Mama Renew

1. Please please please go to this website & cast your vote for Mama Renew & Dancing Star Birth as the 2010 SavvyMom Top Mom Entrepreneur.

2. Note: You must have a Canadian postal code to register to vote.  You can opt out of receiving any mailings.

3. We encourage you to leave a comment when you vote to help build momentum.

Why We Need Your Vote:

1. We have a very good chance of winning! – if you take just a moment to vote for us.  If you or someone you know has been touched by our programs, please take this moment to support us!

2. Dancing Star Birth & Mama Renew have supported almost 4000 parents with prenatal classes and moms groups since 2003.  We have grown to a team of 12 women offering groups around British Columbia, and our blog and facebook page support women from around the world.  All this with no business training….imagine what we could do with the support this award offers!

What Winning Would Mean for Us:

The SavvyMom Top Mom Entrepreneur will receive a grand prize package worth $22,000.  Here’s what we would do with the prizes: 

Full Year of Business Mentorship: There is perhaps no greater gift than having an experienced business professional serve as a mentor, in this case the 2009 winner Shirley Broback, founder of Vancouver Island Baby Fair. 

Cash Prize of $5000: This would allow us to invest in high quality videos and podcasts to support our existing programs and build a foundation for extending our suupport with online offerings for families around North America.

Workplace Productivity Assessment: While I do have a very detailed “to do” list, I am the first to admit that I am not nearly as focused or efficient as I could be.  As I strive to maintain a healthy balance between work & family time, this support would be invaluable.

Search Engine Optimization: While we have very strong word of mouth in our local region, the key to reaching families around North America is having a strong online presence. 

Brand Make-Over: When I began in 2003 I had no idea how the business would grow… A branding make-over as we expand our services is an essential component.

Public Relations Package: While I have cultivated many new business skills over the years, PR still feels like a beast I’m not sure how to tame.  Imagine what we could do if we actually had some online and print media coverage!

Social Media Program: We’ve made big steps in social media this year, building strong facebook pages & a presence on Twitter and transforming The advent of social media has transformed how we are able to interact with our wide community.

Thank you all for your support over the years, as clients & colleagues.  Whether or not we win this award, we promise to do our best to serve our community of families with quality programs and continued innovation and growth in the years to come.

Blessings,

Sarah & all the wonderful women of Dancing Star Birth & Mama Renew.

It’s a cloudy Friday late afternoon in late August and that means one thing:

1.  We have to pick all those perfectly ripe blackberries before the rain comes.

2.  It’s jam time!

We’ve already braved the blackberry bramble and emerged with an abundance of both berries and scratches.  This afternoon I will don my cutest apron and enter the glorious realm of making jam.

Jam making skipped a generation in my family – my maternal grandmother was raised on a rural homestead where food preservation was a way of life.  In later years she was known especially for her pomegranate jelly, and I savoured each and every spoon-full.  I was raised in the suburbs – our jam came from the grocery store, and I never stopped to ponder the possibility of making our own.

I began to make jam in my first years of motherhood.  Somehow it emerged as something that simply made sense – I’m not sure why, really.  I have very clear memories of feeling completely overwhelmed by piles of fruit needing to be processed and a baby needing to be breastfed. How on earth did we find the time? 

The more we made though, the more it simply became a necessity, a strangely essential part of who we are as a family.  Blueberry Spice, Rhubarb Saskatoon, Strawberry, Blackberry Lime, Oregon Grape…these are just a few of my favourites.  Jam, of course, serves somewhat like a ‘gateway drug’ – once you discover the wonders and ease of jam, it’s only a matter of time before you start pickling, freezing, and drying.

For me, food preservation has been a source of wonderful reconnection & renewal, nurturing both my creativity and sense of adventure.  These long hours of canning, drying, freezing, and pickling have become a time that nourishes me, and each step I take “backwards” to our old food ways is actually bringing me one step closer to myself.

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Favourite jam recipes?  How does making jam make you feel?

Comment Here…

I leave you with the lyrics to the most wonderful tune from Michelle Shocked – Strawberry Jam, sadly I couldn’t find a video of it anywhere.  Picture some fiddles with kind of a spoken word country vibe with a blues edge.

