Daddy Died

Welcome to the March 2013 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Tough Conversations
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have spoken up about how they discuss complex topics with their children. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
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One of my favorite pictures of Daddy with Big Z. 

I knew I had to say it straight, with as few words as possible. I knew I couldn't add explanations or too many words, or it wouldn't sink it. My brain and body were so overwhelmed with emotions. I had to control myself and be strong for just a few moments to get the words out. My children were seated at a small children's table in the Hospital waiting area with my sister in law. They spent the night for the first time at my brother's house the night before, so I hadn't seen them that morning. I walked into the room and they looked happy to see me, but they could tell something was wrong. I sat down next to my oldest and in a soft yet strong voice I said to my daughter "Daddy died." She just looked at me puzzled, disbelief was in her eyes. She just saw her Daddy yesterday, he was fine. He just called before she went to bed last night and he prayed with her over the phone. Now she just said, "What?!" and I had to say it again, "Daddy died." Little brother was there too, but he didn't say anything. He slumped over and sat on my lap. This was a bit too much to comprehend all at once. This month will be 6 months since I've had to had that conversation with my children.It's still too much to comprehend at times. We are still grieving, but the memories are beginning to get easier to talk about. This was only the beginning of the tough conversations... Why?.. Where is Daddy now?.. Why did this happen to us?.. Will you die too?.. Will I die? Where's Daddy's body?.. Can we keep Daddy's things? ... My strategy is still the same when these questions arise, I try to answer them as simply and as straight forward as possible. What is your strategy when faced with these tough conversations?

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Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

(This list will be updated by afternoon March 12 with all the carnival links.)

• A Difficult Conversation — Kellie at Our Mindful Life is keeping her mouth shut about a difficult topic.
• Discussing Sexuality and Objectification With Your Child — At Authentic Parenting, Laura is puzzled at how to discuss sexuality and objectification with her 4-year-old.
• Tough Conversations — Kadiera at Our Little Acorn knows there are difficult topics to work through with her children in the future, but right now, every conversation is a challenge with a nonverbal child.
• Real Talk — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama explains why there are no conversation topics that are off limits with her daughter, and how she ensures that tough conversations are approached in a developmentally appropriate manner.
• From blow jobs to boob jobs and lots of sex inbetween — Mrs Green talks candidly about boob jobs and blow jobs…
• When Together Doesn't Work — Ashley at Domestic Chaos discusses the various conversations her family has had in the early stages of separation.
• Talking To Children About Death — Luschka at Diary of a First Child is currently dealing with the terminal illness of her mother. In this post she shares how she's explained it to her toddler, and some of the things she's learned along the way.
• Teaching 9-1-1 To Kids — Kerry at City Kids Homeschooling talks about the importance of using practical, age-appropriate emergency scenarios as a springboard for 9-1-1 conversations.
• Preschool Peer Pressure — Lactating Girl struggles to explain to her preschooler why friends sometimes aren't so friendly.
• Frank Talk — Rosemary at Rosmarinus Officinalis unpacks a few conversations about sexuality that she's had with her 2-year-old daughter, and her motivation for having so many frank discussions.
• When simple becomes tough — A natural mum manages oppositional defiance in a toddler at Ursula Ciller's Blog.
• How Babies are Born: a conversation with my daughter — Justine at The Lone Home Ranger tries to expand her daughter's horizons while treading lightly through the waters of pre-K social order.
• Difficult Questions & Lies: 4 Reasons to Tell The Truth — Ariadne of Positive Parenting Connection shares the potential impact that telling lies instead of taking the time to answer difficult questions can have on the parent-child relationship.
• Parenting Challenges--when someone dies — Survivor at Surviving Mexico writes about talking to her child about death and the cultural challenges involved in living in a predominantly Catholic nation.
• Daddy Died — Breaking the news to your children that their father passed away is tough. Erica at ChildOrganics shares her story.
• Openness — sustainablemum prepares herself for the day when she has to tell her children that a close relative has died.
• Embracing Individuality — At Living Peacefully with Children, Mandy addressed a difficult question in public with directness and honesty.
• Making the scary or different okay — Although she tries to listen more than she talks about tough topics, Jessica Claire of Crunchy-Chewy Mama also values discussing them with her children to soften the blow they might cause when they hit closer to home.
• Talking to My Child About Going Gluten Free — When Dionna at Code Name: Mama concluded that her family would benefit from eliminating gluten from their diet, she came up with a plan to persuade her gluten-loving son to find peace with the change. This is how they turned the transition to a gluten-free lifestyle into an adventure rather than a hardship.
• How Does Your Family Explain Differences and Approach Diversity? — How do you and your family approach diversity? Gretchen of That Mama Gretchen shares her thoughts at Natural Parents Network and would like to hear from readers.
• Discussing Difficult Topics with Kids: What’s Worked for Me — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares parenting practices that enabled discussions of difficult topics with her (now-adult) children to be positive experiences.
• Tough Conversations — Get some pointers from Jorje of Momma Jorje on important factors to keep in mind when broaching tough topics with kids.
• Protect your kids from sneaky people — Lauren at Hobo Mama has cautioned her son against trusting people who'd want to hurt him — and hopes the lessons have sunk in.
• Mommy, What Does the Bible Say? — Amy at Me, Mothering, and Making it All Work works through how to answer a question from her 4-year-old that doesn't have a simple answer.
• When All You Want for Them is Love: Adoption, Abandonment, and Honoring the Truth — Melissa at White Noise talks about balancing truth and love when telling her son his adoption story.

