Category: MOTHERHOOD

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FOOD DURING PREGNANCY : WHAT AND WHY

A healthy diet is extremely important in our everyday lives. It’s actually much more important than many of us seem to know, and not many truly understand the reason why it is so vital to eat well, together with what it means. 

We don’t learn enough in schools or from our society about the right and good food choices, and the advertising commercials make us think much too often  that we are eating what’s right for us and our family, but this is really only a brand that has paid a lot of money to make us think we are buying and eating the right food and food products. 

In my opinion food, nutrition and the reasons why we need fuel for our bodies and minds to maintain the optimal function and health should be taught in schools throughout childhood starting very early, even in kindergarden. That way our wonderful, precious children will have a great, strong foundation of well balanced life and will bring healthy eating habits into their adulthood, therefore maintaining a stronger form of wellness and overall wellbeing all their lives. So to me, you see, it only makes sense that this should be done, and I do not quite understand why this has not already been happening for some years now. It would be just wonderful if all of us parents would just stick together and convince kindergartens and schools to FINALLY change their menus into more heathy, fresh, clean foods and snacks for our kids.

 The strangest thing is that even doctors don’t study nutrition and the real connection between food and our bodies thoroughly during their studies in school, unless they are specializing in topics that are food related. I believe this is something that is not so complicated to add into our society and should have been done much more and much earlier, since the relation to what we eat has been proven to be so important.Many people are now changing this themselves and there seems to be a lot of confusion among people about what is really healthy and how we should really be eating. Why are doctors still advising mothers to feed their young babies parmesan cheese and prosciutto?  (which small children should NOT be eating, in case you are wondering)

Like I have written here before on the blog, when I got pregnant with my first son many of my friends would say to me “oh you are so lucky you’re pregnant you can eat whatever you want, go nuts on the ice-cream and pizza!”. Meanwhile, I felt just the opposite. During pregnancy and then breastfeeding later on, was exactly the time I would have to take very good care of myself, my health and be careful about what I ate. During pregnancy so many things are being created, growing and changing each day in our body and if we want our baby in the making to reach the optimal start for a good life we need to eat well and be sure nutrition is high and regularly entering your body. Vitamins, minerals, protein, calcium and fat for most meals of the day will not only give you and your baby the power you need each day while maintaining a healthy weight, but could also be a key to a delivery without to many complications. A healthy mamma, healthy baby.

Eating well and regularly also maintains your blood sugar  at the right level so you don’t feel super hungry and eat a whole bunch of the wrong food due to a craving. Instead, you will feel balanced and will crave more heathy food. 

You don’t have to eat for two, this is an old saying that is not true. Your baby foetus does not need a large plate of food, rather a regular sized meal that will be easy on your digestion and count as good source of vitamins, minerals, folate,  protein, calcium and fat. You may want to have a snack in the afternoon that includes nuts, seeds or fruit, if you are pregnant now in this lovely december season I recommend tangerines or clementine as a snack as they are now in season and you have them so juicy and fresh on every other corner in town.

Maintaining healthy weight is also important for you and your baby  during pregnancy. The whole baby progress will feel better, and it will be easier to carry your baby belly if you are not too much overweight, helping not to strain your joints and ligaments, but you should definitely not be thinking about being too skinny ether. It is best to speak with your doctor and he should suggest you the weight that is the best for you and your body type and height.

I tried to eat a lot of vegetables when I was pregnant and actually I still do even when I am not pregnant. Vegetables and fruit was my main food choice, plus some legumes, fish, eggs, whole grains. Every now and then my body would go crazy and crave meat, and in general personally I feel better when I eat meat every now and then (from an organic farm of course, I am very careful and mindful about where I buy my meat from). Drinking lots of water and exercising regularly are also very important. Believe me, if you are pregnant with your first baby you will need that abdominal strength to push that baby out 🙂

Here are some ideas to maintain good health and food choices during pregnancy.

Whole grain toast with smashed avocado: squeeze lemon over and add some hemp seeds and/or pumpkin seeds on top. This is great for breakfast or lunch. You may also scramble some eggs ( I do my eggs plain with no butter and no milk) or add a salad with dark leafy greens, extra virgin olive oil with carrots and beets .

If you are pregnant during summertime watermelon is wonderful, I ate so much watermelon during my pregnancy and then I was so happy to learn that watermelon is naturally high in amino acids, vitamin A and folate.

Brown rice or quinoa with steamed vegetables such as kale, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, green peas, zucchini or any of your favorite greens. 

Roasted beets with walnuts and apples: Beets are are known for lowering blood pressure and improving blood flow in your body, have B vitamin folate which helps reduce the risk of birth defects and fight inflammation. However, the sugar levels are high in beets, so it is a good idea to eat them with some kale or something very green.

I use to do my own mix of nuts and dried fruit in a bag or a box and kept it with me in my purse on the go, just in case I started to crave something or run out of energy. Walnuts, almonds, cashews mixed with dates, goji berries and mulberries are known to be high in iron as well so they go well with the protein from the nuts.

Always carry your water bottle with you everywhere you go. Make sure your water source is good and it is good to invest in a good water bottle that is BPA free, something like Klean Kanteen, or a glass bottle. It is also better for the environment.  

 I just love Almond Butter. I used to slice an apple and dip it in some almond butter…. so yummy!

Home made hummus: spread it on a wholewheat toast with some fresh tomatoes and basil. Or use it as a dip with raw fresh organic vegetables.

Oatmeal: I cook mine with water and add  home made almond milk at the very end. While I cook it I also add cinnamon, walnuts, a full teaspoon of coconut oil and chopped up medjool dates.

I was crazy about trying out new soup recipes, so I made all different kinds of vegetable soups.

Home made gluten free breads: you can search the internet for so many easy recipes!  I will share mine very soon here on the blog.

Smoothies: I made a smoothie every morning and I added some muesli with it for some crunchiness as everything I ate in my pregnancy had to be crunchy otherwise I would get nauseous, especially in the first 4 months 🙂

Do NOT SMOKE!!!!!! I can not believe I am even writing this, but I do see women here in Italy smoking during pregnancy and that is a pure violation to your child. Remember, you are not bound to have a child,  but if you do, you are bound to protect it in the best way you can. You must set your needs aside for the next year or so, and this means also after your child is born. Smoking around a new born can have serious side effects on the child. Keep this in mind also when you take your child to an aperitivo which I see often in Italy: just keep your baby away from the smoke. Also remember that drinking alcohol during pregnancy is not ok either. I know the culture here in Italy is different, but why bother, it is just a period of your life and you must think of your child’s needs above yours. 

