I’ve been a fan of Lauren’s writing since well before I knew her personally, because her writing is just so incredibly easy to relate to. There’s no pretending and no putting on airs or avoiding the touchy and controversial subjects, only the reality of her life as a wife, mother, and woman. She reveals her true self through her words: the humor and wit, the wisdom and growth, even the taboo and painful parts.
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This is a beautiful, funny, truth-filled collection that I believe would resonate with any mother. The focus on Lauren’s experiences as an attachment-focused parent gives it a unique perspective which any parent on the natural parenting spectrum could appreciate. But it’s not just for the “crunchy” mama in your life; it’s truly about the human experience: about life and love, about laughter and loss. It’s about the joyfully heart-wrenching reality of loving someone as deeply and fully as a parent loves her child.
Lauren Wayne of Hobo Mama fame, one of the two lovely mamas who founded and run the Natural Parents Network, is both an author and a poet in her own right. I had known for some time that she had a collection of poetry but had kind of ignored it. I always felt bad because I love supporting other mamas in their creative endeavors but truth be told, I was worried if I read it I would not like it. This would not be a function of Lauren or her poetic skills, but instead a function of my indifference to poetry.
Did you know that April is Poetry Month? Well it is and I decided what better way to support Lauren than to sit down, read Poetry of a Hobo Mama from start to finish, then share my impressions with you. I took off my “aversion to poetry glasses” and put on my “let’s see what Hobo Mama brings to the table glasses.” You know what? I am really, really glad that I did.
Essie Jain is offering Natural Parents Network readers a giveaway of Until the Light of Morning CD and Art Panel, a value of $52.As a parent, I know how hard it can be to find calm, soothing music that both parents and babies love. …
I wish I had had Essie Jain’s lullaby album, “Until the Light of Morning.” Her CD is a collection of eight original, soothing tracks, meant to be played at night, or anytime baby needs to relax and sleep. Inspired by friends who, like me, needed something new to listen to, her music “is designed to unwind itself as it goes along, as the music becomes softer and more relaxed, eventually becoming as instrumental as the heart beat.”
Monkey Mama Necklaces is offering NPN readers a giveaway of a custom nursing necklace, a value of $19.The brilliance of the Monkey Mama necklaces is the "twiddle busters" - the beads that little fingers can turn and fiddle with while they nurse or snuggle. My son was immediately drawn to the big, colorful beads and immediately took to the task of turning them, examining them, and, well, "twiddling" them.
Elizabeth Pantley is offering NPN readers a giveaway of The No-Cry Picky Eater Solution,
a value of $17.Parenting expert Elizabeth Pantley is back with her newest book, The No-Cry Picky Eater Solution. This book is designed to provide parents with ways to get their children of all ages to eat a healthy, balanced diet as often as possible without battles, threats, or tears. Elizabeth draws ideas from her readers around the world for getting children to eat nutritious food. She then had hundreds of parents test the ideas, so you can trust that one of these solutions that fits your situation best will work for you too. With Elizabeth's advice, you can help your fussy eater have nutritious meals and bring peace back to the dining table.
This is a giveaway of an incredible set of mama care products by LuSa Organics: Mama Massage Oil ($8.75), Belly Balm ($9.75), Cranky Pants Essential Oil Blend ($9.10), Lullaby Soap ($5.50), and Herbal Lip Balm ($3.35). One lucky reader will receive all five products, making this giveaway's total value $36.45!Simply put, I am in love with every single product Rachel sent to me for review. And an added bonus? The 49 products available for review at the EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database all score in the 0-2 range. That's a good thing.
Would you like free shipping on cloth diapers? FREE shipping on all orders!
Use code SUMMERSEND at checkout.
Expires Sunday, 8.28.
Mama's Felt Cafe is offering NPN readers a giveaway of a $25 gift certificate to her felt food store for adorable hand-crafted play food!I was so excited when I was given the opportunity to review a product from Mama's Felt Cafe. Seeing her ideas was like an 'Ah-ha' moment, and I realized I could take responsibility for the toys my children play with by making them myself. Of course since I do not have infinite time on my hands, getting a few felt originals to start my collection was like a dream come true.
Brittany, owner of Mama's Felt Cafe, sent me a "Support Local Growers" basket for my daughters to man-handle. … As I took out each piece and inspected it, I noticed how fine the stitching is and how every little detail of the real food is present in the replica. For instance, the potato actually has tiny "eyes" all over both sides and the watermelon rind is two-toned and striped to mimic the real fruit.
… This set is so versatile because every piece can be used in an infinite number of scenarios, and even the basket itself has tremendous possibilities. It is sure to inspire the cook or vegetable eater in every child.
I was excited for the opportunity to review four organic cloth wipes from CurlyMonkey. All of the products CurlyMonkey sells are free from pesticides, insecticides and harmful fertilizers, which makes me feel good about using these wipes on my little girl.
Specifically I was sent one each of the Organic Eco-friendly Cloth Baby Wipes in Paris Tea, Collection Trèfle and Think Peace prints, along with one Maxi Hemp Organic Cotton French Terry Cloth Baby Wipe (2 ply).
