I Need My Green... Quest for Spinach?

I realized, towards the end of my maternity leave, that the smell of the Swi.ffer Wet Jet was giving me a headaches... and now I find myself on this quest to be greener.

It's sort of bewildering, and sort of cool.

I didn't expect motherhood to bring this sort of change to me. But I'm happy about it.

One of the choicemoms posted a bunch of "recipes" for various cleaning agents. It sounded very complicated but they are actually ridiculously easy to make, and cheaper than the conventional cleaners to boot!

Tonight I'm making... get this... my own laundry detergent!

Doesn't that make me sound all accomplished and shit?

But seriously, it's grated Dr. Bronner's soap, wash soda, and Borax. That's it. I had to order the wash soda and the Borax from Ama.zon because I didn't know where to find them, but that's hardly a hardship. Actually makes life easier.

I've also made my own glass cleaner and floor cleaner. I need to get another spray bottle and then I'm going to make my own all purpose cleaner.

I'm using Dr. Bron.ner for washing dishes, and my cleaning lady is using a combination of Dr. Bronn.er and baking soda for the bathroom.

It's all so easy. Yet I get to feel virtuous anyway!

I threw away my vinyl shower curtain and just use a cotton shower curtain alone. It's amazing to me but it really does keep water from coming through. When it gets dirty, it goes in the laundry. Easy! I got convinced when my photographer was saying she did it for her home because "vinyl is even worse when it gets heated up by hot water."

I didn't really know that much about vinyl, never mind what it does when it gets heated up, but it didn't sound hard to throw it away, so away it went.

Now I'm researching safer bath toys and am planning to donate some of our plastic/vinyl stuff. It's a weird thing, though, to ask a friend, "do you want any of the toys that I have decided are too toxic for my baby?"

I'm reading a book called Healthy Chil.d, Heal.thy World. It's pretty interesting and not too preachy.

Next up: I'm considering getting rid of my inexpensive bedroom rug for something without glue.

PS The title is a reference to a rockin' camp song the boys' camp used to sing. I don't suppose any of you know it?

PPS I have a new camera but am having trouble getting it to download photos so that's why there's no recent shots of Calliope... maybe tomorrow night. That's what I say every night, unfortunately!