You're a bad, bad hippie.

Yes. Yes I am. I would like to apologize to the State of Washington, my home state, my comfy place, because you see, I feel as if I've let her down. (States are girls right? Just like boats and cars?)

It took me a long time to embrace my hippie ways. Because up until I was about 22 or so, to me, hippies were pot smokers who continually smell like hemp and incense, and rarely washed their hair. But a new breed of hippie has taken over, and those of us that practice this form of hippie-ism like now to be called "green". Though I do appreciate me some tie-dye and lets face it, I smoked pot back in my youth. But this isn't the time to go back down that road. Maybe later.

Back on topic. I went green, or at least, mostly green, about a year after Bradford and I got married. I bought eco-friendly cleaners, organic foods, used my reusable grocery bags, you know, general "green" things. In fact, I have such a collection of reusable grocery bags that I have zero need for ever using plastic bags. I didn't get a plastic bag anywhere for almost a good year, except on the rare chance that I didn't have my bags on me when I made a surprise stop somewhere.

Since moving to Hawaii though....[sigh]...I have been a less-than-perfect hippie. I would love to blame the fact that everything eco-friendly is OHSOEXPENSIVE, and while that is sometimes the case, it isn't always, and doesn't mean that I have to quit using my awesome bags (and my reusable mesh produce bags), or using some at home remedies for cleaning supplies, or anything like that. I've been a failure at living a eco-friendly, organic, healthy lifestyle. I blamed the pregnancy for a little while. I was so tired all the time, and I hated going anywhere. Loathed would actually be a better word. I also wasn't (and still, I'm really not) familiar with the area around me, and with only having one car, and Bradford getting off work around 5pm, and home close to 6, its hard to go grocery shopping and get dinner on the table at a decent time, or getting to a place where I can buy the products I need. Now that I'm not pregnant, I can use the newborn excuse.

"I have a baby who NEEDS me all the time, I just don't have the time to do some serious, eco-friendly/organic shopping!"

If your curious, yes, I have actually justified a lot of things I wouldn't normally like doing with that statement right there. Like eating fast food. Ordering pizza. Sleeping in? No, I'd do that regardless, and that has zero to do with my hippie-ness. Or does it?

So now, I have to jump back on my hippie band wagon. I'm just not sure at how to do that. Bradshaw isn't a hippie like I am. He doesn't buy organic foods (okay, not ever, but very rarely does he), he doesn't use reusable shopping bags, and it was almost like cutting off an arm or leg to get him to do cloth diapers. Not really, just a promise of not having to change diapers. But still. It's not that he doesn't support my hippie ways, he was just raised in a different state, where they don't have the super hippie values that Washington has. So the art of being green is very strange in my house. Normally, I do all the grocery and household items shopping. Normally. I haven't in awhile. Once our household has settled down, and we have a routine again, I think it'll be a lot easier, but until that happens, I feel like I still need to be on a green hiatus. Hopefully that won't be much longer. Right now, its hard to go out by myself without Ocho, since I'm her walking feeding machine. Its hard to go out WITH Ocho, because she is very demanding sometimes. Its hard to go out with everyone because I feel rushed. When I go out by myself, or with Roo, before Ocho was born, I could take my time...normally because Bradford was sitting at home playing video games and didn't care how long it took. So until the household settles, I feel stuck.

Back to jumping back on the band wagon. How should I proceed? I'm not sure at this point. I think for starters, I'll start using my reusable bags again whenever I'm going on a trip to the grocery store (or Target/where ever). I think that will be the easiest for me to do right now. I'll eventually get back into what I was doing before we moved, as long as its cost effective. Getting my ass to some local markets is going to be key. Another problem we I have is that a lot of places around here don't carry the amounts of eco-friendly/organic products like Washington. Which makes me sad. But I digress.

My Hippie Goal:

Use my reusable grocery/produce bags.

I'm going shopping tomorrow for dinner with my parents, so I'll have the opportunity to make sure that I use my bags. In my next blog, I promise I'll let you know if I've been keeping my goal in check to use them. Just taking a first step to getting back to my hippie ways.