Diapers.com... Amazing!

I am really excited this morning! Yesterday around 11 am I placed my 1st order to Diapers.com. This morning at 7:55 am it arrived! Less than 24 hours for items I really need and love + free shipping!

So, back to yesterday...
I was searching the internet for my favorite baby item of the moment, Burt's Bees Dusting Powder. I only had a small packet from a sampler set and hadn't been able to find a larger bottle in local stores. This stuff smells great and dries up Desmond's sweaty little booty instantly! I wanted to order more before I ran out. I easily found many online sites selling the Dusting Powder, most for $8.99 for a 9 oz. bottle. When I saw Diapers.com, I remembered that one of the other park day moms had given me a $10 off coupon for diapers from the same site.

I decided to check out their prices on disposable diapers. I only use them when we travel to places without a washing machine, but with the coupon, I thought it might be worth it to stock up. I was happy to find the diapers I like for $3 less than I have paid at the store! Let me tell you about the diapers.

The brand is Seventh Generation and they are made without chlorine. Using chlorine in the manufacturing process creates dangerous toxins. Exposure to these toxins has been directly linked to cancer, birth defects, and environmental and reproductive disorders. Aside from that, I like them because they are super-absorbent and a nice, plain, brown color. No silly designs or cartoons, yay! I only know of one store in the area that carries them, and I don't shop there. The convenience of having them delivered was an added bonus!

So, I have my two items and I'm off to the checkout. Now I am not so happy. Shipping is $9.99. There goes the coupon. I decided to make the purchase anyway. The delivery is promised by Tuesday and I do need this stuff. Then I notice the offer of FREE shipping on orders over $49. I figure that since I'm here, I might as well see if they have anything else I need.

After browsing the site for a while, I came across Nature Baby Care Disposable Bags. They are %100 compostable and biodegradable. The box of 50 will fit nicely into my diaper bag. One of the problems I have had with cloth diapers is how to store the wet ones until I get home. I hate using a plastic bag that I will then have to throw away. This will solve the problem! The reviews provided for them on Diapers.com are split as to their quality, but for $3.99 I can try them out.

Still far from my goal for free shipping, I am about to give up when I come across Mustela's Sun Protection Set. Lydia and Rowan have gotten wicked sunburns twice already this summer. No matter how many times I reapply, I can't seem to find a sunblock that is effective enough. I am determined to find something that will work! Mustela's product has great reviews. The 100% mineral, 50 spf sunscreen has a hefty price. $15 for 1.6 oz. Ouch. Bought as a set I got the sunscreen, a suncream for sensitive areas, facial cleansing cloths, hydrating body spray and a hooded baby towel all in a tote for $37. I can live with that if it works!

After coupon and with the free shipping, my order totals about $52. I am so excited about the products I found I make Molly sit through a retelling of the whole adventure (much as you just did!).

Here we are again in today. The order promised tomorrow arrives bright and early. when I open the box, my excitement doubles, I bought some really good stuff!

When Lydia & Rowan finally woke up, I subjected them to a detailed description of how we would use the Sun Protection Set. Being the good little girls they are, they were excited by it too! (Really!)

I WILL order again from Diapers.com. They have many eco-friendly products I haven't easily found in stores. If you decide to try them out, use this code for $10 off WAVE9153
I think it might only work if you buy diapers, but I'm not sure.

Enjoy!

Michael Jackson is Dead!

Can you believe it? I am blogging about the death of Michael Jackson. I can hardly believe it myself! Don't worry, don't worry, I have already decided how I will tie this into my usual topic of Earth-friendly life (and death). Now to the juicy stuff!

Around 3:30 this afternoon, I noticed a news van drive down my street. As this is a dead end street, I went to snoop. A cameraman and reporter got out and looked around a house 2 doors down. They talked to neighbor then got in their van as if to leave. Just then, a car pulled into the driveway. Two women (I saw the passenger's panties) and a little girl got out.

