Parent Tribe Issue 1 June/ July 2013 by Hatti B

parent tribe issue one | june/ july 2013

be creative be free be together

“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.” - John Lennon

contents Veronika Robinson from the mother Mag shares her story pg 12

Introduction from Hatti

Our Contributors

I couldn’t do without...

pg 6

pg 8

pg 10

Clare’s Yoga at Home

Dotty Dove’s Designs - craft in cumbria

The Parent Tribe Summer Playlist

The Bellamy family share their story

pg 16

pg 20

pg 22

pg 24

Making Pebble Pets

The Botanical Chef’s Aloo Gobi Curry

Ballad of the beach

pg 26

pg 28

The world travelling Sundance family pg 30

pg 32

Join Our Tribe and become part of the 1st online Parent Directory- Pg 34

< subscribe to Parent Tribe > < Spread the love > < Inspire others with your story > < contribute >

Hello and welcome from mother, Editor & Designer Hatti Burt This magazine has been a dream of mine for a while. Since having my son, starting a natural parenting group Beautiful Beginnings and setting up a business from home to work around him, I have become part of a network of very inspiring mums and dads who are in a similar position. They all have a slightly different parenting style (which I think is great as different things are right for different families), but have all carefully considered their lifestyle options after becoming parents as they value the time they have with their little ones. It was this supportive network around me, which inspired me to start Parent Tribe. I would be so happy if parents with a similar philosophy

far and wide could use this as a source of inspiration, networking, collaboration or trading from one another. That is my ultimate dream for this and I hope it can help parents to be at home supporting their children and enjoying family time, as I personally feel that could play a small part in changing things for the future generation. So thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s it, I have said it, that is my whole motivation behind this project. I am sometimes afraid of saying what I think in this respect as parenting can be a very emotive subject, and I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like to challenge others, but I would like to mention this from the word go as this is why I am doing this. I am coming from a place of love

with this. I feel children need love. They need to be shown LOVE, COMPASSION and TRUST to learn these things for their life ahead. I also think they need TIME to EXPLORE nature and the world around them. If they do not experience these things, if they are separated from those who love them and shut away inside, then how can we expect them to grow up and make a difference to the world. If they do not learn these things then they may not empathise with others and see the beauty in the world around them. The world we currently live in holds a lot of fear and anger, and quite often puts emphasis on independence and personal gain over focusing on the benefit of all.

I believe to try and heal the problems we are facing in the world we need to teach our children interdependence and trust. This ultimately starts with us parents and how we choose to raise our children. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to stress again I am coming from a place of love. Parent Tribe is not here to judge, but to support and inspire people. I invite you to read it with an open-mind. If you value time with your family, time in nature, fulfilling your whole familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s potential, getting creative with life, being kind to the world around you and yourselves and bascially having fun together then welcome and please read on â&#x20AC;Ś

Find out more about my story here >>

Our Contributors

Clare is with her children full time and when family life allows, teaches a small pregnancy yoga class and writes on all aspects of yoga and natural parenting. She also likes to choose creative projects that her children can be involved in. Being able to watch her children grow and develop has led Clare to take the next step of home education and she aims to make their home a loving and creative place where the kids can discover who they are and unfold in their own way, and at their own pace.

Clare Cooper Clare, 33, lives with her partner Neil, 43, and their three children Surya, 5, Shanti, 2 and Sol, 5 months, on the edge of The Lake District. Both Clare and Neil are Yoga teachers, so yogic ideas are important to them, as is being in nature, living simply, good food, having time to be with their children and materialising their creative ideas.

We are so happy to have Clare writing for us at Parent Tribe and giving us some little insights into her yogic world and how to weave it into family life. Find out more about what Clare is up to including the launch of her books in the near future on www.beautifulbeginnings.org.uk

3 words to describe your lifestyle?

blessed. inspired. evolving.

Are you interested in contributing to parent tribe? We are looking for writers, poets, illustrators, photographers! Find out more here >>

is healthful and tasty and her business reflects this. Sarah is The Botanical Chef, a plant-based chef and her time is split between being a mum and running her business from home. As The Botanical Chef, Sarah works from home recipe developing and writing and is also a plant based demonstration chef. She also hosts cookery workshops and master classes. Sarahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one piece of advice would be to be flexible. Atticus is her priority but her work is also important to her too. Sarah makes it work by using evenings for recipe writing and Saturday mornings are also her time, while her boys and Monty Dog are out walking. Sundays are always family day for them.

