January Meeting: It’s The Rochester Holistic Moms Network’s Second Annual White Elephant Party!

Here ye, Here ye! Come one, come all and join in on the fun of The Rochester Chapter Holistic Moms Network’s Second Annual White Elephant Exchange! Wrap a gently pre-loved or new item that could be loved and appreciated by another and pick one especially for you! It’s a new year and a time to recycle, repurpose and relax.

Bring a warm smile, a good joke and a great gift to exchange!


Light refreshments will be provided! See you there…

“We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come. ”
~Joseph Campbell

December Meeting (Mon, 12/8/14, 6:30-8:30 pm): Relax, Rejuvenate and Share Some Holiday Treats! It’s a Yoga/Meditation Fusion Night with Catina Richardsen!

It’s time to Renew You! Rejuvenate, relax and let all those holiday stressors roll off your back. Bring your favorite holiday treat to share and take a much-needed time-out while enjoying an evening with, Catina Richardsen LMHC, who will lead us in a unique fusion of meditation and yoga.

Catina has served the Monroe County community for nearly 15 years in the role as Licensed Mental Health Counselor. She is a Certified Child-Centered Play Therapist with a vast background, which includes; working with young children who struggle with emotional & behavioral difficulties, and collaborating with parents, teachers, pediatricians, and other involved providers.
Her vast background includes working as a school counselor for 3 years, teaching a college Health course "Foundations of Health & Wellness" at MCC for 7 years, and teaching group exercise classes (a Certified Group Fitness Instructor) at World Gym for 9 years. She has completed 8-week training course in a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction with Michael S Kramer, MD, FACP.

Be sure to bring your Yoga mat (or a beach towel) and favorite holiday treat to share for our Mediation/Yoga Potluck Fusion Night!

“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”
~Jon Kabat-Zinn

November Meeting (Mon, 11/10/14, 6:30-8:30 pm): Thriving Naturally - Healing and Treating Our Children’s Allergies Naturally & Safely with Sandra Miceli

Please join us for a discussion led by veteran Nurse Practioner, Sandra Miceli, who will focus on children’s health and allergies and how to help heal them in a safe and natural way. Sandra will examine the immune system, probiotics, nutrition and prevention of allergies in children
With more than 20 years experience in the medical field, Sandra is pursuing her dream and has gone into private pracitce in Webster, NY. She has worked in home care, substance abuse, oncology, primary care, geriatrics, allery and rheumatology. Her focus is helping people heal themselves through mainly safe and well researched natural and nutritional means, but if necessary utilizing medications. She specializes in gastrointestinal healing, chronic pain syndromes, detox, allergies, weight management, hormone balancing and anti-aging.

To learn more about Sandra and her practice, please visit her website: http://www.survivingnaturally.com/

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
~Hippocrates

October Meeting (October 13, 2014): Holistic Pet Care for Your Furry Four Legged Friends -- Natural Pathways to Wellness for our Companion Animals

Sherri Romig, CPDT-KA is a canine behaviorist with certification in Holistic Health for Companion Animals. Well-versed in many aspects of keeping pets healthy naturally and gives a regular seminar on feeding raw diet to dogs; Sherri owns Tails of Success in Irondequoit, where she has counseled dog owners on how health and behavior are connected since 2008.

Sherri will cover a few of the hottest topics in animal wellness, including diet, vaccines, and flea, heartworm, and parasite prevention to help put us on the path to natural wellness with our pets. With so many products available and so much conflicting information, it can be overwhelming to know how to best care for our beloved pets. As we work to naturally keep our families in good health, we need to remember our four-legged family members too!

"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." 
~ Immanual Kant

September Meeting (September 8, 2014): 10 Reasons Why Kids Become Picky Eaters (and what YOU can do about it)

Are you battling with a picky eater at home? Or worried that your baby or toddler will join the picky eater club someday? It's more common than you might think! In fact, about 85% of moms find themselves sticking to "kid friendly" meals, bribing and negotiating with their kids to just take one bite of a new food, or dealing with stressful meal times night after night. It doesn't have to be so hard! Learn ten common reasons why kids become picky eaters in the first place and some simple solutions to help you enjoy mealtime once again. We will also discuss other common challenges with raising healthy eaters.

Amy Nadelen, MS, is a family nutrition consultant and President of Tribe Wellness, Inc. Amy's goal with Tribe Wellness is to help families eat more REAL FOOD which means transitioning away from the standard American diet, filled with highly processed convenient food with little nutritional value and lots of hidden (and scary!) ingredients and instead focusing on wholesome, organic, locally grown food!

Amy has been featured in the Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester Magazine, and Rochester Healthy Living magazine and seen on Rochester's CW Network and Channel 8's Real Food for Families Series. Her website is: www.tribewellness.com

August Meeting (August 11, 2014): Film Screening and Group Discussion of Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Childhood

Join us to watch and discuss the film Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Childhood.

Consuming Kids throws desperately needed light on the practices of a relentless multi-billion dollar marketing machine that now sells kids and their parents everything from junk food and violent video games to bogus educational products and the family car. Drawing on the insights of health care professionals, children's advocates, and industry insiders, the film focuses on the explosive growth of child marketing in the wake of deregulation, showing how youth marketers have used the latest advances in psychology, anthropology, and neuroscience to transform American children into one of the most powerful and profitable consumer demographics in the world. Consuming Kids pushes back against the wholesale commercialization of childhood, raising urgent questions about the ethics of children's marketing and its impact on the health and well-being of kids. Trailer available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maeXjey_FGA

July Meeting (July 14, 2014): Safe Home, Safe You! Breathe Easy And Learn How To “Detox” Your Home Environment!

