Without getting into too much detail, when Miles Storm was first born, it took a huge toll on my husband and my relationship. While family and friends were worried about me developing postnatal depression, it was actually my husband who took our Son’s arrival the hardest. As a result, during the majority of the first year I spent a lot of time upstate NY in Rhinebeck (at our weekend house) with our 2 dogs and our newborn Son. My husband works in New York City, so we would see him on the weekends. It was rough for me for sure, although I hate admitting that. I saw a therapist on a weekly basis and tried my best to navigate through all the changes.

What also helped me was the discovery of the Holistic Moms Network Dutchess County Chapter which is based here in Rhinebeck. There are other Mothers groups in the area, but for me being “Green Inspired” this was a God Send. I found support, encouragement and answers to many questions that I had as a first time Mother. On top of that, there was acceptance and interest in some of my “wacky” ideas. And, I say “wacky” tongue-in-cheek as to me it is normal, however in comparison to traditional parenting, it could be considered so. “Wacky” ideas may include bringing a child up vegetarian and not vaccinating your child. Or maybe, you are considering a water or home birth, not to mention hypnobirthing (now that is really wacky – ha).

At the Holistic Moms Network, our mission is to generate national awareness, education, and support for holistic parenting and green living by providing nurturing, open-minded, and respectful local community networks that encourage families to share these ideals and learn from each other. — Holistic Moms Network

Eventually, around a year ago, my husband and my relationship recovered to its fullest and coinciding with us buying a bigger apartment Miles Storm, Rockstarr, Mohawk and I moved back to the city in the Williamsburg part of Brooklyn. We still come up to Rhinebeck every single weekend but during the week we live in the Big Smoke. This for me was another huge change and the sole reason I started this blog in the first place, but that is a whole other story.

Living in the city I missed the monthly meetings of the Holistic Moms upstate NY, and thinking about it I realized that Brooklyn needed a Chapter. As somebody recently said to me “If a successful Holistic Moms Network group cannot be started in Williamsburg the whole organization should just give up and fold”.

The Williamsburg area is full of people trying to make the Earth a better place from up-cycling to organic foods to rooftop gardens and green centers being built on top of schools, there really is a lot of like-minded people in the area.

Deciding to take a leap of faith and move forward with my thinking, I approached HMN and applied to be a co-leader and start a Chapter. It took almost a year working through the application process, and with the help of another local Mummy, last night we excitedly launched our Kick-Off event! I was so nervous, and I have to tell you I was petrified that nobody would show up. Alas, I did not need to worry as around 18 Mummies/Daddies stopped by, and what a wonderful diverse group of people they all are.

Not to mention, we had support from some awesome environmentally-focused brands too! I would LOVE to thank Little Duck Organics, DeLIFEful Foods, Zico Coconut Water and Ingo Cucumber Juice for supplying samples for us to enjoy. You all ROCK and I very much appreciate you making the night all that more awesome because you were on board!

All the Mums having a GREAT time

If you are in the immediate area and interested in joining the group we will be meeting at (the outstanding) Gourmet Guild in Sth Williamsburg on the second Wednesday night of every month.  Monthly meetings will involve all kinds of different topics like Organic Farming, Natural Birth Discussion, T-shirt Repurposing, Gluten Free Living, Learning How To Knit, Raising A Toxin-Free Family and Exploring Education Options: Homeschooling. We would love to see you there. For more information you can check out our web page HERE.

If you are not in the immediate area, live in the United States and interested in finding a local chapter, or maybe even start a chapter you can do so HERE.

Let’s Keep It Green People and Start A Revolution!