Friday Finds

My beans, romas and zuch

It has been a busy morning. When you own a 7 year old vehicle things start to break down. My brakes have been squeaking for a couple of days now. And then the radiator started to leak yesterday, what a horrible, toxic smell! Needless to say, I had to take my blazer in this morning and hope I don't get ripped off at the mechanic. I took it to the shop and walked home. At least it was a pleasant walk. I beat the heat, it is suppose to reach 104 degrees today here.

So my Friday Finds are being pushed back to noon.

• Furoshiki anyone?
• What an easy solution to plastic bag recycling. Earth 911.
• Are you DIY material? If so, build your own Passive Solar Water Heater.
• Could the Amish be greener?
• Support green celebrities.
• Yes! A greener way to remove ink from recycled paper.

Be green. Enjoy your weekend.

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.

Organic Salsa

Look what I have discovered! Pace Organic Salsa! When I can't have homemade I grab Pace. I love it with chips or on eggs. Yummy! And on top of that, I love that it still comes in a glass container. I am able to reuse the jar to freeze single servings of soups I make at home. Thanks Pace.

Morning Walks with Liquid Rock

Creek in the winter.

I try to walk everyday since the kids have gone back to school. I do belong to a gym but I have been enjoying the outdoors lately. So for now I will wait until the weather turns wet to go to the gym.

I find myself very lucky to live within a block of a creek and trail that follows the creek for a couple of miles. And I also have a nice neighborhood that is easily walkable. Yesterday I made a short trek to the supermarket for bread and soy french vanilla creamer. I grab my iPod ready to listen to More Hip Than Hippy or Armstrong and Getty podcasts, hat, sunglasses and a smile to tell people along the way "good morning". I am blessed to be able to start my day so pleasantly.




You are wondering why I am telling you about my walking every morning. Well, I use Kiss My Face Liquid Rock Unscented Deoderant and, frankly speaking, I have sweaty, wet armpits the whole time. Now, I am walking by myself, I don't smell and I just lift my arms to dry off. No big deal. But I always wonder, "What if I was going to a job interview? My pits would be all wet! And possibly my blouse would have a nasty armpit stain." The horror! I guess in that case I would find a solution. But right now I don't need to worry about that.

If you wear all natural deoderant you should never find anti-persperant. The anti-persperant mechanism in deoderant is never natural. You want your body to sweat, it's natural and your body is getting rid of waste, you don't want to keep waste. Luckly, as a female I sweat very little so it dries fast. And I can say this deoderant does a fine job at keeping me from being stinky. Also, when I put it on in the morning it does take a while to dry on my skin but from what I remember most roll-ons do.

So that's my monday morning and every morning. Do you want more to read about keeping your armpits fresh feeling? Grist has an informative article called "Scents and Sensibility". And you can always read up on the best deodorants at the EWG's Skin Deep Site, starting with my deodorant.

Be Green.

Leapin' Lemurs! That was good!

I entered a contest on A Little Greener Everyday to win 2 boxes of cereal from Envirokids on July 23rd. And I won! I just received my boxes of Leapin' Lemurs and Penguin Puffs, just about 20 minutes ago! I scarfed down a small bowl of Leapin' Lemurs and it was yummy! I liked that it was just sweet enough, but not too sweet, for me and the kids to like. (I like sweet cereal, many adults may not.) I rarely eat the kids' cereal but I wanted to know if the cereal was tasty. The kids of course immediately grabbed bowls. My son ate Leapin' Lemurs and my daughter ate Penguin Puffs. I asked if they wanted me to buy these again and they "YAH!"

Thanks Robin. And Nature's Path.

Friday Finds: Vinegar, Sewing

Maggy hogging the fan.

Good Morning. I am out walking right now but you can read up on what I found interesting this week. Have a great weekend.

• Wiki How: How to Sew Your Own iPod Carrying Case
• 1001 Uses For White Distilled Vinegar
• Green and Clean Mom wants you to vote for her
• Eco-brighten your clothes at Green Planet Discovery
• Treehugger posts the funniest way to fight climate change
  

Be Green.

What is MSDS Report?

An MSDS report describes the properties of a particular substance, such as household products.

"A Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) is designed to provide both workers and emergency personnel with the proper procedures for handling or working with a particular substance. MSDS's include information such as physical data (melting point, boiling point, flash point etc.), toxicity, health effects, first aid, reactivity, storage, disposal, protective equipment, and spill/leak procedures. These are of particular use if a spill or other accident occurs." (ILPI.com FAQ's)

The MSDS report is mostly used by workers or employees to reference the report in case of an emergency. But for greenies this report is a handy resource to find out if your favorite household product is toxic or not. The report will list the ingredients of the substance and then you as the green consumer can take those ingredients to the EWG Skindeep Database to find out how toxic they are to your health. Handy eh?

To find the MSDS report for a particular substance simply type in your search engine "MSDS brand name here". For example, I searched "MSDS Tide" and got this report. I can now read the report, which is a lot of scientific stuff, and found the ingredients, among other facts, and then took the individual ingredients to EWG's Skin Deep website to look up each one. (Green Disclaimer: I don't use Tide anymore but it was an easy example.) Wah Lah!

Some substances may be hard to find so here are some websites that may help:

• http://www.ilpi.com/msds/- Great resource! Very informative.


• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Msds- Of course, I always reference Wikipedia. And they have an international section also.


• Department of Health and Human Services Household Products Database-they might not be as critical as the EWG but it can be a good start.

Be Green.

Help Me W/ Politics Part 2: The Issues

Yesterday I asked for help in choosing a president. Maybe if I reveal to everyone where I stand on the issues surrounding the election I can get more help. Or just make some people really angry, including myself.

