I have been struggling with using WordPress effectively and I decided that I would take all my pages and posts and move them to blogger so it is just easier for me to keep the Green mom blog up. This blog is now located at: http://trickygreen.blogspot.com
And it is now titled: “Diary of a Green Family”
Hopefully this way I can keep the posts up and continually coming! Thanks everyone!

Well I bought myself a little compost bucket to put my kitchen scraps into and now it is full. Only problem is that there is no compost bin in my backyard to haul my scraps to. And I don’t know enough about how to compost yet so it looks like I have dead ended myself. I was hoping one of the last Saturdays Nick would build a compost thing for me but he has been occupied with other things. Maybe I will just have to order one online….

Anyone have any good resources for me on composting? I’d rather be directed to a helpful website (with pictures) than a book to buy, read, and then realize that it is too late because I took too long to read the book. Any help would be so appreciated!

Well I did it! What’s that you ask? I bought some green cleaning products! I found them at Lowe’s. We bought a glass cleaner and a bathroom cleaner. Both of them are the Greenshield brand and are USDA Organic! Woo hoo! Nick had to buy more because I just happened to toss out the old ones….oops……no not really. I might actually be able to participate in cleaning the house now!

I tell ya, one thing that happens when you are eating a raw diet is that you get totally detoxed from the inside out! And everything that you thought smelt okay now you cannot stand the minor wiff of! I had a few days where I could smell the chemicals being released that I had on my hair/scalp as a young girl when I got perms. (Remember how much those stink!?) And after all these chemicals kept being released I was so much more aware of all the stink around me so I invested in completely natural haircare and bodycare products. (Next step: natural hand soap)

Now when I say “natural” I’m not talking about a product you buy at the store that has a label that says “natural” on it. Those are not really as “natural” as you think. Even if you buy them at the nearest health food store, you’d be surprised but you’ll find. The government nor any other worthy association regulates the labeling of products called “natural”. In fact the only organization that even conducts testing (that I’m aware of) is the Enviromental Working Group (ewg.org). But they don’t regulate what can be bought and sold in this country. What they do is test and find out how dangerous and toxic different products are. So you can go to their website and look up any personal care product and see what their rating for it is. Phew…so what I’m trying to talk about was….I bought new products….

For hair I bought the full line of Morrocco Method products. Basically you rotate the 5 shampoos. I am loving it! The guy who developed this product spent two decades researching hair care and natural products. This product line is organic, raw, vegan, and holistic! Now how often do you hear that? Is it quite a unique experience though…you don’t get a lather which might appall some since they have always gotten a lather when washing their hair. And it doesn’t have any artificial scents so they smell kind of earthy. The smells don’t bother me at all, they aren’t offensive in any way. I mean that some people would just have to get used to them more than others. I love the scalp massager that came with my shampoos.  It feels so good when I use this to work the product into my hair and scalp. After I do two shampoos with the massager and rinse I have no tangles! Seriously has that ever happened to you- no tangles without using conditioner? I didn’t think it was possible so I ordered the conditioner with it. But now I realize that I don’t have to use the conditioner everyday. I can just use it whenever I feel like it. Fabulous!

I also got the henna to warm up the tone of my hair. They have a full spectrum of this natural hair color product, so if you want to warm up your tones also then I recommend you try it! At first I thought it would permanently stay on my blonde highlights but it has pretty much all washed off by now. I guess I’ll have to find something else to get rid of the highlights and let my hair grow out and look as natural as possible. (Oh why did I get those highlights? They didn’t even turn out good!)

Also I found at our farmer’s market here a couple companies that sell naturally made products, one is a lavender farm and one is an olive farm. They make soaps and oils and other lovely things that smell terrific and not toxic! Yay! We already used one bar of their soap. It smelt so wonderful and now it is gone. We are on the lemon/lavender scented one now which is nice. I decided to try out the 5 element soaps from Morrocco method as well though and they are on their way. (Forgot to say this before but the shampoos are also based on the 5 elements: earth, water, air, fire, ether)

I got a juicer the other day and now I feel like I really need to get onto this composting stuff. (So much produce waste, I might as well make it go on my garden and feed my plants!)  I really don’t know what to do. I might need to buy some more things first. If you are a pro then don’t hesitate to comment and leave me your advice!

