tranforming from mainstream to crunchy

[yellowheart]

Sooo....for you mamas that lived mainstream lives in the past...how long did it take you go from mainstream to 100% crunchy? Was it a long slow process over many years or did it just take a matter of months? Was it as money permits and as you gained new skills? i.e.--for me anyway....part of being crunchy means growing a garden. :yes And, was there a specific event in your life that caused the change?

Personally, I think I'm seeing the switch picking up speed. I was 100% mainstream up until about Nov. 08. Yes, I can pick a general date. The reason I ended up on GCM and MDC was due to a friend that had a UC that went horribly wrong. I just wanted to understand what would lead a person to do a UC in the first place. Once I started reading and understanding I was forever changed....in a good way. :yes

[Herbwifemama]

I'm sorry for your friend. :(

Mine started in high school- I decided we didn't need all these chemicals, and I learned about waterbirth at the same time. It was a slow transformation, and I"m not completely there yet. I guess I am in ideals, but not in practice. If we say Jr year of high school is when it began, then it's been about 11 years.

[Tee]

Wow good for you for looking into why someone would want to do a UC instead of what most people would do - dismiss it as crazy!

I have always hated to take medicine...I think I started researching when I was like 20 and the doctor wanted to update my tetnus shot...I declined at that time and started looking into vaxes...which led to nutrition...etc. Then when I had a babe 6 months ago...I had found MDC and walla! Like the pp said, crunchy in theory but in practice...fighting my sugar addiction lol.

[Sweet Life]

:think I'm not sure what 100% crunchy is, and I'm not sure that's my goal anyways. :shrug3 It can encompass so many different aspects of life, yes? I definitely am not the model 'crunchy mom', I do know that. :yes

We're making changes as they seem to fit our life. It seems like some changes we make, and they stick. And other ones don't make as much sense after a while and we change them again, sometimes back to 'the way they were'. :shifty But overall we are living a cleaner, better, healthier life and I imagine we'll continue to make changes along those lines and on that path for as long as we live. :heart

[Psyche]

Its been a gradual process, that was influenced over the years and gained speed after Caden was born. I took some herbal medicines in college to help my immune system, then decided to bf Caden. That led to co sleeping and baby wearing. Which led to eating more organics which led to extended nursing, delayed/selective vax, and a VBAC and placenta supplementing. Still not 100% crunchy but getting there.

[dukeofhazzard]

Oh gosh, I think the transformation started for me when DS1 was born. All of the sudden I started thinking about him eating real food and nothing seemed "pure" enough :giggle. And thus - my journey began :lol. That was almost 9 years ago and we're pretty crunchy, but not as crunchy as some :shrug3.

After reading Psyche's post above mine - I'll add that a high need baby led to co-sleeping which led to babywearing and yadda yadda ;)

[yellowheart]

You know....I don't know what 100% crunchy means either. Guess I could have worded that differently. :giggle

I think right now I am more crunchy in spirit than anything and am making changes slowly and as they make sense.

[titosmommy]

I think I slowly started when I was working with a man who was very crunchy. He didn't share any of the same faith beliefs as I did so I kind of didn't really jump into it. But once I got pg I really started getting crunchier. We always planned on co-sleeping and breastfeeding, but cloth diapering came when my LO was about 1. We're still pretty mainstream, but who knows what we'll become.

[Waterlogged]

I'm holding onto my mainstream roots quite tightly! :blush

We CD, I'm fervently against really punitive forms of discipline (especially spanking, although I can occasionally see the point in time-out), I have an Ergo and a Moby...and I'm rather "Free-range" in my parenting outlook....but...

I still enjoy my diet coke and I really am not convinced that buying organic is better...and I still use bleach and other cleansers (though not very much since I'm not that on-top of my housework)...

I have really crunchy friends (like organic crunchy) that think I'm crazy for using bleach...but I think they're crazy for spanking their kids. :shrug3


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But I also took Bradley classes and wanted an entirely natural childbirth....didn't work out that way. So...a crunchy failure? :)

[amyhntr2]

My journey really began when I found out I was pg but picked up a lot after our Bradley method birth class. Our teacher was awesome and inspired me to look into and ultimately choose homebirth. I am still way off on my own nutrtion but trying to do better!

