Klean water bottles

Here is our new collection of water bottles so far. We recycled the old Nalgene #7 containers with their nasty BPAs. But restocking your stash with a healthy alternative is expensive! My friend uses these glass bottles from Nantucket Nectars. They are a good size and an inexpensive stand in while you build you collection at $1.39 a piece.

I was tempted by the Sigg waterbottles, they have so many beautiful colors and patterns, but they are made with aluminum. There is a possible link between aluminum and Alzheimer's disease. Five population studies now link Alzheimer's disease to aluminum in drinking water.

Also, Sigg isn't forthcoming in whether they use BPA in the lining of their bottles, so we decided to go with the simplicity and safety of Klean Kanteen's Stainless steel bottles. They also have a cute 12oz bottle designed for small hands that comes with a sippy adapter.


I also got rid of most of the plastic storage containers that we kept leftovers in the refrigerator with these glass ones. I need to find some large containers, those are the plastic ones that I haven't gotten rid of yet, but I am on the lookout.


Have you started to make the switch away from plastics? What have you found helpful?

Biting my tongue

Lately, I have really been making an effort to keep my mixer busy. It is almost one year since we first received the news that Isabel would not be staying with us. Since that time and before due to pregnancy, I haven't been doing a very good job of putting food on our table. It seems that meal times just creep up on me all the time. Three times a day at the very least. Hmmm?

Why? How could I be surprised by something that comes so regularly? I know they are coming...but I guess I just don't want to plan for them to come. I want to do what *I* want to do. So then, it's always a mad dash to 'whip something up'. And frankly, it still is. I won't say I have learned and don't let that happen anymore. I will say, I am making an effort to change my habits.

I've started at least printing out a weekly meal plan and sort of filling it out. That helps, but I also don't like to commit to a certin plan. It seems when I do, I just can't make it work. But like I said, I'm in the process. I made my own, but you might find a form to print out at Donna Young's site.

Something that has helped is just making 'something' every couple of days. Something for the kids to grab and snack on. Cornbread, muffins, plain cake. I'm been thinking of different reasons that this is a good thing.

1. I am using ingredients in my pantry, it doesn't cost me anything extra usually. They are simple bulk ingredients.

2. The green factor is that because I am making things from scratch, I am not buying processed foods with preservatives and extra packaging to throw away.

3. It makes our home feel the way I think a home should feel, with good smells of nourishing foods. It trains the kids to think that real food is real food. I don't want them to grow up on packaged food.

4. I can use this time to teach my kids how to do actual things.

I'm not a very patient person. Just ask my parents, sister, husband or worse yet, my children. I hate that. I want to be the perfect Mama, but I fall short so often. In the past, (and probably in the future) I didn't really include the boys in my 'work'. I would shoo them away so I could do what I needed to do. But I have begun to make a concerted effort to change that.

Why should my kids be busied with toys and play when they would rather be with me, helping, working, cleaning, doing chores. They really would rather. When I get them interested in playing, they resent being 'interrupted' from their play in order to help me or do some chore. And won't they be better equipped for life with skills that they have, rather than playtime? Those are the people I want my kids to be. To have genuine skills, to be helpful and handy people.

So, I've been biting my tongue when my daughter asks me, "Can I help you make that Mama?" I try to smile and say, "Sure honey", pick her up and plop her on the counter beside me and let her...do something!

Eeeeek!

Honestly, it's hard for me. I want to just grab the spoon and do it myself. It's done quickly. No spillage.

But, she is improving. She needs to do it herself. She needs practice. And she LOVES it.

The other day, she was telling me that when she grows up and is a Mama, she will cook food and teach her daughter to cook food. That made me smile.

What about you? In what ways do you include your children in your work?

Grocery goes green

After watching The Story of Stuff, I have been thinking of just one thing to do. It's all pretty overwhelming, and I get overwhelmed easily! I am going to try to start small, and try to do one thing at a time.

I decided to start with all of the plastic bags we collect and discard. There are SO many! Did you know that according to the US EPA, each year the U.S. consumes over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps. How many bags does one person need anyway?

I never really thought about it. They seem to be just a part of life, something that has always been around, but did you know that they haven't. Plastic bags are relatively new. 2002 marked the plastic bag's 25th anniversary. Since their introduction trillions of plastic bags have been consumed.

Windblown plastic bags are so prevalent in Africa that a cottage industry has sprung up harvesting bags and using them to weave hats, and even bags. According to the BBC, one group harvests 30,000 per month.

In March of 2007 San Francisco approved a ban on plastic grocery bags and Whole Foods Market Inc., plans to do away with the bags altogether.

When I run errands (especially if I don't have the kids with me) I can run in and out of many, many stores. I may just be buying one small item here and a couple more there. Each item gets it's own little plastic bag. By the time I get home I have a tangle of plastic bags to toss or try to stuff away somewhere. Did I really need all those bags? No. And I honestly don't even want them, they're just more stuff for me to put away when I get home.

Are we entitled to as many bags as we want? At what expense to the world we live in? It doesn't seem like much of an inconvenience to plan on keeping an all around good bag in the back of your car.

Enter the reusable cloth grocery bag.

Did you know that each high quality reusable shopping bag you use has the potential to eliminate hundreds, if not thousands, of plastic bags over its lifetime. I went online to Reusable Bags and saw many different options. I personally liked this and this and these cloth produce bags. But when I added it all up plus the $13 shipping...I realized that Dave wouldn't be too excited about this plan.

Time for Plan B. A gal my sister works with made some great grocery bags for Christmas presents. I bought the pattern she used off ebay.

(Jack had to come over while I was taking pictures of this bag. He layed down right between the bag and I and then put his paw on my foot. He needs!)

The pattern is McCall's Fashion Accessories, M4851. I used B without the outer pocket in duck cloth. I cut the handle fabric in two and adjusted the placement to make it more like a paper shopping bag. I didn't put a lining as the pattern called for and stitched the seam allowances down. When making the handles, instead of sewing them and then turning them inside out, it was easier to just fold the fabric in half length-wise, right side out, then turn the seams in and stitch them down. And just to let you know, I really am not a seamstress. I don't feel I 'know' how to sew, but I did it and so can you.

Inspired by this bag, I put in these extra pockets (they have no bottoms) to hold bottles or jars. The one that the egg carton is in is really designed for celery but I had none to put in for the picture. I'm not sure if these 'extras' will be helpful or cumbersome. I haven't officially taken them for a full fledged test drive yet, but figure I can easily cut them out if they don't work.

I made 2 of the light green bags and 1 dark green using the McCalls pattern. I also made 2 smaller bags using a simple pattern from a knitting book in the floral canvas material. I LOVE them. I feel so good using them, not bringing home more clutter and it's better in the big scheme of things. I love having pretty bags to use that are thick and definitely not wimpy. You can really pack the groceries in one of these!

Here is a Farmer's Market bag I knit recently. It's super stretchy and will hold a lot of produce, or anything for that matter.

If you are looking for a gift to give someone who has everything you can give an E-Gift certificate to Reusable Bags.com. That would be a great gift for everyone.

Have you started using cloth grocery bags? If so, do you find them more inconvenient to use, or worth the extra little effort? I think my biggest challenge will be remembering to take them into the store.

The Story of Stuff

My family and I recently watched The Story of Stuff. It really made us all think about the big picture.

It can be overwhelming, but it also inspired me to start attempting to simplify the 'stuff' in our lives. In the future, I will be posting on ways we are minimizing unnecessary consumption. If you haven't yet seen The Story of Stuff, check it out.