Free Range Mama

A little about myself:

I'm 30 years old, a pharmacist, wife, and mother of the most energetic toddler on the planet.

I love being 30. I look forward to the wisdom that comes with age.

My career and I, however, have a roller-coaster type of relationship. Some days it's great. I feel so fortunate to be able to help so many people, blah blah blah. Some days I hate it. For now, the good outweighs the bad. But that could change at any moment really.

Free Range Hubby and I have been together since we were 19. We got married when we were 24, and life just seems to get better and better. Like all marriages, our relationship is not perfect, but we work on it all the time. We realize that having a great marriage is hard work and it's worth working for.

Free Range Bennett is my 19 month old little boy. He is one big ball of energy, happiness, HUNGER, and love all wrapped up into a 24 pound creature that I get to call mine. I never pictured myself as the mothering type, but it's easy with him. He is the exact child that I was supposed to have.

As for me, I'm always working toward one goal or another. I have a unique parenting style that my best friend has described as "free-range parenting." I read a lot of parenting books and articles, and have formed my own methods to raising our child. So far, it's worked out pretty well. I just want to raise a healthy, confident, and independent young man. No, we don't let our child run wild in pastures. But we do give him room to make his own mistakes and learn from them. We don't tell him to do anything without giving him a reason why he should or shouldn't do it. We understand he is an energetic toddler, and try to develop that energy into something positive. We talk to him like he's a human being. Something fantastic I read the other day: How do you deal with a toddler that likes to climb on everything? Teach him how to get down. That pretty much summarizes my parenting style. I'll be writing A LOT about this topic - stay tuned.

I'm moderately granola - we'll call it chewy granola. I recycle, reuse whatever I can, etc. But let's face it, I'm busy. I realize I don't have time to do everything. But everyone has the time to do SOMETHING.

I'm also really into the concept of clean eating. Working in the healthcare industry, I see what the American lifestyle has done to us. In a lot of my patients, over 50% of the medications they take are something that could have been prevented with a little healthy eating and physical activity. It's sad, really. I believe our bodies just haven't adapted to all the chemicals in processed foods. I wish people cared more about what they put in their bodies.

Years ago, I read "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan. Two words: Life. Changing. Now I try to eat as minimally-processed foods possible. With the exception of Diet Coke. I just can't kick that habit. After reading that book, I went on this mission to have NO processed foods at all. That came to a quick end when we spent $14 buying ingredients to make ONE can of pasta sauce. This blog is largely going to be about my daily attempts to find balance between whole foods and processed foods. This is the thing I struggle with on a daily basis. How do you work, keep a clean home, spend quality time with your family, find a little time for yourself, get healthy food on the table, and still get sleep at night?

Balance.

Join me as I continue my quest for balance.