Authentic Grief

Welcome to the January 2013 Authentic Parenting Blog Carnival: Authenticity This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Authentic Parenting Blog Carnival hosted by Authentic Parenting and Living Peacefully with Children. This month our participants have written about authenticity through character, emotions, and establishing authentic communication with their children. We hope you enjoy this month's posts and consider joining us next month when we share about Honesty. ***  

Most of us have faced some sort of great loss in our life and have had to work through the grief process. Many families have had to deal with miscarriage, infant loss or the death of other close loved ones. I've shared that my husband passed away recently . Five years before that I lost my daughter, Bella, at 16 months of age. Grief sucks, it's ugly and there's no way around it. It can catch you off guard and leave you in an emotional puddle at the most unexpected moments.  At other times you want to cry, but feel unable to do so.
As parents, how can we be authentic in our grief? When we are faced with the emotions of anger, shock and depression do we tend to hide them from our children? Sometimes we think that we need to protect them from issues of death and dying.  How wrong we are to shield our children from these experiences! Death is a subject that we'll all deal with at some point. Trying to keep your child from experiencing grief or sorrow is impossible. Making death a taboo subject only creates more fear.
It is always best to tell children the truth. Share your genuine emotions on the topic. Perhaps they wondered what happened.Keep your communication simple and honest. It may not be easy to talk about, but it's best to answer the child's questions so they don't fill in the missing parts themselves. When they are left with their own thoughts, they may start to blame themselves for situations that were out of their control.
 Feel your loss when it happens, share those feelings with your children. It's okay for your children to see you cry or to feel angry in dealing with the loss your family has faced.(It's also okay to take time for yourself to cry alone too!) Depending on their age, children may not have an adequate vocabulary to explain their feelings. So keep the conversation going as they grow. They'll mature and have the vocabulary to put their feelings into words and this will help them to continue in their grief process. It also helps to preserve the memory of the dead loved one.
When a family is faced with a great loss, often well meaning family and friends may offer to take the child(ren) to give the grieving parent(s) a break. This may be helpful for short periods of time. However, many children will fell more secure being close to their parents through this scary time. It can be so difficult to be dealing with your own grief and reaching out to help your children at the same time. Working towards this balance of healing yourself and your children is key.  If possible, reaching out to help our children through their grief will help them in their path to healing, and will reward us in the long run.
Embracing grief and dealing with it in an authentic manner will give your child a strong foundation to build on as they grow. They will grow up more aware of how to deal with tragedy and loss that they will face as adults. This will help them to know how to support others in a healthy, whole manner. It can be a time of unexpected lessons. Often children will learn how to deeply care for one another, because of the love they were shown through this difficult time.  I am reminded of my son's prayer last night, he said "We are very sad, but we are happy. We have friends that love us so much.."
*** Visit Living Peacefully with Children and Authentic Parenting to find out how you can participate in next month's Authentic Parenting Blog Carnival!   Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants: (This list will be live and updated by afternoon January 25 with all the carnival links.)

• Remaining True To Yourself While Parenting - Authentic Parenting compares Western Child centered parenting with African parenting and discovers some ways to maintain your authenticity.
• Honoring My Forgiving Heart — Destany at They Are All of Me writes about how honoring her forgiving nature allows her to break down emotional barriers and allow her to more fully connect with her children.
• Sincere and Credible — Mari from Honey on the Bum uses the definition of authenticity to relate what it means to her and her parenting style
• Being Authentic — Mrs Green at Little Green Blog ponders how to achieve authenticity when there are cultural, community and family expectations to take into account...
• Authenticity — Sustainable Mum shares how her values have been shaped through life and are now the basis of how she parents her own children.
• Authenticity through Consensual Living — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children challenges parents to push past socially learned reactions in order to foster authentic interactions with their children.
• Authenticity Through Emotions — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares her belief that being a truly authentic parent means allowing and supporting both her daughter’s emotions and her expression of them but also her (Jennifer's) own emotions.
• Authentic Grief — Erica at ChildOrganics talks about not shielding our children from the topic of death and dying. She shares how being open and honest on the topic can help our children grow to be healthy well-adjusted adults.
• Authentic Teaching, Authentic Learners — At Surviving Mexico, Survivor shares how learning how to be an authentic teacher was something she discovered rather than learned.

A Child's Loss- Will They Remember Dad?

Welcome to the December 2012 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Childhood Memories

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have talked about memories of growing up — their own or the ones they’re helping their children create. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

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Our family the weekend before my husband died 

We unexpectedly lost our husband and Father in September. This has put our family in a state of shock and disbelief. It's almost as if we're in some sort of bad dream. We still expect him to come walking in the door, ready to distribute hugs, at any moment. Reality is slowly settling in no matter how resistant we are to it-he's not coming home.

This sudden loss has left me with so many questions about how my children will remember their Dad. He was such an amazing and involved Dad, I want them to have as many memories as possible. Mostly I want them to have a general feeling of how much their Dad loved them. I specifically worry about my three year old. Is he to young to have any memories of his Dad? The thought of him growing up and not remembering his Dad breaks my heart. His Dad played with him every morning. They played Pirates and Spider Man.They sung songs, wrestled and read books. It was there special Father and Son time. This made school time easier. I was then able to work with Big Z while the two of them played together. Will he remember those fun times with his Daddy or will he remember the cold hospital and the confusion that ensued? Will the flocks of people at our house for the following week be etched in his brain instead of the fun times he shared wrestling with his Daddy?

Our last Daddy and Daughter pic at Clingman's Dome 

I know Big Z will have memories of her Dad that she holds close to her heart. She lost her sister when she was a bit older than Lil' Z is now, and I know her memories of Bella are very thin. Though she has a few strong memories of her Sister.  But she is ten now and  her Daddy was her best friend.  He was an adventurous man that made every family trip memorable. I know she is old enough to remember that general feeling of being truly loved by her Dad. She has started a journal that I hope will be helpful in working through her feelings of losing her Dad and writing down special memories. 

For now we're talking about Daddy a lot. We're recounting many of our special times with Dad through stories and pictures. We talk about him with family and friends and try to have them  share their favorite memory with Dad. I hope this will be enough to for Lil' Z to have a good basis for memories with his Dad. Ian, my husband, helped us live a rich life together as a family. I am forever grateful for the memories we created together. I just hope the kids can have some recollection of these and hold them close in their heart. 

What was your earliest childhood memory? How old were you? Do you have suggestions for helping the kids remember their Dad? 

