Since I was a child, recycling and using less has been a part of my life. The city I grew up in had recycling cans since the early 1980's. My mother always told us to turn off the water, shut off the lights, not to waste paper, and not to waste food. She has always been about conservation and for me, it's always stuck.
While I've always done what I can to live conservatively (at least in the sense of waste), I want to do more. So, I'm going to chronical what we're doing, what I read and hear about doing a bit more, and any progress we've made. Here's what we do now.
1) Recycle paper, plastic, glass, aluminum
2) Use a manual push mower
3) Use minimum lights in the house
4) Have installed 2 flourescent light bulbs
5) Try to use rags and towels instead of paper towels (when we remember; I'm knitting some now)
6) Use organic fruits and vegetables
7) Try to not buy plastic packaging when other options are available
8) Reduced our meat consumption by no longer eating beef and eating vegetarian twice a week
9) Use old t-shirts as cleaning rags
10) Try to not use plastic disposable zipper bags when other non-disposable containers are available
It's a good list. But, we want more. Well, we want to use less and conserve more. Let's see what we can do.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
plants and progress
I just talked with some co-workers about plant possibilities in my front yard. I love other minds. They're so much more useful than mine sometimes. Their ideas. Do some potted edibles like cherry tomatoes and strawberries. Plant in ground some heather, rosemary, pansies and peas. I love having a starting point. Another lady suggested thyme. I want things that are edible, beautiful and ready to take a beating from the sun.
Taking out the rose bushes has proven more difficult than I first imagined. First of all, the thorns. drr. You'd think this would be a no-brainer but they're pretty hard to work around. Then, the roots. Those things are thick and run deep into the ground. Lastly, the disposal. Garden trash. Am I not allowed to put it in the garbage? I do it anyway. Where else am I supposed to put it?
So, house renovations have begun. After a busy weekend, I cleaned out our "office" and am left with only a couple boxes of miscellaneous stuff. I'm concurrently working on these goals:
1) Clean out the basement
2) Redecorate the bathrooom upstairs
3) Revitalize our front yard with new plants and better grass
4) Declutter the house
#1 and #4 are my favorite. I love throwing stuff out. I love not having stuff stored up or stacked up.
What I really really need to work on is a great working file system. I threw out a bunch of old paper work that I didn't need. Now, I just need to organize a filing system to put in the current year's stuff. There was a website somewhere about how to file your bills, statements, and receipts. They had a great logical way of organizing different things into one cohesive system. Oh, it was great. But, I can't find it.
Then, there's this store across from my work with the most beautiful filing materials. I want them. Oh, I want them so bad. But, that's for another day.
Ah ha-I found it. It was something I read on Oprah. Make Money, Not Excuses. Amusingly enough, I found it in my favorites. Sometimes, I'm more organized than I think.
Taking out the rose bushes has proven more difficult than I first imagined. First of all, the thorns. drr. You'd think this would be a no-brainer but they're pretty hard to work around. Then, the roots. Those things are thick and run deep into the ground. Lastly, the disposal. Garden trash. Am I not allowed to put it in the garbage? I do it anyway. Where else am I supposed to put it?
So, house renovations have begun. After a busy weekend, I cleaned out our "office" and am left with only a couple boxes of miscellaneous stuff. I'm concurrently working on these goals:
1) Clean out the basement
2) Redecorate the bathrooom upstairs
3) Revitalize our front yard with new plants and better grass
4) Declutter the house
#1 and #4 are my favorite. I love throwing stuff out. I love not having stuff stored up or stacked up.
What I really really need to work on is a great working file system. I threw out a bunch of old paper work that I didn't need. Now, I just need to organize a filing system to put in the current year's stuff. There was a website somewhere about how to file your bills, statements, and receipts. They had a great logical way of organizing different things into one cohesive system. Oh, it was great. But, I can't find it.
Then, there's this store across from my work with the most beautiful filing materials. I want them. Oh, I want them so bad. But, that's for another day.
Ah ha-I found it. It was something I read on Oprah. Make Money, Not Excuses. Amusingly enough, I found it in my favorites. Sometimes, I'm more organized than I think.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
And that 2nd tooth is out
Just one day past a week, B's lost her second tooth! She just called me so excited and said thank you for the pillow case I made her. She said I'm such a nice mom. It's always nice hear that. She said she can't wait to see what the Toothfairy's going to bring her. This time Grandma pulled out the tooth. Last time, she did it by herself in the bathroom. She's so bold!
