My Dad Is Green and Doesn't Know It

My dad is 70 years old today. He could care less about polar bears or what's in his drinking water but he is one of the greenest person's you will ever meet. Why? He is cheap.

Part of being green is about buying only what you need. And that is what my dad does. Growing up with him was a pain, he rarely splurged and there had to be a coupon involved. He is still this way.

I remember my mother getting angry with him for not turning on the heater in the winter. And god forbid he bought a car with air conditioning. Our house was always black at night because he would walk behind you and turn off the lights. He owns a very small, very fuel efficient car. He loves to walk and will if he can. He rarely eats out. And never wastes food. Only drinks water from the tap. He rarely shops and when he does it is for necessities. His shoes last him years. His couch is going on 35 years old and I'm sure his bed and dressers are also. He owns one TV, that he has had for 20 years. He doesn't own gadgets like a computer or PDA or iPod. He never travels. I would bet his carbon footprint is neutral.

I look back and disliked living with him as a child. He was so annoying! And so cheap! I froze my butt off every winter. But now in my adult years I look to him and I am proud. He does not even realize it but he is an eco-warrior. I know, he isn't an advocate for fighting global warming or ridding harmful chemicals in what we eat and drink but I still consider him very eco-friendly.

My dad one of a kind. And doesn't even know it.

I love my dad. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Simba in Box

My blog is turning into a "family" blog. My daughter joined me this morning to read blogs and she brought her stuffed animals along. The above picture is Simba in a box. The story is that she crawled into Sugar Pie's box and got stuck. My daughter loves stuffed animals and loves to turn "trash" into treasure, she learned that from Girl Scouts. I love the concept but I don't like all the "treasure" in my house. When she looses interest the "treasure" gets recycled.

(Sugar Pie)

Happy Birthday, My Little Guy

Today is my son's 10th birthday! Ten years ago today I became a mother to a chubby, bald little baby boy. I have thoroughly enjoyed being his mother and I remind him that he will always be special to me because he was the one that made me a mom. He loves when I tell him that. So I took him cookies at school and let him ignore me in front of his friends like boys start to do at this age. But he still wants me to tuck him in at night or take care of his boo boos, I'll take what I can get.

Happy Birthday "T"!

Life Here

My husband gave up drinking soda and beer and has lost weight. He still eats like shit, way worse than me. But he has lost weight. I give up french fries, chocolate and everything I enjoy eating and lose only my sanity! WTF!? Anyway, I had to get that out there!

I have been walking, eating lighter and drinking more water. I feel good. But my ass still grows. I may try something different and let you know. Ok, that's all my ranting about my weight.

On other fronts. My son, the defensive end (did I get the position correct?), has been rocking the football field. He is usually a shy kid but he lets it all out on the field. And you know what else? He is so mellow at home. He gets all his energy and aggression out on the field and leaves it there. Thanks Pop Warner and coaches. Can you see him, he is #60.

And then there is my daughter, she is such a chick. She cheer leads for the same league. I was never a cheerleader, I played softball and was tough and tumble. My daughter, she's girly. She likes to shop at the mall, I hate malls. She gives a lot of kisses, I love kisses. She actually teaches me how to be tender. I love my little chick.

And I am so proud of them both. They have been doing so well in school. I rarely have to help with homework, they get it. And they both bring home A's and B's. I don't know what happen this year but they just get it. You know, we had a wonderful summer of freedom outdoors and exploration, I think that has much to do with how well my kids are handling what is thrown at them.

Be green.

Off to the Lake

My kids have 4 more days until they go back to school. Yes, they go back Monday. I am sad yet eager for them to go. Sad because this is the end of the summer of sleeping in, being lazy, playing Wii, watching iCarly and having so many adventures. (Camping, zip line, gold panning, movies, boating, gardening.) They are going into 5th and 3rd grade, getting big and that makes sad. My son has already started to pull away from mama like most boys do, yet he can't fall asleep unless I tuck him in. I am lucky I have a daughter who aims to kiss and hug me whenever she can. I know that may go for a while also but she is a girl and I can relate to her. I love them both so much and have had the pleasure of staying home with them to enjoy every moment.

But did I mention I am also anticipating my freedom again! For 5 whole hours a day, Monday through Friday, it will be quiet. The teachers have them and that is good time to be a woman with thoughts to myself again.

To end the summer break the kids and I are going to a Lake Chabot for some water fun and exploring today. I read they have paddle boats, I have never been in one. They also have bike and hiking trails so I will bring my trusty outdoor field guide I bought recently to help identify the flora and fauna. It should be a relaxing warm, adventurous day until the ride home in the infamous Bay Area traffic. I tried to see if we can get there by public transportation but I am confused. We'll see. It looks like I have to transfer 3 times, is it worth it?

I'll let you know how the day went, with pictures.

Reuse and Recycle

As you all know we took some weekend trips this summer, we stayed in motels and camped. When my family vacations in that manner we always buy the little boxes of sugary cereal. Before you catch me being ungreen, this has been a tradition since I was a kid. We take a vacation from nutrition, at least for breakfast. I always cringe when I buy the little boxes, the cereals have almost no nutritional value, they are full of sugar, they waste natural resources, should I continue? But like I said, it is a tradition.

