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I've updated the look of Gaia Mama & hope you like it! Big Love <3I’ve long admired the work of Brian Feldman & was glad I got to participate in a portion of this latest work of his. It’s probably his most important statement to date. As I was standing there, baby strapped to my chest, contemplating getting married for some reason other than love, joking about whether or not Brian had money or health insurance, watching pregnant women filing for a license, I was strangely unconcerned with the fact that I’m a single mom. I’m actually quiet happy this way. I thank myself every day for having the strength and wisdom to not get caught up in a false relationship or marriage just because I had an unplanned pregnancy. I imagine I could feel ashamed or abandoned or sorry for myself. Instead, I feel empowered, wise and totally fulfilled.
At the event, I also saw an ex-friend (the only ex-friend I have, read on for why) for the first time in about a year. In the course of casual conversation at a public space last year, this person chastised me for deciding to go through with the pregnancy since her biological father was not in the picture very much. He felt I was irresponsible and a bad mother. He was quite loud and angry about this point, much to the terror of onlookers, some of whom tried to intervene. It was quiet disturbing. Interesting how he turned the man’s irresponsibility and lack of interest and blamed me for it, the only person actually taking responsibility for the child growing inside. As he laid eyes on Maya for the first time, an angry bubble surfaced and I wanted to ask him if he still thought she was better off as medical waste. (Sorry, that’s horrible, but that is the point).
I know this man-child’s history though, and I feel compassion for him that his relationship with his father was so messed up he would be so deranged as to yell at a pregnant women and call her selfish for not having an abortion. Hopefully he’s had time to reflect on his actions in the past year. Maybe he’s realized his mother isn’t to blame for his father’s emotional unavailability. Dark episode’s like this replicate the shadow side of his father. And, perhaps, he should stop drinking.
‘Motherhood Politics’ Hijacked Healthcare Debate | RHRealityCheck.org
I was just thinking this: “I don’t think it’s a “who” but a how many of us are willing to say this. Motherhood is sacred. How many of us are willing to get out and say this is not at all about abortion. This is about whether we’re going to be mothers. For men to understand this all of us need to join in on it. Too much of the rhetoric is about abortion and not enough about women and our roles in this country. And we better get off of it or we’re not going to have a country left.”
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Great podcast I caught the other day on the radio: Innate Numbers?
In “25 Minutes to Go,” Johnny Cash counts down the minutes to his hanging. This precipitates an argument between Robert and Jad about whether you could live without numbers. Jad introduces his newborn son, Amil, and insists that he has no concept of numbers whatsoever. Like father, like son? Producer Lulu Miller talks to Stanislas Dehaene, whose work in neuroimaging suggests that Amil probably does have a number sense. You and I might not even know what logarithmic counting is, but apparently we used it as babies. Susan Carey explains why counting pennies is no small feat. Using an experiment designed by Karen Wynn, Susan breaks down the trick that separates us from the animal world: the counting song. Producer Amanda Aronczyk’s daughter Mina demonstrates how complicated this whole penny business really is.
I was in a terrible mood this morning. I hadn’t gotten as much sleep as I would like, the mess in the house just keeps getting messier, I bounced my own paycheck – twice – and refuse to look at the insufficient fund damage and am waaaaaaaaaaay past deadline on an article about the divine feminine that I really, truly want to write. I am usually just going with the flow on these things, but the fact I haven’t been able to sit and write the article is really bothering me – I really put my all into what I write and I do need to be somewhat in the mood, otherwise it’s just no good, but it’s interesting to try and figure out how to prioritize.
Ever the optimist, I am super happy that it’s taken me five months to have an off day, so that perked me up, as well as my decision to call into the radio show and let my awesome co-host fly solo. Followed that with a delicious meal at Dandelion, a return to the market where I got an awesome $5 all local salad from Big Wheel Provisions for Slow Food’s Eat Local Week followed by a return home where I decided to tackle the a project that was high priority – sewing Maya a new giraffe. We lost her favorite toy last week and it’s been a bit trickier to pacify her as it was the perfect teething toy, so I finally got the sewing machine out and made my first ever doll. (Thanks ma, for the supplies & sis for the pattern!). Turned out pretty sweet. I just needed a me day, I am hoping.
We shall see what tomorrow brings.
If ya’ll have any inspiration for the divine feminine article, please, help a sister out!
Breast-feeding: Orlando-area moms form nonprofit to provide donated breast milk to needy babies – OrlandoSentinel.com
[My Dandelion Cafe is one of the drop-off spots for breastfeeding mom's.]
Amanda Pacheco didn’t intend to start a movement.
But in September, when one of her friends died suddenly, leaving behind a 6-week-old baby, Pacheco rallied dozens of breast-feeding moms to donate breast milk to her friend’s daughter, baby Sara.
Before long, Pacheco had more donations of breast milk than little baby Sara could use. Orlando moms donated dozens of packets of frozen breast milk. Four local businesses volunteered to serve as drop-off locations and provided freezers to store the milk. One woman drove from North Carolina, delivering a cooler packed with eight gallons of frozen breast milk.
Read more here: Breast-feeding: Orlando-area moms form nonprofit to provide donated breast milk to needy babies – OrlandoSentinel.com.
