Lori and Her Family

Lori makes nursing necklaces.  That doesn’t do them justice though.  Truthfully, her necklaces are works of art.  She can look at a picture of the Northern Lights and translate it into a beautiful necklace or communicate a child’s family story on a string of beads. She does all of this with the colors and symbols of the beads she chooses when she makes the necklace.  The string of beads is special, though, not only because it’s been tested by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, but because it’s a keepsake that will remain with the child long after he or she is done nursing.  I wanted to know more about the woman behind the nursing necklaces, so I asked. 

Lori has been married for 17 years to her college sweetheart. After waiting 10 years, they have had two children:  Konur, born in 2001 and Mali, born in 2004.  They include in their family their Golden Retriever mix, Sam who passed over in 2004 at the age of 16 years and Gabby who is a German Shepherd mix born in 2002.  She considers her first two children to be the lions she raised from cubs and who consider her their mother:  Shaka, who passed over in 1995 and Lia, who passed over in 2004. 

She has her own style of parenting but it closely fits with attachment parenting.  She says, “I am pretty crunchy, meaning I practice gentle discipline, attachment parenting, child led weaning, cloth diapering, home schooling, and home birthing.”  She finds the following sites useful: Kelly Mom , Dr. Sears , The University of Notre Dame Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Lab, and The Natural Child Project .

 wfg: How did your time with the lions help shape the way you parent today?

Lori: With lion cubs, you HAVE to be AP because the point of hand raising them is so they will attach themselves to the human handler. We wanted them to recognize me as Mama Lion so they could be handled by humans and not completely freak out. What we didn’t do was to socialize them with many other people when they were small cubs, so the last thing they wanted to do was be with anyone other than me. So, with my children I have let them stay attached to me, while encouraging them to be with other people and comfortable with them.  

I also learned that your children aren’t really yours, you borrow them, and no matter how many agreements you make with your favorite Deity, you could lose them forever. I learned to savor the moments, as they may never come again.  

 wfg: Why did you decide to home school/unschool? 

 Lori: It was a gradual decision. I started talking to other people who were home schooling and many of them were former elementary school teachers. I also researched the government policies and the crime rate/gangs in the local elementary schools. I feel that until high school, I am the best teacher for my children. They will have the choice at that point to go to a public school or stay home. 

 wfg: What are your hobbies? How do you integrate your hobbies into your day?  Do your kids participate with you?   

 Lori: I am pagan, so I like to read about history and spiritual practices and rituals. I am very interested in the Egyptian Deities right now. I am also working out again; I guess that’s a hobby. 

 I try to get library books of stories about Ancient Egypt to read to the children. They get to learn more about the Deities and so do I. Since I work out in front of the kids, they do generally join me for a few minutes and then go back to playing. I think it’s important for children to see their parents exercising to know what a healthy and active lifestyle looks like. Parents don’t need to “work out” but at least be active and show that to their children. When I am in better shape, and have dropped some weight, I want to join a sport or maybe belly dancing so it’s not just me in my home doing this, but showing the application of being in shape. 

wfg: Are you living the life you thought you’d be living?

Lori: Nope. When I was in high school, I thought I would be doing research in some far off country. I have a BS in Zoology and wanted to study animals. Then I got a job working with lions and tigers and was promised a house on a preserve. That was a HARD dream to let die, or at least put on the back burner. When I left there, I had no dreams at all and went through a pretty bad depression. I finally started to move on and got pregnant. I thought I would do the whole career and mom thing, but once he was born I knew that wasn’t what I wanted to do. This is but one phase of my life; I am enjoying this part and I look forward to the next one!  

wfg: What do you hope to do after you’ve moved on from this phase in your life?  (Or where do you see yourself when your kids are older?)

Lori: Right now, I am in the “home schooling” phase with a little bit about my personal life. When they are a little older, I want to get into wild life rescue and then possibly exotic animal rescue. There are still states in the country where you can buy a big exotic animal like a lion or tiger so there is still a need for sanctuaries for these animals. I may also look into work at a zoo, since I have a bachelor’s in zoology.     

Thank you, Lori, for taking the time to answer my questions so I could share some of your story with the world.   

This is only a slice of Lori’s life!  Visit her website for more about her and her personalized nursing necklaces!  You can also find her on Etsy!