I don't have anything substantial to post this week, but I wanted to be sure you didn't think I forgot about you. Tomorrow, I'm taking my three kids to visit my mom and my sister in Texas for six weeks. The road trip will take all weekend, and I will fly back home to clean, craft, cook, and have some time to myself.
It has been pretty difficult to keep up with the messes left behind my my crew, and I haven't had any time to myself. So this will be a vacation for me. I'm very thankful to my mom and sister, and they're excited to spend some of the summer with them, taking them to the zoo and such. The kids are all excited, too. Some days, they can't contain it.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
Greening
I'd like to start by apologizing for the lack up update last week. I know I've only been doing this for a few weeks now, and disappearing for one of those weeks is particularly irresponsible. In my defense, I was very sick. I spent most of the week lying on the couch. I even laid on the floor in the kitchen while I was cooking lunch, just to fight the nausea. Today, I'm tired and still trying to recover my energy, but feeling otherwise better.
On a related point, I want to confirm that it is, as many of you know and others probably assume, extremely difficult to recover from illness when you have three small children and two large dogs to look after. But they did all do their part to offer me some peace. The kids spent much more time than usual in their room, playing. The dogs spent much more time in my bed, cuddling and napping with me.
While I was sick, a friend of mine brought something to my attention that I hadn't really thought much about in a while: Going Green. It's neat that certain large chains are trying to cut back on energy use by putting all of their refrigerated food in coolers with doors and LED lighting that, in some cases, turns off when no one is in the isle. Also great ideas on the corporate front are large stores with white roofs to reflect (instead of absorb) the heat, and sky lights to significantly cut costs of illuminating our shopping experience.
Individuals have a lot available to us, too. You don't have to be a hippie to want to save the planet anymore. And even if you somehow still don't believe in the global climate crisis, would it hurt to make a few adjustments incase you're wrong?
I can't personally afford a hybrid car. It seems to me that a lot of us can't. I drive an SUV. This is where you can temporarily imagine my shame face. But all of my kids and dogs fit in it and it fit in my budget a couple of years ago, when I bought it as a salvage. I know it's not the most environmentally friendly thing I could be driving, and I'd love an upgrade, but I just don't have the funds to be on the market for a better car right now.
Nobody's perfect, right? At least that's what I tell myself to mitigate the SUV guilt. There are a lot of things I have done to shrink my carbon foot print, like using a reusable container for drinking water on the go, switching to CFLs, washing almost all of my laundry in cold water, opening windows and doors instead of turning on my AC, and making most of my own cleaning products. Living in an apartment building makes some changes difficult or impossible, but I do what I can. In fact, when I started looking up lists of ways to "go green", I was surprised at the number of things I already do.
Here are some great ideas for being green(er) from http://simplemom.net/ *I did not write this list (if the links in this list don't work, you can view the same, original list by clicking on the URL above. The links work, there). The ones I've committed to are highlighted in pink:
1. Plant an herb garden. It’s good to have a reminder around of where our food originates, and this one is super easy.
2. Switch all your lightbulbs to CFLs (or at least switch a few).
4. Switch one appliance to an energy efficient model (look for the “energy star” label).
5. Stop using disposable bags. Order some reusable bags—my favorites are Flip & Tumble. Or, make your own—they’re insanely easy. (I have a reoccurring problem remembering to take mine with me to the store, even if they're in my car. They still don't make it to the building. *grumble*)
6. Buy an inexpensive reusable water bottle, and stop buying plastic disposable bottles. Then watch The Story of Bottled Water, a short movie about the bottled water phenomena.
7. Wash laundry in cold water instead of hot.
8. Turn off lights when you leave the room.
9. Don’t turn on lights at all for as long as you can—open your curtains and enjoy natural light.
10. Drive the speed limit, and combine all your errands for the week in one trip.
11. Better yet, walk or ride a bike to your errands that are two miles or closer.
12. Support your local economy and shop at your farmer’s market.
13. Turn off your computer completely at night.
14. Research whether you can sign up for green power from your utility company.
15. Pay your bills online. Not only is it greener, it’s a sanity saver.
16. Put a stop to unsolicited mail — sign up to opt out of pre-screened credit card offers. While you’re at it, go ahead and make sure you’re on the “do not call” list, just to make your life more peaceful.
