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Mila’s Daydreams - Interview with Creative Mom Adele

Monday, September 6th, 2010 by Fiona

by Fiona

bunny-copy1

A friend of mine sent me a link to Mila’s Daydreams, the brain child of Finnish mother, Adele. I LOVED it! Our little ones are often creating such magic opportunities for artistic inspiration… it filled me with excitement to see Adele’s photos - seizing these fleeting moments and turning them into wonderful memories.

Adele kindly shared her thoughts on being a new mom with me.

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What gave you the idea to make such beautiful pictures with Mila? I dabbled a bit with this with my son - but your scenes are stunning.

Like all the new parents, we took a lot of pictures when she was a newborn, even when she was sleeping most of the time. Once she fell asleep on a blanket on the floor in funny position, and looked like a little fencer. We were laughing that she might be dreaming about that. My composer husband placed his conductors baton in her hand and we took a first “daydream” picture. After that I started to get new ideas how to make little scenes about her daydreams. I uploaded first picture in my gallery at the facebook and my family and friends love it. When I started to make few pictures per week, I decided to build a blog, so I wouldn’t flood my all facebook friends with my funny baby pictures. This is all just something creative fun in the normal family life. (more…)

Tags: Adele, Art, artistic, baby, creative, Mila's Daydreams, photos
Posted in Kids, Pregnancy & Breastfeeding, You | No Comments »

Learning Through Play: May the Force be With You

Friday, August 27th, 2010 by Fiona

by Carissa

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”
Plato

Our 3 1/2 year old loves Star Wars. He could narrate the whole story of The New Hope, look at Star Wars Encyclopedias, books and role play Luke, Anakin, Han, and all the other characters all day long. We think he is pretty young for the film, so we decided to create a Star Wars curriculum for him.

1. We bought a few and borrow lots of Star Wars books. Someone even suggested the Wookie Cookbook!

2. I relented and bought a light saber. Some parents don’t buy guns or swords for their kids, but a stick becomes a weapon anyway. I bought the light saber as part of his ‘costume’. He play fights with full gusto as he narrates the stories. It’s amazing how ‘into’ it a young child is when in pretend play. I was glad to read Play. Yes, You Must by Stuart Brown, the founder and president of The National Institute for Play, because he agrees with play fighting. He:

“studied a group of young murderers many years ago in Texas… Among many findings was the observation that none of these murderers had engaged in normal rough and tumble play when growing up, as compared to a large matched group also under study. Since then, the human clinical data on the importance of rough and tumble play in the development of social competency has been affirmed.”

(more…)

Tags: Carissa, curriculum, kindergarten, learn through play, Leventis-Cox, Star Wars, word recognition
Posted in Kids | No Comments »

Making Home a Soft Place to Fall

Monday, August 23rd, 2010 by Fiona

by Joanne Newell

children

For many families in the northern hemisphere, it’s back-to-school time.

I just love the sense of optimism that’s part and parcel of a new school year - the smell of new books and freshly sharpened pencils, the change in routine, and, if your children are schooled away from home, their excitement at seeing old friends and getting to know a new classroom teacher.

But if your children do attend school outside home, it’s important to remember that they need to feel completely ‘at home’ when they return home from school each day (especially in those first few potentially stressful days of being in a new class). When they open the front door and dash in in a whirl of bags, books, and sporting equipment, they’re craving a ’soft place to fall’, a respite from the outer world they’ve been inhabiting for most of the day.

Even if your kids absolutely love school, they still crave the feeling of security that home brings - and I believe that it’s our job to create that loving environment. If we set that up for them as children, they’ll know that they can create that nurturing environment for themselves as they grow. Creating a rhythm in their schooldays helps make life a little more predictable and secure. (more…)

Tags: children, Joanne, joanne newell, Newell, play, relaxation, school
Posted in Kids | No Comments »

Part 3 of 3: School Dinners & Healthy Alternatives to Homeschooling

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010 by Fiona

by Joanna Steven

Part III. The dreaded school menu, and healthy alternatives to home schooling.