A few minutes later the passenger came back outside and approached the news crew. I sent Molly out to pretend to check our mail and eavesdrop. Unfortunately, she couldn't hear anything. When she came back inside, we joked that they were probably here about MJ.

This is a picture of two local news stations (there was another as well, they left before I took the pic) waiting for an interview.

















When we saw one of the stations broadcasting live, we turned on the t.v. To our surprise, it was about the death of Michael Jackson! Apparently, Ola Ray lives on my street. Who, you ask, is Ola Ray? Well so did I. A quick Google search revealed that she played MJ's girlfriend in Thriller. Small world!

So, now that I have had my successful spying-out-the-window fix for the present, how can I tie this to Mother Earth?

I have actually been thinking about blogging this for a while now. Human beings are the only animals on the planet to have taken themselves out of the natural circle of life by altering the way we die. All other creatures are eaten, decompose or are otherwise used by the rest of the animal kingdom. We, as humans, pump our dead corpses full of chemicals or burn them making them completely useless to everything else. Yes, some parts of the body are harvested and used to prolong the lives of other humans. I whole-heartedly applaud that practice. But what about the rest? For those of you who outlive me, here is my request.

Harvest all of my usable organs, then bury me in a way that will benefit the Earth. In a biodegradable container, or in no container at all. In a field or under a tree. Plant a garden on top of my body and enjoy the veggies that grow. Please... & thank you!

Update!! More photos of the ever-growing number of papparazzi!


















Note the antenna coming up from behind the house, the van behind the silver car, the red van and the SUV.

Thanks for reducing your gas usage. Find year-round ways to save.

		Well done, JENNIFER WATSON, You saved 29%* in gas usage and earned a 20 % credit on your spring bill! Thank you for participating in Pacific Gas and Electric Company's (PG&E) Winter Gas Savings Program. By conserving gas this past winter, you and other qualified customers helped reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) equivalent to removing 47,000 passenger cars from the road for one year. PG&E offers more year-round solutions to help you save energy, money, and the environment. Discover great ways to save for your home with the links below: Find rebates for your home Switch your light bulbs to CFLs and save Find energy-efficient electronics Make your energy use carbon neutral with the ClimateSmart™ program You can also find solutions for your business by visiting http://kc.pge.com/7473949.4693.0.1637. Remember, you can access your monthly energy usage history by logging onto My Account.
pge.com privacy disclosure

Desmond's Birthday

Our little Desmond Sinclair is now 6 weeks, 4 days old! Here are the pictures taken by Kaleem Joy (one of our midwives) on his birthday. Beware! These include all the gory details!

Home Birth

I was just talking to my sister, and was surprised that she didn't know we were planning on a home birth. So, for anyone else out there who hasn't been told, WE ARE PLANNING ON A HOME BIRTH!!

I am excited about the actual birthing process of my baby for the first time. There will be no uncomfortable drive to a hospital. No intrusive nurses trying to follow standard procedures. No machines or tests to refuse. No midnight wake-ups just to have my blood pressure checked. No waiting around until someone else decides I am ready to go home.

Instead, we will all get to stay home where we are comfortable. We can eat our own food, sleep where and when we want, listen to music, watch t.v., whatever... There will be no strangers here with us. We will be surrounded only by people we know and trust.

I have two great midwives, Marlene and Kaleem, of One Heart Midwifery. They are kind, caring ladies with many years experience helping babies into this world. When the time comes for Desmond to be born, they will come to our house and support us in any way we need.

During our first visit, while talking about a water birth Marlene said, "Our goal is to keep our gloves dry." I love the idea of getting to have this baby without being poked and prodded. Of being able to look down and see my baby instead of an assortment of strange faces. I will get to catch my own baby and be the first one to touch him.

