Two weeks into 'Going Green'

My quest to ‘go green’ with my family’s food products and household items we buy has been going very well. Fortunately, it has been much easier than expected. I have met many people who have the same ideals in mind and who speak of the benefits they have experienced since they decided to clear out their homes and replace the products they use with non toxic, green, and organic items. Personally, in a short amount of time my family has experienced several benefits. Primarily, in my quest to ‘go green’ I have found that I live more consciously in every moment of every day.

How so? I am constantly thinking about where our family’s food comes from and how the vegetables, eggs, chicken, or any other item that is stored in our refrigerator or pantry comes to our home. I am looking for how they are handled and processed from land to home. I want to know the story behind their journey. If I agree with how they are handled than I will allow them into my home and I will consciously use my money to support their process. There is great power in living a conscious life and choosing how we will use our money.

Originally, food had a purpose of sustaining life. Food was intended to give us energy to live. It was viewed as a living organism that was treated with respect and honor for the purpose that it shared in existence with us. Whether it be a plant or animal, everything had a reason for living. Plants were not only used for eating but their healing properties were used as very effective medicines for treating and curing diseases. Animals were not only food, but they were a part of the circle of life. They were viewed as just as important as feeding and giving back to Mother Earth as any other breathing and living thing. Somewhere in our human quest to become a modern world and all the gifts of science and engineering we lost this grounded view of life. We got caught up in the miracles of science and our ability to use chemicals and compounds to take the place of what nature had intended. Our ears became deaf, our hearts closed, and our intuition was lost. But, I believe we are returning to the days of living one with our environment and living from our hearts. We are returning to the idea that food is life giving substance, energy, and a vibration that sustains life. Unfortunately, many of us grew up in unconscious homes never being taught the true intention behind food. We lived in a world of fast food convenience, preservatives that kept food contained in cans for years, and the idea that buying bulk was easier. We lost our connection and we never gave food a second thought other than the ability to store it for long time periods so that we could stay away from the grocery store for as long as possible. We needed to make time for more important things, and so we thought. What we forgot is that food not only provides us with precious life energy but a reason for coming together and enjoying each other. Food is social and shared in the company of those we care about. Even Jesus broke bread and drank wine with his closest companions on one of his most historical evenings on this planet. Food is one of the main ingredients in our circle of life. We depend on it as much as it depends on us. So, going ‘green’ has enlightened my ideas about life and has heightened my desire to spread the idea of what it means to live life as a Mom of Light or a Being of Light.

Here is a run down of some of my experiences the past couple of weeks… On one of my trips to the store my only intention was to restock my refrigerator with some natural lunch meats for my kids sandwiches for school. Natural meats are made from animals that have been raised without hormones, grain fed, and made without preservatives. When I went to the counter to order I was informed that they were all out of every type of natural meat I had requested. “Ugh…how could this be?”, I thought in my head. They had cases stocked with the ‘other’ meats but none of the kinds that I needed. Then I consciously thought about this dilemma. There were two ways to consider this situation. One, I was given the opportunity to understand that I may not always be able to get what I intend to find at the stores with my new ‘go green’ philosophy. This does not mean that I will settle for anything less, it just may mean that I have to be creative and always have a back-up plan. There were plenty of other options like natural peanut butter and organic jelly sandwiches or organic cheese and crackers, etc., etc. I was just going to have to accept that this may happen from time to time and that being creative kept my mind busy and healthy. That was just fine with me. The other concept to consider was the reasons why they ran out of the ‘natural’ meats. Natural meat has no preservatives so stores cannot stock up on these items. This particular store did not specialize in organic and natural foods so it was no surprise that they might not have exactly what I was looking for. Lastly, this may have been a lesson in always trusting and believing that we will always be provided with and get exactly what we need in every moment and situation.

My next lesson had to do with waste. Since ‘going green’, much of what I have been buying has been fresh, unprocessed, and/or unpackaged. Our garbage can has been less full. For two weeks in a row we have filled up one bag of garbage per week and the rest of our waste has been recycled items. In fact, our recycling has doubled and our waste has been cut in half. Wow, that is pretty cool! Especially for a family of five! That makes me feel good about what I am doing for my family and Mother Earth. Not to mention, our newest addition to our family’s new lifestyle has been a composter. As a Christmas gift, my supportive husband, bought me a composter. Yep, I’m one of those women who would rather have a composter than a diamond bracelet. Not that I wouldn’t want diamonds…only if I knew that the people who mined those diamonds were treated fairly and just. The composter has changed our lives. Every scrap of leftover food goes into the composter every day and by the end of the week we have rich soil ready to be used for our garden in the spring time. When you compost you get a firsthand look at how, “You are what you eat”. Everything we use goes right back into the Earth and will supply the needed nutrients to grow the food you will eat in the future. The circle continues to go round and round and we have a very fortunate firsthand look at the entire process. Honestly, who wants veggies treated with pesticides and animal products treated with hormones back in your soil? Going green and using a composter gives us back that control.

