Why we're not planning on cutting our son's hair anytime soon | Offbeat Families

Why we're not planning on cutting our son's hair anytime soon | Offbeat Families

Icona Pop - I Love It (feat. Charli XCX) [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

Nurturing creativity

When I was a child I would enjoy my summers spent at grandmas house but I would often find myself "bored." When I wasn't challenging myself academically I felt lazy. I admit it was fun learning to bike among the peach orchards and swim with cousins, though I never shook the feeling of being unproductive.
This has no doubt framed who I am as an adult almost always going and doing. As a new mom I am learning what appropriate rest and play and balance of activities feel like.
What if we gave ourselves more unstructured down time to really tune into what it is our soul and spirit crave?
How bout you put down the books, turn off the computer and join me while I go out and play?!

Freedom

How is your personal expression of freedom celebrated? We could all use a dose of spectrum lenses to view the fireworks from time to time.

Callie Me Home: Organix South- The Power of Neem

Callie Me Home: Organix South- The Power of Neem: I won Organix South's Trivia Thursday last week. The winner was announced on Monday of this week. Today is Thursday and I've alread...

Cravings

Do you crave sugar, pop, breads, pasta, and potatoes?

Generally, people who crave sugar have poor fuel-burning capacity in their bodies. You really need minerals. You can have huge fluctuations in your days, real highs and then very low lows. You are often moody and irritable, and feel fatigued with low stamina, often blaming “getting older” as the reason for your reduced energy. You have a nutritional deficiency and a hormonal imbalance than could lead to hypoglycemia or pre-diabetes.

Do you love to eat Pizza and bread?

You most likely have a yeast problem. Emotionally, you can have mood swings up and down, with chronic allergies and digestive distress. You have a sugar/hormonal imbalance, and nutritional deficiencies. You also have digestive issues with poor metabolism, weight gain, and increasing fatigue.

Do you have a pickle and olive with your sandwiches?

People who crave salt generally have weak adrenal gland function. You can get irritable if you miss a meal. Bright light bothers your eyes. You are often tired and your back can hurt. You avoid salt even though you crave it. You have a hormonal imbalance and a mineral deficiency.

Do you crave milk?

People who crave dairy generally are really trying to fill their calcium, protein and fat need. Alternative sources are sesame seeds for calcium; organic chicken or turkey for protein, and/or almonds, walnuts or sunflower seeds. You have a protein and mineral deficiency.

Do you crave chocolate?

You have a calcium/magnesium imbalance. Women crave chocolate before their menses due to hormone changes. The magnesium in chocolate helps create a sense of relaxation by making long-chain fatty acids. However, chocolate has chemicals in it that are psychoneurotic chemicals. These chemicals can create highs and lows. An alternative is to have mixed greens everyday. Mixed greens are a great source of magnesium and help with the craving for chocolate. You have a nutritional deficiency, and a hormonal imbalance.

Do you crave ice?

This is a sign of poor iron utilization. You are usually tired. Your body needs iron for oxygen carrying capacity. Iron is found in meat. (see vitamin list) You can become anemic.

Do you crave any type of sweets?

You have a poor sugar metabolism when you crave sweets. You can also be low in zinc and chromium. These minerals are needed for carbohydrate metabolism. High stress can also cause high cortisol levels and sugar cravings. You have a sugar/hormonal imbalance and a nutritional deficiency of specific vitamins needed by the body for sugar metabolism.

Do you crave fatty foods?

This can be a sign for a need for fat in the body. You need fat, but avoid it because of calories and use low fat foods instead. Fat is needed to make hormones in the body and is vital for proper brain function. Without fat you can have depression, pain syndromes and emotional issues. You have a hormone issue and a deficiency of essential fatty acids.

Do you desire coffee in the mid afternoon?

You are stressed out with poor adrenal gland function. The coffee stimulates the adrenals for you to keep going. You can also crave salty and or sugary foods. You may have problems with bright light bothering your eyes, chronic pain syndromes and even sneeze when sunshine hits your eyes on a bright day. You wear sunglasses. You have a hormonal imbalance when you need to have a caffeine boost to keep your energy levels up.

Do you chew your nails?

You have a mineral deficiency and may be lacking specific vital nutrients. You might have a hard time falling asleep at night. You can lay in bed at night physically exhausted with your brain going one hundred miles an hour. If you have red hair, you may have a deficiency in zinc with too much copper. Avoid bread and soy – these deplete the body of zinc. Eat pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Celtic Sea Salt is also an excellent source of minerals, containing 84 different essential minerals. You have a mineral deficiency and a hormonal imbalance.

