Winter Fun!

We had a wonderful winter potluck for our December meeting. We always get great food at potlucks and this was no different. HMN of NOVA wishes all a wonderful holiday season!

Thank you to these Chiropractors!

Please thank the following businesses who made donations for the November meeting:

Jennifer L. Sims D.C.,
Roselle Center for Healing

http://www.rosellecare.com/

Dr. Sung-Jun Park
Trinity Chiropractic Wellness Center

http://www.trinitycwc.com/

Lisa Przybysz, DC
Family Chiropractic of Fairfax
http://www.fccoffx.com/

Holistic Halloween

We had a great party to celebrate the fall season and play with all of our HMN friends. For a great description and many more pictures, see Laurie's blog.

November Meeting Location Change

Due to a previously planned event at the church, our November meeting will be held in an alternate location. We will meet at The Infant & Toddler Connection of Fairfax-Falls Church located at 3750 Old Lee Highway in Fairfax. A map can be found at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/csb/itc/ITC-FFCMap-English.pdf
Hope to see you on November 3rd!

DC Green Festival

We had a great time this weekend at the DC Green Festival. What a great event! For more information, check out: http://www.greenfestivals.org/

Thank you, Stephanie!

We had a GREAT October meeting on homeschooling with almost 50 people present. A huge thank you to Stephanie Elms for her presentation. For more information, visit:

http://www.vahomeschoolers.org/

Stephanie also provided some other great resources:

VaHomeschoolers has a couple of events coming up:
2010 VaHomeschoolers Conference and Resource Fair
March 12-13, 2009 - Glen Allen, Virginia
http://www.vahomeschoolers.org/conference/

Homeschooling and College Entrance Seminar
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 - Richmond, Virginia
http://www.vahomeschoolers.org/seminars/

For folks who were not able to make it to the talk, here are a few links to start learning about what is required to homeschool in Virginia:
Filing Your Notice of Intent
http://vahomeschoolers.org/noi/filing_NOI.asp

Evaluations and Testing Requirements
http://vahomeschoolers.org/eval/

Finding Local Support
http://vahomeschoolers.org/support/

A couple of recommended email lists:
VirginiaEclecticHS - statewide homeschool email list and great way to start learning about homeschooling from other homeschoolers in Virginia
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VAEclecticHS/

NoVaUnschoolers - a Northern Virginia homeschool email list and a great way to start networking and learning about activities and events in the area
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NovaUnschoolers/

A couple of recommended books to start out with:
The First Year of Homeschooling Your Child: Your Complete Guide to Getting Off to the Right Start by Linda Dobson

Teach Your Own and Learning All the Time by John Holt (Learning All the Time is a good book on how kids naturally learn, even if you do not plan on homeschooling).

Thank you, American Plant!

A huge thank you to Mitch Baker and American Plant for his SECOND great talk to our chapter. He presented on composting. He has kindly offered to be a resource to all HMNers with gardening questions. If your compost isn't ready for the end of this season, try some of their compost tea!

Please visit American Plant for your gardening needs!
American Plant (VA location)

10106 Georgetown Pike

Great Falls, VA 22066

Phone: (703) 438-8880

http://www.americanplant.net/

Mitch BakerHorticulturist,

American Plant

301-469-7690

mitch@apfgarden.com
He's very responsive - what a great resource! Be sure to let him know you're with HMN!

Thank you, Abby's Lane!

We thank Stephanie Daniels of Abby's Lane, LLC for a wonderful presentation on cloth diapering. She is a local mom who offers many informational classes at her home.

Please visit her website for more information and great products:

http://www.abbyslane.com/

Reston Festival

We had a booth at the Reston Festival this weekend to help spread the word about HMN.
Here is a peek into what we set up:

NEW MEETING SPACE AND SUMMER POTLUCK

We have been blessed with a new permanent meeting space! A huge thank you to one of our members, Kristen, who coordinated the new location.

Meetings will still be held the first Tuesday of every month from 6:30-8:30pm, but will no longer be held at the library.

NEW meeting location:
Fairfax Church of Christ**
3901 Rugby Road Fairfax, Virginia 22033
(703) 631-2100
Directions: http://www.fxcc.org/index.php/Parking/where-we-are.html

**We are not affiliated with the church in any way, but gratefully acknowledge their donation of meeting space to our group.

To kick off our new location, we will be holding our SUMMER POTLUCK on Tuesday, July 14th from 4-7pm. We will meet outside in the playground. (Event will be cancelled in the case of rain). We plan to have a tour of the building at 4:30pm and eat at 5pm. Come and check out the new location, enjoy some great food with friends and relax while the kids play in a great playground. We will provide drinks and all paper products. Please bring a healthy, labeled dish to share. Take a moment to add your dish to the database on the yahoo group or reply to hmnofnova@gmail.com. We hope to see you there!