Pregnancy can be a confusing time for many women. So many changes and so many new confusing things to keep in mind. Plus, many women are very sick in the first months and some even through the whole pregnancy. But this is in most cases, I hope, also thankfully a beautiful time to do as much as you can to just enjoy this special moment. You are a goddess, and you are making a baby inside your body: plus, you are very lucky that you are able to make one. There are women who can’t get pregnant so we must be thankful for this miracle. Keep in mind this is just temporary, and you will look back to this time one day with warm thoughts while you watch your child grow up. Do the best you can to treat yourself well, relax and enjoy. More than listening to your friends and the internet, listen to yourself and your instincts. Most of the time you will know what is best for you and your baby. Follow your heart, you are doing the best you can and you don’t have to be perfect, just do your best. Your body will change so much and you will grow, but if you keep your pregnancy as healthy as you can you will stay pretty close to your old body , but keep in mind the miracle you are creating! What you get from all of this is so much better than a perfect body 🙂 

be proud of yourself, you are doing a wonderful job.

love JM

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EMBLA YR GUDMUNDSDOTTIR

A mother of three children, how is that like I am sure you run a busy house hold?

Well, it´s great to tell you the truth. I´m extremely lucky. They are all so much fun to be around, and Saga (my 7 year old daughter) and Dagur (my 5 year old son) are great friends (around 85% of the time-I just hope it will last) so they can play while I nurse and get Blær (my 6 months old daughter) to bed/nap. It´s busy, don´t get me wrong, but in a good way. Now I´m at home with my youngest, for a year, so my typical day, is waking up just before seven, we get dressed, eat breakfast, listen to some music and then my husband Daniel takes Saga and Dagur to school just before eight. He then goes swimming before work, and me and Blær have some quality time for an hour, before she takes her nap. While she´s napping, I´m cleaning the house, do laundry, work, shower, drink coffee or rest, it all depends on my energy and mood. Blær´s naps vary from 30 min-2 hours. Then she most often naps again at around 14 and we go take a walk and pick up the kids from school just before four a clock. We go home and I prepare dinner, do homework with Saga, we eat at six, the kids take a bath and go to bed at eight. First Blær goes to sleep, then we try to read and spend some good time in bed before sleep. Sometimes it´s hard to let every body wind down and relax, and I´m stressed to get everybody to sleep, but then I try to remind myself that it´s hard to relax around a stressed person so… you know I try to breathe and relax my self and most of the time it really works. But I go to sleep at the same time as they do, most of the time.. It just, you know, life works well if I´m not tired and I need to take good care of that, or me, and if not, I get frustrated about the laundry, preparing food and everything, hence if I´m not tired, everything is ok, I´m smiling and the kids smile too.

I understand your husband works a lot, do you have any help with the children?

I do, nothing scheduled, just whenever I need to. From our mothers. We both (me and my husband Daníel) have the best moms outthere and they love spending time with the children. So if I need to work or study or see my friends (which I really need to do more of), I do call them and ask if they can lend me a hand or two. But I have been on my way to contact a babysitter for perhaps 3 years, to being able to go out with my husband or friends, see a movie or just take a walk or go to the swimmingpool. I´m working on it – lets see where I´ll stand in 3 years time.

You have an incredible job as a midwife, tell me a little bit about how you got interested and how is to work as one?

Well, it´s a bit complicated. I think it was allways ment to be honestly. When I was a kid I picked books at the library about how a child is born, how they are made and I was fascinated about it. I remember seeing pregnant women in showers at the swimmingpool like goddesses and I just really was fascinated about this journey and first I wanted to become a doctor because I thought they delivered babies, but then I found out I was wrong. They do take care of the women if something goes wrong here in Iceland but they´re not with every woman and they don’t see the healthy women that go through pregnancy and birth without complications. So that was easy for me, a midwife I would be. It´s great to work as a midwife. It´s never the same, you know. We meet all these different women during pregnancy, each one for at least seven times, and then we take care of them during labour and we take care of them and their newborn during home visits for aprox. 7 times during the first ten days, so the work is never the same and extremely rewarding. Sometimes I feel like I float home smiling from work at the delivery department at the hospital- but I work shifts, so sometimes it´s hard to go home and take of the gown without finishing, for example after a hard labour, you know, get to see it through the end, and feel the joy, but of course it´s not the end for everybody, not the right word, it´s just the beginning for them J My high at work was having the honour of delivering my nephew, and my best friends children and it was just amazing. Just seeing my sister and friends during their most important moments of their life, seeing this vulnerable yet strong side of them, its hard to describe in words.

How old were you when you had your first child?

I was thirtyone years old, and I couldn´t wait. So I had finished my studies as a nurse and a midwife, and read all the books outhere about pregnancy, birth and the newborn. I was very ready to say the least.

 

How were your pregnancies? How did you feel?

Well it was not as I thought they would be, honestly. I really thought they would be all romantic and magical but for the first three months I felt very tired, and working on morning, evening and night shifts were at times a challenge. And for the last few months I had lower backpain and had trouble moving around. But I had to remind myself that I was not the same, you know, life and my feelings about everything is not the same when I´m pregnant. I have to remind my self to reconnect and rebalance myself. I had a baby growing inside me and just stop trying to do everything the same and to exspect the same from myself because I´m not the same, you know? Life is very different. It´s so strange how sensitive I was about my body. Leg irritations during evenings, and night, I had to find out what to do, and for excample I didn´t feel it if I skipped sugar and I felt so much better if I had less salt. But I really wanted sugar, and chocolate, it was challenging. I also found out I felt so good in water. So I went to the swimmingpool once every day, most often in the morning, with a bottle of water, and just focused on breathing and connecting with my growing baby and that was like a meditation for me, and very important, so I just wouldn´t forget that little one and you know let the day go by and just do what I used to do. I also felt really good doing yoga. I did pregnancy yoga during all my pregnancies, kundalini with some meditation and it supported me in connecting with myself and to give myself time just to focus on my body and baby, being able to feel some romance and magic.

Did you do anything specific for your self during pregnancy or something you suggest to your clients or pregnant women in general?