So far, my care has been extremely pleasant and noninvasive as well. Right now, my appointments take place at the home Marlene and Kaleem work out of. There has never been anyone else there while we were. The exam room is comfortable with big chairs and lots of toys. There is even a playhouse the kids can climb up into and play in. We usually spend about an hour talking and checking on Desmond. Best of all, I haven't had to get naked yet! According to my midwives, there is no reason for them to do an internal exam until they need to determine that Desmond is in a head-down position and can't do so from an external exam. Phew!

As I mentioned before, I am planning on a water birth. I love my bathtub! I spend many hours there a week. It is my favorite spot in the house. Rowan says she is going to get in with me for Desmond's birth. I love that she will be able to do that!

To prepare for the birth, the girls and I have been watching lots of home birth videos on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/results?orig_query=water+birth&search_query=home+birth&orig_query_src=2 Some videos are not for the squeamish, so beware!

Here's a link to the Wikipedia entry about home birth. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_birth

This site talks about home births in general. http://www.pregnancy-info.net/homebirths.html

Environmental (& Budget!) Friendly Backyards

My sister, Melissa, asked me to look into this topic for her. She recently moved into a beautiful new house with an absolutely deplorable back yard. The only living thing in it is a Scrub Oak. The poor tree is surrounded by dead grass and dirt all the way to the chain link fence. I agree, she needs help!

Considering the hot, hot summers in Redding, California, it will be important for her to select native plants which will do better with less water than non-native plants. This link has all kinds of information about native plantlife. It also includes information on low-water grasses and tons of pictures. Hey, Melissa! There is even a section titled "Dry Shade Garden (ie planting under oaks or other places that you don't want to water)"
http://www.californiagardens.com/index.html
If you don't live in California, try a Google search for native plants in your state.

This next link has information on drip systems & a sprinkler system that can track the weather and turn off your sprinklers if rain is predicted. http://www.ecomii.com/building/efficient-irrigation

Also, revisit Veronica's post about her rain barrels. http://eroticvulture.blogspot.com/2008/09/keeping-up-with-joneses-eco-style.html They are a great way to use a natural resource more efficiently!

In some areas, you can even get a rebate for purchasing rain barrels. Check with your local water supplier to to find out if they offer this incentive. If it is not offered, encourage them to start! With enough calls, they may see the overall benefit of encouraging citizens to reduce demand for municipal water and preserve the precious groundwater supply.

Click this link to peruse available rain barrels and other environmentally friendly lawn and garden supplies. http://www.cleanairgardening.com/rainbarrels.html

Happy planting!

Freecycle

In some areas, Freecycle is a well know and used part of life. It others, it is just building steam.

When I moved out of S.F., I used Freecycle to give away a ton of stuff. Yes, I said "give away"! Freecycle is all about keeping reusable things out of the landfills by finding others that need them.

Their mission statement, "Our mission is to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community."

Here's how it works. Those who have things to get rid of post them on their local Yahoo message board. Other members who want to take these items respond and arrange a pick-up. Also, anyone can post a 'wanted' notice, letting other members know of an item they are looking for. Any member who has a wanted item can make contact and arrange to give their item away.

It's all free, so stuff goes pretty quickly. I gave away kid's toys, Halloween decorations, old fish tanks and tools, to name a few. Multiple people contacted me for every item I listed!

Freecycle is a great way to lighten your load in a move, or just clean out your garage. With the holiday season coming up, now is a great time to give it a try. Give others a chance to reduce their holiday spending by making use of your unwanted items. Find that perfect gift for your hard to shop for Aunt Hildy. Make room in your garage for that new bobsled! Save costly and time consuming trips to the dump after you clean out your massively over-packed warehouse (you know who you are ;)

http://www.freecycle.org/

A Vote Lost

Below is a copy of a letter I wrote to the District 10 Democratic candidate for Assembly. This area is a Republican stronghold, and she ended up losing. I threw my vote to the Liberatarian candidate. While I identify myself much more strongly with the Liberatarian party than Democrat or Republican, I usually vote Democrat just to feel like my vote counts for something. I wanted this candidate to know why she didn't get my vote.

