KALON giveaway

Just passing this on as these guys are my favorite furniture people! Enter their contest and you have a chance to win $$ towards your new babies room and also clothing!

Kalon has teamed up with Rylee + Cru and Coyuchi, two other California brands all about clean aesthetics and relaxed luxury, to give away $1500 ($500 per brand) to one lucky winner. Two additional winners will receive $100 gift certificates to Rylee + Cru.

Entry form and full contest details here.

In partnership with Mother Mag.


GOOD LUCK!

Young Explorers

Just wondering what little kids would do all day if they wandered around alone? I think that's what the creators of this beautiful story were thinking. Jacob Krupnick followed these kids on a beautiful silent journey as they walk around their neighborhood. The kids are so natural in their habitat and I could just watch this all day long...

I think more stories will be added over time.

click here to watch Bejla and Tristan make their way around the town.

furniture :: kalon and finishes for wood

Kalon is one of my favorite furniture makers and recently they posted an article in their journal about wood and their finishes. I remember when we built our home and I struggled with our builder because I wanted everything unfinished. I told him that my families home in Sweden has pine floors that have never had a finish on them - let's just say we fought about it for a long time (I won! - most of the time). I think that coating beautiful wood with poly wax or whatever is a bit ridiculous and totally oversold by an industry of... well whatever... paint!

caravan crib turned into a cute day-bed!

In this article by Kalon they explain why they finish some things, and not others... thank you for explaining it! and it makes total sense, and no you do not need to finish everything! But... you do need to sometimes, but NOT all the time! There is nothing more beautiful than the natural grain of wood and their furniture shows off just that... the gorgeous wood, oh, and yes it's functional. Their furniture grows up with your kids (and doesn't need to be thrown, sold or given away), it's simplicity means that it can meld with whatever style is in your home and it won't change your entire personality. You adorn IT they way you want or you can leave it alone - it's your choice. OH and they sell organic mattresses to go with your beautiful kalon bed!

finishers used in NATURAL finishing - oil-wax and hemp oil!

Oops, I went off task there (look at their website, you will LOVe everything)... In this article you will find how to finish your pieces, what is best for what wood, natural finishers (!!) and the how-to of it all. So you can make your own decisions, don't let someone tell you that you need to put toxic finishers on your beautiful solid non-toxic wood! Here, Kalon explains natural vs. synthetic finishes:

Natural vs. Synthetic Finishes

Solid wood is a living, breathing material that responds to its environment. This is also true for the solid brass used in the custom drawer pulls and feet. We coat these materials with natural, live finishes as opposed to synthetic, poly finishes because of the way they reveal the natural beauty of the materials and allow them to continue to breathe and patina. Polyurethane may preserve the look of raw wood, but it encases it in a plastic coating that freezes the piece in time. It allows for less frequent maintenance, but damage means that the piece must be completely stripped and refinished. A natural oil and wax finish requires more regular care, but any damage can be spot repaired with light sanding and oiling.

 But don't try this on your Ikea furniture :)

visit the Kalon website here
link to article on finishes here

caravan crib by Kalon

Inner Garden :: Flower Essence Therapy - LInda Beal

Recently my 11 year old daughter has been very lackluster with regards to school, she loves school don't get me wrong, it's the learning part that she finds uninteresting. Her symptoms arrive as soon as the teacher hands out a sheet of math to work on, she zones out - sound familiar? I don't know about you but that describes myself, my husband but somehow not our son - just can't wait to attack that worksheet - who knew!? We have had teachers who had a serious concern about Franny, until they met her parents... somehow just meeting us secured the fact that it might just run in the family - DAYDREAMERS. I'm not proud of it, it certainly didn't make things easy, but I feel that if she can learn to take an interest in any aspect of school, she will be fine.

Then Linda Beal walked into my store - she changed our lives. We have used Bach's Flower Remedies over the years, I used rescue remedy during pregnancy and after for breastfeeding support (see more information on that in a previous post here) and I gave my husband (unknowingly) sweet chestnut to lift his depression and it worked. So when she told me that she works with healing with flower remedies, I lit up like a light! I knew this was the answer for Franny - to help with her focus and boredom at school.

