Doing the "Kermit the Frog" Thing

About a year and a half ago, a friend in my mom's group gave me a stash of cloth diapers. Having no clue how to use them or wash them, I started hanging out on a cloth diapering website, where I got bitten by the "green" bug. I discoverd a whole new world of simple and budget-friendly ways to go green. As a Christian, I believe we are called to be good stewards of the earth, and have made several simple lifestyle changes towards that end:

1. I use cloth....almost everything! I do NOT buy paper towels. I use old dish cloths for cleaning (they work so much better than paper). We use cloth diapers AND wipes. We use cloth wipes as Kleenex and face rags. (I just bought my first box of Kleenex in a year, but I had a coupon I couldn't resist!)

2. I make my own household cleaners using vinegar, baking soda, borax, and essential oils. This is better for my family's health (I clean the bathroom with my girls in the tub with no fear of harmful fumes), for my home, and waaaaay better on my wallet! Plus, I'm reusing two plastic bottles over and over instead of buying new ones all the time.

3. I don't flush every time I use the toilet. I know this may sound gross, but there are MANY times when my daughter uses the toilet and doesn't use tp; it seems a waste to flush then. Or overnight when I don't want to wake the peanut sleeping adjacent to the bathroom...so I save both water and sleep:)

4. We are converting slowly to energy-efficient light bulbs.

5. Did you know you're supposed to recycle ALL batteries? I save old batteries in a box til I have a bunch, then recycle them at my local battery store.

6. I recycle, recycle, recycle! In my pantry I have four garbage cans where I sort pop cans, tin cans and glass, plastic, and paper. These then get dumped into several large cans in the garage. When they fill up, my darling husband trucks them all to the recycling center.

7. I started composting this fall. I'm excited to try vegetable gardening again, and would love to do it organically. I tried vegetables last summer, but it was a monumental flop. I'll give it one more try:)

For more going-green ideas and giveaways check out http://www.gograhamgo.com/ and http://www.jollymom.com/