[Living My Dream]

I still class mysef as a crunchy baby. I couldve written something similar to Rosanne.

[hey mommy]

Well, it's been 3 years since I found GCM & started turning crunchy, and I'm still working on it. I will say I have become WAY more AP minded since coming here.. I'm now the cloth diapering(part time), baby-wearing, totally co-sleeping, wishing I was breastfeeding mama. :)

[Waterlogged]

I am also in the "wish I were breastfeeding" camp. Well, kinda. I have to remind myself that at the time, I made the best decision I could given the circumstances, and the complete picture of repercussions for my family...:(:shrug3

[Mokek Kwe]

One year ago, I was VERY mainstream. What the catalyst was for me was E, when she was born. I began listening to my instinct more, and I'm probably about 60 crunchy/ 40 mainstream. or maybe even 80/20, I'm not sure, :giggle
ETA, maybe I'm more "crunchy" than I thought, but I use paper plates, don't usually buy organic, and don't have a garden.

[mamaKristin]

I think that there is no real moment of "arrival" WRT being "crunchy" or "mainstream". :)

We are all on a journey, and different circumstances will have bearing on how/when/if we implement different things into our lives.

I've always been an AP parent, but I only was able to start cloth diapering when we moved to a place where we no longer shared laundry facilities. I am constantly learning new ways to prepare healthier foods for my family, but don't have access to garden fresh produce year round because of my climate. I don't consider that a crunchy fail, but rather part of the sliding scale of being more crunchy minded. There is really no checklist of what is crunchy enough, you know?

[thrillofhope]

For me it started when dd was born. I wanted only the best for her and to keep the planet a place she could grow up and live on. I'm still learning, and definitely not as "crunchy" as many here, but I'm getting there.

[Waterlogged]

I think it ends up feeling like a black and white thing-
all natural birth VS hospital intervention birth...
cloth diapers all the time VS disposables
organic VS non-organic
EBF VS FF
crunchy VS mainstream

Yet there are shades of gray in the middle of all of those things we use to classify people.

Perhaps the one thing we all have in common with regards to crunchiness is our awareness of the choices we have instead of thinking there's only the mainstream option.

[Mokek Kwe]

Perhaps the one thing we all have in common with regards to crunchiness is our awareness of the choices we have instead of thinking there's only the mainstream option.

VERY true. The mainstream idea, I think is, "homebirth is an option? isn't that dangerous?" maybe not phrased exactly like that, but on our journey, all of us are definitely learning :heart

[musiclady]

I just go with the flow as I go... Started when my first dd was 20 months and I read the continuum concept... then as I went and tried the ideas wih out DD and my second DD, it made sense. I'm not 100 percent crunchy, but its not about how crunchy I am... its about been the best parent I can be, and doing what is right for our family.
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[charla]

I was pretty much mainstream up until shortly after my son was born. In fact, my friend tried to talk me into a more natural kind of birth but I was convinced I wanted medicated birth which I ended up having. It was pretty much a disaster in many ways (except for the sweet, healthy baby boy ;)). That began my journey into crunchiness. After my son was born, I overhauled our eating habits because of health issues. The experiences over the next couple years brought about extended breastfeeding, no vax, natural childbirth, gentle discipline, nutrition. I've journeyed through many things in the last nine years and have added many other things considered crunchy - homeschooling, organics as I can, make my own cleaning products and laundry soap, being aware of ingredients in what I buy, chiropractic care. I'm by no means as crunchy as others.

I think it's a journey and we each have different areas of importance so my crunchiness will look different than someone else's.

[abh5e8]

hmm...well, i don't really think of myself as that "crunchy" but...we EBF, cloth diaper, AP, cosleep/bed share, eat organic and traditional foods, buy used things, live within our means/no debt, babywear, ride bikes to work/school, don't vax, don't use any conventional cleaning products...so i guess i am more crunchy than i used to be.

in some ways it has been a transition...i had no clue what EC or cloth diaper options were before i became pregnant with dd and it never occured to me we wouldn't need a crib...but i have always eaten healthy and lived frugally. i'm thankful dh has come to similar conslusions as I have, so our "crunchiness" or journey toward has not been an issue in our marriage. i do think our families (VERY mainstream) think we are a little odd. but, what can you do.

