TouchstoneZ

I have an addiction to my Google Reader. So to justify it, I’m sharing some of my favorite blog posts and articles that I’ve come across. I’m joining it up with Authentic Parenting’s Sunday Surf.

PhD in Parenting talks about how we don’t necessarily talk about parenting young children when things are going well. We wait until we can’t take it anymore and then we look for the magic silver bullet to fix it all for us. She shares the truth about those days when we’re challenged. We don’t need advice or criticism. We need to be heard. We need space and time to heal…well, I’m going on about it when you can just go read and resonate for yourself.

One of the main reasons I do not appreciate the current trend of over-gendering of children in the USA is that it limits choices. I feel that adults interrupt the natural flow of creative play too often because of their own discomfort. I try to avoid the overtly gender-fied toys, which I am often avoiding already because they are made on the other side of the world with questionable environmental and safety policies. But, there were two plastic toy companies that I loved because they invite open-ended, non-gender-specific, imaginative, creative play: Lego and Playmobil. So, imagine my disappointment that both of these companies are deciding which gender should play with which toys. These two posts sum up the issues beautifully: Achilles Effect wrote this piece exploring Lego’s “Girl Problems” And Princess-Free Zone has this post, Lego and Disney are Lazy

Is it wrong to have freedom of choice to educate your kids? I mean, does it undermine society? Many people think so. They find homeschooling, or even worse unschooling, to be against the interests of an ordered society. Again, I wonder about the dissonance between freedom of choice and upholding the status quo that seems to be the crux of many issues societies are wrestling with. This idea is eloquently explored by Kelly Hogaboom with Question: Is Unschooling a Form of Anarchy?

Adventures in Mommyhood: Mommy Outnumbered, like so many parents, was deeply moved by the pain that mothers feel after a loss. She said she felt strongly about writing, but didn’t know if she could since she had never experienced the loss of a child. She was upset about the criticisms being heaped on a certain mother of many in the public eye after she announced a recent loss. So, she wrote this insightful post about it: Now It is Acceptable to Bully Grieving Mothers?

I was involved in two Carnivals this past week that could fill Warm Link Hugs with fabulous reads. The first, of course, is the Mindful Mama Carnival that I run with Kelly of Becoming Crunchy. The second was the Safe CoSleeping Carnival, organized by Jenn from Monkey Butt Junction. Please check out the links from those posts to see the impressive writing talents of the many participants. I’m still enjoying reading my way through the posts.

Adventures in Mommyhood: MommyOutnumbered has also been running a fabulous month-long spotlight on individual bloggers. It encourages de-lurking. She is asking everyone who appreciates a blog post to give comment love. It means so much to bloggers. If you haven’t checked it out, please do so: You Rock! Blogs.

And, yet, again I have no time to proof-read this post before publishing. My apologies for errors.

So, warm up your clicking fingers and please share your comment love to my warmest link hugs:

Looking for more great reads? Please check out my Facebook Page, Follow me on Twitter (and of course, surf on over to Authentic Parenting. She’s always got something good to read)

Did you make to the end? If you’ve got a List of Favorite Links that you blog, feel free to link it up below in the comments section!

Related articles

• This Week’s Warm Link Hugs: 12 November 2011 (touchstonez.com)
• This Week’s Warm Link Hugs: 9 October 2011 (touchstonez.com)
• This Week’s Warm Link Hugs: 6 November 2011 (touchstonez.com)
• I Let Mama Sleep in the Big Bed (touchstonez.com)
• Letter to Littles: November 2011 (touchstonez.com)

Read Full Post »

I have an addiction to my Google Reader. So to justify it, I’m sharing some of my favorite blog posts and articles that I’ve come across. I’m joining it up with Authentic Parenting’s Sunday Surf.

So, warm up your clicking fingers and please share your comment love to my warmest link hugs this week’s Special Edition: Selections from The Carnival of Natural Parenting:

• Passionate and Compassionate: How do We do It? — Kelly at Becoming Crunchy shares the importance of understanding your motivation for advocacy.
• I will not hide behind my persona — Suzi Leigh at Attached at the Boob discusses the benefits of being honest and compassionate on the internet.
• A journey to compassion and connection — Jessica at Instead of Institutions shares her journey from know-it-all to authentic advocacy.
• Some Thoughts on Gentle Discipline — Darcel at The Mahogany Way shares her thoughts and some tips on Gentle Discipline.
• What Frank Said — Nada at miniMOMist has a good friend named Frank. She uses his famous saying to demonstrate how much natural parenting has benefited her and her family.
• Why I Open My Big Mouth — Wolfmother from Fabulous Mama Chronicles reflects on why she is passionate about sharing parenting resources.
• Everyday Superheroes — Who needs Superman when we have a community of compassionate advocates?! Dionna at Code Name: Mama believes that our community of gentle bloggers are the true superheroes.
• Compelling without repelling — Lauren at Hobo Mama cringes when she thinks of the obnoxious way she used to berate people into seeing her point of view.

