Category — environmental

If you have kids who love to color and write thank you notes, I have found the contest for you!

Tiffany over at Naturemoms is doing a contest for a free art kit from Stubby Pencil Studio! What do you need to do to win? Well, head over before Tuesday, June 16th and leave a comment on her blog. Yep, it’s really that easy.

This is a blog that I love to read – she reviews products that are good for the environment, and passes on the info to her readers. She also began homeschooling her son this Summer, and is sharing those joys as well.

I hope you enjoy reading as much as I do!

curious? This is a post on eating your lawn… well, actually it’s about replacing your lawn with home-grown produce!

I recently popped over to Chow.com and read a post on people turning their suburban front yards into mini farms – and with great success!

So, I thought I’d do a little bit of research…

Some of the tips that I found were great reminders of our tendency to be over-achievers… what can we say, we are only human!

1 – start small!
Just because you have decided to take the plunge into mini-farming, doesn’t mean that you need to tear out the entire lawn in the first week! Take your time and learn as you go. Start with a raised bed – build the bed, fill it with good soil, and start out planting your favorite fruit or veggies in it. Don’t get too carried away the first season either! You need to grow just as your garden does!

Another thought in this front – make sure that you remove the grass UNDER the raised bed before filling it with dirt! My first attempt at this was a failure due to my being too lazy to till or dig up the grass. All I grew were grass and weeds that first year – the carrots & onions I planted just didn’t have anywhere to go because the grass under them was waaaaay too lush and thick.

On a personal side note… if you are planning to eat the things growing in your yard, I recommend NOT using herbicides and pesticides on them. If it is designed to kill organisms, do you really want to chance it? Keep in mind that YOU ARE AN ORGANISM TOO!

We received news from the ladies over at laptoplunches.com… and they have a new color combo!

Their Laptop lunchboxes are now available in black with red inserts, and they are GORGEOUS! We got one in, and it is much more “adult” looking. It comes with a fork & spoon with red handles, and all of the small containers are red. It looks like a real Japanese bento box!

This one is for my husband to take to work. Now when I am making dinner I can make enough for the three of them to take to lunch the next day, and just pack everything the night before – how much easier is that?

So, if you were considering a Laptop Lunchbox for yourself, but you weren’t sure about the colors they have one for you!

Head over there to take a look…

LaptopLunches.com

I know, I’ve been bad – I haven’t blogged in 2 months! Life has gotten a bit hectic.

We went to Florida to visit with our family in January, and life hasn’t slowed down since them – even during the week that we had the flu (HORRID flu going around this year!)

Work has been hectic as well – I feel as though I will never get caught up with orders, updates, blogging (yes, over there too!), and newsletters! I need to find a way to duplicate myself a few times (or just break down and stop being such a control freak and hire someone!) Any bookeepers want to work for bags? Ha ha… oh yeah, I have to get my taxes done yet too. Oy!

If ever there was a time to cry out to God for a moments peace, I am in the midst of it! Busy-ness can so easily take our eyes off of that which is truly important, and distract us from finding that time to *wait* on the Lord.We recently started a bible study on the Bad Girls of the Bible (on chapter 2!) and I am hopeful that having that accountability will help me stay on track with finding that oh so precious time with God. I am open to any tips on ways to keep that appointment!

In other news, A turned 6 last week, and E turned 38 today! Happy birthdays to all! With all of the birthdays that fall during this month, we are getting caked OUT! I swear that I have gained 8 lbs, and a pants size (UGH!) so now I have to get back to work… and I was doing so well! Well, kinda!

Speaking of healthy eating, we joined a new local CSA this week – the veggies start coming in May – YAY!!!!!!! I can’t wait! It makes eating healthy SO MUCH EASIER when you HAVE to get through the box of veggies each week, ’cause you will be getting another one soon!

For those who don’t know what a CSA is, it’s Community Supported Agriculture. Basically, you purchase a Summer worth of veggies (and fruits usually) in advance – some do it in December, some in the Spring – and pray for good growing weather! It benefits the small farms, as they have the money to pay their bills, and it benefits the share-croppers by delivering fresh, organic fruits & veggies each week. It’s a win-win situation! And at $475 for a box that feeds a family of 4 each week from May through November, it is a HUGE savings over the produce you will find at the supermarket!

