Marriage, Pregnancy and Motherhood

How to make an Easter Basket

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by Natascha Pearson

Homemade Easter Egg Basket

Easter is in a few days, and my seven (almost eight-year-old) daughter is finally old enough to use a hot glue gun, and so we dove into basket making in celebration of the spring equinox.

For this project, I shopped at JoAnns. There was an excellent sale for 60% off easter decoration and buy one get one free on flower arrangements. I purchased two bundles of artificial flowers ($14.00), a carrot ($4.00), and a bundle of hanging eggs ($4.50.) I purchased a large weaved basket at Walmart for ($5.00). You will also need a hot glue gun, some scissors, a knitting stick, and hemp. I had these items at home.

First, I had my daughter take a gander at the items we’d be using and had her design her basket in her head. Then, we started adding the flowers. I cut the stems off (I had to work through the wire), added a little bit of glue to the flower, and stuck it onto the front of the basket. Next, we used the knitting needle to make room between the weaves and tied the hanging eggs on securely.

I let my daughter do most of the work, only helping when she asked for it. She glued the carrot onto the side, and we secured it with hemp so it wouldn’t get knocked off. For any flowers with extra stems, I weaved the branch into the basket for additional support. I made sure we glued all the flowers on regardless of the stem held for extra support.

As you can see, she added extra flowers along with the handle. This project can be done with a variation of Easter decorations! I would love to have included a bunny cutout. At the top of the basket, she hung the single golden egg and used super glue for support.

The Easter Basket project was fun yet straightforward low-budget project that she will keep for the rest of her easter egg hunting years. It gave her confidence in working with a hot glue gun and her artistic ability to design and create.

Finished Easter Basket!

Tea During Pregnancy

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(Please consult with your doctor before exploring different tea blends during pregnancy.)

Many pregnant women find it a challenging realization when their doctor warns them against drinking coffee. For many, this is a daily ritual that helps them wake up in the morning and start their morning routine. No caffeine is recommended during pregnancy, even though one cup of coffee can suffice. To keep up with my morning ritual and avoid caffeine, I have turned to tea in the mornings and throughout the days. There is an endless variety of tea options, and I would like to introduce a few of my favorite during pregnancy to you and how they help me cope with the day ahead. All teas during pregnancy should be caffeine-free.

Red Raspberry Tea may be the best for your pregnancy! It is safe to drink one up in early pregnancy but may cause early labor if consumed later on. Studies have shown that Raspberry leaf tea can help with quick delivery with fewer interventions. It aids as a uterine tonic and offers a large amount of calcium. It is best paired with Red Clover, which is also helpful to the uterus and is high in protein. I drink Red Raspberry tea in the early afternoon and prefer it with honey. 

Burdock is a great resource and can be made into a tea throughout pregnancy. It stabilizes mood, is a mild tonic for the bladder and kidneys, good for the liver, and offers vitamin B3 and vitamin C. Burdock can be an alternative to Red Raspberry Tea on days you want variety. Burdock is best accompanied by mint, a sexual stimulant.  

Caffeine-free Spicy Chai is a morning favorite for me. It replaces coffee with a hint of creamer and has a pleasing effect. It has antioxidants that help with inflammation, blood sugar levels, improves heart rate and digestion. I drink this every morning before I go on a stroll. 

Lemon/ Ginger Tea is my go-to throughout the afternoon. It keeps my mind fresh and alert. It helps with immune system support, lowers blood pressure, and protects against cancer. It helps you stay hydrated. The ginger helps with nausea (morning sickness) and fights off chronic diseases. 

Last I would like to mention a Midwife’s favorite for active labor only. Blue Cohosh stimulates the uterus and helps start labor. This tea is good when labor has begun or just before and will help with muscle spasms, inflammation of the uterus and prevent infection. 

Humboldt Home Birth

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Unassisted Home Birth

Home births are on the rise, especially with COVID still lingering in the hospitals. I am eighteen weeks pregnant with my first child and here are my steps in deciding on home birth. 

I want a natural birth so I could feel all the adrenaline of birth. I want my child to naturally come into this world and I want to do so as peacefully as possible. I want a spiritual experience and I want to be as connected to my child as possible. 

Humboldt County offers many great birthing opportunities. I would like to talk about the ones I researched so that if you want to have a natural birth but don’t want to go as far as a home birth here are some awesome options for you. This was also a big step in my decision-making process.

