What A Waste!

I am not a Tree Hugger. I am not a Save The Planet or forest or ocean person. But I HATE waste! I LOATH...yes I said loath in 2011...the Buy and Trash Lifestyle America has embraced. Flip on the tele. Nothing is good enough. Isn't that what they're telling us? Isn't that what we are teaching our kids and feeding ourselves?? That what we buy today will be less than next year. Your phone, your clothes, your decor, your video games, your Rubbermaid lunch thingy, even your cool BPA Free water container. I think we have lost the reality that these things have to go somewhere when they are discarded...the trash. In a big hole in the ground...forever...doing nothing...going nowhere...forever.

This bugs me. Can you tell?

Call me crazy...this is what we have changed:

We use glass not plastic for almost everything.
Why? Because there are no toxins in glass and you can use them over and over and over again. And food just looks so much better in glass, all pretty and shiny.

We use our own grocery bags (when I remember to put them back in the car!).
Why? Because you can use them over again, wash them, buy really cute/fun or masculine ones, and sometimes get 6cents off (each bag) your grocery bill!

We recycle cardboard, paper, and soon plastic.
Why? Because it's so easy and you'll be amazed at how your pick up trash can is only half full each week or less.

We donate instead of trash. And buy used when we can.
Why? Because someone's trash can be someone's treasure. And! It's so much cheaper to buy used of course :)

We buy from the bulk section. 
Why? Because it's so much cheaper! And! there is so much less packaging (to waste).

Our newest thing is using reusable produce bags.
Why? Because throwing those flimsy plastic bags away drives me nuts and I detest food in plastic.

I first planned on sewing fabric ones with drawstrings but then the checker would have to take them out of the bag for their #s and you don't want a frustrated checker so I decided to look for laundry bags with zips but I was at the Dollar Tree and found a four pack or mesh bags with drawstrings. So $3 later I have 12 bags and didn't sew a stitch!

I didn't one day wake up and say 'We are going GREEN!' It happened one thing at a time. I want to be a good steward with what The Lord has given us; with our health, with our money, and with his glorious land. We can not save our planet. Because of sin we are living on an earth that is slowly dying just like us but that doesn't mean we throw caution to the wind, right?

Here's a link on making your own grocery bags:
http://tipnut.com/35-reusable-grocery-bags-totes-free-patterns/


Check out this video and be inspired!

Staying on Track

I love the whole house clean. And it was do-able with one child but with two? Forget it. There are just not enough hours in the day to clean every room, enjoy some playtime, make and eat 6 meals a day without mom or the kids melting down. So! About 6 months ago I packed up quite a bit of my OCD-ness and settled wrote a game plan.

Monday- Laundry (fold and put away)
Tuesday- Vacuum Living Room/Sweep/Mop
Wednesday- Bathrooms
Thursday- Master Bedroom
Friday- Kids Rooms
Saturday- Kitchen (only sometimes...since it gets cleaned after every meal)
Sunday- Wash All Clothes/Bedding  (I only want to do laundry once a week and cloth diapers are usually in the washer during the week)

I know, simple right?? It will be nice when my kids are older and I can divide and conquer but until then I'd rather keep my sanity and the love of my kids. I'm totally a planner so every morning I make myself a list of what I need done and want done. The cleaning of the day is Top Priority! Then I can move to the rest and if they don't all get done it's not a big deal I just move them onto the next day. Everything eventually gets done and I can look at the bathrooms or laundry and take peace in the fact that I won't see them again for 7 days :) And now I feel like I'm planning my day around my little loves instead of working them in my overachiever schedule.

Why did I share this? Maybe you're dealing with this issue too and this will help? More because I want to stay accountable in this area {Grin}

Safe Plastics??

10 Tips to Reduce Your Exposure to BPA


Since our culture is obsessed with plastic you can't avoid all BPA but you can surely reduce your intake. 

1. Only use glass baby bottles and dishes for your baby
We use BPA-Free plastic bowls and plates made by Munchkin...check that packaging!

2. Give your baby natural fabric toys or wood ones instead of plastic ones


3. Store your food and beverages in glass -- NOT plastic -- containers

4. IF you choose to use a microwave, don’t microwave food in a plastic container

5. Stop buying and consuming canned foods and drinks

6. Avoid using plastic wrap (and never microwave anything covered in it)


7. Get rid of your plastic dishes and cups, and replace them with glass varieties

8. If you opt to use plastic kitchenware, at least get rid of the older, scratched-up varieties, avoid putting them in the dishwasher, and don’t wash them with harsh detergents, as these things can cause more chemicals to leach into your food

9. Avoid using bottled water; filter your own using a reverse osmosis filter instead

10. Before allowing a dental sealant to be applied to you, or your children’s teeth, ask your dentist to verify that it does not contain BPA


In the event that you do opt to use plastic containers for your food, be sure to avoid those marked on the bottom with the recycling label No. 7 as these varieties may contain BPA.


