It's Not Easy Being Green... Or Is it??

While Miss Julie is off gallivanting across the pond, she has asked me, Lindsey
to guest post here at WTF have I done? Since the last time I posted
on my own blog was months ago and all I did was post wedding photos, I
warned her that she may want to reconsider her request. I wouldn't
want to tarnish her blog's good reputation. At the very least, she
recommended, I could use this post as a way to let people know that I
am actually ALIVE! Maybe this post could be like my comeback to the
blogosphere. Only time will tell if this is more like a "Britney 2007
VMA performance" or a "Britney 2008 VMA appearance" type of comeback.
But if I suddenly come toward your car wielding an umbrella, I'd hit
the gas and get out of there, stat.

Last week (election week) was all about Change--for the better I hope
(YES WE DID)!! This year has been full of changes for me, large and
small. Dudes, I totally got married! Like, I'm a wife...? WTF HAVE
I DONE? But, I digress. I try to make a conscious effort from time to
time to be better...to be a better friend, a better daughter, a better
sister, an overall better person. Sometimes I even try not to nag so
much. Seriously though, pick up your effing clothes off the bathroom
floor and really, you brought your dirty dishes one foot from the
dishwasher and set them down and left? Really? Is it THAT hard?
Well," that's what she said."

Don't we all aim to be better? Isn't that the American way?

Little by little I have been trying to change the way I treat the
environment. Not because going green is trendy, but because I think
small changes in the way we do things can have a big impact on our
surroundings. Plus, it just feels good to do good things! When I
lived in New York, which was the majority of my life up until four
years ago, my family and I always recycled. Was there any other way
to do things? It was just what we did. Then I moved to Virginia, got
an apartment with my now husband and suddenly we were throwing
bottles, cans and paper away left and right. We just got lazy, and
plus, I think it would have cost money to recycle. Paying to recycle?
That is kind of a strange concept to me. Three years ago we moved
into the house where we currently reside. It is free to recycle!! Yes
we can! For some reason though, it wasn't until earlier this year that
I made it a house rule. Now it's easy, routine and dare I say it,
fun?

So now that the recycling has been going well, I was looking for
another way to be better. I hate to clean. Hate. Loathe. Uber- Ick.
I am totally Type A though and am at my happiest when the house is
organized and clean. The thing I hate most about cleaning though is
the cleaning products. No wait, it's the actual cleaning itself, but
feeling like I am breathing in cancer and all things bad for you is
the second worst part about cleaning. I remembered an episode of Jon
and Kate Plus 8 (OMG, Julie totally got me hooked. I can't wait for
the wedding in Hawaii episode!!) where Sara Snow came to visit Kate
and teach her all about green living. I remembered she said all you
needed to clean counters, etc. was vinegar and water. I looked up the
details online and decided to clean my house using only baking soda
and vinegar water. Let me tell you, I'm hooked!

I used the baking soda to clean the shower floor and the bathroom
sink. Do you know how long I've been trying to get the rust off of
the drain part of the sink? A long time. Truth be told, there is
still some rust there, but it is a serious improvement. I used the
one part vinegar to one part water to clean the shower walls, mop the
floors and even clean the toilet. The best part was that when I
turned on the water to rinse the shower walls, my eyes didn't start
burning. It didn't taste like burning either. Edgar was totally
dying over the smell of vinegar, but I really don't mind it. Once it
dries you can't smell it anymore anyway. You have to try it! I
swear, you'll be hooked too...and totally craving salt and vinegar
chips! mmmm

The only thing I really miss (so far) is using Pledge to dust with.
Instead, I just used a regular ol' rag. I wonder if there is a green
dusting product. Do YOU know? I also can't bring myself to get rid
of the real stuff yet "just in case." I mean Lysol...I might NEED
that if Edgar gets sick and his nasty sick germs get on the doorknobs.
Sick people. Yuck. Again, I digress.

I'm not perfect and sometimes I do things that aren't the best for the
environment, like using paper plates or buying bottled water. I heart
Clorox wipes, too. I'm trying though and you should too. As I like
to say, doooooooo iiiiiiiiiiiiit. I mean, if you want to.