The Popeye Journey

So a few of you have asked how and why I got started on this crunchy journey. Please bare with me as I try to put my thoughts into a coherent blog. It's hard for me to think and type sometimes, especially on something that my mind wanders faster than my fingers. Let's just say, it's a journey to get better at it every. single. day. and to hold myself accountable. (It helps when people are watching.)

My radical "ah-ha" moment happened about 6 months after I gave birth to my oldest, Brother Bear. I had no idea about being a parent. You can raise a child, you can take care of a child, but being an active involved parent is an entirely different thing. I dove head first into the world of "crunchy". My son was formula fed, because I was too ill-informed about breastfeeding and being *good* at it. My son was vaccinated until 2 months, before we were kicked out of the practice for failure to attend a well baby. (Which in turn became a blessing in disguise.) My son sat in the bouncer, the stroller, wore shoes early, etc, etc. But when I missed that third well baby, my life changed. I started researching. Learning. Vaccines first because honestly, they scare monger you into thinking your child will die without them. Next came joining CafeMom, where I joined a lovely group of women, OFAMM, which though I probably burned my bridge because of troubles in my life, I really learned a ton of information from them. I learned about my C/S and pitocin, I learned about organic, vegetarianism/veganism (though I had attempted this before), and more. I learned that just because you're different, doesn't mean you are wrong.

So I started to learn, devour. Obviously.

So what came next? Well, nutrition. I learned that what we thought was variety, wasn't. That you don't need vitamins and pharmaceuticals to take care of your body. That God gave us everything we needed on this earth. I also learned an extraordinary amount about who I am and what my beliefs were. I found God, again. (Eventually, I'd lose him again before this journey was over and find him again another time.)  I learned to trust and pray.

My priorities changed. I wanted to be at home, with my son all the time. I found out I was pregnant. I dove in more. I wanted to be the best mom ever. I decided I wanted to homeschool and live on a farm. (These dreams will be coming true in the next few years.) I want to make everything and use natural cleaners. I want my children to be toxin free if I can do it. I want to be the change I wish to see in the world. I want my children to be better than me. I want my impact to be less negative than my parents and my children less than mine.

So, if you're still with me and not confused. Here's a list of what changes I have made so far:

• breastfeeding
• cloth diapering/cloth wipes
• co-sleeping/bedsharing
• baby led weaning
• baby wearing
• organic eating
• non-toxic household (in the works)
• natural or homemade cleaners
• unschooling for preschool/headstart
• we do not have cable or television, just movies. 
•  home-cooked food 
• we only have one vehicle and only use it for PaPa Bear to go to work and for big errands
• we ride the local transit and use a "hobo cart" for groceries
• we like to shop at the farmers market!

(I am almost positive this list needs additions to it, but at this time I can only come up with these!)

My life is anywhere from perfect. My dreams are still in the distance. But I can attain anything I set my mind too! I can teach my children to be better stewards of this one earth we have by doing it myself. I think not only of myself and my children, but the future generations of my family. The world we are currently living in isn't one I would want to continue. I want change for the better. They say to "never look back". I disagree. I think we haven't looked back enough to see what really worked. We naively believe that progress is important. But what about when progress has hit it's maximum. When it starts becoming harmful to our surroundings. I think we're really reaching that point.

Someone mentioned to me in a group that before God sent Noah to build the ark and flood the lands that they were playing around with hybrid foods. I of course, do not know if this is true. But the thought of this being true scares me. We play "God" with everything in our world. From our food supply to the way we treat others. If we don't start being better stewards of ourselves and children, then I fear we aren't learning from our past.

Which brings me to Monsterto Monsanto.

Our food should NOT be cross bred with anything. It shouldn't be doused with chemicals that require the applicant to wear a full body suit. It shouldn't travel 500 zillion miles. And it shouldn't be grown out of season. We have all the resources to have a backyard or container garden. We shouldn't be eating food made out of just three (3) major products. Can you say this with me.

"Though I have 50 cereal options, they are all made with the same thing"

This goes for our cereal, our macaroni and cheese, our pasta, our flour, our etc. etc. etc. If you look at the list of these ingredients, there is no difference between brand A and brand B (or C, D, E or F). We need to wake up to what they are feeding us. Meat with radiation? Pink slime isn't new. We want to have a major outcry, but don't commit.

These are things that have caused me to make changes! For my children. My journey to being green is for my children. My grandchildren, great grandchildren and any others that follow in that list. I want them to make the most informed decision with all the information they can muster. I don't want them to be dependent on a government that doesn't really care about their best interest because they aren't in the top 10 %. I want them to know how to be self-sufficient. I want them to make educated decisions. I want them to learn to be frugal and safe and can in case of a zombie apocalypse so that they never have to worry about food supplies being tainted or unsafe.

So these are the reasons, though jumbled, why I choose to learn how to become green. Why I cloth diaper and use a clothesline. Why I breastfeed. Why I learn and grow. It's a constant evolution. Never settling and never ending.

I should also mention. I do most of these because they just feel *right*.

Hollea