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Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• Childhood Memories of Peace, Support, Joy, and Love — Amber at Heart Wanderings wants to make sure the majority of the memories that her children have as a part of their family are ones that are positive and help support the amazing people that they are now and will become as adults.
• Hand Made Baby Books — Destany at They Are All of Me talks about why baby books are important to her for preserving memories of her childrens first years, and shows how she made one by hand for each child.
• Can your childhood memories help you keep your cool? — Here's To A Boring Year uses memories of being a child to keep her on the path to peaceful parenting.
• Inter-Generational Memories {Carnival of Natural Parenting} — Meegs at A New Day talks about her own childhood memories, and what she hopes her daughter will remember in the future.
• Snapshots — ANonyMous at Radical Ramblings reflects on the ways our childhood memories appear to us, and hopes her own daughter's childhood will be one she remembers as being happy and fulfilled.
• What makes the perfect parent? — In a guest post on Natural Parents Network, Mrs Green from Little Green Blog reflects on camp follow and camp no-follow...
• In My Own Handwriting — Laura from Pug in the Kitchen talks about her journals and the hope that they will be able to keep her stories alive even if she isn't able to.
• Candlelight, fairylight, firelight — Lucy at Dreaming Aloud re-discovers the ingredients for bringing magic to life, especially at Christmas.
• Making Memories (or) How We Celebrate Christmas — Rosemary at Rosmarinus Officinalis talks about creating new memories at Christmas, and the joy their adventures bring to her whole family.
• The Importance of Recording Feelings and Emotions and Not Just the Experience — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares why she puts pen to paper every day to record more than just her experiences as a mother and her daughter's experiences as a child. Jennifer looks at the importance of capturing feelings and emotions that accompany the experience.
• Dredged up — Kenna at Million Tiny Things has been forced to recount childhood memories at bedtime, due to the failure of her middle-aged imagination. She resists, of course.
• Crafting Memories — Handmade is what makes the holidays special for Christy at Eco Journey In the Burbs, and she wants to create the same connection with her daughters that she remembers with her mother and grandmother.
• My Childhood Memories; beacons of light in the darkness — Stone Age Parent shares the impact of her childhood memories on her life as a parent today, listing some of her many rich childhood memories and how they now act as beacons of light helping her in the complex, often confusing world of child-rearing.
• 10 Ways I Preserve Memories for My Children — From video interviews to time capsules, Dionna at Code Name: Mama wants to make sure her children have many different ways to cherish their childhood memories. Dionna's carnival post features ten of the ways she preserves memories; check out her Pinterest board for more ideas.
• Memories of my mother — Luschka at Diary of a First Child remembers her mother and the fondest moments of her childhood, especially poignant as she sits by her mother's sickbed writing.
• Creating Happy Childhood Memories through Family Traditions — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now tells why family traditions are so important to her and her family and shares how she’s worked to create traditions for her children.
• Traditional Christmas Tree — Jaye Anne at Wide Awake, Half Asleep remembers the great times spent with her family driving for the Christmas Tree and the lessons learned.
• Wet Socks and Presents — Kat at MomeeeZen writes about her favorite Christmas childhood memory and why it's so special. And she hopes one day her kids will also have a feel-good memory of their own to look back on.
• Stuff does not equal memories — Lauren at Hobo Mama learns that letting go does not mean failing to remember.
• A Child's Loss- Will They Remember Dad? — Erica at ChildOrganics writes about their family's loss of their husband and father. She trys to find answers to the question: Will they remember their Dad?
• Childhood Memories - Hers and Mine — Jorje of Momma Jorje wished for her daughter the same passions and experiences she loved as a child, but learns the hard way to accept whatever passions strike in her child.
• Holiday Non-Traditions — Erika Gebhardt enjoys her family's tradition of not having traditions for the holidays.

Appalachian Bear Rescue

Welcome to the November 2012 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Family Service Projects

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have written about what service means in their families.

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Last year our small home school group learned about the Appalachian Bear Rescue (ABR) at the Wildlife Wilderness Week in Pigeon Forge,TN. Our home school group decided this month to take on a service project in support of the Bear Rescue Program. The ABR mission is to: 1) rehabilitate orphaned and injured bears for release in the wild 2)provide public education on black bears and regional threats facing them 3) to research bear attributes which may lead to other environmental or health related issues. Our group would participate in the Adopt-A-Cubby program. This would involve the kids saving their pennies to donate to ABR  and collect acorns and hickory nuts to provide food for the orphaned bears. ABR encourages the children to do chores around the house to earn the pennies, not to just take them from their parents.

 Joey, a volunteer from the ABR, came to visit our home school group and educate us on Coexisting with Bears. We learned about some mistakes that people often make when around a bear and how this can cause problems later. I can't tell you how many people I've seen getting dangerously close to a bear just to get a good picture. It always surprises me, these are wild animals people!
Joey shared his wealth of knowledge in relation with the black bears that live in our area.  Personally, I was really fascinated by the skull comparisons of a bear that was fed a natural diet (bark and berries) and that of a bear that ate garbage. The color of the skull was yellow compared to the healthy white skull. Also their teeth were decayed and rotten. Did you know that a bear eating human food and garbage will live half as long as a bear that eats a natural diet? The kids loved exploring the samples of bear skat, fur, teeth and food.

The children were eager to learn about the black bears and how we can help protect them. Each family was thrilled to receive an adoption certificate. As a group we adopted a young cub named Colton. It was exciting to see a picture of the bear our money and acorns will be helping. Joey emailed us later to let us know our pennies added up to $76.62. Colton will be released back into the wild after the winter, so any time we see a black bear in the Smokies, it could be Colton!
Would you be interested in support the Appalachian Bear Rescue in their mission of helping the black bears of the Smoky Mountains?  Their website offers a lot of information and there is a lot of great pictures of black bears and a way for you to make a donation via paypal. There is also some kids activities and more, visit them online at: www.appalachianbearrescue.org  You can see some great picture of Colton and the work they do at ABR on their facebook page.

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Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

(This list will be live and updated by afternoon November 13 with all the carnival links.)

• Acts of Service: The Great Neighborhood Clean Up — Sarah at Firmly Planted shares how her daughter's irritation with litter led to eekly cleanups.
• Running for Charity — Find out how Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction uses her love of running and a great new app to help feed the hungry.
• 50 Family Friendly Community Service Project Ideas — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares a list of 50 family-friendly community service project ideas that are easy to incorporate to your daily, weekly, monthly, or seasonal rhythmn.
• Volunteering with a Child — Volunteer work does not need to be put on hold while we raise our children. Jenn of Monkey Butt Junction discusses some creative options for volunteering with a child at Natural Parents Network.
• Family Service Project: Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina — Erika at Cinco de Mommy volunteers with her children at the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, where 29% of the recipients are children.
• Family Service Learning: Advent Calendar — Lyndsay at ourfeminist{play}school offers her family's approach to some holiday-related community service by sharing their community focused Advent Calendar. She includes so tips and suggestions for making your own in time for this year's holidays.
• How to make street crossing flags as a family service project — Lauren at Hobo Mama offers a tutorial for an easy and relatively kid-friendly project that will engage young pedestrians.
• Pieces of the Puzzle — Because of an experience Laura from Pug in the Kitchen had as a child, she's excited to show her children how they can reach out to others and be a blessing.
• Appalachian Bear Rescue — Erica at ChildOrganics shares how saving pennies, acorns and hickory nuts go a long way in helping rescue orphaned and injured black bears.
• Volunteering to Burnout and Back — Jorje of Momma Jorje has volunteered to the point of burnout and back again... but how to involve little ones in giving back?
• How to Help Your Kids Develop Compassion through Service Projects — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares service projects her family has done along with links to lots of resources for service projects you can do with your children.
• Involving Young Children in Service — Leanna at All Done Monkey, the mother of a toddler, reflects on how to make service a joyful experience for young children.
• A Letter to My Mama — Dionna at Code Name: Mama has dedicated her life to service, just like her own mama. Today Dionna is thanking her mother for so richly blessing her.
• 5 Ways to Serve Others When You Have Small Children — It can be tough to volunteer with young children. Jennifer at Our Muddy Boots shares how her family looks for opportunities to serve in every day life.
• When Giving It Away Is Too Hard for Mommy — Jade at Looking Through Jade Glass But Dimly lets her children choose the charity for the family but struggles when her children's generosity extends to giving away treasured keepsakes.
• Community Service Through Everyday Compassion — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children calls us to Community Service Through Everyday Compassion; sometimes it is the small things we can do everyday that make the greater impacts.
• School Bags and Glad Rags — Alt Family are trying to spread a little love this Christmas time by involving the kids in a bit of charity giving.
• Children in (Volunteering) Service — Luschka at Diary of a First Child reminisces on her own experiences of volunteering as a child, reflects on what she thinks volunteering teaches children and how she hopes voluntary service will impact on her own children.

Babywearing Post Round Up from Natural Parents Network

I am proud and honored to be a volunteer with the Natural Parents Network (NPN), a community of natural-minded parents and parents-to-be where you will be informed, empowered, and inspired. When you visit the NPN’s website you can find articles and posts about Activism, Balance, Consistent Care, Ecological Responsibility, Family Safety, Feeding With Love, Gentle Discipline, Healthy Living, Holistic Health, Natural Learning, Nurturing Touch, Parenting Philosophies, Practical Home Help, Preparing for Parenting, Responding With Sensitivity, Safe Sleep, and so much more! Today I would like to share some bookmark-worthy posts that highlight all aspects of babywearing. These posts were featured on the personal blogs of the Natural Parents Network volunteers and are some of my favorites. We hope you enjoy reading these posts as much as we enjoyed writing them. We are always looking for new volunteers so please, contact us if you are interested. Just a few hours per month can help other mamas in a huge way!

Benefits of Babywearing/Reasons To Babywear

• Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares "5 Reasons Why I Love Babywearing." The ultimate babywearing photo collage is also included. You can find I Thought I Knew Mama on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
• Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children shares "The Minimalist Parent." Wearing your baby or toddler in a good sling or carrier minimizes the need for a lot of baby gear. You can also find Living Peacefully with Children on Facebook.
• Luschka at Diary of a First Child shares "Buying A Pram Or Pushchair." In this post Luschka discusses all the reasons why she thinks you shouldn't, but should try a baby carrier instead. You can also find Diary of a First Child on Facebook or Twitter.

Types of Carriers/ Choosing A Carrier

• Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares "Babywearing for Newbies: Types of Carriers." This comprehensive post explores the myriad of babywearing options and the strengths and limitations of each. You can also find Hybrid Rasta Mama on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Networked Blogs.
• Momma Jorje shares "Boba Carrier Review." Read her opinions on the features Boba offers. You can also find Momma Jorje on Facebook and Networked Blogs.
• Ever wondered what baby carriers were good for hip carries, and at what ages and stages a hip carry is best? Dionna of Code Name Mama shares "Hip Carries for Every Age and Stage" and "Baby Carriers Appropriate for Hip Carries of Infants and Beyond" - both are filled with excellent information from Steffany Kerr, a Master Babywearing Educator for Babywearing International. You can find Dionna on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube.
• Julia at A Little Bit of All of It shares "The Moby Wrap." This post describes her experience with this popular stretchy wrap as part of her Babywearing Series and includes an opportunity to win your own! You can also find A Little Bit of All of It on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Networked Blogs.

Babywearing Safety

• Julia at A Little Bit of All of It shares "Wearing Baby Safely." All you need to know to safely babywear is summed up in nine points in this first post of her Babywearing Series going on this fall and winter. You can also find A Little Bit of All of It on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Networked Blogs.
• Erica at ChildOrganics shares "Safe Babywearing." This discusses the CPSC warning of certain baby carriers and how you can wear your baby safely. You can also find ChildOrganics on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Babywearing How-Tos

• Wondering how to nurse in your new carrier? Check out tips and tricks in a series of posts Dionna of Code Name: Mama published at NursingFreedom.org. She touches on Breastfeeding While Babywearing in a Mei Tai, in stretchy wraps, in a ring sling, and in soft structured carriers.
• Lauren at Hobo Mama offers a video tutorial on "How to breastfeed while babywearing in a mei tai," making it easy to nurse hands-free and feed your little one discreetly on the go. You can also find Hobo Mama on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google +.
• Momma Jorje shares "Wordless Wednesday: Mei Tai." Follow her process of making her Ball Baby Mei Tai. You can also find Momma Jorje on Facebook and Networked Blogs.
• Amy at Anktangle shares a quick and simple tutorial for how to make your own no-sew stretchy wrap, one of the easiest and most inexpensive baby carriers to own. Bonus: with this tutorial, you end up with three wraps—one for you, and two to give away as gifts! You can also connect with Amy on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google +.

