greengirl

30 Days!

2011-09-20T06:18:00.000-07:00

I love TED! I mean I really love TED. Who is TED? Ted talks, if you have not seen TED Talks, you must. It's some of the brightest minds speaking on a variety of topics from science to sociology. This Ted Talk was a huge inspiration for me.

http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days.html

Matt Cutts speaks on trying something new for 30 days.

Try something you have always wanted to add to your life or subtract from your life. Start a new habit or get rid of a nasty habit. I mean come on, it's only 30 days, you can do it!

Here is my current 30 day list. Like most things I always change the rules a bit. Mine are simple so I am doing several over a thirty day period.

1. Give everyone in the family at least one hug a day. (Pretty much do this but sometimes they escape before I can grab them.)

2. Work out ten minutes a day. Now I'm pretty good at exercise but I am trying to make sure each a.m. at 9:00 I do at least 10 minutes of exercise..because you know what happens when you commit to 10 minutes, you usually go longer. Which leads to #3.

3. Follow a schedule for the weekday. I will work until I pass out. It's hard for me to rest. I'm passionate about my work and enjoy it. The problem is I get hyper focused on one part of work and don't have much balance. So I am trying to build in some time to do things that I enjoy that are not work based. So this leads to #4.

4. Inspired by my second child, Cole. He asked me to take him to the thrift store for some clothes. I do not like to shop, but if I do shop I feel so much better about it at a thrift store because I know I'm not putting more "stuff" into our society. My goal this month is to go to three thrift stores a week, this is a lot of shopping for me. We picked up a two pairs of shoes for Cole yesterday, one pair retails over $100 and we paid $7. * I should say I'm really good at getting rid of stuff. In my hallway there is always baskets full of stuff to give away, which keeps the house from getting clutter.

So I have to go now...I'm getting off schedule. I'll keep you posted!

Summertime Home State Vacay

2011-09-20T05:30:00.000-07:00

Red Apple Inn Courtyard

I failed to report on our stay-cation early due to me working all summer. We ended up not staying home but going on a short trip here in Arkansas for three days.
We visited Greers Ferry, a lake resort community about 2.5 hours from home.
We chose to stay at the Red Apple Inn, a Country Club Community in Arkansas. Due to our finances being a little tight I took advantage of the trip as a way to scout out teachers for the yoga school, this allows me to use part of our expenses for a write off, plus hopefully find more students.
The hotel was much more expensive than I expected: Lesson learned: We should have learned to camp with four kids!!!
However I am such a huge fan of Faye Jones Architecture and the hotel was either designed by Faye Jones or one of his student, sadly no one was sure and we were not able to confirm. However we know he designed several houses in this area.. It was super cool and worth the stay just for the architecture, and the pool. The pool was awesome!
Here are some of the things we did for free or low cost:

Swam in the pool every day.
Walked downtown
Visited the fish hatchery and state park with JFK memorial.
Had Subway for breakfast.
Packed meals and ate at least one or two meals, and all snacks at the hotel each day.
Visited a used book store and bought a stack of books for $4.50.
Visited a cool little Yoga/ Eastern Indian Store and purchases some things for the yoga studio $65, but a work expense. Plus the sweet lady gave us love beads for free.
Found a neat self serve yogurt place that was very reasonable.
Worked out in the workout room and used the hot tub.
Visited one restaurant a day, kids drank water (saves a minimum of $12).
We got lucky and the awesome movie theater had a Tuesday night special, movie, drink and popcorn for $4.00. We saw the new Harry Potter. It was a super nice theater and the whole family was $24.00! Unfortunately we did not know that the popcorn and soda was included until the next day when someone mentioned this to us. On the upside I guess we saved some calories.

All in all the hotel for two rooms for two nights and one meal for Blake and I (they are famous for their restaurant, we didn't take the kids) was $525. The other expenses such as gas and food amounted to right at $300, also we had to pay a kennel fee of $60. Not a cheap trip at $885 but not expensive considering we had four teens with us and they eat like four adults. Normally when we go on a vacation it cost us approx $2400 for five days, spending approx $150 a night on a house or hotel.

We may be exploring camping in yurts on our next trip to North Carolina. My moms partner happens to own some R.V. campgrounds with yurts and cottages and they run about half the cost of a hotel. Fortunately they are all along our next route.

We are saving now for a trip out east next summer in the mid summer heat. My goal is to get away from Arkansas during the 100 + days.

Stay-cation

2011-07-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

My sweet neighbors were just posting about their stay-cation and it got me to thinking about our own summer vacation. We had intended to take the kids to North Carolina this summer at the end of July, but as things can go sometimes, we have had a multitude of financial issues come up. Since we are debt averse taking a vacation when you can not pay cash is not something we will be doing. So I thought how can I get four teenagers to really enjoy a "stay-cation"? They will surely be tempted to go see friends.
I have reread over my previous post about enjoying Hot Springs and have thought about all the things to do and I am coming up with some rules and plans.
I mean we do live in a tourist town so surely I can do this! Right? Right!

Rules:
1.Phones will be off (okay so this will be hard) but we will all agree to put them up during meals and family time and not to answer them. Message machine on.
2. Everyone needs to take off work for the allotted time. (Our older son has a job and I own my own business as well as work at the local YMCA.)
3. We will agree to go somewhere every day and no work will be allowed.
4. At least one meal will be eaten out each day (probably lunch to save money) and we will all pitch in to cook and clean up. Cleaning will be kept to a minimum.
5. Computer time will be scheduled as to not interfere with family time.

Things to do in or around Hot Springs:
1. Movies
2. Hollywood Park
3. Library
4.Doc Film Fest??
5. Rent a party barge on the lake for a day
6. Mid America Science Museum
7. Magic Springs for the Day
8. Mountain
10. Movies at home
11. Museums in Little Rock
12. Big Damn Bridge
13. Float a river
14. Big Movie Theater in Little Rock
15. Play time Pizza
16. Lake Degray
17. Arkadelphia Water Park
18. Hike one of our beautiful trails or visit one of our great parks.

Places to Eat
1. Arkadelphia, Honey Bee or Honey Comb
2. Little Rock, Try something new??? Jason's, Whole Foods, Hunka Pie
3. Nom Nom's, LaHacienda
4. Pizza: Papa Murphys
5. Breakfast nearby place

So wish me luck. I will post our experience in a few weeks. We will be taking this time the end of July.

Courtney

Living on Nearly Nothing

2011-06-21T07:05:00.000-07:00

Recently I picked up a magazine that advertised on the front cover "Live on Nothing!" so I bought it. Ironic, I know.
Eagerly got home and read the entire magazine only to go "Where was that article?" There were some cost cutting tips and a few no cost ideas at which I can recall only one which was "Share items." That's all. Do to the nature of my work there are times when we have more in the bank and times when things are lean. So, all in all we have had to learn how to trim the budget more at certain times of the year. Here are some ideas we use. Hope they are helpful. By the way they are also generally sustainable for our environment.
To the right you will see some of my favorite all time books for living a simple lifestyle.

1. Cut down to water, homemade lemonade, and tea.
Lemonade: 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 2 quarts water. Add to taste
Tea: 2 Large family size decaf tea bags in boiling water. Add 1/2 cup sugar while warm.
Arnold Palmers: 1/2 Lemonade mixed with 1/2 Tea.

2. Don't drive, and when you do run errands in a circle and do what needs to be done in the same area. Make sure to cut down on left hand turns which lead to idling and more time sitting in the car.

3. Visit your library before buying books.Then only buy the books you will use for reference that you want in your home library. Our library is fabulous, there are all kinds of kids programs and adult programs for free.

4. Get rid of cable or satellite. If you can use your antenna, however some other options are a ROKU or a gaming system that allows streaming to your t.v. if you have wifi in your home. We
subscribe to HULU Plus for 7.99 and Netflix 9.99 for a total of $18.99 a month for more to watch than we could ever want plus no commercials on Netflix!

5. Limit going out. We live in a rich art and music community and we love to go out and support our artist friends. We save our going out for times when they are exhibiting or playing. Often it's free or only $5. We discuss before we go out how much we are going to spend.

6. Look for free or cheap things to do in your community. Public parks, free swimming areas, and free tours of landmark places.

7. Turn off the lights.

8. Turn the air up to 78* in the summer and turn the fans on. In the winter turn the air down to 67* and sit by a fire or put on more clothing.

9. Only flush when necessary or it would be gross not to.

10. Take shorter showers or baths.

11. Eat leftovers and eat simply. My breakfast this a.m. was a banana spread with almond butter. Simple and healthy.

12. Buy in bulk, but check the per oz/lb. savings.

13. Don't use more than necessary.

14. Run appliances in off peak hours. Usually before 8a.m. and after 8p.m.

15. Grow something. Depending on your ability you can grow herbs or a huge garden.

16. It is summer so grill a bunch of meat and veggies at once and eat on this for a few days. Saves tons of energy and is so good for you.

17. Don't shop. If you do ask yourself "Do I need this or is this a want?"

18. Clean your house. Most people sell their homes because they are to overwhelmed to clean them. Studies prove this. Clean your home and rearrange your furniture, this will make you want to be there.
Here is a daily guide I use.

Grab a trash sack and a laundry basket

Go to each room and make the bed or tidy up the pillows and blankets on the furniture.
Throw away all trash
Stack magazines and books neatly
Put all dishes in the sink.
Put anything that goes somewhere else in the laundry basket.
Put shoes on a shoe rack or in the closet
Pick up any laundry and put it in the basket or the hamper.
Straighten or put up cords and remotes.

If the place is dirty:

Dust
Windex
Vacuum, Sweep, or Mop
Wash dishes
Wipe counters
Change the trash
Empty the kitty litter

I like to light incense, open the windows if weather allows, and turn on some music.

Often times it's not what we are actively doing to save money it's what we are not doing (spending, shopping, driving, seeking fulfillment in things to keep us distracted from our home).
Living in a clean home and having a clean car help free our minds of stress and clutter. If you have a cozy home you will want to be there.

Hope these are helpful tips and help you save a load of cash.

Courtney

Weekend Feeding

2011-04-30T16:37:00.000-07:00

I have a routine on the weekends no matter how much time or money we have, it's something I adopted from my grandparents: Using up leftovers and what food is in the house on weekends.
My ability to do so has been greatly increased with the cookbook "Cooking More With Less." The book has all kinds of recipes that you can tweak, make vegetarian, substitute, etc...lots of good ideas to boot.
Often times I'll take pasta and left over veggies and make a casserole or a pasta dish.

Here is a sampling of this weekends "put together":

Whole wheat hamburger buns with pizza sauce and mozzarella
Leftover pizza, chicken pot pie, apple pie, and black bean dip and blue chips
Roll out pie crust with lunch meat and sliced cheese baked Stromboli style.
Dried Kidney Beans with Brown Rice, topped with canned rotel (heated up) cheese and sour cream.
Tortilla chips, lettuce, chopped onions, kidney beans, salsa, sour cream, and cheese
Jello and Pudding (instant)
Drinks: Crystal Light, Water, Sweet Decaf Tea, Juice with Soda water
Oatmeal with pecans
Plain yogurt with plain nuts

There was more, but the main thing is don't get caught up in thinking everyone has to eat the same thing. My son ate a Nutella and banana sandwich on a hamburger bun with a glass of milk, three of my kids had the buns made into pizza, and my husband and I had leftover Chicken Pot pie. Just because you don't have enough of one thing to feed 7 people, that's okay. Remember when feeding kids: Fair doesn't have to mean equal. Each kids gets what they will eat, feed them separately if you have to to avoid a fight of I wanted "such and such"....

This is actually a very satisfying and nurturing thing for me to do. It reminds me of my grandparents who were raised during the Depression and made do with what they had.

Happy Eating!

Renewal Time

2011-02-26T06:13:00.001-08:00

In the past three years I have worked and worked and am finally doing well with work that I love. However one thing hasn't happened, we haven't gotten out of debt. Our lives with all the business took some strange turns over the past five years, that maybe I thought we were immune to as frugal as we are. My husbands employer required him to get a degree in order to move up the proverbial ladder: Cost $16,500. Somehow I bought into the fact that my perfectly good eleven year old Honda needed to be upgraded to a newer model that would house all my long legged teens: $15,000. Of course Murphy knocked at the door and my husbands car broke down:$2500. Then it broke down again:$1000. Then we decided to replace it:$9,000. Our windows in our eighty year old house were literally falling apart and so we replaced them $6000. Did I mention we adopted a child a little over four years ago. So if you were to compare us to other Americans we look pretty good actually. Our home is well within our budget, actually quite low at 15% of our gross bring home with payment, taxes, and ins. Our cars are used and our payments are half of the average American. Our consumer debt and school loans are around average, but I don't want to be average. Average is not good these days. Most Americans are struggling.
Now while we have everything we need and can usually find a way to take care of all the things our four teenagers need...it's still a struggle. Recently our son started soccer, an investment of $150. Our other son needed new clothes for a job interview $80. These things are affordable yet they add up really quickly, especially when you and a dog with an emergency vet bill at $300,the money that goes to pay down the debt gets smaller and smaller.
Since Sept. (five months) our debt has gone down by over $6000, with us making a little extra on our payments. Our goal is to be out of debt all but the house in three years. Which brings me to Spring and renewal. Though I am not a religiously dogmatic person, I do love the season of Lent. Lent represents a season of renewal, rebirth, & cleansing. Each year we make a commitment during Lent to renew our lives in a positive way. So for the season of Lent I want to repeat last years commitment of letting go and not buying anything that isn't food,shelter, medicine, or absolute necessity. If you need or want something, such as I know we have a big commitment to a parade, we will borrow it or find it at a thrift store. This takes quite a lot of effort on my part because I have no time right now, literally I do not have a day on my calender free until the day of the parade, but I am going to commit. Each year its a powerful commitment, which always results in a renewed sense of happiness with lasting effects.

What in your life can you commit to this year? Maybe it's your relationships with others or possibly taking care of yourself. I encourage you to give it a try, you might just find some happiness in doing so.

Free and Thrifty Fall Fun

2010-10-19T18:14:00.000-07:00

This is specific to me as we are trying to cut our expenses while paying off some loans before our kids go off to college. It's funny most of my favorite things are on the free list. I just need to make time to do them more.

Free Fall Fun in Hot Springs:

Walk downtown
Hike the mountain or lake trails
Go to the Library
Go to a local fitness class where I work. (Do you work somewhere that has a free service for employees?)
Go to one of the many parks
Read
Porch sit, swingin...
Visit with friends
Have friends over to watch a film
Meet up for the Compact and do a swap
Ride my bike
Clean my house (okay so not fun, but I get great satisfaction out of a clean house).

Thrifty Fall Fun: Under $10
1. Take in a movie with a friend, docs are $5 at the Malco.
2. Nom Nom's a bar is $1.50, small cup is $3.25
3. Share Nom Nom's veg. nacho's and two drinks for $8 for two people.
4. Have one great top shelf Margarita with a friend at Rolando's
5. Go to the Farmer's market
6. Gallery walk, I always buy a little something to support local artist, this can range from very inexpensive and on up, but the visiting is always free.
7. Open a bottle of Tisdale wine, $4, and it's good.
8. Watch a favorite episode of "Parenthood", "Simple Living", or "Modern Family" on HULU.
9. Netflix a great movie or documentary.

Slashed Food and Gas Budget

2010-10-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

So I figured out the mystery. I have tried a bazillion different things to save money on groceries, and it boils down to something so simple I feel like a fool for not seeing it earlier. It's so boring, not exciting, and a bit of a pain in the arse.
Meal Planning, yup, thats it. We are taking a class on finances and I could not find anything to slash but the food bill. So I started just making a list and going to the store, no extra trips, if we are out we make do. I do not vary from the list except about 10% if I have to make adjustments because the store is out of something. There has been a lot of whining. The kids are getting used to figuring out what you do when you don't have processed foods to open an eat, you take crackers and you add something, or you grab fruit. They are rediscovering p.b. crackers and cheese and crackers, etc....Not that we ever had a lot of processed foods but they were eating all the lunch box foods, until they didn't have any Kashi bars to put in their lunch one day.
Our food and toiletry budget was easily running $1200 a month and our gas budget was running around $360. That is roughly $1560. So even though we are black belt frugal anyway, we do have four kids and live below the USDA guidelines for feeding your family super thrifty, I knew we could do better. We also are eating fairly simple meals and at least two vegetarian meals a day and often only a few meat meals a week. Going out to eat only happens a few times a month if that.
Simply plan three meals a day, keep crackers, fruit, p.b., and cheese on hand. Plus we only drink water, milk, tea, lemonade, and frozen juice. We buy 75% store brands, and cheap foods like oats,apples,banana, grapes, and seasonal produce. We have been buying 90% of our meat from a farmer who grows local, humane, and organic animals. The quality is so good that the meat plumps instead of gets smaller so you don't need much. Meat wise we eat about a 1/4 of the average American diet on meat. If we go out to eat we share a meal or eat a la carte, and drink water. The kids don't get to go out to eat, sorry kids. We do take them for ice cream bars one on one, or take them out one on one for a small meal. I will share a meal (nacho's) with one of them. We actually did all of this years ago when we "had no choice" but as we did better financially we lost track of our spending. Now trying to prepare ourselves for kids going off to college, it is nice to have a choice and feel empowered.
We have cut back to $800 or less a month on food and toiletries for a family of 6. That may not sound like a big deal but that is $150 a month for all food and toiletries per person including cleaners, food for four animals, etc...

If anything, if you are reading this and you don't have kids, take heed: They are very expensive.

Gas: We started using the Civic when we don't have to take the whole family. The Civic gets 35 m.p.g. vs my Odyssey which gets 15 to 17 m.p.g. It takes $25 to fill up Blake's car, and $45 to fill up the van. Also I have reduced my driving even less trying to use my car only to run errands that are close by or only running errands on Wed. when I work in town, or every other Friday. We are using much less gas.

Hope this is helpful to someone else out there in the blogosphere.:)

Hot Springs on $20 a day (per person)

2010-09-20T06:53:00.000-07:00

Even as a young child I knew Hot Springs was special. As I roamed freely through downtown and in my neighborhood of rolling hills and magical streams, I sensed the difference. Possibly the yearly trips to hot and humid Houston made me appreciate home.
Last week in a discussion the question "What resources in your community do you cherish?" First thing that came to mind "Water!" We have the best drinking water in the world and plenty of beautiful water to look at and enjoy. Driving downtown on Reserve and Spring seeing the steam rise out of the mountain, or sitting on an island at Lake Ouachita, looking out over the sun set of Lake Hamilton as you cross the three bridges....seriously beautiful, all of it.

As for visitors I often think of them as I drive past the expensive attractions downtown and realize these are not the places I take my own guest. So here it is folks. Hot Springs on $20 bucks a day (per person).

Start your day off by choosing to eat only one meal out. Pack a small cooler with one on the go meal, and eat one meal at your hotel or home.

Things to do for free:
1. Hike one of the beautiful trails. (Go to the Hot Springs Visitors Center)There are trails for the easily tired and for the athletic.
2. Walk the Promenade and go down the steps to Arlington Park, preferably at Sunset. Dip your hands in the Hot Water. Let kids climb the tress and big rock.
3. Walk downtown, along bath house row. Visit the Fordyce and take the guided tour if this is your first time...It's FREE! If it's raining you can do this:)
4. Walk into the Convention Center and admire the beautiful Art Work. There is usually a showing on the upper level walls.
5. Take a walk or bike ride on the Green Way and take the kids to Hollywood Park.
(there are multiple parks, find one that fits your desires at the Visitors Center).
6. Visit Lake Catherine State Park, Lake Ouachita, or Lake Degray State Park. Take a picnic lunch.
7. The Library is awesome. Take your kids in for a potty break, pic up a magazine, take the kids to the kids area to play and look at books or play a game on the computer while you read a magazine.
8. Drive atop Hot Springs and West Mountain, stop at the different lookouts. I don't really recommend using the lookout tower. It's okay but the gift shop will suck you in.
9. There are many galleries open on the first Fridays of the month. No need to buy, but it is a good place to take home a souvenir of real value. Try Star Gallery or The Art Church for local artist at a reasonable price.
11. Visit these thrift stores: The Goodwill and The Potter's Clay.
12. Visit the mall, lobby, and pool deck of the Arlington Hotel.

Things to do for cheap.
1. Mid America Science Museum/ Cost $7 kids, Adults $8 and the simulator will add $3 per person. Still if you haven't spent much money this is a deal. You still have $9 to $10 left per person.
2. I would recommend staying at a hotel or condo where the kids can swim and breakfast is included, and ideally a beverage bar is always open. Spend your days visiting the local beauty and history and your nights swimming or sitting in the hot tub.
3. Forget Magic Springs on a budget...it's just not happening and will break you.
4. YMCA: Full disclosure, I work here. If you have a membership in another town you can come on your membership, if you come with a member it's free the first time, or if you are visiting only you pay $10 per adult,$5 for children. There is an indoor pool, many yoga classes, basketball, weights, a track, and a WiFi area to sit and hang out in.
5. Visit Lark Martin, a great little store carrying handmade and local crafts, buy locally made soap or candles for $5.
6. On Saturdays visit the Farmers market for local foods,music,crafts and food tastings.
7. If you are a member of another Garden you may be able to use your membership at Garvan Gardens, otherwise it's about $7 a person & worth it on a beautiful day, there is a wonderful children's garden.

In the evening around sunset you need to do a few things. Drive over the three bridges heading north. Also you will want to then go to the Promenade and walk from the Rehab area North towards the Arlington and explore Arlington Park and walk back down bathhouse row to your car.
Bring your water bottles, ideally glass (The water is HOT!) however you can get cold water at the base of Hot Springs Mt. or on Whittington to fill your water bottles.

Meals: all meals under $10 per person with tip. Mostly local eateries.
Breakfast:
The Pancake Shop: Share a Ham and Cheese Omelet or an order or Pancakes. Plan to spend about $10 bucks per person for a full meal with drink and tip.$$
Gilligans: A beautiful view.
The English Muffin: Also a beautiful view.
Shady Corner Cafe: Great breakfast
Subway: Only chain, super cheap breakfast and good coffee.

Lunch:
During the week you can eat cheaply off the lunch menu at many restaurants. My favorites
1.La Hacienda
2. Rolando's (order appetizers and sit outside if it's nice) drink water.
3. Colorado Grill (Soup)
4. Don Jauns: Cheap lunch, share the Guacamole Mexicanos and the Chicken soup, Cheap Margarita's at Happy Hour.
5.Hunan's: Super reasonable lunch: Drink water
6. Kid friendly: Only time you'll see me post a chain- Chick Fil A and Subway.
7. King Kone Drive in. Veggie burgers :)
8. Rods pizza buffet.
9. I don't go here often but my kids like Bubbalu's downtown. Hot Dog and Burger joint.

Dinner: It's a little harder here.
1. Rolanodo's : Share a meal, they are huge!
2. LaHacienda: Order the Nacho's and share them.
3. Hunan's (Share)
4. Smokin in Style (try the sandwiches or the potato: You can share the potato)

Snacks:
LOVE Nom Nom's: Ice cream and fruit bars are only $1.50!!!
King Kone (next to Library) Small to Med cone under $1.50.

There are many other places I am sure I have forgotten but you can enjoy a nice family weekend in Hot Springs for very little if you plan right and avoid the tourist trappings.

Healthy Communities

2010-08-12T06:56:00.000-07:00

I have been at a Conference for four days on "Building Healthy Communities." Here is an excerpt from a blog response I posted to Step Morgan on his blog stepmorgan.com
One of the first steps is making downtown the heart again. I would love for Mountain Valley Water to be the heart beat of our town again. We can achieve this through policies and guidelines such as zoning so that we increase the density of people living downtown, connectivity: Cross walks, signs, sidewalks big enough for several people, bike lanes, shared green spaces and business and community living and working together. There will be a meeting to adopt a new 2030 plan that will do this and revitalize our downtown which will bring people to live here and reduce traffic problems as it will spread people out broadly and by doing so increase safety. Diversity with density and accessibility makes for a Healthy Community with Downtown as its' beating heart.