Sarah Asquith-vallance Sarah, 34, lives with her husband Andrew, 34, (who she met at school), their son Atticus, 15 months, as well as 3 four legged friends Monty, Thomas and Plum, in a little village called Dearham near Cockermouth, Cumbria. Sarah and her family like to get outdoors as much as possible and their philosophy is compassionate living. Her passion is food that

Parent Tribe is very excited to have Sarah writing regular plant-based recipes for us, all tailored for family life. To find out more visit www.thebotanicalchef.co.uk

3 words to describe your lifestyle?

flexible. holistic. loving.

I couldn’t do without... We asked 5 SAHM/ WAHM’S what 1 item they could they not do without...

Incense

Monty the dog

A cup of Yogi tea

Veronika - Keeps me calm : )

Charlotte- He keeps me sane as he keeps me company whilst I’m working, and then gets me out and about every day into the fresh air and doing some exercise, and keeps me entertained and reminded of the simple pleasures in life - essential as a working mum!

Hatti - Always loo 10 mins of peace tea. I especially lik one comes with it wisdom. Even be homemade biscu friend to chat to!

Our Kari-me sling

Laptop

ok forward to e with my yogi ke that each tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own words of etter enjoyed with uits and a good

Catherine & Jon - This kept Rosie content and close to our hearts (and milky!) and it gave us our hands back. She lived in it for the first nine months!

Jody - One thing I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t live without as a work at home (or on the road) Mom is my laptop and Wi-Fi.

lifestyle and philosophy Our lifestyle is relaxed, and we aim to live as simply as we can within the nature of modern life and its conveniences. We believe that a happy and harmonious family and home life is the foundation of a successful society.

home business We work from home editing and publishing The Mother magazine, an international publication on natural and attachment parenting. I (Veronika) also work as an author, astrologer and a mentor ~ all done from home. The latter two are either done by phone or in person.

making it work around family 12

In the early days, it was just me (Veronika)

working on the magazine. I would take phone calls and end up with both my toddlers breastfeeding every time the phone rang. In recent years, Paul has worked full-time on the magazine, too, and it has been truly wonderful to have him literally by my side, personally and professionally. Our daughters are home educated so we’ve weaved parenting and family life around the business. I now do the majority of my work in the mornings before the girls wake up, so that I’m present throughout the day. The lovely thing about working from home is being able to set my own hours, and to stop when I feel like making a pot of soup or need to hang up a load of washing. Being Australian, when the Sun shines I tend to stop work altogether and just sit in the garden! Or I take out editing to do on paper. I couldn’t do this if I didn’t work from home.

Our Story Veronika Robinson, 45, and her husband Paul, 64, live with their daughters Bethany, 17, and Eliza, 15, in a delightful, 300-year-old Cumbrian farmhouse with small converted barn in the rural Eden Valley, overlooking fields and fells. They also edit and publish The Mother Magazine and Veronika works as an author, mentor and astrologer from home.

There are some jobs, such as mentoring or doing astrology sessions by phone, which I tend to do when I know Paul is around to ‘be there’ for the girls, even though they’re teenagers now and very independent.

Our inspiration I’d been subscribing to a Canadian publication on natural birth and breastfeeding, and when the editor died it really woke something up in me, and within a few months The Mother magazine began. We’ve been publishing for eleven years now, and I truly love our right livelihood. I’m grateful I took the risk, and have weathered the financial inclement weather ~ I wouldn’t trade our lifestyle for all the money in the world. I really wouldn’t.

education options They’re home-educated, and self direct their learning. The vast majority of their learning has come through casual conversations and reading, rather than any imposed lesson. Our approach has always been free range. Once they learnt to read for themselves, there was no stopping them. Bethany (17) is a passionate musician who plays violin, piano, flute and guitar, and is currently composing a musical. Her goal is to work fulltime as a musical theatre composer. She’s an active member of the Cumbria Youth Orchestra, and is head violinist (concert master). Eliza (15) is a fiction writer, and last year had her first book, Consequence, published. The next two books in her trilogy will be published in the Spring. She’s currently writing a spin-off of that

Three words to describe how you feel about your lifestyle?

