Life of Balance

My husband and I are getting ready for our first baby.  We're consumed with the normal tasks of preparing our home and lives: choosing a paint color for the baby room, buying furniture, making space in the house for baby's stuff, creating our registry.  Not to mention planning what our finances will look like once we have another tiny but expensive mouth to feed.

But I'm also consumed with determining how to maintain a balanced path for our new lives with baby.  I try to live an eco-conscious life, without losing my sanity.  I bring my own bags (most of the time), but because of the limited access in my area don't always buy organic.  I drive a very fuel-efficient car, but commute nearly 20 miles to work.  I cook meals at home, often vegetarian, usually healthy; I don't make my own bread, yogurt, or cheese (except occasionally in the bread machine).  I try to make good choices and always have sustainability in the back of my mind; however, I also try not to be obsessive about it.

Some may look at my life and think I'm not doing enough to live up to my values.  But I recognize that we all make numerous choices every day, about large things and small.  I try to make positive choices as often as I can without letting it take over my life.

So when thinking about the life I want to have as a mother, I strive to maintain a balanced perspective.  I researched eco-friendly and safe crib options, but I refuse to spend many hundreds or even thousands on a crib that will be used for a few years at most.  I was able to find a good compromise with an all-wood crib made of safe materials that didn't break the bank.  I'm putting effort into making the baby room as natural/organic/chemical-free as possible (no VOC paint, mattress with no harmful fire-retardants), but I will not insist on buying only organic clothes for my little one.  I don't think I could make the safest and most sustainable choice 100% of the time without an endless budget (and endless time spent researching).

So yes, I do plan to use cloth diapers (most of the time).  I do plan to limit the plastic my baby comes in contact with (especially for things that go in the mouth or rest near the head).  But yes, I will be doing some (most?) of my shopping at the local big box store, as the only "natural baby" stores nearby are far beyond my budget.

This is how I plan for my family to live a live of balance.