April Meeting Recap: Organic Gardening

On Tuesday, April 6, Mitch Baker from American Plant spoke to us about organic gardening in the DC area. Mitch began by discussing the origins of chemical products in our garden, noting that before 1947 all gardening was basically organic. He shared information with us on the best and most productive soil to use for container gardening, and how to amend soil in the ground to best support healthy, productive plants. Mitch also discussed composting, organic fertilizers and pest control, and gave specific recommendations for growing plants such as tomatoes in the DC area. Thank you Mitch for a very informative and helpful talk as we move into the planting season!

Notes from the meeting will be available to members who were not able to join us!

April Meeting Announcement: Organic Gardening

On Tuesday, April 6, we welcome Spring with a meeting on organic gardening! Our speaker is Mitch Baker from American Plant, an independent family-owned garden center with locations in Bethesda and Great Falls. American Plant has a commitment to promote EarthWise gardening, which means adopting good gardening practices so that plants can flourish naturally without relying on chemical pesticides.

Mitch will speak about organic gardening as it pertains to suburban ornamental and vegetable gardening. He will cover organic soil amendments, fertilizers, pest control, composting, container gardening and vegetable gardening, and will welcome questions as he speaks. Mitch will also bring a few products to show as alternatives to the typical chemical mainstream offerings.

Mitch Baker is a Horticultural Specialist with American Plant. A Maryland Certified Professional Horticulturist with 34 years in the garden center industry, Mitch is also a Board Member of the Rachel Carson Council.

Our “Organic Gardening” meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 6, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. 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.

March Meeting Recap: Dr. Anthony Noya

On Tuesday, March 2, Dr. Anthony Noya spoke to us on the topic of "Life Without Fear: A Wellness Approach to Healthcare". It was a really informative session about a wellness approach to health and your life. Dr. Noya discussed vital life force and ways to express your life force and keep it flowing so that you can live your healthiest life. Some ways to live healthy are yoga, chiropractic care, exercising and breathing practices. There were a lot of questions about how chiropractic services fit into a family wellness model and about how children react to being "adjusted". Thanks Dr. Noya!

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!