Let me start off my saying I am extremely patriotic. I am one of those people that loves my country. I get all choked up hearing the National Anthem at the Olympics. I respect the flag and follow all the proper procedures to take care of it. I get VERY angry when people talk or do not place their hands on their hearts during the National Anthem. We have a flag in our front yard-ALWAYS. I wear red, white and blue on July 4th. This is the best country. Why? We do have freedom. We have options. Many. Don't believe me. The following list of issues proves we have freedom. Without freedom I would not have a choice to which issue I get to vote for, that would be done for me by the government. Yes, I know many other countries are free but I like where I am and wouldn't change that.



Let's start simple, if I can:

1. I want people to be judged by who they are not what they are. This pertains to affirmative action. People should go to universities based on their merit not because they are a minority. I don't understand how getting into a university because you are a minority stands for equality. (1 for Republican stance.)

2. I love nature and strive to save it. (1 for Democrats)

3. I oppose gun control. All that will do is take guns away from law abiding citizens. It will not get it out of the criminal's hands, their guns are illegal anyway. You outlaw guns, all that will happen is more illegal guns will come into the country. (1 for Rep)

4. No universal health care. Honestly, does anyone think that a government run health care system will work? You know eventually the taxes for health care will get diverted to some other fund. And will that health care really be good? People with universal health care in their own countries come to the United States for surgery because we are that good. Doctors come from all over the world to practice medicine here. (1 for rep)

5. Please stop illegal immigration. I am proud to live in California, the salad bowl of the west. I have met people from all over the world here, but they were legally here. I welcome them. I oppose illegal immigration for one main reason-IT'S ILLEGAL. And don't call me a racist, I grew up the only white girl in an all Mexican school and community eating tomales and pan dulce. Don't go there. My maiden name is Gonzalez. (1 for reps)

6. I can care less if gay couples want to get married. Actually I encourage it, and then adopt children, please. (1 for dems)

7. I support lower taxes, I don't know why anyone would oppose that. We get taxes everywhere-paycheck, gas, sales, property. How much more do they want. (1 for rep)

8. I want us out of Iraq and never to war again. (1 for dems)

9. Religion and government. I lean toward democrats just to be fair to every religion. But I oppose taking the name God off of already established entities. Those symbolize our history as a nation. All that seems like is trying to erase the past the way it was. (1 for both)

10. I believe every able bodied person should work instead of being poor or homeless or suck off the government. This sounds harsh, I know. It is a greater gift to enable someone to proudly work hard than to expect a handout. This is a sketchy subject. And hard to argue in writing. I never want to see anyone homeless or poor. But they should be given a job not a check. My father owned a restaurant when I was a child. Homeless would beg from him for money. He never gave them money because he knew they would go get drugs. He would offer them a meal happily if they went out back and picked weeds first (or some other odd job). Some would say no way. My father then knew what they truly wanted. And some would head to the back, pick weeds and have beans, rice, tacos and burritos for dinner that night. Which homeless guy do you think was happier? (1 for rep)

11. The last issue is the touchiest. Abortion. I hate to bring it up but you may think of me as coward. I oppose it. I know, I know. I have a very good friend who is so pro-abortion that she tries every election to sway me. She knows all her facts and argues them like any good democrat would. But my morals get in the way of me saying that it is ok to kill an unborn child. Believe me, I tried to convince myself so many times. I argued in my head things like overpopulation, the fetus is not viable, the child will grow up in a bad environment, the child will be hooked on crank, the children is mentally incapable. The list goes on. My Christian morals cannot change my conscience. I wish I could.

And the last argument: it's a woman's right. I believe a woman has a right over her own body, every organ. But that baby inside her is not just another organ, it is a separate entity with it's own organs. What about its rights to live? And has anyone ever heard of adoption? Or abstinence? I knew a very young girl that used abortion as her birth control. She had 6 abortions by age 15. Couldn't that hurt her eventually? Who is watching out for this young girl to be sure she doesn't harm her body?

I just wish our society wasn't so quick to throw everything away. We talk about recycling a lot here on the green blogs and to respect mother earth. Why don't we respect our bodies as women and make better decisions? Why don't we stop throwing everything away, including humans? I think it is a sad society when it is so easy and so accepted to just think of a human being as something to be thrown away. Why is it that so many people are quick to save the polar bears but can care less about a human unborn child?

I don't want to outlaw abortion completely. I am aware of cases of rape, incest or detriment to the woman's well being. I just wish their were tougher laws or guidelines.

Like I said this is a very touchy subject with almost no sollution. (1 for reps)

Now that some of you hate me or even love me more, I think I lean Republican. YIKES! John McCain scares me! I still don't think I can vote for him. I need a drink.

No more politics. I need to go back to green goodness....

Help Me w/ Politics Part 1: Presidential Noms

Anyone up for some non-green ranting?

I'm having a hard time and I may piss off some people right now. But I am always open for other people's views and at times I can be swayed.

I don't trust Obama or McCain. I don't trust any politician. I read somewhere that we don't have statesman anymore, they are called politicians now. Winston Churchill said it best, "A politician thinks about the next elections - the statesman thinks about the next generations." Why can't we have statesman? It seems that liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican, politicians cannot be trusted. They seem to be in it for themselves, not the people.

In my time, I have witnessed Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Bush. I was young when Reagan was president but I remember my father just loving him. I also remember thinking that he was a great man for putting a start to the end of the cold war. Bush, not much there, what did he do? Clinton, my impression is that he was a great speaker, good president, liar and cheat. And Bush, oh Bush, do I really need to go there?