Thankful. Relaxed. Joyful.

trilogy. Both girls are following their passions, and have clear ideas about their lives as adults. They both know they’re welcome to live at home for as long as they want or need. I believe it’s important for children to know that they won’t be booted out into the big wide world upon reaching adulthood, and that they can have the time to follow their dreams. So many adults expect their children to know what they want to do by the time they’re teenagers, and yet many of them haven’t had the chance to explore any option outside the school system. There are so many paths and possibilities to follow in this world, but it’s much easier to find them if we can do it on our own, rather than following someone else’s idea of what learning is or isn’t. Culturally, there’s an expectation of young adults being employed or in university as soon as they become adults, and yet so many of them could just do with more time to find out what they really want to do rather than being forced to make a decision.

ADVICE TO OTHER PARENTS Follow your heart. Let go of the idea of keeping up with the Jones. It’s a far nicer lifestyle to be self-employed and living week-to-week but having freedom, than to have two cars, annual overseas holidays and lots of cash in the bank but never seeing your family. Don’t be scared of taking the risk. Trust the process, and just go for it. If you believe in something with all your heart, the Universe will back you.

favourite family activity Preparing and eating delicious food! Veronika is currently writing Apron Strings: how I found joy as a stay-at-home mother (publishing Summer 2013)

Share your story Have you changed your lifestyle or started a business from home to spend more precious time with your family? If so please share your story of how you make it work and inspire other families to go for it too. Contact us to find out how >>

Clareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Yoga for At Home Welcome to the first yoga article of Parent Tribe. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fantastic to be sharing my passion for yoga and parenting in such a new and inspirational publication as this. Well done Hatti for living your dream! These articles will introduce simple yoga practices which can sustain, nourish and support you, mind and body, heart and soul. As a mother or father, perhaps with your own business too, you are your number one resource. It is you who cares for your children and meets all of their needs, you who provides the nourishment and nurturing, as well as providing the energy and momentum for your work or business. As parents, we hold the energy of the home, therefore it is vital that we are fully nourished, nurtured and are functioning at our optimum. Yet how often as busy parents do your needs come anywhere near the top of your priorities when there is so much to do and so many others needing your love, time and attention?

Start your day with Yoga

Morning Breathing

Dedicating a little time each day to simple yoga practice within your home is a tested way of creating a solid foundation from which you can begin your day, and a calm and sure place you can return to to rest and re-group as you flow with the rhythms and challenges of the day. Beginning and ending your day with yoga encourages you to become more mindful of your thoughts and actions, as well as helping you to develop an inner core of calm, peace and stability.

See morning yoga as an investment in yourself; create a place of peace from which to begin your day. The breath is everything in Yoga. This yoga practice begins before you even get out of bed so can be done alongside sleeping children. 1 Lie on your back, stretch out your legs and lengthen out your body. Place your hands low down on your belly. (If you are pregnant, lie on your left side) 2 Become aware of your breathing. Feel the warm breath flow in and out through your nose. Imagine the breath moving deep down into your body, feel the gentle expansion of the diaphragm beneath your hands. 3 Simply connect and just watch your breath flowing. 4 Say to yourself space as you breathe in, feel the space the breath creates inside; as you exhale say soften and consciously soften your body and relax with your exhale. Continue for ten breaths, creating a rhythm of space and softness.

These articles will introduce postures, breathing exercises and simple meditations which aim to create stillness and calm, strength and flexibility and balance and focus in body and mind. The practices are short and simple and can be easily incorporated into your day. Try them every day for a month and observe the subtle changes they create.

Wake Up Stretch 1 Still on your back, now stretch out your legs and draw your heels back towards you, stretch out your arms so you are in a star shape. Imagine your chest and shoulders widening. Take a deep breath, saying to yourself stretch, imagining your breath expanding outwards as you stretch through your whole body. Exhale, saying soften, now relax and soften your body into the bed. 2 Build up a steady rhythm of active stretch on the inhale, waking your body up, and a releasing softening on the exhale as you relax. Continue for ten breaths.

