Prologue

In the beginning...there was a girl....
This girl met a boy...they liked talking to each other so much that they "killed the television".

That was the first step.

They bought fancy clothes and walked down the aisle.
Then she became pregnant, and they decided that things would be different, healthier, better for this little being who was forming inside.
The boy and the girl decided to buy only hormone-free meats and to look more closely at what the baby was being fed.

That was the second step.

Since then, the boy and the girl have been learning to live healthier, more positively, and with a lighter footprint on the world around them: organic, local foods (most of the time), natural cleaning products, less "stuff", etc.

This blog is their continuing story.

The plan is to take one small step each day for one year. One small step to living a simpler life that is better for the planet and better for our local community.

I realize there are a lot of people like us out there who want to simplify, buy local, raise their children in a world that won't chew them up and spit them out and that they won't stomp all over and destroy. And I figured, to hold myself accountable, I'd invite the world along for the ride.

I'll officially begin on the first day of the calendar year, January 1st.

I'm not going to plan ahead too much, since I tend to do that and then never finish. I do know that my pre-goal was to buy as few presents this year as possible. So, instead of gifts for the adults, we made a moderately-sized donation to the local animal shelter. We took a picture of our 2-year-old son sitting on top of all the food, litter, and cleaning products and plan to give that picture, with a short explanation written at the bottom, to all of our family members:

"Sometimes we forget, that this season of giving is more about giving to those who need than those who have enough...(even if it's barely enough). This year, we decided to donate to a good cause rather than spend money on presents..."

One day at a time. One goal. Simple? We'll see.