Crunchy vs Silky

I came across the term "Crunchy Mom" while looking on Pinterest today. I was curious about this term, so I decided to do some research of my own. I found several blog posts about what a "Crunchy Mom" is, as well as a "Silky Mom".
As a new parent I was curious as to where I fell on the Crunchy versus Silky meter, so I decided to take this quiz and this one. Here are my results:

You are 65% silky!
You are half and half. You are a snickers bar. Smooth and creamy with a bit of crunch as well. Pretty good combination!
Quiz URL: http://www.gotoquiz.com/how_silky_are_you

For the second quiz, I got a score of 47. I'm really not sure what that means, but apparently it indicates I am "Sprinkled with Granola".

I like to think I do what is best for my family. We try our best to eat organic and local. It's hard sometimes, as it can get expensive, and we live on a budget. However, I do think it's important to be healthy. On the "silky" side, I believe in vaccinating. In fact, my 7 month old has already had several rounds of vaccinations. I think it is highly important to vaccinate your children. Most diseases we get vaccinated for are ones that can cause severe debilitations or even death. I certainly don't want to lose my precious little Bumblebee to a disease I could have prevented her from getting in the first place. Plus, why, as a mother, would I even dream of watching my child suffer through something like the measles or chicken pox when I could prevent her suffering and pain, and keep her from getting the disease?
Sorry, tangent…. Back to the topic at hand.
On the "Crunchy" side of things, I did, and still do, some co-sleeping. Especially when Bumblebee doesn't feel good. She does have a crib in our room, where I put her after nursing in the wee hours, but she also has a crib in a room all her own. She naps in her room. I also put her in her room when she goes down for the night before I go to bed. This is mainly because I want her to get used to sleeping in her own room, and I don't want to wake her when I get ready for bed. I want her to sleep as long as possible, as she needs as much sleep as she can get. I also did the whole baby-wearing thing for a little while. However, because Bumblebee is a summer baby, it was difficult for me to do this as she got too hot. This became a problem when she broke out in a red rash all over her trunk, which turned out to be eczema. Which, we treat with coconut oil. Totally crunchy! LOL! I also make my own baby food, most of the time, I exclusively breastfeed, including pumping so she has breast milk while I'm at work (no formula for Bumblebee, she can't tolerate it), I try to feed my family organic as much as possible, and I am seriously thinking about homeschooling.
All of these are "Crunchy" attributes. However, I use a stroller when I'm at rehearsal, it's just easier. I also use a stroller when we go for walks. Again, it's just easier. I guess I could try to baby wrap, especially during the winter… Something to think about. I also use disposable diapers, because I'm not washing out cloth or reusable diapers. Just not doing it. We live in an apartment complex with no washer/dryer hook-ups in the apartments, which means we have to pay to wash and dry every load we do. Which I refuse to do, so I do laundry at my parent's house. Thank you, Jesus, for a wonderful Mom! This makes the thought of cloth diapers a difficult proposition. Plus, disposable diapers are easier when we're out. Bumblebee goes to rehearsal with me twice a week (I'm a dance instructor, choreographer and performer), so much easier to use disposable in that situation.


Regardless of the results of these quizzes, or how you are labeled by others (or yourself), we are all mothers. We all strive to do what is best for our families. Whether you are "Crunchy" or "Silky" or use some other label, a mother is a mother. As long as our children are happy and healthy, does it really matter whether you're "Crunchy" or "Silky"? I don't think it does. So, please, let's try NOT to judge each other based on the decisions we make for our families. After all, you don't know why I make the choices I make, and vice versa. We, as mothers, all need to support each other.