Birthday Loot, and Mom's Day Too

I enjoyed a decent birthday last week. Well OK, actually the girls were overtired and cranky - especially Annika. And as we all know by now, cranky kid equals cranky parents. So I was rather cranky by the end of the evening. Annika and I kept butting heads, and for those who know me, the more I but heads with someone, the more I dig in my heals and refuse to budge. Not a great trait to have when it comes to young kids. But it is mine, so I make the best of it ... whatever that means!

But, I did have a decent morning, and the girls were SO excited to make me my cake and to

give me their gifts.We always make a cake with the girls for birthdays. Sometimes it turns out better than others, (this wasn't one of those times) but this is one of our traditions, and the girls absolutely love it! This time they actually set their alarms and woke us up at 7am, bouncing off the walls with excitement. I think I remember Annika being the most excited too. I think - It was early, and a whole week ago now!

Earlier in the week Bill took them out shopping for my gifts. Bill made me a bluebird house, something I thought would be nice to have and to attract a pretty songbird. Annika insisted on giving me this hummingbird garden ornament thingy. And Lauren chose a rain gauge that rests in a ceramic toad. We've name him Toad the Wet Sprocket, or Sprocket for short. So now when it rains, which it has finally done twice since my birthday, we check Sprocket for the rain totals. (So far we have had just under 1/2" and then yesterday 5/8", in case you were wondering) I also received a very nice bowl-type humming bird feeder. And some money to go shopping. I see some bento boxes and produce bags in my future!

For Mother's Day I finally got a good broom! YEA! I swept this evening and it actually looks as if I had swept afterwards - hallelujah!! The girls gave me some really cute hand made gifts, so I am happy. It was a good day, and I feel well loved by all.

Still waiting on my sink drain plug and eco-gear. Guess I'll have to get that myself. I think Bill got me the broom more so because it was a funny gift. Yea, I'm strange, what can I say.

I laughed and cackled and rode around my broom for effects.

I Survived!

Does anyone else have Gloria Gaynor singing in the background? ...for as long as I know how to love I know I'll stay alive ....

But the true story is that I, and my entire family, survived the entire month of April with only 8 unecessary purchases. And some of these are borderline necessary. Borderline - I know we could have gotten along without any of them, if we truely HAD too. But the bigger victory, for me .... I exposed many other people to the idea of actually thinking of not consumming oh so much stuff all the time. I had a few positive responses to this idea, and unfortunatly more than a few, "You are nuts!" comments. But, one step at a time, right? And everyone kept asking me how I was doing, so a good dialogue was opened up here. I am sure that as soon as I left there was quite a bit of behind-my-back chatter, but I'm ok with that! Everyone here thinks I am nuts, and I know that! :)

Failure 6, 7 & 8 in the Buy Nothing Month

Last week it was 75 degrees most days, if not warmer. I had to break out the summer clothes for the girls, as long sleeve shirts and thick heavy pants were causing them to faint from heat exposure. Lauren has grown so much this winter that all of last years clothes are way too small! Yes, she can still squeeze into them, but I am not keen on 6yr olds running around in skin tight belly shirts worn with skirts so short you can see their cheeks! Which is what we have in this house!

So I visited out local used clothing store. The first thing we see is a frog raincoat. Annika runs up to it and declares it hers! In her defence, we have been looking for a raincoat for both girls, and it does match her frog rain boots, that she wears EVERYWHERE! So I had to purchase the raincoat. I also found a shirt, skort, and cool dress for Lauren. She now has a few items to wear and not be expelled from 1st grade for obscene dress.

On Saturday Lauren's Brownie troop had a special surprise event to help celebrate their year of Brownie-hood. So, off to the Mall to the Build-A-Bear store we went. Lauren had never been in the store, and was in a bit of consumerism overwhelm! I was looking at all the really cute stuff you could purchase (for a rather large sum, I might add!) and Lauren said to me, "Too bad you can't buy anything this month." That's my daughter!! She had a great time making her bear, complete with a Brownie uniform and patches for her and the bear. We did not actually purchase this item, but I count it on my list of failures, because it was a new item, total and complete consumerism if ever there was such a thing, that entered our house this month.

