January 30, 2008
· Filed under going green
Tuesday night I was meeting with some ladies around a dinner table. One of the ladies noticed that the candle in the center of the table was a soy candle. She asked what made that candle different? Nobody there knew. To be honest, I didn’t want to look into it because I knew that if I found something bad, I wouldn’t ever go back to regular candles again. So I waited one full day, then did the research.
The following is a quote from pr.com. “Unfortunately, most candles on the market today, use artificial paraffin wax and synthetic wicks, which when burned, emit harmful toxins into our atmosphere, and we breathe them in! Dirty soot can also create a mess in the home from burning such candles.”
As you can see, this is why people are making organic and natural vegetable based candles such as soy and beeswax that burn without emitting these harmful toxins. The good news is a lot of large and small candle companies are making vegetable based candle options. It is a growing venue and candle makers are taking note. Now we know why.
And as a side note, I discovered all cotton braided candle wicks contain some form of a core. The core of candles used to be made of lead, but a few decades ago lead wick cores were banned in the US due to lead poisoning. Now most braids are made of synthetic fibers and paper. So not only is the paraffin wax harmful, but so are some of the wicks. So we need to either find healthy candles or try to find another method of fragrancing our homes.
January 27, 2008
· Filed under myself
Yeah. Even though I had good intentions, my efforts of dieting failed. I don’t know if it’s my lack of willpower or if this is just not the diet for me, but I cannot do it. I eat fairly healthy for the most part, and will continue to fix meals for my husband to support his dieting routine. I just won’t be on the same routine.
I am the type that enjoys my instant oatmeal in the morning. I like being able to eat carrots and steamed white rice. I LOVE plain rice cakes. Sounds weird I know, but I do. And I have found my daughter loves them too! I also enjoy having something fun and special like blackberry muffins or chocolate chip pancakes sometimes, none of these items including the carrots are on the South Beach diet. So maybe I shouldn’t worry about sticking to a strict diet but instead try to make healthy choices.
I think being well balanced will be good for my daughter too. That way, we can have a treat like smiley face french toast on Saturday mornings while still eating well at other times. Now, I am not saying we can’t do healthy fun foods, I actually know plenty of those after teaching at a preschool, but in this day of age, I don’t want my daughter to grow up worrying about her calorie intake at age 4. (And yes, some children do that!)
Just letting you all know that I am not participating in the diet. But Travis has stuck with it beautifully. I am very proud of him and hope he gets the results he is looking for.
January 25, 2008
· Filed under myself
I don’t know how many of you are dieters, but if you know myself or my husband you know we are not. We enjoy eating healthy but my husband is not one that is willing to agree to a diet. And unless I get violently ill after eating something, I will continue to eat it regardless of how fattening it is. Honestly speaking we both need to tone up (exercise). I could stand to loose the six pounds I put on after having our daughter and my husband could stand to loose maybe fifty pounds (I’m estimating, I really don’t know). However, a friend of his has succeeded in convincing him that he could stick to the South Beach Diet.
Oddly enough, he reviewed the diet and agreed to it. So Monday morning my husband began the South Beach Diet. I try to be a supportive wife and in my efforts, I decided I would go on this diet with him so he wouldn’t have to do it alone. I really want him to do this. He would like to loose the extra weight and his doctor has been saying it for years, so I am trying to be as encouraging as possible. Plus, eating healthy as a family is good teaching for the kiddo. So I too, began Monday morning doing the South Beach Diet.
I made it all the way until 7pm Monday night. I was so hungry, I just couldn’t do it. Maybe I didn’t eat enough for dinner? Who knows. My husband thought it was funny, and never expected me to do this diet with him. Yet, I still felt bad not doing it. So, last night I decided to get back on the diet with him. I am not doing exactly what he is doing. I decided to skip phase 1 and go straight to phase 2. Hopefully I will be able to achieve this new goal and we (my husband and I) can do this together.
I am posting this as a way to hold myself accountable. Maybe if others know we are doing this, they can occasionally ask how it’s going. If you have any suggestions or helpful advice feel free to share. Happy eating everyone!
January 23, 2008
· Filed under going green
I noticed our hall bathroom toilet had water running inside the bowl. Yet, I didn’t see or hear any water running inside the tank. This confused me, but with a simple conversation with someone who knew what they were talking about, it turned out that all I needed was a new toilet flapper. (And yes, that is the technical name for it, a flapper.) I took the old flapper off, washed it, and took it with me to Home Depot. I simply went to the plumbing aisle and began looking for a similar part.
It turns out that you can even buy a “green” toilet flapper. Now, it does not say “green” anywhere on the packaging, and it is not a green color, it is red. However, it does have “saves water” on the packaging. I purchased an Adjust-A-Flush Flapper. It was about $5 and allows you to turn down (or up) the water volume for each flush. This flapper has a numbering system from 1-9. One being for less (minimum) flush and nine being for more (maximum) flush. A regular flapper is equivalent to a 4. I installed our new flapper and have it set on the minimum flush, 1. I am going to see how this works. If we begin having problems we might need to adjust the flush volume. If it does work well for us on a low setting, we will be saving water with each flush.
Whenever we replace something in our home, we try to remember to look for a green choice. And who knows, we might just spend another $5 to make our other toilet more water efficient too.
