When my daughter was born I jumped on the green bandwagon.  My head went spinning at the sight of bleach and non-organic foods.  I balked at the idea of paraben & SLS rich lotions and body washes.  I dumped every cleaning product I’d come to know and love and stocked up on baking soda, vinegar and Borax.  Whole Foods and I became very fast friends.  I shelled out the extra cash for the Seventh Generation diapers.  I did it all.

A year and a half later, we’re still going strong on the green track.  I’m glad I took the extreme actions I took in the beginning because now I don’t actually have to do much but maintain what was already established.  On a daily basis I am grateful for going green when my daughter was a newborn.  Here are my top 5 daily reminders of why I’m glad we’ve gone green:

1. She loves to wash dishes.  I don’t have to worry that the dish detergent is too strong for her gentle skin.

2. She cleans the house with me.  I have peace of mind when I spray the all purpose cleaner that won’t suffocate her with terrible fumes.

3. We spend almost all of our time rolling around our carpeted condo.  The Dyson with the hepa filter was the next best thing to actually removing the entire carpet.  We can breathe easy now.

4. Bath time is more like an extended play time.  She could be in there for hours.  We swear by California Baby and I’m glad I never have to worry about what is going onto her skin.

5. She loves to lick, kiss and nibble on my cheeks.  I’m glad I made the decision to choose green products for myself.  I don’t have to worry that my wrinkle cream is poisoning her!

We’re not entirely perfect in terms of being green – we drive one SUV, we’re awful at recycling, we don’t buy local food as much as we want and we’re awful at conserving energy in our home.  I didn’t set out to be the biggest and most bad ass green mama so I’m happy with the changes we’ve made.  We continue to find new ways to green our lives everyday; it’s a learning process.  But at least now we’re on the right track =)

Do you have any green products you swear by?  Or helpful tips for living green?