BabywearingToddlers/More Than One Child

• Lauren at Hobo Mama issues a "Call to persist in babywearing." Even our kids who can walk on their own appreciate being snuggled and carried next to us. You can also find Hobo Mama on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google +.

Personal Babywearing Stories and/or Photos

• Shannon at The Artful Mama gives her recommendations for "Babywearing While Pregnant" and tells us why "Breastfeeding and Babywearing - It's Awesome!" You can find her on Facebook and Twitter as The ArtsyMama or in her Cloth Diapering Consultant role at Diaper Parties by Shannon on Facebook and Twitter.
• Lyndsay at Our Feminist Playschool shares "Goodbye to BabyWearing." This is a post documenting Lyndsay and Aodhan's years of babycarrying in tribute of their last carry! You can also find Lyndsay on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest.
• Amy at Me, Mothering, and Making it All Work shares "Why We Wear Our Babies." Amy has enjoyed wearing both of her children and talks about the carriers she's used and the benefits of babywearing she's experienced . You can also find Amy Willa on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
• That Mama Gretchen shares her post "Close to My Heart", a brief reflection on her babywearing journey. You can also find That Mama Gretchen on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
• Cynthia at The Hippie Housewife shares "My Little Kangaroo." This photo-heavy posts detais the author's personal experiences with babywearing, including ring slings, mei tais, and wraps. You can also find The Hippie Housewife on Facebook, Google+, and Pinterest.
• Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares "Babywearing Around The World." This is a photo essay highlighting traditional babywearing options from all over the globe. You can also find Hybrid Rasta Mama on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Networked Blogs.
• Lyndsay at Our Feminist Playschool shares "Daddy BabyWearing." This is a wordless post that follows her son being carried by his papa! You can also find Lyndsay on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest.
• Luschka at Diary of a First Child shares "A Sling is a Wonderful Thing." In this post she shares her first experiences with and love of babywearing her first child. You can also find Diary of a First Child on Facebook or Twitter.

Babywearing Series/Multiple Topics

• Cynthia at The Hippie Housewife shares "Attachment Parenting Series: Babywearing." Describing the ways in which babywearing and attachment parenting are related, this series installment includes benefits, styles, uses, and alternatives. You can also find The Hippie Housewife on Facebook, Google+, and Pinterest.
• What is the safest way to carry a baby in a carrier? What have studies shown about the benefits of keeping baby close? Discover these answers and more in Beyond Bonding: The Power of Positioning in Babywearing at Natural Parents Network. Connect with thousands of parents who practice attachment parenting and strive for a healthy, eco-conscious lifestyle through Natural Parents Network on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Babywearing - Other Interesting Topics

• Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children shares "A Ride on Mother's Back." Not many children's books on attachment parenting exist, but Emery Bernhard's book, A Ride On Mother's Back, is a lovely book for children and caregivers alike. You can also find Living peacefully with Children on Facebook.
• Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares "The History of Babywearing." Come on a global journey and learn a brief history of babywearing. You can also find Hybrid Rasta Mama on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Networked Blogs.

A special thank you to Erika Hastings of the blog Mud Spice for creating and sharing her babywearing art with the world!

GLOB Botanical Paint Kit Giveaway

Giveaway: GLOB Botanical Paint Kit — $24 ARV {9.22; US}

This is a joint giveaway with ChildOrganicsand Natural Parents Network. You may enter at one site only. Please find the section marked "Win it!" for the mandatory entry and optional bonus entries.

GLOB is offering our readers a paint kit and two bamboo brushes, a value of $24. This includes 6 color packets, 6 compostable jars with lids for mixing, and 2 additional bamboo brushes. GLOB is an eco-friendly company making art time safe and fun. GLOB makes paints from natural and organic fruits, vegetables, and spices that smell amazing.   From our reviewer, Erica at ChildOrganics:

I learned something new about children’s art supplies here in the US and it really bothers me. Arts and crafts paints do not need to list their ingredients on their labels. You know what’s worse? Even those supplies that contain synthetic pigments that have never been tested for toxicity can use the label “non-toxic.” How can that be? I really thought non-toxic meant it had been tested and proved to be safe — well, apparently not. They use the rationale that it’s considered non-toxic because there is no data to prove otherwise. This includes chemicals such as formaldehyde, which is one of the most common arts and crafts preservatives. ICK! Ready for some good news? There are great companies out there that are working to change the standard of quality in the arts and crafts industry. GLOB Eco Arts and Crafts is doing something different. It is a company founded by Ashley Phelps who is an artist with sensitivities to chemicals. She set on a mission to create her own paints using natural and organic fruits, vegetables, and spices. My personal favorite about the products is the use of organic aromatic compounds. This makes the products smell good enough to eat! They take natural sources of beautiful colors such as basil green and tangerine orange and make them into a powder. You simply add a little bit of water and, voila, you have your eco-friendly paint. They work on paper more like a water color than an acrylic or tempera paint. The colors are beautifully natural. As I said, my favorite thing about these supplies is the smell. They truly smell like the herb or flower from which they were derived. They are scrumptious smelling. After realizing how good the first packet smelled, the kids and I were excited to open each little packet of goodness to mix up the next color. You simply must sniff them first. My littlest exclaimed “I want eat dat!” I think the GLOB It On art materials do a great job of providing fantastic stimuli for your budding artistic geniuses. These paints would be excellent in a Montessori setting. They really encourage the full use of your senses, including sight and smell. GLOB really takes eco-consciousness seriously. They provide high quality art brushes and paints that really are safe for your children to use. We first tried them out as paints, using watercolor paper and the bamboo brushes supplied. The kids had fun getting creative. After painting with them, we tried to use the paints as a wood stain on the kids’ picnic table. The color was very light and didn’t show up very strong as a wood stain. Perhaps I should have mixed it stronger. Our favorite way that we used the GLOB paint kit was in making play dough. GLOB has activities and recipes on their website. I didn’t have cream of tartar as their recipe calls for, so I used a different play dough recipe with great success. Here’s the recipe I used: 2 ¼ cup flour 1 cup salt 4 TBS coconut (or other) oil 1 cup water 1. Combine flour and salt in mixer. 2. Add coconut oil and water. You can mix the paint packets with the water if you are making one batch of a solid color. 3. Remove dough from bowl, knead on surface, and add paint to dough. Knead until color is mixed thoroughly. Store in an airtight container. The play dough smells fruity and fresh. The colors are more of a pastel. The kids are having a great time playing ice cream shop with their play dough creations. So, as you can see, GLOB paint kits are very versatile … and did I mention they smell soo good! GLOB is a company that puts their money where their mouth is. They are dedicated to bringing safe, natural craft products to schools. Each year they do a School Giveaway and provide free paints and green art supplies for art programs. You can learn more about their efforts here: http://www.globiton.com/schools/index.htmlThey work with a grant from Eilieen Fisher’s Woman Entrepreneurs Business Grant Program. This grant has enabled Ashley’s company to expand not only nationwide, but worldwide.

