Mindfulness: Free the Past and the Future by Sez Kristiansen, author, Inspired Mama (Book Excerpt)

My son started daycare as soon as I took up work again. I felt our connection slip away, so I decided to make “Mama and Mathias time” once a week. Sometimes it was just a morning, while other times it was a whole day; I devoted time to just being with him and doing whatever he wanted.

Have you ever followed a toddler down a road with no agenda, no time frame, and nowhere to go? It takes you to places and moments you could never imagine. It also takes a lot of patience.

At first, I simply could not understand why we had to stand and look at a crack in the concrete for twenty minutes, but once I let go of my conditioned need to “be somewhere” and surrendered to curiosity, it was magical. I could really see, with the eyes of a child, the appeal of this crack in the ground. Once I got down to his level, I saw a stream of ants filtering in and out, and the determined growth of a dandelion. Perhaps my son was thinking, “Where are they going? Does an ancient ant city lie below? Is the dandelion their marker so … Continue reading..

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Interview with Claire Gill, founder National Menopause Foundation, by Robin Gorman Newman, founder, MotherhoodLater.com

Can you clarify the distinction between perimenopause, menopause and post menopause? Natural menopause occurs gradually over several years and has three phases:

Perimenopause.  Perimenopause usually begins several years before menopause as the ovaries start to produce less estrogen. This phase lasts up until menopause when the ovaries stop releasing eggs. A woman may have menopausal symptoms during this phase as estrogen levels drop. The reduction of estrogen levels speeds up during the last one to two years of perimenopause and menopausal symptoms may be more pronounced during this time.

Menopause.  When a woman has not had a period for one full year, she is in menopause. The ovaries have stopped releasing eggs and producing estrogen.

Post menopause. After experiencing menopause, a woman enters the post menopause phase. Hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms stop or lessen, and she can no longer become pregnant. Her risk for other health conditions increase due to increasing age.

Some women experience menopause at younger ages. When this occurs before age 40, it is considered premature menopause. Surgical causes include removal of the ovaries as may happen during hysterectomy. Other causes may include exposure to toxins such as chemotherapy which damages the ovaries or certain … Continue reading..

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How to Deal With Post-Divorce Depression

Getting through a divorce is one of the hardest things a person can face. Moving on after sharing a life together and having certain expectations of that relationship can be both a letdown and challenge. This is not only because of the emotional attachment but also financial aspects, division of property, establishing childcare, moving out from a shared property, and more. No wonder people’s mental health suffers. The sudden push out of your comfort zone might leave you feeling fragile and vulnerable.

Divorce causes a lot of stress that can leave you feeling physically exhausted.  Overwhelm and fear of the unknown can make people insecure and potentially find it tough to handle simple day-to-day things. According to Survive Divorce, divorce challenges our self-worth and very identity. It changes our relationships with others, both in our inner and outer circles, which can contribute significantly to mental health problems. Here are some helpful remedies for post-divorce mental support that address anxiety, overthinking, and help you to persevere both in the short and long run.

Talk to Yourself

Funny as it seems, talking to yourself can help you realize that moving on is a crucial part of the whole divorce situation. If … Continue reading..

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It was huge… it was gross… it was a centipede by Pamela Francis

The little pair of boxer briefs sat in a damp corner of the tub.

“Yuck,” I thought. What would I find? A nighttime accident…? A Virgil’s vanilla cream soda spill…? Or maybe not. Maybe they had simply been hanging over the wall of the bathtub one day, had gotten too close to the shower spray, had fallen in, and were just left there. Fermenting. In the tub. For too long now.

I reached in and fished them out. I knew I would have to sniff them. How else could I be sure about the back story surrounding their appearance in the guest bathroom tub? How else would I know whether they needed to be thoroughly rinsed and wrung…(nighttime accident) or just tossed into the next load…(Virgil’s vanilla cream soda spill)?

I wasn’t wearing my glasses. So maybe that was why the… thing… the… shape… outlined against the black cotton draws… didn’t readily register. I put those draws way too close to my face, hesitantly about to take a whiff… when all of a sudden…

IT MOVED!!!

Not the undies. That… THING… ON the undies…!!

It was huge…! It was gross…! It was a centipede.

