Mediocre Mom Manual: Wanna Feel Better? A Few Little Changes Is All It Takes : Good Enough Mother

…Because being healthy doesn’t have to be hard!

Hey GEM nation! I’ve been off for a couple weeks due to some family issues as well as the launch of my book with Kristi Marsh, and I’ve missed writing for GEM. Rene has been an amazing supporter and cheerleader for me during this time and is graciously letting me share more about my project with you all over the next few weeks. Awhile back I wrote about how meeting Rene Syler and Kristi Marsh (the woman behind the story of Little Changes) changed my life and helped me find my path. Well folks, those changes keep on comin’. For the better.

The serendipitous thing is that Kristi and Rene have a lot more in common than many people know. They both have had mastectomies related to breast cancer (Rene’s preventative, Kristi’s out of necessity). Both women lost their hair and started on a journey to finding themselves and their voice outside of society’s boxes; both have established and created organizations that seek to inspire, educate, and entertain women in a truthful (humorous) way; and believe it or not, both women are both from the Sacramento, California area and knew mutual people (How crazy is that?). Oh, and most importantly, both women know ME.

So what is Little Changes all about, anyway? Five years ago, Kristi Marsh started on a journey to eliminate harmful chemicals from her life and environment after being diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer at age thirty-six and with three young children at home. She’s now on a quest to share her knowledge and journey with others through her organization, Choose Wiser, because most women and mothers have no idea about the products they purchase and bring into their home. We buy certain brands because that’s what our mothers used or because a product was on sale or smells good. Let’s face it: we’re busy. We are working (in and outside the home), shuffling kids to and from activities, and trying to make ends meet. Who has time to figure out if a product is safe to use or good for us or our family?

So many people are reluctant to make changes in their lives because they think it’s going to be expensive, time consuming, or guilt-inducing. (Don’t those reasons hold us back all the time?) But making little changes over time in the products we smother on our skin, foods we devour, and surroundings in which we immerse ourselves, doesn’t have to be difficult. So many women avoid the eco-movement because their messages are so alarmist and scary, but in Little Changes, Kristi and I purposefully write with humor, sarcasm, and wit, turning normally doom and gloom messages into “can do” actions and approaches. We even added illustrations to give your brain a break now and then. Who doesn’t love cartoons?

So in a nutshell, the book starts with cancer. And it’s about motherhood. It’s about health and choices and farm stand spinach. And a big rock in Wyoming. Oh, and it’s funny too.

Confused? I thought so. Stayed tuned for snippets and excerpts from the book in the days and weeks to come!