Saturday, November 21, 2009

Share your parenting resource wishlist with Joanne Edwards at Mothergarden Dec 7

generously sponsored by
Mothergarden, Nurture's growing free drop-in group for parents & children, is pleased to welcome Joanne Edwards on December 7 from 10:30-noon to share tea, cakes, and your wishlist for Portland parenting resources.

About Joanne:
"I have recently moved to Portland from New Zealand with my husband's work – we've been here four months and I'm looking to set up my company (http://www.smallbeginningsgroup.com/). My background is nursing and health visiting (UK based community nurses with extensive extra training who support families and communities), working with teenage parents and teaching infant massage. I have an extensive range of training, skills and ideas - this is where you come in…

"I would love to meet with lots of Portland mums and dads to hear stories about having babies and children in this city and country (it's all new to me and very different to what I'm used to). I would like to hear what's great about it, what's not so great and what services you would like to see added to make it better. I would also like to tell you a bit more about me and my ideas and experiences from other countries.

"Please join me at Mothergarden for cups of tea, cakes and chats (if you can't make it and still want to be involved please email me at Joanne@smallbeginningsgroup.com ). Thank you in advance for your time and sharing. I look forward to meeting you. ~Joanne."

Mothergarden is held every Monday from 10:30-noon at Nurture, 1614 NE Alberta St. Parents, partners, expecting parents, and anyone who is interested in creating a parenting community are all welcome. For more information: www.nurturepdx.com/mothergarden. Thanks also to our generous sponsor, Grasshopper.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Mothergarden welcomes Erin Bevan to speak about Single Choice Motherhood, Monday November 23

Sponsored by:
Mothergarden welcomes Erin Bevan to speak about Single Choice Motherhood, Monday November 23

Mothergarden, Nurture's growing free drop-in group for parents & children, is pleased to welcome Erin Bevan on Monday, November 23rd at 11:30am, to speak about her experience as a single choice mom. Please join us as Erin discusses making the decision to have a baby without a partner, choosing a donor, talking about it with your child, and other aspects of single choice parenting. We invite you to join this free discussion if you, too, have chosen single parenthood, or if you are considering it.

Mothergarden is held every Monday from 10:30-noon at Nurture, 1614 NE Alberta St. Parents, partners, expecting parents, and anyone who is interested in creating a parenting community are all welcome. For more information: www.nurturepdx.com/mothergarden.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Are you searching for a doula?

Join us for a late afternoon mixer and meet several pregnancy, birth, and postpartum doulas all in one place.

We will have a screening of The Birth of Sabine,
a henna artist to adorn bellies or hands,
and delicious refreshments.
December 5, 2009
4:00-6:00pm
1614 NE Alberta St.
in the large red house
Hosted by Nurture: Center for Growing Families


Are you considering hiring a doula?

Are you overwhelmed by the number of doula options in Portland?

Would you like an opportunity to meet several doulas, face-to-face, to get a sense of compatibility, but don’t have the time to attend several meet and greet appointments?

Highlights:
Meet local pregnancy, birth, and postpartum doulas
Film screening: The Birth of Sabine
Henna adornment
Connect with other expecting parents
Learn more about our services
Enjoy light refreshments
(Plus, doulas are just some of the nicest people to be around!)

Film Screening hosted by: Jennifer Murdock
Doulas attending the event:







Baby My Sweet Baby http://www.babymysweetbaby.com/
Sacred Arrivals: http://www.sacredarrivals.com/
Sacred Pathways Doula Services: http://www.sacredpathwaysdoula.com/
MotherTree: http://www.mothertreebirth.com/
Renaissance Childbirth and Postpartum Professionals: http://www.renchildbirth.com/
Birth Journeys Doula Collective http://www.birthjourneys.com/
Nurture: http://www.nurturepdx.com/
Mama Bear Healing Care

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Mama Mantras

It has been awhile since I have posted a Mama Mantra, but I was reminded of them while reading Peggy O'Mara's editorial A Quiet Place, titled: Killer Fear in the Nov-Dec 09 issue of Mothering Magazine.

Peggy discussed the negative impacts that fear, stress, and worry can have on our bodies and minds. She goes in to great physiological detail about hormonal and structural changes that occur when we are repeatedly exposed to fear and lists several ways to decrease our fear reactions. I would like to list them here because, from a counselor's perspective, I think they are quite helpful, but please go to the essay and read Peggy's descriptions of each suggestion.
  • Name the emotion
  • Change your thinking
  • Focus outside yourself
  • Practice positive thinking
  • Stand by yourself (based on her example of what this entails this is my personal favorite from this list)
  • Use a mantra (yay, mantras!)
  • Keep your sense of humor (so very important!)

She offers a few of her own personal favorite mantras, one of which is from Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk, "Breathing in I calm myself. Breathing out I smile." How truly lovely, and so we have a new Mama Mantra today... Thank you Thich Nhat Hanh, and thank you Peggy O'Mara for sharing it!

Breathing in I calm myself. Breathing out I smile.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Kid's Clothing & Toy Swap


KID'S & MATERNITY CLOTHING plus TOY SWAP

Portland Central Library Children's Library Story Theater

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14th, 2009

Gather up unwanted, outgrown, clean clothing, accessories, and toys in good repair and bring them to the swap!