Flower essences can help us gently release unwanted emotions and behaviors, while helping to foster our innate strengths.  Used widely in Europe for many decades, flower essences are remedies made from the blossoms of plants and trees and are taken orally in liquid dropper form or applied topically.  Within the context of Flower Essence Therapy, flower essences work subtly to affect profound change. This just speaks to the way that Franny operates, anything related to nature or a flower.

I was lucky, I also had the chance to sit down with Linda and she created a remedy for me as well. I told her that I wasn't really sure what to work on because I feel I have way too many emotional issues to focus on one. She sat me down and we went through what came up for me and it was just spot ON. Linda is a trained and experienced flower essence practitioner, she has been helping people for most of her lifetime. It is not easy to put into words but I feel less complicated, more in tune - I don't want to bore you with my problems but I feel lifted and supported, but from within.

As for Franny, she loves Linda, I think children just know when people are good for them. They sat down and had a conversation that was very comfortable for Franny, Linda uses kinesiology to find the remedy that supports each person. Franny had an immediate response when she started taking her remedy. She said she felt very 'awake' while in school and her teacher told me that Franny is participating more rigorously. We haven't had our normal stressful conversations about school and studying that we had before - which always ended in tears no matter how 'softly' you approached the subject. Her attitude now comes from a place of strength and she's not making excuses for everything.

Each person has their own remedy which Linda puts together with you while you are in your session. You look through the meanings of the flowers that pertain to your 'spirit' or constitution and you can gain wisdom on your blockages. We will probably see Linda again to adjust but for now it's exciting to see how this helps. Linda suggests that Flower Remedies can help with:

   * separation anxiety
   * shyness and social sensitivity
   * focus and concentration
   * self confidence
   * performance anxiety
   * academic overwhelm

I had the chance to sit down with Linda and talk to her about what she does. Here are some questions that I came up with for Linda to help you get familiar with the process. My favorite part about talking with Linda is that I always learn something from her, this is what a good friend is all about, you respect someone to listen deeply to them and learn from what they are saying. When Linda and I talk I find myself hanging on her every word.

CS: How do you feel diet enhances or works with the flower remedies?
LB: Because flower remedies assist us to assist ourselves, anything that brings us into greater strength, clarity, balance and alignment enhances their work. So, indeed, a diet of pure water and ample hydration, along with fresh, nutritious and anti-inflammatory whole foods provide the perfect foundation for flower essence therapy.
As with so many other things I also think of one's "diet" on various levels… In addition to being conscious about what we physically ingest, we may also being to consider what we are "feeding ourselves" and absorbing on a sensory level, an emotional level, and on an intellectual level. What are we exposing ourselves and our children to on all these levels and how "digestible" is it? Just like eating too large a meal, "too much" on various levels can truly be too much to process and lead to a feeling of sensory, emotional or intellectual overwhelm. In this way, we choose healthy and enhancing foods and "feasts for the senses", while forgoing the junk food and toxins.

CS: 2. I feel that Franny's issues were a bit subtle - how profound have you found the remedies to be on larger 'issues'?
LB: Flower remedies help us to release our own imbalances, whether subtle or more complex. Children are usually able to cast off 'issues' quite quickly. In contrast, more complex issues that stymie us have often developed over time and become more enmeshed with our sense of self and involve working with a trained and experienced flower essence therapist in a more sustained manner. Unlike some medications which attempt to alleviate the symptom(s), flower essences help us to resolve the cause and bring us back to our own self-alignment. Everyone is on their own healing journey. I love to say, flower essence therapy may feel like a "snail's pace" at times, but it is truly ones "soul's pace". You can't source it. You can't rush it. But you know when you or your child has resolved the "issue".

