Hippie Mom

Happy Mother's Day!

I had to steal the photo but here's where it is from: http://networkedblogs.com/hBJqH. I hope that's appropriate & please read her post because it too is great. Are you a hippie mom? Or do you look down on those (us?) hippie/ crunchy/granola moms? Or should the parenting debates be thrown out the window?
To start, I recently had to ask someone what crunchy meant, but I get it now. I also won't try to categorize myself. But I certainly don't look like a hippie. I dress professionally, or at least casual-professional. I do my hair, makeup, drive a Honda-and yes, once owned a VW Van with my ex-husband and even remember pushing it down the street to jump start it. I own a house and a stable business. Which all add up to not hippie, as I understand the term.

But as her post points out, there's a lot of things that I do that put me in the other category. Which I think I've posted about enough times, but my quick list: Home Birth, Breast fed my baby past 2 1/2 (that means she still nurses), No vaccines, Co-slept, baby wearing, partial cloth diapering, grow my own veggies, season permitting, and try to eat healthy. And virtually no drugs to date for Scarlett except for one dose of gravol to knock Scarlett out during our travels to Italy. (Which was fun to watch her dancing in the airport prior to boarding and avoided the hysterics of the previous unmedicated flights). And there are more supplements, homeopathics and herbals in our house than any form of medication.

I also have a couple of patients that refer to myself and Scott as "hippie dippy granola types from BC". Yes, something about the province defines us. Also probably something to do with the type of work that we are in.

And yes, I also eat granola almost everyday. But I do recall one game of "What If" that I thought if I was most like a breakfast food I would be like granola, but everyone else choose me to be most like coffee and a croissant. Which I found flattering. But in my head, coffee and croissant parenting comes with a posh stroller, hands off parenting, and every modern baby occupying device known to families. Look how biased I am!

When did we start all of these parenting and lifestyle categories? I like the choices that I have made that fit a natural lifestyle, am guilt ridden about how I could do better and know that I can't claim any model. Maybe if I could drive a beautiful VW van like the one above, I wouldn't worry about all these little things!

Happy parenting and mothering!

Adult Life

What is this adult life people talk about?

I think it might have something to do with furniture that matches, that you actually bought, a dining room table and a house that holds one (our house does not), getting up in the morning with the sun-or earlier? or at least before your kid? Possibly moving into a bigger house that holds all of your stuff. It probably includes some form of RV, or as all of our peers are doing right now-tent trailers! A vacation property? Cabin?

I'm trying to understand what adult life means, except for all of the things that it comes with.

I am 36 years old, and Scott and I refer to other people and say they lead "adult lives". So, I wonder what ours is.

Yes, we have 2 vehicles, a mortgage on a house I like (yes, I'm attached to our little place), the only furniture we've bought together comes from IKEA, and we have oodles of hand-me-downs from friends and our past, still! Most surfaces of the house are covered with toys, and the out-of reach areas are just, not toys. The basement is full of stuff, some we use, some we don't And yes, I have an office with a lot more furniture and stuff, and patients and responsibility.

This is my adult life. I'm waiting for the day that I want to go out and buy new furniture. Or possibly renovate something in our house (it could ALL be renovated!) I keep thinking I will one day have a defining moment that I will now LOOK as though I'm an adult. What would it look like? Will that be my mid-life crisis?

And yes, I'm very responsible in all areas of my life-work and home and family. We look after our daughter well and feed and clothe and love her. I thought having a daughter would be a defining moment into adult life, which it was!, but I am finding that each stage melds into the next, which melds into the next. Perhaps it was the eternal phase of my schooling, where student and adult life were one, or the long time I spent in my career before I became a mom. (and I'm loving these debates of "old" mom versus "young" mom-I may have to engage soon!)

My adult life feels like it may want to purge the clutter and things that we have in our life, simplify our life, and not amass more things. I probably will not end up being the mom who has the matchy living room set and dining room set (and what did I grow up with?) and I'm finding that my adult life may mean lunch at 2 pm and despite what I would like, kids bedtime at midnight. No sunrise for me.

Welcome to my adult life, however it may look! Suggestions for my adult life are much appreciated.