---------- Post added at 10:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:02 PM ----------

I would LOVE to have a garden and dh totally shocked me a few months ago when he said he wanted a cow. we are planning to homeschool our kids...although not sure what that will look like at first.

[mamajane]

What's MDC?

[Zipporah]

MDC = mothering dot com (very large AP/alternative parenting board)

I became interested in HB while studying nursing but had a typical medicalised hosp birth with dd. When she was about 8 m o I discovered the AP board on BBC and thought they were all cuckoo (who'd want to sleep with they're baby? :/ :)) but over time the dark side sucked me in and now I struggle to understand lots of MS stuff(not so much the stuff as how it has become assumed as a given).

[April G]

Good question!

I've never been totally mainstream cause my mom was really crunchy when i was a kid. As she got older she sort of left her crunchy ways behind and opted for a diet coke addiction, and WAY too much sugar. Then she got cancer, and she went 100% crunchy as far as health goes (she never really did much in the way of AP).

By this time I was on my own, eating utter crap, and other than knowing I wanted to have a homebirth, totally mainstream. If I got sick, I went to an MD and took prescription meds.

Then when my son was born (naturally, at home with a midwife), I opted out of vax'ing, opted out of circ... started babywearing and co-sleeping, breast-fed till he was 2.5... and started eating better. Found GCM, and learned about AP. I wasn't eating great, but I tried to do more organic whole foods when I cooked at home, even though when I ate out I still ate complete garbage.

When i moved back home to Canada, the area I've relocated to is very crunchy... farmer's markets every weekend with loads of organic produce, organic farms right around the corner, everything available in organic form in the regular big box grocery stores even. I started reading and learning more about food, where it comes from, how it's processed, etc... and it has been a gradual process. Last summer when I embarked on my healing cleanse that was sort of the climax of the change for me. Now I'd say I'm about 85-95% crunchy. I still like processed food once in a blue moon (mint moosetrack icecream, anyone?!), but in general I've made the full transition. I even grow my own organic garden. ;)

[cro]

For me, it's been a gradual process. I seem to grow a little crunchier w/ each kid.

[Thankfulforgrace]

Can someone explain what a UC is and how it can go wrong? All I can come up with is uterine contraction and um, if you are in labor, you kinda need those....

For me it's been quite a process and I'm still not 100% crunchy (although most think I'm a freak!! :giggle). It started about 4ish years ago with infertility. I guess my first dip in was acupuncture as I wasn't excited about "hey we have lots of drugs for you, all of which have horrible side effects and only work occasionally". Then after my severe endometriosis diagnosis I was motivated to learn lots more. Learning I have food allergies/intolerances really started the ball rolling ;)

[abh5e8]

i believe UC is unassisted childbirth.

[Thankfulforgrace]

hmm...well, i don't really think of myself as that "crunchy" but...we EBF, cloth diaper, AP, cosleep/bed share, eat organic and traditional foods, buy used things, live within our means/no debt, babywear, ride bikes to work/school, don't vax, don't use any conventional cleaning products...so i guess i am more crunchy than i used to be.

in some ways it has been a transition...i had no clue what EC or cloth diaper options were before i became pregnant with dd and it never occured to me we wouldn't need a crib...but i have always eaten healthy and lived frugally. i'm thankful dh has come to similar conslusions as I have, so our "crunchiness" or journey toward has not been an issue in our marriage. i do think our families (VERY mainstream) think we are a little odd. but, what can you do.

---------- Post added at 10:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:02 PM ----------

I would LOVE to have a garden and dh totally shocked me a few months ago when he said he wanted a cow. we are planning to homeschool our kids...although not sure what that will look like at first.

Ooooh, I'd so love a milk cow. Although it seems dd is allergic to even raw milk. sigh. :cry2 I think it's the best stuff I've ever tasted!! I've thought about getting chickens or a bee hive... Yeah, I'm crunchy :lol although the term I use more is granola :giggle

[JenLovie]

My "journey" to crunchiness started after college when I has a doctor prescribe me 4 different daily medications. A few years later I had another doctor who was a huge fan of prescribing steroids and muscle relaxers. When I threw out my back I decided I didn't want something to mask the pain and started seeing a chiropractor.
Some of our other transitions were made to save money (cloth napkins and "paper" towels) and some were just environmentally responsible (recycling before our cityb had pick up).
We was so become more self sufficient, but some of the things we want (chickens, garden, etc) won't happen until we live on some property.