Looking for more great reads? Please check out my Facebook Page and Follow my Google Reader where I share my even more of my favorite posts (and of course, surf on over to Authentic Parenting. She’s always got something good to read)

Did you make to the end? If you’ve got a List of Favorite Links that you blog, feel free to link it up below in the comments section!

Read Full Post »

I have an addiction to my Google Reader. So to justify it, I’m sharing some of my favorite blog posts and articles that I’ve come across. I’m joining it up with Authentic Parenting’s Sunday Surf.

So, warm up your clicking fingers and please share your comment love to my warmest link hugs this week:

I love this post from FreePlayLife because she proves that brownies (oh, beloved brownieeeeees!) can be the source for your unconscious mind to create a habit. And this desperate holding  on to the habit is “created when what we really have is wished away for something that we want more. You can spend your life wanting something else, but happiness comes from accepting what really is”

Modern Alternative Mama’s thought-provoking post about feminism and mothering discusses how much of feminism has degenerated into judgment. She argues that it should be about creating and supporting choices for women, but the labeling has led to arguments between women, thus disempowerment.

Underbellie has this post about why normalizing Breastfeeding is important for us all. This is one of the main reasons why I, and many other mothers, post breastfeeding photos. It is denigrated and often isolating when it needs to be just normal, everyday occurrence that no one would bat and eye about.

A powerful list of reasons from Raising My Boychick declaring “I’m Pro-Choice Because…” I like this post because it does not matter where you fall on the issue, each of these reasons is to be savored deeply, not just read through like a normal post (although, you could do that as well.) This is a post that you can use to explore the issue within your heart and mind. You may be surprised at what arises empathetically for all sides of this emotionally charge topic.

We’re dealing with the S-word in the house right now. “STUPID!” Is something I do not enjoy hearing in any context and my boys are spinning each other up (and me) by using it several times a day. The Attached Family tackles this issue with What to do when children demean each other. This site is great to explore!

My favorite Imperfect Happiness Post I stalked enjoyed this week was The joy of surrender, the pain of holding on. IP and I, along with a lot of other people I’m finding out, are exploring the edges of pain and suffering on our paths to letting go of beliefs.

I hope you’ve worked up an appetite with that deep reading, This is one of my absolute favorite recipes. It also happens to be from my favorite, Mothering Magazine (pause for mourning *sigh*. ) We make this cilantro crusted chicken recipe (and by we, I mean my husband) often and serve it with brown rice, steamed broccoli and salad. I like to make a bowl-dish out of mine by layering rice and broccoli then topping with the chicken and a bit of the sauce. Yum!

Looking for more great reads? Please check out my Facebook Page and Follow my Google Reader where I share my even more of my favorite posts (and of course, surf on over to Authentic Parenting. She’s always got something good to read)

Did you make to the end? If you’ve got a List of Favorite Links that you blog, feel free to link it up below in the comments section!

Read Full Post »

I have an addiction to my Google Reader. So to justify it, I’m sharing some of my favorite blog posts and articles that I’ve come across. I’m joining it up with Authentic Parenting’s Sunday Surf.

So, warm up your clicking fingers and please share your comment love to my warmest link hugs this week:

This week, I was thinking about blog quality vs blog quantity and whether there is a compromise between the two. While thinking about this, I read a bunch on traffic driving and it’s got me thinking about whether actively growing a blog is always a goal. A great guest post on Problogger about: Why Mom Didn’t Make It As A Blogger has some good advice for how to do it, if you choose to go that route.

If you’re looking to green up your life and take advantage of the accompanying frugal benefits, Authentic Parenting has a good post on Green Living: 25 Tips on Waste Reduction

If you’ve ever felt at the end of your rope with gentle sleep practices, The Connected Mom has a reassuring post that it isn’t any easier using CIO methods in Four Lies Sleep Trainers Tell You and One Truth They Won’t

Raising My Boy Chick points out the problems in the oft-used dichotomy between raising kids who are productive members of society and those who follow their hearts without regard  to fitting in: “Happy” kids or “productive” kids. The question is flawed.

