An Earth Day Party for Lil' C's 1/2 Birthday

Today Lil' C turns 6 months old, it is hard to believe.  Six months ago she was a small 6 pound baby who is now weighing in at 16 pounds :)  She has gone from a tiny bundle who cried "slept" all day to a laughing, "talking", drooling, sitting up on her own, would rather party than sleep little love (well I guess the sleep stuff hasn't changed much)!  I am so proud of her and all she has accomplished in 6 short months.  She is the happiest baby I have ever seen and can light up an entire room with her smile (just like Mary) and her piercing blue eyes.  I am so very lucky to be her momma!

Lil' C has the privilege of sharing her 1/2 birthday with Earth Day.  Because of this, Z and I have put together a wonderful celebration for both Lil' C and our planet (and his Mimi, who's birthday was yesterday).  We will plant a tree this weekend, plant some seeds today and make some organic apple cake for our party.   We also made Lil' C some organic sweet potato baby food but she will be starting w/ rice cereal today...her first solid foods!!!!   We are looking forward to a wonderful day and will later post some pictures from the festivities.

Happy Earth Day everyone!!!

BTW...if you are a New Englander and have a Hannafords near you, go on in and buy something because you will then get a free reusable shopping bag to use again the next time you shop :)

Cloth Diaper Newbie

I have recently discovered something about myself.  When I am feeling super stressed or sad about a situation that I can not control, I search for something that I can control and then I obsess over it.  When my Noni had her stroke a year and a half ago, I threw myself into "Thomas the Train".  I know it sounds crazy but I knew nothing about Thomas before she got sick, other than he was an over priced blue train.  Once she got sick, Z and I learned everything about the Island of Sodor and I became obsessed with landing the best deals on Thomas trains and accessories.  It was really unhealthy but it gave me something to focus on other than my sadness.

Right now we are going through another very sad and stressful time in our lives.  I am not able to share any details but I can tell you that there is a lot of pain and stress in our house right now.  Over the past month I have became obsessed with the world of cloth diapers and I now realize that this is just like my Thomas the train obsession.  At least this time around I have thrown myself into something more productive and healthy for my daughter and the planet but none the less....I seem to have a problem.
 
Since Z was a baby I toyed around with the idea of cloth diapers.  I did some research but the idea of cloth grossed me out and I could not get past the poop....so he wore Pampers.  When I was pregnant with C, I heard about the gDiapers and did a little more research.  I knew we wouldn't be able to flush them because we have a septic, the idea of composting them was not thrilling me and I was still grossed out by the cloth inserts so once again I turned to Pampers. 

My BF is now pregnant and she has decided to try the gDiaper system for her new little one due in July.  Her new enthusiasm got me to do a little more research (okay HOURS of obsessive research) on the topic of cloth diapering.  After finding mixed reviews on every cloth system out there, I decided to order a variety and try them out.  Within my $150 budget I was able to get a good mix of pocket diapers, 1 fitted and two hybrid systems.  I am slowly figuring out which I like best but plan to use them all (we are on a tight budget).  I can cloth diaper for 2 whole days before washing and will experiment w/ overnight this week.

S laughs when I talk about all the cutsie names.....we have a happy heiny, a bumjoy, a bumGenius, a fuzzibunz and the Flip and gDiaper systems with cloth inserts.  I have been using them for almost a month now and really enjoy it.  I have discovered in this whole process that you truly have to find a system/brand that works for you.  I have collected a variety and actually having variety is the system that I like best (if that makes any sense).  C has yet to start solid foods (that will happen next week) and I am sure my feelings about cloth diapers might change once the diaper sprayer is introduced.  But for now, I like it, she doesn't seem to mind it and I am happy to say that we have dramatically cut down on our household waste!  I am also hopeful that we will save lots of money using cloth and that is super important for us right now.  In a week or so I will post again letting you know my personal opinions of each diaper and then my results of the overnight experiment :)

Turn Off Your TV Week :)

Next week (April 19th-25th) is National Turn Off Your TV week.  In honor of this occassion, Katie from Simple Organic is having "Make Week" over at her blog all next week.  She is planning giveaways and will have lots of creative ideas for things to do while the TV is off.  We are hoping to participate here at RaisingZandLil'C...it will be a bit of a sacrifice but in all honesty we have already made great strides to cut back on our TV viewing.  I have not watched a series since the Bachelor ended and I probably watch about an hour of TV all week long (if that)  I use to watch 2-3 hours a day!!!  Z is down from his 2 hours a day to about 30-60 minutes.  He doesn't watch any more TV shows, just DVDS.  We also let him watch one movie per week but that takes the place of his TV for the day. 

