Brush Stroke
November 2013        
    

Family time is always important. Finding time to be together on a regular basis can be challenging, particularly when everyone is going in different directions. As we approach the holidays, we hope to be a resource of ideas and inspiration for making the most of your family time together.
 
Enjoy this edition of the NAMC eNews.

Best wishes,

Alison La Ferlita
Executive Director
516 939-MOMS X101

The National Association of Mothers' Centers (NAMC) provides programs that empower mothers, fathers and caregivers to find solutions that work for their families, their work lives and their personal lives.
Event
NAMC Webinar
How to Connect with Your Family ...
One Meal at a Time!

Date: Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Time: 8:00 to 9:00 PM ET
Presented by: John Sarrouf, Director of the Family Dinner Project  

Are you wondering if it's possible to make dinner (or any meal!) a time to relax, recharge, laugh, tell stories and catch up on the day's ups and downs? Family meals truly can be a time for connection, a way to develop a sense of who you are as a family?

Join us for an inspiring webinar "The Family Dinner Project" and you'll walk away with some simple ways to get you on the path to stronger connections.
Register Now Button
If you have any difficulties registering, please email Lisa Kaplan-Miller or call 516-939-6667 x106.

Webinars are free to NAMC and Mothers' Center members.  Non-member fee is $20. Join the NAMC for $35 and get a year's worth of webinars for free. 
benefit NAMC Website Improvements
If you've visited the NAMC website lately, you may have noticed that we gave it a makeover. Friends and new visitors will now gain immediate knowledge of what we focus on:

Motherhood  *  Work/Life  *  Advocacy
  • Visit our new Motherhood page to find or easily learn how to start a Mothers' Center Group
  • Stop by our Work/Life page to read up on our Work/Life programs-including our upcoming Work/Life Conference
  • Look through our Advocacy page to learn more about our advocacy efforts for mothers, parents and caregivers
Not only is the public site easier to navigate and much more attractive, we're close to completing a new look and organization structure for the Members-only area so members can more easily locate exclusive information such as our discussion guides, Mothers' Center group resources and more. Check back soon for the Members-only section release!
MCspotlightMothers' Center in the Spotlight:
Athens Mothers' Center

Say cheese! Athens Mothers' Center group members gathered together last month for a Halloween potluck followed by trick or treating.

In addition, on October 24th the group finished their first 7-week 'Mind in the Making' discussion group. The 'Mind in the Making' curriculum, available and re-worked for use within all Mothers' Center Groups, is based on a book and video series by Ellen Galinsky that helps identify seven essential life skills children can develop to thrive. Using this new guide, the Athens Mothers' Center members offered the discussion to non-members for a small fee and, in the process, raised over $400 for their group and gained two new members!

Join us each month as we highlight a different local Mothers' Center across the nation. Don't have a Mothers' Center near you? Learn more about starting a local Mothers' Center group by downloading our New Group Start-up Guide.
Resource
  Baby Gift with a Paid Leave Message
Writer and social entrepreneur Kelly Taber has designed a terrific baby shower gift with a serious message: The United States does not provide paid maternity leave, available in every other industrialized country in the world and crucial for new moms to recover from childbirth, bond with a newly born or adopted baby, and establish a solid breastfeeding connection.

Kelly's gift contains Organic and Fair Trade coffee from Papua New Guinea, Marula oil from Swaziland, and a beautiful bib from Lesotho. These items - representative of countries without paid maternity leave, like the USA - are wrapped in 100% Made in USA natural cotton. For more information about this great idea, visit Kelly's online shop email [email protected].
Please consider joining the NAMC as an individual member.  Read about the benefits by clicking hereJoin today! 
 
Sincerely,
Alison La Ferlita
Executive Director
NAMC
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