The modern school system is not only flawed in the way it tries to educate our children, it is also flawed in how it feeds them. Many of us have watched, in shock and horror, Jamie Oliver’s attempts at reforming the school menus in the US. Not only are the schools resistant to change, many people don’t even understand where the problem is in the first place!

Curious, I took a look at the local elementary school’s menu. A banner at the top features “I love lunch” and “eat learn live” written on a black board. OK. Below, we can read: “Feeding our students high quality meals that are nutritious and delicious is our top priority. Chartwells’ menus are built to support the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and use recipes that taste great and are lower in fat, saturated fat, trans fats, cholesterol and sodium and provide whole grains, fruits, vegetables and appropriate portion sizes for age. We analyze our recipes for nutrient content and food component into nutrient standard or food-base menu planning that comply with child nutrition guidelines for the National School Breakfast & Lunch programs. Our Balanced Choices Meal Program is a guidance system to assist students in making the most nutritious parameters and is highlighted on the serving line.”

Shouldn’t it be “no trans fat” rather than “lower in trans fat”? But, it could have been for the sake of having a neatly written paragraph. Let’s look at the menu itself. For breakfast, children have, on various day, a choice of pancakes, breakfast taco, a muffin, French toast with syrup, ham & cheese biscuits, sausage patties and the like. Yes, I definitely want my children eating this every day (no, I don’t).

Let’s look at the lunch menu. Cheeseburger on bun. Ham & cheese wrap. Chicken nuggets. I see some “brocolli” (sic) is included. To bad it is misspelled. Turkey Corn Dogs. Beef A Roni. OK! I’ve seen enough. I don’t want my kids eating all this, that’s for sure! And what happened to the “delicious and nutritious”?

You might think: “if only there were schools for healthy vegetarians!” I certainly thought that, which brings me to my second point. (more…)

Tags: education, Homeschooling, jamie oliver, joanna steven, organic, school, school dinners, school lunches, Steiner, vegetarian
Posted in Kids | 1 Comment »

Part 2 of 3: Are Parents Qualified to Home School?

Monday, August 16th, 2010 by Fiona

by Joanna Steven

children playing

Part II. Are parents qualified to home school? And what about socialization?

As parents, we can only do what we think is best, follow our heart, and hope everything works out. As a child, my mom had to attend a Christian school run by nuns. She swore that when she would have kids, she would send them to a secular school only, and she did. She didn’t enjoy her school, and wanted us to have a better experience. Unfortunately, I don’t think my experience was better than hers, and my younger sister even opted later on to attend the same school my mother went to because she could not stand the one we used to attend. How are we supposed to guess what’s best? We can’t. We can only do what we think is best, and sending my children to the same schools which made me sick with anxiety and worry does not really sound like the best thing to do.

One issue which often comes up with homeschooling is the lack of socialization of home schooled kids. But really, how much socialization does one do while being chastised by a professor, or having to sit still without talking for 6 hours? Is socialization really something we do while eating low quality food in a noisy, unruly cafeteria? And what would be the quality of such interactions? I am fully aware that socializing my children will take a big effort on my part, being quite the introvert, but I am fully prepared for it.

(more…)

Tags: education, Homeschooling, joanna, joanna steven, qualifications, school, socialization, steven
Posted in Kids | 6 Comments »

Part 1 of 3: Education and Our Children by Joanna Steven

Thursday, August 12th, 2010 by Fiona

by Joanna Steven

Girl drawing back to school

Is anything really wrong with our modern school system?

Homeschooling. Few things are as dividing as the simple concept of teaching our children at home. This definition, however, could be a big part of the problem. People against homeschooling often imagine a child staring longingly out of the window at other children playing in the school yard during recess, while an often uneducated mother wastes his formative years keeping him cooped up at home. To me, while this scenario might happen sometimes, it is not an accurate image of what homeschooling can (or should) be.

