The Mother magazine

I’m heading off to Forest Row for a few days but wanted to share my new look website before I hopped on the train

The new design is courtesy of my lovely new web mistress, Karen Arnott. THANK YOU KAREN! It's great to have a feminine feel to it at last after six years.

http://www.themothermagazine.co.uk/

If you need web design, logos, brochures, baby announcement cards, flyers, corporate stationary, wedding stationary…have a look at Karen’s website:
www.arnottdesign.co.uk

Have a great week ~ and keep cuddling the kids! The cuddle you forget, or don't get around to giving today because you're too busy, can't be caught up on tomorrow.

~ Veronika ~

For

A few of my favourite things…apologies to Julie Andrews!

When women honour the newborn period and fully embrace their Babymoon ~ avoiding copious visitors, trips to supermarkets and sitting on the computer reading blogs and forums. I love it when mothers and fathers simply choose to BE with their baby and savour those rare, precious weeks instead of trying to keep pace with life and everyone else.

I hold holy and sacred those who practise love and respect in the marital relationship ~ where each partner reveres the other, and relates in a functionally-evolved way, rather than ‘reacting’ to things. I love it when I see soul mates that truly ‘get’ what a loving relationship involves.

I have the deepest respect and understanding for people who ‘own’ their anger/jealousy/frustration/discomfort/awkwardness and take responsibility for the feelings that course through their veins ~ rather than forcefully trying to ‘dump’ or ‘project’ their PAIN or GUILT on another person who is merely showing them what exists within them already. NOBODY on this planet has the power to make us feel something. We choose it!

I love it when parents value the uniqueness of childhood and don’t place it on the back burner behind what they perceive to be more important things like a career, public opinion, mortgage, 3 overseas holidays a year, 2 TVs in the house and a new conservatory. I am all FOR honouring that childhood comes first.

I am in awe of women and men who embrace change, no matter how darn scary or challenging, and allow themselves to grow into new, better and happier beings.

I am humbled when people recognise humans are designed to live in a ‘natural’ field, rather than an artificial electromagnetic one ~ and take steps to change their life.

I love people who are actively taking responsibility for their part on the planet ~ not just by doing the rote-induced reduce, re-use, recycle…but going way beyond that by simply saying ‘no’ to consumerism in all its disguises. I love that people are recognising that ‘less is more’ and we simply don’t need all the things our culture insists are vital to modern living.

I am completely FOR the pioneers and bioneers who are putting their heads above the parapet ~ for better or worse ~ and leading humans to a new consciousness. It’s no easy road they travel and only another pioneer could truly recognise the personal and professional sacrifices involved in acting out and speaking out.

I LOVE the people behind the scenes who never receive an MBA or community award ~ yet they’re doing great works for our world. I love the little known charities which bring hope and pleasure to many.

I am in awe of new life and one of my greatest pleasures is growing vegetables and trees from seed.

For every ‘for’, there is an ‘against’. For every ‘against’, there is a ‘for’. It only ever requires that we have the wisdom within to recognise both sides.

That’s duality. That’s life, folks!

Death by chocolate?

I had to laugh tonight when I heard a news report saying the researchers were seeking 150 women for an experiment: to eat chocolate each day for a year. Yep, I can see women racing up for that one.

The research is to find out if chocolate will reduce heart disease.

Five million adults in the UK suffer from cardiovascular disease. Studies show us that breastfeeding in infancy DRASTICALLY REDUCES the incidence of this in adulthood. As usual though, rather than promote something like that, our culture looks for a band aid.

But back to our ol’ friend chocolate. Many women I know seek comfort in chocolate. They pop the kids to bed at night and then look for their secret (or not so secret) stash and try to find the nurturing and nourishment they so desperately need. It’s symptomatic of the culture we live in ~ there’s no extended family or village to help us in our role of mothering and we’re left, not only holding the baby, supervising the other children and keeping house, but also running errands and meeting everyone else’s needs but our own. By the end of the day, most modern mothers are completely ‘spent’.

Personally, though I love the taste of a ‘good’ chocolate, my body isn’t keen on it. Chocolate keeps me awake all night ~ the caffeine in it affects me as strongly as coffee.

I thought that perhaps by moving to raw chocolate things might be different, but if anything, it was far worse. I had severe heart palpitations. It happened every time I had some. So, despite all the apparent health properties and claims about it being a superfood, chocolate is not a staple in my diet.

If you did hear the report about finding a link between chocolate and heart disease and think you might try eating it each day for a year, remember this ~ commercially produced chocolates contain sugar, fillers and an assortment of non-nutritive ingredients. There are, of course, ‘better’ brands on the market, like Booja Booja or Shazzie’s vegan raw chocolate, but for the most part, chocolate isn’t just chocolate.

In New Zealand there is a restaurant chain called Death by Chocolate. Clearly it’s meant to sound indulgent and fun, but perhaps there’s a certain amount of wisdom in it.

I can’t help but think that chocolate, like coffee, is perhaps meant for ceremonial purposes, or to ward off insects!, rather than to be taken as regularly as oxygen. Because, let's face it, chocolate on its own doesn't taste that fab without additives such as a sweetener, whether that be toxin-inducing white sugar, or virtuous agave syrup.

Our tortured teenagers

The media this week has been dominated by the desperate situation this country faces with the many teenagers who are dangerous and violent.

For me, the greatest tragedy lies in the fact that the commentators keep shouting out ‘jail, boot camp, the army’ with not one single person addressing the issue of how these teens became this way. The closest they get is saying the parents should be held accountable for their teen and learn to discipline them more!

I believe every human being is born ‘good’. Babies aren’t bad!

Next week I’m speaking in Brighton about Humanity’s evolutionary blueprint: BREASTFEEDING.

As humans, we are born expecting the breast at birth. We are born expecting to see our mother’s face constantly for at least nine months. We are born expecting to hear her heart beat constantly for at least nine months. This doesn’t happen if a babe is bottlefed and kept out of a mother’s constant body contact. When we don’t meet these very basic biological needs, the PAIN is with these kids for life. The symptoms are manifesting on our streets and in an overworked health care system.

In Britain, 200 000 kids are born each year who never even make it to their mother’s breast. They never receive colostrum (the first syrupy liquid from the breast at birth and for the first three or so days). Colostrum contains tryptophan which is vital for developing serotonin. The one thing all criminals, depressives and other perpetrators of violence have in common is a drastically reduced level of serotonin! Breastfeeding not only provides the ingredients our brains need for developing optimally, but it also provides us with mother love in a way that bottle feeding doesn’t. Studies show us over and over again that breastfed babies receive more love, pleasurable touch, eye contact and interaction than their bottlefed peers. No wonder we have mental health problems of epidemic proportions.

