How Crunchy Are You?

"So you think you're crunchy? Well, how crunchy are you?"

The crunchy factor indicates how much of a natural mama you are--you know, crunchy,
like a "granola girl." :-) Take this fun little quiz, and then see my score below!

Do you have homebirths?
15 points for “yes” (unassisted)
10 points for “yes” (with a midwife in attendance)
5 points for alternative birthing center
2 points for “thinking about/would like homebirth”
0 for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).

Will you circumcise future sons?
5 points for “no”
-5 points for “yes”.

Do you use cloth diapers?
20 point if you do Elimination Communication (no diapers)
15 points if “yes” (wash and make your own)
10 points if “yes” (wash your own)
5 points if “yes” (diaper service)
2 points if “thinking about it”
0 points if “no” (wouldn’t consider it).

Do you observe your fertility signals using Natural Family
Planning/Fertility Awareness and use that for birth control/trying to conceive?
10 points for “yes” (observe and use for birth control/ttc) or you use ecological
breastfeeding/lactational amnorrhea
5 points for “yes” (observe for trying to conceive)
2 points “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).

Do you breastfeed exclusively for the first 6+ months?
10 points if “yes”
5 points for “no” (use occasional bottles of expressed breastmilk)
2 points for “no” (use occasional bottles of formula)
0 for “no” (don’t breastfeed by choice).

Do you co-sleep/family bed?
10 points for “yes” (all night every night)
5 points for “yes” (part/all of most nights)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no”.

Do you use a sling/soft carrier?
5 points for “yes”
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).

Do you believe in/practice child-led weaning
(even if that means breastfeeding for several years)?
15 points for “yes” (complete child-led weaning)
10 points for “yes” (up to 3 years)
5 points for “yes” (up to 2 years)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (you’ll wean the baby at 1 year or earlier).

Do you tandem nurse/nurse during your pregnancy?
10 points for “yes” (nurse during pgcy and tandem nurse)
5 points for “yes” (nurse during pgcy, but wean before birth)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no”(wouldn’t consider it).

Do you eat organic/whole/natural foods and limit your meat?
15 points for “yes” (grow own/buy organic, shop only at health food store,
grind own wheat, vegetarian, etc.)
10 points for “yes” (grow some of own food, buy organic,
use whole wheat flour, bake own bread, eat some meat occasionally)
5 points for “yes” (try to buy natural, whole grain foods, etc.)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).

Do you use herbal/homeopathic remedies?
10 points if “yes” (very rarely see a regular doctor)
5 points if “yes” (but use a doctor occasionally)
2 points if “thinking about it” (see a doc for now)
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).

Do you homeschool?
10 points if “yes” (currently homeschool)
5 points for “yes” (will homeschool)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).

What's your take on childhood vaccinations?
15 points for no vaccines
10 for delayed, selective vaccination
5 points for selective, on schedule vaccination
2 points for thinking about not vaccinating
0 points for vaxing on schedule.

Would you/have you ever breastfeed/fed someone else's baby
or have someone else bf your child?
10 points if yes (have or someone has bf your baby)
5 points if yes (would)
2 points if maybe 0 if no (wouldn't consider it).

Do you use cloth/re-usable products for mom?
10 points if yes (make own)
5 points if yes (buy own)
2 points if thinking about it
0 points if no.

Ratings
120 – 140 Super Nutty, Ultra-Crunchy Granola Earth Mama
90 – 119 Mmm! Love that whole-grain crunch!
60 – 89 Pretty Crispy
20 – 59 Sprinkled with Granola
5 – 19 Instant Oatmeal
0 - 4 Jell-O

I scored 132--Super Nutty, Ultra-Crunchy Granola Earth Mama . :-) My "low score" (the highest you could score was 140) came from diapers (don't currently use cloth, though I have in the past), tandem nursing (never had that situation arise), and I use cloth pads exclusively, but I don't make them (never learned to sew).

This was so funny, because I've been doing most of this on my own since my babies were born and had the inclination to do such things before my babies were born, just because it "felt right," but I've never really had a support system with any of it except for my MIL (Thank you, K!). I never really knew that there was a definition for a person who did all these things...and now I'm crunchy!

For instance, I decided to homeschool my future children when I was in high school, which was in the mid-eighties. At that time, I read an article about homeschooling and how a California family was being taken to task for truancy because they were teaching their children at home. When I read that article, I knew that I would let my children learn at home.

As for cloth pads...again, they just feel right. I love the Luna Pads, especially the organic cotton ones. Bard uses them, too.

We do try to grow our own organic foods, but this summer, with building the house, I just didn't have the time or energy for a garden. I really missed it, though. We used to order almost all of our food from FORC (which is now United or Northeast or something) but it just got so expensive. We do drink raw milk when possible (about 60% of the time) and have a local source for it, and we drink goat milk when our goats are freshened.

As for NFP, Bohemian and I are certified instructors. :-) This, again, came from information from my MIL, and we've been using fertility awareness for 13 years now, both to achieve and avoid pregnancy. A friend of mine, Merryl Winstein, wrote the most bestest ever book on Fertility Awareness called Your Fertility Signals. It's so easy to understand and very well-written. Also, there's a fantastic site now called Ovusoft which is a co-project of Toni Weschler, author of Taking Charge of Your Fertility. She and a team of people have created a software program called TCOYF which helps to track your fertility based on the signals outlined in Weschler's book. The amazing thing to me, however, is the wealth of information on the site! There are hundreds of fertility charts from women in all different phases and situations with their fertility as well as thousands of posts in the online community! When I first began searching for information about NFP, there was NOTHING available. We actually had to seek out a nun to teach us NFP, and then we went and taught everyone who wouldn't tell us to go away (and several did). :-) Now, with sites like Ovusoft, there is a TON of support!

Now, about the diapers...what the heck is Elimination Communication??? I'll have to research this one!

Amazing...I finally got a high score on a test for which I didn't study. ;-)