HMN

I'm glad I vented in my post last night, because today I felt so much better and calmer.  Sometimes I just get a wild hair up my butt and want to go off on the world.  Really, I just want to be heard and understood.  Today, I was.

Olivia and I had a play date with one of my good friends and her two daughters this morning and it went really well.  Olivia was so gentle with the baby, even holding her hand and rubbing her hair while the baby was lying on the couch waiting for her mama.  How does one develop this mothering instinct?  I've heard it's an oldest child phenomena and I don't know if that's true, but O is fascinated with babies and wants to hold them and fuss over them all the time.

When Louis came home, the three of us ate dinner together and then I took off for the annual holiday party of the Fremont Holistic Moms Network.  I picked up T on my way and it was so great to chat with her on the way.  Poor Louis had a hard time getting O to sleep, but I had such a great time tonight.  We did the "five favorite things" gift exchange, where each person brings 5 identical items worth five dollars or less and then chooses 5 names to give their gifts to.  Each person who came went home with five gifts and it was a lot of fun to see what people brought.  I ended up with fancy chocolate, soap, Whole Foods gift card, herbs, and a special jar of magnesium salts.

I was so nervous about whether the group would like my wool projects and I couldn't decide whether to take dryer balls or felted soap, so I ended up taking both sets.  As it turned out, one woman at the party didn't remember to bring anything, so I gave her my dryer balls so she could participate.  The group loved the balls and the soap and I got lots of questions about how I made them.  I even talked with a woman who dyes her own wool for felting projects and I learned a lot talking with her.  It was especially exciting to meet someone who enjoys working with wool the same way I do.

My new co-leader for our Eden Area chapter was there tonight and it was good to get to know her a little better.  Our chapter is totally official now and as soon as she and I can nail down an affordable meeting space, we'll hold our open house in January.  I love Holistic Moms Network.  The women I've met are amazing and I have learned so much from them!  My tribe!