Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Getting Green....and Loving It!

 When I was growing up, my mom did a lot of things that were different than the way a lot of other moms did things.

*She used vinegar for cleaning instead of buying "normal" store bought cleaners
*She hung clothes out on the line in nice weather instead of putting them in the dryer
*She cooked from scratch
*She made her own laundry detergent
*She had a big garden at nearly every home we lived in
*She always grew houseplants
*She used cloth diapers
*She even milked a cow and made her own yogurt once we lived in the country!


Now that I have my own home, I find myself doing many of the same things, and even more different things along the same lines.  The irony here is that when I was growing up, I was positive that once I had my own home, I would never do a lot of those things.  I didn't see the point behind a lot of them, to me it was more of an inconvenience than anything else, and I just didn't get it.
Now,  having actually researched these things on my own, I'm beginning to discover for myself the huge benefits that come along with living in a more "green" way.  
For me,  I like to see the benefits that come from something right away.  I still love to see instant results,  so sometimes in the health realm, I'm going more by faith, since the results will either pay off in the future, or they're simply not hugely noticeable now.  
It's nice when one of the bigger benefits to choosing a more healthy way of doing things actually saves money.  That's a huge motivator for me! :P  
Making my own laundry soap and cleaning products definitely falls under that category.  Plus, I do not enjoy the chemical laden smells that accompany "normal" cleaners, and I love it when my bathroom smells like vinegar when I'm finished!  Another benefit of using natural cleaners like vinegar and baking soda, is that I'm not nervous about my little man being with me while I clean.  I'm secure knowing that his lungs and skin aren't being contaminated by toxins while I kill germs.
Cloth diapers is another huge money saver, and with the diapers I use (Kawaii Baby), they're so easy to use and really, not that much more work than using disposables.
I'm having so much fun on my journey of educating myself on healthier living, it's such a blessing that I have more time now....that (for me) babies come one at a time!  I know there will be some seasons of my life when I won't have the time to read and research as much, so I'm trying to take advantage of "free time" now and learn as much as I can!



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