Camping, Parenting, Travel, Uncategorized

9 Insider Tips for Family Camping on the California Coast

There’s a rare form of magic in the crisp air along the California Coast, which is why it’s best enjoyed outdoors. Camping along these beaches rich with ancient trees, active sea life and a bounty of activities (for all ages!) will support you in creating the ideal vacation for your entire family. To ensure it’s more fun than frustrating, follow these tips.

1. Find the Perfect Spot.

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It’s hard to go wrong when finding a site to camp along the West Coast, but depending on your family’s specific needs, some locations will suit your family better than others. Take your preferences for sites (e.g., not near cliffs, activities for young children and a beach with a mellow break) and find a few spots that meet your needs.

Read more on Discount My Flights

Parenting, Uncategorized

6 Ways to Trick Your Kids Into Learning This Summer

It’s almost summertime and the livin’ will be easy. Oh wait, you’re a parent. Never mind, the livin’ is about to get chaotic — but chaos can be fun, and educational.

While you’ve spent the past nine-ish months supporting the expansion of your child’s mental, physical, and social development, you haven’t been doing it alone (if they go to school). You’ve had assistance from teachers, coaches, and all the other people that help kids grow into bigger kids. But soon, the majority of this “fostering of development” will fall on your shoulders … and hands, and heart, and feet …oh heck, every last drop of you will be called upon this summer.

While camps and other such organized activities handled by other responsible adults (or teenagers) were sent down from the parenting heavens to sneak learning (and free time for you!) into your kid’s summer, you’ll likely be met with “ugh, mom” if you suggest activities that even have a whiff of education.

So, let’s hide the learning in fun activities. Here’s how …

Read more on Babble!

Mind-Body-Spirit, Parenting, Self Love, Uncategorized

9 Date Ideas That’ll Make You Forget You’re a Grown-Up

I love me a good “dinner and a movie” date night, but they’re not unique or memorable. The nights I do remember are when we do something we both initially resist, or are scared to do (I’m looking at you ocean kayaking–at night.) I also remember the nights when everything goes completely sideways, but because we’re together, we have an unexpected blast. Here are some date night ideas that are sure to kindle (or rekindle) your sense of adventure, childlike wonder, and appreciation for that guy or gal in your life–no matter how adult you are.

1. Play Truth or Dare

Grab a bottle of wine and prepare to get honest. I would recommend saving yourself some hassle and maybe abstaining from “truths” about exes or the how your partner thinks your butt looks. But you do you!

Read more on Redbook!

Mind-Body-Spirit, Parenting, Self Love, Uncategorized

Volunteering For New Moms Saved My Life

IMG_2078I had very negative (sometimes cruel) things to say to myself before I started “selfishly” giving to others.

The giving began shortly after I had my first panic attack. My son was 4 months old and I thought very little of my skills as a caregiver, had a sudden loss of love for myself, and a sense of unworthiness for all the beautiful drops of fortune in my life. The strength of the panic grew so intense I was put on medication.

The medication would help for a few hours, then I felt shame and guilt for having to take medication. I needed a pill that offered a paradigm shift.

My mom offered something better. She recommended I volunteer for a local organization that pairs trained volunteers with new mothers who have very little support and low income. It seemed crazy, seeing as how I was a new mother with little support and low income, but I was compelled to volunteer. I had to organize childcare for my baby during the training and volunteer sessions, but I knew I had to do this to become the mother my child deserved.

Read more on Babble!

Guilt & Forgiveness, Mom Humor, Parenting, Uncategorized

7 Things You Can’t Help but Think on Your First Mother’s Day

*Raw insight into my first Mother’s Day!

IMG_2919When I woke up on my first Mother’s Day, I forgot I was one of the women being celebrated. I prepared breakfast for my own mom and mother-in-law, and I made them both a “We love you!” video, all while spending an hour trying to convince my baby to leave on the clip-on tie we’d bought for the occasion. And then my partner asked me if I wanted to take a break. “Isn’t this supposed to be a day to celebrate you too?”

When I took my break before the “real” mothers arrived for brunch, I sat on a swing chair on our porch and cried. It was the first time I’d had a quiet moment since giving birth 11 months prior, a moment to think about how I felt about being a mother, to consider what “being a mother” even meant. Here are seven thoughts that went through my head.

