The Start
It was becoming a parent that changed everything. Being pregnant forced me to slow down and gave me time to think. About what kind of birth I hoped to have, about what kind of mother I wanted to be. About the home environment I would create for my daughter. Motherhood empowered me in a way I had never been empowered before. It changed me for the better.
I first began my organic lifestyle when I was pregnant with my first daughter. I gathered a stack of books that went from the floor all the way past the bedside table. (In case you hadn’t figured it out already–I love books!). I wanted to be super informed on every subject and to consider different approaches to raising the baby I was carrying. As I worked through the stack, reading late into the night, what resonated with me the most was the natural approach. Natural childbirth, baby wearing, co-sleeping, extended breastfeeding, intuitive parenting—these became the foundation of my parenting style.
The natural theme extended to food as well as home products. So I started researching. And the more I learned, the more I switched. Eating organic during my pregnancy extended to eating organic as a nursing mother. When my daughter’s first foods were introduced, I decided to make my own baby food out of organic ingredients, and I used my little hand blender to mix up everything from fresh applesauce to chicken and rice. By the time my second daughter was born, we were well on our way to living a natural and organic lifestyle. She’s never known anything else.
I see organic living as a journey—one that is constantly moving forward as I discover new foods or products. I made some major changes in our home environment when my daughters were little. As a newly single mother, I took a freelance writing job on a parenting column for a local newspaper. The editor asked me to review organic mattresses and other home products. There was no way I could afford an organic mattress (then or now!) but there were other things I could do to clean up our home environment. As it turned out, some of the things we were using every day weren’t that good for us, so I changed them. Conventional cleaning products were replaced with vinegar and baking soda. Conventional makeup was swapped out for natural options that might not come in the same variety of trendy colors, but are better for me since they aren’t loaded with toxic chemicals.
As I continued with my freelance writing job, I began a new piece on the dangers of plastics in our home environment. The results were eye opening and caused a shift in my approach in everything from food storage to toddler dishware as my daughter’s favorite princess plate turned out to be made with the worst kind of plastic.
Over the years, I have continued to educate myself about foods and home and beauty products. The availability of organics has improved which makes this lifestyle much more accessible than it used to be. There is also a lot more education and support for living toxin-free. That really helps my family when making choices that are centered in our organic and natural lifestyle.
You and me
Maybe you are here because you already live an organic lifestyle and are looking for some new tips and recommendations. I’m just like you. I love researching products and learning as much as I can from others. You will find some of my favorites on this blog and some of my new discoveries.
Or maybe you are here because you are thinking about beginning a journey to an organic and natural lifestyle. Maybe, like me, it is your children that have made you think about the products you use every day. There is always something new to learn and try—that’s the exciting part. The greatest reward is that you know you are taking the best care you can of yourself and your family. This gives me peace of mind in a chaotic world.
Weekly Challenge
I am so excited for you to join me on this journey to living organic! With each post, I will include a weekly challenge at the bottom, which I encourage you to take part in. This week’s challenge is to journal about either why you are deciding to go organic or what organic living has done in your life. I love keeping track of my progress — that way you can always look back and see how things have changed over time.
If you have a story to share, leave me a comment below.
Thank you for being here!
xo,
The Faithful Organic