New Seasons

There is a chill in the air, the newly fallen leaves crunch under my feet, and it smells like "fall" outside.  I used to hate fall.  The start of fall was always a reminder that a freezing cold Chicago winter was just a few shot months away (if the cold held out that long).  Shorter colder days, less sunshine... not a recipe for happiness in my eyes.


Fall was always my moms favorite season.  She loved the changing colors of the trees, the falling leaves, the chilly sweater weather, all of it.  After she passed away, fall always brought her back to me a little.  Her memory seems more alive during this season.  So as the years pass (this is the 6th fall without my momma) I look forward to and embrace the season that I once hated.

It seems so fitting that Domestic Violence Awareness month is in October.  I feel like it was made especially for her.  If only she were the only victim of domestic violence.  Unlike so many other women who have died at the hands of their abusers, my mom escaped my dads grasp, she survived.  At least physically, she survived.  The trauma that years of abuse caused my mom, stayed with her until she died of a drug and alcohol overdose in February 2010, just 2.5 years after my dad passed away.

It is our honor to be hosting our 2nd annual Parenting Fair to kick off Domestic Violence Awareness Month. All proceeds from the parenting fair will be donated to this program, to help families in Joliet and surrounding areas get out of abusive situations, overcome, and not just survive, but thrive!  I hope that many of you reading this can come out and help us support this amazing, life changing program!

Warmly,
Andrea

Cathy's Reality Check/ Counting My Blessings

I really can't believe it's that time of year again.  Truly...didn't summer just start?  I'm writing this blog not as your doula, or business acquintance, but as a busy Mom.  I had such great aspirations for this summer.  Tons of reading, family time, and relaxation. I was going to step back a bit from the business world and enjoy my last summer, not being a student.  Babies have another plan.  We had tremendous business growth this summer. (Yay!!)  I also had tons of playtime with my kiddos. We enjoyed crafting, forts, swimming pools, and potty trained my youngest.  Pretty fantastic summer if you ask me!

I took a lot of time to relect on what I want to accomplish this year.  I am both nervous and excited about my kids starting school, and daycare for the first time. A part of me is jumping up and down that they will be back in school.  The other part wants to squeeze them to my side, and never let them leave.  This year I will be starting my midwifery program, juggling after school activities,running our business, and of course my household.

I am a type A personality.  I want everything to run smoothly and stay organized.  I want homecooked meals, a clean house, our business to grow, and straight A's.  I know this will not happen.  But a girl can hope. ;-)

We as women and moms, continually fill up our plates.  We want to succeed at everything.  I am afraid of overloading my proverbial plate and failing from the weight of all I have taken on.  Does anyone else feel like this or is it just me?!

In order to combat this, I am stating the allowances I will make myself.

1. I will try to continue to put God first.  This means church once a week, daily devotions and prayers and  leading a table of fine women at my local MOPS.  It's amazing how spiritually refreshed I feel when I take time to serve and learn about God.

2. I will spend quality time with my kids, even if I can no longer spend the quantity of time I want. This will include reading, crafts, and my least favorite...playing pretend.  When taking quality time with my kiddos, I will not check my phone (although if I'm on call, I'll still answer).  I will give them my undivided attention and not think about all the tasks I need to accomplish for the day.

3. Homecooked meals may have to include: sandwiches, cereal, and gasp...the occasional fast food banquet. I love cooking.  It pleases me to no end to give my family nourishing food that is free of processing.  Cooking is an outlet for me and about as creative as I get. Maybe I can spruce up chicken nuggets. ha ha ( I'm really not a crafty person.)

4. The house will no longer be able to be as clean as I want it to be.  Who am I kidding; it's never as clean as I want it to be.  I have 3 kids, 2 cats, 1 Labrador retriever, 2 goldfish, 6 chickens, and 1 chameleon.  This maybe harder for me to let go than anything else.  Lord, bring me peace on this.

4. While straight A's may not be achievable, I will strive to do the best I can do.  More importantly than straight A's, I really want to enjoy my studies.  On the days my kids are in daycare or in bed, I want to revel in my textbooks, write papers without focusing on how fast I can get it done. MCU is going to be amazing!

5. Lastly but just as importantly,  I will not forget about my husband.  He is my greatest cheerleader.  Being a Mom, student, business woman takes a great deal of time.  But none of those will be achievable if I don't take time to be a partner/wife to my beloved. Sometimes it's hard to change back into that role.  At the end of the day, and in a few years when my kids are living their own life.  It goes back to Kiel and I.  Taking the time to nurture our relationship is beyond priceless.

So this blog isn't about business at all.  It doesn't mean I'm not focused on business or that our clients arent' important to us. I wanted all you fabulous, lovely ladies to know a bit more about me.  I am a mom. I am a wife.  I am a doula.  I will be a student again.  I am going to nail this.  Even if it's not perfect, I will do it to the best of my ability.  I am blessed.