Dear Ms. Huber,

I am new to the Sacramento area. This left me having to do a lot of research before election time. It was very difficult to decide which candidates to vote for with no idea of their backgrounds and involvement in local politics.

The deciding factor for me in the race in which you participated was the amount of junk mail I received from your campaign. In less than 2 weeks, I took over 20 flyers, postcards and letters from my mailbox urging me to vote for you. As I am deeply concerned with the impact junk mail has on our environment, there was no way I could give you my vote. I found myself unable to take you and your campaign seriously in the face of such waste and destruction.

Should you choose to run for office in the future, please remove my name and address from your mailing list. I would also encourage you to research the overall effect this kind of mass mailing has on the earth and consider alternative methods for promoting yourself.

Thank you, Jennifer Watson

????

I am running a little low on topics lately. Except for the occasional break for other things, I like to keep this blog focused on ways I try to conserve the earth's resources. After 40 something posts, I am having trouble coming up with new ideas.

Actually, let me rephrase that. I am having trouble following through with new ideas. There are things I want and plan to do at some point, I just lack motivation.

So I thought I would post my list of intentions and then hand the reigns over to you. If you try or have already tried any of these, share your experience here. Help to motivate me, and others, to do more for the environment!


1. Homemade Kitty Litter
2. Reusable Bathroom Wipes (Family Wipes)
3. Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
4. Homemade Peanut (or Sunflower Seed)Butter
5. Canning
6. Cloth Diapers (Especially good sources to get them.)
7. Growing a More Plentiful Container Garden (I need tips!)
8. Freedom From Hallmark Holidays (How to stop buying cards and gift just because the calendar tells us to.)
9. Organic Baby Formula

Thanks!

Tampoline Safety - Veronica Armstrong

Let us take a break from our journey toward ecological enlightenment to consider this public safety announcement.... (jen.)

Used to be, back in the day, our fun-time recreational large toy in the backyard was the soon-to-be rusty and excessively squeaky swing set. The set always included 2uneven swings, one plastic double swing which cracked and broke immediately under drunk Uncle Bill's weight, and one nondescript, u-shaped, completely useless bar. Did anyone ever figure out what that bar was for? I used to hang my Barbies on a rope by their necks when they were "bad." But, I digress.

Kids today are much too fast paced and sophisticated for anything so lame as a swing set. Today, the mighty trampoline stands as the standard back yard toy. Oh, the coveted spring board of death...we hear you call our name. We vow to never again grace your stage after breath-stopping falls, cracked ribs, and broken elbows. We curse you when trying to mow around you. And when we tear our clothes and skin on your sharp, protruding springs, brilliant expletives escape our mouths.

Let us define the trampoline as only Wikepedia can..."a trampoline is a gymnastic device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric stretched over a steel frame using many coiled springs to provide a rebounding force which propels the jumper high into the air. In a trampoline, the fabric is not elastic itself; the elasticity is provided by the springs which connect it to the frame. According to circus folklore, the trampoline was supposedly first developed by an french artiste called Du Trampolin. Aaaah, Wikepedia forgets to mention some very important facts here:

1) "A trampoline is a gymnastic...device." Yes, that is it's original intended use. Trampolines belong in the GYM, with padded walls and floors. Because even seasoned gymnasts will succumb to an unexpected non-trampoline landing. Just because you took gymnastics in preschool and have now had a few drinks in your system, doesn't mean you are qualified to do a back flip on the backyard trampoline situated next to a short, broken chain-link fence.

2) The "strong fabric" is never strong enough to hold big Aunt Gabby and three of her nieces. Oh yes, that fabric attached to the springs is gonna rip. And when it does the nieces will invariably end up under Aunt Gabby's massive buttocks, thighs, upper arm fat, and other various big rolls of her body. A four year old's skeletal structure cannot take the weight of a woman who has been to the "All-you-can-eat Catfish" shack every Friday night for the last 47 years.

