Becoming Crunchy

Zoie of TouchstoneZ started the Mindful Mama Carnival in June of 2011 on a whim. She posted a call for submissions hoping to find a couple of other bloggers who might be interested in writing about it (even planning to beg some friends to write, if no one signed up!)

But, sign up they did, and the submissions sent exceeded all her expectations!

As the second Mindful Mama Carnival approached, I was honored to be asked by Zoie to co-host the carnival together with her. I was so pleased to say yes – Zoie is one of my favorite bloggers (and favorite people!) and the whole Mindful Mama project is just amazing to be a part of – there is no lack of inspiration here!

Zoie and I have been so blessed to have so many talented writers join us in exploring issues around parenting and living mindfully. We have enjoyed reading every post and watching the connections between the MindMaCar community grow.

Before we look ahead to 2012, we wanted to share a wrap-up of of the 2011 Mindful Mama Carnivals…

June 2011 Mindful Mama Carnival:
First Carnival
Topic: Do You Have a Mindfulness Practice?
New Participants: All
Total Participants: 10
3 of my favorite posts:
On Becoming an Aspiring Mindful Mama: Melissa of Vibrant Wanderings has found that motherhood demands mindfulness, so she’s working at becoming a more mindful mama.
Ritual of Affirmations: Patti of Jazzy Mama finds out that a simple evening ritual can take on new importance when it is done with thoughtfulness and intent.
My Mindfulness Challenge: Amanda of Let’s Take the Metro has set forth a mindfulness challenge for herself in an effort to become a better person.

September 2011 Mindful Mama Carnival:
Kelly of Becoming Crunchy co-hosts
Topic: What does Mindfulness Mean to You?
New Participants: 8
Repeat Participants: 5
Total Participants: 13
3 of my favorite posts:
Define: Mindful: Alicia of McCrenshaw describes the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings for Engaged Buddhism and attempts to describe how she can apply them to her non-Buddhist life on her new journey toward mindfulness.
My Job Made Me a Mindful Mother: Amy of Anktangle tells a story about how a mindfulness practice she used to utilize in her job as a nurse still impacts the way she mothers her son today.
A Simple Practice:  Kat of My Mental Oddities outlines a simple practice with children.

December 2011 Mindful Mama Carnival:
Topic: Staying Mindful During the Holiday Season
New Participants: 10
Repeat Participants: 12
Total Participants: 22 (23 entries)
3 of my favorite posts:
Nature Inspired Christmas Tree: Kerry at City Kids Homeschooling describes how she and her children discovered the beauty and simplicity of a nature-inspired holiday tree.
Celebrating Advent Week to Week: Lauren at Hobo Mama finds that counting down weeks instead of days helps children with the long wait.
Giving the Gift of Life: Free Range Mama at My Healthy Green Family shares about teaching children how to look beyond the well-wrapped box and learn how to give.

Please stop by Zoie at TouchstoneZ’ post for some of her favorites.

2012 looks to be a fruitful year for the Mindful Mama Carnival. Zoie and I hope you will join us whether it’s your first or your umpteenth MindMaCar.

The Mindful Mama Carnival is scheduled quarterly (March, June, September, and December), so keep an eye out for the call for submissions posts on both of our blogs. We also send a reminder email to participants. If you would like to be added to this list, please drop us a line.

Stay in touch:

• Bookmark the Mindful Mama Carnival Homepage, and check back for future themes.
• Subscribe to our RSS feeds: Becoming Crunchy’s feed and TouchstoneZ’s feed, as well as the Mindful Mama Carnival Participants feed

• Follow us on Twitter: @BecomingCrunchy and @TouchstoneZ, plus the Twitter list of our #MindMaCar Tweeters.
• Connect with us individually on Facebook: Kelly at Becoming Crunchy and Zoie at TouchstoneZ

Updated Participant Badges (now links to Mindful Mama Homepage): If you are a (former or current) participant or supporter and want our button to put in your sidebar, grab this code and let everyone know that you participated in Mindful Mama Carnival! If you have a badge from June, please replace it with this one.

<div align=”center”><a href=”http://touchstonez.com/currentprojects/mindful-mama-carnival-home-page/” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6088/6104475337_2081e669dd_m.jpg” alt=”Mindful Mama Carnival” width=”150″ /></a></div>

We hope that you will continue to connect with us and with the other participants in the future. We would like to invite you to have another look at the diverse bloggers who have been a part of Mindful Mama Carnivals in the past. Some may be new to you and some may be familiar. A list of links to all participant’s blogs, Twitter and Facebook is below:

• Amy at Anktangle  Twitter   Facebook  1: September
• Kelly at Becoming Crunchy   Twitter   Facebook  3: June    September    December
• Terri at Child of the Nature Isle  Twitter   Facebook   2: June  December
• Erica @ ChildOrganics   Twitter   Facebook  1: December
• Kerry @ City Kids Homeschooling    Facebook  1: December
• Luschka @ Diary of a First Child   Twitter   Facebook  1: December
• Terri at Eco-Crazy Mom    Twitter   Facebook  1: December
• Lauren at Hobo Mama    Twitter   Facebook  1: December
• Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama    Twitter   Facebook  2: September    December
• Charise @ I Thought I Knew Mama    Twitter   Facebook  2: September   December
• CJ at Imperfect Happiness   Twitter   Facebook   1: June
• Erin @ it’s OK    Twitter   Facebook 1: September
• Patti @ Jazzy Mama  Facebook  3: June    September    December
• Amanda at Let’s Take the Metro      Facebook   2: June    September
• Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children   1: December
• Moorea at MamaLady   Twitter   Facebook   1: December
• Sylvia at MaMammalia      Facebook   1: December
• Alicia C. at McCrenshaw     Twitter   Facebook    1: September
• Nada @ minimomist    Twitter   Facebook     1: December
• Adrienne at Mommying My Way      Facebook   1: December
• Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction      Twitter  Facebook  2: June   December
• Tat at Mum in search     Twitter   Facebook    1: December
• Free Range Mama at My Healthy Green Family    Twitter   Facebook   1: December
• Kat at My Mental Oddities    Twitter  1: September
• Sasha at One Rich Mother      Twitter   Facebook  1: June
• Amy at Peace 4 Parents     Twitter   Facebook 2: September    December
• Darcel @ The Mahogany Way    Twitter   Facebook     1: December
• Melissa at Vibrant Wanderings    Twitter   Facebook  1: June
• Tracie of Purposeful Practices    Twitter   Facebook   1: September
• Rachael at The Variegated Life     Twitter   Facebook  3: June    September    December
• Zoie at TouchstoneZ    Twitter   Facebook  3: June    September    December

We wish you a Mindful and Healthy New Year. Happy 2012!!

Kelly & Zoie
~*~
Becoming Crunchy and TouchstoneZ

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