Peace,

Cathy

Amazing Things!!!

I'm so excited to be in the line of work that I'm in!  Being a birth and postpartum doula is an amazing job.  I may be biased, but I think we get the best clients EVER!  As Cathy begins midwifery school this fall, I'll be taking classes at my junior college to get the credits that I need to add IBCLC to the end of my name.  All the while, our main focus is to provide the best support possible to our pregnant, birthing, and postpartum clients.  As a CLS, who is not working under an IBCLC or in a hospital setting, my assistance to our breastfeeding clients can only go so far.  So, it only makes sense for me to continue my education to better serve our amazing clients!

In other news, 2 weekends ago I spent 3 days in beautiful Kearney, MO., with some of the most amazing women (and a few men) that I had ever met.  I'll spare you all the details here, but you can read about my experience on my personal blog, here: Andrea's Short Stories 

Being a birth & bereavement doula, I get tagged in Facebook posts semi-regularly, about a mom in the area, looking for support after suffering a loss.  I have several friends who have had losses, and I myself lost my very first baby, almost 14 years ago. It's something that happens all too often, more often than people think, because we don't talk about it.  But we don't forget, and it never goes away.  I feel this strong calling to start a loss support group that's not in a hospital setting.  A safe place for mothers and fathers to come to, to grieve, to share, to hope.  I truly hope to get a group up and running within the next few months.

Cathy also was able to spend a weekend recently, with some amazing midwives, learning all about midwifery type things. ;)  You'll have to ask her about.  I have no clue.  All I know is that she loved it.

Now, for the event of the year.....
Cathy and I are working hard to create a fundraiser event that is BIGGER AND BETTER than last year!  Last year we hosted a vendor fair and the proceeds were donated to Groudwork Domestic Violence Program.  We raised almost $800.  It was a ton of fun.  We had face painting and a bouncy house for the kids!  We had shopping!  We had food!  We had guest speakers!  However, we didn't get a ton of traffic.

How awesome would it be if we could double... or maybe even triple the amount that we raised last year!  Think about it.  This program is providing shelter to women escaping abusive relationships.  It's providing counseling, advocacy, legal resources, even basic necessities like food and toiletries. How amazing would it be to be a part of changing helping victims of domestic violence to become survivors!  But we can't do it on our own.  We need help.  We need vendors!  We need attendants!  We need volunteers!  We would like our vendor event to be focused on parenting resources this year, but we're having trouble finding vendors to fulfill those rolls.  We're thinking car seat safety techs, swim safety, speech therapy, family counseling, children's clubs, children's toys or clothing, and the likes.  We would love to hear any ideas!  For further info please email me at myers.andrea79@yahoo.com  Thanks for your help!

Warmly,
Andrea

Legacy Week! SBD Homecoming & more!!!

(Monday) #PleaseRemoveYourShoes

It's Legacy Week for SBD Doulas and SBD supporters!  I'm so excited to be a part of such a wonderful doula organization!  So, what is legacy week?  It's sort of like spirit week in high school.... with a different theme each day!!

• Monday's theme was *Please Remove Your Shoes*, which represents the respect that we are showing to our clients when they are inviting us in to support them through their birthing day.  
• Tuesday's theme (today) was *Love-Bringers are heroes* We were prompted to wear our capes, but I thought the best cape for me was my children.  They give me strength and motivate me to strive for better.  So here's a pic of me with my "cape" Daphne, helping me to bring all the love!
• Wednesday: connections, reaching toward others. {Show your hands: rings, bracelets, gloves, etc.}
• Thursday: creativity, resourcefulness, networking. {Show your signature flair, your colorful mind (or hair, hat, etc.).}
• Friday: going deep, whatever that means to you {(deep water, color, place).}

(Tuesday) #LoveBringersAreHeroes

 Since it's legacy week, we will be ending it with SBD's Homecoming this weekend!!!

It will be unlike any homecoming I've ever been too!  I'm traveling from Joliet, IL. to Kearney, MO.... and the roadtrip is going to be with 2 other doulas who I've never met in person before.  I'm so excited to take this trip, connect with other love bringers, and share with one another.  Friday we're having a potluck and lock-in, then Saturday will be filled with workshops, connections and special speakers!  Can Not Wait!!!

The following weekend (Saturday, August 6th) we have an awesome event planned for all the breastfeeding mom's in our lives, and those who support them.  Be sure to come out to our BIG Latch On event!!

And last but not least, our annual fundraiser to benefit Groundwork Domestic Violence Program will take place on October 1st!!  We're so excited to do this event again this year and would love to hear any ideas on how to draw in a big crowd.

Blogs for each of these events are coming soon!

Much Love,

Andrea

Legacy Week! SBD Homecoming & more!!!

(Monday) #PleaseRemoveYourShoes

It's Legacy Week for SBD Doulas and SBD supporters!  I'm so excited to be a part of such a wonderful doula organization!  So, what is legacy week?  It's sort of like spirit week in high school.... with a different theme each day!!

