This weekend Girlie caught a nasty Flu. Little Guy caught the flu bug on Monday. For me, it was yesterday. This week is completely lost.
I'm not sure what day it is. I haven't spoken to any adults, except for Hubby. I have not done any cleaning or laundry. I have only worn sweat pants and comfy shirts. I haven't opened the makeup drawer.
A while ago I posted about why litigation is not green. That got me thinking about why being a sickie is not green.
In the last two days I have completely blown (pun intended) a box of Puffs Plus making lots of trash. I have stood in the shower on three occasions completely emptying the hot water tank. Wasting tons of water and energy just so I could breathe. After running out of books and magazines, I have watched hours of endless reruns of Will and Grace, Kate and Allie and other television pairs that are now are blurr. Think of my electricity use. Oh my. To top off all of the un-green-ness, I have only fed myself and the kids foods that are premade or microwavable.
Here is to spring. Wherever you are.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
The Big Reveal
Does anyone else have a bunch of random skills that they have accumulated over the years and probably will never get to use? One of my random skills comes from my high school days as a radio DJ on WHHB. That experience has been completely useless....until now.
I'm going to be on the radio this week!
Dr. Gary Ginsberg, author of What's Toxic, What's Not called me a few weeks ago to talk about his new radio show. The show talk about a few different green topics each week. The new show is promised to be quick paced and interesting.
Gary's radio show will be on Saturdays from 4:00 to 6:00 on WTIC 1080. For those in the Hartford area, you can listen on your radio. For those who don't live in the Nutmeg State, you can listen online.
If all goes well, fingers crossed, Gary has asked me to come back as a regular guest.
Now, what to chat about? I haven't carried on a conversation for more than a minute at a time sine my Girlie was born. Will I remember how? Will I forget the mechanics of the English language? What if I talk so fast that I finish in 37 seconds? What if no one calls in?
If you are looking for something to do on Saturday afternoon, please tune in between 5:00 and 6:00 to hear me, Gruppie Girl, stutter, forget how to speak English, say inappropriate things and possibly get heckled. Hey, it's all fun and games until someone forgets to recycle.
I'm going to be on the radio this week!
Dr. Gary Ginsberg, author of What's Toxic, What's Not called me a few weeks ago to talk about his new radio show. The show talk about a few different green topics each week. The new show is promised to be quick paced and interesting.
Gary's radio show will be on Saturdays from 4:00 to 6:00 on WTIC 1080. For those in the Hartford area, you can listen on your radio. For those who don't live in the Nutmeg State, you can listen online.
If all goes well, fingers crossed, Gary has asked me to come back as a regular guest.
Now, what to chat about? I haven't carried on a conversation for more than a minute at a time sine my Girlie was born. Will I remember how? Will I forget the mechanics of the English language? What if I talk so fast that I finish in 37 seconds? What if no one calls in?
If you are looking for something to do on Saturday afternoon, please tune in between 5:00 and 6:00 to hear me, Gruppie Girl, stutter, forget how to speak English, say inappropriate things and possibly get heckled. Hey, it's all fun and games until someone forgets to recycle.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Is There A Vampire In The House?
Did anyone else have that game "I Vant To Bite Your Finger" when they were a kid? Maybe not a good name choice for a kid's game in 2008, but it sure was fun in 1982. I think of that game and the two little "blood" dots on the loser's finger when I think of vampires.
What do you think of when I add the word "energy?" Vampire energy.
Recently Good Magazine published an article about vampire energy. Basically vampire energy is a cute phrase describing what happens when we are not using electrical appliances and they are still plugged in. Lots of energy us still "sucked" up by the appliances. Who knew?
After reading this article I started unplugging more around the house. Not just the toaster and cell phone, but the TV and lamps too. I started unplugging appliances at other people's houses. I even started showering with the lights off...if I don't know where all of the equipment is by now, I'm in serious trouble.
The kids must have picked-up on my new hobby because they gave me a cute "unplug" tee shirt for Christmas. I wear it proudly. One of Little Guy's playmates Grandmother, Grandma Margie saw the shirt and inquired. I gave her my little spiel. "Up to 40% of our electricity is consumed by appliances that are not in use. Unplug!" So she did.
Just this week Grandma Margie and I met for lunch with the kids. $40! Grandma Margie saved $40 on her electricity bill last month!
Grandma Margie has told everyone she knows about her money savings tip. Now it's my turn to tell everyone I know about this money savings and earth saving tip.
