I have a new title as of 11w1d ago. I am a mom. Jack is my first son and I absolutely adore him. He is who I write about the majority of the time, mostly because that's where my heart is now that he's here. As a parent I tend to be kind of "crunchy" (Trev hates that term) only because I feel that a natural life is the best. I cloth diaper, breastfeed, babywear, co-sleep and try to practice the tenets of Attachment Parenting as it fits our life. I'm not an extremist (we did circumcise, give him Zantac for his reflux and do the CDC recommended vaccination schedule) and try to find a balance that works for us. I do try to educate myself on everything and discuss with my husband. I think this is the most important aspect of parenting. At least know what information is out there, then go with your gut.
A blog that I feel represents my parenting style the most is www.nurshable.com
I am also a wife. Three and a half years ago I married my high school sweetheart, Trevor. We've been together since 9th grade (12 years now!) and friends since 6th grade. I met him on the school bus when he was riding home with his friend (now our friend and one of our groomsmen), Brandon. Brandon liked me and Trev was trying to get me to "date" him...as much as sixth graders can date. Twelve years later I can honestly say that Trevor really is my best friend. What I love most about my relationship with him is he is the ying to my yang. He really balances me out. I don't understand how some people say you must find someone that is just like you. I think that would be destructive for me and us. He keeps me from obsessing and going overboard and makes me laugh. We are a great team and parenting has really brought us closer. Being parents has made us really talk things out and rely on one another more. I've come to love and appreciate him in new ways now.
In addition to these family roles I am also a sister, daughter, aunt, friend and animal parent. I am the oldest of five, am an aunt to my brother's son, Matthew, have some great girlfriends (the majority of which will all have had babies within a year), and have two Persians, Gato (18.5) and Leo (4) and a border collie/black lab, Sofía (2).
My job title is a high school Spanish teacher. I've been doing it for five years now and I still enjoy it. I hold a Masters in education and am quite proud of that. My most rewarding moment was taking students to Spain a year and a half ago and seeing them grow from that experience. Lately our politicians in Michigan have been making teaching less than desirable. My goal when I return in a week and a half from maternity leave is to continue to grow professionally without becoming too jaded by the happenings in Lansing.
Another facet of my life is that I am a vegan. Throughout my life I have wavered between omnivore and vegetarian. The idea of eating animals always repulsed me. I asked my mom's friend, Ellyn, for some vegetarian reads three years ago because I really wanted to make the switch for good. She mentioned she was vegan, something I never thought I could do because, as everyone says, "I loved cheese". Well she recommended reading a book by Marilu Henner. After our one year anniversary trip to Chicago (where I indulged in meat for the last time), I read it on the way back. When I got to the part about dairy I was stunned. I had never thought of it that way, both as an animal lover or from a health perspective. After that, I was hooked. I read every single book that existed. My coworker, Margaret, went vegan not long after I did and showed me Happy Herbivore. We went to see Forks over Knives together and I then became a plant based vegan. I LOVE the way I feel when I eat this way and can't imagine changing that. I har been vegan for about 3 years now with a brief stint into vegetarianism during pregnancy because of some pretty severe sickness and cravings. My husband was vegan for a while and now is mostly vegetarian. I hope to raise Jack vegan in our home but allow him to make his own choices and decisions outside of the home. I love the fact that my two sisters are also vegetarian. The youngest, Annie, has been all of her life and I think that is so amazing!
Blogs I like are:
www.happyherbivore.com
www.healthytippingpoint.com
www.fatfreevegan.com
www.vegweb.com
www.ohsheglows.com
www.peasandthankyou.com
www.theppk.com
Some smaller aspects of me, but that still make up who I am:
I try to be a minimalist. Clutter always bugged me as a child and I'm constantly in a decluttering process. I never want the big car, house, etc lifestyle. I am more about quality over quantity and having just what I need and use. I think this lifestyle is relaxing because it takes away the focus on things and puts it on people and experiences, makes me feel satisfied and not in a constant state of want and is better for the environment and planet. I will never only own 100 things as many minimalists try but I am trying to pare down to more functional living. For example, less one tasked kitchen items and making my closet more of the French style (fewer items that are high quality, fit well and are all interchangeable so that you can get several outfits from them). For example, I had many things that would only go with browns or navy or black. I had separate shoes and purses and accessories for them. However, I never liked how I looked in brown or navy. Now that I am having to practically start my wardrobe from scratch with my new post-partum body, I am making sure all my pieces can mix and match and go with either black, greys or white. I like it much more now and don't feel as though I have a closet full of clothes I don't want to wear. While on maternity leave we have tried to donate some of our belongings to decrease clutter. When I return to work I do not want an abundance of things to clean, dust and organize when I am home...I want to spend my time with Trevor and Jack. I think our house is the perfect blend of minimalism and comfort. Some blogs I like on minimalism:
www.missminimalist.com
www.mnmlist.com
www.theminimalistmom.com
www.happyherbivore.com
My hobbies outside of all of this include reading, yoga, cooking and travel. If you have made it through this entirely too long of a post and are interested in more of my ramblings, feel free to subscribe. :)
