Crrrrunch

Happy Monday, everyone! 

Ashley Here! 

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend and a good first day of your week. :) 

This weekend, MH and I got to take baby C to the parade in town. I had taken him on Friday with a friend, but we went again on Saturday, since Friday was a little shorter and had a few different things to see. We had a lot of fun and baby C loved the horses! He also really enjoyed the high school marching band and got really excited and even laughed when the drum line passed in front of us. No surprise there, since MH is a drummer. Still, before all the fun could happen, we had to wait. The parade passed down the street that intersects with ours, just two houses down, as well as the one another block down. Still, we wanted to get a good spot, and preferred to find one in the shade if possible. So, we left the house early and went to the street down the block and walked around a bit until we found a good, shaded spot. But that didn't take as long as we'd thought. So, for another 30 minutes, we just stood and waited. Finally, the canon fired, signaling the start of the parade, but no one came immediately, since we were in the middle-ish of the first street that they would all be passing down. Being 7 months old, missing his nap, and simply done being patient, C turned to MH and I after the canon fired (and he jumped), looked at us very sweetly and said, "buh-bye". Haha! He was very done with the waiting. But once people and cars and horses began to pass, he was happy once again. Like I said, he loved the horses and the marching band. But he also really enjoyed the tractors! 

Baby C and me waiting for the festivities to begin! :)

Anyway, it was a good weekend overall. MH did work from home for a good portion of it, but I must confess that I don't mind it so much. It's nicer to at least have him in the house and around, even if he has to work; as opposed to him being gone so much. 

Last week, I started something kinda crazy. A sort of research and experiment all combined. I'm beginning a my journey into a greener, healthier, more organic lifestyle. Although MH and I have not begun our "juicing journey" yet, I have started my research and quest for GMO-free grocery brands. If you don't know what a GMO is, it stands for genetically modified organism, and they are in most, if not all of the foods that you eat, the bags of food that you feed your pets, and even the formula and/or baby food you are giving to your child. They are not good for us. Then why would the FDA let these foods on to our shelves?, you ask. Well, it's as simple as this: the FDA is self-regulated. Why would they want to make more work for themselves? Sure, there is more that goes into it than that, but I personally find that to be scary enough. 

For more information on GMOs and their dangers to our diets as well as our local communities, check out: http://thesnapcracklecrunch.blogspot.com/2013/07/what-gmo.html. This is a blog that I have sort of started on the side, as I embrace the "green girl" inside of me. :) I also provide a shopping guide to attempting to establish a GMO-free diet. There are two separate resources; each of which breaks your shopping list down into categories, such as chicken and fish, meat, dairy, fruits and vegetables, baby, pets, and more! 

Something else that I have started to research is safe cosmetics. I have been doing research on and off for a good couple of months, and you would not believe what we are putting into our bodies through our pores, hair, eyes, and more! I won't go into it all here, but I will be posting about my findings this week on thesnapcracklecrunch.blogspot.com. I just wanted to share, because this has become a huge part of my life.   

So many things about me have changed since becoming a mommy, and I think I'm most shocked to find that I'm so much more concerned about leaving behind a beautiful world for my child and grandchild(ren). I have been overcome by this great desire to reduce our family's paper waste; to shield my son from harmful chemicals; to spare my child a diet full of preservatives, sugars and junk. The list goes on! Sure, people think I'm weird and I've been called a hippie, but I honestly find that to be a compliment. I love the idea of being viewed as a peace-loving, tree-hugging, world-sparing "hippie". However, I like how my sister put it to me: "You're not even a hippie. You just care about what you put into your body and what you take from this world." She is so right. Sure, it's going to be a lot more work. Heck, it's even going to cost a little more to live an organic life. But it is so worth it to me. I can at least live my life knowing that I'm doing my part to keep this world a little more beautiful, and to keep my body a little healthier and my life a little longer... all for my son. I would do anything for that kid! Well, this post isn't going to be too long but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. And I hope you have a fantastic evening! 

Zebra hugs and love...
Ashley :)