3) The "many coiled springs" expand and contract as the jumpers get more and more vigorous with their jumping. And for those who sit on the trampoline, awaiting their turn of fate, the springs provide an excellent site for caught fingers and fleshy areas. Flying children routinely end up in between these springs, which mercifully sometimes half-catch their fall by clamping tight onto their hair.

4) Sitting on the trampoline whilst someone is having a go, can be a precarious situation. A hard jump can make the sitter either fly head-first off the trampoline or head-long into the jumper. Either way, the head or neck is going to need some ice after its collision with another human head or bumpy ground.

5) The trampoline being invented by a French man also sends up flags of warning. These are the same people who warmly welcomed the Nazis into gay Paris a while back, adore mimes, made the Peugeot, and eat snails and frogs. They are gluttons for punishment, we shouldn't trust their ingenuity or engineering skills.

6) And lastly, the trampoline is most popular in our Southern states, home of tornadic activity, many, many mobile homes, and the KKK. Nuff said. If you are very interested in getting a trampoline, have your IQ checked and reconsider that Walmart trampoline special for $49.99.

FAB MORVAN:
The more even-keeled half of Milli Vanilli, who did what Rob told him to do and whose cut, according the former manager Todd Headlee, was only thirty-five percent. (Headlee says the duo stood to make about $4 million for the second record.) The Paris-bred Morvan was a budding gymnast whose whole career was cut short by a trampoline accident. Coach Riggs says that Morvan can also sing a high C but "sometimes forgets his vibrato."

Bad Starbucks! Bad Starbucks!

I have long been an adversary of Starbucks' business practices. Particularly the way they seem focused on overpopulating the planet with stores on every corner. When I lived in San Francisco, I used their store locator to find out how many stores where within a 5 mile radius of my home. The result was 96! When I check the same site today, it tells me there are only 71 in the same area. I guess this slump in the economy has at least one benefit!

Yesterday my husband told me about a news story he had heard. I was appalled and thought you might like to hear about it too.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1771553.ece

For those of us who remain metric system impaired, I used an online calculator to figure out how much 23.4 million gallons is. It's 6,181,626.03 US gallons! Per day! Can you even imagine being that irresponsible?

I prefer to give my money to independent stores who do more than just claim to be green. It is easy to spend a bunch of money talking about how much you care about the environment. It is much tougher to walk the walk.

Election Day 2008

I feel safe saying that most adult voters believe this is going to be a monumental election. New voters have registered in record numbers and lines are long at polling places.

Between this everlasting war and the plummeting economy, people are anxious for things to change. The time has finally come for the process to start one way or the other.

I, for one, am going to have trouble tearing myself away from the radio today. http://www.kgoradio.com/listenlive.asp Oh well, the sun is out and the girls want to go to the park. I guess I can take a couple hours off!!


Don't forget to vote!

Zucchini Bread

I forgot to take my shopping list with me on my last trip to Trader Joe's. Since I plan my meals and shop for two weeks at a time, I thought I would have to make a second trip to pick up all the things I forgot.

Luckily, I have a mind like a steel trap (Just don't listen to Lydia who is always telling me I have short-term memory loss). I only forgot one thing.

I had specifically written on my list that I should NOT buy the 3 pounds of zucchini I needed for a recipe a week and a half later. Oh well, when you have zucchini, make zucchini bread.

Here's how:

2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
3 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon

Blend all ingredients together and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

With my 3 pounds of zucchini, I ended up making this recipe x4. It was a big hit at park day and when we served it to guests. My kids have been happy to eat it all week, which is good because some went into the freezer. I just finished baking some in muffin form as part of my dad's birthday present (ssssh, don't tell). (The muffins will take about 1/2 as much time in the oven.)

Take advantage of the squash that is in season right now and give this recipe a try!

Happy Halloween.

Conservation Cat

I have trained my cat, Alex, to monitor the water usage in our home. After each shower, she enters to evalute the amount of water used and if there has been any waste.

