Making Our List and Keepin' it Green(ish)

My husband and I finally sat down to figure out our Christmas shopping list yesterday. We took a look at our selections from last year and considered our family members' reactions. Of all our gifting last year, hands DOWN, the favorite items were the pillowcases I made (I think the final number was 32 handmade pillowcases, but I'm a bit fuzzy after all of that needle humming).

While I'm not going to make that many pillowcases again this year (fabric was specially chosen for EACH one . . . I think I was truly out of my mind!), we did decide that the bulk of the gifts will be homemade. The others will be as locally-purchased or experience-based as possible. If you are a family member reading this, please STOP reading NOW and move on to your regularly scheduled life - email reading, dusting, vacuuming, playing with the dog, walking on the beach - WHATEVER . . . just GO!!!

What are you still doing here, Mom? Pat? Get out of here! I love you, but NO PEEKING!

OK, I think they're gone. *whew!*

I mentioned a week or so ago that I'd really like our gifts to be environmentally and budget friendly. I think we've go it: Homemade reusable bags (similar to these)! My husband and I cranked out the prototypes last night while the kids were at my parents' house for a sleepover. Here's the rundown:

- We're using fabric from the stash I've been building for the last 10 years (some fabric I bought in Italy before we were married!). I'm also reusing some old curtains that I made years ago that are still in good shape but don't fit our windows in this house. I'll be using thread from my stash, too. Random colors of thread will add to the eclectic feel of the bags!
- For the more "masculine" bags (no fru-fru stuff for the manly men in our families!) we DID get some navy striped sheets on sale to cut up and use (budget friendly, not AS environmentally friendly). That was the ONLY shopping we had to do.
- We figured out how to make the bags like the reusable canvas bags from the PCC Natural Markets out here, so they are quick and easy! All it will take is sewing 2 rectangles of fabric together (the bags are lined to make them more durable since we're NOT using canvas), making the tuck to give the bags a bottom, and then attaching straps.
- We'll use the bags as wrapping paper for a few little goodies to send. That's right - no wrapping paper needed! I can feel some trees smiling about that one.
- Even with the little goodies, everything should fit in a flat envelope for cheap mailing and limited "Post Office package juggling dances" while managing 2 small children in line.
- If we make 2 bags/night, I can have 20 made in 10 nights, which means that all the packages can be mailed well in advance of the Christmas rush!
- Since the idea was truly my husband's, he has agreed to man the iron. This really will be a fast project with two of us on deck!

Since I was able to run at the YMCA after my son's swimming lesson yesterday and I started my morning with the first workout of Week 5 in the 6 week Bounce Your Body Beautiful plan, I'm feeling quite energetic. I'll put that energy to good use for tonight's sewing session! I'll be sure to get some photos of the process to post while we're at it.

Trials & Achievements - How is it October already?

I'm heading to the Robert Plant & Alison Krauss concert tonight (and to dinner beforehand with my husband!), so my time here will be zippy.

Here are some recent trials I'm working to overcome (mostly life balance related!):

1. A bit of a break from doing work things has been refreshing and has allowed me to do more things on the homefront, but now work-related projects are creeping up on me and I'm not sure how to work them back into my life!

2. I'm struggling with how to strike a balance between how our family is used to living and being more environmentally aware. Being green isn't always a cheap way to go, but it is definitely smarter and has a positive long-lasting impression. More on this to come, for sure.

Some recent achievements I'm excited about:

1. Next week we're taking our first step toward carpooling for pre-school. Since the kids are young (3 & 4), the other mother and I are taking it slowly so that it is as easy as possible on the kids. We'll have a bit of a playdate one afternoon and then each do one pick-up from school later in the week. Wish us luck - this will be FABULOUS for time and gas savings if the kids roll well with it (11 miles each way)!!!

2. Little Sister's room is painted. Turns out the walls never really were painted before (or maybe just once in 10 years, we're guessing) - so they soaked up TONS of paint. It took nearly 2 full gallons to cover 4 relatively small walls. But, it is done and looks fresh and happy.

3. My wonderful readers are reaching out to their local bookstores to ask them to carry We Are Girls Who Love to Run! We're starting to get requests from bookstores that order through a different distributor than the 3 we use to order directly from us. Very few things are more satisfying to an author than to hear that her books are in demand!

