Mothering Magazine Review and Giveaway

Welcome December!  To ring in this month, I have some awesome reviews and giveaways for you, my darling friends.

My first review is something that is near and dear to my heart; a 1 year subscription to Mothering Magazine.  Shortly after Emma was born, my sister-in-law gave me a subscription to this magazine and in the last 7 years I have had a continuous subscription, save 1 year when we couldn't afford it.

Mothering is a different kind of parenting magazine.  It focuses more on natural parenting and less on the mainstream.  In their statement of purpose they state:

"Mothering celebrates the experience of parenthood as worthy of one's best efforts and fosters awareness of the immense importance and value of parenthood and family life in the development of the full human potential. As a readers' magazine, we recognize parents as the experts and wish to provide truly helpful information upon which parents can base informed choices.
Mothering is like no other publication. We are an original. Born in 1976 out of the need for the natural family community to learn about raising healthy children, Mothering was the birthplace of the natural family lifestyle.
Read in more than 65 countries, Mothering is the only independently owned, family living magazine in the world. We address contemporary health, personal, environmental, medical, and lifestyle issues in an upbeat, intelligent, compassionate, and courageous way.
Each issue contains philosophical inspiration and practical advice about family living. Topics are as diverse as circumcision, vaccinations, organic foods, childhood illnesses, home birth, ear infections, parenting teens, web site information, midwifery, and homeopathy.
Mothering is a family. We have an independent editorial spirit unmatched in the industry and a readership that is unmatched in responsiveness. Readers who read Mothering share many of the same values. Nowhere else will you find such proactive, passionate, and highly educated readers. In the pages of Mothering you will find an environment of credibility, trust, and authority. "

I absolutely adore this magazine.  Finding myself not choosing conventional ways of giving birth and parenting, I felt a bit lost when reading Parent's magazine.  Not that it isn't a good mag, it just didn't cater to what I was curious about.

So, Mothering was a breath of fresh air for me.  There have been numerous articles that I have earmarked and shared with other Moms.  Articles about vaccinations, breastfeeding, home birth, baby wearing, circumcision...the list goes on and on.  What I love though is that, while they are fabulous articles that get me thinking, they are very factual and have many studies and resources to back them up.

When you follow the link to Mothering (because, come on, I know you will) you will see that it is so much more than a magazine.  There are discussion forums also that you can join.  I have loved being part of the different due date forums when pregnant with Seth and Amelia (no time when I had Libby!), and popping in now and then for advice and to join a chat.

There is so much to learn there and I want to share it with one of you!  I am giving away a subscription to Mothering Magazine to one of you.  Mothering is not paying me to do this, in fact they have no idea that I am doing this.  I just love the mag and know that you will too.

So, to enter to win this all you have to do is leave me a comment.  I want to know how you incorporate gentle parenting into your everyday life and why.
To get additional entries you can...
1. tweet this
2. blog about it
3. post on facebook about it
4. follow this blog
5. subscribe to this blog.

Leave a comment for each additional entries.  If you leave one comment with all of your entries, you will only get one entry.

I will choose a winner on Tuesday, December 7 at 9pm MST.

Flu, Flu, What Do You Do?

It is that time of year again. Everywhere you turn you hear about the dangers of the flu season. There are debates all over the internet about whether to get the flu vaccine or not. And that isn't even considering all of the H1N1 debate.

Personally, we don't do flu shots. I had Influenza Type A when I was first pregnant with Libby and while it was the sickest I have ever been, it is very likely that had I had a shot, I would have gotten sick anyway. Instead, I choose to use natural remedies and good old preventative measures to keep us healthy.


I have long been a believer in and user of homeopathic remedies. I feel that it is a safe alternative and a great way to keep my family healthy. I use Chamomile for teething, Calms Forte for my anxious kiddos, Pulsatilla to turn a stubborn breech baby, Arnica for bruises and sore muscles...the list goes on and on.

Boiron was kind enough to send me three remedies to get ready for this cold and flu season.

Cold Calm Pellets - for treating the symptoms of the common cold

Children's Chestal - for those nasty coughs

Children’s Oscillococcinum - for flu symptoms including the fever, aches and pains that come with it.

Luckily my children are mostly healthy right now (except for the SUPER teething that one is going through), but I feel so much better knowing now that I have this at my disposal.

I think that medicine is great when you need it. I am also so glad that I have the option to treat my family in a more natural and less invasive way.

What about you? What do you do? Are you a hard core flu vaccine getter, or take more of a wait and see approach?

Remember, be kind and respect everyone's opinions, even if they are not similar to your own.