Waking up your Back

1 Lying on your back, as you inhale bend up your right leg, taking hold of your shin. As you exhale gently draw your bent leg in towards your shoulder, release into your lower back. Ease the leg out slightly with your in breath, and draw in as you breath out. Repeat five times, then begin with the left leg. 2 Next bend both legs in towards your body. With a hand on each knee, keep your knees together as you gently make a circular pattern with the legs. Relax into your lower back, take the circle in the other direction. 3 Inhale with a hand on each knee, as you exhale bring your knees in towards your shoulders and bring your head up to meet your

knees. Relax head and knees as you breathe in and join again as you breathe out. Continue for five breaths. 4 Stretch out into a star shape again, feel your breath moving into every part of your body. Become aware of your whole body, imagine yourself energised and vibrant. 5 Affirm to yourself, either silently or aloud, Peace to All, Light to All, Love to All. 6 Take the peace and focus you have created into your day.

Sleep-time Wind Down After a busy or stressful day it can sometimes be hard to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;switch offâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and relax into a peaceful sleep. However an over-active mind through the night is not conducive to a peaceful and restorative sleep or a good day in the morning. Use simple yoga to release, relax and make the most of your sleep-time. 1 Lying on your back, draw your knees into your chest and rock gently from side to side easing out your lower back. Next gently stretch out your legs and relax your arms out to the sides with palms facing upwards, lengthen your neck by bringing your chin towards your chest (relax on your left side if pregnant). 2 Now, as if watching a film, cast your mind back through your day, from when you woke. Watch your day unfold and consciously let go of it, knowing these images now slip into the past.

PEACE ~ RELEASE 3 Take your attention inwards, begin to follow your breathing. Feel the gentle rhythm of your breath. As you inhale say to yourself PEACE, imagine a sense of peace in your body. As you exhale, say RELEASE and soften your body into the bed. Continue for a few breaths. 4 Now consciously relax through your body 5 As you breath out, imagine your face and

eyes softening. Release your head into your pillow. Feel your shoulders melting and soften all the way down your arms into your palms and fingertips. 6 Feel your chest expand with breath, and then soften as you exhale, imagine your heart relaxing, soften through your ribs and all the way down through your abdomen. 7 Now soften the back of your body, feeling your neck relax, and imagining your spine releasing vertebrae by vertebrae until your whole back feels warm and peaceful. 8 Release the back of your pelvis, imagine the bones softening and releasing. Imagine now warm relaxation spiralling down your legs, feel your thighs and knees relax. Soften your calves, ankles, feet and toes. 9 Enjoy the feeling of softening and letting go through your whole body. 10 Return your mind gently to the breath, Inhale ~ PEACE, feeling a sense of peace flowing through your whole body. Exhale ~ RELEASE, softening through your whole body. 11 If you notice any thoughts, let them go with the breath. 12 Enjoy a peaceful, restorative sleep.

Peace to All ~ Light to All ~ Love to All

“I make things from collage basically! Using old stuff - giving it an new lease of life, using local materials, recycled fabrics and packaging where poss. Focus on reducing carbon footprint by using British fabrics like hand woven harris tweed made only in Hebrides.”

Dotty Dove’s Designs Anna Dove, 34, lives happliy with her husband Richard, 41, and their two little monsters Willow, 3, and Honey, 14 months in the sleepy and very beautiful Ennerdale valley. I started dotty dove’s designs so that I could start to put together a nest egg for my little one’s for their future, whilst also staying at home with them, being a good role model. I wanted to develop my ideas and love of crafts and design - so thought that this would be the perfect combination. Time with the girls is spent doing painting, jigsaws, sand castle making, playing outside and going exploring when off camping. We also like to take our old and much loved decrepid dog Sam out for daily walks- Honey hauled up in the backpack and Willow on her trike, heading over the gorgeous Ennerdale valley to find streams anew into which we can throw stones and play poo sticks. Plans with the business is to keep it small & manageable whilst children are not at school, then grow it when they are at school and leave me home alone! For now I’m selling online and in cumbrian galleries and shops but hope to extend stockists! I also hope to be offering workshops at higham hall college too along the

