Color me GREEN

When I sit down & think about it (which, lets be honest here, I don't often have time to do with 2 under 2) we have gotten really "crunchy" these past 2 yrs. If you're not "down with the lingo", Crunchy is a term used for folks that are pretty much Hippies, but aren't always full out wearing tie-die & dreading their hair. (As far as body hair...I tend to fall on the "hippier" side of the scale. In my defense I stated in an earlier post that I don't get much time for personal hygiene to pamper myself...)

Before we had 'J' I started researching Cloth Diapers & knew I would Breast Feed. And even with his severe Allergy Issues I stuck to it. Then when it came time for solid foods I started out making my own baby food, then did some more research & settled on Baby Led Solids (they feed themselves what we eat, solid, not mashed up, no spoons, no feeding it to them). We have really tried, as parents, to follow our instincts & logic & not just the "main stream". Just cause everyone is doing it or has done it a certain way for a few decades doesn't make it right/the only way. Personally, i feel a lot of the time it's for convenience or profit towards big companies.
*Example: Have you ever wondered WHY they started mass producing jarred, preservative filled "baby" food? What do you think babies ate before that? What do babies in the rest of the world eat? If I took chicken & carrots & mashed them into a jar, put it in the cupboard for a year, then took it out to feed you...would you eat it?


I can't pinpoint exactly when our thought process started to change, but I do remember one of the first things we did that made our family & friends raise their eyebrows. The Master Cleanse. Ever heard of it? No? Well basically you drink ONLY a special 'lemonade' that you make & water for a minimum of 10 days. No food. And you do a salt water "cleanse" everyday that, shall we say, "cleanses your colon". Then you have to slowly re-introduce solids back into your system, but should (which we didn't) follow a more natural diet excluding dairy & meat.
We did it together before we got engaged. Personally I was fine with the cleanse. I would actually do it again. I felt GREAT! But, I only was able to do it for the minimum 10 days. Truth is, I was hosting my sisters Bachelorette Party & didn't want to be the lame-o sippin on special lemonade not eating any food. Also I wanted to be able to share a drink, I was the Maid-of-Honor after all! Ok, 2 drinks....well.. it's still a little fuzzy, but I think you have to multiple that by another number to end up with an even larger number & thats a better estimate of how many I had. Hey, what can I say, a moment came when she needed me & she tagged me in. And when your Big Sister/Best Friend tags you in, you don't look back, you just close your eyes & jump on in!

Little by little we started trying to be nicer to Mother Earth & lets face it, nicer to ourselves too.

• Recycling more & more, even taking stuff from non-recycling family members homes so we could put it in with our recycling. Yea...I'm sure that sounds as absurd on this computer screen as it is in real life when we do this. Lol! 
• Hubs was offered a job just blocks from the house & we decided to go down to a one car family while he walks to work. 
• When the weather permits, I walk the boys into town to do errands & try to only drive the car once a week (unless we have appts or something planned). 
• We all go to the Chiropractor when necessary to try & keep our bodies healthy to avoid illness/needing prescription meds. 
• I cook 97% of our meals, all fresh, local & Organic when possible. And currently do NOT eat dairy, legumes (soy, beans, peas, etc), grains, & limit sugar.
• We tend a large garden that we share with our awesome neighbor, again, all Organic, chemical free. 
• The boys both wear Baltic Amber & Hazelwood necklaces. The Amber is a natural pain reliever that was a HUGE help with teething & the Hazelwood naturally absorbs extra acid to help with reflux & eczema. The Hubs also wears the Hazelwood for his own GERD issues & I wear an amber bracelet for an issue with my hands & wore a necklace during 'A's pregnancy to curb morning sickness.
• We are currently making homemade: Laundry soap (for clothes, not diapers), dishwashing detergent, hand soap, wipes solution & cleaning products. {See tab 'Home Made Simple' at top for recipes}
• We no longer use paper towel, we use cloth towels/napkins.
• I left my old Obstetrician/hospital & switched to a more natural, forward thinking Hospital for my maternal care during 'A's pregnancy. We used Hypnobirthing to help with labor discomfort & I had a successful med-free, Natural VBAC with the help of my support team & wonderful MidWives.

There is plenty more we could do, or plan to do. And, seriously, it doesn't take that much effort, but the rewards are amazing. Not just personally, but economically too!

But I think a large driving force behind 'the change' is our kids. They are our future & we have a choice in what that future is like. And if just one of these things makes even a small difference, then it is all worth it.

The Future is Bright, my friends~