If we want a culture where we’re not scared of our kids (and, let’s be honest, teenagers ARE children) then we have to meet their biological expectations ~ quite simply, we have to stop abandoning our babies to bottles, dummies, car seats, cribs, day care centres, and bedrooms separate to their parent’s room. NONE OF THESE THINGS PROVIDE the physiological benefits of affectionate mother bonding.

Sending violent teenagers to bootcamp or the army reeks to me of ambulance at the bottom of the cliff mentality. As Jeannine Parvati Baker used to say: the wound reveals the cure.
What wound do these teens have? Let me tell you, the cure isn’t to be found in more violence and aggression.

life beyond this one

Another headline this week sits on the fact that food has gone up an average of £15 per week per family of four. These prices are based on staples such as milk (aggh, leave it for the baby calf to drink), thick white bread (aggggh, denatured wheat and chemicals which turn to glue in the digestive tract).

I was in my local town tonight, here in Cumbria, and the petrol forecourts were heaving with panic buyers in preparation for the oil refinery strike in Scotland. Many pumps were empty.

I don’t understand this about humans. We KNOW that our way of life is going to change…we KNOW oil is on the way out...but what are people doing, in their own lives, to prepare for this time of transition?

Ever noticed that the day before a public holiday that people go shopping and buy a month’s worth of food? How can you possibly starve to death in a couple of days? You can’t!

I am staggered that people rely so heavily on things like milk and bread. When the time comes for people to truly be self-sufficient I can’t help but wonder what will happen to us as a species. In our culture, we have no sense of co-operation or partnership ~ on a mass level, that is. Obviously there are many individuals who are preparing for the times to come and who are willing to work with others.

We can’t continue this ‘head in the sand/the oil depletion won’t affect me’ thing for that much longer. When things start hotting up, one thing’s for sure, THIS GOVERNMENT will not be here to help you. The politicians will only look after themselves.

This week I’d like to recommend a book called The Transition Handbook by Rob Hopkins ~ it’s about going from oil dependency to local resilience. Read it and find out how to make YOUR town a transition town. Don’t leave things till it is too late. Panic and fear won’t serve anyone. Embrace change, take little steps now…and empower yourself and your family into a new, ethical and realistic lifestyle.

Compensation for vaccine related autism...

Well, the UK government might still like to pretend that vaccines are perfectly safe, but...(read this!)

US Court awards compensation for vaccine-related autism

In a secret ruling that has only just come to light, the US Court of Federal Claims has conceded that the mercury-based preservative thimerosal, which was in vaccines until 2002, caused autism in the case of one child.

The ruling is one of 4,900 cases currently being considered for compensation payments, and it is feared by health officials that it could open the floodgates for even more claims.

It also appears to support the controversial findings of Dr Andrew Wakefield, who, in 1998, suggested a link between the vaccine and autism. (veronika's note: but he's still being hauled over the coals here in the UK!)

US Assistant Attorney General Peter Keisler's November ruling, was one of three test cases into the MMR-autism link that was being considered by a three-member panel. In his conclusion, Keisler said that "compensation is appropriate".

The case involved a child who, when she was 18 months old, received nine vaccinations in July 2000, two of which included thimerosal. Within days, the girl, who had previously been healthy, suddenly exhibited no response to verbal direction, loss of language skills, no eye contact, insomnia, incessant screaming, and arching. A diagnosis of autism was confirmed seven months later.

In its defense, the US government said the girl had a pre-existing mitochondrial disorder that was aggravated by the vaccine. The US court concluded that the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine can cause autism.

(Source: The Huffington Post, February 25, 2008).

The metaphysical side of miscarriage

The following questions were asked in relation to comments in my last posting.

Can I ask a very personal question then Veronika? One you do not have to answer. Do you hold that your miscarriages were down to emotional imbalance in yourself? How do you live with that? Excuse my boldness. I speak as one miscarrier to another.

I see the four miscarriages I’ve had over the years as symbolic of where I was at those times in my life. I also see them differently than I did when the first one happened. The short answer to your question is ‘yes’. Today’s blog is the long answer to your question.

At 19, I became pregnant to someone I was in a steady relationship with ~ though it was definitely not planned (consciously). [I don’t believe any pregnancy is unplanned, though they may happen unconsciously].

My boyfriend was in University and the news of my pregnancy was, to him, like a death sentence. He was a ‘good’ Lutheran lad from a well-to-do family and had great plans for his career as a medical laboratory technician. He ‘demanded’ I have an abortion. I told him where to go. I’d been on the pill, but like my mum who’d conceived twice while on the contraceptive pill, it wasn’t fool proof. Thankfully, I also learnt quite early on not to continue putting synthetic chemicals and hormones into my body.

I was absolutely petrified of being a single mum at 19 (and clearly, 21 years later I am so glad I didn’t become a mother then ~ not in terms of age, but in terms of knowledge). I’d been living with my older sister who became a single mum at 24. I’d witnessed her journey and I looked after her child each night so she could go out to work. It was not a path I wanted for my child. Despite the fear, I knew I wouldn’t have killed my child simply because the father was worried about tainting his reputation. In hindsight, I see that I did contribute to the death in some way.

My baby died at about 13 weeks ~ the time people usually wait before telling others as the chances of miscarriage are very high in this first trimester. My baby ‘shrivelled up’ and died…and stayed in my womb. I see this as very symbolic of the child registering the emotions that I was feeling ~ the fear of being a mum and yet not wanting to ‘get rid’ of the baby ~ and also the rejection by the father. So my body ‘held on’ until such time as the surgeons dragged it out of my body. When I came out anaesthetic, I was crying my eyes out in desperation for my baby. The surgeon told me to shut up and said “don’t be stupid, the baby was dead anyway. There have been times in my life, like that moment, where I’ve really despised men for their incredible insensitivity.

The relationship continued for a couple more years by which time alcohol featured in my life a lot more. How’s that for emotional imbalance and dysfunction?!

My next pregnancy, at 21, was a real shock to my system, not to mention another complete surprise. How did that happen again? The months went by and my tummy grew bigger and bigger. Again, my boyfriend wanted nothing to do with ‘a baby’. I ended the relationship and moved interstate back to my home town when I was about six months pregnant. I’d obviously stopped drinking when I knew I was pregnant but by then the damage had been done. When I see pregnancy studies which say it is safe to drink ‘x’ amount a day/week during pregnancy, I cringe. Personally, I wouldn’t touch a drop now.

I hadn’t told my parents I was pregnant and really wasn’t sure how I’d break the news.

At some point though, I figured something wasn’t right. I’d wake in the morning to my tummy pulsating. And then I had blood in my knickers, but it was strange blood ~ unlike when you have your period.

Anyway, it turned out that my baby had died and the pregnancy was what is called a hydatafoid mole…essentially the baby grows into a tumour resembling a bunch of grapes and it just keeps growing. The blood loss I experienced was a ‘grape’ or several grapes breaking.