Saturday morning found me itching – To get on over to my grandma’s kitchen
The sweetest little berries was cooking up right –

And then we’d put them in a canning jar and seal them up tight
We were making jam – Strawberry jam, that’s what kind
Yeah, if you want the best jam – You gotta make your own

We have Smucker’s, Welches, Knotts Berry Farm
But a little homemade jam never did a body no harm
A little local motion is all we need – To close down these corporate jam factories
We’ll be making jam – Strawberry jam, mmmm-mm
If you want the best jam – You gotta make your own

Yeah, we have a little revolution sweeping the land – Now once more everybody’s making homemade jam
So won’t you call your friends up on the telephone
You invite ‘em on over, you make some jam of your own
You’ll be making jam – Strawberry jam
If you want the best jam
You gotta make your own

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Did you know we have a weekly Mama Renew post on Mothering.com?  Here is this weeks’ offering:

We’re back!  One glorious week away at a stunning remote mountain lake – just two ferry rides and a long stretch of very bumpy logging roads to get there.  The reward?   Children running wild & free, a perfect clear water for swimming, sun, sun & more sun, wonderful friends & family to share in it with.  What could better, right?

Just one big catch:  in order to enjoy such paradise, we had to leave home. Which means:

Click Here to Read the rest at Mothering.com

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We published a new article on Babyvibe this month sharing creative approaches to building a healthy relationship with the grandparents, one of the more tension-filled relationships for many young families.  Here is an excerpt and a link to the original article:

Are you are blessed to have grandparents who play a positive, supportive role with your family? Or perhaps you have equally involved grandparents who seem to bring more trouble than support? Conflict and judgment were most likely not on your list of things to look forward to when you were envisioning loving grandparents taking your little ones to the park.

Along with the perks of grandparents comes a new realm of relationships, and mother-in-laws (from your side or your partner’s) can play a particularly complex role in this new family dynamic. Our mothers are not the only mommy now, and as you grow into parenthood, they too are adjusting to her new role.

The result? Sometimes beautiful growth as you get to know one another in new ways. Other times? Crazy-making conflict. The last thing mamas need is tension with grandparents, so here are a few Mama Renew tips:

Click Here for ideas to support a healthy relationship with grandma

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Inspired? Visit our guest post on the All About Mothering blog to find out just how much time I’ve had on my own this summer…and what I’ve done with it all.

Read More at Mothering.com

Did you know we have a weekly Mama Renew post on Mothering.com?  Here is this weeks’ offering:

In honour of World Breastfeeding Week I want to explore a bit the emotional landscape of breastfeeding challenges.

In a story I have seen repeated all too often, my early months of breastfeeding featured an achingly low milk supply, conflicting professional advice, and well-meaning but deeply hurtful commentary.  This blessed time in my life also included a not-so-nice dose of postpartum depression, a rented scale to measure intake, a supplementary nursing system, formula, goats milk, a variety of herbs and medications, and the requisite hospital grade pump that became a good friend.

It was hard.  Hard,yes, to wake up every 2- 3 hours for a pre-feed-weigh-in, breastfeed, supplemental feed, pump, post-weigh-in, and diaper change.  That was hard.  I ached for the simplicity of putting my babe to breast and simply knowing that he was being amply nourished.

Harder, however, was the emotional journey of acceptance that this was my reality…

Click Here to Read the rest at Mothering.com

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Having just completed a 3 day intensive workshop on Regenerative Nutrition with the wondrous Nadine Ijaz, Clinical Nutritionist and Registered Herbalist, I am going through our kitchen with all the fervor of a convert.  Testing grains and oils for rancidity, reading ingredient labels, checking for grain moths, questioning the role of Peanut Butter in our family life…

Seven women, one experimental kitchen, and three full days of talking about food – good food, bad food, and good food gone bad.  All the things I kind of understood, I now know with a new depth of comprehension and commitment.  Fats and oils, sugars, grains, dairy… each element of our family diet has been deconstructed and examined.

I admit to feeling an odd mix of excitement and terror going to this workshop.  Sometimes it’s easier just not knowing.  Still, for every moment of resistance there were two more of revelation and integration. I’m ridiculously excited to be soaking grains, baking sourdough bread, and making beet kvass.

I am, of course, in the midst of the classic transition from “retreat” back to “real life”, and am not entirely sure how to make these grandiose plans work within our busy life as a family.  I also am a firm believer in the 80/20 principle, and have in no way said a permanent goodbye to white sugar.  Time will tell what form these new ideas and practices will take within our life as a family.

Still, I feel like I have taken some significant steps towards a new way of eating, and my primary motivation right now is one of pure discovery.   I figure as long as I’m having fun and feeling creative in the kitchen, I’m on the right path!  Here’s a recipe to get you started:

Toasted Nuts

Soak 2 C raw nuts in water with 1/2 tsp sea salt for 7 – 12 hours.  Drain and place in warm oven (no more than 150 degrees) on a cookie tray until dry & crispy (12-24 hours).

