Hello everyone! Louise here.

First of all I wanted to thank Merrie-Fae for honouring me with the status of moderator, I am delighted to accept and look forward to sharing lots of faerie parenting ideas with you all!

I also want to send all the love and light in the world to Merrie-Fae to help her through her illness and I hope you will all join with me in doing so. We are all thinking of you Merrie. xxx

I must apologise for not having posted here sooner, I have to admit that during my first 3 months of pregnancy I did not want to go near a computer, and consequently have spent the last two months catching up with everything!!

Little Bumplet is growing happily, we had the second scan the other week and the little darling was hiccuping away and playing with its tootsies!

Being a first-time mum, I have naturally been perusing the many baby books and catalogues in preparation for bringing up our new addition to the family. However, my first experience of baby shopping in the high street was disheartening to say the least, with a plethora of plastic and commercialism at every corner :o(

I have since been on a mission to source lovely, natural products wherever possible, and have just started putting a series together on Squidoo, which you might like to read. I have just finished the first summary lens, Green Baby, and will be creating the next six lenses (or web pages) when I get back from holiday.

I have also been thinking a lot about raising children in this modern world. Of course, we are a few years away from school and such things yet, but with the increase in violence, swearing, poor education and sexualisation in our primary schools here in the UK, it is very tempting to consider homeschooling. So that is something I will eventually be focusing on as well.

Two books which I have very much been enjoying reading are:

Circle Round: Raising Children in the Goddess Tradition by Starhawk, Diane Baker and Anne Hill

Celebrating the Great Mother: A Handbook of Earth Honouring Activities for Parents and Children by Cait Johnson

I hope that there will be lots to discuss and share here at Faerie Fledglings, please do leave your comments, ideas, stories etc in the forums!

I will be on holiday between 7th and 20th July so will post more upon my return. I am off to beautiful Cornwall for a lovely relaxing two weeks in Carbis Bay, St Ives and Tintagel - and probably the last proper 'couple' holiday for a good few years! ;o)

Faerie Sparkles and Blessings to All! xxx