Walking Lightly . . . on egg shells

So the big trend now that I am seeing on the Internet is the concepts of Going Green. I capitalize because it fits. My life has been centered on GG for years now (isn’t everyone saying that?!). While struggling to find my identity in college I lived with a family that first introduced the concepts of reducing, reusing, and recycling to me. Coming from an affluent family back east, we never worried about what we were using or how it impacted the world around us. All those plastic bottles in the trash, chemicals used in abundance, buying new things, etc. None of it was given a second thought. The family I came to adopt as my own changed my world (and ultimately my husband’s too!). I slowly began to learn what numbers on the bottom of the plastic containers could be recycled. I began sewing (a trade that I still struggle with) and repurposing many things. Overtime I began to look at everything and ask questions about reducing, reusing, and/or recycling. My parents, while they LOVED the family that I lived with, thought I had lost my mind.

I have a tendency to throw myself full force into causes that I strongly believe in. Ben may describe this tendency a little differently, using a word like obsession. This tendency lends itself to consuming my every being. In this instance, Going Green, I have been renewed by all of the Internet’s excitement and blogger’s postings. My zeal is back! A community of sorts that has a TON of fabulous ideas that I can begin implementing RIGHT NOW! No need to wait – let’s jump in headfirst and make a change TODAY!!! (Does the capitalization and all the exclamation marks help to show you just how excited I am with GG?) A couple of examples from this last week: Let’s start using the kids’ bath water to do a load of laundry – we’ll simply take a bucket into the bathroom and haul the water to the laundry room. Our microwave is going bad; let’s just go without one! I want a rain barrel. We need to start composting. Can we recycle these _______ (fill in the blank – baby food jars, friend’s huge-ass box, scraps of fabric, cut pieces of twine, etc, etc)? Yes, that is just a few of my examples;)

While some of these things are wonderful and we have begun implementing them (namely the composting and rain barrel), I truly appreciate Ben. He keeps me grounded and helps me think through what is practical for our family. While GG isn’t always about being practical, some changes do take effort and sacrifice, it is about incorporating lifestyle choices that you can maintain. I appreciate Ben’s constant reminders in this regard, as well as his amazing support of my (sometimes wacky) ideas.

I Did Not Die

So, here I am. No I didn't die, I just when under the radar for a while. Christmas was really overwhelming - we spent two weeks in a single wide trailer (or is it "mobile home" now?) with my grandparents and mom. But we survived. I'm back. And I have this post and one! more! that I'm going to share with you today. You certainly are privileged on this day of my return!!

To Christmas Letter or To Not? That is the Question

Every year about this time I begin going back and forth. Should we do a Christmas letter? I am a person who loves reading all those letters that start coming in the mail about this time. To hear who is moving, who is pregnant again, what the kids are involved in, etc. warms my heart. It is sometimes the most uninterrupted conversation I can have with my friends (sad, I know). However, does everyone feel this way? Do people care about what we are doing? Do people want to know that Fish is almost sitting up, that Treefrog wipes his poop on the wall when he gets mad at us, that Fish vomits almost nightly, that Treefrog loves fart jokes now . . . maybe I should rethink the content of this letter.

I Did What?!

I think I must be crazy. A couple of weeks ago, maybe I was bored or something, I did something I've never done before. I did something I never thought I would ever do. I. signed. up. for. a. half. marathon.

In my craziness, I didn't really factor in what this would do to our life. Ben and I choose to make exercise a part of our everyday life, but a half marathon means some SERIOUS training. At times, I will be running for over an hour (not including the warm up, cool down, and shower time). Today I ran 3 miles with a friend, so we were a little late getting back. Treefrog was still awake from the nap he is supposedly done taking and Fish woke up about a minute after Ben left to do his run. People, how am I going to fit in over an hour of running when I can barely fit in a thirty minute run?!

Ben is great. He will make sure we have the time and he will push me out the door when necessary. Still. I must have been crazy because did I mention there will be times that I will be running OVER AN HOUR? Sheesh.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving one and all! If you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you have a wonderful day too☺

By the way, apparently I was trying to kill Fish - the vomits were probably due to starting solids too early. The last time we were at the doctors (you know, when we got the antibiotic) he said to go ahead and start feeding him solids. Start with rice cereal and then if he tolerates that well, move quickly into other foods. Well, he tolerated rice cereal pretty well and so I started apples a couple days later. The vomits didn't start right away so I didn't connect the two (probably should have though . . . ). When I first noticed the vomits it seemed connected with the antibiotic since it was happening within an hour after taking the medicine. After a while, he started throwing up after he nursed each time. So there you go. Me, force feeding my child (the one I didn't want to start on solids this soon anyway because he may be my last biological child and I want to nurse as long as possible).