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Yesterday on our Mama Renew facebook page we posted the query:

What’s YOUR favourite phrase or mantra to keep you going? C’mon, share the encouragement!!

I don’t want your responses to be lost in facebook land so here are just a few of your wonderful mantras:

Live Strong

Good is Good Enough

There is enough time, and every moment counts…

I had a baby…I’m pretty sure I can do this.

Let it Go.

Bedtime and wine time always comes….

“I think I can, I think I can, I think I can”

If it’s not a good time, it’s a good story.

& one of my favourites….

Everything is going to be alright.

Many (many) years ago I had the joy of playing Mary Magdalene in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar in Lusaka, Zambia (!!)  Mary’s opening song “Everything’s Alright” has become a source of great soothing to me.  My husband sings it when I’m sick,  I sing it to our boys,  I sing it to myself…

I think in the end this is what it is all about. At the core, we know that we have what we need to move through this. “Alright” may look very very different from our ideal world, but it is indeed alright, and we can be fully present and responsive to what the moment demands of us (sounds a lot like birth, yes?).

Here’s a clip from the 1973 movie – enjoy!

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Have you seen our articles about asking for help?

Now it’s our turn! 

Please help us win the 2010 SavvyMom Top Mom Entrepreneur Award.

From my beginning as a stay-at-home mom teaching the occasional class, to our present team of 14 fabulous women & seven locations, I am in awe of what the past seven years of growth have brought us, and the potential for what lays ahead.

In recent years we have witnessed dramatic changes to the landscape of childbirth and family support.  The advent of social media has transformed how we as a business are able to interact with our wider community.  We have big dreams for Mama Renew & Dancing Star Birth – and this award will allow us to take big steps forward in the realm of online education and support.

If each and every one of you casts just one vote, we have a very real chance of winning.  If you have a friend or partner who could vote as well, invite them to join you!   So please, take just a few minutes to cast a vote for us, and on behalf of all the families we dream of supporting in the years to come.

THANK YOU!

click on the image above, or here to cast your vote.

To vote you will be asked to join SavvyMom.  They have great resources for you to enjoy, or you can easily unsubscribe after voting.

www.dancingstarbirth.ca & www.mamarenew.ca

Keep a list of everything that interests and excites you, no matter how insignificant.

Remind yourself that these are indicators or clues

that both the talent & the necessary Spirit assistance exist to bring them into your reality.

- Wayne Dyer

What sparks you?  We all have a mental list, some high priority and some all but forgotten.  On any given ordinary day we may come across something new for our list, catching us by surprise.

I, for example, have recently grown very intrigued by the idea of growing & wild harvesting mushrooms.  I know this is likely not high on most of your lists, but I really really want to learn.  I haven’t yet truly made the space to learn, and it may be a few more years before it happens, but it’s on my list.  Each time I hear about it I get these ridiculous flutters of excitement – about fungus!   I know the day will come.

At the retreat we did a fun sharing of all the things that interest or excite us that are not yet part of our reality. We went around the circle maybe 5 times, a marvelous discovery of the diversity of women in the room. Turns out we are interested and excited by some very cool things – and somehow just saying them out loud helped each of us feel that they are indeed possible.

Turns out we are interested and excited by some very cool things – and somehow just saying them out loud helped each of us feel that they are indeed possible.  There’s a reason that mushrooms excite me, along with quilting, weaving, sourdough, silversmithing, and a few more that I won’t mention in this very public venue

While part of what holds me back is certainly time, there is also a threshold or line that needs to be intentionally stepped over for each. Sourdough is my newest love to enter my daily life, and now that I have begun & gained confidence in it there is an ease to baking our family bread & the beautiful sourdough pancakes I made this morning.  There is real truth in the slogan “Just do it,”  and once we’re on the other side of that threshold the way seems to open.

What’s on your list?

This is no bucket list, friends, this is a list for Now.  What do you crave?

What began as a last minute inspiration has become a treasured experience.  Thank you to each of you who joined our Mama Renew Virtual Retreat.  While eight of us shared four days together at Hollyhock Retreat Centre on Cortes Island, almost 150 of you joined in for our Virtual Retreat on facebook posting over 500 comments – an experience that I treasure just as much as our time at Hollyhock.

Lessons learned:

1.  Listen to Creative Whims!

It was a whim, really, to create the Virtual Retreat, and I’m still in awe of what it became.  While my mind certainly pondered saying “no” to this last minute project in favour of all the other things on my “to do” list,  my heart knew better.  I’m so glad we were able to share in the retreat spirit with all of you who were unable to join us “live”.  What’s your whim?