[ValiantJoy07]

I think for me it'll be a life long process...I'm always finding more ways to do things naturally. :think
ETA (I got distracted): as far as when it started? Well my Mom was always the pretty crunchy on in her circles...I was a home birth, she ground her own flour when I was little and baked all our bread from scratch, gardened, didn't take us to the doctors unless it was some thing that absolutely HAD to have antibiotics...She would have not vaxxed had she known it was an option.

For me personally my journey started when dd1 was born I started to be more drawn towards Natural Family Living but though I would like to do more organic things (we do garden organically) and ahve more simple and basic toys ...well we have a LOT of family who don't think that way...All of our awesome wooden stuff comes from my Mom :heart . I cloth diaper but not organically I just do what I can and try to make better choices than I think I other wise would if I hadn't discovered MDC and GCM. :heart

---------- Post added at 06:50 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:42 AM ----------

Ooooh, I'd so love a milk cow. Although it seems dd is allergic to even raw milk. sigh. :cry2 I think it's the best stuff I've ever tasted!! I've thought about getting chickens or a bee hive... Yeah, I'm crunchy :lol although the term I use more is granola :giggle
DH wants a bees hive!! NOT happening, even if we got a country place I am very sensitive to bee stings not deadly allergic but I swell horribly from stings. We also'd love some chickens- we're actually looking at zoning to see if we could have ONE chicken in our yard (we have a double lot in the city):think Hehe DH wants a goat, but that's not happening any time soon...We had friends who had goats growing up- I got to milk them a few times i think I could handle it :lol

[MomtoJGJ]

It's funny... I always thought that I did things just like everyone else... but then I came to realize that my family was pretty "crunchy" A lot of things that are just natural to my family come about as strange or weird by most people I know. My parents co-slept if I needed it, fed me when they thought I wanted to eat (I was bottle fed because of bad information by the doctor) they used cloth diapers, and actually hand washed them in the tub (ick to me!!) we ate mostly whole foods (they don't any more... way too much processed now) we would occasionally have a garden for fun and a compost heap to save on garbage... we planted trees. I could go anywhere I wanted from an early early age as long as my parents knew where I was going (like 5yo) and they rarely punished... I got spanked twice ever and got grounded once (at 14ish?) for a misunderstanding and my dad apologized and told me he was wrong... that was 30 minutes after he grounded me. And my parents always talk about so and so who was born at home and it's never a weird thing so I think if I ever had a homebirth they would be thrilled or at the very least think it was normal.

[HomeWithMyBabies]

I don't care for labels unless the label is beneficial in some way, and I find that "crunchy" is way too subjective to be useful in many cases. ;)

That said, at this point in life I have the self confidence, initiative and resources to explore the interests I've always had. That's pretty cool. :yes

[EMama]

My journey began when I had headaches in college and my doc prescribed a painkiller instead of getting to the root of the problem. Turns out I just need craniosacral (one time and the headaches were gone!!) That experience got me thinking more and questioning why in many situations. I had never even heard the terms crunchy or granola b/f, but that's how I started living.

After I gave my life to the Lord, I didn't think I could be those things and be Christian b/c I got slightly teased for my way of life and views. So I kind of became more mainstream again briefly, then just hid it from select people. Then we were blessed with pregnancy and I started questioning the way things are always done...we had a homebirth! Still on the journey. To mainstream, we look crunchy, but to crunchy we may still look kind of mainstream, lol!

[Forsynthianicki]

I don't really consider myself "crunchy" I just do the things I enjoy and that I feel good about. I don't always do something or always not do something. I garden because I enjoy it, it is good for my spirit and brings me back to my agricultural roots. I have not had a "large" garden in a few years but grow what I can as time and space permit. We cd'd because it was something that I had always wanted to do... when it became too difficult because of work, childcare, and time constraints we quit...without guilt. My goal has never been to live "crunchy" but to live authentically in a way that makes me feel good in my own skin.