Next, my ‘go green’ challenge has made me closely read labels and educate myself on other items in my home. I was cleaning the three bathrooms in my house one day and took a look at the ingredients on my cleaning materials. Hmmm….I found out that I don’t understand half of what is mentioned on those containers. Further review and research has shown me that I am not just ‘cleaning’ my home I am filling our sinks, toilets, tubs, and floors, with toxins that can make us sick! So…..I am going out with the old and in with the new. No more, ‘Mr. Clean.’ He doesn’t seem so strong and appealing anymore. I am in the process of filling my shelves with non toxic items. The jury is still out on this one, as I test and consider alternative products. As I fill my shelves and experiment I will keep you updated on what I find. Also to consider from this process is the possibility that I may have developed a skin rash from cleaning my own home with the toxic products. This is what thrust me forward into considering other means. In the past 3-4 weeks I have developed a serious skin rash every time I have used my current cleaning products. So severe was the rash that I had to orally consume steroids to calm the rash down. On its return, I sought the advice of my functional medicine doctor who prescribed calendula oil and tea tree oil. After a few rubs of these herbal plant remedies my rash has been contained and almost completely eliminated. Wow, this stuff worked incredibly faster and more efficiently than any other over the counter anti-itch remedy out there, and believe me, I tried them all! Again, I am switching my cleaning products over due to my experiences. I am also incredibly grateful for the gifts of Mother Nature and all the incredible effective natural remedies she has to offer. I only have to be ready and willing to learn and the answers come.

Lastly, I have found that ‘go green’ has had an overall compassionate and loving effect on my family. My children are learning just as I am learning about living with our environment and being conscious day in and day out. They see us putting our food back into the Earth, limiting our waste, and only buying what we need as we need it. Shopping and cooking has become an enjoyable process that we all do together and learn about as we go along. I love that my children watch me shop for and pick out the very best products that represent how we want to live our lives. I love that they ask me questions and that they want to learn. Overall, our home seems calmer and more in tune with life. We commune together on a more regular basis and my children respect the food that comes to the table. It has been a win/win situation that has been fairly easy to adjust. The key has been to keep an open mind and an open heart and to view every experience in a positive light. When we put our intentions out there, the universe responds. The universe has definitely responded to my request. I may not always agree with what I am being provided but when I consider the lesson in a conscious light it always makes sense in hindsight. I continue to integrate the new lifestyle into our life and have no doubt that I will have more experiences to share.

Now, it is time for me to start considering my new ‘thing’ to give up or change in my current life. I have already decided. In light of the occurrence in Haiti and my continual desire to help others I will be exploring ways to contribute to my community and environment on a more active level. I will find ways to share my expertise with others on a personal and professional level. I plan to either join a club or find ways to give back to life. I have already found myself giving my services to others lately but now I am ready for more. The past couple of weeks I have been servicing myself to others that need help with physical and emotional healing. I pulled out my massage table again and have been devoting my spare time to helping others heal and embrace their lives. People have been showing up in need of healing and I have just been providing. It is time for this side of my business to flourish on a more active and financial level and for me to in turn service myself to my community. The two sides are complementing each other and developing very easily right now, so I am taking this opportunity and asking for more to come. I will be developing my business and in turn giving back to my community. The opportunities are endless. Stay tuned for more.

I thank you for spending your time reading this blog and I hope that you are inspired to live your life to your fullest on some level. It is my hope that this year brings inspirational living for all!

Side Note: In my last blog my husband and I were struggling about which coffee would meet my high standards and his high palate. Well, we found a brand that met all of our expectations and we enjoy our morning brew daily.

My First Three Days Going Green!

