Crafting? Definitely not something that has always been a part of my life. Artsy? Yes. I would (will) dance and sing all day long...but the knitting/sewing/wreath making/table building etc didn't start until my series of crafty roommates/friends (Katie @ Decorate My Life, RaeRae @Thinking Spot, KelBel, Kathryn, Jolie, Rena and more!)
In college, I LOVED fast food. Arby's sweet tea and then a swing by Sonic for foot long chili cheese coney, that was my normal. If I was broke (which was ALWAYS) I would rock out some Ramen - covered in cheese and topped off with Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, if I even cooked it that is...sometimes I would just ziplock that goodness with it's little seasoning packet, crunch it up, then munch away!
Recycling? Who has time to recycle? Unless of course you count the hundreds (possible only a slight exaggeration) of empty wine bottle "trophies" that were used as apartment decor!
Then I got married. Mr. Lawler was brought up in a home where he was served breakfast, lunch and dinner - each having fruit, veggie, bread, meat and quite possibly dessert. As a new wife, I was bound and determined to keep him accustomed to the lifestyle he was comfortable with. Thus my love of cooking was born.
Changes in our life didn't happen overnight, but did slowly evolve...and looking back, there does seem to be a starting point. In January of 2011 we suffered through the miscarriage of our first pregnancy. Our first baby. People don't like talking about miscarriages (not that I LIKE talking about them) but that makes me want to bring them up more often. They are an incredible common sadness, that many couples/families/mommas have to work through sadly and silently. After ours, I was distraught. The doctors, nurses, books and blogs all said the same thing about how it was not my fault, and we would move past. And thankfully that is true. I still mourn for our first angel, but without that experience, Mr. Lawler and I would not have the same relationship that we have now and we wouldn't have our Kennedy. This momentous part of our life seems to be the starting point of our quest to do what is best (within reason, of course!) for our bodies, minds and spirits.
So, my love of cooking turned into a love of healthy eating.... that kind of branched into a love of organic, healthy, preservative free, farmer's marketing, Nestle/Gerber hating - type of cooking :D
With this lifestyle of eating came a change in our day to day habits. We started recycling, a lot. If we can't recycle...we try to re-purpose.
Then lo and behold - I got pregnant!
I knew when I became a mother, things would change even more; never did I imagine that I would turn into some crazy holistic, cloth diapering, breastfeeding lactivist that researches the benefits of wooden toys vs. electronic ones.
But I have. I believe in the powers of breast milk (as I'm sure my friends who have not deleted me off facebook can attest to!) and feel strongly about every woman's right to nurse, if she so chooses. I believe in attachment parenting and the benefits that babies/children reap when they are shown such amazing commitment and love. (Also why this post has taken me HOURS to get typed out) I believe that natural/green/holistic ways of doing the cooking, cleaning, healing and living is what is best for our family...unless of course we NEED a doctor or medical professional!
I also believe that all these titles are silly. "Attachment". "Natural". "Green". I have just been following my instincts. I am being a mom. My heart tells me to do whats best for our family and our child, and I have been doing just that. And by default, I fall into the the baby-wearing crunchy/hippie momma category. What I love about this category....is that these types of parenting have been around FOREVER (no, really). And only in the last hundred years or so, have people stopped following their instincts...not because something better came along...something more convenient came along. And I am no martyr. I love me some convenience. If ABC didn't post episodes of Grey's Anatomy online...I just might die.
So what is right for my family, is most assuredly NOT what is right for all families. Everyone of going to do the best that they can, the only way they know how. The point of this post is not to down trod on other lifestyles. But to show...it is possible to change. We did. There have been a LOT of changes in a very short time span. And we are all the better for it.
Our daughter is beautiful and healthy. My husband and I are wonderful together. Ours minds, bodies and spirits are better than ever, and all thanks to some good old fashioned change.
Oh goodness.
Who have I become!?
Yours,
Mrs. Momma Lawler
2 comments:
Ha! I literally just had this conversation about how I've morphed into this ultra crunchy person, and it blows my mind. I really feel like when I became pregnant it really happened, but I know it was before that, because I knew right away that I wanted to have a home birth when I found out I was pregnant, and lets face it- that's pretty friggin crunchy. I feel like motherhood has this way of bringing us back to nature, if we listen to what our body is telling us.
This is very inspiring. As a momma who is trying to make all the right choices it's wonderful to hear about someone who has made changes and made them well. I am really interested in making my own baby food, I bet you know about that huh? any pointers?
Tiffany
www.littlegems3.blogspot.com
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