Merry Wanderer of the Night [Search results for reading products] 

For one year Vanessa Farquharson decided she would make one environmentally friendly change every day. She would keep a blog about her progress, and try to figure out what all of this green movement stuff meant. Sleeping Naked Is Green: How an Eco-Cynic Unplugged Her Fridge, Sold Her Car, and Found Love in 366 Days

is the book version of her blog, although they're very different. The blog had in-depth posts for each change, while the book only has a little bit about a few different changes every month. And sometimes nothing about the changes at all, just a mention of the change and then a story about a date she had that same day. Something completely unrelated. If you can't tell by my lackluster introduction, I was less than pleased with this book.

Maybe I should preface the rest of this review with a statement: I'm an environmentalist. I pretty big environmentalist. I recycle, bike/walk instead of drive whenever possible, buy organic food, recycled products, make homemade cleaning products, take military showers, wear clothes several times before washing. Yeah, I'm kind of green. But there is still so much more I could do, so when I picked up this book I thought maybe I would also pick up some new ideas. Which I did, let's make that clear. I'm planning on creating compost box after reading her description of hers, and there were a few other ideas. But for the most part, I think this book was a cheap ploy to cash in on the media success of the green movement. Oh, and a way for her to brag about how she started dating her boyfriend.

The biggest problem I had with this book was the lack of information. She says she did something, like stop using paper towels, but she never goes into why she decided to make that decision. She doesn't talk about any research she did, and scientific information to back up that decision. And without education, people are not going to make a change. Another problem I had with this book is that she complains relentlessly about everything. She decides to wash her hair with natural oils instead of shampoo, and then complains and complains about how this will prevent her from getting a boyfriend because what kind of guy will date a girl who uses oil to wash her hair. She decides to bike instead of drive to work, but then complains and complains about how this is going to prevent her from wearing cute outfits to work, and that's she's going to have to take backpack (God forbid!) with her to work. She has a real thing against backpacks, just hates them. And there are multiple instances in the book where I was under the impression she was doing all of this to meet hipster guys instead of for herself. To her credit, she does stick with some of her changes and stops complaining about them after a few days, but honestly my view of her was not the greatest, and I didn't find this book to be very interesting, helpful, or mind changing.

I'm giving this book a D.

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Before I read Slow Death by Rubber Duck I was unaware of a lot the chemicals put in every day things. It's really impossible to escape them, which is terrifying. But there are a few things you can do to minimize you're contact with certain chemicals. I thought I was doing pretty well on the environmental scene, but this book showed me so areas I could improve on. The biggest one for me was home bath products since I already use natural home cleaners and do not buy Teflon. After reading Slow Death by Rubber Duck I decided to switch out my shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, mouthwash, and deodorant.

1. I purchased the Burt's Bees Grapefruit & Sugar Beet Shampoo and conditioner. Burt's Bees has a few different types of shampoos but this had the lowest amount of chemicals. Some of them might smell better but I didn't really care. This cost about the same as the shampoo I was originally using, so it really isn't a big change for me.

2. Tom's of Maine Natural Toothpaste is what I replaced my former toothpaste with. This is a dollar more perhaps, but other than the chemicals it tastes a lot better than my old toothpaste and I don't feel like I have to scrub and scrub with it to make it work. That might be psychological, but I do like it more. I also got Tom's of Maine Natural Mouthwash but that was actually more because Jason needed a new mouthwash and he hates the alcohol taste in them. Tom's doesn't have alcohol in their mouthwash.

3. I got the unscented Tom's of Maine Natural Deodorant. A lot of you are probably wondering how that is working. I've noticed a little smell if I get particularly sweaty, but I actually had the same problem with my old deodorant (I don't use antiperspirant) so I think the Tom's deodorant works just as well as normal deodorant.

Aths has a great post up today about further options for detoxing ourselves from chemicals and she goes into what chemicals you're actually getting rid of. Be sure to check it out at Reading on a Rainy Day!

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog.

I'm really not that big a fan of summer. I detest hot weather. There are perks, however. Less traffic due to no school. I have more free time in the evenings since my oldest doesn't have homework. More time for reading makes me a happy camper!

Fall is definitely in the air, however. A welcome change to the sweltering heat! I've noticed that the mornings are cooler. The sun is rising later. I can almost feel Fall trying to scoot in. I love fall. It's probably my favorite season. I love the changing colors of the foliage. In the area in which I live, it's like driving through a watercolor painting. The colors are so vivid and bright. And I absolutely love back to school shopping! I loved it as a kid, and I love it still as an adult. We start early, in July, so we don' t have to deal with the horrible crowds and digging through the leftover supplies. And, oh how I wish it would be acceptable for me to carry a trapper keeper to work! Or use glittery pencils with multi-colored erasers!

A big thing we do at our house this time of year is reorganize! With the fall, not only does it bring school but it also begins my busy travel time of the year. So, buy organizing and decluttering, it helps make our days run smoother and our lives less hectic.

I was ecstatic when I was contacted by CSN Office Furniture inviting me to review one of their products. Several other bloggers were contacted and decided to review bookshelves. Now, I could definitely use another bookshelf, but keeping in line with this whole theme of organizing, I decided to review an item that would keep our family more organized. Because not only does CSN home office furniture sell bookshelves and other office equipment, it also sells some great organizational pieces! So I began to think of an area in our house that could stand a bit of organizing. I instantly thought of my son's room, specifically his video game console/collection.

The item I will be reviewing is the Four-Tier Wire Gaming Tower. I just love all the storage space it provides, and even more importantly, the hooks for the controllers! Currently, my son just throws them in a drawer and the cords get all twisted and bent. With this new system, I'm hoping my son will be able to keep this area of his room a little neater.

So, check back in a few weeks for my review. And, if my son is willing, I will post a before and after picture of his video game area!