I recently joined this yahoo forum that I love called Birmingham Natural Parent. It's new and we haven't done a meet-up yet, but it's really great to know that their are people with similar parenting views as myself living in adjacent zip codes.
First let me say all the women in the group seem really sweet and have been nothing but nice to me and have been super informative whenever I ask anyone for advise about cloth diapering, natural baby food, extended breastfeeding, whatever. I admire their resourcefulness and commitment to what they believe in. HOWEVER, these chicks are NO JOKE CRUNCHY. They don't own TV's or microwaves. They not only cloth diaper... They sew their own cloth diapers. They make their own kombucha. They only clean with homeade soap buds, vinegar and baking soda. If there's ever talk of reusable toilet paper I don't know if I can handle it.
But the kicker... The ultimate supergreen mama madness... They don't use plastic... PLASTIC! Everything I touch is plastic. I didn't know I wasn't suppose to use plastic. They only use glass or cast iron in the kitchen. Their kids take bento boxes to school and drink out of stainless steel thermoses. I didn't know these rules! Are there hippie meetings where everyone gets together and votes on what the new eco thing to do is? I would like to get the minutes from these meetings. Or at least the newsletter.
Hahaha! I'm crunchy (ish) too and that just cracked me up. I know the rules I just don't have the time to follow them all. I do however only use stainless steel and cast iron skillets and pots and glass dishes for microwaving. Funny stuff. I'm loving your blog! ps This is my hubby's google account. I'm Jessica Wilder aka phatbaby from IAP
ReplyDeleteI mean, I know about BPA and Teflon and stuff... But no plastic cups or toys or... I don't know, toothbrushes? It just seems so extreme and so hard. I had no idea people did it. But I admire the heck out of those families for really sticking with what they believe in. We do stainless steel and cast iron too -- but that's mainly because my hubby's really into cooking and it's what he prefers. And cast iron is the only way to make proper corn bread!
ReplyDeleteOh, this cracked me up! If you get ahold of that newsletter, can you forward it to me?
ReplyDeleteHi Crunchyish Mama! Thanks for commenting on Fake Plastic Fish. If you want steps to get the plastic out of your life, try my Plastic-Free Guide: http://plasticfreeguide.com
ReplyDeleteDon't get overwhelmed by the list. Just pick a couple of things that seem manageable and try them out first. I've been working on living plastic-free for over 3 years. No one can do it all at once.
Cheers!
Oops. Try this link: http://plasticfreeguide.com
ReplyDeleteThanks, Fake Plastic Fish! Love the Radiohead reference BTW. I think you guys are slowly winning me over with the no (in my case less) plastic thing. I think my first step is going to be to invest in some nice glass food storage containers. And I want to make sure my kiddo's food has as little contact with plastic as possible. Baby steps, right?
ReplyDeleteHey!! I'm cracking up!! You don't need a newsletter... you just need Fake Plastic Fish!! ;) Take it one thing at a time... I always tell people-- when they say, "I can never do what you do."-- that none of what I do happened overnight (and I'm still evolving in the way I think and do things). Throughout the years, I would most often say to myself, "Today, I'm going to change (this)." Sometimes the change would be easy... other times I flailed eventually meeting my goal (even if it took a year!!).
ReplyDeleteYou can do anything you set your mind to. If you ever need help from another crunchy(ish) momma... I'd be more than happy to... just drop me a line :)
Honestly, it was not all that long ago that I too had no idea about plastic. I had never even seen the word phthalate, and certainly didn't know how to pronounce it. I'm currently entering a mission of plastic annilihation, and it isn't easy, but it's super rewarding. My main focus is toys for now. Check out http://greenertoday.blog.ca/2011/01/13/toxic-toys-10359337/ if you have a chance. Good luck getting the plastic out. It's tricky. But it's worth it.
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