Location: somewhere between complete exhaustion and utter euphoria
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Thanks. It takes time management and a messy house. I bake a lot. I rarely fold clothes. I am trying to get the girls to do more, especially with cooking since they ultimately will be responsible for maintaining this diet to maintain their health.
I wish we could have a month where we could all get together and share our skills.
Thanks. It takes time management and a messy house. I bake a lot. I rarely fold clothes. I am trying to get the girls to do more, especially with cooking since they ultimately will be responsible for maintaining this diet to maintain their health.
I wish we could have a month where we could all get together and share our skills.
What a great idea! I still think we should just have an all out commune, sustainable living community... intential living community. We could all pool our resources..and we could hold classes for the comminty when people showed interest. Homeschool, cook, bake, milk goats, make cheese, farm, build a sweat lodge, make soap...sew clothes...spin yarn....build houses...ahhh............
I am thinking on it. Dh is finishing up his pilot license...that would be quite an asset to trade along with all his technical skills...The community could own thier own plane and he could fly people as needed. He is an awesome pilot.
TO dream a dream is fabulous...but I want to LIVE it.
Location: When I dare to be powerful -- to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.
Posts: 9,525
Quote:
Originally Posted by Linda
I mean isn't a cheese sandwhich and an apple convenience food? You can even melt the cheese on the bread, slice a tomato on it, add dried basil and call it pizza. But, people think the frozen pizza is better.
Ah well...
And if you wrapped that exact sandwich in plastic, and sold it in a bag WITH the apple slices (precut and lemonjuiced to pucker-factor 12) then you could charge $5.75 for it. And don't forget the nonrecyclable waxed cardboard cup that your WATER goes into for those of you who like me, try to keep the caffine intake down. Yes... guilty. Completely. I have done this before... what am I talking about? I did this last week the day the kids started school. *sigh*
I make so many of our lunches and things that I don't often think about what we waste (including time and energy we have to work for those things) to get that "convinence foods) or whatever. I am the queen of getting something once (like a pesto Fresh motzerella sandwich at Starbucks (which is local for me, so no flames)) and then spending a week until I know just what is in it and making it over and over for myself at home for next to nothing.
Anyway... I have a hard time understanding it, but being in the US and not a place like NZ I have a hard time not falling into it too. This conversation has firmed my resolve a bit. I find it inspiring to see people who are on the same mental path as me... It makes me feel like after Halo's atomic holacost comes I will be one of the few that will still be eating and living. Hey Julie... would you mind waiting to blow stuff up until I have two helpers over ten? I would appriciate it.
Much love my path walking friends. There are days I find the group of us truly inspiring just to talk and listen to.
__________________
Val; Living the dream we have been working towards for over 5 years.
Mama to Alex, Cyan, and Logan. Wife to my very best friend.
My youngest is non-verbal and he gets fish oil supplements twice a day. He spits out some of his oil after I give it to him in his medicine syringe. I use 1/2 a paper towel to wipe his mouth.
You cannot get fish oil on clothing. It will never come out. When fish oil is exposed to air it starts to smell very very rank! If you wash something with even a drop of fish oil on it then the whole load will stink (ask my DH he knows).
We use Viva which are the softest paper towels I have ever bought. My son's therapist uses them too since they have babies that come there too.
Paper towels have their place. I clean up spills with old cloth diapers and save my DH's old white undershirts to use as rags.
Location: When I dare to be powerful -- to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.
Posts: 9,525
Quote:
Originally Posted by Linda
What a great idea! I still think we should just have an all out commune, sustainable living community... intential living community. We could all pool our resources..and we could hold classes for the comminty when people showed interest. Homeschool, cook, bake, milk goats, make cheese, farm, build a sweat lodge, make soap...sew clothes...spin yarn....build houses...ahhh...........
My youngest is non-verbal and he gets fish oil supplements twice a day. He spits out some of his oil after I give it to him in his medicine syringe. I use 1/2 a paper towel to wipe his mouth.
You cannot get fish oil on clothing. It will never come out. When fish oil is exposed to air it starts to smell very very rank! If you wash something with even a drop of fish oil on it then the whole load will stink (ask my DH he knows).
We use Viva which are the softest paper towels I have ever bought. My son's therapist uses them too since they have babies that come there too.
Paper towels have their place. I clean up spills with old cloth diapers and save my DH's old white undershirts to use as rags.
Yup. Did that once too. I could not figure out why my whole load stunk!!
Anyway, I am such a dunce today. I have been working on doing better at decreasing waste and then I went to Trader Joes today. I couldn't get to the coop today so I bought produce there. Aaaccckkk. I didn't even think as I loaded my cart w/ plastic boxes of produce! I buy things here and there but today I bought several items in those awful boxes. I really need to focus again on watching the packaging and on making more from scratch so I don't use those packages of crackers, etc.
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Sybil~ Mama to two adorable boys
Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once
[s]he grows up.--Pablo Picasso
Location: When I dare to be powerful -- to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.
Posts: 9,525
Quote:
Originally Posted by bubbles
Yup. Did that once too. I could not figure out why my whole load stunk!!
Anyway, I am such a dunce today. I have been working on doing better at decreasing waste and then I went to Trader Joes today. I couldn't get to the coop today so I bought produce there. Aaaccckkk. I didn't even think as I loaded my cart w/ plastic boxes of produce! I buy things here and there but today I bought several items in those awful boxes. I really need to focus again on watching the packaging and on making more from scratch so I don't use those packages of crackers, etc.
