Weekends can be tough around here with four kids. Mondays are always welcome. The house looks like a tornado came through but it is quite now after the storm.
Weekday mornings make me wish my kids ate school lunches. I understand the desire to buy overpriced juice boxes and lunchables. Packing lunches is time consuming and difficult on those of us who aren't morning people. My kids are picky changing thier taste with the wind. I am always looking for new and easy ideas for lunch boxes.
Today's lunch bag.
Nutty Bar:On sale so I made an exception
Juicy Juice box :These are an example of my falling off the wagon.
Homemade Peanut Honey balls
Orange Slices
Refillable bottle of water.
Todays frugal tips (also enviromentally friendly) include a lunch box, snack recipe;
1. Peanut Honey Balls:
1/2 C. Honey
1 C.Peanut Butter
1 C. Dried Milk
1/2 to 1 C.Oatmeal (Quick or slow cooking)
Options:
You may add chocolate chips
Roll in dried coconut or sunflower seeds.
Mix first four ingredients add choc.or carob chips if using. Using wax paper or a plate roll in coconut or sunflower seeds if you choose.
We like them frozen served with milk.
2. Avoid individually packed anything as often as possible. I cave occasionally but for the most part buy very litte. Use tupper ware or yogurt containers to pack food. Throw in a cloth napkin.
3. Ideas for lunch boxes:
Homemade cookies or muffins
Sliced fresh or canned fruit
Sandwiches that won't spoil try using bagels,tortillas, and crackers
Pretzels,popcorn,rice or popcorn cakes
raw veggies
homemade pudding,jello or yogurt
cheese
homemade bread or bread sticks, fruit and/or nut breads
Milk, juice or water in a reusable bottle
Monday, April 30, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
little things matter
Little things matter. Have you ever heard "Eat an elephant one bite at a time"?
When it comes to saving money and the enviroment the little things really matter.
You have a chance to do something big only once in a great while. For example, buying a car. You can choose a gas guzzler, a hybrid or a car that gets plain good gas milage. This will save you money and help reduce your carbon footprint. However on a daily basis you can choose how much you drive:this can really add up quickly.
1. Consider driving an older car as long as you can. Consuming less of the worlds goods is good for the enviroment. Keep it tuned up, change the oil, rotate the tires and a good car will last a long time. I have a 1998 Honda Oddessey and it's still going stong at 23 to 26 m.p.g. This hauls our family of six just fine.
2. Plan your trips effectively making a cirle around town. U.P.S. does this minimizing left turns. I plan to run errands on days I have appointments or have to work. I plan my errands around the same part of town. Sometimes if I have a lot to do I write out a list and number it in order of easy drive ability. This way I go in a general circle and keep my milage as low as possible.
3. Run errnds with a friend or carpool. If public transportation is an option use it. If you can walk or ride a bike even better.
Namaste.
Courtney
When it comes to saving money and the enviroment the little things really matter.
You have a chance to do something big only once in a great while. For example, buying a car. You can choose a gas guzzler, a hybrid or a car that gets plain good gas milage. This will save you money and help reduce your carbon footprint. However on a daily basis you can choose how much you drive:this can really add up quickly.
1. Consider driving an older car as long as you can. Consuming less of the worlds goods is good for the enviroment. Keep it tuned up, change the oil, rotate the tires and a good car will last a long time. I have a 1998 Honda Oddessey and it's still going stong at 23 to 26 m.p.g. This hauls our family of six just fine.
2. Plan your trips effectively making a cirle around town. U.P.S. does this minimizing left turns. I plan to run errands on days I have appointments or have to work. I plan my errands around the same part of town. Sometimes if I have a lot to do I write out a list and number it in order of easy drive ability. This way I go in a general circle and keep my milage as low as possible.
3. Run errnds with a friend or carpool. If public transportation is an option use it. If you can walk or ride a bike even better.
Namaste.
Courtney
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Voluntary Simplicity
Today I taught a morning yoga class and then led a course on Voluntary Simplicity.
I am a facilitator by no means an expert. Today's topic was " Do you have the time?'.
For an hour we went back and forth about choosing whats important to us and taking time to enjoy the process. I am wrapping it up and finishing the class and without a thought I said " Well we only have thirty seconds left". As soon as I said it I realized how crazy it sounded.Of course laughter erupted from the sweet lady next to me as she caught the irony in my words. The course makes me stop and think about the choices I make and see them for what they are. Only I can make those choices. We have more control over our lives than we think. I think the hardest part sometimes is looking at your life and taking the responsibility for where we find ourselves.
I chose to go to lunch and do errands with a friend today. This is my segway for the three tips:
1. Run errands in close proximity to one another. Avoid making excess trips all over town. A little planning saves gas and carbon emissions. If you can combine errands with a friend.
2. Use a reusable shopping bag for all errands. I have collected tons of these. They are easier to fill up and carry. This saves trees, keeps plastic bags out of our landfills, and protects wildlife from getting harmed by the bags.
3. Spend time with friends everyweek who have common interest in the enviroment. Community is so important to your mental health. Being able to discuss your concerns and solutions is a powerful tool to helping you feel like your not alone in your plight.
Namaste'
Courtney
I am a facilitator by no means an expert. Today's topic was " Do you have the time?'.
For an hour we went back and forth about choosing whats important to us and taking time to enjoy the process. I am wrapping it up and finishing the class and without a thought I said " Well we only have thirty seconds left". As soon as I said it I realized how crazy it sounded.Of course laughter erupted from the sweet lady next to me as she caught the irony in my words. The course makes me stop and think about the choices I make and see them for what they are. Only I can make those choices. We have more control over our lives than we think. I think the hardest part sometimes is looking at your life and taking the responsibility for where we find ourselves.
I chose to go to lunch and do errands with a friend today. This is my segway for the three tips:
1. Run errands in close proximity to one another. Avoid making excess trips all over town. A little planning saves gas and carbon emissions. If you can combine errands with a friend.
2. Use a reusable shopping bag for all errands. I have collected tons of these. They are easier to fill up and carry. This saves trees, keeps plastic bags out of our landfills, and protects wildlife from getting harmed by the bags.
3. Spend time with friends everyweek who have common interest in the enviroment. Community is so important to your mental health. Being able to discuss your concerns and solutions is a powerful tool to helping you feel like your not alone in your plight.
Namaste'
Courtney
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
getting out of debt
My husband Blake and I have been trying to get out of debt since March 2003. The big new house we built wasn't so appealing when there wasn't enough money to buy groceries. Barbara, our therapist said "Oh, your house poor". I had never heard the term before but yes indeed we were "House Poor".
Four years later I am sitting in a seventy seven year old home we bought at an auction for $98,000. A pretty good deal in our neck of the woods. Its not as fancy and the neighborhood doesn't have the status that our other one had, but I don't miss it at all. This neighborhood is old and the yards are big, the trees are full and there are children and good roads for walking. It's interesting how we fall into the trap of thinking we "need" something. The new house had three bedrooms and three bathrooms and an office. For the past two years we have had two bedrooms and one bath with three kids and we just added another child. She was happy to have a converted sun room. Now we are not saints so I need to add that we are adding two bedrooms and a bath but we are doing this on a tight budget and it is very basic.
We are still well within our range of affordability. We are in such a better place financially now than four years ago.
At every turn we have considered how to build as green as possible. On that note I will incorporate the three tips for the day from our experience:
1. Where possible put cellulose insulation in. Ours is from recycled newspaper and the price increase was nominal.
2 Build the smallest footprint you can, building only what you need. In our home we converted a large closet and hallway into a new bathroom by moving some walls. The addition is 24 by 16 feet using the large attic as another bedroom. This took a lot of thought and planning so I encourage you to live in your space and educate yourself before you build on.
Doing so protects wildlife and uses up less resources.
3. REUSE,RECYCLE,REDUCE: We purchased many items from Habitat for Humanity. Friends and family gave us things they no longer needed. Recycled we have:cabinets, doors, trim, toilets, sinks, hardware,and paint (that we mixed ourselves from mistints @ $5 a gallon: get creative). Most of our furniture is second hand and the other things came from IKEA. IKEA is environmentally responsible.