Get behind the 2030 Plan at http://www.cityhs.net/dept-planning-development-comp-plan.html
Meet 6p.m. City Hall Aug. 19th 2010.

Day Trippin on the Cheap

2010-07-24T19:40:00.000-07:00

So today I told Blake that I think my idea of cheap fun does not equate with about 90% of American's idea of cheap. No sir, my idea of cheap fun is anything priced at or under what it cost in 1993. That is when I got stuck in the time warp. We started having children in 1993, seems like yesterday in my mind. It must be when we stopped paying attention to everything around us and only focusing on our babies. My babies are teenagers now and it's pretty much costing us a fortune to keep them in clothes and fed on a daily basis.
We are amazed when Blake and I go out to eat at how cheap it is. The two of us can have a decent meal for $25. When we take the kids it's an easy $70 for an average meal. Not planning is a bad idea, but sometime when you are in a big hurry there is no time for planning.....such was the case today. We decided to go to "The River Market" in downtown Little Rock. The kids ate a Nathans hot dog with chips $7.40, drinks for $2.39 and a cupcake $4.50, probably the least healthy meal ever but it came in at $14.20 for two kids. Blake went for Japanese for $9.50, I went for Thai and ordered Curry and Spring Rolls with two drinks for $13 = All total we spent about $37 for four people. Not great. In hindsight I would have let the kids have hot dogs and drinks and shared a vegetarian entree with Blake. Next dessert would come from the Central Ar. Library Cafe - Cupcakes $1. I figure we could eat for $25 now with hindsight.
Across the street from the River Mrkt. is the Central Ark. Library Bookstore, which is totally cool. We perused for an hour and bought three used books for $19. Pricier than Hot Springs Library bookstore, but a great selection and the money supports a great cause- The Library:).
We then walked down to the Bodega and got a cookie $3, and not very good.
Our entertainment was "The Old Statehouse Museum". It was pretty cool, especially the price $free.... you can leave a donation if you like, and we did. The kids really enjoyed the exhibits, we enjoyed the exhibits, air condition, and place to sit our tired selves down.
My daughter, Felisha, really enjoyed the ball gowns and clothes by Arkansas first ladies. Miller really enjoyed the Bad Guys exhibit. Tons of confiscated gambling paraphernalia was on display from Hot Springs hay day, including many photos of gangsters that visited and were sometimes arrested on their stay in the Spring.

40

2010-06-21T14:59:00.001-07:00

Yesterday it hit me....I have less than six months to get the perfect bod...you know the one I had at eighteen when I was sure I was obese, yes that one. Forty is upon me and it feels like it's chasing me. All my older friends I'm sure would like me to "shut the hell up"..this is what I said at a friends B-day this weekend who turned thirty, she sad "I look fat" PLEEEZZZZEEEEE!" She looks awesome in her teeny bikini. The middle agers just gave up all their pride, sported their suck you in till you can't breath maillots (moi), drank enough not to care, and dove in....ask me about Karaoke later:).

I have accepted a lot lately, and quite frankly it scares me. I have accepted these things finally-- and I wonder if it's a great step towards enlightenment or an apathetic sorry excuse?

Four kids and six animals plus a husband -revise your definition of clean. If everyone has one pair of clean underwear and a change of clothes that's good enough.
The kids will survive without vegetables everyday. I try, but I'm tired...pick your battles.
I'm 39 and weigh about 10lbs more than I did at 16..give or take 5lbs as I always fluctuate, that's not terrible. But I still hate it and want it gone!
I'm never going to get carded again unless the waiter is smart enough to know I'll give him a great tip should he ask.
Your middle turns to mashed potato's, you have to be hard core for this not to happen, only my hard core exercise friends or the one's blessed with goddess genes don't have this problem, they represent 5%of the population.
Girlfriends mean more to you the older you get, period.
Your ego still bruises but not as easily.
Life can really get better with age as long as you mind your back yard and not everyone else's.
I'm not aging gracefully, I'm fighting it kicking and screaming. Not for anyone else but for myself. I don't' want to give up, I want to feel good about myself for me.
Having four kids, six animals, a fish, and a husband will make you a little psycho and that's probably okay, they need to think your a little skitzo- keeps em scared.

So I'm going to work on a plan to get fit, maybe something simple like get on the treadmill 20 mins everyday in addition to the walking and yoga I already do. I like the Zen habits zenhabits.com method of making small steps for big progress. Something over the next six months that builds a consistent habit. Gotta look good in my party hat.

Fayettchill.....

2010-06-14T08:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I saw a bumper sticker that said "Fayettchill" which I thought was pretty clever. As of my last post we were about to leave for Fayettville and Eureka Springs with our four kids, ages twelve to sixteen. Our budget for four days and three nights was $1250, not much by today's standards.
First of all I did a thirteen hour car ride, one way, with my kids and husband last year. It's still fresh in my mind. This year I packed the Xanax and the family and decided we would not go more than five hours in the car anywhere one way. Here's what I learned.

1. Food is outrageous, soda will sink your budget.
2. Food is not that enjoyable with cranky kids.
3. A pool is not a luxury but a necessity.
4. Most of the best things you can do are free or pretty dang cheap.
5. Everyone needs enough space to sleep and two bathrooms are better than one.
6. Hotel Breakfast and beverage service is great.
7. A D.V.D. in the car = Sanity for the parents
8. Alcohol is expensive but necessary for the parents, okay I'm kidding....sort of.
9. Animals make everyone happy.
10. Have a really cool place to stay because the kids will probably be happy hanging out at the hotel more than being drug around.

Our Itinerary and Budget if you would like to follow our plan. Here's the skinny on what to do and what to skip. I would do this trip again but in three days instead of four and possibly just stay in Fayettville and Save Eureka for the grown ups.

Friday Paid the house-sitter (cat, mail, paper, etc... and kennel $215. Chick Fil A $28.
Friday, Painless 3.5 hr drive to Fayettville, one stop at Rest stop to pee. Packed lots of snacks and drinks for trip. Gas $40.
Headed to Tourist info spot downtown, got lost, argued, made it. Lady at tourist spot recommended Hugo's downtown Fayettville, great food, reasonable $69 for five meals and two margaritas.
Went to a fancy cupcake spot $18...would not do this again. To expensive, go to Krogers get cupcakes for $4. Everyone's happy save some money. Rented a movie in the hotel for the kids $14, which we didn't have to pay becuase it messed up and they started it over, Blake and I went to the mall and Target for some things we needed $69. Totally worth it. Took kids to swim in awesome Pool. Stayed at the Hilton Inn Suites, 2 double beds, Fold out couch, roll away bed, kitchenette,living room, awesome pool and breakfast and beverage service 24hrs totally worth it.

Saturday:
Farmer's Market: Free, bought some blueberries $4 ate them on the spot. Great music and people watching.
Fayettville Library: A marvel of green architecture, oh and we walked there. Free. So awesome, I could stay here all day.
Library Coffee shop: Smoothies and Coffee $20 (to expensive, skip the coffee shop and bring water, should have bought a couple of cookies to split, we forgot our water bottles big mistake.)
Faye Jones Driving Tour: Free. Not kid friendly, too curvy, kids were tired, hot and car sick. Would have done this sans the kids.

Picked up Thai food at "Taste of Thai' So worth it $15 for two people.
Fed kids at hotel, packed food from home- no cost.

Drove to Safari at Gentry- $58 for six people, kids 12 and under are $8, over 12 $10. I was skeptical but this was the highlight of the trip. We spent four hours here and it was just incredible for everyone.

Went to Abuelos' with kids, $90 for dinner and two drinks. Kids didn't really appreciate it, it was good but not with kids. I would probably try to find a less expensive pizza place in the future.
Back to hotel to swim and have snacks: free;).

Sunday: Slept late, ate at the hotel, kids swam Total Cost for hotel $192. Great deal for six people for two days.

Gas $42

Drove to the Old Mill, beautiful spot to see, beautiful drive. Free. Bought some hot local organic cereals $5.

Eureka Springs: This was a tough one with the kids. We were married here and it's changed a lot. It's still got the hippie vibe we like, but a lot of motorcycles, flies, and tourist...it's a weird mix of people who go to see the Branson like stuff mixed with the hippies and the bikers. It was overwhelming to say the least. Our son has Sensory Issues so he was a wreck downtown.
So we got to our hotel, which was clean but no pool. Walked around downtown with hot, cranky kids. I'm going to just lay it out below.
1. New Delhi: $90 for burgers and drinks. Decent food, too noisy, crowded and hot with kids.
2. Crescent Hotel grounds and the Catholic Church: Free and Fun tour, picture taking
3. Drove Historic Tour and to see where we were married and to the mountain lookout.Free and nice.
4. Streets were quite so we decided to walk downtown again, found unique toy store bought the kids each a little treat $18..worth it.
2.Went to get Cheesecake..it was $7 a slice so we got in the car and went to McDonalds for $4 got the kids Sundaes. We went to the "Lovin Oven" and got a Mediterranean Platter for $10 of fresh veggies, hummus,etc...worth it! Ate it at our hotel.
Monday:
1. Went to Subway and picked up breakfast and good coffee for $12- worth it.
2. Packed up, checked out $126. and went to Thorn Crown Chapel to visit Faye Jones cool church..$5 donation, optional, worth it except for the crabby old lady working the door.
3. Drove to the "Lovin Oven" again for Pizza, Soup, and Stromboli, we all drank water $48 with tip...delicious..PIZZA is the way to go with kids, even at an upscale pizza place you save money.

The smartest thing we did was:
1. Find a nice hotel with kitchen, living room, breakfast, pool.
2. Packed water bottles and made lemonade, packed Spring Water from Hot Springs. Had snacks available.
3. Planned lots of low cost and free activities in advance. Libraries, Farmer's Markets, Walking tours.

The mistakes we made:
1. Didn't have a better plan for meals. We spent way to much money here.
2. Would cut it down by a day. We were all tired and ready to come home by day three.
3. Plan the route home better with planned stops. We took an extra long route in the Ozark Mt.s and I was done with the scenic route after hour one of riding my brakes.
4. Would have planned a nice meal on the way home cutting out the extra day would have given us the $$$.
5. Would have planned an a.m. activity and a p.m. activity. Possibly two meals out per day, deserts a bottle of wine and sodas for the hotel as a treat with the swimming , water only at restaurants.

Our next trip will be to Memphis to the Zoo at the end of July for a two day trip. Hope to learn from this and have a wonderful, frugal experience.:).

Courtney

Spring Fever

2010-05-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

We had no intent on taking a vacation this year, but alas spring fever has its' grip on me. So we are taking an instate vacation. Our oldest son will be a junior next year so we have decided to take vacations around visiting colleges, hoping to give him and our other children motivation to aspire to higher ed.. This year my goal was to take a frugal vacation and make it a challenge. I love a challenge....imagine teenagers rolling their eyes here and husband ignoring me.
The vacation last four days and three nights. We are traveling four to five hours away to a beautiful part of our state.
Here are some of my self imposed challenges.
1. I found a hotel a little off the beaten path that has suites, so we will have two beds, sofa, and a roll away. We'll have a fridge, microwave and sink. All six of us will be in one suite.
2. We will utilize the pool and free breakfast.
3. The hotel being off the beaten path is a very nice Hampton Suites, clean, comfy, good beds, yet the rates were quite a bit less, the total for three days was a little over $300. Compared to a guest house of fancier hotel right in town for nearly double.
4. We will eat breakfast in the hotel, eat one picnic lunch each day, and eat out once a day at someplace kid friendly and cheap. Blake and I will have one dinner out on our own, while our oldest babysits and the kids eat pizza in the hotel. My favorite health food store in Fayettville has a great lunch/dinner counter that is really reasonable. At least two meals will be eaten here, it has great stuff to look at and great people watching.
5. Our visit to the U of A cost nothing.
6. We are visiting local parks and I have found some historic driving tours. Such as the Faye Jones architectural tour.
7. The Fayettville Farmer's Market is awesome and free, they often have entertainment for free also.
8. We will drive to Eureka Springs where we were married to show the kids where Dad and I got hitched.
9. There are plenty of great walking tours in Eureka, trails, and a great old Catholic Church that is really cool.
10. Here's a bit of our itinerary for Sunday and Monday. Everything is free except for the meals.

Tour of the Haunted Crescent Hotel and other haunted Eureka Sights
Museum featuring Eureka Springs' Past
Pivot Rock Trail Eurkea Springs
In Ripley's "Believe it or Not". Only church entered through bell tower.
Thorn Crown Chapel
Dinner at a Park Packed
Drive Back to Hotel 6:30
Swim, Snack bed
Monday:Breakfast
Faye Jones Driving Tour
Lunch at the Co-Op

11. Our budget: $1100.00
House sitter and Dog Care $200
Gas, Three tanks $135
Groceries $100
Meals out $200
Hotel $340
Miscellaneous $125.00

Hopefully I'll post back that I saved even more! Summer vacation I'm ready!

Hot Spring's Compact Group

2010-02-18T19:10:00.000-08:00

Tonight a great group of friends gathered to start our version of "The Compact" here is the email that was a compilation of our meeting. Hope you enjoy. Thanks to everyone who has read my blog, I'm very grateful to you.
What we figured out: We have various reasons for doing this and have different areas we are concerned with.
We agreed to each consider following to the best of our individual ability the basics of The San Francisco Compact http://sfcompact.blogspot.com/2006/01/new-years-resolution.htmland The 21 Day Money Fast http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/31/AR2009123103495.html
I got tickled at how everyone who attended is already so far beyond the average American in money and resource management, and it made me really proud to call you all my friends.

Here is a list of our goals :

* Barter, Borrow, and buy used when possible
* Only buy necessities or in certain cases, like John, to resell.
* Rethink shopping, not only going to the stores but online shopping as well.
* Some will choose not be buying anything except food, meds, & hygiene products (alcohol was a big issue here for most of us,most of us agreed to discern this purchase as individuals) We thought we may need a separate support group :).
* Take it to the next level: take the measures we already do to the next step, for instance driving less, turning the thermostat down another degree, giving a homemade gift, going longer for haircuts, etc....

Next week Bring something you think someone else would like.
We will talk about having an official barter day!!!
Journal your experience and thoughts over the week and bring it to share.

Past post on money saving and cutting back on consumer purchasing:http://courtney-greengirl.blogspot.com/2008/12/green-budgeting-and-budgeting-green.html

We will meet at 6:p.m. on Thursdays at The Art Church through Easter week 2010.

Why not buy more?

2010-01-23T15:04:00.000-08:00

I have been sick for a few days and today was the first day I had any energy. I felt pulled to go to the thrift store to find a treasure. A moment later I realized "I don't NEED anything". Don't misunderstand me, I am not a shopper. However I love finding treasure in a thrift store, garage sale, or junk shop. My husband and I have a love of early 20th Century Danish Modern Furniture. However it has become pretty popular and is not as easy to find now. So the thrill of finding one of these treasures still pulls me in. Yet still I knew we didn't need anything.

So I decided to cook instead. I did not have a plan for any particular meals, but I had a fridge full veggies, fruit, and leftovers. And a pantry full of staples. So I got out my favorite cook book "Cooking More with Less" and went to find a staple recipe. A good staple recipe will let you substitute ingredients to make it your own. I took the Garden Veggie Casserole recipe and substituted leftover Fajita meat and leftover blue corn chips along with veggies and made a Fajita Casserole. Then I proceeded to make homemade Chai with spices and black tea I had on hand . We had some cheese and pasta so I made Mac and Cheese. Then I took all the fresh veggies, canned beans, frz veggies, and some frz chicken from the freezer and made a big pot of Chicken Veggie Soup.

I feel most successful when I create something wonderful out of something we have. I love to make things better. My strength lies in the kitchen and rearranging, my husband it great at repairing, painting, and modifying objects to make them come back to life. He is also wonderful at taking plants and flowers from the yard and making me beautiful natural arrangements. Many people shop or go out to eat to escape a dirty house or because they are just to darn tired to cook. This is the case for me sometimes too, but more often than not I try to make my home a a place I want to be. Cleaning and rearranging your house is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to make you feel better about it.

The older I get I have decided I would rather purchase something of quality that I love, than to purchase several items because they are cheap. Last year I cleaned my closet and I do mean clean. Half of what I owned was given away or taken to the second hand store, even the clothes I have held on to until I lose those last ten pounds. FREEDOM! It felt great. I could see what I had and mix and match more. At Christmas I purchased a few quality items (with money given to me from family) and now I feel like I have plenty to wear, and I own much less!

The moral of the story "When you don't have a lot to take care of you feel less weighted down". When you waste less you spend less and for most people that is necessary in this economy. As I see my friends lose their jobs and have to cut down, I want to get out of debt and be able to live with the freedom of knowing I can make it without more stuff. A quest I never tire of.

Namaste,
Courtney

Frugality- Health: Dogs and Cats

2010-01-15T06:02:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I have posted due to the opening of my new business. Blessedly my business was successful and I am coming to a point of completion of a large project. Many ideas and thoughts have been running through my head that I want to share, and I feel the need to purge them. Here are some current thoughts on "Frugality, Consumerism, and the Environment."

1. Dog Food - Cat Food: It occurred to me as I was dealing with some health issues with my dogs that "Store bought Dog Food" is a man-made invention, and dogs weren't born to eat dog food! So though we do buy organic, no by product-dog/cat food we use very little, because we supplement with real food. Dogs and cats can safely eat rice,meat,veggies, and some fruits (no raisins, grapes, or chocolate please). We eat a diet based primarily of these foods. So anytime I make veggies,meat, or rice I cook up the scraps or leftovers for the animals. We have experienced no digestive problems. The vet recommends chicken and rice for tummy aches.

Here are a few examples:

Chicken and brown rice
Apples and a little peanut butter
Natural unflavored Yogurt
Corn,peas,carrots, veggie stock
Meat Scraps from my Dad's Christmas Steaks (I do not give my dogs the bones, as my dogs are small, and I lost a dog to chocking on pork chop bones when I was a child).

What don't we give our animals:
Processed food, dairy (except a little cheese and a little unflavored yogurt), eggs, caffeine (though Hershel loves to steal coffee), candy, onions(cause anemia in dogs),grapes, raisins,or citrus. High fat processed meats like Hot Dogs,no processed grains such as bread, pastries,etc.

Save a lot of money and don't throw those good scraps out.

Namaste,
Courtney

Food Stamps, Poverty, Drug Testing

2009-07-30T10:14:00.000-07:00

Today I opened my Facebook to see yet another Poll...this is so common with Facebook that you have to accept it as a way for people to express their identity and share themselves. One has to retreat from getting to emotionally involved because someone is going to disagree with you everyday pretty much. I am a Liberal Democrat living in a Conservative town, so I am a minority. Disagreement happens everyday. Most days I am really good at just letting this go by. Today is a different day: (As well as this poll I got a call from the Health Insurance Company's group "Americans for Solutions" a conservative group who wants to stop any govt. health care reform. They would prefer the Health Insurance Co. regulate themselves...that's turned out really good for the country so far.)
This poll is going around "Should people on Food Stamps/Welfare" be drug tested?
Everyone I have seen has said "Yes." At first I even thought "yeah probably," then in two seconds I was thinking "Who the hell are you lady? What have you done with my brain." Three of my friends have been pushed onto Food Stamps in order to feed their kids because of divorce. All three have been professionals or are professionals in their chosen field but can only work part time because they can't afford childcare full time. None of them are on drugs, except maybe the occasional Prozac (kidding.) Now how would I feel if I had to pee in a cup to pay for my kids food. Probably humiliated. The fact is a lot of people on drugs are probably on Food Stamps, and their kids probably are not on drugs!
What about probable cause? Should we blanket drug test people for being innocent? Or should the government say if you get arrested for drugs, or you are caught selling food stamps for drugs then we are going to test you? Then you should not receive them if you lose your kids are do not get into rehab.
* As an aside ( I have an adopted child who was in foster care, her mother was and is on drugs, she probably received food stamps, my daughter was often left without food to eat, this is one reason she was taken into foster care.)
Things change in your mind when you are affected by them or those you love are.

I was a recipient of Medicaid and WIC at one point in my early life, we had kids and we wanted to better ourselves by going to college. In order to do that we needed some assistance. It was so humiliating to use those vouchers in the store. If you had told me to pee for the vouchers I probably would have decided to forgo college and keep my husband working the $17,000 a year job, and our children s chances of getting out of Poverty would have been even worse, and so the cycle continues!

We are now middle to upper middle class and still struggle (we have four teens) but we don't need any assistance. We have private insurance, own a home, two cars (right now three, need to buy one?) an old boat and take vacations every three years. Our kids go to nice camps every summer. If you looked at me: a blond thirty eight year old mom, driving a nice Honda minivan, decently dressed, a husband who has a high ranking job at a college, you would never guess I needed government assistance as little as ten years ago.

Maybe there is no Democrat or Republican solution. It will have to be met with some thoughtfulness, humility, and honesty. Before you put out your opinion remember the very person reading your poll may be the last person you expect is on food stamps.

Cooking for Good Project / Somewhat Derailed.

2009-07-26T12:21:00.001-07:00

Last week I came down with "Walking Pneumonia" this is not uncommon. It takes nothing for an asthmatic to acquire a good old case of WP. Hanging out in a smoky bar with your friends is the perfect way to catch a case. It's been coming on for weeks and in my usual fashion I ignored it hoping it would go away. So last Wed. I broke down and called the Doc. Today is day five on meds and I have to say I don't feel great, my fear is that I need steroids and I detest taking those. No one who eats and exercises like me should struggle with their health or their weight, yet I struggle with both.
Enough whining......so how have I fared with the Cooking Project. Pretty good.
We had enough food to make it through the week except for two small trips. Our total for food groceries is $260 for two weeks groceries, and eating out $89. That is $349.We have eaten out a few times due to some traveling and planned dates with the kids. I plan on three dates with my kids this week and this will cost me another $60 to $75. We may need a little Milk, if I am correct our expenses for food will be around $430 for one pay period (15 days.) To keep our expenses down we have cut out "All meat' at home. I am making bread, scratch breakfast, we are eating less exotic foods and more veggies, beans and rice. We have eaten out three times: Once Blake and I $20 with tip, Will and I plus brought home three kids meals $39.00 (our date) and then we had to get some dinner last night in Little Rock $21 for four kids. This is $89 for 11 meals or an average of $8 per person, Ouch. That is $6 more for a meal out than at home on our regular months!!!!!
If all this math is confusing and it still sounds like a lot of money you should realize that we have four kids ages 12,12, 13, 15. The USDA says the food stamp allowance for our family would be $1089 a month. The AR allotment is less only $700 a month, but I know no one who could survive on that with four kids. Several families I know on Food Stamps are always out of money by week three.
My goal is to eventually cut our spending down to $395. every fifteen days, or $1. per meal per person. Even if we eat out the money will still have to be made up for in other areas. Still got some work to do.

Over the next three days I will make bread, pizza dough, yogurt, oatmeal cookies, granola, broccoli and cheese quiche and soup, Italian tomato sauce, pizza sauce,veggie chili and some stoup (a soup made from leftovers.)

My biggest obstacle: Children, three of them do not want to eat anything that does not contain yeast or cheese and I can only be so creative. So they will either succumb or go somewhat hungry.

To sum it up: If I can keep this up we will save around $300.00 a month below the USDA Thrifty plan, if I can do even better and hit my goal we will save up to $500 a month on food!!!!

If you are interested in how I am doing this and want recipes look at previous post.

Courtney

Cooking for Good Project: Day 6 What a vegetarian diet looks like.

