NOT the odd mom out!

It was apparent today why I love my moms group. It started two years ago when Peanut was born and I was on the hunt for a new social circle with babies that could do play dates and such. I had already dealt with lots of skepticism from acquaintances and friends about using cloth diapers, nursing for more than a few months, all the organic stuff that was on my registry, my plan for a natural childbirth...you name it, folks were all rolling their eyes at some of the choices we were making about birth. So when I went looking for a moms group, I knew I'd have to find a good fit for my "unique" style - I had no idea it would be so hard to find a bunch of parents like me! I kept going to meeting and events and playgroups and signed up for every online moms group I could, but I always felt like I didn't fit.

A close friend I met while taking a Bradley Childbirth class in preparation for Peanut's birth was in the same boa and lived close by. We would often find ourselves at the same events, or realize we had found the same new group to check out, and as we got more depressed about it we started talking about starting our own group. We both (independently) found a national group online that looked like "our" people, and she said "let's do this!". So, about a little over a year ago, we started a local chapter of the Holistic Moms Network.

Getting the chapter together has been a lot of work, but it has been an unbelievable experience. We have found so many who are exploring the same things in life and parenting, and no longer feel alone in our choices. I'm not the odd mom out. This was absolutely highlighted today - we had a playgroup at my house, and the discussion topics ranged from dairy free soy free ice cream and sweets recipes without refined sugars to elimination communication to Montessori lessons. We even had a dad who brought an enigma; a vegetable from his garden that he could not identify - turned out to be a lemon cucumber which was quite tasty! We snacked on plantain chips, grapes, sweets made by our baker experimenter. Everyone brought their own water in some kind of reusable container - I remember being so excited to see another person with a sigg or klean kanteen before - now I am surrounded! Someone had made fresh pesto and brought a jar for everyone. Another brought buckets, shovels and paintbrushes to add to our kiddie pool and do some water play. I loaned out some cloth diapers and covers to a mom to try. We traded around maternity clothes. I nursed without feeling obliged to be discreet. Oh yeah - the kids. They played! They were in the water and the sand, running around in the grass, concentrating on their pouring and dumping, taking turns with the bubble wand. They negotiated situations themselves and with help - we tend to let kids figure things out a bit longer than many folks I have met before. Peanut decided to go in the pool and said "no" to the swimsuit. She took all her clothes off and was naked until another little girl came with a bathing suit, then she wanted one too. Pumpkin slept on his blanket in the shade most of the time. They moved from one activity to the next seamlessly and enjoyed interacting with each other. One little guy decided after getting out of his wet suit to just wear a pink apron. That was a sight - one mom took some pictures that I will need to get my hands on. Where else can this happen and just be a regular day in the life??? Oh I do love that this is my life!