Posts filed under 'Getting Greener'
I went in for my 3-hour glucose test on Thursday, and I was really nervous, considering I “flunked’ my 1-hour test… by 71 points… So, after all the help you all gave me, I could see that I needed a major diet change. My goal was not to try and trick the test (if that was even possible), but to make sure that I was eating the absolute right foods for me.
When I went in, my baseline glucose reading (after fasting) was an 88. A normal reading is somewhere between 90 & 100, and if I had had between 90 & 100 in the 1-hour test, then I wouldn’t have had to take the 3-hour test. Then I drank the lemon-lime-sugar-coma-inducer… Last week I chose the orange-crush-of-death… and after an hour, my glucose level was at 151, which was better than the 165 level I needed to stay under. And after 2 hours, my reading was down to 130, and they were looking for me to be under 145. So, I passed, with flying colors.[insert big sigh of relief]
So, what was my ’secret’ for eating better? I majorly cut back on sugars & grains in my diet. That little step was so much harder than I ever thought it would be. Don’t get me wrong, I still ate 1-2 things per day that I considered “no-nos”, but for the most part, cutting back on those 2 things was my secret. And the best part? I had more energy than most days when I was pregnant. I didn’t snap at the kids as much, because I wasn’t always crashing on sugar highs or lows.
The day of my glucose test, I made these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with the kids (they were super yummy!) and had no regrets about eating a few. I could definitely tell, after not eating things with flour and sugar all week, that I didn’t want to eat too many, for fear of the sugar high. ”Everything in moderation”, right?
And what do I eat the most of? Meat. Veggies. Nuts. Cheese and plain milk, even though most people who follow this plan might cut dairy out completely. I’m not even tired of salad, and we’ll have an entire garden bed of lettuces, spinaches (sp?), and swiss chard in a month.
Now, I think my challenge is convincing the kiddos that this change is a good thing… that we can eat healthy foods that don’t have sugars and still enjoy them. Any tips?
October 17th, 2011
And now, I’m going to make public my NYR-11. I don’t think I’ve ever made resolutions public before, but it will be interesting to see if I can keep up with all of these or if I’ll need to set my sights higher in June.
This is a list of things I would like to get done; a sort of long-term “to-do” list.
1. Backyard Garden – take better care of it and be more involved with the planting and care = weeding, watering, etc. (This has been Kevin’s job, but I’d like to do more of it since I’m home more.)
2. Front Yard Maintenance – also take care of it better and involve the kids in the weeding and sweeping and throwing away of yard refuse. (They are able to do these jobs and would like to do so more.)
3. Build a Deck on the Back Patio – looking to Kevin for assistance on this one. And, considering our recent purchase of wood for burning in our fireplace, we need some more room up there.
4. Build an Outdoor Shed in the Back Yard.
5. Buy and Put in Kids’ Playscape/Playground. This will be their combined birthday present this year.
And now for my own personal goals:
1. [after my foot heals, which should be 2 more weeks!] Work out 3x/week. This could be at the gym, running in the neighborhood or at the park, doing a workout DVD, or a combination of all. I might need to re-set this goal if I’m continually hitting 3x – might need to be 4x.
2. Freeze More Meals – especially breakfasts. I’ve done well in freezing dinners and getting those on the table, but for breakfast my kids are stuck in a frozen waffle rut. They are okay with that, but I really don’t like frozen waffles, so I’ll tend to skip breakfast and just drink coffee, which leads to a grumpy Jenna. This makes me neither productive nor affectionate, and I lose points with everyone that way. I’ve been loving the book Fix Freeze Feast (you can buy it on Amazon) for making dinner recipes and then freezing them, and I’ve tried a couple of their breakfast recipes but the kids aren’t crazy about them. So, if you have any ideas, send them my way.
3. Meet once a week for mentoring/prayer. I’ve been trying to meet with Kelsey and Addison (our newest adopted Aggie) once a week but something has gotten in the way. But now I’m realizing accountability doesn’t just have to be with them, it can mean coffee with other friends too – although I’d like to be more stable with K&A.
4. Do something fun once a day with the kids. We’ve been doing Tuesday as movie night this month – we’ve gotten so many free Redbox or Blockbuster kiosk rental codes! With foot surgery and being sick and my dad in the hospital, this is one area where I feel like I’ve failed and/or need major help. Hence the goal. Here’s some ideas of mine: Library time, Reading a Story time, Park playtime, Outside playtime, Cooking with Mom time, Science Experiment time, Computer playtime, Dress-up time, Wii-playing time, Art project time, Acting out a story-time…. Also would like for the kids to pick their activities.
