Instinctual Mamas Want YOU!

Do you enjoy blogging?  Do you have a blog or love reading blogs and would like to try you hand at writing one?



photo credit: Erica B
Aroma Luna ⁂Flameless~Candles⁂ by Erica



Instinctual Mamas Wants YOU!

Photo Credit: Aundrea of Bug On A Rug

Weather you are an experienced blogger or a Newbie, have a huge following or none at all, we would love to play host to your work.

The topic can be anything that has been weighing on your mind lately.

We do have a few rules/guidelines we ask you to follow.

1.BE RESPECTFUL:
This is the most important rule of all.  We reserve the right not use submissions if we feel like they are offense or degrading to others.  We love the community we are building and welcome all mothers to join us.  One of the reasons we wanted to create IM is because we often felt out of place in other mama communities.  Not always natural/crunchy enough for the AP group and no where near modern and Ferberized enough for the Mainstream group.  We always fell somewhere in between, plucking and pulling from many different styles and applying what works for our families.  That's the beauty of Instinctual parenting, its all about listening to your instincts and doing what works for YOUR family.
We just ask that you keep this in mind and are sensitive to others.  For example, if you were to write a probreastfeeding piece please do not bash moms who choose formula, and vice versa. 

2. Try to stick to topics that highlight Instinctual Parenting:
We welcome all blog submissions but we are really looking for blogs that pertain to our parenting style and community.  So a blog about your favorite TV show may not fit here.

3. Original Work Only Please-:
We all know plagiarism is wrong, please properly quote any resources that you use and submit only material that you have written.  We are happy to host a repost from an exceptional blog post but would really love for you to write an original piece for us instead.
We also have no problems with you posting the piece you write for us on your own blog too, we do ask that you wait at least 30 days before doing so. 

photo credit: Erica B
Aroma Luna ⁂Flameless~Candles⁂ by Erica

4. Edit and Proofread:
Please edit and proofread your submission before sending.  We will read through it ourselves and correct any spelling/grammatical errors that we see but we ask that you do this before submitting.

5. Form and Photos:
We want you to include at least 1 photo with your submission.  Something that represents and is on topic with the post itself.  If the photo is not your own please link where you got it and include any credit/copyright info if applicable.  Please make sure you have permission to use the photo if it is a professional picture.
Please keep the blog easy to read and follow.  Keep paragraphs short and break things up as needed.  Posts that appear as 1 big long run on sentence/paragraph hurt the eyes and often deter people from reading them.

6. Include a Bio/About Section:
We want you to include a little min bio or about section with the blog.  Just a few short sentences about who you are., your parenting style/philosophies, etc. This is a great place to include a blog link if you already blog.  A Bio pic would be great too but is not required.

photo credit: The Sparkle Mama

We do reserve the right to edit posts as needed but we will not make any serious edits without consulting the author first.

The author must follow us via GFC as well as on FB.  This is so they will have easy access to respond to comments/questions posted by our followers.  We ask that if you submit a blog to us you watch for and reply to any questions/comments in a respectful manor please. 

We welcome respectful debates, we will not play host to petty fights, mud slinging or name calling.

Topics we would love to receive submissions on include (but are not limited to):

Breastfeeding-
Exclusive/Extended Breastfeeding
Joyful Breastfeeding
Troubled Breastfeeding
Nursing Multiples
Tandem Nursing
Nursing Adopted Children
Baby Lead Weaning
Returning to work and EBF
Pumping
Finger Feeding
Supplementing

Cloth Diapers-
Switching to cloth
The joys (or not so) of cloth
Reasons for switching
How To's for Cloth
Intro to Cloth
Different Styles/Way to Use Cloth
How to make your own

Photo Credit: Tricia Bowers-Gropper

Peaceful Sleeping-
Co-Sleeping
Bed Sharing
Room Sharing
How to transition from family bed to big kid bed
No CIO
Peaceful Sleep Solutions

Natural Living-
Making Green Choices
Recycling
Healthy Eating Habits
Going Organic
Avoiding Food Dyes/GMO/HFCS/etc
Natural Cleaners-including how to's to make your own
How to make your own baby food
Homemade Goodies and Crafts

Attachment Parenting-
Baby Wearing
Gentle Discipline
Keeping Boys Intact

Misc-
Fun Kikds crafts, art
Healthy Recipes
Fun tips/tricks of the mommy trade
Anything that tickles your fancy while remaining previlent to our comminuty.

To submit a blog please email us at instinctualmamas@gmail.com  Be sure to include pictures, if you need to send in seperate emails make sure to number your emails (1 of 3-or whatever) so we can keep everything together.

Love,
Christy and Tanya