Ecology vs. Economy, or, What's a girl to do?

I will preface this by saying that for the two or so people who actually read my blog, I am sorry it has been so long. Life has been, as usual, complicated. Today, though, I am actually really feeling the need to express something that has been weighing heavy on my mind.
The "green" movement is growing larger and larger, and those of you who know me are aware that I am fairly passionate about trying my best to create a healthy home and planet for my family. However, as I was reading my well loved copy of Natural Home and Garden magazine today, it occurred to me that the economy of my household and of many others I know prevents most of us from doing all we can. In the midst of the useful articles on gardening, food preservation, etc. there are ads on VOC-free paints, sustainably built items, paraben- free cosmetics, etc. The more we come to know about the condition of our world, the more overwhelming it becomes; also, the more EXPENSIVE it becomes.
So, scientific studies, you're telling me that the VOCs released by my mobile home may be slowly poisoning my family. The good news? I can build myself a new house made with sustainable materials and VOC free chemicals? Yeah. I'll get right on that.
So, you're telling me that the shampoo that I can buy for $2 will likely disrupt the endocrine functions in my kids, or one day cause them to get cancer. The good news? There's one I can buy that costs $8 a bottle. And my four year old just dumped it out "making bubbles".
So, you're telling me that the food I buy is nutrition-less and full of pesticides. The good news? I can buy sustainable, organically grown food that is so much better for my family and for Mother Earth, at roughly four times what I can barely afford now.
In an economy where many families are barely making ends meet, we as the American public really are trying to make more responsible decisions for our world. We just can't afford it. Unhealthy foods cost more than healthy ones. Poisonous chemicals cost less than plant based items. Less processed foods cost more than more processed foods. Why? Because the major corporations that feed us all this poisonous garbage make money doing it. Because if we stay healthy, pharmaceutical companies can't make billions of dollars on our fat, toxic butts. So what's a girl to do?
I'm guessing most people's answer is to make more money to afford the good things, if after all that's what's important to me. The problem? I'd like to see my kids, not spend my life making someone ELSE money. The other major comment? "Don't worry, the FDA wouldn't continue to allow these things if they were really harmful... they're just reactionaries." If you still believe in the FDA, you're SO very deceived. Most of the upper level people that work for federal regulation come from the corporations that perpetuate the issues I have previously stated.
I may sound paranoid, I suppose, but don't take my word for it. Watch a documentary. Read articles. Educate yourself. It's pretty scary stuff, but ignorance isn't bliss. It's just ignorant. Also, be aware of "green" items that aren't... alot of companies are trying to hop on the "natural" bandwagon simply to separate you and your hard earned "green". I am going to continue to post things that I find helpful. I want (and need) them to be economically and ecologically friendly. Most of the time I find that when we do things as our ancestors did them before corporate greed took hold of the world, we come out in better shape. If everyone does a little, it adds up to a lot!

Ho-ho-holistic holidays!

So here I go again! Yup, Thanksgiving is in just 3 days, and I am so stoked to be finally spending a relaxing holiday with family, hopefully drama-free. (I have no taste for drama, but that is another blog entirely.) With a happy turkey day comes the holiday season. I really love Christmastime, but lately the commercialism has really been bugging me. I saw a commercial about two women fighting over a video game for their son... it just really grosses me out. So, my solution to this is to bring it around old school. I mean REALLY old school. We're going to make our gifts for the most part, and I'm not making that a priority for the holiday. I'm also really excited about the homeschool possibilities for this season: making ornaments, learning about other cultures and the way they celebrate, baking (which is a super great way to study science and math), etc. My goal is to relax and enjoy myself. You can have your Black Friday, your shiny paper, and your toys that will be forgotten in two weeks. I want smiles, laughter, joy, and happiness for Christmas... and I think I just might get it this year!

The Predicament of Persistence

Today has been about accomplishing things. I feel as though some days I'm not as productive as I need to be, and so from those days' guilt come days like today. I gave the boys their lessons, cleaned my kitchen, arranged bill payments, organized, etc... but I still feel disjointed. I think it's the knowledge that tomorrow I have to go back to work. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind hard work. The problem lies in the fact that when I am doing something I don't enjoy, believe in, or even sometimes disagree with, I feel trapped. Blogging helps a little, but I'm hoping to charm an editor into someday falling in love with my work so that I can supplement my income with freelance writing. I love to write, and I feel as though I'm pretty good at it. All these years of personifying nerd-dom have to be worth something at least! And so, here I go, tapping away at the keyboard, hoping someone will be somewhat interested in what I have to say. I must be persistent. The problem with being persistent, however, is that it is difficult to keep going back to something you aren't certain you can make a success. It is so amazingly daunting to try to convince myself that someone out there will like my writing enough to pay me to do so. I know I have to have confidence, but I am terrified of being overconfident. Really, I'm terrified of failing. Over, and over again. That is what persistence is: hanging in there when you keep failing; over, and over, and over. HOWEVER, I am now putting my big girl panties on and looking fear in the face! Bring it on fear! Bring it on failure! I will be Thomas Edison! I will find a whole bunch of ways not to make a lightbulb! I'm ready for all of you, keyboard in hand, ready to roll- just watch me!