Dr. Stokes at St. Joseph Health Medical Group, is the OB I have decided to go with. Even though I want a home birth I want to get the tests, the ultrasound, and guidance of a professional without them interfering with my childbirth. I’ve been able to receive the professional doctor visits I need, without fearing that I will be judged or misguided due to my decision. 

The Moonstone Midwives: I cried in awe when I went to the Moonstone Midwives orientation. They offered a group of five midwives that work with you closely and stay on call if you need to get a hold of them any day. The experience is a personal one, where they attend to your needs and desires so you have the experience you long for. They have a beautiful birthing center where each room looks like your own private bedroom equipped with a bathtub. They talked about building a relationship with their clients. They offered some strict rules for home births because of COVID, but the option was still available. It is recommended to only have one family member at the birth and nobody that has traveled out of the area at least two weeks leading up to the birth (for me this meant my mom and my adopted daughter, who will be taking a vacation prior to the birthing.) Unfortunately, they do not take MediCal so I was unable to move forward with this option. 

Open Door Community Health Centers: This Obstetric was highly recommended. They have midwives and Doulas that are on call for any question that you may have. They have a hotline for good and bad foods and herbs you can eat while pregnant. They offer yoga, swim passes, birth baths, counseling, and they take MediCal! Unfortunately, due to COVID, you cannot birth in the birth baths and many of the exercise amenities are closed. This option wasn’t much different than that of St. Joseph Health Medical Group, so I stuck to the doctor I’d already met with. 

Planning a home birth can be overwhelming especially with all the fear that escalates around it. I immediately found support in Facebook groups, surrounding my feed with like-minded individuals, and I quickly came to realize that my fears and challenges are shared with other pregnant mom’s, simultaneously. These groups have helped me tremendously to gain the confidence I need to give birth, I really appreciate their support. Here are the groups I joined:

Doing it at Home Birth Group

Unassisted Home Birth Support

Pregnancy and Motherhood

Next, accompanied with countless amounts of YouTube videos, I piled on the books. I’ve read more books since I’ve been pregnant than I have ever before, (sometimes five books at a time on different subjects,) and I’ve always been an active reader. These pregnancy books are easier than they seem. Some of it I skim, while other parts I jot down in my notebook for easy finding. 

I was gifted What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff. This book goes over A-Z about being pregnant by week. This book was a great start to preparing for my pregnancy and soothing any worries. 

Once I decided to have a home birth I got Home Birth on Your Own Terms by Heather Baker. This book is a must for home births but there are suggestions in it that I take with a grain of salt. It prepares an expectant for a home birth and has pictures to help the reader visualize it. She goes over everything from herbs, to birthing positions. It’s a step-by-step book on how to do it at home. 

I also received Birthing From Within by Pam England and Rob Horowitz. This book is different than I expected. It prepares the mother for the spiritual and psychological aspects of childbirth. It has many exercises to strengthen the bond between mother and child and held mentally prepare the mother for birth. At the beginning of this book, the author mentions Lucy, a Homosapien who also gave birth in her natural environment without any prep or planning. 

My supportive OB recommended Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth and Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin. These books are a more in-depth look into childbirth and offer more medical advice than the other books listed. I highly recommend these books for a woman looking to have a home birth. 

Guarding the Moon: A Mother’s First Year by Francesca Lia Block follows her own experience with the joys and fears of motherhood. Francesca is an incredible writer who incorporates magic, honesty, and vulnerability in her telling’s of birth and the first year of childhood. 

The books are a must but something is also a must, telling the folks. I’ve been warned to not tell anyone that will not be supportive but, since my family and I have a close relationship, I felt obligated to. 

After the shock of telling the mothers in my family that I was planning a home birth, they all said the same thing: Women all over the world have been giving birth in their natural environment for centuries. As I head into my journey I have the ancestral support of millions of mothers that gave birth outside of a hospital and, now, I also have the support of my own mothers.

When I knew it was what I going to do, no one could stop me, and with confidence came support. 

My husband and I found a birthing class called Heart of the Rose, that utilizes the book Birthing from Within. Her classes are local to Eureka, CA and help prepare the mother and partner for childbirth.

Now, I plan the birth. That’s right, I plan it. I told my mom I was going to send her my birthing plan before I told her I wanted a home birth and her response was: I’ve never heard of that before (that was when I knew I had to tell her.) So here is a rough draft of my plan. 

I talk to my baby and tell my baby that we are doing this together, we are birthing at home, and to be ready to cooperate, after all it’s me and baby figuring this out. I feel like I’ve gained a deeper relationship with my child by talking to it daily (we joke around and laugh a lot, my baby has a sense of humor.) And from there I have this plan:

I listen to classical music when no one else is around so my child and I can relax and that way it is attuned to certain artists and songs. When I give birth I want these songs to be played. I do full moon rituals that fulfill my pagan practices. I would like to smudge the room I give birth in and invite my ancestors to join. I enjoy essential oils, lately lemon and lavender. I would like for these smells to accompany me. I have written down affirmations. I tell these to myself every day my favorites being, “My baby and my body know what to do,” “The waves can’t be stronger than me, they are me,” “Tough times never last but tough people do.” I want to give birth in the tub but I am prepared to be in many positions according to what my body tells me. I want to hold the baby in briefly, with my hand or my husbands, to allow fluids to drain and to prevent ripping. My husband will catch the baby and lay it on my chest. After the placenta has stopped pulsing, he will cut the cord. My friend will videotape the birth and record the time. My mother will watch my daughter, bring hot water to the tub, and receiving blankets when ready. I want to birth mostly alone and when it is time to birth, I want as little interaction with others as possible. I imagine my daughter thinking beautiful and positive thoughts, which I will prep her for since she is seven and might feel fear. I want to record the baby’s weight and prints. If the baby comes two weeks early or two weeks late, I will consider going to the hospital for my birth, otherwise during my birthing process I want to be reminded that this is my birthing plan and I don’t want anyone to suggest or listen to me if I suggest, going to the hospital.

I am capable of giving birth at home and so are you! If you are thinking about a home birth do your research and don’t be afraid. Millions of women have given birth outside of hospitals and so can you! 

How to Conquer Homeschooling during COVID

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By Natascha Pearson

Mother working from home with a kid. Quarantine mode.

January 28, 2021: Parents all over California are pulling out their hair as another semester has rolled up and our counties have not opened up their school districts. As a Humboldt, California resident, I felt safe with our low numbers and the promise of a reopening. With the exception that nothing has changed, here are a few quick tips to keep your child focused while going into the next semester.

Write out a schedule and have your child adhere to it. An alarm clock that is scheduled for Zoom appointments will keep your student’s attendance up, such as the Nument 5 Times Alarm. Let’s say your child has an alarm that wakes them up, and then they have an hour or so to do their morning chores. The next alarm will remind them of their first class.  After their first class, they indulge in homework. An alarm goes off for their second class and after attending they check their schedule and are reminded to do an hour of physical activity (perhaps a list of physical activities that they can do around the house or in the yard,) and then they can eat lunch. Afterward, they attend their third class. An hour of homework or art follows the class, and it is almost as if your student attended a full day of school!

Get posters to hang around their room. Not their favorite television show but Educational Posters to help with homework and further understanding. It might seem like a cheat, but your student will learn by searching the posters and memorizing the information on them. Creating a similar environment as their classroom will put them in the headspace that this is study time, not playtime.

Pre-make their lunch. They don’t have to bring their bag lunch to their bedroom desk but having designated snacks and a lunch to eat will keep your child from asking for food and using it as an excuse to distract them from their studies. During this time where we’re stuck indoors for a great portion of the day, healthy snacks, and lunches are vital to have a functioning mind and body. When you think of the amount of time that you are being taken away from your own work at home situation by your kids demanding food you will find your child being more self-sufficient if you prepare ahead.

Check their work. Every child can be at fault for telling a white lie and now is no different. After the day has finished checking their assignments, particularly tests, to see that their grades reflect that they have been studying. It is easy to click through the answers and move on to the next assignment without receiving a passing grade, there is no teacher after all over their shoulder telling them to keep their nose in the books. Take the time to check the assignments and for every wrong answer have them figure out the right answer. They will be less likely to take shortcuts knowing that they will have to revise the wrong answers later.

Playtime is in the afternoons. Just like when the kids are in school, we don’t let our daughter out to play until after 3 pm. Keeping to an isolated group of friends that are in your “COVID” circle is crucial. This is also a good window for videogames. With the restrictions of not being glued to the screen an hour before dinner seems like a good time to allow your children screen time. Video games heighten hand-eye coordination, problem-solving skills, and releases dopamine, the right amount of which is healthy for our children. 

Go to bed early. Just because there’s nowhere to physically go in the morning a scheduled bedtime will help your child wake up in the morning preparing for the next day of work. A book before bedtime will help the creative mind work within the realm of dreams. If your child is having a hard time sleeping, don’t ignore it. Play music for your child, leave the door open, put on a nightlight, whatever it takes to make sure they fall asleep at a decent time. Make sure your child eats dinner and any dessert at least an hour and a half before bedtime. Eating at night will cause the digestive system to be in action which can be a cause of not sleeping.