lines of making harris tweed cushions / multi media crafting in the not too distant future. I have set up a ‘crafty workshop’ I go to during the evenings or in small parts of the day that I snatch half an hour to do some creative thinking and making inbetween play groups/ playing outside/ making dens/ playdoughing / boring house hold chores (which definitely come bottom of the pile!!). I have just completed a business course with help from hubby who took annual leave the days I was on course. Like many we have no child care over here as family in North East, so it’s not always easy to grab half an hour to nip to a gallery or to see accountants. Somehow I always fit things in even if it does mean dragging little ones around galleries from time to time! (holding on firmly to weeny hands lest they grab an ornate and pricey piece of art work!!).

Find Dotty Dove Designs on Facebook, Twitter, Etsy and Folksy

Parent Tribe's 10 essential family summer tracks to dance around to (with hairbrush microphones)... 1. Three little birds - Bob Marley 2. Five Years Time - Noah and the Whale 3. Me & Julio Down by the Schoolyard - Paul Simon 4. Express Yourself - Charles Wright 5. Jump - Kris Kross 6. Monkey Man - Toots & the Maytals 7. High Hopes - Frank Sinatra 8. Yellow Submarine - The Beatles 9. ABC - Jackson Five 10. Bear Neccesity - Baloo the Bear

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lifestyle and philosophy I’m not sure I can use any one word to describe my lifestyle and philosophy, but I’d probably say that I’m always striving for my actions and interactions with other humans to be based on empathy. I also try to work on effective communication with my family and those I’m in contact with. Facts are also very important to me, because I firmly believe that making choices based on sound, well-researched evidence gives power to the individual.

home business

Well, I am a sole trader working in our home. I publish books and produce greetings cards that have an emphasis on normalizing breastfeeding. I’m also keen to publish the work of other mothers and fathers who are talented writers and artists. For some of the items I produce a

portion of the retail price is donated to charity (La Leche League Great Britain), which is a charity close to my heart.

making it work around family I adhere to the motto ‘family first’ which I think is pretty clear! But of course it’s important I make sure that books and cards are delivered to customers on time. So far I’ve managed to do both!

Our inspiration First I wanted to raise some funds for La Leche League, which I did by publishing the anthology Musings on Mothering. Due to the generosity of the contributors, all author and artist royalties are being donated to LLLGB. I also wanted to produce more quality books (for adults and children) that had attachment parenting and

Our Story Teika and Tom Bellamy live in Nottingham with their children Rebecca, 6, and Jerome, 2. They run Mother’s Milk Books which aims to produce books for children and adults that normalise breastfeeding. Teika is also a breastfeeding counsellor and loves to write poetry.

breastfeeding as the ‘norm’ as I felt there were too few books that did that.

education options My eldest attends the local primary school, which is only about a minute’s walk away. The staff at the school helped make the transition into school life for our daughter as smooth as possible (by her starting a term later, and going home for lunch). I appreciated their willingness to be flexible to her needs, and I feel that school life is working well for us at the moment. We enjoy being a part of the school community, which is an important, and big, part of the wider community.

ADVICE TO OTHER PARENTS I’m not really one for giving advice, but I have found from my own experience that it’s important

to be realistic about the amount of time, money, energy (physical and emotional), and house space (!) that running a small business from home takes from an individual and their family.

favourite family activity Reading books and going for a walk in the woods come joint first!

3 words to describe your lifestyle empowered. happy. invigorated. Find out more on the Mother’s Milk Books website http://www.mothersmilkbooks.com/

p e l b b e p e meet th

mary

bob

Making pebble pets is fun because you get to get out and enjoy nature, go for a family stroll and collect some pebbles first. Then after you have spent time making the pets in all shapes and sizes they can bring years of family fun. A perfectly creative and natural toy.

until my mum came over and reminded me it’s from the Marx Brothers film, The Philadelphia Story, which was engrained on my brain from watching my parents videos over and over during my childhood! Quite a funny song, but maybe not for kids, watch it here >>

You can even make songs or stories up to go with them. I started singing “Lydia, oh Lydia, that encyclo-pidia.” about our little Lydia, which was getting funny looks from my boys. I didn’t actually know where it had come from

