Category: Uncategorized
We Got a New Car
| May 6, 2013 | Filled under Uncategorized |
The other day we got a new car. I’m sure most of you won’t be surprised to hear it’s a Prius. However, if you know my husband you may find this surprising. When we were dating he drove a 2002 Trans Am (sorry for the terrible photo below, my husband isn’t home and he has the good ones). He loves fast cars but he commutes around 30 miles (both ways) to work. He was tired of paying for gas on his Camry SE, which was sporty but had good gas mileage for that kind of car. He got around 30 MPG but with gas prices and a wife telling him all the time that they will only get worse, he decided it was time for a hybrid. Of course I’m quite happy.
We looked at a Ford Focus electric car but the range just wasn’t long enough with the number of charging stations in Oklahoma. We really want a Tesla but we can’t afford one. (Hey Tesla, if you read this, why not give me one to review or something? That would be really nice!)
So we choose to get a Prius. We looked at other hybrids but Prius is well reviewed, reliable, comfortable and most say one of the, or the, best hybrid. My parents have had a Prius for a long time now and love it. Their next car will be another Prius.
My husband misses the power but likes a lot of the gadgets and such. And really loves that he got 58.8 mpg on the way back from the town where we bought the Prius!
So any of you have a Prius or other hybrid or electric car? Do what do you think of it?
Why You Should Shop Local or Why I Don’t Shop at Walmart
| April 22, 2013 | Filled under Uncategorized |
Growing up we had several great locally owned grocery stores around me. We had a Walmart but it wasn’t a “Super Center” but we ended up getting a “Super Center” and slowly our locally owned grocery stores closed. Now we are left with Walmart and two locally owned grocery stores. People have gotten so used to getting everything at one store and having endless choices that when people hear that I don’t shop at Walmart they are shocked.
And I have to say, I do have to go out of town once a month to go to some locally owned natural food stores. But if I wasn’t trying to eat organically I could shop here. You have to rethink how you shop and be willing to not have two rows of cereals to choose from, but really do we need that many choices? I’ve learned we don’t. Now I go to a big chain grocery store and feel overwhelmed with all the choices.
After people ask how I do it, they ask why. There are many reasons.
- I get stressed at Walmart. People are rushing and often rude, this can be stressful.
- It takes forever! Need a few items? It will still take forever because the store is huge and the lines are always long.
- You will end up find more things you “need” because of great product placement.
- The parking lot is a mess and if you don’t want harm to come to your car you have to park a mile away.
- When you shop chains very little of the money stays in your community.
- You have no idea where the food came from, try to ask and someone will give you an “are you crazy” look. (I get these often!)
That last one is a BIG one for me. I try to only use animal products if I know where they came from and how they were treated. Labels like “free range” and “cage-free eggs” mean little to nothing. But when I know who produced the food I can ask questions. The other day I found a local farm that sells bison through the coop I’m a member of, it didn’t had info on the treatment of the animals and didn’t say if they were always grass-fed, it’s common for grass-fed meat to be corn fed for a few months. No looks for asking these questions, the producer was thrilled to answer my questions. I can’t tell you how many farms and ranches will invite you to come check out the farm if you ask questions. Farmers and ranchers take pride in their products and want to show them off, unlike factory farms which work very hard to keep us from seeing what goes on.
It’s not just Walmart, that just happens to be what we have in my town. While I do still go to Target at times for non-food items, these trips are rare and small. I also try to give more of my money to the locally owned natural food stores and just use the chain natural food stores for sales and items I can’t find in other stores. Over the years I have even become friends with many store owners and employes. This has been very nice, I have often walked into a store to have someone tell me there is a new product they know I will love, or even Facebook me to tell me they got something in that I may want. A chain isn’t going to do that!
The advantages to shopping local are endless. And overall I just feel happier going to small locally owned stores where everyone loves their jobs. When I picked up my coop order this week we had a bit of trouble finding somethings and the ladies volunteering apologized, I told them it was find and “still quicker than Walmart.” And it was much more enjoyable. We always enjoy chatting about all the yummy food and other food related issues, not everyone in this area is passionate about local food so we always have lots to talk about.
