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Two years ago when I did a complete makeover on my site, I wanted something to really encompass the things that mattered to us.  Our family, our earth, those were the main things I wanted to convey.  After tons of thinking and trying out names, we finally settled on Our Piece of Earth.  It felt right.  While we have always done what we can to take care of our earth, we wanted a spot that we could share some of our ideas.  We wanted to be able to tell people, hey, this is an easy change to make.  Most important, we wanted to teach our kids to do their part as well.  Spring is such a great time to rethink what we have been doing and how we can make some changes for the good.  While we were out picking up garbage on a walk the other day, I started thinking about one or two small changes that we could make right away to be a little more eco friendly, or even just to eliminate some more toxins from our daily life.

Fast forward a few days and we were at Walmart getting groceries and a few other things. As we were walking through the toothpaste aisle, this mental conversation I was having with myself popped back into my mind.  I have seen the Tom’s of Maine products before in the stores many times.  I can’t even tell you how many times I have picked it up and then put it back.  I knew that Tom’s of Maine had no artificial colors, flavors, fragrances, or preservatives.  Since I talk to the kids often about making conscious decisions about what we put in or on our bodies, I decided that now was the time to act on that idea.  We picked up some Silly Strawberry children’s toothpaste for the kids.  They were really excited because they each got their own toothpaste plus a new toothbrush!

But we didn’t stop there.  I’m a firm believer in leading by example.  I picked up some toothpaste for ourselves.  I decided to try the Tom’s of Maine Antiplaque & Whitening toothpaste as well as the Whole Care toothpaste.

We were on a roll though, so since my stockpile of deodorant was almost gone and I knew that the Tom’s of Maine product line also included deodorant, we picked up some Tom’s of Maine fresh apricot.

This small change felt so good!  The kids thought it was exciting because I thought it was exciting.  All of this excitement got me all geared up for some Earth Day fun.  There are so many small changes that you can make, whether for yourself, your kids, or the entire family.  Living a more eco-friendly life doesn’t have to be difficult.  Incorporate one small change at a time.  Get used to it and then make another change.  Before you know it, you will be done using toxin-filled products.  I’m willing to bet there are some things you are already doing to protect our earth.  Do you recycle?  Use a water filter or refillable water cooler?  Paper, not plastic?  Small changes every day.  Join our family and Tom’s of Maine and make every day Earth Day, starting at the bathroom sink.

Because I want to share just how easy it can be to live more eco-friendly, I want to share this DIY lemon hand soap recipe with you.  If you can imagine {or perhaps it’s your reality too}, having a 2- year-old, 4-year-old and a 5-month-old, there is a lot of hand washing going on here.  Since the older 2 go to the bathroom by themselves, they also wash their hands independently.  That often means a lot of soap gets used.  This soap is so cheap to make and I can change up the scents whenever I make a new bottle.

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DIY Foaming Hand Soap

Total Time: 5 minutes

Per Serving 3 calories

Fat 1 g

0

0

2

Ingredients

• Empty Soap Dispenser
• 2 TBSP Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap
• 5-20 drops Essential Oils

Instructions

1. Add 2 tbsp Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap to the dispenser bottle. Add your choice of essential oils. Fill 3/4 of the way with water. Gently shake to mix ingredients. Add cap.

Notes

Lavender, Melaleuca, Wild Orange, Lemon, Germanium and Peppermint are great antibacterial essential oils.

 Before you know it, you will be making your own body wash, laundry detergent and so much more.  It all starts with one small change.  This time, our small change was focused on the bathroom.  With our Tom’s of Maine toothpaste and deodorant, we can feel good knowing that we start off each day with that small change that can spiral forward through the day creating bigger and better changes.

Get your kids on board with this printable checklist of things they can do to live more eco-friendly.  We laminated it and hung it on a clipboard with a dry erase marker.  Each day, they make sure they are checking off some things.

How will you and your family be more eco-friendly this year?  What is that small change that will get you started?  What eco-friendly changes can you make this year starting at your bathroom sink?