Again, I see the way the ‘death’ of the baby (miscarriage) happened as being a manifestation of what was happening in my life…the not wanting to ‘let go’ of the baby, but also being very scared of being a mother and telling my family.

I suppose in some ways, at a cellular level, I carried the shame of single motherhood that my mother had worn when she become a mum at 16. She was new to Australia, and could hardly speak English. The man she became pregnant to (the love of her life) abandoned her with the gift of money for an abortion. What is it with men??????

I have absolutely NO issues with single mums (though I believe the ideal for a baby is two loving parents) and yet I’m sure back then I had taken on some of my mum’s stuff. Her first baby was back in 1959…a very different world! Her greatest fear for her daughters was that they’d have babies outside of marriage. When I left home at 16, my mum’s words of advice were: don’t bleach your hair, don’t wear make-up and don’t get pregnant. Darn mum, sorry. I did all three!

My next two miscarriages happened within my marriage and I find it interesting how the ‘body’ of the baby just came away naturally as if having a period. The grief I felt was huge, don’t get me wrong ~ I REALLY ached ~ but the way my body released the baby so easily is very telling of how different I was, as a person, by then ~ and also that I was in the safety of a very loving marriage.

Why did I miscarry then? I don’t know. Although thrilled at the pregnancies, I’m sure the usual fears of ‘how will I cope with another child?’ permeated every cell of my being. It could have been that I was still busy nourishing two other young children and at some level didn’t feel ready to add to the brood.

One thing I feel very strongly about when it comes to miscarriage is that pregnancy is a co-creation ~ and that the soul choosing to incarnate may have gotten everything needed for its journey/evolution by having the opportunity to be in that body/in your body for just a few weeks.

We look at life in quite a strange way…that anything less than three score year and ten is a life cut short. I see pregnancy ~ no matter if for a few days or weeks or full-term ~ as a complete honour. It is a privilege to provide a temporary earthly home for an incarnating soul.

My miscarriages have shown me that the job of a mother, as the host body, is to offer the most optimal environment ~ and that HAS to include being emotionally balanced. The relationship we have with our partner ~ whether he is in our life or not ~ is an important part of that emotional balance. But even if he is clueless to his partner's needs, it doesn't mean a woman can't or shouldn't take 100% responsibility for the important role she is playing.

I still feel someone’s death or a miscarriage deeply, and often painfully ~ I feel that at an emotional level. When a friend phones to tell me she’s miscarried, it hurts deeply. I don't hurt for the baby ~ the soul has made its choice ~ I hurt for my friend and the grief she's going through.

At the spiritual level, I understand that everything is as it should be. That there is no right and wrong.

I also trust that if the ‘conditions’ were right in the womb, there would be no miscarriage. So what makes the right condition in a womb? And why do some babies survive in utero against all odds? I think that’s where the answers have to lie beyond the physical (i.e.) metaphysical. I also know, that if a soul is meant to incarnate on this Earth, nothing will stop it getting here! But let’s make every baby’s journey Earthside the best it can possibly be. We don’t need more Hitlers, Husseins or Mugabes in this world. Have a look at what these men had in common…and you’ll understand my passion for conscious conception, peaceful pregnancy, gentle birth, full-term breastfeeding and conscious parenting.

I’m passionate about encouraging ‘peaceful’ pregnancies. One of the things I’ve found so discouraging in our culture is this push for women to work throughout pregnancy. Culturally, we should be supporting women to use this sacred time as a natural sabbatical ~ to dream, create, sleep, be in nature, meditate, listen to beautiful music. Sadly, the ‘need’ for money or belief we never have enough, pushes women to listen to outside forces rather than their inner wisdom. Entire pregnancies are consumed with women working till the last possible moment because of the fear of not enough money.

So, to the question: how do I live with myself knowing that I ‘created’ my miscarriages? Like everything else in life...you can either spend your days regretting or learn from the experience. My husband and I have chosen not to have more children, but one thing we both know for sure is that if one ‘snuck’ through the net, so to speak, that baby would be welcomed 100% ..there’d be no worrying about how I’d cope or where we’d fit another babe into our life or any other niggly questions. I wouldn’t waste a single second ‘freaking out’ that I was pregnant. We both would be completely accepting and joyous and celebrate every second of the journey together.

I hope that answers your question, Libby.

Breast cancer and the Pink Ribbon distraction

If you know someone who has or has had breast cancer, what I’m about to say make shock you, or even make your angry ~ I don't give money to breast cancer charities.

It’s not that I don’t care, or that I don’t have compassion. It’s tragic that so many women are succumbing to this dis-ease. Let’s look at this word. DIS EASE.

Why are so many women uneasy with their breasts? Why are they creating dangerous growths in this part of their body? Cancer is a disease of the 'environment'. What environment has been created within a woman's body which allows this cancer to grow?

I don’t give money to research because I believe we already have the answers and if money is to be given, it should be given to the promotion of breastfeeding and self-care.

Breast cancer, whether we like it or not, is a massive wake up call to reclaim breastfeeding and to reinvent our FEMININE role as mothers. How much more obvious does it have to get? Our breasts are screaming out to us. We live in a time where mothering is so far removed from what Nature intended. Something as big and tragic as breast cancer is NEEDED precisely because the 'wound' reveals the cure.

Looking for lumps in our breasts each month is a way of drawing them into your reality. I realise what I’m saying is completely counter to mainstream beliefs. But I do believe that if you look for fish scales on a cat you’ll most surely find them.

Breast cancer is rampant. In fact, in the USA, it’s the major killer of women between the ages of 30 and 50. In the UK, 1000 women a year die from it.

Physically, there are many reasons for this, however, numerous studies have shown that the longer a woman breastfeeds for the less likely she is to develop breast, ovarian or uterine cancer.

With so many women opting to not breastfeed, it's not surprising that breast cancer rates are sky rocketing. Mess with nature's plan and we pay the price.

Any disharmony in the physical body is a symptom of discord on an emotional level. Our body is essentially the last place it manifests. Ironically, we then try and treat the physical body rather than healing the cause. I believe we must address the metaphysical reasons for breast cancer as well as the physical.

Our breasts are symbolic of nurturing.

Metaphysically, which means to look beyond the physical, problems with the left breast have been associated with a refusal to nourish and nurture one's self. These are the people pleasers, always putting everyone else's needs way ahead of their own. Some people do it willingly, others with a more martyred tone, making it quite clear that it's a burden but they have no choice. The irony is that these people, who are willing to do so much for others, tend to feel unloved. You’ll have heard people like this say “I’ve given up everything for so and so…”


At the right breast, problems manifest for those who have trouble giving life. They tend to express it through dictating the relationship, being over-bearing and over-protective. Their path is to learn to trust that relationships can be safe without control, that love is a two way thing ~ given and received.