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Dealing with the tooth fairy
B was so excited to have lost her first tooth. She couldn't stop talking about it. It was very cute. At bed time, we got out the pillow case I embroidered for her and put her tooth in it. She was very careful in the way she carried to it ensure it didn't fall out as we climbed the stairs. She asked me how much money the fairy was going to leave her. She said she hoped it would be $10. Ha! The tooth fairy doesn't have Santa's funds. I told her when I was a kid, I only got a quarter so it probably wouldn't be as much as $10. She said, "well, that's because your teeth are kind of yellow and fairies don't like yellow teeth." Well, ok. True.
So, this morning she woke so excited she could hardly contain herself. She got $1 and a little purple bracelet. Over the past week, she's gotten shoes, tights, a dress, and a bracelet. She won't wear any of them until Easter. She wants them to look nice. Instead, she wears her dirty red shoes with the holes in the toes, just waiting for Easter. This morning she said she was the luckiest kid in the whole world. I think we're the luckiest parents in the whole world. She actually shows appreciation for the things she has and is always grateful when given something new. She's such a rare gem.
On Sunday, we went shoppping to Toys R Us, with her hard earned money. We went through the entire store searching for what she wanted to buy with her own money. It was cute. Of course. Everything is cute. But, she searched and compared things, and finally settled on the one thing she wanted for her $10. The problem is, the thing she picked out didn't have a price tag and I knew it was more like $15. But when I was searching for the price and she stood there with her hands clasped to her chest and said, "Oh, I hope it's only $10. I can feel the hope growing inside me," I lied. I told her it was $10 threw in some plastic Easter eggs to mask the price difference and she bought her first toy with her own money. She was very proud of herself. Some for tithe, some savings, some for fun. She's digging this.
So, this morning she woke so excited she could hardly contain herself. She got $1 and a little purple bracelet. Over the past week, she's gotten shoes, tights, a dress, and a bracelet. She won't wear any of them until Easter. She wants them to look nice. Instead, she wears her dirty red shoes with the holes in the toes, just waiting for Easter. This morning she said she was the luckiest kid in the whole world. I think we're the luckiest parents in the whole world. She actually shows appreciation for the things she has and is always grateful when given something new. She's such a rare gem.
On Sunday, we went shoppping to Toys R Us, with her hard earned money. We went through the entire store searching for what she wanted to buy with her own money. It was cute. Of course. Everything is cute. But, she searched and compared things, and finally settled on the one thing she wanted for her $10. The problem is, the thing she picked out didn't have a price tag and I knew it was more like $15. But when I was searching for the price and she stood there with her hands clasped to her chest and said, "Oh, I hope it's only $10. I can feel the hope growing inside me," I lied. I told her it was $10 threw in some plastic Easter eggs to mask the price difference and she bought her first toy with her own money. She was very proud of herself. Some for tithe, some savings, some for fun. She's digging this.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Bella lost her first tooth today
Just a place holder so I can document that today, Bella lost her first tooth. She wiggled it and wiggled it with her tongue so it would get looser and looser. Then, she just pulled it out. She said it didn't hurt but that she keeps forgetting it's gone and putting her tongue there.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Financial Choices
Growing up. I can't believe how much stuff people tell you to take care of when you grow up. I wish it was as simple as having a husband, kids, job, and house. We're good, we're solid, we're on the right track. But, there's so much more. I'm not talking about relationships or spending time together. No, this is all financial and legal work. There is so much to do.
We have already:
Good jobs
College savings accounts for both girls
Retirement accounts (B's doing 10%, I'm not there yet)
A house with a low enough mortgage that we can do the other things listed above plus have extra every month
An emergency fund
Life insurance policies
Modest, dependable, safe cars
What's missing:
A Will
Living will
A Trust
A 3-6 month stash of cash in case on of us loses our jobs or can't work
Disability insurance (especially considering B's Alpha-1)
A house with enough room in it to move around and have normal furntiure
A house with enough outdoor space for the girls to actually play on
The rest of my retirement contributions to get up to at least 10%
Vacation money
Money for clothes and shoes
Adoption of Bgirl by Bdad
Obviously, we're very blessed. We know this and I'm not complaining, I just don't know when is enough, enough? How much do we need to plan? We're the only couple I know approaching 30 who has any of this set up. I don't want to go with the crowd but I would like to enojy the money we earn as well as save for the uncertain future. I live in fear that B and/or I will die before the girls are old enough to care for themselves. So, I do all this stuff and try to plan, plan, plan for the future. I'm not comfortable not doing it but am wondering if I'm a fool for planning and saving too much. That seems so dumb to write. Of course I need to secure things for us and the girls. But, how much? I can't plan for everything, right?
