About
I
am a midwife, midwifery educator, homeschooling mom, attachment parent,
artist, writer, Waldorf inspired teacher, gamer, avid
sci-fi/fantasy fan, comic book lover, technology geek, nature lover,
locavore and activist. I am the mother of three amazing young
people, all born at home with midwives, who are now 13, 15 and 18.
I love science, math, a great story, to
learn new things, play board games, laugh at cheesy
jokes, hike up
mountains, spend time with friends, journey through dungeons, watch
cartoons and see super heros save the world while smashing/blowing
up things. It might all seem eclectic (and it is) but that's
who I
am and it all makes perfect sense to me.
Midwifery
I am a Traditional Midwife, a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM),
Midwifery Instructor, Certified American AquaNatal Instructor, Reiki
Master/Teacher, lay homeopath and Children's Yoga Instructor (RCYP). I
have has been attending homebirths since 1994 and in private practice
in the Pioneer Valley since 2001. You can get more info on my midwifery
work at
www.amherstmidwifery.com
Midwifery
Education
For the last 12 years I have been the director and lead teacher of the
WomanCraft Midwifery
Education Program. This program offers academic study
programs and workshop for aspiring midwives. This program offers
academic study programs and workshop for aspiring midwives. I have had
the honor of helping many student midwives on their path to becoming
midwives.
Homeschooling
Community Home
School , Director
I
have been a homeschooling mom for the last 13 years. I have a strong
interest in edcuation methods that incorporate art, music, movement and
hands-on integration. Currently, I am working on a Master's Degree in
Ecological Teaching at Lesley University. I have taken a
year of Waldorf elementary teacher training through the Antioch New
England Graduate
School. In 2001, I was a founding member of the Community Home
School program. Since then the program has offered weekly classes for
homeschoolers ages 4 through 18. I have taught children from
Kindergarten through high school. My favorite subjects to teach are
science, math, art and history. I am currently the lead teacher for our
mixed age 5th-8th grade class.
Local Food
Activism/Gardening
Local
food is better for you, the environment and your community. It uses
less resources and keeps your money in your community. Get to know your
local farmers, food cooperatives and bakers. In 2011, I took
on
the task of eating local in season food for a year which I called the
Food from the Backyard Project. After a few months of adapting this
became a way of life. My family ate better. I developed a real passion
for healthy yummy food and cooking. Along the way I learned a great
deal about the farmers in my local community and the land I live on.
When the year was over I realized it saved my family a lot of money in
our budget that could be better spent on other things (like tickets to
NYCC, vacations or paying the bills)
.
I am a huge supporter of cooperatives, farmers markets,
backyard gardens and local farms.
Gaming/RPGs
I
love playing games ifrom board games, to RPGs, to video games to MMOs.
I am an experience GM, having run campaigns in the same self
created world for the last 23 years. You can
read
about some of these adventures on my friends game write up
page.
Some of my favorites are:
(RPGs) AD&D, 2.0, Arcanum, Talislanta, RoleMaster
(Video/MMO)
DCU online, legend Grimrock, Bard's Tale, Ultima 1-4,
EverQuest,
WII Resort sport archery, Rastan, Rolling Thunder
(Board/Card)
Fluxx, Chrononaughts, Castle Panic, Mexican Train Dominos, Talisman,
BattleMasters, Castle Keep, Tsuro, Cosmic Wimpout, Munchkin
Sci-Fi/Comic Books/Books
My favorite
comic
book
artists
are Alex Ross, Scott Wegener and my son, Indigo Moonstone. Justice
League and Atomic Robo are my favorite comic books. I'm a big
fan
of all things Superman, Wonder Woman, Classic X-Men, Captain America. I
love sci-fi/fantasy movies and TV shows especially Star Wars, Doctor
Who, Torchwood, Stargate,
Sanctuary, Star Trek, Andromeda (best cheesy quotes ever),
Farscape (best TV birth scene ever), Angel, Buffy, Grim, SuperNatural,
the Guild, Army of Darkness, Kull the Conquer and
Hercules/Xena. Cartoons bring me great joy and currently I
love
Clone Wars, Iron Man Armored Adventure (best theme song) and Young
Justice. Some of my other favorites are Justic League, Superman the
animated adventures, Batman Brave and the Bold (simply for the awesome
Aquaman), Ah Real Monsters, X-Men, Animaniacs, Wild
Thornberries
and Amazing Spiderman. I am an avid reader. My favorite authors are
Raymond Feist, David Eddings, RA Salvatore, Terry Brooks, Margaret
Weiss and Tracy Hickman. I will also admit to a soft spot for musicals,
especially if they involve Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire or Ewan McGregor.
