May meeting (May 9, 2011): Essential Oils Overview and Blending Activity

We had a fun and educational night with Mindy MacLaren a nationally certified Aromatherapist and owner of Sweet & Woodsy Aromatherapy. In addition to learning about the wonderful way aromatherapy can balance the body-mind we gathered to also make homemade cleaning products.

April 2011 Meeting: Acupuncture

Laura Chey-Warren a licensed acupuncturist and nationally certified Chinese herbologist, enlightened our member with her broad knowledge base of Traditional Chinese Medicine. We discussed how acupuncture, Chinese herbology, nutrition and lifestyle choices effects our daily life force or chi. Laura addressed our individual questions about acupuncture and demonstrated acupuncture points of interest. She and her husband Ric own Balance Acupuncture & Wellness Center in East Rochester, NY.

March 2011 Meeting: Restorative Circles

Duke Duchscherer, who is a Certified Trainer with the International Center for Nonviolent Communication and is on the Board of Directors for the MK Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, introduced the system and process of Restorative Circles. He explained the methodology of Restorative Circles, to give us further insight on how to bringing more harmony to family and community life. He demonstrated the process by having us partake in a group exercises teaching us methods to help create dialogue with respect and understanding in order to reach agreements that sustain effective and nurturing relationships. Congrats on our Lori’s Natural Food winner-Jean!

February 2011 meeting: Group Discussion

February 15, 2011

Back by popular demand, we came together again for a group discussion! We tackled big topics like vaccines, diets / nutrition, natural childbirth, asthma / allergies, holistic dentists, understanding doctors, and more -- we could have gone on for hours longer! Looking forward to more meetings like this one!

Congratulations to member Christy, who won the drawing for a gift card for Lori's Natural Foods!

January 2011 meeting: Top Ten Ways to Avoid a Hysterectomy and Stay Out of Adult Diapers -- and Have Fun Doing It!

January 10, 2011

Up to 50 percent of women suffer with incontinence, prolapsed ("fallen") pelvic organs, or both. Alyce Adams, RN, the Kegel Queen, shared with us how the way you exercise, the way you give birth, and even the way you eat can increase your risk, and the secrets of addressing these problems without drugs or surgery. Those of us experiencing problems now and those wanting to prevent them learned how lifestyle habits, safer childbirth choices, and Kegel exercises -- done correctly -- can optimize our pelvic and sexual health, at any age. Congrats to new member Michele, who won a copy of the Kegel Queen's complete kegel instruction package, free!

Congratulations also to member Linda, who won the drawing for a gift card for Lori's Natural Foods!

December 2010 meeting: Adrenal Fatigue

December 13, 2010
Dr. Leila Kirdani, Western New York's only physician board certified in anti-aging, regenerative and functional medicine, spoke about adrenal fatigue. Adrenal fatigue is the result of chronic stress and heavy metal poisoning and can lead to problems such as low energy, muscle aches and pains, weight gain, and irritability. In her fascinating and infirmative talk, Dr. Kirdani discussed symptoms, causes, and treatment for this under-diagnosed condition.

Congratulations to member Amy, who won the drawing for a gift card for Lori's Natural Foods!

November 2010 meeting: Children of Now

November 8, 2010

In these changing times, with the children who are here -- "Indigo," "Crystal," "Star," "Sun," or "Diamond" -- what is our role as parents? What do all these children have in common? They are bringing great light and love as well as many challenges. They may be energetically sensitive, have sensorial differences, or dietary sensitivities. They may be behaviorally challenging and/or aware beyond their years. Lynne Kliman and Kim Corpus led a talk on how they are stretching us and leading us on an accelerated path of learning as their parents and teachers.

Congratulations to member Laura, who won the drawing for a gift card for Lori's Natural Foods!

October 2010 meeting: Nourishing Our Children

October 11, 2010
Laura Villanti, Certified Healing Food Specialist, CHFS; and Rochester NY Chapter Leader, Weston A. Price Foundation; shared timeless principles for supporting learning, behavior, and health through optimum nutrition. Her eye-opening and inspiring presentation included: dietary principles to guide parents during preconception and pregnancy, as well how to nourish rather than merely feed their children; the foundational nutritional principles Weston A. Price discovered during his extensive travels and research; the dangers of modern processed foods; information about water and fluoride, traditional fats and oils, milk, soy, vital nutrients, and healthy meal preparation. You can see Sally Fallon's presentation at the HMN national conference with the same important information.

Congratulations to HMN member Karen, the winner of the Lori's Natural Foods gift card!

September 2010 meeting: Composting 101

September 13, 2010
We learned the ins and outs of composting from Master Gardener, Carol Erb. She brought hands-on examples and answered our many questions about this environmentally friendly way of giving our gardens a boost.

August 2010 Meeting: Recipe Swap

August 9, 2010
We talked about ways to make life easier and still feed our families healthy food. We shared recipes that have gotten us through busy times, are always a hit with the kids, that we've used when we have to make a meal with only the food you have on hand, etc. We also shared ideas for easy, healthy snacks. Lots of great sharing among mamas!

July 2010 potluck!

