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| February 2011 | Vol 3, Issue 2 |
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| Greetings! |
 In this issue of the
Healthe Mama News: Fair Trade and Attachment Parenting!
So many exciting things are happening in our community this year! We have a fabulous new member benefit to introduce this month: our 2011 Living Green, Saving Green Online Member Savings Book. Packed with great discount offers and coupons, it will help everyone to save on great products and services all year long!
As we follow our own holistic journeys, Holistic Moms is there to offer new information, support, and resources! In this issue we'll explore fair trade and attachment parenting. And check out our HMN Cookbooks for great ideas for healthy nutrition!
Questions? Don't hesitate to contact us! We love to connect!
Share the Healthe Mama News with a friend! |
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WHAT IS . . . FAIR TRADE? | |
This year we are exploring some of the key issues, topics, terms, and practices of holistic living to learn more and discover how they might fit into our families and lifestyles!
Fair What? 
One of the newly popular certifications we are seeing in the natural products industry is "Fair Trade". What does that mean?
According to the Fair Trade Federation, fair trade "is a holistic approach to trade and development that aims to alter the ways in which commerce is conducted, so that trade can empower the poorest of the poor." The principles of fair trade are simple: create opportunities for disadvantaged producers, do not maximize profit at the expense of the producers, pay a fair price, abolish child and forced labor, and encourage sustainable technologies, among others.
What Certification Means
Bearing a certification for Fair Trade means that a product has been produced according to Fair Trade standards which are designed to support the sustainable development of small-scale producers and agricultural workers in the poorest countries in the world. Buying Fair Trade products is a powerful way to support producers in developing countries. Fair Trade helps workers and farmers to earn a decent living and secure a better life for themselves. What Products Carry the Fair Trade Label?You can look for a variety of Fair Trade products and will often find the following items available with Fair Trade certification: bananas, cocoa/chocolate, coffee, cotton, flowers, honey, sugar, and rice. Why Support Fair Trade? According to Global Exchange, Fair Trade brings the benefits of trade into the hands of communities that need it most. It sets new social and environmental standards for international companies and demonstrates that trade can indeed be a vehicle for sustainable development.
Unfortunately, the benefits of Fair Trade are not reaching all Fair Trade farmers because of insufficient demand for their crops. Producers sell an average of 20% of their crop at Fair Trade terms; the rest goes through the world market at much lower prices. The same story goes for artisans. That is why we need to build a market for Fair Trade in the U.S.!
Now you know! |
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SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT:
NATURAL LIFE MAGAZINE | |
Natural Life is North America's original natural family living magazine. Founded in 1976, it is now trusted by readers around the world who want to learn how to create a greener, healthier, more sustainable lifestyle for themselves, their families, their communities, and the planet!
Topics covered in each issue include natural parenting, life learning, organic gardening, sustainable housing, wellness and green living. Visit Natural Life at www.NaturalLifeMagazine.com. Look for a special offer from Natural Life Magazine for HMN Members in our NEW Online Member Savings Book!! |
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EAT BETTER IN 2011! | |
Did you resolve to eat better in 2011?
Looking for a new dietary path? Need recipes for your favorite vegetarian, locavore, gluten-free friend, or smoothie lover?
Then pick up HMN's two member-created cookbooks, Growing Healthy Families and Many Paths, One Journey to Health! Each book is packed with healthy, kid-friendly recipes to improve your nutrition.
From Gluten-Free Granola Bars and Quinoa Spinach Salad, to Healthy Birthday Cake and Raw Creamy Chocolate Mousse, you'll find mama-tested recipes that will help you fulfill your resolutions!
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| HMN NEWS | |
 NEW HMN Member Benefit: Online Savings Book! We're all looking to live greener and healthier on a budget. And the Holistic Moms Network just made it a little easier! We are excited to introduce our brand new 2011 Living Green, Saving Green Online Savings Book for members. This fabulous little book is packed with discount codes and coupons from our wonderful Sponsors, good throughout the year! With more than $40 worth of savings and additional offers coming soon, you can't go wrong! (HMN membership is only $45/year so it's a steal!). Members can access the book on our Online Members Community. Not a member? It's easy to join today - and save!!
Increase Your Happiness! Happiness expert and author Dan Buettner (recently appearing on Oprah) says "The happiest Americans report a full eight hours of social interaction a day - face time, not Facebook. Joining a club that meets just once per month can have an effect on your happiness equivalent to doubling your salary." Have you found your tribe through HMN yet??
New HMN Chapters Forming! Looking for a sense of community and support for 2011? Look no further than Holistic Moms! We have new Chapters popping up across the US, or you can build your own with our help, resources, mentors, and like-minded Chapter Leaders to help guide you! This month, we welcome a new in Chapter Richland County/Mid-Ohio! Join us!
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WHAT IS ATTACHMENT PARENTING? by Linda Folden Palmer, DC | |
 When it comes to optimal psychological development, it has been shown over and over by researchers that following nature's powerful plan works best. Recently, a name has been given to this natural parenting style: Attachment Parenting.
Babies are born with dynamic tools to communicate their vital, basic needs. Parents become wired neurologically and hormonally during pregnancy and through prolonged physical contact with the newborn to know how to provide baby's needs.
Infants universally will cry when laid down alone, when in need of stimulation for brain development, when hungry, and when in need of loving. This desperate cry invokes a strong desire in the parent to provide. Acting on the instinctual craving to hold, protect, and comfort the child sows the seeds for life-long trust, and plants the image in the child that they are worthy of care and attention.
The baby care practices that attachment parents have found to provide optimal physical and emotional health and intellectual development include:
� Responding to baby's cries
� Holding and carrying baby closely much of the day
� Nighttime parenting promoted by flexible sleep arrangements, especially sharing sleep with baby
� Exclusive breastfeeding on cue
� Continued breastfeeding beyond solid foods; avoiding forced premature weaning
� Speaking to and interacting with baby frequently, responding to cues
� Interpreting exploration as mind development rather than as "naughty behavior"
� Validating baby's feelings
� Enriching dialog and guidance as opposed to violent discipline or meaningless dogma
� Non-violent toys and play
Respecting the feelings and needs of every member in the household is just as important, albeit giving baby some priority.
Linda Folden Palmer is a doctor of chiropractic, a consultant and speaker on pediatric nutrition and natural parenting challenges, a science writer, and a mother. She is a member of the Holistic Moms Network's Advisory Board. She is the author of Baby Matters , and the updated and embellished version, The Baby Bond, The New Science Behind What's Really Important When Caring for Your Baby . Learn more at her website at www.thebabybond.com for more natural parenting information. |
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