By performing a series of precise measurements, she is able to critique the user's showering technique and provide useful information as to how they may reduce their impact on the planet's water supply in the future.

Alex's Suggestions:

Install a water-efficient shower head with a flow rate of less than 2.5 gallons (9.5 liters) per minute. (Replace an existing shower head if a one gallon bucket placed under the flow takes less than 20 seconds to fill.)

Take a five-minute shower that uses about 12.5 gallons of water. Since the average shower can use up to 25 gallons of water, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), you're already on your way to saving half that amount.

For the truly eco-committed, consider the occasional "military" shower: Turn the shower off when you soap up, then back on while you rinse.

To eliminate the use of water completely, lick yourself all over several times a day. This may be done anywhere and no one even seems to mind if you clean your nether regions in their presence.

The third highest use of indoor water is bathing, and because most of us like to use warm water when we bathe, it's also the second highest use of energy in the home.

As a fair warning to those of you who may be guests at my home in the future, Alex does not take kindly to those who waste water during this time of statewide drought. Please, do not let this happen to you!

Rainbow Cake

Alright, so I'm not really going to talk about Rainbow Cake. I have stolen my sister's ruse of luring you in with one title then talking about something different. Of course, my trickery has gone the opposite direction as hers. I DO want to talk politics.

The two most important issues to me this election are the Presidential race and Proposition 8. I'm not going to waste time on the Presidential race because all the polls I have seen show it will go the way I want anyway. Also, I do not feel as passionately about it as I do about Prop. 8.

Proposition 8, if passed, will change the California State Constitution to define marriage in California as being a union between one man and one woman. The passing of this law will deny rights to same sex couples in our state.

To me this is reminiscent of the segregation imposed on African-Americans, women being denied the right to vote and Japanese nationals being forced into internment camps after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It will remove a basic right promised in the United States Declaration of Independance, "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness...".

From Wikipedia -
"The phrase "pursuit of happiness" appeared in the 1967 Supreme Court case, Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967), which focused on an anti-miscegenation statute. Chief Justice Warren wrote:
The freedom to marry has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men. "

Loving someone of the same sex is not unlawful. It does not violate the equal rights of others. There is no legal reason to keep this right from any consenting adult.

Many who oppose gay marriage do so for religious reasons. I must point out here that this country has adopted a legal doctrine of separation of church and state. Whatever your personal views may be, we are dealing with a legal matter.

It makes me so sad and frustrated to think that people would band together to remove a right that is so personal and emotional from other human beings. Most people get married because they are in love. Love is a nice thing. It makes people happy and the world a nicer place in general.

When I look at my children and think of my hopes for their future, the foremost thing in my mind is that they be happy. This wish is unconditional. I don't hope they will be happy as long as it is with someone of the opposite sex, I simply want them to be happy. If they someday do fall in love and wish to get married, I hope they are able to no matter what gender the other person is. I would not want them to be treated like second-class citizens because of where their heart led them. In fact, the thought makes me furious.

We have all known people whose spouses we don't like or approve of. I would guess this is a very common occurance in families and friendships. Most of us would never voice this opinion to our loved ones. We would never tell them not to get married because we do not approve. So why is this acceptable when the couple is of the same sex? Why does our politeness and common human decency fly out the window? It is still the same personal decision based on the feelings between two adults.

LOVE IS NICE! VOTE NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, ON PROPOSITION 8!

Aaaahhh...............

Let us all breathe a sigh of relief as the gas prices finally fall to a decent level. At least one thing is going right in this dismal economy.

Yesterday, we paid $2.78 per gallon. That was about $33 to fill the tank.

How much did you pay for your last fill-up?

The Weakness of Pregnancy

I just returned from a trip to Trader Joe's, and I must make a confession. I am weak. I have once again succumbed to the siren call of convenience food. I am blaming it on the baby.

