Living Simply....or maybe crazy??

Well bed rest is in full swing and I have tons and tons of down time on my hands! Thankfully I have found some productive outlet for my boredom. Over the past few months we have began to pair down our lifestyle. It started with simply getting rid of our smart phones because our cell phone bill was ridiculously high. We made the first big change....and it wasn't so bad! Now we are totally used to using regular phones and leaving the internet surfing to our iPad or MacBook (we still indulge :). Paying for internet in the house, on the xbox (for netflix), on the iPad, and on our cell phones was a tad ridiculous.

Next we began to become more aware of what we were eating. We found that we actually saved money by buying mostly only fruits/veggies and meat. We have done some shopping at Sprout's but it's a little pricey, so we are balancing that with buying healthy organic options at the commissary. We also eliminated artificial dyes and many sugars. Really enjoying our new eating habits and excited to see how this evolves.

Another change I am in the process of researching/making is soap. We bought some homemade natural soap from the Oceanside Market and absolutely love it! We are almost out so I am researching other options we can buy in bulk rather than by the bar. I have discovered Dr. Bronners soaps and think this is the route for us! They are all organic and can be used for everything in the house! Showering, hard surface cleaning, laundry detergent, etc... love that! I plan on buying a gallon soon and seeing how quickly we burn through it. I am especially excited that they offer a lavender scent! I will keep you posted on how it goes! Here's a link to their website if you're interested in learning more-http://www.drbronner.com/DBMS/LS.htm

Now I'm going to get real crazy. I'm taking the plunge....no 'poo! I am getting rid of shampoo! I have read so many articles about how unnecessary shampoo is. The only thing that was holding me back from swearing of shampoo was the first month of having "extra sleek" :) hair. But now that I am on bed rest and not leaving the house...who cares! I can deal with a transitional period without any weird stares! Woohoo! Once you eliminate shampoo it is suggested that you simply rinse your hair with baking soda and hot water once a week and use a natural mild conditioner (if you want). I have yet to decide what I will do conditioner wise, but am excited to see how this goes. I've read tons of stories of women who took the plunge and absolutely had the best hair ever!

We've also stopped using paper towels and started just using our dish clothes! We used to go through paper towels SO quickly. We were so so wasteful. Surprisingly, the dish cloth transition was super easy. I'm really excited about it.

Only making a few minor changes has been so much fun! I am learning so much and soaking it all up! We are still on the fence about cloth diapering Liam....but I'm leaning towards it! I suppose I just need to do more research! Who knew that bed rest would be so productive! :)