This week I found Green Mom Finds. So far they have been enlightening me about the ability to recycle athletic shoes and buy organic underwear. Okay, so I’m not so down with the underwear part, they don’t have any in my size, but the recycling shoes part is really cool. Subscribe to them, even if you’re not a mom, and learn something useful.
1 comment January 16th, 2008
Today I went shopping at Kroger’s and used my super cool Chico bags! (I love them, by the way, and they’re going to be incredibly handy for the Christmas shopping.) Anyway, the checkout lady asked me how many (Chico) bags I brought in. I didn’t really know why she asked, was it just out of her curiosity or was there a limit? None of the above; she said, “You know you get a credit for bringing in your own bags.” A What? I just wanted to save the planet, but I’m all for coupons too.
Kroger’s takes 5 cents off your shopping bill for every bag you bring in. I was credited for 12 bags so I saved 60 cents today.
I bought the bags for $2.50 apiece. This means the Chico bags will basically pay for themselves within a year (1 trip per week x 52 weeks in a year x 5 cents = $2.60) And then they’ll pay me back after a year! I think it’s great for business; I’m sure those plastic bags cost a lot to make.
Do you know any other systems like this?
3 comments December 6th, 2007
Here’s a few more things to add to our list of what we’re doing to make less of an impact on the environment:
- reusing plastic water bottles and/or refillable water bottles. Here’s one I want for Christmas - Biter Bottle
- bringing my own coffee cup to It’s A Grind - I save paper, and I get 10 cents off each cup!
- changing my toxic cleaning habits (see below)
To change these cleaning habits, I needed two main ingredients - vinegar and baking soda. I threw out all the harmful chemicals underneath my sinks and in my laundry cabinets, and now I primarily clean with vinegar and baking soda. Although usually not at the same time. (Remember the volcano you made in elementary school?) Other products I use - dish soap, water, washing soda (for the dishwasher & the laundry washer), and lemon scented oils so my house doesn’t smell like a pickle. Besides being cheaper than any other cleaners we used, the most short-term payoff is I don’t have to worry about my kids getting into and accidentally swallowing harmful chemicals!
I also just started using cleaning cloths by Method. (Another thing to add to my list -we hardly use paper towels anymore!) I love Method’s microfiber cloths. They’re not cheap, but they seriously clean quicker than I’m used to - I don’t have to scrub so hard anymore. I wish I was getting royalties from them to promote their products, but oh well. 
Oh, and while I’m on this Method kick, if you purchase $20 or more of Method products, you can get a reusable tote bag for free. Go to their website for more info. I did this just a few weeks ago and received my tote bag this week. It’s so cute AND you can fit lots of stuff in it, plus you can zip it up to a very small size.
Today I just heard about a new line of products called Lily’s Garden Herbals through my new friend Amy. She’s giving away some products from Lily’s, and she wrote a fabulous blog about natural cleaners that I completely agree with. You can also look through her site and find her recipes for cleaning and her post about Earth Day 2007.
3 comments November 9th, 2007
With all the scary recalls of toys with lead in the paint, I don’t want to take any chances with my kiddos. I am buying only wooden toys made in America!
I found a list at My Two Boys. And, she’s giving away wooden toys throughout the month of November - I’d love for Colby to win this cute tool box from Natural Pod.
Add comment November 3rd, 2007
When I tell say that sentence to most people, they think I’m crazy, nuts, have gone off the deep end, etc. People my parents’ age especially think I’m nuts because they have visions of a cloth rag with diaper pins you have to stick in your hair in order for them to be sharp anymore. They also think of diapering services and hanging laundry to dry on a clothesline.
NOT ANYMORE!
We have some good friends that helped us make the switch. In fact, we were completely oblivious to the world of cloth diapering until we went over to their house and noticed their then 15 month-old son’s diaper cover was sticking out of his shorts and we said, “Is he wearing training pants?” They told us no, but we really didn’t ask anything about it. So then we started hearing more and more about cloth diapers and the revolutionary technology that has evolved into the 20th century cloth (no kidding). I actually read some websites that made me not want to switch, because they talked about the labor-intensive process of soaking, laundering, and folding. But the more and more I talked with actual people, they assured me that it was possible to still have a life and cloth diaper their kids at the same time.
So in a nutshell, here are the reasons why we switched.
1. We didn’t want to create so much waste. There is so much household waste and most American families do use disposable diapers. I haven’t asked each of them why, nor will I ever get to, but I believe most families like the ease and convenience of disposables, without thinking of the cost of the rising landfills. After switching to cloth, we only have 1 trashbag in our big trashcan each week, whereas before (with 2 kids in diapers) we had 3-4. Many people think that we should not worry about taking care of our earth, because God will take care of and provide for everything we need. But, since it does belong to the LORD, so why shouldn’t we have the reverence and respect to take care of His creation?
