Mini Blog

Williamsburg/Greenpoint Chapter of Holistic Moms Network is UP & RUNNING!

by libby on January 13, 2013

Without getting into too much detail, when Miles Storm was first born, it took a huge toll on my husband and my relationship. While family and friends were worried about me developing postnatal depression, it was actually my husband who took our Son’s arrival the hardest. As a result, during the majority of the first year I spent a lot of time upstate NY in Rhinebeck (at our weekend house) with our 2 dogs and our newborn Son. My husband works in New York City, so we would see him on the weekends. It was rough for me to for sure, although I hate admitting that. I saw a therapist on a weekly basis and tried my best to navigate through all the changes.

What also helped me was the discovery of the Holistic Moms Network Dutchess County Chapter which is based here in Rhinebeck. There are other Mothers groups in the area, but for me being “Green Inspired” this was a God Send. I found support, encouragement and answers to many questions that I had as a first time Mother. On top of that, there was acceptance and interest in some of my “wacky” ideas. And, I say “wacky” tongue-in-cheek as to me it is normal, however in comparison to traditional parenting, it could be considered so. “Wacky” ideas may include bringing a child up vegetarian and not vaccinating your child. Or maybe, you are considering a water or home birth, not to mention hypnobirthing (now that is really wacky – ha).

At the Holistic Moms Network, our mission is to generate national awareness, education, and support for holistic parenting and green living by providing nurturing, open-minded, and respectful local community networks that encourage families to share these ideals and learn from each other.

Eventually, around a year ago, my husband and my relationship recovered to its fullest and with us buying a bigger apartment Miles Storm, Rockstarr, Mohawk and I moved back to the city in the Williamsburg part of Brooklyn. We still come up to Rhinebeck every single weekend but during the week we live in the Big Smoke. This for me was another huge change and the sole reason I started this blog in the first place, but that is a whole other story.

Living in the city I missed the monthly meetings of the Holistic Moms upstate NY, and thinking about it I realized that Brooklyn needed a Chapter. As somebody recently said to me “If a successful Holistic Moms Network group cannot be started in Williamsburg the whole organization should just give up and fold”.

The Williamsburg area is full of people trying to make the Earth a better place from up-cycling to organic foods to rooftop gardens and green centers being built on top of schools, there really is a lot of like-minded people in the area.

Deciding to move forward with my thinking, I approached HMN and applied to be a co-leader and start a Chapter. It took almost a year working through the application process, and with the help of another local Mummy, last night we excitedly launched our Kick-Off event! I was so nervous, and I have to tell you I was petrified that nobody would show up. Alas, I did not need to worry as around 18 Mummies/Daddies stopped by, and what a wonderful diverse group of people they all are.

I would also LOVE to thank Little Duck Organics, DeLIFEful Foods, Zico Coconut Water and Ingo Cucumber Juice for supplying free samples for all of us. You all ROCK and I very much appreciate you making the night all that more awesome because you were on board!

All the Mums having a GREAT time

If you are in the immediate area and interested in joining the group we will be meeting at (the awesome) Gourmet Guild in Sth Williamsburg on the second Wednesday night of every month. Monthly meetings will involve all kinds of different topics like Organic Farming, Natural Birth Discussion, T-shirt Repurposing, Gluten Free Living, Learning How To Knit, Raising A Toxin-Free Family and Exploring Education Options: Homeschooling. We would love to see you there. For more information you can check out our web page HERE.

If you are not in the immediate area, live in the United States and interested in finding a local chapter, or maybe even start a chapter you can do so HERE.

Yep, I am doing my part to help Keep It Green!

This posting was written by Libby AKA Willy B Mum
Find us at www.Facebook.com/WillyBMum or just www.WillyBMum.com

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Get the Sillies Out with Yo Gabba Gabba!

by libby on December 11, 2012

Once upon a time, and not too long ago, on any given weekend night my husband and I would surely be out and about in New York City at a party, a nightclub, an event, or a bar. This was our life. We were hands-down the life of every party, and up till the crack-of-dawn with the best of the Partiers.

Of course, this was before our Son, Miles Storm was born and we became parents – things change so fast once that happens doesn’t it?

Where I am going with this is – Wow, I never thought that I would be heading out to Madison Square Garden to go to a Children’s Show as an evening activity. But, this is my life now and I Love It.

This Friday Babes and I took our Little One to see a live performance of his all time favorite TV show – Yo Gabba Gabba! And a great time was had by all.

Yo Gabba Gabba has an awesome story behind it, being penned by 2 Fathers (Scott Schultz and Christian Jacobs) who were fed up with children’s television thus deciding to write their own. Neither of them had any experience in childhood broadcasting or early education, they just kind of wrote from their hearts and it worked. Thankfully, Yo Gabba Gabba dawned on Scott and Christian, as millions of children around the world are in Love with their brainchild, and surely there will be many more children to come who will also reap the joy.

Yo Gabba Gabba first went to air in 2008 and is now shown in many countries around the world including my home Australia. As well as, Canada, Italy, France, the UK and Ireland.

