Mt. Diablo Perinatal Psychotherapy Associates and Tiffany Dolci are sponsoring a screening of The Dark Side of The Full Moon, followed by a panel discussion at the Walnut Creek Cinemark Theatre on November 10. The film raises awareness of the prevalence and seriousness of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. A wonderful learning experience for parents and professionals who work with new parents. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.tugg.com/events/
Category Archives: books of interest
Upcoming feeding workshops
Supporting Your Picky Eater While Staying Sane:
A Workshop for Parents of Toddlers & Preschoolers
Saturday, October 18, 2:00-3:30pm
Natural Resources, 1367 Valencia Street, San Francisco
Cost: $40
Sign up here.
And,
Tuesday, October 20, 7-8:30pm
WholeFamilyMD at 1286 Sanchez Street, suite A, San Francisco
Free for members and $40 for the general public
To register, email sfwholebodybalance@
Ideal for parents of children ages 1½ – 5 years. This workshop is for adults.
Learn which foods are most nourishing for young children. We will discuss the important role that parents play in setting an example for their children when it comes to good nutrition.
Topics covered include:
- Which nutrients are most important for young growing bodies
- 15 tips for supporting your picky eater
- “Show and Tell Bag” of food samples you can buy or make
- Healthy fats and their importance for growing children, and for adults
- Pantry Makeover – which foods to limit or throw out
- The importance of family mealtimes
- Simple recipes and meal ideas the entire family can enjoy
Introducing Solids and Making Homemade Baby Food
Friday, October 23, 12-1:30pm
Carmel Blue, 1418 Grant Ave, San Francisco
Cost: $45
Sign up here.
Ideal for parents of babies 3-8 months. Babies are welcome!
Virginia Watkins leads an educational and lively class on introducing solid foods and making your own baby food. Participants will learn several foundational recipes and taste samples.
Topics covered include:
- 6 key time-saving tips, such as, “Cook the same foods for baby as you cook for yourself”
- Recommended safe first foods
- Foods to avoid
- Herbs and spices
- Raising a healthy eater and avoiding the picky-eating stage
- Progressing to finger foods
- Freezing and thawing
Introducing Solids and Raising a Healthy Eater
Tuesday, December 8, 11am-12:30pm
Natural Resources, 1367 Valencia Street, San Francisco
Cost: $40
Sign up here.
Ideal for parents of babies 3-6 months. Babies are welcome!
This class will take all of the guesswork out of giving your baby the best nutrition and a healthy relationship with food right from the start.
Topics covered include:
- Understanding when your child is ready for solid food and why
- Safe first foods, looking beyond rice cereal and across the globe
- Foods to avoid
- How much food to give your child
- Food texture and choking hazards, how to progress
- Recommended “tool kit” for first feedings – no fancy gadgets involved
- The importance of family mealtime
- Recommended resources on healthy eating for you and your growing child
- “Show and Tell Bag” of food samples you can buy or make
For more information about VW Nutrition consultations, in-home, hands-on cooking classes and market tours, please visit www.vwnutrition.com or email me at virginia@vwnutrition.com.
Mama Mindful Sitting Groups
Come join other like-minded mamas for a “time in” of intentional reflection, mindfulness practice, introspection, connection and conversation. This gathering will occur in Berkeley on Sunday October 18 from 4:00to 5:30. Together we will create a safe space with “a time out from doing” and “a time in for being”. In the practice of mothering, creating time for internal space can be challenging. As the hub of the family wheel taking time for yourself is a gift to your family, as well as your self, who rely on your strength and wisdom for their daily sustenance. Join me in this important act of creating space for a mama pause.
This group is for mamas without their little ones, although parents with babies in arms (pre-crawling infants) are welcome. Cost for the gathering is a suggested donation between $25.00 and $35.00 and pre-registration is requested.
The meeting will occur at Birthways 1600 Shattuck Ave @ Cedar in Berkeley.
Please check with me for further details or with questions.
Feel free to share this information with others.
Similar to the New Moms’ Group – the 2nd-Time Moms’ Group is a combination of meditation/discussion/support group geared towards mothers of babies up to 6 months of age who have one or more older children. These groups meet for 6 weeks and provide an opportunity for moms to talk about the joys and challenges of integrating your new baby into your family and balancing the care needs of your children, yourself, and your partner. We will practice mindfulness skills, build community, and discuss topics relevant to mindful mothering.
