Welcome new subscribers! I hope you (and of course all my loyal readers) find the info here at Organizing-Life interesting, compelling and useful. Lately I have been feeling that life has been getting too complicated. Too many possessions are cluttering my home. My children are relying upon the television for constant entertainment, and I feel too cooped up in my suburban house, low on energy and away, from the sun and fresh air. I decided to do something about it and with my partially obsessive nature to achieve perfection, the journey to achieve a greener, simpler, more frugal, healthy life seemed overwhelming and impossible. So here is what I did:

:: I read a ton of other blogs about wonderful families growing real food, cooking real meals, examining their spirituality, decluttering their budget, and changing their perspective about what REALLY matters in life.

:: I was definitely inspired.

:: I choose the easy tasks, or perhaps the most fun, and decided to simply start.

Usually I have a plan of attack, a logical analysis, and triage method to prioritize and categorize the project…but here, I simply started. So, the next project you do, would you begin without a map, merely a vision, and simply start?

This is what I chose to start with on my quest to get to a more simple, frugal, healthy life with my family.

:: Miracle Cloths - I invested in two sets of cloths. (The investment wasn’t that much, about $8 a set.) This cloth cleans without harsh chemical cleaning solutions. It’s unique fibers catch dust and dirt and hold it until you rinse it out. I got one for mopping my floor (I tuck the miracle cloth into my Swiffer Sweeper mop and I don’t have to pay for and throw out Swiffer refills), one for cleaning the rest of the kitchen, one for the bathroom and another for each kid at dinner time, and one for our flat-screened LED TV. (I wasn’t compensated in anyway to give this glowing review.) I think these cloths are the greener and more frugal way to go when you are cleaning your home.

:: Homemade Toys - Toys are all smooth plastic these days. Remember when you had real wooden blocks, hand-stitched cloth dolls, and metal trucks? My kids are finally old enough to “play pretend.” So I decided to project a little of my “always wanted when I was a kid” stuff on them and chose to sew felt-play-food for my daughter, and sew a roll-up pouch “garage” for my son’s favorite cars. Maybe building him a garage would be a good idea. (He takes my dishwasher silverware holder and uses that as a garage until I tell him to give it back.)

:: Sew Dish Cloths, Pot Holders, and Dinner Napkins -  I feel we use too many paper napkins and paper towels. None of them are recycled and it is like throwing money in the trash. Since I like to sew I figure this will be an easy, frugal kitchen and dining solution that will save trees and cash.

:: Sew Produce Bags - I don’t like those thin plastic produce bags. I have trouble re-using them because they get dirty or wet inside and are hard to clean out. And they make my food rot in my fridge. I don’t understand why I need to use plastic bags at the farmers market when I chose to buy there to reduce our fossil fuel consumption in the first place. So, I am sewing some lightweight produce bags out of unbleached 100% cotton muslin cloth and decorating them with some stamped designs. (And if you know of a discount organic fabric distributor, PLEASE let me know!)

:: All Natural Toothpaste - Commercial toothpaste makes me gag. I don’t like that foamy stuff. But I believe oral health is directly linked to the general health of your body. A while back there was a local news story about an inner-city child who didn’t have access to dental care and therefore couldn’t take care of an oral infection that spread to his brain. A scary scenario indeed. Anyway, I need to like brushing my teeth for me to do it for the recommended time, so I decided to go all natural. I got a new tooth powder that has a lemon/lime taste, is baking soda based, and is all natural. It tastes good, isn’t foamy, and doesn’t contain chemicals. Yea!

Are you choosing to change parts of your life? If so, what have you chosen to start? Leave a comment here and share with me! I want to know! And of course with other readers. Happy Organizing!

P. S. This is along the lines of an earlier healthy living post, but I wanted to share that I started a workout routine with my husband. I never thought I’d like huffing and puffing next to a guy, but he makes me laugh and his presence pushes my competitive nature into gear. I find it is fun, rewarding, and refreshing to exercise with him. I think my post said something like, “to increase my energy level I am going to simply start moving: get out with the kids and get away from the computer.” Well, this workout isn’t quite the “easiest”. Have you heard of P90X? We are doing this. The instructor is a little crazy. But our goal is to work together for better health, and that beach vacation in November to Cancun. My arms really hurt right now but my fingers can still type “Mexico, here we come!”