Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Green

Well, Garr and I are both feeling rather green today. Thank God for my parents since hubby has major "Man-cold." {smiles} Mom and Dad took over this morning so I could sleep on the couch. Mom called the dr. and made appts. for us. And Mom made me hot green tea and gave me my meds. I'll tell you, once we get our own house, I hope I never get sick. There's nothing like having Mom around when you are sick!!

We are 'going green' in other ways too. Lately I have been reading up on the whole "green movement," as in organics, recycling, etc. I've never been very green, but the more I read, the more I want to make changes. And really, quite honestly, it isn't because I'm concerned about our planet. I mean, I am, but the major motivation behind the changes is that I want my family to be healthier. I'm tired of sickness and after reading about all of the chemicals and pesticides and what-not in our food, I want my kids healthier. I certainly wouldn't let them drink out of a Windex bottle, but it's like they are with the chemicals they are consuming in their everyday food.

Now I don't say all this to preach at you - it's just on my heart! And I wouldn't even be reading all this if I hadn't learned about it on someone else's blog. So here is the book I have been reading in case you are intrigued and want to learn more also (Sara Snow has a website as well). I have a bunch more books on hold at the library (they just love me over there!) and I will share them with you as I find a good one.

But I did want to tell you about something we tried yesterday. Our tub was plugged, and needed to be cleaned. And Daniel majorly wanted a bath! Of course, we had no Liquid Plumber, Drano, or Comet (for cleaning) in the house, so I went online to see if we had any other options. I never realized Baking Soda and White Vinegar had so many uses!!! You're supposed to put about 4Tbsp of Baking Soda down the drain (we also scrubbed the tub with it after.) Then wait about a minute and pour some white vinegar down the drain. Let that sit for a few minutes and follow with hot water. Guess what? Our drain is no longer clogged!

I probably shouldn't mention this, but it is rather funny so I will. Garr ended up dumping the whole box of baking soda into the tub (it was a small box) and then plunging the drain over and over. He couldn't figure out why the tub wasn't draining!! Come to find out, Daniel had come in while Garr was working over the tub and pulled the lever up to plug the drain! Once Garr pulled the plug, the water ran down just fine. :) Gotta love those kids!

4 comments:

Sarah said...

Baking Soda and Vinegar are my cleaning best friends. I don't buy any cleaning products any more. Those and lemon are good for anything. I swear that vinear and water works better than windex on mirrors. I use a 1/2 and 1/2 vinegar dilution in a spray bottle as my "all purpose" cleaner. The smell takes a little getting used to, but it goes away as soon as it dries. It is the smell of clean to me now! (Vinegar is also anti-bacterial. Great for cleaning baby-accessible surfaces)
Good luck de-chemicalizing!

Unknown said...

YEAH! I am so proud of you. It is going to be a challenge, but I know that you can do it. You can even start garden pots right now with your favorite veggies in them. When you move - then they are ready to go with you. it is great. I have all of my herbs in large pots, and my vegetable garden is in a raised bed. No Pesticides!!! YEAH. Marigolds and some other funky smelling flowers are keeping away the bugs. My only problem is a pesky bunny.
Love you guys

Tarah said...

Thanks for sharing what you are learning. I love the clogged drain solution!! I will be using that sometime soon. Also, I'm tired of sickness too and I just didn't put 2 and 2 together with the organics (might have something to do with lots of stuff on my mind). It's something to think about and research.
As for Linda's problem with the bunny in the garden....I've been told to put dog hair around the perimeter to prevent bunnies from entering. I don't know if it works, but I will be trying it in my garden this summer.
Keep writing about your findings. I'm very curious.
Tarah

Tarah said...

Please do link to mine, and I will do the same. Can't promise that I will update too regularly, but it's fun to keep in touch with friends from "the old days" in this way!! :) You have a beautiful family!!!