happy earth day

there is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
there is a rapture on the lonely shore,
there is society, where none intrudes,
by the deep sea, and music in its roar:
i love not man the less, but nature more.

~lord byron

wordless thursday

prolific painter produces perfect present paper.

love your mother

"and this, our life,
exempt from public haunt,
finds tongues in trees,
books in the running brooks,
sermons in stones,
and good in everything."

~william shakespeare~

dear wal-mart(s)

uh, thanks for the warning.
i was not really expecting one on lotion.
so i think i'm gonna have to pass.
no offense, obviously.












xo,
pj

peppermint castile

i received a most excellent gift from mm's aunt pat in nyc.
dr. woods pure peppermint castile soap.

"for everyday use as a body wash, facial cleanser, shampoo, shaving lather and dental wash. also excellent as a mild laundry detergent."

but wait! that's not all!

"natural cleaning - use 4 parts water to 1 part dr. woods for dishes, floors, counters and more!"

guess that just about covers it. plus it is organic. double bonus.

victory garden

our victory garden is planted...

it was kinda easy and rather enjoyable. the kids were semi-angels. it was sort of a fun activity.

our white house garden includes - tomatoes, spanish onions, banana peppers, cucumbers, hungarian peppers, sweet basil, bibb lettuce, romaine lettuce, patio pickles, and strawberries.

bring on the bruschetta!

stainless

i just purged all of our non-stick pots and pans.

they were flaking and i'm pretty sure that's no good.

i have slowly been buying stainless, at marshalls, duh.

there seems to be a huge difference in the cooking times of a lot of my usual meals. i have been over-cooking things that i normally could make with my eyes closed. all our food is a little browner. and drier.

so if you need me i am learning to cook. again. i'll be in the kitchen.

anyone else experience this?

it's not easy being green

on the road to becoming green, i am starting to hit some speed bumps. i also have days that i feel completely overwhelmed and i can't take it all in.

some problems i've been having...

1. i refuse to pay $99 for a hemp shower curtain. no matter how green it is. plus i would need two of them and i simply can't afford it. i purchased two fabric (polyester) shower curtains at marshall's. i know anything is better than vinyl, but i thought a more green option would have existed for those of us who are on a budget of sorts. even the cotton ones are upwards of $59.

2. i finally started buying some organic food, including beans, in a can. now i find out cans have bpa in them. i can't win! i am not ready to buy beans, soak them, and cook them. i guess i don't have any other options. and what about canned tomatoes? i'm supposed to crush my own? i'm not sure if i can go there.

3. after a few weeks of no sippy cups, we caved and bought a set of four for k. there were just too many spills. too many to count. way too many.

4. the proactiv seems to be working. and i like it. a lot.

5. i'm starting to feel guilty about throwing paper away. especially packaging that is made with post-consumer waste. i feel like i should extend its life yet again. i have started a paper box, but it is in the garage and a long way from the kitchen. maybe i should move it. paper stresses me out. i feel like it's the only thing left in my trash. but i'm not ready to do anything about it.

maybe i should take a break and enjoy the progress i have made so far... anyone else feel completely overwhelmed with green?

a minor inconvenience

i finally sat down to read the selection i made at the library -
LAST WEEK.

i have wanted to read "an inconvenient truth" for a while, he did win the nobel peace prize after all, beating out this outstanding woman...

http://www.irenasendler.org/facts.asp

so i start reading... pictures? simple theories? how did this dude win anything?

oh - wait - look closer - ADAPTED for a NEW GENERATION...

dang it! no wonder it was in the kid section. now i have to go back to the library for the real deal.

note to self - go alone...

freakedly freaked

where to start...

i picked up this book at sam's club, when mm and i were there on our date night. grandmother put the kids to bed and we leisurely walked up and down every aisle. sad - but true, this is our idea of a great date.

yesterday i sat down and started reading. i'm not sure what i expected, a nice fluffy book? maybe that sophie would tell me to start composting, (check) recycling, (check) and to stop driving my suv. (no check) i'm green, i have a masters in resource economics, ya'll. not to brag, but my thesis is about composting, no lie.

i am blown away. mostly because i am not anywhere near as green as i thought. i suppose i've been hiding under the "ignorance is bliss" umbrella. more than that - there are too many things i have read (so far) that literally make me sick to my stomach. not only because i'm surrounding myself with these products, but because i'm putting them on/near my kids!

i'm not a complete nut, (yet) so i think i'll just give an update every so often, on what we are doing to rid our house of these products. yes - we - mm is easy. mention lead or toxins of any kind and he is immediately on board.

**while i'm writing this k is begging for corn chips, and since i haven't read the food chapter yet, i guess i'll give her some. told you - ignorance is bliss, maybe i'll eat some too.**

weekly update #1 - last night while our darlings were taking their baths, i innocently picked up the baby wash. "it's called grins and giggles," mm said, "how bad could it be?" the front says gentle and mild. also tear free and hypoallergenic. i've been buying this stuff for almost 7 years now. we are always proud when we have a double coupon and get it for mere cents!

i turn it over - "something to smile about," it says, "vitamins and natural ingredients."

i get my new book, start comparing the "red alert" and "orange alert" lists to the back of the bottle. "red alert" means throw it away immediately. "orange alert" means use it up and don't buy it again. certainly this baby wash would not have anything in it that would be on the "chuck it" list.

the ingredient list is full of un-pronounce-able chemicals. one i can pronounce - fragrance - is on the "red alert" list. this term is used to mask hundreds of ingredients, that can cause reproductive and developmental harm...

to be fair - as far as i can tell - there are only two ingredients on the "orange alert" list. i'm not so good at this yet, but i vow to learn this stuff. one of them is a proven skin irritant the other causes brain, liver, and kidney malfunctions! all three of my kids use this on their hair and bodies, then sit in the tub and play! aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok - enough - i'll write more when i have calmed down. plus if i keep writing, i'll tell you about the shampoo i used this morning, the soap, the lotion, and the worst - the deodorant i've been using for more than 20 years!

i think this might be the "push" i've been needing.

freakedly freaked,
pajama mom