Baking Soda, not Comet

I don't buy cleaners the way I used to. Which means that I don't clean the way I used to. This has become a Big Deal because I recently stopped the maid service, and now the only one cleaning the house is me.

I've been using more natural products, or those that contain fewer chemicals. I use a lot of Seventh Generation products, but I also use a lot of white vinegar, and a lot of baking soda.

Yesterday I realized that the kitchen sink needed scrubbing. We have this big, white sink, and it was stained with food and coffee and gray streaks left by pots and pans. In the past, I would generously sprinkle it with Comet and scrub.

You know Comet, right? It makes your feet turn green, it smells like gasoline? Ah, the sings of childhood stay with me forever. But seriously, Comet smells toxic. And it is, really. It's poison. If you eat it, you die.

Well, I sprinkled baking soda in the sink and scrubbed, and the stains washed away just as easily as with the green stuff. This is something I cook with, so it can't be as awful as the poison powder. And I can buy it by the huge boxfull.

By the way, vinegar works in the toilet, as long as you have a toilet brush. Sure, the disposable ones look more hygienic, and the commercials make them look so easy and convenient, but think of all the waste.

Another Chance Gone By

I went on a trip.

No matter where I go, travel messes me up. Water in plastic bottles, fast food... whatever. I can't help myself. I end up wasting more and making more waste.

What's more, I left my kids at home with people (my husband and his mother) who I know care very little for the environment, or at least have no faith in the measures I take to keep it safe. In fact, I seriously (no joke now) feel that they do their very best to do the opposite of everything I do, just to show me how little difference what I do makes. Paper plates, fast food all the time, meat at every meal, TV on all the time, even when no one is there. Keeping lights on all the time. Running the dryer when the sun in out, ignoring not only the compost bin but the recycle bin (how hard is that one? Seriously you have to think and try hard to be as negligent as I think they are sometimes...)

Anyway, I'm back.

And maybe I wasn't as great as I thought I would be, but at least I now know where my weaknesses are. Mainly in fast food and trash. And TV. But I have this to work on right? Next time I'll be better.

Green Hypocrite

I read this article on Yahoo the other day.

It really hit home for me because I am afraid of being a green hypocrite. I know I turn up my nose at bottled water and raise my eyebrows at SUVs. Education is key.

Don't Laugh At Me

I get a little defensive about my actions.

When I was in high school, my brother decided to get in shape. He started doing pull ups and push ups and lifting weights. He started paying attention to what he ate. Maybe we wouldn't have teased him and given him a hard time if he hadn't also started wearing spandex shorts.

But the truth is, we resist change in those people we know. If your friend suddenly looses a lot of weight, then you suddenly have lost your excuses. If your peers can do something, then you should be able to as well, correct? If they can run a mile, you are supposed to be able to run a mile. If they can run five, then so can you. If they can quit smoking, you can, too, and you suddenly have no one to blame but yourself. See what I mean? My brother getting into shape meant that we should be able to get into shape also. We should also be able to be that active and that strong and eat that well. But we didn't want to. So we resented it.

I swear, the more I try to conserve on trash, the more my mother in law uses paper plates. The more my husband buys junk food. The more he leaves the TV on and walks out of the room.

Or maybe I'm reading into things, seeing things that have always been there in a different light. That's very possible and more than likely.

But I can't stand being challenged. I can't stand being laughed at because I buy the carrots that are not in the plastic bag. I hate being told that what I am doing isn't making a difference. Because at least I'm doing something. I'm trying to do a lot of little somethings that might eventually add up. And it's not easy. It can be kinda hard, actually. I'm looking for encouragement, but instead I'm getting laughed at.

But I know what I'm doing is right. I know it with a certainty I rarely feel. The courage of one's convictions. What I don't understand is why other people don't see it the way I do.

Zoom Zoom

We drove all over the state on our weekend vacation. Bad bad bad. But we had fun fun fun.

When are they going to make better eco-friendly cars?

An Addiction

I have been finding it hard to watch less TV. I mean to, but the urge to multitask is sometimes more than I can take. I mean, I know people who keep the TV on all the time. ALL the time. So why shouldn't I play a little solitaire while I watch TV reruns?

I couldn't figure out what it was so hard. But I've decided it's because I'm addicted. I'm addicted to television. Not just to any shows - I don't do American Idol or reality shows. I think those are dumb, and the people who watch those are either idiots or enjoy the idiotic. Which is fine for them. I guess it doesn't really matter if it's CNN or Bones, if I think I can't fold laundry without the television on, I've got a little problem.

So, what do I do? Well, knowing is half the battle, right? Next, keep trying. Keep trying until I get it right. It's not heroin, right? It's television. And everything can be recorded and watched later.

Freeze My Accounts

I'm not buying anything anymore.

This month I've purchased so much more than I usually do, mostly because I really needed clothes. But besides the dwindling bank account, we now have more things in this house than I can handle.

So... no more buying things. No more little presents. No more dollar store things. No more extra things. Just what we need. No more pens or paper or crayons. No more boxes of markers like I got yesterday at the store - what was I thinking? NO MORE!

The idea is less about finance, and more about waste and using what you have.

This is going to be harder than it looks. I know, because I've said all this before.

Teach Your Children Well

I found myself thinking about my children the other day, and how I am proud that I am teaching them to care for their earth. I hope some of it takes. After all, my mother always told us smoking was terrible, but that didn't stop my sister from picking up the habit.

Seriously, this is a long term change that must be made, so instilling these values in our young people has to be made a top priority.