An interesting article, if a little over stereotypical in it’s attempt to be the opposite. Yes, AA was started by middle class, middle aged, white guys. Yes, the language from the Big Book doesn’t speak directly to us. But (big fat but), the program has a solution for us, too. Especially, with the help of a supportive sponsor, other women in the program, and a few other materials, such as A Woman’s Way through the Twelve Steps and The Little Read Book for Woman.
Why They Drank: After Accident, Other Alcoholic Moms Tell Their Stories – Diane Schuler

        

So here’s my question of the day: If we become alcoholics after gastric bypass (or other WLS) surgery and then call it “addiction transfer,” aren’t we shortchanging ourselves from proving that we suffer from a medically-based disease? I think we are…what do you think? For the record, I don’t deny the very obvious psychological components intertwined in all addiction, which is why a spiritual antidote is necessary. But, I truly believe that there must be a medical explanation to what has happened.

        

Uh, no. Just a little Internet research will tell you that Natural Flavors are, in fact, created by scientists in labs. Because something is synthesized or created in a laboratory does not necessarily make it evil or bad for you. However, it does make one wonder how safe our food labeling is if MSG can be hidden with the less frightening term “natural flavors.”

The more I read about our food supply chain (reading now: “Recipe for America: Why Our Food System is Broken and What We Can Do to Fix It”) the more I realize how out of control it is. And the more I want to get back to a place where my family eats real, whole food.

For more information on eating gardening or local and whole foods, check out:

• http://www.lavidalocavore.org/
• http://beginningfarmers.org/
• http://www.goodenoughgardening.com/
• http://livingliberally.org/eating/
• http://www.growingfoodguide.com/
• http://www.livablefutureblog.com/

        

My family has been making a slow, but steady progression away from keeping up with Jones’ and working towards becoming (sometimes kicking and screaming)  a happy and well family that believes in loving the planet, keeping things simple, and getting real.  I’m still a working parent that makes a living trying to get people to believe they need my product to make their businesses thrive. I still let my kids watch Blu-Ray movies and play video games. I will not stop dyeing my hair (I’m getting a pink streak in honor of my 40th birthday next week…so there). I wear makeup. I still have 2 cars (3, if you count the POS commuter we bought for almost nothing). Sometimes I even forget my reusable bags and have to get paper or plastic at the grocery story. But (big BUT), for the most part, we are trying to do our share to lessen the load and lighten our footsteps on our overworked Mother Earth. And we’re trying to do it without becoming environmental elitists (because, dude, we just don’t have the money for that route) or biting off more than we can chew.

How does a post-consumerist, reformed brand nazi, shoe loving, gadget toting, Mom of the Millennium make amends to our planet, become a frugal rock star and start back on the green and narrow? One little step at a time. I’ve decided to share some of our ups and downs with you here. What’s working for us and what is not. Maybe you can share with me some of the things that are working for you. I do want to share our latest projects which include the two biggest and most life changing: the simplification and organization of our little cottage AND our new organic veggie and cutting garden. This stuff is all new to me and I’m very excited about all of it. But those posts will have to wait.

Since I promised little steps, I thought I’d start with an easy and very necessary step: bath, body and beauty. Using natural bath, body and beauty products does not have to be an expensive luxury reserved for the wealthy or the occasional splurge of normal folk, such as myself. As a woman and a mother I have to clean and beautify not only myself, but my kids (and the hubby, too). So over the last several months I have been slowly replacing our toiletries and other bath/body goodies with more green and gentle versions. In a perfect world, I’d be able to afford only Origins products and be on my merry way. Unfortunately, I’m not that lucky. Fortunately, there are many great and affordable products out there I can use and even buy at my local Fred Meyer. I’ve jotted down just a few things below to help give you an idea of grocery store ready items you can start using to replace some of your every day stuff. In a post next week, I will share with you some of the amazing handcrafted cosmetics and bath/body goods that are available, as well as how to get started making some goodies on your own.

Bath and Body:

• Burt’s Bees Orange Essence Facial Cleanser
• Burt’s Bees Herbal Deodorant
• Burt’s Bees Green Tea Collection Kit – shampoo, conditioner, soap
• Tom’s of Maine Natural Whole Care Anticavity & Tartar Control Plus Whitening Gel Fluoride Toothpaste, Peppermint, (Pack of 6 is much cheaper)
• Tom’s of Maine Natural Anticavity Fluoride Toothpaste for Children, Silly Strawberry

Makeup:

• Kiss My Face Organics Under Age Ultra Moisturizer (Pack of 3)
• Organic Wear Tinted Moisturizer Light to Natural
• Organic Wear Natural Loose Powder – Translucent Light
• Burt’s Bees – Lip Shimmer – Rhubarb
• Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Duo Eye Shadow, Hazel Eyes Organics (Pack of 2) – my eyes are blue, but I like this eyeshadow anyway
• Ecco Bella Brown Mascara

Learn more:

• Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life

        

My families’ Earth Day 2009 pledge is to start composting and get our organic veggie garden up and growing. I’d like to keep both projects simple and easy to maintain. I know that all worthwhile endeavors take time and effort, but I would like the kids (and me) to enjoy and look forward to working in our little veggie garden and creating rich soil from scraps and clippings. I’m going to take pictures and share our little journey here. Below are some of the resources I’ve found to get us started on our projects this weekend:

Composting:

• http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/homecompost/building.html
• http://journeytoforever.org/compost.html
• http://www.howtocompost.org/
• http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/composting/index.htm
• http://vegweb.com/composting/
• http://www.thegardenofoz.org/composting101.asp
• http://sustainable.tamu.edu/slidesets/kidscompost/cover.html (for kids)

Organic veggie garden:

• http://organicgardening.about.com/od/startinganorganicgarden/a/newgarden.htm
• http://www.gardenguides.com/how-to/tipstechniques/vegetables/veggie.asp
• http://www.wikihow.com/Start-an-Organic-Garden
• http://www.ehow.com/how_137608_prepare-organic-vegetable.html
• http://gardeninglaunchpad.com/kids.html (huge list of links for gardening with kids)
• http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s-2-10-1577,00.html (with kids)

        

In light of all the scary news we’re seeing in the media today, I would like to remind you to search within in yourself to find the beauty waiting there. Life is not without its struggles (does Cobra really have to cost $1000/mo?) and hurdles, but I refuse to be defined by my pain and failures. My life is filled with beauty regardless of whether or not the stock market tanks today. My dear friend, Pat, sent me this slide show and I would like to share it with you:

If you can’t see the slide presentation, please click here.

        

So my biggest problem has always been laziness. And low self esteem. Laziness and low self esteem. Those two character traits combined can turn procrastination into an art form. At times, I have been paralyzed by it. At worst, it’s helped to create a myriad of disorder and financial chaos around me. To battle these conditions, I thought I should read more. I have read books, ebooks, audio books, blogs, and magazines on organization, productivity, creativity, simplicity, and motivation. I’ve tried egg timers, sink scrubbing, box labeling, sorting, you name it. I never got very far. I could spend all weekend on a project, just to watch it turn into a bigger mess over the week. I felt helpless and hopeless over the financial and physical mess I created around myself.

As I was approaching my 4th year sober, I took a good long look at my life and the progress I had made. Still sober? Check. Kids happy? Check. Marriage strong? Check. Doing step work? Check. Doing well at work? Check…sort of (I could definitely put some more effort in there). House comfortable and cozy? No way. Cleaning up financial wreckage of the past? Not even close. And the worse it got, the less I wanted to deal with it. But I finally came to the conclusion that I had to do something. I couldn’t be paralyzed by my own fear of failure or by all the ideas flying around in my head. What did I do, you ask… I started with one box of accumulated clutter. I started chipping away at the mess by facing it. I know that modeling is the oldest parenting cliche’ in the book, but I’m here to yell you that it works. I can yell at my son to celan up his room until my eyeballs explodes and he will bitch and complain for days (and still not clean his room). But make some headway in the familyroom and suddenly he’s all gungho about organizing his books and sorting through old toys for the Mom’s Program.

And then, something happened. My husband was let go from his job. Instead of the world falling apart, the world sort of came together. I have my partner back. We’re a team again (rich in love, poor in money?). And we are kicking ass, my friends. Slowly, biting of a little at a time and getting our family, our home and our finance back in order. Not all at once, but a slow, focused movement forward. The change on my family is phenomenal. It’s beautiful. I know the economy is shit (you should see our Cobra bill) and I have a lot of anxiety wrapped up in it. But. My family is thriving. My whole family. We are united. Even the family that doesn’t get to be up here with us…we’re stronger than ever. We’ll be so much better than ok. We’ll be grand. How weird is that?

So, what is the secret? Well, what do you think it is? It’s the same thing it’s always been. JUST GET UP AND DO IT! Stop thinking, planning, reading, justifying, and contemplating. Get up off your ass and do it. It’s your life. Live it the way you want to live it. Do. As most worthwhile endeavors in life, it’s not easy to do, but the rewards are immeasurable. It’s been very difficult for me to face my shortcomings and take real inventory of our financial and environmental situations, but I did I was able to move forward. It’s a good feeling.

Links:

• http://www.zenhabits.com
• http://www.mint.com/
• http://www.wisebread.com/
• http://frugalhacks.com/
• http://lifehacker.com/
• http://almostfrugal.com/2009/03/25/frugal-basics-creating-plan/
• http://www.wisebread.com/tips-for-perimeter-perusing-at-target
• http://www.justorganizeyourstuff.org/wealth/financial-and-legal-matters/75-financial-a-legal-matters–articles/104-the-benefits-of-using-personal-money-management-software-
• http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/money/resource-center/recession-guide-4-08/recession-guide.htm?loginMethod=auto
• http://www.thesimpledollar.com/
• http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2008/07/personal-produc.html

        

Now would be a good time to buckle your seat belt, simplify, and hold tightly to those you love most. It’s time, my friends, to relearn gratitude and appreciation for the things we do have. Fear leads to terror, so let’s practice hope and generosity.  This collective change that we are somehow impacted by can and will be a good thing for all of us. But it will get worse before it gets better. I know I sound like a goody goody, but I promise that I have felt the pinch, too (my husband was laid off, my company is needing to be more creative, the school district is threatening to shorten my daughter’s days in school even though she’s already on 1/2 day kindergarten and only attends 4 days a week). I have hope.

Scary Fucking Chart

        

Can I get an “amen,” my friends? Seriously, I’m sure god has better things to do than listen to our political ads and bartering, but this lead in line from a news article this morning gives me more joy than anything:

The turn-out was record high. The voters: a rich palate of American diversity – women, blacks, Hispanics, whites – young people and old.

Can it be that we finally had enough and are truly ready to move on? Can it be that we came together as a nation and said “enough”? We did. We did it, didn’t we? I’m feeling mighty patriotic…and pretty damn hopeful.