A Greener Me.

Just in case you were worried by the title of this post, I don't have the stomach flu or anything. No, I am just thinking green thoughts here lately and trying to live those thoughts out in actions. The 3 R's have been on my mind; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and how I can make better choices in those areas. I have been recycling for years. I love the thought that i am not just throwing something away. I don't like being wasteful. The other areas could use some help but I am trying daily to be mindful of, I guess you could say, my carbon footprint. Here are some of the things I have been doing to try and be a good steward of this beautiful planet:

Reduce:

No more purchasing plastic water bottles, as in none. I am thinking ahead and bringing our own portable bottles from home. I watched what happens to those bottles after we use them on a video, and, well, yes, lets just say there is a new mountain range forming in India and it isn't made out of rocks...

I nurse my children 100%. No plastic bottles. No formula canisters. It is something I feel really good about. It helps me through long hours in the night with a nursing baby. I just keep chanting to myself, "This is for the planet, this is for the planet, this is for the planet..." Ha! I don't really do that but I do feel good about that choice.

(Now, I suppose I should mention that cloth diapers would be a good next step. I have read about them, looked at them, asked people about them, thought about them, and still wish I would have at least tried them. But, I am being positive here and not dwelling on the things that I haven't done and instead celebrating the things that I have been able to accomplish. It is still on my mind though.)

No more purchasing snack sized items. This one is a little harder and I am not militant about any of this stuff. But, buying something in a large size and breaking it down into my own containers is so much less waste. But, for convience it is still tempting to buy snack sizes especially for kids snacks. But, I am doing my best and again trying to be mindful of what I am purchasing. The cool thing about being greener is that it is generally cheaper too. Which also makes me wonder if being a stay-at-home mom makes even more sense. I know I don't actually bring in any money...but, I wonder what the ability to shop sales, be mindful of waste and spending really saves us. I feel like by staying at home I am able to be more thoughtful of the planet and save us money...I don't know, just a thought.

Just buying less in general. Watching what we spend is critical. It is another thing I have been trying to do lately and I am enjoying the challenge. I am trying to learn the coupon clipping language and I know I have saved us some money by doing it. We are also eating at home almost exclusively(except our occasional trips to McDonalds. Hey, everybody needs a break. We are only human. And, a McDonald's cheeseburger is about the only way I can get my oldest to eat meat. Focusing on the positives here.).

By the way if you are getting totally bored of this post I understand 100%. This could easily fall into the "blogging for myself" catagory. I am kind of surprised I have so much to say about this myself.


Taking my own shopping bags to the grocery. This has revolutionized my shopping experience. Once I realized that I have to keep the bags in the car so that I don't forget them we were off and running. I hate, and I do mean HATE all those flimsy plastic bags I bring home from the store. They quickly take over. And, I freak out about them around the kids. Reusable bags are so great. You can put so much more in them, they don't rattle around in the trunk, the insulated ones keep food hot/cold, and they are of course reusable! Win-Win! I love them. My next step is to purchase some reusable produce bags. I have seen some really cool ones.

I think I will have to post about the next 2 R's in separate posts. I am getting really into this!

I do have to note that there will be one area of "greener thinking" we will never enter. I suggested to Heath that we go paperless which I have been hearing a lot about lately, as in no paper towels, paper napkins etc. He looked at me as if the next step I would suggest would be matching tye dyed shirts for the whole family and granola buffet for dinner...suffice it to say there are some areas where we will maintain the status quo. Again, I am not militant in any of this, just mindful. I mean, we don't really live in a world where we go outside every morning to milk Flossie for our morning cereal or collect eggs from our chicken coop. I am just trying to do my best for God really, and my family, neighbors, planet.