Just what is a "good night's sleep"? Hint: It starts with an organic mattress.

Aah, a good night's sleep.

This was something I certainly didn't appreciate until I welcomed my baby daughter into the world back on Earth Day (yes, she was actually born on Earth Day!). Since her birth, I've slept straight through the night a total of . . . two times.

Yawn.

While I'm up at all the wee hours, my daughter has been sleeping through the night (in her all-organic crib, naturally) since she was three months old. It must be the "new mom" in me that continues to wake up to check on her.

Anyway, since I've been up a lot more during the night, I've been spending many more awake hours in bed, and I've come to appreciate my organic mattress even more than I did before.

I bought mine from The Clean Bedroom last year, and I love it. That's also where I bought my daughter's eco crib, organic crib mattress, and organic bedding. The Clean Bedroom does extensive research and only recommends the best organic mattresses and eco accessories.

After reviewing all our options, Mark and I chose The Green Sleep, and we couldn't be happier with this European-designed bed and its organic cotton velour cover quilted with wool and silk, its genius dowel foundation, and its two sleeping zones (which is especially nice as I don't wake up Mark if I happen to be tossing and turning).

The Clean Bedroom's showroom is close to us, in Kittery, Maine, but the company also has a fantastic website (which often runs great sales on its organic mattresses and organic bedding). In addition, the answer to any question you might have about cleaning and greening up your own bedroom is literally just a phone call away (866-380-5892).

As we approach the holiday season, give yourself the gift of good health with an organic mattress. Sleeping without exposure to toxins, chemicals, and airborne allergens is certainly one way to guarantee 2010 will be better than 2009. At least, I hope I get more sleep in the New Year.

Is it Necessary to Go “Zero-to-Green” in 6.2 Seconds?

Mark and I moved into our home on a sweltering hot August day nearly six years ago. We started early in the morning and didn’t stop until the last box wasn’t just inside our house, but unpacked. Looking back, we must have been crazy. But it was our first house (it still is!) and we were too excited to be exhausted.

We’re bringing that same enthusiasm and drive to our green conversion but, because it can cost a lot of green to go green, we’re not exactly moving at the same break-neck pace. My inclination is to hurry-up-and-go-green and, all things considered, I’d rather be quick about it because it’s the right thing to do for the earth and our health. But I’m trying to see the bright green side of taking it slow and—in the process—I’m finding that making careful and conscious green choices, over time, is quite satisfying.

Here’s an example. Back in December, I interviewed Christine Chamberlain, the owner of The Clean Bedroom (http://www.thecleanbedroom.com/) for a magazine article and was shocked to learn how unhealthy the average bed is, with an off-gassing mattress, pesticide-laden sheets, and toxic pillows. No wonder I was tossing and turning at night!

Immediately after the interview, I wanted to go to Christine’s website and buy an organic mattress, organic sheets, and organic pillows. But it just wasn’t in the financial cards. A few months later, we had saved enough to buy an organic wool mattress topper from The Clean Bedroom—a green mattress was our first choice but, for the money, the topper offers protection from off-gassing and dust musts, so it made more financial sense. Then, a few weeks later, we found organic sheets on super clearance at TJ Maxx (http://www.tjx.com/). And, just last week, the organic wool pillows from Natura (http://www.naturaworld.com/) I blogged earlier about seeing at Target (http://www.target.com/) went on super clearance as well. It might have taken seven months, but I got my green bed . . . and without spending a lot of green.

Is a green bed really better? Instead of an answer, I have a challenge for you: Why don't you sleep on it—literally—and get back to me.

Question of the blog: You can't always wait for an item to go on sale . . . With that in mind, what's been your biggest green splurge?