CS: 3. What brought you to flower remedies?
LB: My quest to find the most natural and non-intrusive ways to help children heal themselves began at age 17 and led me, two decades later, to my work with flower remedies. Along the way, I became a special education teacher and a Waldorf education teacher and I used Bach Flower Remedies and Perelandra flower essences. However, when I discovered the anthroposophically based Flower Essence Society and their work in California, I found the answer to my quest.

CS: 4. Can you talk a bit about your kids and your use with flower remedies with you and your family.
LB: My daughters were extremely sensitive as children and flower essences were, and still are, a constant in their lives, as well as mine. A specialized flower remedy has accompanied them over each "threshold" they have crossed, whether academic (grade school through graduate school) or emotional/social. Flower essences have helped them, now ages 26 and 22, to strengthen and sheathe themselves, while simultaneously allowing them to retain their glorious innate gifts of empathetic awareness and sensitivity.

CS: 5. Are there some other things that you like to suggest to do in conjunction with the flower remedies? (meditation or reiki or something?)
LB: Flower essences help us to connect to ourselves and Nature, so the best "environment" that we can provide for this healing work, for ourselves and/or our children, is a safe and loving space and quiet, calm time, along with time in Nature, and any other health-giving practices. In addition, I like to ask my clients to engage in some ongoing creative activity, such as journaling, visual journaling, or an art for that they enjoy, which encourages them to express themselves and may also, hopefully, profice a kind of "mirror" for their growth.
CS: It's so interesting that you say that because I innately wanted to write down what I was feeling, my thoughts in a simple way so that I could remember the changes or shifts that were taking place for me.

CS: 6. I like to ask people to share one of their favorite recipes - I have found that when you trust someone you like to eat alike :)
LB: My absolute simplest, but tried and true, favorite healthy, anytime snack, pick me up, and palate cleanser that went into my girls school lunches, on road trips, to potlucks, and is a fun breakfast staple: "Cinnamon Apples"! I cut up tart, organic apples (I prefer granny smith or gala) into slices and festively arrange them on a pretty plate, then sprinkle them with cinnamon. That's it. And if I am over-zealous with my cinnamon apple offering, I use the uneaten slices to make applesauce!
CS: (I think I should share my Apple Tea recipe with Linda! right!?

If you want to contact Linda Beal visit her website: Inner Garden - Flower Essence Therapy all of her contact information is listed on the website and read more about her transforming work. I just can't say enough about how it has helped our family, on a very profound level. All of us have benefited from her work. I am so excited to keep an ongoing openness and awareness as my friendship with Linda continues.

Wovenplay up to 70% off

PRICES AS MARKED!

ENDS TOMORROW (THURSDAY 3/9/17)

USE CODE: 'womensday' at checkout to receive 20% off your order of $150 or more

International Womens Day

Actually I like the way they say it in Europe - International Day of the Woman!

a homepage image from 2010 (one of my favorites)

We are a business that prides itself for the last 12 years on supporting women in business, it’s been our mission since I started Nonchalantmom in 2004. I wanted everything I had in the shop to be the result of a creative, steadfast woman making something - having a great idea and most of the time she is supporting a family while she is doing it (I know because that’s what I’m doing too). Yes, that’s right we have always supported women, we support women who design, women who sew, women who make jewelry, pottery and apothecary. Because I feel what’s the use of using my platform if but to inform customers everywhere that you can buy something that is made by another woman, another mom maybe and you don’t have to buy from big business. You CAN buy from someone very creative who is making something because she loves to make it!

BECAUSE THAT DOESN’T FEEL BAD, IT FEELS GOOD!

Just ask me and I will bend your ear with stories of all the women I work with to make this a beautiful store - I love them all and each and every one of them is a dear friend, I care about her sucess as much as I care about my own. In the coming days I am going to do my best to introduce you to the women of the shop one by one, we used to do this here on my blog but I have gotten out of the habit, I promise to get back into it - because let me tell you there are some good stories here! People that will inspire you and sometimes even make you cry! Oh the stories we can tell...

are you STRESSED out?