Well, just give yourself some time. Time to focus on your body, and try to enjoy the change, and if you don´t feel good or if you can´t find comfort, then talk to your midwife and get some advise. I think it´s important to be kind to yourself. Listen to your body and if your tired then you need to sleep more, and find a good balance between movement and rest. Walking is great during pregnancy and swimming as well. And a healthy diet is important, for your baby, mind and body. Be positive, look at the changes on your body as a beautiful thing. Your body is growing and changing your hole life, and it´s a huge change to grow a baby, this tiny human being, and it´s so amazing really, your heart grows a little bit bigger, did you know that? your body starts to grow more insulation and put on extra fat around your stomack and hips, to protect your baby. I find it very empowering that we women have this power to nurture and grow a new life, it´s very privilaged.

I am sure you have seen and experienced a lot through your job anything you could share or advise to our pregnant or mothers to be readers?

Just embrace it all. Remember every moment and take some pictures. Be focused and enjoy the whole journey. Life is so short and precious, just remember how lucky you are. It´s all so much worth it. Find comfort, talk to your spouse, a friend, a family member, don’t be afraid to ask for help or advise, preferably from a midwife/doctor. Also, youre not supposed to be anything, or in a certain way, just be yourself and be proud.

I am sure you breastfeed your other two children as I know you are now breastfeeding you little baby girl, how long did you breast feed and how long do you plan to breastfeed your baby girl?

Yes, I was lucky to being able to breastfeed them allwithout complications, so far. My oldest for almost two years, I just wasn´t enjoying it towards the end, I was pregnant and I was very sensitive and my nipples hurt during breastfeeding. Then I breastfed my son for around one and a half year and I plan to breastfeed Blær, my youngest, as long as we both enjoy it.

 

Do you encourage your clients and other mothers to breastfeed?

I know it is very very rare in Iceland that a mother does not breastfeed is that right? Well in Iceland it´s rather an exception if you don´t breastfeed, so yes. I do ask women if they plan to breastfeed during pregnancy and if they have any questions about it. Then we offer some good written information about it and when they have delivered their child I ask if they had planned to breastfeed and if they want me to help them with the first latch on. During the home visits for the first week a lot of time and focus goes to the breastfeeding, how to prevent complications and react if they do come. I would always recommend breastmilk for the baby if there aren´t any complicationsbut if there are any reasons not to breastfeed I definitely support the mother in her decision.

Do you ever get any ME time in the schedule? If so what do you do?

Honestly, very little. And I know I can put it in the schedule but I don´t, sadly. I guess my “me time” is during the mornings when I get my second cup of coffee and my youngest is napping and the others have gone out to school/work.

Iceland is one of very few countries in the world now who support very much the natural birth, Icelandic midwifes and doctors really encourage the mother to have faith in her self during labour we have very low percent rate of c section in compare to other countries. Anything you can tell us about that?

Yes, it´s true. I believe Icelandic women have a strong believe about natural birth. This whole experience is very personal and uniqe and an important one which can affect the social as well as the mental health of women and their families. I believe Icelandic midwifes and doctors are very aware of that and work extremely well together in respecting women and take good care of women and their families.

What do you guys do to keep your romance going in all this chaos 🙂 ?

Honestly I find it very challenging to be a good wife and a good friend whatever that means, while Im trying to be the mother I want to become. What Im trying to say is that while I put my effort on the mothering part, I see myself fail in the romance part, the friends part and the carreer part.. Don´t get me wrong, I want to do it all. But I can´t. These years Im just putting all my effort on my kids and us as a family – Im telling myself that its just a phase, it will be easier and I will have time to cuddle my husband instead of going to sleep at nine a clock in the evenings, and that I will be able to dress up and go out for the movies or a drink with my husband instead of sleeping… im constantly having a bit of guilt and deep down I know my marriage needs effort as well as my children and that my friends will stop calling me eventually – I just know, but I seem not to be able to do anything about it- i feel like if I wont put my effort on taking care of the children and clean the house for example, when I do it, or do the laundry when I do, it will all be more, harder, bigger and I wont be able to keep everything in balance.

 

What is your favorite thing about being a mother?

I guess it´s just everything about it. I love the look I get, the embrace, the honest talk in the evenings before sleep, having fun together and just the feeling that you are loved, needed and doing good I guess. We try to create good memories together, Friday pizzanight, playing cards during the weekends and so on. I think it´s important for the whole family. But when I see they are strong individuals with a big and kind heart I feel the proudest.

Your least favorite?

I´m not sure. Maby the tiredness once again. That I need to sleep so early in the evening J But when there are challenges, and they do come, it actually is a phase and it has always been for a very limited time. For example when my kids wake up during the night and wont fall asleep immedietly after comfort or something like that. I just need to remind myself that its not lasting forever.

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MOTHER’S STYLE IN THE FALL

Here in Italy women are always looking so lovely even without apparently trying or making any effort. It seems to me that it is in the Italian DNA to look well put together and everything seems to match, whether it is a tired mother look, business woman, dress up date night or girls night out!

Almost every woman likes from time to time to do some shopping and mixing up the old with a few new things in the closet. I have always kept my favorite pieces in my wardrobe since my New York days and I like to mix with some new items. I do my best to keep up with what is going on when it comes to clothes just because I have always liked it and in Iceland and New York people often dress so freely and I have always loved that: I admire people with strong personal style. Dress like no one is looking or like every one is looking! Who cares!
When I became a mother I felt like I needed to dress more like a woman as I was being mistaken for a babysitter or an au-pair too often at my neighborhood playground 🙂

Live, learn and grow is mostly in our minds and shines through our eyes but if I am not mistaken we all like to look good too. I will now start to activate mothers style a bit more as this is the only link I feel I have not been taking care of enough here on my blog 🙂 I love browsing through blogs or my favorite Instagram for new looks and get some  inspiration.

I will always have a wild hippie heart, flower power ! I love colorful long dresses even in the winter. I wear them with warm stockings under the dress and a heavy winter coat. It cheers up cold days and long winters. Plus, all the beautiful colors of the fall are too pretty to be dressed in dull colors 🙂

Warm dresses are also ideal on cold days and you can dress them up or down with shoes, flat boots or sneakers for easy day time look or wear them with nicer boots even with heels in the evening.

