Oprah often quoted Maya Angelou's saying 'Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you KNOW better, DO better.' While this could be applied to many areas of life--marriage, parenting, obeying God's word, and so on--it has turned into my mantra as I am becoming more aware of the many ways I can choose a healthier way of living for Cameron, Dave, and myself. Especially since Cameron's birth, and even more so now that I'm delving in deeper into the blogosphere, I've discovered--through some intentional research, but mostly by stumbling across--tidbits of information about how many others are choosing to cook, clean, and live differently since their eyes were opened to the benefits of natural alternatives to those aforementioned things.
FOR ME, THIS MEANS:
1) Getting rid of harsh cleaning chemicals and learning to clean with things like baking soda, club soda, white vinegar, etc.
FROM THIS
TO THIS
AND EVENTUALLY TO....
AND THIS
2) Replacing products in our home that may appear harmless because we are just so used to them being around with homemade or less artificial options (i.e. toothpaste, soaps, lotions, shampoo, dishwashing and laundry detergent, deodorant--I've heard there are ways to make all these things--and maybe, possibly, eventually even disposable diapers--eeek!) This is going to be a toughy though! I want me some shampoo that volumizes! I want to use hairspray to keep my fine locks in place! I want my clothes (and body) to smell clean! I love my Dove soap and vitamin E lotion! I don't want to worry about cleaning up baby poop any more than I already do! I'm not planning to sacrifice all those things, but I will have some trial and error as I try to replace the old habits with the new. It's going to be a slooooooooowwwwwwwww process. I cannot emphasize that enough! Basically I want to start evaluating a lot of the things that have ingredients on the label that I have no clue what they are. Or things that may not be the best for the beautiful earth upon which we live and further, I am convinced that God expects us to be stewards of. (HERE is another article I found interesting, albeit lengthy, that points out many Scriptures which give good support to the notion that we are to be responsible and thoughtful about our care for the earth--although that could be an entire separate post that I don't want to get into now)...so, back to my list!
3) Shopping for food that is less processed and more in its natural state (anyone know where to get some good healthy eggs around here??)
Whose eggs would you rather eat??
CHANGE IS 'A COMIN'
Here are just a few of the changes that I either made prior to my recent enlightenment or that I'm going to implement SOON! (It's kind of a pathetic short list, but I've been working on this post for way too long as if it was a research paper for college, and the list that I first wrote out was longer but accidentally got deleted.) Anyway, here it is:
- getting off of the birth control pill (What is in there anyway?! It's scary to me that I so thoughtlessly put something into my body that was suppressing ovulation and the normal workings of my fertile body!) Side note: Medicine is another area that I'll be delving into as this process goes along. But I have to try and focus on a few of these ares at a time. I'm already beginning to feel overwhelmed, and although I don't expect perfection from myself, just realizing how much there is I could change makes me wonder how we, as a culture, have gotten so far away from a SIMPLER life. Am I sounding crazy to anyone yet? I'm definitely having trouble staying on track!
- switching to whole wheat bread and whole grain products
- using less paper towels and more rags (or something like Handi-wipes)
This is going to be a long, ongoing change for years to come. I'm not going to throw everything out and start from scratch because that would be entirely too overwhelming and discouraging (not to mention Dave, among others, would think I was nuts!). I'm going to start small by trying, like this woman, to replace one or a few things at a time. I'm bound to make mistakes, but my hope is to continually learn how to do better AND feel good about each little step I take along the way, knowing that my efforts are going to benefit my family and me.
I think the thing that will take the longest (and be most difficult) to change is the way that we eat. (I am NOT ready to give up burgers from Cookout and so many other tasty foods! So, those of you who know me well, expect my life to look very much the same--I am talking about small steps, people!) Since becoming Dave's wife just over two and a half years ago, I've struggled to make many meals that are both satisfying and healthy. And I'm sure the ones that I thought were healthy are probably a long way away from truly being the best thing we could be eating. I just finished reading a ton of new information about our westernized diet in contrast to *"the diets of healthy, nonindustrialized peoples"* and am amazed and overwhelmed at the negative effects that a poor diet and way of living can have on our health and well being. The old saying "You are what you eat" has taken on a whole new meaning. All I can do it take it one thing at a time as I continue to learn and strive to buy and prepare better food. If you're interested, you can click *HERE* to check out some of what I read.
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MOOOONEEEYY
Financially speaking, I know this may mean spending more money in some areas like groceries, but I'm already spending more money than I'd like on foods that aren't the best for me, so it is more than worth the extra bucks it might take to buy or make things that are better. I'm looking forward to acquainting myself with the Farmer's Market and learning how to use fruits and veggies during each season to maximize our moolah and to receive the health benefits that go along with eating things at their peak in nutritional value! Plus, I figure if I spend more money now on better food, I'll hopefully be *saving on medical bills* later in life as a result of overall better physical heath :)
*Got that perspective from one of the blogs I stumbled across, but can't find the link to it. I'm not plagiarizing, professor!
FINALLY, WRAPPING UP
I'll keep you posted on my progress, but again, don't be expecting anything radical. Expect it to be gradual. I would LOVE for YOUR input on ways that you've chosen to live a cleaner, simpler, more natural life.
P.S. Check out this blog and others on my ever-growing blogroll (aka 'Blogville') list on the right side of the page to see where some of my inspiration has come from.
"And whatever you do, in WORD or DEED, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17
"Knowledge is power." Sir Francis Bacon
