Petty Thief

Stole the idea of blog music from my cousin...hope she doesn't mind.
Or you either.
If you hate my current musical mood, you can always shut it off...

Mother-Daughter Time

Painted toes. It's how we do it these days.

Hahahahaha...

...hahahahahahaha....

...baby plumbers crack...

...hahahahahaha...

First Big Ouchie (and fashion fuax pas)

Lucy hurt herself the other day.

It was her first real 'oww' and she is not afraid to show it off.

In fact, I think she kinda likes it. 

(It is important to note she is also very into dressing herself lately...anyone think she's a bit like Rex?)

Unleashing Your Inner Green Goddess

I got my little butt handed to me this week.

After posting about how I planned to share my green tips here, I was hit hard on Etsy by shoppers seeking some of my handmade goodness. Not that I'm complaining...I LOVE what I do, and making a little green of my own while I'm doing it not only puts the icing on my proverbial cake, it lavishly decorates it.

Anyhoo... I obviously am cramped for time (all those orders still  need to be made and sent) but I promised I'd share some ideas with you too. Here is a list of easy things I do with my crew that anyone can do to save some trash from years and years of sitting in the dump...

ReUse

~ The one thing all plastic containers in my home have in common is their potential for reusability. After a good wash, almost any plastic container can be reused for something practical. Big tub of animal crackers from Sams? Holds a lot of Lucy's blocks, or a few sacks of flour, or plastic golf balls. Small lunch meat container? Works great for packing a lunch, or some crayons, or legos.

~ Cardboard cereal boxes are perfect for creating your own stencils. Simply cut the box so it lays flat, trace your image, and cut. So easy, and they are pretty sturdy too.

~ You don't need to be a master seamstress to reuse your old clothing and linens. Old t-shirts, towels, and sheets can be cut/torn along the grain and used as rags for cleaning. Upcycle pants into shorts or capris real quick. Turn them inside out, measure 2 inches past the desired new length and cut. Then fold up 1 inch, press, fold up another inch, press, and stitch.  (You can do this simply by hand or with a tiny machine like this one.)

ReDuce

~ Reusable cups and bottles are one of the biggest ways to reduce your waste. Most coffee shops sell travel mugs and offer discounts on your brew when you refill them. Check too if you can get the deal even if you bring your Starbucks mug to Caribou. Most places are so eco friendly they'll be ok filing a competitor’s mug with their brew.   

~ Obviously I am big on the reusable lunch, snack, and grocery bags, but if you have to use plastic consider reusing it for something else. Store bags make great garbage bags, we save ours and use them as liners in the bathroom trash can.  Hefty one zip sandwich, storage, and freezer bags can be washed and used again. (As long as they didn't contain raw meats, just stick with recycling those...) Or, if you know you're giving out pretzels again for lunch tomorrow, simply skip the wash and toss another handful in yesterdays bag.

~ One of the best ways you can reduce your 'footprint' is by growing some of your own fruits and veggies in a garden. You'll save money (think 1 pack of seeds for $1 = 20 green bean plants that each produce at least a pound each), reduce carbon emissions (think, your tomatoes are coming from your backyard, not Florida.), and you'll be outdoors getting fresh air and teaching your kids something. Don't think you have space? Plants like tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, and herbs are now designed to be grown in pots on your balcony or deck. Don't think you have time? Skip 1 tv show a night and spend that half hour outside. You won't regret it. And if you do, get TiVo with the money you saved with your garden.

ReCycle

~ You can recycle almost everything these days, but chances are the teeny bin your garbage co gave you is overflowing by day 2 if you do. Luckily, most disposal companies will provide a larger bin if you ask. If they don't, they're usually ok if you buy your own can and clearly mark it with a recycle symbol. (You can make one using this image and an old cereal box!)

~ Old clothes and toys should never go in the trash unless they are damaged. You can recycle almost all of this stuff by way of donating or reselling them. Try having a garage sale or selling them to a consignment shop/website if you want to get some cash back. Try Craigslist, Ebay, Play it Again Sports, or Once Upon a Child. The latter even lets you 'trade' for 'new' things for your kids. Just want to donate? Try Freecycle first.  It's designed to make it easy for you to give things away in your neighborhood.

~ Recycle your water. I know, this probably sounds nuts, but it's really very simple. Plenty of places (including the Milwaukee Zoo, where we fell in love with the idea) sell rain barrels you can use to recycle rainwater to use to water your plants & garden or wash your car. It does take a bit to install properly and maintain, and it's kind of pricey up front, but it is a very cool and effective concept. (This is the only thing on my list that we have not fully committed to, even though I have already picked out the barrel I want. So cool, isn't it?)

ReThink

~ The most important rule (I think) to follow to be 'green' is to be inventive. Try to look at old things in new ways. Got an old patio set you can't stand? Paint it and add some new cushions. Voila, new furniture. Or be creative. Got busted up crayons? Bust them up more, put them in cool shaped muffin cups, and melt them in the oven at 350. Voila, new crayons. Or be resourceful. Got an empty bottle of bubbles? Mix 1 cup water, 2 TBSP light corn syrup, and 4 TBSP dish soap and pour into old bottles. Voila, more bubbles.