She's really this freaking cute - all the time!
Last night, my friend Brian met Maya for the first time. He asked me what the best part is. I couldn’t answer him at first, thinking how can I pick the best part – every second has been so amazing. I settled on morning time: waking up with her in my arms, seeing her smile beaming at me. She doesn’t even realize for one second that waking up is suppose to be difficult, as has been my thought for the past I can’t-remember-how-many-years. She’s so relaxed and peaceful. Sometimes I’ll wake up from a breastfeeding nap and she’ll be studying my face like I study hers when she is asleep. It’s a mutual admiration & wonder society around here. Everything she does is a discovery and it is so freaking gleeful to watch her as she discovers things like… her feet. I mean, they’ve been there the whole time, but she actually discovered she had them one day, then she discovered that she could put them in her mouth and slobber on them. This is amazing.
Or tonight, she’s playing on her little mat and starts grunting to let me know she needs some attention so I scoop her up and we lay down together. She suckles for awhile, one hand on my heart chakra like usual, staring at the multi-colored light making a pretty pattern on the wall behind me. She stops suckling and just stares, eyelids shutting so slowly, opening again, slowly drifting off to sleep as her sweet breath fills my nose with a heady perfume that makes me loop around in my love for her all over again. What a trip.
Another reason I love Mothering Magazine, they are not afraid to report on some seriously controversial stuff. A friend of a friend (really!) had such severe morning sickness that she could not stop puking & the only thing that relieved it and gave her an appetite was the medicinal use of marijuana. I’ve met her kid and he rules. She & her mother both have a medical background and came to the conclusion that marijuana was safer than the prescription drugs that only half worked and had other serious side affects. So, since googling for an answer on this will lead you nowhere, check out this well researched article and decide for yourself:
Warnings that marijuana causes birth defects date back to the late 1960s.1 Some researchers claimed to have found chromosomal abnormalities in blood cells taken from marijuana users. They predicted that young men and women who used marijuana would produce deformed babies.2 Although later studies disproved this theory,3 some current drug education materials still claim that genetic damage is passed on by marijuana users to their children.4Today, researchers look for a direct effect of THC [for tetrahydrocannabinol, either of two physiologically active isomers, C21H30O2, from hemp plant resin] on the fetus. In animal studies, THC has been shown to produce spontaneous abortion, low birth weight, and physical deformities—but only with extremely large doses, only in some species of rodents, and only when THC is given at specific times during pregnancy.5 Because the effects of drugs on fetal development differ substantially across species,6 these studies have little or no relevance to humans. Studies with primates show little evidence of fetal harm from THC.7 In one study, researchers exposed chimpanzees to high doses of THC for up to 152 days and found no change in the sexual behavior, fertility, or health of their offspring.8
Read more: Use of Marijuana During Pregnancy | mothering.
It was Joseph Campbell who, in the 1940’s, first brought to the public’s attention the Mythic and Archetypal principles embedded in the structure of stories. In his book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces,” Campbell identified the underlying patterns in myths, stories, and spiritual traditions. In so doing, Campbell created a standardized language that made it possible to uncover and communicate the underlying archetypal structure of these narrative traditions.
This journey has crucial links to Cosmic Law – the Laws that govern all of creation — natural, human, and divine. The same keys that govern the Universe and are present in all things including myth, and the structure of birth.
Read the Journey here: Birth as a Heroine’s Journey | Joy in Birthing.
Now that I have Maya, and am bringing her to work, I have a few opinions on the subject of where a mama should be. And it’s at home. I know this goes in the face of all the feminist gibber gabber out there, but there is very little understanding in our culture about the process of acquainting a child to the planet earth. Babies need their mama’s and mama’s need their babies. I remember talking to a new mom who had recently returned to her job and asked her how it was going. A sad, almost tormented look came across her face and I knew the topic was off limits or she would probably start crying.
Of course, a woman’s gotta do what a woman’s gotta do, and like soldiers, women across America truck on through, dropping of their newborns at daycare in order to pay the bills. I’m so absolutely grateful that I own my own business and can at least take Maya to work with me, even if I can’t take the year off as I would prefer (and is legally required, with pay, in other, more civilized societies). I remember reading some years back in Time or US News or some such magazine profiles of these top executive women, CEO’s at the top of the ladder. One woman gave birth and returned to work within the week, in keeping up with the men, not wanting to be seen as weak. I reflect back on this and wonder, would it not have been more empowering and sent a stronger message had she used her position to educate those men around her about what a woman and child needs & deserves? What kind of message must she have sent to the women in her company with this move as well?
I’d love to hear your thoughts ladies and gentlemen…
Exactly why I don’t sanitize or frequently wash my hands!
WASHINGTON AFP – Parents who let their kids romp in the mud and eat food that has fallen on the floor could be helping to protect them against maladies like heart disease later in life, a US study showed Wednesday.
“Our research suggests that ultra-clean, ultra-hygienic environments early in life may contribute to higher levels of inflammation as an adult, which in turn increases risks for a wide range of diseases,” including cardiovascular disease, Thomas McDade, lead author of the study, said.
Read Moe: Germ-free kids may risk more adult illnesses: study – Yahoo! News.