I knee-jerk flung the underwear into … Continue reading..

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“Feathers of Fire–The Movie,” Shadow Theater On Film, A Review by Andrea Santo Felcone

Perhaps you have already streamed everything on your movie ‘wish-list’ and are finding drive-in movie tickets hard to come by? (As they sell out at lightning speed.) This scramble for entertainment will most likely be a common thread this summer, but there is some good news. There are talented companies putting creative projects together in ways that families can experience entertainment, easily, and affordably. One such project, is “Feathers of Fire”–a cinematic version of a live animation shadow play.

I knew nothing about shadow plays and shadow theater before I started watching “Feathers of Fire”. By the end, I became so fascinated with shadow theater, I researched a bit more about it. Shadow theater goes back a very long way. Ever since ancient man had been sitting around fire, in caves, he used shadows to tell stories. In today’s world of shadow theater, of course, the art form has expanded, but at its most basic, think of it in this way: instead of actors acting on a stage under lights, the actors perform backstage in front of lights, so the audience sees the performers in shadow.

Ancient cave shadows are a long, long way from what you will see when … Continue reading..

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But They Are Such Cute Little Narcissists……by Kristen Howerton, author, Rage Against The Minivan (Book Excerpt)

They’re awful people.

They’re tiny, tiny little Hitlers, all of them……Donald Glover

If I had to sum up motherhood in one philosophical statement it would be this: They come out of the womb as narcissists, and you have eighteen years to try to change that. If, by the time they move out of your house, they are able to consider others with some level of empathy, attend to the feelings of others, and see the world outside themselves and the people who inhabit it as valid and important, you’ve done your job.

Most people dislike the idea of their own kid being a narcissist, but hear me out. Babies have absolutely no concept of thinking about how others are feeling. In fact, developmentally, at first they don’t even understand that other people are separate from them. Other people function only to meet their needs, be it food, comfort, or changing.

I found parenting newborns to be particularly difficult be- cause they don’t give you much positive feedback. My first child joined our family at six months old. On my first day as a mom, he was reacting to me (and sleeping through the night can I get an … Continue reading..

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Navigating Adoption Later in Life – Meet Later Mom Melissa Couch Salim, founder, Baby Buzz Adoption Advisory & Head, Houston Chapter of MotherhoodLater.com: Interview by Robin Gorman Newman, founder, MotherhoodLater.com

Robin: What led you to adopt?

Melissa: My road to adoption was a long and winding one with many speed bumps, hills and unexpected pot holes.  But I stayed the course as somehow, I knew in my heart adoption was for me.  What I didn’t realize is that by the time I could really provide a wonderful home to a child I would be in my late 40’s.

I was single most of my life and was a sole business owner so the timing never felt right.  Still I researched and explored all types and methods of adoption. I would even start the process realizing the clock was ticking, but then I would reconsider, feeling scared and overwhelmed at the thought of being a single mom and a business owner.  It was when I met my husband who, despite having three grown children, encouraged and supported me to start my journey again to become a mom and together, we would parent.  My final adoption journey began again at age 50.

Robin: For some it can be a challenging and complex undertaking.  What was that experience and process like for you?

Melissa: It certainly was challenging and very complicated.  RESEARCH, RESEARCH, … Continue reading..

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How to Give Your Kids the Pre-Reading Skills They Need

Learning to read isn’t easy, as most educators can attest, but it’s one of the most important academic skills most children will learn — and one that they’ll need to use daily for the rest of their lives. As a parent, you can take steps at home to give very young children pre-literacy skills that will prepare them to learn to read when they begin elementary education.

Pre-literacy skills like print motivation, print awareness, narrative skills, sequencing, letter recognition, phonological awareness, and vocabulary can lay a solid foundation on which later education can begin to build reading and writing skills. Just as they do to learn other skills, children use play and interaction with adults to develop literacy skills. Here are strategies to help your kids build on these….

Read to Your Kids

One of the best things you can do to cultivate early literacy skills in your kids is to read to them from a young age. Your kids can’t be too young to enjoy reading — research shows that even from birth, kids like being read to, and reading can strengthen the bond between parents and children from the youngest age. For example, parents who read to … Continue reading..

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