i am bliss-blessin' & manifestin' for single mama community, love, & yoga interconnection, in boulder & beyond this 2012!!!

Disclaimer: sleepy, sleepy mama alert, please forgive all typos and sillyness;)

After realizing I have about five different names for my blog and for this project listed throughout my postings I wanted to make it loud and clear that the official name for my blog is "Nourished Mama." The official name for this project is "The Free Yoga for Single Mamas Project , Boulder." We are not yet affiliated with "Yoga for Single Mothers, Boston," but someday soon I hope to be part of their enfolding non-profit organization. In fact, I spoke with Chanel Luck, the Founder of Yoga for Single Mothers, about her organization's plans and overall vision earlier today. And I was pleasantly surprised and elated to hear she also wants to include a community dinner as part of the program! Great big hearts dream alike!

Imagine this... it's Friday, you just get out of work, and you go pick up the kids.  You are feeling really drained from a long week, both at work and at home. You swing by home, walk the dog, feed the cat, change into your comfy clothes, & head on over to some cool location (I have yet to find) for a yoga class! You drop your kids off at this beautiful childcare room, under the care of a couple friendly mamas. Your wee ones are super stoked about playing, dancing, and practicing yoga with other wee ones of all ages. At the class, you are surrounded by single mamas who totally understand why you have food stains on your clothes & why you let out a huge heavy sigh as you collapse onto your mat. You melt into the poses, releasing all the built up tension and stored emotions of your week. You breathe deeply, your mind expands - you finally have an hour all to yourself! This hour feels like an eternity, as if times stops just for you, as you become completely embodied and comfy in your own skin again. By the end of the class you are feeling restored, replenished, recharged & ready to eat! You meet your content (yet wiped out:) kids at the community dinner table and share a healthy, delicious meal with the other blissed-out, relaxed single mamas and their kids, like one big, happy unconventional family! You chat. connect. make friends. learn. relate. exchange numbers. make plans. build community. You feel less isolated. You feel more connected. inspired. empowered. grateful. appreciated. Nourished. By the end of evening you are one happy mama with a smile in your heart chakra, a twinkle in your solar plexus, and a hop in your when transitioning into your next yoga pose! .. and best of all it won't cost ya a single, pretty penny! How does that sound?

So I have to confess that this project will not be started by the New Year as planned. My lamo excuses are...babby-daddy drama, the holy-days, heading back to school, job searching, the crazyness of single mamahood, and the moving process! I was accepted into a Family Self-Sufficiency Program, so I am moving into one of their units in Boulder. If you have not heard of this program, please check it out. The wait list for Boulder County is currently closed, but it will reopen again so keep on checking. There are similar programs throughout the U.S. This five year program aids low-income families in accomplishing their career goals, with the long-term goal being that of home ownership. They provide affordable housing, a supportive caseworker (I am viewing this as my motivational coach!), parenting and budgeting classes, and this part is just amazing - all my rent money will be returned to me at the end of the program to be used as a down payment on my home (and my vision of total family self-sufficiency - off the grid style - earthship/yurt/hobbithouse dwelling!)

Back to the project...it will happen. I am still totally dedicated to The Yoga for Single Mamas Project! It is just taking a bit more time than I thought to put all the pieces together. In the mean time nourish thy self always. Please make the mama-time mamas. You take care of everything, so don't forget to take care of your radiant self and creative spirit. Mini-retreats everyday for even ten minutes can make a significant impact on your quality of your life and lower your stress levels. Happy mamas = happy kids = happy mamas and so forth. More to come soon on "DIY Nourishment for Your Radiant Self & Creative Spirit in Ten Minutes or Less!!!"

From my infinite mama-heart, full of dreams, much love, & enduring patience, to yours,

Val

Nov. 25th Show at Boulder's Fox Theater, 10% of proceeds for The Free Yoga for Single Mamas Project!

