It's Twinsanity! An Interview With Heather

When I was putzing around the internet the other day, I happened upon Heather's blog It's Twinsanity

First of all, "It's Twinsanity" is a hilarious name for a blog. I was immediately intrigued. Turns out that Heather is a military wife and mom. She has quite a brood on her hands! I liked her blog and found her story really interesting. So I asked if I could interview her. She kindly obliged. Here is what she had to say:

1. Tell us about yourself!
I'm an Army wife, a mother of 6, and a natural parenting advocate. I have 2 sets of identical twins and a husband deployed to Iraq. I'm also a homebirthing, homeschooling, breastfeeding mom who loves to read, write, paint, sing, and had lots of other interests before having 6 children in 5 years.

2. What did you do before you became a mom?
Before I became a mom I was a retail manager in a department store. It was such a glamorous life, let me tell you. I don't miss it at all.

3. How many kids do you have? Tell us about them!

I have 6 wonderful kids.

Matthew is 7 and he's a smart, funny, challenging child. He is on the autism spectrum and he's an amazing boy.

Joshua is 5 and he is sweet, generous, and loving. He'll do anything to make others happy.

Leila and Sarah are 3 and they are identical twins. Leila is cautious, sensitive, and emotional. She's the classic "girly girl." Sarah is brave, adventurous, and loves to cause mischief.

Nathan and Ryan are almost 18 months old. They are both turning into little chatterboxes and they love to cause trouble.

4. What are three qualities you believe are essential to have as a mom?

I think it's important for a mother to have unconditional love for her children, lots of patience, and a willingness to put her children's needs above her own. Nobody is perfect, but fortunately our kids don't need perfection. They just need to be loved!

5. How do you feel about being a military wife and mom? What are the advantages to this role and the challenges?
There are days when I'm thoroughly disgusted with life as a military wife and mom. There are days when I'm too exhausted to be optimistic. It's just reality. But there are far more days when I feel incredibly blessed, proud of my husband, and ready to tackle any challenge that comes my way.

6. When do the kids get to see their dad?
My husband left in January 2009 for training. My kids saw him for 2 weeks in the spring, 2 months in the summer when we moved to Arizona temporarily, 2 weeks in the fall, and for 2 weeks when he came home for Christmas as a surprise. My husband is now in Iraq and we will not see him again at all until the end of the year. Hopefully we will be able to talk to him using a web cam soon so that the kids can see him that way.

7. What advice would you offer to moms-to-be?
I am not sure that I'm qualified to be passing out advice, because I'm far from perfect! I have worked with a lot of moms-to-be through my roles as a doula and breastfeeding counselor. I encourage new moms to find their own groove when it comes to parenting. You'll receive lots of unsolicited advice from well-meaning people. Just decide for yourself what you believe is best.

I'm not a typical "mainstream" mom in that I believe in homebirth, breastfeeding, and attachment parenting. It's what has come naturally to me and I feel called to raise my children in this way. It's not for everyone, and each mom needs to explore what is best for her family.