Welcome to the May 2014 Natural Living Blog Carnival: Green Moms.
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Natural Living Blog Carnival hosted by Happy Mothering and Crunchy Farm Baby through the Green Moms Network. This month, our members are talking about how they take time to care for themselves. Stop by all of the posts to get green ideas on how you can take better care of yourself .
To be honest, I wasn't an overly green mom when my children were little. Oh sure, I cloth diapered, breastfed, and made my own baby food, but I didn't know enough about toxins to avoid them in my home. I should have known better, since I suffered from Epstein Barr Virus Syndrome and fibromyalgia which was triggered by chemical exposure, but I guess I was just too trusting. If a cleaning product was on the market, surely it was safe. Right? If detergent said it was gentle and perfect for cloth diapers, it must be. Right? If fabric softener showed a picture of a cuddly teddy bear, it must be the right choice for baby clothes. Right? Wrong. But I just didn't know.
 |
| Don't let the smiles fool you. We were loaded with toxins! |
Besides all of that, my husband at the time worked at a chemical company and brought home all those nasty toxins five days a week. It wasn't until a couple of years before he died that a doctor determined the chemicals were the main source of my health problems and we started isolating them as much as possible. Jim took his car to work and I stopped riding in it. He did his own laundry, so the girls' and my clothing were no longer washed with his. As my exposure to the toxins from Neville Chemical Company was lessened, so were my symptoms. I regained strength in my arms and legs as I dealt with a reduction in pain. Yet, I still didn't realize the connection to the toxins I used for cleaning, laundry, and other household tasks. I cooked with Teflon. I washed windows with Windex. I whitened clothes with bleach. I let Calgon take me away . . . nearly every day. Yikes! I developed asthma when I was 27 and still didn't make the connection.
Now I'm a grandma and my daughters are much wiser moms than I was. Their children aren't subjected to the same toxins I exposed them to. And I'm much wiser, too.
How do I take care of myself these days? While I still relish my hot baths for relaxation and relief from my fibromyalgia pain, I no longer dump a cupful of toxins in the tub. Instead, I reach for the apple cider vinegar or baking soda. When I wash my hair, a bunch of harmful chemicals no longer stream down my body. Instead, I either no poo (click here to find out what that's all about) or I use zero toxin shampoos. I've even stopped dying my hair and guess what? I'm actually liking the gray.
What I'm not liking are the wrinkles associated with too much sunning when I was young (if you're still doing it, let me warn you, it will catch up with you). I just can't embrace those frown lines. But I also can't go the route of high-priced wrinkle creams that are loaded with carcinogens, etc. So I either reach for the coconut oil or, in recent days, I massage some moringa oil on my face and neck, hoping that someday I'll see some positive results. Either way, I'm keeping it safe and healthy, and mommas -- isn't that much more important?
We all need pampering sometimes. But there's the safe way and the not-so-safe way. Here's hoping you choose wisely.
Keeping it toxin-free and green,
Visit Happy Mothering and Crunchy Farm Baby to learn more about participating in next month’s Natural Living Blog Carnival! Please take some time to enjoy the posts our other carnival participants have contributed:
I am really interested in trying no-poo! Maybe this summer I need to really delve into this venture.
ReplyDeleteYou'll love it! Especially the money you'll save. :-)
DeleteI feel so fortunate that my children are being raised in the age of the internet. Without such easy access to information, I fear my children would have been raised around too many chemicals like I was.
ReplyDeleteI'm still amazed that I did make some wise choices back then (cloth diapering, breast feeding, making baby food, etc.) since there was little support for such things. Many were done for economic reasons, but hey, I'll take it!
DeleteMy mom, much like me, is a woman of convenience. Thankfully we've both mended our ways and we've been able to bounce healthier lifestyle choices off of each other to improve the health of my children.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful for you, Shary, that your mom is on board, too!
DeleteWow! Isn't it amazing some of the things people used and did before we knew better? I'm always a bit, I don't want to say hesitant, but afraid, perhaps (?) when people ask me about certain things. Cloth diapers are usually a fun conversation starter. I always expect people to think I'm nuts, but I'm finding more and more people are interested in living greener lifestyles and choose better products etc. for their children, which is exciting!
ReplyDeleteI'm the opposite. I'm so used to being around people who care about the environment and the health of their families, that I'm shocked when I smell fabric softener on someone's clothing or see them giving their kids diet soda! Commercials really throw me!!
DeleteThis was just wonderful for me to read right now. We're struggling with family members fighting our natural parenting choices, namely because it's so different than what they did. "Learn better to do better" isn't really clicking for them. I'm so happy for your family that you are able to be a Green Grandma!! Makes me a little jealous! :D
ReplyDeleteDon't be jealous. Just be glad you can raise a new generation who does know better!
DeleteI really feel the need for those of us who are older to teach the younger women in this area - its sad that the statistics show our children will not outlive us with the present toxic load and terrible diet. Great post, thanks!!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Amy. Thanks for taking the time to comment and for caring about the children.
DeleteI wish I had grown up in a green home, but I do agree that more info is available now with the internet. I hope that I am teaching my kids about toxins and how to avoid them so that they can teach their families and so on!
ReplyDeleteI love hearing my grandchildren asking questions like, "Is there artificial dye in that?" and "Is that organic?" The kids are so much more conscious these days. :-)
Delete