4. I tagged over 100 items to sell at a big children's and maternity consignment sale this weekend in Seattle. I'll haul them all to the event Friday afternoon and hope that most of them will sell on Saturday & Sunday! If it goes well, I'll be even more thorough in getting things ready for the spring sale (I didn't go through accessories and such this time around, just clothing). The great thing about the sale is I had a choice to donate what doesn't sell to a local charity or have them set it aside for me to pick-up. Everybody wins at these events!!!

Off to pack the kids for their overnight at my parents' and then get myself out of my mom duds and into some fancy concert-going attire. Think I'll remember how to put on make-up?

What are your recent trials? Have an achievement you'd love to celebrate with us? Be sure to leave a comment!

Monday - Here We Go!

Yesterday my son (Mr. Music, for those of you who "know" him) turned 4. I'm in disbelief that we've been parenting for 4 years! He danced around the house all day singing, "Today's my birthday! Today's my birthday! I'm 4 years old. It's my birthday!" to no tune in particular, dancing all the while. It was very cute. There's a definite difference in awareness from last year's birthday and this year's.

Today my husband took the day off work and we had a birthday party for him at the local watershed preserve to go on a hike. What a site seeing 25 people walking in line down the trail, looking at the plants, picking huckleberries and watching for birds with the 3 pairs of kiddie binoculars our son shared! We hiked a 0.6 mile path to get started, took a break with snacks and water and then they hit a second loop for a 0.3 mile trek while my mom, aunt and I got the food out and ready. It was the perfect arrangement for 13 kids (ages 18 months - 6), their parents, and one happy dog. I was also happy to see that the crew was armed with hats, sunglasses and sunscreen so we didn't have to worry about any sunburns - do you remember the days when sunscreen use was NOT the norm?





A hiking birthday party turned out to be a great idea - several families were even thinking of returning to the park for some family exploration another time soon since the trails are so young family friendly. Picnic blankets were the perfect landing places for lunch and relaxation after the hike and the dirt cupcakes topped with crushed oreo cookies and gummy worms were the proverbial "icing on the cake" for the event. As a surprise ending for the party, a gentleman walked over 2 HUGE horses for the kids to see (there are horse trails that start at the park, too). I couldn't have PLANNED for that excitement!





We did our best to inject some "green" practices for this birthday.


- I included a carpooling suggestion on the invitations and was happy that 2 families made the drive together!


- Instead of plates for snacks, we used cupcake liners (much less paper waste!). I usually use the reusable plastic ones for snack at home because they really are the perfect size for snacks, but didn't have enough of those to go around.


- My mom made cloth napkins for everyone out of a pinecone print fabric that became party favors (a few families even ended up with a family set!).


- I resisted the urge to get cute junky stuff from Oriental Trading Company and instead made bean bags for the guests out of tree and footprint fabrics that went with the theme of a hike


- his birthday presents from us yesterday were "wrapped" in pillowcases (bright kid-happy ones, no plain ol' white ones - we're not THAT boring!) and my parents liked the idea so his gifts from them were wrapped in fabric from my mom's sewing stash.



With the party under our belts now, I'm looking forward to having some more laid back days this week. Tomorrow I'll return to the grindstone of publicity and squeak out my first run in a week (*gasp* how did I go a week without running???!), unless I get in a run this evening and then tomorrow's run will be my second, which sounds like an even better plan.

Do you have any big plans for the week? Have you included any environmentally friendly practices into your celebrations?

Have a great week - and happy running!

Breath of Fresh Air - Eco-Runner

No, the title for this post isn't about how grand the weather is here (because, just as quickly as fabulous weather graced us with its beauty, it went away leaving us with CRAZY wind, grey clouds and rain . . . and temps in the 50s and 60s instead of the 80s and 90s we had this weekend . . . ugh!). Instead the title is in regards to my discovery of Eco-Runner. Go follow the link!

Now!

Really!

Do it . . .

It'll just take a second . . . come on already!

See? Aren't you glad you did?

Eco-Runner is a great concept, wouldn't you say? Makes you want to lace-up your running shoes, grab a plastic bag you've been saving to re-use and head out to make your community a bit greener, right?!!