Check out this show! 10% of proceeds from this show will go towards The Free Yoga for Single Moms Project. Also I will be serving kumbucha, raw treats, and vegan wraps (possibly). Revolutionary hip hop, art, live dance, and soul food! Featuring The Wandering Monks, The Freedom Movement, Mike Wird, Gaia Experiment, etc... Don't miss this!
P.S The first person to post this link on their wall, visit my blog, Mothering the Mother, make a responsive comment, join the blog, and then post a link to my blog on their wall will receive 2 free tickets! Just send me a FB message that you accomplished all that along with your address, and I will send them your way. Thanx!

http://www.foxtheatre.com/2011/11/25/0700PM/Art4thepeople

Much love and nourishment,

Val

Boulder Deals that Can Really Help a Single Mama Out

WOW, it is so hard to just write a single blog when you are the single mom of a toddler!  This whole mama thing is ten times more challenging than I ever imagined, yet one hundred times more rewarding as well.  

So I was estatic to discover two amazing deals for low-income mamas in Boulder this past week.  Yes, there really are deals in super chic Boulder if you seek them out.  The City of Boulder Recreation Centers (North, East, and South Boulder) offer a reduced rate for families within city limits.  The income limit for a family of two is $35,850, a family of three is $40,350 and so forth.  If you have Medicaid or live in Public Housing you automatically qualify.  You and your children receive half off on all drop-in rates and reduced rates on punch cards and annual passes (even more savings).  You can sign up for one registered class each season for half-off, while your children can sign up for two!  Sage and I have signed up for the weekly Toddler Dance class at the North Boulder Rec Center. We got the half off discount making it an affordable $28 for the Winter season.  We love it!

So I know this is not free yoga with free childcare but its a start!  We will get there eventually, promise.  You can nourish yourself with a yoga class for only $3.40!  And better yet their is a discounted childcare rate as well.  I believe it is half off also bringing the total to around $3.25 for 90 minutes, and $1.25 extra for each additional child.  It is a beautiful childcare room with an outside playground and really friendly caregivers.  Unfortunately, the childcare hours are not that great for a working mother.  There is an wonderful, affordable drop-in daycare center called Children's Alley on Mapleton and 14th that I utilize when needed.  They are a deal in themselves.  

 Note:  It is super easy to visit the Iris Building on Iris and Broadway (not the North Boulder Rec. Center, right next door, to the north) and fill out the application and get approved right then and there.  Please make sure to follow the link below and take a look at the application, so you know what documentation to bring.  

http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4029&Itemid=1991

The second deal is from the Farmer's Market and is one that I sadly caught onto a bit too late - but there is always next Spring. Had I known that  Red Wagon Farms gives all EBT customers (Foodstamps) half off of their fresh, organic produce my son and I would having been eating like kings and queens for the past six months.   Even though the Farmer's Market is over, I wanted to make sure to get the word out to all EBT cardholders to head on over to Red Wagon Farms stand first thing next Spring.  We can afford to eat fresh, organic, and local foods.  Yay!  Thank you Red Wagon Farms for looking out for low-income folks and families.  Hoping more shall follow in your footsteps.  

Any other deals?   Please share.

Comments Please

So there have been about 100 visits to this blog so far, yet there are zero comments!  Please let me know what you think of this visionary project.  I can not do this without you!  I need your input please.  Also, I need folks to help make this  dream into a reality.  Please contact me if that's you.

Thank you kindly,

Val

Please Spread the Love and Support this Blog!

Yeah!  Thanks to the Apple Wrangler (see my links) my blog views have doubled since yesterday!  Even though this is a Boulder based project, there should be similar projects throughout the country, continent, world.  Please spread the word.  Once I gain some momentum, experience, and wisdom with the Boulder based project (and from the Boston based project), I would love to help this spread like wildfire!

Also, please keep coming back!  I will be posting articles, insight, and tips related to single mamahood, mama community, and nourishing our mamaselves.  A little bit about mwa...I am a single mama of a 20 month old boy (Sage), and I would love for our story, our life to be of inspiration to other single mamas, so I will be sharing my heart on this blog as well.  The beginning of my mamahood journey was traumatic, yet in the enfolding of the past two years I transformed from living primarily in the depths of despair and pain to living more fully in my heart, feeling connected to my spirit and to my son.  If I can flourish and thrive, make the time to nourish myself and form community, be present and loving for my son, and accept and love all my imperfections as a single mama, any mama can!  All my experiences have overflowed the ocean of my being with so much compassion for other mamas and for the world.  (My story to be continued...)

