My Progress So Far

I began this blog about a month ago to document my journey to going green, eating healthier and living better. I thought I would give you an update on my progress so far.

If I were grading myself I would give myself a C. Not very high right? Well, here's what happened:

When I first started I was really excited and really motivated to DO THIS! I started the blog, joined some blogger groups and commenced to dive in head first to anything "green" and "healthy" and I believe that I got information overload.



There are so many sites, hints, tips, and how-to's covering so many different subjects and I was trying to take it all in at once. Well that's not very much fun, so its no wonder I burned out so quickly. I spent so much time worrying about making my blog look good and get followers that I forgot for a moment why I wanted "followers" to begin with.

See, I wanted to show other people like my former self, what the "big deal" was with all this new "green" and "healthy" stuff was. I can remember a time, no more than a year ago, when I refused to buy anything labeled "organic". I saw it everywhere I went and it was much more expensive than the regular food I bought. I thought it was just another form of consumerism trying to convince me that I needed this. I'm not much on fads, thought it would blow over in fact. Of course it didn't and so after awhile, and after a book loaned to me from my mom, I thought "hmm, maybe I should just look into this".

The book was The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. I am not ashamed to say that this book floored me. I really could not believe some of the facts and findings layed out here. Not only that, my mom was showing me Netflix documentaries about the way companies raise and treat the animals that we eat. The stories and images were just unbelievable.

Its not just about how the animals are treated, did you know that many (big name) companies give these poor animals growth hormones so that they grow bigger faster? That way they don't have to wait until the chickens naturally grow up to sell them at our grocery stores. These poor animals get so big so fast that their legs literally can't support them and their organs can't keep up either.

There were other sections in The Kind Diet on genetically modified foods as well. Strains of seeds made by the same company that makes pesticides so that they are engineered to withstand said pesticides. That doesn't sound very natural to me.

I highly recommend you read this book if you haven't already. It also tells you about other "Nasty Foods," then goes on to let you know how what you can do to make a difference in your life and in the world. In true "green" fashion, I bought this used from Amazon for a few bucks. You can also check out the accompaning website The Kind Life

So back to My Journey. Even though I have gotten a little off track, I'm still determined to keep on keepin on. Here are some of the things I have changed:

1. I now use all-natural soap on me and my kids. I have started with Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap. I use it for shampoo, soap, AND in my laundry. I like the peppermint but I've also got the lavender. This has helped tremendously with my recent skin allergies. Seems like in the past couple of years I've developed allergies to anything that touches my skin.

2. I've ditched (many) hazardous household cleaners in favor of good ole' baking soda and vinegar. Combinations of these cleaners will clean most things that need cleaning around your home. I also add lemon juice, orange peels, and some essential oils now and again trying to perfect my recipe.



3. I eat a lot more natural and organic foods. I can't always afford to eat organic but I'm trying to get a little in here and there. I've added lots of produce and cut way back on meat and dairy. I also try to buy at least one or two new ingredients every month. Things that I've never tried before. This month I added wheat germ and sesame seeds but have yet to use them, I'll keep you updated on that.


So its a small start, but still, a good one. I didn't change everything all at once like I daydreamed about, but I think this is better in a way. I get to ease myself into it. Years of habits can be hard to change overnight, but I'm not giving up. Just gonna scale back a bit and take it as it comes.

Is anyone else trying to make positive changes in their lives? What keeps you motivated?