2. We wanted to save money. What about the start-up cost? Yes, it’s costly, but so is having a baby. We will easily make up the difference in six months, and if we have another kid or 2, we won’t have to pay it again. Not true with disposables. What about the trade-off in water costs? Our water bill has not changed in the six weeks we’ve been using cloth.
3. We knew it was better for the kids’ hygiene. Statistically, kids that are cloth-diapered learn to use the potty faster. And, when Colby wore disposables, he had several diaper rashes in his lifetime, and we had to get two different prescription creams (and two different doctor’s office visits) in order for it to clear up. Now, he rarely gets a rash, and if he does, it clears up much quicker.
4. We wanted the convenience. It’s convenient, you say? Yes! We don’t have to rush out and get diapers at midnight! I mean, we’re already washing clothes every day anyway, so why not throw another load on? And, we bought the one-size-fits-all, so Colby and Kennedy wear the same diapers and we adjust the sizes with snaps.
So, let me show you what these wonderful things are. (From the Cotton Babies website, Bum Genius diapers
There are tabs and snaps and elastic, oh my! My mom and dad think these diapers are the best thing since sliced bread, and I kind of agree. I really think another reason most American (or non-American!) families don’t use cloth is because they do have the preconceived notions I mentioned earlier. They don’t know how companies have spent millions trying to perfect their product and make it easier for Moms to make a difference in the environment. Ignorance is NOT bliss, in fact, it’s just ignorance.
We do owe a lot to the Supercinskis - they let us borrow diapers to try out. What great friends! We were able to use the diapers for both kids and then wash and dry them. Cloth diapering is pretty much the same as “regular” diapering, but with a better purpose in mind. I highly recommend it.
5 comments October 5th, 2007
One of the things Kevin and I have been trying to do in the past few months (weeks? It feels like months.) is to make a conscious effort to recycle more and use less. Hence the birth of the compost pile. Even Colby looks at the compost pile with awe, and he sees we’re not putting much trash in the trashcan anymore. (Colby says, “Daddy’s compost pile.”)
Something else I’m trying to do is to not use those silly plastic bags when we go grocery shopping. I have a million bags that I could take to the store but I keep forgetting to take them with me. So, I’m wanting to win these bags. (Don’t let the name of the linked post fool you. I wish she was giving away the lunch kit too.) I’m also ordering some Chico bags
that will fit into my purse and/or be stored in the back of my car. I didn’t order any mango-colored Chico bags, because they’re too close to burnt orange, but I did order 2 maroon ones. If I win the bags mentioned above, I can store my Chico bags in them!
3 comments September 19th, 2007
Well I finally got a day to dedicate to assembling all the material we had been collecting for the compost pile. Yesterday I spent about 5 hours chipping, shredding, layering, and spraying the material into the compost pile. Thanks to my Master Composter friend Thomas, the design for the bin was created with shipping pallets and hardware cloth quite cheaply. It is about 3 feet high, 3 feet wide, and 4 feet deep. The starting temperature according to my handy composting thermometer was about 88°F.
For those of you not very familiar with composting, it is the process of producing compost through aerobic decomposition of biodegradable organic matter. It takes the right combination of Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Water to foster aerobic decomposition. Active (or hot) composting, which is what I am doing, allows the aerobic bacteria to thrive which is what causes the heat. This is where the thermometer comes in handy. The ideal temperature is between 130°F and 140°F for a few days.
Back to my pile… here’s a few of the ingredients that went into my pile:
So this was all yesterday. Today I went out to check the pile to see if there had any progress, and it had! At 2pm today I checked and the pile was at 122°F!!! And even better I went out 2 hours later to check it again at 4pm and it was at 128°F!!! Wahoo! We have heat!
Update: 6pm - Two hours and a short thunderstorm later… we’ve jumped another 6 degrees in the pile! Awesome! Now reading in at 134°F.
Update: 8pm - I’m starting to sense a pattern here… two more hours and another jump of 6 degrees! So now it is at 140°F. I’m beginning to wonder if it will go higher than that?!?! I’ll have to consult my local Master Composter to find out if this is a problem or a good thing.
Update: Next morning 8am - Another update for those of you out there just dying to know what today’s temp is! It looks like it has reached the highest temp, 161°F! I checked again at 11 because I am home today with Jenna because she is sick and it is still at 161°F. See picture below.
Thats probably all the updates I’ll do to this post.
6 comments August 26th, 2007
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