Just in case you aren't quite sure of where all of your equipment is located yet, turn on the bathroom light. Then you can UNPLUG everything else.
What do you think of when I add the word "energy?" Vampire energy.
Recently Good Magazine published an article about vampire energy. Basically vampire energy is a cute phrase describing what happens when we are not using electrical appliances and they are still plugged in. Lots of energy us still "sucked" up by the appliances. Who knew?
After reading this article I started unplugging more around the house. Not just the toaster and cell phone, but the TV and lamps too. I started unplugging appliances at other people's houses. I even started showering with the lights off...if I don't know where all of the equipment is by now, I'm in serious trouble.
The kids must have picked-up on my new hobby because they gave me a cute "unplug" tee shirt for Christmas. I wear it proudly. One of Little Guy's playmates Grandmother, Grandma Margie saw the shirt and inquired. I gave her my little spiel. "Up to 40% of our electricity is consumed by appliances that are not in use. Unplug!" So she did.
Just this week Grandma Margie and I met for lunch with the kids. $40! Grandma Margie saved $40 on her electricity bill last month!
Grandma Margie has told everyone she knows about her money savings tip. Now it's my turn to tell everyone I know about this money savings and earth saving tip.
Just in case you aren't quite sure of where all of your equipment is located yet, turn on the bathroom light. Then you can UNPLUG everything else.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Show and Tell
Plastic freaks me out. I don't like what happens when it's being manufactured. I don't like keeping it in my house. I don't like the fact that it is going to outlive me...by a lot. One of my earliest stands against plastic was the plastic bag. A few readers have asked about my personal stash of bags...
Back maybe six or so years ago I started bringing my own bags to the food store. Huge, bulky canvas bags that I collected in my travels. The bags took up half of the cart. It took me a few months to start remembering to bring them regularly. Now, the bags are second nature.
Last year I found a great bag company called Envirosax. They bundle five large bags into one small pouch. Much easier to tote around than my old bags. The cashiers watch me like I'm performing a magic trick when I pull them out.
The old bags went to Freecycle and two were slated to be snow pants bags for those snowy days when the kids have to bring their snow gear to school for recess.
Just over a year ago another light bulb went off in my head. Even though I wasn't using plastic bags at the food store, I was still grabbing bags at the hardware store, pharmacy, etc. So I found the cutest bag made of mattress ticking on etsy. I keep it in my car for those quick run-in trips that I don't plan for.
Finally, my bag dreams were fulfilled this Christmas when hubby gave me lightweight, mesh produce bags. No more plastic bags for my grapefruit.
Here is the "show" of the show and tell post.
Congrats to all of those readers who remember to bring their bags to the store! Congrats to all of those who are planning to remember in the near future!
Back maybe six or so years ago I started bringing my own bags to the food store. Huge, bulky canvas bags that I collected in my travels. The bags took up half of the cart. It took me a few months to start remembering to bring them regularly. Now, the bags are second nature.
Last year I found a great bag company called Envirosax. They bundle five large bags into one small pouch. Much easier to tote around than my old bags. The cashiers watch me like I'm performing a magic trick when I pull them out.
The old bags went to Freecycle and two were slated to be snow pants bags for those snowy days when the kids have to bring their snow gear to school for recess.
Just over a year ago another light bulb went off in my head. Even though I wasn't using plastic bags at the food store, I was still grabbing bags at the hardware store, pharmacy, etc. So I found the cutest bag made of mattress ticking on etsy. I keep it in my car for those quick run-in trips that I don't plan for.
Finally, my bag dreams were fulfilled this Christmas when hubby gave me lightweight, mesh produce bags. No more plastic bags for my grapefruit.
Here is the "show" of the show and tell post.
Congrats to all of those readers who remember to bring their bags to the store! Congrats to all of those who are planning to remember in the near future!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Monkey Sea
My kids have some really green pets. The eat a drop of food every week. Their waste is so small that is is invisible to the naked eye.
As a kid I had sea monkeys. My mummy claims that they ate each other. I think that she forgot to feed them and they were just hungry.
In college I had sea monkeys. I went away for my month and a half on my winter break and my roommate forgot to add water. They evaporated.
This year Santa gave my kids a tiny, dried packet of their own sea monkeys. I think that Santa was probably thinking more of me. Those little monkeys are so darned cute.
With all of the talk of green pets, how are your pets going green?
As a kid I had sea monkeys. My mummy claims that they ate each other. I think that she forgot to feed them and they were just hungry.