I have received some very supportive responses from people about my New Year resolution and my first ‘change of habit’ assignment. You may be wondering how it is going. My first three days are filled with endless conscious thoughts about my decision to ‘Go Green’ with any household purchases. My husband and I had our first serious ‘car discussion’ on the way back from my 6 year old son’s hockey game. He was on his way to a local bulk convenience store while I was taking the kids to piano lessons. There are a few things that my husband will not give up, like his bulk hard cheese. And then there are a few things that physically my oldest son cannot give up at this time (pull ups) for medical reasons (written in ‘Ethan’s Blog’). We get these few things at this store because it is truly a convenience for us, for now. Anyway, my husband and I were reviewing the few items on the list. In addition to the previously mentioned items Andy wanted to buy ‘good’ coffee. “What do you mean?” I queried. “What qualifies as ‘good’ coffee?” I further pursued. I have to admit I was a bit perturbed by his announcement of wanting to buy ‘good’ coffee. I knew that it meant he was judging what was good by taste only. I still had to ask in order to give him the benefit of the doubt. Of course, I didn’t like his answer, “I want coffee that tastes good not the stuff you have been buying.” He further clarified that he liked the ‘Michigan’ coffee and that he wanted to look for more at the store. I immediately put on my defenses like a warrior preparing for battle with her best protective armor. I knew what this meant. We had gone down this road many times before. Like the peanut butter he can’t stand because it doesn’t taste or look like Jiff, or the chips that have not been genetically altered, filled with preservatives, or dowsed in hydrogenated oils that he complains about when they don’t satisfy his taste buds. I remember one moment in our many years together when he was trying to make his own chocolate peanut butter ice cream out of the good natured products we had at home. One thing after another ticked him off. The bland brand of ice cream I was buying was the first thing. “Why don’t you buy normal ice cream that I like and not only the kind you like?” He announced in a bit of irritation. Then when he opened a brand new jar of natural peanut butter I thought he was going to have a coronary on the spot, not from what he was eating but from what he saw floating on the top of the peanut butter jar. As many people know, when you open a new jar of natural peanut butter you have to stir in the oils that have separated and gathered at the top of the jar then you stick it in the refrigerator and your peanut butter is good to go for the rest of its use. His first view of that oily mess sent him over the edge with tongue threatening talk which sent me over the edge as well. Somehow, he managed to make his own version of peanut butter ice cream and sit down to enjoy his treasure. I, on the other hand, was still ticked. Andy only had to make a couple more comments which I resented and then I unconsciously lost control. In my stance of rage I marched over to him grabbed his bowl of ice cream took it over to the kitchen sink and threw it down the drain. Then I marched upstairs, locked the bedroom door, and sat in fury trying to calm my Godzilla instincts. So, putting on my suite of armor was second nature for me as we began our calm conversation over coffee and what defines ‘good’ coffee.

What I learned from Andy is that ‘good’ coffee is defined by taste and then where it comes from is secondary to his primary needs. This time our conversation stayed civil, as it should in a car full of three youngsters that can hear everything going on in the front seat. We had done this so many times in the past that it was time to start acting like adults. Andy did have a good point. He wanted to buy that ‘Michigan’ coffee because it comes from Michigan, it tastes good, and it supports our economy. I thought that it was a conscious thought that deserved to be considered. I further explained that I had no idea how their coffee was processed and I was not sure of where it came from, until I found these things out I could not think of buying the coffee when we do have options to try other brands that I know are fair trade and organic. I recognized his conscious thought to buy a local Michigan product and was delighted he was beginning to think in this way. Andy never liked the other brands I have tried in the past because they didn’t taste good. I further explained that it is a learning process we are going through as we transition over and that we are going to have to be patient with each other. They are good tasting coffees we just have to figure out the right strength to make them in order to satisfy our taste buds. As we calmly discussed he eventually agreed to hold off buying his coffee and trust that we could figure all this out and satisfy both our needs. I let go of the processed bulk cheese buying and even suggested that he search for ‘his’ peanut butter product even though I had just bought a new brand to try. Our first discussion and our first dilemma had emerged as a work in progress that we would figure out as life went along. This was promising, especially when coffee is a hot commodity at our house. Religiously, I prep the coffee every night for the next morning. Every day, I start with a hearty cup while Andy fills his 2 stainless steel mugs and carries them to work. If there is any coffee left over after that I may have a ½ cup in the early afternoon. So, it is very important to us to have a great tasting cup of java. Currently, my quest to get that rich cup of coffee that meets all of our needs is still in progress and I will let you know when the dilemma is solved.

As for grocery shopping, I did have to make my first ‘big’ trip to the grocery store. Except, I am no longer buying at one store but at least 3! Ironically, I decided that we had to go to the store on New Year’s Eve day. Our family just could not wait any longer for fresh food. This initial trip is truly what inspired my commitment to give up my past life and leap to the other side. Being that school is on break until January 4th I had no choice but to take all three kids with me. It was either going to be a successful story of teaching and consuming tasty organics for me and my three kids (8, 6, and 3 years) or it was going to be a disastrous lesson in motherhood. In my mind, I pictured all of us making our trips in and out of the stores on my list happily finding all the foods at the right prices in the organic form I had intended. But I have also seen those stressed out moms trying to accomplish endless shopping tasks with the kids being so ornery that it would make any single female seriously consider birth control. I did not want to be one of ‘those’ moms. So, I planned ahead. Fortunately, I had been to many of these stores several times and was pretty familiar with the layout of each store. My plan was to buy only what was needed (on the list). Always a lofty task when you have three kids with you that always ‘see’ something that we have to have, even in a food store. But, if I could stick to ‘my plan’ with three kids at my hip then I could definitely implement this into my lifestyle change. Hey, I could do anything.

