Earth Song Mama

08/01/2025

Hey friends,

The last two months were the most challenging months of my motherhood journey thus far. It was one of those everything-all-at-once, extremely stressful life moments.

These last two weeks we’ve all been recovering, I’ve gotten more sleep, and I’ve finally had space to reflect on the intensity of the moment I just walked through- another good-‘ole initiation as a mother.

I feel that when we traverse challenging moments of life there is always something beautiful we can (if we choose) create from our hardship. And that’s my intention.

This spring and summer I will start my first in-person program bringing mothers together on land - to tend our hearts, to tend our bodies, to tend the land, to tend our children, and to create the village culture many of us mothers deeply crave.

I’m calling it “The Nourished Mamas Garden Club”.

This has been a dream of mine for the last 5 years and it’s time I make it happen. Together we will grieve, dance, sing, stretch, play, laugh, learn, share our hearts, get our hands dirty, tend to our bodies, swim in the river, and invite our children into meaningful connection with the land and garden. ☀️

If you’d like to join, send me a message with your email and I’ll send you the registration form.

If you’d like to support the scholarship fund please donate by e-transfer to [email protected] or purchase my online Grounded Gardening Course (will post more about this soon!)

Please share with any moms who you think might be interested.

I can’t wait to meet you in the garden! 🙏💗🥬☀️🌺

Bethany

07/01/2025

Part 2/2

Donations and volunteers to assist in garden maintenance or other aspects of the program are needed. We need child-care providers, cooks for retreat days, seeds, seedlings, garden-waterers (when I’m not home), organic compost + mulch, greenhouse space, and more!

Please message me with your email address, phone number, + what you may want to offer to help me start this program. I will reach out to discuss. Anyone can help!

If you’d like to donate directly to the scholarship program for The Nourished Mamas Garden Club you can send an e-transfers to me at [email protected].

If you’d like to buy my Grounded Gardening online course, send an e-transfer of $150 to my email [email protected] and send me an email with your full name, phone number, and email address. Course will be delivered to your email on Feb. 1st (videos are pre-recorded).

For more information on the course or the Nourished Mama Garden Program, stay tuned- I’ll be posting more about it in the next few days.

Thanks friends 🥬💗

07/01/2025

Part 1/2

Hey friends,

I need your help!

This month I will be collecting donations and selling my Grounded Gardening online course as a fund-raiser for a new program I will be running this year on my land called “The Nourished Mama Garden Club”.

My Grounded Gardener online course is a 5 week (or self-paced) deep dive into growing an organic garden, which includes 5 2-hour videos, an e-book to accompany the videos, and an online forum to ask gardening questions.

In the course I share many tips and tricks learned during my decade of running an organic farm, as well as grounding exercises to help soothe your nervous system and “tune in” to the natural world around you.

This year 90% of the proceeds from the online course sales will be going to fund scholarships for my new program, the “Nourished Mama Garden Club”.

What is “The Nourished Mama Garden Club”, you ask?

The Nourished Mama Garden Club is an in-person, 5 month program for hard-working moms who want to connect with land, tend their hearts, and gather in community.

We will meet for 5 retreat days through the season. These retreat days will include food, childcare, and programming to nourish the hearts, bodies, and souls of hard-working single mamas.

We will do yoga + self-tending practices, connect with plants, get our hands dirty in the garden, swim in the river, have sharing circles around campfires, and more! Moms will go home from each visit with a bounty of organic food from the garden.

Additionally participants in the program can come on drop-in days to tend the garden, harvest produce, and treat the garden/land as “their own” - camping out, playing with their kids, harvesting, and more. This program is for anyone who is about 2 hours or closer to my land in Durham, Ontario. (Scholarships will be prioritized for Single Mamas 💗.)

Over the next few days I’ll be posting more information about the Grounded Gardening Course and the Nourished Mama Garden Club.

If you can help me by sharing widely this information, I would much appreciate it! If you want to support or sign up right now, please do- my next post will tell you how to get involved!

Thanks friends🙏 🥬💗

17/11/2024

Time for my quarterly Facebook update...

Hey friends!
I recently became a single mom of my babe. This happened by choice and by circumstance. My partner decided to move permanently back to his home country after deciding that he cannot thrive in Canada, and invited me to join him.
We’ve both struggled a lot in our relationship, and I have an older daughter I don’t wish to abandon- so I chose to stay here and we split up.