Those are the presidents that I've had to endure. Are they great like Washington, Lincoln or Roosevelt? Not really. That depends on your view. Now, I am cutting down our most recent presidents because I have found flaws and I idolize the great ones from the past. They had great policies and made great decisions but were they great men? I heard Washington was a racist. (Sounds blasphemous, doesn't it?) JFK had his share of women. Grant was an alcoholic. But we idolize these presidents. My point is should we care about a president's personal issues if he/she has done well for the country?

So who do I choose? Who do I trust? Obama or McCain? Democrat or Republican? I took a few of those silly tests on the internet that help you figure out which party you lean toward and I am, drum roll, a Libertarian. Who are their presidential noms: Barr/Root. Who the hell is Barr/Root? Why don't they get media time? Oh, they probably don't have enough money for that. Wait, wait, Colbert Report will have Barr on tonight. I will have to catch it.

I don't need to vote for president anyway. The electoral college does that for me. And I live in California, enough said there, Obama will take this state if he is not already chosen by the rest of the country before the time catches up here on the west coast. Poor Hawaii and Alaska, do they really count? So if I am a Democrat great. Republican, that sucks.

Or should I just put my trust issues aside and vote for a party? And then wish for the best.

All this sounds like I don't vote. I do, every time. I have voted for both parties in the past depending on my marital status, financial status, mental status (was I angry with the last party I voted for) and whether I had children. But I can tell you with my Catholic upbringing I lean conservative with the moral decisions. But with my love for nature I lean more liberal. I am so confused!!!! Help!

Tomorrow: Help Me W/ Politics Part 2: The Issues

Jenny The Elephant

I was reading a story today on wowOwow.com about an elephant named Jenny who at this moment resides in the Dallas Zoo but will soon (Oct 1) be moved to a drive thru park in Mexico where her "habitat" will only be 1 acre large. Lily Tomlin (yes, the actress) wrote about her in wowOwow earlier in August and is asking for her readers to help move Jenny to an Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee where Jenny can roam 300 acres with other elephants. Wow! That is better than 1 acre and alone. Not to mention she will have no animal welfare protection once out of the United States.

If anyone reading is familiar with elephants they are very social with their kinship and some believe they show emotions such as grieving for a lost comrade. Jenny deserves to live out the rest of her life with other elephants in a protected location. Not harassed by people and vehicles in a drive thru park.

You can read about Jenny here and visit her website. Or better yet learn how you can help Jenny here.

Pass on the word. Thanks.

Be Green.

Va Va Veev

Robin over at A Little Greener Everyday has written about Veev, "the industry's first certified carbon neutral spirits company." They make vodka. I like vodka. I prefer margaritas but many drinks with vodka are my second choice for mixed drinks. Read Robin's post and try some Veev. I am. (And what a pretty bottle.)

Be Green.

Back in the Groove?

My kids have been back to school for just over 3 weeks now and I am just getting back into my normal routine. It took me this long for 3 reasons:

1. I fought it. I had a lot of fun this summer and did not want it to end. I got lazy from having too much fun and it took me 3 weeks to break that habit.

2. I have been busy reconnecting with my mom friends over breakfast and lunch. ( how spoiled I am.)

3. Football and cheer started the same time as school so needless to say we have been BUSY. A very strict schedule dictates our lives Monday through Thursday.

So, hopefully, I can fall back into my usual routine of keeping house, holding my family together, keeping my sanity and looking for the perfect way for a mom to earn money at home. (We all know that last one is nearly impossible without some super dedication and time.) And lastly, BLOGGING. I have missed writing in my blog. I loved to get an inspirational idea, researching it and posting it here. My goal is to get my head back into my blog and catch up with all my favorites.

Friday Finds

I am not interested in Friday Finds this week. Well maybe. I am not in the mood for reading about "green". Post summer life has started and frankly I am busy trying to raise my children right and keep my husband happy. My life style gets in the way of being green. I try to shop for local food but I don't have time to visit 3 stores for my groceries. I try to shop at thrift stores but I don't find much and end up at the big box stores (not Walmart, I refuse to support them.) I try to ride my bike but it has a flat tire. I try to conserve gas but I have to take my son to football practice 5 times a week. I try to keep the air conditioning off but it is 90 to 100 degrees the last 2 weeks. What's a mom to do?

I do make green choices given my circumstances. You know, recycle, carpool, buy only what I need. Honestly, if it were up to me I would be a hermit in the woods. I would be the crazy lady in the woods. But I wouldn't be crazy, that's just the name the local kids would give me. But my husband didn't like that idea. And I guess I would eventually go crazy living in the woods without access to Starbuck's, just kidding, no really.

Since living as a hermit in the woods is not an option I go about my daily life all middle class, suburban, SUV driving (smallest SUV), day-time soap watching (OLTL), blogging mom and wife. I love my life. It is the most precious gift. I don't think I would change a thing. (Except I would have been a park ranger and marry Brad Pitt.)

You know, I need to back up. My life style does not get in the way of being green. My lifestyle is just fine, there just aren't that many green options. I strive to be green but what about people who really don't give a crap, they need green products readily available and cheap so they will buy it too. We need more renewable energy, greener building, more local farmers, and more education to the public about being green. I guess that takes me full circle. I can try to encourage the politicians and corporations to create more environmentally sound products but blogging is my way of getting the word out to be a better human to our planet. And Friday Finds does just that.

So here are some interesting articles and stories I have found.

• Big Green Purse discusses confused green consumers.


• FYI, I know most of you know this but Earth 911 will help you find a place to recycle pretty much anything.


• Hydrogen peroxide tips at Green Living Tips. (This is an older article but I found it useful and wanted to pass it on.)


• Mother Earth News wants you to have strong bones.

Have a good weekend. Be Green.