2.  Just ask.

It’s one thing to envision a Virtual Retreat, and another to actually create it.  Within 24 hours we were “live”, with a fabulous array of prizes for Virtual Retreat participants.

Deep gratitude to Meghan Rathwell of Nourishing Arts Collective, Kyrani Kanavaros of Klik Photographic, Lisa Marie Bhattacharya of Ocean Light Cottage & Spa on Bowen Island, and Maria Mizuno with Mama Goddess Birth Shop

for their support in bringing the retreat to life and helping the four lucky winners – Megan, Mika, Genevieve & Katy – to bring some renewal into their lives.

2.  Make Room for Connection

It seems to me that we need far more openings for connection as women and mothers.  Your response & engagement blew me away, and I was surprised by the ways in which your virtual participation enriched our group experience at Hollyhock. Thank you all for reaching out – I hope we can keep the dialogue going here, through our RENEW newsletter & on our facebook page!

3.  Eat Oysters Whenever Possible

Ok, so they’re slimy looking & more than a bit intimidating, but we savoured every slurp, as seen in the finger-licking photo above.  While these won’t likely be appearing on our family dinner table on a regular basis, we appreciated the reminder to take risks and try something new.

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As we went around the circle introducing ourselves last night each mother shared a bit about herself & her family.  We passed around photos of our children, and they now are resting on a table in the corner, there to see when we need a reminder, and acknowledged as core to our journey as women.

Then I shared the groundrules.  One of our core rules in Mama Renew groups is no talking about our children.   Now this is hard.  Sometimes it’s really hard.    Another ground rule is to not “mother” other women in the circle.  This means no passing kleenex, no saying comforting things, no suggestions of how to make it better…  Simply holding one another where we need to be.

I went to a Birthing From Within retreat years ago with brilliant writer & visionary Pam England.  At the time I was a relatively new mother – my first born (now was just 18 months old and I was there pumping & praying that my milk supply would make it through and missing him terribly.  That very first night as we began to introduce ourselves “through” our children (I am mother to X and Y and Z…) she stopped us.  We were not there as mothers.  We were there for ourselves, to grow in our Birthing From Within practice.

Having been so immersed in the intensity of new motherhood for the past year and a half I found this to be crushing.  Without identifying myself as Galen’s mother I wasn’t sure who I was, or even what I had to contribute.  I had allowed myself to be consumed by one aspect of myself without nourishing the whole.

Are we mothers?  Absolutely.  We are here because we are mothers. In this time & space, however, we are here as women.

There are other capable and loving people caring for our children.

We do not need to mother them in this moment.  We do not need to mother one another.  We only need to “mother” ourselves.

Hard?  Absolutely.  Essential?  You know it.

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Comment here & on our facebook page to win one of our fabulous prizes!

This month’s Mama Renew profile features Deborah Purcell sharing her unique perspective on self-care as the mother of three children,  one of whom has a rare condition called Hunter Syndrome (MPS II).  On May 8th, they will host the 3rd annual “Tacos for Trey” fundraiser in North Vancouver, BC – a fun filled day with live entertainment, magicians, balloon twisters, face painting, tacos for all, margaritas for adults and a silent auction that will knock your socks off.

About Deborah

I don’t work outside the home. My partner, Ryan, is in the film industry, so he works long hours. I really feel that with him being gone so much, our kids need me, or other family, around. Three words that capture my way of being in this world? Love. Laughter. Believe. Maybe strength too!

Motherhood & Identity

I think my life would have been completely different if Trey hadn’t been diagnosed, but at this point, I cannot even imagine it.  I am at home because I want to spend as much time with my kids as I can. I also know, now, that with life there are no guarantees. Kids get sick. Kids die. Trey is the one in our family right now who has a rare disease, but I don’t for a moment think that it can’t happen to Sadie or Avery or Ryan or myself.

I am grateful to be a mom. I am grateful to have my kids in my life. I am grateful to be alive.

We also home school, or more accurately, life learn. Now that I’ve been forced to face the mortality of our kids, I’m even more grateful for this life path we’ve chosen. I can’t imagine missing those ‘ah ha’ moments of our kids. I love hanging out with my kids – they are so so much fun.

Making Space for Self-Care

Now that I no longer have infants, I do yoga, dance, and volleyball outside the house.  At a Neufeld conference a year ago, I had a new introduction to self care which really resonated with me. Usually our ideas of self-care are something you do, child-free, to care for yourself. But what if this form of self-care isn’t possible? Self care can be as simple as taking deep breaths while you are sitting with a screaming child. Having a cup of tea while you read your child a book. Having a glass of wine at night!

