It's not easy being green

First of all, I will throw this disclaimer out there...I am far from being completely green. I don't drive the most fuel efficient vehicle out there, I drink bottled water, and I use tons of paper towels. However, over the last year, I have tried to be very intentional about eliminating as much waste as I possibly could and slowly transitioning to a more organic diet. So, for today's post, I'm going to share a few of those ways.

1. Shopping organic- Let's be honest. Organic products are not cheap! I almost hyperventilated the first time I saw the $4.29 sticker sitting beneath Annie's Cheddar Bunnies at the grocery store. I mean, we'd been spending a dollar on Goldfish. How in the world would I be able to afford replacing all of my food with food that is four times as much? It took me a little while to realize...I wouldn't. There

was absolutely no way I could afford to pay full price for those precious little bunnies, and the thought of paying $7 bucks for apple juice was enough to give me palpitations. I realized there were certain foods which are more important to buy organic than others. Meat, for instance, is one thing that I try to buy organically. After watching Food Inc., I decided this was definitely one of the items I'd replace with organic products first. If you haven't seen Food Inc., you should watch it. I will warn you, though. Don't expect to be able to walk into your grocery store ever again without gagging or triple thinking every purchase! Like I said, the transition has been gradual, and we are faaaarrr from being totally switched over. If I need an item one week, and the organic version is way too expensive, I buy what I can afford.

2. Re-usable bags- I love these! It's sooooo much easier to unload them from the vehicle. I know I'm not the only one who used my arm as a "bag hanging bar" on a rainy day and tried to haul in 3 trips worth of groceries in one shot. Afterwards, my arms would have red indentions all the way up them from where I'd hung 20 bags on one arm. Now, 3-4 of those bags are condensed into one re-usable bag. You may get treated like a shoplifter when you walk into Wal-Mart, but it's worth it. They can be expensive! I buy the 50 cent ones from Wal-Mart. I was once asked not to bring them back to Kroger. I thought that was a little dumb for two reasons. 1) I'm saving Kroger money by not using their plastic bags. Seriously, I saved them at least 15 bags. 2) I think it says something that I'll buy my bags from Wal-Mart, but I go to Kroger to shop. Ummmm...hello. No matter how much you pressure me Kroger, I will not succumb to your scheme to get my to buy your $2.99 bags. My next project will be to applique our initial to a rectangle of fabric, and I'm going to sew that piece over the Wal-Mart logo on my bags. Ha! Take that Kroger!

3. Cloth diapering- Probably 90% of you just said "Ewww". I know. Right now you've got this vision of me changing a dingy, brown, stained diaper and having poop up to my elbows. Ummm no. There is no way I would do it if it was even remotely that disgusting. When I first looked into cloth diapering, I was very skeptical and overwhelmed. I looked at one discussion board and thought what the heck are AIOs, Pockets, prefolds, WAHMs? I was lost. So, I started out with something "safe". I found a type of diaper which was sold locally so that I could see and touch it. I lucked up and found a big box of them for sale at a consignment sale and used those for a while. Then, as I became more familiar with the different types of dipes, I bought and bartered my way into having the more advanced, expensive kinds. I still use prefolds some at home, but I use mostly AIOs (all in ones). We have been purchasing disposable dipes to use for all outings, but now that my collection of AIOs has grown, I'll probably only use disposables for the church nursery. Moms, you know how much waste is caused by disposable dipes. I really think this was a leap, not a step, forward in decreasing our waste. It's made a huuuuge difference. Many people just look at the cost of the initial investment for the cloth dipes, and I'll admit, some of them are very pricey. You just have to figure out which ones work for you and your budget, and acquire the cooler, more advanced ones as you can afford them.




4. Breastfeeding- Now, this can be the real toughie. With my first child, I was teaching full-time, and though my lovely principal gave me a schedule which allowed for pumping time during the day, my surroundings just weren't conducive to really producing enough milk to completely sustain him on just breast milk (cinder block walls, voices in the halls, janitors trying to clean in the off periods...not very comforting : /) So, we supplemented. This time around, though, I was determined to breastfeed exclusively. Breastfeeding can feel very confining, and it can be if you let it be. No, I'm not one to just "whip it out" in public. I'm way too shy to nurse in a public place, even with a cover. I pump. I pump like crazy. I pump on the road. I pump while I'm watching TV. I pump while I work on the computer. That may seem incredibly inconvenient to you, but really after a few weeks of it, it just becomes part of your routine. Your new way of life. I go wherever I want to go. I go out on dates with my husband. I leave the kids with their grandparents while I run errands for the day. It IS possible to have a life and breastfeed. Right now, I'm working on what I've dubbed "Project Savannah". There's a checklist on the fridge with the number of containers of milk I'll need to freeze in order for my husband and I to be able to get away for 4 days in June. Another plus, especially for my daughter since she's been exclusive, has been no tummy problems or reflux.

5. Environmentally friendly cleaners- I've tried to switch over to as many "green" cleaners as I can. Some of them work well, some of them may as well be pure water. I've been using Seventh Generation laundry detergent for a while now, and I've really liked using it. The Seventh Gen all purpose cleaner is great, too. I wasn't thrilled with the dish soap, however. So, until I find another, greener, option, I'm switching back to the trusty old Dawn. I did looove the scent of the dish soap though. I've often considered making my own laundry detergent, but in the battle for time, it always loses. You have to read labels and do a little research. Just because an item is made by a company that calls itself "green", it's not necessarily the greenest option. There are many smaller companies with great cleaners. I just haven't gotten around to using very many of them










You should watch this video. It's crazy!









I'd love, love, love to hear how you and your family have "gone green". I'm always looking for little ways to improve out lives and decrease our footprint : ).


**I tried to throw a few links up, but they've disappeared after saving and editing a few times.  This post has been over a week in the making.  Busy, busy week!