After doing a quick survey of my friends and family members, I realized that very few of us have fond memories of school. Condescending teachers, unfair punishments, the feeling of wasting one’s time while unruly students have to be unsuccessfully disciplined, studying subjects for hours knowing full well most of them would be completely useless a few years down the road… These are only a few reasons why school is rarely considered a happy place for kids.

I am no exception. Sure, when I was little and had my first Christmas vacation, I actually cried not understanding why I wasn’t going to school anymore. Later on, I had some very good professors who made me look forward to attending their class (if not school in general). Now, though, I am seriously considering homeschooling my child (I am currently pregnant and taking a good hard look at the so-called necessary institutions). What happened to me along the way? What turned me from a school-loving little girl into an anxious, and even fearful child and adolescent?

While preschool was apparently quite fun for me (I have no memories of it), school quickly became a nightmare. By age 6, I had recurrent stomach cramps due to stress, and gradually, I started wishing I could be homeschooled. There were several subjects in which I naturally excelled, such as French literature, but a few like math gave me a lot of grief. I realize now that the fear of being called up to the front of the class, the humiliation of getting bad grade after bad grade, and my general feeling of hopelessness were a big reason why I felt like giving up. I thought I was irremediably bad at math, but as soon as I got a private tutor, my grades went up, to the surprise of my teachers. (more…)

Tags: education, Homeschooling, joanna, joanna steven, school, steven
Posted in Kids | 5 Comments »

The Circumcision Debate - To Cut or Not to Cut?

Monday, August 2nd, 2010 by Fiona

by Fiona Hollis

motherson400

Morning everyone!

Phew - I don’t know about you - but the last 2 weeks were amazing! So many beautiful articles, tips and insight from wonderful speakers and from YOU.

I love the interaction between Rawmom and all you Rawmoms out there - it’s key to growing together and creating an honest, loving and open community.

We all have our own opinions and seldom are they palatable to everyone. Opinions are born from parental conditioning, culture, personal circumstance, personal trauma - amongst many other things. Discussion is a great way to grow and learn from one another, so I felt it would be a great start to post YOUR responses to the most controversial wisdom nugget of pregnancy month. Circumcision, by our Jewish Raw Mom Karen Ranzi.

I would like to thank each and every one of you for feeling able to express yourselves clearly, I am honored that people feel able to express themselves without judgment. It is important to remember that judgment of others is really judgment of ourselves. We and we alone are responsible for our own personal actions and feelings. As soon as we feel the need to attack or judge someone for expressing themselves - we are in error and need to feel why we are so provoked by this opinion.

Reactions are to be expected, and anger when triggered is a great place to start looking at injuries within our souls. Often anger is capping emotion to grief. It is easier to feel anger than grief as anger is a powerful feeling, whereas grief is a very vulnerable feeling. Vulnerable is a very open place to be - and many of us are scared to feel this way for fear of pain.

When you read your replies to Karen Ranzi’s article on Circumcision - please note your own reactions, and take responsibility for your reaction. It is very unloving when people do not take responsibility for their own emotional reactions and choose to project anger at others - that is not our intention here on rawmom. (more…)

Tags: anger, bris, circumcision, creating healthy children, cut, foreskin, jewish, karen, Karen Ranzi, pain, penis, ranzi
Posted in Dads, Health, Kids, Pregnancy & Breastfeeding | 9 Comments »

Circumcision - by Karen Ranzi

Monday, August 2nd, 2010 by Fiona

by Karen Ranzi

I read Karen’s new book, Creating Healthy Children, and was intrigued by the chapter dedicated to circumcision. Karen kindly agreed to write a short wisdom nugget for our pregnancy month on this topic.

“Just before I gave birth to my son, I read the chapter “Mutilation of Male Babies” in Dr. Herbert Shelton’s book Hygienic Care of Children. I already knew I wouldn’t allow a circumcision to be performed on my child, but I became extremely concerned for other baby boys while reading some of the details about the procedure.

In 1880 it was thought that masturbation caused blindness and epilepsy. This began routine U.S male circumcision, and boys no longer resembled their fathers. Due to the pain and complications that circumcision has brought to boys and men over the past 130 years in the U.S., we need to focus on doing the same today: ending male circumcision and having boys once again not resembling their fathers.

