Welcome! I’m Eryn, a stay-at-home mom of a two-year-old son. Our family is a little different from most. My son’s toys are mostly wooden, he’s never slept in a crib and his diapers are cloth (well, were cloth — we’re working on potty training now). If you open our fridge, you’ll find lots of fresh fruits and veggies, organic meat and, if we’re lucky, farm-fresh eggs from a friend. Our pantry is stocked with whole foods, too, like olives, nuts, diced tomatoes and canned tuna. We live in a neighborhood where we can walk to the grocery store, post office, library, playgrounds, swimming pool, etc. We don’t own a television.

All of this is very intentional, but it didn’t happen overnight. I’ve been interested in eco-friendly and organic living since I was in high school, but I took that interest to a higher level when our son was born. I wanted him to have the healthiest start in life he could, which led me to choose mostly natural and organic products. At the time, since I was still working, it was a luxury we could afford. But when we relocated to an area with a high cost of living and I quit my job, our income was essentially cut in half. Continuing to live our natural lifestyle has meant cutting back on some areas so that we can splurge on others that are important to us. I hope to share with you, dear readers, some of the tips I’ve learned for living a frugally green lifestyle.

One thing that absolutely defines our family is food. My husband has celiac disease, so we have been a gluten-free household essentially since our marriage began five years ago. I still “cheat” when we’re out of the house by enjoying all things gluten, but our house is a strictly gluten-free zone. Recently, our family began following the Paleo diet, which is modeled after what our ancestors ate before the advent of modern farming and presumably what we as human beings were truly designed to eat. That means lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, eggs and meats — what I like to call whole foods (not to be confused with the natural grocer of the same name). Because of our newfound passion for Paleo, I hope to pass along some of our favorite recipes as well.

And finally, no description of our family would be complete without a mention of Maria Montessori. I couldn’t tell you why exactly we have so fully embraced the Montessori method in our household (although I have an inkling that it may be at least somewhat related to what wonderful young women our Montessori-schooled nieces are turning out to be), but I do know that implementing Montessori principles in our home has made a world of difference in our son. And so, I hope to share some of our favorite Montessori activities and organizing principles.

Well, I guess that’s it. Organic. Paleo. Montessori. I hope you’ll stick around and see what I’m all about.

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