In Rememberance of Sigg

Bay Area, CA----At the tender age of 4 months old Gray Sigg Bottle held his last drop of water on the evening of August 18, 2008. A tragic freezer accident took him from us. Gray Sigg Bottle loved the outdoors and traveled often. His friends would describe him as a "trooper" and reliable. Known for his tenacity and respect for the environment he will be missed deeply. He is survived by Hello Kitty Sigg, Pow Sigg, Green Sigg and Hearts Sigg. The cupboard will be bare without him. He requested no services be held in his honor just that he be recycled into a racing bike or canoe.

Vinegar

Yesterday our friends were coming over and I had to tidy the house up quickly because we were running late. I had to pick up shoes, vacuum, mop and clean the windows. I recently ran out of Windex so I poured about 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water into a bottle to clean our mirrors. Do you know how much longer it takes to clean mirrors with vinegar than it does with Windex? Now I know why Windex is a superior mirror cleaner, it practically dries by itself without streaks! Vinegar and water on the other hand, OMG, you need to wipe and wipe and wipe until the mirror is not only dry but streak free. My right arm got a workout, that's the good part.

Now, I won't stop using vinegar to clean the mirrors but did I do something wrong? Is my vinegar to water ratio wrong? I don't get the newspaper so I reuse an old clothe, does that make a difference? Or does washing the mirrors (and windows) just take good old fashion elbow grease to get the job done?

Friday Finds: Water Toys, Green Give Away, Bioplastics

My dog Maggy making faces.

Last week I was gone so I missed Friday Finds. And this week I am posting it later in the day so it doesn't cover up my Waterways post.

TGIF

• Canada defines "green".
• Safer plastic water toys at Plenty Mag.
• Like gadgets? Here are 10 greener ones.
• Alternative Consumer is having a green school supply give away.
• Where are all the salmon? The National Marine Fisheries Service pesticides are harming them.
• Bioplastic?? What do you think?
  

Have a great weekend.

Sign Up To Clean Your Waterways

Did you sign up yet to clean your waterways? See details from my post Greener Water.

California: Coastal Cleanup Day
United States and Internationally: Ocean Conservancy
Canada: TD Great Canandian Shore Cleanup



Click here to reduce 1 pound of carbon. Care2

Job Venting

I haven't really been thinking green lately. I have been thinking about how I can use my brain and get paid for it, i.e a job.

This happens to me every year since my son started 1st grade- 4 years ago. My kids go off to school for about 6 hours and I think, "I want a job. Something to use my brain." Before children I went to UCSD and got a bachelor's in Anthropology, I was going to be a CA state park ranger. Before I could make it to the program, and I was getting close, I got pregnant with my son. I have not looked back, I have been a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM) ever since. Yah, I did the bookkeeping for my husband's business but "quit" because he never brought me the receipts and I would get angry with him. Last year I worked as a secretary for a real estate broker and it was the most boring job ever. In there somewhere I was the treasurer for the parents club at my kids' school, scout leader and community volunteer. I have kept myself busy.

But now, I really want to use my brain like I intended to 10 years ago. I feel stuck. But here is the catch, I don't want to work weekends or nights. Well, I can work those hours at home.

So I am stuck wanting a job but I am picky about it.

How do I do this? I have almost no job experience. I don't want to commute. I do have a degree but in a very limited field. I am no spring chicken. At 36 you look at the situation and think, "who would hire me?" Starbuck's? Trader Joe's? Well, those would be fun but I need more. I also live really far from any big corporations or companies. Like a 1-2 hour commute. I refuse to do that.

By no means am I saying I don't like being a SAHM but I need to feel like I accomplished something with my brain at a higher level. I have loved being home. Running the house, having breakfast with my buddies and having my own schedule. My problem is that I am spoiled.

I wonder what my options are. Writer? Do I have the knack for it? Can I do that? Real estate agent? In this market? And they work nights and weekends. Sales? No. Web Design? I can't go to school anymore.

My husband wants me to look into some real estate investing that we can dabble in. That sounds promising and I love being around the real estate field, I grew up with my parents flipping houses.

Help!!! What do you do to make money? I am willing to put in the time and money, I just need to know what is out there and how to get there.

Keep Tahoe Rockin'

Wow! It has been a few days since I was here. I hate being away from my blog for too long but I went away to Lake Tahoe to party with friends for a bachelorette weekend. I had so much fun! And I barely even saw the lake. We drank quite a bit, went to see Sammy Hagar rock in concert and hung out at Cabo Wabos until they kicked us out, well closed. I had a blast! It took me until today to finally catch up with reality again. Whoo! Yes, back to dishes, laundry, school, football, cheerleading, cooking and all the fun things mommies do. I was sad to leave Tahoe but so happy to see my family again.
I also need to get back to my green quest. The greenest thing I did this weekend was refill my water bottle. Not that I disrespected the environment or anything like that but green went out the window with the first Caborita I drank. I think the only veggie I had this weekend was french fries and popcorn.
Well, I have to go catch up with my friends' blogs, make some comments and be green.

What Do You Do With Your Zucchini?

I remember back in June our zucchini looked like this. I was thinking at the time, "will I get any zucchini?" HUH! Will I get any zucchini?! I was flooded with it! Soon the monster plants produced monster zucchini and I was freezing and eating it as much as I could. I steamed, I froze, I ate it raw and gave it away. But it kept coming. I realized I needed to cook it into something. As you all know, and if you don't, I am not fond of cooking. If it wasn't a necessity I wouldn't be doing it. But I can say I am a pretty good cook, when I put my heart into it. Actually I prefer to bake. And that is what I started with...zucchini bread.