BUY IT!

You can purchase your own botanical paint kid at www.Globiton.com.. The Paint Kit is $18 USD, and there is free shipping on orders over $69. These would be a great addition to your home art supplies.

WIN IT!

For your own chance to win a Botanical Paint Kit from GLOB, enter by leaving a comment and using our Rafflecopter system below. The winner will receive a GLOB paint kit and two additional bamboo brushes. This includes 6 color packets, 6 compostable jars with lids and a total of 4 bamboo brushes in a rice paper pouch. Contest is open to US residents only.

MANDATORY ENTRY: Visit GLOB and tell us what GLOB products your kids would love best! You must enter your name and email address in the Rafflecopter entry system for your entry to count, after leaving a comment on this blog post.

Leave a valid email address so we can contact you if you win. Email addresses in Rafflecopter are not made publicly visible. Please leave the same valid email address in your mandatory comment so we can verify entries. This is a joint giveaway with ChildOrganics and Natural Parents Network. You may enter at one site only, and we'll be recording IP addresses to ensure that there are no duplicate entries. That said, please do visit and enjoy both sites! BONUS ENTRIES: See the Rafflecopter entry system for bonus entries to increase your chance of winning after completing the mandatory entry. All bonus entries are entered directly into Rafflecopter. Give it a try, and email or leave a comment if you have any questions!

The Place Where I Can Say "YES!"

Welcome to the August 2012 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Farmer's Markets
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have written about something new they've learned about their local farmers.
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 The farmer's market at New Harvest Park is a relatively new farmer's market in the Knoxville area. It's not the largest market around, but at least I can find a parking place, the kids can jump in the fountains and it's close to my house.

There are so many reasons to love your local farmer's market. It's a great place to foster a sense of community and to get to know your local farmers. Each week our market usually offers some sort of educational experience to accompany our trip, so it's educational too. There is also a small community garden that is taken care of by a few volunteers and home school students. The kids and I have loved the learning opportunities provided by Ijams Nature Center.  Learning about the birds and bugs in our area has provided some awesome opportunities for nature study.
Do you  feel like you're always saying "no" to your children? "No!" to the junk food everywhere. "No" to the processed food on every corner. I love that I can say "yes!" at the farmer's market. We do enjoy the home made treats each week at our market. I know these are local folks, with small businesses who put their heart and soul into their product. Here are some of my favorites:

VG's Bakery is our treat spot each week. We usually bring our treats home and enjoy them with a cup of tea in the evening before bed time. It's become a family ritual.  We look forward to it! My favorite this year is the blueberry roll with lemon glaze. YUM! Dave (fondly known as 'the bakery guy' in our house) brings the goodies to most of the markets around town, we're lucky enough to have a market somewhere around town almost every day of the week. He barters with local farmers to get the freshest fruits to have VG make the best hand pies and rolls.  So you'll see the fruit that is in season reflected in the assortment of treats available that week. Best of all I love that he knows my kids' favorite cookies and I can say "yes" to these made from scratch goodies.  I dare you to visit VG's bakery website and just look at their photos...I'm drooling at the very thought! You know Michael Pollen's food rule that says "eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself." Well, I kind of extend that rule a bit to include these handmade goodies.

Cruze farms is a local, family dairy. They have the BEST ice cream with flavors like lemon buttermilk and salty caramel. Their  flavors of ice cream are also reflective of the local, seasonal produce available.  Their milk has a cream top and tastes delectable. My kids look forward to a cone of ice cream from one of the Cruze farm girls. They are a staple at many of the market's around town. With fall around the corner, I'm already looking forward to heading out to Cruze farms and having a blast at the corn maze.

Nothing beats local honey. Doug's Other Honey is one of our favorite sources for local, raw, unfiltered honey. He has a wildflower honey that is so my absolute favorite at the moment. Local honey has so many health benefits. The taste of their honey is astounding. They offer free samples each week and he has the cutest labels of any honey I've ever seen.

We love Mountain Meadows Farm. We are members of their fruit and veggie CSA. This is the third farm where I've used their CSA program. I am most impressed with the quality of Mountain Meadow Farms, I love that we get fruit in our CSA. We've enjoyed the most amazing peaches, grapes, blueberries and blackberries so far this year. They use non-GMO seeds, pick their produce the same day as market the food travels less than 25 miles to get to market. We pay ahead for the season and then we are responsible to pick up our share each week. I love the variety and look forward to the fruit and veggie surprise each week.

Wisner Farms is a farm that is close to our heart. This is where we bought our lovely ladies, our laying hens! They are a small family run farm. We always enjoy ourselves when we visit their farm. There are happy chickens, turkeys and cows around every corner. They sell grass fed, pasture raised meats, eggs, and home made breads.

We just had a new aquaponic greenhouse start coming to the market. Greater Growth is a local, sustainable organic company that harvests fish (tilapia) and greens here in Knoxville. 
The true advantage of shopping at the farmer's market each week is truly the people. The vendors as well as the customers are gems. I always run into a friend from Holistic Moms, La Leche League or a home schooling friend while I'm there. It really does foster a sense of community each week to be around the people the plow the fields, that raise the animals and that care about our planet and the food we eat.
 If you're new to shopping at farmers markets, I highly recommend bringing cash though many of the vendors will accept checks. The market has also started to accept EBT cards, isn't that fabulous?  I've also learned that I should bring more cash than I think, because you never know what new and exciting options may be there each week. I do get frustrated if I end up running out of money and didn't get everything I wanted. I also recommend bringing a cooler. It's a good idea to keep your fruits, veggies, treats and meats cool in the hot weather. It also prevents you from getting an overload of plastic bags to lug home.

