Happy Father's Day
To all you special men in the world.
Thank you so much for all that you do all day, every day.
Saturday, June 16th, 10% off for all the dads out there!
This year Father’s day is on June 17th and our gift suggestion is the beautiful book Crawling A Father's First Year to honour the new dad in your life.
Crawling, written by Elisha Cooper begins with the birth of the author’s first child and takes readers on a humorous and beautiful journey through the first year of his child’s life, as he navigates the sometimes murky and often messy waters of parenthood.
The New York Times calls Crawling “A bravely honest memoir of parenthood”. While all parents will relate to and enjoy this book, we think it would make a terrific gift for dad… after all, Junior will have many years of picking out funny looking ties and band saws so why not try something a little different this year?
Yoga for Birth
Easy Cross-Legged Posture with Pelvic Rocking and Pelvic Circles
This posture and movement is beneficial for women to practice both during pregnancy and the postnatal period (beginning about 4-6 weeks post partum). I find that pelvic rocking and pelvic circles in easy cross legged posture is great to practice first thing in the morning to wake up the body and mind, and can also be a good way to unwind at the end of the day. These movements are a valuable daily practice during pregnancy. One of the key aspects of yoga is becoming more aware of and listening to our bodies, and connecting with our own inner knowing. Please remember when practicing the posture/movement, first and foremost to listen to your body and what feels right for you in any given moment or day (knowing that things can shift greatly from day today, or week to week). If at anytime you feel discomfort, make any adjustments you may need to, or gently come out of the posture. Most of all, enjoy this time you are taking to nurture yourself!
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Get Kids into the Garden
Having young children help out in the family garden is a terrific way to spend time together in the warmer months. Working side by side as you pull weeds, dig holes and even plant seeds is so rewarding for both of you. An added bonus is that come harvest time you just might find that getting them to eat their veggies is much easier!
While children aged 2-3 might be a bit too young yet to handle plants they really enjoy just getting out and making mudpies and looking for worms. They can help plant seeds like lettuce, carrots and radishes, which are quick producers and are fun to pick.
Consider planting things like beans or peas in an area where your child can easily reach them for a qucik snack while playing in the back yard. Strawberries are another garden item that bring a lot of joy and provide a healthy treat.
There are tons of fun garden projects that you can do together. For example, on our Pintrest board Kids and Kid Stuff we pinned an article from Kaboose.com that explains step-by-step instructions for building a toad house, a bean teepee or a scarecrow as well as a few other great ideas.
While you're outside working don't forget the sunscreen and hats. The sun's UV rays are at their strongest between 11 am and 3 pm so be sure to stop by the store and pick up a tube of Badger Sunscreen and a sunhat from Sckoon Organics!
Moving Beyond Diapers
Your child is growing up. He can toddle around with confidence; she can feed herself and manage to get most of the food into her mouth; she can carry on a conversation… even if you’re the only one who understands what she is saying! You might be starting to think: Hallelujah! Its time to start potty training!
Spring in fact is a perfect time of year for potty training: the weather is warm and your child can be footloose and pants free as they learn to recognize the signs of “having to go”.
There are many books, blogs and websites that provide information on the "how to" potty train your child; you can even check out our Monthly Parenting Picks which is all about the signs of readiness for toilet training written by parenting expert Hayley Sinai.
Something that you may not have considered: What about the Potty?
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Using Acupuncture for the Induction of labour
The use of complementary therapies is widely popular in today's world with pregnancy and childbirth being an area where this can be readily seen. Acupuncture is commonly used in pregnancy for many common discomforts and specifically used by many women and their care providers for the induction of labour. There is a substantial amount of scientific research that has concluded that acupuncture for the induction of labour is not only safe but also very effective.
The effectiveness of acupuncture for induction requires a detailed understanding of the acupuncture points by the qualified Acupuncturist. As well, the practitioner needs to understand the women’s emotional state in order to determine the treatment that would most suit the individual. There are two main patterns of disharmony associated to labour not starting on it's own: firstly, the woman is noticeably deficient in Qi (energetic vitality) and Blood (vital fluid). Secondly, she tends to agitation; she is impatient and easily upset (often from family or outside pressures). This is labelled as Qi stagnation. The Qi in the body is constricted and unable to perform its function of having free flow. Without free flowing Qi and/or Qi and blood deficiency the labour cannot easily start on its own.
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