat your oven to its lowest setting. While it’s heating up, cut your fabric to the desired size for your beeswax wraps. Pinking shears will help prevent frayed edges but scissors will do! Small 8” square wraps are great for wrapping a cut piece of apple, avocado or cucumber or covering the top of a mason jar. […]

light shining through the pine trees covered in snow

Celebrating Winter Solstice

December 13, 2022April 18, 2023 Holistic Moms

“The winter solstice celebrates the return of hope to our land as our planet experiences the first slow turn toward greater daylight. Soon we will welcome the return of the sun and the coming of springtime. As we do so, let us remember and embrace the positive, enriching aspects of winter’s darkness. Pause now to sit in silence in the darkness of this space. Let this space be a safe enclosure of creative gestation for you.” Excerpt from ‘The Circle of Life’ by Joyce Rupp and Macrina Wiederkehr The winter solstice, the darkest night of the year, is a time of reflection, looking inward and gathering courage and hope to sustain us through the remaining long nights of winter. It […]

Nineteen Years of Gratitude and Community

October 5, 2022April 18, 2023 Holistic Moms

by Nancy Peplinsky, Holistic Moms Network Founder Parenting can be a lonely job. Raising a child often means putting aside your own desires and choices to dedicate your time to the care of another. In the early days of parenthood the demands can be exhausting. Feeding and caring for your new babe on little sleep and almost no personal space or time can be alienating and exhausting. Among moms we joke that the newborn stage is being “in the trenches”. Showering, ha! Getting dressed? Makeup? Laundry? Nope. “Is it like this for everyone? Why is it so hard?, we ask ourselves. We get enveloped in a fog of sleeplessness and exhaustion. Waves of challenges lie ahead – weaning, schooling, behavioral […]

Apathy and Hope

August 15, 2022April 18, 2023 Holistic Moms

These past few years have certainly been challenging times. Political strife, violence, climate disasters, and the pandemic have all been just too much for many of us. Closing ourselves to the world in crisis is a common reaction, but when we sequester ourselves away we become disconnected and even apathetic, whether that is driven by indifference, overwhelm, or fear. Instead of responding to issues that concern us, instead of taking action, we shut down. The danger of this is that it allows those who seek to continue unhealthy patterns to make progress…

The Sacred Space of Motherhood

May 31, 2022May 31, 2022 Holistic Moms

Ina. Madre. Unina. Makuahine. Majka. Mutter. There are many ways, in many languages, to say Mother. According to Merriam Webster mother is defined as: a female parent; a woman in authority; the source/origin; maternal tenderness or affection. Motherhood is the state of being a mother, of embodying these characteristics and traits.

Balancing Light and Darkness

March 16, 2022March 22, 2022 Holistic Moms

With the longer days and brighter light, we have an opportunity to create a sense of balance between the darkness and the light – in our lives, in our parenting, and in our attitudes. So how can we begin to rebirth a positive mindset and welcome the return of the light, particularly as parents?

Resolutions We Can Learn from Our Children

January 14, 2022January 14, 2022 Holistic Moms

New Year’s resolutions can be tedious. We seem to recycle the same objectives year after year, often setting ourselves up for failure: lose weight, get fit, save money, etc. This year I’m tired of adult resolutions. They seem like one more thing to add to my never-ending “to do” list. Instead, my only resolutions for 2022 are going to be to live life more like my children.

Cultivating a Mindfulness-Gratitude Practice

November 15, 2021November 15, 2021 Holistic Moms

Gratitude, like mindfulness, is a practice. It requires time, effort, and consistent attention to be cultivated. All of that seems near impossible if you are a busy parent, but the practice of gratitude can be sown in the briefest of moments. It starts with being aware and having presence. Being aware of our present moment creates the opportunity for gratitude, even when that moment might be a challenging one.

The Essential Role of Support in Breastfeeding

August 17, 2021August 17, 2021 Holistic Moms

“Breast is Best”. “Breastfeeding is Natural.” As accurate as these slogans may be, breastfeeding doesn’t always come easily for many women. From latch challenges to supply problems, any mom – first time or not – can run into hurdles when it comes to breastfeeding. Our culture and the lack of support around breastfeeding can exacerbate the situation and make staying the course even harder. Without the pillars of support and community, moms face both obstacles and social pressures that often deter them from nursing their children. As the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) rightly notes, moms need support every step of the way.

It’s Plastic Free July. Plastic: Problems and Solutions

July 16, 2021September 14, 2021 Holistic Moms

We all know the general issues with single-use plastics, but it is always staggering to revisit some of the statistics, and good to share solutions we can implement personally, and within our communities. One of the Holistic Moms Network’s Guiding Principles is teaching our children to respect and care about the natural world. Another is living more simply and consuming less in an effort to reduce our impact on the environment and to emphasize non-material values. Teaching our kids about the issues with plastic, and how to reduce our use, as well as how to help bring change, is an important piece of these principles.