The foreskin of the penis grows from 12 to 15 square inches of erogenous tissue, the inner and outer layer included. The foreskin is attached to the gland which protects from feces entering the area. It adheres like the nail to the nail bed or the eyelid to the eye. We certainly wouldn’t want these important protective body parts to be severed. The foreskin has to be detached before it can be cut.

The foreskin can be as much as one third of the outer skin of the penis. It’s meant to be a moist internal organ. The foreskin has protective functions: We know it prevents feces from entering the penile area. It is also highly erogenous tissue. (more…)

Tags: bris, circumcision, creating healthy children, foreskin, jew, jewish, karen, Karen Ranzi, penis, ranzi
Posted in Dads, Health, Kids, Pregnancy & Breastfeeding | 2 Comments »

Paul Nison’s Thoughts on Raising Children Raw
Friday, July 23rd, 2010 by Fiona

by Paul Nison

Those of you who have been getting the Mothers day emails will know there is a wealth of amazing information relating to health, motherhood, birth and choices in our Raw Mom Summit. I selected this part of Paul Nison’s Raw Mom Summit interview, as it sympathizes with the new choices that can be prompted with the birth of a child.

RM: So, Paul tell us a little bit about your experience being a new dad. Will you raise your daughter raw?

PN: Well, before I had a child everyone told me that it was going to be so life changing and there is nothing that can compare to the feeling. The more people told me that, the more I tried to prepare myself, thinking okay I am ready and they are all right it is the most amazing experience and it completely enhances our outlook on everything and it just really puts things more in perspective.

As for what we are going to do in the future I mean obviously we are focusing on right now because it is really important not to neglect the present. Sometimes people do that especially in the health field. They worry so much about the future, they neglect the present. We are so much focusing on the present, but even before we had a child I spent a lot of time with Dr. Fred, who has been a raw foodist for almost 50 years. He is almost 80 years old and raised two young girls with his wife. He told me there is a lot of people that call him and he never recommends 100% raw food for a child. You have to understand if you bring up a child 100% raw on a perfect diet, chances are when they become 18 and go out and do their own thing, the majority of them are at least going to try something else. I am not saying they are going to completely change, but if their whole life they are so clean and pristine, when they try to eat something else they could have a pretty bad affects and get pretty sick. It’s going to be very hard and confusing for them, they might even rebel at that point. (more…)

Tags: cooked food, nison, paul, Paul Nison, raising children raw, raw children, Raw Mom Summit
Posted in Food, Health, Kids | No Comments »

Q&A: Weaning a Baby to Raw Vegan Foods - Karen Ranzi
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010 by Fiona

By Karen Ranzi

We are blessed to have the wonderful, Karen Ranzi, on the raw mom team.

Karen answers a common question on what to consider when weaning a baby to a raw or vegan diet. Many of you have emailed us about this, so we thought posting Karen’s reply would allow everyone to benefit. Karen will be giving more nutrition advice throughout the week on the blog and in the wisdom nuggets.

“My name is Karen Ranzi,

I am the author of the new book, Creating Healthy Children: Through Attachment Parenting and Raw Foods.

The type of food given to baby is dependent on the age of weaning. All babies require mother’s milk for at least the first year of life to create the strong immunity and bonding necessary for baby’s physical, mental, emotional and spiritual development.

The fat and protein in mother’s milk is sufficient for baby’s growth well into the second year. I encourage you to nurse as long as possible. Humans are the latest to mature of all mammals therefore our young require the longest nursing periods. I recommend a minimum of two years. If a mother is unable to nurse for at least the first year of baby’s life, then alternatives could be a wet nurse, milk bank, or raw (unpasteurized) goat milk. (more…)

Tags: baby food, karen, Karen Ranzi, ranzi, raw baby, raw goat milk, raw vegan, vegan baby, weaning
Posted in Kids, Pregnancy & Breastfeeding | No Comments »

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