By making changes to your home to allow proper space for studying and activities you will find that your child no longer has to come to you for help or to look for a distraction but is focused and self-sufficient. Their grades will reflect their new routine and there will be less obstacles with a thorough studying habit along with a healthy amount of play time. School will become a healthy focus that will give you the space you need to excel in your own work.

A Wedding in the Redwoods

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Sequoia Park Garden

It was a beautiful Monday in Humboldt county. It was only the day before, my husband had recommended I go to his co-workers wedding, even though we’ve never met.

A group of four of us waited by the bathroom in Sequoia Park for the bride and groom to come. When they had arrived, the minister had also joined us making a total of seven (safe for COVID standards.) From there we wandered around and by an attendee’s suggestion we stumbled upon the Sequoia gardens. In the time of COVID the park’s gazebo was closed off but the beautiful array of flowers with the backdrop of the Redwoods was undeniable a ceremony space. My daughter and I hid our bikes off to the side and huddled beside our group, among roses and daffodils.

The lovers smiled that smile we get when we know the focus is on us and when decisions need to be made (big and small.) The moment of time flowed with the breeze. The flowers opened up to the sunlight. They exposed their nectar and pollen and encouraged the bees and butterflies to roam.

The couple tossed me a camera and without hesitation “the moment” began. I stood still, afraid to ruin the video while another gentleman had the bride’s family on zoom. The written down vows were filled with words of everlasting love and commitment. After the exchange of vows from one heart to the other, they kissed. Hollers and hoots came from the entrance of the garden and our little wedding party couldn’t help but to attract a crowd. A woman approached us, congratulating the couple, in her mask, showering them with love and appreciation for their commitment.

And it was over, just like that… but it wasn’t over, was it? It had just begun. That might have been where we parted but this couple is on the road to a life of love and light.

I remember during my own wedding how quick the moment can be. I remember thinking, it’s only a moment and that there was nothing to be afraid of. Things happen fast and it’s worth making time to create space, breathe, and create intentions.

I let the sage burn and was grateful for the moment shared with new friends and the start of a new chapter in their lives.

Love is such a magical thing and marriage is a sacred event. It deserves a sacred space. It doesn’t have to be planned. It doesn’t have to last forever, but giving it the option too with positive intentions sets the fire to a new wick.

Humboldt Botanical Gardens

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A Garden in the Woods with Littlings

As the semester begins and the first few weeks kick things into gear, my 6-year old daughter and I couldn’t help but to already feel the bubble of isolation. The zoom meetings are great but there is nothing like playing with kids outside on a slightly cloudy day, barefoot in the grass.

Red Rover, Red Rover bring Susan on over!

Where to start, we just moved to a new town in the midst of COVID19. Starting a semester online and having no friends could seem like home life is the only life but fear not there are always resources available.

Researching Facebook Groups, I found like minded homeschooling parents that were looking for answers just like me. After a few weeks of establishing myself in the group an opportunity arose, someone else had reached out desperate for a playdate for their little one and I jumped on the opportunity.

We were invited out to the Humboldt Botanical Gardens in Eureka. Both, my daughter and I are a little shy so we sat by the directory sign as we watched a mother and her children play Simon Says! (I couldn’t remember how long it’s been since we played.) When the organizer pulled up, her three daughters ran toward the entrance and the “mingling” began and the family playing Simon Says joined us.

At first the children didn’t want to socialize, and that was alright, with plenty of flowers to explore, the adults enjoyed the silence. Until we remembered what we came here for. “Go play!” And so, they did. We sat in front of these large beautiful greenhouses while the kids ran and laughed in the grass. Characters from all types of platforms came rushing into their creative play as they used imaginary ropes to tie each other up and used fire-y, butt powers to melt the ropes away.

We continued to walk through the flowers afterwards and the other moms fluidly told their children the names of the plants as I quickly read the signs, taking in all the shared information. My daughter expressed pure joy as she explored the homes of the fairies.

If you’re reading this for a review on the Humboldt Botanical Gardens then here’s my advice: walk the forest path. If you rear to the back left of the gardens you will notice a path creeping up the hill. The path was so well maintained you might get the feeling your stepping on a soft cloud instead of detritus. Here, we ventured into the woods and I gave the children a chance to take shots with my camera.

Humboldt Botanical Garden Mascot

My daughter I both dreaded the walk back, so thankful to be around others, we didn’t want it to end. We said our goodbyes and our hypothesis was right! You can’t beat playing outside with friends.