July 23, 2010
Water balloons, face painting, games, food, and community! We had great fun on a lovely evening at Brighton Town Park.

July 2010 meeting: Group Discussion

July 12, 2010
We tapped into the wealth of knowledge and support of other Holistic Moms and discussed many topics, from cloth diapers to PCOS to water filters and more. It was great to have face-to-face discussions on such varied subjects!

June 2010 meeting: Bringing Sexy Back

June 14, 2010
In this mini interactive workshop, AliciaMarie Nassar M.S., LMFT and Melissa Spooner M.S., LMFT of Rising Lotus Therapy explored the challenges women face while negotiating different roles in their lives (e.g. mother, lover, spouse, partner, etc.). Together we explored and shared tips with one another on maintaining one's own sense of "sexiness" amidst a world of diapers, play groups, and breastfeeding.

May 2010 meeting: First Aid with Essential Oils

May 10, 2010
Amy Jane Stewart of Organica Jane shared her vast knowledge on how to use essential oils for our families' first aid needs. Afterward we had great fun making our own blends to take home, including bug spray, lotions, discreet inhalers, aloe gels, home cleaners!

April 2010 meeting

April 12, 2010: Importance of Bees and Honey PLUS tasting!
We enjoyed a honey tasting with local beekeeper Rich Riedman. He discussed the importance of bees, buying local honey, health and beauty benefits, and how we can help the bees.

The Ontario-Finger Lakes Beekeepers Association offers a free introductory course in beekeeping.

Rich recommended the film The Last Beekeeper, which follows the lives of three commercial beekeepers (from South Carolina, Montana, and Washington) over the course of a year as they struggle with Colony Collapse Disorder.

A member recommended the children's book The Bee Man, by Laurie Krebs.

We saluted Gabrielle Javier-Cerulli for her leadership over the past year and a half. Thank you, Gabrielle!

Welcome New HMN Co-Leaders, Melanie and Jean!

HMN Rochester is so excited to have long-time members Melanie Ryan and Jean Lockwood taking over the chapter as Co-Leaders.

They're very excited about their new roles and about continuing to bring educational, fun, holistic meeting topics to the members.

Jean is a mom of three and Melanie is a mom of one.

In the photo from left to right are our new Co-leaders Melanie Ryan, Jean Lockwood, and HMN Member Yvonne.

Thank you Gabrielle for your 1.5 years as a HMN Leader!

Thank you Gabrielle Javier-Cerulli for your 1.5 years as the leader of HMN Rochester chapter!

Your commitment and dedication to the chapter allowed it to continue serving many families and helping them make more informed decisions.

Good luck with your new venture as the Founder and CEO of the Global Network of Expressive Arts Facilitators

March 2010 Meeting

March 8, 2010: EFT – Emotional Freedom Technique
Tom Porpiglia, LMHC of Life Script Counseling explained EFT and gave three demonstrations of this unique technique and all three recipients experienced a positive result.

EFT is sometimes called acupressure for the emotions, wherein meridian points are stimulated by tapping on them with fingertips. Properly done, this frequently reduces the therapeutic process from months or years down to hours or minutes. And, since emotional stress can contribute to pain, disease and physical ailments, EFT provides astonishing physical relief.

Tom works with a variety of ages who are experiencing a variety of symptoms. He does do a lot of work with veterans.

Tom Porpiglia, MS, LMHC, D.CEP, EFT-ADV, VV
500 Helendale Road, Suite 110
Rochester, NY 14609
585-704-0376

----Congrats to HMN Member Therese for winning the $25 gift card to Lori's Natural Foods! ----

February 2010 meeting

February 8, 2010: Maya Abdominal Massage
Erin McCollough, LMT, RYT of CNY Healing Arts Wellness Center and Spa explained how this unique massage technique is an external, non-invasive manipulation using massage to reposition reproductive organs and improve blood flow to digestive organs. It has been documented to improve issues around fertility, endometriosis, menses, ovarian cysts, and much more!

She brought in a short, but wonderful video giving the history of this massage from Belize.

---Congrats to HMN Sasha for winning the $25 Lori's gift card! ----

January 2010 Meeting

January 11, 2010: Non-Violent Communication and Discipline: Parenting through Conflict, Lightening the Load

left, speaker Karen Moses and right, member Mary

Moms and dads attended this meeting with Karen Moses, Early Childhood Educator of Best Beginnings who has over 15 years experience. Karen explained what Non-Violent Communication was and how to use it when conflict arrives. Everyone learned something new at this interactive meeting!

Congrats to member Cindi for winning the $25 Lori's Natural Foods gift card!

Here are a few books Karen suggested to learn more:

Raising Children Compassionately: Parenting the Non-Violent Communication Way by Marshall Rosenberg

Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline by Becky Bailey

Don't Get So Upset! Helping Children Manage Their Feelings By Understanding Your Own by Tamar Jacobson

December 2009 meeting

December 14, 2009: Guidance from Your Archetypes for 2010

Ellen Genrich Rusling, PhD. from Life Discernment Consulting brings over 30 yrs of experience as a family therapist and mental health consultant and can be contacted at ldc at rochester dot rr dot com.