Special meeting location for July meeting

Come and join us to learn more about Montessori. Our meeting will be at the Boyd School Westfields/Chantilly campus. We hope to see you there!

Tuesday July 7, 6:30-8:30pm **Special tour of school campus at 6:15pm**

The Boyd School Westfields/Chantilly Campus, Great Room

4550 Walney Road

Chantilly, VA 20151

571-281-1511

http://www.theboydschool.com/Westfields.aspx

Holistic Dentistry

We had a wonderful June meeting with Dr. Liao. He often holds free informational seminars about holistic health topics. Check him out!

http://www.wholehealthdentalcenter.com/

Dr. Felix Liao

4001 Fair Ridge Drive

Suite 205

Fairfax, VA 22033

703.385.6425

Mother's Day Spa Pampering Meeting

This was a wonderful meeting! Our goal was to show all the moms how much they are appreciated and give them some time to take care of themselves. We dimmed the lights and played relaxing music. We had practitioners doing massage, EFT, reflexology, skin care, yoga, and Feldenkrais. Thank you to all the wonderful practitioners who donated their time to help our moms feel special for the evening!
A few photos from the evening...

More photos HERE

In the NEWS!

We had an article (click to read) in the Connection Newspapers.

Thanks to Bonnie Hobbs for her support!

What a Bash!

We had a wonderful anniversary party last night. We had over 50 adults in attendance and lots of new visitors. We wanted to give some special thank yous to the many who helped make the anniversary party a success! We look forward to another great year!
_________________________________________________
*Nina-All your hard work with collecting donations was amazing!
*Jenna- Thank you so much for coordinating with Whole Foods to get usthe re-usable gift bags(100 of them!!) and the wonderful fruit andcheese tray. Thank you also for all your work cleaning up after themeeting!
*James- Our offical "raffle man." :)
*To all our members and HMN friends - for a wonderful year and for allthe great help making the party run smoothly.
*Chipotle, Lee Hwy location - 50 tasty burritos!
*Whole Foods - 100 "Sheryl Crow"shopping bags and fruit and cheese platter
*Trader Joe’s - lots of assorted drinks
*Natural Living Magazine - magazines for all gift bags
*Shea Terra Organics, Sterling -samples soaps and body butters for all gift bags
*Madhatter’s Tea, Tyson's Corner - samples of organic teas for all gift bags
*Studio Be Pilates, Fairfax - freemat class for all gift bags

*To all the donators & gift bag participants for your contribution,special offers & discounts just for HMN!

We thank the following businesses for their generous support withdonations for the raffle prizes:(* denotes HMN Member)
The Organic Butcher $25 Gift Card
My Organic Market $25 Gift Card
Smart Market, Inc. Farmer’s Markets $25 Gift Card
1-Year Subscription to LivGreen Magazine
1-Year Subscription to Brain Child Magazine
Bilt Designs Stainless Steel Sippy Cups & Water Bottles
1 Hr. Photography Session (*Jennifer Alcantara, JLA Photos)
Custom Facial (Vitalia MedSpa)
Dress To Sweat $50 Gift Card
Teapot Set w/ Tea Assortment (Madhatter’s)
Simply Fun $15 Gift Certificate & Ribbit Game (Eva Zydallis, Consultant)
Melaleuca Personal Care Products (*Elaine Strickett, Distributor)
Chiropractic Consultation & Exam (*Dr. Lisa Przybysz, FamilyChiropractic Center of Fairfax)Wellness Assessment (*Dr. Lisa Przybysz, Family Chiropractic Center of Fairfax)
Fitness Gift Basket w/ Fitness Session (*Patty Blabey/Dr. Gary Blabey,Back In Action Spinecare & Rehab)
Chiropractic Consultation & Evaluation (Vienna Health Improvement Center)
Raindrop Therapy Session (Trinity Chiropractic Wellness Center)
Body/Energy Healing Session (Georgia LaCroix, The Cardinal Center for Healing)
Individual Session (Ruthann Pisaretz, The Cardinal Center for Healing)
Pilates 3-Private Sessions Gift Certificate (*Carla Vercoe, Studio Be Pilates)
Pilates Session Gift Certificate & Mind-Body CD (*Lizette Ayala,Access Pilates & Body Rules)Baby Sign Language Book & Free Workshop (Eileen Landino, Tiny Fingers)
Complimentary 8-Play Pass Card (Monkey Business)
Cutie Pie Keepsake $35 Gift Certificate & Cutie Clip gift certificate
LimuPlex Supplement (*Alice VanLandingham, Distributor)
iControl System Supplement (*Alice VanLandingham, Distributor)
Xango Mangosteen Juice (Terry Barlow, Distributor)
Isotonix Adult & Children’s Multivitamins (*Nina Un, Consultant)
SNAP Cleaning Products (*Nina Un, Consultant)
‘a book for Elie’ (Rhoda Trooboff, Author)
Set of 3 Motherhood Books (Family & Home Network)
Complimentary Greening Consultation (Inayet Sahin, Beyond Green Living)

