Eco - Eco (eco-friendly & economically friendly)

This might initially sound ridiculous, but it works! So, we all end up with cardboard boxes, we buy things that come in boxes, so invariably these cardboard boxes are "free", can't get more economically friendly than that.
Well, here's what to do with them, Eco-friendly/Green solution: weed mat! You read right weed mat. It works. First spray (not plants, this will kill them too), spray weeds with 3 parts vinegar & 1 part lemon juice (or salt), next put down carboard (once you have removed all tape), it is biodegradable, free & effective! Win, win, win.

Easy links to learning more about our Environment & Environmental Issues...

I'm sure there are many, many more resources to learn & get involved in our environment. I am putting a couple into this post to give you a start & then you'll find your own way, what works for you & your family & what makes you comfortable. (that is the best way to go green)

You can easily look up farms, or (even better) Organic farms in your area, which will decrease your carbon footprint ("green" jargon .... Every Friday I will do a "green" word post & detail it) ( http://www.pattfoundation.org/what-we-do/carbon-offsets/index.php:// ) - your carbon footprint can be calculated here.

For looking up local farms here: http://www.localharvest.org/ (type in your zip code). You can usually find local sites that are a lot more specific, for example, this is for my area: (SouthEastern Mass.) http://www.farmfresh.org/food/farms.php?zip=02571.

Also, here are a couple of non-profit sites aimed at giving information, fundraising & petitioning environmental causes. Sierra Club: (one of my personal faves) http://www.sierraclub.org/
and this is a new one I found that really piqued my interest: http://www.filterforgood.com/tips/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=green+tips&utm_campaign=SEM-NonBrand

I would would like to hear comments and feedback. I love sharing information with people who are interested in being a greener, more eco-friendly family.

CSA Supper Wednesday....

Every Wednesday I wait anxiously for Bob to get home from work, so we can head out with the kids to pick up our CSA share (Community Supported Agriculture) at our local Organic farm (Plato's Harvest). Patrick loves to run around the farm, pick peas & feed the goats; Plato & Einsteen (too cute, I know)!
I can hardly wait to see what's on the list for us that week when we get there, how many pounds of carrots, or potatoes, new vegetable this week, pick lettuce, flowers, tons of herbs, it's just so much fun to go get your food; fresh, you can't get fresher than picking it up from the farm.
On the ride home, my mind if popping, turning over all the wonderful things I can make for supper that night with all of our new treasures.
Tonight, being Wednesday, I made whole wheat pasta with summer vegetables, I know doesn't sound all that unique, or exciting, but when you consider how fresh everything was, all the herbs even fresh picked, the flavors just completely popped & Patrick (who is a fussy eater) at 4 bowls, 4 bowls!! I wish our CSA lasted all year, not just 20 weeks!!

Keep ticks away the "GREEN" way!!

I was researching a way to get rid of ticks on my property & to also keep my dog (Morey) healthy. We have always used "conventional" medicines on him to keep ticks away, but even with that, this year we have had a huge tick infestation in our yard and they are apparantly using Mo as a means of transportation into the house! We have found far too many in our house on, or near our children, which began my quest for a solution that was "green" & wouldn't put Morey, any other neighborhood pets, our children, or ourselves in any danger. During my research I discovered "Garlic Juice" here is a link that will explain in greater detail what I found to my sheer delight: http://www.garlicvalleyfarms.com/health.html
I have ordered some and can't wait to get it & try it out. I'm thinking I might try to make some up myself & spray around the perimeter of our house. It can't hurt. I will follow up on this post to update how it works.

Where has all the Customer Service Gone?

Does anyone actually care about and, or do their job the way it was intended anymore? Just a short rant folks. I don't get it, can someone explain this to me? If you sign up for service, your bill should reflect what you signed up for. It's always a struggle, placed on hold while they look at your account? How much information is there to look at if you just signed up less than a week ago? How could your first bill be so very, very wrong?? Isn't it simple? I have worked in customer service, if I promised a customer a certain service, or a specific price I made sure that that's exactly what they got, no arguments, not questions asked, no hidden fees. So ridiculous!!

Wondering...

I find myself at a stage in my life where I'm constantly wondering....
Am I a good mother?
Am I a good wife?
Am I a good friend?
Am I doing enough for the environment?
Am I smart enough?
Do I have any goals, or ambitions?
When I meet new people, do they like me?
The friends I allready have, do they really like me?

Is all this wondering part of my age, my current life situations, is it normal, am I too self critical? Why did I get to 34 without ever knowing what my true dream is? Why do I underestimate my potential? Hmmmm..... wondering!

Sometimes I sit back & say, okay; figure it out. You have this amazing husband, two gorgeous, intelligent sons, you live in a great community, you're as green & eco-friendly as you can possibly be, you're meeting new moms, but you still have days where you'd rather sit on the couch & watch t.v., so that's okay, have those days, but on the rest, get out there, be you, find out who you are now, you used to know, so get to know the new you, the married mother of two you!!

I would love to go back to school, get my college degree!! I will eventually; right now, we just can't afford it & that's the simple truth of that. I would love, love to own a breakfast spot down by the water, that would be a dream come true! Would I get rich? NO! but this is the type of thing that would make me happy, it would be mine, I don't want to work for other people, I don't want to push papers, been there, done all of that! My life cooking for my family & friends is home to me, happiness to me, so maybe that's it, now to find a way to magically make enough money to open my own spot with no experience whatsoever!! Ha! Easy, right?

Like I tell my boys, if you can think it, you can dream it, if you can dream it (you have to see the dreams), you can make it real! I always tell my oldest, please don't say you can't, especially before you try, you always have to try and then you'll realize that you can.

So, wondering..... lots of wondering....

Being Green on a tight budget 6.14.10

Let me say, we have a very tight, but I do my very best to be as "green" as humanly possible...to buy organic, to buy "green" cleaning products, etc. It can be done even on the smallest of budgets.
Part of this Blog that I'm starting will be about just that, it will also be about day to day life with my wonderful little family. I am a Stay at Home Mother of 2 boys, and CEO of our little house & Executive Partners with my loving & handsome husband. (I also do online work from home - keep that in mind if you have a project that can be performed remotely, or virtually - I am a telecommuting queen)!!
I can offer you recipes, I can offer tips on going green little by little, so that it doesn't hurt your wallet & how to stay green on a tight budget, once you work it into your routine & budget it's very easy to stick with it.
First tip I'll give you, is as you run out of your current cleaning product, replace it with a more eco-friendly alternative. Clip coupons, or buy on sale, when a product is on sale, buy the full amount, i.e. - limit 6 - buy all 6.
I will also offer you links to websites that are eco-friendly, or green inspired, as I find them interesting. I live in Southeastern Massachusetts, but my tips & techniques can easily be applied anywhere.
Comments are welcome, as are suggestions. Please enjoy reading my little space on the web.