First off there’s me.
Some of you know me as Ginger. Some know me as Elaine. Some even call me snookem’s but that’s beside the point. To put it bluntly, I’m a wannabe hippie. I started this blog when my daughter Lily was born and my whole world flipped up-side-down. I was suddenly introduced to the very visceral world of parenting and discovered the only way to survive was to follow my instincts and just try to keep the kid alive. We started doing things the only way we could and before we knew it, we were practicing a type of parenting most commonly called Attachment Parenting. I was thrilled to discover that all this stuff had been studied and the word was what we were doing was A-OK, daddy-o. Co-Sleeping actually lowers the risk of SIDS when done correctly. Baby wearing leads to more independent children. Home birthing is *gasp* safe! Breastmilk is truly the stuff of goddesses and cloth diapers were not only economical but better for baby. Holy crap, thank goodness for instincts and having the balls to follow them (not so easy in this “just let them cry it out” world). This kind of stuff has labeled me a hippie, but in reality I’m just a geek trying to find her way. So far my kids are turning out ok.
Next up is my partner in wannabe hippiness, Mark.
Mark is a kick ass dad and a damn sexy partner. We met in 1996 when he was back in country after several years traveling the Caribbean as crew on a private sailing yacht. This is the man who, when a bunch of armed Mexican navy dudes drove up to our plane, casually leaned over and whispered, “Don’t worry, they’re just here for our bags.” And he was right. He had a wild upbringing and has turned out to be an amazing man because of it. He’s fearless, honest, intelligent, sexy and the best mate I can imagine.
First we made Lily.
Lily is our independent toddler with a wicked-fun attitude and the best hair we have ever seen. It grows straight out of her head and just keeps curling into these wild, fantastic corkscrews. Seriously great hair. I write about her all the time. She and her sister are the sun and the rest of us are just these crazy planets whirling around in space trying not to collide. She’s already becoming wildly independent and will holler “MYSELF” for every damn thing we try to do for her. This is the kind of behavior that will eventually spin her out to her rightful place in the universe as a planet. Who will be the sun at that point? I donno, I didn’t work the metaphor out that thoroughly. Just take a quick glance through the years and you’ll fall in love with her; she’s that cool.
Then we cooked up Anya
Anya is the newest member of our family and if you don’t want to just eat her face off, then you are clearly not looking at her cute pudgy cheeks and edible toes. She’s so damn cute I actually got this comment from a friend, “Put that baby away, she’s making my uterus hurt!” She’s super mellow, sleeps beautifully (yes, that is wildly important) and has the best baby giggle I have ever heard. She was born in a tub in our bedroom and I am so blessed to have had my homebirth with her. She popped out of the water, looked around and settled in like she’d been on this ride a 1000 times. An old soul she has and I can’t wait to talk to her about where she’s been.
We also have a couple of pets.
Maya is the pooch and Millie is the pretty kitty. Before we had kids I could have written pages about them. Now they are just pets. Sounds harsh? It happens. I can tell you that they are awesome pets who enrich our lives. Maya is a little too friendly, but then, she’s a LAB. And Millie could be more friendly, but then, she’s a CAT. So there you have it.
And finally, we have a funky home.
If you look back in the archives you can find the whole story about this place. We managed to snag an original designed home on two acres in one of the most expensive cities in America. And no, we don’t come from old money or have jobs that make us filthy rich. We are lucky, tenacious and just a little stupid. The house and the land is a brilliant compromise between us two. Mark – the country mouse – gets lots of land to roam around and build things on and I – the city mouse – get to be in the city in 15 minutes. To me, this place kinda symbolizes our marriage: compromise, hard work and lots of room to play.
So that’s us. If you made it through this whole thing, you’re either a good friend or a stalker. Cheers either way.
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