2009-07-22T13:09:00.000-07:00

Today has been a little easier as I cooked so much yesterday there was not much need to cook today. We spent $22.41 at Kroger;s on food. Spices, honey, coffee, sugar, tea. The coffee was $6.99 on sale, Blake was with me and he feels " Life is to short to drink bad coffee," this does not help our budget. I have to admit the coffee was pretty darn good.

2 cups of coffee with milk and sugar for Blake and I.
Today I made scrambled local eggs with cheese, potato's and onions cooked in a bit of veg . oil with a grapefruit, and skim milk, Me, Blake, Felisha and Will.
Lunch for Blake: Beans and rice with cheese, 1 slice buttered toast, and a peach
Kids had a choice or High Protein whole grain pasta with Homemade basil pasta or
honey on toast, fruit and peanut butter and milk.
Courtney: 1/8 brie round with Triscuts and 3 Triscuts with homemade hummus for snack.
I am ashamed to admit I had a Diet Dr. Pepper and sweet tea.
Lunch: 1 cup pasta with veggie sauce and sweet tea.

Yesterday's meals
Courtney and Kids, 1 coffee milk and sugar Courtney only
Organic Yogurt, with fresh berries, bananas' and pecans
Courtney and kids
Lunch: Homemade pizza (whole grain crust) I ate four small pieces.
Snacks: 1/4 piece homemade wheat bread with Nat. Peanut butter
Courtney and Blake
Dinner: 1/4 "bread" and 1/2 cup brown rice with 1/2 cup Cuban black beans (veggies in beans) sweet tea
Courtney
Snack: 1/2 cup brown rice, 1/2 pat butter, 2tsp. sugar, 1//2 cup skim milk, with 1 whole peach
Sweet tea

Water all day.

Kids had dinner at church. and Will had two bean burritos for evening meal.

Tonight Blake and I will eat at home, kids at church. I will go Friday and pick up what staples we need as Blake and Will are going on a trip and I want to minimize shopping with three other children.
Courtney

Cooking for Good Project: Post three

2009-07-21T11:19:00.000-07:00

Food and Social Justice:

Fact:In Oakland CA, a mostly black and Latino population there are 53 liquor stores and no grocery stores , the closest thing to a grocery store is a Dollar store that has some food items. Over 20,000 people live in this area.

http://onedollardietproject.wordpress.com/

Two post in one day is a record for me but I have been a busy bee and don't want to forget what I have done today.
Last night I made bread dough and baked two loaves today. This probably takes about 30 mins of hands on time at the most, it has to sit and then you knead it a few times, transfer sit, bake. Its not really labor intensive and once I get it memorized I think it will be very easy and take even less time. This is not my first bread foray, but they have all been sad in the past, the "Whisk Bread" recipe in cookforgood.com is by far the best bread I have made.
Then I rolled out three pizza's from dough I made Saturday. Mixed crushed tomatoes with homemade basil pesto (gift from Mi Mi, and the best pesto ever!) for sauce and covered with mozzarella and Parmesan. The trick to baking is to put a pan of water in the oven to keep everything moist.
Pizza is easy and economical and a family pleaser. My kids can eat on it all day long. The acid in the sauce keeps it safe and stable a bit longer.
So I put out Natural Peanut Butter, Jam, and butter, made sweet tea and said "Okay kids this is lunch, help yourself." Not one complaint, that is amazing!!!
Mixed up some pepper, onions, garlic and spices with the black beans I made Saturday and will make some brown rice..Viola Dinner. The kids will eat at church tonight and can snack on a variety of fresh fruit or leftovers if they get hungry.
All in all I bet my hands on kitchen time has been about 3 hours today max, including clean up. This sounds like a lot, but tomorrow I will not be cooking much except for oatmeal or some eggs. We will eat leftovers and we have a variety so all I will need to do is possibly cut up some fruit or fix a side veggie.

If you read back to previous post you will see tons of money saving ideas that are good for the planet and your pocket, but here are a few observations from this venture.

1. You can make a variety of foods fairly easy with grains, tomato based dishes, beans and spices.
2. Eating less or no meat will cut your food bill (for us we have cut back to not buying any.)
3. Eat oatmeal or homemade toast with eggs for breakfast, its fast, easy and super cheap.
4. Drink water, then homemade tea or homemade lemonade. The sugar is nothing in comparison to the overly sweet corn syrup drinks Americans consume. Arkansas is number two this year in the highest rate of obesity. Much of this is due to corn syrup laden drinks, and foods.
5. Go through your house and get rid of everything with corn syrup or do not buy any more.
6. Produce does not have to be expensive there are many cheaper options like potato's, carrots, green peppers, & in season produce. If you buy off season or fancy produce you will spend more.

Courtney

Cook For Good Project, 2nd post.

2009-07-21T06:28:00.000-07:00

Today is the fifth day we have been following the "Cook for Good" plan on frugal, socially conscious eating. We were already on a similar plan but this one is quite a bit more intense.http://cookforgood.com/

Day one: Went grocery shopping at Kroger, purchased everything on the grocery list, and took a trip to the health food store for Tahini and Local Honey.

Day two: prepared bread and pizza dough, yogurt, and hummus from scratch. See below post for menu's for Sat. menu. Made high protein pasta with a homemade tomato veggie sauce with a bit of Parmesan.

Day three: See previous post, ate mostly leftovers from the day before and fixed a large pot of beans. This was a pretty lazy day, everyone was expected to eat leftovers, fruit and yogurt or peanut butter, homemade bread and cheese.

Day four: Monday: I had to get to work early and had a full day so I could not cook.
Breakfast: Yogurt and Fruit with Pecans and honey, coffee.
Lunch: for me leftover pasta with veggie sauce and cheese, water
Kids and Blake: Pork Tenderloin my Dad made and gave us, high protein pasta with cheese, and homemade bread (I told him to give them apples but he chose bread. Oh well Daddy was in charge what can I say, the man thinks mac and cheese counts as a vegetable. I have to be happy they ate and he cleaned the kitchen!)

Dinner: Kids ate at church for VBS, Blake and I went to a Chinese Restaurant and split a meal for cost $15.00
Evening snack: Homemade bread with butter and honey and grapefruit. My teenage son had two bean burritos with cheese (yes he eats six meals a day!)

Last night I whipped up a batch of bread. Today I will make: 2 loaves of bread, two cheese and veggies pizza, homemade yogurt, large batch of Cuban Black Beans to share with friends.

Currently I can't say we have saved any money but by day five we are usually nearly out of groceries and our fridge is still full, as well as the pantry. This is a sign to me that we are saving money. It will take a month to see if we can keep our cost down overall. It seems pretty positive to me and I get a rush knowing I am actively saving money and the planet!! Off to put on my cape, I mean my apron:).

Courtney

Project on Healthy Low Cost Eating

2009-07-19T11:47:00.000-07:00

Food Inc. has just come out and I plan on watching it just as soon as I can. In the meantime on their website I found a link to an online cookbook on eating healthy, frugal, and light on the planet http://cookforgood.com/ . With the addition of another child, (we adopted an older child) a few years ago and the cost of groceries going up from 25% to 35% depending on where you live, we have seen our food bill go from about $88 a week four years ago to $300 a week. Now some of this of course is that four years ago we had three young boys and now we have four teenagers. The stories you hear about teenagers appetites are so true, they eat constantly and they eat a lot! Now I have to take into consideration that this price reflects some toiletries and household items, so if I am figuring correctly our food consumption cost is sitting somewhere around $ 1000. a month. This sounds like quite a bit but we are actually comparable to the thrifty plan that the USDA says if how much a family of six should spend per month,.http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/2009/CostofFoodApr09.pdf
So in my cost to spend even less I have decided to chronicle our progress and see if we can get our cost down to around $150 per week. I will post what is working and what is not working.
You should know we already ate minimal process foods. Ate out for lunch about once a week. Ate dinner out as a family about once a month. Meat consumption is only about once a day if not a few times a week. I rarely buy name brands unless they are on sale and are cheaper than the store brand.
We do buy some organic foods, local foods, organic meat, eggs, and hormone free milk. We also shop the Farmers Mrkt. about twice a month.

This weekend I spent $181 on groceries, buying a lot of staples to get started. Much of this was bought in large containers. Yesterday I was in the kitchen for 7 hours making bread and pizza dough, hummus, pasta with homemade tomato veggie sauce, homemade pudding and yogurt.
Today I baked bread, 2 pizza's, and made a strawberry cream pie. It was a labor intensive weekend and I am wondering how I will keep up this week. Currently I have 2lb.s of black beans in the crockpot for Cuban Black beans and Rice.

We also spent an extra $61 on toiletries and the ingredients for the pie I promised my son.

*I have really cooked all weekend and I am tired. It will have to get easier or I will have to find some other way to keep cost dwon.

Courtney

Earth Day & Conscious Consumerism

2009-04-22T15:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day!
I have seen the best and worst of some people today. Holidays have a way of doing this.
It would be my hope that no matter your view politically one would look at the health of the environment and decide we should do better for our children.

The fact that an apple today (that is NOT organic) is half as nutritious as an apple forty years ago causes me concern. There are plastic chemicals in our blood now from all the synthetics plastics we use and wear. If you have lived as long as I have (38 yrs.) you may have noticed more smog and haze in summer. There is less snow now than when I was a kid. Not to far back, only in the early 1980's we would have up to 11 inches of snow on the ground in winter, most winters we had a few days of snow. Flowers bloom during winter now and you can see birds that you never saw 20 years ago. We saw a Pelican in my moms front yard, standing in the shallow water catching fish, not a normal Arkansas Crane but a Pelican. I had never seen one in my life except in books so we looked it up to verify and yup it was a bonafide Pelican that lives in the Tropics!

My husband Blake and I have four children. Our youngest has Autism and Tourettes. It is my belief that environmental factors probably had something to do with this. Maybe in my breast milk (he never saw a bottle,) or maybe in his shots (he showed no symptoms until age three.)
Our daughter grew up in a poor food environment, cheap food, we adopted her at age nine. She had already started her period in third grade!!!!! So we put her on organic milk, we eat very little meat or processed foods. After a year her period stopped and she hasn't had one in two years. This is all the proof I need.

So when we think about the environment lets think about what is the environment? Your back yard, the food you eat, where you live, the air you breath, the lake you swim in, the park you camp in, the ocean that effects our weather patterns, and on and on.

Questions for Conscious Consumers:

Questions to ask yourself in this order.

Do I need it?
Do I own something else that will work for my needs?
How much will I use it?
Can I borrow or rent it?
Can I buy it used?
Can I find it locally produced?
Can I buy it from a local small business owner?
Can I buy a natural or green product?
Can I recycle it?
How much trash will it make?

Many Blessings on this Earth Day,
Courtney

.

Why am I ?

2009-02-16T12:45:00.000-08:00

Many days I have spent pondering (I am a ponderer) what caused me to be the way I am. Do you ever wonder what led you down the road to "NOW?"
My parents: they will be one of the four people who will probably read this so I hope I get it right. My parents were and were not hippies, let me explain my perspective of how they have effected who I am today.
Mom: Gave birth to me at 21. Mom and Dad divorced when I was 15 months old, so I don't' have any recollection of them together. The first picture of my parents together I only received a few years ago from an aunt. Mom wore the fashionable clothes of the seventy's and had Farrah Fawcett hair, then a really big AFRO, and I am not exaggerating: It Was BIG! Without divulging to much my mom was into that party, have a good time,culture of the sixties and seventy's. Mom met Marshall when I was four or five and they got married when I was six, we lived on a farm in rural Sheridan where we raised our own veggies, had horses, and a worm farm. Marshall was a lovely man whom I remember with nothing but admiration, he treated me like a princess and life was very happy. He to had a big ass AFRO. Mom was very indedpendent and even though she probably was afraid I never saw that, from her I learned to that I could depend on myself for survival.
Dad: Dad was into the art scene when I was born, this I do not remember, but I have heard stories that he spent a lot of time on the promenade painting back in the seventies. From stories I am told dad was a fan of Jimmie Hendrix, this is really hard for me to believe. Dad met Cathy, my step mom and they got married before I turned two. She is the only memory I ever have with my dad. Dad worked for the Game and Fish, I think, I am not to clear but they always lived on Lake Ouachita in the G/F housing. Dad took me fishing and hunting and we grew alot of our own food. Being frugal was necessary. Daddy is now a Republican,I forgive him :), and he trys to accept me.... pretty much we have to avoid the subject. Dad taught me about nature and animals.
Cathy:my step mom. When I think back to how young she was when she married dad, it tickles me. She had the perfect up do and cat eye glasses, later she adopted large glasses and a short seventies cut, with those terry cloth jumpsuits. One of her big assest's was how good she is with money, she taught me how to budget and I still use the method she taught me today. She and Dad taught me how to cook, took me to the lake, sat on the front porch with me, showed me how to drink homemade wine (eventually) pick muscidines, and do lots of other country stuff. I think Cathy's being from Sims had a lot to do with why Dad was smitten with her. Dad lived on a dairy farm early on and his mom and dad were very self sufficient. Cathy has all those qualities, and another quality that every woman in my family shares, the quality is in my words "put your big girl panties on and get on with it." Cathy taught me about finances and working hard to care for your family.
My grandparents Allen,Ruby and Clarence: Most of my childhood was spent with my Granny and Foo-Foo. Many reasons go behind this, mainly the availability of them to care for me while my parents worked and my great attachment to them. My grandparents went through the Great Depression. That should probably say it all. We never threw anything out, they drove the same cars forever, not a dime was wasted. Clothes were hand repaired, socks were darned (repaired), tomato's were grown, coke bottles were returned for deposit, and it goes on and on. My grandma was the most loving person I know, and I never heard her belittle anyone or be rude to anyone. She never lied and told me this quite regularly: "I do not lie, I will not lie for you (as in "tell the person on the phone I am not here)," etc.....Her example was a beacon of light for me later in life about who I wanted to become. Her kindness and her service to me and others made me along with my natural desire to be one who is extremely conscious of social equality and justice. One thing that is hard for me to say about my grandma that I didn't like and now strive not to be is "a doormat'. I probably work to hard at not being a doormat, maybe to my own fault. My grandparents taught me not to be wasteful, love others by your service to them, and what's on the inside is more important than what you wear, drive, or where you vacation.

Much of who I am I think comes from my natural God given personality to serve,it's one of my love languages, its my gift. There are many gifts I do not possess and I am keenly aware of my limits. One thing I am curious to find out is how our influence, Blake's and mine will effect our kids and others around us.
The Bible says we all have gifts to share. Iyengar in "Light on Yoga," talks about each individual gifts in relation to the type of yoga they practice.

Why it's necessary to look at our upbringing and see "Why am I?" is to impart what you will share with the world. If you know how you were influenced, you will know how to influence others, and I hope it's in a positive way that builds up instead of breaks down.

Locavore Repeated

2009-02-07T16:14:00.000-08:00

This is from a few years ago,however I wanted to revisit it. It's been on my mind alot as spring approaches. Plus visiting Michelle and Max at the farm and seeing the apple pie eating rooster reminded me of Barbara Kinsolver, one of the best authors ever!

Localtarian

Tonight I have big plans: I am going to hook up with my Barbara Kingsolver book "High Tide in Tucson" and read as late as my eyes can stay open. A couple of weeks ago I was at the library looking for her newest book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" and I looked up and saw the C.D. set. The book was checked out so I got the C.D.. A little disappointed because my 98 Honda does not sport a C.D. player, and I can't keep up with the little adapter gizmo my husband gave me. I knew I would be resigned to listening to it on the couch. The problem here is I have a teenager and three tween-agers. They are all loud and usually I fall asleep about the same time as they do.
So the first night I get them in bed and go turn it on, I am hooked. I come home an hour early for weeks to listen before the kids get off the bus. I borrow my husband, Blake's 99 Subaru as often as I can because he does have a C.D. player. This book has profoundly changed me. Already we ate a 80 to 90 percent vegetarian diet and committed quite a bit to local produce when we could find it. However I had no idea about how bad the factory farms were, the way the animals are treated, the antibiotics, the hormones, the disease. I knew it was bad but not that bad.It could go on for days me telling you. In this book Kingsolver speaks so eloquently that you fall in love with her story telling. My kids loved the stories of the turkeys having babies. My husband was enthralled listening to her husband speak of making homemade sausage from his own turkeys raised humanly. Her nineteen year old daughter tells her side of the tale as she goes to college and is aware of the differences between her friends and her eating habits,they don't want to know: for them ignorance is fine. I enjoyed Camile's experts about the dinners the family prepared and the wonders of simple vegetables.
Locovor is the name given to people who eat a large diet grown with in a certain distance of their home, usually 120 to 250 miles circular. I now buy most veggies locally and recently a friend helped me get some meat from a local farm. Meat is still something hard for me to eat except on occasion but my family really thinks its a treat. You would think I put out a bowl of candy when I served fresh grass fed hamburgers to my hungry crew. A side of organic mac and cheese and all I heard was "Ummmmm".

Tips
1. Don't assume that farmers market produce is local. You will need to ask. Look for signs that indicate this is so. Some are resellers of shipped produce. Learn about what is seasonal. If you see basil in the store in January,um you probably should think twice. There are many books out on eating seasonally, I like "Simply in Season".You can pick it up in the Heifer gift shop in Little Rock.

2. Grow some of your own. This year I grew a pretty batch of lettuce, tomato's, mint, basil, oregano, peppers, lavender and a few very weird squash. I learned about cross pollination by accident with that squash. Apparently a yellow squash and a zucchini can get married and have a funny looking little offspring, it was edible in casserole.

3. Dairy and meat: get local when you can. And eat less meat. If you can't afford anything else organic get your dairy and meat organic. The hormones, antibiotics, gmo corn and pesticides the animals eat have been linked to many problems in humans. The government supports corn and soybeans in huge subsidies. Farmers can grow these in large farms they feed this stuff to cows and many cows get no grass. A little corn is okay from what I understand but not more than 10% of the diet. The animals must be raised with room to roam and sunshine and natural foods to their species.

Good luck out there. My 14 year old said "Momma,a happy cow is a healthy cow and that makes better meat". That is the simple truth.

Namaste'
Courtney

Facing Fear When You are OCD.

2009-01-14T12:21:00.001-08:00

The Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

It would be accurate to say I meditate on my life at the beginning of each new year. It would be accurate but not exactly the whole truth. I meditate regularly, it just so happens at the beginning of the last three years a word or a desire comes to me while I am in meditation. Sure my thoughts have probably been on the subject, but it seems more than that. It's seems to me God is saying this is what I want you to do this year. Its never anything like buy a new car, go on vacation, join a new club. It's always something scary. This year it was "Step out beyond your fear." Uh.... I don't know if I want to do that. You see I am Obsessive Compulsive. That's right "Hello my name is Courtney and I am OCD, and oh yeah by the way, I am a yoga teacher. Yeah that's right I teach people how to let go of stress and meditate freely." For the past eight years I have made a meager living teaching yoga with a heavy emphasis on meditation. So for me its always been about "this brings me moment's of peace and clarity, and maybe if I share it with you, then you to will find some peace and clarity."
My fears don't involve normal things either. I have made some bold moves in my life. Right now I am in the process of opening a school to train other teachers. I am and have been involved in volunteer work with the needy and environmental issues.We adopted a kid who's birth mother, a criminal lives very close.
My fears are about my kids getting hurt or sick, leaving my kids, traveling and dying in a plane crash. Its all pretty much about my kids and me not being with them. So this year I am going to try to travel a little bit for work, and try to face the fear that my kids and I will survive and God will take care of us.
There is a meditation process that I have read about but have not yet been able to try. You go into your meditation and you focus on your fear and basically immerse yourself in it until you pass it, and let go and Let God take over. In writing those last four words I realized that is what I am not doing and maybe that is why I feel God is speaking to me. He is saying "Hey Dummy, you can fear all day and it won't change anything. You must Be still and know that I am God."
So this year I am going to try very hard to step beyond this fear and turn it over.

Things to Do:
1. Listen to Dale Carnegie's book on tape "How to Stop Worrying and start Living." (for the hundredth time.)
2. Go on several trips with my kids and several with out.
3. Continue to have faith in stepping out with my kids to do service work, mission work, karma yoga.
4. Continue to pray the serenity prayer everyday.

Blessings - Shanti (Peace),
Courtney

Green Budgeting and Budgeting the Green!!!

2008-12-15T14:37:00.000-08:00

The tips below these are from early last summer. It's winter now and I realize there are some saving tips that change from season to season that were not included.

Best tip ever: okay not really but good to know, Dutch Oven Cooking: When you need to continue cooking and you have to leave the house, take your dutch oven and put it to bed like the Africans do. Simply wrap your pot in a blanket, towels or news paper and put it in a box ( I use a laundry basket.) The more you wrap it the better. The meal will continue to cook slowly for hours and will be nice and hot when you arrive home.

Winter:
1.Vegetarian meals: cook beans and rice meals. I am making a brown rice and bean dish with tomato's and chili's right now. For lunch I made whole wheat pasta with leftover pea's,mushrooms, lemon juice,butter and Parmesan. check out this blog:it is awesome and from another Arky like myself; http://greenarbytheday.wordpress.com/
2. Try to eat seasonal as much as possible and when possible buy organics and local ingredients. Its baking time, time to make granola and healthy oat cookies.
3. Bake to heat the house.
4.This is controversial but I heat up my bed with an electric blanket and turn it off as I get in, I turn the heat in the house down and stay warm all night.
5. Stay in, don't spend money: watch movies from the library or use red box for $1 per day, cook easy meals, bake together, read, play games, sit and talk. Blake and I don't' watch t.v. but we love to listen to NPR and watch HULU on the computer. I am pulling out all my old "Mother Earth News" and rereading favorite articles that I long since forgot about.
6. Dress warm, light layers keep you warm.
7. To keep well this is my regimen: Eat a piece of fruit daily, drink green tea with local honey everyday, take your vitamins, exercise at least three times a week, choose to walk a little farther, clean house, be active to keep your immune system up, sleep a minimum of seven to eight hours, get at least nine hours of sleep once a week. Drink lots and lots of water.
8. I love a margarita and a glass of red wine now and then, however they cause me to gain weight, when I want to lose weight I forgo alcohol, sweets, and the chips and cheese dip and weight comes off.....keeping the clothes you have saves money. I never eat white potato's,rice or flour, this is the stuff of satan. If you want to be healthy and thin, eat to live, this saves money and stress.