To make pebble pets you need: Some pebbles (any shapes or sizes) Felt in various colours A black pen A stick glue (like Pritt Stick)

pet family

pez

lydia

Some white sticky lables (or just white paper) Make sure your pebbles are clean and dry. Cut some feet and/ or hair out of felt and stick them on with glue. Hold down for a bit to make sure they stick. Stick white eyes on and draw pupils and mouth on with pen. Enjoy! Written by Hatti Burt

The Botanical Chefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Aloo Gobi Curry This is a great little aromatic curry and perfect for families who are introducing children to new tastes. It can be made really quickly in the evening for supper, or if you have a little time to spare you can make it in the morning and allow the flavours to develop throughout the day. For adults or those who like it a little warmer you can increase the amount of spices.

The Recipe

Drizzle of vegetable oil 1/4 tsp ground cloves 1/4 tsp turmeric 2 star anise 2 1/2 tsp cumin 6 cardamom pods crushed 1/4 tsp ground ginger 1 onion, finely chopped 1 large waxy potato, diced. 1 small cauliflower, chopped into bite size pieces 1 tin flagolet beans, drained and rinsed 1 tub coconut cream (250ml) (Goes well with mango & pineapple chutney)

1. Heat a drizzle of vegetable oil into a large pan or wok. 2. Add ground ginger, cumin, star anise, turmeric, cardamom and cloves to the hot oil to release the flavours. Cook for 2 minutes. Keep the spices moving. 3. Reduce heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft. 4. Add a touch of water and then add the potato to cook for 5 minutes. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want the potato to brown, just soften.

5. Add the cauli, beans and coconut cream. 6. Cook on a low heat until potatoes are soft, approximately 15 minutes longer. Serve with your favourite rice, popadoms and mango chutney. N.B. Tastes even better if you let the flavours party in the fridge overnight and eat it the next day. Enjoy! Sarah x The Botanical Chef

www.thebotanicalchef.co.uk www.facebook.com/thebotanicalchef

“Cooking is at once child’s play and adult joy. And cooking done with care is an act of love.” - Craig Claiborne

“We are free to live and travel wherever we want to be, you know? We don’t have a home, we don’t have a car. We kind of travel.”

The Sundance Family - World Travellers and conscious online entrepreneurs Ka Sundance, his wife Katie and children Benny, Jaro, Ronja and Joa are a world travelling family who earn their living online. They are currently staying in Bali, then plan to move onto Germany to see grandparents and have their 5th child, which is due in July. After August they plan to move onto Hawaii and Costa Rica, then, who knows!?

lifestyle and philosophy We are the raw food family Sundance and we live a very highly raw food lifestyle. We got involved with raw foods 8 years ago because our second son was very, very sick. He had chronic asthma and very bad skin and we were really desperate. We went from doctor to doctor, nobody was able to help us and they just put him on inhalers and said he would have to deal with it for the rest of his life.

That point of desperation was when we said this has to stop. We don’t believe this, this is not our life. Our precious little son was suffering so much. That’s when we heard about the Raw Food Diet, we jumped on to it and within three days to a week, all symptoms were gone! They never returned and we never looked back. We celebrate a very high Raw Food lifestyle, but we have some cooked foods once in a while. Every other day we have some brown rice, some quinoa and some steamed veggies. No meat, no fish, no dairy products. Oh, we do have some goat’s cheese also from time, once every three months or something.

home business We are so fortunate to have turned our passion into a business and it was not even meant as a business from the beginning because all we

