It’s getting easier. Keeping up the pace that is. School started approximately two weeks ago. While other mom’s were partaking in the “Boo-Hoo Breakfast”, I was skipping merrily to my car. I had to really think about what kind of mom I am when I have reached the point of looking forward to school starting. To some, I am sure it doesn’t reflect very lovingly. I do in fact love my children very much. All of them. I am consumed with my children from the 6am time slot up until well beyond 9pm. During that time, I am engaged and involved with my children. I don’t sit on the computer chatting or surfing, I don’t put my kids in front of the television to occupy them and I’m don’t have them enrolled in Mother’s Day Out or preschool programs. Not that there is anything wrong with any of those options. My point merely being…I give my children 110% of myself from the moment they rise until the moment they fall asleep. So do I look forward to a partial break while they are being educated?  Any Mom would be lying if she didn’t say “yes”.
Since school has started, our routine around home has begun to normalize. I am spending a lot more one on one time with Caira and Phoenix during the day. In the evenings, i am spending a lot more time with Cassidy and Micah. And from dinnertime onward, I am finding it easier to spend time with all four of them collectively.

I have begun to structure my own day a little more. I am working on a home management notebook as well as meal management. I am trying to reduce our grocery bill and plan a little more effectively what we will be eating from day to day. Some days, i have no time to do this, however, I would like to get to the point of planning meals ahead a week ahead of time. I am still trying to find time to take inventory of our pantry. I have had this on my “to do” list for a couple weeks now. I’m getting there.

We are also more involved with “going green” now more than ever. To some, the process of “going green” is no big deal expense wise. For us, however, we have had to make changes a little at a time because the cost of changing your whole lifestyle can be a little high. I am very proud of where we are now and I see us being “completely green” within the next few months.

I owe a large part of my success in going green to Shaklee Corporation. I have been using Shaklee product my entire life, thanks in part to my Aunt. She has been a distributer for as long as I can remember. It was only in the last decade that I began to pay attention and learn exactly what “going green” means. The first step for us, was ridding our home of dangerous personal and cleaning products. It blows my mind that some of these companies can get away with selling products stocked full of chemicals. Some of them even slapping the word “natural” on the label. Folks, just because something says it’s natural doesn’t mean it is. If what your family is putting on and in their bodies is important to you, please educate yourself a little more as to what ingredients certain products contain.  I went years and years trusting labels that said “Natural” and have only recently discovered a lot of them are exchanging words for profit. A good comprehensive list of all products can be found at Greenpeople.org.

Farmers Markets have also been a wonderful resource for us to obtain locally grown and organic vegetables.  It has been a wonderful way to meet other like-minded parents. I recently became educated by a generous vendor on how cucumbers are grown from start to finish. I have grown tomatoes in my backyard but never ventured beyond that because I felt intimidated. Thanks to this very sweet vendor at one of the markets, I actually think it is is something I can attempt to do next year. If you are in the Louisville area, you can find a great comprehensive list of farmers markets here.

Hope you all are having a great weekend!!