Freebie Greenie Ideas

Thought this was a good article in the latest 'Tots to Teens' magazine. Shaunna Privratsky wrote it and I have edited it a bit.

20 Free Ways to help your pocket and the environment:

1. Wash clothes on the cold wash cycle.
2. Turn off the water when brushing your teeth.
3. Go back to hand washing dishes or only put the dishwasher on when there's a full load.
4. Use energy saver bulbs.
5. Close doors of unused rooms.
6. Only preheat the oven for baking
7. Air dry your clothes.
8. Keep your fridge and freezer full. If you're lacking in food then fill with water containers.
9. Use the quick cycles on dishwashers and washing machines.
10. Plan ahead and get food out to defrost before it's needed.
11. Close the fridge door ASAP - no more lingering and searching!
12. Invest in insulation. It will save you money and help the environment.
13. Turn down your water heater.
14. Unplug and turn things off completely. Using stand-by uses energy.
15. Dust fridge and freezer coils often as this increases the lifespan and efficiency of them.
16. Open your curtains for free light and warmth.
17. Close your curtains early in winter or on cold days to retain the warmth of the house.
18. Open windows to ventilate and air your house.
19. Put the plug in when washing your hands or anything else.
20. Put an extra jersey or pair of socks on.

Just trying one or two of these is all good. Every little bit counts.

Trying Times

We have joined the local Playcentre for two sessions, which the kids love, and the oldest is going to Kindy two mornings. It's great to see them exploring the outdoors and tearing around everywhere, getting sandy, painted and dirty. The washing machine has never had such a rough life! It's a battle to leave each session as I wrestle one of them into the buggy and round up the other. They are thoroughly exhausted and ready for sleep by the time we're home.

I want my kids to experience lots of things and be exposed to different people however with this often comes behaviour that I don't want. Our afternoons have become a battle ground as my oldest trys out all the things she has seen her 'friends' doing. Part of me thinks it's a normal learning curve and the rest of me just wants something more structured where unacceptable behaviour is just that - unacceptable.

A strong believer of going to local schools and mixing with neighbours is beginning to bite me in the behind big time. Now that I have kids all I want is the best for them and to surround them with the best possible influences, wherever that may be located. Unfortunately around here that means paying a hefty sum of money! Ideally I'd home school - sanity and himself allowing. Then again that raises more questions of controlling my kids lives too much and not letting them find their own way. Maybe I'll just start my own commune and then I can have the best of both worlds, free alternative people, education and living and you can all come and join - if I let you in that is!

Recycling at its best

As my husband always likes to remind me every new thing bought is a massive drain on resources and so not in tune with the eco-friendly and sustainable life I want to be living. Really it's his way of being frugal (the PC term for tight in this household).

In England we were active members of Free-cycle, a great e-mail based network which allows people to give things away and others to gain things they need for free. Friends couldn't believe all the things I had managed to get off Free-cycle and to be honest either could I sometimes. It is so true that one person's junk is another's treasure. The temptation to buy or collect more exciting 'recycled' things for the same price as new was often more than one woman could withstand. Although not all of them seemed so exciting or wonderful a week later.

When we decided to return to NZ we became a hoarder's dream, posting things left right and centre as we tried to pack as little as possible - once again being frugal with shipping costs. Now I have the pleasurable duty of accumulating a household again and while buying new is so, so tempting, a tight budget and the thought of picking up an awesome deal has got me searching Trade me and visiting Op shops constantly. Already we have got printers that himself bought(and still hasn't managed to get working with our computer), toys and the best buy yet is a 1960's fold out couch that I've been desperate for forever.

However I've found that the best and most rewarding buys are those that you aren't actively looking for but really do need. These are my favourite and today was my day for a bargain that even the tightest, sorry most frugal, would be proud of. Innocently searching for a dinner set to supplement the one my mum gave us (the one she collected and kept just in case), I stumbled upon the clothing section and low and behold calling out to me were a nearly new pair of Levi's. These little beauties were not only my size, they had also been shortened to the correct length for me!!! A perfect replacement for my newly ripped old recycled jeans and all for only $6. In buying these I've not only saved money, I've also done my bit to save the earth through using less resources - well that's my rationale anyway and I'm sticking to it.

When that time comes a knocking

It's so hard to keep to healthy goals (mental and physical) when your monthly friend arrives, the kids are crying because all they want is for you to sit in one place and snuggle them, the washing needs hanging out, everyone is still in their PJ's, the bank needs a visit and there's nothing dairy free (our new attempt at settling our daughter's eczema) to take to Play centre for morning tea! All I want is coffee, sugar, ear muffs and bed.

I realized long ago just how much stress and feeling uptight caused havoc on my body, causing pain and wind galore. Stress is a big part of many illnesses and can lower the immune system. Louise Hay affirmations became my mantra after I was unwell to calm and de-stress and they worked a treat. Having the kids and deciding not to immunize I knew I'd need a calm house to give them the best possible chance of good health. I focused on reducing stress by changing the way I dealt with things. My aim is to put things into perspective - rich talk here I know - and choose my 'battles', walking away for some self calming time if needed.

My resolve of being calm, putting things in perspective and going with the flow are all out the window in a second at this time of the month though! I grit my teeth and feign calmness as best I can while dragging the 'limpet' and directing the other one to get dressed. I'm not fooling either of the kids, unfortunately, as they stare at me with a look of bewilderment and the oldest tells me 'Just be calm Mummy'! Who encouraged her to use her words???!!

It was what I needed though to put things back into perspective and give us all a good laugh. It's always amazes me how my mood dictates the day. Everything felt like it was falling apart and yet when I relaxed suddenly the youngest is more than happy to go and play and the oldest is magically dressed. If only I can remember that next time before the 'Sh.. hits the fan'.

And so it begins

I've been thinking about doing this for ages. Getting up the nerve to put my thoughts and actions online is another thing all together! Having said that I now have so many things that I want to put on here that I'm struggling with how far back I should start. As this is about my journey into health I'll start back in 2003 when the journey really began.

Back in 2003 I was teaching and living a life of excess after being an adult student for 4 years previous. I finally had money to buy food, drink, a car and anything else I wanted. Who knew that life of poverty was actually a blessing and better for my health! Instead of biking everywhere I now drove. Instead of one drink I had 10. Instead of one chocolate bar - yup you guessed it- I had more (I'll leave it to your imagination). As the kilos accumulated so did the stress of being in a new career and the amount of food that jumped into my mouth.

While I had always had stomach issues I often dismissed them and never linked them to lifestyle. The crunch came however when one night when I was in so much pain that I had to go to A and E. From then on I've become a lot more aware of what goes into my body and how I'm dealing with stress. It's an ongoing roller coaster that is sometimes in my capable hands and other times out of control .

I've become open to exploring all areas of health, sustainable lifestyles, natural medicine, self development and well being which has lead to having a wonderful partner, two fantastic natural home births, beginning study again and developing a business. The following blogs will track my day to day adventures with coming closer to being the healthy, organic, natural, honest and sustainable person I want to be. Be under no illusions I'm no saint! This is a real person juggling with the ideal they want and reality that is the world we live in.