One way to feel better about this is to reuse them. I reuse my plastic boxes from Trader Joes (I buy basil there all fall, winter and spring) to give friends cherry tomatos and beans from my garden in right now. (and they are recyclable here too... that helps). I get about 10 a year and just save them for this boutiful gift giving time. HTH!
For those of you that use cloth grocery bags - what do you use for trash bags in the house? Do you not use trash bags? If you don't use trash bags, do you hose out your trash cans each week? If so - is it better to use that water or to use the bag, environmentally speaking?
I am from the younger generation and I am the only one of my peers that uses dishes more than once before washing them. I will use a glass for two or three days, mugs I just rinse out lightly between teas and plates and bowls I'll use twice before washing.
About a year ago I started using "solid" shampoo and conditioner as well as body soap so as to cut down on the amount of containers I throw-out. It amazes me how much more convenient it is as well. I think that has been my favorite eco-friendly move I've made. I look at all the bottles my SO has in the shower and my mind just reels. I have three little bars in a row and he's got 4 big bottles (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, facial cleanser) that he'll have to get rid of and they take up so much space. I just don't get it.
Great thread. I'm going to keep all of this in mind. A lot of it is things that we already do as a family but it's easy to forget in the name of convenience.
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They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.
Andy Warhol
For those of you that use cloth grocery bags - what do you use for trash bags in the house? Do you not use trash bags? If you don't use trash bags, do you hose out your trash cans each week? If so - is it better to use that water or to use the bag, environmentally speaking?
About a year ago I started using "solid" shampoo and conditioner as well as body soap so as to cut down on the amount of containers I throw-out. It amazes me how much more convenient it is as well. I think that has been my favorite eco-friendly move I've made. I look at all the bottles my SO has in the shower and my mind just reels. I have three little bars in a row and he's got 4 big bottles (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, facial cleanser) that he'll have to get rid of and they take up so much space. I just don't get it.
I have a stainless steel trash can and I wash it out about once a month. It doesn't get very icky because I compost most of the "ick" items. However, DH does bring home plastic bags from work that are on their way to the dump and we reuse those around the house.
Those of you that use shampoo bars- which ones work for you? I have very thick hair that becomes easily greasy and I have yet to find a shampoo bar that works well (or in some cases works at all!). I'd love to find something to replace the plastic bottles of shampoo.
One of the stores here STILL makes comments when I bring in my bags. I had one bagger refuse to use them and then walked off when I said I wouldn't use their bags.
Location: firmly planted in the postmodern pastoral economy
Posts: 13,289
Hey - I use paper towels too so I'm not judging, but I give J his fish oil in the tub. Then soap him down/rinse him off if he spits any out. He is the king of spitting meds!
Also bowing down to Linda. I hope to be there at some point...not there yet. Still use some disposable stuff for sure. Also I wish I could feed my kids as healthy as you do, while I'm down here worshipping!
__________________ Be realistic: Plan for a miracle. ~Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
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It's worrisome to me as well. We're almost entirely paperless--no cloth TP, my husband has a bit of a phobia--but everything else paper towels, paper plates, napkins, sandwich baggies, etc., are all cloth in our house. I have to say, I really am loving my sandwich baggies (though I am a bit biased because I made them ) because it is so fabulous to just throw them in the wash and stick them in the drawer where the cloth paper towels are. I love it!
I love my cloth stuff, and it really makes me feel as though I am doing SOMETHING, even if it's not a lot, or enough, or going to really make a difference; I feel like I might be teaching the boys to walk softly on the earth.
Hey - I use paper towels too so I'm not judging, but I give J his fish oil in the tub. Then soap him down/rinse him off if he spits any out. He is the king of spitting meds!
Also bowing down to Linda. I hope to be there at some point...not there yet. Still use some disposable stuff for sure. Also I wish I could feed my kids as healthy as you do, while I'm down here worshipping!
Oooh...I like the idea of giving the fish oils in the bathtub~lol!!!
You will get there. I have no IDEA how I got here..It is/was a process. But my kids sure do motivate me. I am so envious of your homestead progress. SIGH. We are moving towards that.
onlyboys~ I LOVE my cloth stuff too and feel the same way...it makes me feel goos to do it...and I prefer soft cloth anyway.
Bubbles...the first step to all of this is becoming concious of your purchasing and how you can do better. Really...don't beat yourself up. Sometimes I still forget my bloth bags when I run out to the organic shop. But MOST of the time I bring them/Everyone oohs and ahs on my linen bulk bags...and my chico bags...I give both as gists to people I know who will use them and appreciate them.
Schnookies~it is soooeasy to fall into the convenience trap. I am so grateful for living here in NEw Zealand, because it showed me how much better I could do without Whole Foods or Trader Joe's available to me. (don't get me wrong...I'd miss buying NEwman's O's for dh (and me) once in a while...and many other convenience stuff...) but it is kind of nice that we can't so we don't.
I am trying to get the girls to do more, especially with cooking since they ultimately will be responsible for maintaining this diet to maintain their health. 
We use one paper towel daily
Also I wish I could feed my kids as healthy as you do, while I'm down here worshipping! 
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