WHAT: This free clothing and toy swap will be held at the Portland Central Library's Keep Portland Weird event - for more details visit the library website:

http://www.multcolib.org/events/kpw.html

This will be a drop-in swap, no need to RSVP just join in by bringing toys and clothing for the category and sizes that interest you **be sure to note the specific time slots for each swap below.** After you swap, stop by some of the other family-fun events that Keep Portland Weird.

WHEN: Saturday November 14th, 2009

1:00pm – 1:45pm Maternity and children's clothing (Maternity, Baby 0-24mo, Toddler 2-4 yrs, baby and toddler accessories, including car seats, strollers and highchairs)

2:00pm – 2:45pm Kid's clothing (Early Years 5-7yrs, Pre-Teen 8-12, and Teen 13-16+, accessories)

3:00pm – 3:45pm Small and medium sized toys swap

WHERE: Central Library, Children's Library Story Theater, 801 SW 10th (@ SW Yamhill.) You can take the Max to the Library/SW 9th Street or Galleria SW 10th Street stop. Enter through the front/main entrance and make a right towards the back into the Children's Library and the story theater is to the right of the Children's Library entrance. NOTE: This swap location is child proofed but space will be very limited. Please leave strollers at home, carry babies in a sling, and bring someone to supervise little ones in the Children's Library while you swap.

HOW THIS SWAP WILL WORK: Clothes will be separated into general size groups and marked with signs. Before you arrive, separate clothing you will bring by size to maximize your swap time. Plan to arrive about 10 minutes before your swap and hang on to your clothes and toys until its time to swap. When the swap is about to start add your items to matching size piles (toys will be placed in general categories.) When the swap host starts the swap look to find the items in the sizes and styles you need and put them in your bag.

WHAT TO BRING: Clean clothes and toys in good repair and usable condition. There are no minimum requirements for how many items you have to bring or how many you can take but please be courteous and generous. In addition to clothing and toys you can also bring lightly used accessories like shoes, boots, hats, scarves, or sunglasses. Items that do not get swapped will be donated to low income and high needs families in our community.

In addition to clothing and toys you can also bring lightly used and clean accessories:

  • lightly used, clean socks, shoes, boots
  • hats, scarves, mittens
  • sunglasses
  • books, tapes, CD's, videos, DVDs

CONTACT: pdxkidswap@gmail.com
If you have any questions about the swap or are not on our email list and would like to receive email notification of future clothing swaps send us an email with the size and gender of clothing you will bring and the size and gender of clothing you need (we will not spam or sell your name to anyone.) The only "membership" rule is that you be respectful and have fun! Please bring only things listed on what to bring list.

NEXT SWAP: Our next swap will not be until late winter/early spring. If you are planning a kid clothing or toy swap or if you know of one let us know and we'll pass it on to the e-list.

MORE SWAPS: Love to swap? There are other swaps near you. Go to pdxswap.com to find out more about monthly clothing swaps and stuff swaps – all free. If you are interested in having your own clothing swap through PDXswap and would like to know how, please speak to the swap host for more information.

PASS IT ON: If you know someone who would be interested in attending a clothing swap please feel free to pass this email along.

DONATE: If you would like to donate children's clothing to the swap send an email to pdxkidswap@gmail.com and we'll arrange for a pick-up.
Please feel free to pass this information along to anyone who would like to donate children's clothing.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Walkabouts: A Family-Friendly Walk/Hike Group



The rain has arrived, and that seems like a great reason to get a group together to get out there and hike or walk (or, in reality with children, meander about stopping frequently to spot slugs, mushrooms, gnomes, fairies, and hobbit traces) on a regular basis. I know I need the motivation more now. So, grab the Wellies or Boggs, slickers, Ergos, and snacks and let's meet up for a kid-friendly hike on our beautiful city trails and walkways. Let's head out for as long or as short as the children or our energy will allow. We can pick new places to meet each time until we have covered the city, then we can repeat our favorites!


Join the Walkabouts Group forum and from there we can decide where to meet next and how often to meet-up...weekly, bi-weekly, monthly?

Monday, November 16th 11am
Meet at the Forest Park Leif Erickson Dr. trail head parking lot
about 1.3 miles up Germantown Rd. on the left (coming from the Portland side of Germantown)

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Meet a Doula: Nurture hosts a community Doula Meet and Greet in December

Are you considering hiring a doula?

Are you overwhelmed by the number of doula options in Portland?

Would you like an opportunity to meet several doulas, face-to-face, to get a sense of compatibility, but don’t have the time to attend several meet and greet appointments?

Join us for a late afternoon mixer and meet several pregnancy, birth, and postpartum doulas all in one place.

December 5, 2009
4:00-6:00pm
1614 NE Alberta St.
in the large red house
Hosted by Nurture: Center for Growing Families


Highlights:
Meet local pregnancy, birth, and postpartum doulas
Connect with other expecting parents
Learn more about our services
Enjoy light refreshments


Doulas attending the event:







Baby My Sweet Baby http://www.babymysweetbaby.com/
Welcome With Love Family Care: http://www.welcomewithlovefamilycare.com/
Sacred Arrivals: http://www.sacredarrivals.com/
Sacred Pathways Doula Services: http://www.sacredpathwaysdoula.com/
MotherTree: http://www.mothertreebirth.com/
Renaissance Childbirth and Postpartum Professionals: http://www.renchildbirth.com/
Birth Journeys Doula Collective http://www.birthjourneys.com/
Nurture: http://www.nurturepdx.com/
Mama Bear Healing Care