Baby Love Blanket Drive

Crafty/Creative Families! Get out your knitting needles, crochet hooks, or quilting tools...your love is needed. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a cause near and dear to my heart. Ayla Birth is hosting a handmade blanket (as well as other items) for babies exposed to domestic violence. After working with families who had experienced domestic violence, I am more than happy to participate in and pass on the information about this drive:

Baby Love Blanket Drive
What is the Baby Love Blanket Drive?
The Baby Love Blanket Drive is a 2 month long, charity craft-along (Oct- Dec) where people in Portland, Oregon (and beyond) will knit, crochet and quilt blankets for newborns in need.

In addition to blankets, we are now
accepting: Baby Clothes, Baby Toys, Hats, Mittens, Socks, Shoes, Scarves & Slings. If you have a large amount of non-blanket items, please call (503) 809-1721 for pick up.

Who Benefits?
YWCA Yolanda House and the the Foster Closet
All of us at have seen the price babies pay in the Northwest when they are exposed to domestic violence, abuse or neglect. We can't save them, but we can give them comfort and we think you can too.

Why are we doing this?
In 2007, five doulas decided to help keep babies warm over the winter by sponsoring a handmade blanket drive for the Portland area. In 2008, Willow Birth ran the drive and Ayla Birth has taken over the drive for 2009. Regardless or who runs the drive each year, the mission is always the same: comfort for those in need.

Why handmade blankets?
We believe that an item made by hand and with love is more valuable than a store bought one, and we believe that all babies deserve to have something special made just for them. Each of us has the power to create something lovely, but if we band together, we can create a thousand lovely things, a thousand loving hands creating comfort for newborn life. Of course, any item that you personalize with love is
handmade, so if your idea of handmade is a bit of embroidery or a fleece kit, we
welcome those too!

Blanket Requirements:
Size: Any standard size
baby blanket size
Fiber: Any machine washable fiber
Weight: Any
Deadline: 12/20/09

Where do I drop off my items?

The Knitting Bee
18305 NW West Union Rd.
Portland, OR 97229
(503) 439.3316

Twisted
2310 NE Broadway
Portland, OR 97232
(503) 922-1150

Designer Yarn
38871 Proctor Blvd.
Sandy, Oregon 97055
(503)
826-0123

By Mail:
Baby Love Blanket Drive
4408 SE 67th Avenue
Portland,
OR 97206

Warm Baby Blessings,
Anne Lenzi
The Baby Love Blanket Drive
President, Ayla Birth – Community Doulas
(503) 809-1721

And...if you enjoy the company of others while you click away with your needles, join us at Nurture's Knit~Together group. Check back soon for details or join our e-village and join the group now.

An Open House Thank You

Our open house on March 14th was a good time had by all. I saw several familiar faces and made many new friends, thank you everyone for coming and celebrating Nurture's one year birthday.

Nurture has been such a gift in my life. Since co-founding it last year, I have been able to keep up professional activity while keeping my main focus at home with my family. Thank you to my family and friends for supporting me in this endeavor.

I have had the honor of working with mothers who have shared their stories of challenges, hopes, fears, and change. I appreciate your willingness to trust me. Thank you.

Nurture has also given me the wonderful gift of connection. Throughout this year, I have met so many people, mostly women, who are working to support growing families just as we are at Nurture. The connections I have made with these professionals has been sustaining and enriching in ways I cannot put into words. Thank you.

And thank you to all of the fabulous women who are a part of the Nurture collective. You are all a part of the previous category, but I think thanking you twice is quite short of all the thanks you deserve. I enjoy our collaborative efforts and love what Nurture has become this year. Thank you.

We had several door prizes to give away at the party. Congratulations to our winners, I will be contacting you soon to make sure you receive your gifts...

Milagros gift certificate winner: Angi G.

Winner of the Pediatric Wellness Session with Molly Fitzpatrick: Joanna M.