Being a single mother of another kiddo is far from what I had as my life plan, but I'm rolling with it as best I can.
Overall, I have been unravelling lately. I didn’t think I would as I was feeling quite solid about this shift but my 6yo. got very sick and has stayed sick for a while, so I’ve started to get burnt out. Every ounce of me has been going to my children and there hasn’t been much leftover.

Having time to oneself to grieve and rage and process a break up is vital and wow- is this ever hard as a mom.
Crying on the phone with a wise friend I asked, “how can I move through the resentment I’m feeling?”
She told me that resentment comes when we feel we have given too much.

This idea has been helping me a lot in two ways: first to set firmer boundaries where needed, and second to take self-responsibility for having given more than I should have in certain moments, leading to some of the disappointments and frustrations I feel.
I’m still a work-in-progress on that one but overall I’ve realized that there is something very useful and clarifying about hard times. While the things that arise can feel acutely awful, the gift of this time is the gift of life assessment; Where am I? How did I get here? What do I want to do differently moving forward?
There’s a part of me that wants to just become a hot mess. There’s something appealing about it, some form of release when I think of just doing nothing and letting all this sorrow and rage overtake me.

I’m not going to do that at the moment, but instead I’ll write more, make some poetry and songs to move through this time and find my feet in my journey as a single mom of two beautiful daughters.

If you care to be a witness to this part-unravelling/part-unfurling, I’ll be sharing mostly on instagram.
💗🌟🌈
Bethany

19/07/2024

It’s high summer and this angel baby is almost 3 months old 😍💜

My babe is super calm and happy and while this could simply be good luck I also attribute it to:
🌱a calm home birth
🌱not driving around very often, staying home a lot
🌱daily connection time with me- singing and talking to each other all day long
🌱co-sleeping
🌱responding to her cries within 30 seconds most of the time
🌱extra hands around to hold and snuggle her
🌱massages, tummy time, and very little time restrained in car seats/chairs
🌱early potty training- she only poops in a potty when my legs are holding her in the optimal position (see my highlight reel on instagram if interested)!
🌱breastfeeding
🌱a mama with a (most-often) calm nervous system + clear energy; I do at least 3 little things for my own pleasure + joy each day, and take the time to feel my feelings and find peace with the hard parts of life

My body also feels strong again after giving myself a full first month to go super slow.

Grateful for this baby-filled, love-filled summer!

What do you think- is my baby calm by nature, nurture, or both?

ps . we found a Polyphemus moth! What a beauty!

12/07/2024

Fun in the sunny garlic patch with my friend Julie !

☀️ Pull yer garlic when 7 leaf tips are yellowing 🧄

☀️Treat it like a ripe peach and gently remove soil (don’t whack it! Garlic can bruise and lasts longer when handled with care).

☀️If soil is wet or dense then fork it

☀️Dry it out away from direct sunlight (it can dry for the day in the sun but then get it in the garage or it will yellow. Lay it out with airflow beneath or hang it to dry). Trying braiding it for fun!

☀️optimal storage is just above freezing and dry (some garages are perfect!)

☀️plant a new patch from the biggest ones in the fall- add some compost and mulch with straw or leaves! I do 4 rows at 4-6 inches apart.

☀️beware of leek moth as it grows - if you see damaged leaves, remove eggs and put in soapy water

Yay garlic 🧄! 💜

29/06/2024

Grateful for strawberry abundance!

I don’t know why it took me 10 years of growing to finally grow strawberries (actually I do know- I didn’t want another thing on my farm that was fairly labour intensive to pick).

Anyways, I’m glad I’m growing them now!

Growing strawberries isn’t hard- you just have to think ahead.

Plant baby plants (called runners) this season for next year’s harvest. Mulch them with straw if you want to be fancy or use leaves from the yard. Compost will help the plants establish.

Keep the patch weeded as best you can! And use your plants each year to create new plants for the next year.

If you grow too many, like I did, your friends will thank you.

* I only recommend planting if you have at least 10 feet of space to grow them in. Growing any less and you’ll just get a handful of fruit which is fun but not the most wise use of space if garden space is limited. 🍓

Happy growing!

25/06/2024

Have you ever wanted to try off-grid living? Here’s your chance! I’ve been working away preparing this little bunkie for the last 2 years.

