Most confessed to TV reality show watching. One mother mentioned smoking and drinking.
One complained that her cloth diapers leaked, and she was having second thoughts.
Pat Edwards, one of the few fathers to come, acknowledged loving his sport utility vehicle.
"I have a Land Cruiser, so I have a big carbon footprint following me," he said.
One of the new members is Kenya Smith, 32, who drove up from her home in Huntingtown, Calvert County. She came across the national Holistic Moms Network by accident last year when she was searching "holistic" on the Internet. She said she kept checking back to see if a local chapter would develop. When she saw an advertisement for the Annapolis' chapter's first group, she was "pretty excited."
Smith became interested in less toxic living when she started getting sick after using bleach and being exposed to regular household cleaners in the early 1990s. Air fresheners were enough to make her eyes water. She became a vegetarian when she noticed she was getting sick after eating meat. Now that milk has started to bother her, she might become a vegan.
"I feel so much better," Smith said of eliminating meat. Both of her children are vegetarians, too.
Smith uses only Seventh Generation cleaning products, a company that claims not to use harsh chemicals. Like Alls, she also makes some of her own cleaning solutions. Gradually, she has become interested in other holistic topics and wants to learn as much as she can about healthy foods and helping the environment. The network provides a ready group of like-minded people, a welcome change from the years of needling from friends.
Future meetings will feature topics such as eating nutrient-dense foods, breast feeding and homeopathic medicine.
Megan Lanier, 31, of Glen Burnie, said she has been environmentally aware her whole life, but became more so when she was pregnant. She said it was a relief to learn about the Holistic Moms Network in Mothering, then about the formation of the local chapter. She noted that more companies are jumping on the bandwagon, including Clorox, which launched a line of biodegradable cleaners this year. More mainstream grocery stores carry organic fruits and vegetables, she said.
Lanier was delighted to find a homemade recipe for floor cleaner. She uses a mixture of water, vinegar and dishwashing liquid.
Lanier said her friends and family thought she was nuts when she turned to cloth diapers and homemade baby food. Though she struggles to get to meetings, she has been corresponding with members through e-mail. She is thrilled to know that she's not alone. "I think there is an ever-growing underground movement of mothers doing this," Lanier said.
