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Science_spot with her two daughters.
Science_Spot recently made the decision to go green in her household and blog about her green living experiment along the way.
This week she talks about how her husband and two daughters have reacted to her natural transition.
I have been making so many changes to the products we buy—my grocery cart does not look the same as it did six months ago! If I were the only one affected by these changes, I would make many more of them, quickly. Some families are matriarchal, so what mom says or does becomes the law. The laws in our house are a joint effort from mom AND dad, which means every change I make has to get by dad.
In many cases, this has been easy. Every product that has to do with personal hygiene (for myself and the kids) is my domain. I make all the product selections and put them into use. I have switched out many products: nail care, hair care, soap, and bubble bath. None of these affect my husband, so there was no resistance whatsoever to these changes, aside from his concern for our budget. He was very supportive the night we spent 40 minutes in the organic section of a grocery store while I read every product label before settling on Aubrey Organics shampoo and conditioner.
Cleaning supplies and laundry detergent are another story. My husband does a little cleaning and laundry, so changes made here could not be cumbersome or there was a chance he wouldn't use them. He was not happy when I threw out the Comet, Formula 409, and other chemical-laden cleaners. I stocked up on vinegar and other more natural alternatives, bought many scrubbing tools, and made a nice chart explaining how and where to use them. I wasn't sure how well that would go over, but he adapted very well and doesn't even mind the vinegar smell anymore. Our first experiment with an alternative laundry detergent was surprisingly successful, and 'll write more about that in the future.
Making changes to our food has not been my priority, but we have been more conscious of what we eat and made some changes. Switching the family's favorite cereals to Kashi brand was not really successful. We did compromise on cereals that contain preservatives but no artificial colors for Abby and dad. Sarah happily eats Kashi with me because she really doesn't know any better. We did hit a huge success with homemade bread and Polaner brand fruit spreads. My husband loves the bread-maker he bought at Christmas and makes bread about five times a week. The Polaner fruit spread has a taste superior to any other commercially made fruit spread, and it does not contain High Fructose Corn Syrup! This is an easy win for all of us.
I was happy to find out that many of our staples were always natural, without colors and preservatives (canned fruits and vegetables, dried pasta, and dairy items). Even night at the dinner table, Abby and I read the ingredients list of some foods we are eating at dinner. She is often asking me if the food has chemicals in it. This process has helped her learn about eating everything in moderation, making choices, and making compromises. I am so lucky to have my family as interested in making healthy changes as I am!
Previously:
Going Green: One CafeMom's Natural Transition
Green Home Experiment: Week 8 (Part 1)
Green Home Experiment: Week 8 (Part 2)
Green Home Experiment: Week 10
Comments (10)
You are doing a great job sticking to it!!! We used Polander fruit spreads if we did not make it ourselves in a health food bakery I worked in about 20 yrs ago (if only I would have continued what I learned). We used natural fructose instead of sugar & natural fruit pectins to make our jams and jellies. Once you are used to the flavor of foods that do not contain all the yucky stuff, you can really taste the difference.
Mom - it's funny, we can already taste the difference in alot of things!
I promise I'm not trying to poke, but you might want to do extra research on your dairy products--many of them are far from clean or pesticide/antibiotic free, even when they claim those things on their label. If I still ate dairy I would do individual research on the farm (hopefully it's a farm and not a factory farm) that I was buying from. Just a tip.
Sounds like things are coming along really well! We love our bread machine too.
aurorabunny - yes, thank you, I am aware about the dairy concerns. I will work on that in the future, but it just isn't within the scope of my project right now! For the food I am trying to just 'passively' remove preservatives and colorants as a start while I work through the beauty product transition.
Your point proves how JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING we own, eat, touch and use is full of chemicals.
:(
Loving the journey!
Loving the journey!