I’m thinking about some future blog projects from some lists I’ve read recently. I love these Happiness Posts: Elephant Journal shares 32 Unusual Ways to Bring Abundance into Our Lives. And from Illuminated Mind: Your Dissatisfaction Is A Gift

I had a suggestion to branch out a bit in future posts and share some more home-related things like my favorite homemade foods, cleaning products, and homeschooling ideas. So, while I’m twisting my chicken into lotus pose for a photo, here is one of my favorite Perfect Roast Chicken recipe from Elana’s Pantry (and, it actually doesn’t have almond flour in it!)

“I am a breastfeeding Nazi.” Lay Baby Lay puts it all out there in Mommy Wars. She makes some great points about how being in the minority automatically places whatever you say under the extremist label.

This post from Think Body Electric is long but well-worth the read (especially good if you’re looking for several contemplative writing prompts) about valuing and integrating both our reason and spirit in: Thinking & Dreaming Yoga: Integrating Both Left & Right Brains to Change the World

From NVC, a great parenting article about hearing the “yes” in the “no.” There are a ton of great parenting and relationship articles here to explore

My favorite Imperfect Happiness Post I stalked enjoyed this week was Please and Thank you. And not because she references my post (Thank you, IP!) but because it shows how bloggers vibe off one another, refining and often improving upon different ideas we come across. I am passionate for print media, but electronic media has stolen me forever because it is alive!

Looking for more great reads? Please check out my Facebook Page and Follow my Google Reader where I share my even more of my favorite posts (and of course, surf on over to Authentic Parenting. She’s always got something good to read)

Did you make to the end? If you’ve got a List of Favorite Links that you blog, feel free to link it up below in the comments section!

Read Full Post »

I have an addiction to my Google Reader. So to justify it, I’m planning to share my favorite blog posts and articles that I’ve come across. I’m joining it up with Authentic Parenting’s Sunday Surf, although I have yet to decide when posting this will best fit into my schedule.

So, warm up your clicking fingers and please share your comment love to my warmest link hugs this week:

Attachment Parenting International addresses some issues about struggling to maintain gentle discipline as children get older. As they say, it’s easy to attachment parent a baby, but what about as they get older and you are confronted with your own issues as well as societal expectations: 10 ideas to help children learn to say “Thank you” and Maintaining Attachment Parenting as They Grow and Become Big Siblings

I really wish this weren’t true, but I’m glad to know. Pushing the ick-factor and confirming urban myths From My Plastic-Free Life: What I learned from the rat in my toilet.

Do you ever say or do something while parenting and wish you had been able to stop yourself that millisecond before? Or do you ever watch your kids’ faces just before they get angry and see fear there? Read The “About to Moment” from Susan Kaiser Greenland

Epic Self dishes up some very useable tips to being healthy in: 5 Easy Ways to Add More Raw Food Into Your Life

Starry Mom recounts her experience of fat prejudice at the cosmetics counters in Don’t Bother Buying Cosmetics if you’re Fat.

Do you think new moms know it all about breastfeeding? This is a good one to share. Adventures in Mommyhood has a Top 10 Things Every Breastfeeding Mother Needs to Know.

Guggie Daly shares her research on some of the hot button topics in parenting, birthing, and pregnancy. It walks the line between honoring anecdotal experience and evidence-based information. This may piss you off: Confessions of a Mom Who Has Been There, Done That

Yet another convincing argument for the vital importance of play, not instruction for kids. When will formal educators wake up and get it that Early Instruction Makes Kids Dumb ?

Things are still going strong with Code Name: Mama’s March of Kindness. I even won the random drawing from Rock Paper Tree. So, please go check out her website. She has got some gorgeous items there.

If you’re looking for more great reads, Please check out my Facebook Page and Follow my Google Reader where I share my even more of my favorite posts.

I hope you enjoy these reads and leave them some comment love. If you’ve got your own recommendations for things you’ve read feel free to add the link below (and of course, surf on over to Authentic Parenting. She’s always got something good to read)

If you’ve got a List of Favorite Links that you blog, feel free to link it up below in the comments section below.

Read Full Post »