Everyday Toxic Matter

Happy fourth of July to those of you who happen upon my very lonely and disorganized blog.

Several years ago after meeting my now-ex-college boyfriend's dad, I discovered the world of holistic medicine.  Ex-b's brother had several medical concerns, and so the family sought out alternative remedies to help him.  Thus began my interest in things not-mainstream.
Fast-forward a few years, a few pounds, and one baby.  I began working at the local herb shop in our small town, mostly because I was (again) interested in alternative medicines, and also because I was looking for another vocation.  In the hall that leads to the back of the shop, there's several bookshelves filled to the brim with all sorts of guides, cookbooks, and manuals on how to better your life whilst bettering nature.  I've read a handful of these books and have enjoyed the learning experience.  Until last weekend.
As I browsed the stacks, I noticed a bright, happy cover with the title 'The Hundred Year Lie.'  I grabbed it, plunked down on the bar stool, and began reading.  The cover was incredibly misleading.  This was no sugar-coated guide to healthy living.  I shuddered as I realized that my family and I were poisoning ourselves by accident.
Which led to Monday's little adventure with a close friend and the county's Noxious Weed Department.  My friend helped (well, more like stood and watched) me empty both kitchen and bathroom sink cabinets of their chemical treasures, toss them into a bucket, and load it into the back of the truck.  We then got my little Poopmonster and made way to the NWD where a nice lady helped unload our encumbrance and reload the empty buckets (NO ONE can have my buckets!).
And then there was today.  I was doing a little surfing on the 'net, looking up a reason why my castille soap hair washing wasn't going well.  I came upon a blog that solved a few of my problems, and then led to some more for my Beau.  After an hour or so of reading and researching, I gathered ingredients to make my own deodorant, all-purpose cleaner, and dishwasher suds.  I also fixed my no 'poo problem (hopefully).  I call that a pretty darn productive day, even if the Beau didn't think so.