More mamalove headed your way,
Val

Single Mama (re)Defined

Hello Mamas and Mama Fans,

So this rainy day has led me to some deep contemplation about the definition of single motherhood.  Who is considered a single mama?  Who should receive the "gifts" of this project?

Well, here is what I came up with...

Any mama who feels they carry the bulk of the responsibility of raising and caring for their children.  Any mama who feels they are not receiving all of the support they need from their children's fathers or their partner.

Sadly, this will include many mamas who share custody with the father/partner or are even living with the father/partner.  And it may even include single fathers, grandmothers, the eldest child, or other caretakers - there are many types of families nowadays. Of course, this project is more geared towards single mamas who are all on their own, but I understand that many mamas with partners are also not receiving the support they need and may at times feel like a single mama.  (Although, I want to emphasize the importance of all Mothering the Mother participants sensitivity to the mamas without dadas.  Basically, this it is not the place for complaints or discussion about your husband/partner for this can really ostracize single mamas, and this is the number one reason why single mamas feel disconnected from other mother/parenting groups.)

To sum it up, I would love to use the honor system for our free gifts.  If you feel as though you are a single mama most of the time then please benefit from these upcoming projects.  If you are a mama that feels very supported by the father or your partner then please spread the love and provide support for other mamas by volunteering for Mothering the Mother!  By serving other mothers, you are serving yourself.  If you look at it in this light, Mothering the Mother is a gift for all mamas.

From my ever expanding, gigantic mama's heart to yours,
Val

Update...

Free Yoga for Single Mamas

I am waiting to hear back about possible funding to get this project rolling.  In the mean time I want to network, network, network.  Please share this blog on Facebook to get the word out, and then also spread the word the old fashioned way - face to face.  My goal is to have at least one free yoga class per week in Boulder with coordinating childcare/children's yoga by the New Year.

Family Grub Night

Because it is so much easier to cook for a family instead of for just two.  Because sometimes a mama wants to eat delicious food (that her kids don't want to eat).  Because even with her lovely children, it can still be a lonely table for a single mama.  Because it is challenging to prepare a healthy, homemade meal every night of the week.  Because food tastes better with good company.  Because sharing a meal builds community.

I am digging this model... We take turns meeting at one another's homes once a week to share a meal.  The hostess of the week prepares the main meal, something simple, healthy, natural, yummy, and if possible low allergen (gluten and dairy free).  Examples of simple one or two pot meals... soup, curry, crock pot/dutch oven meal, etc... .  Then another mama brings a salad, another mama brings the dessert, another mama brings a dish for the picky eaters (example; mac n' cheese, pizza, etc..), two other mamas clean, and the rest of the mamas have the night off.  These tasks are rotated every week allowing for the mamas to take turns and have a night free of dinner duty at least once a month.  But the goal is to make this dinner easy and fun for every one.   We could even make a simple dessert together involving the kids or have theme dinners - lets get creative!   As the dinner group grows, we find a larger kitchen to use (such as at a church), and we have a rotating working and non-working group.   What do you think?

Goal - Have one trial dinner by the New Year.  Just one - its possible!

Mama Creativity Time (better name, anyone, please?)

Single mamas get together  twice a month to work on their creative endeavors.  The first meeting per month will be a workshop with guest artists and creative folks leading us in our creative process.  The second meeting will be to work on our own creative endeavors and/or share them with a supportive group of single mamas.  Example:  crafty things, knitting, gifts, toys, collages, poetry, paintings, a food project, etc...anything that sparks your creative fire and makes you feel alive!  The point of meeting in a group is to be able to focus on your creativity and get inspired.  Free childcare will be provided, although   until we build our momentum mamas may have to take turns with the childcare.

Goal - One Mama Creative Time by the New Year.  This will happen!