Tons of money saving tips:

1. Get up right now and turn off as many lights as you can without sitting in the dark.
2. Wash only full loads of cloths on cold water, dishes too, turn off the dry heat cycle.
3. Wear your cloths until they are dirty. I wear my cloths over and over and use an apron around the house.
4. Have your kids shower every other day unless they are stinky.
5. Sweep your front porch and drive: gives you exercise and no use of electric blowers or water hoses, saves energy and water and makes for sexy legs and arms.
6. Reduce your meat and milk consumption. Add beans to recipes. Sandwiches made with guacamole, hummus, or a little cream cheese taste great with veggies and a little Spike.
7. It is not more expensive to eat healthy. Buy oats and grains, fruit and veggies in season, beans canned and dried. Look online or go to the library and research vegetarian cooking. Buy the book "More with Less" and learn how to cook cheaply, healthy, and consciously.
8. Combine your errands into one day or one trip. Example I work on the east side of town so the day I work I schedule places I need to stop on that side of town.
9. Check your tire pressure, get a tune up, drive less.
10. Look inside yourself and examine your spending habits. Are you filling a hole with unnecessary stuff. Shopping is a normal part of life and we all have to do it sometimes but ask yourself this question "Do I need this". If the answer is no and you have debt than put it down and walk away. If you have loads of money and the answer is "no" than ask yourself if there is a better use of money: support a local charity, purchase energy efficient products for your life.
11. If the answers is "Yes" then : can you borrow it, buy it used. Don't get me wrong here this is not a holier than thou position for me. On occasion you will want or need something new, reducing your consumption of new things helps the earth and your pocket book.
12. Use natural home cleaning products: lots of information on line. Baking soda, borax, vinegar and basic soap work wonders.
13. Take care of your health and your possessions to make it all last longer.
14. Get your hair cut every 5 weeks instead of four.
15. Only go shopping once a week. You will have to plan and make due. An ongoing shopping list will help make this easy.
16. Do your own yard work.
17. Cook one meal eat it twice or more. For example make a pot of chili, use half the meat double the beans. Eat chili for one meal and next day heat up a baked potato and top it with chili and whatever toppings you have on hand. Eating leftovers saves tons of money.
18. Sell the SUV (if you can). Find a bank that will loan you money on a used car that is over 5 years old (the price drops greatly if the car is older than 5 years). For example we bought a 1999 Subaru from a friend for $6500 dollars, it had 75,000 miles on it. We got a loan for $6000 for three years for $199 a month. We then sold the car my husband was driving and put the money on that loan and paid off the balance in 18 months. I drive a 98 Honda van. We have no payments now and are saving to upgrade the van in two to three years.
19. Get cars that last: Honda, Toyota, Subaru and drive them for at least 8 to 10 years or longer. Buying used and taking good care of them they will go for a long time.
20. My husband is awesome at this and it keeps are cars looking nice. There is a silver hubcap paint at Auto Parts Stores it's about $4. He sprays my hubcaps every couple of years and they look brand new (take them off and clean them first). Also he sprays my wipers with black paint to keep them looking new. We park our cars under a carport and try to keep them clean. I wash mine every week or so.
21. Pets: Buy the flea medicines for the largest breed animal. From Nov to March we give our animals Brewers Yeast in there food, $3 a jar, this keeps fleas off. Then March to November in the south you have nasty fleas so I buy a large package of Front line for Great Danes, Transfer this into a brown vile ( from essential oils) pour it in and use .1 ml in a dropper on my Dachshunds, Mutt and cat, check with your vet or online for proper dosage. We have four animals and this saves you about $75 every three months. Also we buy generic heart work preventive from Dr. Smith here in town.
22. Buy in bulk. Use wash cloths instead of paper towels. I do buy paper towels occasionally, I used to not use them at all but with kids I find they are helpful. However we mostly use cloth napkins, wash cloths, and towels.
23. Add dry milk to your regular milk when half the container is empty. Just follow directions.Last check this saves you about 50%. I have four kids. My kids are not allowed to have milk more than twice a day. We use only organic and at $8 a gallon its just to expensive so they drink a lot of water now. They are allowed some cheese and yogurt. You can get your calcium from nuts, greens, and cold water fish.
24. Pay off your credit cards, get a lower rate in the process: just call and ask.
25. Move to a less expensive house.We did this and life is much easier. It was a huge undertaking but even with all the work we had to do to the house we live in now the mortgage payment is $400 less a month, and we added on 900 sq.ft.
26. Don't bounce checks.
27. Use public transportation if you can: Look I can't say I am going on a bus anytime soon but if I travel we usually have this option.
28. Get a bike and use it if you live in bike safe area.
29. Walk whenever possible.
30. Don't use the credit card.
31. Have an emergency fund: I recommend $1000, but start somewhere. Cut all unnecessary expenses until you have this in the bank. Then #30 will be easier to do.
32. carpool.
33. Go to a four day 10 hour work week if you can. The college my husband and I work for does this in the summer.
34. Don't idle your car. It waste gas and pollutes. Run errands to reduce left hand turns, this reduces idling and saves time. I make a list of errands and in my head map it out in as many right hand turns (and try to go in a circle around town) by numbering my list from 1 to whatever. Then when I leave just follow the numbers. Its pretty easy to do.
35. If you don't have insurance ask your Dr for samples of prescriptions. At least get generics. If that's not an option ask your Dr for a less expensive medicine. There are usually alternatives and different drug stores have different prices so shop around.
36. Ask for a discount on medical care if you don't have insurance. I choose a hospital here in town that offers good care. We do have insurance now however, they offer 25% off your bill if you pay the balance in full: this includes deductibles. This saved me $250 on my hysterectomy.
37. Get proper rest. You will weigh less, be less stressed, need less drugs and less therapy.
38. Learn to do your own home repairs or ask for help from someone who knows how. At least you may barder or work a better price for someone who needs work.
39. Swap tools with friends and neighbors.
40. Trade cloths, buy used, or clearance sales.'
41. Use the library for books, dvds, tapes, cd.s, etc...
42. Use netflix instead of a video store.
43. Share magazine subscriptions: I share with my friends. The magazines I like to keep they return to me when they are through reading them.
44. clip coupons when applicable. But not for processed foods and things you don't use. Kroger's sends me specific coupons every couple of months based on what I use. My usual bill with four kids for toiletries, animal food, and groceries runs about $200 a week (we eat a lot of organics) last week with my targeted coupons my bill was $119. I had 10 canvas bags full of groceries, Mostly produce, 3 lbs of chicken, 1 pork roast and 2 packages of organic lunch meat.
45. After you get groceries use your store card and save 10 cents a gallon on gas. Every Sunday I go to the store and get gas at Kroger.
46. About once or twice a month I might have to go to Walmart if I need air filters or miscellaneous Items that I can't buy at the groceries store. I try to stay out of Walmart as it sucks you in and you spend a lot of money. Never underestimate marketing experts and their ability to get you to spend more. Make a list, go with a full belly and an iron will.
47. Eat in season: Buy local. Don't buy food from overseas even if its on sale. It cost tons to transport and their not regulated by U.S. standards.
48. Find the reduced sale isle in your grocery store.
49. Use your own shopping bags. Kroger's and Good Earth Natural Foods and other store give you 5 cents off a bag. Ask for it.
50.Vacation close to home.
51. Cut back on dining until it feels like a treat.
52. Make a hobby out of service: It makes you feel great and you give back to your community.
53. Holiday dress: This is Easter weekend. I am inventorying what we have and buying only what is needed. Each child and adult will get only what needs to be replaced. My boys don't all need dress shoes that they will only wear once. They will wear their nicest tennie shoes with dress pants and a button down: if we don't have it I will buy used, or new If I can't find what I need.
54.College: If your kids don't have scholarship's then consider community college for the first two years. I teach p.e. and every year I get kids back from university because quote "mom and dad don't want to pay for me to party". Sometimes kids need to mature and make that transition slowly.
55. Also look into Ameri-corp programs, local scholarships, and grant money: I got myself through college with five scholarships (I wrote for them myself), grant money, $1000 from my parents (they could not afford more at the time), and a $2500 loan. Unfortunately my husband being a middle class white male only qualified for grants so we are paying $16000 off in college loans: However his income more than doubled when he graduated. So its was a great investment.
56. Make gifts or pick them up at yard sales and second hand shops. Make cards or a phone call expressing you love for the person. My husband says to me "my gift to you was not buying you anything". He will pick me some flowers or make me a card or do some chores for me. My all time favorite was when the boys were little he came home one day when we were gone and cleaned the house for me (he took a long lunch). That was the most thoughtful thing , I was so grateful.
57. Get basic term life insureance if you have dependents. I have seen my mother really stuggle becasue they did not have enough life insurance. Buy it when you are healthy and young. About 3 to 5 times your income. You spouse needs it if they work or take care of kids: in the event something happened to a non-paid caregiver, thier work would need to be hired out. Make provisions for this it can save tons of money in the event of a death.
58.Turn the air off or in winter 68 in summer 76 to 78 degrees with a cooling breeze using fans or open windows.

I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas: with Minimal Stress

2008-12-13T11:07:00.000-08:00

This was me on the inside yesterday.... until I decided to choose to have a stress free day. We volunteered nine days ago to have a Christmas party at our house. My list was the length of my arm, and I had an intense day coming at work. It looked bleak the night before.
Recently I found some notes from Voluntary Simplicity and I decided to follow what I wrote down: Prioritize my list A=has to be done, B=important but not critical, C= would like to accomplish but not necessary. Then I set out to work. If everyone showed up to my house and I wasn't ready, well they would still love me anyway. We would have a drink and no one would care that I was gasp "imperfect."

As it turned out we were almost ready,except some of the food was not out. It was then I remembered a tip from an Oprah show on party planning: Leave a little work for the guest to do, it breaks the ice and people feel useful and at home. So our friend Brad set out to cut the tenderloins, which this expert hunter did with amazing skill and beauty. Kerry cut the rolls and helped me set things on the table.

I made one big announcement, "Food is on the table, drinks are on the bar in the yoga room, bathrooms East and South, etc.....and make yourself at home, roam free," and decided to take care of myself and let everyone else have fun.
It occurred to me if Blake and I look stressed its going to set the tone. At one point he looked at me and said "How do we get everyone to sit down?" With a drink in my hand I said "like this," and proceeded to sit down and relax, within minutes ten people were sitting down relaxing. It was an awesome time!

Green Tips used at this party:

1. We lit candles in hand me down candle stakes in the yard for lighting.

2. I lit soy based, lead free candles in the bath rooms and kitchen $1.97 at Lowe's checkout.

3. I did not purchase any Christmas decorations, we used what we had and made do: we had plenty.

4. We requested people regift, get rid of something you no longer want, or spend minimal on a gift. We had some really crappy gifts: An Ann Murry album (yes vinyl) from the 80's, a sconce that looked like a catfish: It was hilariously bad. We laughed so hard.

5. We gave a nominal (optional) cash donation $2.25 per person gives a meal on Christmas day to the Samaritan's house. I laid a bowl at the bar with a letter from the Shelter saying what the purpose was.

6. Used post consumer recycled paper plates (I usually use the real deal but I was worn out.)

7. Reused gift bags, ribbons, and tissue paper.

8. Used post consumer recycled toilet paper in the " john".

9. Used organic chemical free soaps and lotions at the sink.

10. Used healthy natural cleaning products prior to the party and after to clean up.

11. Used post consumer recycled garbage bags to clean up.

12. Served food that came in minimal packaging, usually this means less processed foods.

Blessing's for a Green and Sane Holiday Season.

Courtney

What's going on........Advent and Yoga.. Hmmmm?

2008-12-02T08:35:00.000-08:00

If you haven't signed up yet I highly recommend you go to the http://http//thepracticaldisciple.blogspot.com/
sign up for a daily Advent reflection. It takes two minutes a day and really puts the meaning of Christmas back where it should be and off all the stuff. Since 90% of Americans can't afford more stuff the upside is we are all about focusing on other things. See there is a positive in every negative thing that happens!

Also here is my teaching schedule for December. I am trying to give inexpensive workshops, per my teachers great idea of offering low cost CEU's to teachers, and fun workshops to the community. These are accessible to everyone and I truly hope you will join me for some calming yoga during this busy season.

Yoga Happenings with Courtney Butler
Taught by Courtney Butler ERYT -200.

Deeper Explorations Into Hatha Yoga
Workshop: at Nurture Day Spa and Yoga
The corner of Ouachita and Hickory in beautiful downtown Hot Springs.
12-12 Sciatica and using Yoga Straps
12-19 TBA
10:00a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
$15 each session
Everyone welcome,all levels.
Tea and Chai and fun for all !
CEU’s for teachers.

Courtney’s December teaching schedule:
M-W: 9 to 10 am, YMCA, all levels welcome

Thursday's 12/11 and 12/18: 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. at Nurture Yoga Studio, all levels welcome

Fridays, 12/12 and 12/19 10:00 to 11:45 workshop (see above)

Shanti (Peace)
Namaste (The best in me salutes the best in you).

And may Gods blessings be with everyone this season.
Courtney

Sage Advice and A Good Kick in the Pants !

2008-11-25T06:54:00.000-08:00

My friend Katie e mailed me this to get me off my obsession. It freed me, hope it can help someone else.

It is a disempowering conversation. Choose to participate in an
conversation that empowers you and others instead.

What kind of example are we leading here?

2008-11-22T09:28:00.000-08:00

Last night I was told about a woman going into church's and conferences preaching that Yoga (all yoga) was teaching Hinduism. This is clearly not the case, and I can say this with the background and experience to support it. I googled and found this woman who clearly took her fundamentalist theology and got very crafty with her Bible verses, and is using her ideology to market praise yoga,not Christian Yoga, praise yoga. She even says that Christian Yoga is dangerous, it just gets kookier, you can google praise yoga if you would like.

Here is a good article my friend Uma sent me on how yoga pertains to your personal religious belief system.

http://http//www.dlshq.org/religions/yogachristian.htm

If you are reading this and you do not know me you may wonder where my beliefs lay. I would label myself a Progressive Liberal Christian with a social justice agenda. I also happen to be a yoga instructor who has taught for eight years and practiced for twenty. My Christian faith is the foundation of everything I stand for.

When did this country start believing that in order to be a Christian you had to vote a certain way, think homosexuals were ruining marriage, believe sex education was a bad thing, and feel that judging others for their beliefs would lead them to Christ. What would the world look like if we quit fear mongering and loved each other. This is not condoning, if you don't condone it don't do it. Didn't these people get the memo that you can't control others behavior. Be kind, give lots of hugs, smile at people, get your butt up and do something for someone else, give what you can, spend some time in service and less time thinking about how to change everyone.

A woman told me the other day that she didn't speak to her daughter much and her grandchildren because they didn't study the bible the way she thought they ought to. Now what if that woman spent time with her family, led by example in her actions, called her kid and grand kids regularly and said "I wanted to call and say I love you, and I am proud of you". Which scenario is going to make those family members be more like grandma?

Happiness and Hate

2008-11-17T10:42:00.001-08:00

I began this blog as a draft of ideas,jotting down notes if you will on the subject of happiness. It was a beautiful day and all the stars were in alignment and I was feeling very satisfied with life. How a day changes things. Today I am feeling very melancholy. I want to be happy and choose happiness but I have seen so much ugly in the past twenty four hours.
My kids come home frustrated daily from school with messages of hate that they have heard from homophobia, to racism, & even professed Christians giving there version of the Bible to purport more hate. Today after I taught a yoga class a woman (who is a student mind you) accused me of teaching Hinduism because I say "Namaste'' at the end of class. I am not going into that here, except to say "Yoga is Yoga, it is not a religion, it is a philosophy, art form,and scientific body practice." People who are ignorant of this might as well say the philosophies of Aristotle, Thoreau, or Plato is religion and not a philosophical view point for humanity.
So much of me is happy that our nation elected this man to be the president,not because of his skin color but because he was the best candidate. I want to show my happiness, but don't feel able, because there are so many purported Christians in my area acting as if the sky is falling. Today I stand up to this ridiculousness telling those who espouse it I disagree. I would not have done this four years ago as I was afraid of hurting someones feelings, but not now. There are ministers in the pulpit preaching that Obama is the Anti Christ. This is ridiculous. My fifteen year old is questioning his Christian faith in this ugliness he sees at school and in our area. My husband and I have taught our kids to be open and loving, and the message of the gospel's is love thy neighbor, Jesus was love not judgment and hate. We the Progressive Christians, Muslims, Jews and other religions need to ban together to stand up against ignorance and fundamentalism that teaches radical ideas that promote fear mongering.
As for happiness: I printed my notes on the bottom for you and for I to read: maybe I can call to the voice that spoke to me Monday and feel that happiness again in spite of the hate around me.

A dear friend said to me in reply to my sheer frustration today "when the lights come on the roaches come out"... Yes they do.

In love and light,
Courtney

Happiness
Eeyore
Reading Social Stories on the psychological effects of complaining
My children: Eeyore's and Tigger's
Blessings
Writing "Best Job in the world" and believing it.
Maybe I will just believe it and see what happens
Acting as if
Doing as if
Being as If

Putting action to your insides

Thinking of Having a Stress Free Christmas, Read How Here!!!!

2008-11-11T08:23:00.001-08:00

I have always had a disdain for shopping. Actually I like to give gifts, especially when they are meaningful. What I don't like is shopping for shopping sake only. YUCK, who needs more cheap stuff from China? This year our budget is only 40% of last years due to many factors, and I am going to have to get creative. This actually appeals to me having less choices makes this somewhat easier. I have ask my extended family what they would like from Amazon.com or a gift certificate to a restaurant, or local store? That's it. I told them my budget is $500 for the whole season. Last year it was more than double. We have four kids so we would usually spend at least that on them. Not this year. We plan on using our Garvan Gardens passes and going to see Christmas lights for free several times, driving around looking at lights (cost of gas), listening to Christmas music and decorating with stuff we already have and taking walks. I will probably pull out seasonal movies and pop popcorn, and we'll probably hit the library a few times. If you haven't' seen Elf the movie I highly recommend it... When Will Ferrell hugs the raccoon: Priceless Belly Laugh!!!
The other thing we will do is give gifts that give more... I am part of a group of three women who serve on an Alternative Giving committee. We put together charities that are local to global and sell gifts of fair trade coffee and food baskets from Rice Depot. This year as last I will purchase share's to send to Jackson House or Samaritan House and give a card to all four of my kids teachers saying in lue of a cheap gift we gave the money to help feed the poor. The reception every year from the teacher is "Thank you, I absolutely love this and I told the whole class about it."They think its the bee's knees. I hope you will join me in supporting Alternative Giving for the Holidays. Come by the church or go to the catalog and participate. Please click on the Westminster Homepage to the left and go to Alternative Giving to view the catalog.

All my love and joy to each of you for a reflective and meaningful Christmas that shines the light of God on each and every gift you give, showing the love of Christ in your heart.

Blessings,
Courtney

Time to teach, Oh #$%^^!

2008-11-06T12:06:00.000-08:00

My life in no way resembles my yoga..... well that sounds a bit harsh. From the outside my life looks super busy and hectic. On the inside I use the philosophy and the breathing of my yoga everyday. At present I need to take my son to the eye doctor in about six minutes but here I am blogging. Tomorrow I have to teach a workshop called "Deeper Explorations Into Hatha Yoga." I have no idea who is going to show up. I don't know where to start. If I start with the basics then the advanced students will be bored silly. If I delve into "lines of energy" the new students will run like hell for the door or at the very least be perplexed. For me writing my thoughts and concerns down is a form of yoga, it's a form of letting go of the ego. Sorting it all out, facing my fears, honoring that even though I have taught over fifteen hundred classes, I still get scared and feel like I don't know what I am doing. The fact is I have so much information in my head that I don't know where to start. If an advanced student comes to me and starts speaking about her favorite Guru or her fifty favorite Sanskrit poses I may not know all about what she is speaking of. On the other hand I have oodles and oodles of information in my head about the practice, science and philosophy of yoga.
My friend John, who is a pastor, told me that I am at a place where I need to teach, because at the place where you know you don't know it all, is a good place to start teaching (not his exact words but what I got from him). My friend Mary, a yoga teacher, tells me that I will learn more teaching others to teach than from all the practice. I hold fast to these truths and know the one and only goal of my yoga, the goal I preach is "loss of ego." I am at a place of humility and I am hoping that is the place to serve others the best.

Thoughts for the day:

1. Just sit down and be, take a few deep breaths and observe. That's it.

2. Stretch a few times a day and notice how your body feels. Say to yourself , how does my arm feel, my fingers, just notice your body, you will learn to respect and honor it.

3. Be grateful every day for three things: Sure cure for the blues.

You Tube: Audubon AR on Coal in Arkansas and Joe Biden on Coal

2008-10-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

There is no such thing as clean coal. Please watch these short video's and call Governor Beebe and tell him you do not want coal fired plants in Arkansas. Let them know we want our money to go to sustainable and renewable alternative energy.

Call the Governor now before the permits are issued. 501-682-2345

Audubon Arkansas on the proposed Coal Fired Plants in our state:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5zuwEi7YXk

Joe Biden on Coal:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rXyTRT-NZg&feature=related

Act for a cleaner future.

Courtney

How to Meditate (A Process Paper for Writing Class)

2008-10-04T20:07:00.001-07:00

Meditating can be incredibly challenging. One conjures up picture's of a hippy style GURU, or these days a chic yuppie, sitting in the lotus position looking very peaceful. In actuality there are many ways to meditate and its not just for hippie's or yuppies. I started to meditate in my late teens when I started practicing yoga. Most of the time my meditation was a silent mediation or maybe some body scanning thrown in. Are you lost? Body scanning, lotus position, "What is this crazy lady talking about?" Well let me tell you, you are in for a treat. It would be best to read this and then allow someone you are comfortable with to read it while you go into mediation, or try some form of the steps own your own. This practice will take you ten to twenty minutes or so.

Guided Meditation Lying Down

First wear comfortable clothing. You should avoid heavy, spicy food before practice. Its best to remove your jewelry and glasses.
Second lie down on your back on a yoga mat or blanket. If you need to roll a small towel up under your neck, or use a small bolster pillow. If your back hurts you may bend your knees with your feet on the floor, this is called a modification.

Now put your hands to your sides facing up, about six inches from your hips, your fingers curl naturally. Take a big breath in, deep into your lungs, imagine the breath filling your pelvic belly.
Your legs and feet fall open. Imagine a plumb line coming up between your ankles, your knees, then up through your navel, your sternum, your chin, the bridge of your nose, between your eyebrows and out the top of your head.

As you breath in feel your body expand, imagine a hot air balloon. As this balloon fills with warm air it rises, as you exhale let your body begin to soften just like a balloon does when the heat and warm air is turned down. Your body expands on inhalation, and softens on exhalation.

Release the skin of your scalp, soften the corners of your eyes to your temple skin, then release the valley from your cheeks to the bridge of your nose. Release the corners of your mouth and unhinge your jaw. You neck is long and soft, your collar bones are wide. Take a big sigh of relief and allow your shoulders to release to the floor. Feel the expansion of your ribs as you inhale and the contraction as you exhale. Your arms are soft against the floor. Feel the natural pulse in your hands and notice how your fingers curl when you relax the muscles in your hand.

Bring your awareness to your pelvic belly, feel the rise and fall of the belly with each breath. Your back begins to soften, first your back ribs, then your sacrum, and now your tail bone. Release the area where you hips and thighs connect. Soften your front thighs and release your hamstrings to the mat. Your knees feel spacious, your calves are wide, now feel the length in your shins. Your ankles are open and you are aware of the length of the bones running down from your ankles to your toes. Notice the air on the bottoms of your feet.

Take a big breath in and feel your body grow, exhale and feel your body float back down softly to your mat. Let your mind be an observer of your body. Take a few deep breaths, exhaling fully with each breath.

Now wiggle your fingers and toes. Inhale and raise your hands over your head, stretch the length of your body, as if you were on a taffy pull, stretching in opposites. Now as you exhale allow your body to fully release back to the floor, keeping your right arm up and your left arm across your belly. Bend your knees and roll to your right side, just like you were going to nap on your mat. This is called Rescue Position, lie here with your head softly on your arm and breathe deep, as if your breath could fill your hips, now exhale and let your body soften. Your facial muscles release as if they were melting into a pool on the floor.

Press yourself up to sitting. Sit in a cross legged position, in yoga it's called Easy Pose, in the average Americans life we say Indian style. Lift your bottom so you are on your sit bones at the base of your pelvis. Put your hands in the center of your chest like you are praying. Inhale (four counts) and stretch your hands and arms out and up, take up lots of space, just like you are spreading your wings. Now exhale for six counts and take your arms out, in reverse and back into the Prayer Posture. Do this four times. Then on the return of the last pose, holding your hands in Prayer Pose, Say "Namaste" and come forward to bring your head towards the floor. (Namaste means, "The best in me salutes the best in you", even if you are the only one there.)

This concludes your blissed out session of meditation. I hope you enjoyed it. Use this any time you need to recoup, its good to bring energy or relaxation. Mediation brings calm and serenity to your day while giving you healthy energy as if you had taken a four hour nap.

Allow yourself to feel uncomfortable at first. Its normal for the mind to wander about. Keep it up and you will find your life has more clarity and purpose.

