Happy Earth Day!

I had hoped to celebrate Earth Day by planting some new plants in the yard but alas, the weather is cold and threatening rain. I did other things instead. I had my annual physical. Preserving my self instead of Mother Earth. I did have to drive there (in my non-hybrid vehicle). Then, I joined the local Freecycle site. I had high hopes for this alternative to buying everything new and throwing away the old. However, once I was accepted as a member and read over the recent posts, it seems there are many more "wants" than "don't want anymores". And, the things they want, I don't have. We'll see how this plays out. The premise of it is quite intriguing to me. A lot like Craigslist without the exchange of money. I love Craigslist. We outfitted our cabin with items found on Craigslist. Well, that's not entirely true. We added some items we found on Craigslist to what we had saved over the years. Joe equated himself to the crazy guy who decides to build a boat. He saves all kinds of stuff for the boat. The neighbors think he's a nut but he continues to save. One day, he builds his boat. And the crazy man wins. Well, this is what happened with our cabin. We saved so much stuff for a cabin that we had to rent a storage unit. Family and friends, no doubt, thought we were nuts. Years later, we found our cabin. the storage unit was emptied and everything found a new home at our second home. And the crazy people win!

But this is supposed to be a post about Earth Day. I do have a quick trip to make to the grocery store. In honor of the day, I will be sure not to leave my canvas grocery bags at home. Instead I will leave this post to put them in the car. That way, I'll just need to remember to take them into the store!

Happy Earth Day!

What A Difference 15 Minutes Makes

Yesterday I read on MotherLoad: The MomAdvice.com blog how important it is to take time for myself. As our lives get busier and busier, we have to carve out small pockets of time for just us. To re-energize. I have had a very hard time finding just where to begin my whittling, much less carving. For years, my husband has told me to wake up earlier. Not so much to find time for me but to get all my chores done. I'm so not a morning person and 6:15 seemed early enough for me. If I couldn't get everything done between 6:15 and 11, it obviously wasn't important enough to me. So why would I wake up earlier than 6:15 to get it done? Well, I'm also not a night person. It's all I can do to hold my eyes open through a 10:00 show. No matter what it is. Obviously, I won't stay up later to get more stuff done. And, I find it difficult to do this stuff while my dear husband is laying around watching TV at night. So for years, things have been left periodically unattended. I say periodically because I do take care of them. Just not on anyone's schedule other than my own. But yesterday's urging was different. This was a coaxing to find time for myself, not my chores. I'm proud to say that last night, I set my alarm for 6 AM, put the coffee on Auto Brew, and hit the sack. No, I didn't make it through the 10:00 show I was watching. All was going well until Porter entered my room at 4:17. He'd had a bad dream. He climbed into bed with me, taking his father's place. (He's in DC this week.) I was left listening to him suck his thumb (yes, he's 8!) throughout my remaining hour and and 43 minutes of sleep. I must have gone back to sleep because when the alarm went off, I jolted to attention. Determined to follow through, I threw on my robe and slipper socks and descended the stairs to kitchen where I had to wait for the coffee to complete it's cycle. Note to self: Set Auto Brew to an earlier time tonight. So, other than waiting on my coffee, how did I spend my extra 15 minutes? I read a magazine. Real Simple. It came yesterday and all I was able to do then was flip through it. I actually read an article. Something I haven't done in ages. At 6:15 I woke Porter and we began our normal schedule. Although I was a bit more bushy-eyed and productive. Then, I took the advice of a fellow reader of the MomAdvice blog. She doesn't allow her kids out of bed until 7:00. Obviously this won't work for all of my kids. Porter's bus comes at 6:45. Jonathan already gets up at 7:00. Millie, however, will wake up around 6:30 and beg for me (not Daddy) to come get her. She's four and quite capable of getting out of bed by herself and walking downstairs to me. But everyday it's the same. "Maaaaahhhhhmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyy!" Today, I walked into her room and told her I'd be back at 7:00 to get her. It was still too early for her to wake up. And, SHE WENT BACK TO SLEEP! So in reality, I had 15 minutes before Porter got up and 15 minutes between when he left for the bus and when Millie and Jonathan got up. That's 30 minutes! Half and hour! One TV show (as I've always explained time to my kids)!
I hope I can continue with this. I'm sure it will take me a little time to get used to waking up so early. I'll probably get tired earlier. But once I get used to it, imagine difference it will make!