At first I was going to rent it out on Airbnb but as I assessed my goals for my land I realized that offering housing and building community on my land is much more important to me. Life is better living close to friends!

Here is an opportunity to live off-grid, in a beautiful space, in a micro-community of great folks.

The property is on the edge of a small town (Durham/West Grey) so you will be close to amenities and a ten minute walk from the beautiful Saugeen river (great for swimming and fishing).

The Bunkie is situated on the edge of a forest, and outfitted with a small camping kitchen (not pictured), loft bed, woodstove, couch, and table. Any upgrades you make (ie. porch, outhouse), or worktrades on the property reduce your rent by $20/hour.

$900/month

Available August or September 1.

08/06/2024

Things that help me find joy, stave off postpartum depression, and stay sane in the postpartum (post-birth) time:

-genuine connection moments with baby; phone away, tuning in completely, and enjoying each other (read Nurture Revolution by Greer Kirshenbaum ☀️)
-prioritizing self care over getting my to-do list accomplished
-inviting my friends to come over during baby’s fussiest time of day so I’m not alone for too many hours with a crying babe.
-saying yes when help is offered. LEARNING TO RECEIVE and articulate what I want clearly💗
-not trying to leave the house very often. As a new mom my nervous system is very sensitive and easily over-stimulated. While it may not look like I’m still healing from the outside it takes much longer to heal than most people acknowledge
-Having moments through the day to tune into the body and spirit. If I feel overwhelmed I try slowing down, napping, and/or releasing emotion.
-lotsa magnesium and herbal baths and yoni (vaginal) steaming, and if possible- comforting touch or bodywork
-very little cooking… I tried to freeze and prep lots before babe and I ask friends to cook for me as well
-getting lots of help and care for any older children
-keeping our bedroom, aka. The Nest 🪺 , cozy, tidy, and quiet. As some say “7 days in bed, 7 days on the bed, and 7 days near the bed.” But even beyond that, taking it much slower than you think (not always easy for most of us!).

It can be an intense time, and easy to loose sight of mental health and physical health during this time.

You have to commit to taking good care of yourself and asking others to help.

If you know a new mama, share this with them and help them slow down and enjoy. Nurturing babies is not an easy task and the more we support mothers the happier and healthier those babies can be! 💜💕🌸

Bethany

29/05/2024

One month with this sweet baby bear 🐻 💜☀️

Everything in my life has been changing because of the arrival of this magical being. I can’t quite put my finger on it but amid the exhaustion of infant mothering and some challenging life upheavals, there is a new ME emerging.

Mothering baby Koda thus far has woken me up to remembering that it is my duty and responsibility, as a mother/partner/friend/human, to CHOOSE JOY.

I may seem like someone who chooses joy and peace, but if you have been part of my inner circle in the last 5 years you know that I have walked through fire after fire, and struggled a lot at various times in my journey.

Life is short, and a precious gift and I don’t know how much longer us humans have to be on this planet and every day is a gift, especially for those of us living in safety…

And so, especially for my children, I choose joy.

Some things that made me feel joyful this week:
1. a blue Jay almost flew in my back door,
2. I got to plant some seeds in soil,
3. I knocked on my older neighbour’s door and we walked to the river while baby was sleeping, snuggled up against my skin
4. My friends/family fed me, did many of my dishes, and rocked my baby when my arms grew weary
5. A new friend baked me chocolate brownies and I munched on one at 4am while rocking Koda and gazing at the half moon outside my window 🌙

Even though I cried a few times, I also laughed and embraced the unknown and danced on the back porch with a baby in my arms.

Thank you baby Koda for reminding me that while feeling ALL the things is important- feeling joy is the most important. ☀️💜

Happy one month!

28/05/2024

Hey friends! You’re invited to a Solstice Flower Party 🌸

Come join Lydia Schleife and myself for a beautiful celebration of local flowers (grown here and by Annabelle at ) and summer solstice!

Lydia is an incredibly talented florist and flower grower from Gera, Germany. She will lead us in a workshop where we will play with local flowers and celebrate the summer solstice with good food!

This event will take place on Thursday June 20 at 6pm. All are welcome (kids too).

Please RSVP so we can get a sense of how many flowers are needed.

