Surviving Summer Vacation with Kids

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this is an update from a post first published last year (2011)

Eek! How am I going to survive Summer vacation with my kids? It is hard to believe that summer vacation is upon us. In FACT it is HERE!  My kids are home today. So what’s a mom to do?

Have plans. (and back up plans)

Don’t wait for things to happen. (I will be giving my kids a free week where nothing is going on). They have an extended day at school so they hardly get the down time. Now does that mean they will be watching TV next week? , not at all.  But will  they have no schedule? Not at all. it means they will have no activities or camps schedule for this time.  It will be a time for them to relax and unwind from a year of learning.

Have a Schedule – but be flexible it is Summer after all

This is as important as having a plan. I find it gives me freedom knowing what I will be doing without waiting to see what will happen.  Now depending on your activities your schedule can be more or less lose. I like to keep my kids on a basic daily schedule as well as a larger weekly one. A typical schedule for us would look something like this for us.

Daily Skeleton Schedule

• 9am    Everyone must have breakfast by this time- the kitchen will close for maintenance(read cleaning)
• morning chores
• 12 –1 lunch time
• 1pm  book time
• 3pm snack, mom tea time
• 3:30  afternoon chore time
• 7pm dinner
• 9pm all kids to bed, yes all even the teenage ones (Mom needs time to be with Dad and to work)

Weekly Schedule would look something like this unless it is a camp week.

• Monday – Arts and Crafts at home day
• Tuesday – Swim day – home or out and about
• Wednesday – is a Free day for the kids
• Thursday – Library Day- They have free programs and a summer reading programming where the kids free vouchers for local attractions and restaurants
• Friday – Family Field Trip Day
• Saturday – Family time
• Sunday – Church time  

Plan Some fun activities

We like to plan some fun activities to do as a family and with our friends. I like to have a yearly Tie Dye party, We will plan an outing to the lake or creek with friends, or the drive in movie theater. Activities don’t have to cost a lot and it allows us to get together with friends and connect over the summer.  It started out as just something that I did with my kids and grew to include about a dozen families.  
Don’t let learning go out the window during summer breaks.
While we don’t usually do structure school during the summer we continue to learn. We do the summer reading program at the Library and my older children will be picking a summer project to work on this summer. Pi would like to study French  this year. I will be starting Pumpkin (8) on chapter books this summer. We will be doing a summer book challenge. In years past I have gotten work books for the kids for the next grade up, I am not sure if I will do this with Pumpkin this year. You may be asking why if my children have been in school all year do we do summer learning?  It is important for me that my children know that learning is a life long pursuit and does not stop once you leave school.
 Try new things

 A few summers ago the girls tried a triathlon  for the first time. They absolutely loved it. This year they want to do a “Mud Run”.  Last year we let Pumpkin do his first triathlon. 

Visit with Friends


This should be self explanatory but so often we get busy in our lives and don’t leave time for socialization. Plan time with friends.. Pack a picnic dinner and attend a free concert. Go to the drive-in (if you still have one) with some other families. It is great fun for everyone. Hold a block party or a barb-b-que,




Get away as a Family

You don’t have to go far, and it doesn’t have to be a long trip. Perhaps a weekend away. Camping counts if you like to camp. The idea is to spend time together as a family. Just with the ones who live in your house. Sometimes we just go camping in our back 5 (acres). When the kids were little it was far enough away from the house that it was special. We “hiked” there and set up the tents, cooked outside. Last year we took a quick weekend away and stayed at a monastery(very cost effective and family friendly - think youth hostel)
Visit Far Flung Family


Summer is the perfect time to spend time with family who live further away. Take a road trip or if you are lucky find some cheap summer fares. Last year we sent our 13 year old on the “tour de family” . She visited all the cousins and grandma, each for about a week at a time.
Have a theme week
Pick a theme around something that is happening. In the past we have had Olympic weeks, and with the Olympics coming up this summer it would be a fun one to do again.
Set aside rest time
Everyone needs rest time. Remember it is called R & R – “Rest and Relaxation”. I try to build down time into our schedule on a daily and weekly basis. Even big kids need time to just kick back and relax. When the kids were little it was a daily break time now that they are older we keep one day a week as an at home day.  I make it a point to take the last two weeks before school starts as a time to slow down all the activities and get ready for school.


Take Advantage of  free and low cost events in the community
One of my favorites. On bad weather days we are sure to take advantage of the free movies or $1 movies that are at local theaters.   We absolutely love to attend the free summer concert series around town. I can’t think of a better way to expose your kids to a variety of music styles for next to nothing
Consider Day and Residential Camps for the Kids

Many communities have low cost day camps at community centers and churches. My kids love being able to go these camps. Social creatures that they are. They love the classes and silly songs that come along with camp. As they have gotten older they enjoy going away to residential camps. These camps don’t have to cost a lot of money and often they do have scholarships or camperships as they are called. I know of one young lady who has gone to horse back riding camp each year by simply selling girl scout cookies.
Consider Hosting an Exchange Student or Camp Counselors.

