JenniLeigh Holland's Page

Hi,

I'm JenniLeigh, although most people tend to just call me Jenni nowadays.

I'm 24 and just celebrated my one-year anniversary (November 9, 2010) with my husband, Chris (who is also vegan, hallelujah). Right now we are just a family of 3 (Us and our 11 year old dog, Oscar), but plan to one day have children.

Not only am I passionate about being vegan, I am also very passionate about the idea of being--at least a good bit--self-sustaining. I plan on being a "Radical Homemaker" and enjoy learning information on things such as growing your own food, food preservation, making your own hygiene products, cleaning supplies, clothing, etc. Even though I am not yet a mother, I believe in an attachment style of parenting (co-sleeping, breastfeeding, babywearing, etc.), I am anti-vaccinations and anti-circumcision. Pro-homeschooling, pro-respect for all regardless of their species/age/race/sexual preference.

Right now I work as a nanny to 2 year old twins, and even though I love those children dearly and am thankful to have a part in raising them, I strongly feel that if at all possible, parenting should be the full-time job of the PARENTS and not a nanny, daycare, or school. I realize that my views on this subject, to most people, seem outdated, but it is how I feel, and I feel it strongly.

In addition to being a nanny, I also knit and crochet clothing accessories such as hats, scarves, gloves... My sister-in-law and I have a small Etsy shop (The Nifty Giraffe) that we just recently opened. We, of course, do not use any animal fibers. Further, we are working on phasing out the use of acrylic yarn, as it isn't by any means an eco-friendly choice, albeit cheap and plentiful. I plan on not only using only organic cotton/bamboo/other organic/sustainable materials, but I would also like to purchase said materials from other small businesses in the Etsy community and elsewhere.

I think the support of small businesses would improve, if not reverse, the economic despair of today. I am against large corporations and avoid supermarkets and franchises as much as possible considering the area where I live (South Mississippi--vegan population so low that at least half the people that find out I'm vegan have to ask me what that even means). I would much rather pay extra to a small, individual/family-owned business than to pay less and see my money go to a multi-billion dollar corporation.

I am an avid reader, I do portrait photography (as favors for friends, mostly), I love football (American football--Go Saints!) and hockey. I'm a huge Detroit Red Wings fan--which is a good thing to be considering we are gonna win the cup again this year :P

I really like the idea of Havenheed and look forward to seeing it grow and prosper.