Happy Earth Day!

Today is Earth Day, and we're pretty excited about it at our house. (I'd be more excited if I weren't feeling awful due to an attack of every nursing momma's nightmare, but que sera sera.) We're not always the greenest family, but we really try to do our part. Here are some things we've done in our home over the last few years in an attempt to be nicer to our earth:

1. Cloth diapers! You knew it was coming. We are saving landfill space, keeping human waste out of landfills (and from running off into our water... think about that!), and using less wood pulp and petroleum. Yes, energy is used to make and wash cloth diapers, too, but we'll use far less (and use them over & over.) We're also keeping chemicals off of our daughter's bottom, and we know exactly what materials are up against her skin.
2. Reduce & Reuse: I try to buy almost all of the girls' clothes second-hand. We don't have a lot of new furniture, and we try to look for sustainably harvested wood when we do consider a purchase. I personally would rather slap some paint on an old piece anyway- more character! I belong to the local Freecycle group and Hubs just joined Swaptree, both to stop ourselves from keeping things that are just taking up extra space (and buying more) and to keep usable items from being thrown away. We have a ton of reusable shopping bags- we keep some in both of our cars in case we make an unplanned stop on the way home. A friend (the Brown-eyed Pea!) gave me some really cute Envirosax bags that fold up to fit in my purse or diaper bag. I use them in retail stores where I never remember to bring my canvas bags!
   
3. Recycling: Our county does not have a curbside program, so we bought big plastic laundry hampers to keep in the garage- one for each type of recyclable. At first we were driving them to a nearby center, but then my hubby helped arrange for us to start collecting recycling at church. An organization for the disabled picks it up. We don't have to take it anywhere out of our way, and they keep the funds and are able to provide work for some of the people they service.
4. Composting: We started small with this one. We just collect our coffee grounds, fruit peels, egg shells and other organic waste in old plastic salad containers. When they get full, we dump them in a pile in the wooded part of our yard beyond the fence. When Hubby mows or when I prune the roses or weed flowerbeds, that goes with it too. Hubs turns it frequently, and it becomes a nice rich fertilizer. We'd eventually like to get a fancy composter or a pretty canister for our counter, but it is possible to start composting without it!
5. Speaking of yard work: last year I planted some perennials (most came from someone at church for free!) that were tough and needed less water. This year we are planning to mulch a larger portion of our yard because the mowing, watering, fertilizing and chemicals sometimes needed for lawn maintenance isn't very green (sidenote- cypress mulch is NOT made from sustainable forests, go with something else.) Trying to use native plants is another way to make your yard more earth friendly. National Wildlife Federation has some great resources on how to make your yard greener and friendlier for wildlife in your area.
6. Using less water: We turn off our faucets when brushing our teeth. We try to water the flowers or fill up the pet water dishes using the water that is wasted when the shower or sink faucet is heating up (although this is a tough one to remember). We cram the dishwasher and the clothes washer full before running a cycle. Whenever possible, we bathe the girls together (that's just easier anyway!) We installed a low flow showerhead that has a "pause" feature for when you're lathering your shampoo or shaving your legs. (Here is a blog I found that is giving away one of these for free! Check it out!) And, although I have mixed feelings about admitting it, I do let it mellow if it's yellow. But only when it's just us at home. If you come over, we will flush. I promise.
7. Using less energy: We tried to weather-seal our home, with mixed results. Our front door is still very drafty, so if anyone has any tips, let us know. Hubby is very good about turning out lights and such (I am a bit forgetful but getting better!), and we have solar lights for our front walk. We use our ceiling fans and are trying to wean ourselves off of the heat & a/c a bit at a time. Oh- and CFL light bulbs. There is no reason not to buy these- even if you're a global warming skeptic, they will save you money! We also try to use less gas when we can, but we do not live within walking distance of anything, so that is difficult.
8. Use less paper (I guess this could have gone under "reduce" but I forgot: We use cloth napkins, cloth baby wipes, and keep our old towels for spills and such. We still use paper towels, but a roll lasts us a long time. We use scrap paper for everything we can, try to print on both sides, and sign up for e-statements, bills, catalogs, etc. I pay my bills online, and if I do get paper bills, I keep the envelopes for any snail mail I might need to send. I haven't bought a box of envelopes in years! We do still get a lot of magazines, though, so we need to work on that.
   