Breast problems, such as cancer, can be treated chemically or naturally. The true healing though, must always come from the emotional body, otherwise the issues will manifest again, in a louder way, until the message is heard. The Celestial Amplifier will just keep getting louder. When we follow the middle path of balanced expression, we find our attention in the area of the heart, rather than the breasts. This is an integration of mindful awareness. We need to nurture our self as well as others.

Let’s find a wholesome, positive way to give attention to our breasts.

Firstly, let’s encourage a new language where breasts are honoured for being important, beautiful, vital and expressive aspect of our being. Let’s integrate holistic health care which sees massage and exercises, such as yoga or pilates to build up our pectoral muscles. Let’s stop seeing breasts as only being visible if used on pornographic magazines. Let’s remove the cultural embarrassment of breastfeeding.

Being mindful of seeing the heart area positively, will help us find balance and peace in relation to breast health.

It is interesting that pink is used for the ribbons in breast cancer awareness programmes as it is associated with nurturing. Breasts, too, are associated with nurturing. They are symbolic of mothering ~ this of course doesn’t just mean the way we relate to our children, but also to others in our family, community or the world at large. When we have problems with our breasts it is mirroring our insecurities in how we feel we can nurture or protect them. It’s interesting to note that our breasts call out to us when we don’t nurture ourselves adequately either.

Understanding that the breast is about nurturing and nourishment, we should look at issues of 'the mother'.

Metaphysicians have found that there is a direct correlation with the way you were mothered, and issues developed in the breasts.

It’s too easy to become workaholics or whatever in order forget childhood, and it is just as easy to whine about what we went through with our terrible parents, but the lesson for all of us is that we weren’t put on this earth to look out for everyone.

We must practice self care and self love first. If you’ve been on an aeroplane you’ll know that the air hostesses always tell mums that in the event of an emergency, they must put on their own oxygen mask first. It’s a brilliant analogy. I remember the first time I heard it, I thought “are you crazy? Do you REALLY think I’m gonna put a mask on myself first? NO WAY!” But, you know, those air hostesses are right. We have to give ourselves oxygen first…not just on a plane, but in life, as mothers. It doesn’t mean abandoning babe or going off for a girls’ night. It’s in the simple things…drinking when thirsty, going to the loo before your bladder bursts...sitting down for five minutes when you’re exhausted.I don’t think we should hesitate to help others if they ask for it, and we can willingly do so. We must do it with pleasure, joy and love, not resentment or obligation. It’s always ok to say NO. When we say to another, we’re saying YES to our self. It always helps to look at it from this positive angle.

We can always offer maternal love and nurturing to those we love…but that doesn’t mean we need to smother them.

If you wish to avoid breast cancer, do the obvious thing and breastfeed your child until s/he is ready to wean. Avoid processed foods, and eat fresh fruit, vegetables, seeds, nuts and herbs as close to their natural state as possible. Drink plenty of pure water. Breathe fresh air. Leave a peaceful lifestyle. Meditate. Allow happiness and harmony to be your currency of choice. Find balance in your day to day choices.

Next time you consider donating to breast cancer research, take a moment to consider whether than money might be better spent on prevention through the promotion of breastfeeding.

The Drinks Are On Me ~ UK Tour

I mentioned previously that I’d be taking The Mother magazine and related projects out into the public more this year…and these past few weeks have been spent busily hatching such ideas.

Confirmed breastfeeding talks include:

Brighton Friends Meeting House
Thursday evening, May 1st 7.15pm. I’ll also be joined by Patrick Houser, author of the Fathers-to-be handbook.
(Book through www.artofchange.co.uk )

I’m speaking at the Natural parenting seminar in Cambridge on May 2nd at 2pm
The topic is: Breastfeeding ~ the heart and soul of parenting.

Birmingham ~ mid may (date to be confirmed) ( www.artofchange.co.uk )

Manchester ~ 22nd May 7pm Friends Meeting House (book through www.artofchange.co.uk)

Check the website for details of other talks around the UK.

I’m sitting on some other exciting TM news which I’ll blog about in the next week or two.

Have a fabulous week!

Children as teachers

Children as such incredible teachers. When I first heard there was snow forecast for Easter weekend, my heart sank. It’s not that I don’t think it looks pretty or anything ~ it looks stunning when it blankets the fells (hills) and fields around here, it’s just that, I don’t like the cold. I really can’t bear it; my bones ache. Give me mild weather and rain any day….though my preference is 30C and not a cloud in the sky! However, I rose to the challenge and allowed myself to live in the moment and be accepting. On Easter Saturday, I sat in one of my favourite places, Bluebell Bookshop in Penrith, and continued reading a book I’ve had my head in each time I visit there…I looked up from my cosy spot on the sofa and saw the snow falling. Beautiful! I realised that if it was December I’d be so caught up in the romance of it all (cue: Christmas carols, the bookshop café lit up with candles) ~ and again, caught myself, and realised that the labels I’m putting on the weather are what causes the problems. “It’s Easter, it shouldn’t snow. I don’t like cold..bla bla.”

I was warm, and I indulged in the BEST hot chocolate this side of the equator. In silence, I sat reading a fabulous book….there wasn’t anything wrong with my present moment. And that’s all we have, isn’t it? Right now...here now.

Children know this. My girls were up before breakfast on Easter morning ~ sledging and snowing. I was snugged up in bed!

We don’t do Easter in the sense of how the masses *celebrate*...No eggs here! Paul and I always do a little treasure hunt for the girls. Most years I wrap up a collection of dried fruit and nuts and then hide them in the garden at the end of a very long list of clues. This year I asked Paul to make up the clues…a very sneaky way of getting the girls to do mind-expanding maths! The clues involved lots of square roots (ouch!) and having to do them to get to the next location. And all this was done in the dining room because the weather wasn’t conducive. But, rather than have their brain turn to fuzz over maths, they were totally up for the challenge and there was lots of laughing!

It’s far too easy to believe we’re the ones guiding and teaching our children. Day after day revelations come to me ~ and this happens because of observing my children; my blessed teachers.

Beautiful faces, friendly spaces

Beautiful faces, and friendly spaces

Ok, ok…it’s been a while since I’ve written a blog. It’s not for not wanting to write…it’s more a matter of balance between long walks with the girls, launching my book, travelling to America, getting a magazine to the printer, editing the next magazine, finishing up the last part of my next book…and, of course, stopping to smell the roses!

When I last blogged, I was preparing for the official launch of my book, The Drinks Are On Me ~ everything your mother never told you about breastfeeding. We launched it in Bristol at Seven Generations (eco café and bookstore) to a lovely audience. I met old friends and made new ones! I was rather choked up, to say the least, to see faces that I’ve not seen for a few years ~ beautiful faces which came into my life through The Mother magazine. My family and I had the great pleasure of staying with the gorgeous Alex, Anton, Hugo and Naomi...a wonderful family ~ generous, kind, like-minded, wonderful people. It really made our stay in Bristol a time to remember.

