Time to Declutter

Decluttering is not an easy thing for me. I am a pack-rat. In fact, I have the bad habit of hanging onto things "just in case" I might need it some day. I hang onto things for sentimental reasons. I also feel bad about getting rid of things that someone gave me because it was a "gift." I think you get the picture.

Recently, I've come to realize that not only is it okay to part with things that you don't need or use, but that it's really a necessary thing to do. Otherwise, you will be overrun with stuff, which is how I've been feeling lately.

The concept of recycling and reusing things appeals to me because it helps me to let go of things that I would otherwise keep hanging onto. Knowing that I don't need something anymore and that I can give it to someone who can use it, makes the process of getting rid of stuff easier.

When we moved last fall, I was very pregnant and stressed so I just let the packers pack EVERYTHING and we moved it all to our new location. Now, that I'm finally feeling a little more settled into the rental house, I'm feeling like it's time to clean house. I'm more than a little behind on my spring cleaning so it has now become summer cleaning.

I started with the kids' bedroom. I went through my son's closet and dresser drawers and took out all the clothes that he has outgrown. Since they were still in great condition, I put them in a box and posted an ad on a reuse group site offering 3T boy clothes. Within a couple of hours, I had numerous responses. I picked someone, arranged a pick-up time and that was it. The clothes were picked up the very next day...simple!

So, I haven't gotten very far on decluttering the house, but hey, I started the process! I plan on doing a little each day and hopefully, it will all get done in the near future.

Cash for Clunkers

Have you heard about the "Cash for Clunkers" proposal in Congress which is supposed to be a plan to help the American Auto Industry as well as the environment by putting more fuel-efficient vehicles on the road? Under the plan, consumers have a monetary incentive to swap out "old" vehicles that get less than 18 mpg with cars that get at least 22 mpg. If the new car's mpg is at least 4 mpg better than the old vehicle, the consumer would receive a $3500 voucher. If the new car's fuel efficiency is 10 mpg better than the old vehicle, the consumer would receive a $4500 voucher.

For light-duty trucks, the standard is even less stringent. If the new truck or SUV gets only 2 mpg more, the voucher would be worth $3,500. If the mileage improved just 5 mpg, the voucher would be worth $4500. There are other incentives for work trucks and larger light-duty trucks.

Is this a good idea? There is alot of controversy. Would it increase auto sales? Maybe. Proponents use Germany as an example where they have a similar program and auto sales have increased. One huge difference I'm seeing between what is proposed here and what is happening in Germany is that in Germany, people don't drive huge gas-guzzling vehicles. They buy and drive more fuel-efficient vehicles.

This program seems like it would allow people to trade in vehicles that are running just fine for vehicles that get marginally better fuel economy. Vehicles that get only 22 mpg are still substandard. The cost of the plan itself is estimated at 3-4 billion dollars. The plan would be in effect for a year and is projected to boost car and truck sales by 1 million. Hopefully, people will buy vehicles that get substantially better gas mileage than 22 mpg instead of doing something like trading in a Hummer and getting a Suburban. My in-laws are planning on trading in an old truck and buying a Toyota Prius. It doesn't help the US Auto manufacturers, but the Prius is definitely very fuel-efficient.

I guess we'll see what happens with this plan in Congress though it appears that it will be passed and probably in the very near future.

Contact Paper Wall Art

Since we are living in a rental place, I didn’t want to do anything permanent to the walls.  So, I designed some wall lettering for the living room and art for the nursery and painted the designs onto clear contact paper. Then I cut out the pictures and phrases and pasted them to the wall.  Contact paper isn’t very sticky and easily peels off walls without taking off the paint.  An entire roll of contact paper costs around $5.00-$6.00 for the larger size so you can do quite a bit of decorating.  I did all the pictures in the nursery and the letters for the front room and still had left over material.

This is the phrase in the living room.  I used my inkjet printer to print the letters in the size (3” tall) and font that I wanted.  Then I placed the contact paper over the letters and traced the outline of the letters using a black marker.   I painted in the lines using charcoal-colored craft paint and then cut out ‘A Happy Family’ and ‘is Heaven on Earth’ as two separate pieces.  Make sure your wall is clean and dry and then stick the contact paper to the wall. 
The design is reusable.  I actually made this phrase and used it in our last house.  I pulled the words off the wall at our previous house and put them on wax paper, rolled it up, and then peeled it off the wax paper and put it on the new wall.  It doesn’t hurt the wax paper either so that can be re-used.
Unless you cut out each letter, you can sometimes see the clear contact paper on the wall.  I haven’t had anyone say that they thought it looked awful.  On the contrary, most people that have been to my home want to know how I made the letters and the pictures.  They’ll think you’re creative and you definitely can be.  The sky’s the limit when it comes to what you can design.
So besides the fact that it’s very inexpensive and not really all that time-consuming to make your own wall letters and art, I also like the fact that you can customize it with multiple colors or however you want. It’s hard to see, but in the phrase ‘It’s a Jungle Out There’ the words are outlined in a deep green and then painted in with a mint green.

I free-handed the animals using the bedding and some nursery toys as my inspiration.  You can make some pretty large designs.  You can buy contact paper that is 18” wide so that would be the width limit, but the length is whatever you would like.  The giraffe is probably a foot or so tall.  I also put colored spots all over the walls.  I used different sized cups and bowls and traced circles which I then painted different colors. 