Jonathan's Dynamite at 13

This past week, my oldest son turned thirteen. He entered the dreaded teenage years. He's on his way to adulthood. That slow, am I ever gonna get there, track to adulthood. The one you think you've finished long before you really have. I cannot believe thirteen years have passed since he was born. I remember that night (and very early morning - he was born at 12:35 AM) of labor like it was yesterday. Which I think says something for my memory. Even at 40, I'm doing OK.

It wasn't just his entry into teenhood that amazed me. He also took part in his school's talent show. The talent he chose to showcase was performing the Napoleon Dynamite dance. So, clad in a curly blond wig, large metal frame glasses, jeans, a Vote For Pedro tshirt, and boots made out of the inside of his rollerblades, he performed without pause, the dance he'd watched on Youtube and learned within a two day period. Not only is he a really quick study but he has absolutely no fear of performing in front of people. I have no idea where this trait came from. I can attribute his webbed toes to his father, his facial features to me, and his sense of humor probably comes from both Joe and me. But this no fear thing has me stumped. It also has me very grateful. Memories of the sheer panic I'd feel every time I had to simply answer a question out loud in class are still clear. I would have never been able to perform the Napoleon Dynamite dance in front of my school. But he did and he did it magnificently. The cheers are still playing out in my head. In fifth grade, he gave the graduation speech at his elementary school. We still run into people who heard it and continue to say how good it was. He just has that something special. Someone told me he thought Jonathan had a future in either politics or ministry. Time will only tell what the future holds. He is extremely interested in medicine so we'll just have to see. In the meantime, he's Dynamite!

Challenge Accepted!

I caught this bit on the Today show the other day about buying green. This guy has actually written a book about replacing the products you use everyday with more green items. He's talking everything from using reusable containers for packed lunches instead of plastic bags, up to buying more Earth-friendly cleaners instead of your usual brands. Now I have to say, I am a creature of habit. Doing the same things I've been doing for years is easy. Not only that but I love to get a bargain and aren't all these "green" products more expensive? Now throw in the bizarre loyalty I have for certain brands and this is not an easy pill for me to swallow. Yet I listened, rather intently. I was beginning to sway. Then Matt asked the question, "Won't buying all this stuff be expensive?" To that came the reply, "You don't have to do it all at once. You're going to run out of stuff. When you replace it, choose a green product." Well this was like a huge light on the dark future that awaits us all if we don't jump on this bandwagon. It's that simple. Baby steps. No huge outlay of funds.

As Fate would have it, this week I ran out of a product that I use often, try to buy on sale, and have been loyal to since...well, forever. Bounce. It's one of those products I use without thinking about it. Kind of like zipping your pants. You do it so often you don't remember doing it at all. Anyway, Monday was laundry day. I used my last Bounce sheet on my second load. For my third load, I was scrounging the couch cushions where I sometimes put a sheet to freshen the room. I found one, only one. But there were loads and loads awaiting Maytag submersion. The fourth load dried Bounce-free. Yuck. I now know why I use a dryer sheet. But must it be Bounce? Just because it's what my mother used and I began using when I first starting doing my own laundry, must it be the brand I continue to buy? Today, I worked on discovering an answer to that question. With grocery list in hand (one that explicitly listed Bounce), I almost grabbed that orange box. But, wait! There was a green alternative a few boxes down. Sun & Earth. It was orange too. So I started the comparison. It was actually less expensive than my old stand-by. So I bought it. And when I got home, I used it. Upon opening the box I can tell you there was a dramatic difference. The sheets have a brownish tint to them. (Must be the lack of dyes.) They are also not as easy to remove from the box. And once you do, you have to separate them into two. There is actually a perforation. This is to keep them from clogging your dryer vent. (Remember those emails that went around about someone's friend who's dryer caught on fire from a dryer sheet clogging her dryer vent? I always thought it was a hoax. Maybe not!) My clothes came out static-free and soft. Not as soft as with Bounce but that's OK, these puppies will bio-degrade in just 21 days. Now, I must know, if I cannot use all 80 sheets in 21 days, will the left-overs disappear?

