A Prayer for Earth Day – The Blessing of Trust

What if the events of our life really aren’t all up to us?  What if we could truly believe someone watches over our every move, rooting for us in every way?  What if the only thing we have to do is let go of the steering wheel and let Him drive?  Would this scare you or bring you peace?  What if you accepted this gift of peace and carried it with you while you allowed yourself to surrender all your worries, doubts and self made plans to your caretaker, in every place and every situation?  Would your pregnancy be a more restful time?  Would trust change your whole approach to labor, parenting…?

It has for me.  In any case, we are all where we are ready to be.  For you, the “Universe” may be the support you seek.  Or, your day planner is all you need.  I, personally, am in a place where I have met my God.  If you are open to saying a little prayer for me for this weekend, I would greatly appreciate it.  While I would love to see a wonderful turnout, complete confidence in what I need to do and for a beautiful day this Saturday, regardless of the weather predictions… I would ask that you help me pray for a strengthened trust that all will be well.

My prayer is this:

Lord, You are bigger than any rain cloud or thunder shower prediction. When I knocked on your door, you opened it. Shortly after, You sent me 14 songs in a span of 45 minutes (with lyrics and melody) that could have only come from You. You showed me how to integrate this into the work You asked me to rename and redefine in so many ways. You lead me to call Barry Hartglass and, months later, I await the delivery of our LITTLEseed™ Program CD “How We Grow.”

Since I asked You sincerely to come into my life, You have rearranged my world and surround me with people who bless me not only at home but in my work each moment of my day.

If it is Your will for the skies to open up and pour on Earth Day, then I trust You; You know what You are doing. If you are looking for prayer from me, then here I am and I know my slew of prayer warriors are with me right now, asking you to bless our Woodbury Earth Day Fair this Saturday.

Yours,
Me

Woodbury Earth Day Details for this Sat April 21

Three more days!

WHAT TO DO:

Please meet near the stage (a flat bed hay truck!) at 2:15PM.  Our program is twenty minutes long with 10 minute set up time from 2:30 – 3:00PM.

Caramella and I will have to play things by ear as far as sharing LITTLEseed™ and/or LITTLEbean™ movements or improvising with the older kids.  Please just do what you and baby do so beautifully in class, and don’t let us confuse you.  I know you will do great!  If you have not yet participated in class, please sit next to someone who looks like they have and just have a great time with us!

Please spread the word to other moms and babies/crawlers/toddlers to join us as well as you walk through the fair!

OUR SONG LIST:

1 – Tick Tock
2 – Hands & Feet
3 – Mama Stay
4 – Sea Star
5 – Far Away (maybe)
6 – Zoo Sky
7 – Up Down
9 – Pop Hop Rocket
WHAT TO BRING:

If you are joining us, please bring a blanket for you to lay baby on.   There may be a small or large area for everyone to sit or this may be a high traffic spot and we will simply sing.  We will only know the day of.

WHERE TO CHANGE/FEED BABY?

Come to our tent!  I will have a 10×10 tent with (hopefully) a LITTLEseed™ Program Banner and Green Woman & Your Childbirth, LLC signage.

• I will try to have a pack and play set up so you can change your baby there and off the ground, if that makes things easier.  I will not have a dirty diaper bin as, I think with all the activity, I may not be able to keep emptying it.
• I will bring a rocking chair for nursing/bottle feeding mamas and some boppy pillows so you have some place to sit somewhat comfortably and, at least, a blanket on the grass.
• I will bring my grey gate enclosure in case you and your kiddo need to sit and stay contained for just a little while.  : )

That is all for now!

Thank you so much to those who are coming to support our little event.  And for those who are away, but wish they could, thank you for being there with us in spirit!

Yours gratefully,

Michelle

LITTLEseed™ Program Songs & Movements at the Newtown Earth Day Fair April 28th at 11:30am

Please join us at 11:30AM as we share our LITTLEseed™ Program songs and movements on Saturday, April 28th, at Newtown’s Fifth Annual Earth Day Festival, 10 am-4 pm.

It is at Newtown Middle School, 11 Queen Street and is an annual event for all ages designed to highlight the town’s abundant natural resources.  Enjoy kids’ activities, live music, refreshments, Lose The Litter, The Environmental Maze, silent auction, vendors and much more; www.NewtownEarthDay.org.  

LITTLEseed™ Program Songs & Movements at the Woodbury Earth Day Fair April 21, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please join us for the 18th Annual Woodbury Earth Day Fair on April 21st at Hollow Park.

Musical entertainment details listed here: http://www.woodburyearthday.org/?page_id=9.

We are on at 2:30PM! : )

 

Words of encouragement for those navigating through high seas..

Sometimes looking inward is scary when you suspect, where you now stand, is a place you may be standing all alone.

This can sometimes happen as soon as we announce we are pregnant, when we are the first among our friends and/or family and they just don’t seem to “get it.”  Or, we can seem alone when it comes to the kind of birth we want, if it is different from what others in our circle would ever wish for.  We can surprise ourselves when we realize we want to care for our children differently than we were raised or from the way it seems the majority around us is going about it.  Sometimes it can seem our former pre-baby choices just don’t stand up to what we now we wish for our children, from how we wish to nourish, recharge, etc…  Our ground can sometimes be shaken by new ideas of how we want to educate our little ones; ideas once completely foreign to us.  All of this newness can seem isolating, especially if they seem outside of our “norm.”