really do is care about other families, about people who want to become healthier and happier. We basically shared our family story and how we healed our son through the powers of raw foods on our website The Raw Food Family. We shared this online and very soon we gathered a lot of followers. I’m big on YouTube, so I have a YouTube channel with around 15,000 subscribers and 2.5 million views so far where I’m just sharing very heart based information, knowledge or experience with people all around the world to help them to become more healthy. And we are getting paid for this! We have written several books and online programmes/ courses and we also coach people, helping them just to become more healthy in a natural way. Interestingly enough, the most popular questions people always ask us these days is not, how to get protein on a vegan or raw vegan diet, which is a question you might know if you’re also interested in a raw food lifestyle. No, the most asked question is actually “How do you afford travelling the world with four kids for so long? How do you do that?” and when I say well I have online businesses then the next question of course always is “Well, how can I do the same? I want to travel. I want to have that freedom you have. What, you don’t have a home? You don’t have a car? How do you do this and how do you live this lifestyle of freedom?”. So, like it has always has been in my business life, the next business has found me and that is - I am a business mentor. I help but I’m very picky. I help people who are on a mission. I have people I help people who have businesses they believe in, to reach more people with their message. I help people charge less money through smart outsourcing and creating online passive income. That’s what I do and

that’s what I teach. I have worked with a lot of successful entrepreneurs from all around the world. So these are the two main businesses we have here. We inspire people and families to get healthier and I inspire and help conscious, green business owners to reach more people and create more freedom for themselves. We work from anywhere. We are free to live and travel wherever we want to be, you know? We don’t have a home, we don’t have a car. We, we kind of travel. We have just spent the last month here in South East Asia, and we are going to Bali in a couple of days for a few months, we have a really nice house already booked. Then we go back to Germany for the Summer, as we are a German family. In Germany we plan to catch up with family and friends, it will be nice for the kids to see their grandparents. And our 5th baby is also due in July so we are planning for it to be born there. We will then go next Winter to Hawaii, and after Hawaii, we will go back to Costa Rica where we actually stayed the last two-and-a-half years. So you can see we really live a very location independent lifestyle. Not having a specific place we have to be makes us free and I treasure this freedom very much. Having four kids, this is very unique and I thank God every morning when I walk here from our bungalow to the pool and look at the ocean. I thank God every day that I have manifested this but this is how it works; this is what I teach people and I’m very passionate about this because I believe truly that we can make a difference. We can shift the world, we can make the world a better place, and I’m working a lot to participate in the positive change that is going on co-ordinating light workers and conscious entrepreneurs out there.

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The Ballad of the Beach I walked along a golden beach, Awash with stones and shells. I felt the sand beneath my feet And heard the children’s yells. I watched my daughter run ahead To climb a grassy dune; I gladly followed where she led, For well I knew too soon, She’d be too old, ‘grown up’ she’d say To share these things with me, And then I’d be here all alone, Just staring at the sea. So wanting very much to keep This moment evergreen, I took in all the sights and sounds, The seen and the unseen. This memory-to-be got saved, And fixed within my brain, The way we laughed and “misbehaved”; The sudden fall of rain. Now years have passed, my daughter’s grown And gone beyond my reach, But when I close my eyes and pause We’re back there on that beach. By Marija Smits First published in Musings on Mothering – published by Mother’s Milk Books, 2012

I wrote ‘The Ballad of the Beach’ a few years after spending a lovely afternoon on the beach with my daughter, who was about one and a half at the time. As my husband sat on the sand, guarding all our things, my daughter and I paddled at the water’s edge, picking up shells and then walking back and forth to the nearby rocks. I remember it as a lovely respite from the everyday chores and worries. It allowed me the time to reflect on how quickly the first eighteen months of my daughter’s life had gone, and how much I had grown as an individual. It made me realize just how fast the next few years would go, and that no matter how big the challenges were that I had to contend with at that moment — one day they would pass. Back then my two biggest problems were the two ‘mother-lacks’ — lack of sleep and a lack of time to myself. It seemed as though my daughter would never sleep for longer stretches of time or allow me a few minutes to myself (to write, to read a book…) but of course I found ways to manage my tiredness and incorporate some me-time into my life without compromising on the way I wanted to mother my daughter: with sensitivity and compassion. I have found family outings to be a wonderful boost to all of us, in all manner of ways; particularly when we’re in natural surroundings. Time spent in fields, or forests — or by the beach — provide us with soul-refreshment, and of course inspiration by the (sandy) bucket load! Marija is a mother-of-two, a poetess and writer. Her poetry, short stories and parenting articles have appeared in a wide-ranging variety of publications. When she’s not busy with her children she’s busy writing. www.marijasmits.wordpress.com

Art quilt by Karen Bachman-Kells

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