Why am I punishing myself in such ways??  Well for Z, I realized that the TV was making him so cranky.  Since I got pregnat last year, I used the TV to help me get through the day.  My son went from watching 60 minutes a day to over 2 hours!  I was not proud of this fact but it was the only way I could get through my morning sickness, the tiredness of being pregnant and then adjusting to a new baby.  This spring I feel like I am somewhat back in control of my life and so the TV was the first to go.  Since I have made this change, his attitude and mood is sooooo much better.  He is so much more imaginative and agreeable.  It has been so nice. 

As for me, I have been so busy decluttering our house, cleaning, helping S with business plans, reading and blogging that I don't have time for TV.  I really don't miss it at all, it is kind of nice :)  I suggested that we get rid of cable again to save money but S was not so sure of this.  He does like to watch his shows on the History, Travel and Discovery channels.  I haven't told him about Turn off the TV week.....maybe I will do that over a glass of wine tonight ;)

And the Winner Is.....

Z was so excited to pick the winner of today's ReUsies™ giveaway.  

Here is the bowl of contestants.....

 

Here he is sticking his hand in to pick the winner........

 

And the winner of the ReUsies™ reusable snack bag and lunch bag is........

And now her daughter's lunch bag will have a little more breathing room :)

Thanks to everyone for entering.  If you did not win, you should go check out their website and place an order.  In honor of Earth Day, you will get 10% off of your order PLUS free shipping and handling! Simply enter the Redemption Code of EARTH at checkout!

I want to thank Becky at ReUsies™ for having such a wonderful product, for sending me two more great bags and for helping to make this giveaway possible.  I want my own snack and sandwich bag (since S and the kids have taken ownership of the ones we currently own) and so I am off to place an order with my mom and sister.....since they didn't win :)  

Happy Tax Day!   

 

2 More Months....

Only two more months and I will be loading the kids in the car and heading to the farm for our first week of our CSA....I can't wait!  What is a CSA you ask??  Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a way for people to buy shares of a local farmers crop for the growing season.  Each person pays a one time fee and then each week you pick up your share of that weeks harvest.  Some years/weeks are more fruitful than others but the food is AMAZING.  I love trying to find creative ways to cook the interesting items that we receive.  Have you ever cooked celery root???

This is our third year doing a CSA but this year we moved to a new farmer.  This year we will actually get to go to the farm to pick up our produce and they have many PYO (pick your own) opportunities as well.  My little farmer Z is going to love driving over the farm, picking veggies and seeing where all of our delicious produce comes from.  It should be great!

So what are you waiting for??? You too could have farm fresh organic veggies and fruits this growing season.  It is a wonderful way to support your local farms and your family will benefit from all of the healthy and delicious food.  Yes it is hard to prepay for your produce but if you are like my family, produce is half of our grocery bill every week!  We love our fruits and vegetables and I try to only buy organic (especially the dirty dozen).  Simple Mom does a whole article on eating healthy on a budget, there are a lot of good tips over there.  I know that I am able to feed my family organic fruits and veggies, organic milk, free range and organic eggs, grass fed beef (S is the only one who eats beef), and organic free range chicken and my total grocery bill is usually only $125 a week.  It can be done if you are creative, eat whole foods (cook from scratch), don't eat meat every day and know where to shop :)

Are any of you joining a CSA this year???

If you haven't yet entered my Reusies, reuseable sandwich and snack bag giveaway...please click here to enter!  All entries must be in by 11:59 PM tonight :)

My Blog is GREEN :)

If you are stopping by from UBP '10, Welcome.  Please join the party by clicking on the button (the one with the baby) over there on the left.  If you want to enter my Reusies Earth Month Giveaway, click here. 

Thanks to Mommy's Nest for sharing this wonderful way to make my blog GREEN :)  It is the perfect thing to do as part of my Earth Month.  We will be planting trees in our yard to celebrate Earth Day and I love that by writing this simple post, another tree will also be planted.

If you want to participate, here is how....

Just write a short blog post about the program “My blog is carbon neutral” and include one of the buttons  on your site (ideally in the sidebar). Send the link to your blog to CO2-neutral@kaufda.de and they plant a tree for you, neutralising the carbon dioxide emissions of your blog. The trees will be planted in the spring of 2010 by the Arbor Day Foundation. For more information about how and where the trees are planted, see the NEWS section.

What are YOU waiting for?

Say It with a Song Sundays--Big Yellow Taxi

If you are stopping by from UBP'10, Welcome.  Please join the party by clicking on the button (the one with the baby) over there on the left.  If you want to enter my Reusies Earth Month Giveaway, click here :)   Okay, now on with my song.....

 

In honor of Earth Month, I decided to pick this little diddy :) Now go on over to BJ Mama's site and link up your own song.

Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swinging hot spot
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

They took all the trees and put 'em in a tree museum
And then they charged all the people twenty-five bucks just to see 'em
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

Hey farmer, farmer, put away your DDT now
Give me spots on my apples but leave me the birds and the bees, please
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

Late last night I heard the screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi carried off my old man
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

Text and Music: Joni Mitchell
(c) 1970 Siquomb Publishing Corp. (BMI)

Good Bye Plastic Bags......Give-Away!!!

After going paperless in the kitchen, I started to look around to find other places where we could reduce our household waste.  After finding our messy collection of plastic zip bags under our sink, I knew my search was over.  I found this great site called Reusablebags.com where they have everything you could ever imagine for food carrying and storage.  This website not only has a great selection, it also has so many wonderful features; excellent product descriptions, lots of customer reviews and inexpensive shipping.  After a lot of research and a budget of $40 or less.....I settled on two ReUsies™ snack bags and a 3 pack of Wrap-N-Mats®.  I am so happy with my purchases and though I typically don't do reviews on this site, I wanted to share w/ you how much we really love the ReUsies™ bags!!!  


We have been using these bags for a month now and I must say that we use them every day.  I have packed the bags with crackers, cookies, muffins, pretzels, baby carrots, sandwiches and everything always tastes great.  I have even left crackers over night and they were not stale (although they can't guarantee freshness overnight :)!  I love the fun designs and the fact that the velcro is strong enough to keep the snacks in but easy enough for Z to open it.  The bags are so well made, they are 100% cotton on the outside and the inside is lined with water-resistant 100% nylon (BPA, Lead and Phthalate free).  This makes it so easy to keep them clean.  I just rinse them out with some water from the sink and then let them air dry.  You can also wash them in the washing machine (you need to flip them inside out) or in the dishwasher.  The company was created by two moms out in Seattle who were trying to reduce their family's carbon footprint :)  They are a very friendly company with a wonderful website and product and I highly recommend it to you. 

I wrote the the ReUsies™ company and told them how much I loved their product and asked if I could give my readers a coupon to try out the product at a discount.  They said that they would do something even better......they sent me out a sandwich sized bag to try (as well as another snack bag) and told me that that they would send one lucky reader a set as well!  So here is your chance to win your own set of ReUsies™ snack and lunch bags.  I know you are going to LOVE them.  

To Enter the Give Away You must...
           -Leave a comment telling me why you would like to win the bags :)


If you would like enter more than once, follow the list below.  Just make sure you leave me comments letting me know what you did :) 


Additional Entries Can Be Gotten By.......

         1.  Subscribe to the ReUsies Newsletter and let me now (1 Entry)

         2.  Become a fan of Reusies on Facebook  (1 Entry)

         3. Change your Facebook status to mention this giveaway by leaving a link to        this blog (1 Entry)

         4. Blog about the giveaway on your blog (2 Entries)

         5.  Visit the ReUsies™ website and let me know of your favorite prints (1 Entry)

I have decided to do the drawing the old school way so that Z can be involved.  All of

the entries will be written on scrap paper and drawn from a big bowl by Z himself :)

The drawing will be Thursday the 15th, so please enter by Wednesday, April 14th at 11:59 PM. Good Luck :)

A Great Earth Day Project for Classrooms or Mom's Groups

When I use to teach elementary school, every year I would do a HUGE Earth Day unit.  I taught in a multi-age classroom (two grade levels in one room) so one year we would focus on Water Conservation and the other year on the 3 R's (reduce, reuse and recycle).  No matter what our focus was though, we always led our entire school in the participation of the Earth Day Groceries Project.  In fact, I have even done this project with my MOMS club because I love it that much ;) 

The Earth Day Groceries project is fairly simple and the best part it is FREE!  You first contact a local grocery store (or more than one) and ask if they would like to partner with you.  If they agree, you "borrow" a stack of paper grocery bags to decorate with Earth Friendly messages and pictures.  The week of Earth Day, you return the bags to the store and they pass them out to their customers with their groceries in it.  You can hang signs in your school or send out emails to your club asking that everyone shop at that store during Earth Week and the store can also hang a sign explaining the project. We also sent all of the information to the local newspapers. Make sure you take pictures during the process and then you can upload the pictures and your report to the Earth Day Groceries project website and then you are done! 

When I did this project with the MOMS club we got together at a members house for a bag decorating party.  For the older children, we wrote the Earth Messages on the bags and they did the decorating.  For the younger children, we drew pictures in black marker for the little ones to color.  We also wrote our club name on every bag to let the community know that we were leading up this project.  We all really got into and the mom's also had fun decorating bags.