Learn how to reduce allergens and toxins in your home with Joe Nolan, owner of Home Green Home. From carpets and sofas to mattresses and bedding, Joe will discuss how and why home furnishings can affect indoor air quality and health.

In addition to owning Home Green Home in Ithaca for the last seven years, Joe is also co-owner of The Swallow's Nest, a one room organic locavore Bed & Breakfast! To learn more about Joe and his Home Green Home business, check out his website at: http://www.homegreenhome.com/

“Plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife are in fact plans to protect man.”  ~Stewart Udall

June Meeting (June, 9, 2014): Positive Parenting Skills For Those Challenging Times!

Still can’t find the Parent’s Instruction Manual on how to manage those challenging times with your children? Be sure to join us for a open guided discussion with Licensed Mental Health Counselor Emily Horowitz and Clinical Child Psychologist Miria Arie on how to center your emotions and be mindful to yourself and others during those challenging times.

Emily Horowitz is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor whose passion and expertise is in serving expecting, new and experienced parents. She has advanced training in perinatal mental health, infant development, and postpartum depression.

Miri Arie is a clinical child psychologist specializing in helping families to develop effective parenting and communication styles through which parents develop a sense of control and understanding of their children’s developmental needs. Through her work, Miri helps children develop problem solving skills and effective communication strategies. She has extensive experience in teaching social skills in groups and individual settings, and helping children and their families cope with anxiety.

The candid dialogue will help to focus on individual examples that you have experienced. Be sure to bring your personal “tough to manage” situations to the “round table” for an open and friendly discussion.

“At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child's success is the positive involvement of parents.” ~Jane D. Hull

May Meeting (May, 12, 2014): Group Discussion: Celebrating Birth and You!

Join us for an open discussion on celebrating birth and being empowered women! Birthing means something different to every Mom and Dad. It’s an experience you will never forget and will always have something to share that might help others to learn and grow from. Regardless of how you birthed or plan to birth, we will be sharing our stories, encouraging others, and enjoying the fellowship of other mothers!

Let’s Celebrate YOU and all that you do! And did do...

“Anything I've done up till May 27th 1999 was kind of an illusion, existing without living. My daughter, the birth of my daughter, gave me life.”  ~Johnny Depp

April Meeting (April, 14, 2014): Learning to Integrate Bach Flowers for Parenting, Pregnancy, Childhood and More!

Have you heard of Bach Flowers? Want to learn more? Bach Flower Therapy is a simple and safe system for balancing emotional stress in people of all ages. Join us for a night of learning to integrate Bach Flowers into pregnancy, childhood, and parenting. Learn how to select and use the essences to cope with some common issues and create harmony in your home.

Michelle J Newkirk combines her long nursing career with over 13 years of work in natural health to provide a simple but well-rounded approach to naturopathic health care. Presently her time is occupied with her work as a pediatric holistic nurse and with raising her son who's nearly four. She helps clients improve their emotional and digestive health through the use of Bach Flower Therapy, dietary improvements, and plant based enzymes.

In celebration of Earth Day in April, we are collecting Bras at our April meeting as part of The Bra Recycling Program. Panache Vintage and Finer Consignment in Brighton is participating with this program. We are happy to collect any bras at our meeting and drop them off to Panache to be recycled! http://www.brarecycling.com/about_us.html#sthash.MnMpUztc.dpbs

“Just living is not enough, one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower.”  ~Hans Christian Anderson

March Meeting (March 10, 2014): Spring is About Sprung! Get a Head Start with Your “Green” Spring Cleaning!

Spring is almost here, and it’s that time of year to get your Spring Cleaning On! Get a fresh perspective and learn some new and affordable techniques on “Green” cleaning by learning to recognize and exchange toxic household chemicals for eco-friendly products, create your own DIY cleaning recipes and “grocery” list for a well-stocked cleaning cabinet, and learn how to clean using the “The Jeff Campbell’s Speed Cleaning Method”.

Bryn Nakamura is the founder of GreenWay, an eco-friendly cleaning company. A Nurse, BSN, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Bryn has had a lifelong concern and commitment for the well-being of our community and environment. She lives in Fairport with her two children, husband, dog, and cat.

“I’d do some Spring Cleaning, but then I would have to turn around and do it again next spring.” ~ Maxine

February Meeting (February 10, 2014): Herbs for Health with Andrea Reisen, owner of Healing Spirits Herb Farm

Join us for a night to learn from Andrea Reisen, owner of Healing Spirits Herb Farm. We will learn about herbs for general health and children's health.

Andrea Reisen owns Healing Spirits Herb Farm in Avoca, NY with her husband Matthias. She enjoys sharing her love of herbs and her knowledge of their healing powers with everyone who is interested and is a beloved teacher at national and international herb conferences. Her love of nature is infectious. She is a student of numerous healing modalities, including: CranioSacral, Reiki, and Therapeutic Touch. She is certified in Zero Balancing. She has studied with Brooke Medicine Eagle, and is a graduate of Rosemary Gladstar’s apprenticeship program. She has also studied nature awareness and philosophy at Tom Brown’s Tracker School.  http://www.healingspiritsherbfarm.com/