My sister-in-law calls me the queen of contact paper..lol!  Have fun decorating with contact paper…I sure do!

Recipes for Fun

The local paper (Edmond Sun) this week had some fun recipes for Sidewalk Paint and No fuss Play Dough. My kids love playdough and they love to paint so we are going to try out the recipes this week. Plus, what's nice about these homemade recipes for fun is that the products are non-toxic and use ingredients that most people already have.

No Fuss Play Dough

1 cup cold water
1 cup salt
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 cups flour
2 tbs corn starch
food coloring

In a large bowl, mix together water, salt, oil and a few drops of food coloring. Mix flour and corn starch and add 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly (you may need a little more or a little less than 2 cups flour so make sure you stir until it is the right consistency. Knead for a few minutes with flour on your hands.

Sidewalk Paint

1/4 cup corn starch
1/2 cup water
food coloring

Combine the corn starch and water. Stir until you have worked any lumps out and have a nice smooth consistency. One option is to do this in cleaned yogurt or sour cream containers. Add food coloring and mix well. It's ready to be used for painting.

Have fun!

Earth Day 2009

My major as an undergraduate student was Conservation Biology. It was as a young college student that I was first introduced to the wonderful works of people like Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, and Wendell Berry, to name just a few. In honor of Earth Day, here are a few of my favorite quotes about Earth (in no particular order).

• The earth is what we all have in common. (Wendell Berry)
• We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. (Native American Proverb)
• Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed. (Mahatma Gandhi)
• We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect. (Aldo Leopold)
• Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. (Rachel Carson)

So how have we been celebrating Earth Day? The kids got their hands dirty and helped me plant some strawberries. There's nothing like gardening to help you connect with the Earth. We had a great time! We also washed the dog, and just played outdoors. It's a beautiful sunny day.
Happy Earth Day Everyone!

Teach Kids About Earth Day

I am part of a preschool co-op that my son attends one morning each week.  Today was my turn to teach and the theme of course was Earth Day!  I think kids are never too young to learn that they can play an important role in keeping the planet healthy.  My son who is 4 reminds me to turn off the light when we leave a room.  He knows that we have bins in our garage into which we place our recyclable items.   He loves to help Daddy smash aluminum cans and to put plastics and paper in their respective bins.
As part of a hands on learning experience, I dumped a bunch of cans, paper, and plastic containers into a clean garbage sack.  I set out three bins labeled paper, plastic, and cans.  I told the kids we were going to sort trash for recycling.  They all said “yuck” at first.  But, once we got going, they were so excited.  They immediately pointed it out when something was “accidentally” placed in the wrong bins.
We also made 3D Paper Earth  crafts and stapled a string to them so the kids could hang them up when they got home.  If you are looking for ways to celebrate Earth Day or for creative crafts to do with your kids, just type in Earth Day and you will be flooded with sites that have lots of fun and interesting information.
I also downloaded the Happy Earth Day Coloring and Activities Book and talked about ways to make the earth a better place. 

• Keep your neighborhood clean by picking up litter and trash
• Recycle cans, plastics, glass, and paper
• Help keep the air clean-walk or ride your bicycle
• Save paper-use both sides
• Help save water-don’t leave the water running when brushing your teeth
• Help save energy-turn off the TV when you are done watching and turn out the lights when you leave the room
• Wash fruits and vegetables-to clean off dirt

Kids love to learn and I think they have an inborn love for the earth and for the wonders of nature.  My son spent hours today just playing in the “dirt” with his friend.  Sometimes he walks through the wooded part of our yard and says he is walking in the forest.  My daughter got on the ground to observe an ant walking around.  She gets so excited whenever she sees a “bug!”  Kids have a natural sense of wonder that is so fun and exciting to see.  Unfortunately, as adults, many of us have lost that wonderful sense of curiosity and the excitement of just being in nature.
So…How are we going to celebrate Earth Day tomorrow?  We’ll probably just play outside and enjoy the beautiful spring weather.  And, we’ll continue to try and do our part to make the earth a better place.   After all, can’t or shouldn’t every day be Earth Day?

Green Furniture

While I was in the mood for buying new furniture, I came across an interesting online furniture store that sells couches, loveseats, and sectionals.  It is called Home Reserve.com. 

They use all USA made raw materials.  The wood frame is made of strand-board which is strong and comes from high-yielding, fast-growing trees that have the Sustainable Forestry Initiative label.  Their products make use of recycled foam.  The company prides themselves on the “renewability” of their products.  In other words, all the various parts of the furniture can be serviced.  Foam and fabric components can be replaced. 

This is a quote from their website:

The most important element in conservation, is to keep consumer products out of the landfill and waste cycle. If a product can be maintained, parts replaced and the service life extended, that has the biggest positive impact upon the environment. It eliminates the need for the consumption of more raw materials, the production of electrical power to be used in manufacturing, and the use of fuel in transportation.

I also like the furniture because I have young children.  The furniture has built-in storage and has been “kid-tested” using tests developed by Purdue University for the US Government.  The furniture also has a 5-year frame warranty.

If you are interested in purchasing new furniture and care about the environment, check out Home Reserve.com.