And finally, yesterday I bought a bunch of zip lock bags. I started out this month with one or two bags, and almost had to borrow some from a friend the other day when Lauren had a field trip and was required to bring a (gasp) completely disposable lunch. But I dug up some reused bags and made due. We do not use plastic bags very often, but occasionally we do, and I just happened to be out of all but the gallon bag size. So I bought something I could have done without. My rationale: I would have bought them in May anyway. Holding off on this purchase was just postponing the eventual. I figured what difference does two days make, when the point of this challenge is to make me rethink what I am purchasing, and find alternatives. I have a whole cupboard of alternatives, but there are times when a bag is what I really prefer to use. Although, I have seriously considered freezer paper over the past few weeks while I postponed this purchase. So I may pick-up some freezer paper (I have to see if it is recyclable) next month. See, I did use my brain before I just went out and bought plastic items!!

Two Days Till May and ....

I have been contemplating the latest Crunchy Chicken challenges and keep going back and forth over which part, if any, I am going to participate in. Sigh - I feel so "wrong" for even thinking of not participating in them! UG! The rules clearly state no Halvesies; you go all the way or nothing. However, my brain thinks a minor tweak here and there is better than avoiding it altogether! My neighbors and school moms pretty much think I am crazy to contemplate any of these ideas ... one even said she had to buy something new every day! Reaks of hidden issues if you as me, but ....

So, here I sit, just two days away from the first day of May, (and a few days from my, gulp, 42nd birthday ... when did I get so old? I don't feel that age.) and I have not committed to anything. Yes, this is a huge commitment, but it something I wholeheartedly believe in, so what is keeping me from doing it? The lack of ease? The desire to just go with the flow? The lack of much true support in this endeavor? Some combination of all of these, I'd say.

No paper, with the exception of no TP, would be the easiest. Except Annika and her obsession with coloring and cutting printouts from the internet would be a major challenge. This particular challenge was not made for parents of preschoolers! I guess for that week we get out our white board and chalk board!

Well, more food for thought (but only if it is locally grown food, packaged in glass or cloth, that I bring home on my bicycle, and then do not need to refrigerate it, bc I have turned off my electricity!)

yea, I am insane for thinking about this. So, what week is best for this challenge, I ask myself. We'll just have to see!

My Version of a Bento Lunch

For those who are wondering, this is my version of the Japeneese Bento style lunch. I made this for Annika to eat at home; no traveling was going to take place with this box. I would love to have little containers with lids to put ranch dressing, yogurt, or other wet ingredients into, as they leak in my container.

A wierd birthday wish list

So, I cant buy anything, and I've been contemplating all this eco crap, err, good stuff, so I want some eco-friendly goods for my bday! And a few other things, of course.

• New Tennies - turns out my current pair I bought when we first moved here. Think 3yrs is a good time to keep a pair of shoes? They have holes in the toes now, and they have always been too short. sigh, story of my life!
• Good Broom - am I a dork or what? I sweep so often that I need a GOOD broom for our kitchen, I am tired of dog hair even after I sweep!
• Drain Plug for my kitchen sink - one that wont leak! - I'm afraid that it means one manufactured by the co that makes my sink. I have received about three cheep brands and they all leak! I want the official one...
• Bento Gear - what is Bento, you ask? Oh, I am in deep like with this Japanese style of lunch packing. Basically it is a lunch in a box, but it involves compartmentalization of foods and small pieces, often presented in fun and artistic ways - and healthy foods! I have some containers that I use, but silicon cupcake liners would be awesome, and little mayo containers ... or two laptop lunch setups, and maybe a bento box .... yea, it is an obsession!
• Laundry Line - for indoor or outdoor. Bill is not keen on an outdoor line, but heck, it saved us about $35 a month in electricity when we lived in CA and only lined dried our clothes, so I am all for looking trailer trashy. Although, I don't think it looks trashy, so there!
• SIGG Bottles - one for Lauren, one for Annika, and one for Bill and me too!
• and two of these tops would be nice too.
• Reusable Produce Bags - trying to reduce my plastic usage! I have a few reusable canvas bags and Trader Joe's bags, but I guess a few more canvas bags would be nice too.