So go out and visit their website and see if this is something you would like to participate in.  They have been doing it since 1994 :)  You can participate with girl scouts, boy scouts, playgroups, after school programs.....just about anybody!


I will be having a fun Earth Month giveaway tomorrow :)  Make sure you come back to check it out!

10 Easy Things You Can Do Today to Help our Planet

I originally posted this in April of 2008 but it still holds true (although I did do a little bit of editing).  

I just got this great book, Living Like Ed by Ed Begley Jr (of television fame). I am in love with Ed :) He has such great suggestions to help make your home/life more environmentally friendly. Each suggestion is rated as to whether it is easy to do, moderate or difficult. His ratings also include an estimate of what it would cost to implement each suggestion.

Below I have created a list of 10 easy things moms can do to help our planet. This list is based on suggestions I found in the book Living Like Ed and also the things I try to do each and every day to help our planet. Enjoy the list and please try to do something this Earth Day to help the environment.

10 Easy Things Moms Can Do To Help Our Planet

1. Change your Light Bulbs to Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
CFL bulbs use 2/3 less energy than traditional bulbs but provide the same light. They also last up to 9 times longer!!! Each bulb will save you $30 in energy costs over the life of the bulb. They also produce 70% less heat so they keep your home cooler in the summer months.

2. Turn off the Water While You and Your Family Brush Teeth
You will save a tremendous amount of water if you turn off the tap while brushing your teeth (and while your husbands shave). By letting the water run you are wasting up to 5 gallons of water per day for a family of 4 (depending on your water pressure and how many times a day you brush your teeth).

3. Recycle!!!
Most towns have great recycling programs! You can usually recycle cardboard, paper, aluminum and tin cans, glass and most plastics. Please clean out your recyclables well and break down all cardboard. Materials that are not cleaned are treated as hazardous waste and usually end up in a landfill anyway!

4. Reuse Things for Kids Craft ProjectsThere are lots of cool craft projects that you can make out of your recyclables. Paper towel rolls or water bottles can turn into shakers, milk cartons can turn into bird feeders and even dryer lint can turn into bunnies ☺ Check out this website for more cool ideas.

5. Give Old Clothes, Toys and Books to Family, Friends or Charity Instead of Throwing Them Away
Instead of throwing away all of those good clothes, toys and books…pass them on or donate them to people who could really use them. New mothers, Church Thrift shops, The Salvation Army and Mother’s Shelters are always looking for gently used clothing and toys.

6. Use Cold Water to Wash your FULL Loads of Clothes
This uses much less energy and will save you money! There are lots of detergents out there that work very well in cold water. Make sure the load is full before you wash it, this too saves energy and money.

7. Use Earth Friendly Cleaning Supplies
Most cleaning supplies are toxic to our children and thus our planet. There are many good brands out there that clean just as well as the toxic kinds. You can also make your own cleaning solutions (there are lots of recipes online).

8. Use Cloth Napkins or Napkins made from Recycled Materials
If every household in the United States replaced just one package of regular napkins (250 count) with 100% recycled ones, we could save 1 million trees. This is a very easy switch to make. They are fairly comparable in price and work just as well as the non-recycled kind.  Now imagine if every household got rid of napkins all together???  That is a lot of trees to save.  Read about how we now live in a paperless kitchen here :)

9. Bring Canvas or Reusable Bags with you to the Grocery Store
This is a very inexpensive way to reduce waste. All of the grocery stores sell reusable bags for $1.50-3.00 a piece. These bags hold a lot and the stores will take 5 cents off of your groceries for every bag you use. Keep them in the car so that when you go shopping they are always close at hand.

10. Don’t Fill the Bathtub to the Top/Take Shorter Showers
When bathing your kids, do not fill the tub all the way. Just make sure there is enough water to clean them well and allow them to splash and play. By not filling the tub all the way, there will be a lot less water out of the tub for you to clean up at the end of bath time. As for yourself, try to limit your showers to 5-10 minutes (I know most moms are lucky if they get 5 minutes). This will conserve a lot of water.

Thanks for Reading!!!!

Calling all Tree Huggers.....

Earth Day is coming up soon (April 22nd for those of you who have not yet marked your calendars) and we at the Raising Z (and Lil' C) home feel that Earth Day should be every day :)  Because of this, we have decided to make April, Earth Month.  All month long we will be celebrating Mother Earth and hope that you will join the party.

We have once again joined our CSA, our compost bin is on its way, our organic garden plans are in the works and we have started on a cloth diapering journey (yikes!)....we plan to share these stories as well as many more this month.  I also have some fun goodies to give away (I am soooo excited about this).  So flip off your Birkenstocks, run through the wet grass and give your favorite tree a big squeeze.....it is time to celebrate!

What are your big plans for Earth Day???