Creating a pattern..one small step at a time.

When Ben and I became parents we realized that the lifestyle we live today will create a pattern for the rest of Reagan's life. That's a pretty big responsibility that we definitely don't take lightly. We started brainstorming on different areas of our lives that we could improve now that would benefit Reagan in the future. We created several items that we want to implement/change over the next year. Some items take more planning and effort than others. To give myself a fair shot, I want to allow an adequate amount of time to adjust to avoid frustration and ultimately failure.

Our first was our health. So, we created a weekly meal plan and decided to give up sugars and carbs for a month. Not only did we feel great but as a result but we also lost weight in the process. Double bonus! With our new found energy, we started going for walks every night. Of course Emmy and Reagan loved this part of the deal! We are both committed to eating better and avoiding fast food. My goal is for Reagan to never experience a Happy Meal....it may sound cruel but I just don't feel good about her ingesting that crap. While I know I still have years until this becomes an issue, do any moms have advice on how to handle the Mickey D's (or other fast food restaurants for that matter) craze? What do you do when a friend has their birthday party there? Not go? Bring your own food? I'm so Type A that I'm already planning and thinking how to handle.

This past weekend we had friends over and one asked if we recycled.....ugh. I begrudgingly replied no....although I have always intended to....I just never got around to it. I am happy to say though that Ben called the city this morning and our recycling bin is ordered and should be on its way to our house within two weeks! I'm excited to teach Reagan about recycling when she gets older. I still remember learning the 3 Rs in elementary: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Twenty years later, and I'm finally putting it into action. Shame on me but better late than never.

We already use cloth diapers (which I would totally recommend!), but I've been debating for months now about making my own wipes. I've had the recipe ready to go but have been held up on the convenience factor. While I'm honestly still not 100% committed to this step yet, I am willing to give it a go. Seeing how much money we spend each month on wipes as well as how fast our trashcans fill up with them, is motivation enough to give this a try. I'll let you know how it turns out.

This isn't a huge step and again, something I've been intending to do for quite some time now but just haven't....get rid of my plastic bags and use reusable bags for my grocery shopping.

Having a young one has also made us aware of chemicals in our house and the products that we use daily. We keep our cleaning supplies up on a top shelf in our laundry room but it's still a scary thought to think about her ever getting into them. I also now worry about the stench that is left behind when I clean while she's in the same room. If it's a strong smell for me then it must definitely be intrusive to her. While I'm not going to go crazy and throw away all of our cleaning supplies (I'm way too cheap to do that!), my goal is to begin making my own all natural cleaning solvents as I empty our current ones. I've already found several great recipes but am open to any recommendations or tips.

I'm excited to begin this process and feel good that I'm working to create a better future for our daughter. Like I mentioned earlier, this is going to be a slow process (I'm giving myself a year!), but I'm planning to blog throughout the journey. Any advice, tips, recommendations and suggestions are welcome to make this green walk a success!