Product reviews, parenting articles, and advice for first-time moms from the experiences of real-life mommies.

Why do I have that Kermit the Frog song in my head all of a sudden? “It’s not easy being green…” hmmm

Sorry, sometimes mommy brains get off track. What I wanted to write about was being green – as in “save the earth” kind of stuff.

Just recently I started recycling plastic and glass (I was already recycling paper – that was a hold over from my school teacher days). I figured if they were going to pick it up at my curb, how much easier could it get? So I invested $6 into 3 cute little milk crates from Target to put on the floor of my pantry to receive plastic, paper, and glass. Kate’s even gotten into it now and will even occasionally donate some of her ‘unwanted’ artwork (our house is LITTERED with her artwork, literally) to the recycle bin.

Now, I know that there are LOTS more things to do to help the planet, but I figure starting with baby steps (like replacing incandescent bulbs with fluorescents) is the only way to really get there.

So, here’s two different articles I’ve just read that give great advice on things you can do to start at your house. I won’t be jumping on the cloth diaper bandwagon anytime soon (sorry Gabby), but there’s plenty of other things that I can and WILL do that make an impact, too.

This article, “How I became a green mom” is a great article filled with practical ideas and less condemnation than I’ve felt from an environmental piece in ages. And don’t forget to read to the very bottom where she lists “25 ways to be a Green Mama or Papa”. Great stuff.

And just to honor my beautiful friends, Cheri and Gabby, here’s a link to a page all about how to use vinegar to clean just about everything you can think of. (In fact, I just used some vinegar in my laundry this morning with a bunch of towels that STANK of spoiled milk. They smelled so bad that my whole house stank this morning when I got up! And now? Clean as a whistle!!) Great thing about vinegar is that it’s not only a greener way to clean, but it’s also MUCH more cost-efficient, too!

What about you? What’s your baby step towards helping the environment? Do you have an easy suggestion to share with a bunch of busy moms??