“The Secret Life of Babies: How decoding the cultures of birth, love, and violence begins with recovering the people we once were” by Dr. Mia Kalef

This book is a must read for any new mom or grandma.  As we read from the book, this book is “based on years of clinical and scientific research into health, and explores the roots of society’s challenges around birth, love, and violence.”

Some of the questions this book explores are:

- What are babies telling us about who we are today?

- Are our brains shaped by our experiences in the womb and at birth?

Some of the solutions this book offers are:

- Suggestions on how cultivating peaceful, compassionate people begins with the way children are conceived.

“Dr. Mia Kalef is involved in researching the roots of emotional and physical well-being, including how the unique nature of the period between conception and the first year of life dramatically shapes individual health and cultural behavioural tendencies.”

You can purchase this book at Hippy Grandma: earth friendly treasures.

namaste,

Zoey

Founding Hippy

one of Joyce's Kozy Koats

January is always such a busy month for me. I find that something about the beginning of a New Year makes me want to be extra productive. It’s a good thing too because for me right now this means writing a business plan and preparing to launch a home business. Like many mothers out there, I want to work from home so that I can be with my 10 month old son Aiden, and not have to put him in daycare. I had to put my oldest son Jeremy, now about to turn 15, in daycare much of his life. Back then I was a single parent, so in order to support him I had no choice but to leave him in someone else’s care much of the time. Jeremy turned out just fine, but since I have a choice I don’t want to use full-time daycare.

Now that I’m older and starting again with a new baby, my hubby and I think that we can work it out to be able to have one of us stay at home with him. Steven works full-time as a roofer, so that means that I’ll stay home. Financially though, it also means we need a second income. Enter my idea for a business. But that’s a topic for another time.

I imagine that it will be difficult sometimes to try to work and take care of Aiden at the same time, but I’m up for the challenge. I do have help. When Jeremy gets home from school he is often very helpful with the baby. Being a teenager, he isn’t always thrilled about it. But he understands that being the oldest, it is his responsibility to pitch in around the house. Plus when Steven is home he can take on baby duty. All-in-all it should work out.

I’ve seen and spoken with other women who have started home-based businesses and succeeded. In fact, it seems that many women prefer the flexibility of running their own business to working for someone else. Joyce Daradics of Kozy Koats started her business so that she could be at home to raise her daughter. She is such a talented lady, creating the most beautiful baby coats. I was given one as a baby gift when Aiden was born. Zoey Ryan, the fabulous creator of Hippy Grandma finds time for her 3 beautiful daughters in between her many endeavors. My own mother, Pamela Chatry, has for many years gone off the beaten track work-wise and created several successful ventures. It is her strength, support and unwavering belief in me that gives me hope that I, too, can join the ranks of these amazing, successful and smart women entrepreneurs. Wish me luck!

Written for Hippy Grandma

by Megan Chatry, Hippy Mommy Extraordinaire

Congrats and a “Far Out Shout Out to Bobs & Lolo”, members of the Hippy Grandma community.  What we love about Bobs & Lolo is that their productions blend great music and action with a sustainable message.  Read their press release below:

BOBS & LOLO RECEIVE INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR CHILDREN’S DVD:

Critically acclaimed children’s performers, Bobs & Lolo are hitting all the right notes with their award-winning collection of children’s CDs and DVDs. While still celebrating the recent launch of their third full- length album (Action Packed), the dynamic duo was excited to receive notification from the US-based Children’s Music Web Awards that their DVD, On Your Feet, has been selected as an award recipient for the 2008 Best DVD for Preschoolers. 

The Children’s Music Web awards are the only music awards guided by adults and chosen by kids – www.childrensmusic.org. The Children’s Music Web is a non-profit resource for families and educators worldwide. The awards program involves families and schools in every step of the judging process. Over 2000 children worldwide participated in the evaluation process for the 2008 awards.   

Bobs & Lolo’s On Your Feet DVD features 10 great songs and full- length videos that will get kids dancing, singing and playing along in an exciting world filled with bikes, gardens, rocket ships and more. All ten songs are written and performed by Robyn Hardy (Bobs) and Lorraine Pond (Lolo).  

Purchase the BOBS & LOLO DVD here!

Bobs & Lolo use music, movement and make-believe to share stories and experiences that both entertain and educate, while ultimately teaching children to care about themselves, their neighbours and the planet. Their programming places an emphasis on celebrating the values of healthy- living and aims to inspire young audiences with an awareness and appreciation for the world around them. The Children’s Music Web Award is the second international award acknowledging the high production value and educational merit of Bobs & Lolo’s debut DVD. On Your Feet also received a 2008 Parent’s Choice Award earlier last year.                                                                         

Bobs & Lolo regularly perform at schools, children’s festivals and community events across Canada and throughout the United States. With their growing collection of award-winning albums, Bobs & Lolo are gearing up to be the biggest thing to hit the Canadian children’s music scene. 