5. Take Kevin on 2 trips this year – one in-state, one out of state. Nuff said.
Organizational Goals: I had to make a separate category for this one, because I might just get all excited about organizing my house. I love to organize, and I found this blog called iheartorganizing. ”Inspirational” is not the word I’d use to describe her – I’ll say she’s my creative muse. Wow. the things she does are so pretty. I do heart them, and I’ve been trying to do my own organizing projects around the house. But one thing she says is to start small and choose one project per month. So, here’s my 12 (13?) goals for organization this year, and I hope to have pictures of finished projects up soon, because some of them are DONE!
1. Laundry room
X 2. Wrapping paper & gift bags
3. Kitchen Pantry
4. Colby’s Room
5. Kennedy’s Room
6. Carlee’s Room
7. Master closet
8. Office/Kids’ Art Supplies
9. Entertainment Center
10. Back Patio
11. Night stands
X 12. Kitchen drawers
X 13. Master Bookshelf
So, I haven’t paced myself that well, because I do like to cross things off my list. BUT I will say that it is so good to get organized and I can’t wait til you see what I’ve done with not much time and even less money. Hopefully that will encompass many of the posts on my blog in the near future.
Did you make any NYR?
January 27th, 2011
Here’s the last pic I took of our [picked] swiss chard. And here’s today’s pickins. (not a before and after; 1/2 is in the sink and 1/2 is on the cabinet).
I cooked all of this in a tiny bit of olive oil and then added some brown sugar and butter. I sauteed the stems separate from the leaves, to make sure the stems weren’t still crunchy. It tastes a lot like spinach but not quite so spicy, more like turnip greens. Next time I’ll add more sugar and more butter for Kevin’s tastes, but I really enjoyed it.
December 6th, 2010
So, this is part of our garden bounty. We ate this as part of our salad tonight. So pretty!
Anybody got any good swiss chard recipes?
October 13th, 2010
We’re taking the plunge! Kevin [along with 2 very helpful 12 year-old boys] built an 8ft. by 8ft. box. Today he planted broccoli, cilantro, tomatoes, lettuce, 2 kinds of green beans, & okra. I’m so excited to eat what will grow in our back yard!
August 29th, 2010
Bought these at the Farmer’s Market today. Hoping they’ll make this late in the year.
August 7th, 2010
Since [green] week was left to our own interpretation, I wanted my last [green] week pic to address something our family tries to incorporate: Making conscious choices to be [Green]. I’d hate to throw the label “environmental” on this, but we are trying to use less, conserve more, and re-purpose whenever possible. [Your basic Reuse, Reduce, Recycle philosophy, just maybe toned down a notch. We do what we can.]
And, speaking of “can” – we are discovering how much less it costs and how much less packaging we use to make orange juice from a can (in concentrate), rather than buying it already made in the store. Wow. I’m headed to Sam’s tomorrow to grab OJ in bulk. [Like any decisions, we weigh the pros and cons, and there are some times when buying the juice in the carton is perfectly acceptable - particularly if I have a great coupon.]
Here’s Colby posing with the OJ he helped me make today. He really loves seeing himself in the camera so he will hardly hold still while I’m capturing the shot. He’ll make a great photographer.
March 23rd, 2010
It’s Green week on the Project.
I took trips to CVS, Walgreens, & Target. I bought:
- 1 roll CVS Paper towels
- 1 Aussie Shampoo
- 2 boxes Kashi crackers & 1 box Kashi granola bars
- 3 Cadbury eggs
- 2 5 lb. bags of Gold Medal flour
- 2 NyQuil & 2 DayQuil
- 1 box Electrasol tabs (dishwashing detergent)
- 2 tubes of Colgate toothpaste
- 2 tubes Neosporin
- 1 box Band-Aids
- 1 box Puffs tissues
- 3 Scotch bubble mailers
- 1 Johnson & Johnson Buddies Bar
- 1 Clorox Toilet Wand
You are looking at $100.58 worth of groceries. I spent $15.40. I saved 84.7% of my [Green] money.
March 16th, 2010
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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!
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:
- Shredded Oak Leaves
- Chipped Oak Branches
- Grass Clippings
- Stall Hay and Horse Manure
- Several Buckets of Kitchen Scraps (no meat or dairy)
- Dryer Lint
- Paper towels from cleaning non-chemical messes
- Water
- Shredded Bush Trimmings
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.
August 26th, 2007
