I have some very exciting news today, but I'm going to start at the beginning to put this in context. The very beginning...
I never intended to write. Anything. Ever. When I was pregnant with my second kid, I got a nasty case of pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel that forced me to quit playing violin professionally. Creatively adrift, I needed an outlet, so I turned to blogging. This blog was born as a way to talk with my friends about green living. I never, EVER expected anyone else to read, and yet here we are two years later. I'm finally starting to see some success with Moderately Crunchy, and I've really grown to love writing for it.
So, that's why it came as a surprise when I felt called to go in a different direction. I was sitting in a church meeting five months ago when I had the clearest impression to start writing more about marriage and parenthood. Considering that's what I do for my freelance job, I was confused to say the least. I hemmed and hawed, and I tried to incorporate more of that genre into Moderately Crunchy. Then it hit me, very strongly, a month ago what was missing.
I needed to co-author a blog with my husband, Darreck.
When I first mentioned the idea, I thought for sure he'd either laugh it off or say no way. Much to my surprise, he jumped on board immediately. We've spent the past month developing a whole new blog together, and I'm really excited to share it with you today. Using this new space, we're going to talk honestly about parenting and marriage from both the mom and the dad perspective. We're opening our hearts up to our readers as well as using experience from our professional backgrounds. We want the new blog to be fun and discussion based. Most of all we want you to be involved!
That also means that Moderately Crunchy is falling off my project list. Between my freelance job, the new blog, and raising three kiddos, I have to respect my limits. This blog will still remain active so that you can view all your favorite posts, and I've migrated some of my most popular content over to the new blog. However, my focus primarily on the new blog, The Secret Life of Parents.
I know I have no right to ask, but I hope you'll follow us over. I know that most of you are here for green living tips, and I'm reneging on my promise to give you that. However, if you want to hear more from me and my awesome husband about parenting and marriage, we'd love to have you!
You can find the new blog at http://thesecretlifeofparents.com/
Our new Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/secretparents
You can also follow our family on Instagram at http://instagram.com/heather_and_darreck/
Lastly, we've curated a special Pinterest collection just for families. We're really excited to share it with you, and we think it will be a great resource for your family! You can find us on Pinterest at http://www.pinterest.com/secretparents/
Please stay in touch! We love having you as part of our internet-extended family. We're excited about these changes and what they mean for the future of our family. We'll hope you'll stick around to be a part of this new chapter in our lives.
With lots of love,
Heather, Darreck, Mo, Lou, and Roo
It's high time for colds and flus, and we're trying to ward off the sickies with some green juice. I've found a noticeable jump in my immunity since we started juicing, and it seems to help my kids, as well. I'm not saying it's a magical cure-all, but I'll take any help I can get!
However, a lot of juicing recipes are designed for single or two servings, and I have to make juice for my family of 4. I also need juicing recipes that appeal to kids- no beet juice that tastes like dirt or salt-free homemade V8. It's not gonna fly around here.
You gotta love modern society- work until you can't see straight, spend 3 hours shuttling the kids to and from extra-curriculars, cram down some fast food, then pop a Xanax so you don't completely lose your mind. That pretty much sums up the plot of every sitcom I've watched recently.
When did we all get so busy and stressed out? Before I started living more conscientiously, I was a full-time college student working 30 hours a week and participating in a my department's most competitive internship. It's not a huge shocker that I started suffering from daily headaches. Then, I decided to branch out and try more holistic living, and low and behold, some of that hippy alternative medicine stuff actually works!
If I had to build my dream home tomorrow, it would include a whole bunch of weird things. Like solar panels. And water retention systems. And it would probably be made of something weird like recycled milk jugs. Just saying...
But, alas. I am not building a house, and I do not have money for triple glazed eco-windows. We make do with what we have, and one of my favorite features in my home is my programmable thermostat. The little beauty came with the house when we bought it five years ago, and it's made energy efficiency incredibly easy. With a programmable thermostat, you set it once for your family preferences and forget about it. What could be easier!?
(This post uses some affiliate links. Thanks for helping me support my family!)
It's been over two years since I started this blog, and some of my first posts were about cloth diapering. However, it's been awhile since I posted something for cloth-curious families, even though I receive more questions about cloth diapering than anything else. Today, I'm attempting to answer my most often asked questions in one post. Let's hope it doesn't turn into a tome...
This is the first series of updates on books I'm reading in 2015. I'd love to have you follow along! Leave your book recommendations in the comments and on the Moderately Crunchy Facebook page. Check out more frequent updates on both Instagram and Goodreads.
Crazy as it sounds, I've had my fill of inspirational stories. For those who don't know, I am a person who stutters (PWS), which is the politically correct way to acknowledge a person who stutters or stammers. Although, if we're being honest, I won't get too upset if you call me a stutterer. I'm accepting of the fact that I have a disability, and my speech certainly doesn't define my life. That being said, I'm semi-active in PWS circles, and I'm completely disgusted of the way certain organizations treat stuttering and other adult-persistant disabilities.
One of the greatest goals of this blog is giving you practical ways to save the world. No small task. However, technology is a big help is you're trying to navigate the confusing world of conscientious living. I'm going to be throwing a new series your way from time to time, focusing on apps that make eco-friendly living accessible for everyone. I'll be calling it Eco Apps, and it'll pop up a few times each month. Tell me what you think, and let me know if you have suggestions.
Today's featured app is Good Guide. This was one of the first apps I downloaded when I bought my iPhone, and I use it almost every time I shop. With this handy little app, you can scan bar codes or search a database of health, beauty, and cleaning products to see ratings in three categories: health, environment, and societal impact. When you click on the product information, the app spells out why that product received a specific rating, highlight potentially harmful ingredients, and recommend better options in the same product category.
It had been 10 weeks since I had my baby, my milk supply was well established, and I was itching to lose those last 6 baby pounds that were still hanging around. With the help of my Fitbit Zip (which I LOVE!), I decided to add food journaling to the equation to get things moving a little quicker. If you've never kept a food journal before, know at the start it's a daunting, psychologically draining task. There's nothing quite like confronting all your eating habits- the good, the bad, and the downright horrible. However, if you're serious about managing your health, it's a vital step in the process, even if you're not currently trying to lose weight.
I can't think of a time in my life when I've ever been happy with my body. For those who know me, that's probably going to come as a shock. I have, through some stroke of genetic luck, a pretty great body. In the interest of full disclosure (and with a deep breath), I'm 5' 5" and 120 pounds. I wear a size 4 or 6, and I have a five month old baby. In a world that trumpets fat shaming and thin privilege, we often overlook that women of all shapes and sizes suffer with distorted body images. Body hating is not reserved for the curvy girls, and my story is tragically common.