So in late June I made my mother-in-laws Zucchini Bread. It was so yummy, she liked to put a lot of cinnamon in her recipes and it works very well. I later snuck in some whole wheat flour, about half the flour needed, and my family still liked the bread but I couldn't slip it past my husband too many times. He grew up with this bread and wanted me to stop messing with the recipe. I proceeded to find a whole wheat recipe and make variations on this classic bread. I made it with brown sugar and honey, just honey, just brown sugar, butter or oil, loaf of bread or mini-muffins. Every variation was very tasty.

I froze some of the bread for later consumption and moved onto more serious recipes like kitchen sink cookies. This recipe came from The Classic Zucchini Cookbook, that I got from the library but I am thinking of buying, used of course. These were a hit. They have everything a good cookie has-sugar, butter, vanilla, chocolate chips-but also goodness for your body-whole wheat flour, oatmeal, zucchini. The recipe called for dried fruit but I knew my kids had nothing to do with that.

Now that I had gained 3-5 pounds eating all these yummy baked goods, I thought I would get more serious with the zucchini. Now came zucchini pizza, zucchini goulash, zucchini cheddar cheese soup, and soup starter. All pictured below and all from The Classic Zucchini Cookbook. I have yet to grill, saute and deep fry it. Every recipe I made we loved and would make again. (The last 2 pictures are before and after for soup starter. The veggies are sliced and sauteed then chopped in the food processor to save for starting soups.)

I had a lot of fun with my zucchini this year. I know, the season is not over yet. But my plants are starting to slow down their production so there may not be much more going on here.

If you have a favorite book or recipe you like to use for your garden gifts let me know. Beth, I know you like Putting Food By, I already ordered it. My library didn't carry it so I ordered it used based only on your expert advise.

Neutralize Your Carbon Footprint

You know who you are.  You eat out with plastic cups.  You drive by yourself when you can carpool.  You still use paper napkins.  You buy bananas.  And you don't even own a bike.  You are trying to be green but life just gets in the way.  I am here to tell you that you can neutrilize your non-green sins.  You can make the world a cleaner place without even getting out of your chair, unless you need to grab your wallet.  No, I am not selling anything.  I am asking you to plant a tree.  Relieved?

Nature Conservancy, along with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is running a campaign to plant a billion trees in the Amazon Rain Forest.  It is called (drum roll) "Plant a Billion Trees".  Anywho, all you need is a dollar (unless you are really big non-green sinner, then you need more) and the above organizations will plant a tree in the Amazon Rain Forest to help clean the air, make our planet more beautiful and cleanse your sinning non-green soul.  You see if you plant a tree that means you can drive more, but we won't do that.  We will choose to ride our bikes but still donate to see our earth, the only one we have, take another clean breathe of fresh air. 

So move it! CLICK BELOW. If you can't donate now I will always have the banner located on my sidebar, at least until I get 100 trees planted. 



Be Green

Stacks and Stacks

I stock pile and stack everything. The above picture is a small glimpse of ONE stack I need to conquer soon, maybe today. There are bills, books, pamphlets (I need to stop taking pamphlets home) and things in general that need to be filed away. Notice the unused, very lonely sewing machine that some day I will use if I figure out how to thread a bobbin. Notice the basket in the far background. To most people that is junk in that basket but to me it is stuff I may use some day. And being green I can't get rid of it. Remember reuse? There's a copy of Omnivore's Dilemma in there somewhere that I haven't read. There is also a cook book of recipes I want to copy, not done yet. The book is due to the library tomorrow.

Below is my scouting stuff in its unorganized state. Remember the scout financial report? Not done yet! I am a procrastinator to the core. I would rather fool around than work, who doesn't? But I have made it my life's work. When will I ever grow up? Thank God for kids, they make me do my chores like laundry, dishes and meals because they can't live without underwear, clean dishes or food.


So if you don't see me here today it is because I am suppose to be getting stuff done. We'll see...I am having lunch in 2 hours with a friend. Hee hee.

Sorry

I rarely post on Sundays but I was just here and realized that I had post scheduled a post and didn't finish it first. Sorry if that post is gone. I need to finish it first.

Be Green.

Friday Finds:

Canadian Geese at Lake Chabot, CA

TGIF...

• A woman's perspective on Peak Oil from Crunchy Chicken is in the National Post.
• Is it too late for China to clean the air during the Olympics? Treehugger.
• Mother Earth News reminds you to check your make-up at the EWG.
• Vehicle emission acronyms explained at The Green Motorist.
• West Coast governors oppose off-shore drilling.
• Are e-textbooks green?
• Mother Earth News helps you choose a food dehydrator.

Be Green.

Nasty Minds at Greenpeace

Suitably Despairing has a funny video about Forest Love. Check it out. And then go get your sig other!!!

Been Busy

Since my kids went back to school I feel like I need to get things done. (And have breakfast with friends, hee hee.) So if I am not up to date with my posts this is why:

I have all my bills lined up to pay for next month, I am never early. We don't actually have a lot of bills personally but my husband owns his own biz and we have more bills coming from that direction.

I went shopping without them for a food processor. I finally broke down and bought one to help process all the zucchini that I have. And help with just cooking in general. I debated buying it used or looking on freecycle but I got the heeby jeebies thinking about whether someone else cleaned it correctly. So I bought it new.

I answered everyone's comments they left. If I didn't give me shout out and I will get to you. Don't feel like your pushing me or being annoying, just do it. I try to answer everyone. Thanks for stopping by.

I am a girl scout leader and still have not turned in my financial report. OUCH!!! It was due a month ago. If anyone out there is familiar with Girl Scouts you would know that I am in deep doggy doo doo! I think we get punished and not get to sell cookies or something. I am so scared to turn in the report and get yelled at by our area treasurer. Anyone have some good excuses?

I needed to catch up on my episodes of "Jamie at Home" on Food Network. I especially liked the one with him making Zucchini Carbonara. It looks so good. I think he is so cute. He cooks great dishes straight from his garden while in his garden.