Namaste,
Courtney

Alternative Giving

2008-09-27T15:47:00.000-07:00

This was a speech I gave at a local church in Hot Springs. It is lenghty, however it outlines many factors about why we should take action in our lives to reduce materialism. Holidays are a perfect time to think about our faith and how our choices effect other's lives.

Connecting Spirituality and Sustainability

Today we can look around us at media and in our own communities and its very easy to become depressed. There is a war going on, most all of us know someone or have been personally affected by the loss of life, limb, or mental health, in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Gas prices are painfully high , energy for our homes has become very expensive, food is costly, and the poor are becoming poorer. People who were just making ends meet can no longer get by even month to month. In a statement by Rev. David Beckham , President for Bread for the World, to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental affairs Committee on May 7th 2008 he stated “ Enrollment in the Food Stamp Program has increased 5.6% in one year. The average food stamp benefit is a meager $1 per meal per person. In a recent study by the USDA in 2006 they found 90% of benefits were used up by the 3rd week of the month. With food prices now much higher, that meager benefit is used up all the sooner. Food banks are now reporting an estimated 20 % rise in increased help to needy families.”, End quote.
Corporations are now feeding our school children processed food filled with high fructose corn syrup in school lunch programs, recess has been cut from 1hour a day to fifteen minutes a day in primary school, as well as a decrease in p.e. from daily to only one to two times a week. School building are often built without any connection to the outside such as natural light, many school classrooms do not have one window. . 85% of the worlds ADHD medication is now given in America and 70% of that is to boys .Our society has placed a priority on organized sports at the expense of children with disabilities who need more money for resources such as occupational therapy. This has been a first hand experience for me as the mother of a child with a disability.
How is it that this has happened? Our communities after the Industrial Revolution based our economy on consumerism. With the rise and increase of cars, suburbs, & malls we quit building front porches and sidewalks, put up fences and started driving everywhere. My theory and others such as Duane Elgin activist, lawyer, and writer from the NWEI,And also author Jerry Mander who wrote the book “Growing up with Technology”, is this loss in community has lead to loss in conversations and social responsibly we once felt to our family, friends, and neighbors. There enlies an increase in social illness.
In Living More with Less, by the late Mennonite leader Doris Janzen Longacre she tells this story : Outside of our county in places like Ghana and the Amazon, the energy crisis for the poor is the growing scarcity of firewood . About 90% of of people in these countries depend on firewood for their main source of cooking and in colder climates warmth. Due to deforestation women are walking farther and farther to get firewood. This was in 1978,now due to cattle ranches, corn and soy production and other uses of land the problem is far worse.
Bill Bryson, in his book "Bill Bryson’s African Diary," tells of a visit to Kibera , you cannot find it on a map, as it is a large slum with many factories that houses over 700,000 people. The average income is $280 a year. The average person in a slum like Kibera pays five times what a person in the developed world pays for the same volume of water piped to their homes. Every time a person in the developing world flushes a toilet they use more water than the average person in Kibera uses in one day for cooking, bathing, cleaning, drinking, everything.”
This is only a small portion of the social ills effecting our world. The good news from this is this Recession, Energy Crisis and Global Warming it that it has scared the wits out of many powerful, smart and influential people, many who now are looking seriously at how to make changes.
However when we look in the mirror we ask what should we do, why should we do it, and how do we begin. As spiritual beings how can we connect our spiritual self and spiritual energy towards making this a better world. First lets take a look at teachings from the World Religions and Major Cultures on Consumption and social responsibility to the poor:
1. Islam “Poverty is my pride”,
2. From the Torah Proverbs 30:8 “Give me neither poverty nor riches”
3. The Taoist “He who knows he has enough is rich”
4. Buddhist “Whoever in this world overcomes his selfish cravings, his sorrow fall away from him , like drops of water from a lotus flower”.
5. The Bible, Acts 21:25 Jesus says “It is more blessed to give than to receive”. Psalm 41:1 states “Oh the joys of those who are kind to the poor”.
In the Bible it is clear that giving is good for our souls. Giving weather it is physical giving of time, talents, or money the beneficiary of such joy is often felt deeper within the giver. By all means the desire to be of service is not necessarily a selfish act but one that is mutually beneficial.
Many people have asked me in my journey what has made me so passionate, or maybe they really mean so obsessed about the connection of social health and environmental issues. After much thought I could not pinpoint a specific reason, until last Sunday in church. I often call these God moments, when things become very clear. We were studying Matthew 9:37 Jesus said to his disciples “The harvest is great, the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest ask him to send more workers into his field”. My grandmother carried this verse in her wallet until her death and today I keep it in mine. Here I think is the answer for me, and in another verse I grew up reading from Matthew 10:8 “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received.” It does not say convert the sick and give only to the people you feel worthy. I was raised by my Methodist grandmother to live this, and it stuck to me like glue.
We have covered the why , now we look at the how of helping our world heal. Can sustainable practice benefit the overall health and well being of the greater good? I heard someone say there are limits to our dollar vote, or our consumer vote. I disagree. Corporations spend billions of dollars trying to get us to buy their products. So your lack of buying or your buying responsibly is something each one of us can do today. There is a new market that my dear friend Katy O’Byrne taught me about in my time working with her. This market is called the LOHAS market (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability). My friend this market is here now because of dollar power.
Sustainable practice starts at home with basic common sense on energy efficiency and wise use of materials, from your buying to your disposal, to your use of natural resources. You can go to your local library and find loads of information. The next step is actively becoming a part of the larger society, stating your beliefs to your local community from your grocer to your local officials. In our communities, close to home now, I am working on a subcommittee of the HSGCBC, called the Green Initiative for our City Director Kent Myers. There are surveys to fill out on what you are doing at home to live more eco-conscious such as composting, recycling to solar panels and so on. We need you to fill out those surveys and tell us what you would like to see. Each week a report is given to Mr. Myers on what the public is asking for. Much of what I am seeing is an emphasis on more bike lanes, better education on recycling practices, and my personal passion more and larger sidewalks. Will it happen? How much of it will happen? I don’t know. From local activist like John and Karen Gardner who took tons of plastics that they collected from their customers to recycle, and counted the bags, and reported the demand to city officials we now have recycling of plastics #1and #2. It’s a grassroots effort that has taken tons of plastics out of the waste stream. One of my favorite quotes that hangs on John and Karen’s fridge is from Margaret Mead “Never underestimate the power of a few concerned citizens’ to change the world, in fact it’s the only thing that ever has.”
As we widen our scope ,It is important that we educate ourselves on public policy. Being an informed voter is crucial, and speaking up about the policy’s to educate others. In this day of mass media there is no excuse when you go to the poll not understanding the public policy beliefs held by, our to be or not to be elected officials. Then getting your behind to the polls and voting. There is so much you can do here that I could not possibly cover it all, but a few more things would be letter writing and calling your elected officials, joining campaigns and volunteering.
In your church or community you could start a discussion course on living a more conscious life that betters your quality of life, as well as the world as a whole. You can have a day to collect electronic waste here at your church or workplace, if you are interested in either of these its easy all you do is tell me, and I can help coordinate that for you.
In the area of schools speak up to the superintendents and principals on the use of Corporate Feeding of our children, ask for more nutritious food, more sustainable building practices, and more activity for these children. By the way these basic steps can be bought into any work place or place of worship to increase community, health and better quality of life.
All of the above practices will help reduce pollution, increase the health of our world socially, emotionally, and physically. Connecting Spirituality and Sustainability is our calling, its something that we can do and its something that with little effort and tons of effort can make this world a place that sees less social illness, less war and more love.

2008-09-27T15:21:00.000-07:00

For those of you at the Conscious Awakening Festival, here is the information and more links.

Yoga with Courtney :
M/W 9 to 10 a.m. at the YMCA

Nurture Yoga Studio: workshop, "Deeper Explorations into Hatha Yoga."
A five week course with Courtney Butler, ERYT-200(Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance)
· Date : Fri. Nov. 7,14,21 & Dec. 5th and 12th
· Time : 10:00 to 11:45
· Place: Nurture Yoga Studio
· Price: $60 for the six weeks or $15 drop in rate.
· C.E.U.’s for Yoga Instructors (up to 8hrs, 45min.’s)
The five week course will explore many aspects of Hatha Yoga such as, chair yoga, using props, making corrections, yogic diet, & yogic philosophies. There will be discussion time with tea at the end of each class. Each class will include lecture, discussion, pranayama, asana, & mediation. Due to this low price, we do ask that you bring props with you if you own them (straps and blocks) to insure we have enough for everyone.

Contact: Courtney Butler to sign up, or for more information. 262-9297, 538-3036 or e mail at cdb120@gmail.com
You may also sing up at Nurture Day Spa and Yoga Studio.
Yoga Alliance Teacher Training coming Spring 2009.

Environmental Activism
Go to Rcyclr.com
· Start a discussion group with Arkansas Earth Institute, Voluntary Simplicity, Menu for the Future, Healthy Children- Healthy Planet and more.
· Be a part of Hot Springs E-Day (Earth Day with HSGCBC)
· Learn about Alternative Giving with Westminster Presbyterian Church.
· Learn how to get involved. Make connections at rcyclr.com

Contact: Courtney Butler, 501-262-9297, 538-3036, or cdb120@gmail.com

No Coal

2008-09-22T20:12:00.000-07:00

NO SWEPCO

Many of you may have heard on the news about the proposed coal fired plant in Hemsted County,AR. Please read the below information from James Burke. I am adding here my comments for you to read. Please send your comments to ADEQ at the below address by 4:30 tomorrow. This is something we can do to protect our future and our children's future.

Courtney's note to ADEQ:
I would like to express my opinion on the coal fired plant that SWEPCO plans to build in Hemsted County. Due to an increase in Carbon Dioxide, we have a real crisis now that we refer to as Climate Change or Global Warming. It is understandable that persons in need of work would be in favor of this plant in the short term. As they see an increase in haze, deterioration in wildlife habitat, and decrease in the health of citizens, that short term relief will turn to long term regret. Continuing to do the same things, such as, burning coal and other fossil fuels, will only lead to the same outcomes, more pollution and loss of quality of life for all living things. We must not continue to put a baindaid on a problem that requires a long term solution. The only solution to this problem is renewable, sustainable, clean energy.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Sincerely,
Courtney Butler

From James:
Tomorrow September 23rd is the last chance to send ADEQ your thoughts on SWEPCO’s air permit. It is critical that ADEQ has documentation from those opposed to the proposed coal plant in Hempstead County.

You may send written comments on the draft until 4:30 PM Sept. 23, 2008 addressed to:

Air Permits Branch

ADEQ

5301 North Shore Drive

North Little Rock, Arkansas 72118

or to

airpermits@adeq.state.ar.us

Things we can do!

1. Go to your local Democratic headquarters or courthouse and pick up some voter registration forms. The deadline is Oct. 6th!!!! Then get everyone you can to fill one out. Help people fill them out if they need it. Hand deliver them to the courthouse yourself.

2. Call headquarters and offer to drive people. Especially in areas that are in the most financial need.

3. Pray. This country cannot continue down this path of destruction. We need new leadership, that will be responsible for the well being of all citizens.

Bumper Sticker Wisdom: "God Bless everyone, no exceptions."

Blessings,
Courtney

Five Dogs, One Crazy Woman.

2008-08-31T17:01:00.000-07:00

My heart has truly gotten the best of me now. This morning I was chasing down a stud in my nightgown and flip-flops at 5 a.m.. He was about seventy pounds, black and tan hair, chow mix, looking for love with my seven pound miniature dachshund. The dachshund was my neighbors but now she is mine. They don't know this yet. My neighbors are the kind of people who need goldfish or maybe insects for pets. My family said I couldn't spay her because it would just be wrong. My family like me never experienced a dog in "Heat". Now that she is in this glorious state and all the furniture is covered in blankets and towels, and every male dog within a mile is hanging at at the Butlers pooch palace, well now they are singing a different tune. The tune goes like this " Why didn't you spay her?!!!". Its always moms fault. Dishwasher won't work, Mom broke it. Car won't start, Mom must have done something when she drove it. No two socks match, "MOM I don't have any socks!!!!!!". Gaining weight, Mom's buying the wrong kind of food. We are broke, "Mom what do you spend the money on?", maybe food and gas I don't know.

Tips for Today:

1. Wear a heart of steel. Don't take in strays. No really, call the local adoption center first and if they are full you may be able to foster until they can adopt the dog out. The local adoption center is helping me get the newest two pups medical care until we find a home. Be careful using the paper there are some unsavory people looking for dogs and cats.

2. I have said it a million times but here it goes again. Use Brewers' Yeast in the dog food, about two Tbsp. for five dogs and you won't have fleas.

3. Shop around for good dog food at a good price. The first ingredient should not be corn.
I buy 10lb bags for $5 at Big Lots of a high quality dog food. This is $10 less than Petco.
Again a repeat that goes for all animals including humans "garbage in, garbage out".

4. Use a kennel. Oh the joys of kennel training. Put them to bed before you go to bed with some comfy bedding, cover the kennel (leave air holes), give them a dog bone if they are nervous. Usually they will stay quite all night. The first hour or so the first week may be hell, ignore them. They will survive, they will even begin to like it. You'll never go back.

5. Utulize the Farm Co-op for cheap vet drugs you can administer without a vet, like wormer and shots. On the shots if you don't know what your doing ask for help. I am sure I will never get Distemper after my last experience giving my mutt shots. I got the shot in the thumb, he got away.

Courtney

Greening the Church Confrence

2008-08-05T11:05:00.000-07:00

Last night I had the pleasure of attending a Greening of the Church's Conference at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church. The way I felt can only be described as "relief". Relief to see other Christians who care about Social justice and how "greening" relates to social justice. These issues are not separate issues at all. There were people there from their teens (okay only one) to what I would guess would be eighty's. My estimation would be about 60% were Methodist, 25% Episcopal, 10% Presbyterian, 3% no denomination, 1% Unitarian, 1% Baptist. I had chills just knowing that other people of faith were finally talking about this.
Many other Church's have what they call "green teams" now. What a great idea, wish I had thought of that one. You know that feeling when you realize your not the only one who __________ (fill in the blank, that's how it felt last night. There were lots of resources, probably my favorite thing about these types of gatherings. I plan to continue going and may even work on a "green team" in the future if my church will have it.

Look to your left for a new list of resources.

Blessings,
Courtney'

A letter to the Editor.

2008-07-19T13:28:00.000-07:00

It saddens me to see headlines like the one in Saturdays paper "Will the environment survive the environmentalist". I can tell you it won't survive without them. In a recent report out by the EPA "It is very likely" that the poor, elderly, and those in inner cities will likely die due to extreme hot periods in future years. A report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change echoes the same tone. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (mentioned in the article in Saturdays paper) comes out of the current administration. Due to their inconsistency and "unsureness" the current administration will be allowed to do nothing, saving it for the next adminstartion (startribune.com)In the United States its easy to not fully understand the depth of our over consumption because we do not see the devestaiton it causes to the poor. Some choose the word "liberal" or "environmentalist" to mean radical and often "not Christian". There are many of us out here working to make it be known that the environment is not just about trees and animals its also about us, we are "nature" and if we Christians believe that God gave us a world to look after then we ought to do so. We too are dependent on nature and we either anty up or face the consequences. I would like to leave my four kids a better world. We are not so worried that our kids have the name brand, the best house, ivey leauge schools as we are that they have a clean and compassionate world to live in.

Inner Simplicity For Type A's

2008-06-26T09:13:00.001-07:00

The other day Blake and I went down to the Goodwill store and I found a book by one of my favorite authors, Elaine St. James. The book is Inner Simplicity. There was an essay about deciding what you want to focus on when you simplify, and it really made me think. My problem has always been anxiety and worry. Masking it with business is how I have always coped. Culling activity seemed to be making me more anxious. In this frustration and anger with myself I realized that I needed to do the exercise of finding what is most important to me. And to focus on and look at it often as to say no when appropriate and yes when it benefits my goals.
My top choices are:
Spirituality (my relationship with God)
Family
Health
Work
Personal Finances
Volunteer Work

Now that could really be a lot of busy work so I defined what each one meant to me. Don't worry I will not bore you. This exercise was very helpful to me in seeing what I needed to focus my time on. Reading a book could be in the Health category as well as any of the others depending on the book, maybe its a fun book for emotional health (relaxing). Now stay with me, this is for the type A's out there. If you think this is crazy talk you probably are not type A.
Also taking nightly walks with Blake is family and health. This all helps me when I become anxious and worry that I am wasting time on things that don't matter I can put it in perspective to keep me on track and balanced.
Taking time to reflect and ponder is so crucial, but to much time to a type A can be overwhelming. My sabbatical for teaching was a blessing as I started to miss it very much after two months. My fear was I would't miss it and I would lose it. However I was ready to face that if need be.
I hope that you can find time to make your list of the most important things in your life and define what that means to you. Having a purpose in life makes it worth living.

Blessings,
Courtney

1. Sleep in at least once a week.
2. Get 15 mins of sunshine a day
3. Get exercise everyday: A little goes a long way
4. Eat right.
5. Drink plenty of water.
6. Take your vitamins, be sure to include a B complex and fish oil for emotional health.
7. Just be; In prayer, observation, meditation each day for as long as you can. Ask yourself "Am I still breathing" and monitor a few breaths. Even a minute or two is helpful.
8. Have sometime alone, if you have to lock yourself in your room: I have four kids, sometimes I lock myself in the bathroom.
9. Create joy in your life :The above mentioned list comes in handy here.
10. Take time for friends.

R.I.P. S.U.V.

2008-06-12T06:20:00.000-07:00

On the way home today I heard on the radio that the large SUV was officially declared extinct. Praise God. This recession and energy crisis was a gift from God as I see it. People are finally being forced to take a look at the problem because their pocket books are lean. Why would anybody want to put $100 in their tank? When I purchased my 1998 Honda Odessey in 2001 the first time I filled it up it cost me $14.97, now it cost me $55 to fill up. This was only 7 1/2 years ago. This past month the Honda Civic sold more cars in one month than the Hummer is projected to sell in the next two years. It makes me giddy!!!! As one magazine proclaimed " Don't let the world go to hell in a Hummer". Kudos's !
Yesterday at the store an older couple behind me at the checkout said " I see your going green" my reply , "Well, I have been green for the last twenty years, I am just not considered weird anymore". We had a friendly discussion about where to buy grocery bags. Everyone probably has more bags in their house than they realize, just look thouroug the clutter.
Yes my pocket book hurts now also and I don't like it but I am an "optimist". The economy is in the toilet but if this is what it takes I am willing to tighten my belt a bit more.

Tips for Summer:
1. Turn your air up to 78 or 80 for the day and turn on the fans, get an ice cold drink, and strip down to the bear necessities in clothing.
2. Put large potted plants or plant trees on the west and south side of your house.
3. keep your shades shut during the day.
4. Use a toaster, microwave or eat cold food. Do not use the oven. Plan accordingly.
5. Wash and Dry clothes before 10:00a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. to avoid excess heating of your home.
6. Take a cool shower.
7. When you get in a hot car open the windows two inches and turn your air on the outside to inside air not recirculate and drive like this for five minutes. Your car will cool down quicker.
8. Park under shade and crack your windows, even if you have to walk a little farther (this will keep you trim and cool).
9. Change your sheets to cool cotton with a light blanket and sleep with a fan on. Try to keep your air no lower than 76 (ever).
10. Plan activities like washing your car or watering your garden for early morning or evening to save water.

Namaste'
Courtney

Its a Revolution or Why this Recession is Good for the Planet

2008-06-11T06:31:00.001-07:00

Revolution: Motion of body round its orbit or focus: a radical change in Constitution of a country after revolt: marked by great and violent changes: to change completely ( to turn around).

We are in a Revolution by definition when you hear that Golf Digest ran an article about how fifty nine percent of golfers agree that Global Warming is real and that golf courses need to do something about the millions of gallons of water being used each day for the "greens". This is not violent protest however it is real change. Now forty one percent of golfers polled said that they did not believe Global Warming was real so they are not on board. The good news is they are out numbered. Why am I talking about golf when people in the world are suffering Genocide?Because it take real and radical thinking to get the elite to change their ways. In effect the people in the world who use the most resources. A golf course in Palm Springs uses a million gallons of water in one day. A typical American family of four uses that much in four years. We as a nation and as a global society have to make that connection between our use, our vote and social justice in the world.

In Dar fur the Genocide continues and while the U.S. has made a push for more action than any other country we have not done enough. Oil was discovered in Sudan. China is the main consumer of this oil. China has put up a fight not to punish the Sudanese Government for their role in the atrocity's that are happening there. Oil or natural resources seems to always be a factor in war. When there is great disparity amone the poor in the world you get war. The rich conservatives are comfortable and have no need to upset their position in life and want to hold on to what they have. The poor get pissed off and revolt. In many cases the rich and middle class (concerned and enlightened or conscious) step up and pool resources to join the revolt. For instance in the U.S. civil war against slavery and today's "Genocide Olympics Campaign" to put pressure on China to do something about genocide in Dar fur.

In our own back yard we are allowing corporations to feed our children junk. The government is instituting policy to reward or punish schools monarily based on test scores,not entirely a bad thing, except when you dig deeper you learn the truth. Forced by my circumstance in having a child with a learning disability I have learned that his scores count the same as my gifted child and my two other capable children. So the schools in effect get on probation when the schools learning disabled can't meet a set expectation and they lose money. Due to this recess has been cut back to fifteen minutes a day in primary school, p.e. has been cut back to one to two times a week, and tutoring for children is cut do to remediation for those who aren't up to snuff and ready for the test. For example my eldest is very bright and exceeds his grade ability on the Benchmark exams. He has A.D.D. or what I now think is School Academic Disease, he needs about three hours of after school tutoring a week to keep his grades up. There is no quite in my household of six. What he needs is a quite focused area to study , like a study hall with a teacher to keep him on task. His tutoring is cut when prep time comes for Bench mark. When Bench marks end tutoring is not reinstated for the last six weeks of school. What incentive is there to care after the fact?
The foods our children are eating are boxed and processed. Most days I make my kids breakfast and pack their lunch. However many days I know three of my kids are sneaking food at school because, hey they are kids, and when faced with a funnel cake for breakfast or a toaster pastry vs bran flakes at home, what do you think they would pick? Same goes for pizza, hot dogs and corn dogs. Yes you give kids a whole apple or an Orange on a plate and most of it will be thrown out, you cut it up and give them some yogurt dip or peanut butter and watch them go.
We have to be a little smarter and ask questions of those in authority. We also need to realize our own authority and stop with this complacency. When I speak to parents most of them are not aware of what their kids are eating at school or how short recess is.

Over the past ten years with No Child Left Behind the diagnosis and subsequent medication of children has increased. Eighty five percent of ADHD medication in the world is given in the U.S. and seventy percent of that is to boys. Do you see the connections here. Add to that are increase in high fructose corn syrup and you have a recipe for disaster. Over and over again there are documented cases of healthy schools producing healthier happier kids that do better on test. What we need here and abroad is a Revolution and we have to get active doing more and speaking up. My motto is " Never let anyone intimidate you" and " you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar". We have to throw our shoulders back, lift our chins,band together, speak our minds, be kind, and get to work.

To sustain our planet it has been said that Americans and Europeans need to get back to living like a European in 1980, in relation to our use of natural resources. It will mean giving up some of your life style but you will gain exponentially in self worth and happiness.

