Gorgeously Green: Becoming Aware

I am so excited to begin diving into a new book this week and to discuss how we begin our journey towards being more green. Our book this month is, "Gorgeously Green," by Sophie Uliano.

I am a newbie to green living, but have been trying to do more things that will have a more positive impact on our earth. It has also been important to me to share this with my children as well. We are always talking about why we do the things we do and how we are trying to do our part to make the world a little better. Right now, I think Ethan thinks everyone is like this, but someday I hope he realizes how different we really are and how much we cared about the planet we are living on.

In the book, the first step towards leading a green lifestyle is simply becoming aware of what you are doing and how it is impacting the world around you. It sounds simple enough, but thinking back to my youth, I can recall many stupid things I did that have impacted our earth in a negative way. I became more aware of what I was doing after I had children and also when looking for ways to save our family money.

In the first chapter, the author suggests setting an intention towards becoming green. Set your intentions in the present tense and make a commitment to yourself. Some recommended statements are:

"I am ready and willing to make the changes necessary to live a sustainable lifestyle."

"I give and receive only the best."

"I am living in a way that reflects my deepest values. I'm walking the walk."

"I'm moving mindfully through my day and making choices that are having a positive impact on the environment."

"I'm enjoying living with a deep sense of purpose."

Part of my going green experience has just been trying to get my head out of the sand. All my life, I have kind of lived in my own little bubble of happiness and am blissfully unaware of the bad things that happen in the world. I rarely watch the news, I flip to the fun sections in the paper, I am not passionate about politics...shame on me, right?

When I had our children though, suddenly everything seemed heightened for me. "Why is the world like this? What can I do to make the world better? How can I do my part?" While I might be unaware of many things, I am slowly coming out of la-la land and exploring the world around me.

I can identify with the statement, "I'm enjoying living with a deep sense of purpose." My purpose right now is to be a good mother, a good steward of my money, and to share and do what I can to help other people do the same things. What I could add to that is to make more green choices in my life and pull my head up out of the sand and do things that will have a positive impact on the earth. For me. For my children. For their children.

Sound Off: What are you more aware of now that you have become a mom? What do you find is your purpose at this moment in time?

PS- Once again, I am having problems posting pictures on Blogger. Grrrr....