But I urge us all not to falter.  Our uniqueness is something we must embrace, isn’t it?  And our personal change and growth, something we must stay in tune with, accept with all our heart and soul and then translate to the world, if we really wish to use our gifts to change the world for the better in our little way by living truthfully with ourselves.

Regardless of who may seem for us or against us, we must stay true to who we are and becoming.  Our gifts are by design but only successful in their purpose if we can make sense of them first and share them with others in the best, most honest, honorable and humble way we can.  What are your greatest blessings?  How are you meant to make the world a better place?  Are you hiding from these truths or are they hidden from you because you haven’t taken a moment to really love yourself and honor your maker enough to look?

And even then, not everyone is going to understand or stand by you.  But to get up to begin with, to say, “I am going to stand up and try to walk this walk and remain standing,” even when you feel your knees shake, your chest explode with fear and that you may waiver… that is the true test of the quality of your gifts as a mother, a business woman, a friend, a daughter… and, in the end, your true grit.

This post is for all my fellow women out there who are being tested in more ways than they ever bargained for as moms to be and mothers in the thick of it…  In the seemingly endless situations where there are too many intersections, right and wrong turns looming.. at the crossroads where we find ourselves having to make hard choices… I beg you, please, look inward towards the strengths you have been given.  Pray hard for guidance and discernment.  Recognize and hold on tightly to the support you have been given to surround you – you know who your sisters and brothers are –  stand up and remain standing.  And, when you are afraid, let them hold you, these extra hands your maker has sent you.

Why?  Because you are your child’s greatest hope and example and you don’t want him or her to see you give up when you are unsure and afraid.   You are your partners’ biggest cheerleader and confidante and your child needs to know true and true, that you are both significant and meaningful to one another.  You are your sisters’ or, even unbenownst to you, that stranger’s precious shoulder  to lean on.  And their hope just may be that you live your life truly as you were meant to.  Even of their truths differ from yours.

In this way, you see, the hope of the world is in all of our hands.  Mine.  Yours.  It is in our ability to discern our personal truths so that we know who we are.  It is in our ability to proclaim these truths with humility, with gentleness but to proclaim them all the same.  It is in our decision to stand up or bow down with courage.  It is in our strength to surrender our pride for trust.  Don’t live afraid that you don’t measure up as a Mom, or anything else you are called to be… because our young ones are watching.  And, regardless of your efforts to be this or that at this or that… you are already their superwoman.  You, just as you are.

LITTLEseed™ Program Project Update

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for all your support with our LITTLEseed™ Program Project.

Here is a sneak peek as of 1/31/12!

 

 

My Editorial on “Staying Social During Pregnancy & Beyond” in Expectant Mothers Magazine’s Jan 2012 Issue

Staying Social During Pregnancy and Beyond

In the days of yore, mother, grandmother and aunties watched over you during your pregnancy, labor and childrearing years. This was available to you right in your own home or neighborhood. Your confidence grew from the regular sprinkling of wise-woman advice about what to expect and exactly what you and your baby would need. A community of women cared for you and your baby all the way through.

Though long gone are the days of yore, you can still find that tight knit community of support. You can even hand pick your group and not get stuck with relentless, unwelcome advice giving by family members. More good news is that you can find your support, regardless of whether you work at home or outside the home. Not only are there many opportunities to hand pick your community, you can start as early or late into your pregnancy as you are ready!

Find a prenatal fitness class of your liking. The best classes to take are the ones specifically designed for pregnant women. This is a great way to stay healthy and strong through pregnancy and meet other expectant mothers. There is camaraderie that takes place when pregnant women gather in the same room. Perhaps, women just rock that way.

Exchange phone numbers with someone in your childbirth, Infant CPR, breastfeeding class, while on your hospital tour or strike up a conversation with the pregnant lady in your ob/midwife’s office.  Find out what ways they use to stay comfortable through pregnancy and what kind of support or options they are looking into. Then plan a way to stay in touch for more conversation over dinner and non-alcoholic drinks, or later for baby play dates.

In additional to these prenatal friends, test out the waters for moms groups after you have had your baby.  While the rest of the world may seem to go on a different plane without you, you can still find that much needed community!  You and your baby don’t have to go it alone.

Finding a moms group is a little like the dating game at first. Moms tend to congregate with other similar minded moms. What if you don’t know what kind of mom you are?  This is a great way to find out. Questions naturally arise about breastfeeding, bottle feeding, attachment parenting, schedules, pre/postpartum support, fitness and healthy weight gain/loss for mom and baby, baby safety, allopathic/naturopathic baby care, etc.  It’s a whole new exciting world of discovery!  The answers to these questions and, your gut, will lead you to a group of mommy friends where you truly feel safe to ask questions, exchange ideas and belong.

Once you find your “niche” everything falls a little bit better into place.  So get out there and community shop!  Your very best friends from pregnancy through the early years of child rearing are just waiting to meet you too!

Editorial provided by Michelle Wenis, Organizer of the Greater Danbury Moms Support – Before & After, in CT.

Check out our Moms’ Group http://www.meetup.com/Greater-Danbury-Moms/!