Vinegar Friday

TGIVF!  (Thank God it's Vinegar Friday, for the newbies on the site)

Since there are so many new followers of the blog, I thought it would be a good time to reintroduce myself. So, I decided to post Chapter 1 of my book, Vinegar Fridays, "Who is Green Grandma?"

"As I sat down to write this book, it dawned on me that many of you may have never heard of Green Grandma. Who is she? you may be wondering. And what gives her the authority to write a book about vinegar?

Excellent questions! I think it is only fair I answer them for you with a story about how the Green Grandma blog came to be.

It started with the birth of my first grandbaby -- the lovely little Lady Laura -- back in 2008. A couple years prior to that, I was hired to write a series of articles for a pregnancy and infant care newsletter. It was during this time I discovered the horrors, really! of disposable diapers. Between the insane environmental impact of disposables to the hideous risks to children's health (both now and in the future), I knew I had to convince my daughter to use cloth diapers when her baby was born! Being that Jessica is a reasonable young woman who is wise enough to want to do what is best for her child, it didn't take much convincing. Not much at all.

As I was hanging diapers on the line one day, it dawned on me that everything I do to help the environment now, is an investment in Laura's future. So, the process began -- my daughters, Bethany and Jessica, and I started looking into other ways to live greener and healthier lives. Our cupboards started transforming from toxic wastelands to shelves full of vinegar, baking soda and miscellaneous organic products. Our shopping lists changed. Rags replaced paper towels. Soap nuts replaced laundry detergent. Vinegar replaced ... well, as you read on in this book, you will see just how many things vinegar replaced!

In the spring of 2009, my cousin, Kelly, suggested I start a blog. A blog? I thought. Who would want to read about what I think? Well, apparently, a heck of a lot of people, as it turns out. And so, in August of that year, Green Grandma was born. A year later, my second grandbaby, the little Lord Lincoln, joined the family.

That is the story of how Green Grandma started blogging.

As I learned more and more about greener and healthier living, I kept coming across information about vinegar. About 6 months into the blog, I started a weekly feature, called Vinegar Fridays. As I wrote in the forward, there was a mild outcry when I stopped writing about vinegar at the end of each week. Which is why I decided to write this book.

But there is quite a bit more to Green Grandma than just vinegar. On the first anniversary of the blog, which fell on a Vinegar Friday in August, I addressed the question I received from an irate reader who didn't understand why I posted something she didn't think fit the environmental angle of the blog. I explained what my intentions were as Green Grandma.

Green -- I care about the incredible creation God has entrusted to us, His children. While I am not part of any huge environmental activist groups, I am doing what I can to encourage others to make common sense choices in their daily lives that will be beneficial to the environment.

Grandma -- Aha! Here is where the broader spectrum of my blog comes in. As a grandma, I care about more than just the environment. I care about products that can harm children (and adults, as well). I care about marriages, about emotional issues, about health ... the list goes on and on and so do the topics I cover. My goal is to touch your lives in some way with each posting. If I have made you laugh, cry, get angry, toss something in the recycling bin instead of the trash, choose organic and natural products, start using cloth diapers, or tell someone you love them, I have achieved my purpose. Oh, and if you've reached for the vinegar instead of the Windex®, that's an added bonus!

That is who Green Grandma is. And right now, she is itching to share some amazing vinegar tips with you.

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 If you want to find out more about those amazing vinegar tips I mentioned, why not buy a copy of Vinegar Fridays? You'll save the cost of the book easily, with the money-saving tips you'll learn, and your home and life will be healthier and much, much kinder to the environment.

As you can see, the weekly feature, Vinegar Fridays, is back for now. Check in every Friday for new tips and some recycled old ones!

Keeping it green with vinegar,

Hana