In college I had sea monkeys. I went away for my month and a half on my winter break and my roommate forgot to add water. They evaporated.
This year Santa gave my kids a tiny, dried packet of their own sea monkeys. I think that Santa was probably thinking more of me. Those little monkeys are so darned cute.
Basically we started with what looked like one monkey. defying all laws of nature, two more monkeys appeared. Then ten tiny monkeys. Lately two of the monkeys have been, umm, attached to each other constantly. We are expecting new monkeys any day now.
The family also has a cat that we got from a no-kill shelter. Quinny the cat bathes herself. Therefore she uses little water. She has eaten organic food since our neighbor lost their cat to tainted food. Quinny has recently started using a no-clay litter. Is it strange that we are trying to green-up our cat too?
With all of the talk of green pets, how are your pets going green?
Monday, February 4, 2008
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Organizational Specialist?
This week a local group invited me to attend their organizational seminar. A real, live organizational specialist was going to speak. Having a good friend in this group, I thought that I would go to do a little socializing and maybe pick-up a tip or two.
I enjoy organizing closets, drawers and the such. Do not confuse organizing with cleaning. Cleaning is not my thing. My home is pretty well organized except for occasional spruce-ups. I enjoy organizing so much that I have offered, even pleaded, for the chance to help a friend who is planning on organizing her basement. I hope she takes me seriously.
This organizational expert displayed all of the wonderful things that we could buy to organize our homes. Plastic buns, plastic totes, plastic envelopes. Plastic, plastic, plastic crap! The entire seminar seemed like a big infomercial. "Buy this and you too can be organized." The women attending furiously scribbled notes looking for a way to simplify their busy lives.
After the seminar I raised my hand to suggest that maybe people should stop bringing more stuff into their homes as a way to get organized and make life easier. I even suggested ways to cut back on catalogs and financial offers. The pens were flying. The speaker was scowling. The idea of making our lives more simple could put her out of business.
If you too are interested in cutting down on the stuff that comes into your home, check out these two great website. Visit Catalog Choice and those unwanted catalogs will stop arriving in your mailbox ASAP. OptOut Prescreen is another free website. Just register all of the adults in your home and kiss those annoying mortgage and credit card approvals goodbye.
For anyone out there looking to get and stay organized, my not-so-expert advice would be to keep it simple. Your clutter will expand to your area. So lots of bookshelves or plastic totes may not be the answer.
In my house we have a few organizational tricks that are working great!
I enjoy organizing closets, drawers and the such. Do not confuse organizing with cleaning. Cleaning is not my thing. My home is pretty well organized except for occasional spruce-ups. I enjoy organizing so much that I have offered, even pleaded, for the chance to help a friend who is planning on organizing her basement. I hope she takes me seriously.
This organizational expert displayed all of the wonderful things that we could buy to organize our homes. Plastic buns, plastic totes, plastic envelopes. Plastic, plastic, plastic crap! The entire seminar seemed like a big infomercial. "Buy this and you too can be organized." The women attending furiously scribbled notes looking for a way to simplify their busy lives.
After the seminar I raised my hand to suggest that maybe people should stop bringing more stuff into their homes as a way to get organized and make life easier. I even suggested ways to cut back on catalogs and financial offers. The pens were flying. The speaker was scowling. The idea of making our lives more simple could put her out of business.
If you too are interested in cutting down on the stuff that comes into your home, check out these two great website. Visit Catalog Choice and those unwanted catalogs will stop arriving in your mailbox ASAP. OptOut Prescreen is another free website. Just register all of the adults in your home and kiss those annoying mortgage and credit card approvals goodbye.
For anyone out there looking to get and stay organized, my not-so-expert advice would be to keep it simple. Your clutter will expand to your area. So lots of bookshelves or plastic totes may not be the answer.
In my house we have a few organizational tricks that are working great!
- Keep a few vertical folders in the kitchen for all of those papers that come into the house. Each person/action gets their own color.
- We have four small drawers near the back door where each person can fill their own drawer up with all of the mittens and hats that will fit.
- In the basement each person gets two memory totes for yearbooks, baby shoes, report cards, art, etc. When your totes are full then it's time to purge.
- There is a donation bin in the basement. Just one bin. When you outgrow something, toss it in. When the tote is full it's time to take a trip to the Salvation Army.
So, we're not perfect. Things get cluttered and messy. For the most part I'm happy when we can all get out the door remembering backpacks, mitten, dance shoes and coupons. Every day remind me self to KISS. Keep It Simple Stupid!
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