Spring!

So, tomorrow is the first day of Spring. We can now look forward to longer, warmer days, trees coming back to life, and Spring cleaning.(Look for more on Spring cleaning in a future post.) There are 2 things around the house that I really look forward to in the Spring. One is opening up windows and letting the fresh air in. I know that the air inside my house gets a little stale, especially as the winter wears on. Not to mention the bad stuff coming from carpets, paint, and other off-gassing in the average house. So, I enjoy a nice warm day when I can open windows and air out the house. Out with the bad, in with the good.
The other thing I look forward to in Spring is hanging my laundry out to dry. I just came in from hanging my first load. First, I am saving energy by not using my dryer. Second, my clothes will last longer from not spinning around in the dryer. Third, I just like being outside, getting a little fresh air myself. Now, I don't have a big yard and have had to be creative with where I've put my clothesline, but it can be done. I can hang up one load at a time with the space I have.
So, give it a try. Get some fresh air and save a little money, too.

Shocking Statistic

I read a shocking statistic the other day. Now, we all know that Americans don't always lead the healthiest of lifestyles. We are over stressed, we don't exercise like we should, we don't eat like we should, we don't always take our vitamins. And we know that many diseases are preventable with lifestyle changes. We, as adults, get that, but don't always act on it. Okay, here is what I read the other day:
Children born in 2000 or later represent the 1st generation in American history that are not likely to outlive their parents due to poor diet, too little exercise, and future likely lifestyle choices.
What?! I have a son born in 2000. He and his friends are part of that statistic. For many generations we have seen the quality and length of life keep increasing. Now, it seems it is decreasing. Why? Because we are feeding our kids too much junk and they are not exercising like they should. As parents, we should be outraged at this. We should do whatever we can to change this dismal statistic and get our kids back on track.
So, what are you willing to do? Stop driving through for fast food? Make more home-cooked wholesome meals? Use more whole grains? Serve more fruits and vegetables? Look into high quality nutritional supplements? Look into organics? Look at ourselves and our own dietary and exercise habits? We all need to do something. Today. This needs to be a priority in our family's lives.

What are you willing to do?

Be a Label Reader

I want to encourage you all to be label readers. For food, well yes, but that's not what I mean. You should be a label reader with your cleaning products. Yes, really. Have you ever done that? I read the labels on some of the cleaning products in my house. Here's what I found:

Sanitizing Wipes "Hazards to Humans and Domestic Animals" and "Wash hands after use"

Tile Cleaner "Causes substantial but temporary eye injury and can irritate skin" , "Do not get in eyes or clothing" and "If on skin or clothing: Take off contaminated clothing. Rinse skin immediately with plenty of water for 15-20 minutes."

Automatic Dishwasher Detergent "May cause burns to skin and eyes. Harmful if swallowed"

Liquid Lemon Oil Furniture Polish "Harmful or Fatal if Swallowed. Keep out of reach of Children."

Now, I have been using safe, green, nontoxic cleaners for almost 2 years. But, I still have not gotten rid of some of my old cleaners. But, if you still use these grocery store cleaners, make sure you read the labels. Make sure you have a good supply of rubber gloves and breathing masks. Make sure you have adequate ventilation. And, don't clean while your kids are around. It just seems too dangerous. Or, you could do what I did and switch to safe alternatives. Then we can take all those other cleaners to the toxic waste section of our local dump.

Long Weekend in Portland

My son and husband and I, along with about 100 parents and kids from our school, went to Portland, Oregon last week. We went because of LEST, the Lutheran Elementary School Tournament, that takes place at Concordia University in Portland. It is unlike any other tournament you have probably been to. It includes basketball, chess, swimming, knowledge bowl, spelling bees, math and science competitions, dance, cheer, drama, art, choirs, musical ensembles, and individuals singing, and playing musical instruments. All in 3 fun filled days. It really is a great way for kids who have various skills and specialties to get to compete. Someone once commented on the LEST closing ceremonies, that the kids cheer just as loud for the team that wins the knowledge bowl as they do for the team that wins basketball. That pretty much sums up LEST.

Portland also happens to be my husband's home town. So, we are there at least every summer and are sometimes there several times a year. It is a beautiful city with a lot to see and do both in the city and in the surrounding area. I recommend it highly.

Fresh Air!

