Extended Breastfeeding

As my nursing days slowly come to a close with Scarlett (who will be three next month) this video came to me via email. It made me laugh until I cried. I hope it delights you as much as I did. And, encourages you to know, that if you are still nursing your toddler, there is hope... at least you aren't meeting their date!

HAPPY BREASTFEEDING!

At long last... a website for The Green Women Mercantile

I am delighted to share my website, a place to purchase my green goods, and to share with your friends where you got that beautiful baby sling! After many, many months with good intentions, it is finally here, much to my relief. Please visit my site and come back often.

In the spirit of blogging, I felt this picture would inspire some laughs... enjoy!

Visit my site: www.thegreenwomen.com

Celebrate End of Summer with Cake

One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats."

Iris Murdoch, writer

What have you done to "treat" yourself
this summer?

As I age

"Parents are Strange for their Age" -Amanda Veil

Well, as my 29th birthday arrives, I imagine I may be strange for my age. My children think so anyway...

I wish to age gracefully as my mother, and as my grandmother... and I wish to do so with an ability to care for myself in a way my grandmother never was able.

As a woman, mother, and wife I am learning about the necessary job it is to make sure that the way I care for me is wholesome and complete. I hope my daughter is able to do grow and watch me caring for myself.

Here is a beautiful quote that my mother shared with me... this is important for all women to see:

"Do you love yourself enough to take care of your health,
To change a bad habit, to prevent disease?
Do you love yourself enough to be physically healthy and
To stay another few years with a good quality of life?
If you said "no" to either of these, you may want to search deeply for
the reason you feel you are not worth the effort."
-Donna DiMarco

As you read this... think about how you nurtured yourself today? This week? This month?

On my birthday, I wish each of you a happy day, one on which you make a choice to do something wonderful for you, wheter it is sitting with a cup of tea, scheduling a massage or an appointment with your dentist, make those choices to honor yourself and your body... after all... you only get one chance to treat yourself with the honor you deserve.

-Sierra

Mothers Supporting Breastfeeding

As I learn about parenting, mothering and learn about other women who are doing it too, I am reminded time and again that the way women figure out "how to do it" is by getting support, advice and talking to other women. Every morning I check my email and there is "MamaSource" a great connection to women in your area, with women asking for help, asking for support and asking women to teach them from their experience. It is refresing to me to see that women are reccomeding the things I feel in my core around mothering: trusting your child, breastfeeding is essential, co-sleeping is natural and healthy, cloth diapering is wonderful for mothers and babies, and I love to hear women opening up, asking for help and recieving it.

I know that as a woman, asking for help from those around me should be easy and safe.

I wish each woman a safe and healthy way to ask for help.

And this picure... my husband found it! I know this delight of breastfeeding, and I hope that every mother gets a chance to know the delight of breastfeeding too! (I don't know the company who made this ad, but they must have been breastfed!)

Testemonials

I love to hear that women like what Green Women Mercnantile is doing!

Megan says:
With two little ones in diapers, I'm so tired of throwing so many away everyday and thinking about where they are going-- to the landfill to sit. So while Sophie is almost potty trained, Luca is a long ways off. I decided to give clothe diapering a try and have a nice little starter set. While I might not clothe diaper for every occasion, it something I always wanted to try and now I'm going to give it a shot with Luca.

My friend, Sierra, owner of Green Women Mercantile is having a sale on her clothe diaper liners, so I decided to go and try it. If you've ever wanted to try clothe diapering, now is a great time to start with the new year.

It inspires me to make changes when I see other women and mothers making them... it makes me feel that it is possible for adaptations to occur in my life, even when things are hectic!

I think this beautiful quote applies here:

Our real hunger is not for things
but for a higher image of ourselves

I am learning to see the changes I wish to make and to see myself as the person I wish to become as a mother, wife and woman of this world.

May each of you make changes in this spring time of change.

The Keeper... Powerful for the whole of our planet!

My goodness... as a woman on this planet, I get so many messages... so many powerful thoughts, and I choose what I want to think about and what I don't! Several years ago I came across a web site called BloodSisters which is all about choosing re-usable menstrual products, which intrigued me. I am ok with the thought that this isn't interesting or worthwhile for all women, but thinking about the impact our choices have on the greater good, choices as simple as choosing what we use when we have our monthly period, makes me aware of how powerful I am on my own.

SO... I am proud to use 100% re-usable menstrual products every month, for nearly two years now. When I get my cycle, I get a happy feeling opening my little basket of my supplies in all beautiful colors (about 12 reusable Petunia Pads, two Sorella Luna Sea Sponge Tampons and a Keeper) ready for me to use.

Ultimately, what it comes down to is this picture below... and when I go into myself, and think about the value I have as a person on this planet, I know that this simple choice makes a world of difference!!!