You all know the saying, "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle". Well these little boxes take out the reduce part. But my daughter, who is 7, figured out a great way to reuse. See below, isn't that cute? She actually took about 6 of the little boxes and made a little pet condo but I think she converted it into something else because I couldn't find it. And when she is done we will recycle. She also took the egg carton for storage use.








Click here to reduce 1 pound of carbon. Care2

Great Weekend

(I didn't want to announce that we were leaving this last weekend on my blog. So I apologize for not posting and commenting. )

We had the best weekend! We spent 4 days in a small town named Murphys. What a charming little town it is. Murphys, like many towns in the Sierra foothills started as a gold rush stop for miners. Now it is known for its beautiful historic downtown and wineries.

The weather was perfect. We were invited to a friend's cabin for dinner and had great bar-b-q, spent time with wonderful friends, we swam, we shopped, we fished (well, my husband and kids did), we ate great meals. We met a burro named Clarisse. And that was all in the first 2 days.

On Saturday we went to a Ironstone Vineyards for music and fireworks. The wine was great, the music was rockin' and the fireworks were spectacular.

The fun didn't end there. Sunday we decided to visit Columbia State Park. Just down the way from Murphys, it too is steeped in gold rush history. We panned for gold but only came up with small pieces of turquoise and garnets. My daughter loves her little gems though. We bellied up to the salon there and drank sarsaparillas.

And on the way home we all (3 families) went zip lining at Moaning Caverns. Oh my! I am so scared of heights but I was not going to let the day go by without trying this! (And my 9 year old son did it first, who was I to chicken out when he can do it.) I went tandem with my son and it was an experience I will never forget.

I had a great time this weekend. But going overnight in an unfamiliar place is hard on your green conscience. Does the motel recycle? How do I refill my Sigg bottle? Is that organic? Can we walk there? Where can I keep left-overs? Is there a Starbucks? (oops, that's not green, but I still want to know.)

In my next post I will let you know my ups and downs of trying to stay green in Murphys. And I don't mean "Irish" green either. Although, as you can tell with the name, Murphys is very Irish.

Oh, Monday

I really don't feel like posting today but, damn it, I have things I want to share! I love writing here, it is so therapeutic and helps me make decisions. So here it goes.

First off, Robin at A Little Greener Everyday is having a July Challenge. Unlike other blog challengers she is giving you a choice, she is so nice. I think she is challenging herself and doesn't want to be alone, ha ha. So she has 5 challenges to choose from. Here is the ultra-short list: beverages, A/C, lights, showers and journal. You'll have to visit to get details and to challenge yourself. I chose showers. I'll keep you posted.

We went away for the weekend on a non-green mini trip. We went to California's Great America on Sunday. We did everything non-green: ate horrid theme park food, wasted so much energy riding rides, wasted water on water slides, drove there at 70 miles an hour, wore regular sunscreen and bought non-organic towels because I forgot our towels at home. And then when we got home I realized the A/C was not turned off! Green Yikes!!! We did do some things green. We reused any cups and bottles by refilling them, I refused to by souvenirs (the towels were necessities), we only bought what we could completely finish eating. I can't say it was my eco-shining moment but with 2 kids and no real vacation plans this summer how can I resist the theme park experience? I feel I need to punish myself by doing some extreme green penance. Does anyone have any ideas?

I did have my new hemp flip-flops on all day Sunday and they we horrid! First off, why didn't anyone tell me hemp shrinks and hardens after it gets wet? The top part of the thong gave me blisters after getting off the first water ride at 11 AM. I have to keep the brown pair I wore all day but the black pair is going back. Back to the drawing board. Does anyone know where I can get organic, recycled material flip-flops?

I am trying to make my first loaf of bread today. And hopefully using my Foodsaver for the first time. Wish me luck.

Be Green.

Green Toons

Over at BurbanMom she is featuring an eco friendly cartoon called Heartwood USA. The kids are gonna love it! (There's a farting cow.) Now we can get them more involved without "nagging" them to do the right green thing.

Green Family

I've been noticing lately that my family is supporting my green efforts.

We are growing a small garden in the backyard and my husband noticed that some snails were eating our precious leaves. Before he grabbed the toxic powder he asked me if I had a non toxic alternative. I went to the internet for help and all I found was the beer trick and some copper band. Well, we didn't have any on hand. I did read that coffee grounds made good compost. AND snails don't like to crawl across textured surfaces. So hence, I thought I would try coffee grounds. They worked! It has been over 3 weeks and no snails. I was so happy he stopped to ask me first.

Today my son was given a plastic bag at his school book fair for 1 book. (I was not present or I would have said no plastic bag. Actually I would have tried to get the book used somewhere but it is a very new book and he gets so excited about reading I couldn't say no. It is very hard to tell your child no when the object will help him.) We got in the car and he apologized for getting the plastic bag. I was so proud that he knew that plastic bags are bad for the environment and that my actions are getting through to him.

I was so worried about my decision to green our lives that I would get rebellion from my family, especially my husband, but they seem to be embracing it. I am so proud. Actually, my husband has gotten more homemade meals lately because I try to eliminate most processed foods from our diets and I think he likes that. I am home more because I don't shop to buy anything we don't need so I have more time for family.