My "office" (our 4th bedroom) needs to be cleaned desperately! I will try to do that after posting.

I need to get my scouting butt in order. I love my scouts, girls and boys, but there is a lot of planning involved if you want an enriched program. So if you don't see me at times on the blog-o-sphere I am scouting.

My kids start football and cheer leading Friday. And it is intense for 3 months. Many practices, and games starting in September. It is so fun to watch them and I get very proud of their accomplishments but, wow, it takes a lot of your time.

I will get back to posting my green thinks soon. I recently bought Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv and I am enjoying it so much. I'll give you an update soon. Or if you read it leave me some feedback but please no spoilers.

And lastly, I need to catch up with friends. They are my rocks. Morning get together are a must!

And did I mention maybe seeing if my husband is still around after my whirlwind love affair with keeping busy? We have our time at night and watch The Mole and Mad Men together. If you watch The Mole I think the mole is Nicole. We made bets at the beginning of the season who the mole was going to be and I guessed Nicole. My husband guessed Paul. Too bad Doug, you lose.

Thanks for putting up with my long-winded catch session. I gotta run.

Be Green.

Green & Clean Thinks I'm Keen

If you could have seen me this morning I was doing a little dance to celebrate making Green and Clean Mom's Top 100 list. I am #8!!! She likes me. And it feels so good. It makes me feels that my blog is doing it's job: a way for me to communicate my green journey to readers and make green bloggy friends along the way. Thank you G&C! You can see the post here. And here.

And here.

Ane here too.

Be Green (and Clean)

Oh, Freedom

As you know my kids started school yesterday. So my new found freedom warranted some free time for me to go shopping! Not for a new purse or shoes but for fresh food. All summer I refused to take my kids to the farmer's market or farm stands because of the gripping -when are we leaving, how long will we be here, I'm hungry. I took them a couple of times in the beginning of summer and that was enough for all of us. (Don't get me wrong, they are great kids, but I think they know if they gripe I won't take them. They like to work mom over, ha ha.) I can't think when they gripe. When I shop for food I need to think of how long the potatoes will last, how many apples to buy or do I really want eggplant.

I was so happy to be able to go to Smith Family Farm about 10 minutes away. I hadn't been there yet this season and I was pleasantly surprised at how much they had, and I bought most of it. (The next couple of days will be eating, baking, cooking and freezing for me.) My goal today was to start storing local produce for over the winter eating. I bought corn to freeze, and potatoes, onions and garlic to hide in a dark dry place. After I bought those I found some awesome heirloom tomatoes that almost look too beautiful to eat. (Below) Some huge blackberries that melt in your mouth. (Above)(I thought berry season was over.) And apples!!! Apples in summer! And here, it is so hot. (You will have to forgive me, I don't remember the names of the apples or tomatoes and I know that can be important. I'll go back next week and find out.) I also bought some lemons, nectarines and pears. I scored today and I am happy.

Be green.

Back to School Already?

Yes, it is true, today was a sad day for my kids. They started school. The weekend was characterized by happiness to see friends, sadness to leave the Wii behind to start a regiment of homework and studying and anxiety over whether the teacher will be nice or mean. And that was just me, I don't know how the kids felt.

Just last week we received our school supply list so on Friday we rushed to Target, of course with my green radar on. I convinced my kids to reuse last years lunch boxes. My son will reuse his backpack but my daughter refuse to have Little Pony again so she got the Littlest Pet Shop backpack this year. I warned her that she was stuck with this backpack until it falls apart on her but I know next year she will want something new but then she will have to choose a more sturdy and eco-friendly one that will last for years. I know that these are not the greenest choices but I am torn between buying an expensive recycled, organic backpack for a 7 year old who may not like it and refuse to take it to school or Littlest Pet Shop that she will use to store everything for school, sleep-overs and car rides. Both of them did not want to buy new clothes for the first day of school, that not only saved the environment but my wallet.

So, we are at Target and so are 50 other parents from our school district. I'm having quasi panic attacks because I don't like shopping especially with crowds. Five minutes after we get there I was wishing I could shop online. But that would be expensive. I need to get out quickly. Most everything is inexpensive. Crayola crayons 24 pack, .22. Gluesticks, 2 pack .20. Lined paper, .15. These ended up in my basket. But what about green? I headed to the enviro friendly section. Paper, recycled, sustainable, 2.49. Enviro glue sticks, 1.79. You do the math. What am I going to take home for my 7 and 9 year old to loose-half-way-through-the-year-to-have-to-replace? (If you remember, I was taking a huge leap of faith buying my kids Sigg bottles for school.) The cheap stuff. Buying green is not always a clear cut choice for me. Especially with the deep discounts on school supplies, I still spent $155 on school supplies. Some of that is donated to the classroom for sharing like gluesticks and Sharpies.

Well, I messed up this year while shopping for green school supplies but you don't have to. All of you that have another month until school starts do your shopping and research now if you want green products. Here are articles and online stores to help:

The Green Guide Back to School 2007

Office Depot-Your Greener Office

Staples Eco Easy Section

Green Apple School Supply (pretty good prices and good selection)

Sierra Club's Back-to-School Tips

Green Earth Office Supply ( I looked everywhere on their site, not sure if this is for resellers? Try it.)