It's just crazy because you walk into our home and we have hand-me down furniture, most of my the girls' clothes are hand-me-downs, B and I wear the same pairs of shoes for years, we have older cars, and we never have money to go on vacations. We have good jobs but aren't making tons of cash or anything. But, it seems like we should be able to enjoy a little more of it.
So, I'm wondering, is it better to skrimp and save now, get everything in place, live small, and then as we get older and move up in our jobs, use that money for more fun money? Since everything will have been established already, can we use our promotions and raises for more exciting things like clothes and vacations? Is that what the smart people do?
Can you tell I did not grow up in a financially secure home?
We have already:
Good jobs
College savings accounts for both girls
Retirement accounts (B's doing 10%, I'm not there yet)
A house with a low enough mortgage that we can do the other things listed above plus have extra every month
An emergency fund
Life insurance policies
Modest, dependable, safe cars
What's missing:
A Will
Living will
A Trust
A 3-6 month stash of cash in case on of us loses our jobs or can't work
Disability insurance (especially considering B's Alpha-1)
A house with enough room in it to move around and have normal furntiure
A house with enough outdoor space for the girls to actually play on
The rest of my retirement contributions to get up to at least 10%
Vacation money
Money for clothes and shoes
Adoption of Bgirl by Bdad
Obviously, we're very blessed. We know this and I'm not complaining, I just don't know when is enough, enough? How much do we need to plan? We're the only couple I know approaching 30 who has any of this set up. I don't want to go with the crowd but I would like to enojy the money we earn as well as save for the uncertain future. I live in fear that B and/or I will die before the girls are old enough to care for themselves. So, I do all this stuff and try to plan, plan, plan for the future. I'm not comfortable not doing it but am wondering if I'm a fool for planning and saving too much. That seems so dumb to write. Of course I need to secure things for us and the girls. But, how much? I can't plan for everything, right?
It's just crazy because you walk into our home and we have hand-me down furniture, most of my the girls' clothes are hand-me-downs, B and I wear the same pairs of shoes for years, we have older cars, and we never have money to go on vacations. We have good jobs but aren't making tons of cash or anything. But, it seems like we should be able to enjoy a little more of it.
So, I'm wondering, is it better to skrimp and save now, get everything in place, live small, and then as we get older and move up in our jobs, use that money for more fun money? Since everything will have been established already, can we use our promotions and raises for more exciting things like clothes and vacations? Is that what the smart people do?
Can you tell I did not grow up in a financially secure home?
Thursday, December 28, 2006
J's progress in her 8th month
This is a run down of J's progress so that I don't forget and can move it into her baby book some day. I may as well make it public so few family and friends who read this can be up to date as well.
December 24th: J takes first step with no one helping. Only one tiny rocky step but it's the beginning. She'd been holding on and walking faster and faster but is really trying to go now.
Since Dec. 16 she'd been standing up longer and longer on her own.
It's so cute to see her just standing there; a tiny little person just standing there all on her own.
J is very determined. If she wants something and you don't give it to her, she'll crawl after you or it and go for it. If you try to hide it, she'll move stuff around and look for it. If you take it from her, she gets real mad in the face and yells. She beats her little fists and grunts. I started calling her Frankenbaby for little angry grunts.
It's wonderful to see her personality coming out so early. She's determined and very smart. She's strong and daring.
In the past few weeks, a cheery and smiley little J has been blossoming. Just recently, we've been able to really get interactive with her. She coo's and babbles back and forth with us. She's saying mamamama and dadadada and Brent thinks she's says 'bella' in some form also.
To play, we sit on the floor together and wiggle. J twists her whole upper body from side to side and claps her hands. She loves the "roll em and roll em" part of patty cake. She just giggles when we get to that part. If we read a story to her, she sits and listens and looks at the pictures. J crawls kind of funny. She bends one knee up and drags the other leg. It looks like she's going to get up and walk. Like if you're sitting on the floor and move to get up-bending one knee, that's what she looks like.
The other day in church, on Christmas Eve, everyone was singing-even J. She coo'd and babbled the whole time. Maybe she'll be a singer...we'll have to wait and see.