Also I am selling some of my gdiaper pants and trying out some other kinds. So far I have just tried the fuzzibunz and love them! We use them for night time and no leaks at all! They are a pocket diaper so I can stuff them up nicely with a bunch of inserts and then if I want I can just toss the whole thing into the waterproof wetbag. So I’m getting some more pocket diapers and some all in ones. I decided to order from this store because I won’t have to pay tax or shipping! Seriously if you want to do cloth diapers those are two things to look out for. If you buy from a company in a different state than you and that has an amount ($50 in this case) that once you spend there you can get free shipping, then you save a lot! When I was getting my cloth inserts I bought from a company that I realized was in Texas because I paid over $12 in tax that could have been avoided if I found someone outside of Texas. But it was probably still worth it for me because I had a discount code. Anyway, I love finding these new ways to save!

Well that’s all the greening around that I’ve been doing for now.

Well even more time has passed and we’re still doing our gdiapers with cloth inserts. Yesterday we made a trip up to Austin and went to a store there that carries a huge variety of cloth diapers. I felt like I was ADD as the ladies were trying to explain the differences between all the cloth diaper options. I know I already have plenty of gdiapers and inserts to last a while but since I am a curious person and I like to know all the available options out there, I wanted to explore.

Now I am thinking that I shouldn’t have been so woosy to begin with and just ordered the kit offered at jilliansdrawers.com where you get a variety of different types of diapers and then if you want to you can return them and get most of the money back. (Basically it would only cost $10 if you return the diapers) But I can’t justify doing this because I have bought a bunch of the diapers and inserts so I would have to sell some of them and then maybe do the trial.

I was thinking about the cost the other day…when you buy a gdiaper you get the cover and the “waterproof” liner. I’m not completely sure those are waterproof but I know they work for a lot of people. Parker tends to leak at night and occasionally the cover feels moist, so that makes me wonder if they really are “waterproof”. Okay, so as far as cost goes if you buy it at a retail price and there is no special deal then each one of those is about $17. When I looked at some of the cloth diapers yesterday I realized that many of those include the whole system for about the same price. So this means that with a gdiaper you have to buy inserts or the flushies to go inside of them and that costs more money. For the cloth ones, it would range from $5 to $7 approximately. So then the cost has gone up to about $22-$24 for one diaper system (cover, liner, insert). The plus side is that you don’t have to wash the outer liner after each use. But at the store it was about $24 for an all in one system that was organic (bumgenius).

Moral of the story for me is…maybe I made a good choice or maybe not, but if I’d been willing to try other types then I would know for sure.

I found several more cloth diapering sites that I want to put here so I can easily refer back to them. (and maybe they’ll be helpful to someone else as well)

http://www.thestorkwearhouse.com/

http://www.wallypop.net/

http://www.adiaperchange.com/

http://www.diaperdecisions.com/cost_of_cloth_diapers.htm This one is a great resource if you like to see charts and spreadsheets to do comparisons of all types of diapers. They are listed from the least expensive to the most expensive overall.

I’ve found lately that I’m really becoming extra sensitive to any chemical laden product. This is especially true with the popular cleaners that are being used today, even what we have in our house. Whenever Nick insists on cleaning the bathrooms I can hardly stand the aroma just by walking by. So naturally I’m being drawn to products that are going to be less toxic (or NOT TOXIC!)- less offensive to my nose, better for the environment, yada yada yada…

I’ve found a couple of solutions recently and I’m excited to implement them into my life here soon.

First there is a new product that Lowe’s is supposed to be carrying and is even being promoted by the Organic Consumer’s Association. It is called “Greenology” and includes a variety of different types of cleaning products all meant to be safe for home, children, the environment, etc.

Also I happened upon an older post about this through Kristen’s blog today. She makes her own cleaners out of household items such as vinegar, baking soda, and Brenners soap. If you are interested in saving money and not inhaling noxious chemicals then just click on this: http://kristensraw.blogspot.com/2008/09/green-cleaning-supplies-i-love.html

When I was growing up, my mom used to make her own cleaners as well. I don’t know what she used in them but they were all different colors. I’m not sure if she realized any sort of latent affect various chemicals have/had. But she showed me that it is simple so now I have that much more motivation to try it out myself!

So I have washed the diapers a few times now and it really is quite easy. I found some linked articles from babycheapskate about why other people chose cloth diapers and feel that I agree with what they say. I hope no one is reading this and thinking that I’m bashing on them if they still use/prefer disposables. I just figure you might as well know what your options are especially if you might ever consider changing your mind. 🙂

Also, most people don’t realize that there are a lot of great options available in cloth diapering today (its not just prefolds) and that anyone can do it if they really want to. Even if you don’t have a washer/dryer in your house/apartment you can use a cloth diapering service (and then you never have to deal with the washing of the diapers!)

