Artsy You.."Getting To Know Anita"

I am VERY pleased to feature *Anita* as my

2nd "Artsy You Guest today" 

*Mom’s That Simply Rock Feature*

Anita is a beautiful Simple single mom, living an intentional and love
filled life.She's a natural hair advocate; knitting extraordinaire,
walking (just about) everywhere and honing her cooking skills.
A mother who simply does it all & really ROCKS at it!

Getting To Know the Lovely *ANITA*

AGC: Ani, I love reading your daily inspirational quotes on life and
it sincerely brings a sense of calm and rejuvenation to my morning
as I start my day. What typically motivates you and helps you
focus as you jump into your day?

Anita: I live a very easy going life. My day is filled with things I
like to do; reading, writing, knitting, cooking and taking care
of my son. That is all the motivation that I need!

AGC: I noticed you finally your got your cute bread maker,
and I now salivate over your tweets about baking,
especially your “Vegan Bread”, they always look

so yummy! How long have you been Vegan?

Anita: I went vegan on January 1^st of this year,
I figured that was as good a time as any to make a change.

AGC: I absolutely love your cooking concept, would you
say it’s been very hard to adapt to cooking as a new Vegan?

Anita: The vegan recipes tend to be very simple. I use mostly whole foods,
fruits, veggies, beans and pantry staples. Cooking from scratch
does tend to be time consuming and the lack of preservatives means
I cook more often; I bake bread almost daily for instance, but
I love beingin the kitchen because it gives me time to bond
with and teach my son a useful skill.

AGC: One absolutely awesome and intriguing fact about you is
that you are a devoted and an exceptional mom who practices
“Unschooling”, what would you describe “Unschooling” as
to those who aren’t educated about this practice?

Anita: Unschooling is exactly what it sounds like actually. No school.
No lesson plans. No schedule. It is essentially child-led learning.
Waiting for, and encouraging, a child's curiosity about a particular

 subject makes them want to learn it and as a result they're
engaged and retain more information.

AGC: What lead you to your inspiring journey of “unschooling” ?

Anita: My childhood experience, of growing up in the countryside in a
largely unstructured environment, free to explore the world inspired me.

Unlike many of my friends I enjoyed high school & college immensely,

I think that is largely due to my lack of formal schooling at a very
young age. Unschooling is a way to develop curiosity before
discipline resulting in the child really having both.

AGC: I’m very aware that “unschooling” can be a life changing decision
that takes extreme patience!  I know for myself, getting through
the day with my children even on the weekends can be hectic
and at times exhausting, What would you say are the biggest
challenges you face “unschooling” your son..?

Anita: The only challenge is patience. There are no lesson plans or schedules so
the child is free to explore whatever catches his or her interest, but as a parent you
have to be ready to engage when a learning experience presents itself and
often you have to begin research on an unfamiliar subject at a moment's notice
to take advantage of the child's interest in learning it.

AGC: I love seeing pictures of your day, either at the gym or out
walking and how you incorporate it all to help peak the interest
of your son –What are some of the highlights
of your day per “Unschooling”..?

Anita: We do a lot of reading and spend much of our day outdoors. My son is
particularly interested in philosophical questions as well as physics, I have
 plenty of experience in these areas,an undergraduate degree in the
latter, which tends to be a great adventure for us both.

AGC: We talked once about the idea of allowing your son to decide
to learn how to read and write, and how you got him to be interested in
wanting to learn these skills on his own. Could you give us a unique
technique you’ve come up with to encourage various ways
to heighten your son’s interest in learning something new?

Anita: I simply encourage his curiosity. I try not to shush him, or say
“because I said so” too often, instead I take all of his questions seriously
and endeavor to answer all of them to the best of my ability.

AGC: From frequently enjoying your blog, I love to read about
your various field trips and your adventures around the city, do
you have any fun spring, summer plans in the works for you two..?


Anita: We love all of the festivals and summer events available for children

here in Charlotte. We participate in the community and take advantage of
whatever comes along. We use the parks & library system frequently & I'm always
checking out local websites for free educational activities around the town!

AGC: Another PLUS to you Anita, is that you are a very creative
and artsy mom,how long have you been knitting &
what do you love to knit the most?

Anita: I've been crafting most of my life. I learned to sew and crochet at about 9 years old, but

didn't learn how to knit until college. I like to make useful things scarves, hats,

mittens & things for the house like dishcloths and coasters : ))

AGC: You always have crazy fun curls and I absolutely LOVE
your hair. I notice a big part of you is your participation in the
natural hair movement, what would you say
inspired and lead you to this change?  

Anita: I love the simplicity about it all,l and right now my go to style
is the wash-n-go, which is exactly what it sounds like! When I began
simplifying my life I realized that a great deal of time was spent
'maintaining' my hair, so last January I took the plunge and
did the “big chop,” I haven't looked back since!

AGC: Now that we’ve been introduced to you, where can anyone link
up with you for questions, read more about your daily
adventures  and or educate themselves more on your many
awesome principles and values..?

Anita: I can be found per my blog at simplesinglemom.blogspot.com and
you can also simply join me on twitter @smplsinglemom ;))

THANKS SO MUCH for allowing me to feature you today Anita!!
I remain fascinated and motivated by you daily, and continue to search
for means to adding a bit more of simplicity to a very complicated daily
schedule. I’m certainly more aware in taking more moments to
live freely and continue to enjoy the simple little things in life..

Anita simply stated is an outstanding mom that truly ROCKS!!!

Thanks for joining me in getting to know Anita today..

Are you a mom that ROCKS at your daily adventures in life? Love to craft

and incorporate it into your simple everyday? Come share with me. Join in on the fun and

be featured on ArtsyGirl’s ~ Wikid Wednesday’s “Mom’s that SIMPLY ROCK” editions..

Can’t wait to meet the ARTSY YOU shortly!!!

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