Adventures in Living Simply:

I know, I haven't blogged in, what was that? 7 months? Oh, right. Who knows if this is going to stick, but seriously, I constantly think of things I could blog about and so why not just start and see?

Since I first embarked on super healthy eating 2009, I have become fairly interested (ahem) obsessed with ways to eat better, live simpler, and be, well, greener.There are some things which are pretty natural for me, like using cloth bags at the grocery store, recycling, cold-water washing. And things which are much more difficult for me to even want to commit to, like shorter showers, trying cloth diapering,or cutting out scented laundry detergents! (Though I have done this, and making your own detergent is actually super simple once you find all the ingredients!) And for whatever I do and don't do, I really spend A LOT of time thinking about, reading about, and making lists about ways for our little family to be a little more earth friendly.


And don't even get me started on the food we eat and how many chemicals and pesticides and the-awful-for-you everything that somehow appears on all our produce. Seriously, just give this a read and tell me it's not at least a wee bit motivating!

Anyways, there are so many things I want to work on in my home, and so, I give to you, my live simple list for the summer of 2010:

1. Gradually replace all plastic storage with glass. Obviously throwing out the plastic stuff would defeat the purpose of being kind to the environment, so I plan to use them for other things, like crayons and jewelery and little kiddy toys. I'd also like to find alternatives for ziploc bags. I've read about ways to make some, now if I could just figure out how to use my sewing machine! 

2. Grow a little container garden-for the first time ever. That is, if Calgary decides it's going to bother with spring this year.

3. Start getting rid of things we don't use or need. Seriously, is it just my house that seems so cluttered, all the time? I was motivated by a blogger ,who of course I can't seem to now find, who decided to get rid of 10 things that she had no use for. And she said it was so easy and ended up doing it all the time. And another blogger who decided to keep only things she loves in her house. Which leads me to...


4. Freecycle: I signed up a while ago, and well, I have yet to use it. For those unfamiliar, it's similar to Craiglist or Kijiji, but everything has to be completely free. You give away things you have no use for, and can pick up things you need from others for free. It's a bit of a waiting game to get started, but check it out here, if you are interested. I think it's a fantastic idea and really want to make use of it this summer.


5. Have a clothing swap: If any of my Calgary friends are interested, please let me know. I keep reading about this and I really think it makes so much sense. Everyone can bring their clothes that they never wear or are just tired of, and we can all take new stuff home with us. Completely free, completely green and completely awesome. Think about it.


6. Finish eliminating cleaners with chemicals from our house. This is actually one area where I have made a ton of progress this year. Homemade laundry soap, all natural homemade cleaning supplies, and all natural soaps for the girls. What I have yet to accomplish: Dishwasher detergent, soaps for David and I, and hand soap. I know that I could just buy green versions of all of these, but I feel like going a step further and actually making them. It is extremely satisfying to know exactly what is in your cleaning products. I tried two versions of homemade dishwasher soap this week and it was a total and complete failure. I'll keep you posted.

7. Buy local and organic as much as we can. This has been difficult for me because let's face it, eating organic is so not cheap. And friends, living in Calgary on one income is not all that easy.
However, I did just discover what seems to be the most amazing company just this week called spud.ca They deliver local(whenever possible) organic produce (and other organic groceries if you so wish) right to your door, free of charge. I just got my first order tonight and sure enough, there was a nice big plastic tub of my produce that I picked. I had no idea where to begin, but for this week I spent $35 (which seems entirely reasonable) and I have a fairly decent selection of organic produce now in my fridge. I do really, really enjoy the farmer's market, but I find that sometimes the prices of organic foods are totally out of reach. I'll keep you posted on whether or not my bin keeps us fed for the week. And if you're with me here in this big concrete city and are interested in giving it a try, let me know because I have a little code for you to get money off on your first 4 orders.

Okay, I'm sure there's more but let's not get carried away, right?

I would love, love, love to know more about what you do or want to do in your own home. (Sometimes seeing that someone else can do it is all I need to get my butt in gear.)

And in case none of the above is remotely interesting to you, here are my two lovely babies. who are so not babies anymore.

Photos taken with iPhone