There are so many things that are heralding the arrival of Spring – we have purple, white and yellow crocuses poking their heads out of the ground, and the trees are all budding out. The raspberries are budding too – and I haven’t gotten the wires replaced yet! We planted our snow peas already, but we have to wait a few more weeks to plant the rest of the seeds – carrots, sunflowers, long beans, etc. I can’t wait! I’ll post some pictures soon – I promise!

The birds have been out too. They have been singing in the trees for almost a month around here, and they clean out our feeder in around 24 hours now – I guess this is a good time of year to make sure they have enough to eat – after all we need to make sure those babies get fed (and I don’t want them eating all of my compost worms!)

I can’t believe that it’s already halfway through March! Life seems to be rushing by at an alarming rate, making it ever more important to find time to nurture your relationships. I have started taking M out to lunch on Wednesdays – a new thing for us – so that we can get the one-on-one time that we haven’t really had much since her sister was born. She is the one who truly craves that, and I think that this will ultimately be a good thing as she grows up. Hopefully we are laying the groundwork for a relationship that will let her know that she can come to us with ANYTHING that comes her way. Honestly, I’m terrified of High School. The way this world is heading, who knows what will be the norm by the time the girls get there! Now is the time to built a firm foundation!

Well, we have an informance tonight (informative performance) so I’d better go feed the family and get everyone ready, but I wanted to take a moment to let you know I am still alive!

Have a FABULOUS Spring! Happy Easter! He is Risen – Hallelujah!

I recently discovered a site that allows you to opt out of all of those catalogs that seem to dreed in your mailbox. It’s called Catalog Choice, and it’s so easy to do!

You just sign up with your email and physical address, and go through their list of catalogs & decline the ones you don’t want to receive any longer.

Not only does it help the environment, but it cuts down on the garbage in your mailbox – which translates to clutter in your house!

Go check it out!
https://www.catalogchoice.org/

well, I couldn’t title it Happy New Year – that’s too much like everyone else!

2008 is officially here – everywhere now.  2007 has past, taking with it it’s own set of high’s & low’s – here’s hoping ’08 will be filled with a few more high’s!

The start of a new year is a harbinger of a chance to start over – a fresh slate, if you will.  People look at the past & decide what they need to change to bring about a better future – and once in a while they actually stick!

What are my resolutions?

1 – get over this cold - grrrrr it arrived at 2:00 am – the time that some form of disease seems to descend upon our house each Jan 1.  This is one that I can keep! ha ha

2 – clean  house  - take down all of the Christmas decor, fold the mountain of clean laundry, find a sparkling, clean sink somewhere in the kitchen, and de-clutter the house.  This will make the Mr. MUCH happier.  Well, once he gets over HIS cold it will…

3 – Keep the clutter at bay - tough -I’m a pack rat, and admittedly, I’m just lazy.  Add 2 young girls into the mix, and you have a recipe for disaster – hurricanes & tornadoes look to have blown through with regularity, and they start with A & M

4 – find a place to donate all of this excess STUFF - when we moved, goodwill knew me by car.  We donated soooooooooo much junk (complete set of James Bond anyone?) BUT – most unfortunately – we still have half of a garage full of boxes.  ugh.  I haven’t found goodwill up here 30 minutes from anywhere, however I think there is a kids clothing place.  That will help!

5 – become active in PaperBackSwap again - this requires going through the extensive library – again – and finding new homes for many dear friends – and a few mere acquaintances.  Haven’t heard about it yet?  Well… check it out below!

6 –  Continue with the healthier diet that we have begun.  We eat mostly vegetables with some chicken.  I just need to find a local CSA farm.  The drop for our old one is over 30 miles away – not quite eating local is it!

7 – cut down on the amount of STUFF that we bring in the house.

8 – reduce – reuse – recycle – reduce waste, reuse things as much as possible, and recycle everything that we can.  We already have the smallest trash can that WM NW offers, and we recycle 3 times as much as goes into it.  I also want to get the compost pile REALLY going.