Do you crave onions, garlic, cabbage or broccoli?

You may have a sluggish or overloaded liver. These foods contain high levels of sulfur, which help improve liver function. A sluggish liver cannot work properly to help break down toxins or keep hormones in balance. Toxins can accumulate from either external sources or from poor digestion that results in internal toxicity. You have nutritional deficiencies and too much toxic exposure.

If you have any of the above food cravings, there is help. A review of your diet and lifestyle can easily locate simple changes that could improve your health and reduce your cravings.

Dr. Carol Ann Fischer, D.C., N.D.

Getting real

A Sensual Woman Warrior is real. She's messy. She's emotional. She yells. She's terrified. She's magnificent. She's beautiful. She's confused. She tries everything. She's sick of rolling the same dice. She lies. She's wise. She's passionate. She's wild. She has rage. She feels. She tells the truth. She's clueless. She's brilliant.

And sometimes her world feels like Disneyland.

But sometimes it feels like the cheap motel, the really long lines and the crappy food.

Sometimes she loves every moment of her life.

And sometimes she gets in her car, turns the music up full, and yells until she's hoarse cause she's afraid she can't take it anymore and life is spinning too fast and it's all just a little too brutal.

Sometimes life is pure ease and joy.

And sometimes it's not.

That's okay.

Because we're human.

And Sensual Woman Warriors.

So we can handle it.

All of it. --Daphne Cohen

Socks

I've been absolutely obsessed with finding the right winter gear for my little one. Unfortunately this hasn't been easy! First of all, it's not cheap. Secondly, popular items are all gone!!
While perusing eBay for an out if stock item I came across a gorgeous set of smart wool infant/toddler socks. Location?
Sandy hook, CT.
My heart still drops with such sadness for those families still working at carrying on without little feet to outgrow things or put socks on. I have no way of knowing whether or not these socks belonged to one of the victims of the shooting, but the eerie feeling I got when I saw where they were being sold spoke for itself somewhat.
May light come out of this darkness someday.
And may little feet all have warm socks and socks all have little feet.

Happy New Year

Welcome Year of the water snake. The new moon is always a nice time to set intentions. Today I'm reminded of a beautifully smooth talking stick resembling a snake from a bog oak passed to me: Calling in listening (intuition), clarity, focus, strength, being, guidance, enJOYment, loving kindness, non duality, righteous dimensional awareness and understanding. And most importantly grace and ease with the shedding process.

Clinic continues

Although Im a new mom I keep urging myself to forge forward with finishing clinic. I feel like it's necessary for my own personal maintenance of what brings me joy... Im an A type personality.
at the same time maybe it's a perfect time to take a break. 300 hours seems like an eternity with the little one who's growing exponentially daily.
This is been a tough decision for me because as I said being involved in what I was doing before helps restore normalcy and I'm SO close to finishing.

This year is pretty bad flu season so even though it's only three or four weeks in I've now got a cold and my little one has a cough. There's a first time for everything. We are skeptical of vaccines and we are also aware of the criticism that we might receive if people know that we are sick. Grandparents included. I'm generally pretty confident addressing my own health concerns, however making the call for an infant is a challenging one for first time moms whether or not they are in the medical field.
I took him in to see if there's anything we could do but as with most things it just takes time we've got to wait it out.
So as much as it brings me joy to finish up my program and solidify my career right now seems a time to take a step back. And this decision saddens me to no end. Timing is everything right? At this moment I've yet to withdraw. I know it's not best to make decisions when stressed.
So for now, people with the multitude of concerns including fibromyalgia and degenerative changes, arthritis colds and flu's, & fertility problems will have to wait while I heal myself. And most importantly cherish these moments that won't last forever.

Motherbaby

Having a child is surely the most beautifully irrational act that two people in love can commit.-bill Cosby


When asked, "where's twiggy?"
Brian looks over at the pup.
When asked, "where's papa?"
Brian looks over at his dad and smiles.
When asked "where's mama?"
Brian just looks.
This for me feels like success.
If there is anything I set as a goal for myself as a new mom, it was to create a bond with the little loving being and to have a safe and thriving place for him to call his own.
we are still connected.
he's got a solid sense of home and mama. No notion of separation. I thought initially this bond was minimizing over the weeks considered the fourth trimester.
I cherish this time and observation like no other.