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I hate to admit this, but before having children I wasn’t very concerned about living a natural lifestyle or about things such as reducing my carbon footprint. Sure, in school we had always talked about saving the planet, or earth day, or recycling, but I never felt like any of those topics really applied to me that much. I had clean water to drink, air to breathe, and food on the table so in my shortsightedness my concern really seemed to end there.
Then I had children.
After having children it hit me that the decisions that I make today will directly impact someone else tomorrow. Suddenly, it was not only important that I had clean water and air as well as food on the table, but it was also important to make sure that in the future my children also had these things. I realized that some of the choices we were making, and the products we were using, not only were hurting the environment, but could also be potentially damaging to our health.
It hit me that I needed to start paying more attention to what I was exposing my family to. My kids need to have a healthy mom and I need to have healthy kids. That’s why I turned to using products that are more natural and closer to the source in nature. After all, the Earth has survived for millions of years without pesticides, chemicals, and other unnatural products so we should be able to also.
This is why I have been changing some of the ways we do things in our house. It is an easy way to not only attempt to live healthier but also to appreciate nature more and reduce our carbon footprint. It is also a great way to pass this lifestyle on to my boys. This is why we are now really making an effort to recycle as much plastic, glass, or paper that we can. It only takes a few additional minutes to throw that glass bottle or plastic milk jug into the recycling bin instead of putting it in the garbage, and it can do way more good that we could otherwise imagine. I don’t want the rivers and oceans to be filled with garbage for my generation, so why should they be for my sons’ generation?
Conservation has also become very important in our house. Whether it be conserving gas and emissions by not driving as much or conserving how much water we use, it is important to only use what we truly need. This means that maybe our yard won’t be as green during a dry spell since we don’t really need to water it or consolidating multiple trips to the store into one. It can also mean little things such as not letting the faucet run while doing dishes or when we are brushing our teeth.
Speaking of brushing teeth, as I started looking into some of the things that are actually in the products we use everyday (and also rinse down the sink and into the watershed) I was surprised at how many unnatural ingredients, and even potentially harmful ingredients, that we expose our bodies to each day. Some of these products I can’t even pronounce, let alone know what they are!
This is one of the reasons why I am so thankful for brands such as Tom’s of Maine®. Tom’s of Maine® products are actually made in Maine and do not contain artificial colors, flavors, fragrances, preservatives, or animal ingredients, nor are they tested on animals.
One of the products that my sons love is the Tom’s of Maine® Silly Strawberry® Anticavity Toothpaste. I feel comfortable knowing that my sons aren’t putting anything in their mouth and on their teeth that might harm them and they love the great flavor. I compared the inactive ingredients in the boys’ old toothpaste to those in the Tom’s of Maine® Silly Strawberry® and the old toothpaste has 17 inactive ingredients, compared to only seven in the Silly Strawberry®. That’s a pretty big difference! You can even learn more about the Tom’s of Maine® ingredients, including their purpose and source, by visiting the Tom’s of Maine® website.
The Tom’s of Maine® product line doesn’t stop with the Silly Strawberry® though. They also carry deodorant, mouthwash and bar soap. What is also nice is that you don’t have to go to any speciality stores to pick up these products. They are available right in the personal hygiene section of your local Walmart.
Additionally, on September 19 there will be a Tom’s of Maine® demo happening in select Neighborhood Walmart locations where you can pick up some samples and coupons.
Comment On: What ways are you trying to live healthier?
I am totally with you1 Prior to having children, I didn’t think too much about the chemicals in my house, products I was using, food I was eating, etc. After kids, I really cleaned up our diet, chemicals, etc. I want my children to be exposed to as few a number of toxins as possible, and hygiene products are a great place to start! Glad there are brands I can trust, like Tom’s of Maine, to keep my kids safe. #client