All facts and research was based on: Frontline, PBS, (Dar Fur); Voluntary Simplicity, current edition,nwei.org; Raising Cain Documentary 1998; N.P.R. June 11th 2008; Healthy Children- Healthy Planet, current edition, nwei.org

Tips:

1. Contact your superintendent and write a letter concerning food and physical activity. Ask what you can do to help. For instance I offered to help do parent surveys.
2. Be an advocate:you must educate yourself so you will be confident when facing issues and talking about them. Start to volunteer in areas that interest you.
3. Be a voice: vote with your dollars as well as your money.
4.Take some time off from buying. Constant travel and consumerism only hurts your pocket book and psyche, and fuels oil demands and support of China and what they are doing to support Dar furs actions on Genocide.
5. Take action where you are. At work be an example: simple things like not using Styrofoam can start conversations. When you lead by example you will start conversations. Saying " I don't believe in using Styrofoam because it takes 1500 years to break down" can lead to further discussions. Set up recycling at work. Doing something is the first step.
6. You could start a discussion group at work or church, anywhere in the public arena. My groups meet at a yoga studio and the library. For more info go to nwei.org , Northwest Earth Institute.

Namaste'
Courtney

Granny Said

2008-05-26T20:11:00.001-07:00

My Granny was responsible for many of my beliefs and observations about myself. She new me better than I know myself. She would observe "Courtney you always get sick when you over do it". I have felt bad ever since the big Earth Day Event I worked on and then subsequent meetings. Now I am worrying about a conversation last week with the school superintendent where I opened my mouth about many issues from the quantity of therapist to the amount of recess children are getting at school. Though I know I thought out her advice " You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar". I assure you I was a busy bee during that conversation. Many days I spend wondering what she would be telling me now if she were here. I would ask her why I am in constant conflict about whats next. Its so hard being an adult and making decisions. My eyes are looking back and my feet are moving forward. Many of my days have been spent teaching "presence", however, it is something that is fleeting and every student of "being in the now" should know that as to relieve some guilt. No one is able to be "present" all the time. Being present is something that one has to always be aware of. So much of me wants to take some time to enjoy and spend time reading and relaxing but I am worried about if I should be looking for a job or going back to school. Shouldn't I be content being a full time mom?It is full time work. There is all the volunteer work however it can feel gluttonous when its enjoyable and when its maddening I think " Why the hell do I do this for free".
Now I need some time to pray, exercise, catch my breath and get some perspective.

Tips for today Family Life and Frugality:
1. Eat simple meals.
2. Don't do anything for your kids that they can do for themselves.
3. Teach your kids to do chores, it builds self esteem, make them know you need and appreciate help. Never redo the work they have done in front of them and some of it should never be redone, like making the bed.
4. If you have an automobile with removable seats, take them out when you don't need them , this will reduce gas.
5. Don't shop! Never shop unless you need something. Define what need means to you.
. Do with what you have, repurpose what you have around the house, in the kitchen, with your furniture and with your cloths.
7. Consider work, If you make a small amount of money you might could for go work and use that time to do things you would usually pay for.

Blessings,
Courtney

Busy or Bored

2008-05-09T19:22:00.001-07:00

Lately its hard to relax. My plate is full with many stimulating activities that are lovely, awful, challenging and deeply educational. There is no doubt I am growing in capabilities. A year ago I decided to live my passion of volunteering for environmental issues full time for one year. My goodness little did I know that I volunteered in THE YEAR OF GREEN. So this has become an issue of self examination for me as I don't' care to be trendy. A fellow student of Voluntary Simplicity gave me a wonderful article about this : there is a huge mass of twenty to forty year olds who are called "YAWNS" Young Adults Wealthy but Normal. All kidding aside on the name. People like me who live within their means, try not to shop, buy used, recycle, live low impact lives and really care about the world and all that lives in it.
As Green became the new Black I had to ask myself the question why am I doing this? The answer is because I want my kids and people in the world to have a better world now and in the future. Not a better world of more stuff but a clean and safe world As a young child when I read the Bible and I read it often, the message I got was if you are a Christian this is part of the deal, you take care of the less fortunate, period.
Spending this year volunteering has made me mad, ecstatically happy, frustrated and joyful. I tend to make one year commitments and then take some time to reflect and step back. Next week "Hot Springs Earth Day and the Green Inattentive" will be launched. Right now I just pray people show up and have a great time and they get excited about learning to live low impact.
This summer you will find me reflecting and finding "presence" in a space called "now" and maybe thinking about the year ahead.

Blessings,
Courtney

Tips

1. Stop, close your eyes and take a deep breath and exhale completely. Sit in silence a moment and feel the inside of you being, its a vibration that you can feel. Then bring your awareness to the suttle noises outside as you feel your body on the inside. Focus on the sensation of who you are inside.
2. When you find yourself bored find a creative outlet to express yourself, it is a big release. Often I find myself bored because I can't relax long enough to enjoy anything without my mind jumping all around. Being creative or taking a walk usually helps me let out the anxiety.
3. Go to bed and get plenty of sleep,life is just better when you are rested.

More Hopeful with Sunshine

2008-04-15T19:13:00.002-07:00

Last week the sun seemed to want to hide forever and the rain kept coming down. Trees were toppling over just from thier roots being so wet. Its over now and I am feeling much sunnier about life. Today I was listening to NPR with a cup of "joe" and looking out the window at the blue sky and the lime green trees and grass and thought "I couldn't ask for anything more right now. I couldn't be happier".
My job is teaching yoga and meditation. Honestly for me there couldn't be anything better. When I work about 95% of the time I am in the "Zone". I get lost in the hour everytime. Everything outside of the yoga experience leaves me. 95% of the time I pray before I teach and ask God to take over my voice and my body and let me teach what the students need. My "Prayer in the Zone" quotient is right on. When life is busy its harder for me to quite my mind and be in this space. Often times when listening to a sermon or something interseting on the radio I just close my eyes and let my ears grow bigger and my mind becomes like a sponge where I fully absorb what I hear. Right now I am on Sabbatical from teaching: on purpose. Teaching was becoming to repitious and I was beginning to dread the constant time drain. However once in the moment it was bliss. Taking a break is often needed and as I learn to let go of my ego and be happy being Courtney not "Courtney the yoga teacher, volunteer, mother, wife, etc..." just me.
Letting go of physcial stuff is the first step to this freedom but letting go of emotional stuff well that is the second through one hundreth step for me. A step I wasn't really that aware of.
My goal was actually to share the skills of frugality and simple living and what I recognized as the more I got asked to head this or that the more weighted down I became. The people who actually wanted it and needed it fuel me yet the ones who want it because "GREEN" is in and green means $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ drain me. SO it starts with me being me and as Ceasar Chavez said when asked how he organized " I talk to one person and then to another person". For now Chavez idea is good for me. No accolades necessary because God knows my heart and if my heart is good enough for him its good enough for me.

Tips for today: Simple living and the mind.

1.Take some time to sit down and just be Nature. Yes we are Nature; the earth, plants, animals -humans we are nature. When we talk about the environment we are talking about us and everything around us. Feeling your connection is powerful.
You don't even need to think just sit, watch, and breathe in life. Try it for 5 minutes today and then increase your time as you can.

2. Examine why you are so busy. Are you to busy to do what you really want. What are the reasons behind this. Sometimes are reasons are admirable yet we have reasons (like me) that are trying to fill an emotional hole. A hole that is there because we don't believe we are enough just as we are. A sabbatical may be in order. Plan for one if need be.

3. Decide to go to the store or run errands certain days each week. Plan to be home at least one day a week without leaving. Sometimes are going to and fro is because we are bored or unsatisfied with life. Boredom sparks creativity, my poor kids hear this all the time but you know its so true. They get bored enough on " No Screen Sundays' you will see them pull out the bored games or ride thier bikes. Boredom is good for adults too. If you have to face yourself you might just find that you actually like what you see and if not you will have the oppurtuniy to think about change.

4. Get rid of cable. For two and a half years we had no cable or access to any stations and I loved it. My husband didn't have a laptop then so he couldn't substitue. However technology is his profession so he has more gadgets than Professor Gadget. We now have 4 stations when the weather is good but we rarly turn it on. Your access to commercials makes us feel that we need things we really don't. There is some good t.v. but its only about 1% from what I see.

5. Take a walk as often as possible and be quite and watch wildlife. My friend John gave a short lecture on this Sunday. He talked about awareness in nature and it was amazing how much more wildlife I have noticed on my walks the past two days.

Namaste"
Courtney

More hopeful with Sunshine

2008-04-15T19:13:00.001-07:00

Overwhelmed and Feeling Like a Shlump

2008-04-12T18:36:00.000-07:00

Whats wrong with me? I am frustrated with this place of feeling depressed at being part of the "cool" crowd for the first time. I was used to being the weird tree hugger, the unpopular one. Did I like complaining about the bad polluters? Was I being self righteous? Lately I am going through some heavy soul searching.
A side effect of an illness I have means sometimes I need medicine for pain "seratonin - up take medicine". This medicine stopped the pain I feel physically in my muscle connections but the other effect is it stops emotional pain too. Lets just say I was way to easy going and often times not feeling much of anything. Sooo.... my point is I am off the drug because I want to feel but now that I got off the drug its like all of a sudden tree hugger, environmentalist, liberal Christians are cool. Where do I belong in this?Why does this frustrate me so.... I should be happy I can rest. Now everywhere you look the media is telling you how to be green.... I am sick of the word green. Here's the deal Chevy is making a Hybrid Tahoe and Hummer makes a hybrid. These SUV hybrids get 14 to 18 miles per gallon. If you are gonna drive a Hummer please get the Hybrid but please don't drive a Hummer. My depression is that the person who drives the Hummer or Tahoe Hybrid .... well do they get how Fossil Fuels are driving up green house gases? Do they understand how a high rate of consumerism means poor people suffer. The commercials don't say how deforestation, erosion, deterioration, global climate change, poor water quality effect the least of those. Those who don't have value in the corporation's lives because they are poor. They do not have value because they don't have money. How our use of Styrofoam and our use of more paper products and just more, more, more means others hurt.
This is why my heart hurts because I want others to know down deep that being frugal is not about doing without its about doing with enough. Frugality is being a good steward of our resources because if we want to be like Jesus we have to serve the least of those . When we serve our fellow man we serve God. Now that's Cool !!!!!!!!!!!

Resources:
1. Participating in another Voluntary Simplicity Class. A friend John Arnold who participates in this class is interested in developing " a sense of place" . He volunteers with a group called Ozark Trackers . They are having a course on recognizing Edible plants in the wild. They also do courses on animal tracking, survival skills, and sensory experiences in nature. Its pretty cool check it out at Ozarktrackers.org
He also has a blog called the practical disciple at http://thepracticaldisciple.blogspot.com
His advice on prayer has really helped me: one of my favorite tips is on the A.C.T.S. prayer method. He has a lot of good advice on being a Christian without all the guilt and high falutin gobbly gook. He will know I mean this in the nicest way.

2. Earth Day Celebrations:
N.P.C.C. April 22nd
Arkansas Earth Day Sat. April 26th at the Clinton Library Grounds 10 to 4
Hot Springs Earth Day Sun. Summit Conv. Center, May 18th , noon to 6.

Namaste"
Courtney

Let's quit pussyfooting around here.

2008-03-19T05:59:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness if I hear the words "latte factor" again I am going to scream. I like to eat out and I know it cost money. Do we really need someone to tell us to reduce our Starbucks and drink coffee at home. Are we to unconscious to know this. Here's the deal: You will see me in Starbucks or a local coffee shop on occasion. I enjoy it, its a treat. Yes it is expensive and everyday would be a lot of money. Any human with a grain of sense knows this.
My point is that the economy is in the toilet and we are hearing quite a bit about how to save money but most of it is pretty basic stuff. That has its place but what about getting down to the nitty gritty. There are many things we can do daily to cut expenses. There are far fewer big things you can do but the fluidity of basic life offers many ways to save.
Here are as many tips as I can think of that you probably won't see on the local news.

1. Get up right now and turn off as many lights as you can without sitting in the dark.
2. Wash only full loads of cloths on cold water, dishes too, turn off the dry heat cycle.
3. Wear your cloths until they are dirty. I wear my cloths over and over and use an apron around the house.
4. Have your kids shower every other day unless they are stinky.
5. Sweep your front porch and drive: gives you exercise and no use of electric blowers or water hoses, saves energy and water and makes for sexy legs and arms.
6. Reduce your meat and milk consumption. Add beans to recipes. Sandwiches made with guacamole, hummus, or a little cream cheese taste great with veggies and a little spike.
7. It is not more expensive to eat healthy. Buy oats and grains, fruit and veggies in season, beans canned and dried. Look online or go to the library and research vegetarian cooking. Buy the book "More with Less" and learn how to cook cheaply, healthy, and consciously.
8. Combine your errands into one day or one trip. Example I work on the east side of town so the day I work I schedule places I need to stop on that side of town.
9. Check your tire pressure, get a tune up, drive less.
10. Look inside yourself and examine your spending habits. Are you filling a hole with unnecessary stuff. Shopping is a normal part of life and we all have to do it sometimes but ask yourself this question "Do I need this". If the answer is no and you have debt than put it down and walk away. If you have loads of money and the answer is "no" than ask yourself if there is a better use of money: support a local charity, purchase energy efficient products for your life.
11. If the answers is "Yes" then : can you borrow it, buy it used. Don't get me wrong here this is not a holier than thou position for me. On occasion you will want or need something new but
reducing your consumption of new things helps the earth and your pocket book.
12. Use natural home cleaning products: lots of information on line. Baking soda, borax, vinegar and basic soap work wonders.
13. Take care of your health and your possessions to make it all last longer.
14. Get your hair cut every 5 weeks instead of four.
15. Only go shopping once a week. You will have to plan and make due. An ongoing shopping list will help make this easy.
17. Cook one meal eat it twice or more. For example make a pot of chili, use half the meat double the beans. Eat chili for one meal and next day heat up a baked potato and top it with chili and whatever toppings you have on hand. Eating leftovers saves tons of money.
18. Sell the SUV (if you can). Find a bank that will loan you money on a used car that is over 5 years old (the price drops greatly if the car is older than 5 years). For example we bought a 1999 Subaru from a friend for $6500 dollars, it had 75,000 miles on it. We got a loan for $6000 for three years for $199 a month. We then sold the car my husband was driving and put the money on that loan and paid off the balance in 18 months. I drive a 98 honda van. We have no payments now and are saving to upgrade the van in two to three years.
19. Get cars that last: Honda, Toyota, Subaru and drive them for at least 8 to 10 years or longer. Buying used and taking good care of them they will go for a long time.
20. My husband is awesome at this and it keeps are cars looking nice. There is a silver hubcap paint at Auto Parts Stores it's about $4. He sprays my hubcaps every couple of years and they look brand new (take them off and clean them first). Also he sprays my wipers with black paint to keep them looking new. We park our cars under a carport and try to keep them clean. I wash mine every week or so.
21. Pets: Buy the flea medicines for the largest breed animal. From Nov to March we give our animals Brewers Yeast in there food, $3 a jar, this keeps fleas off. Then March to November in the south you have nasty fleas so I buy a large package of Frontline for Great Danes, Transfer this into a brown vile ( from essential oils) pour it in and use .1 ml in a dropper on my Dachshunds, Mutt and cat, check with your vet or online for proper dosage. We have four animals and this saves you about $75 every three months. Also we buy generic heart work preventive from Dr. Smith here in town.
22. Buy in bulk. Use wash cloths instead of paper towels. I do buy paper towels occasionally, I used to not use them at all but with kids I find they are helpful. However we mostly use cloth napkins, wash cloths, and towels.
23. Add dry milk to your regular milk when half the container is empty. Just follow directions.
Last check this saves you about 50%. I have four kids. My kids are not allowed to have milk more than twice a day. We use only organic and at $8 a gallon its just to expensive so they drink a lot of water now. They are allowed some cheese and yogurt. You can get your calcium from nuts, greens, and cold water fish.
24. pay off your credit cards, get a lower rate in the process: just call and ask.
25. move to a less expensive house.We did this and life is much easier. It was a huge undertaking but even with all the work we had to do to the house we live in now the mortgage payment is $400 less a month, and we added on 900 sq.ft.
26. Don't bounce checks.
27. Use public transportation if you can: Look I can't say I am going on a bus anytime soon but if I travel we usually have this option.
28. Get a bike and use it if you live in bike safe area.
29. Walk whenever possible.
30. Don't use the credit card, I don't even have one now.
31. Have an emergency fund: I recommend $1000, but start somewhere. Cut all unnecessary expenses until you have this in the bank. Then #30 will be easier to do.
32. carpool.
33. Go to a four day 10 hour work week if you can. The college my husband and I work for does this in the summer.
34. Don't idle your car. It waste gas and pollutes. Run errands to reduce left hand turns, this reduces idling and saves time. I make a list of errands and in my head map it out in as many right hand turns (and try to go in a circle around town) by numbering my list from 1 to whatever. Then when I leave just follow the numbers. Its pretty easy to do.
35. If you don't have insurance ask your Dr for samples of prescriptions. At least get generics. If that's not an option ask your Dr for a less expensive medicine. There are usually alternatives and different drug stores have different prices so shop around.
36. Ask for a discount on medical care if you don't have insurance. I choose a hospital here in town that offers good care. We do have insurance now however, they offer 25% off your bill if you pay the balance in full: this includes deductibles. This saved me $250 on my hysterectomy.
37. Get proper rest. You will weigh less, be less stressed, need less drugs and less therapy.
38. Learn to do your own home repairs or ask for help from someone who knows how. At least you may barder or work a better price for someone who needs work.
39. Swap tools with friends and neighbors.
40. Trade cloths, buy used, or clearance sales.
41. Use the library for books, dvds, tapes, cd.s, etc...
42. Use netflix instead of a video store.
43. Share magazine subscriptions: I share with my friends. The magazines I like to keep they return to me when they are through reading them.
44. clip coupons when applicable. But not for processed foods and things you don't use. Kroger's sends me specific coupons every couple of months based on what I use. My usual bill with four kids for toiletries, animal food, and groceries runs about $200 a week (we eat a lot of organics) last week with my targeted coupons my bill was $119. I had 10 canvas bags full of groceries, Mostly produce, 3 lbs of chicken, 1 pork roast and 2 packages of organic lunch meat.
45. After you get groceries use your store card and save 10 cents a gallon on gas. Every Sunday I go to the store and get gas at Kroger.
46. About once or twice a month I might have to go to Walmart if I need air filters or miscellaneous Items that I can't buy at the groceries store. I try to stay out of Walmart as it sucks you in and you spend a lot of money. Never underestimate marketing experts and their ability to get you to spend more. Make a list, go with a full belly and an iron will.
47. Eat in season: Buy local. Don't buy food from overseas even if its on sale. It cost tons to transport and their not regulated by U.S. standards.
48. Find the reduced sale isle in your grocery store.
49. Use your own shopping bags. Kroger's and Good Earth Natural Foods and other store give you 5 cents off a bag. Ask for it.
50.Vacation close to home.
51. Cut back on dining until it feels like a treat.
52. Make a hobby out of service: It makes you feel great and you give back to your community.
53. Holiday dress: This is Easter weekend. I am inventorying what we have and buying only what is needed. Each child and adult will get only what needs to be replaced. My boys don't all need dress shoes that they will only wear once. They will wear their nicest tennie shoes with dress pants and a button down: if we don't have it I will buy used, or new If I can't find what I need.
54.College: If your kids don't have scholarship's then consider community college for the first two years. I teach p.e. and every year I get kids back from university because quote "mom and dad don't want to pay for me to party". Sometimes kids need to mature and make that transition slowly.
55. Also look into Ameri-corp programs, local scholarships, and grant money: I got myself through college with five scholarships (I wrote for them myself), grant money, $1000 from my parents (they could not afford more at the time), and a $2500 loan. Unfortunately my husband being a middle class white male only qualified for grants so we are paying $16000 off in college loans: However his income more than doubled when he graduated. So its was a great investment.
56. Make gifts or pick them up at yard sales and second hand shops. Make cards or a phone call expressing you love for the person. My husband says to me "my gift to you was not buying you anything". He will pick me some flowers or make me a card or do some chores for me. My all time favorite was when the boys were little he came home one day when we were gone and cleaned the house for me (he took a long lunch). That was the most thoughtful thing , I was so grateful.
57. Get basic term life insureance if you have dependents. I have seen my mother really stuggle becasue they did not have enough life insurance. Buy it when you are healthy and young. About 3 to 5 times your income. You spouse needs it if they work or take care of kids: in the event something happened to a non-paid caregiver, thier work would need to be hired out. Make provisions for this it can save tons of money in the event of a death.
58.Turn the air off or in winter 68 in summer 76 to 78 degrees with a cooling breeze using fans or open windows.

Check out prior post for more information.

Blessings for a wonderful day!
Courtney

Recycling 101: It is all of our Responsibility

2008-03-06T07:08:00.000-08:00

How to recycle. Please share this as It is a huge problem.

In order for communities to offer recycling programs the citizens have to support it. How do you do that? First of all you recycle properly. Which I will cover. Something that I have observed and spoke to people is never assume somebody has the answers. All persons do not know how to recycle. This is very common as you can notice if you become an observer of our enviroment. At least 30% or more of your household trash could be recycled. This is the estimation in our region. I would bet it is higher judging by my recycling bins

1.Hot Springs city takes newspaper, cardboard, aluminum cans, papersacks (non bleached) and phone books. This is for curbside pickup. Call and get one or two blue buckets and a calender with you dates of pickup: 321-6911 or 623-7871 M to F 7a.m. to 3:30. You can drop off e waste hear.
2. Around May 08 you should be able to drop off plastics #1 and #2 at the Runyon drop station at 218 Runyon (Grand Ave, turn by Horner Concrete to left on Runyon).
3. The County takes all of the above now and excepts steel cans, tires, and e waste,
and large items like Mircrowaves, Fridges, Treadmills etc....County drop stations are .1 mile west of North Moore Road on Hwy 70 (towards Lake Hamilton school) and 1/4 of a mile past the Fox Pass Cutoff on 7N towards Hot Springs Village. I go to the later about once a month. It takes about 30 mins of my day.No big deal.
4.Walker Auto Ranch and Dewey Cook also will pay you for steel and aluminum.

To keep these programs you must follow some basic guidelines. If you do not rinse your recycables it:
1. Causes animals to get in them and get hurt
2. Destroys the machines used in the recycling process. If we want these programs it is pertinent that we pay attention.

1. Wash everything out, a good rinse. I put peanut butter containers in the dishwasher first. Watch those steel can tops,shove them into the bottom of the can carefully, No need to remove paper off of your cans and bottles.
2. Remove the caps.
3. Make sure not to have garbage in with you recycables. Remember that people work in these places and they deserve not to have to deal with your garbage.
4. Cardboard and newspaper must be dry and void of food.
5. Seperate your plastics #1 and #2 only. You cannot recycle other plastics in our area. Do not throw them in the bin this will contaminate the whole process. There is a symbol, usually on the bottom with three arrows in the shape of a triangle the number is inside the arrow.
6.Cell phones, lap tops, E waste go to the Beautificaton Commission office on 2nd street. It helps fund our programs.
7. Never throw batteries, paint, cleaning products etc in the trash. Save them and take them to the Toxic Collection in your area. We have one once a year at the Fairgrounds. GO to hsgcbc.com to find out more. Or you can take them to Runyon Street.
8. Start a compost pile,See my blog on How to Compost.

I am sure there is more to cover. If we all do our part it makes a huge diffrence. It will take you only a few minutes a day to wash things out when you do dishes. Otherwise its a matter of putting things in a blue bin instead of the trash can. Its EASY. At the very least utilize curbside pickup.No one has an excuse here. If you can get your trash to the curb you can get your bucket and your behind to the curb.
When all of this goes in to our landfill it produces methane gas which causes a barrier in our atmosphere. The sun shines down and can't get back up past the atmosphere causing, thats right, Global Warming. I am begging you as we have only a small portion of our city doing something on this issue, you must do your part.

