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For those of us who live a more natural lifestyle, interacting with our relatives who do not can be challenging. We want to stick with our homemade, natural lives without looking down upon others not so inclined, especially if they are family. On the other hand, we want to show our relatives things that will make their lives and our planet healthier. With the right attitude it’s possible to educate loved ones without being snobbish or overbearing.

Let’s say you pack for a week-long trip to a log cabin in the woods with your folks. Undoubtedly, you are looking forward to family time in a natural setting. This can be a wonderful opportunity to grow closer to those you love, but it also can give you a chance to live—if only briefly—closer to nature. Wonderful.

But when you arrive at the cabin, your mom decides to start cleaning up. She heads to the bathroom and pulls out some powdered chemical-laden stuff to scrub the tub. Don't panic. Simply offer to clean the tub yourself with some baking soda.

Soon it will be mealtime, allowing you to show off your mad-healthy cooking skills. This is a great way to connect with your family and also allow them to see that healthy doesn't mean bad tasting. Once the meal is finished, you can show them how to make an all-natural cleaning solution and you can finish the cleaning together.

Hopefully, you’ve brought along a wilderness book to guide you in making pine-needle tea or some other natural drink with the rest of your family. Or you can discover together how to treat a bee sting with a balm made from plants in the area.

At the end of a fun day of hiking, fishing and playing, you can make a tub tonic to invigorate or to relax. This idea will really please your mother or mother-in-law! You can even take this time to create a new facial-mask recipe that will make the bath even better. There is always something you can whip up and the great thing is that everyone can participate.

At the end of your vacation, you will have exposed your relatives to many of your favorite recipes and perhaps even created some new ones. Going on a trip together is a wonderful way to share your natural way of life with those you care most about.

So don't look at your next family outing as a daunting challenge; rather, consider it an amazing opportunity for all involved. Who knows, you might find your family has adopted some of the practices they learned from you. They may even have some new recipes, natural-cleaning tips or herbal remedies of their own to share.

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The guest writer is Brittani Garbo, a WAHM (work at home mom) who, once her child was born, began making her own cleaning products so her baby wouldn't have to breathe toxins from commercial ones. Her website, Miss Brittani's Natural Living, presents the recipes for her homemade cleaning products, all of which are made of natural ingredients that are safe for children and the Earth.

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