When I entered the store I felt full, even bloated. I was confident that this would keep me from making rash purchases. But the overwhelmingly delicious smell of the pasta dish they were serving as free samples and the sight of my favorite ginormous carrot cakes combined to cause my stomach to growl uncontrollably.

Actually, I made it past the premade lunch section with ease on my first pass. It is located right near the entrance and I breezed right by it. The problem came when I decided to peruse the section again while Molly took Rowan to the potty.

By that time, I was weak and shaking with hunger. The vegetarian sushi was calling out to me. As I reached for the sushi ($2.99 for 8 pieces) I spied the Eggless Egg Salad right next to it. I have been meaning to make this myself and just haven't gotten to it. It seemed suddenly irresistible. I then recalled the two slices of dill rye bread and sprouts at home. The delightful sandwich came together perfectly in my mind as I place the overpriced ingredient into my cart.


Now as I sit here, full of my sushi and once again feeling bloated, I think more rationally. I just paid $2.69 for 6oz of Eggless Egg Salad. I could have made 14oz for $1.29. That is quite a mark-up! I feel foolish.

I can only hope that when I eat that sandwich tomorrow (or in a few hours, to be perfectly honest) it is as delicious as my slobbering grocery store fantasies promised it would be.

(Me playing air guitar to a rockin' song by Reeveoliver.) ------->

Fun With Junk Mail

Junk mail and I are mortal enemies. It has been my mission to rid my home of it for the past couple years. Actually, it was a fight I had won and forgotten about while we lived in San Francisco. Then we moved. I had to fight this battle all over again.

The first step to freeing your mailbox of this clutter is to make lots of phone calls. This may seem like a nuisance, but in the long run it is worth it. Take a look at the junk mail you are getting. Coupons and advertisements will have a number for those who want to place ads listed. Call this number and tell the person who answers that you do not wish to recieve their mail. You will probably be transferred to the appropriate department. They will take your name and address and tell you that it will take a couple of weeks for the change to be made.

Hopefully this will be enough to stop that kind of junk mail. If you have a mailman like mine, you will have to take extra steps. My helpful mailman decided to change the address on the junk mail from a vacant house down the street to my address. I had to make a call to the post office and speak to his supervisor to stop that from happening. Luckily, it only took one call.

Phone calls can also be made (sometimes websites are available) to credit cards, catalogues and car dealerships, etc.

When I get offers with postage paid response envelopes, I save them. Then I save other junk mail and stuff it into the postage paid envelopes. It is fun to think of the look on someone's face when they open it looking for a credit card application and instead find coupons for mini blinds and carpet cleaning! I know it does nothing to stop the junk mail, but it amuses me!

Right now, there is no way to remove your address from mailing lists like you can with your phone number. The website below is working to change that. To add your name to their petition and learn more about the devastating affects of junk mail on the environment check out this page.
http://donotmail.org/article.php?list=type&type=3

The Search For the Perfect Water Bottle

I stopped buying bottled water a couple of years ago after my husband pointed out that all the plastic used was contrary to my efforts to reduce our output of waste. It was so obvious, and it never even occured to me.

Since that time, I have gone through many reusable bottles. I have yet to find one that is inexpensive, big enough, easy to carry, seals well and doesn't break in a short period of time.

Here are my requirements. Please! Let me know if you have seen this bottle!

#1 If you know me at all, you know I am a cheapskate. I don't like forking out a bunch of money for something I am unsure about. For the perfect long-term vessel, I will pay a reasonable amount, but it has to meet ALL of my requirements.

#2 I drink a ton of water every day. Really. I would guess I drink a gallon by myself. Plus my kids are always forgetting their bottles and drinking off of mine. I guess the proper term for what I need is a JUG.

#3 Three kids means lugging around a ton of stuff. I have help in this area, but there are always a couple of hands that need to be held as well. I need something I can hold onto easily. So, a jug with a handle.