Some readers may recall how I posted some time ago about making efforts to be more in tune with the impact I'm having on the environment. Since pledging to be a better citizen, I've tried my best to keep on the steady course to live a more "green" life. Here's a quick recap of what actions I'm (and by "I'm", I mean "my family is") taking:

- cloth diapers for my 15 month old (we're consistently at about 75% cloth, 25% disposable, though that's an average) Image credit: Bummis

- cloth napkins at dinner (100% - AND my parents have followed suit - AND my mother-in-law sent us a set of 8 so we're golden now without me having to do laundry as frequently!)

- washcloths for counter cleaning instead of paper towels (100% - 1 roll of paper towels used to last us about a week, now they last closer to 3 and I'm considering ditching them, if I can convince my husband that it is a reasonable idea!)

- we compost all of our fruit/veggie food scraps (there's a little compost jar by our sink to make it easy - and my husband IS good about dumping it regularly into our bin in the back yard)

- reusable grocery bags (90% - I'm still working on getting my husband to remember the ones I've placed in his car for the "on your way home" grocery stops)

- I cancelled 6 catalogs through Catalog Choice (and will continue to cancel them as they arrive in our mailbox . . .and, sadly, they will - even though these are from companies we've NEVER ordered through or only order through for the holidays!) Image credit: www.carnegiecarnegie.com/magazines.jpg

- my husband is biking to the bus stop to take the bus to work . . . currently 5 days a week, but since he gets motion sick (translation - a headache that lasts a few hours - ugh!), I think it might be okay if he does it a bit less frequently. When making these choices, you DO have to consider if the trade-off is worthwhile . . . and a husband with a headache for the entire night does not seem worthwhile. We'll see how it goes in the long-term, as he's just nearing one month of it. The gas saved for the nearly 40 mile round-trip commute is quite a chunk of moolah . . . not to mention the reduction in his carbon footprint. Decisions, decisions.

MSNBC just posted a simple list of consumer tips for making a difference in helping the planet. You may be surprised at how much you are already doing - and how simple it could be to do just a bit more!

I could keep going . . . but I won't bore you with the minute things we're doing or that we can do, since I think the above choices are making a fairly decent dent and there are hundreds of sites DEDICATED to the topic!

And now I'll get back to the Eco-Runner - this guy lives and breathes the notion that who he is and what he does MAKES A DIFFERENCE (and he's right)! By starting in his own backyard and spiraling out globally, he is spreading the joy of running and the idea that a passion for running can go even further by combining it with cleaning up our environment as we run. Simple, effective, inspirational! And, another reason this philosophy caught my mom's eye to pass along to me - Eco-Runner has a curriculum for Kids ! Too cool!

Now, that's what I call a breath of fresh air!

Quest for Self-Improvement

Lately I've been immersed in reading blogs:

- about runners improving their times/distance/strength/dedication to a plan/training for a race. I keep silently shouting, "I want to do that, too!"
- about families making changes to be more eco-friendly and balanced. I keep silently shouting, "I want to do that, too!"
- about illustrators and authors working on new projects. I keep silently shouting, "I want to do that, too!"
- about people going on VACATION. I jump up and down shouting (and praying the house rattling and yelling doesn't wake my napping children), "Now I DEFINTELY want to do that!"

I don't know about you, but I can't keep the first three of those balls in the air at once, let alone sneak in the fourth (which will definitely cause the others to CRASH to the ground).

I DO have things I'd like to improve (that's the driven perfectionist in me), but think maybe at this stage in my life (wife, mother of 2 kids under the age of 4, author of newly-released book) that I should focus on ONE of those things right now (because being perfect is WAY out of reach, and my housekeeping is proof of that!).

The one that has been nagging at me the most is the first one. I keep talking/blogging/dreaming/mentioning plans to run a 10K in June, but I'm discovering that wishing and hoping just isn't making it happen. 2 fluffy runs (if that, some weeks) and a yoga class just isn't going to cut it each week to make that goal happen. I need a plan that I can sink my teeth into and make mine. I need to own this goal and turn it into a reality. I need some motivation, people! I need my yellow hat to grow a megaphone to get me in gear!