Twelve years
Bethany turned twelve on March 13th ~ my marker of twelve years of full-time stay at home mothering. I could never have predicted the landscape of such a journey. As for Bethany, I’m thoroughly enjoying watching her become more of who she is. It’s a very odd experience watching your child physically develop into a woman, especially while the emotions are waiting to catch up!

Stars and Skyscrapers

I recently went to New York to appear on a chat show ~ discussing full-term breastfeeding and stay at home mothering v. career women (as if you can’t be both???). Due to contractual obligations, darn it, I am not allowed to blog about the experience… they probably knew I'd be less than impressed with their underhand and completely dishonourable tactics!

New York was a shock to my little system. The last time I was there was before I became a mum. I’ve changed so much as a person in that time, and my choice of living away from a town or city is a reflection of such changes. Spending three days in non-stop traffic noise (think constant taxi beeping, fire engine sirens every few minutes, followed by more honking!, etc.) was taxing to my soul. Two weeks after my return and I still feel jaded. I felt such relief and joy when I returned home and heard not a single sound outside at night. I shall never take this peace, or beautiful countryside and starlit skies for granted again. It has certainly had me reflecting on people’s different destinies and lifestyle choices.

Being able to look out of my bedroom window to a starlit sky, not spoilt by light pollution, is something I treasure. When I looked out of my hotel room, I was stunned that the 20 story building opposite me on Seventh avenue (aka Fashion Ave) had lights on in EVERY room, all night long, even though all the staff had gone home. That’s obscene! Don’t the ‘mericans know anything about turning lights out?? In a room where windows didn’t open, and the central heating couldn’t be turned down (I don’t have central heating in my cottage so it nearly killed me), I felt like a trapped lion, pacing back and forward…sleep eluded me. As I looked down the ten stories to the street below, I saw someone sleeping on the concrete. It was all so wrong, wrong, wrong. Here I was, stuck in a room I couldn’t sleep in, while he was on cold concrete. It occurred to me that if I went down and asked him if he wanted a shower and a bed, I’d probably be put in jail! It was, however, one of those moments in life that really brought home to me how one person’s success/tragedy/triumphs/failures are everyone’s… We’re all connected despite the illusion of being separate beings.

Ecologically, flying to New York for a few days is not the way to reduce a girl’s carbon footprint. I’m well aware of that. My intent (and justification), however, was to awaken the masses (an initial audience of 11 million and then syndicated around the world) to full-term breastfeeding ~ one aspect being the horrendous pollution and destruction caused by the artificial milk industry! For example, a dummy (pacifier) takes 450 years to decompose ~ that’s eighteen generations. In one year alone, American women throw out enough artificial milk tins to circle the Earth one and a half times. Breast milk is the ultimate in local food. Breastfeeding shouldn’t be a cultural embarrassment. It is something to celebrate and encourage. In these times of ecological uncertainty, we should be moving heaven and Earth to wake women up to the consequences of not breastfeeding. BOTTLEFEEDING AFFECTS ALL OF US.

American TV

Trapped in a hot hotel room, I resorted to watching American television. OMG!!!! Have you ever watched it? Wall to wall adverts for every legal drug going…Barbie dolls selling drugs which they claim help with ‘my asthma’, ‘my constipation’, ‘my insomnia’. The whole tv industry is subsidised by the pharmaceutical industry. It’s like 24/7 hypnotism. What a cultural nightmare. There’s no sense there of taking responsibility for one’s self ~ adverts also cover plastic surgery, legal firms and so on.

Given that the average American watches 6 hours of television a day (equates to fifteen years in a lifetime), those with investments in the drugs industry are laughing all the way to the bloody bank! I kept shouting at the screen (under the illusion the Yanks might hear me ~ yeah, I know, not likely above the taxi horns!) that you don’t need drugs. Take valerian tea for your insomnia, eat raw fruit and vegetables for your constipation, breastfeed your kids to avoid asthma or practice Butyeko, meditate, love yourself and you won’t need plastic surgery ~ beauty comes from within!!!!!!!

Photographer ~ Birth balance

While in New York I had the absolute pleasure of meeting up with a new photographer for The Mother. Judith’s pictures will start gracing our covers from Issue 28. I’m very excited. It was great to meet with a like-minded soul while in the City that never sleeps (never mind the city not sleeping, *I* didn’t sleep! ~ I’m still trying to catch up) See Judith’s great website here. www.birthbalance.com

I had a lovely dinner at Blossom (on 9th Ave) ~ an organic vegan restaurant. What a treat! Such a place is a luxury when you live rurally, as I do. I’d have to travel a few hundred miles from here to find an equivalent place. The company was fab, too. I dined with a lovely woman I met who worked on the tv show. Brooke is very special, and it is warming to know that even within the high-ego industry of television there exist people with 100% integrity.

On the show, I met a LLL leader who was there with her 2 year old. Kim was another wonderful soul ~ something which I really appreciated during my time there.

At about 3.30am, as I lay in bed cursing the noise outside my window, a large explosion occurred. Hmmmm. What’s that, I wondered. Twas pretty loud!! And then, then the traffic stopped.

Turns out someone had thrown an explosive device in Times Square ~ right near to where I was staying. No one was hurt ~ thankfully. But for about five hours there wasn’t a single piece of traffic. No car horns, no sirens. Bliss. Too bad that I was too wired up by then to be able to make the most of the quiet and get some sleep.

Flight to NY ~ the challenge of unattached parents

The flights highlighted how challenging it can be to parent children when we don’t bond at birth. I observed two women who rarely touched their children. Heartbreaking. My return flight (about 7 hours because we were stuck on the runway at JFK for an hour) consisted of a toddler screaming the whole time. Given I’d only had about five hours sleep in five days, my patience levels were zilch. The mum was a doctor and the dad a psychiatrist…you’d think, between them, they might know a little about holding a child and offering comfort? What do they learn in order to get their degrees? Cor blimey! It’s not bloody rocket science. CUDDLE HIM. All the mother did the whole time was say “Adam, shut up. Adam, the man will come and get cross with you if you don’t stop screaming. Adam, sit down. Adam this, Adam that.” I don’t ever want to hear the name Adam again. On the outbound flight, the poor little baby was strapped into a cot for the duration….again, no body contact, no smiles, no nothing. The mum was only interested in watching the inflight movie. Is this how we’re bringing up the next generation? Devoid of human LOVE? Neither mother was prepared to live in the present moment and simply be with her child…she wanted to escape.

Our cultural messages are such that distancing ourselves from children’s needs is considered normal and right. The consequences of not meeting our children’s VERY REAL needs of love, affection, touch and joyous body language ~ as well as validating them for who they are ~ remain with our offspring for life.