9. Spending wisely: There are a lot of organizations that say they are doing things for the earth- it can be hard to discern where to contribute. We've given to Earthjustice, National Wildlife Federation, and the ASPCA (which is not really about environmental conservation, but is about taking care of creation.) We also broke our bank on one silly dog who came to live with us, in the name of compassion and caring for God's creatures. We try to buy recycled paper products and to support companies that try to offset their carbon footprints, avoid animal testing, etc. I use a lot of natural cleaners, baking soda, vinegar, borax, etc. We buy a lot of organic products, even though they are more expensive. If everyone did, the supply would eventually go up and the cost would go down! I've already seen this happen some in the last few years as being "green" has become more trendy. Another way we try to shop smart is to buy things that have less distance to travel- naturally local farmers' markets are best, but even just things from the same state or region is better than stuff flown in from Chile or wherever. Some people say that is better for the environment than purchasing organic! Also, we try to buy things with less packaging and that are more concentrated or lighter to ship. Did you know eco-friendly powdered detergent is better to buy because it weighs less for transport?
10. Speaking up: My husband shared a very powerful sermon with our church last year about our responsibility to care for God's creation. He has also found some groups in our area who get together to share ideas, raise awareness, etc. for the cause. At our own church, we've started a group to help make things greener- we've already gotten the recycling and convinced the kitchen to stop using disposable dishes! Speaking up also means being informed, voting and voicing your opinion to our civil servants & politicians!!!
    

Did I give you this long list to toot my own horn and try to win a prize for the Greenest Gal? Not hardly. I was just hoping at least one of the above ideas would give you a new way to change the way you treat the earth. If you have questions about how some of those things work, or more ideas to share, please feel free to comment! We definitely still have a long way to go. Here are some things we are planning (or dreaming) to do at our house:

1. Install rainbarrels to water our lawn & gardens, and use gray water more.
   
2. Remember to change our air filters so our a/c and heat run more efficiently.
3. Take shorter (or cooler, or both) showers.
4. Put up a clothesline to dry things outside (we currently have a small drying rack for diapers, but I want a big one!)
   
5. Use more power strips to completely turn off electronics with "stand-by" modes.
6. Invest in CSA (community shared agriculture) by volunteering and purchasing produce.
7. Be more discerning about more of the products we buy- especially toiletries & some cleaning products.
8. Replace our existing appliances with more energy efficient ones.
9. Install other sources of power at our home- solar panels, wind, etc.
10. For our next vehicle, go hybrid or biodiesel.

And here is a really unique idea from my hero, Shane Claiborne. I haven't convinced Hubby to let me do it yet, but one of these days...

And here is a link to part of the Earth Day special I watched in fifth grade. Thanks to Chad M. for sharing it. Bette Midler played Mother Earth. She was (who am I kidding, still is) one of my heroes, so I really paid attention to this one.

Also, I want to let you know about an offer from Reynolds Wrap for a FREE roll of their new recycled aluminum foil. It is only good TODAY, so click here to check it out!

Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it." Psalm 24:1

Momzilla... or just proud?

I want to brag on my kid for a minute. So if you're not into that, skip this entry. But it would be nice if you could just hear me out...

I like to talk about my girls a lot, especially on this blog. But I've never thought of myself as one of those super-competitive moms who wants to compare everything and declare her child the winner. I just finished a book called Momzillas about those kind of moms who live on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. Actually, it was a lot like The Real Housewives of New York (which I am embarassed to say I have watched -and enjoyed- a few times. It gets boring when hubby is working late!) only with preschoolers. Language skills, artistic ability, potty-training, head circumference, Apgar scores... you name it and it became a competition. You don't have to live near Central Park to run into this either- everyone knows at least one mom who tries to find something her kid is better at than yours.