On Hour Massage with Tiffany Ueltschi winner: Melissa C.

Winner of Two Hours of Postpartum Support: Dan B.

Grasshopper gift certificate winner: Dave

Campbell Salgado Studios gift certificate winner: Lynette W.

SCRAP Membership winner: Kimberly D.

A big thank you to our local business for offering these terrific prizes! And an extra thank you to Campbell Salgado Studios for sharing your beautiful photographs with us, I have really enjoyed having them on our walls.

Enjoy a few pictures from the party...

Join Us

Join us for an open house celebration
March 14th
3pm-5pm

Special treats include:

• food
• chair massage
• Reiki
• friendly conversation
• family art activity (make a mini wood doll family)

Raffled goodies include gift certificates for:

• Milagros Boutique
• Campbell Salgado Studios
• Grasshopper
• SCRAP
• Nurture (2)

Save the Date: Open House

October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month

I have not missed the fact that October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is just that this year breast cancer has once again personally touched my life, and I wanted to write a worthy post. It seems that I am running out of time with October coming to a close soon, so here it goes...

A friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer this summer. She is in her early 30's. Hearing her news was difficult, to say the least, and watching her go through the surgery and treatments has been heart wrenching despite her inherent integrity and optimistic outlook. I know it sounds cliche, but she is a superhero. She is enduring the miserable treatments, side effects, and emotional adjustments with grace, strength, humor, and honesty. I have always admired this friend, my admiration for her continues to grow with step of this experience.

There has recently been some debate about self-breast exams and whether or not they are cause for unneeded stress or even helpful. I am, personally, all for knowing and being aware of one's body as much as possible. I have found that the more in-tune I am with my body, the better I am able to take care of myself physically and emotionally. It has been challenging to pay attention to my body since I had children. With my friend's breast cancer diagnosis, I am reminded that it is time to reconnect. Self-breast exams, fertility awareness, yoga, massage, meditation, and just being mindful are some ways to learn more about your body and become more aware of your own physical and emotional rhythms.

My friend was not doing regular self-breast exams. In fact, she had just had a clinical breast exam at her last annual appointment six months before she discovered the lump. She found the lump because she was aware of her body and noticed something.

Here is a reminder to be aware, not just about breast cancer, but also of your own body. The Susan G. Komen for the Cure recommends that you, "Know how your breasts look and feel and report changes to your health care provider right away". For tips on how to be breast self-aware, look for the Breast Self-Awareness (BSA) Interactive Tool on the left side bar under "interactive tools".

What about nursing mamas? How do you do a BSE when you are lactating? Breastfeeding 123 has a post with recommendations to wait until seven days after your menstrual period has ended, if you are having menstrual cycles, and doing the exam after nursing when your breasts are less full of milk.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

This month is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

I was reminded of the importance of increasing awareness about domestic violence after reading this post by Molly at Citizens for Midwifery (CFM). Like Molly, domestic violence was the first social justice cause to which I was, and continue to be, deeply committed. The work I did with women and children who had experienced domestic violence has changed my life in many profound and meaningful ways. Molly's post reminds us that violence against women is found not only within intimate partner relationships, but also within many aspects of women's lives such as medical care, pregnancy care, and birth care.

Domestic violence during pregnancy is a grave concern. For example, did you know...

• According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), in Oregon, 1 in 10 women reported experiencing intimate partner violence in a 2001-2002 survey.
• An estimated 8% of women are abused during their pregnancies.
• Physical abuse often escalates when an abuser finds out about the pregnancy.
• Homicide is the leading cause of death among pregnant women.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, there is help. No one deserves to be abused.

• Portland Women's Crisis Line (PWCL) 503-235-5333 or toll free 888-235-5333
• for more local resources, visit PWCL's resource list page

Kiss the Earth: Days of the Dead/Samhain Celebration

Kiss the Earth

Days of the Dead

Samhain Celebration

Sunday October 26 FREE

Soup & Cinema limited space rsvp

6pm-9pm, Theme: Home Wakes & Funerals / Days of the Dead

Community Altar rsvp

Bring candle, poem, object or other symbolic memorial of your ancestors and place them on the community altar.