2nd-Time Moms’ Group – MIndfulness Focus
Next 6 week session begins in November
Similar to the New Moms’ Group – the 2nd-Time Moms’ Group is a combination of meditation/discussion/support group geared towards mothers of babies up to 6 months of age who have one or more older children. These groups meet for 6 weeks and provide an opportunity for moms to talk about the joys and challenges of integrating your new baby into your family and balancing the care needs of your children, yourself, and your partner. We will practice mindfulness skills, build community, and discuss topics relevant to mindful mothering.
Sample topics might include: balancing the needs of two or more children, helping older child in the transition to becoming an older sister/brother, attending to your relationship, staying “present” in the midst of the chaos, providing scaffolding for the development of a positive sibling relationship, and more.
Living the Question
While we all know that the journey of parenthood is challenging with no clear answers available and a great deal of having to fumble in the dark, what I have found useful, both for myself and the mamas that I work with, is the idea of using questions as guides. Questions can support our capacity to be thoughtful and reflective and to live with awareness and curiosity. If we live the question, as Rilke put it, someday we will live our way into the answers
“… have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.’
Rainer Maria Rilke
If we did not have to “live” the question in order to learn the answer, we might imagine that we could simply read the cliff notes. In fact, if we Googled them right now the whole thing could be completed in about 10 minutes. But coming to know the answer does not mean the answer for everyone, nor does it mean the answer for always. What it does mean, however, is that by living the questions, by holding the questions with respect and patience we can come to know the answers for us and our children and family at a given point in time. Since we are dynamic growing people the answer does not stay the same, and since we are individuals the answer for you is invariably going to be different then the answer for me.
Most of us have a hard time living with uncertainty. And nothing is more uncertain then who are children will be, and what will happen along the journey for them and for us. After all, it is not ultimately up to us how thing’s will unfold. While we can provide structure, nourishment, and guidance we cannot control the outcome. Rather we have to find the balance between intention and acceptance, knowing what we want to strive towards and knowing that we have to learn to accept things as they are. If we don’t learn to accept “what is” we will inadvertently stand in the way of growth and development, reduce our ability to be present for our children and experience greater dis-ease.
Postpartum Stress Support Group – start date in October
The group is appropriate for women experiencing anxiety, intrusive thoughts, depression, insomnia, birth trauma, overwhelm and/or problems with attachment to their child. It will run biweekly for 8 sessions with the possibility of repeating the group cycle depending on the needs of the group members. The meetings are in Kensington within blocks from Berkeley/El Cerrito/Albany borders. For more detailed information and a flier, go to my website, http://www.leesafran.
Warm regards,
Lee
Lee Safran, MFT
1562 Oak View Ave. Kensington, CA 94706
(510) 496-6096 www.leesafran.com
Lee Safran, MFT
1562 Oak View Ave. Kensington, CA 94706
(510) 496-6096 www.leesafran.com
Oakland/Rockridge Moms Groups Starting Sept. 1
*OAKLAND Mom2Mom- New Moms Group- starts Tuesday, September 1st*
*Where: Musically Minded on Broadway in Rockridge*
*When: 6 Tuesdays, from 10-noon, starting September 1st*
*Fee: $190 for the six week session More information
at www.oaklandmom2mom.com
*To register:*
*email: CathyCarr.lmft@gmail.com
*phone: 510.516.9136 *
Here is a summary about the group:
*Oakland Mom2Mom is a 6 week facilitated group which focuses on
helping new moms build a community and meet other moms with babies with
similar ages. The friendships that are formed are really quite amazing and
most groups continue to meet for years to come on an informal basis. There
is something about going through a shared experience, while recognizing
that each mom’s experience is unique, that leads to great connection
and support. We have found that moms are often most grateful for the
perspective they gain from talking to other moms.
The 6 week facilitated portion is a weekly 2 hour meeting where moms share
their experiences, questions, concerns, and get tips on all sorts of
topics, since this can be quite an overwhelming time for many moms.
The moms all bring their babies, and so we also talk about how to connect
with infants. We also provide psycho-education (as wanted) on different
topics including infant development, sleep/feeding questions, changes in
relationships and family dynamics, transition to motherhood, feelings re:
going back to work or not, postpartum health, and identity as a mom.
The group offers lots of support and perspective that can be especially
helpful after some sleepless nights!*