I did the long-haul flight from Australia to the UK when our girls were almost three and one. It’s a long way and hugely taxing on the senses. Eliza took her first steps in Dubai airport to the cheering crowd of air hostesses. Not once did my girls cry or cause annoyance to other passengers. Nor did they have the pain of blocked ear drums ~ they were breastfed during take off and landing. I’m not saying I’m a better mother than the two women I observed on the flights. What I am saying though, is that when we’re bonded with our children, then we have an ESP-like quality which means we can meet their needs ahead of time. They don’t need to go into distress mode. When we’re bonded, we instinctively know what our children need, and equally, we know how to meet that need.

Oprah ~ A NEW EARTH

Not all is bad Stateside… there are some people who give me such hope for our collective future. Oprah is one such person.

In case you’ve not heard, the divinely wonderful Oprah Winfrey (the only woman in the world, besides my mum, who I’ve put on a pedestal) is hosting a weekly tele-class with Eckharte Tolle (author of the Power of Now). They’re discussing his book A New Earth ~ awakening to your life’s purpose. Just go to her website and hit the link. You won’t be disappointed. I’m so excited by this outreach across the world. www.oprah.com I suggest that, rather than watching it live, you download the show a day or two after it airs, and then you won't get the adverts!

It is without doubt the highlight of each week for Paul and I to be able to watch this programme.

Talks/mentoring ~ Bringing The Mother magazine alive (to a town near you)

This year is bringing a lot of change into my life ~ personally and professionally. Paul will be home as both a full-time parent and working on developing The Mother with me, and this will allow me to take my work (books and magazine) out more into the world. If you’d like me to talk or give a workshop in your town or city, please contact Barry at the Art of Change. Or you can visit www.artofchange.co.uk and see if I will be speaking near you. First on the list will be Manchester. You can also visit The Mother magazine website to see some of the topics I talk about www.themothermagazine.co.uk

If you’d like mentoring on your continuum/attachment journey, then I invite you to visit my website www.veronikarobinson.com

Vaccination

See this extraordinary story in the respected UK establishment journal - The Spectator.
"The Wakefield Witchhunt" - Melanie Phillips - The Spectator - Friday, 21st March 2008
This is also the first time respected political commentator Melanie Phillips has ventured into this territory for some years. That alone is significant. The fact The Spectator has published on this is all the more significant.And remember also the extraordinary piece in The Spectator last May 16 by former Sunday Times Health Editor Neville Hodgkinson:-

What killed Sally Clark’s child? Neville Hodgkinson 19 may 2007 Part 1
What killed Sally Clark’s child? Neville Hodgkinson 19 may 2007 - Part 2
What killed Sally Clark’s child? Neville Hodgkinson 19 may 2007 - Part 3
What killed Sally Clark’s child? Neville Hodgkinson 19 may 2007 - Part 4
What killed Sally Clark’s child? Neville Hodgkinson 19 may 2007 - Part 5
What killed Sally Clark’s child? Neville Hodgkinson 19 may 2007 - Part 6

Easter
I'm dreaming of a white easter.....snow this weekend...just when I was all set to bring life to my garden! Whatever you're doing, have a lovely weekend. Enjoy your family, live in the present moment...and practise gratitude!

With love, veronika

karma

No, friends, I’ve not forgotten my blog…I’ve been fully stretched and the weeks just all morph into one. All *should* return to normal after the weekend.

What follows is something my mum sent to me about 15 years ago. I came across it yesterday when doing my ghastly taxes ~ you know, that big box with dozens of papers that you've got to compile into order by the end of January. I grew up with a belief in the Law of Karma ~ as you sow, so shall you reap. Every action has a consequence, etc. I believe this is a healthier, more liberating look at our old friend karma. Have a gorgeous week ~ Veronika


Choosing your own lessons

Karma is not a law.

Karma is not given out by Karma Lords. It is not even a law. The truth is…it is one of many forms of decision making. It is one of the many ways you make decisions about what you want to learn. It is a vehicle that you use. It is not a law by which you must abide.

It is about what lessons you want to embrace; to tackle and embrace. Please note the words.

All along you have been choosing them. It is time to choose expansive lessons. It is time to choose what is right and good about you ~ your determination, your inventiveness, creativity, self-reliance, resourcefulness, commitments, courage; your love, passion and compassions that live inside of you.

Happy New Year

Dear reader,

Wishing you a sparkling, bright, brilliant, peaceful, loving, abundant and truly gorgeous New Year! Enjoy every single day, and live it as if it's your last.
~ Blessings, Veronika

I AM THE NEW YEAR
I am unused, unspotted, without blemish,
I stretch before you three hundred
And sixty-five days long.
I will present each day
In its turn, a new leaf
In the book of life
For you to place upon
It your imprint

I AM THE NEW YEAR.

Each hour of every day, I will
Give you sixty minutes that
Have never known the use of man.
White and pure I present them;
It remains for you to fill them
With sixty jeweled seconds of
Love, hope, endeavor, patience
And trust in God.

I AM THE NEW YEAR.
I am coming -- But once past, I can
Never be recalled, Make me your best!

Author Unknown

Life begins at 40!

Life begins at 40, or so they say.
If it’s true, then I’d say it’s a rather exciting prospect.

Others say that by 40, life’s half over. Not surprisingly I slept till 10am today, not sure which half of the cup I was looking at!

This morning, I awoke with the sober realisation that I’m never going to morph from my Ugly Duckling school-girl image into a babe! It simply ain’t gonna happen. Darn. The wrinkles came a while ago, so there was no rude shock in the mirror.

What I lack in physical beauty, I make up for in other areas of my life where wealth abounds with nothing short of divine beauty. I have a soul mate who daily blesses my life with comfortable, affectionate and deeply loving companionship. He makes our relationship loving, fun, easy and truly beautiful.

Our daughters are happy and healthy. My work brings me great joy, pleasure, satisfaction and contentment. I truly love what I do.

I may have a pathetic looking bank balance, but I’m debt free. It’s so nice to not wear the heaviness of “I owe, I owe” 24/7. There isn’t a price you can put on such freedom.

So is it greedy or selfish to be asking the Universe for a few more things? Such as a bit of extended time in the sun? Nine years of British weather is taking its toll on my heart and soul ~ not to mention my once tanned skin! And how about a home of our own, or at least one that FEELS like ours ~ somewhere big enough that I’m not forever stepping on children’s toes or cat’s paws. A home with a large open plan kitchen ~ the hub of the home filled with friends; somewhere with views as lovely as what we already have; somewhere with spring water, and acreage for being self-sufficient in fruit and vegetables. Is it really too much to ask? I know it would benefit so many more people than just me and my immediate family. And while you’re there, Universe, please chuck in some great friends local to where we live. It would make all the difference.