Easy everyday looks are my top choice at the moment : a nice pair of jeans with cozy over sized sweaters and sneakers. It’s that time of year and I so enjoy this mood

Bomber jackets are coming in so many different styles and colors and I love that! They pop up the mood of easy jeans and sneakers for the run arounds. Busy mamma comfy shoes 🙂

love JM

Look 1 : Abito e sciarpa Iceberg – anfibi Casadei
Look 2 :  Giacca Thermakota e Uli Hernzer – borsa Coccinelle – stivali Casadei
Look 3 : Total look stella McCartney
Look 4 : Jeans Iceberg – jeans Jbrand

Stylist Benedetta Ceppi

photo credit @stefanotrovati

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Gluten free letter from Tania

A letter from my wonderful friend Tania Beltrano. Her wonderful message does not need any explanation her lovely words says it all. I hope you find this useful and helpful.
love JM

I am a mum to one. Yes, I wrote mum ( I am Candian). She is a wonderful teen of almost 15. Love of my life and very easy to mother.  Always has and always will be,  well one could hope😝 Anyways, the one thing that many could consider as “not so easy” concerning my daughter is her gluten-free diet, a way of life for us since 2010. And no, we didn’t happen upon this journey to be trendy or follow some fad diet. We were actually forced to adopt it. My daughter from the age of around 5 would complainweekly about stomach pain. I’d have her try to pinpoint the exact location of the pain and ask her age-appropriate questions about how it felt,  such as; “do you feel like throwing up, or do you feel as if a sharp object has pierced you?” A bit much for a 5-year-old to answer but she’d usually answer that it was a combination of both. So in other words, if your kid ever feels like throwing up a sharp object you may want to consider getting him/her tested for Celiacdisease….

Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disorder and the positive aspect of this disorder is that you can keep the unpleasant symptoms of it at bay but ONLY if you follow a gluten-free diet to a T. I’m talking nada, zip, zero, NIENTE gluten. Cross contamination is real and if you are a person who suffers from not only Celiac but a sensitivity to the protein called gluten as well,  then you really need to be careful. It is taxing and quite sad, as a gluten sensitive person who consumes even a minuscule amount can become violently ill within a matter of seconds. My daughter does not suffer the allergy so gluten does not affect her in this way. What happened to her was that from when we discovered it and stopped gluten completely her body began a period of reparation. Within a year of cutting out the gluten that was poisoning her system, she underwent a massive growth spurt. The girl grew and a lot!

The peculiar thing about this ordeal was that her father and I had brought her to various doctors concerning these stomach aches but they were largely be dismissed as a common childhood ailment. In 2007, we moved to a new neighborhood and the new pediatrician we chose was originally from Greece. When my daughter had her annual physical, I explained that she had experienced persistent stomach pains since early childhood. Without skipping a beat the doctor asked if I’d heard about a condition called Celiac disease. Ce..li..a – what? Any ailment ending with the word disease concerning your child is enough to place you on the verge of a massive panic attack. She then went on to explain it in layman’s terms to me. She said the reason I’d hadn’t heard of it and it was never mentioned to me by any North American doctors was because it was still relatively unknown here.  This disease is recognized in Europe, especially in western Europe’s Mediterranean countries, like Italy,  where the rate is quite high. I am guessing my daughter has a genetic disposition to it since my parents are Italian.People with celiac disease carry one or both of the HLA DQ2 and DQ8 genes. Anyways, h ere is a quick dictionary explanation of Celiac:

” a hereditary digestive disorder involving intolerance to gluten, usually occurring in young children, characterized by marked abdominal distention, malnutrition, wasting, and the passage of large, fatty,malodorous stools.“ 

The doctor explained that a quick blood test could determine if my daughter suffered from it but for total accuracy and to rule it out completely she’d need a biopsy of her small intestine.  We went ahead with the procedure and she had her blood drawn and a week after received a call from the doctor telling me that she had tested positive for Celiac. Next step was the “feared” biopsy and she’d have to consume gluten until after testing was done.

The biopsy date arrived and I almost fainted in the room with her. Let me tell you, it is no fun watching your 8 yr old child go under anesthesia. Her father and I were pretty scared and she was freaking out. The look on her face when she went under was enough to traumatize anyone. Weeks passed and it was determined beyond a reasonable doubt that my child had Celiac disease. Now what? Meet with a nutritionist. Change our entire lifestyle. In theory, it was easy enough. The doctor explained that her levels would be normalized through a strict, no gluten diet. Cut out wheat, oats, barley, rye, bulgar, etc….simple enough? Not so fast. This was an 8 yr old child in a classroom filled with cupcake eating kids celebrating birthdays every month. Also, gluten-free alternatives oftentimes have triple the amount of sugar. Not to mention freakin’ expensive or the fact that I was constantly forced to travel with my alternatives, such as pasta, bread etc. That sucker gluten is hidden in almost everything. Want licorice?  My daughter and I absolutelyadore it but almost every brand of it contains gluten. Those hard to pronounce, gross, chemical ingredients such as Avena sativa Cyclodextrin, that we shouldn’t be consuming anyways,  yep gluten.

The one thing that saved me from an epic meltdown ( God sure does work in mysterious ways) was that about 6 months prior to this diagnosis I’d taken an online course concerning nutrition. Funny thing,  thesame one Johanna attended, although we still had yet to meet.  Luckily, I had grown up eating well. Mostly organic and natural due to the fact that my parents were Italian so they settled in Canada armed with a knack and love for gardening and fresh, delicious homemade food.  We had a large garden in our yard containing all the good stuff – tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant you name it. We had fruit trees – peaches, apricots, cherries, figs. Ahh, now I am feeling nostalgic, but I digress. We ate clean and had a tasty homecooked meal prepared by my mother’s beautiful hands every evening; dinnertime was family time. In any case, other than knowing I ate well growing up I still had no clue as to what every vegetable or protein’s function and purpose was. Simply put, why we eat what we eat? The course I took helped, as it simplified this gluten-free endeavor without overwhelming me.

To make an, “oh, so long story” short,  I will just leave you with this. My daughter is now in her teens and fits in just well with everyone else. Her levels have normalized completely. She is a tall, strong, badass soccer goalkeeper that plays 15 hrs a week on 2 different winning teams. Also, being that we are rooted in 3 countries – living in the USA but we travel yearly to both Canada and Italy, I have to say that we’ve found Italy as very advanced in their knowledge of Celiac. We can dine at restaurants where I have yet to experience a server that has a look of confusion on his or her face when “senza glutine per favore”  is mentioned.  They seem to have a vast knowledge of this disease and the intricate food preparation that goes along with it.