I feel like I've tried very hard not to be that mom. I studied child development enough to know that kids grow at their own pace. There were things Big Sister did early, and there were other things that I saw other kids her age doing and thought "Who knew?!" or "I'd better get on that!" She's always been quite verbal and very smart, but I never needed to prove it to other moms. The astonishment and compliments from random people at Target, moms at the park, even our own pediatrician, were affirmation enough.

SO- don't take this as a "my kid is smarter than your kid" post. It's simply an "I'm amazed that I had anything to do with developing this kid, isn't she great?" post: Big Sister, my three-and-a-half-year-old, can read! Not like a ""memorizing her favorite books" kind of reading. She is sounding out letters and figuring out words. Simple ones, for now, but it is amazing. She can spend an hour on Starfall playing the phonics games and figuring out the stories. She's also, as you can see from the picture above, working on writing. Her imagination is terrific (yesterday she found a tiny Barbie crown in the parking lot at church and decided it must have belonged to a tiny mouse princess who lost it...) so when the reading/writing skills come along, I am expecting a wonderful little storyteller. Maybe she'll have her own blog before we know it!



njhhhhhhhhhhhhhn vvbvvbv
Oh, that is from Little Sister. She's a genius too...

Happy Engagaversary!

Flashback with me if you will to April 18, 2002. I was getting ready to leave the school where I worked as an aide with two preschoolers with autism, when my cell phone rang. My aunt told me she needed my help with something. Truth be told, I had accidentally seen an e-mail from DaddyClay to my parents titled April 18th, so I was already a little suspicious. We knew we wanted to get married, and I had already made plans to move to Birmingham (where he was in seminary) to start a masters program in June. I had made it quite clear I was not going to pick up & move without some (shiny) symbol of his committment. He wanted to try and plan a special proposal and attempt to surprise me, but he was running out of time.

When I hung up the phone, I even joked with a co-worker that I thought I might be leaving to go get engaged, and I hurried home to meet up with my aunt. We ended up driving all around this neighborhood in Covington, supposedly to meet someone and pick up furniture. The thing is, I really started believing her! I seriously thought we were getting furniture and I guess I kind of forgot about my suspicions in the weirdness of it all- until we ended up at one of my favorite places: Devou Park. Here is a picture of the view:



When we pulled up to the park in her truck, she asked me if I knew "that guy over there" and pointed to him- freshly flown in from Birmingham, dressed up and sitting on a picnic blanket with all sorts of keepsakes & fun stuff to commemorate different events in our relationship (and even candles, which wouldn't stay lit). Then he read some scripture, got down on one knee, with a few tears in his eyes, and asked me to be his wife.

We were so excited to show everyone the ring and share our good news. I was so excited to become his wife; I loved him so much. But I had no idea how much more I would love him every day as we began to build a life together. We usually go out to celebrate April 18th, but this year it came and went by fairly quietly. Appointments, yard work, kid stuff, an event at church- life kind of got in the way. But (to quote Jon & Kate) it is our life. One we set out to share seven years ago, never knowing how wonderful it, or we, could be. I love you, sweetie!

Happy Birthday Al Dog!

Okay, this picture is really from Big Sister's first birthday, but it looks like it could be from Al's. Our sweet guy is 7 years old! Since we adopted him from a shelter in Birmingham, we don't actually know when he was born, but they estimated it was around this time. April 18 is also when John & I got engaged, so we like to think our puppy might have been born then too. He is our firstborn!

When we first got Al (Al Pacino. That's what the shelter had named him. You can't make this up.), we were going into the store to buy some fish. Talk about your impulse buy! But he melted in my arms when asked to hold him, and he was named after The Godfather. We figured it was pretty much an ordained meeting. Seven years later, I'd call it the best un-thought-out decision we've ever made. Al is a gentle giant. He faithfully guards the house and herds our children (and our other dog). He sleeps with me at night when Hubby is out of town or just staying up late. If you house-sit for us, he'll sleep with you too! He loves to have his paws scratched, still has never learned to contain himself when company comes over, LOVES rawhide, seems to enjoy standing and squinting in the rain, and hates to share (people, toys, treats, whatever). He probably is not ever walked enough, but he still gets hopeful whenever anyone in our house puts on their tennis shoes. He sometimes steals food that Hannah has abandoned, but always looks like he feels really guilty afterwards. He is always happy to see us, no matter how long we've been gone.