#4 My car seats and floor as well as my oldest daughter will attest to the need for a tight seal. I well remember the day my water tipped over in the front seat early in the morning. I didn't notice in the dark. By the time I did, the seat was a pond. It was still wet in the afternoon when I picked up my unfortunate passenger.

#5 It has to last. I am hard on water bottles. Let's face it, I am hard on everything. Most of my stuff is dented, scratched or broken. I have kids. We spend a lot of time outdoors. Stuff happens. I bought 3 water bottles 3 months ago, and they are all long gone. Key word, sturdy.

So, once again, if you have seen this bottle let me know! If you are still using bottled water, keep reading for some facts about how your choice affects the planet and your pocketbook.

Did you know...

• Seventy-four percent of Americans drink bottled water, and one in five drinks only bottled water.
• Worldwide, consumers spent $100 billion on bottled water in 2005.
• Each year more than 4 billion pounds of PET plastic bottles end up in landfills or as roadside litter.
• Making bottles to meet Americans’ demand for bottled water required the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil last year – enough fuel for more than 1 million U.S. cars for a year - and generated more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide.
• Name brands in small bottles instead of jugs can easily cost more than $10 a gallon, especially if purchased individually. By comparison, tap water typically costs about a half-cent per gallon. For what some Americans spend on bottled water in a year, they could buy a refrigerator with a filtered-water dispenser.
• Surveys show one of the reasons cited by consumers for buying bottled water is convenience. But what's more convenient than getting water from a faucet?

Try this cost calculator to see how much you spend on bottled water in a year. http://www.newdream.org/water/calculator.php

Check out these links (where I got the facts above) for even more information!

http://www.thinkoutsidethebottle.org/?source=googleads&gclid=CMn6s8X7t5YCFQhJagodbii_Lg
http://www.sierraclub.org/committees/cac/water/bottled_water/bottled_water.pdf
http://lighterfootstep.com/2008/05/five-reasons-not-to-drink-bottled-water/
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sns-yourmoney-0910spending,0,3316261.story

The Nose Knows

I have been sick all week. During that week, I blew my nose about a million times. Now, I don't regularly buy any type of Kleenex-type product, we use good old t.p. for the occasional nose blowing. We are generally a very healthy family, so this really doesn't come up often. Towards the end of the second long day of sickness, I was regretting my frugal nature. I would have done just about anything for a nice, soft tissue to use on my poor, broken nose.

Wave had also been sick and purchased a 3 pack of travel-sized Kleenex from Target for $.99. ($o.o22/tissue) I commandeered the remaining 2 packs while he was at work. My nose was grateful for the change, but my hands got the short end of the stick. Every time I blew my nose, all the disgusting snot ended up going through the tissue and all over my hands. That meant much more handwashing and much drier hands.

Once I ran out of the Kleenex, I searched the house frantically for anything else to use. Buried under a bunch of other junk in the bathroom cupboard, I found 2 travel packs of Trader Joe's tissue paper. When I opened the first one up and used it, I was overjoyed! These tissues are HUGE! I actually felt like I was not using up enough of each one. While not super-soft, they were still a huge improvement over t.p. As a bonus, they are made of 100% recycled, 35% post consumer product. They are cheaper than the Kleenex travel pack. They come in a 10 pack of 10 tissues each for $1.29. That works out to only $o.0129/tissue.

Wave came home with more tissues for me once the TJ's brand was gone. This time it was 2 nice big boxes of Puffs plus lotion. Of course, the large size was nice, the lotion felt great. Only draw back - all that lotion gave me a zit right on my nose. My husband does not remember how much he paid for them. After some online research, I will guesstimate that the box of 132, 2 ply tissues cost about $1.99. That would equal $0.015 per tissue.

Overall, my choice for best tissue is the Trader Joe's. They are the cheapest and have a big size for a travel pack. They are also the most environmentally responsible. Most importantly, they come from my favorite store!

http://www.ehow.com/how_9504_blow-nose.html