Two Years Ago Today

Two years ago today, I was allowing a stranger to cut me open. I remember that day very vividly. My nurse was an older lady and her expert manor had a calming affect on me. As I was positioned at the edge of the operating table, I focused on her beautiful eyes while they inserted a spinal. I was then laid out on the table. I remember feeling like I was about to be a pig bound for slaughter.

My husband came in and sat by my head while they cut me, and at exactly 9 AM my baby boy was born.

Happy 2nd Birthday Wyatt! 

Cake and ice cream equals a very happy little boy!

How do you like his cake I baked?



 

We've also successfully breastfed for 2 years now! Wow I didn't think we'd ever breastfeed for so long. When I first began I said my goal was 6 months. Then I changed it to 1 year. Then changed it to 2 years. I suppose that goal will be changed to 3 years next. :)

2 Years successfully breastfed! Yay. :)

Below is Wyatt on his 1st birthday. My how he has grown! 

Check out the post from his 1st birthday. Click HERE

Are Pagan Parents Crunchy?

"Are Pagan parents automatically considered crunchy parents?"

So what is a crunchy parent? Well a crunchy parent is someone who is very minimalistic and likes to get back to the basics. They usually believe in cloth diapering, baby wearing, AP parenting, breastfeeding, and attachment parenting. There's a certain "hippy aspect" to crunchy parenting.

Hey nothing wrong with being a bit hippy. I think most Pagans already believe in getting back to basics and are very environment conscious so it is pretty easy to make choices to switch to cloth diapers and forgo the millions of diapers going to the landfill. However that doesn't mean Pagan parents will embrace every aspect of crunchy parenting. Just because you don't embrace a particular aspect of the crunchy lifestyle also doesn't mean you're not a crunchy parent.

Take Kara Kay's video for instance. In her video she explains the ways she is not embracing the crunchy lifestyle.

So am I crunchy? I've never really considered myself so until recently. Lets make a list.

1. I cloth diaper
2. Home school
3. Recycle cans and use my own bags and/or request some things not to be bagged. 
4. Breastfeed my LO (19 months now) 
5. Try to grow herbs. Hey its the thought that counts right? 
6. No CIO. Though we did do CIO with my oldest. 
7. Use herbs medicinally. 

Ways I am not crunchy?

1. My cloth diapers do come from China (for the most part). 
2. I use non-green chemicals to clean my house. Though using vinegar or baking soda is sometimes all I need.
3. I believe in discipline in the home. Kids don't get away with much in my home. Spanking is never completely out of the question, though used sparingly. I'm definitely not the AP parent type.
4. Tried baby wearing but it hurt my back. Hey you try having huge babies with a bad back. It hurts like hell. 

I'm sure there's more I could add to that list, but I'll stop there.

Are you a crunchy parent? Do you think crunchy parenting would fit well into your Pagan lifestyle? Feel free to use this as a blog prompt.

Need a little Sunshine Today

Well if there was any day where sunshine was the elixir for all my ills, today would be it. Last week I had blood drawn for a thyroid test. Doc and I both think I have hypothyroidism. She told me this past Monday the results should be in. So I waited till 4 and then couldn't wait any longer. I am horrible with patience! So I call them and ask if my thyroid test was done. She puts me on hold and comes back to say she has to make an appointment with the doc to hear the results. So I say OK, appointment made for today.

I get to the office early because I'm an habitual early appointment keeper. I can't help it I always think I'm going to be late and end up arriving early. So here I am with two kids who are cranky and hungry and getting into trouble, waiting in this tiny room with no clock and nothing to do. I did bring a toy for Wyatt and Sierra had her MP3 player, but they quickly tired of those.

Come to find out they only have a portion of the results back. My sugar was elevated but that's because no one told me to fast before the test. They took my sugar again today and it's fine.

All the while, I think we waited close to 3 hours to find out they don't have all the tests and I shouldn't have even come in to begin with. Dammit! So I'm frustrated and cranky and the kids are too. I'm also still impatient to know the results.

So on to the sunshine. I'm sure if you follow a lot of blogs you've come across the Sunshine Award. Book of Mirrors nominated me. She's a lovely outspoken lady who I've followed since the beginning of my blogging career. I highly recommend her blog. So here goes.

1. If you are nominated, you must blog a post linking back to the person/blog that nominated you.
2. You must answer some questions, nominate ten fellow bloggers and link their blogs to the post!
3. You should comment on your nominees’ blogs to let them know you’ve nominated them.

The Questions:
1. Who is your favorite philosopher?   I'm not really big on philosophers. However in high school we had to learn about some famous philosophers and Confucius really stuck out to me. One of my favorite quotes of his is, The essence of knowledge is, having it, to apply it; not having it, to confess your ignorance.


2. What is your favorite number? People have favorite numbers? I don't. If I had to choose, two. Because I'm a romantic and I love stories of happy couples. :)

3. What is your favorite animal? Well I love a lot of animals. Like Book of Mirrors, tigers are a favorite of mine. But I was raised with horses. They are in my blood, heart and soul. I wouldn't be me without the experiences I have had with them.

4. What are your Facebook and Twitter URLs? I signed up for Twitter one time but didn't like it so abandoned it. I don't give out my personal FB account. However you can like Salem's Creations page on Facebook. Every post of mine is added there automatically, and I'd love to get some discussions going on the page. I've tried before but no one ever responds! Talk people, I won't bite. ;)


5. What is your favorite time of day? Dusk. That moment where the sun is almost gone and the moon is rising, I love that time. It's just a very peaceful moment each day for me.

6. What was your favorite vacation?
I don't really take vacations. But I greatly enjoyed our day trip to the Newport Aquarium. I want to go back sometime soon. Another animal I love are sharks!

7. What is your favorite physical activity? Walking my dog, preferably in the evening just before dusk. :)

8. Favorite non-alcoholic drink? Pepsi, but since I breastfeed I don't drink it very often. I stick to non-caffeinated drinks like Cherry 7up or tea.

9. What is your favorite flower? It use to be a red rose. However, lately I've seen this blue orchid at the grocery store I'd love to take home with me. So I'm going to say orchid. :)

10. What is your passion? I have many passions. Creative outlets like sewing, writing, clay sculpting, crochet. Then other passions like breastfeeding rights, Keeping sons intact, and many other parenting related topics.


Who I nominate for the Sunshine Award.

1. Pagan Dad : This Pagan daddy is a great writer and best of all he makes me think with his topics. We don't always agree, but I respect his integrity and wit. 
2. Mummy Nummies : No one said this has to be a Pagan blog award. So I'd like to nominate this lovely and helpful mommy. She's probably single handedly educated thousands of woman on breastfeeding. I know she's helped me a lot with her FB page and group. Thank you Jackie for all you do!
3. Aoibheal's Lair : Here's a faerie witch with always something interesting to share with us.
4. The Faerie Whisperer : Here's another faerie witch with lots to say on magical workings.
5. Crafty Sandi : From one crafty lady to another, crafty Sandi is one of my favorite blogs and a must read. I was lucky enough to try out her foot scrub and it is awesome!  Check out her Etsy store, the Enchanted Garden,  too!

I know this asks for 10, but that's all the time I have for this busy momma. But I follow a lot of wonderful blogs so check out the links to the right and if you have a blog button you'd like me to add, just leave me a message below!

Have a very sunshine and rainbows day.