I really like this idea of self-care because it doesn’t make having kids and self-care mutually exclusive. I do go out to dance classes and yoga on my own, but when I can’t or don’t, I crank the music loud at home and do a dance class. They practice yoga with me and most recently, Trey got a unicycle for his birthday, which got me thinking it might be fun to get one too. We could learn together!!

What do you still need to work on?

Everything. Being calm, advocating for Trey, being a mum, partner, daughter, sister, and woman all at the same time, balance.

So many things. Being a parent sure humbled me.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Ask. Before I had a child with differences, I would see kids with differences, and wonder. But, I never asked. It felt awkward.  Well, at least on my part, I want you to ask. It’s uncomfortable. Because we know people wonder. Asking gets it out in the open, helps people understand, and connects people. I won’t be embarrassed. Neither will Trey. Having Hunter Syndrome is a difference, not a deficit. So just like you’re able to talk about the things that make you proud about your child, we’re proud of Trey’s Hunter Syndrome. It’s made him who he is. And he is wonderful. And we love him. So ask!

You can learn more about their family journey on their website: www.treypurcell.com.  We encourage you go invite a friend and go to the upcoming Tacos for Trey fundraiser - details below.  Thank you to Deborah for sharing her story – many words of wisdom about redefining self-care and making family a priority.  If you cannot attend the fundraiser, but would like to support their goal to find a cure for Hunter Syndrome, donations are gratefully accepted online at www.treypurcell.com.

Self-care is important – whether our children are newborns or teens, it is a vital part of sustaining ourselves as women and mothers.  With my own children reaching new levels of independence,  I have been musing lately on the ways in which our relationship to self-care is shaped both by the age of our children and their unique needs.

One of the first lessons I learned as a new mother eight years ago was that everything will change.  Sleeping through the night? Oh, that one lasted maybe a week.   My baby that almost never cried?  Teething cured him of that…  Fascination with plugs and outlets?  Just a few anxiety-filled days.   With our boys now six and eight years old, I’ve seen enough stages and phases and things change that I thought would never change, to have absolute faith that we’ll need to adapt all over again one day soon.

Sometimes looking at the intensity of our parenting responsibilities it is easier to simply say “No – I don’t have time for self-care” – we slip into inertia under the assumption that what we dream of just isn’t possible.  Perhaps…the key to successful integration of self-care into our lives is when our plans are shaped by the reality of our life as a family rather than imposed upon it.

Take a careful look at your family rhythm and needs.  Look for the windows of time that you do have and get creative.  Know that the ways you are able to integrate self-care in your life right now are simply your current reality.

As your children grow, so will your range of options for what you are able to engage in for yourself.   Don’t let yourself wait for when it’s “easier” to make it happen – if you’re having trouble fitting self-care into your schedule then it is likely that you need it now more than ever!

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We came across this wonderful blog post from Meghan Rathwell, holistic nutritionist, on the reality of new motherhood and nutrition.

in my past life i was a nutritionist: a shopping, chopping, soaking, fermenting, well-fed nutritionist….i found contentment as a foodie and confidence in practicing what i preached. but that was my past life. 9 months ago, i became a mama.

while pregnant, i imagined that motherhood would further immerse me in the glorious world of REAL food. i would bake bread, and make yogurt while my child played at my feet. my counters would be lined with soaking grains and living sprouts. Instead…. Read more.

Sound familiar, y’all?  We all have images of what life will look like as a mother, and countless ideals and expectations we hope to live up to.  There’s a whole lotta letting go that most of us need to do once we meet the reality of parenthood.  How to make peace with the contrast?  How to be gentle on ourselves? How to accept that “good” is “good enough”?

I don’t have easy answers.  We are all doing our best, even if we don’t feel like it is actually the best at all.  When I sift through the layers I find myself coming back to emotional self-care – being gentle on ourselves, and honoring where we are instead of longing for where we’re not.  As our children grow and change,  so too will our vision of what is most important to our family lifestyle, and our ability to fully live that vision in a way that feels healthy and balanced.

Now that my kids are older – 6 and 8 – I can look back and see how much more space has opened up in my life now that I am well rested and have a good balance of time for myself, my work, and family.  Yes, the list of expectations is still there, but this new list of ideals is shaped by the reality of our life together, rather than imposed upon it. The guilt, frustration and self-judgment still appear from time to time, but through it all I’m striving to believe that the life we are living is more than good enough.

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