Read more on Cosmopolitan! 

Childbirth, Mind-Body-Spirit, Mom Humor, Parenting, Pregnancy, Uncategorized

Playing Music For My Son In the Womb Made Us Closer

IMG_2634Music allowed me to hear the voice of my unborn baby.

During my pregnancy, I set the intention that my baby would offer me insights and answers via movement when we listened to music. I believed it was his opportunity to show me a glimpse into his soul.

Music also supported me in understanding and expressing (via my own movement) all the emotions I couldn’t actually verbalize to my baby (or to myself, sometimes). Each note sparked a new idea, question, or simple moment of appreciation for the being developing in my womb.

I would play reggae music as he moved back and forth across my mid-section. Some days I would try out 90’s hip-hop (I swear he would tap his foot to the rhythm). Classical music (the ultimate baby music cliché) just put him to sleep, no complaints.

His favorite music ended up being anything that made me dance. If I was shaking my bloated pregnancy booty it was (and still is) a good day for him; he’s down to shake along with me.

Oh, and we also listened to audio books. I had to drive a painful amount of time for work (four hours, three times a week). He slept through those audio books: Miranda’s dilemma about whether her Latin lover was actually murdering middle-aged art dealers in downtown Los Angeles really didn’t interest him.

Read more on Redbook!

Childbirth, Parenting, Pregnancy, Uncategorized

I Was The First To Get Pregnant

IMG_1187Be wary of a friend who uses your pregnancy as a soapbox for self-righteousness.

When I became pregnant in my mid-20s, it became the source of invasive gossip amongst my group of childless friends.

Many of my friends didn’t get it.

“A pregnancy? That you don’t want to end? But what about alcohol? You can’t drink alcohol when you’re pregnant, did you know that? And isn’t there a baby at the end of a pregnancy? Who will change the diapers?”

My pregnancy was unplanned, but still welcome. I was on birth control and my partner was just beginning graduate school. But the stars (or sperm and egg) still aligned. I immediately knew the pregnancy felt right, even though most people were telling me it was wrong.

My partner needed time to reconcile with the fact that he was going to be a dad and when many of our acquaintances heard this, they latched on.

Read more on Your Tango! 

Mind-Body-Spirit, Parenting, Uncategorized

Michelle Obama Reveals Her Family Used to Eat Takeout Every Night

IMG_7647Did you know that the First Family used to eat takeout every night?

They were just like us, a busy family with 48 hours worth of to-dos to accomplish in 24 hours, children that needed to be fed, and a preference for couch sitting versus taking walks at the end of a long day — oh, and no private chef.

I received this used-to-eat-a-ton-of-takeout tidbit when I went to the White House for a Let’s Move event hosted by Michelle Obama. Let’s Move is an initiative Michelle started in 2010 to end childhood obesity by introducing healthier foods into schools, incorporating exercise into lesson plans, and supporting families in continuing these healthy habits at home.

The idea was birthed when Michelle took her daughters to their family physician (before they lived in the big White House) and was told they needed to make some changes to their diet.

Read more at Babble!

Childbirth, Mind-Body-Spirit, Parenting, Uncategorized

Pregnancy and Newborn Magazine!

Holy moly! I’m an expert in the recent addition of Pregnancy and Newborn magazine (answering a question I could have asked- and now trying to follow my own advice.)

Childbirth, Mind-Body-Spirit, Parenting, Pregnancy, Uncategorized

Pregnancy Bagua Map

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Toying around with a “pregnancy version” of a feng shui bagua map for the Feng Shui Mommy book 🙂 A work in progress, but having fun mixing the harmony of this ancient Chinese art into the magic of pregnancy and childbirth.

Oh, are you wondering what the heck a bagua map is? The bagua map (BAH-gwa) is a tool used in feng shui to learn which parts of a space correlate with particular areas of life.

My version helps you learn what areas of your life to nurture during different stages of your journey into motherhood. 

You begin your journey in the watery North (1st trimester), explore the woods of the East (2nd trimester), absorb the warmth of the South (3rd trimester), then slide into the cool landscape of the West (4th trimester.)

At the center of it all is the grounding presence of the Earth, which holds the power to harmonize the light and dark moments of your journey (yin and yang.)