Sometimes being stressed out is just a part of a landscape these days, I don't know anyone who isn't under pressure of the economy, a relationship that has become difficult and parenting in general - while the most wonderful ride ever can be so stressful that you can't see the forest for the trees.

I meet so many people, maybe because I dole out this information on my blog, it's the number one question - "What do you do for stress?" I have many things that I have found that work for me, but let's be honest there is nothing that takes it away, but there ARE some things that help you see the bigger picture and sometimes that helps more than anything.

My number one remedy for complete shut-down stress is Bach's Rescue Remedy (the drops). I have used them since it helped me with breastfeeding. It helped my milk to come in and I think I know why, Bachs Rescue Remedy just helps you to get above the panic/stress and to become calm, you can almost feel yourself climbing down from the tree. My kids are now old enough that the stress of a test can interfere with their sleeping and give them stress during the day at school (for my ninth grader). He will use the Rescue Remedy candies from time to time and that would bring him into focus (they come in a tin and are a tiny dose).

When my kids have trouble sleeping at night I make them a cup of Chamomile tea and they are sure to drop off shortly after. I also use Chamomile tea for a better sleep just about every night for myself. I've never had trouble getting to sleep, but my trouble is waking in the middle of the night, I feel like it helps me with that problem too. And exercise, I know that a good walk each day will always make for a good sleep that night - there is really nothing better than fresh air!

Today I was looking at Treehugger - still one of my favorite websites! I found this great post on terrific natural remedies for stress, so you don't need to take it from me... there's MORE!

It suggests Lavender, which I like too! and some terrific stretches that will help with stress and so much more! So let's take a vow, to decompress, take a walk and let it all GO.

link to treehugger article

Thank you for being a friend

Thank you for being a friend to Nonchalantmom!

We would like to give you $25 to spend in the shop!

Take $25 off orders $100+
(ends sunday 11/13)

Share with your friends... it's all in the family!

Portraits by Karim Hamid

My husband is working on a few portrait projects at the moment and I asked him if I could include all of you in on the deal... hurrah! He is taking some time out in the next two months to immerse himself in portraits so it's a good time to get yourself a cherished portrait of you, your kids, your whole family, not to mention this makes an outstanding Holiday gift for anyone!

He does a few different portrait styles, he's found for kids that his straightforward style is the most desirable, but he can also do his other style - which is an 'interpretive' style - usually reserved for adult portraits.

There are 2 sizes he's offering for this project - all works done in oil on wood panel:

small size:  15x20cm / 6x8 inches

larger size:  23x30cm / 9x12 inches

email us if you are interested and he will go more in depth on the possibilities.

This makes the most treasured gift you could possibly imagine and will last more than your lifetime! I have a friend who is constantly adding to her wall of portraits. She has one for each family member, the grandparents and probably everyone's favorite - the dogs too! They are arranged on a wall in the living room and there is nothing more unique or dear to your heart.

All Clearance in one S P O T

It takes us awhile but we have moved all the CLEARANCE items into one spot... so now when you are looking for a good deal, you can just jump to the clearance section and find yourself at DEAL-CENTRAL!

Some of my favorite deals are:

makie trench coat!

This sweater, beautifully hand-knit, for both women or kids!

this totally uniquely-cute clare v. clutch

hell-ooo this is the cutest dress!

and there is SO much more..... do miss these good deals!

shop the clearance here!

it's all in the accessories... or not?

I always have a few pair of Levi's in the shop - just in case someone forgot their pants... haha just kidding. We sell them for $10 and sometimes it's just the right size -or- something a customer can't visualize ("that top would look great with jeans - here try these!") I get them at second hand shops and just keep a pile on hand. You might notice that I don't sell lots of pants in the shop... not an easy thing to do online but ALSO I buy most of my pants in second hand shops, that way I don't feel so bad when I have to cut them off (I'm short so I've cut my pants just about one inch all my life!) and probably because the most delightful thing on my body is.... my ankles!

