A big thanks to everyone who contributed ideas for blog posts in 2009...I'm excited to talk to you more about homebirth, unschooling, cloth diapering, my faith, and living green! :) Here is the first round of Q & A...there will be several more in the coming weeks. Sheri asked: “What does your typical day look like?”

We don't really have a "typical" day around our house, but we do have a loose rhythm that we follow. We are blessed in that Matt runs his own business and I work from home (20-25 hrs a week), so we are able to have a pretty flexible schedule. One thing that I am working on changing is my bedtime lately...I tend to stay up late to get stuff done that I didn't have a chance to do during the day, and end up staying up too late. Which affects my mood in the morning :) My goal right now is to get to bed early and rise early (as in around 5am)...but it's an ongoing battle!

7:30-8:00 am: We all wake up...Matt usually goes to start the fire while Bella and I snuggle in bed. 8:00-9:00 am: Breakfast together, read Bible, read newspaper, check email. 9:00-10:00 am: Getting dressed and ready for the day. 10:00-1:00pm: Depending on what day it is, we have ballet lessons, women's Bible study, story time, prenatal yoga class, etc. 1:00-5:00 pm: Home time...Matt might take care of Bella while I work if he's between job sites, we might do some arts and crafts, work on reading skills, watch cartoons or a movie, have a tea party, play outside, etc. 5:00-7:00 pm: Supper prep, family supper, clean up. On Tues. we have small group Bible study at our house. 7:00 pm: Bella takes a bath and gets her pajamas on. 7:30-8:00 pm: Matt and I take turns putting Bella to bed each night. 8:00-10:00pm: Alone time with Matt...usually hanging out in bed with our computers, watching a movie or TV. 10:00-11:00pm: Goodnight!

LaLibertad asked: “Were you raised in a religious household and how has your faith changed over time?”

I was definitely raised in a "religious" household...but it was mostly just a Sunday thing and not a relationship with living Savior. I grew up and was confirmed in a Methodist church and went to youth group, etc. mostly to socialize, see the boys, etc :) It wasn't until the 8th grade that I really started to "get it". We moved to a new town and my best friend, Heather (some of you might know her from The Laundry Pile), went to this "weird church" where they put their hands up in the air when they sang and everyone had TONS of kids :) There was just something so different about their family and their community of friends and I loved being around it. I started going there with her (even though my own family stayed at the Methodist church), and slowly, I came into a more authentic relationship with Christ. We moved again when I was in 10th grade, and my faith wavered a bit. I stopped following wholeheartedly and tended to look to PEOPLE and THINGS to fulfill my needs instead of Jesus. That continued into college...I dated some non-Christian guys and really got off the right path for awhile. But then I met Matt and everything changed. With him, it was so easy to be who Christ had created me to be. He is an incredible man of God and encourages me daily. After that point 10 years ago, I've never looked back. This is not to say that I don't have highs and lows in my faith...I absolutely do. I am not perfect by any means. But God is faithful and is also full of mercy...he sees my faults, but loves me unconditionally, as a father loves his child. I am so thankful for my relationship with Jesus...it's a source of daily joy and a shelter in the storms of life.

Jeannine asked: “How did you began your “green” path?”

You can read about my "story" here.

Cassandra asked: “How are you and your family going to deal with the economic crisis and how do you budget, etc??”

I guess I don't feel like there is much to "deal" with ... we don't own a home, we don't have any stocks, and we have a somewhat stable income. We have been living frugally for so long now, it's just second nature to buy everything used, budget, meal plan, etc. Those things would probably seem like "cutting back" to some, but they are common for us. As far as budgeting, we follow Dave Ramsey's methods. We LOVE the cash budgeting system and find this is the only way for us to stay on track. I will be doing a post about that in the coming months. God is still sovereign...He is still in control of all things, including the economy. And my hope is not in the economy...it's in a coming Savior! Times are hard, but God is good and will not leave us in times of trouble. Even if we lost everything...we still have hope and the joy of our salvation.

Heather asked: “What does your family think of your chosen lifestyle?”

My family and Matt's family are super supportive of us in everything that we do (which is a blessing!). They will ask the hard questions when we are dreaming up something new (like when we decided to sell everything and travel the country)...but they have been nothing but wonderful throughout this process. When I first decided to have a homebirth with Bella, there were lots of questions...but after I explained the process, etc...they understood my reasoning and were behind it 100%. I do have 3 younger brothers who like to pick on me about not eating meat...which can be annoying at times...but it's usually just playful bantering back and forth. They all know their sister is a "crazy hippie" (their own words) and they're cool with that. :) I guess I don't even remember most of the time that how we live is different than anyone else :) It's just normal life for us.

Elizabeth asked: “Are you still eating mostly raw…now that you are in such cold country?”

I talk a little about that here. But no...for the time being, I am not eating "mostly raw". During the first trimester of this pregnancy, it was physically impossible for me to do green smoothies...but now I have been working it back in. They are sooooo cold though! It's hard to motivate myself to make one when I wake up in a cold house (waiting for the fire to get going). Plus, my midwife has recommend that I gravitate towards "warming foods"...which doesn't always mean hot foods, but I'm sticking mostly with warm soups, eggs, sandwiches, hot teas, etc. I usually eat the raw kale avocado salad several times a week. I am obsessed with it. The problem is that it tends to give me heartburn while pregnant, but most of the time I just don't care! :) We eats lots of fresh fruits and veggies, and eat homemade, whole foods as a general rule. I avoid caffeine, high fructose corn syrups, trans fats, food dyes, preservatives, etc. We still have a very clean diet, it's just not completely raw anymore and we're ok with that :) Eating raw tends to be more expensive as well, and we're trying to work within a pretty tight budget. I'm looking forward to the summer months, when I can sit down and eat an entire (in season) watermelon! I LOVE the raw diet and believe that it's the optimal diet for me, but right now in this season of life, it's been modified a bit.

And EVERYONE asked: "When do we get to see photos of your new place?!"

Soon...soon...soon! :) This week we've finally gotten some stuff on the walls and are making some steps towards completion. I still have a lot of little projects to do, but I won't make you wait until those happen...because it could be awhile! I will try to have some photos up in a few weeks, if not sooner.