Vancouver, BC is another place with fantastic knowledge and such variety of gluten-free cuisine. I think this has to do with the mindful, healthy, hippy culture of this great city. In any case, it is a relatively simple place to visit if you have Celiac and want to eat well. I must admit though, in my observation, NYC has the most options but maybe because we live here and have learned to navigate our way through the gluten-free fortress.

I wrote this article in hopes that you can gather some useful information. Whether you have a child that is suffering from stomach pains or a lot of temper tantrums, anger issues etc. My daughter has a very calm character but I remember back in her gluten days after a day of quite a few carbs containing wheat she’d have temper tantrums, unexplainable ones that seemed to pop up out of the blue. Those subsided altogether once she was no longer being

“gluten-ed”. Or maybe you just want to test out a different eating lifestyle for yourself or your family and would like some basic information to see if it’s for you.

Below I have listed some of our favorite companies that make gluten-free products and quite a few are from Italy. Also, I don’t have celiac but follow a gluten-free diet to support my daughter. I can honestly admit I do feel lighter and my skin has cleared up.

Pasta 

Romo

La Veneziana (personal Favorite and Italian)

Bonaturae

Ancient Harvest

Flour 

Bob’s Redmill

Whole line devoted to various products 

Schar (My favourite and Italian), Glutino

Pamela’s Products

We are discovering new ones daily and our local health food store has a large variety of products.

Also, if you live in Nyc, the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center is excellent.

 

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ACTION AGAINST HUNGER

Today I would like to talk to you about an issue that most believe isn’t relevant anymore. This is still an extremely current disease and does not receive the attention it deserves: Malnutrition. 

Malnutrition is a disease that affects the most vulnerable, such as the elderly, pregnant and lactating women and, above of all, children. Although It can be prevented and treated, malnutrition is still the main cause of death for 3 million children every year.

There is little awareness of what is referred to when we discuss malnutrition, this is why I intend to share with you what I have personally discovered. 

There exist two types of malnutrition in children. The first is represented by chronic, or “stunting” malnutrition, the result of a prolonged deprivation of basic nutrients, especially within the first 1,000 days of a child’s life. These beginning days are essential to his/her future development. Chronic malnutrition, in fact, causes irreversible damages to intellectual and physical development, weakens the immune system’s response to disease and reduces cognitive abilities. There are currently 154 million children worldwide under the age of 5 who suffer from this disease. This figure left me deeply upset. 

I also found out that the second type of malnutrition in children, acute, or “wasting” malnutrition, develops very fast, within days or few weeks. It is usually detected by measuring a child’s upper arm’s circumference with a bracelet called “MUAC”. When I saw how tiny a child’s arm can get, my heart broke. It’s a disturbing image. 

Acute malnutrition is often caused by a combination of a scarcity of nutrients and infection or disease caused by contaminated water. Acute malnutrition can be “moderate” or “severe”, which is the deadliest form. All over the world, 52million children under 5 years of age suffer from acute malnutrition. When they told me that this figure means one child out of 12, I couldn’t believe it!

Even though Africa is the continent with the highest percentage of malnourished children, the highest number of sick children is in Asia, with 27 million malnourished children in South-East Asia alone.

As if the situation wasn’t tragic enough, there is a detail that makes it truly unacceptable: solutions to cure malnutrition do exist, they’re very effective and also cheap. 

In 1993 Azione Contro la Fame (Action against Hunger) was the first humanitarian organization to successfully test a special formula of therapeutic milk in Rwanda. It is very easy to digest and rich in nutrients. It is also able to treat severely malnourished children. Four years later, in Chad, Azione Contro la Fame Azione once again successfully experimented the first ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUFT): a highly nutritious pasty food made essentially of peanuts with the addition of a vitamin, mineral complex and hydrogenated vegetable fat. This formula can also be used practically outside hospitals, without water and need of refrigeration and preparation. 

This ready-to-use therapeutic food is a life-saver for children especially since it is extremely simple to use and cheap for families. It has transformed the way malnutrition is treated.

In fact, a package of therapeutic food only costs 25 cents and in many cases, a child needs only two packages per day between a period of 4 to 8 weeks to make him or her healthy again. It’s incredible to see the pictures of children before and after the treatment. 

And yet only 20% of malnourished children over the world are granted access to this treatment.

 To put it lightly, this is completely unacceptable and the reason why on World Food Day (October 16th), I will support Azione Contro la Fame, a global humanitarian organization that takes decisive action against malnutrition. You too can support us by downloading the #inaccettabile campaign Facebook cover at this link and help us spread the message that dying from hunger is unacceptable. 

If you’d like, you can also make a donation:

IBAN: IT38A0335901600100000103078  
azionecontrolafame.it

Love JM

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BACK TO YOU

I truly hope you have all had a wonderful summer.
For me and my dudes, the past two months have flew by. I thought I’d be able to be a full time mother; write and work while my sons took their naps. Oh, boy did I fail.  At least in Milan they go to half-day  kindergarden to play and have some fun with other children and I get  work during the morning time. Please do not get me wrong this is not a complaint it is just me stating that I failed my summer’s mission but I did discover  something else that I will keep in my heart forever.

The 4 of us isolated for two months in the countryside gave our family a deeper connection, more than I could ever have dreamed of. My boyfriend was actually working a lot as his work takes priority and as a mother I take my job very seriously as well. I just love spending time playing with my sons. As beautiful as it sounds to play with my sons all day, every mother knows, it’s not always like dancing with flowers and chasing butterflies. My first born was born into a difficult situation, we were separated for just over two weeks from the moment he came into this life. The Italian hospital separated us and gave us no other option then for me to see him for just 4 hours per day!! Which made my heart suffer a great deal and I can only imagine how his felt. So to make up for all that separation every single time he made a sound I made sure he understood I was there. I gave him all of me and probably too much the first year of his life. I always imagined him alone in a hospital possibly crying for me and I was not there to feed or comfort him. I woke up every hour to pump milk so I would not lose breast milk as I was determined to breastfeed. I looked at his photo crying while pumping wondering how he was.

Crying? Sleeping? Hungry? Awake? Was there  someone there looking after him? My fist born child. My son!
When the day came that I got him home in my arms I just could not let him down. I had to do the best I could to make up for this separation somehow.

