Giving Up Carbon For Lent
I’m pulling this one out from the archives. It orginally posted February 25, 2009.
Photo credit: rosevita from morguefile.com
Okay, I am still burping up the pancakes that we ate in our church hall last night. Nothing like greasy, smoky air, excited buzz in a hall packed with people, and kids hyped up on waayy too much maple syrup to kick off forty days of denial. While there I noticed a sign up on the bulletin board asking:
R U UP 2 IT?
CARBON FAST THIS LENT
Well that got my attention.
Our youth group (through a request from the eastern synod of our church) is asking that people consider an alternative to giving up the traditional sweets, smokes, chocolate or alcohol for Lent.
I’ve decided to take their suggestion and run with it.
For our carbon fast, Lent will be broken up into four weeks before Easter. Each week will consist of making at least two (hopefully more) choices in each of the following categories:
Week 1: Transportation
Week2: Shelter and Utilities
Week 3: Retail and Entertainment
Week 4: Food and Cooking
Week 5: Going Beyond Our Homes
This week we’ll address Transportation. Below are some options to reduce your carbon usage. Pick at least two to take on for the rest of the month. Remember, we are all at different places in our green journeys. What carbon fasting is for you personally will be very different for someone else.
Search your soul. Stretch yourself.
1. Drive less.
2. Walk, cycle or take the bus around town
3. Avoid flying. Telecommute or Skype instead.
4. If you are planning to purchase a new car, consider the many green options that are now available.
6. Reconsider your commute - can you possibly work from home?
7. Have one day per week where you don’t use your car.
8. Take the Saving Gas Quiz.
9. Combine trips for shopping etc into one outing.
10. Try to drive at the speed that is optimal for fuel efficiency (around 90 to 100 km per hour).
11. Maintain correct tire pressure and regular oil changes. Low tire pressure means high fuel consumption
12. Carpool whenever possible
13. Drive more leisurely, allowing for a slower journey.
14. If you are in an urban area, consider car sharing instead of a second car (or instead of your only car!).
15. As the temperature gets warmer, resist using your car’s air conditioning (okay this one is slightly laughable as I look out my window at the piles of snow!).
Next week I will post the next set of carbon-reducing choices.
R U UP 4 IT?
How do you plan to give up carbon this week?
Finding Balance
This post was written as part of Steady Mom’s 30-Minute Blog Challenge.
Photo credit: mensatic from morguefile.com
I started off 2010 full of fantastic intentions. I followed sage advice from blogs like Simple Mom, Small Notebook and Virtually Organized about making tangible goals rather than grandiose resolutions. Some of my goals included:
♥ keeping the house tidier and decluttered
♥ staying in touch with distant family
♥ spending quality time with my in-house family
♥ blogging on a more consistent basis
♥ maintaining our family budget more consistently
♥ eating out less and spending less on groceries
When I thought about my goals, I didn’t keep them quite this large. The things listed above were actually the end result that I wanted. My actual ‘to dos’ looked more like this:
♥ make sure that kitchen counters are clean of dishes when kids get home from school and before bed at night
♥ do at least one load of laundry daily
♥ write thank yous and birthday cards on time; respond to emails
♥ get outside every day with the kids, rain or shine
♥ write at least 3 blog posts weekly
♥ keep receipts in one spot and enter them into our budget spreadsheet on a weekly basis
♥ plan meals one day each week
So this all looks wonderful in theory and many of these things have actually become habit. What I am still struggling with is the BALANCE. I’m finding that I can do each of these things quite well (extremely well) when I put my mind to it but then most of the other things on my list go to hell in a handbasket. I find that my time on the computer allows me to blog, balance our checkbook while saving for our future, and helps me plan my meals. But in the meantime the house looks like a small bomb has gone off. When I dedicate time to the house, it still looks like a slightly tinier bomb has gone off (thanks to someone I like to refer to as Tornado Tom) and I don’t even glance at the computer. Next thing I know, weeks (or months) have gone by with no blog posts and a budget that just went KA-BOOM!
So where is the balance? I have set my goals and the baby steps to go with them. But is still isn’t quite working. This week I plan on looking at my routines to see if the answer lies there. I don’t believe in firm routines. My inner brat just seems to rebel and I end up breaking all my rules anyways. Just a general direction for the day would be good. Plus a good dose of decluttering to see if I can reduce the size of some of those tornados that end up chewing up a large amount of my time.
Of course, life will throw the occasional curveball like a puking child at 2 o’clock in the morning (Tornado Tom again). Simple Mom has a very interesting post about how to deal with the urgent vs. the important. Once again, we’re back to the balance thing.