Friday October 31 HALLOWEEN FREE

Family Mask & Lantern Making / Lantern Blessing Procession rsvp

Halloween, October 31, Friday 3pm til dark, procession at dusk

Community Altar building continues (through Sunday evening) no rsvp required

Make and offering out of materials provided and weave it into the community memorial loom.

Saturday November 1

Kiss the Earth Natural Burial Retreat 9am-5pm, $150 pre-registration required

In this workshop we will gather together to consider how we would like to be honored in our (or how we might honor another in their) final passage from earth.

learn more at http://www.generacion.nu/

Sunday November 2

Samhain, 10am-4pm, $50/session or $75/all day pre-registration required

Bread & Winter Gardens: wild sourdough starter, winter saunas and

garden infrastructure in preparation for the deep winter hearth.

Winter Light Beeswax, candles, oil lamps, and lanterns.

Community Altar Closing Ceremony FREE no rsvp necessary, DUSK

Join us in song as we burn our fabric, paper, earth weaving as a symbol of release.

visit: http://www.generacion.nu/

email: info@generacion.nu

call: 503.750.1415

Celebration takes place at:

Generación

857 N. Prescott

on the corner of Mississippi & Prescott

across from the Albina Triangle

Fall Harvest Festival Hoe Down

Join Portland Green Parenting and Friends for a

Fall Harvest Festival and Hoe Down!

Sunday, October 26th

from 1-6 pm

at the Pumpkin Patch

on Sauvie Island

Featuring the toe-tappin', knee slappin' sounds of

listen to them here

with caller Caroline Oakley

listen to her here

in the Big Red Barn from 3-6 pm!

Tickets are $25 per family (2 adults and their own children)

or $12.50 per adult

must be purchased before the event...there will be no tickets sold at the door

The ticket includes admission to the square dance, all you can eat corn, 2 bracelets to the corn maze (kids under 6 are free to the maze, kids over 6 are $4), games, face painting and a costume contest with cool prizes by Klean Kanteen, Oaks Park and more!!

Everyone is welcome to show up as early as they want since there will be lots of other fun things to enjoy at the farm from 9 am until 6 pm:* animal barn FREE* hay pyramid & hay maze FREE* hayrides FREE* cow train for $2.00 per person

Make sure to arrive by 2 pm to get your bracelets for the Corn Maize-- this is about a 45 minute activity from about 2-3 pm, after which we can have some games and face painting. We will roast corn and grill burgers from 3-5:30 pm right outside the barn.

At 6 pm the corn maize turns into a haunted "field of screams" that the older kids might like. We can get a discount to this activity if we have 15 or more people interested. Please e-mail Rebecca rebecca@portlandgreenparenting.com if you want to do the "field of screams" at an additional cost.

Purchase Tickets

tiny time based arts festival PICA

PICA's (Portland Institute of Contemporary Arts) annual Time Based Arts Festival (TBA) this week. On Sunday from 11am-2pm, there will be a tiny festival within a festival, or tiny TBA, packed with all ages fun, art, film, music, performance, and dance including Greasy Kids Stuff, Indiekid Films, Hot Little Hands, Anna Oxygen, Elizabeth Mitchel, art with CHAP (the Children's Art Project), and paint chip poetry with PNCA (Pacific Northwest College of Art)...

Tickets are $8 (members) or $10/adult and children get in free with a paying adult. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

For more information check out the tiny TBA webpage.

An Open House Thank You

Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us at the open house. It was a wonderful evening full of wonderful people, art, massage, infant massage, nest-making, and delicious food.

Thank you Johanna for sharing your paintings with us to add some sweetness to our night.