Containers marked with the recycling labels No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4 do not contain BPA, but they do contain other unsavory chemicals that you’re best off avoiding as well. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy’s Smart Plastics Guide offers more detailed descriptions of the most commonly occurring chemicals in plastic products. They also offer this handy reminder:


"With your food, use 4, 5, 1 and 2. All the rest aren't good for you."


The website Mother Jones also offers a handy chart that you can cut out and stick on your refrigerator.

Plastic in the Kitchen

There's a new wave in testing people for a so-called "body burden" of industrial chemicals in their blood stream. The results should shock you. A family with two young children in Oakland, CA were invited by reporters to participate in a cutting-edge study to measure industrial chemicals in their bodies.

The parents were horrified to find that their children - a boy, then 18 months, and a five-year old girl - had chemical exposure levels up to seven times those of their parents. The baby boy had three times the level of flame retardants in his body that's been known to cause thyroid dysfunction in lab rats.

The following chemicals are in YOUR body...so lets take a look...
Phthalates: 

This is a big one! Chemicals that make plastics soft and pliable. They're found in all kinds of plastic bottles, as well as plastic containers, kitchen wrap, soft toys and medical devices. Phthalates are also used as solvents for fragrances, so they're in a lot of personal care products like shampoos, conditioners, lotions, perfume, nail polish and cosmetics. Animal studies show that phthalates disrupt hormone levels, causing neurological dhysfunction and reproductive defects in lab rats. Preliminary studies on humans show that phthalate exposure may be associated with genital birth defects in males as well as male infertility.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs):

Flame-retardant chemicals. They're found in foam products such as mattresses, couches and carpets. In plastics such as casings for TVs, computers and other electronics. In building materials, motor vehicles, airplanes, and textiles. Animal studies show PBDEs cause liver, thyroid and neurological damage in lab rats. Health experts worry most about PBDEs potential harm to fetuses and children under 6, but studies on human toxicity have only just begun.

Bisphenol A (BPA):

This is a big too! A chemical used to make plastics hard. It's in polycarbonate plastic products such as baby bottles, hard water bottles and food containers, as well as in the resin lining of aluminum cans and some dental sealants. A study published in the journal Reproductive Toxicology found a link between bisphenoal A and female reproductive disorders such as cystic ovaries and cancers. In August, an expert panel from the National Institutes of Health expressed concern that bisphenol A may harm children and adults and recommended more research be done.

Perfluorooctanoic acids (PFOAs):

Chemicals used to make nonstick and stain-resistant products such as nonstick frying pans <-We use this all the time right?! and water-resistant materials. PFOAs have been shown to cause developmental problems and liver toxicity in lab rats. Animal studies have caused concern among health experts about PFOAs' toxicity to humans since they stay in the body for years at a time between exposures. Some studies have suggested that PFOAs are human carcinogens. A CARCINOGEN is any substance, radionuclide or radiation, that is an agent directly involved in causing CANCER. 

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs):

Chemicals used as coolants and lubricants in transformers, capacitors and other electrical equipment as well as older models of microwaves and refrigerators. It is found in plasticizers in paints and cements, adhesives, wood floor finishes, de-dusting agents, water-proofing compounds, and surgical implants. They were banned in the US in the late 1970s, but they are long-lasting compounds that persist in the environment. The EPA calls PCBs a "probable carcinogen," meaning they probably cause cancer. PCBs have been associated with immunological and psychosocial problems in children, such as changes in motor skills and a decrease in short-term memory. In adults, PCBs have been associated with rashes, acne and liver damage.

So after all that....We use glass in the kitchen. I bought some Pyrex at Walmart and some mason jars. Britney at  http://www.4littlemenandgirlytwins.com/ did a post about using certain plastics so I will just copy and paste it after this post because it's so great.

We also replaced our cookware with Todd English's Green Pan. It does not contain PFOA. You can find it at http://www.hsn.com/ 

But I bought my set on EBAY for a lot cheaper. The pots are fantastic but the pans are hard to keep looking new. I'm thinking I'm going to buy a large cast iron skillet instead but keep the pots.