A while ago I did a post outlining why I am only sorta crunchy. I told you all the things I do that make me not crunchy. I guess that got you curious because a lot of you asked me to do a post telling about the things that do make me crunchy. I brainstormed and found seven things that put me in the crunchy camp, whether I like it or not.
#1 Extended breastfeeding. I weaned Meghan when she was 2 years old because I wanted to get pregnant. (I had already been pregnant once while breastfeeding her and had a miscarriage; emotionally, I couldn’t do it again.) Luke is 21 months and still going strong with breastfeeding. I said I’d probably stop when he was 2, but now I really am not sure when I’ll stop. Maybe when he weans himself?
#2 Extended rear-facing. I’m talking car seats here for those of you out of the baby stage. Meghan was almost 3 when we turned her forward facing and I hope to keep Luke backwards as long as possible. It’s just safer.
#3 We eat organic/real food. Maybe someday the way we eat will be considered mainstream, but for now it makes us a little crunchy. I try to avoid too many preservatives, artificial food colors, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and like our meat and eggs to be from local farms. Someday I’ll grow my own food. For now, I love our CSA.
#4 We try to treat our illnesses naturally. Remember when Meghan had a mild ear infection and I refused to give her antibiotics? I would much rather treat illness naturally than with harsh medicines. Meghan came home from school with the sniffles on Monday and I’ve been rubbing a blend of essential oils on her feet several times a day, including oregano and melaleuca. So far the sniffles haven’t progressed into a full-blown cold.
#5 I clean my house naturally. My absolute favorite is using plain water and e-cloths. (Pssst: They are on sale right now! Stock up!) These things are amazing and I’ve been using them in every room of my house. When I do need a cleaner I use green, natural products.
#6 I had natural child birth. I was in a different place in life when I had Meghan than when I had Luke, so I had an epidural with Meghan. With Luke, however, I had a drug-free birth experience. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
#7 I try to reduce the toxins in our life. For me this means the less plastic, the better. I use glass storage containers as much as I can. When we’re on the go, we drink from glass or stainless steal water bottles. The walls in our new house are painted with n0-VOC paint. I know there are still plenty of toxins surrounding us, but I try to do my part to reduce our family’s exposure.
Overall, I still think I’m only in the “sorta crunchy” category, but these are the things that put me over on the crunchy side.
What about you? Are these seven things you do, too?
ERF isn’t crunchy. It should just be common sense.
Well, it seems to be not mainstream. More crunchy mamas seem to practice it than others. But I agree, it is just common sense.
I love this! I’m leaning more and more towards all of these things – it definitely started with my pregnancy. I’m so glad I found your blog (thanks to an impulse purchase of butternut squash). I’m BFing my 4 month old (I will for at least a year), all natural childbirth, looking for natural remedies first (such as raw garlic at the first hint of mastitis – not to mention trying all types of diet changes to address the baby’s reflux).
Now I need to go read your non-crunchy attributes!
I do the same seven things, but am working on doing more of #4!
#4 has definitely been a work-in-progress for us!
Crunchy or not, I think you are just wonderful!! 🙂
Aww thanks Heather!
I do all of these!!
I’d like to join a csa and instead of buying almond milk I want to start getting raw milk from a local organic farm
My son is still breastfeeding and he turned two recently. I have a newborn and they tandem nurse.
I babywear and I cloth diaper.
I guess I have too many to list lol.
I dream of having my own garden and it just scares me that it’s too much work for me. My mom does it and its a full time job. I would have chickens too.
How do those e-cloths works? Cleaning with just water sounds amaaaaazing!!
E cloths are awesome! They have some special fibers that make them anti-bacterial with no chemicals or cleaners needed, just water! Check out their site, they are super cool. They are really great for cleaning windows, mirrors, and stainless steel, too.
Love this. I suppose this makes me crunchy, too. I do all but #1 and #5. Extended rear-facing, natural childbirth (with both!), organic food, essential oils, and not a bit of plastic (or non-stick) in my kitchen.
I do most of the things on your list though the one that stood out the most was the natural birth. When I was pregnant I was such an advocate for natural birth and told everyone that I planned on doing it natural all the way. When the whole process started though I was not as prepared as I thought I was and after eight hours I got the epidural. It’s one of those things that still bothers me whenever I think about it. I hope that if I do have another kid I will be able to do it naturally. I was reading your blog when you were pregnant with Luke and after you gave birth and your story is very inspirational.
Angela:
Your sentence about getting an epidural and it still bothering you made me want to reply. I am a L&D RN (13 years) and mother of 4. My first was natural, 2nd and 3rd just a little medication in the last 7-20 minutes and I got an epidural with my last. I have seen many deliveries and obviously had 4 of my own. Labor is a crazy thing, it is different every time, even with the same momma. We have different levels of fatigue, coping, stress, pain, and support every time we go through this. I hope you get the opportunity to have a natural birth with another baby, I too am in favor of natural childbirth, however I am also a realist. If you needed an epidural last time I am so thankful that tool was available for you. If you need it next time you are still amazing! Please look at that darling baby of yours and give yourself so much credit for the amazing job you did in growing and delivering him (her?). You did a great job!
Cary, you made me get all teared up at work! Thank you for your kind words, I really appreciate them. I know I don’t give myself enough credit for what I had to go through to get Jack into the world because I get so caught up with the things that went ‘wrong’ or the things I could have done differently. You are right though, and I’m grateful that you took the time to say something.
I agree with everything that Cary said. And let me tell you, I cannot say for sure if Luke’s birth would have been a natural one if it had been a longer labor. It was so fast I didn’t have a choice! But that transition was TOUGH–all I can say is I’m glad it was quick. 🙂