Anyway I’m going to copy and paste the article and include the link. Hope you enjoy!

http://www.thisnaturallife.com/3-great-reasons-to-choose-cloth-diapers/

Cloth diapers are experiencing a sort of renaissance these days.  While disposable users still outnumber cloth users by far, the cloth diaper industry grew by 58% in 2008 alone!  That’s a huge number.  Personally, we’ve been using cloth diapers since my daughter was about two weeks old.  She is now 21 months, and I like them just as much now as I did when we started.  So what is attracting all these parents to cloth diapers?  In other words, why use cloth?

I have found three great reasons to choose cloth diapers.  Those reasons, in no particular order, are:

• they’re better for my budget
• they’re better for my baby
• they’re better for the environment

I’ll go over each reason one at a time in more detail.

Better for my budget:
We’re on a very tight budget, and who isn’t these days?  Frugality is becoming more and more important to everyone.  Cloth diapers are a great frugal choice when it comes to diapering.  Just check out these facts:

• The average baby will use about $1800-$2000 worth of diapers before they’re potty-trained.  And that’s just the average – you’ll spend more if you use expensive disposables, or if your child stays in diapers longer than average. That doesn’t include the cost of wipes, either.  And these costs are per baby, so if you have more than one child, you’ll shell out that money each time.
• A basic cloth diaper system will cost you anywhere from $150 to $800, depending on what you choose and how much you buy.  You might experience some sticker shock when you’re looking at up-front costs, but in the long run look how much you’re saving.  In addition, you can re-use the diapers on your next baby!  Your savings just doubled.
• If you’re interested in trying cloth but not sure you want to make the commitment, you can easily purchase a small amount of start-up diapers for the cost of one month’s worth of disposables.

Better for my baby:
Disposable diapers contain dioxin, which is a by-product of the bleaching process that the paper diaper goes through.  Dioxin is toxic, and exposure has been linked to cancer, birth defects, skin diseases, and other illnesses.  In addition, the super-absorbent quality of disposables is created through the use of a polymer gel that used to be used in tampons, too, until it was discovered to be associated with toxic shock syndrome.  However, it’s still being used in disposable diapers.  Many parents find an increase in diaper rash with disposables that disappears or significantly lessens when they switch to cloth.

Better for the environment:
Here are just a few facts about the environmental impact of disposable diapers:

• The third most common product in landfills is disposable diapers.
• It will take between 300-500 years for a disposable diaper to decompose.
• One ton of waste is created by one baby in disposables by the time they are potty-trained!

Some people would question whether cloth diapers are better for the environment because of the water required to wash them.  However, washing cloth diapers at home uses about the same amount of water in one week as a toilet being flushed 5-6 times a day.  A diaper service washing their diapers in bulk will use even less water.

You can also repurpose your cloth diapers once your babies are potty-trained!  I grew up dusting the furniture with my old diapers that my mom used on me when I was a baby.  Old diapers also make great batting for hand-made blankets and quilts, and I’m sure some of you creative moms out there have thought of many more uses for old diapers.  Repurposing is great for the environment and your budget, too!

Well yesterday was the magic day that I had to wash those cloth diaper inserts (as well as some liners and gpants that got a little poopy). I was nervous about this, thinking that it might make me want to forget about this whole crazy cloth diaper thing. When the time arrived, I grabbed my waterproof bag and headed for the laundry room. I emptied the bag into the washer, dropped the bag in as well, and put it on a cold rinse cycle. Then when that was over I changed it to hot/cold wash and did a full cycle with the tiny bubbles detergent. Then when that was over I tossed them into the dryer on low heat for 60-70 mins. (no dryer sheets)

In the end, there was no stink and hardly a sign of a poop stain on the two that had been pooped on. And it was so easy! Probably easier than racking up a bunch of disposables and taking them out to the trash everytime the container got full. And that is pretty easy too. But less responsible in my opinion. That’s why I’m trying to change my ways.

The one thing that I need to edit is my handmade bum wipers. I’m going to have to stitch around the edges to prevent them from unraveling in the wash. I guess I should have thought of that before, maybe I would have if I had more experience with sewing. Oh well, you live and you learn. I did take a picture of my cute wipies but for some reason I am unable to upload any pictures on here. Anyone else had that problem with wordpress? It says something about the format not being right, I have a hard time understanding why that should cause a problem.