The day went very well. At our first store, Whole Foods Market, the kids and I picked out several organic vegetables that we would need for our dinners the next few evenings and for snacks during the day. The store had many tasting stations of the fresh vegetables which made a great time for all of us. We practiced using the tongs to pick up just one item to try and not three or four. My kids needed to understand the concept of tasting and not feasting. This is such a great way for children to try new items and then take a couple home if you find they like them. Next, we found some meats that were needed for a bit of a higher price than I was used to paying for the less organic versions but this was to be expected. I don’t mind spending more money when I know that “we are what we eat.” I learned about several brands of sulfite free wine and picked up a bottle to try. The kids and I really had a nice time in this first store, exploring and learning. We found the people to be very helpful, especially with three kids next to me. We even took some time to stop at the café on the way out and have a tasty snack before trekking on to our next store. The kids had vegan chocolate chip cookies and I had a scone made out of soy flour and turbinado sugar. Yum! We enjoyed every bite and I actually felt good about my kids eating a chocolate chip cookie!

It was on to our next store; we were off to Trader Joe’s. I love this store. I can really get some great deals on items that meet up to my stringent specifications. Again, we stuck to our list. Trader Joe’s had a few items we could taste, which made it interesting for the kids and they could even ‘search’ for the ‘lamb’. I don’t know if your local Trader Joe’s does this or not but if the kids find the hidden stuffed animal lamb in the store they get a prize (usually an organic fruit leather) and then they get to hide the lamb somewhere in the store for the next child searching. This is a great idea. We made it in and out of the store successfully with only the items on my list, some happy kids, and one happy mom.

Lastly, we were on our way to our last stop, the local grocery store…Kroger’s in our area. This is a regular supermarket that does devote a couple of areas to organics. The list that I had for this store was the smallest so I felt confident that we could get in and out pretty quickly even though my kids were getting tired of shopping. What I also find at these stores is that they put organics on pretty heavily discounted prices after awhile because they do not have as many shoppers like me come through their store. Sometimes I can find severely discounted items. I always check, and stock up when this happens. Today, there were few items to be on sale so I did just stick to my list and we were in and out. Overall, I know all three Kroger’s within a 15 mile radius of my home pretty well and I know which stores severely discounts organics often and which do not. So, it makes shopping pretty effortless.

On my way out of the store, we ran into a friend who had a car load of plastic grocery bags and Kroger store food. I glanced at the back of my car and saw reusable bags filled with fresh food that came from responsible green sources. I was proud. I felt like a mother holding her new born baby and ready to show off her sprout to the world. I felt great about all my choices of the day. What I also noticed when I returned home to empty my bags was that my refrigerator was stocked and I needed less room in my pantry than in the past. Actually, I had been noticing this more and more the past year. When you do not buy processed foods most of your groceries need to be stored in the refrigerator in order to keep longer. These days my pantry mostly holds dried beans, rice, pasta, fruit leathers, and unopened jars and containers of items that must be refrigerated after opening them. And finally, when I looked at my grocery bill, I found that I had spent almost as much money at the other two stores then at the place where I had purchased the least amount of items, Kroger’s. Was it the particular items I was looking for that were more expensive or was it that I had been fooled in thinking all along that it was much more expensive to buy ‘green’? Certainly, I knew that buying ‘green’ is usually higher priced but you go in knowing that you get what you pay for. But when I looked at my bills, I really felt that I had received exactly what I needed and expected from all three stores when deciding to be green.

All in all, the past three days has been an adventure in consciousness. I am proud to have a refrigerator and closet full of ‘good’ food and I look forward to more discoveries in the future. I know it is coming. I know there are many opportunities to come that will provide me with moments to make choices to live consciously. I will still be seeking out the perfect coffee and other products to satisfy my family’s needs. I am proud to note that my husband came home from the bulk convenience store without his peanut butter brand and willing to give my new natural peanut butter brands another try. I am so proud. Finally I have also found a great new website filled with articles and suggestions that help out a ‘Green’ Mom of Light. Hip Moms Go Green is a new site that can be found at www.hipmomsgogreen.com. It is a place filled with practical, inventive, and fun ideas for living the life of a green mom. If you’re interested, check it out. It is worth a look.

Lastly, the adventure continues. Check back for more!