In our new location we are right next to a second hand shop... so we run hand in hand and have become close friends (it's called ReRun and she has fantastic things!) and let's just say that I am no longer at a loss for pants! This works great for kids too... people may think my shop is expensive but if you buy your basics from second hand shops then you can *splurge* on the goodies like a Makié dress, or a Wovenplay top, you get the picture. SO so SO much better than buying cheap from large retailers that don't have good production practices - if you question them and they don't seem to have a Fair Trade policy, you guessed it, they are probably no good.

Reduce Reuse and don't forget that last one Recycle! Find a good friend and make their day with hand-me-downs!

If you want me to look for YOUR size just email me.

dental hygiene

When it comes to dental hygiene we are not the best, but also not the worst. I feel like when we were kids we had all those crazy tricks, remember that stuff that made anywhere you didn't brush in your mouth totally bright pink! I'm sure it was not the best for us but I used to get totally freaked when I saw what I thought was good brushing only to find my mouth totally PINK! and flossing... forget it! I had a friend named Jenny Morgan (spelled incorrectly in case she doesn't want to be related to this article) she had gorgeous white and beautiful teeth! I was so envious, I even remember when she had braces... still gorgeous. Well guess what, she still has gorgeous teeth and guess what else, she FLOSSES!

So as I get on in my years I am picking up flossing at a bit of a stronger pace - so of course like any mom my kids have to do it too! We are now a floss-friendly family. So when Plackers came to me and said "would you write a blog about flossing and we will send you some flossers", I said "HECK-YA!"

Now even before they contacted me what they don't know is that we USED Plackers! I even use the mouth guards they make because I have also picked up the wonderful habit of grinding my teeth at night, oh man since 2008 if I would have been smart I should have taken STOCK in Plackers, because who the heck doesn't grind their teeth! Well if your kids don't really think they need to floss just hand them these cute colorful flossers! Perfectly sized for kids teeth, because sometimes the adult ones are just too big.

Plus.. I don't know about your kids but when something is just for them, it's better! Just like that!

I have also found a tooth brush that I am a bit obsessed about - so this is probably a good time to tell you about them, they are called MouthWatchers. I recently traveled and forgot my toothbrush and couldn't find Mouth Watchers and I used another one and it made me realized how incredible these toothbrushes are! I used to be one of those people that could grind down and toothbrush pretty quickly but this toothbrush helps with that and you can lightly brush and still feel incredibly clean. We all use them now! The BEST! here is their website.

click here for more of my articles on flossing, kids teeth and more funny teeth related posts including baby and bottles and funny related stories

Happy Dental Hygiene to you and your family!

NEW SHOP is OPEN!!

We are so very happy to announce that our new shop is OPEN! I am completely delighted with the outcome (I frankly don't ever want to go home anymore!), we used some muscle and built our own furniture, painted a LOT and put some nice plywood to good use. It became a family affair (Claire you are part of our family!) and the result is even more amazing than I could have imagined!

The next time you are in the Wakefield/Narragansett area you must stop by... I am sure we will have (better) photos to follow but we are OPEN and can't wait to see you in our shop.

ugh, these are quick snapshots... we don't have a sign yet... so more to come!

love - carina

Mom's Day is coming up... 20% off!

When the weather is warming up you know that Mothers Day is coming up... I look forward to a day at Brimfield Flea Market, I make sure to get a little something for myself, and a breakfast in bed... that's all I need! We are offering a very special (not usually offering a S A L E at this time of year) 20% off almost the entire store*! Stop in, troll around and shop for awhile - and let me know if you have any questions!

 Use code: 'mom2016' - 20% off!

(*not including: new Black Crane, Two and Little Paisley People)

quick link to Makie dress in photo here

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

This is such a terrific tale that all kids enjoy and this year is the 150 anniversary of the Story of Alice's travels down the rabbit hole. When I saw this beautiful edition that is illustrated by Anna Bond I was sure that you all would love it as much as I do! It would make a nice Easter gift if you can get your hands on one that fast! But I think anytime this is such a great gift - maybe just for doing chores you can surprise your kids with this delightful book!