So I apologize for that. I would love to give you all more visuals so my experience could feel/seem more real to you. One thing that is different than disposables for us is that Parker cries to be changed now because eventually all the wetness is too much for him. It only happens some of the time though. The gflappers all have a top layer that helps wick the moisture away and into the other layers. It is very soft against a baby’s bum. Nick and I were both saying how we’d love for our underwear to feel like that!

Today I decided that I would google search “bee pollen”. When I invested in some “Superfoods” recently, one of the things I bought was bee pollen. This was supposed to be part of my natural knee cartilage regrowth kit. (The other part is blue-green algae btw.) I wanted to know what else bee pollen could do for me. So I found this website that has a lot of amazing information about bee pollen. I would quote some of it here but it is so amazing that I just have to recommend that you go over there yourself and read it all! When I got down to the video about bees suddenly disappearing I decided to watch it. And then I had to watch the next one, and then I had to watch other similar videos. Then I was just filled with sadness.

Innocent and hardworking, they go around trying to pollinate all types of plants. The food we eat would not grow if bees did not pollinate the plants. When bees land on plants that are sprayed with pesticides, they get a dose of the pesticides/insecticides. The harm these chemicals do is very far reaching. For the bees, it causes digestive malfunction and memory loss which makes it so they can’t find their way back to the hive. Then they die because they cannot digest the pollen. This is so sad because if bees keep dying at these rates, not only will we be out of wholesome natural foods that they help pollinate, but we will not have any bee pollen- which is such an amazing and complete food in and of itself. (Something that you’d already know if you had gone to the link above.)

About a mile away from my house there is a sign that says “honeybee removal” and has a number underneath. I have wanted to go and tear it down for sometime but feel that maybe that would be rude or inconsiderate of me. Perhaps these people aren’t killing the bees, maybe they are aware of the bee shortage and are selling them to bee keepers. (I can only wish!) I kind of doubt it, but I guess if I wanted to be sure I could call the number and ask what they do with the bees.

By the way, since the introduction of so many chemicals into our soils for “pest control” that there has also been a sharp increase in autism in children and Alzheimers in the elderly. Many speculate that these two can be linked because the pesticides sprayed on plants have the same affect on bees. If you don’t believe me, just get on google or youtube yourself!

Also I have heard from several sources that another one of the big killers of honeybees is cell phone towers. Apparently on the ground near the cell phone towers are piles of dead bees. Apparently if we all have a cell phone then we don’t need anybody who does “honeybee removal”. Personally I hate having a cell phone. I want to cancel mine and am debating on when I will do it. It is nice that my cancellation fee will be less now to newly imposed laws. Have you heard about cell phone radiation? It is also harmful to us. If you go here you can find the cell phones with the least radiation.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has some amazing articles and resources to discover. Stick around their site and be blown away!

So I made a video about them. And it finally worked! It only took me like 5 tries for the webcam to do its thing.

Honestly I just want to be more responsible for my actions. Do I want to be held responsible for loads of my garbage rotting away in a landfill? Or would I rather recycle, cloth diaper, biodegrade, etc? To me the latter sounds like a better option.

+cloth diapers are cuter than disposables
+cloth diapers save you $$ in the long run
+cloth diapers are the future! (well we’ll see, but I think so)

+becoming self reliant: gardens, composting, and cloth diapers require less dependence on other resources than the alternatives

+thinking about my children and my children’s children and posterity (on forever). How will my choices today affect them? Am I filling up their earth with all my trash that I could have been more thoughtful about and learned green skills to prevent? Am I learning skills that will be useful to them in treating the Earth right?

+religious views: I believe that the Earth will be a Celestial kingdom one day- and in this kingdom will there exist any impurities? I’d like to think not. People won’t eat animal flesh because there won’t be any death. People won’t do irresponsible things that negatively affect their world. Why should I treat the Earth like that now in its pre-Celestial state? I don’t understand all things but to me this is just what seems right.

To me, living with integrity means being aware how my actions affect everyone/everything around me. Sometimes people will agree or disagree but ultimately I have to decide what feels right in my heart and for my family. I am not trying to be better than anyone else is or “get ahead”. I wish everyone wanted to make better decisions all the time but not all are in such a place where that is possible for them currently.

My personal mantra is: Be the change you want to see in the world. I know some famous person said that quote but I’m not sure who, prob can find out on google.