Welcome to the April 2013 Natural Living Blog Carnival: Natural Kids.This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Natural Living Blog Carnival hosted by Happy Mothering and The Pistachio Project through the Green Moms Network. This month our carnival participants have written posts about how they communicate with their children about natural living and how they implement those changes with their kids.

One of our ‘wedding trees’ – 2 years old

I’ve always thought about the environment, and my impact upon it, but my concern has definitely grown in recent years, and especially once I became pregnant.  I’ve always loved to spend time outdoors, so it was no coincidence that my husband and myself chose earthy tones for our wedding colors (chartreuse and chocolate brown).  When we chose our favors, we wanted to go with something that would actually be used, and saplings and plantable wildflower cards were what we ended-up choosing.  We recently celebrated our 2nd anniversary, and one of our guests sent us the above picture of one of our wedding trees – absolutely beautiful!

Fast forward six months.  Sure, I recycled.  Heck, I even switched to using vinegar as an all-purpose cleaner.  However, adopting natural living took on an entirely new meaning once I became pregnant.  If I could have, I would have lived in a bubble throughout my pregnancy.  In all honesty, I likely would never have been so conscious of what I come into contact with (toiletries, cleaning supplies, even air quality), and the food that I eat, if I hadn’t become pregnant.  I wanted nothing to potentially harm the little miracle growing inside of me.

Now that my son is here, there are so many ways in which we live a more natural lifestyle.  When D exhibits signs of illness/ailments, I try homeopathic routes before medicating him (to clarify, I do take him to the doctor when he needs to go).  I’ve used my breastmilk to clear up conjunctivitis, used an organic essential oil vapor rub when he’s exhibited signs of congestion, and swear by a stick of cold celery for teething.  I cloth diaper for many reasons, preferring to use unbleached prefolds in natural fibers.  I try to recycle in as many ways as I can, be it the books we read, the baby equipment and clothes that we buy, down to the containers our food and beverages come in.

Best of all, my son is growing up with a love of the outdoors (like his mom).  We spend as much time outdoors as possible hiking, exploring our natural surroundings, visiting local playgrounds, or just taking picnic lunches.

It’s been an evolution, a progression of sorts, and my family’s carbon footprint gets smaller every day.  If my job, as a parent, is to lead through example, I’m setting the blueprint for the eco-conscious, outdoorsy young man my son will someday become…

Visit Happy Mothering and The Pistachio Project to learn more about participating in next month’s Natural Living Blog Carnival!Please take some time to enjoy the posts our other carnival participants have contributed: