To green or not to green? That is the question.

Day 3 of blogging.  I find myself getting really excited when random stuff happens throughout my day because I know it's a potential blogging subject.  I never thought it'd be this way.  I hope it ends up being beneficial to someone.  :-)

It was brought to my attention that I need to be more careful when I'm writing my blogs.  I need to consider my whole audience.  When I wrote my post yesterday, I was only thinking of moms I have talked to who claim they would love to stay home with their kids but that it wouldn't be possible to survive on one income.  Some of these folks are driving hugely expensive cars and live in hugely expensive houses and wear brand new designer clothes and, well you get the idea.  That was my target audience.  It IS possible with some sacrifices.  I didn't consider the opposite end of that spectrum - the families who make less than we do and truly barely survive.  I sure didn't mean to offend anyone.  As I said, I want to be encouraging to other mothers.  But I appreciate the constructive criticism.  I have a one-track mind.  I'm glad to have a friend who had the guts to call me out.  

Please believe me when I tell you that I feel incredibly blessed to live the life I do.  I have an amazing husband who gave up his dream of being a fire fighter so that he could maintain tenure at Office Depot and work his way up the ladder.  Working in retail was never his dream.  It's not what he thought he'd be doing with his life at this point, but he is doing what he feels is necessary to support his family and keep me at home.  And I appreciate him and his sacrifices more than words can express.  While I know some folks who would scoff at $42K per year, I realize that there are others who would dream to make that much.  I guess it's all about perspective, isn't it?

Friend, you know who you are.  And I appreciate your candor.

And now on to my actual topic of the day:

I had one response to my little "survey" at the end of yesterday's post.  The vote was for me to write about how annoyed I get when hoighty-toighty "green" moms try to make me feel guilty (whether in person or by writing a snobby blog post) about not being Kermit green.

I love my country.  And I love the world that God has given us to take care of. I truly do.  But I also love technology.  I love that we live in the age of easy to use vacuum cleaners and toaster ovens and real shampoo and cleaning supplies and washers and dryers and medicines and ..... The list here is endless.  As I've said before, when I make a decision to use a product, it almost always involves finances.  If I can get the product for a great deal, I'll use it.  If it happens to be a "green" product, well that's a bonus.  So here is a list of things I use, habits I have, and standards I live by that would send some "green" moms into an all-out hissy fit:

-I use bleach.  Apparently bleach is considered a weapon of mass destruction to some.

-I vaccinate my kids (or allow my pediatrician to do it, as it were).  I do not buy into the vaccines cause Autism thing.  I chose my pediatrician because she's awesome, and I have developed a close relationship with her.  And I trust her with something more important than my life - I trust her with my children's lives.  If she tells me it's safer to vaccinate than not to, and if nearly all the research out there tells me the same, I am confident in my decision. I'll be honest - It makes me nervous sending my kid to school when I know some of the parents have made the decision to not vaccinate.  And it makes me even more glad that my daughter is not in daycare.

-I use anti-bacterials.  Yup, even in my kids' rooms.

-I don't necessarily care whether or not my food is organic.  I know I work for an organic produce co-op.  And the produce is delicious.  But I don't buy into the whole organic thing, either.  It's more than double the money to buy organic in a lot of cases, and I won't be spending the extra money.  (That is the great thing about the co-op I work for, though.  It makes the organic produce about the same cost as regular produce.)

-I consume regular dairy from regular cows on a regular basis.  

-I LOVE processed foods with processed sugars.  It's a weakness, I know.  

-I drink bottled water a lot.

-I use actual medications to treat ailments the kids or I have.  Acetaminophen or ibuprofen for aches and pains, decongestants for stuffy noses, antihistamines for allergies, etc.  I will use "green" remedies every once in awhile, but usually only in conjunction with something that will actually work for me.  And I'm not afraid to take antibiotics if the kids or I need them.
-I gave birth to both of my kids in hospitals with the use of epidurals, and I wouldn't change a thing.  Except that I would have had the epidural machine actually working when I delivered my son.  He was 11lbs 2ozs.  That hurt with no medicine, and I did not intend to let it happen again.  My daughter's delivery was blissfully easy.  She weighed in at a teeny 9lbs 6ozs, and the epidural worked the whole time!

I'm sure there are other things I do that would give hippies heart attacks, but that's what I came up with for now.

While we're on the subject, have you heard the new hype topic about the wood pulp (AKA cellulose)?  Read about it here:  http://www.thestreet.com/story/11012915/1/12-food-companies-that-serve-you-wood.html

OK.  I don't buy into that, either.  It is probably true.  There is probably cellulose in our food.  So what?  By the article's own admission, the cellulose is not harmful to our bodies.  It is simply not digested.  It is not adding extra calories.  It has no nutritional value whatsoever.  It's sort of like eating hidden iceberg lettuce, which has very very very little nutritional value.  I mean, granted, I would rather fill up on something that is good for me if that is my intention.  But if I'm eating a Little Debbie, I'd way rather half of the thing that's filling me up be void of nutrition AND calories than be really extra fattening and disgusting.  And isn't wood fiber?  Don't we need fiber?  It's extra roughage to help clean us out, just like fiber is supposed to do.  To me, it's just another thing to get hyped up about that really isn't that big of a deal.  It sounds worse than it is, but people need to have drama in their lives to live I guess.

Now that I've complained enough about green stuff, here are things I do and products I like that are green. 

-I recycle.  (although I have heard the argument that recycling is actually more harmful to the environment because of the extra energy the recycling process requires. blah blah blah)

-I have started making my own laundry soap.  It is super easy, pretty effective (at least as effective as store-bought), and is about half the cost of store-bought detergents, even from Sam's.  Mix one cup of Borax, one cup of Washing Soda, and one shaved bar of Ivory (grate it with a cheese grater) in a food processor until fine.  The ingredients can all be found at Publix for around $10 total.  Thank you, Lindsay, for convincing me to try it!

-I LOVE Melaleuca products.  But they're pricey, so I only get them when my mom gives them to me for free.  She's a distributor, but not to actually make any money - only so she can get the products at cost.  :-)  Works for me!

-I turn off the water when I brush my teeth and have taught my son to do the same.

-I use reusable containers instead of baggies whenever possible, including in my son's lunch.  

-I use dish cloths and rags to clean with instead of paper towels.

So, there ya go, Ash.  

And now onto the frustrating and awesome parts of my day:

Frustrating: I left a plate a little too close to my daughter's little hands while I got up to get a drink of milk, and it shattered all over the dining room floor when she tried to snag some food off of it.  Lynnie (the nickname we have for our daughter, Nicolyn) also screamed bloody murder the whole time we were in the carpool lane waiting to pick up big brother.  She usually uses that time to take her 2nd nap of the day, so I was really looking forward to doing some reading.  That didn't happen.  And I got a lot of laundry washed and dried, but not nearly enough of it folded or put away.  That was my housekeeping goal for the day, and I failed miserably at it.

Awesome: 1. I did a Sh'Bam dance class at the Y and was joined by my friend Jenna.  I ran into her last week very randomly.  She was one of my absolute best friends in high school, and we had lost touch.  How great it is to catch back up after all these years!  2. Lynnie ran to the childcare workers with no tears or reservations or anything.  She was so excited to be there, and that makes my workout a lot nicer!  3.  My husband very randomly told me he loves me.  It melted my heart.  4.  Best for last.  My son got his report card today, and he scored all Es and had all positive comments from his teacher.  I'm so proud of my smart boy!

I'm praying God's blessings for each and every one of you.  Thanks for reading!  :-)