Ellen gave an overview of what an archetype is, what are our four survival ones are, how to use different graphs to work with our own, and different resources of how to find all of yours. Who are your archetypes and how can they help you in the new year? Are you a Goddess, Victim, Rebel, Rescuer, or Lover? Work on your own or with Ellen to find out and be guided by these different patterns of behavior!

(Ellen on left, HMN member Annette, right)

Congrats to member Jo for winning the box of Archetypal Cards and to co-leader Gabrielle for winning the $25 Lori's gift card!

November 2009 Meeting

Getting Organized and Staying Organized with the help of a Professional Organizer
Speaker Joani Hardy with new HMN Co-Leader Dr. Paula Derleth

We had a wonderful, insightful meeting with Joani Hardy, Professional Organizer and Clutter Coach. There were a lot of laughs as we shared some of our own organization challenges. Joani explained the steps of organizing principles and procedures and addressed all the various questions from the attendees.

She shared many ideas and tips. One of her tips for families was for the parents to lead by example. If a child sees you throwing stuff in a junk drawer, chances are they will mimic that behavior with their toys and clothes.

Joani can be reached at 585-750-2418 and at joani@joanihardy.com

Welcome New Co-Leader Dr. Paula Derleth

We are so so so excited to welcome Dr. Paula Derleth as the new Co-leader of HMN Rochester! YAHOO! She brings a wealth of knowledge and a boat load of passion about all things holistic. Plus, she is just a super nice woman!

Here's a little bit of info about Paula in her own words -

I am a native of Rochester and grew up in Penfield. Graduated with a
BS in biology from Nazareth College then received my Doctorate of
Chiropractic from New York Chiropractic College. I married my best
friend of 8 years in April of 2008. My husband Phil is finishing up
his Doctorate of Chiropractic and plans to join me in our office in
Fairport upon Graduation. We have not yet been blessed with children,
although are family consists of 4 very friendly furry dogs!

I enjoy spending time with family and friends, working out, shopping,
and reading/studying vaccinations and the immune system.

My passion is health and wellness, in my office I strive to have a
family wellness practice. My specialty in Chiropractic is in
pregnancy and pediatrics; I trained for my post doctoral certification
in pregnancy and pediatric chiropractic (CACCP) through the
International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (www.icpa4kids.com).
I am also certified in Active Release Technique (ART) which is a
system that is used to analyze and treat muscular and soft tissue
components of injuries.

Derleth Chiropractic
1387 Fairport Road
Fairport, NY 14450
Phone: (585) 598-3535
Fax: (585) 598-3534
Derlethchiropractic@gmail.com
www.Derlethchiropractic.com

October 2009 Meeting

Slow Food/Fall Harvest

Michael Warren Thomas, radio host of Savor Life and Rochester Convivium leader of Slow Food USA shared with the large group ways we can all enjoy slow foods. Michael, a Rochester resident, even has his own chicken coop for eggs!

Michael stressed how important buying from and supporting local farmers markets or CAS is to our health and to the local economy. The term slow foods is in reaction to the fast food movement.

September 2009 Meeting - Early Literacy

September 14, 2009: Early Literacy: Your Child's Journey to Reading

Rebecca Wolf, MA owner of Sibley Learning Center, shared a plethora of ideas of how to engage the young child in early reading skills. So many great ideas! She also had us experience what learning to read is like for a child so we'd be more understanding of their journey.

A few of her offerings:

• Montessori-inspired preschool for 3 and up
• Primary grades homeschooling group
• Short session multi-age music group
• Reading assessments
• Individualized homeschool curriculum development
• Private and group tutoring in reading

Basic Reading Assessment: reg price $75, Special HMN price $40
Private Reading Consultation: reg price $100 per curriculum, Special HMN price $40 per hour
phone (585) 935-7131

Rebecca (seated) sharing ideas with HMN member Melanie.

Just a few ideas and resources!

HMN member Jean and her son

HMN member Ashley with her daughter

August 2009 Meeting - Aromatherapy

We had an exciting, hands-on meeting with Pat Brogan, LMT and nationally certified Aromatherapist, of The Scents of Healing. Pat shared her wealth of information about the various ways to use essential oils and showed us how to make a spritzer and a jar of bath salts! We all got to make one of each! She also pampered us with lovely hand massages. ahhhh...
phone 585-473-6498
Young Living Oils Distributor

Pat Brogan on right giving a hand massage with essential oils

Making spritzers and bath salts

Lauri Boone, HMN Co-leader and member Veronica

Everyone's talking about essential oils

So much fun!

July 2009 Meeting: Dream Interpretation with Donna Grant

We had an informative meeting with Donna Grant, MSW of Artemis Psychotherapy and Counseling Services. Phone 585-442-3050.
There were many a-ha! moments.

Here's HMN Member Esra (left) and Donna Grant (right).

Thank you Eileen Mendoza for your 1.5 years of service as a co-leader! Below from left are HMN Members Veronica, Eileen, and Co-leader Lauri Boone.


A few HMN members.