I had some links to Bento gear, but they do not seem to work. The stuff is really hard to find - it seems you pretty much have to order it from people who have some kind of contact in Japan. sigh - it is sooooo cool, and the few little things I'd love to have just are not available in an Americian equivilant.

OK, off to bed now, it is late.

Eee-Gad! I want to try this, but ....

So my new friend, Crunchy Chicken, has a new challenge for May. (Click here for her full details if you're interested.) Basically you can choose to try one or all of these challenges for a week - or the whole month. I don't want to whine too much, but Oh My Gosh!

1. No plastic - Don't buy or consume anything (purchases, food, etc.) that is encased in plastic. I don't care if it's recyclable. If you want to go all the way, this will include your shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.
So if I tried this I'd be a stinking person - not using anything encased in plastic ... hello my toothpaste and shampoo, heck my toothbrush is plastic! I could most likely do everything else ... like basically not purchasing anything encased in plastic. Well, I've been meaning to put those canvass bags into my car for shopping purposes! I might do the first half of this one. Might.

2. No paper products - This encompasses the obvious: no newspapers, paper towels, toilet paper, pads or tampons, paper plates, paper or coffee cups.
No paper is really possible, but am I up for no toilet paper, I mean using rags for EVERYTHING? hmmmm, I'll have to think about that (and purchase something to use too - that would be either another failure in the Buy Nothing challenge, or hold off on May's challenge.)

3. No driving - This one is pretty straightforward. Check out your public transit and bus routes, get yourself a monthly bus pass, get your bike tuned up or dust off those walking/running shoes. No driving does not work in my neck of the woods - no public transit here! nadda, zilchola, nothing, not one option. No sidewalks even to walk or ride a bike on, and there is no way I'm taking a 4yr old to school by walking on a busy highway! (We could stay home all week and skip school ... hmmmmmm, tempting!)

4. Local food only - Depending on where you live, this may be fairly easy or quite difficult. For those of you with plenty of farmers markets to choose from and tons of different foods coming into season, it won't be too hard. Local bakery items (unless Sara Lee is local to you), local organic or sustainable dairy products, eggs, meats and wineries and breweries are all acceptable. Don't be afraid to forage for those dandelions!
As for local food, well it is the WRONG time of year for that; we be living off of meet only! Or, find someone that canned some veggies and buy them. Again, another option, if I know anyone that cans! And as for foraging for dandelions, uh, maybe in late May, but heck, we had snow two days ago here! It is barely spring in MI. Seattle may be warm, crunchy, but not here!

5. No garbage output - You should only be producing waste that is compostable and it should go into your compost pile or your municipal food waste pickup.
Can I say that while we do have garbage that is collected each week, we are WAY below the quantity our neighbors are producing. I'll have to start reviewing our garbage habits and see what I can change or eliminate purchasing in the first place. I am not too "aware" of my packaging purchasing. This one might be more possible than I thought. (Or, I can just become a hoarder and not throw out anything!he he)

6. No excessive water usage - Now, I'm not expecting you to dehydrate yourselves. What this one is about is conserving water. That means, very little water for showering, bathing, washing. Try to use the least amount of gallons of water you can. Pretend like there is a severe water shortage. Drink as much as you need to, just imagine you have to retrieve all your water in buckets from a stream 1 mile away.
No excessive water usage, I might be able to sort of comply with that. After all, I did live in CA for 14 years! I take fairly short showers, which I could try to take baths in the girls tub to help conserve water, I already only use the dishwasher ... we have low flow toilets and faucets ... If I had a washing machine that had a suds-saver option like my mother used to have I could totally save water.

7. No electricity - For some of you this may be easier if you rely on gas for heating and cooking. But for the most case, this will give you an idea what it will be like to not rely on power for a period of time. If you only want to try this one out for a day or a week, that's fine. It will be like a self-imposed power outage.
The last option of No Electricity ... yea, never! Well, when I'm camping I do this, but I need to cook for two hungry young folk, and I have a freezer and fridge full of food, and....

Anyway, lots of rationalizations, but apparently it just comes down to the fact that I am not willing to walk the walk here. I'll might try it in moderation, cause I feel week and pitiful with all these excuses. ...might.
sigh....