So I have thoughtfully joined the coalition. Don't know where it will take me exactly. But I do know it's gotta be much better than where I'd be if I didn't jump aboard.

To Tell Or Not To Tell

That is the question! You know when you're eating dinner with someone and they get a piece of spinach caught in their teeth? It's uncomfortable to witness. You start licking your teeth, sub-consciously, trying to send them some telepathic message. I recently watched a show about this. It is amazing how many, when put in this situation, do not tell the person about the attention-stealing green cling-on.
This past week was Spring Break here in Charleston County. We took the kids to the mountains. While on the road, I noticed lots of bumper stickers. I'm not really a fan of bumper stickers. I have two, Touched By Adoption and a Georgia "G" decal. Both are in my window. It's the verbose stickers that I don't like. Sometimes I laugh because they can be funny. But, let's face it, if I'm driving a car, I really don't have time to be reading bumper stickers. And, do I really care how people in traffic feel about everything they insist on sharing? I mean if we're trying to sway public opinion, there must be a better way. I'd rather meet you for a coffee to discuss it than have to read it on the tail end of your car. But I digress...
Remember back when Bush was running for President? He had those "W" stickers. First it said "W for President" then it changed to "W The President" and then some got the "W Still The President." Do you know after all these years of a mistake-ridden presidency, folks still have these stickers on their car? Now, I'll let you in on a secret. I never voted for Bush. Don't really understand why anyone did to begin with, much less a second time! But it's a free country and I guess that's just how democracy works (or at least that's what we found out!). Anyway, do you think those folks who voted for him are proud that they did? Do you think they're proud of him? I ask because if I had voted for him, I would imagine that after this nearly complete (thank God!) second term, I'd have lost a bit of pride in his job. If I'd put one of those stickers on my car to show my support for him, I'm quite confident that I would have removed it by now. So, do you think these people know the stickers are still on their cars? Or, have they become like the attention-stealing green cling-ons? An uncomfortable thing no one wants to admit is there? I think we should start letting them know it's there. "Ummm, excuse me Sir, I know this is embarrassing, but you've got a little something stuck to the back of your car...."

How Are Your Abs?

I ran across an offer I couldn't refuse yesterday. A free Ab workout download. Just go here and download your own copy. You'll need to put it in your cart and enter "FREE ABS" as your code. There will be no charge with this code. After I downloaded it, I watched it once then did the workout. This is 20 minutes totally devoted to your abs. I was quite surprised that I was able to make it through the whole thing. And, I will say, I do feel it today. Hope you enjoy it! I'll let you know if I find one for other body parts...

Update

Well, the rules are going well! I don't mean to sound surprised but I must admit I am...a little, maybe more. I haven't had to confiscate anything this week AND I've given out NO additional demerits! I'm thrilled with the results so far.
It has been a busy week with Orchestra Rehearsals, Soccer Practice and Student Council for Jonathan, pre-planning for the upcoming Swim Team season for both boys. Somehow, Joe and I got on the Board and with the season starting in just 2 months, there's already stuff to do. Last night I actually got out! I got together with some girlfriends, most of whom I hadn't seen in about a year. We all have kids born in the year 2000 and we used to have a playgroup when the kids were younger. It's amazing how comfortable the evening was even though we all have different stuff going on in our lives now. It was a good time, even if I did miss American Idol. But I must say, coming home so close to mid-night was a mistake! Thankfully Millie doesn't have school on Wednesdays because I'm still not dressed! Another thing I did yesterday was clean up my computer. It took ALL DAY! I ran all sorts of stuff to compress this, clean that and scan everything else and amazingly enough, things are running much smoother! Now, if I can just get my boys to stop downloading so much junk we'll be fine for a while. Needless to say, I have a lot of catching up to do on FREE stuff and other blogs. This is going to be a busy day!