17. Reuse scrap paper. Print on two sides, or let your kids color on the back side of used paper.
18. Conduct a quick energy audit of your home.
19. Subscribe to good eco-friendly blogs. My favorites Keeper of the Home, Kitchen Stewardship, Live Renewed, and of course, Simple Homemade.
20. Before buying anything new, first check your local Craigslist or Freecycle.
21. Support local restaurants that use food derived less than 100 miles away, and learn more about the benefits of eating locally.
22. Fix leaky faucets.
23. Make your own household cleaners. I’ve got quite a few recipes in my book.
25. Watch The Story of Stuff with your kids, and talk about the impact your household trash has on our landfills.
26. Learn with your kids about another country or culture, expanding your knowledge to other sides of the world.
28. Lower the temperature on your hot water heater.
29. Unplug unused chargers and appliances.
30. Repurpose something. It’s fun.
31. Collect rainwater, and use it to water your houseplants and garden.
32. Switch to cloth diapers – or at least do a combination with disposables. Even one cloth diaper per day means 365 fewer disposables in the landfill each year.
33. Switch to shade-grown coffee with the “Fair Trade” label.
34. Use a Diva Cup for your monthly cycles. At the risk of TMI, I’ve been using mine for more than five years now.
35. Use cloth instead of paper to clean your kitchen. Be frugal, and make these rags out of old towels and t-shirts.
36. Use cloth napkins daily instead of paper.
37. Read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, and be utterly inspired.
38. Repurpose glass jars as leftover containers and bulk storage, especially in the kitchen.
39. Watch the myriad documentaries on Netflix about the food industry. Some of my favorites are Food Inc., Fresh, and What’s on Your Plate?. My daughter was totally mesmerized with that last one—it’s insanely important that our kids understand where our food originates.
40. Donate to—and shop at—thrift stores. You’ll be recycling perfectly usable items, you’ll be supporting your local economy, and you’ll be saving money.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Kudos To Stay At Homers
I've been a stay at home mom for over five years. That number rolls over to six whole years if you count all the way back to when I had to quit my job halfway through my pregnancy with the twins because my doctor put me on bed rest. Most moms in my position will tell you that this is absolutely not "just not working". It's difficult and time consuming. You can't call in sick, and you rarely get 15 minute breaks, let alone vacation days. You end up more than a little stir crazy if you're not careful. I have, admittedly, tried to quit this job. Twice, actually.
I don't mean I tried to quit being a parent. Instead, I simply tried to go back to work. I got a job at a gas station when my twins were only a few months old. There were many reasons that didn't work out. The twins were premature and colicky and I simply couldn't leave my mom home with them whenever I was working. I also couldn't afford a real babysitter on what I was making at that gas station, and the job was awful anyway. I would have quickly found myself unable to stay up through the night with the babies and then go to work during the day.
More recently, I was employed by the best funeral company in the Denver area. I was referred to as a "family services representative", which is a fancy way of saying I was a receptionist with A LOT of other responsibilities. They barely trained me and I had to learn my job as I went. I worked nights and weekends and made only as much per hour as I was paying a babysitter. I was lucky to find a job that paid even that much, considering I had been an unemployed mother for years.
I thought it would be fine, because my oldest kids (the twins) were 5 and well behaved and intelligent with no known medical problems. Additionally, I had friends who could watch them for free when they were off work, so my babysitting wasn't eating my entire paycheck.
But I wound up getting fired for being "forgetful". Now, I've never been told that before, at least not without specific reference to being forgetful at a particular moment. I'm convinced I lost that job because I didn't really know what my responsibilities were. But I didn't do much pleading to save my employment because I was miserable there.
I don't want to be a stay at home mom for the rest of their childhood. I want my kids to see a woman with a career and ambition.They need a role model. Besides, if I'm being honest, being at home with the kids, as the only adult in the house, is pretty mind-numbing. I love teaching them and exploring with them, I hate defusing every fight and correcting every mistake and finding socks covered in dust bunnies under the couch.
If you're a stay at home parent, I'm proud of you. Even if you have a job, if you spend your time at home engaged and interested in your children an taking care of their needs, you're a hero. And if you're a single parent still able to love and care for your child, bravo! It's difficult, and if you can't think of something you really dislike about being a parent, you're in denial. But if you're doing your best, you're doing some good.
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