Care2 Best Cool Green School Supplies

Reusablebags.com for backpacks, lunchs bags and reusable bottles


A few guidelines:

• Buy used or use from last year
• Buy in bulk
• Give eco-friendly to your teacher, maybe they too can get the green message
• Put up your gentle used stuff in Freecycle or give to the Salvation Army (they'll pick it up.)
• Buy with a green buddy online, it helps save on shipping cost

Look for:

• Processed Chlorine Free (PFC free) or Totally Chlorine Free (TCF)
• No Bleaching
• Biodegradable
• Corn starch or soy not plastic
• Acid free
• Look for recycled post consumer waste (PCW)
• Non-Toxic
• Reclaimed wood
• No PVC (vinyl)
  
  

And I found this little cutie at Think Green. It is a stapleless stapler.







Be Green.

Friday Finds: Staycations,Greenwash your Drycleaning, Olympic Recycling

TGIF...

• Naturally Savvy has tips on how to stay green during tough economic time.


• California has the first-in-the-nation statewide green building code. TriplePundit has it broken down for you.


• Can you make a recycled raft?


• DIYLife has great ideas to enhance your staycation.


• Beijing is pledging to recycle half of Olympic Waste.


• Is your granite countertop radioactive?


• Plenty Magazine shows your true greenwashing.


• Can you make a recycled raft?

Have a green weekend.

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.

Goodies at the Goodwill Store

I was inspired by Beth at Coming Up For Air to go thrifting.

I haven't been to a thrift store for about 7 years. And the only reason I went 7 years ago was to look for a Halloween costume for my son and I was unsuccessful. Well, I lied, I guess the the Half Price Bookstore I frequent can be thrifty, some books are new and some used.

There is a small Goodwill store about 7 miles from me. I walked in and remembered the first reason I don't shop used- the old and musty smell. Once I got past the attic scent I headed straight for the books. This helped me to ease into the whole used shopping experience again. Books are ok to buy used, people don't mind, but most people frown on buying used clothes. (Reason #2-wearing some strangers clothes-yuck! I personally stay away from used underwear, t-shirts and socks.) I found 3 books, some silly chapter books for my son and Are You There God, It's Me Margaret, all for $1 each. For those of you on the male side of the hemisphere, AYTGIMM is reading right of passage for 12 year old girls. Although my daughter is a wee 7 I will have the classic waiting for her when it is "time".

Next I headed over to the linens area. The reason I came to Goodwill was to look for cloth napkins. Over at Going Green with Burban Mom she has challenged her readers to give up paper napkins. (She also has a Yahoo Group for more in depth discussion, I just lurk right now, hee hee.) I sneezed (reason #3 I haven't shopped thrift stores in a while-I am highly allergic to dust.) my way through blankets, pillow cases, sheets and table clothes to find no cloth napkins.

Then I ventured to the clothing. This was the hardest part for me. Touching, let alone buying, some strangers clothing! The thought of sanitizing everything ran through my head constantly. I found some shorts, they were too small after I tried to get them past my thighs in the dressing room. A little relieved but also flustered, I went to the children's area. I shuffled though a pile of clothes on a table to eventually find 2 very cute denim jackets for my daughter. I have to admit, I was looking at the tags. Anything I knew that was from Target, Kmart or Walmart was not taken only because I know they are cheaper made clothing that even at $3.99 I would be wasting my time and energy. One jacket was from Limited Too and the other from Papaya. I tugged on them for rips at the seams, checked for discolorations and missing buttons. I was proud of myself. I know these jackets were probably $50 each new and I paid $3.99 for them.

I also picked up some computer software games for my daughter to help her learn spelling for .99 each.

I did end up at Home Goods to find new cloth napkins. I know they are not used or organic. But I could have searched the internet for organic, pay a hefty price then have them delivered to my house (hello, carbon footprint) or I can go on the way home to Home Goods, buy them discounted and use the napkins until they fall apart on me. And, yes, I could have made them from old linens I had in the closet, but I am simply not that crafty.

Happy Thifting...

Carl Pope Discusses the Sexuality of Our Nat'l Parks

Carl Pope is the executive director of the Sierra Club, which has recently been under attack for partnering with Clorox (also here) for their Green Works line of cleaners. On July 21, 2008 he was a guest on the Colbert Report on Comedy Central. If you are not familiar with the Colbert Report, the show spoofs Republicans. It can be quite funny at times.
In the interview Stephen Colbert asks hard-hitting questions like "Are you in with the pocket of big caribou"and "have you gone all the way with a tree". They also discuss which parks are straight, bi or gay.
The clip is 7 minutes long but really funny. Enjoy.


If you have trouble viewing the above video it can also be seen here.

Meet the Trellises

Last week in "Attack of the Monster Tomato Plant" I contemplated making my own trellises for our bean plants. Well, I did it. And actually, it was easy. I went to Home Depot and for less than $10 bought some bamboo sticks to make 2 trellises.

The first one resembles a teepee. I thought about the Native Americans that lived in teepees while making it, wondering if I was using the proper technique. How silly that my mind wonders that way especially about the past. (You should see it when we visit old west towns.)

The second one goes up against the fence to support my bean plants that are potted. I hope these grow as healthy and large as its brothers and sisters in the garden.

The bamboo should last almost forever. It was funny, after I bought the bamboo I couldn't help to notice that the tag said "made in China". I got a little annoyed. Can't anything be made anywhere else? Then I thought, doesn't bamboo grow in China? Then the made in China would make sense. I don't know. I haven't shopped in so long for anything but groceries I forgot to do my research. And I really didn't have time, the beans needed some support ASAP.

I hope it wasn't too late for trellises, only time will tell.

Walkability

I have a bad habit of surfing the net. I have been doing it for over 10 years now. If I didn't surf the net I would be at a bookstore or library reading backs of books. So needless to say I have a plethora of sites and blogs I am bursting to share.

