Hello!
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        I am a returning member, it has actually been quite a few years since the last time I was on here. I used to be on here a lot when my children were little. I probably own 10 years of Mothering magazines, though! Now life is busy with my 4 children and working full time. I feel I have had to change a lot from what I had wanted for my family. Maybe others have gone through this with the economy. Let me tell you a little where I have come from.
       I have 4 children that live with us, ages 16 ds, 12 dd, 9 ds and 7 ds. I have a stepdaughter, 23, who has lived with us some throughout her life. And I have one in heaven I lost Oct-5-2010 who we named Grace Ransom. ( everyone asks me if it was a girl, I was 11 weeks at the time so I have no idea, it was just the name I picked to help through the grieving process )
       I homeschooled for 8 years, and put my children in school this last year not by choice, but because I had to go to work fulltime. My Dh went back to school for 4 years and graduated 5 months ago, but has not worked in the last 4 years. It was a hard choice to put my children in school, I thought I would Hs them at least until highschool. Fortunately we live in a small community in the Yosemite Mts, so it is easier to put them in school knowing they are at least with people who treat them as their own. I am still hoping that Dh will get a good job so that I can stay home again with my children, sand so do the kids!
     I have been a birth and pp doula for 15 years. I don't do as many births as I use too, because life had been too busy when the kids were all little and Dh was off at school. I still dream of becoming a midwife because birth is one of my passions. My last 2 children were born at home and I a had wonderful experience.
      I have raised all my children as vegetarians, but most of them have followed their dad who is not. My daughter struggles with it some because she is the only one in her school.
      I am really wanting to reconnect with likeminded people. It has been some what of a struggle raising my children in the holistic way I feel is right for them. My Dh comes from a very medicalized family ( his father is a neurosurgeon) and so he and I are very different. He eventually agrees with a lot of my " holistic " views, but after much reading. It doesn't come as natural to him, so I have found that over the years I just give in. I would like he and I to get back to where we were many moons ( years ;)) ago.
     So in a nutshell, my name is Lara and I am a vegetarian, homebirthing mother who does not vaccinate or circumcise, who loves to feed her children from her organic garden and free range chickies. I love homeschooling and attending births and going antique shopping with my husband. I don't have a lot of time to be here, so I may not reply right away! ;) I look forward to meeting you all!
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Welcome back,!
Welcome to Mothering!
