Failure #1 & 2 in my No Purchase Challenge

I must confess, I lasted just short of 24 hours without purchasing something new! Pretty sad, huh? Well, I really did try to not purchase something, but it got complicated.

Lauren is invited to a birthday party on Sat. I thought long and hard about what we could do that did not involve purchasing something new, but really did not come up with any good ideas, especially for a 7yr old. Don't get me wrong, Lauren is actually pretty good with creating and making hand made items. But we only had two days to make something, and really, what could she do in those two days? We had no new toys lying around to regift, and I am not so sure that a used item would have gone over too well. So off to Target we went to choose a birthday gift. (This brought up yet another issue I have, ok two issues. But maybe I'll delve into birthday parties and crappy toys another time.)

Also, I had talked to her about purchasing a small gift for Kelsey, her best friend. I really like Kelsey, as does Lauren, and want to help nuture that relationship. (Unfortunatly we are not doing too well in that department just due to busy schedules and my wierd anti-social tendancies in comparsion to the rest of suburbia. But that is also another post.) So, there we were in the toy isle at Target purchasing yet another toy. Well, two toys, one trip; it still adds up to two failures in my month long challenge.

And it is only April 2nd. 28 more days to go before I can purchase something else!

Crunchy Chicken's April Challenge - No Purchases!!!

OK, so I have decided to sign up for the April challenge at Chrunchy Chickens's blog. This site (which I have recently found and love - it is SO up my alley!!) has varrious environmental challenges that you can choose to participate in. This is my first official foray into her challenges, mostly because I recently stumbled upon her blog or I'd be in most of her challenges. I am excieted and terrified both - I want to be good, but sometimes you just need to buy something.

So what exactly is this challenge? For the entire month of April she challenges you to purchase NOTHING -- well she does say food and items necessary for food preperations (and gardening food) are allowed, but anything else must be "begged, borrowed, or bought used." I might even go beyond bought used, and try to do nothing bought.

I'll keep ya posted on my progress.

I hate puke

Good golly we have yet another case of the pukes in our house. I wonder if my mother hated the pukes as much as I do. While I feel sorry for the poor kid who is sick, I really hate the endless loads of laundry I end up doing. I do not remember puking all over my bed. Not even once, let alone the three or four times my kids manage to do it. Cant they get their GPS system up and working and get out of bed and head for the toilet QUICKLY!? Sigh - well, its not as if I have nothing better to do than add 4 or 5 loads of laundry to my already large pile.

The absolutly worst part ... I was supposed to go to a Pistons game tommorow, but I do not think the babysitter would like to hang out with pukey girl and then have to clean it all up afterwards. Heck, *I* dont want to, and I'm the mom!

Wild Women Weekend 2

Oh what a fun weekend it was in Chicago! The five of us (yes, I know the photo only has 4 Wild Women -- Poor Suzanne's Chrones was acting up) laughed, drank, ate (and ate and ate) and had a great time. Proof once again that we need to keep up this tradition. More to come so keep checking back with this entry .... I am slowly entering my fun stuff.

I wanna be a sloth today

I feel like rambling today - but I am watching my friend's kids today. They are good kids and not much hassle, so that makes my day not too bad. But I want to sit at the computer and surf homeschool and alternative schooling crap, and write and ramble. Oh well. I miss the old days of having time off to do what I want to do, rather than doing what the kids want to do : )

Well, I have my Wild Women Weekend in Chicago comming up soon, so YEA! Some definate ME time. It should be lots of fun .... can't wait.

OK, off to get dressed before Avery and Isaac arrive here!

Home Grown Kids - Thoughts on Another Book

I read this book on the recomendation of many parents, whose judgement and advice I respect, as part of my alternative school/homeschooling decision process. Sigh, this book just doesnt work for me. I agree with many of the ideas within the book, but I found it virtually impossible to remove their strong christian view from the "facts." Also, much of the early part of the book is devoted to the "correct" way to parent an infant, and their philosophies of scheduling and what I determin to be neglecting infants needs are in direct conflict with my gentle and more attachment style parenting. In the end I finally decided I would not finish the book because I disagreend with so much of the content; I found it hard to give much relevent weight to the information provided when I had to dissregard so much.

Contemplating a Green Business

Yea, this idea is a BIG contemplation, due to its nature, but my idea has some bennefits. Those who know me know that I am a fairly environmentaly concious person, along with other "crunchy" elements of my personality. When Lauren was a toddler I pretty much stoped using traditional cleaning products out of fear of her ingesting something. Honestly, I did not realize much difference in the cleaning ability of my baking soda, borax and vinegar concoctions. Now, 6 years later, it is all the rage. (I'm such a trend setter, huh? rolf) So ..... trying to figure out a way to bring extra money into the house and not have to leave my kids in daycare, I have been mulling over the idea of starting my own green cleaning business - I would only use non-toxic products and lots of elbow grease. The big issue here, I HATE cleaning!! But I've done it before for money, and did not hate it tooo much. Just some : )

I'd have to work out a few details, and see if there is any market for it. Thinking of trying it out on my granola friends - swap child care for house cleaning. No money changing hands, but testing my products and results and time to clean another house. I might bring it up on my granola group board soon. We'll see ......

...I never would have thought that I would be interested in starting a cleaning company. Kinda one of those physician heal thyself type situations, ya know.