For the modern toddler parent, potty training is an important—and often overwhelming—rite of passage. With an especially willful child, potty training can devolve into begging, bribing, breakdowns, and giving up. The common phrase repeated on modern mommy blogs and parenting influencers is to “wait until your toddler is ready!”
Astrologically Speaking: Fascinating Fun Facts About Astrology
Astrology is an ancient art of divination which interprets the symbolic meaning of the constellations and planets, their cycles and aspects, and the way they interact with people, places, and events. It is the study of the interplay between the orbit of the stars over time and how they reflect our lives. Any person, location, or event, such as a marriage, or start of a business, can be viewed astrologically.
The Power of Music: Local Music Scene is a Source of Healing and Connection
“Music is inherently an emotional experience, whether while performing it or hearing it. Some people are reached by song lyrics in a way that a sermon could never reach them. Some people are moved by a chord progression or a minor key, even if they have no idea why,” said Katie Geddes. As the Director of the Green Wood Coffee House Music Series since 2000, Geddes has organized hundreds of concerts featuring musicians ranging from local performers to Grammy nominated artists like Sophie B. Hawkins and even the legendary poet and lyricist Rod McKuen.
Ch-ch-ch-Changes (with Apologies to David Bowie)
While we are always changing—our cells replacing themselves, our children growing up, passing of beloved pets, places, homes and people—collectively we are entering new terrain. Our Earth, our only known home, the only known biosphere where humanity exists, crossed the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold in February 2024. We live now in the warmest temperatures in pre-industrial recorded human history, in a world of new experiences, new dangers, and new uncertainties.
Local Author Colby Halloran and Her New Book, The Northeast Corner
Colby Halloran was born and raised in Ann Arbor. She studied acting at Wayne State University’s Hilberry Gateway Theater and moved to New York City where she became an actress and playwright. Returning to Ann Arbor in 2006, she wrote about her life experiences. Her first book, The Northeast Corner, chronicles a chapter of her youth growing up in Ann Arbor from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. It was published in October 2024 by the Ann Arbor District Library’s Fifth Avenue Press.
The Crazy Wisdom Interview with Jim McDonald on Energetic Folk Herbalism
mcdonald lives in White Lake, with his wife, Stephanie, their three kids, a dog, many cats, and two ferrets. Stephanie is deeply involved in running the business and website, and they “keep doing a little bit better every year.” mcdonald is a very winning fellow – chatty, engaging, tangential, lively, casual. He is a man who has developed a deep love for plants, and it shows. “Plants are awesome,” he says. They are an “intermediary” between nature and humanity.
The Magical Community of ConVocation
On February 20 through 23, 2025, ConVocation will celebrate its 30th year as a Michigan convention for magical people. First founded in 1995, ConVocation has been hosted in various hotels around southeastern Michigan before finding its new home in Ypsilanti in 2024. Moira Payne, ConVocation 2025’s Program Chair and President of the Magical Education Council of Ann Arbor, hopes this new home will be permanent.
Freebirth in Ann Arbor: Why Women are Choosing to Birth Outside the System
Pregnancy and childbirth is a time of immense transformation. For some women it is the most beautiful day of their lives, but for so many more, the process of giving birth is a traumatic memory marked by surgery, violation, and a loss of control. In an act of conscious rebellion against this standard, women are choosing to look to the past and choose to birth the way we were always intended to: unmonitored, unmolested, and free. One such woman I talked to, “Dana,” describes her birth as being, “incredibly straightforward without any drama.”
Sacred Oak and Dove: The Ancient Oracle of Dodona
Far away in the mists of ancient days, there once dwelt a band of extraordinary trees with the gift of prophecy: oaks with the power of human speech, answering the needs of mortals who journeyed far to seek their wise counsel. This sounds like a folk tale, but it is not. Deeply rooted in archaic Greek myth, these oaks also lived in history as the first and only oracle existing in Greece for many years. Ancient mythographers remembered the priestesses who tended these oaks as the first females on earth who ever sang their own compositions; their companion nymphs were compassionate nurses for Zeus, shielding him in his vulnerable infancy, and henceforth revealing his will to mortals. In the remote and mountainous terrain of Epirus in northwest Greece, from the second millennium BCE, this sacred forest grew in the mystical sanctuary of Dodona.
Imaginary Friend Revivals: A Return to Playfulness
Sitting alone in the dark in the back row of a movie theater, I sobbed relentlessly. I had just watched the movie IF. IF stands for Imaginary Friend. The movie was about adults reuniting with imaginary friends from their childhood at critical times in their life. The adults were transformed by acknowledging their previously discarded imaginary friends and became so much happier, creative, and productive. This movie touched me deeply. Perhaps my fearful inner child had come out of hiding for a moment looking for help. Or maybe I secretly hoped an old friend from my past would come back to rescue me. Following that experience, I became interested in learning more about imaginary friends and their relationships with adults.