We lived like a kangaroo for months, he was always in my arms or skin to skin in bed or in a baby sling wrap. I had a hard time letting other people hold him, just wanted him in my or his father’s arms. Any sound or cry he made during the first year I would jump and be at his service which taught him a bad habit – to cry when he needed something. He had become the baby that cried just too much. I could see it in my family and friend’s faces and I knew this was my fault not his, but I just could not help it. Somehow I felt like I was making up for the separation. In our daily busy life I never dealt with his crying habit, I just let it slide as I thought this was just the way it was and that his character was emotional and smart so he knew how to play me. It seemed like there was too much going on and too many interruptions to focus soley on this topic. In the meantime a baby brother had been born.

While in the Spanish countryside, the 4 of us got to break down the pieces of how to deal with this lack of communication. Plus he is dealing with 3 languages at home so this was his way of dealing and had developed crying as his own kind of language because it seemed to be working for him.
We told him over and over again, in situations where I usually would’ve given in, that we understood why he was crying and it was ok. Then I’d ask him if he thought this was a situation where he felt like he needed to cry? I told him it is easier to just talk with me and ask me using words and both me and him would be happier this way. He would not need to cry so often but the interesting part is I had also practiced this in Milano. Somehow in just 3 weeks time with the whole family slowing down. Sleeping together on mattresses cuddled up, my son slowly got his emotions under control as we finally gave him the understanding he needed. I had so much more patience for him and actually both of them. I also saw looking back how many mistakes I had made living a stressful city life. Busy! Even if I was not really working full time yet I had  less patience for my children that I love more than life. I realize looking back that I did not give him the kind of attention he really craved. It is a fine art to understand the desire of a child from time to time.

So my point and my mission is to keep remembering to look at my sons from slow and peaceful points of view. I think this is often forgotten. Parents are always on a hurry or busy. Smart phones are taking away too much time from our children and I am guilty of this. I am so much more aware of this now and I try to keep it to when it’s absolutely necessary.
Summer times are most often so beautiful, especially for children. They get to finally run wild and play from morning to night. It is a precious time and will not come back. I will do my best to always understand what it is that my children need. We fail and we accomplish. School of life is good, in fact probably the best. Living in the moment of our children and our partners. Seeing life from their points of view. They are often so different from our own.

I am so happy to be back.
love JM

Photos by @mamafedona

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SIMPLIFY AND CONNECT TO OUR TRUE NATURE.

I have been dreaming of life in a small town surrounded by nature and simplicity for years now. I do truly believe in a simple life, and because I have been living in big cities now for so long it sometimes makes me feel I lose a lot of time in my day. I don’t always know where my time goes even if I don’t stop moving around and about all day long.

I moved from New York to Italy with dreams of working on a farm for awhile. I wanted to learn how to grow vegetables and maybe even make wine. Get my hands into nature, feel a good connection and work hard outdoors all day long. I had been teaching Pilates in New York for about 8 years and I was starting to feel lost and without a good connection, so I chose to make a change. Between then and now many things that I hadn’t planed happened which is the lovely way life works. I found myself living in Milan, another big city, which was supposed to be a temporary solution. Now, especially after I became a mother, my desire to move into a life of simplicity became more important to me more now than ever. I am looking for my new quiet spot for myself along with my family so we can live simply. As the time I had worked on a farm in Africa. I woke up before going to work with stillness and calmness every single morning. Listening to the sounds of nature, animals and just the soft hum of wind through the trees. That can change a mood every single day.

Many roads have been guiding me towards Ibiza and it is funny because I always assumed that Ibiza was not a place I would want to live. I really thought it was a far cry from being a family or child-friendly atmosphere. Instead, I have found people with their hearts full of love and eyes without judgement. Free, happy, strong and independent children. Mothers talking in groups with understanding and supporting each other and being so loving towards each other’s children. I feel so relived, I feel my heart fall into peace. Free to raise my children in the way I want without the fear of being judged but instead feeling supported and loved from people I hardly know. Children here are allowed to run around and just be kids.. A connection with nature the way I had as a child growing up in Iceland. A warmer and much sunnier climate  with fruits and vegetables that are locally grown and with flavors that definitely don’t exist in Iceland.

In these days I came to realize so many things, things when living in a city you don’t have time to see. These are simple things. We all know this but sometimes we need to go explore and feel it to understand that these are not just “sayings”, it really is real. How happy everyone is just by being able to breath in good air all day long. Spending more time outdoors rather than indoors. Less sound of  traffic and noise in general that cities have. I understand this way of life may not be for everyone. Thankfully,  we are all different with different needs but I feel and see people who live simply with less needs and less fuss. Their eyes shine and skin even appears happier. They are less wrinkled, worried and stressed. Their children cry less and I notice less chaos within families. Of course, every family has chaos and lots of it, so this is just the meaning of having less. This mentality can surely be adopted everywhere also in cities – it just might be harder to remember them.

Speaking with experienced mothers who have 6 to 9 children,  they all agree that patience is natural. Children also have different characters and different needs as us adults. Being a mother now is becoming unnatural for many modern mothers because there seems to be a lot of expectations. So many methods that teach you how to raise children into this or that. I feel we have so many this and that kind of people in 2017, how about letting children help us and letting them guide the way and show us how they would like to grow. We need to be HERE for them and give them our guidance and show them things that interest them.

If we simplify our days and make space for us to listen to our hearts we can then find the time and space for the whole family. It will soon come naturally and by talking to your village. Talk with other mothers, but mothers who you see are similar to you. With their hearts and minds in the right place. Even if we can all find beautiful inspiration through social media it is also full of false images and messages. There is nothing as good as real honest talk with a friend.

It can help us a lot to find our real mother, the mother that lives in our hearts. Let our shoulders fall down from our ears and our chest expand wide open and make room for a good deep breath. Find your center line and move from there. Think before we speak when our children are having a hard time communicating orcontrolling their emotions. There are many challenges for mothers and parents to find stillness on days when everything seems to be out of control. Before we begin to judge ourselves we need to find ourselves. Connect to our own feelings, find a still heart so we can be guided gently out of stressful moments.

I am a mother who makes many mistakes. I am not an expert, I am a student. I am looking for guidance and stillness in my heart. I find that when I am not being judges by myself or others, when I simplify and remember to make time and space then it all just comes naturally.