• Monday's theme was *Please Remove Your Shoes*, which represents the respect that we are showing to our clients when they are inviting us in to support them through their birthing day.  
• Tuesday's theme (today) was *Love-Bringers are heroes* We were prompted to wear our capes, but I thought the best cape for me was my children.  They give me strength and motivate me to strive for better.  So here's a pic of me with my "cape" Daphne, helping me to bring all the love!
• Wednesday: connections, reaching toward others. {Show your hands: rings, bracelets, gloves, etc.}
• Thursday: creativity, resourcefulness, networking. {Show your signature flair, your colorful mind (or hair, hat, etc.).}
• Friday: going deep, whatever that means to you {(deep water, color, place).}

(Tuesday) #LoveBringersAreHeroes

 Since it's legacy week, we will be ending it with SBD's Homecoming this weekend!!!

It will be unlike any homecoming I've ever been too!  I'm traveling from Joliet, IL. to Kearney, MO.... and the roadtrip is going to be with 2 other doulas who I've never met in person before.  I'm so excited to take this trip, connect with other love bringers, and share with one another.  Friday we're having a potluck and lock-in, then Saturday will be filled with workshops, connections and special speakers!  Can Not Wait!!!

The following weekend (Saturday, August 6th) we have an awesome event planned for all the breastfeeding mom's in our lives, and those who support them.  Be sure to come out to our BIG Latch On event!!

And last but not least, our annual fundraiser to benefit Groundwork Domestic Violence Program will take place on October 1st!!  We're so excited to do this event again this year and would love to hear any ideas on how to draw in a big crowd.

Blogs for each of these events are coming soon!

Much Love,

Andrea

Perfect Postpartum Soup

Healing Chicken Ginger Soup

I know that during the summer, hot soup is probably the furthest food from most people's minds. Yet, following pregnancy, a mother's body changes from hot to cold.  In order for her body to heal well, she needs warming, easy to digest foods, like soups and stews.  I've recently started a new postpartum training program with Sacred Postpartum.  Along with the wealth of information on ways to honor and nurture new mothers, there are quite a few delicious recipes to feed and nourish the body.  I found this recipe online at nourishingmeals.com and thought it sounded like a perfect postpartum meal to bring to a new mother.  This recipe yeilds 6 servings, so I would likely double the recipe to make it count. 

To make the broth, place all ingredients for broth into a 6-quart pot. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat medium-low and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Strain broth into a large bowl or another pot using a colander. Place chicken breasts onto a plate to cool. Pour the broth back into the pot. Once chicken is cooled, remove the skin, pull the meat from the bone and chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

For the Broth:

2 bone-in organic chicken breasts (about 2 pounds total)

8 cups water

1 large onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

1 whole head garlic, cut in half cross-wise

1/4 to 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh ginger (or more!)

2 to 3 thai chiles, chopped or 1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes

2 cups chopped shiitake mushrooms

1 stalk fresh lemongrass, chopped

cilantro stems

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

3 teaspoons Herbamare or sea salt

For the Soup:

1 medium onion, cut into crescent moons

3 to 4 stalks celery, sliced into diagonals

3 carrots, cut into matchsticks

2 to 3 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms

cooked chicken pulled from the bone and chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Optional Additions/Toppings:

rice noodles

chopped fresh basil

chopped fresh napa cabbage

chopped fresh cilantro

chopped fresh thai green chiles

lime wedges

Place all of the veggies for the soup (onion, carrot, celery, and shiitake mushrooms) into the pot with the broth. Cover and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer a minute or two more or until vegetables are cooked to your liking. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with a handful of basil, cilantro, and cabbage on top. Sprinkle with thai chiles if desired. You can also add a handful of cooked thai rice noodles to each bowl if desired. Squeeze a little lime juice over each bowl. Make sure to have some tissues handy if you are using the thai chiles!

If you try this recipe, let us know how you liked it!  If you have a great postpartum meal that you bring to new mothers, please share the recipe below!

Warmly,

Andrea

Tasty Tuesday-American Flag Fruit Dessert

America.  Home of the brave, land of the free, tastiest food anywhere!  With the 4th of July coming up, BBQ's will be a plenty.  We will be helping a lovely mother with some postpartum services so she can be relaxed and enjoy her festivities.

Here is one of my easy recipes to share at any 4th of July picnic/bbq/get together.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. washed strawberries
1 pkg. washed raspberries
1 pkg. washed cherries
1 pkg. washed blueberries
white chocolate covered pretzels

Supplies:
1 ceramic bowl
1 lg. platter

Directions:

Put blueberries in bowl.
Place bowl on upper lefthand corner of platter.
Alternate layers of red fruits with white pretzels to resemble flag.
Done. You've earned the right to devour the remaining packages of fruit/pretzels.

Here's the link from my pinterest if you want to read this woman's blog.

Happy 4th of July!!!

-Cathy