Here's a cool sounding group of which I would like to be a member. Except I'd get kicked out. It's the Fairfield County Holistic Moms Network and I read about them here in the Stamford Advocate recently. Wow. These moms are hard core. How do they manage to live so holistically? I try my best but I am finding it really, really difficult (more on that later).
The group leader, Risa Sloves is a lovely woman. I know because I met her once at a Fairfield County Mompreneurs meetup.
From the article: "Asked what a holistic life entails, Sloves, who has been with the group since the start, says it can mean different things to different people, but at its base it is about providing the safest, healthiest and most natural environment in which to raise a family. That means exploring organic foods, green living, holistic therapies, home schooling, natural childbirth and other topics."
Here's my question for you...how holistically do you live? With Earth Day around the corner, I'm curious about your interest in living green. Do you care? Do you even try? I know I try to eat organic when possible but it's EXPENSIVE and hard to find. Plus, sometimes it's just easier to nuke some nuggets and call it a day.
I try to clean with green products, but I find most of them well, suck. So Clorox Clean Up usually does the trick.
Finally, natural childbirth? No thanks. I Yepidurals.
Don't get me wrong, I truly care about our environment and my family's health. I just find it difficult to live holistically every day. Do you?
www.home.homewebs.com/hmnfairfieldctyct/
www.home.homewebs.com/hmnfairfieldctyct/
8 comments:
My biggest thing is that I'm a fanatic about recycling. I bug my kids and my husband to put every possible recyclable thing in the bin. Then I put the overloaded bins in my Range Rover and drive them to the curb, which prompted my husband to ask if I see the irony in that... :) Ah well, we all do what we can, right?
I don't think I'd make it as a member, either. I do, though, admire these women who put such effort into green living.
I agree with the anonymous commenter. I think this is a very challenging way to live, especially for moms with small kids. I imagine, though, that these women have done their research and totally feel that the effort is worth it. I try to recycle and buy organic, but I definitely draw the line at homeschooling and natural childbirth.
It is hard to live perfectly green. I used to shop organic all the time, but my finances changed and I had to loosen my rules. Dairy products and some fruits I still buy organic because conventional versions are just too toxic over time, I think.
Thanks for the tip on this group though! I would like to learn more (and do more). The more people who convert to a natural lifestyle that considers the impact on the environment, the less expensive it becomes, right?
There is no such thing as perfectly holistic or green! As a member of the Holistic Moms Network, I can say that we are all just trying to live greener and healthier. Some are better at it than others, but every little thing we can do helps. HMN is all about learning and supporting each other in these choices and there is no test for how holistic you are to be a member!
I'm not a 100% holistic mom! I just care for the world we live in and for my family. Reading your comments it sounds to me like it is an effort to be "green". Well, it is not! It's a habit! When you start something new it takes a while to get used to it and it can seems difficult the first few days but then every gesture becomes routine! Plus: monkeys see monkeys do....think about it...if your kids see you recycling or eat healthy or save water they will automatically do the same. They won't have to learn how to be green they just will be. I moved to CT from Italy one year ago, believe me to be "green" here is much, much easier! In Italy everything organic or eco-friendly is very expensive making it very difficult to become a common practice. Organic food at the supermarket is very overpriced in Italy, I was buying fruits and veggies from a local farm together with some friends so we could get better prices and have everything delivered at one place to reduce car pollution and it was still expensive!. Here I find excellent organic goods at the supermarket that are just a little bit more expensive than regular things (or sometimes are the same price: Stop & shop's organic brand "Nature promise's" is an excellent example). Here you have an incredible choice of eco-friendly detergents (Method being my favorite ever...those products really give you the same results as traditional detergents and spread a wonderful smell all over the house!!!). In Italy I used to make my own detergents because those few things you found at the supermarket are too expensive (by the way if anyone is interested in do it yourself detergents let me know and I will post the recipes!).
All this to say that to be conscious about the environment is not that difficult if you really care..it could get some time to get used to it but then it will become a lifestyle that your kids are going to absorb naturally. As for everything else, I strongly believe in balance: not too much, not too little..one step at the time...just give it a try!
Marcella
Organic food is not my priority during this recession, unfortunately, but I do try to eat low on the food chain.
Home schooling is not for everyone. Public schools have problems, certainly, but they have a lot to offer, academically, socially, athletically, etc.
I think we are all fortunate to live in Fairfield County where choices abound. We can buy our organic produce at a natural food store, specialty grocer or major retailer grocer, yet we also have the opportunity to buy local food directly from farmers at farmers' markets, through shares in CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture), at co-ops like Greenwich Yoga offers, and even at some farms with seasonal farm stands or pick your own. Buying directly from a farmer supports the local economy, ensures the future of the farms, gives us access to super fresh food that is more budget friendly and has a lower carbon footprint than food that's trucked or flown in.
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