9 – plant the vegetable garden.  we already have raspberries & red currants, but we need to add in the other veggies – carrots, long beans, sunflowers, garlic, potatoes, etc.  I have a ingenious thought on the potatoes – I’ll share more about that later.  It requires some straw…

10 – do what I can to help others realize just how much they consume and throw away.  We are a nation of consumers – wasteful, over-spent,  greedy, and blind to the world around us.  We don’t want to do anything that changes our cushy existence, or makes us stop for even a second to think about the effects of our actions.

We need to wake up and look at the world.  We are destroying it.

We are cutting down trees at an alarming rate, cutting down mountains to get the fuels that are located inside.  We pollute our water sources with toxins and poisons, throw away plastics at an alarming rate – plastics that float around in the waterways and oceans, and are consumed by animals that don’t know better.

We fill the products that we bring into our homes with toxins – and wonder why we are a nation of people that are always sick.  Cancer is rising – and those diagnosed are getting younger & younger.  We inject our children with metals disguised as immunizations and cause more diseases.

Why is it that the USA thinks that we need to alter the food that God created for us?  If farmers would husband the land rather than destroy it with chemicals, they wouldn’t have the problems with too many pests.

How is it that humanity survived for millennia without altering the chemical make-up of food and filling everything with corn, yet we are told that if we don’t do these things humanity can’t survive?  There is a difference in taste between fresh, natural, organic food that the mass-produced junk that fills our grocery store shelves.  And don’t get me started on the HFCS and hydrogenated oils and MSG that food factories fill everything with.  Gee, I wonder why our kids are so obese.  We fill them with sugar & fat & corn and sit them down in front of a TV or video games or computers for hours on end.

Get outside and enjoy nature.  Once you have an experience in nature – away from technology and cities – and truly look at the world around you, how can you NOT want to save it?

We are stewards – we need to take care of the planet that God created and told us to take care of.  At this rate, we will have to start colonizing other planets just to support humanity – or allow a massive war to kill half of the population.  Oh, and wipe out technology so we have to re-learn how to exist at a simpler level.

All of this is done in the name of progress.  Are we really progressing?  Or are we causing a huge problem that we cannot fix?

Just remember, today is the first day of the rest of your life – make the most of it!

I recently came across a video that everyone in this country (and other industrialized countries) needs to watch!  Here is a teaser… [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz3tPxUFGbY&rel=1 <http://www.youtube.com/v/dz3tPxUFGbY&rel=1> ]It’s certainly an eye opener about WHY everything breaks so quickly… but that is in the full video.  It only takes around 20 minutes, so head over and take a look! 

If you have read the about me page, you have been warned.  If not, consider yourself warned (go and read to see why)

I recently read a post over at the Natural Family Living Blog  that got me to thinking…I consider myself to be a republican… after all, I believe in God – that Jesus was born to a virgin girl and died to take away every sin that was ever committed – provided that the sinner accepts Him as their Savior. I also do not believe in big government handouts – I think that the welfare system is a huge joke.  Just because someone has a different color of skin than the “majority” is no reason for them to get free money.  However, I am also an environmentalist.

I believe that our society (and that of other “developed” countries) is destroying our earth.

I believe that humanity was given stewardship of this planet – the authority to oversee everything in the absence of the owner (that would be God, in case you are wondering) and the responsibility for what happens while under our control.

People, we are failing miserably.

We are spewing out noxious gasses at every turn.We are filling our bodies with garbage (gee, I wonder why we are ALWAYS SICK!!!)

We are filling our oceans with plastics that will NEVER go away

Our government is more concerned with the almighty dollar than with the people it is supposed to protect.  If this was not true, then we would not have frankenfoods being hidden in the ingredients lists of 95% of the products available at your local grocery store.  If this was not true, then we would have alternative fuels available to power cars – bio-fuels, electricity, etc. The USA has become a giant test lab.  

Imagine with me for a momnet…”Let’s see, if we change the bioligical make up of corn to make it resistant to bugs, we can sell more & make more money!” “But do we know yet what effects that will have on the people that are eating it?”  ”Who cares? What they don’t know won’t hurt them!  Besides, we will make 3 times the money!” “But what if they find out?”  ”No one listens to those environmental freaks anyway – we’ll just spread an ad campaign that everything is OK.”