SEE THE LIVE SHOW: 

Winterfest, Surrey – Feb 7 

Roundhouse Community Centre, Vancouver – Feb 21 

Inglewood Family Concert, West Vancouver – Feb 8 

Community Gospel Hall, Salt Spring Island – Feb 28 

Joyce creates the following Hippy Grandma treasures: Exquisite, lined, homesewn, one of a kind vintage chenille and vintage fabric baby jackets, bonnets and heritage bonnets.  These are outfits that will stay in the family for generations.

“I began my business in 1978 in order to be able to stay at home and raise my daughter.  I began making baby and children’s hair accessories and continued along that path for 25 years.  This led to sewing Heirloom Baby Bonnets which also opened the door to Kozy Koats.  I have always enjoyed creating beautiful treasures for babies and children.  I enjoy searching for unique fabrics and especially searching for vintage material to give them new purpose.  I love babies, can you tell”? 

Joyce is an amazing seamstress.  She creates her baby clothes from a home based studio and imbues her products with “spirit grandma love”.

Both Joyce and Zoey (founding hippy) share a love of vintage chenille and Joyce’s vintage chenille baby coats are a featured treasure on Hippy Grandma.  Each vintage chenille jacket takes around 3- 4 hours to create.  Joyce gently cleans the vintage fabric and then lovingly cuts both the vintage fabric and lining in her studio.  She sews and finishes the garment with exquisite attention to detail.  What is unique about Joyce’s story is that her sewing gives her joy, and relief from a yet to be diagnosed “short term memory deficit”.  Joyce pours her love of sewing, vintage chenille and babies into all her creations. She keeps the hippy love flowing!

Zoey’s grandniece Sophia is modeling two of Joyce’s creations on the hippy grandma home page.

You can view Joyce’s amazing baby jackets here.

Order one of these adorable and unique, home-crafted baby jackets for a hippy baby in your life today!

Keep the hippy love flowing!

During the month of February 2009, Hippy Grandma is hosting the “Blogging BE-INg” to support the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s Grandmother to Grandmother (GoGo) campaign.  

For every comment or new blog posting, Hippy Grandma will donate $1 to the campaign to a total of $500.  So, join in the Blogging BE-INg and take social action to support grandmas in Africa who are raising grandkids whose parents have died of AIDS.

Keep the hippy love flowing and get involved.  It’s simple, just comment on an existing blog posting or register for the blog and add a posting yourself.  It can be on any topic, we just want you to join in.  If you have difficulty with this process, contact Zoey and she will walk you through it!

For more info on the Stephen Lewis Foundations “Grandmother to Grandmother” campaign, click here.

namaste,

Zoey – founding hippy

Our family recently returned from a three week visit to Yelapa, Mexico.  Yelapa is a sleepy and beautiful fishing village a 45 minute water taxi ride south of Puerto Vallarta.  We have been vacationing in Yelapa for the past five years, however, we weren’t the first North Americans to discover it.

In the 1960’s Yelapa was “discovered” by the hippies, including some of our rock & roll legends like Bob Dylan.  In fact, one can stay at the same gorgeous casa, that Bob allegedly stayed in (Casa de los Suenos).

I keep going back to Yelapa as it nourishes my soul.  It is beautiful, undeveloped and peaceful, yet full of multilayered relationships and complexity.  We enjoyed many an evening, sitting on the patio in candlelight (I took the Mystic Masala “spice bliss” travel candle, as well as two other mystic candles), sharing stories, playing scrabble and connecting as a family.

The food is amazing!  There aren’t many stores, basically 3 tiendas in the bottom level of the owners homes.  Most produce that we bought was “organic” simply because the use of pesticides is often cost prohibitive.  The meals we ate were simple and scrumptious.  There are many wonderful places to eat in Yelapa, serving traditional Mexican fare (Tacos y Mas and El Manguito), chicken and fresh fish of the day (Pollo Bollo), asian inspired and fresh seafood (The Yacht Club), burgers and salads (The Oasis) and French (La Galleria), to name a few.  If one ventures upriver to the “big waterfall”, you can enjoy a vegan brownie at Christina’s on the way back.

We spent alot of time on the beach, swimming and getting warmed to the bone.  The swimming and snorkeling was great.  The Hotel Lagunita has an amazing natural type rock fresh water pool that provided a wonderful alternative to the salt water.  Our shoo foo bamboo towels really came in handy!

I returned home, vowing to keep to the simple things in life; family and friends, healthy wholesome foods, natural products and sharing with one’s community.  I am always humbled in Yelapa, humbled by the generosity of spirit and sense of community of the village that I wish to replicate here.

namaste,

Zoey

Founding Hippy

www.hippygrandma.com – earth friendly, fair trade treasure for your grandbabies, their mamas and you!