Welcome Sandra! Tell us a little bit about yourself…

Where did you grow up and where do you live now?

I grew up in southern California in the Antelope Valley. My husband grew up in Orange County – also southern California. Met, married, and had our kids in the south, but last year we relocated to the North Bay (north of San Francisco). It’s going to be a while before I adapt to the cool summers up here! We live in a great community where I can walk to the grocery store, to (my son’s) school, and to several parks. It’s so green – so many trees!

Tell us about your family? How did you meet your husband?

My husband and I first met while dating other people. A couple of years later we met again at a camping event with The Society for Creative Anachronism, both single. We hit it off and went out to dinner to escape the heat (August in Victorville is over 100 deg F!). We have two amazing children who are 5 and 2, and three spoiled house cats.

What are you passionate about?

Childbirth education, breastfeeding, and yoga. We planned for my son to be born at home, but I ended up having a c-section after 27 hours of back labor. It was so tough to recover from  that surgery, and my milk supply was never great even though I worked hard to nurse him for 11 months. My daughter’s birth was exactly what I expected the first time – an amazing water birth – though we opted to go to the birth center instead of planning a home birth. I still had a low milk supply when I was working – I just never responded well to the pump. I quit working when we moved north so I’ve been fortunate to keep nursing her since I am at home.

I believe it’s important to let women know they have options for their birth. What is best for one is not what is for another, yet a lot of OBs and hospitals want every woman to follow their expectations. It’s not about them though! That is why we opted to see a midwife, but many women don’t even realize that is an option.

I found out I was pregnant for the second time halfway through my yoga teacher training. I have no doubt my amazing birth was in part due to my yoga practice keeping my body (and mind) open and flexible. I taught up until 38 weeks, though if I had known she was going to make us wait until almost 43 weeks to arrive, I may have pushed myself to teach a little longer!

If you could meet anyone in the world who would it be and why?

Patrick Stewart. First because I am a die hard Star Trek: The Next Generation fan. Second, he is an amazing actor. And third, he is a kind human being who genuinely cares about helping battered women and children break free from their abusers. It would be a gift in so many ways to meet and chat with him!

What is your favorite family tradition?

It’s hard to pick just one! My son recently started kindergarten and every morning we walk to school. Its a great 20 minutes talking with him about nature and whatever he wants to bring up. I love starting our day outside & with physical activity.

If you could travel to any time and place, what would it be be?

Roswell, New Mexico, July 7, 1947. I would love to witness what really crashed out there. Was it really a weather balloon from Project Mogul, or an alien craft?

Do you have any secret talents you’d like the world to know about?

If I told you, it would no longer be a secret…

Where did you first see a pair of Livie  & Lucas?

I don’t recall exactly but I have a bunch of mom friends online so it must have been on one of their kids. I bought our first pair in 2008, though it was almost a year later before my son wore them.

What do you like about them?

The quality. Hands down the best kids shoes available. I have back problems and refuse to buy cheap shoes for myself, and feel it’s even more important to make sure my kids have shoes that fit well and give them good support. Plus, they are darn cute!

What are your favorite shoes from the fall 2013 line? 

The tweed Bernal is a great classic for boys, I can’t wait to get that one for my son! It’s so hard to choose a favorite girl’s shoe this season. The turquoise Pio Pio is so vibrant, the Bluebell is so cute and girly, and I love the floral details on the Stitcher boots. For ladies, I love the black suede Coco flats and the Marcha boots.

Is there anything you’d like to see from Livie & Luca in the future?

I would love to see shoes with owls again, the Hoots were a big favorite of ours (they were my son’s first shoes!). Elephants in bigger sizes!  A royal blue girl’s shoe would be great too – we don’t do much pink at our house so I might be hoarding a few (or a lot) of last season’s green shoes in the next several sizes for my daughter…

Thanks for sharing your perspective and your story, Sandra! Did you know Patrick Stewart is at the Berkeley Rep this month?! Just across the Bay!