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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Non-Crunchy Confessions




These two YouTube videos should be a good introduction to today's post :o) 

I'm going to throw myself under the hippie-bus and lose some serious crunchy-points today.  Cause this post is all about confessions.  Am I a hippie?  I sure am.  BUT apparently there are still a few things that my non-hippie self is just not that convinced about.  

Any true hippies in these areas can feel free to share a boatload of articles about the evils of my remaining conventional vices.  But be nice!  Remember we come in all shades of green!

Confession #1:  I hate Castille Soap.  All the hippies love it because it's all natural and chemical free. I hate it because it smells funny and doesn't seems to rinse clean (two different brands and two different scents.)  I tried it as a shampoo for the girls and as a dish soap in the kitchen.  Blech.  *bad hippie still using Dawn*

Confession #2:  I love conventional shampoo and conditioner.  This goes along with #1.  I just can't seem to give up Herbal Essences.  Real hippies don't even use shampoo so I'm super behind the hippie-times on this one.  But my hair is the longest it's been in a long time and I just really do like using the crappy-for-me chemical-garbage.  There, I said it.  

Confession #3:  I'm actually trying to wear more makeup, not less.  WHO KNOWS what's in that stuff that I'm slathering all over my eyes... but I really am trying to make a point of wearing eye-shadow more often.  I wore some a few months back and Jesse commented on how nice it looked.  Fishing for husband compliments?  Maybe.  Trying desperately to feel put-together when I spend most of my days in pajamas covered with kid excrement?  Definitely.  When I leave the house, I usually have fancy-pants makeup on.  Not very earth-momma of me.  

Confession #4:  Still coloring my hair at a salon.  What started out as "needing professional help to get rid of this black" (never doing THAT again) became "walking down the road to my German hairdresser every other month is one of the most relaxing me-treats EVER".  Nina makes me feel pretty.  She gives me gourmet coffee.  She told me she wouldn't cut my hair short ever ever ever because she loves it so much.  She gives me a head massage when washing the color out and always asks me if I'm okay because I seem to be falling asleep.  Yeeeeeeah... tired Mommy here.  I need that break and I need to feel pretty.  Hippies don't color their hair with chemicals.  Oh well.

Confession #5:  I'm not 100% convinced about the effectiveness of essential oils.  They certainly seem to work awesome for some things... like calming my mood (lavender) or keeping ants out of Mom's kitchen (peppermint).  But helping me naturally relieve a recent headache? (Peppermint didn't work there)  Does geranium really reduce the appearance of my stretch marks and cellulite?  Jury's still out.  And unfortunately, my husband is -30% convinced about the price tag on the stuff.  So there's that.

Confession #6:  I couldn't stick with homemade toothpaste.  I tried.  I even blogged about it.  But it just doesn't do it for me.  I'm sure I could research some form of natural toothpaste like Tom's or whatnot.  But I just haven't gotten around to it.  

Confession #7:  I'm crossing into dangerous waters with this one... are you ready?  I will love BABYWISE (and buy it for new moms) till the day I die!  I just made every attachment-parent who loves baby-led-weaning cringe x1000.  But I don't care.  (Okay, I do care... please don't crucify me!  We just disagree and that's fine!)  Seriously, this method of infant-rearing saved my sanity and I will stand by it forever.  But there are die-hard fans and die-hard haters of Dr. Ezzo's book.  (If you are bored today and want some entertainment check out some of the more heated amazon reviews of it...)  

True hippies in the area of attachment-parenting are usually so in love with it that they are on their soapbox all the time so I just keep my mouth shut.  It kind of becomes the elephant in the room, and if the topic turns that way I generally direct it elsewhere... by talking about my 24-hour chicken stock or the new cold remedy I'm trying (my kids call it "spicy medicine" and actually ASK FOR IT!) to avoid the controversy of infant sleep-training.  


So if you hate Babywise with a passion, take it easy on me in the comments section ;o)  

My favorite part of this post?  Unless you're already a hippie you have no clue and/or don't care about all seven of those things.  You're just wondering if those are cloth tissues in that Kleenex box.  Yes, yes they are.  Snot rags for the win!

One day hippies will rule the world!

14 comments:

  1. As someone who is insecure in her own crunchy failings, I can't thank you enough for this peek into your hippie reality! I too have struggled with the guilt of keeping the sulfates in my shampoo and the fluoride in my toothpaste. I even tried to switch to a natural (but completely ineffective) deodorant for a very awkward, self-conscious month. ;P

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    1. Sure thing! I'll be the first to admit that there are some hippie things I just can't do. Maybe it will change later on down the road, but for now, we all have our priorities and our limited time as moms. We do what we can! (BTW I have a homemade deodorant recipe that really works if you want to try another natural one. I promise you won't stink!)

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    2. I'd love the recipe! I feel like I'm taking a day off of my life every time I slather on the aluminum-containing stuff from the store! My husband already uses an aluminum-free one that works really well for him, but it made me smell like a man...

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    3. I'll message it to you. I agree... I made the switch because I read about all the bad things aluminum can do. Scary stuff.

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  2. you make your mother laugh - sometimes out loud! but it's a loving laugh . . .

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    1. I know :o) And deep down inside you know you're a closet hippie-to-be.

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  3. we ALL have our non-crunchy vices, and they're probably each different from the next person's. Me, I won't make or purchase junk food or white flour stuff...almost ever. BUT if it's free at the local food pantry...you might find it in my cupboard ;-p

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  4. agreeing with your mom- you are too too funny!
    despite your confessions, you're still the 'hippest' mom i know in that part of the world ;)
    xoxoxoxo

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  5. Those videos are hilarious! I, no-kidding dropped my son off to nursery today saying no apple juice or fruit loops today please(yeah, they seriously pass out fruit loops to these kids!) I love this look into your hippie reality. It's such a balance and I love your realistic take on things. P.S. spicy medicine = yuck, yuck, yuck!

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    1. Haha Lily LOVES church nursery snacks. "We get CHEE-YOS and FISHIES Mom!" And yes, I agree about the spicy medicine. It's gross... but I'm still curious for one of us to get an actual cold so I can see if it works! ;o)

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    2. I felt like I had a cold coming on when I tried it and it never came. I also do no sugar when I feel like that, so it could have been because of that or I could have misread my pre-cold symptoms. Verdicts still out.

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    3. They girls were crazy sick with a bad cold/sore throat last week. And I chugged apple cider vinegar/water, a few doses of spicy medicine, and ginger lemon tea... and never got it bad. I'm a little sick now but I'm not sure if Jesse just gave me what he has or what... but again with the hippie concoctions and I'm definitely recovering faster than him. I didn't get as sick, either.

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