Most of the farmers are not certified organic, which can be quite expensive. This really doesn't present a problem because once you talk to your farmers and learn about their farming practices you'll see that many of them are chemical and pesticide free. Many small family farmers are also dedicated to sustainability and practice environmentally friendly farming. If you're not sure, ask! Many of the farmers are Certified Naturally Grown which is a grassroots organization that makes certification for organic, small farms much more attainable.
So the next time your Knoxville on a Thursday afternoon between the hours of 3:00-6:00 I hope you'll consider stopping by the New Harvest Park Farmer's Market. Pick up a cinnamon roll, a cone of ice cream or a basket of organic vegetables, you won't be disappointed.
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Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
(This list will be live and updated by afternoon August 14 with all the carnival links.)

• 10 Simple Ways to Make the Farmer's Market More Fun for Kids — Lorie at Reading Confetti shares ideas and books to help kids get the most from the farmers market experience.
• 10 Things I Want To Teach My Daughter About The Importance of Shopping at the Farmer’s Market — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares the ten lessons she hopes to impart to her daughter about the importance of shopping at local farmers markets.
• Charmed by Two Small Town Markets — Shannon at GrowingSlower was charmed by two small-town farmers markets while on vacation.
• The Olympia Farmer's Market (and a giveaway!) — Shannon at Pineapples & Artichokes and family took a trip to their state capitol to experience a new market. See what they saw, and enter to win a book written about that very market.
• — Exploring the farmers market by Jennifer at True Confessions of a Real Mommy writing at Natural Parents Network — with a scavenger hunt!
• Exploring the Market ... Alphabet Style — That Mama Gretchen is in the midst of creating a learning tool for her toddler and it's all about the market!
• Unschooling at the Farmers Market — Megz at Aspen Mama loves building memories as a vendor at the Market.
• Montessori-Inspired Vegetable Unit — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares links to Montessori-inspired vegetable printables and activities to help your family get the most out of a trip to the farmer’s market.
• Markets — How sustainable mum has fitted a monthly farmers market into a weekly food shop.
• The Farmers Market In Under An Hour ("Carl Style") — Andrea and family at Tales of Goodness adapt their farmers marketing approach to make everyone happy.
• Tales Of a Troubled Gardener — Sam at Love Parenting writes about her dream of self-sufficiency and her lack of gardening skills!
• A Few {Of The Many} Reasons Why I Love Our Farmer’s Market — Even though the experience can sometimes be less than peaceful, MomeeeZen shares why she enjoys taking her family to the Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings.
• Experiencing the Farmer's Market from a Different Perspective — Emily at S.A.H.M. i AM had a great time letting her toddler lead the way at the farmer's market...
• Ask A Farmer's Daughter — Abbie at Farmer's Daughter answers questions about her life growing up on a small family farm in New England.

• Giving Up the Grocery Store — Kerry at City Kids Homeschooling shares her family's summertime challenge to eliminate trips to the grocery store and rely almost exclusively on local, farm-fresh foods.
• Urban farming and fresh food in the city — Lauren at Hobo Mama takes trips to farms, gardens, and markets within reach of a big city.
• Market Tip: Get to Know Your Farmers — Justine at The Lone Home Ranger finally gets up the guts to talk to her farmers and learns she is among ardent food lovers.
• New Farmer's Market Find — Kellie at Our Mindful Life is excited to make a new find at her new farmers market.
• "The Real World" Grassroots Edition — jessica at instead of institution takes some time out to write a love note.
• 9 Insider Tips for Farmer's Market Newbies — Dionna at Code Name: Mama chatted with a few farmers to bring you some insider information on how to get the most out of your local farmer's market.
• The Place Where I Can Say "Yes!" — Erica at ChildOrganics gives you a tour of her favorite vendors at her local farmers market and discusses the benefits of creating community through the market.
• Raw Local Milk — Jorje shares her family's field trip to a local dairy. Learn what you can appreciate from a small town farm at Momma Jorje.com.
• Italian Secret Vegetable Soup Recipe — Alinka at Baby Web convinces an Italian Farmer & Cook to reveal a precious minestrone recipe and shares it with her readers.
• Where do our eggs come from? A visit to Sucellus Farms. — Carli at One Fit Mom takes her family to meet the chickens that have been providing their daily eggs.
• Beyond the Farm — Jennifer at True Confessions of a Real Mommy and her family enjoy looking beyond the food at the local farmer's market to see the wares of the over vendors.
• Magic at the Market — Do you ever take time to really look at the food you eat? Amy at Anktangle enjoys marveling at the beauty (and the utility) of the foods and goods available at the farmers' market.
• Farmer's Market Discoveries — Laura from Pug in the Kitchen reminisces about the discoveries she's made at the Farmer's Market throughout the years.
• Are You Getting the Most out of Your Farmers' Market? (My List of Not-So-Common "Musts") — Sheila at A Living Family shares some uncommon ways to squeeze even more joy and connection (and yumminess!) from your local farmers' market experience.
• Pick Your Own And Eat It — Luschka from Diary of a First Child shares their trip to a PYO farm and the journey from picking to eating her favourite food

A Pets Role in the Home School

Welcome to the July edition of Authentic Parenting Blog Carnival: Pets and children.
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Authentic Parenting Blog Carnival hosted by The Positive Parenting Connection and Authentic Parenting. This month our participants are sharing their thoughts and experiences with pets and children! Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.


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We have a lot of pets. We have fish, reptiles, chickens, rabbits and a dog. We had a pot belllied pig, Percy, for over 12 years. Pets are an important part of our family. They contribute so much more than we may first realize at first glance. As a homeschooling family, I feel sometimes that our house resembles a zoo. Have you ever felt that way? We may have caterpillars hatching in one corner, a hermit crab in another and tadpoles on top of the dresser. Pets offer a lot in the way of education.  Let's examine some of the ways pets can benefit a home schooling family.

