If your thinking of making some Green changes...

Recently I have started to think about clutter. I am talking about physical clutter and mental clutter. I came to the realization that the clutter in my house is having a negative effect on how I feel. The chaos I create for myself is effecting my well being and ability to function efficiently. I often feel weighed down and overwhelmed. For example, my bedroom is often littered with clothes. The nightstands covered with who knows what, and the closet doors flung open wide bearing a hodgepodge of clothes, shoes, hand bags and other misc. items. None of my clothes are actually hanging up. At night when I get in bed, I lay there, unable to breathe, feeling like there is a great big grizzly bear sitting on my chest. A grizzly bear named- CHAOS!

I don't want to live in excess. I want to live simply. I want to live cleanly. I want to live an eco-friendly life. And I want my daughter to see me doing my part to keep our Earth healthy. So what do I do whenever I embark on a new adventure? I get a book. I am a book geek. So when I was offered the chance to check out Eco-Friendly Families before it hit shelves I answered with a resounding., "Heck Yea!"

So I have been reading Eco-Friendly Families by Helen Coronato. I received it a few weeks back and have had my nose in it ever since. It is basically a going green guide for families. This book has really been an inspiration to me because it makes going green seem much more manageable! I just know Pete appreciates how I gently remind him to shut off the water when he is brushing his teeth.

The book has lots of great features that make it easy to use.

• A monthly guide to greening up your home


• Chapter checklists to help you stay organized


• Green cleaning tips and tricks to help get the WHOLE family involved in cleaning. Now if I could only teach E to use a squirt bottle.


• Innovative and fun ways to reuse and recycle common household items. * My niece and I have already recycled some old crayons!


• An awesome resource section in the back with websites galore

Since I started reading the book I have made small changes in my house. The hubs and I are de-cluttering and simplifying. We donated some old clothes (which I normally would do) and I am looking into donating old athletic sneakers to Nike to be recycled (new idea!). I located spots in my community to get rid of old batteries in a safe way. I have also started saving glass jars so that I can reuse them. I plan to bring some down to Hatteras on vacation for collecting shells and sea glass. I think that will be a nice way to make keepsakes from the trip. This is only the tip of the burg for us- but I am careful to make slow, small changes I can keep up with in the future.

The book is a good resource for anyone that wants to make some green changes. It is probably best for those who are just starting out with making some positive changes. Of you have been doing the green thing for a while- you are probably already doing a lot of things suggested in the book. It makes it's debut on August 5th but you can pre-order it on Amazon right now for just $10.85