The picture above isn't totally accurate. Al is getting gray. Seeing him next to a young puppy like Sophie has revealed to us how much our sweet dog has aged (although Sophie has livened him up a bit, too.) There is a little less skip in his step, and his hips are getting stiff. Big dogs don't live forever, but we sure wish this one could. He has been the best dog anyone could ask for. Happy Birthday Buddy! Here's to seven more...

Pageants & watermelons...

One of the few places moms have to collect their thoughts and be alone is in the shower. Some days, when Hubby is home or my parents are visiting, I can turn a shower into a 30-minute luxury spa retreat (not very green, I know...). On other days, I hurry to get clean while frantically singing "The Wheels on the Bus" and peeking out of the curtain every few seconds hoping Little Sister will let me at least rinse the conditioner out of my hair before she completely unravels. There are lots of days in between these two extremes, when Little Sis plays sweetly in her baby papazan seat or when Big Sister watches a vhs tape on my bed, allowing me a quick (but quiet) shower. This was one of those days; Daddy & Big Sister were off to work & preschool, Little Sister was contently banging two toys together on the other side of the curtain, and my mind started racing (as it often does when it suddenly finds itself on respite from mommy duty.)

You know how it is- you start with one idea and it begins a strange thought chain that eventually brings you to something you haven't thought of in years. All I remember is I started thinking about the lip gloss Big Sister shared with me when she was getting ready for school, and suddenly I was thinking about a friend from college, and how she once fixed my hair for a pageant.

I know, right? I'm not exactly the pageant type. But at Georgetown there is a pageant called Belle of the Blue. Aside from poise & interviews & talent, they also take into account your year and GPA. My sorority nominated me more for my 4.0 than for my ability to wear a tiara. It wasn't a complete disaster, but it is one of those random things on which I look back & think "that was weird." I had to interview with the judges before the pageant. I learned an opening dance number with all of the other girls in which we wore flapper outfits. I sang Orange Colored Sky for my talent portion. And I answered a "current events" question in front of the audience. This is where my "shower thought chain" ended today- in what I call an "I carried a watermelon" moment (if you haven't seen Dirty Dancing... what is wrong with you?!)

I found myself remembering the answer I gave, and rewriting it as if I could do it over again. (I should note that my answer was not horrible, like this poor girl, but neither was it horribly thoughtful or insightful.) The emcee asked how we felt about requiring community service hours for graduation from public high schools. Most of us said that we thought community service requirements were a good idea. I recalled the hours I put in at Ursuline and how eye-opening they were. Decent answer. But nothing new.

Shortly after my turn, a girl answered differently. She said if your heart wasn't in it, you shouldn't be forced to do it. I don't know if it was the idea itself, the boldness of her answer, or the fact that it was finally different- something about her response made the crowd go crazy. Up until today, I've remembered that moment, and I suppose a part of me has regretted not answering "correctly." But the more I think about it, I realize that I still don't think her answer was the right one.

Growing up, I had to take "no-thank-you-bites" of everything on my plate. My parents wanted me to firmly grasp the idea that I would never know that I liked (or didn't like) something unless I gave it a try. Now that I am a mom myself, I know how frustrating it can be to get kids to try new things. Big Sister is the pickiest kid I know- she doesn't eat meat (except for cheeseburgers from McDonalds and the occasional Chikfila nugget) and she doesn't like many cooked veggies. Her diet consists mainly of some form of cheese (cream, shredded, cubed, puff -just seeing if you were paying attention!) or yogurt, fruit, and some grains. She will eat raw carrots, celery and broccoli, but in miniscule amounts. If she were lactose intolerant, I don't know what we would do.
I can't tell you how often I offer something truly wonderful to my daughter, only to have her refuse to even try it. Or worse- she takes it in her mouth, moves it around a bit, and then spits it back out without even actually tasting it- usually not into her napkin. Not only has she wasted delicious food, but she has made a mess as well!