Did this conversation ever actually occur?  No, but it does help to point out what is certainly LOOKS like from the consumer’s prospective.

Why does our government throw money at genetically modified foods and ignore the small farms that are trying to grow a healthy, natural, poison free, BETTER alternative?  

Actually, our gov’t takes it a step further… they are trying to keep the small organic farmers OUT of the market.  They are trying to turn them into the large industrial farms that are KILLING US & OUR CHILDREN.

The farm bill was up for a vote again this year.  Did you know?  Do you care?  Guess what… corn got more money thrown at it, organic farmers got ignored.  Why do big farmers in Iowa get to have $250,000 per ear paychecks for growing crap while small family-run farms are being run out of business?
There is a new movie out called “King Corn” It’s about 2 east coast guys who decided to see what it would be like to grow corn… and it was life-changing for them.  They got some GM corn seed and an acre of prime Iowa land… and them followed their corn through the production line to see where it goes.  Our diet truly consists of corn, corn & more corn.  Find out where it is showing & go see it!

While I am on a rant, what about Maryland trying to force us to vaccinate our kids?  Do you really think it is good for an infant to have metal injected into their blood stream?  Poisonous metals?  Guess what is in vaccines… and flu shots.  The government should not have the right to tell me that I have to fill my kids full of garbage just because it keeps the hospitals open and fills the pockets of big pharmaceutical companies.

I’m not saying that we all have to go live in a cave & walk everywhere & live on nuts that we can grow.   What I AM saying is that we need to take a look at our own families and see if there is anything that we can do to be a better steward of what has been entrusted to us.Here are some ideas: My daughters school recycles plastic bags.  If there isn’t a school near you, I’d be glad to take in your clean, used plastic bags and get them recycled into other products rather than see them fly around in the air & end up inside the belly of a sea turtle. I personally use a fabric bag when I go to the grocery store.  It is re-usable, and if it gets dirty, I can just toss it into the washing machine and it’s as good as new.  Another benefit to bring your own bag – if I know that I only have 1 or 2 bags with me, I don’t buy as much at the store because I have a pretty good idea how much will fit into my bags & I don’t want to use plastic.  And my grocer gives a 5 cent credit for each non-plastic bag used.  And if you buy your bag through Mimsi Bags, you will be helping to support a Work At Home Mom who is trying to be at home with her kids.

Does your power company offer wind power?  Can you purchase carbon credits?  These are small ways that your family can help offset the fuel used to power your home.

Do you carpool to work?  Can you?  I understand that this in not an option for many – we can’t.  My husband works far enough from our home that he has to drive, and his hours are odd enough that no one wants to wait around for him.  But if you can, you should.  Many large corporations offer free vanpools for their employees, and others offer free or reduced cost bus passes.

Letting your kids ride the school bus is another way to cut down on the amount of driving that you do.  If you have to drive your kids to school & pick them up, keep in mind that 10 seconds of letting your car idle takes more gas than turning it off & re-starting it when you are ready to move.

If you are in the market for a new car, look into cars that are more environmentally friendly.  Most diesel engines can be converted to run on vegetable oil, which you can get used from many restaurants & filter.  Yes, this is a larger investment up front, but it’s cheaper than paying $3.50 per gallon!

If you are close enough, walk or ride a bike.  It not only helps the earth, but it will get your body in better shape too!

Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup & hydrogenated oils like the plague – they really are! And you will be surprised what they show up in…

Turn off the lights when you aren’t in the room, unplug your cell phone charger when you aren’t using it, and the TV for that matter.

Pack a lunch for your kids – the Laptop Lunchbox is a great tool for that!  We have 2, and the girls LOVE them.  AND, I know that they are getting a healthy lunch instead of the microwaved crap that the school dishes up. Pack a lunch for you too… you will save money and eat better food than McD’s offers.  gag.

Join a CSA farm – Comunity Supported Agriculture.  I’m currently looking for a new one, so when I find a nationwide directory, I will post a link! 

These are just a couple of ideas.  I’m sure if you stop a moment and think about it, you will come up with MANY more ways!