Not crunchy but maybe stale.

[AilinaW]

Hello, Mothering! I'm 'Ailina, 37, mom to six homeschooled kids and expecting #7. Two months along as of this post.

Our family lives in South Louisiana. DH works offshore so he's gone two weeks at a time.

I guess I wouldn't describe myself as "crunchy" -- I'm not that disciplined. But a lot of our values and choices have a bit of crunch:

• homeschool style: blend of formal & informal, year-round instruction but break when we wanna
• cloth & disposable diapers
• natural, unmedicated, low-intervention labors & deliveries
• breastfed all six kids, still bf'ing 16-month-old
• picked up babywearing with #6 until he made it clear he'd rather work alone

Looking forward to hanging with like-feathered birds here. And trying to find my good buddy Kate who wooed me here!

~A~

'Ailina -- mom to...

Rocky (19)   Priss (14)   Bunny (13)

Moe (11)   Squeak (9)   Sprout (16 months)

[jess in hawaii]

Are you Hawaiian? Just wondering, because I moved from Louisiana to Hawaii

[AilinaW]

 Aloha, e Jess!  My dad was born & raised there, my mom was born & raised in Louisiana. I was born in Hawai'i and mostly raised in Louisiana. I lived in Hawai'i during my formative years and moved back in '94.

Ethnically, no. I'm not Native Hawaiian (Filipino/French/Irish). But I have very close ties there, and my family goes back to the sugar plantations in the early 1900's. I've been a longtime student of Hawaiian language and culture, and danced with the Halau Hula Ka Mana O Hawai'i at Merrie Monarch in 2006. (I'll never forget it!)

And yet...I LOVE South Louisiana and embrace everything down here. It's as paradisal as Hawai'i 'cept the mosquitoes are a lot bigger! Haha!

Sorry for the history lecture, but that is always a loaded question! LOL!!! Thanks for asking!

What island are you on?

~A~

'Ailina -- mom to...

Rocky (19)   Priss (14)   Bunny (13)

Moe (11)   Squeak (9)   Sprout (16 months)

[jess in hawaii]

Big Island, the super crunchy part

We've been here for 4 years, moved two years after Katrina when stuff just wasn't working very well In NOLa. I grew up different places, but my (stbx) husband is La. born and bred. My eldest and youngest were born there and I never thought I would leave. Only HI could lure me away   It's interesting how many similarities there are between here and there.

Do you fully speak Hawaiian? I am hoping to study at UHH, I just missed registering for this semester so I plan to do that and start working on a BA in the fall so I can do the Hawaiian Language program two years after that. I find it fascinating yet  accessible. I only know a few words, but I think I can wrap my mind around it if I'm taught. Hula, not so much, lol.