There's this lady at church who is just wonderful with J. A couple of times, J's been fussy and K will walk over and ask to hold her. J goes to her and just relaxes. Both times, K's gotten her to go to sleep. This is amazing because usually J is not comfortable with other people-only mommy.
She is a mommy's girl. I love having a baby to cuddle with but feel bad because I know how much everyone loves to feel accepted and loved by a baby. I figure the more love and acceptance I give to her, the more comfortable she'll be with other people. She loves to be held and talked to and breastfed and spoon fed and bottle fed. The baby loves to eat.
So far, we've prepared for her bananas, avocado, yellow split pea soup, butternut squash with cinnamon and nutmeg, cheerios, broccoli, sweet potato, apples with cinnamon, pears with cinnamon, and I'm sure there's more but that's all I can think of. She even had a little taste of cheese dip. She loved it. I think she loves everything. Both of my girls have been excited eaters-I love it!!
J loves loves loves her big sister. The way she looks at her with anticipation and excitement is so endearing. She looks up into her face and you can see her little smile and her eyes fixed right on B. She smiles at B everytime she sees her. They play well together and B is just so loving towards J. She jumps up and down in excitement when J accomplishes something new. B helps J do new things like stand and walk and play with toys. The other day, I overheard B telling J "no, don't play with that. Here, you want a bottle to play with?" And she gave her an empty water bottle to play with as a safe toy. B is a fantastic big sister.
That's a nutshell for month 8. We went to Leavenworth, B's birthday, Christmas. It's been a busy one.
December 24th: J takes first step with no one helping. Only one tiny rocky step but it's the beginning. She'd been holding on and walking faster and faster but is really trying to go now.
Since Dec. 16 she'd been standing up longer and longer on her own.
It's so cute to see her just standing there; a tiny little person just standing there all on her own.
J is very determined. If she wants something and you don't give it to her, she'll crawl after you or it and go for it. If you try to hide it, she'll move stuff around and look for it. If you take it from her, she gets real mad in the face and yells. She beats her little fists and grunts. I started calling her Frankenbaby for little angry grunts.
It's wonderful to see her personality coming out so early. She's determined and very smart. She's strong and daring.
In the past few weeks, a cheery and smiley little J has been blossoming. Just recently, we've been able to really get interactive with her. She coo's and babbles back and forth with us. She's saying mamamama and dadadada and Brent thinks she's says 'bella' in some form also.
To play, we sit on the floor together and wiggle. J twists her whole upper body from side to side and claps her hands. She loves the "roll em and roll em" part of patty cake. She just giggles when we get to that part. If we read a story to her, she sits and listens and looks at the pictures. J crawls kind of funny. She bends one knee up and drags the other leg. It looks like she's going to get up and walk. Like if you're sitting on the floor and move to get up-bending one knee, that's what she looks like.
The other day in church, on Christmas Eve, everyone was singing-even J. She coo'd and babbled the whole time. Maybe she'll be a singer...we'll have to wait and see.
There's this lady at church who is just wonderful with J. A couple of times, J's been fussy and K will walk over and ask to hold her. J goes to her and just relaxes. Both times, K's gotten her to go to sleep. This is amazing because usually J is not comfortable with other people-only mommy.
She is a mommy's girl. I love having a baby to cuddle with but feel bad because I know how much everyone loves to feel accepted and loved by a baby. I figure the more love and acceptance I give to her, the more comfortable she'll be with other people. She loves to be held and talked to and breastfed and spoon fed and bottle fed. The baby loves to eat.
So far, we've prepared for her bananas, avocado, yellow split pea soup, butternut squash with cinnamon and nutmeg, cheerios, broccoli, sweet potato, apples with cinnamon, pears with cinnamon, and I'm sure there's more but that's all I can think of. She even had a little taste of cheese dip. She loved it. I think she loves everything. Both of my girls have been excited eaters-I love it!!
J loves loves loves her big sister. The way she looks at her with anticipation and excitement is so endearing. She looks up into her face and you can see her little smile and her eyes fixed right on B. She smiles at B everytime she sees her. They play well together and B is just so loving towards J. She jumps up and down in excitement when J accomplishes something new. B helps J do new things like stand and walk and play with toys. The other day, I overheard B telling J "no, don't play with that. Here, you want a bottle to play with?" And she gave her an empty water bottle to play with as a safe toy. B is a fantastic big sister.
That's a nutshell for month 8. We went to Leavenworth, B's birthday, Christmas. It's been a busy one.
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