Accidentally Green

Making Healthy Decisions That Honor God and Happen to Help the Environment

Navigating the Toothpaste Aisle

I love it when I have good news to share with you. As I’m starting a five-week series on products that are in your bathroom, I suspected today’s toothpaste post would be all doom and gloom. Personally I feel a sense of dread when I navigate personal care product aisles at the store – I’m afraid unless I get the handful of products that I know are safe, I’ll end up exposing my family to a host of toxins. So I buy the same kind of toothpaste – the regular flavor of Colgate – every single ... Read more

The Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Photo Challenge

Once upon a time – in 2006, to be exact – there was an organized woman named Hilary who decided she needed to label every single photo she owned – and put them all in photo albums. She accomplished her lofty goal while sitting through one season of American Idol. Her sense of accomplishment was glorious. She even continued the habit of labeling and putting her photos in albums for two whole years. Then she had a baby. After that, this tale has absolutely nothing to do with happily ever ... Read more

6 Posts to Help Prepare for Childbirth

If you happen to be preparing for childbirth, you’ll be interested in Angie Tolpin’s new book, Redeeming Childbirth. You also may want to read some of these six Accidentally Green posts: 1. How Expectant Parents Can Prepare For Childbirth 2. How I Prepared For Childbirth 3. Thinking About Birth Days 4. Turning to God During Childbirth 5. Are Epidurals As Safe As You May Think? 6. How to Avoid Becoming a Cesarean Statistic Today, I'm linking up with: ... Read more

5 Resources for Pregnant Mommas

As a way to celebrate motherhood and Angie Tolpin’s new book, Redeeming Childbirth, I’ve compiled a list of five past pregnancy posts expectant moms might be interested in reading: 1. Can a Pregnant Mama Safely Satisfy her Nesting Instinct? 2. Will Your Pretty Face Harm Your Unborn Child? 3. Natural Remedies for Morning Sickness 4. Protect Your Baby. Avoid BPA. 5. In the News: BPA Exposure in Pregnancy Today, I'm linking up with: ... Read more

The Most Important Thing

Earlier this week I got a middle-of-the-night phone call that no one ever wants to receive. A loved one had passed away unexpectedly. Because he was young and seemed to be healthy, it came as an added shock. Aside from the typical sadness that comes with death, I’ve especially been grieving because throughout my loved one’s life he bristled when talking about Jesus Christ. While I hope and pray that at some point he had trusted Christ as his Savior, I’m faced head-on with the reality that ... Read more

The Reduce, Reuse & Recycle Magazine Challenge

Isn’t it amazing how paper clutter can manifest itself in so many different ways? This month I’ve been cleaning out my important paperwork and old cards. This week I’m tackling old magazines. As a former magazine journalism major, I love magazines. I love eye-catching layouts, well-written stories, and all of the information that can be packed into one simple issue. I’ve read a lot of magazines in my life. And I’ve kept a lot of magazines, too. The problem is, now that I’m a lot busier, I ... Read more

Eating Elephants One Bite at a Time

I have a tendency to jump into big projects without counting the cost. In some ways, that’s good or I might end up getting a little too overwhelmed to even try. When I get in the middle of something, I often need to give myself pep talks. The most effective boost always comes when I ask myself one specific question: “How are you eating this elephant? One bite at a time.” For me, 2012 was a year of huge projects – completely redoing our house before we could move in, moving all the boxes ... Read more

How to Give Your Things Away

Over the past couple weeks I’ve admitted my pack rat tendencies – how sadly I’ve purchased too many things, and how those belongings make major messes. Yesterday I explained an easy way to declutter – decide to keep, throw away, or give away each belonging. For me, the giving away choice always ends up being a bit of work. Not that the work is a bad thing. I try to think of the best possible way to give away my belongings, though. Here are my typical options: A friend As my ... Read more

Controlling My Clutter

Before I had children, I was a neat freak. (Funny how children can almost instantly change that quality in a person!) I loved to make sure that everything was in its proper place – except for whatever I had stuffed into my notoriously messy closets. When Friends was still on TV, I remember howling with laughter as the super neatnik Monica opened her closet door – and massive amounts of stuff were haphazardly crammed inside. It was particularly funny to me, because I always had at least one ... Read more

The Reduce, Reuse & Recycle Card Clutter Challenge

This is the second Accidentally Green Reduce, Reuse & Recycle Challenge that tackles paper. (How did your important paperwork challenge go?) This week it's all about greeting cards. I have a confession that only a pack rat can make: until a year ago, I saved every greeting card I ever received. From the time I was 4 years old! (Seriously. We’re talking more than 30 years of cards. Yikes.) I don’t know why I was saving them. I saved letters, too, just in case I would write a novel and ... Read more

Expand your Menu Options with Stacy Myers’ ‘Crock On!’ Cookbook

I’m admitting some pretty big things this week – from my stewardship flaws to a self-inflicted clothing fast. Just wait until you read about my pack rat tendencies tomorrow. So it may not come as a shock when I confess that I really struggle with planning a weekly menu. I know I should. I want to. And sometimes I even do. But for as much as I love to cook, planning ahead is a major weakness for me. Like every New Year, I’m trying hard to create some sort of a menu habit. Fortunately for ... Read more

Controlling My Shopaholism with a Clothing Fast

I’m a shopaholic. I have been for years. Fortunately for my family’s finances I’m a bargain shopper, but that’s also dangerous – if I find an amazingly good deal, I have a very hard time not buying it. Over the past few years I’ve been trying to take control of my spending habits. In order to do this, I avoid stores. It sounds extreme, but I’ve tried hard to avoid temptation. I thought that might be enough of an effort until I read about bloggers who have tried “no new clothing” ... Read more

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