I found One Green Generation a while back. I scan her blog for goodies that I like, just like I normally do. On July 10th she posted a great resource called a "walkabilty score". You visit the site, Walkscore.com, type in your address, the map pops up and you get a score between 0 and 100, 0 bad & 100 great. The score translates into how walkable your area is. Meaning, how many resources you have within walking distance. To me that is relative because some people walk further than others, I take my bike. My area scored a 46 because a grocery store, Starbucks (of course) and a park are within walking distance. That score is higher than I thought it would be but low for walkability. There a many factors taken into place and you can view them here. This is a great resource for greenies looking for a place to live. Check it out.

What is your score?

100 Things You Should Know About Me

It is tradition to post 100 things about yourself on your 100th post. So here is the list:

1. My name is Allison

2. I am an Aquarius

3. I was born in January (you can't know the year)

4. I love the outdoors

5. I am trying to be as green as can be with a family

6. I was raised Catholic

7. I went to Catholic private school until I was a sophomore in college

8. I have a Bachelors degree in Anthropology

9. I wanted to be a CA park ranger (but had kids instead)

10. I am a stay at home mom

11. I have been married for 13 years

12. I have a great husband

13. I have 2 great children- 9 yo boy and 7 yo girl

14. I live in California

15. I love whales

16. I am an optimist

17. I love my solitude

18. I really don't like the beach, its too sticky on your skin and sand sticks to peanut butter

19. I am terrified of heights

20. I hate roller coasters (heights)

21. I love Yosemite

22. I drink coffee with soy vanilla creamer

23. My favorite drink at Starbucks is Grande Mocha Non Fat Iced No Whip

24. I love Baskin Robbins Rocky Road ice cream

25. I value my friends but you wouldn't know it because I never call them

26. I want to learn to Scuba dive

27. I have gone zip lining

28. I like photography but still haven't learned how to use my camera's functions

29. I am 5'6"

30. I could stand to lose a couple of pounds

31. I sneak food into the movie theatre

32. I love Star Wars

33. National Lampoon's Vacation is my favorite movie

34. I have been watching One Life To Live for 21 years

35. I love reading but I am a slow reader

-----Whoo, this is getting harder.----

36. I like Diet Pepsi

37. Lunch is my favorite meal

38. My favorite color is red

39. I grew up as the only Caucasian in a predominantly Mexican private school near Los Angeles

40. I have one younger brother

41. I Love Disneyland

42. I love being a Californian

43. I have scene Phantom of the Opera 3 times, once with the original cast

44. I drive a small SUV but I am a truck girl at heart

45. I hate when my feet are dirty

46. I love to blog and read other blogs

47. I had a crush on Chad Lowe as a teenager

48. I played softball as a kid

49. I want to learn to play the piano

50. I love being a mom

---Half way there----

51. My favorite book is The Giving Tree

52. I love hamburgers

53. I eloped with my husband to Vegas and we got married

54. If I could find the right tattoo I would get one but I haven't

55. I had my tongue pierced for 10 years (it's closed now)

56. I graduated from UCSD

57. I love eating cereal

58. I am a leader of a cub scout den

59. I am a leader of a girl scout troop

60. I learned to waterski at 19

61. Someday I want to see the Northern Lights

62. I am a member of the Sierra Club

63. I love Ben and Jerry's Fudge Brownie

64. I don't paint my nails

65. I can't remember my real hair color

66. I believe in God

67. I believe in Jesus

68. I believe in the Holy Spirit

69. I didn't realize that I put all the religious snuff near that sexual number. Hee Hee. (That is still about me, it shows my state of mind.)

70. I had post par tum depression after my son was born

71. I like car racing

72. I like margaritas

73. I don't like cooking

74. I have never seen a real tornado or hurricane

75. But I have experienced small earthquakes

----ALMOST THERE!----

76. I have never been on a cruise

77. I have voted both Republican and Democrat

78. I have never skinny dipped but would like to with my husband

79. I love river rafting

80. I have seen the sun set at the beach but never rise at the beach

81. I like to bake (that's not cooking, right?)

82. I don't like talking on the phone but if you call me I can talk for hours

83. I am very frugal

84. I love car trips

85. The only international place I have been is Mexico

86. I have horrible allergies in the spring

87. I am a bad judge of character, I guess I trust everyone

88. I was born in the year of the Boar

89. My second favorite movie is It's a Wonderful Life

90. I pay bills late

91. I am a procrastinator

92. I wouldn't want to be rich, just my credit cards gone

93. I have never been arrested

94. I have had one speeding ticket when I was 18

95. I love Taco Bell

96. I hope my kids have a cleaner earth than I did

97. I am proud to be an American

98. I respect my flag

99. My family is everything to me

100. I love life



I did it! Actually I can go for another 100. Maybe for my 200th post.

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

Here I Go Again...My My...

Don't blog me now, I'm at the movies watching Mama Mia! Sneaking in popcorn and maybe sangria. Woo Hoo!

Click here to reduce 1 pound of carbon. Care2

Friday Finds: Plastic, Rafting, College

• Jeanne Haegele, better known as Life Less Plastic, is in Time Magazine. Wow! Her story of trying to live without plastic and message of the hazards of plastic went main stream. Great job Jeanne! Greenies everywhere are proud of you!


• Enviro-rafting with the Sierra Club. The greenest way to get to the river and what is the greenest gear out there.


• Pollution and danger wash up on New York beach after Juy 4th celebration.


• Next time you come to California fly into Fresno Yosemite International. The airport now runs 40% of it's operations on solar energy. Treehugger: Solar Power Array Installed at Fresno Yosemite Int'l Airport. SFO (San Francisco) has solar also.


• The Daily Green helps you choose a green college.


• Debate nanotechnology with Plenty Magazine.


• Big Green Purse gives you the low down on greener electronics via Greenpeace.

Be Green.

Click here to reduce 1 pound of carbon. Care2.