First of all, these wipes are BEAUTIFUL! The designs are lovely. I really enjoyed just looking at them and was almost afraid to use them! The prints are a high-quality designer cotton fabric on one side with the other side being an organic hemp / organic cotton french terry.
The Maxi Hemp wipe is handsewn unbleached, dye-free, organic fabric with one side being smooth while the other side is textured for messier jobs, like wiping dirty bottoms.
I have been using cloth diapers since my daughter was a newborn (now 2 years old) along with cloth wipes so cloth wipes aren't new to me. But these are MUCH nicer than the ones I've been using. It definitely makes a mundane task fun!
If you are already cloth diapering your baby, it makes sense to use cloth wipes as well. These would be a great addition to your cloth diapering routine as something nicer and more special. I actually get excited when I go to change my daughter and see the next wipe is one of these!
On a cool Thursday in March, I was feeling under the weather and the kids were bugging me for dinner. I hadn't taken out the meat and was considering throwing together peanut butter sandwiches when the doorbell rang. It was the FedEx man with a heavy package which contained . . . soup.
Not just any soup, but home-made, mailed directly to your door chicken noodle soup from Spoonful of Comfort. When Marti Wymer’s mother was diagnosed with lung cancer, she wanted to do something to help her mom. The idea of sending chicken soup, the quintessential comfort food, to loved ones in needs of some loving care, was born. Today, you can order her homemade chicken noodle soup, (along with optional rolls, cookies, socks and a "little pick me up") to be sent to someone you love who is sick, facing a medical crisis or just needs a little love. In memory of her mother, a portion of the proceeds from each sale will go to chairty.
The soup had large chunks of all white meat chicken and thick noodles. The broth was pale yellow and I could clearly make out the carrots, celery and onions, which were diced so fine that my 11-month-old could safely eat them. Everyone loved the noddles; they are thick, chewy and taste very much like fresh, homemade noodles. The chicken looked like it had been hand-shredded from a roast; it was definitely not processed chicken parts.
Our order also came with six white rolls. The rolls were wrapped in a plain plastic bag tied with a twisty-tie and, of course, the yellow ribbon.They are made with white flour and were light and fluffy, perfect for soaking up the broth and gentle on a "sore" tummy. They broke apart easily so you could spread jam, jelly, butter or the comfort spread of your choice on them. My husband gobbled up two of these rolls before he ate the soup!
We also got a half dozen of homemade oatmeal raisin cookies. The cookies were sweet and light. They were pretty moist and broke apart easily to share. They would be a nice, light treat for someone who is sick and can’t tolerate “heavy” foods.
Overall, this is a great product that you can feel good about sending. The packaging is attractive, fun and can be personalized. A portion of the proceeds goes towards a reputable charity in memory of the person who inspired the business. The food is fresh and tasty, even if the size selection is limited. It's definitely a service I would use for friends and family!
Skin MD Natural is offering readers at Natural Parents Network a giveaway of a full-size bottle of Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion, an $18 value.I wish I could capture, in photos, the tight feeling of dry skin. Or even just capture the itchiness. And then I would capture the relief from both. This review would be over if I could do that.
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[W]ithin a week, I felt less tightness and less itching. For those who know the uncomfortable tightness and the irritating itching, I don’t need any more words than that.
Skin MD Natural is offering readers at Natural Parents Network a giveaway of a full-size bottle of Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion, an $18 value.I wish I could capture, in photos, the tight feeling of dry skin. Or even just capture the itchiness. And then I would capture the relief from both. This review would be over if I could do that.
…
[W]ithin a week, I felt less tightness and less itching. For those who know the uncomfortable tightness and the irritating itching, I don’t need any more words than that.
There's a fabulous giveaway right now over at Natural Parents Network for a Smart Mom Teething Bling pendant necklace, courtesy of Stacy's Posh Baby Boutique.
While I'm on the subject, I had the opportunity to win a Smart Mom Teething Bling camo necklace last year from Shairbearg's Blog, now The Knit Wit By Shair, so I'll do a little review here!
The giveaway to win your own copy of Playful Parenting, valued at $19, ends today, January 29.
shows how play is the way children communicate, and it's the way we as parents can meet them where they are — to work through strong emotions, explore vulnerabilities safely, and ease tough transitions and behavioral issues.Dr. Larry Cohen is offering readers at Natural Parents Network a giveaway of a copy of the #1 parenting book Playful Parenting!"Playful Parenting is my personal favorite parenting book. Dr. Cohen focuses on establishing trusting connections between parents and children, rethinking the way we discipline, and empowering and believing in our children. But even better than the lessons in a positive parenting philosophy, he offers concrete examples of how to implement play in your everyday parenting. Dr. Cohen explains why and how parents playing with children can not only promote closeness and confidence, but it can ease discipline challenges and sibling rivalry."
How it works: You put on your favorite nursing bra, then put on your Modest Middle, then put any shirt on top.
Modest Middles sponsored a review for us over at Natural Parents Network, and Amy of Anktangle graciously complied to test out the tank top, with glowing results.
1 Don't let my little joke fool you. This nursing get-up is so discreet that you're not going to be flashing nip, either! And I fully support those among us who flash nip or stretch marks. :)↩
You know I love me some wool! It's the perfect material to use for cloth diapering and ECing.
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