Suggested donation of $20 for the workshop

Please bring a potluck dish to share. Overnight Camping welcome. 🌸💕☀️🧚‍♀️🍉

06/05/2024

Spent my 35th birthday snuggled up in bed, soaking in the magic of new life.

On April 29 at 5:16 pm our sweet girl Koda Arya (aka. “little bear” 🐻)emerged earth-side in a magical home water birth.

Surrounded by loved ones and supported by all the elements during the birth process- the birth was a beautiful ceremony of love, trust, and community.

Since then we’ve been resting, healing, and enjoying our first moments with baby.

Here’s to good health and abundant support in this new sweet journey. Thanks for all the birthday and well wishes sweet friends. Here are a few sweet snippets from recent days.

22/03/2024

22/03/2024

I just spent three glorious and tiring days in the big city (TO), singing my little heart out and recording music with the loving support of my partner Deon Pinder and in collaboration with the amazing producer Joel Schwartz .

I’ve been writing songs since I was 14 years old. I won my high school idol competition playing original songs on piano at 17. I made two home-made albums on my computer in my early 20s, and played a bunch of shows in my early university days. My roommates at that time were my biggest fans- always asking me to play songs when we were hanging out in the living room.

Then I became a farmer and music took a backseat to my career and busy farm life. I wrote a song here and there, but mostly every day was about growing things. My decade of farming was a beautiful + fruitful phase of life, but music was missing.

When I went through my divorce and the dissolution of my farm began in 2020, coinciding with the pandemic, I needed music. I needed music to cope during some of the darkest, most isolating, and confusing times of my life.

During this time I let go of a pregnancy I knew I could not sustain. This was a big deal for me as I always imagined having another child, but for personal reasons I knew it wasn’t the right time. In a ceremony with myself, I promised myself that I would record and share some of my music before I had my next baby.

I’m serious about following through with my personal commitments but I definitely procrastinated a bit… here I finally am at 8 months pregnant, 4 years later, making this dream come true.

I sang some of my songs at a “Corn Moon concert” in fall 2020 - the last show in my barn at my farm.. and this past summer I did a show of my melancholy tunes for a crowd of strangers in Germany except for my sweet friend Rosa Knoten

I’ve always wanted to make art like this and it feels good to produce some songs that were important medicine for me in hard times.

Stay tuned for the release of my first-ever professionally recorded EP and thank you to those who helped make the dream a reality! 🎉 🌟💕

Ps. Yes I brought my pregnancy ball into the studio… 😅🤰

14/02/2024

Hey friends,
I wanted to re-introduce myself.

My name is Bethany.
I came to organic farming when I was 19 years old due to chronic illness. I dropped out of university after a prolonged hospital stay and worked on an Organic farm outside Miami, Florida. Being outdoors and eating whole organic food, I began to feel well again.

Over the years I struggled with my health and immunity. I regularly returned to ecological farming, knowing deep down that living life on land was part of my path.

In 2012 I started an organic farm.

I ran a beautiful vegetable farm business called Zócalo Organics, which served over 120 CSA members (weekly veggie boxes), farmers markets, and sold produce to 14 local restaurants. My ex-husband Seb and I had a successful business, trained new farmers, and created a dynamic community on our farm. I learned many things on both my healing and farming journey.

In 2020 it became time to move on from this life. However challenging, I am so grateful I had the courage to step into the unknown.

One year ago I set down roots on a new property, 9 acres in Durham Ontario. My dream was to create a similar life to the one I had on my previous farm, only one that was more slow-paced, more conducive to raising children; a life with more space + time for creativity.

It hasn’t been easy to continue to pursue a life on land, but I am so grateful for the opportunity to do so, for a beautiful home, and place to plant gardens to feed my family and friends.

In the last year I’ve planted fruit trees and bushes, started my first garden on this land, ran 2 Grief Retreats, taught yoga classes, hosted Women’s circles, hosted potlucks and met some local friends, offered Reiki from my home, started a medicinal herb garden, built a bunkie (well mostly built it), and set up my home. It has been a big year!

In a couple months I’ll be having my second baby with my beautiful partner Deon. I will be sharing stories and songs from that journey, as well as continuing to share about my life on land.

I’ve changed my name from Tender Farmer to Earth Song Mama. Thanks for following along 🌿❤️🦋🌱
-B