Part of the floors are the foundation that we stained from some stain we gleaned from a friend. I was sick to put carpet in but our budget just didn't allow anything else, we are limited on what we can purchase in our area. Industrial grade carpet with a tight weave and an antimicrobial, anti fungal pad proved to be the better choice on our budget.
Take your time and think about all of your options and be as creative as you can . Build for the way you live not for resale.
Namaste"
Courtney
Four years later I am sitting in a seventy seven year old home we bought at an auction for $98,000. A pretty good deal in our neck of the woods. Its not as fancy and the neighborhood doesn't have the status that our other one had, but I don't miss it at all. This neighborhood is old and the yards are big, the trees are full and there are children and good roads for walking. It's interesting how we fall into the trap of thinking we "need" something. The new house had three bedrooms and three bathrooms and an office. For the past two years we have had two bedrooms and one bath with three kids and we just added another child. She was happy to have a converted sun room. Now we are not saints so I need to add that we are adding two bedrooms and a bath but we are doing this on a tight budget and it is very basic.
We are still well within our range of affordability. We are in such a better place financially now than four years ago.
At every turn we have considered how to build as green as possible. On that note I will incorporate the three tips for the day from our experience:
1. Where possible put cellulose insulation in. Ours is from recycled newspaper and the price increase was nominal.
2 Build the smallest footprint you can, building only what you need. In our home we converted a large closet and hallway into a new bathroom by moving some walls. The addition is 24 by 16 feet using the large attic as another bedroom. This took a lot of thought and planning so I encourage you to live in your space and educate yourself before you build on.
Doing so protects wildlife and uses up less resources.
3. REUSE,RECYCLE,REDUCE: We purchased many items from Habitat for Humanity. Friends and family gave us things they no longer needed. Recycled we have:cabinets, doors, trim, toilets, sinks, hardware,and paint (that we mixed ourselves from mistints @ $5 a gallon: get creative). Most of our furniture is second hand and the other things came from IKEA. IKEA is environmentally responsible.
Part of the floors are the foundation that we stained from some stain we gleaned from a friend. I was sick to put carpet in but our budget just didn't allow anything else, we are limited on what we can purchase in our area. Industrial grade carpet with a tight weave and an antimicrobial, anti fungal pad proved to be the better choice on our budget.
Take your time and think about all of your options and be as creative as you can . Build for the way you live not for resale.
Namaste"
Courtney
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Always questioning myself
Today I am late on what I had hoped would be an every morning adventure of journaling.
My middle son has been home sick, as he sits on my desk as I write this. The electricians picked today to come finish rewiring our seventy seven year old home. So today it has been hard to get to my computer.
Yesterday I was pondering how to go about doing this so I would have a good journal when a year was up. Do I make categories, free-verse, etc cc...... Then I was pondering how to go about this with out offending anyone. One of my faults as a codependent. I realize just to write publicly everyday is a bit of a risk. Not everyone will agree with me and I think at thirty-six I feel adult enough to deal with that, maybe.
Americans and persons abroad are finally waking up to see how we are damaging our world. Some people complain and others say they only want to look at solutions and be positive. My attitude changes everyday. Some days quite frankly I am ticked off at this administration and the the people who say this is a cycle. Every notable scientist on this subject agrees that this is caused by humans and we have a short time to correct it. You can already see changes happening in our world and in you own backyard. We had flowers blooming around Christmas, tell me that's not weird.
Other days I am more about the solution and my codependent nature takes over and cowers at confrontation.
On that note: My three tips for the day:
Frugality: The front & back of the sell ads in your mid week paper have your loss leaders (the best deals) if you can have an iron will and only buy these in each store in your area you can save a lot of money. I plan to stop in when I am in the area: not make special trips. For instance this week Harvest Foods had gallons of milk on for $2.50 each, normally these are as much as $3.39. I saved $.89 per gallon and I went twice and purchased 5 each (I have four kids). This saved me $8.90. I purchased other sell items at two other stores also and we ate meals around these items.
My kids may drink more water next month.
Environmental:
Something everyone can do today is go around your house and turn off the lights, except for what you need. Turn the air up to as close to 78 as you can stand it and turn on your ceiling fans.
Then hang a load of laundry. Don't have a close line? Use your shower rod. You can put the dry clothes in the drier for 5 minutes to soften.