Additional Upcoming Plans

- a website - by the New Year

- an informational, outreach flier - within the next month

- a meeting with volunteers or those who want to form a collective to organize all of these projects - within the next month

Oh yeah, I am hoping to form a collective of folks (not just single mamas, really anyone who wants to serve single mamas) who want to turn Mothering the Mother, Nourishment and Community for Single Mamas in Boulder from a vision into reality.

Let's make this all happen!  Please contact me a.s.a.p if you want to help in any way or want to join any of these projects.  Thank you.

From my forever growing, big mama heart to yours,

Val

Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs... since the payment is pure love.
- Mildred B. Vermont

Your body as a musical instrument...

Think of your body as a musical instrument, a wind instrument. Your breath, accordingly, is the wind through the instrument. As such, it is the single most important aspect of yoga technique. Traditionally considered the primary carrier of prana – life force – your breathing originates deep inside you, radiates outward and then inward, providing a gentle and steady rhythm for movement, stretch and release.— Erich Schiffman

Welcome

Welcome to The Nourished Mama, a blog about both my ventures in single mamahood and my project in the works -The Yoga for Single Mamas Project.  This visionary project aims to support single mothers and their children in the Boulder area by providing experiences that nourish and restore while also creating a strong, supportive community.  Being a single mother can be rather challenging and a lot of hard work, therefore, you deserve time to unwind and have some fun.  You deserve gifts of appreciation and gratitude.  The Yoga for Single Mamas Project will have absolutely free yoga with free childcare provided.   Upcoming  plans are a Mamas Day Out with free childcare; a Family Grub Night - a healthy, delicious dinner  where we do the cooking and cleaning for you; and an Unleashing Creativity class with free childcare.  Single mamas can have so much pent up creative energy and many lack the time to fully express themselves, well here is your chance!  

Single moms take care of everything.  So, we take care of you.

More about The Boston based non-profit, Yoga for Single Moms...


Yoga for Single Moms is a visionary project that provides single-parents with wellness experiences for the body and mind.  Through free yoga classes, along with simultaneous (but separate) childcare, moms enjoy the physical and emotional benefits of yoga without financial or childcare constraints.  In the meantime, kids enjoy a fun place to explore, create, play, and learn, through yoga.

Yoga comes in many forms and styles; however, they all have one thing in common: the ability to combat the stress of being a single mother. Our mission is to provide valuable information and instruction for using yoga as a mind/body resource along the path of single motherhood.  We partner with yoga spaces across the country to offer affordable and accessible classes and workshops that work for moms and kids.

Yoga for Single Moms thanks moms for all the hard work they do raising their children—the future of our world.  This is our gift to you.




Seva Opportunity - Volunteers Needed


To make this project happen in the Boulder area we need yoga instructors and/or studios to volunteer free classes.  Being a single mother is a very important job, yet is is often undervalued and not appreciated in our society. Trying to balance it all as a single mother can be challenging, exhausting, and stressful.  Yoga replenishes a single mother's precious energy, so she can make it through a long week of working, running errands, cooking, cleaning, and still find the time at the end of the day to connect with her children.  A weekly free yoga class can provide a single mother with the time for nourishment, cost and guilt free.   A nurtured, more relaxed, and self-aware mother makes for a healthier family, healthier community, and an overall healthier world. 


You can help to make a huge difference in the lives of mothers and their children. It can be a commitment of only one class a week, every other week, or a month. Or even a one class commitment to start, and then see if it is the right fit for you.  Please support The Yoga For Single Mamas Project, Boulder. We will be a pilot program of the non-profit, Boston based, Yoga For Single Moms. (http://yogaforsinglemoms.com)  This project may expand in the future to include paid positions.  


Not a yoga instructor but still want to be involved?  Don't worry - we needs lots of help!  We need volunteers to become involved with all aspects of this project such as childcare, outreach, and logistics.  We also are seeking long term involvement - folks who want to expand and implement the overall vision of  The Free Yoga for Single Mamas Project.  


Please email me if you would like to be involved or have any questions, concerns, or input. Thank you,
Val
 valovesage@gmail.com