Love JM.

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A DAY WITH BARBARA BONNER AND MIA

Most people dream of traveling to Verona, Italy or visiting the magical paradise island called Ibiza. Barbara Bonner, a strong but gentle, hardworking business woman and mother to beautiful Mia. She did well to organize her business and life between these two incredible places. I went to visit them last Easter in Ibiza and we had such a lovely chat that brought me to tears at times as well as laughter. Barbara has a brilliant sense of humor and attitude to life. Here is some of what she had to say.

When I came over her and Mia were drawing together and listening to some very relaxing music from Ibiza. Something they love to do together often is draw. They started with finger paints and now Mia specializes in monster drawing, it seems therapeutic to her and she says she can pull out some of her emotions. “Mia and I draw so much that I think we should actually publish a little monster collection in a book”.  Mia smiles from ear to ear and seems to love the idea. A suitable name would be, “The stories of Mia”.

Tell me how your pregnancy was? How did you feel?

First of all I was really ready to have a baby. I was ready to become a mother. Actually, before I even took the test I felt that I was pregnant. I just immediately knew I was. I became this completely different person, not just a mother but more like a real woman. I remember this extreme joy, a little human growing inside of me. I had to compromise a bit with my body as I grew a lot and I gained 25 kilos during the pregnancy.

I did enjoy it but mostly at the end of the pregnancy when I was really huge; I kind of felt like a goddess. Also, Mia’s father really liked me pregnant so that really helped the whole body changing process.

How did you take care of yourself during pregnancy?

 Well I did Yoga and Pilates. I also worked a lot as I was feeling very creative and was making my own clothing as I got so big, but I also wanted to look good. I was very nauseous in the first 5-6 months so food was complicated but I was crazy about toast and cold water with lemon.

What about the delivery? How was your experience?

Well that was quite intense. Even though I was always a sporty person I did my Yoga, Pilates and stayed active the whole pregnancy but I still had some struggles. My water broke and I did not go into labor, but I really wanted to have a natural birth. So basically after 3 days of labor she was finally coming out, but she broke my pubic bone on her way down and the femoral nerve was getting dragged out with her. At that point they had to kind of push her back in a bit and perform an emergency C-Section as she was starting to suffer and I was screaming like MAD. I was ready to make them amputate my leg just to get her out. Mia really felt like arriving as a rock star!!

Then we had to spend one month in the hospital together because she got an infection. I really wanted to breastfeed but she needed to stay in intensive care so I stayed with her in the hospital. My family was getting worried if I would get the baby blues as I had just started my own company three months before she was born. That month in the hospital also became my office. It was just an insane period and I was feeding her every three hours. Pumping on no sleep and just the whole hospital life I was really multitasking at that point, doing everything and too much at the same time.

 

After one year, I completely crashed. I think I waited a year because before I just could not do it. It is amazing how strong a mother’s instinct is; I just had to keep it all together. Also, I could not feel my left leg after my pubic bone broke and I certainly needed some time to recover. During that time I honestly did not care if I lost my leg because I was so happy to have her. This is when I came to the realization just how amazing a mother’s mind is. She can suffer, be in pain and sacrifice so much. I just overcame it because my instincts told me to. If you ask me now if I care about my leg of course I would answer yes. Women are so amazing. I was SO scared and worried about her that all I cared about was her health.

How did you continue after all this? Did you have any help with Mia or your business?

Well yes, I had to travel so much for my business in the beginning, but Mia was always with me because I was also breastfeeding. My wonderful mother was traveling with me to all the fashion week events because I had to go. You know I make all these huge fringe bags, so what I would do was breastfeed behind my bags. Some of my clients were wondering what the sucking and moaning sounds were and then they’d spot little Mia drinking. Oh boy, did she drink A LOT… I felt like a milk farm 🙂 My mother would then take her for walks in her pram. It was lovely also because I reconnected beautifully with my mother through all this. She was so happy to become a grandmother and I was no longer just her daughter, I was also a mother now so I felt as if we reconnected and were now on an even level. We developed a new kind of bond. When you become a mother yourself you develop a new understanding of your own mother. What she sacrificed and so on.

 

How long did you breastfeed her?

For about 9 months and I truly believe this brings about a very special bond between a mother and her child. It is so much more than just a saying. With that being said, of course, not everyone can and it’s a shame if you don’t have the milk. Even now Mia still prefers me cooking for her because it probably brings a comforting memory.

What was it that inspired you to create your company, “Barbara Bonner Bags”?

My mother’s heritage is quite interesting and it is a lovely story we have between women here. My mother was a sort of hippy, which is where all the fringe bags probably come from and is also my brand’s signature. I remember watching her with long beautiful hair and fringe in the 70s and she was so beautiful to me.  Her mother, my grandmother, was a circus performer and would ride motorbikes through circles of fire. She was also one of the first women in all of Italy to obtain a driver’s license (at least that is what she told me and I’d like to keep on believing it as it’s a very cool memory of her). She was Dutch and was just driving through Italy and in order to keep driving she needed to get a license. Plus, she was always wearing pants and in Italy at the time that was very, very rare.

Tell me a bit about Mia’s father.

One of the first things he told me was that I’d be a wonderful mother. This is what initially made me kind of fall in love with him. He is a very independent guy and I am an independent woman, so that is a plus in my case. We actually don’t feel like we have really broken up even if we broke up as boyfriend/girlfriend because we have this relationship as Mia’s parents and we are doing that part together. Ibiza is a special place for us. We met and conceived her here and the time we spend together here we always fight much less. I guess it is something about the island that makes you just want to fall in love and be in peace. We really do have our best memories here.

So are you now thinking of moving to Ibiza?

Well yes, at least for most of the year. Maybe not permanently as my bags are made in Italy and I need to be there as well. Who knows where life will take us, but the idea for my brand and bags came to me when I was here and so did Mia.

Did you suffer during your break-up?

I mean yes, of course, honestly I did suffer a bit; it is never easy to deal with the ending of a relationship. We were just really focused on being good parents to Mia and we saw that we’d be better parents to her if we separated.

You seem like a very strong and fearless woman. You made your bags and now it looks as though you are building an empire, a “Barbara Bonner” lifestyle brand. Can you tell me what your next steps are in business? 

