Natural????

So about a month ago I looked at my toothpaste one morning and thought, "Wow- that's really blue."  And then I thought, I don't think anything I put in my mouth should be that vivid a shade of blue- it's really unnatural.  Now for most toothpaste this alarmingly bright color is normal but I started to think that it probably wasn't very natural.  So I decided that we needed to change to a product where the ingredient list didn't read like a chemistry textbook.
I began researching natural brands... Tom's of Maine, Jason's- that's basically what they sell in most grocery stores around me.  I like going to the organic grocery stores but it's a special trip and I don't always have time so I wanted a brand I could pick up at the Kroger, etc.  Sadly, most grocery stores only sell Tom's of Maine, Jason's, Burt's Bees, and Nature's Gate as their natural brands.  And from those only Tom's and Jason's sell toothpaste (and mouthwash- which is also bright blue and therefore a bit weird when you think about it).  Well as I began reading I found out that Tom's of Maine is now owned by Colgate-Palmolive.  This is a bit suspicious for me since I don't think Colgate-Palmolive makes the most earth-friendly products.  They used to be owned by a nice looking husband and wife team but I guess they sold out not too long ago.  Jason's is owned by the Hain Celestial Group that also has Celestial Seasonings tea and several other green-themed companies.  So not so bad.  Burt's Bees was the craziest story.  It was owned by a man named Burt (duh) who was a beekeeper and living in an old chicken coop.   He teamed up with a lady and they started making candles and then natural personal care products.  They had an affair, then they split and she bought him out.  He's rich, but apparently back in the chicken coop.  Then she was bought out and now it's owned by Clorox!  That seems the opposite of a natural, green small business (or even not-so-small business).  Nature's Gate was owned by two men in Florida who I think look a bit like they're in the mafia, but who am I to judge.  I think it's no longer just them, but a larger company called Arbonne International that may have gone bankrupt in 2010.  Well not that promising sounding.
Then what did I do based on all this info?  I got a lucky break.  Food Lion around me has a pretty decent natural section- for a chain grocery store that is.  And happily I stumbled on a clearance of Tom's of Maine toothpaste and mouthwash.  I quickly checked online and found that it was the old stuff from before they sold out.  (Interesting bit of info- Tom's of Maine has "improved" some of their old product formulas under their new management.  One Amazon reviewer I read noted that their mouthwash now contains Propanediol.  The reviewer stated that, "according to the Tom's of Maine website, [it] "helps form the base for [their] deodorants. Sodium stearate is the ingredient that causes these products to "gel" or take on a form that is more viscous or solid." Great. Awesome. Now I'm gargling with deodorant.")  To get back to my discovery- I hastily bought up all the old Tom's that Food Lion was selling.  I think the clerk must of thought I was nuts with five bottles of mouthwash and ten tubes of toothpaste.
In a bizarre turn, I told my mom about the toothpaste switch and she said she had just been to her dentist who recommended she get a more natural toothpaste and she was looking around for something.  So I told her that I thought that Jason's was probably the best choice as they are still owned by a parent company that seems invested in natural products.  And when we run out of toothpaste and mouthwash in 2015 I will be buying Jason's...
If you have other recommendations, I'd like to know.  Please leave a comment.

Welcome...

to the inside of my head... which may be a very boring place... not that I think that (or at least not most of the time).  So with that aupicious start and a lot of ellipses (yeah- I looked that up)...
I thought I would blog because I spend forever making decisions about what to buy and life choices and generally most things and I thought, "Why waste all that thinking and research and reading reviews?"  So I thought I would share and maybe it will be useful to someone and maybe not.  Also my husband cheered me on with "that's a great idea."  That probably means, "I'm trying to do something, so, sure, find something to do other than distract me."  But I am going to choose to think it means that this really is a good idea.
So here it goes...
Most of this blog will probably be about making decisions to be greener, buying children's products, cooking, and a few random thoughts.  My husband and I are trying to be good, modern, environmentally conscious yuppies; true products of our time, our generation, and popular trends.  What does that mean?  For us it is about trying to be healthy, environmentally friendly, and socially responsible.  Also we are trying to raise our daughter without unintentionally killing her, poisoning her, or in any other way harming her (much).  Although I have to say that the whining has got to stop or someone may not make it.  Anyway, we try to make the best choices for her.  So we are eating healthier, buying more environmentally friendly products, gardening, and considering moving to the Canadian wilderness (my husband says that last one will just be me).
* Note:  I am a confirmed shopaholic aka "market mavene."  So this will also be about trying to curb my spending habits and if I fail, which will probably happen a lot, then about all the crap I buy and why I gave in.