Not Just Recycling

Recycling- it's the responsible thing to do. We sort our waste items and place them neatly by the side of the road to be whisked away to the facilities where they are converted into other usable items. For most people, this is where it stops, but have you ever taken the time to look at that cute little logo? It has three arrows which form a continuing triangle. These three sides represent the words reduce, reuse, recycle. "Sure," you say, "I already know that. Get to the point." My point is simply this: when was the last time you really thought about what those words mean? Our responsibilities don't just stop at putting sorted refuse out for pickup. Reducing our usage means everything, because even with recycling, energy is used to convert these materials from one thing to another. That energy largely comes from fossil fuels and we already know that these fuels are not beneficial to our atmosphere! Using less seems like such a burden in our society, which is fueled by the mantra "buy, buy, buy!". This is where we can make the biggest difference though, because with less consumption comes less production of goods, thus prolonging our natural resources. Then there's Reuse. Americans are snobs, let's face it. We want our things to match, to blend, to look as we want them to. Some of us even use designer clothes, housewares, etc. because we're REALLY cool kids. But what happens when we throw that to the wind? Let's do something creative with the things we're done with. You can call it art if it makes you feel better. It is amazingly empowering to feel like you're really doing your part to make our planet better for ourselves and our generations to come. So try it already!

Celebrations that don't break the bank!

Here we go... October is coming, and both my eldest son and my husband have birthdays coming up! Halloween's coming too, and my hubby's birthday is on the same day! I know there are a lot of moms out there right now who aren't letting their kids go trick-or-treating because the church says this holiday is evil. I say, P-shaw. Pagan traditions have infiltrated Christian holidays for every major religious celebration for hundreds of years. If you're gonna be that way, go big, or go home. No Christmas tree. No eggs or bunnies at easter! My opinion (and that's just what it is... everyone is entitled to their own) is that our traditions aren't as important as what we teach our children. If you teach your kids that spirits are going to come out halloween night and gobble everyone up, well, you're stupid. But letting your kids pilfer some well screened and individually sealed candy from trusted neighbors while dressing up in a cute lil' costume? I see no harm in that. But I digress. It's my husband's birthday too, and so I have to balance the two, which can get a little difficult at times. Still, I am undaunted in my resolution for all of my october celebrations to be great! This year though, I think I will look to more natural, whole, and healthy foods. My goal is to make a cake that is a sweet treat, but not full of refined garbage. Will keep you posted on that! My day is beginning now... peace out!

Perpetual Tiredness... Will It Last Forever?

Yeah, the title is me whining about being tired all the time. Somehow, unless I take enough B vitamins to turn my pee the color of plutonium, I am always tired. Will someone explain to me how this wonderful life is sucking itself out of me?? Sheesh. That said, I would like to discuss some of the factors that I believe to be at work for all of us, not just me, and a list of things I think might help. Disclaimer... I may not in fact do everything I list here because, let's face it, I just have too much stuff on the to do list. But here I go.

1) I sleep on a crappy bed. Really crappy. Indian guru sleeping on a spikey wire bed crappy. However, a new bed is not affordable at the moment. Therefore, it is my goal to discover how to make my bed comfy on a budget. Any advice would be appreciated.

2) Earlier bedtimes for all. Even mommy. No, really. (I type this comment at 11:30 at night.) It's not like I don't get enough sleep, but I guess if the quality is going to suck out loud, I may as well increase the quantity.

3) Boost my immune system a bit. Maybe no NOS tank, but maybe turbocharge it a bit. So I am going to attempt a regimen of echinacea, vitamins, and green tea daily. I will keep you posted. Here's hoping for some success.

4) All this being said, I live on the Gulf Coast near an oil spill area. Now, I don't wanna play that blame game, but ever since then, everyone down here has had respiratory and digestive problems, and increased stress too... to say the least I would say it has aggravated some problems. What to do about this? You got me. The best I can do is to say that I am cutting as many chemicals out of my life because I (sneaky me) have postulated that if I must be exposed to some chemicals I cannot eliminate from my life, I will get the ones I can!

5) I will try my dead level best to not sweat the small stuff. This is a big deal for me, but we're gonna do our best!

Just shut up and be happy!

I found myself today in a conundrum, as I do most every day... should I feel guilty about the store brand tater tots in the oven? I know they're not organic, or even good for us AT ALL, but shouldn't some things being good for the soul count? I washed the kids in organic natural shampoo after we got all sweaty and dirty playing catch in the yard, and faithfully made sure my son did all his homeschool assignments in a timely fashion. Why then do I have guilt that I am snacking on prepackaged tots playing Nintendo with my kids? So what if Mount Textile will have to wait just one more day to be relegated to the drawers and cabinets? I refuse to spend my life on the mundane. My children deserve to remember how great their childhood was, not how controlled and sterile it was! On the other hand, I wrestle with whether or not I am giving them enough structure... sheesh, it's enough to make your head spin! The conclusion I came to was that I needed to shut up and be happy, no matter what I'm doing, or how imperfect I am. If we are all curled up on the couch being veggies instead of eating them, that's ok for the moment. I promise I will make another batch of whole grain oatmeal raisin muffins in the morning. After I have my coffee.