I am trying to move back to Ibiza because I am now opening my first flagship store here on the island. This will be my first one, but I do hope it will be the first of many. What I am creating really beats in my heart; the designing of my own bags. When I was pregnant I still remember the line I did. I was feeling very creative and calm and felt truly free to express myself. I had so much energy to work and create during pregnancy.

 

I would like to wish Barbara all the very best of luck with all her adventures and I look forward to seeing you grow and blossom. Thank you for the lovely day we had together and hope to see you and Mia soon. Thank you for sharing your story with us and all the mothers and mothers to- be out there.

Love JM

video e photo credits Paolo Regis

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AT LEAST WE SHOULD ALWAYS BE ABLE TO DEPEND ON EACH OTHER

Children8  

IBAN IT89V0521651680000000090881

I was reading the evening story to my sons before they go to sleep but on this particular night we decided to read four books instead of just one. I sang some lullabies and stroked their backs and heads after the lights went out. This evening was quite different though, I gave them much more of my time and patience. I was so nervous and emotional telling my sons over and over how much I loved them as early the next day I was travelling to Jordan. My emotions were mixed as I was wondering about my safety and  what I would see and how to deal with all of it. I was worried about the children and how to look these people in the eye and how I was going to eventually leave them behind. As a mother of two children my instinct is to take all of them home with me and to put an end to this ridiculous madness, These are people who were born to live their lives  just like every single one of us. The only difference is they are stuck in a situation that no one should ever have to be in.

Many of you know my relationship with the organization called, “Support Syrian Children” and I was finally going on my first trip with them to bring first aid to Syrian children and families that had to run from their homeland as it is in the midst of  war. It  is completely out of  control and no one seems to be human anymore, life seems to mean nothing. I find myself asking over and over how this could possibly be happening and why are we not helping out more. Why isn’t there an end to this madness. I know many others are asking and wondering the exact same thing.

Arianna Martini, the president of  ” Support Syrian Children”,  told me that Amman,Jordan is pretty safe. Both of us are mothers and we must be very careful where we go. She has been travelling monthly to a few different places around the war zones for the past four years. A true image of a strong and brave woman. I believe she has put her life at risk many times just to try her very best to help so many helpless children and families. Her heart is always there with all the children she has helped, even when she has to return back to Italy and be a full-time employee plus mother of two beautiful children.

On this trip we were joined by pediatrician,  Marino Andolina whom is an incredible person and has been volunteering in war torn areas for the past few years. I do not recall ever meeting a greater man.

Francesca Ghirardelli is a freelance journalist for an Italian national magazine and other newspapers. She has also written a book about a young girl named Maxima’sextraordinary journey escaping Syria.

Luigi Lapi who works as a quantity surveyor is a man with one of the biggest hearts I know. He will now also join us in making our new project become a beautiful home to the victims of war –  mothers and orphans. This was his first trip as well and I know he will come many more times.

I always say that together we are stronger, so together with these amazing humans I will now, more than ever, dedicate myself and everything I do to making a difference. I will give them a voice here in the world as they ask, “why is no one helping us.” Our world is filled with all kinds of people, also very powerful people that could help make things better. Yet we have children that are abandoned, dirty, terrified, traumatized, hungry, alone on the street and in the desert. What if this was us, you or me in this devastating situation? All I would  do is pray for help and hope.

It is so hard to write all of this, I feel like I want to explain every single thing I saw and felt so carefully, but I honestly don’t know how. I have been working on this article for days and my mind and heart feels numb as my mind drifts off to the camps. I can’t wait to go back.

Here in this article you will see photos and videos from the trip. Where in each tent we went we received great and loving hospitality and invitations for dinner. These people are so thankful and ready to give us everything they have as they are so beyond grateful for what we bring them. They want to talk with us and share laughs, hugs, stories, feelings and tears. Their beautiful eyes are wide and wise. One look into these childrens’ eyes makes my insides want to burst into tears as I see so much pain, but also so much hope.

We are now working very hard to build a shelter. This shelter will house a few mothers and quite a few orphans. A place of hope and love. Together we are stronger. If you are in a position to donate please do so by using the numbers below.

Children8

IBAN IT89V0521651680000000090881

Love JM

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MOTHER’S SPELL SUMMER PARTY

A party to celebrate summer and the fact that Mothers Spell has been successful and has soared beyond my wildest expectations. We have been up and running since mid January of this year. I am so happy for all the interest my blog has garnered and especially all the emails and stories many of you have shared with me.

The party was beautifully executed from my vision through to my favorite girls in Brescia – the team of “Ila Malu”. They are an incredible team of  hard-working mothers and women with great ambitions and I am so lucky to have met them. I am inspired by their creativity and super powers.

I have had lunch at Al fresco a few times and I absolutely adore it. They have a beautiful outdoor garden and it’s just really nice to have dine out there, so quiet and you feel like you have escaped Milano. We just added Mothers Spell’s vibration, some magic and positive energy with beautiful old and new friends from all over .

I was happy to introduce “Support Syrian Children”  to our guests. This is a group of women , all are mothers with jobs, that organize a monthly trip to the Syrian borders. They arrive armed with first-aid goods for children and their families. Now in collaboration with Mothers Spell and support from many of you , we are raising money for our first orphanage. As a person and mother it breaks me completely to know how many children all over the world are suffering. My dream for many years has been to build something like this and now with the great help from “Support Syrian Children” we will make this happen.

If you are interested and in a position to make a donation, we’d really appreciate your help.

I have listed the donation information below:

children8

IBAN

IT89V0521651680000000090881

I also would like to introduce you to “Sep Jordan”. This is an A-Team business made up of extremely talented women living in refugee camps that make embroideries of one-of-a-kind ethical fashion accessories. You may find their lovely products on www.sepjordan.com. I asked them to embroider the Mothers Spell logo on some bags for my party. They decorated these bags so beautifully and 100 guests left the party with a gift bag. A gift from Mothers Spell in appreciation of the support we received from you, our readers. By purchasing bags from “Sep Jordan” we were able to support these women and their work. I hope you will enjoy the bags even more now with the knowing that they were crafted with so much love and hard work. We are in the process of making more and will post them for sale on our site soon. Stay tuned.

There was so much going on that night, a little something to see in each and every corner. The music was wonderful and it has been a while since I saw so many smiling faces under one roof.

I will change the slide show on the blog again to leave you with some fresh images from that magical night so you may all experience excitement and good energy.

Love and gratitude – JM