Have a blessed day.
Courtney

Valentines Shmalentines

2008-02-14T06:12:00.001-08:00

Not that I am a negative person but I just don't get it. Valentines day: chocolate, cards, cheap jewelry. Maybe I am to practicle for my own good. When I was younger It was a testimony to see if the male in my life loved me. They were usually to stupid or broke to do much. I recieved some cheap jewelry, flowers, chocolate. Here's the deal: I wear very little jewelry, not a big chocolate fan and well flowers are nice. Flowers are nicest when you go out and get them in nature and arrange them. My husband Blake knows this, he's pretty smart, this is why I married him.Even the purchased ones I appreciate, they do bring nature and beauty in. Cards are nice when you make them yourself or they are halariously funny ( and on recycled paper).
Now I am not opposed to love, real love that helps you when you need it. Stands beside you when you are ugly, holds your hair when you vomit. That's love. The last one reserves a place only for my children.
It seems that our consumer society looks at Holidays from a view that it is an excuse to buy more. That is surely easier than giving your time, your ear, or your arm around the shoulder. Buying has become our addiciton, like heroine, it numbs for a moment then the pain hits and you need more. Even in this repressed economy thier are huge mega jewlery stores opening. Give me a break. Do we stop to think about how diamonds get so cheap. In this culture of America very few people are concious of thier buying. Do people elsewhere suffer becasue of our buying choices? Sometimes. Its impossible to know everything about what you purchase but try to be consious of as much as possible.
For our Valentines we will go out to dinner, my choice, so I can have a night off. My kids will get a small box of chocolate. They love chocolate and they rarely get it. So its a treat.
Not to be humbug about the whole thing.... but think about the people in your life, what do they need. Maybe a big hug and a kiss for your significant other and a hand picked bouquet. Maybe dinner and you help with some of thier chores.
For all you single people, rejoice at the day that you save your money and the worry about it all.
Joyce Meyer once said, in a sermon mind you ," Unmarried people always want sex, and married people are hardly ever having it." Just thought that was pretty acurate. We always want what we don't have and not what we do have. Maybe a good valentines day for each of us would be to take time to be grateful and let the people in your life know they are on the list.

Hints.
1. Pick flowers or twigs and leaves and arrange for your loved one.

2. Make a card and list what you love about the recipeint.

3. Take someone who cooks a lot out to dinner.

4. Help take over someones chores.

5. Give hugs and compliments all day.

Happy Valentines Day,
Courtney

It's been a long time: Lent

2008-02-07T19:16:00.000-08:00

Lent is here.
Last night during church service I just closed my eyes and soaked it all in. Ash Wendsday is my favorite time of year. I like the contemplation. It's like God says "okay, you have tried your best and your best is fine but you are still imperfect and I accept you. Now give it all over to me and let me clean you up because you need some help." Lent reminds me that we all need help. Left to my own devices I just make a big mess of things. It looks like a tidy package all shiny and bright but on the inside its a broken mess. What a gift to be reminded that we can turn it over to God and he will be in control and we can relax. Because he was in control all the time we just kept grabbing at the wheel.
Here is a little story conveyed to me by my husband. A friend of his shared this. One lenten season this man decided that he would fill a grocerey sack every day of Lent of stuff he needed to get rid of. This is really profound and metaphorical I think. At first he had to resist the urge to not fill up to many bags, only one. One a day was easy at first. But you know there are 40 days of Lent. About half way through this process it became a challenge. He kept with it and said he felt really free. Of course he tells this story after it takes place, becasue you know the drill. Don't go about saying " oh I can't eat this, I can't do that, I gave it up for Lent". The goal is not to draw ones attention to ones self. It is a time of self examination. What do we need to clear from our lives. Real or Metaphorical clutter??? I am betting both.

1. This time of year think of others in the world who do without. Make a sacrafice in rememberance of them. Maybe you could forgo a few extra trips to the store. Do with what you have just to make yourself give thought to those fellow humans that do without an abundance of choice's.

2. Do something out of love for someone every day. Ask yourself each day: what have I got to give, a helping hand, a hug, a prayer, a smile, a compliment. God's gifts are given freely, we all have something to give.

3. Sit for five or ten minutes(or longer) in silence " We talk to God when we pray, when we meditate God talks to us", annonymous. This is so true. Many of my students have wonderful epiphanys during meditation. Others cry or become anxious. Meditation is like putting a light on whats inside. Its a process of seeing and then letting God clean you from the inside out.

Have a blessed an introspective Lenten season.

Courtney

Learning and loving it.

2007-11-08T17:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was able to meet with a man who does sustainable building. Wow, I probably made a fool of myself I was in such a state if awe. To my credit I was able to keep up with words like R19 and R50, I know R50 means kick ass insulation.
R50 good / R19 not good at all. This man's primary job is not green building. This is what was so cool. He is passionate about this. I love to talk to passionate people. I am attracted to passionate people like I am attracted to puppy's, I get owey gooey around them.
On my way home last night I found out I am going to have a little extra money to put into my house. This means insulation and other energy saving add ons. I so don't want to get this wrong. It's not a lot of money to most people, but big to my budget. So I called him sheepishly and said "Um hey um do um you think um you might um want to consider um letting me hire you to be a consultant on my house" The last part was said at warp speed. This wonderful green guru is building thirty five homes with solar power in Little Rock Arkansas of all places. My budget is like .5%of what one of his houses will probably cost. So I mustard up the courage and asked and he is coming to my house to advise me. I told him I was thinking I needed insulation (soy based and cellulose) and some storm windows. He said " Wait don't do storm windows until I look at your windows" Unless you are a greenie like me you may not be getting how exciting this is to me to have this man come look at my windows.
This man makes charts and graphs and is in HOME POWER magazine. A magazine that from what I can tell is all about solar power. This is my own ED Bagley Jr. fantasy.
I will keep you posted on what he says..........tune in next week.

Helpful hints on frugality and the environment:

1. Make a rule one light per person in the room, less is good more is unacceptable.

2. Give the gift of green this year, not money but compact florescent lights and air cleaning plants, Peace Lilly's are good. You can divide them, use a knife cut the roots and transplant. Spray paint an old clay pot silver for the Holidays. An almost free gift.

3. Make a consious decision to go to resale shops on a regular basis and pick up what you see that you need. Resale and thrift shopping is not about going in for what you want like retail, you have to get it when you see it.

4. Buy from local craftsman and artist this year for the Holidays.

Namaste'
Courtney

Localtarian

2007-09-21T17:41:00.000-07:00

Tonight I have big plans: I am going to hook up with my Barbara Kingsolver book "High Tide in Tucson" and read as late as my eyes can stay open. A couple of weeks ago I was at the library looking for her newest book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" and I looked up and saw the C.D. set. The book was checked out so I got the C.D.. A little disappointed because my 98 Honda does not sport a C.D. player, and I can't keep up with the little adapter gizmo my husband gave me. I knew I would be resigned to listening to it on the couch. The problem here is I have a teenager and three tween-agers. They are all loud and usually I fall asleep about the same time as they do.
So the first night I get them in bed and go turn it on, I am hooked. I come home an hour early for weeks to listen before the kids get off the bus. I borrow my husband, Blake's 99 Subaru as often as I can because he does have a C.D. player. This book has profoundly changed me. Already we ate a 80 to 90 percent vegetarian diet and committed quite a bit to local produce when we could find it. However I had no idea about how bad the factory farms were, the way the animals are treated, the antibiotics, the hormones, the disease. I knew it was bad but not that bad.It could go on for days me telling you. In this book Kingsolver speaks so eloquently that you fall in love with her story telling. My kids loved the stories of the turkeys having babies. My husband was enthralled listening to her husband speak of making homemade sausage from his own turkeys raised humanly. Her nineteen year old daughter tells her side of the tale as she goes to college and is aware of the differences between her friends and her eating habits,they don't want to know: for them ignorance is fine. I enjoyed Camile's experts about the dinners the family prepared and the wonders of simple vegetables.
Locovor is the name given to people who eat a large diet grown with in a certain distance of their home, usually 120 to 250 miles circular. I now buy most veggies locally and recently a friend helped me get some meat from a local farm. Meat is still something hard for me to eat except on occasion but my family really thinks its a treat. You would think I put out a bowl of candy when I served fresh grass fed hamburgers to my hungry crew. A side of organic mac and cheese and all I heard was "Ummmmm".

Tips
1. Don't assume that farmers market produce is local. You will need to ask. Look for signs that indicate this is so. Some are resellers of shipped produce. Learn about what is seasonal. If you see basil in the store in January,um you probably should think twice. There are many books out on eating seasonally, I like "Simply in Season".You can pick it up in the Heifer gift shop in Little Rock.

2. Grow some of your own. This year I grew a pretty batch of lettuce, tomato's, mint, basil, oregano, peppers, lavender and a few very weird squash. I learned about cross pollination by accident with that squash. Apparently a yellow squash and a zucchini can get married and have a funny looking little offspring, it was edible in casserole.

3. Dairy and meat: get local when you can. And eat less meat. If you can't afford anything else organic get your dairy and meat organic. The hormones, antibiotics, gmo corn and pesticides the animals eat have been linked to many problems in humans. The government supports corn and soybeans in huge subsidies. Farmers can grow these in large farms they feed this stuff to cows and many cows get no grass. A little corn is okay from what I understand but not more than 10% of the diet. The animals must be raised with room to roam and sunshine and natural foods to their species.

Good luck out there. My 14 year old said "Momma,a happy cow is a healthy cow and that makes better meat". That is the simple truth.

Namaste'
Courtney

Labor Day Without the Guilt.

2007-08-30T07:12:00.000-07:00

Party time again. The end of summer is hear. This is a big weekend for parties. Many will throw caution to the wind and buy lots of Styrofoam. That's right the villain of all villains Styrofoam. I am begging you, Mom are you listening? I will wash dishes. Please use regular dishes. No way you say. Okay here are some tips. Plastic is better than Styrofoam but only by a weensy bit.
Paper is better that plastic but then there are the trees and the oxygen we breath.
Recycled paper is much better. Think paper towels, toilet paper, plates.
In the past couple of years I have had several parties and no trees were harmed and no Styrofoam was placed in the landfill to sit for 1000 years.
We use cloth napkins and washable dishes. Nobody cares that they don't match. You look noble, like you, um,care that the earth is turning into an Easy Bake Oven.
Then there are your groceries. Buy as little packaged as possible. Listen to me, It's okay to put your produce in your cart with out a plastic bag. Maybe not the grapes but everything else will survive. What you do buy packaged make sure its recyclable, clear glass, aluminum, plastic #1 and #2. Wash them out and place in a separate bag and the tree hugger in your family will take them away to be made into new carpet, playground cover, all kinds of good stuff that won't hurt our planet.

Have a healthy, happy holiday, set a good example. In case you've been living in a cave you should know :It's cool to be green these days.
In the words of Kermit the Frog. "Green is what I want to be and I am happy being Green".

Namaste'
Courtney

What can I do right now ?

2007-08-22T16:55:00.000-07:00

So your thinking what can I do right now to save the planet? The question burns in your mind. It's all you can think about. Right? Well probably not, however there are little actions we do everyday that make a difference. So as I retrace my foot steps I think of what do I do each day that makes a bit of a difference. Easy things everyone can do.
A.M.
Breakfast was made up of granola cereal and milk on sale, organic yogurt, and fresh fruit in season.
Blake and I took our showers with a water saving shower head. Every one turns the water off to brush their teeth. Ditto for shaving. I make lunches to save money with very little prepackaged food. Some but not much, Hey, I am not a saint.
My pants are from the resale shop and my shoes are at least 10 years old but look nice. My purse was a hand me down. Ditto for most of my jewelry.
All lights go out and air is turned to 78 when we leave. Blinds are shut.

When I get to work every light is on in the building, as I leave my class room lights go off.
At lunch I share my meal with a girl friend.

P.M.
Calling on customers I go in a circle to reduce stops and right hand turns. This is more efficient as it cuts down on idling and saves time not crossing four of five lanes of traffic. It just takes a little time to think about this in no time you do it with out even a thought.
I park in the shade and crack my windows. If I need to work in the car I turn it off.
When I get home the ceiling fans come on and I leave the air alone only to turn it down to 76 when we go to bed.
Today the kids started riding the bus, Hallelujah. This saves me gas, idle time and heat stroke. Oh yeah and the pain and suffering of four hormonal kids in the car fighting, this is under the Saving sanity category.

We ordered pizza tonight, nothing virtuous there. Well I did not heat up the house.
Looking around it was pretty bright, so I turned off the lights: 7 of them. They are compact florescent. I wash the dishes and clothes in environmentally safe cleansers and use Method drier sheets. All recyclables are rinsed and put in bins.
The toilet is a low flow and by the way the brand is Gerber, it was only $100 and I highly recommend it. Sanity Saver: Not plunging the toilet every night.
My kids take showers every other night unless they get dirty or just want one, very rarely is that the case.
Lunches are packed, clothes are mostly ready.
Now this doesn't always agree with Simple Living philosophy but in saying that: I will go work out with a personal trainer at 6:oo a.m. and the cleaning lady comes on Friday. Yes I have to work to pay for these. However I love my work and It is worth every penny to me plus these services don't hurt the environment and help locals make money. If buying my clothes at resale shops and Target lets me have these things that's cool with me.

Namaste'
Courtney

Holy Frustration

2007-08-16T09:32:00.000-07:00

Does reading about the environment and poor people just make you feel guilty? What if we are guilty? The fact is if you live in America you are guilty to some extent. Some more than others. As consumers we don't always recognize how our purchases effect someone in a third world nation. It is often lack of education. To often we choose to be ignorant because it's to painful and to hard to face the fact that our choices have impact on others.
No longer is the leisurely Sunday drive something you can do without thinking about the energy that is wasted and the pollution that is generated by that drive.
It is frustrating for even the most ardent environmentalist like myself. At times I just want to buy some bananas, but I know about the deforestation in the rain forest
and the mob like business practices that Chiquita has going on. So I pay an extra .50 cents and buy organic Turbana bananas. My studies have led me to be educated about deforestation in Canada. So now I won't buy any paper products from Canada. Once or twice a month we purchase recycled paper products to reduce our consumption of the forest.
My youngest son has Asperger's syndrome a mild form of Autism. He also has mild Tourette's syndrome and is severely dyslexic. He is about 3 years behind in his reading and writing. The latest study indicates that the pesticides and herbicides a women ingest while she is pregnant may contribute to this. Did I unwillingly take in those things that caused this child to have these problems? Now my family eats local, organic and hormone free as much as possible. We don't use pesticide or herbicide in our yard. Once you educate yourself there are alternatives and the cost in the long run will save us all a lot of money on medical care and hearth ache to the health and well being of our loved ones.

1. Do not purchase anything from Chiquita. For more information search NPR's website.
2. Avoid paper products from Canada.
3. Be an activist. Stop and talk to your grocer, you never know they may actually care more than you think. This has been my experience on several occasions.
4. Pour vinegar on your weeds, it works wonders.

Namaste'
Courtney

How does my life hurt the poor?

2007-08-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

Environment Who ????

2007-08-13T08:57:00.000-07:00

It's 104 outside. Is it Global Warming or just natural weather patterns? One has to wonder. Recently I called a honey farmer to ask about advertising with the magazine I work for and he confirmed that he just didn't have many bee's. Environmentalist like me talk a lot about the ENVIRONMENT. What exactly does that mean and why is it so polarizing between political parties?
So think of it like this: Your, Our Environment is the lake you swim in. The mountain you hike. The country road you drive down to see wildflowers. The peaches that all died from a May frost this year. The trail you bike. The sky above. The grass below. The air you breath. The ocean you visit.
No doubt you can figure that I am a liberal democrat by reading my blogs, however, that does not change that we share the same environment. Yours, Mine, Ours,there is no separation.

1. Quit using the chemical cleaners. The absolute best thing you can do is
use baking soda, soap flakes, vinegar, Borax, and Bon Ami. The cleaners you use filter down into the ground and run off into streams and lakes. Think of a coffee maker, All that yucky chemical stuff drains right through that dirt, i.e. coffee into the pot, i.e. your lake of stream or ocean.

2. Turn of your fans to high and turn the air up. Drink ice water. Keep cool while using less air conditioning.

3. Eat low on the food chain. Beans, Grains, etc.... you know the drill. It should look most similar to how it comes from the land. Meat and processed food takes a lot of energy to produce and get to your table.

Namaste'
Courtney

P.S. One person makes a diffrence. It may be a drop in the bucket, but, many drops make an ocean.

Money and your food.

2007-07-26T06:33:00.002-07:00

How does one save money on food and toiletries? With four kids and usually friends and neighbors over our groceries disappear fast. In our time together we have been through all levels on the grocery budget. Here are some ideas you can use to eat healthy and save money. There is a lot of info in my past blogs also that I won't include here. So read those too. Some will fit your life and some may not, pick and choose.

1. Go vegetarian or semi- vegetarian. Meat is costly to eat and produce. Producing meat cost the environment greatly. Gradually reduce you're consumption, soon you won't miss it. My family used to complain daily, now I rarely hear anything. Some meatless ideas: whole grain pasta with veggies and sauce, grilled cheese and tomato soup, high protein pancakes, cheese pizza on whole grain crust, bean burritos, guacamole tostada's and wraps made with cream cheese and veggies (add a little Spike seasoning): YUMMY.

2. Organics are getting cheaper, if you can purchase them on sale do so. Store brand organics are widely available now. Still buy in season. At present organic blue berries and raspberries are the same price as non-organic at Kroger.

3. Reduce packaging use less paper products (use rags) and highly packaged foods. When we travel I pack cups and ice water plus a soft cooler of fruit, nuts and crackers.

4. Go to your farmers market.
Buy local. Buy from road side produce stands. Stock up on sweet potatoes, fall squash, anything that you can freeze, can, or store for winter.

6. Keep powdered milk and add it to your regular milk. I buy organic milk 50% of the time. Due to the huge increase in milk prices I have had to cut back on my kids consumption. I serve more decaf tea, homemade lemonade, ice water and juice. Some brands of tea bags work really well twice, meaning you can get two pitchers of tea by reboiling them. Remember to compost them.
This works with coffee also. Day one make coffee the regular way, then save the grounds. Day two add half as much coffee to the previous days grounds and add the same amount of water as you did on day one. You save half the amount of coffee you would have used and I swear you cannot tell the difference. Compost those grounds!!!

7. Only purchase cereals that are on sale and have at least two grams or more of fiber per serving and look on the top and bottom shelves for these. Its best to do away with boxed cereal all together if you are on a budget. Oatmeal is much less expensive.

8. If its sliced or diced or chilled for you its probably more expensive. Chop your own veggies and cheese. Make your own cereal.

9. Two of my favorite books for grocery help are
The Tightwad Gazette and More With Less.

10. Add beans, whole grains, fresh fruit and veggies. Drink water. If you live in Hot Springs you have no excuse for not drinking good water.

11. Go to the library and learn how to cook EASY & HEALTHY. I am met with resistance all the time that healthy eating is expensive and hard. It's not if you educate yourself. Disease is expensive and hard. Health is worth every penny.

Namaste'
Courtney

More tips for our planet

2007-07-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

1. Use cloth napkins. Use rags to clean. Reduce your use of paper towels.Even recycled paper towels end up in land fills. I do compost these if they are not bleached.

2. Give gifts of time, service, tickets to events museums and gardens etc....

3. Vacation close to home.

4. Use both sides of paper and only buy recycled computer paper.

5. Limit evenings and weekends away from home so you have more down time.

6. Hang some laundry: this is really theraputic.

7. Cook from scratch.

8. Say "yes" consiously.

9. Sit up straight, take a deep breath and count four counts in and exhale six counts out, imagine breathing into you navel and empty your breath completley.

10. Stand up reach up like you want to touch the sky and then fold at your hip joint ( where your hips and legs connects) then hang like a rag doll. Stay here and let tension drain from your back then come up slow with your chin down to avoid dizziness. (do not do if you have high blood pressure or glaucoma)

Thoughts from some readings

2007-07-16T08:26:00.000-07:00

Gandhi said "There is enough in the world for man's need, but not for man's greed".

Recently facilitating a course on Voluntary Simplicity has made me see my needs and wants in a different light. Now we still consume but our buying is more conscious. Next weekend our new couch comes in. This is the second piece of new furniture we have bought in seventeen years together. Our home has been blessed with some really nice hand me downs and good second hand finds. With new awareness I want to get rid of having a lot of stuff and instead have only a few nice quality things. My daughter recently lost a purse her birth mother gave her and she was so upset. I took her for a walk and said if I die that car over there (my car) is not me its just a thing. Things are not people, people live in our hearts when they are not with us.
Now I believe in having some mementos and I myself have some things I am not using that I need to get rid of. Its hard because they were my grandparents but I have decided that as we clean I will keep only what I can display or use. All of the things wrapped in paper from 1984 that I have hauled around for years may have to go.
There is a Buddhist belief that letting go of things and giving them to someone who needs it is empowering and uplifting to the giver. I am trying to realize that someone else can cherish those things as well if not better than me.

Namaste'
Courtney

more ideas for a healthy planet

2007-07-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

1. Subscribe to Mother Earth News and Organic Gardening.

2. Use vinegar or boiling water to kill weeds, works great in the driveway.

3. Use a mix of Borax and baking soda as a scouring powder, this stuff works great.

4. Purchase natural flea and tick repellents along with using Brewers Yeast in your dog and cat food. Add a little Flax seed oil for a shiny coat.

5. Soap and water cleans most anything, especially good on carpets and upholstery.

6. See my blog on composting, even if you don't use the dirt you should make a compost pile to reduce your methane gas emissions.

7. Go vegetarian or semi veg. Meat and Milk are the most important things you can buy organic. Cattle, chickens and hogs put out mass amounts of methane gas. The rain forest is being cut down to make more grazing land for cattle. Indigenous people have to walk further and further to find needed wood for fuel and their water is polluted by to much run off of animal feces.
All of the antibiotics and hormones get into our bodies and cause us to get fat, estrogen dominance is a common problem in why girls are hitting puberty younger and younger. My daughter was raised in foster care until we adopted her last year, she had a horrible diet. She hit puberty at a young age nine. Scary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Namaste'
Courtney

Just tips today

2007-07-12T13:23:00.000-07:00

Random tips for the environment.

1. If you are in a 401K or have investments look at putting a large part of your money into Social and Environmental Choice Funds. This has worked out very good for us and I feel like it is a huge investment we can give to the cause for the long term.