"A house is  not a home without a pet."- Unknown

Learning Opportunities. Whether you're learning about the metamorphosis of a tadpole to frog or a caterpillar to butterfly seeing it first hand is the coolest way to learn it. The kids LOVE watching their pets  change before their very eyes. They made a connection with their new friends and had mixed emotions when it came time to release them into the wild. Our pets have become the topic of many school projects. My daughter drew a very informative chart in demonstrating the proper way to care for rabbits. She also wrote a  report on  how to train your adult dog, pointing out that it was never to late to teach an old dog new tricks. This led us to look into training courses for our dog. Encourage your children to learn more about their pets. Research their breed or get them involved in obedience training classes. It's a win-win situation, your kids are learning and you end up with a well behaved pet. Veterinarian appointments are also excellent places for children to learn, take them with you.Some of our favorite books are by James Harriett he tells some fascinating true tales of life as a veterinarian.  A veterinarian's office is a great place for kids to ask questions.

" Dogs come into our lives to teach us about love, they depart to teach us about loss. A new dog never replaces an old dog; it merely expands the heart. If you have loved many dogs, your heart is very big. "-E. Jong

Companionship. This may be a very obvious benefit of having a pet.Your pets often become a part of the family, your family friend.  I get such a kick out of seeing my daughter lay sprawled in the front yard with her loyal dog next to her. Pets have a special way of being in tune with their owners. Often they can sense when we're sad or worried. This has really amazed me. When kids are feeling emotional they often turn to their pets for comfort and friendship.  Pets can help children build trusting relationships. Many kids may feel more trusting around animals, this can lead to building trusting relationships with other children and adults.

"Animals are reliable; many full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful, and loyal. Difficult standards for people to live up to."- Alfred A. Montapert

Responsibility. Pets require work. This is a great opportunity for children to learn how to care, feed and play with their animals. Even toddlers can be responsible for scooping dog food and carrying food scraps to the chickens.  It gives children a sense of worth to know they are responsible for caring for another living creature. They learn to nurture and feel empathy at a young age through their interactions with their pets. They learn qualities such as kindness and compassion by interacting with their family pet. Being responsible for some aspect of their pet helps them realize the importance of commitment and daily responsibility.

"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."- Immanuel Kant

Stress Relief  I have been able to witness first hand the calmness that holding her pet rabbit, Burt, has on my daughter when she is doing her math. She often finds her math to be stressful, she holds Burt in her lap and she is able to calmly proceed with her math. Holding a pet has been shown to ease anxiety. This is huge in the homeschooling family. You sure can't take your bunny rabbit to set on your lap in the traditional school setting. When your child is a happier learner, this reduces stress for the entire family. Pets are non-judgmental and kids appreciate that. Doing their school work with they furry companions can help build self-esteem. They may feel comfortable reading to their dog, this can help build their self confidence. Pets can be emotional healers for children.

"Animals are such agreeable friends--they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms."- George Eliot

Health Children who are in a home with dogs and cats are shown to be more resistant to developing issues with allergies and asthma. Isn't that fantastic? Some studies even report less incidents of ear infections and upper respiratory infections in families that have dogs. I'm always looking for ways to keep my kids healthy, it's nice to know that having pets helps. Also children tend to be more active when they have pets to play with. Taking their dog for a walk is an excellent opportunity for exercise. Beyond physical health, pets benefit the family via emotional and mental health. Children learn qualities such as love and empathy from spending time with their pets.

"They motivate us to play, be affectionate, see adventure and be loyal."- Tom Hayden

Food Pets can teach us about our food systems. We have chickens and therefore we have eggs. My kids get the connection between their pets and their food. I know some families won't consider their chickens, their pets, but we do! Some families also will eat their chickens, not us.  I think most people that raise their animals to eat, do not view them as pets. Our chickens will live to a ripe old age just like our pig.There is so much to learn from having your own hens in your back yard.  Dairy cows and dairy goats can be great pets that can also be beneficial to the family by providing food.

"There's nothing like sitting back and talking to your cows, and if they talk back, you know you're really relaxed."- Russel Crow

Life and Death. Our pets are often our companions on our childhood adventures.Having a furry companion for your little ones as they make their own adventures can make for some fantastic memories.  They frolic in the mud puddles with our kids and warn them of danger. Most all of us have some memories of a childhood pet that touched our heart. Those memories are dear to us, even many years later.
True also is the fact that losing our family pet is often times our first taste of dealing with death. Children are often faced with their first emotions of grief and loss from the death of their beloved family pet. They learn life is fragile and they learn to respect it. Through losing a pet children start to ask new questions, to process their experiences and contemplate what they have lost.

"If you have a dog, you will most likely outlive it; to get a dog is to open yourself to profound joy and, prospectively, to equally profound sadness."- Marjorie Garber

What pets do you have? How have they added to your family life?


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Visit The Positive Parenting Connection and Authentic Parenting to find out how you can participate in the next Authentic Parenting Blog Carnival! Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• A Pet's Role in the Home School — If a house isn't a home without a pet, how can you imagine homeschooling without one? Erica at ChildOrganics discusses the many benefits of home schooling with pets. .
• Toddlers and Whiskers, Co-existing as One — Mama Duck at Quacks and Waddles explains how to introduce new pets to toddlers and babies
• Children and the Death of a Pet — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama offers suggestions on how to help children work through the loss of a pet. She includes a variety of books to support both parents and children during this tender time.
• 10 Reasons to Be a Foster Family for a Pet in Need — Christy from Adventures in Mommyhood: Mommy Outnumbered gives her top 10 reasons to consider fostering a pet until a forever home can be found.
• Preparing Dogs for New Baby — Jennifer from Mother of the Pack gives advice to new parents for preparing their dog(s) for a baby
• Children, Pets and Death — Lauren at Hobo Mama has walked with her son through the untimely death of their cat, a fascinating and troubling journey.
• The Health Benefits of Having Pets — Laura from Authentic Parenting tells us exactly why having pets is beneficial to your child's health.
• Romeo, My Healing Dog — Bianca at the Pierogie Mama writes about her loveable old dog, Romeo, who at one point she had to give away but a few years later he was placed back in her life when she least expected it.
• 6 Tips to Help a Child That is Afraid of Dogs - Ariadne at Positive Parenting Connection is sharing helpful tips and using play to help children overcome a fear of dogs.
• The Value of Pets - Caroline from Stone Age Parenting writes about how pets have brought so much more than happiness to her life and how she has learned to appreciate and respond to the needs of animals and of humans.