Family:
In stead of sitting on the couch watching t.v. take a walk tonight after dinner. Have your kids or your spouse help you clean up the house for 10 to 30 minutes when you get back. Working together you can accomplish a lot. Kids feel better about themselves when they contribute and can see that they make a difference. Give lots of praise to your kids (even if they don't do the house work to your standards) this makes them feel proud< this works good on husbands too.
Namaste"
Courtney
My middle son has been home sick, as he sits on my desk as I write this. The electricians picked today to come finish rewiring our seventy seven year old home. So today it has been hard to get to my computer.
Yesterday I was pondering how to go about doing this so I would have a good journal when a year was up. Do I make categories, free-verse, etc cc...... Then I was pondering how to go about this with out offending anyone. One of my faults as a codependent. I realize just to write publicly everyday is a bit of a risk. Not everyone will agree with me and I think at thirty-six I feel adult enough to deal with that, maybe.
Americans and persons abroad are finally waking up to see how we are damaging our world. Some people complain and others say they only want to look at solutions and be positive. My attitude changes everyday. Some days quite frankly I am ticked off at this administration and the the people who say this is a cycle. Every notable scientist on this subject agrees that this is caused by humans and we have a short time to correct it. You can already see changes happening in our world and in you own backyard. We had flowers blooming around Christmas, tell me that's not weird.
Other days I am more about the solution and my codependent nature takes over and cowers at confrontation.
On that note: My three tips for the day:
Frugality: The front & back of the sell ads in your mid week paper have your loss leaders (the best deals) if you can have an iron will and only buy these in each store in your area you can save a lot of money. I plan to stop in when I am in the area: not make special trips. For instance this week Harvest Foods had gallons of milk on for $2.50 each, normally these are as much as $3.39. I saved $.89 per gallon and I went twice and purchased 5 each (I have four kids). This saved me $8.90. I purchased other sell items at two other stores also and we ate meals around these items.
My kids may drink more water next month.
Environmental:
Something everyone can do today is go around your house and turn off the lights, except for what you need. Turn the air up to as close to 78 as you can stand it and turn on your ceiling fans.
Then hang a load of laundry. Don't have a close line? Use your shower rod. You can put the dry clothes in the drier for 5 minutes to soften.
Family:
In stead of sitting on the couch watching t.v. take a walk tonight after dinner. Have your kids or your spouse help you clean up the house for 10 to 30 minutes when you get back. Working together you can accomplish a lot. Kids feel better about themselves when they contribute and can see that they make a difference. Give lots of praise to your kids (even if they don't do the house work to your standards) this makes them feel proud< this works good on husbands too.
Namaste"
Courtney
Monday, April 23, 2007
so much in my head
I literally have a headache there is so much in my head about enviromental issues, frugality, and raising a big family. I constantly feel frustrated living in a small southern community where I am often looked at with raised eyebrows when I bring my own groceries bags.
This year I will dedicate writing down every week day the ideas and tips i want to share with others.
1. Plant some chocolate mint near a downspout or outside water spout and it will grow like crazy.
I use this in tea but I found it great to deter black ants. I just put a stem in my cabinet and no more ants.
2. Cottonelle, Viva, Charmin, Kleenex, Puffs, and Bounty are all made with paper from 100 to 150 year old trees in Virgin Forest in Northern Canada: Buy post consumer recycled paper products whenever you can.
3. A good rule of thumb: One light (compact florescent of course) per person in the house. It is better to turn the light off when you leave the room for more than 10 minutes.
Namaste"
Courtney
This year I will dedicate writing down every week day the ideas and tips i want to share with others.
1. Plant some chocolate mint near a downspout or outside water spout and it will grow like crazy.
I use this in tea but I found it great to deter black ants. I just put a stem in my cabinet and no more ants.
2. Cottonelle, Viva, Charmin, Kleenex, Puffs, and Bounty are all made with paper from 100 to 150 year old trees in Virgin Forest in Northern Canada: Buy post consumer recycled paper products whenever you can.
3. A good rule of thumb: One light (compact florescent of course) per person in the house. It is better to turn the light off when you leave the room for more than 10 minutes.
Namaste"
Courtney
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