My foray into any genuine spiritual experience has come through a slowly evolving yoga practice. I am 38 years old and started practising ten years ago. Initially it was all about relaxation and physical fitness. Four years in, I became friends with a woman who happened to be an instructor. I joined any classes she was teaching and have her to thank for bringing the ideas of intention, presence and awareness to the forefront for me and my personal development. These concepts help me to try to live better with myself and, therefore, others. Here are some thoughts about the role yoga has played in my parenting life.
Yoga and Pregnancy
My yoga practice as a parent began when I was pregnant with my first baby. Apparently …

If you have ever visited a naturopathic doctor, you know about the wheat and dairy dilemma. Almost daily I talk to parents who feel their families health is better after removing these foods from their diet. Abdominal pain and gas, endometriosis, colitis, celiac, obesity… the list of ailments that become manageable simply with a change in diet is ever growing. And if we want to help our kids avoid developing lifetime food intolerances and allergies, it is a good idea to avoid feeding these and other foods to our kids as long as possible. (see our article on how to introduce solid foods to infants)
But give me a break, wheat and dairy are my two favourite food groups. I remember first questioning dairy as a …

We are firm believers in You Are What You Eat. Not just from a weight management perspective, but also for optimal internal health. I’ve followed the following list of foods, and when to introduce them, recommended by our naturopathic doctor for both of our kids to help reduce the risk of food allergies and ensure good digestion. (see bottom of page for more details)
Food for Babies 0-6 Months Old
The World Health Organization and many international health decision makers, recommend breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of a baby’s life.  Of course, not everyone is able to breastfeed, but if you are it is a good minimum goal to set. We had large babies and chose to begin slowly introducing solids one at a time, for several …

Right around the birth of our first child, the World Health Organization put out a report that recommended breastfeeding children until the age of two, and exclusively for the first 6 months of life. My pharmacist friend was using the report as a benchmark for her family, as were many other mothers I was talking to. Up to this point, we hadn’t felt like mainstream parents, and I found comfort in the wide-spread acceptance of this information that was supporting attachment parenting concepts that we liked. We put any discomfort we or other family members felt aside about feeding in public and other issues, and decided to breastfeed our daughter for a minimum of one year. We were hopeful for, but not sure we’d make …

The kids and I spent a wonderful day in the sun at the first annual Kid Walk in Nelson BC. Again, we are so blessed in our little mountain community to have government and nfp organizations willing to support meaningful family programs. Loaded with fun, everyone has been talking about all the new activities the kids were able to experience. And no barrier to entry, everything was free.
Our first stop was a visit inside an ambulance and our 3-year-old daughter learned about 9-1-1. It hadn’t struck me to teach this yet, but she is capable of hitting the right numbers so it can’t hurt to know. The scary siren and flashing lights sent us off to kick soccer balls, with some free lessons thrown in. …