So this Earth Day, I urge you do to do some research on local businesses in your area, not just grocery stores. Even if you already use some, see if you are missing out on some. Shopping locally is good for the environment, economy, and even the soul.
What’s your favorite thing about shopping local? Share in the comments below or join the converation on Facebook.
If there is an eco-friendly item you are looking for that you can’t find locally, check out Abe’s Market and their Earth Day/Arbor Day sale.
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!
| March 2, 2013 | Filled under Uncategorized |
Today is Theodor Geisel’s, better known as Dr. Seuss, birthday. I grew up reading Dr. Seuss and having it read to me. My favorite book is The Lorax
Geisel once said, “I don’t think spending your days surrounded by kids is necessary to write the kind of books I write.… Once a writer starts talking down to kids, he’s lost. Kids can pick up on that kind of thing.” That’s one thing I love about his books, they aren’t “dumbed down.”
While Geisel didn’t want his books to be predictable or to be like other children’s books at the time where they had a didactic tone. Though his books did often have messages, The Lorax
Geisel passed away in 1991 but continues to inspire generation, after generation. His books are truly timeless and are a must for all families. Today is a wonderful day to celebrate this amazing man. I plan to watch The Lorax today, it’s available on Netflix streaming for anyone that wants to join in. If you have kids they may enjoy the site Seussville today.
Are you doing anything special for Theodor Geisel’s birthday?
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclaimer for more. Photos of the products are property of the stores.
Favorite New-to-me Blogs of 2012
| January 6, 2013 | Filled under Uncategorized |
The Baby Granny Chronicles- I found this blog after seeing her post “Ain’t No Cool Whip Up In Here” on Facebook. I love that she tries to use better ingredients and I think she has a bit of a sweet tooth like me!
Rachel Held Evans- While I’m not religious, I do find her take on Christianity refreshing and interesting.
Green Lady- Francesca Olivieri blogs for Martha Stewart’s Whole Living, The Family Groove and Scenic Hudson; and contributes to Daily Candy Kids, YogaCity, Citiscoop, and NRDC’s Simple Steps. So you can guess how much great info she has to share.
Conscientious Confusion- I love her mix of personal type blogs, DIY, and green blogs.
Everything’s Abuzz- Michelle is super sweet and posts lots of green parenting information.
These are just a few of the great blogs I found this year. I would love to hear what some of your favorite new-to-you blogs are from 2012. Be sure to share below or even share a link to your own blog.
Christmas and Asthma
| January 3, 2013 | Filled under Uncategorized |
Well, I had planned to post a few more blogs before Christmas but went on a short trip, celebrated Christmas three different days, and then had an asthma attack, which I’m still dealing with. Here is a little overview of my holidays.
On December 20-21st, my husband and I took a little trip to Tulsa. We did some shopping, ate a nice meal at a nice restaurant called Polo Grill, and went to the zoo. The zoo was empty because it was really cold and windy, the day before we had dust storms from the wind. We only saw a couple of other people the whole time. It was nice though, we chatted with a few workers because they were very bored and excited to see people. We even got a private tour of the rainforest building, that was a lot of fun. We did decide though that, that was a bit to close to Christmas to travel because most places were crazy and Christmas doesn’t bring out the best in people in crowds.
We sat and watched the meerkats play for a long time.
The amazing dessert I got at Polo Grill
On the 22nd, we celebrated Christmas early with my family. My brother and his girlfriend needed to be with her family on Christmas so we picked a time all of us were available and went out to my parent’s house in the morning like we normally do on Christmas. My dad made us waffles and we had mimosas (a tradition that started a few years ago). We took our time opening gifts and then played Cards Against Humanity, which is like Apples to Apples but very adult. It can get very inappropriate but is very funny. It was a very nice Christmas.