How do you maintain balance in your life?
Filed under Life in General | Comments (11)
Just Sharing the Love…
This post was written as part of Steady Mom’s 30-Minute Blog Challenge.
Every morning I sit down at my computer with a cup of coffee and begin my stroll through my favorite blogs. Some days I only have time for a quick glance. Other days I get a chance to dig back into their archives to discover hidden gems.
Today I was overwhelmed with a plethora of giveaways. The first one I will mention is free to everyone. The others are also free, but you will need a bit of luck to get your hands on them!
First of all, Corey at Simple Marriage and Mandi at Organizing Your Way are contributors in a FREE ebook. I’ve already downloaded my copy. I haven’t read it yet but it looks fun and inpiring. Just click on the picture above to download your own copy.
The other giveaways are on Simple Mom’s new network called Simple Living Media. Each new blog has a set of giveaways that are fantastic (and valuable). Make sure to visit each of them!
Simple Mom
Simple Kids
Simple Organic
Simple Bites
Simple Homeschool
Good luck!!!
Filed under Life in General | Comments (2)I’ve Made It…Time to Enjoy the Ride
I was recounting this story with a friend over a cup of coffee this morning and decided it was worth sharing here as well. Every once in awhile we should pause to appreciate what we really have created in our lives.
- photo by mconnors
I remember visiting a friend’s house about seven years ago when my oldest was still just a baby. My husband and I were over there for dinner and to play some cards. When I walked through the door, I was immediately engulfed in warmth, savory smells and what sounded like a significantly sized pack of children tearing the house apart. After removing our coats in the mudroom, we headed for the kitchen where Kerry was simultaneously ladling what looked to be tuna casserole into a container while chatting on the phone. She smiled and gave us a quick wave to encourage us in further.
Meanwhile, their three elementary-aged daughters and friends pounded into the kitchen and asked for juice. While still on the phone she grabbed the pitcher from the fridge and doled out six cups, poured the juice, and popped a sippy lid on each one. She got off the phone and asked her oldest daughter to take the casserole, some bread and a salad over to the neighbor’s house.
“She’s sick,” she told us by explanation.
Then she proceded to ask us what we wanted to drink and offer us some snacks until our prime rib was ready. Prime rib??? Really? As my mind wrapped around the thought of prime rib on a weeknight, I heard a couple more people enter the mudroom behind us.
I had only been to their home once before, and I glanced around now. It was clean, but had the lived-in clutter of a busy family. I turned back to the kitchen scene. Kerry seemed completely at ease as she chatted, joked and prepped our dinner. That night we ate well, played some poker and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Most importantly, everyone was at ease and felt completely welcome. Not everything went perfectly, but I don’t even remember what those little imperfect moments were. I just remember the atmosphere of a busy family that didn’t feel strained or stressful. It was fun.
Since that night, I’ve always held Kerry up as a bit of an icon of what I wanted to become. This was the family life I wanted. My baby was sweet and soft and quiet, but I craved the bustle and organized chaos that I experienced in this home. I craved the ability to handle that organized chaos with the same grace and obvious love as Kerry did. She was superwoman in my eyes.
Let’s flash forward seven years…
I am in my kitchen having just had our neighbor, Janet, over for dinner. She has dinner at our home every week after she graciously spends time working with our 5-year-old son on his speech issues. I had made a cider pork roast and Janet and I were sitting back and chatting at the kitchen table which is a near miracle because the noise in the house was deafening. My childrens’ friends from down the street had popped in for a short visit as well and were currently playing tag around the circular floorplan of our home. Every 30 secondsor so, five children ranging from age ten to two pounded through the kitchen followed by an exhuberantly happy jack russell.
I felt my blood-pressure rising. I started to feel anxious and ready to pop when my mind suddenly flashed to that scene seven years prior. And I realized that this was it. I had arrived. This was the life I envisioned for my family. At one point in my life I craved this.
I now realize that I have no idea what Kerry was feeling the night we had prime rib. She seemed calm to me. But she could have been having an absolute coronary inside. She could have been wondering what in the hell she could have possibly been thinking having kids over, caring for a sick neighbor, plus making prime rib for 6 dinner guests. I know I do. I realize that my Monday night pork roast with Janet was not at that level, but I also know that we have had nights that weren’t far from it.
I glanced around my kitchen. It was clean but had the lived-in clutter of a busy family of five. Some days are better than others with regards to how clean it is. This was a good day.
I found myself taking a deep breath. Just enjoy it. I turned and looked at Janet.
“Would you like a glass of wine?”
