I rather pride myself on being one of those people who is relatively well-rounded and able to see both sides of most issues. So it should come as no surprise at all that iddy biddy steps towards a greener life suit me particularly well—it allows me to feel virtuous about the small changes I make, while giving me an escape hatch to cling to certain bad habits even though I know better. (Sad, I know. But true.)

You already know that I’m trying to break my addiction to bleach, but part of what I’ve been doing in conjunction with that is taking a good, hard look at the products I use in my home for all sorts of things. And then I discovered GoodGuide, the most brilliant yet guilt-inducing site I’ve ever seen.

Plug in any product to find out its rating on a 10-point scale that factors in social, ecological, and health impact. Browse products by category to find the ones that rate the best. Prepare to find out that your very favorite shampoo is poisonous, and also that your mother dresses you funny. (Okay, probably not that last bit.) Between the available ratings and then the links to check out reviews of product efficacy on sites like Amazon, it’s a comprehensive reference guide to greening your purchases as mindfully as possible.

Some might say that sites like GoodGuide make going green even easier. And some might say that sites like GoodGuide make people feel more inadequate than usual. Me, I’m gifted—I’m loving having it as a resource, even though it periodically makes me feel guilty.

I wish I knew how to quit you, GoodGuide. (No, no I don’t. Don’t be mad, baby.)

There are some steps towards becoming more green that I’ve found incredibly easy, and others which I’ve found surprisingly difficult. And I never expected to be admitting that I found myself with an addiction to a toxic substance, but here I am.

Bless me, Internet, for I have sinned. It’s been two months since I last used bleach on my laundry, but the truth is that I miss it horribly.

And I know. I know. Bleach is dangerous and unhealthy. It’s not good for people, and it’s not good for our planet. It’s a volatile substance which—combined with other things—is known to release dangerous fumes. In the world of green, bleach is a pariah.

But man, it does get socks cleaner than anything else I’ve tried.

I’ve given up bleach because I believe there are healthier products out there for my family. But the complete truth is that I still have a bottle of bleach in the closet. Just in case. (In case of… a bleach emergency? I’m not sure.) I’ve been adding baking soda to my whites, but it’s just not quite the same.

So. I’m breathing easier. I’m feeling greener. But if you don’t mind, could you maybe just not look at my socks? Thanks.

The list of things I’m not doing right as a mother—environmentally or otherwise—would fill a book. (Or twelve. Really, who’s counting?) But in our family’s continuing quest to make little changes towards a greener existence, we undertook iddy biddy step #4 in the Idbids Field Guide this year: Packing lunch and snacks in reusable containers.

I started by ditching the baggies, and oh, how I thought I would miss them! I was easily using at least twenty bags a week, though. Crazy. (Two kids, five days a week, two baggies apiece.) But I was leery of plastic food containers (BPA! ack!) and there was no way I was packing glass… so I bought some wrap-n-mats and have grown to really like them. There’s just something nice about knowing that 1) we’re not adding to the landfill and 2) my kids are eating off a surface cleaner other than a cafeteria table. I also bought a giant package of unbleached coffee filters and use those for things like pretzels, chips or cookies; it’s not quite as good as something reusable, but still better than plastic bags.

(I’m working on it, people.)

Much to my kids’ dismay, I’ve also ditched the juice pouches in favor of water in stainless steel bottles. You know, water? That stuff that has no artificial anything in it…?

Next up: Reusable napkins, maybe. Or just handing each kid a handful of spelt on their way out the door in the morning. Either way.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” —Lao-tzu

I’ve always loved that quote, even though at my house, any journey of a thousand miles begins with everyone visiting the bathroom.

We’re on a journey, here at Idbids—a journey towards living more mindfully and more kindly towards our planet. A journey towards making the world a better place. And—let’s face it—a place where our kids remember to turn off the lights in a room when they’re done, without us lecturing them about the oil crisis or starving children half a world away.

It’s not about becoming some sort of supersonic eco-warrior, overnight. It’s about the little things we can do, every day. It’s about the journey. It’s about taking those “iddy biddy steps that make a biggie big difference.”

It’s about finding ways to make small improvements instead of feeling guilty that we haven’t dressed our families in organic hemp and fed them nothing but berries and twigs we grew ourselves, right outside of the family yurt. Because, really, who has an internet connection in a yurt?

I’m going to do my part to make the world the kind of place I want my kids to live in. I’m going to fall short (a lot), but I’m going to keep trying. One step at a time; no berries and twigs required. I promise!