The show titled “Get The Sillies Out” was amazing to see – it was fun, colorful, upbeat and bright. There really was not a dull moment, and I had a great time jigging Miles up in the air to all the wonderful music. He really enjoyed himself, and so did I. Babes also loved the show (especially when Hip Hop legend Biz Markie hit the stage), however he excused himself halfway through the experience expressing that he had a meeting to attend, leaving me to handle the rest of the nights adventures. I wasn’t expecting that but I took it all in my stride and made everything still work out.

Once the 84 minute show was over I carried Miles (thankfully with the help of my Ergo carrier) across the Street to attend the “Meet and Greet” of characters at the Pennsylvania Hotel, where we had photo opportunities with the cast including Plex, Foofa, Brobee and Muno!

I mean, this was the maddest part of all as I was wearing 6 inch stiletto boots, carrying him in his carrier, navigating through the madness of NYC in Madison Square Garden, carrying bags and trying to take photos with all the characters so we did not miss anything! I was on a mission. Oh yeah, then trying to hail a taxi peak traffic to drive us back to Brooklyn! Insanity.

But, besides all of this we had a great time. Miles was in awe, he just could not believe his little eyes that he was seeing these guys for real. And, the reason I have such a big smile on my face in most of these photos is because of his reactions to seeing his favorite guys.

“YO GABBA GABBA LIVE Get The Sillies Out” is currently on tour across the USA. I highly recommend it, there is just nothing like seeing the characters in real life…. they are so TALL!

You can view all dates and locations at the YO GABBA GABBA LIVE site HERE! Ticket prices range at every venue ranging from $30 up per person.

Follow Yo Gabba Gabba on Twitter HERE
Like Yo Gabba Gabba on Facebook HERE
Visit the Yo Gabba Gabba website HERE

This posting was written by Libby over at www.WillyBMum.com (Willy B being short for Williamsburg)

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Say NO to plastic in your Home! Let Mini Jake help you to make a difference.

by libby on October 16, 2012

Did you know, that some conservationists estimate that at least ONE MILLION animals die in the United States annually from plastic related issues? Just let that number sink in – ONE MILLION animals die because of plastic. While, apparently the fish that are killed in the wild each year is a lot higher. Let’s take it a step further and say, that around 500 billion plastic bags go into circulation each year. And, this is just the USA! Sit there and consider that for a moment! I mean, it literally just breaks my heart.

According to the EPA – In 2010, the United States generated almost 14 million tons of plastics as containers and packaging, almost 11 million tons as durable goods, such as appliances, and almost 7 million tons as non-durable goods, for example plates and cups. Only 8 percent of the total plastic waste generated in 2010 was recovered for recycling.

Not to mention all the chemicals in plastic, which in my opinion are contributing to the growing rate of Cancer and Disease in the world. Plastics will also take up to hundreds of years, if not thousands of years, to break down in most environments!

With this in mind, one issue, as a holistic-minded parent I am experiencing at the moment is trying to figure out how to cut-down on plastic use in my home. Up until a few months ago, all of my Son’s plates and cups were plastic, and as long as they were BPA free I was okay with it. But, then I started wondering, how many other chemicals are in plastic? And, what is plastic (that is not recycled) doing to our beautiful Earth?

Thankfully there are many options out there for people like me who are navigating through this process.

This week I popped past my favorite Children’s Store in “Willy B” Brooklyn – Mini Jake – to pick up some alternatives to plastic. I love Mini Jake.

How I Am Reducing Plastic In My Family Home

In the picture below, my little boy is testing out the Innobaby Stainless divided bus shape plate which is so much fun!

…What is Miles Storm eating I hear you ask, well that would be endamame, carrots with hummus (for dipping in a different section), roasted organic vegetables (all organic) and an egg salad I made him with cage-free roaming chicken eggs from Sepascot Home Farm upstate NY. I know, fancy, right…

Anyway, back to the Innobaby dish; I love that it has compartments which are perfect for introducing the different food groups and wonderfully helpful if you have a fussy eater in your home who needs variety. The stainless steel that the Dish is made from is non- toxic (LOVE THAT) which has NO BPA, phthalate, PVC or lead – which are all horrible little Nasties for an adult to be exposed to let alone Infants. And, it is easy to clean and dishwasher safe. It is a definite Keeper! This dish retails for $17.99 in store.

I also picked up some InnoBaby glass jars which I intend taking with me when we eat out at restaurants to put left-overs in, this way I am not taking transporting home food in plastic disposable containers. Additionally, I always carry cloth bags with me to bring food home.

Lastly, I grabbed another Crocodile Creek water drinking bottle which I love. I have, unfortunately, lost quite a few of these bottles since discovering them 8 months ago. My little boy loves the characters on the bottle and rather than say “Mummy Water” he will say “Mummy Robot” or “Mummy Pirate” – depending on the character on the bottle. It is very cute. This bottle retails for $11.95 in store.

You may also notice the spoon Miles Storm is eating from… that is a bamboo Bambu spoon! One thing that is not available at Mini Jake, but they do have awesome silicon ones that are just as good.

So this is what I am doing to decrease plastic use and to hopefully make a difference. It really is not as hard as I thought it would be, and like I said earlier there are now many different options out there.

Thanks for reading!

This posting was written by Libby at Willy B Mum.
www.facebook.com/WillyBMum