2. Add Brewers Yeast (about 2Tbsp. a day) to your cat & dog food it works great to keep the fleas off. I am amazed.

3. Plant more and more of your yard with edibles. They provide food for you and the yard critters.

4. Plant: Bay leaves to discourage roaches, Ants hate spearmint, tansy, southernwood, and other mints.

5. Use these flowers in your gardens to act as natural pesticides: marigolds, zinnias, sunflowers.

6. Pour your soapy dishwater on your plants, it keeps bugs off and conserves water.

Namaste'
Courtney

Money, feeling good about it

2007-07-05T07:35:00.000-07:00

My relationship with money has always been tumultuous. Its been a love hate relationship for as long as I can remember. The power I felt always laid in the green back and and the guilt was on me. Being primarily raised by grandparents who endured "The Depression" I always thought
we had very little money, then they died when I was twenty two and I found out differently.
They left me and mom a nice sum and it took me from having to work to being able to stay home with my kids. The amount I received was doled out over four years and was equal to what my work income had been: with God there are no coincidences. We had to live very frugally to make it work because now we had extra expenses with a new baby and two more to come over the next three and a half years. That frugality enabled us to put sweat equity into our home. This came in handy when my my husband decided to go back to school. With his parents help and the equity in our home Blake quit his job and went back to school. We took out $30,000 from our home equity and his parents graciously gave us serious monetary help for the next two years.
We were so determined to make it work that I dared not be excessive in my spending. Our clothes were resell, consignment, and clearance items. The food we ate was supplemented my the federal WIC program, which I was so ashamed of. Many meals were made out of those groceries of milk, cereal,eggs, peanut butter and beans. Being primarily vegetarian eight years of my young life came in pretty handy when cooking from these items. I am proud to say that because of all of this frugality and graciousness from family and the government we never paid a bill late and now our life is so much better, while not rich we are secure that we can put food on the table.
Fast forward seven years, my husband went on to complete a further degree. I was certified as a yoga teacher (I finished up three associate degrees when the kids were younger). Blake has moved up quickly at work and now is head of his Dept. at the college. Our salary increased by about 4 times what it was before college. We adopted child number four and live comfortably while not excessivly. Through it all we have made some mistakes and have learned a great deal about the energy we put behind our money.
Recently after viewing the movie " The Secret" I came to realize I still had a mindset of poverty. I was living like we still had to eat beans. Now I did not agree with everything in this movie but I got that if I focused on doing without, money would still have power over me. Due to my belief in being resourceful and conserving the worlds resources I could not just start buying overly packaged food and buy a big gas guzzler to drive. What I did was set up an automatic payment plan for our debt paying about double the minimum balance. I decided to put our money into things that add value to our lives like organic food, hiring someone to help me clean twice a month, and using our resources to live a life in line with our values. It became clear to me that I thought people who had money didn't care for the earth and were wasteful. Now I realize that with what we have we can help make this planet better for everyone. Now I eat beans because I want to and drive my nine year old van because it meets my needs perfectly.
Getting people out of poverty and educating them is a way out. Suppressing the poor and having a mindset of poverty will never let one live a full life.
We are an example of a family that needed a leg up. Without help from our family and the government we would never be able to be were we are now. As a caring society it is important that we use our money and our voting power to support education, healthcare, tolerance, and support for our poor.

Tips:

1. Learning to live without is a great lesson. With every purchase you make consider if you need it and how it might effect someone else's life. For instance buying produce only from the U.S. where we have laws in place to support fair wages. Avoid over packaging. Just because you have money does not mean that you need the new Widget, put your money where it makes a difference in someone else's life.

2. Give: Happiness comes from giving. It may be your time, a hug, a compliment, or money. It's easy to give money when you have it, it's harder to give your time. God always seems to multiply what you give. Try it with faith and see what happens. We all have gifts to give. Think of what you have to offer in service to humanity.

3. If you are in debt then set up an automatic payment plan that you can live with. For us using online banking makes this easy we have it automatically transferred on pay day. This is enormously empowering.

4. Live within your means. For example your house payment should be no more than 33% of your gross income. If you can find a home that is 25% of your net on a 15 year mortgage. You will be amazed at how fast you pay this off. Remember the bank may want to give you more money than you need. We got in this predicament (because our credit was so good) and it was so hard to get out. They gave us a loan based on 50% of our gross at 30 years, we could not sustain it and by Gods grace were able to get out. We are happy now with our 15 year note and owe much less now. Our debt to income on the mortgage is about 22% of our net. We built on (modestly) to accomodate the child we adopted and with our new loan our debt to income will be 33% of our net.

5. We have a huge grocery bill because we have four kids and three animals, I want them to eat healthy so I buy lots of produce and less cheap processed foods. Spend your money on things with feelings, and things of service to increase your happiness.

Namaste'
Courtney

Kids:Their pretty much worth it

2007-06-24T17:24:00.000-07:00

Okay in case you are curious, I did get the papers semi organized, the clothes folded and the house clean. The kids came home from camp and I have four loads of laundry and their montage of stuff they stroll everywhere all over the house. Life really wasn't that clean and organized with them gone. There was more time to teach so when the call came to sub I went to work. When it came time to eat I didn't want to cook so we subsisted on leftovers. We did go out to eat a few times and the margaritas I enjoyed are now attached to my hips. With no one here to be impressionable I didn't feel the need to make the bed or cook healthy food. However It did free up time to go through the mountains of paper work I was drowning in. Oh and I had room in the O'L Mini Van for the recyclables I had put off taking for two months. We are really good recyclers and it literally takes the whole van to get it there. So round mid August you should see me sorting steel and plastic again.
Yesterday my house was full of my kids and everybody else's within a mile. There is one little boy who comes over and his mother passed away a year ago. I always try to give him a big hug and a kiss on the head. When I least expected it he grabbed my waist and hugged me tight "Bye , Mrs. Courtney see you tomorrow". Yes indeed they are worth it messes and all.

Tips for the day:

1. Keep some board games and play with your kids; put it out on the coffee table or kitchen table one weekend and they will be drawn to it. I recommend the game "Life" it teaches good lessons like going to college gets the better paying salary, paying rent, and the cost of owning a pet.

2. Always keep a ton of fresh fruit, bread, and Peanut Butter. Even adults like this, trust me any time I make this for an adult and kid party the adults eat all the PB &J.
I have a deal with me neighbor because we have lots of kids around: if the kids beg for something to drink, cups and a big pitcher of ice water. Then one mom is not the hero Koolaide or soda mom.

3.Forget the dishes and go do something together. Your kids will remember.
Tonight I took them to the YMCA to go swimming and play basketball.
Soooo.....now I have to go do those dishes.

Namaste'
Courtney

Now its time to face myself

2007-06-18T07:40:00.000-07:00

Now its time to face myself is what I thought as I loaded tupperware into the mangled drawer of mismatched plastic. Am I that unorganized? Is it my busy life? Is it my four kids, husband, and three animals. As I look around me there are baskets of papers and baskets of laundry waiting on me. I have convinced myself that if its in a basket it's semi organized. However now I have loads of baskets. The book shelves look like the library at my kids school (this is not a good thing). Getting rid of stuff has never been a problem for me. I take stuff to charity organizations and the auction almost monthly. Its the part C and E in SPACE I have trouble with. S =sort,P= Purge, A = assign, C= containerize, E= Equalize.
Now I am faced with my kids being at camp for a week. Just me and Blake and Lola, Lenny and Harold. I don't think I can Blame a 38 year old man and four furry four legged creatures if on Friday I am still looking at thesebaskets.
If you are religious I would be happy to take a little intercessory prayer on the task before me.
All kidding aside.

Tips for the day:

1. Set the timer for a specific amount of time to purge in a specific area.

2. Prioritize what area you would like to get to today.

3. Balance it out with something fun when you finish.

Namaste'
Courtney

I'm off to set the timer........

Feeding a group of people (including children)

2007-06-16T07:53:00.000-07:00

I returned this week from a mission trip to Little Rock with my church. The ladies who organized it did a wonderful job. It is a big task to take on 20 something kids age 6 to 13 to do mission work. There was one problem for me that was a delight for most of the kids: the food. My childhood came as a Blast from the Past with cheese dip, chips, cookies, hot dogs, mac and cheese, pizza, and PB&J (though these were more infrequent for me). The food while it tasted good made me feel sluggish and in need of some serious salad come day two.
As I am aware that in the south many people have not yet become conscious of the little things we do that add up in a big way. My favorite books are ones that deal with simple choices of conservation and sustainability. Blessed to have been bought up with grandparents from The Depression the value of reduce, reuse, and recycle was second nature in my life. I didn't know that we lived a life that would someday prove useful to me but now I am so grateful. When feeding large groups of people there are many things you can do at a nominal cost.

1. Your grocery list should include:
Lots of bananas,apples, oranges (seasonal hand held fruit), easy veggies cut up with dips like hummus, homemade ranch or onion, or tahini. Large containers of yogurt that you can add fruit, honey, granola, carob, dry cereal,etc. Kids love yogurt parfait party's I have done this more times than I can count. Whole wheat breads and crackers. Natural Nut Butters: there are many cost effective brands on the market now. Cheese and good quality tortillas and salsas.
There is nothing wrong with a little pizza and hamburgers but try to make the ingredients from scratch. I make my own pizza crust and marinara and have done this for my church kids and they loved it. Have a taco night with fresh ingredients, have hamburgers with vegetarian options and baked beans. The next night do baked potato's and use the leftovers. Less meat more veggies keeps cost in line and serving protein in the form of nuts, milk, eggs, cheese, etc.... keeps everyone from feeling like a slug.
Serve water, juice, milk, homemade lemonade and homemade fruit punch. Homemade mock soda can be made with grape juice and carbonated water to taste. Make decaf tea some older kids like this and black tea has a lot of antioxidants.

2. Wash dishes. Teach kids to wash dishes: use regular tableware. Try to serve meals that require one plate or one bowl, and one utensil. Set up three tubs one with rinse water, one with soapy water, and other rinse water and several drying towels. Kids actually enjoy this. Another idea is to have a cup with their name on it that they can use the whole time. This can be taken home as a souvenir. At the minimum reduce the amount of paper products and if available use post consumer recycled. NEVER buy Styrofoam.

3. Have a good attitude and be a good example of health. When making these foods you will notice less packaging: make a point to tell the kids you purposely choose foods with less packaging. Take kids to a landfill sometime and show them that trash ends up somewhere and it grows and it leaches into our water and soil. Our wasteful practices hurt our ecosystems and eventually hurt us.

Namaste'
Courtney

Sonic update

2007-06-12T07:47:00.000-07:00

I called Sonic yesterday and spoke to a customer service rep named, Carlos.
We discussed my concern about the millions of styrofoam cups Sonic sells every day that end up in our landfills. His response was, quote " These cups are OZone friendly and contain no CFC's. They are also recycable". I then asked what the cups were made of if not styrofoam, long pause, he put me on hold long enough to make my bed and fold a load of laundry. Fianlly Carlos returns with , quote "We aren't sure".
Okay you tell me if they don't know what the cups are made of how do they know that they are Ozone friendly and contain no CFC (cloro flora carbons are produced when plastics are produced, they are toxic to humans).
My response to this truly kind man was that if there are no facilitys available to recycle a product then they truly are not recycable. In Arkansas towns with maybe a few thousand people or less have a Sonic. Sometimes it is the only fastfood place and maybe the only restaurant. Do you think they have recycling capabilitys???????????
Please if you can take the time call Sonic at 1-866-OK-SONIC, or 1-866-657-6642.
I was unable to access an e mail address on thier website.

Tips for the day:

1. Pack your own food in reuseable containers.

2. Do not give your buisness to stores that are not environmentally concious.

3. Talk to the store mangager or call your favorite stores and let them know you care about these issues.

Blessings to all,
Courtney

Food and the styrofoam connection

2007-06-10T15:13:00.002-07:00

I struggle terribly with all kinds of food guilt. Today my daughter and I went to tour the bath house (it's free), then we went to a diner and had dessert. My diet is very healthy for the most part but I lost all control in front of that blackberry cobbler alamode. I told my self I wouldn't eat the whole thing, I would take half home to Blake. As soon as that thought came to mind I realized "oh yeah, then I'll have to get a Styrofoam container." This was enough reason for me to eat the whole kit and caboodle. Now I am suffering from severe guilt. Its as if a double chin appeared within seconds.
This morning in church a friend of mine bought me a cup of coffee, in a Styrofoam cup no less. When I got home from my rendezvous with the blackberry cobbler three of my family members had huge Styrofoam cups from Sonic. Sonic could single handedly be blamed for billions of Styrofoam cups every month. Of course I know this is not the thought of the normal person but I sit around and ponder " What the heck are the executives at Sonic thinking that they haven't come up with a better solution than a container that sits in a landfill for over a thousand years".
For the most part I avoid Sonic for this very reason. Our family avoid's fast food as much as possible but sometimes it seems like a necessary evil. This scene usually plays out when we are traveling because feeding preteens and teenagers is so expensive, our options are limited.

Thoughts;

1. Take a cup with you when you travel and have it filled in the store. Most people respect this discion when you say you don't believe in Styrofoam.

2. Share your meal with someone or order off of the appetizer plate so you don't have to get a to go box.

3. If you work in an office ask them to find a better alternative to Styrofoam. Everyone could use their own cup. I am trying to find a better alternative at church. No one wants to wash dishes on Sunday morning. I am going to have to find something comparable in price. My work will not be easy.

4. Don't buy the stuff. Don't buy anything packaged in styrofoam if at all possible. Ask for your meat wrapped in wax paper if you use a butcher.
When you want to use paper plates first consider if it is really necessary. (See my first or second blog on what certain brands are doing to the forest in Canada). 1st choice is everyday dinner wear, second would be to use less of it and find post consumer recycled where avialable.

Namaste'
Courtney

Travel with kids: What was I thinking??????????????

2007-06-03T15:47:00.000-07:00

Mush for Brains. That is me after driving 20 hours with four kids. Oh yeah and the last 7 hours of it was with a cute little flea infested terrier mix that we picked up on I-40. Barbara our therapist says "Why do you always complicate your life, your always adding more." I am thinking this is not going to go over well at my next appointment. Our heart is in the right place but our brians tend to be missing that part that screams at you "Your an idiot, you don't have a lot of money, you have four kids, one bathroom, two old cars and not nearly enough time to give another living thing."
So now I have four kids, (one of whom I adopted last December at age 10,three animals
(two found me and one I got by default) a 77 year old house in remodel, a job, several volunteer commitments, and a husband. Sometimes I scare myself. Deep breaths, count to 10 backwards, let go of the little stuff, and pray A LOT. Thats my formula.

Travel with kids:

1.Eating out cost a fortune even if its fast food with kids.
Prepare meals at your location as much as possible and pack food for the car.
Eat out but not every meal and eat at local restaurants not chains. Every one drinks water, share an entree with your spouse or a kid and the younger ones get kids meals. We visited Whole Foods in Santa Fe, Let me just say in Heaven this store will be there. It was awesome. I bought a ton of fresh fruit, organic milk and we sat down and chowed then put our recycables in the bins provided. We did the same thing at Cids health foods in Taos.

2. Give up and get the car t.v. for long trips. This is a life saver. My therapist even suggested this to me. Its not frugal but you can always borrow one. Ours comes out when we are not traveling more than two hours.

3. Find a place with a washer and drier close by when you are going to be gone a long time.

4. Free and cheap entertainment. We took lots of long walks, visited the local parks, went to the Local Library,visited a local thrift store and puchased 1/2 gallons of ice cream instead of visiting the ice cream shop @ $1.75 a scoop.

5. Find the local recycling drop off and take your recycables before you leave town. This was really frustrating for us because there was no place close in Red River N.M. I was going to hall it all back but we had no room left in our little van. It really upset me to throw out three bags of trash that could have been recycled.

Namaste'
Courtney

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Precycle

2007-05-15T11:04:00.000-07:00

As if there wasn't enough to feel anxious about with the environment now us "A types" have to think about Precycling. Actually if you do the Three R's (Reduce,Reuse, Recycle) you probably have already considered this and just didn't have a name for it. Precycling means making choices that consider the health of the community near and far. The choices you make from where you live,to how you travel, to what you eat have an effect on the overall living environment. You should definitely reduce the amount you buy, reuse what you can (like glass jars for storage and plastic containers), and recycle everything possible in your community.

*In Hot Springs: Call Earth Angel # 501-321-6911 for clear glass, aluminum, corrugated cardboard, newspaper and Leaf and Mulch pickup
* Plastic #1 and #2 (milk and soda jugs, water bottles, some plastic bags), steel cans, auto batteries, tires,metal objects, office paper (white) go to the county recycling center about 1/4 block past North Moore Road, and Hwy 7north 1/4 mile past Fox Pass cutoff on Hwy 7 on the right.

*Take appliances and T.V.s and household batteries, computers etc. to the intersection of Valley and Runyon for recycling. Call about Refrigeration 312-6921

Precycle tips for the day:

1. Shop local and small business as much as possible.

2. Buy less but buy better quality that will last.

3. Invest in your local community. Shopping local is one way but if you have money or time to give donate that also.

4. Drive less.

5. Buy organic food.

6. Compost

7. Share food and equipment

8. Carpool or use public transportation if available.

Namaste"
Courtney

Free Time

2007-05-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

Free time is a concept that I struggle with. I lust for free time. My work only requires me to be gone several hours at a time several days a week. However, my home life is full throttle all the time. At present I am facilitating a course on Voluntary Simplicity and this is keeping me on track a bit. So what if the floors don't get swept, if I get to lay in the hammock and look up at the sky this helps my mental state more than clean floors. There is a part of me that has the old Protestant work ethic. Sometimes the little devil on my shoulder tells me I am a bad person for letting some things go; What if my mom comes over. She always makes some remark about how the kids should help me clean more. Mom if your reading this I still love you even if you gave me the O.C.D. gene.

Tips on free,frugal, earth friendly leisure:

1. Take a walk. Nothing better than getting out and taking a walk. I meet my sister in law several times a week at the park and we walk and talk. I enjoy seeing the changes in the plants. I am getting to know a lot more canines. I happen to love anything in the furry family. This makes me very happy.

2. Read a book, from the library of course. I love to read. If you don't, borrow a DVD or a book on C.D.. If you drive an ancient car like me they still have tapes at the library.

3. Play games with your friends or family. Blake and I have some friends who like to play cards. I love those times and they cost me nothing except a little food for the
potluck, I would have to eat anyway.

4. If you are blessed enough to have a porch have some people over and sit and talk.
Have a drink or some tea and enjoy the company. Who cares what your house looks like, your friends will be glad you are normal and they don't have to compete with you.

Namaste"
Courtney

aesthetics aside.

2007-05-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

Today I really screwed up. I needed mulch around my plants and I am allergic so I went and got straw from the farmers co-op. Straw does fine in your garden. It has the look of a classic gradpa garden. Straw in your front yard beds looks really bad.
I would describe this look at super-crappy and a bit trashy. My hope is that when my husband sees it he will be so ticked at me he will go immediatly buy some mulch and cover it up. The gardener part of me that is missing is the aesthetic part. Weed pulling rates right up there with pooper scooping.

Frugal tips with food:

1. Grow your own. Everyone can grow something. Get a book or ask someone you know to teach you. Every year by trial and error I do a little more. I am getting more accomplished every year.

2. The front and back page of the weekly ad (usually comes out in the Wedn. paper)
has your loss leaders. These are the best deal in the paper. This may be a repeat tip but it bears repeating. You can save tons of money if you only buy off these two pages and stock up when they are on sale.

3. It goes with out saying: eat out less. I had coffee at one girlfriends house this morning and this afternoon another friend brought some groceries over and I used what I had and we had a really good Vietanmese soup. Conversation was as good as it would have been out and I didn't have to get dressed up.

Namaste'
Courtney

everyday earthday

2007-05-07T09:21:00.000-07:00

Saturday I picked up a paper to see if there were any garage sales of interest. Captivated by the front page I sat in my car and read " Global Action Plan to reduce Co2 emissions". I am so happy that there is a consensus to take action yet I am skeptic that the Bush Administration will adhere to any policy that takes away from the Oil and Gas industry. If our next president doesn't win by a landslide (I hope with all my might its a Democrat)then we the Christian Democrats and Liberal Democrats have really done a poor job of getting the point across. This brings me to another point that causes me to feel the need to speak up. The last election was basically won because the Republicans made it their agenda to say if you were a Christian or a moral person you could not be a Democrat. Well I am here to tell you there are a lot of Democrats who are Christians and are Liberals. We as a group tend to be too quite about our beliefs and now I hope we have learned a good lesson. I saw this bumper sticker the other day and it says it all
The best National Defense is Education, Health care, and Tolerance.

Tips for the day:
1. Plug in power strips for as many plugs as you can. Appliances suck energy even when they are off. WE keep our cell phones on one and our t.v. and stereo. Any place you plug in more than one appliance should have one. This is easy to flip off before you go to bed or leave the house.

2. If you are building or adding on (or feel inclined) add skylights and light tubes. We put two into our new addition and we are so pleased. There is no need for overhead lighting during the day and if there is enough moonlight its like Gods little nightlight. Plus you can look up and see the stars as a bonus.

3. Compost. Even if you live in the city or an apartment. There are easy indoor compost buckets you can go online and build. We had one that utilized red wigglers it was pretty cool but we ended up just using the big one in the back yard.
Why should you compost? because when you pack household raw waste into landfills it produces Methane Gas which pollutes the environment and causes more global warming.
When raw materials breakdown naturally they produce great soil that you can use or give to someone who can.
Compost:
Raw: fruits and veggies and natural grains.
Egg shells, coffee grounds and tea bags,
newspaper, and drier lint.
Hint: The darks; coffee, tea, drier lint, newspaper, leaves,twigs and non diseased yard waste, need to always be on top as they are high in nitrogen and keep the bugs away.

Namaste'
Courtney

but MOMMMMM everybody's doing it.

2007-05-04T19:14:00.000-07:00

Writing everyday has proved to be harder than I thought. Four kids take a lot of time and leave little time for getting to the computer. My priorities are such that I feel the need for them to have clean clothes and food on the table. This takes an extrordinate amount of time. Today I had a field trip with my daughter and I am worn out. Here I experienced from listening to conversation that apparently "not every kids actully can watch R movies, go to the mall unsupervised, etcccc.....". It wasn't so much in what was said as what wasn't said when the conversations came around to what the girls were doing over the weekend. My kids would like me to believe I am a prison gaurd and the only parent in the world who acts as such.
So my dear little children will probably be lucky to go to the YMCA or take a walk with me this weekend around the block and I won't feel bad one bit about it.

1. Kids are better off earning some of lifes little necessities. By necessites I mean set a budget for those things, lets say shoes you agree to $30 three times a year. You will provide hand me down shoes and thrift store finds,etc.... no charge.
Above your limit let them earn the money. My oldest really wanted a pair of shoes that cost $70 he got on line and found them on clearance for $29.99. I was so proud of him I paid the shipping.

2. Pick up kids clothes at thrift stores and yard sales. Let poeple know you love to get hand me downs. Explain how this helps the earth and how some poor soul in a third world country makes a lot of our clothes for little pay and bad working conditions.

3. If you have picky teenages who are slef concious about there clothes despite what you say heres what I do. My teenager likes a certain brand of clothing. He doesn't care where it comes from so I keep this in mind. We have a T.J. Maxx that sells his favoirte brands for 1/4 the cost of the mall. He has about 5 shirts, 2 pairs of jeans, and two pairs of shorts that he wears to school. I wash them quite often and he mixes and matches. At home and when we are hanging out on weekends and holiday he wears whatever I have picked up on my thrift shopping excurisons. Most of this actually looks nicer to me but hey he's a teenageer what can I say.

Namaste"
Courtney

little things matter

2007-05-02T19:11:00.000-07:00

A few years back there was a popular book called "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff".
I am hear to tell you that in frugality and the enviroment the small stuff really matters. You have many options daily to make a diffence in a small way but only once in while do the big things happen, like say voting for a canidate that supports what you believe in.
Recently there was a bill proposed that I disagreed with. I called the Governors office and left a message. To my surprise I got a long phone message back stating the
Governors positoion and a little more. It felt good to be heard and I hope it helps some people who would have been negatively effected by that bill.

Daily tips.
Little things matter:
I will give six since I missed a day.

Shopping wisdom:

1. Ask yourself when shopping "Do I need this? Does it serve a purpose that something I already have could do?"
To much consumerism can fill landfills and junk up you house.

2. Buy it used.

3. Borrow it.

4. Can you purchase an enviromentally friendly version. I recently needed a nightgown. I found a Hanes Organic night shirt for $10.

5. How much packaging is there, is there an option with less. Buy in Bulk, avoid individual packaged items as much as you can.

6. Cut back your wardrobe and put outfits together in your closet. This gives you the notion that you have more options. When everything is a mess sometimes we tend to go buy something new rather than take the time to look or try on what we have.

Namaste"
Courtney

Snacks and lunch box options for the frugal

2007-04-30T06:53:00.000-07:00

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

little things matter

2007-04-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

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

Voluntary Simplicity

2007-04-26T13:40:00.000-07:00

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

getting out of debt

2007-04-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

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

Always questioning myself

2007-04-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

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

so much in my head

2007-04-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

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