I’m writing today with a bit of a heavy heart.
I’m not one for giving up on things. In fact, once I set my mind to something, there’s typically no stopping me. But the “1 Year to a Non-Toxic Home Project” has been different.
It started with such great intentions- namely to drastically reduce the amount of chemicals my family comes into contact with on a daily basis. The goal was, and still is, a good one. It’s the totality of it – along with the timeline – that has come to be the problem.
It wasn’t until I dove in, that I truly saw how many areas of our lives could be covered. Everything from the sheets we sleep on at night to the bottles we sip water from all day long. I’ll be honest, I didn’t intentionally take on a project with such a large scope.
The idea was spurned by my sudden interest in making over my skin and hair products (an area I am proud to say I’ve come a long way in). I was thinking lotions, make-up, and shampoo… I never had any intention of trying to go 100% organic with our diet or to eliminate all plastics from our house. But I unintentionally wrote myself into a bit of a corner.
The biggest issue is that the project has caused me to second guess myself when posting on some of the things I continue to use and love. I wonder if I should avoid covering something that I’ve found truly useful if it’s not 100% organic and chemical-free.
Deep down that feels so disingenuous.
Though I continue to grow and learn all the time, I’ve never been an all-natural mom, just as this has never been an all-natural blog, and I certainly don’t want to pretend to be anything that I’m not.
I realize now that I should have been much more precise in the parameters for the project- both personally and here on MPMK.
Because now, instead of patting myself on the back for replacing 90% of the products in my evening beauty routine with non-toxic alternatives, I find myself feeling like a failure when I can’t find an all natural water-proof mascara that doesn’t smudge or an aluminum-free antiperspirant that actually works.
If I were to describe the spirit of MPMK, I would say that it’s all about meeting mothers where they are and giving them grace in their journey. And that’s exactly how I want to move forward with this one.
But I’m not giving up either.
Instead, I’m giving myself permission to take it slow. While I’m removing the phrase “1 Year to a Non-Toxic Home” from previous posts, I’ll definitely continue to share here when I find non-toxic solutions that are working for me and my family (I’ve got that evening routine post just about finished). And I’ll be continuing to share about my other favorite things as well.
It’s an approach that, to me, feels better in so many ways – more realistic, more truthful, and so much less pressure.
In closing I just wanted to say thanks for embarking in this experiment with me. I hope you’ll stay with me for the journey and that you’ll continue to share with me your own progress as well!
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