Thank you Lacy at Form & Flora for the beautiful & very creative flower arrangement. The bird and nest fit at Nurture so perfectly! Thank you Art on Alberta for organizing Last Thursday and for your support of our celebration. Thank you Amy, Sarah, and Tiffany for making the evening a success.

It was exciting to meet new people, share our joy with friends, and celebrate Nurture.

Warmly,

Mychelle

Happy Father's Day

The role fathers play seems to have changed so much over the past several years, or maybe it just seems that way since I have become a parent. When I was a child, I never knew a father that stayed at home while his partner worked, now I know several. Not that staying at home is the only way that the father role has shifted, but it is illustrative of the changes that I have noticed. I hesitate to say that fathers are more involved these days because I do not think that would be accurate; it is more about how fathers are involved rather than how much.

Whatever your role, fathers, Happy Father's Day!

Here are a few Father's Day goodies:
DIYfather is a blog by fathers for fathers with clips from the Evolution of Dad film maker's documentary for Father's Day of interviews of people in NY talking about their dads.

Doodaddy is a blog by a stay at home dad with a young daughter and one on the way.

For all of you radical dads, Rad Dad is a blog that provides information about Rad Dad the "zine about fathering in dangerous times".

I Hate Snaps is a daddyblogger who writes about being a dad, his continuing quest for green parenting, and more.

Happy Mother's Day

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." ~Elizabeth Stone

To all of you who are walking around with your hearts on the outside, Happy Mother's Day!

What does Mother's Day mean to you? Christy over at LilyToad wrote in her recent newsletter, "For those of you who think Mother's Day is a hallmark holiday, I would like to share some information that turned me around on the subject. Turns out, Mother's Day was introduced in the United States as a call to unite for peace and disarmament. You can read more about the history..."

If you are looking for something different to do for Mother's Day, Hip Mama, the parenting zine, is hosting a Mother's Day Party and Variety Show. It is a fundraiser, relaunch, and welcome to the new editor, Kerlin Richter. Urban Mamas also has a list of a whole weekend worth of family-friendly activities in their weekly Weekend Warriors post. There are a bunch of Mother's Day brunches happening around town, Fran Zimmerman describes several of them at Associated Content. For single moms, About.com has some ideas of ways to celebrate your labor of love. And at PSU, the Women's Resource Center and Student Parents has some treats planned for you.

If you are looking for alternative ways to honor the mother in your life, Activistas connected to Urban Mamas has a few suggestions.

Whatever your plans, we hope you have a wonderful day!

Happy Earth Day

Today is Earth Day. Celebrate Mother Earth. It is a great day to take some time to educate yourself and/or teach your children about the earth and how to preserve her beauty. The Arbor Lodge New Seasons has several Earth Day special treats today including free re-usable bags, tree root seedlings from Friends of Trees, and more...

April is International Cesarean Awareness Month

You can find information about International Cesarean Awareness Month at International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) which has a focus of prevention, recovery, and advocacy. ICAN works to educate women, health care providers, and society about the prevalence, causes, risks associated with, impacts and effects, and prevention of unnecessary cesarean birth procedures. ICAN also provides information about recovery (including emotional recovery--birth trauma, postpartum mood disorders, and grieving the loss of a vaginal birth experience) as well as vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). There is a Portland ICAN chapter with monthly support group meetings.

In her book, Birthing From Within, Pam England uses the term "Cesarean-Birth" instead of cesarean section or c-section. What a powerful way to shift the dynamic of a term and to honor a mother's cesarean birth as a personal experience. At Nurture, we honor each mother's birth experience and have a range of services that provide emotional and physical support for mothers before, during, and after a birth experience. The Birthing From Within website has an article about and titled, Having a Cesarean-In-Awareness. In addition to being aware in prevention, recovery, and advocacy; being prepared emotionally for coping during and after a cesarean is an awareness that can prevent or lessen the emotional impact should a cesarean be necessary.