My parent’s Christmas tree, photo stolen from my mom. 
On Christmas Eve, I went to my extended family’s Christmas. We always get together and have a meal and the kids draw names and exchange gifts. We also sang some Christmas carols and enjoyed a nice relaxed day together.
Later that night we went to church with my parents and after went and looked at Christmas lights. The rest of the night was just spent hanging out at home, I think we watched a Christmas movie but I can’t remember, ha.
Overnight a cold front came in and brought some freezing rain. When we got up we checked the radar and saw the weather was going to be okay for a couple of hours so we hurried and got ready and went out to my parents for another breakfast and play games. We couldn’t stay very long because sleet and snow was moving in and my parents live about 10 miles outside of town. We timed it quite well, as we got back into town and it started to sleet. We had sleet for awhile, making the roads pretty icy and then it turned to snow. We did get a lot less than had been predicted but it was quite cold and windy for a few days.
My Christmas pjs, which I stayed in all day.
We just spent Christmas day at home with my in-laws. I cooked a ham, baked potatoes, green bean casserole, cheese bread, and peppermint brownies. We opened gifts, watched basketball, and just had a very relaxed day. The only bad part was I did start to have an asthma attack that night. Cold weather often triggers them for me and I’m not sure I’ve ever made it through a winter without an asthma attack.
Since then we haven’t done a whole lot. New Years Eve we stayed home, my asthma was still not great so didn’t want to go anywhere. We drank champagne, watched sports, played games, I made homemade pizzas, and cookies. New Years Day was another lazy day and then yesterday my husband had to go back to work and I’ve been trying to get the house back in order from the holidays and trying to get caught up on work.
Hopefully my asthma will continue to get better and I will feel up to getting blog posts up more. I’d love to hear about your holidays, you can post in the comments below, if you have a blog post or YouTube video up about it, just post the link. Hope everyone is having a great start to 2013!
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Nine Green Gifts Under $10
| December 9, 2012 | Filled under Uncategorized |
Veggie Crayons | PeopleTowel | Reusable Bag
Gingerbread Soap | Glass Water Bottle |Glass Straw
Recycled Makeup Brush | Staple-free Stapler | Pink Salted Caramels
Be sure to also check back for more posts and ideas. You can also find more ideas on the Green Holiday Guide Pinterest board. Be sure to spread the word and check back each day for more posts.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclaimer for more. Photos of the products are property of the stores.
Green Gift Guide for Pets
| December 8, 2012 | Filled under Uncategorized |
Catnip Mouse | Organic Catnip | Tug Toy
Pumpkin Treats | Dog Bed | Holiday Treats
Freeze Dried Chicken | Fabric Dog Bone | Leash Pouch
Be sure to also check back for more posts and ideas. You can also find more ideas on the Green Holiday Guide Pinterest board. Be sure to spread the word and check back each day for more posts.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclaimer for more. Photos of the products are property of the stores.
Green Gift Guide for Kids
| December 7, 2012 | Filled under Uncategorized |
Wooden Block | Veggie Chalk | Stuffed Elephant
Art Kit | Doll House | Fresh Market
Race Car | Stuffed Chicken | Fair Trade Soccer Ball
Be sure to also check back for more posts and ideas. You can also find more ideas on the Green Holiday Guide Pinterest board. Be sure to spread the word and check back each day for more posts.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclaimer for more. Photos of the products are property of the stores.
Green Gift Guide for Teens
| December 6, 2012 | Filled under Uncategorized |
Fair Trade Football | Recycled iPhone Case | GreenSmart iPad Sleeve
Recycled Backpack | Aon Box Portable Speakers | Theo Chocolate Bars
100% Pure Makeup Gift Set | Klean Kanteen Reflect Water Bottle | Amazon E-Gift Card
Be sure to also check back for more posts and ideas. You can also find more ideas on the Green Holiday Guide Pinterest board. Be sure to spread the word and check back each day for more posts.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclaimer for more. Photos of the products are property of the stores.