March Thank You!

A huge thank you to Mitch Baker and American Plant for a great talk on Organic gardening and a wonderful door prize.
He has kindly offered to be a resource to all HMNers with gardening questions.
Please visit American Plant for your gardening needs!

American Plant (VA location)
10106 Georgetown Pike
Great Falls, VA 22066
Phone: (703) 438-8880
http://www.americanplant.net/

Mitch Baker
Horticulturist, American Plant
301-469-7690
mitch@apfgarden.com

He's very responsive - what a great resource and be sure to let him know you're with HMN!

February meeting "thank yous"

We had a great meeting at the Oakton library. It is a beautiful (and green-built) building. Thank you so much to our presenter, Dr. Porvaznik, who gave a wonderful talk. Thanks also for his generosity in donating a free session to one lucky winner!

Michael Porvaznik, DO

General practice of Osteopathic Manipulation

4910A South 31st ST

Arlington, VA 22206

(703) 931-7173

Chocolates with Values!

Show Your Friends and Family You Care This Valentine's Day!

Buy them delicious, organic, fair-trade dark chocolate and supportHMN of NOVA!

Dark Chocolate "Minis"from Equal Exchange, a company who:

*empowers farmers and consumers

*supports small farmer co-ops

*uses sustainable farming methods

*provides high-quality organics

Join us in creating stronger local communities, a more just foodsystem and a healthier planet by making responsible food purchases.

Email HMNofNOVA@gmail.com if you are interested!

Membership Drive is ON!

Live Healthy in 2009! Make your commitment to live green and healthy in 2009! Join the Holistic Moms Network today and save $5 off our annual membership fee.

As a member, you will:
* Have access to our lively online communities and discussion boards
* Receive a subscription to The Wise Mom e-newsletter filled with advice and suggestions on healthy living
* Be able to take advantage of special offers from our Sponsors and Partners
* Attend our Natural Living Conference at a discounted member rate
* Connect with thousands of holistic-minded parents across the US
* Be invited to affiliate with a local HMN Chapter
* Enter drawings to win door prizes at meetings
* Be part of a movement to raise healthy kids in a healthy environment

Don't miss out! Join today! Are you already a member? Existing members can renew early and save! You can join/renew online at http://membership.holisticmoms.org/.

Use Coupon Code NEWYEAR to receive your discount. Offer expires February 1, 2009.

February Meeting at OAKTON Library

Our February meeting will be held at the OAKTON Library,

instead of our usual City of Fairfax Library location.

The Oakton Library is the first public library in Fairfax County designed and constructed under the Leadership Energy In Environmental Design (LEED) program, sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Council. How cool is that?!

Oakton Library

10304 Lynnhaven Place

Oakton, VA 22124-1785

Telephone: 703-242-4020

Directions: click here

Website: click here

We hope to see you there!

New Meeting Space Needed

We are looking for a more permanent meeting space as the library availability is becoming limited. Do you know of a great place that we could hold meetings? Ideas include: conference rooms, pracitioners offices, yoga studios, community buildings, etc. It is a great way for a holistic-minded business to get some more "traffic."

We are looking for a meeting space that meets the following criteria:

*available for the first Tuesday of the month, 6:00-9:00 pm

*comfortably fits up to 50 people

*welcomes children

*has easily accesible bathrooms and parking

*has chairs that can be used

*allows light refreshments

*is FREE :)

Please let us know if you know of a place that might work for us!

January Meeting: Green Cleaning

We had a great meeting on Tuesday. We had lots of fun mixing up our own "green" cleaners to take home. The recipes were very simple and the ingredients were inexpensive. As always, look for meeting notes on the Yahoo! group page.

Thanks to the businesses who donated prizes for this meeting:

Nina Un, Wellness for All (Market America rep):ma.wellnessforall@yahoo.com

Eco-Jani, green cleaning crew:* 571-594-9527

*If you use their services, please tell them HMN sent you! :)