I hope you can find it in your local book store but if you can't it's here.

happy reading!

Reiki

photo by Amber Mahoney

For those of you who have never heard of Reiki this story in the Standard blog is a good introduction - it's from an article by Alex Waxman, and for those of you who have heard about it but may be skeptical this is a good story as well. I had heard of Reiki, always wanted to try it - but I didn't really take it seriously. Sometimes we get stuck in our own healing modalities and forget that it's good to be open to all things, you never know what it is that will work for you or your situation or ailment. I have a few friends who do Reiki, but these people in general are not the kind of people to really force themselves on you - it's think it's really part of the soul and the stillness of Reiki and it's practitioners.

It all started for me when we had some people over for dinner, one of my friends knew that my dog was sick (his kidenys were failing) - towards the end he was good on some days and then some days he would just not eat and was listless. I noticed that she took my dog aside and was sitting with him and I knew what she was doing, it hadn't occurred to me to ask her to do Reiki but she knew just what to do. She spent some time with him and he bounced back in the most amazing way! He did great up until his last days - I would text her when I could see that he needed it and she would immediately bring him comfort. The fact that it works on an innocent animal like my dog, makes be believe wholeheartedly in Reiki.

Today when I saw this story on Reiki, I thought it gave such a good explanation of the practice and it's benefits. I haven't had the chance yet to have Reiki on myself but I am excited for that day when I do make it happen. In the meantime, read this and get familiar with it and I am sure you will find a way to use it in your life too!

read the whole story here for more about Reiki

N E W S P A C E

We are excited to announce that we have a new store space! It's been awhile since I have had an on-the-ground store and I'm excited again. I know this may seem silly to say but in our particular little town we may have been a bit ahead of our our time when we opened out store in 2006. We had a great time and I always get comments about how much our store was missed, but to be honest it was hard to keep up with one the ground and online. But so much has changed and I was always on the look out for a nice space but nothing ever presented itself - until a friend of mine texted me a photo of the 'for rent' sign at our new location. It's just PERFECT - I couldn't be happier.

We will keep the space simple, but it will be much easier to keep everyone more updated on what is new, we will have a good selection of our 'flea market' items (I know that they are a huge hit as they never last long), and it's a good chance to show off our love for everything from baby - kids - women - men - apothocary - home and more! We will also feature things from the locals here and I am going to keep up my pottery work - so there's that too!

Keep tuning in (or better yet follow us on Instagram) for updates on how the renovation is going and how the space is taking shape... can't WAIT! and don't worry -- we will keep shipping orders all the way through without interruption!

Hope to see you soon in our new Store!

Valentine Gift Ideas!

We wanted to share some last minute Valentine gift ideas! I love Valentines day and I like to have a special little gift on hand for my kids and I have some suggestions for YOU too... (PAJAMAS!!)

For WOMEN:

 clockwise from top left: Margaret Solow Apatite necklace ($148), Melissa Joy Manning orange drop earring ($180), Matta Dupatta shawl cotton candy pink ($186), Lucky Fish many moons Tshirt dress ($68), Clare Vivier patchwork clutch (sale! $158), Matta FANTASTIC PAJAMAS! pants and  camisole top (set$176) or dress ($90)

for KIDS:

clockwise from top left: Lucky Fish butterfly handbag (with pom pom) ($40), Wovenplay loop socks ($30), Wovenplay star headband ($48), Lucky Fish bunny Tshirt (sale! $28), nico nico tent ($320), Jess Brown violet doll ($198), Loome pom pom maker ($16)

Let me know if I can answer any questions!

Happy Valentines DAY

win this little superhero!

I never do contests... but this is so cute I thought I would share with all you lucky people out there.. I know you are out there, those of you who win all the contests!

Katheryn Darvey is a talented woman living in Dublin who crafts dolls. Her simplicity is amazing and can inspire you to new heights of doll making! Follow her blog and get inspired. Her instagram feed is full of her dolls too!

In the meantime enter her contest to win this little superhero guy!

click here