January 19, 2008
· Filed under myself
OK, I guess everything deserves a second chance. After all, if there were no second chances, what would the world around us look like? Whenever I start cleaning out our home I always come across items that we never use, but I give it a second chance and don’t throw it out because there is that 1% chance that we might need it sometime. For some reason I have found that whenever I am about to get rid of something in my house (trash or give away) I have a sudden attachment to it. I always have that conversation in my head. “Do we need this? When was the last time we used this? Will we use this?” I hope I am not the only one that struggles with this. I do have those moments though when I am in a great mood. I toss things into their piles and don’t look back, but it is during those times that I stop to think, that make me want to give things a second chance.
Now sometimes it is something I would love to have work correctly so I could use it. You know like those stupid as seen on tv things that we all get suckered into at some point of time. Or earth friendly products that we would love to use, if they worked! These are the things I have thought about today. If only the good for my skin and the environment deodorant worked, I would use it. If the Pasta Pros we got for $5 worked, I would use them. If only the fleece lined diapers I bought didn’t break out my daughter, I would use them.
OK. I’m going to give each of these items a second chance. Drum roll please while we wait for the results…No for the deodorant (scary one to give a second chance to). No to the pasta pro (it’s a good idea though). Wait for it. Yes to the diapers!!! 1 for 3! That’s better than nothing (which is honestly what I was expecting). I don’t know if it’s a different detergent or what (I forget if I tried these before I perfected the laundering) but the fleece lined diapers are working beautifully and her bottom is perfect! Hurray!!! That means we have 6 more diapers we can use!!! That’s wonderful. Yay for second chances.
Now I don’t know if every story will have a happy ending, or if there is time to give everything a second chance. But I guess if it is worthy of you stopping to think, “I would use this if…” then it might be worth trying one more time.
Moral of the story: Everything deserves a second chance because sometimes it’s not the product that is not working properly. Sometimes it is what we have done to the product that is not making it work properly.
January 17, 2008
· Filed under myself
I don’t know how your week has gone, but mine has been crazy. I have been working so much I feel like I haven’t spent very much time with my husband or my daughter. OK, let me rephrase that because we are always around each other. I haven’t spent much quality time with either of them this week. I hate that. I have found that when I over commit myself I not only don’t find time for my family, my home or myself, but I am the worst version of myself. I am very short tempered with EVERYONE and am very unhappy.
Fortunately this week is almost over and hopefully I will not have to live like this any longer. One week is too long sometimes. I function best when things are organized and I have time in my day to stop and smell the roses. I love how free of time my daughter is. It could take her ten minutes to walk across our backyard and she would treasure every moment of it. I love that.
Have a blessed weekend everyone! Spend time with those you love and don’t think about anything else. That’s what I’m going to do!
January 11, 2008
· Filed under going green
I would love to start a compost pile or bin, but I don’t want to spend a lot of money doing it. Does anyone have any ideas or thoughts on this subject?
I know one person who has a compost pile, but as you know, I like to get several opinions before I make a commitment.
Thanks for your help!
January 4, 2008
· Filed under going green
While reading product reviews on amazon, I came across a reviewer who stated “What good is it to recycle if we never buy post consumer recycled products?” BAM! Why haven’t I been thinking like this the whole time? I recycle, I purchase environmentally friendly items, recycled items, yet I have not had that mentality. I guess I just never thought of it that way.
Post consumer content refers to how much (a percentage) of the product was made from recycled materials. The higher the percentage, the better. Meaning we are actually recycling more of the materials and using less new materials to make a particular product.
I have always read those labels and knew what they meant, yet never thought about how pointless recycling really is unless we purchase those products that are made from the recycled waste. Interesting perspective, I like it.
January 3, 2008
· Filed under going green
While in Florida, visiting the in-laws, I spotted a Publix grocery store and had to go in. I have read about their “Green Wise” product line and wanted to see it for myself. This might seem like a very strange post, but I really enjoyed my shopping experience there. I walked down their “Green Wise” aisle, which carried several organic selections of various food products. I then went down their paper products aisle and picked up some biodegradable toilet paper and facial tissues. All their Green Wise paper products are made without dyes, fragrances, or ink. This is because even after the paper itself decomposes the dyes, fragrances, and ink remain. They are also made of recycled material. I know it is odd to be on vacation, at your in-laws, on your birthday and all you find all day that you want is toilet paper and facial tissues, but I really was excited about them. I also purchased a Publix reusable bag. The bag is made exactly like the reusable Wal-Mart bag with two exceptions. One is minor, but the other might prove to be very useful. The first difference is a small hoop at the top of the bag so it can be hung up without being hung from the straps. The second is a removable plastic base at the bottom of the bag. I think this might help the bags to last longer, especially when heavier items are being carried such as milk or canned items (it evens the weigh distribution). The last aisle I walked down was the frozen food aisle. I noticed they had several healthy soy and dairy-free choices that are usually only available at health food stores.
Once I returned home I pulled out the computer and started looking online to see if there might be a Publix in the metroplex. There was not, but I discovered a free magazine Publix will send you each month concerning healthy food alternatives and green alternatives. After trying to sign up for this free service, I realized you could only sign up if you lived in a state that contained a Publix grocery store. If you live in one of those states, please take advantage of this free service. The magazine sounded like a good resource for living a better life. (And by better I am referring to eating healthier foods and making good choices for the environment.)
My Publix experience was really nice and I have enjoyed the three products that I purchased there. Now all I need to do is find products like these here or online…