I remember growing up in Southern California in the late 70's and early 80's, when many days you could see the air. Although I don't have asthma or any other lung issues, I remember that on really smoggy days it hurt to take deep breaths. We even had days at school when we couldn't play outside because the air was so bad. Of course, California now has strict laws about emissions and the gasoline was reformulated to cut down on air pollution. In my 7 year of teaching in Southern California in the 90's, I never once had to keep kids inside because of air pollution. So, we can now breathe easy and not worry about air pollution, right. Well, actually, no. While outdoor air pollution has improved, indoor air pollution has gotten worse. Yes, indoor air pollution. The EPA says that in the average home, levels of organic pollutants are 2 to 5 times higher that outdoors. Most of us spend a good part of our time indoors. What can we do to protect ourselves and our families? One thing is to switch your cleaning supplies to nontoxic alternatives. Don't know where to get them? Click here to find some great nontoxic cleaning supplies that work really well and won't pollute your home. Here's a simple thing you can do-open your windows. When weather allows, open up your house and let the bad air out and the good air in. What about the times that you can't do that because of the weather? Get an air purifier. Here is the one I use in my home. It has made our indoor air fresher and cleaner and now I wouldn't be without it. If you don't have an air purifier in your home, then you are the air purifier.
I hope you can take a few steps to clean up the air in your home so you can breathe easier.

Water Rationing

Well, here in Northern California, water rationing is right around the corner. We have had several dry years in a row and this year is looking to be dry as well. We had maybe 1 or 2 storms in January and nothing for several weeks. Later this week we are expecting a bit of rain, but I'll believe it when I see it. So, the idea of water rationing sets up a bit of a dispute in my house. You see, I was raised in Arizona and Southern California, so I was raised to think about limiting water use. My husband was raised in Portland, Oregon, land of rain and rivers. So, we don't always see eye to eye on the importance of using water wisely. Case in point: We have a toilet that has run almost constantly since we moved in 5 1/2 years ago. This drives me nuts. I can practically see the money going down the toilet. My husband hardly notices it. Another example: When we moved in, there was a low flow shower head in the master bathroom. The first week, he replaced it with a regular shower head. So, getting ready for water rationing should be fairly easy to figure out in our house, once my husband realizes that we have to do this.

1. Buy a new toilet, you know, one that doesn't run constantly.

2. Install low flow shower heads on both showers.

3. Fix leaky spigot outside.

4. Put cover on pool in slow down evaporation.

5. Turn water on lower when brushing teeth and washing dishes.

This is my initial plan. Anyone have other ideas? I will gladly try to get them past my husband.

Good weekend

Well, what a weekend it was. I had my cousin, aunt, and their nutritionist friend come for the weekend. They were in the area for a meeting and tacked a couple of days on to their trip to come up and see us. The first day, the order of the day was...play. When they got to our house on Saturday afternoon, we rushed them back out to our car and out to 3 wineries. You know, when in Rome.... We then went out for a great dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. That about did them in. Then, day two...work. First we went to church (not work, of course), then we began to prepare for a nutrition seminar that my new friend, the nutritionist, was kind enough to do for a group of people I had invited. It was so great to have someone so knowledgeable to listen to and to ask questions of. You think you are doing pretty good in the nutrition realm, and then you learn all kinds of new things. I did find out which fruits and veggies I should buy organic and which I should save my money on. For all of you, here is the list:
USDA DIRTY DOZEN
Most pesticides
1. Nectarines- 97.3% had pesticides
2. Celery- 94.5%
3. Pears- 94.4%
4. Peaches- 93.7%
5. Apples- 91%
6. Cherries- 91%
7. Strawberries- 90%
8. Imported Grapes- 86%
9. Spinach- 83.4%
10. White potatoes- 79.3%
11. Bell peppers- 59%
12. Red raspberries- 59%
Bonus– Buy organic baby carrots
These are things I will try my best to buy organic.

Then, all too soon, my company left. They may be back next year. If so, we have our plan all worked out. Play a little, work a little. I like that plan.

I'm ba-ack!

Well, after several months I've decided to dust off the blog and give it another shot. So, what's my excuse for abandoning my blog. Ah, um, well, not sure. Maybe I was busy at school. Maybe I was busy with the ever taller little boy and his various activities. Or maybe it was a certain social networking site that has taken up my computer time as of late. The important thing is, I'm back. So, here's what's been happening:
-trips to Yosemite in October (it was COLD, we had snow, then went back to being warm after we left) and St. Louis (no snow, some rain, some cold, some warm, weird Midwest weather.)
-learning about the wonderful world of Wii. We got one for Christmas and are learning how much work a video game can be.
-battling ants over and over and over again. They are probably co-habitating with us and think they have kitchen privileges. I learned that they won't go though baby powder and that we have lots of tiny holes in our house. Thank God for caulk!
-Besides teaching part time, I have been working on my business, helping people live greener, healthier, wealthier lives.
Okay, there it is...my life and ways to be green.