The Parenting Oasis

Supporting Moms Returning to the Workplace February 23, 2009

I am constantly amazed by the brilliant women I am surrounded by at
PO.  I see the commitment to being a mother and I see the hunger for
something more.  Most women have a career prior to having children and
whether you take a six week leave or a six year leave, at some point
most women will want to be back in the workplace.  But it is an
enormous challenge to balance work and family, especially while
remaining committed to strong emotional connections with our partner
and our children.

Saturday February 28th, from 11-12 Parenting Oasis will host the first
monthly Balancing Work and Mothering meeting. Please come- lets talk
about our needs and the needs of our community.  Whether currently
working or planning to return to work in the future, come join the
conversation.

Don’t forget this week’s volunteer meeting and please, if you know
someone who could benefit from the Healing Birth Stories Workshop,
pass on the information.  The first time we offered it, it was a
wonderful healing experience for everyone.

Maureen

Good Enough Parenting Oasis? February 15, 2009

You might have heard me on the FM 107.1 show Good Enough Moms talking about Parenting Oasis today.  It was really fun to share our vision and seemed like a good fit for their message.

It is hard to be the kind of mom you want to be, every day, in every way.  And lately it has been hard to be the kind of Parenting Oasis we want to be, every day, in every way.

There will be a day in the near future when we have paid staff and a full team of volunteers.  Then we will be able to vacuum everyday, keep the big kids entertained and managed well, and ensure that everyone feels welcomed and cared for.  But right now, not all those things happen every day. 

Hang in there with us.  Come volunteer.  Come bring us muffins.  And be patient with us.  As we work to create a sense of community and meet everyone’s needs, we are each also managing to be good parents and manage our own homes as well.

Thanks so much for all the volunteers who have kept me out of the kitchen these past weeks.  With my free time, I have been working on marketing, fund-raising, and writing projects.  I have also started working on upgrading our website- watch for it soon. (Maybe not so soon.) You will all be relieved to know that my sorry house plants are looking better.

Drop me a line if you aren’t on the volunteer list and want to be.

 Maureen

Creating Community- What’s Next?

 I meet so many mommas each week who are struggling with postpartum depression or anxiety.  I hear so many stories of recovery, of women who didn’t really begin to feel confident as mothers until their children where long past the baby years. 

I was so lonely when Joey was born.  I knew all about being a mom, that wasn’t new for me but I had no community of mothers.  Finding a group of women who support me, who care about me and share in my desire to parent with connection and peace, has made life so much richer.  And I know that this group helped me successfully VBAC, nurse longer, discipline more playfully and more lovingly. And I have learned so much about birth and becoming mother and healing from this community.

So- we need to reach out. If we are going to make a difference in our larger community, our little community is going to have to find more pregnant women, more women just beginning to move towards parenting. I would love to see Parenting Oasis really develop a strong voice for new parents in our area.

We met Saturday to discuss ways Parenting Oasis can better serve parents working outside of the home and we have decided to begin to offer a Returning to Work group monthly on Saturdays.  I will start putting together some new fliers and postcards.  Look for them at Parenting Oasis in the next week weeks. If each of us would reach out to the new parents in our lives and our neighborhoods, we will begin to make a greater impact.

Thanks to everyone for the gift this community is to my family and to the families I work with.

And come in next Saturday and make a Valentine for someone you love!

Maureen