Here's another example: Little Sister is 10 1/2 months old and still won't crawl. She gets on all fours and rocks back and forth. She even reaches for things, but then she flops back down onto her belly and rolls to get them. Rolling is what she knows. It's comfortable.

The truth is that as teenagers and adults our palates might mature, and hopefully we've gotten past the rolling around on the floor stage, but we're still scared to try new things. We seek the comfortable at all costs- whether it be ratty old sweatpants, air conditioning, a tried & true group of friends, ordering "the usual," the same town we've lived in all of our life, or something else. Trying something new is scary & hard, and those aren't exactly great PR words. It often takes a little push to get us to open up to a new idea or experience. Sometimes that push is just the desire for something new, but sometimes it might come from a loved one (or in effort to snag a loved one). Our parents, our spouses, our kids, and for believers the Holy Spirit, all stretch us and help us to leave our comfort zones. But sometimes we need even more of a push- like a carrot on a stick (a phrase which will forever conjure an image of Hattytown Tales in my mind.) For highschoolers, graduation credit is a big carrot. It can push you to do all sorts of things- even (gasp!) help someone.

Should community service be motivated solely for selfish gain? Of course not. But if a few teens actually have a good time painting fingernails in an Alzheimer's unit, even though they would never in a million years have come up with that idea on their own, it's worth it. In an ideal world, we would all pitch in to help in whatever way we can best be used, out of the kindness and love in our hearts, while Shiny Happy People plays in the background. But in real life, we don't want to. We're too busy. We're scared. We don't know what we're good at doing or where to begin. How can we expect teens to understand themselves well enough to know what they can do well? I'm almost thirty and still trying to start figuring that out.

Yes, in an ideal world, our actions would follow our pure motivations. But this is not an ideal world. It is a fallen one. And sometimes, our actions help to trigger our motivations. It's like the give and take in a relationship- sometimes I spend time with my husband because I love him. Sometimes I spend time with him because I should, and am reminded why I love him. The same thing happens with God. So why shouldn't it happen with serving God and His people? Sometimes we say the creed or pray the prayer or ladle the soup or hold the wrinkled hand because we love our God and His children. But sometimes we do it because we ought to, or because there is credit involved, and then we fall in love. The most beautiful result of all would be if we then went back to that same service after all credits had been handed out, just because it fits. Because we like it. Kind of like a favorite Bible verse- "taste and see!"

And THAT is what I wish I would have said.


And now, since this was a little heavy and laden with links, here is one final link to give your brain a break. While I advocate no thank you bites, this borders on freaky peer pressure. But its a catchy little song, and Big Sister likes it: YoGabbaGabba: Try It and here is an obligatory picture from the pageant. It's the talent portion- no way am I posting the flapper dress.

Bad Mom Confession #2

I am a HUGE cloth diapering advocate. Ask me if you should try it and I can come up with a million reasons why you should get on this website and order your first diapers today. After the initial c-section recovery period when other people were doing laundry for me, I have only purchased about three packs of disposable diapers for Little Sister- these were for traveling. Otherwise, we use only cloth diapers and cloth wipes. But...

I confess that I have thrown out no less than two pairs of Big Sis's "big girl underwear" when she has had a gross accident. Makes no sense, right? I will add that the first time occurred before we were routinely washing cloth diapers, and I had no clue how to (or desire to) go about washing them. The second time, well, I found them tied up in a bag that had been tossed in my laundry room. Yeah. Not sure if that actually helps to paint this confession in a better light or further grosses you out and makes you want to bring a can of Lysol when you come to visit. But, it is what it is...

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

Red Carpet Ready...

This is one of Big Sister's latest ensembles. She was wearing it while she played with Nana in her room the other day. I don't know if Nana had any role in helping her to accessorize, but knowing Hannah, it was probably all her. She had a great time (as always) playing with her Nana and Papa, too. As she gets older, she is getting better able to express how much she misses them when they head back to Ohio. Fortunately, they have lots of fun with her too and make it a point to come down to visit as often as they can. Here are some pics of fun with Nana & Papa.