~ Get a hobby that does double duty.  Here's my fave ... One of the easiest things to learn to do is a basic knit (garter) stitch. (Really, it is simple. Looks tough, but so does tying shoes to a 5 year old.) If you can do this one stitch you can make all sorts of things that your family can use. Dishcloths, blankets, wash cloths, hot pads, hats, scarves, all sorts of things. Even better, small projects are portable and mindless. You can knit in the car, on a plane, in the backyard and while you're watching tv. Thinks it's for grannies and nut jobs like me? Not anymore. Knowing how to knit is ridiculously popular. The number of lady knitters has increased over 150% in the 25-35 age group in the last 10 years alone. See...everyone's doing it...you should too...

~ Rethink your gifting. Just a few smart changes can do a lot to reduce your waste when you give a gift. Plenty of pricey birthday cards go straight to the trash. Recycle them by reusing the pictures on another card. Just cut out a design and paste it onto a  plain sheet of cardstock. Flip it over and write your own message. Easy peasy.  Reduce your wrapping by making the package part of the gift. We recently gave a ready to pop bucket of microwave popcorn filled with candy and a movie to a little guy on his special day. Don't think he missed the paper at all. Give the gift of handmade. There are so many cool things you can do yourself that make great gifts. I love Martha and Alpha Mom for ideas, but really there are as many good sources for project tutorials as there are projects.  Can't do it? Buy on ETSY! The place is full of handmade treasures. (Like this sweet gift I begged Turbo to get me for mom's day.)

Why I Was MIA (and how I feel about Earth Day)

SO sorry for the prolonged absence.

I started off the usual busy, then got sick (or rather my allergies kicked in for the season, then I got sick), then I got busier, then Lucy decided to get 3 new teeth, then we quit sleeping for a few days, then I tried to catch up on sleep and work, but it was lovely outside, so I went out there instead, and I went to a few parties, and planted a strawberry patch and a few other hearty plants, and started some wedding projects for Turbo's BFF and his soon-to-be-bride, and began planning our trip to St Pete for their beach nuptials, and I made something (I think) really cool for my cousins soon-to-be-baby, and then Lucy decided to start being 'terrible' early and climbing out of her crib and making messes and laughing at them and talking and tantruming and getting into everything, and next thing you know it's 2 weeks since I posted anything new here. But, I did manage to 'collect' a few new blogs that the Co will be on soon, so in my down time you can always check them...they have lots of cool stuff, like money saving and giveaways. Really, that's almost cooler than me rambling about how nuts the E family is!

Anyhoo... I'm ready to ramble some more now, so prepare yourself!

With Earth Day right around the corner, I think it's a good time to preach some of my 'green' wisdom. I am by no means a devout greenie. I try, and I do what I can when I can, but I don't force it. Nor do I think anyone should. When it feels forced, it isn't fun, and what good is it to repeatedly force yourself into doing something that puts unnecessary pressure on you and your family? (um, answer, none...)

So my little shop has progressed to this 'green' monster. Don't get me wrong, I'm very proud of that. These little steps that we take, I'm now sharing with others and helping them take similar steps. I'm all for doing my part, apparently this is how I was meant to do it.

But because I'm considered 'green' I get lots of questions about how I feel about the uber-trendy eco movement. Sometimes I wonder, if they only knew whom they were asking... but instead I answer as honestly as I can without shooting myself (and my shop) in the foot. It's a hard question for someone as skeptical and opinionated as me, but since you already know that, here is how I feel about it...

I firmly believe that if everyone did a little something, anything that fits into how they live their life, we'll all be al little better off. I don't care if it's replacing your bottle of water with a reusable one so you can still go to Starbucks every morning, or running all your errands in one afternoon so you can drive to the city on the weekends, or opening the shades all day so your kids can have a light on all night.

I think every little step you can make, that works for your family without interrupting your daily routine is a step you should take. Can't give up your daily bottle of Gatorade? Don't skip it. Can't bring yourself to diaper your kids in cloth? Don't do it. Can't get every recyclable material in the bin? Don't sweat it.

But, if you can use a cloth instead of a disposable paper towel, do it. If you can grow some veggies in your own garden or make it to a farmers market, try it. If you can upcycle old things (crayons/clothes/towels) into something new. go for it. You don't have to do everything, just something.

We do try to do as much as we can around here to follow the 3R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). Nothing terribly difficult, just simple steps with big results.  I'll try to share a few of our secrets over the next few weeks in case there is something we do that can help you too. Who knows, maybe you'll find you're 'greener' than you thought! (I certainly did!)

E Family Photo Update

It is so nice outside I'm afraid I can't stand to sit on my computer and type any more than I have to these days!

Last week was spring break, so the kids and I spent as little time in the house as we had to. The weather was lovely (I'm wondering if it really could be SPRING!) and we just soaked it in all week.

Here is photo update of our break:

Nate's 13th Birthday. His April Fool ...we told him about an 'E Fam tradition' dating back many years where the new teen picks out one of his dad's shirts as a way of preparing to be a man and go to work. His gift ...a sweet Joe Thornton hockey jersey that just happened to be hanging in Turbo's closet.

Coloring eggs with triple G's. Rex loved it.
 Lucy wanted to eat them, shells and all.

A family trip to the zoo.

Funny, these are the only pictures I had time to take.

Teaching Lucy to drive...or rather to wave like a beauty queen in a Mercedes convertible.