All's well

In case you noticed, I removed the pregnancy ticker. Only because I was tired of it, and haven't found one I like better. I'm still pregnant, everything is fine, and I'm being kicked as I type this. :-) That's all. TTFN

The passing lane rule

Have you ever noticed that as soon as you are in a NO PASSING zone, the car in front of you is going 10-15 mph below the posted limit? And as soon as you get to a passing zone, there's just enough traffic spaced just right coming in the opposite direction that you cannot pass.

I experience this often. I'm sure it has nothing to do with my heavy right foot combined with my car accelerating much like a cheetah. Tonight it definitely had nothing to do with my *ahem* cheetah* pulling out behind a van that accelerated much like a snail might.

Anyway, that's all. I'm off to dream about cheetahs. Or cheetos.

Happy Earth Day!

One of the cool things about living where we do, is we are nestled between two major cities that each have their own PBS affiliates, so we have lots of opportunities to see all the neat shows they do. One of the sucky things about living where we live is sometimes we have to choose which PBS show we’d rather watch. Tonight I face that dilemma. All the channels are featuring Earth Day relevant shows. Anyway, I've been thinking...

I love Earth Day - I love that we have a day to focus on the Earth and what we can be doing to make it a better place. I always try to think of something cute for my girls to do for their classmates - we're giving them each a packet of seeds. Plus, lots of my favorite eco shops have Earth Day discounts - love when you can combine greenin' it up with saving some dough! ;-)

Anyway, while I love Earth Day, I'm also saddened at realizing that we need to have Earth Day at all. Shouldn't it be a priority of everyone everywhere to take care of this place we call home. This only place we can call home? Why do we have to mark it on the calender to take care of our home?

I know in my life there are so many things I could do to be greener. At the same time, I know we do an awful lot - more than most people I know personally. I don't say that with judgment or a feeling of superiority. But, in knowing that we do so much, I'm able to talk myself out of feeling guilty when I use the occasional ziploc bag or throw out a package from a food product I know I could've made myself but didn't take the time to do. That's a bad habit, talking myself out of feeling guilty - I'm still being wasteful, and in the end, I'm still contributing to the problem instead of the solution.

I guess Earth Day is relevant because we still need it to be relevant. Until every single one of us is committed to solving the problem and focused on no longer contributing to the problem, we need Earth Day to remind us to take care of our home. And, unfortunately, there are lots of us that still need to figure out that taking care of our Earth is not some hippie-dippie trend for those just trying to be cool - it's a responsibility we each have.

No matter what's going on in your life, chances are you can do more. Please think long and hard about what more you can be doing, and let's work together to make Earth Day irrelevant.

Some things I will be trying:
- switch completely to cloth wipes - no toilet paper at all at home (except a roll tucked away for guests)
- hang my clothes out to dry every load (when the weather doesn't allow for hanging outside, use my indoor drying rack)
- bake 1 loaf of bread a week (with a goal of soon baking all our bread - with the help of my bread machine)
- unplug more unused appliances - this will involve some rearranging and investing in power strips to make it possible - I will not move the 6' buffet every time I need to plug in or unplug the tv!
- be organized enough to go to rummage sales
- eliminate ziploc baggies

Some things I will be continuing:
- cloth menstrual pads
- stainless steel water bottles for the family
- bringing our own bags shopping (and work harder at remembering the cloth produce bags we have!)
- recycling (though reducing our use of recyclable materials is the greenest option)
- baking soda and vinegar to wash hair
- combining errands so trips to town are minimal
- buying local eggs and produce, as well as growing my own veggie garden (this is seasonal at this time in my life)
- check Goodwill for what we need before going to Kohl's or Target
- no paper towels - use kitchen towels instead
- composting kitchen scraps and yard waste

What are you doing or willing to try?

(image courtesy Sacramento365)

recycling books

This lady here, featured in this npr article, turns old, unwanted books into purses and wallets. How cute is that? And how green, too! Anything green I'm bound to love!

I'm at work, trying to finish my day, so that's all for now, I'll post again soon. :-)

Pictures... it's about time!

First – the girls’ dresses – I love sundresses! No frilly, poufy stuff for my girls (well, not when mom goes shopping without them, at least!). Aubrey’s is dark brown with bright pink flowers, so her. Also, she’s got on her first pair of heels. She loves them, she feels so grown up.

Then, some random pictures that have been hanging out on my camera for entirely too long…

Lauren is phasing out of needing naps, which means sometimes she falls asleep at dinnertime. At the table. While sitting in her chair. It’s hilarious.

And, all the toys two siblings spend hours fighting over, but put them both in a box, and oh the magic that happens. They flew, drove, sailed and maybe also were on a train for a bit. With one playing mama, the other playing baby. Always. It’s the game that gets played throughout every other game day in and day out – mama and baby. This box has become priceless, it brings so much peace to our home.

Now, back to Easter. This picture is of only a portion of the cantata singers. What I love about it, and about church, is that, in no order, you see: a shop owner, a house painter, a teacher, a Wal-Mart stocker, a city attorney, a dairy farmer, a retired shop owner, a great-grandmother, a business man, a housewife and an unemployed salesperson, among others. We may have nothing in common with the people next to us, except that we are all seeking Jesus. And really, isn’t that all the matters?

And, just because I like this picture, here’s one of my sweeties, looking especially sweet….

Happy Easter!

The Easter Bunny was smart to hide our eggs late last night - we were in the (cold) yard before 7am looking for them! That silly rabbit, though, was trying to hide our neighbors eggs this morning, so he spent a few minutes hiding in the neighbor's garage while we found ours - you know he doesn't want to be spotted!

This year the Easter Bunny went light on junk - each girl got a hula hoop, chocolate bunny, box of rainbow goldfish (a treat because Mommy thinks they are disgusting!) and a miniature growing kit. Also, though, the EB left two certificates - one for an ice cream date with Mommy Daddy, and the other for dinner out at our favorite Japanese restaurant. I am excited. And, there's no plastic easter grass in my house. Yet. The day is young, the girls may be getting easter gifts from some relatives we'll be seeing later.

Andy's singing in the cantata this morning, at all 3 church services, so he missed helping us find eggs, and we won't have a chance to hang out with him until 'brunch' at 1pm. I'm a little sad, because I so enjoy spending holidays together, but then I'm not sad, because he's singing at church this morning, which is not something I ever would've predicted when we got married.

I hope your Easter is a celebration of Jesus, and that you are able to spend some time with people that matter in your life. :-)

by Mary Oliver

Next Time

Next time what I'd do is look at

the earth before saying anything.

I'd stop just before going into a house

and be an emperor for a minute

and listen better to the wind

or to the air being still.

When anyone talked to me, whether

blame or praise or just passing time,

I'd watch the face, how the mouth

has to work, and see any strain, any

sign of what lifted the voice.

And for all, I'd know more -- the earth

bracing itself and soaring, the air

finding every leaf and feather over

forest and water, and for every person

the body glowing inside the clothes

like a light.