March Meeting Announcement: Life Without Fear, A Wellness Approach to Healthcare

On Tuesday, March 2, we will welcome Dr. Anthony Noya, of Noya Chiropractic in DC, who will speak on the topic of "Life Without Fear: A Wellness Approach to Healthcare".

Dr. Noya will give a discussion on shifting one’s paradigm from sickness and disease care to wellness care. He will focus on the body's innate healing abilities and demonstrate how chiropractic and other modalities can play a role in creating, maintaining and supporting health and wellness for you and your family.

Anthony Noya was born and raised on Long Island, NY. He attended Stony Brook University in New York and earned a B.S. in Biology. In 2001 he obtained the Doctor of Chiropractic Degree from Life Chiropractic University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Noya specializes in family wellness care. He has received advanced training in pediatrics and pregnancy care, Bio-Geometric Integration (BGI), Torque Release Technique (TRT), and Posture Rehabilitation. He has participated in multiple chiropractic mission trips to Brazil. Dr. Noya cares for children and families, working to promote health and wellness.

In his free time, Dr. Noya enjoys yoga, rock climbing, reading, running, movies and soccer. He lives with his wife, Abbie, and their two children in Bethesda, MD.

February Meeting Recap: Schooling Options for the Holistic Family

On February 2, we welcomed a terrific panel of representatives from different schools/schooling philosophies to speak to our group about schooling options in the DC area. Our panelists included Cara Elkins, Program Director/Teacher at the Amazing Life Games Cooperative Preschool; Lezlie Lawson, Enrollment Director at the Washington Waldorf School; Celeste Land, Director of Government Affairs for the The Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers; Ariana Quinones-Miranda, Director of Education and Outreach for Friends of Choice in Urban Schools (FOCUS); Emma LePore, Office of the Chancellor for DC Public Schools; and Andrew Kutt, Founder and Executive Director of the Bethesda Oneness-Family School.

In addition to speaking about the overall educational approach of their particular school/schools, the panelists also covered such topics as nutrition in school, recycling, gardening, and the integration of nature, health, and wellness to their school's curriculum. Panelists also spoke on how they are working towards a non-toxic environment, and how their educational approach relates to mindful/conscious parenting, positive discipline, and nonviolent communication. We also appreciated the many parenting insights each panelist provided, whether it be to make quiet time to share with our children, or to leave our children alone for periods of time to encourage creative and imaginative play.

Thank you to all of our panelists, and to the Cleveland Park Library for providing us with a great meeting room!

February Meeting Announcement: Schooling Options for the Holistic Family

On Tuesday, February 2, the DC Chapter of the Holistic Moms Network will welcome a panel of DC-area school representatives for a evening focused on "Schooling Options for the Holistic Family". Panelists will discuss public and public charter schools in DC, homeschooling, and Waldorf, Montessori, and Reggio-Emilia education.

Our “Schooling Options for the Holistic Family” meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 2, from 6:30 to 8:30 at the Cleveland Park Public Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008. There is street parking in Cleveland Park, and the library is also metro accessible through the Cleveland Park Metro/Red Line. Please note that our meetings will be held at this location from now on.

January Meeting Recap: Mindful Parenting

This past week, the DC Chapter of the Holistic Moms Network welcomed Francine Ronis, a child and family therapist in the DC area, to speak on the topic of Mindful Parenting. Francine spoke about the many ways we speak to our children, how we can better acknowledge their feelings, show empathy with them, and engage their cooperation. She also discussed alternatives to punishment, encouraging autonomy, and how to best praise our children. Members asked many questions throughout the talk, and shared personal experiences. Thank you Francine for a wonderfully informative evening!

And thank you to the Cleveland Park Public Library for our new meeting space!

Please join us for our February meeting, which will be on "Schooling Options for the Holistic Family". Additional information on this meeting will be posted to our blog soon!

January Meeting Announcement: Mindful Parenting

On Tuesday, January 5 the DC Chapter of the Holistic Moms Network will welcome Francine Ronis, LPC, Child/Family Therapist and Parenting Coach, who will speak on the topic of "Mindful Parenting".

Francine has been a therapist in the Northern Virginia area for seven years, and specializes in child and family therapy. She holds Masters Degrees in Counseling and Early Childhood Education, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She is licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia's Board of Counseling.

When working with children, Francine uses a model that includes the family to facilitate behavioral and emotional changes and enrich the childhood and family experience. She specializes in working with individuals and families that want to enrich their relationships, experience more joy, connection, and intimacy; and heal old wounds that block their ability to live fully in the present.

Francine is a parent coach, helping biological and adoptive parents create the family environment where children and parents can thrive. She coaches parents on Mindful Parenting, Positive Discipline, Meditation, and Attachment Parenting.

Our “Mindful Parenting” meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 5, from 6:30 to 8:30 at the Cleveland Park Public Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008. There is street parking in Cleveland Park, and the library is also metro accessible through the Cleveland Park Metro/Red Line. Please note that our meetings will be held at this location from now on.

December Meeting Recap: Chapter Social and Potluck

This week, the DC Chapter of the Holistic Moms Network held a great social and potluck! Chapter members brought a delicious assortment of food, and shared information on everything from cloth diapering to baby wearing to birth and school options. There was a lot of time for getting to know each other, and we look forward to doing another potluck sometime in the New Year. Thank you to everyone who attended!

We hope everyone can join us for Mindful Parenting in January, Schooling Options for the Holistic Family in February, and a number of other interesting topics through the winter and spring! Please check our blog for updates and additional information on upcoming topics and meetings!

November Meeting Recap: Homeopathy 101 for the Family

This week, Holistic Moms DC welcomed Dr. Chris Johnson, of Thrive Naturopathic in Alexandria, VA, who spoke on "Homeopathy 101 for the Family". Dr. Johnson gave a terrific overview of the history of homeopathy as well as the fundamentals of how homeopathy works in the body to fight or prevent disease. Our members asked questions ranging from what is in the little white homeopathic pills to how we can boost our immune systems this winter season. Thank you Dr. Johnson!

We also want to thank Go Mambo! of Mambo Sprouts for their generous donation of organic snacks for our November meeting!

We're looking forward to seeing all of your at our December potluck and social next month!