I awoke this morning to a ‘living’ card from Paul telling me what our relationship means to him, followed by breakfast in bed ~ a Blueberry smoothie made by Eliza. Bethany lit a thousand and one tea light candles (or so it seemed). She gave me beautiful mango soap and a lemongrass bathbomb! Smells amazing. Quite a while ago, a friend gave the girls some vouchers for a shop called Lush. A week or two back we spent the day in Edinburgh and the girls spent ages in the shop choosing their goodies. Bless them, they gave me their well-thought out pieces.

Not that I needed any more chocolate after this past week, but they made me a beautiful chocolate and ginger cake this morning. Eliza created me a mini-vision board with a hand-drawn picture of my family and us all standing in front of a tropical island. Bring it on!

As I imagine the next forty years, I hope to reach the end with my beloved Paul still by my side and our love even more richer, if that’s possible. Bless him, he’ll be 99 and I’ll be a spring chicken at 80!

I expect my daughters will make me a grandmother. I have absolutely no doubt I’ll be much better equipped for that role, than the one I currently do as a mother. Maybe the girls will have taught me to knit by then.

I’d like to think that in the next decade, I’ll have made sufficient changes in my life so that my mum, as the wise elder she is, can live with us. It would bring such joy to her and my family to not be separated by oceans and countries.

I hope to have The Mother magazine readily accepted into mainstream circles without editorial compromise of any description.

I trust that the time and space to write the rest of my books will manifest easily…and to have a ‘writing’ room from which to do it.

I imagine having the resources to help nurture all my daughters’ talents.

And for me, I’d love to learn the cello! I hold on to the belief that we’re never too old to learn a new skill! The sound of a cello goes right into the depths of my being.

In the end, though, a bit like the old ‘what would you do if you won lotto?’ question, there’s very little I want for myself, but a whole lot I want to give out to the world.

As a child, in High School, there was a plaque on the wall which used to annoy me, because I believed that the soul had many lives and we didn’t come here just once.

However, now that I’m old and wise (LOL) I can see it in the sense of “I” as in Veronika, rather than I as in the soul.

It’s a saying I’ve really grown to love:

I expect to pass through this world but once
Any good therefore that I can do
Or any kindness that I can show for any fellow creature
Let me do it now.
Let me not defer or neglect it,
For I shall not pass this way again.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

CHEERS!

O Holy Night

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas
if you stop opening presents and listen."
Bobby - age 7

Today’s the winter solstice. As I write, I can see thick frost sparkling in the moonlight ~ truly a picture of mid-winter beauty.

I’ve been admiring my garden a lot lately, not because of luscious summer growth, or abundant vegetables, but because of the simplicity it wears at this time of year. Winter kills back everything but the spruce, holly, ivy, and my beloved eucalyptus (which I grew from seed ~ a treasured, fellow native). The stark nakedness reminds me of the purity in simple things. With very little light during the day time, I still find moments to reflect on how, despite the hibernating tendencies I have when it’s so darn cold, stunning life and nature are when we peel back the layers. It’s just so easy to miss this in the busyness of modern life. So easy to forget to breathe in LIFE.

The oak trees, silhouetted against apricot sunset skies, fill my senses to bursting point. It almost makes me weep to see the stunning views where we live. All around me, Mother Nature mentors me through the festive season. She shows me that beauty is felt, as much as seen.

I absolutely love Christmas. I despise the crass commercialism associated with it, and stay well clear of frantic shoppers and adverts! For me, it is a time to be with loved ones ~ celebrating and loving. I only need to hear Perry Como singing carols and I’m completely Christmased up! My inclination to hide away for the winter is symbolic of a deeper inward journey ~ a reclamation of my spiritual life ~ a time to put the rest of the world on hold as I explore my practices, beliefs and rituals, and consider how I can bring them back from the deep unconscious, and gift them out into the wider world.

As a child my mother created magical Christmas times…memories which will stay with me for life. I always strive to bring that magic forth for her granddaughters. It’s a legacy that would be such a beautiful tradition to pass down our family line. I know if I never gave my girls another Christmas present again it wouldn’t detract from the love, joy and passion they have for this season. They’ve felt the true meaning of Christmas and that is what they look forward to. To them, the highlights of Christmas are food and candelight.

I told them recently about a survey asking children what they got as presents last Christmas and how none of them could remember. My girls were able to recall all their gifts from the last few years. I wonder if it is because the items held meaning and also because we don’t do ‘overload’. Present opening isn't an expedition through dozens of gifts.

A few years ago I stopped doing Christmas cards. I’ll be honest ~ it was a really difficult decision. You see, I’m not an eco-scrooge (as one newspaper columnist described people like me), and I’m not trying to ruin Christmas by apparently being anti-social. I came to know so many gorgeous people through The Mother magazine (and our camps), that the list of people I felt genuine affection, love and care for, just grew and grew. For me, the solution was to stop doing cards at all, and to just do presents for those who share Christmas Eve under our roof. I can honestly say I have no regrets!

I truly love how special it feels to receive cards and packages in the post. I’ve learned to trust that it’s ok to receive cards and not ‘have’ to send ones back. I do, however, phone or email as many friends as possible over the festive season.

In childhood, our presents weren’t wrapped. My mum would bring them out after our evening meal and put each child’s presents (there were eight of us) in little piles beneath the Christmas tree. As we all sang our carols, in English and German, our eager little eyes would be surveying the floor wondering which selection of goodies was ours.

I still celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. It feels so magical in the evening by candlelight, and the fire crackling. I do wrap presents, but again, like everything else around Christmas, I keep it simple. Tonight, as I was wrapping, the girls said it reminded them of Little House on the Prairie (there’s a beautiful Shaker-style simplicity to their lives). You see, I use brown wrapping paper and some string (raffia or hemp) to tie it up, and add a holly leaf. It may not be glamorous, but it is genuinely pretty.

Bethany and Eliza have been preparing a Christmas concert for weeks ~ carols on the violin and piano, and I believe a play is in store too. The excitement they feel at their contribution is worth bottling! It could be titled Essence of Ecstasy and would heal depression the world over. Each year since they were toddlers, they've taken part in the local nativity at the chapel. We recently showed my stepdaughter Hannah (who was over from New Zealand for a couple of weeks) videos of the girls growing up as she'd not seen them for nine years. The highlights were watching them at each nativity. Truly brought tears to our eyes ~ and a lot of laughter!

My goal with any presents I give is that at the end of their life cycle they will be fully compostable. Mission accomplished! God love my local bookshop ~ Bluebell! If you’re ever in Penrith, do go there. And ask Derek for his wonderful hot chocolate! If you go in December you might just hear Bethany tinkering out Christmas tunes on the bookshop piano. And Indigo in the arcarde is great for knitting needles made of bamboo or birch. Shhhhh. There are two young ladies who love going to the weekly Knitting Cafe in town.

It helps enormously that the girls have so many genuine passions ~ food preparation, art, music, sewing and knitting, dancing, singing, history, horses, cats etc. Finding gifts they’ll love is such a pleasure.

