Hodgepodge Parenting is Branching Out!

I have decided to open up our family blog to the wider blogosphere.  After keeping the first year of this endeavor private and focusing on maintaining what's essentially been a virtual scrapbook of photos and videos, I've decided that I want to focus more of my time on a long-standing passion of mine - writing.  There have been a few written posts here over the past year, but with a limited audience, I tried to keep those to a minimum.  However, I'm ready to join the blogosphere of mommy bloggers as I share my thoughts on some of my favorite topics, especially as they influence my parenting in some way.  Here's what you can expect:

attachment parenting
gentle discipline
green living
raising a multilingual child
stay-at-home parenting
minimalism
homeschooling
spiritual independence/deism

That last one is a relatively new development that I finally feel ready to be open about.  I am a spiritual seeker, and I've spent years mulling over big existential questions.  It took motherhood to finally show me what's really important in life, what adds to authentic living and what doesn't, and that belief in God need not be limited to membership in an organized religion.

Homeschooling doesn't technically apply to us just yet, but since I take a long time to get used to anything (I'm a spirited adult, an outgrowth of a spirited child), I have begun to incorporate preschool activities into our daily routine.

Minimalism has been something I wish I had discovered years ago!  For me, it helps to have a label for things in order to better incorporate them into my psyche.  As it turns out, my mom has been a minimalist for years, but it wasn't until I discovered the term and concept online that I - and Alex - got on board.

Stay-at-home parenting didn't seem like much of a topic for me until I recently realized that it's going to take more effort for both me and Natalia to make friends.  If she were in daycare and I were employed outside the home, our social lives would not be an issue.  But since our domain is the home, I see that it is an issue worth considering.

Raising a multilingual child was a no-brainer for Alex and me.  For years we've said that any children we have will grow up knowing our respective native languages.  Luckily, I've since discovered an online presence of like-minded parents who are making an effort to raise their children as multilingual, seeing the benefits and embracing the challenges.  Natalia is learning Polish, Spanish, and English simultaneously, plus we use some signs with her to help us communicate.  If you're wondering, no, she is not "talking" yet, but this is a very fluid milestone, not something she just wakes up doing one day.  She does, however, communicate with us both through signs and a few proto-words, as well as gestures.

Green living has sadly taken a bit of a backseat since we downsized to an apartment, mainly because we stopped composting.  However, it is still an issue near and dear to my heart, and it gives me great pleasure when I can do something in an environmentally conscious way.  We use cloth diapers and elimination communication along with organic disposable diapers, as an example.  And as the blog title states - hodgepodge is my approach.  No extremes.  There are ideals, yes, but there's also real life.  No guilt, just ongoing effort and education.

Gentle discipline is something I'm learning about as Natalia has moved from the relatively "easy" phase of infant into toddlerhood.  Coming from attachment parenting, where a baby's cry is understood to indicate a need and not a mere whim, I'm having to learn new strategies as I lovingly set limits for Natalia while allowing her as much independence as possible.

And speaking of attachment parenting, it was a rough start (there are a few posts on the subject in the archives), but both Alex and I are now starting to reap the benefits of forming a secure attachment with our daughter.  For anyone interested, we are extended breastfeeding since Natalia is nearly 14 months old and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends nursing "only" to the first birthday.  However, the World Health Organization recommends nursing up to the second birthday, and that is the goal I have undertaken.  Natalia and I also cosleep, which is absolute bliss and I'm so sad for babies (and parents!) who don't or can't embrace this type of nighttime parenting.  Finally, I wear Natalia in a carrier on walks and while vacuuming as a matter of course.  As she's become more mobile, she prefers to be running around instead.  (She started walking at 11.5 months old.)

So there you have it, an overview of my parenting strategy.  I hope over the coming months and posts, I'm able to share who we are and why we do what we do with anyone interested.  I know I've gained a lot of insight by reading about how other parents do what they do, and I just want to keep that synergy going!