Crunch Time

After reading Grace's post on crunchiness, I've been subconsciously noticing the little things that are part of our normal routine that may or may not put me on the "crunchy momma" scale. Currently I'd rate myself at a whopping 1. Shocking, I know, since I'm the self-professed "hippy momma" (and yes I know that hippy is not spelled the way it is usually associated with "hippie"; that spelling was taken). There are plenty of things that I know I could be doing to make me crunchier; is mental crunchiness a thing?

Thankfully I'm surrounded by friends and family who are my go-to guru's when it comes to all things natural and healthy. With a limited budget, and an even more limited attention span, I try to keep my little family healthy and close to the earth. I totally give you permission to cringe at that last part about closeness to the earth.

I thought I'd share a few of my favorite hippie/crunchy qualities-

1. Amber bead necklace. I read a lot about these when Toby was small and at the recommendation of a friend, I ordered one from Etsy. Since Toby is my first I don't really have anything to compare with but I do think the amber bead necklace was a huge help when he was teething. When we were deep in the trenches of teething, I could definitely tell a difference on the days that he was wearing the necklace (wanting snuggles, but not fussy) versus the days when I forgot to put it on him (crankiness to the max). My biggest tip if you're planning on trying one for you wee one- make sure they wear it all the time, even bath time. It gives the healing properties in the amber time to build up in their little bodies.

cerca 2012

2. Natural First Aid. Any time one of us has a stuffy nose or an unhappy tummy, I get a small surge of adrenaline from looking up ways to treat our ailments with essential oils, natural or homeopathic remedies. Last week when Toby was sick I learned from my mom that wrapping apple cider vinegar-soaked towels around the legs can lower a fever really well (it is not lost on me at all that I've been super blessed with a mommy who is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to all things healthy!). Derek and I were just noting the other day that our medicine cabinet is made up mostly of supplements, tinctures, and essential oils. Our house smells like Whole Foods.

3. We get good fat. I stopped buying olive oil a few months back when our local Costco started carrying avocado oil. It is a little spendy, but the benefits are awesome. It's easy to cook with, a little goes a long way, and personally I don't think it has "a taste".  Olive oil isn't bad for you, but the nutritional benefits in avocado oil is much higher. For baking I often replace butter with coconut oil, and even cook with it sometimes; I say sometimes because coconut oil does have "a taste" so I only cook with it if the recipe goes well with coconut. Derek and I have recently started blending coconut oil in our coffee and it actually tastes really good, like a latte.

4. Derek says I dress like a hippie.  I lost momentum with this post so I asked Derek in what ways we are crunchie and he said I dress like a hippie sometimes. I don't know what his definition of hippie apparel is, but apparently I'm rockin' it all. It's true that on particularly bad hair days I'll hide the mess under a scarf, and I guess jersey knit maxi skirts are the modern hippie woman signature. I take his observation as a compliment :)

In what ways are you a "crunchie hippie"? Share below, I'd love to hear from you!