We haven’t had a Christmas tree for a couple of years now. We used to get various evergreens with roots, and then plant them out in January. This year we’ve pruned the spruce a bit and put some branches into a large vase of water. Our decorations are simple ~ hand made from wood and felt.

The rooms are adorned with fresh holly (and those divine red berries) and ivy.

It doesn’t feel any less like Christmas because we’ve abstained from acres of commercially printed wrapping paper, pine trees or play stations; or stripped supermarkets of food. Our Christmas meal is made from local veg bought at our weekly organic farmers' market, and our wholefood order through Suma. The more I consciously simplify the season, the more beautiful and real it becomes.

I have it on good authority from Santa, that deep in his grotto, the number one present request from kids is play stations/nintendos/mobile phone and loads of 2 and 3 year old girls wanting televisions for their bedrooms. (Weep). What will become of this generation of children raised on electronic media?

Very, very occasionally Santa meets children who would love a book, a baby brother or sister (grin), or who ask for world peace, but on the whole, they mostly want a list ten foot long of electro-gadgets worth the equivalent of our monthly household income….and the parents stand alongside them nodding to santa that it’s ok to get these things. Hate to think what they'll get next year, and the year after!

The Iroquois message is of leaving the world a better place by our actions ~ what does OUR Christmas mean for our family-line seven generations from now?

However you celebrate this season, enjoy. With my warmest, brightest and most sincere blessings for an abundant, joyous and divinely rewarding 2008. Love your family, and love Mother Earth.

Chat soon!! ~ Veronika ~
Winter Solstice, 2007
Chilly Cumbria, UK

Open Eye Campain ~ online petition to Downing Street

If you're worried about the increasing 'schoolification' of children's lives (especially the under fives), please sign up to this petition:

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/OpenEYE/

We CAN make the government take notice if we join together.

With gratitude, Veronika

Calling all lactivists!

Hello from chilly Cumbria ~ where it looks like a divine winter wonderland this morning.

I previously mentioned my book launch would be held in Brighton on February 6th, however, the wonderful Trevor Gunn is talking there that night on comparing natural immunity with vaccination, so we’ve changed the date and location of my event. He's a fabulous speaker, so if you've got any questions on vaccination I thoroughly recommend listening to him.

My book launch will be held at:

Seven Generations shop
Bristol
Sunday, 27th January, 2008 at 3pm

I’ll be talking for about 75 minutes on why breastfeeding is vital for humanity if we wish to continue existing as a species without sinking into complete physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual dysfunction. I will be addressing the impact of not breastfeeding on humanity’s heart chakra; how personal and planetary peace begins at mother’s breast; full-term breastfeeding, and whatever else can be comfortably covered in that time. There’ll also be ample time for your questions.

Along with the fab team from The Art of Change, my family will join me to officially launch my new book on breastfeeding called The Drinks Are On Me (everything your mother never told you about breastfeeding).


Visit www.artofchange.co.uk or www.sevengenerations.co.uk for booking details. Please note there are limited seats for this event, so if you plan to come, don’t leave it till the last minute.

Seven Generations Trust

Seven Generations is a community owned & run social enterprise which seeks sustainable solutions to the problems humanity currently faces. They are a conduit for ‘missing information’ to enable us to make life changing decisions - for ourselves, our children & the generations to come.

They have the best eco-cafe-bookshop, in the heart of the Montpelier, just 10 mins walk from Bristol's city centre.

0845 330 3934
info@sevengenerations.co.uk
www.sevengenerations.co.uk

Dates for your diary: Jean Liedloff's UK tour, launch of The Drinks Are On Me and Parenting Seminar

Hey girls…some dates for your 2008 diary. What a year it looks set to be with the Jean Liedloff tour in April! I’m soooooooo excited. Her book, The Continuum Concept, played a huge role in our parenting journey, and touched a place deep inside me. I reread it recently and it was as if I only read it yesterday…the words, the intent, all so familiar and deeply ingrained in my being.


Jean Liedloff TOUR

Jean Liedloff’s first visit to the UK in twenty years looks set to be a brilliant tour. She’s passionate, humorous, and a great story teller. This is an event not to be missed. There’ll be plenty of time for questions.

Wed 9/4/08 Chequer Mead, East Grinstead, West Sussex

Fri 11/4/08 St James’s Church, Piccadilly, London

Sun 13/4/08 Sussex University, Brighton (afternoon)

Tue 15/4/08 University of Bristol

Thu 17/4/08 University of Leicester

Sun 20/4/08 University of Salford, Manchester (afternoon)

Call 01342 823809 for more details
All talks in the evening unless stated otherwise

For further info, contact The Art of Change www.artofchange.co.uk


Natural Parenting Seminar
I’ll also be speaking at the Over Conference Centre, Cambridge on May 2nd

There’ll be workshops, yoga classes from Birthlight, practical demos, live music, lunch and refreshments. To book or see the programme, and find out who else is speaking, visit www.inspiralonline.com/events or phone 01799 525 716

I look forward to meeting many of you at various events in 2008. Until then, do keep warm!
~ Veronika

Home Sweet Home-based learning

If you read The Mother magazine you’ll know that my girls recently returned to home education after eight months in school. The detoxing process has been interesting, and it’s such a joy to watch my girls rediscovering who they are; their passions, and how they use their time.

My initial thought when they said they wanted to be home educated again was ‘no time for me anymore’. Despite my angst at their school days, I made full use of their 5 day a week absence. I grew to love my patch of day ~ the silence; space to think and create. I did not, however, enjoy our day to day life being dominated by an external routine, or having to cram in ‘time’ together between 4 and 8pm. And I certainly did not like much of the stuff which was forced upon them in school.

We’ve all easily settled back into a comfortable rhythm and it is bliss! We feel like a family again.

The girls have found a gentle pattern to their days and are bounding with enthusiasm for plans, plant potions and picnics by the fireside! Our cottage is again filled with the noises of growing girls ~ fingers on the piano warming the room with Christmas carols, decorations being made for the Spruce branches which will serve as our festive tree, lyrics being written, songs sung, essays written about composers and artists, violin lessons, and unending food preparation. I no longer get a moment to myself until they’re asleep at night, but I wouldn’t trade this for school life.

School was a painful and steep learning curve for me. I hate the effect school has had on them, and yet, I’m glad they experienced those months as it truly confirmed everything I feel about how children learn.

Parenting is such an unpredictable journey. We simply don’t know where the path will lead and what choices will be necessary on the way. As with everything in life, the balance of our days must rest on trust.

www.savechildhood.org

Further to my last blog about Saving Childhood, and the government's plan to destroy childhood with the implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage, please join our campaign at www.savechildhood.org (if the petition isn't on it yet, it will be shortly, but do visit it to get more info about how you can help).

PLEASE...our kids need us to act!