Filed under Food, Life in General, Up Close and Personal | Comments (7)Nature Walks for Kids 101
- Photo by J Boles
I thought I would share a comment that I received from Craig at The Green Tenant. He asks some great questions and I have a large enough answer to warrant its own posting:
I just got into teaching and leading walking tours this year. We did a successful one on the Don River last weekend. Not exactly a beautiful stretch of it, but the focus was on brownfield redevelopment, so a bit of ugly is to be expected.
Perhaps more relevant, I also put together some suggestions for people who want to start leading their own walking tours.
Why am I telling you all this? Because I haven’t done one for kids yet. We’ll probably do one on a more scenic section later this summer, and it might be nice to make it more family friendly. Any tips for making it fun for kids? I’ve got some ideas, but would welcome yours.
That job sounds absolutely wonderful!
I think Craig is already on the ‘right path’ by choosing a more scenic stretch for the walk with the kids. Our jobs as parents or educators is to motivate children to have a relationship with the natural world. Think of your walk as an introduction to a new friendship that the children will hopefully follow through with. The goal is to make them fall in love. Make this introduction as beautiful as possible.
I have been so surprised at how many kids I have led through the woods who have said they have never been in a forest before. And these are rural children who live in towns of less than 5,000 people! Now there may be some selective memory or exaggeration occuring, but there are kids as old as Grade 6 who feel complete indifference or even disdain for the natural world. The good news is that usually by the end of a walk they have a new sense of wonder and an eagerness to discover more (even the ones who start out rolling their eyes).
Here are some tips to make your next walking tour successful with kids:
1. Do your homework. Walk the path ahead of time and make note of places to stop and talk about something of interest; whether it is a specific animal or habitat. These stops should be short and sweet (5-10 minutes).
2. Have some visual aids to help with your talk. Pull out a picture of a beaver if you have a beaver dam or lodge at your stop. Younger kids can talk about beaver teeth and wood chewing. Older kids can discuss what makes a mammal different from a fish or bird. They can discuss adapations that help animals survive.
3. Stops don’t have to be as exciting as beaver lodges. Pausing at a point in the woods where a variety of birds can be heard is the perfect place to talk about where different birds live and what they eat. Some of the favourites are herons, woodpeckers, kingfishers or canada geese).
4. Keep the species local. Kids are bombarded at school with information about polar bears, whales or elephants. They think their local animals are boring in comparison. Help show them what is exciting in their own backyards.
5. Make the walk interactive. Almost to a kid, the favourite part of a 2-hour hike for second-graders is the time we spend with small yogourt cups and magnifying glasses. Pick a stopping point that is shady and has fallen logs. Give the kids 10-15 minutes to see what they can find. Have a insect book handy for identifying but only if that is of interest. Kids care about the bugs themselves, and not as much about the label. Spend a couple of minutes talking about where they found their critters (under fallen logs or beneath rotting bark). Talk about why you wouldn’t pull bark from a living tree (it protects the tree like skin and protects the tree from bugs and disease).
6. A similar activity can be done with dip nets and shallow water. Make sure you have a couple of containers along that can be filled with water and viewing as a viewing spot. Crayfish, dragonfly naiads, leeches and frogs are often caught. Kids (and parents) that start out squeamish are usually enthralled by the end of this 20 - 30 minute activity. A good insect book from the library will help you identify the benthic species that are being caught.
7. Remind everyone (including parents!) that they are visiting animals’ homes when they are in the woods. The best analogy I have come up with is to ask kids how irritated they get when their rooms and toys get ‘messed with’ by siblings or friends. Why do they get mad?? Because it is disrespectful to have their personal space invaded. Remind them that when they are out in nature, animals and their habitats deserve the same respect.
8. Throw in a fun game for good measure. Nothing fancy. Just give them some running space and let them play a game of tag as ‘frogs’ and ‘great-blue herons’. Or give them a small patch of woods and allow them to camoflauge themselves like a small animal. The person who is ‘it’ stays in the same spot and the player who is the closest to them without being seen wins. Afterwards, talk about camoflauge strategies that animals use.
Like I said, keep your stops short and sweet and don’t hesistate to move along if you find attention flagging. The goal isn’t to bombard them with facts. Focus on the cool ‘nature nuggets’ and keep it light and fun. Even the youngest can handle a 2-hour walk if you break it up. Parents enjoy the enthusiam that their kids will show and will probably learn something new themselves. I guarantee the children will be asking their parents to bring them back the following weekend. They may even ask for their own dip net for their next birthday!
Filed under Life in General, Nature | Comments (4)
