Becoming a Green Mama

What better way to pass on the "green-ness" than to raise your kids to be green? This week we introduced my daughter to food. No we didn't run to the store and stock up on Gerber veggies and fruits. And no we didn't immediately add rice cereal to her bottles or force feed her oatmeal. You know what we did? We handed her an AVOCADO. That's right, we just cut it in half, took out the pit and told her to go to town :) She LOVED it!

 It's amazing what kinds of food we have right in front of us! They don't require blending, baking, seasoning or sifting! They are right there for us to grab! Watching my daughter have her very first food make that hit home for me. If you think about what was in that avocado compared to what's in a Big Mac, it's crazy that we choose the sandwich over the fruit. (is an avocado a fruit or veggie??) An avocado is the MOST complete protein you can eat, and you can eat it in less time than it takes you to order and consume a horribly greasy sandwich! Think about that next time you're in the drive thru :)

Going Green

So many people these days are interested in being organic, living green, and being healthy. The try to eat better foods, or avoid harmful chemicals, but in reality we all need to do a LOT more to go green. It takes discipline, dedication, and a willingness to give up numerous things that many individuals take for granted! For example, how many things can you find in your home that are not biodegradable? Those organic mushrooms you bought at the supermarket; did they come in a styrofoam container or cardboard?? That organic juice you drank on your way to work; was it a plastic bottle or organic fiber? There are so many little conveniences in our daily lives that we don't even consider when we try to be healthy. Living green isn't just about eating the right foods and cleaning with the right products. It's about giving the earth back what you take from it! Green mamas, we need to teach our children how to garden, how to eat right, and how to give back. How to use paper instead of plastic. How to use what the earth gives us instead of manufacturing and wasting by needing technology. It may sound like a hippie ideal, but if we work with each other and work with generations to come, going green may be easier than we thought!