K9 Translations: Training Dogs, and People, With Kindness
The biggest picture on the wall of my home office is not of my wife or daughter, or our parents, or any other relative. It is of a now long-gone but still cherished member of our family—our first dog. Murphy was a brown and white, thirty-pound Sheltie my wife and I adopted a few years after we married. He was, before our daughter was born, our first “child.” He was a thoroughly lovable dog. Sharp as a tack—I taught him to sit and shake in about ten minutes—an endless source of delight in games of fetch, and great company—most of the time. He was also an incorrigible chowhound, forcing us to guard our food zealously at mealtimes. He exploded into fits of barking and jumping whenever we had guests or if he saw a bicyclist, car, or dog on our walks. We tolerated it all, not knowing that it might be possible to change those behaviors. We figured it was a small price for living with a wonderful dog.
The Perks of Being a Perky Wallflower — Finding Love Through a Speed Date
Over the buzz of both hops and chatter there is a cow bell. The noise can be a spell-breaker or a tension-reliever depending on who is sitting in front of you. The cowbell means your six minutes have concluded. It’s time to turn to your clipboard of names and scrawl some notes— to quickly decide if the stranger in front of you is worth a seventh minute (or perhaps, even, a second date) before the next date sits down. Welcome to a Perky Wallflower Speed Dating session.
Herbs for Your Garden: Marshmallow
Are you looking for a unique, useful, and beautiful herb for your garden? Let me introduce you to Marshmallow, a hardy perennial whose every part has a use. It can grow quite tall, up to four feet, with soft fuzzy leaves and light purple flowers. This plant has many cousins in the mallow family which are planted as ornamentals. Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) is the medicinal species that we will explore today.
The Michigan Medicinal Herb Supply: The Current State and a Vision for Re-localization
After a long day, you reach for your favorite herbs to make a soothing cup of tea: a spoonful of tulsi, a scoop of chamomile, and a pinch of peppermint…perfect! Just what you need to unwind. The fragrant brew might relax you, but did you ever wonder what went into bringing the herbs to your cup?
The Neutral Zone: A Bright Place for Our Brilliant Young People
We have all seen the brightly painted portico and cheerful murals on the impressive brick building downtown Ann Arbor and wondered, “What is this place?” The Neutral Zone was founded in 1998 by teens, and for teens, with a simple yet profound mission: to create a safe space for youth in Ann Arbor. Simple, maybe, but not static.
Conscious Parenting: Navigating Negative Thought Flow
“I don’t really like myself,” my teen blurted out in the middle of a seemingly mundane conversation we were having last week. He tightened his lips to hold back emotion. I paused, as I noticed my jaws clench. Surprised by what he declared, I felt my eyes stinging as salty tears began to trickle into my eyes. My heart felt heavy, longing to simply scoop him up into my lap like I did when he was young, soothing him with kisses on his soft forehead.
Reilly Campbell: Sovereign Birth Worker
In October, I sat down with my good friend Reilly Campbell for a discussion about birth, life, Ann Arbor, and everything in between. An Austin, Texas transplant, Campbell can best be described as a ray of sunshine. Though only 25, she is wise far beyond her years and serves as an inspiration to anyone looking to walk with women on the path from maiden to mother and beyond.
Boost Your Winter Immunity with Plant-Based Foods
As the cold winter season approaches, ensuring a healthy, responsive, and robust immune system becomes even more important. Freezing weather, short days, and reduced sunlight can put stress on our bodies and increase our chances of getting sick. A plant-based diet, full of immune-boosting antioxidants and nutrients that naturally fight inflammation and promote immune response, is an excellent way to make sure you and your family stay as healthy as possible this winter.
Healing Touch Practitioner Barbara McConnell — On a Heart’s Mission for Healing
I stepped carefully upon the stone walkway, treading past raised garden beds, massive shade trees, and garden ornaments and recalled the echo of curiosity and caution which accompanied my first visit to this magical place. It was nearly fifteen years ago for Level 1 Healing Touch energy therapy class at the home of Barbara McConnell in Grass Lake.
A Moment with the Wonder Twins
I recently met with Danielle Groth and corresponded with Vicky Lovell, two of the co-founders of Angel Whispers Healing Center in Dexter. Angel Whispers aids in helping individuals and families in mind, body, and spirit. They are in the process of moving into a new space on Baker Road that will be home to an even larger collective for grief care, acupuncture, reiki, worship, and other healing modalities.