Growing up my family hosted French Students almost every summer from the time I was 14. It was a great experience for our family. Last summer we hosted 1/2 of the teaching team from Totus Tuus at our home. These college students spend their summer teaching the Catholic Faith to children in a fun faith filled curriculum. I have had friends sponsor soccer coaches from England who teach at summer soccer camps.  Nothing makes summer go by faster than increasing your family for a short period.

Summer always seems like a long span of time for us, until we start doing all sorts of things. Just be careful it is very easy for your summer to get overbooked and not be the relaxation you were looking for. What are your plans for surviving summer vacation with the kids this year? 

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Last minute Green Halloween Ideas

It is All Hallows Eve tonight. But it is not too late to Green your Halloween. Having a Green Halloween is not too hard. It just takes so forethought.

• Make your own costumes or repurpose old ones. My daughters both made their own tutus, reused their own shirts and leggings. My dear husband reused clothes already in his closet. While my baby boy reused a costume worn by his oldest sister, but reinvented it to be a ninja, while she had been vampire.

• Walk around your neighborhood for trick or treating, instead of using a car  This saves on gas, carbon emissions while lets you get exercise and get out to meet the neighbors

• Make your own trick or treat bags. When I was a kid we used to decorate paper grocery bags. I have made these bags for my kids from t-shirts. They took me about 15 minutes total to make. A bonus is that the jack o lantern one glows in the dark!

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Thrifting is a Verb

I must admit I am thrifty but I still like nice things and after taking some time off from thrifting, Thrifting is defined as (at least to me) digging up treasures at thrift stores, yard sales, and flea markets, I have started to take it up again. I will admit that most of my house is filled with thrift store, yard sale or found items. I stop by thrift stores when I can it is not something I do on a regular basis, but rather on a  I am in the neighborhood basis.

My bargains include not only furniture and furnishings and clothes. Sometimes we use the item as is. Sometimes we repurpose it, making it into something new. Just recently we found some of these great items.



Jessica McClintock for Gunnee Sax Dress $5.99 (will probably be turned into a fairy costume for my petite one)









Pi, found this cute blazer and skirt. The picture does not do the skirt justice as it has some beading on the bottom of it. Total cost was $5.99 for the jacket and $4.99 for the skirt. She has already worn this ensemble to church. (minus my silk scarf)











Peanut found this brand name chiffon skirt at a thrift store for just $1.99, brand new to boot.







This Prize winning rag doll  costume was constructed from 2 thrifted t-shirts.















This apron was up cycled from a thrifted maternity jumper.











Do you go thrifting?
What are some of you favorite finds?

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Turning Down the Heat is Good for You

 
This will be my first time joining in on the Freeze Yer  Buns Off Challenge hosted by Crunchy Chicken.  What is this challenge? It is to keep your heat at a lower temperature during the winter. Why would anyone want to do that you ask?

1. Lower your heating bill. For every degree you turn down the thermostat you will save money. Each degree you turn down the heat saves 3 percent of heating costs,
2. You will use less energy overall even when you warm up your house from a cooler temperature.
3. Do you really need to heat the house while you are away? Will the dog care? We have three dogs. Two enjoy being outside. The other is under a blanket when it is 108 outside. They really don’t care about the temperature in the house.
4. People sleep better when a room is cooler. Medical professionals and sleep experts have some variation in what they propose, but in general it seems to fall in the 60 - 70F degree range. However, the majority say that the cooler you can keep it (between 60 and 65) the better sleep tends to be
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5. Reduce the risk of SIDS. If you have a baby studies have shown that not only do baby’s sleep better  in cooler temperatures, but they are also at a lower risk for SIDS by sleeping in a room that is between 61º F and 68º
6. When the house is cooler it is more conducive to baking and making soups and chili.
7. A cooler house lets you use your sweaters.
8. A cooler house is good for snuggling
9. A cooler house gives you an excuse to make hot cocoa.
10. Keeping your house cooler may help you loose weight. Those who keep their houses no warmer than 68 degrees as less likely to be obese.

While this is my first year joining the Freeze Yer Buns Challenge, I grew up in a house that was kept at low temperatures. My parents kept the bedrooms at 55 degrees at night, we even opened windows in our bedrooms to get fresh air. Folks I grew up in New England. I grew up with blizzards and snow during the winter. We are not talking the South. So yes the house did get down to 55 at night. I am pretty sure my Dad would turn up the heat in the morning before he got us kids up. I do know that he stoked the wood stove and got this going again. 
When my husband and I got married we carried on this tradition. When we lived in our little town house we kept the temperature at 65 degrees in the winter. I remember my mother in law claiming that we would freeze her grandchildren when they were born.  But we adapted, we worn sweaters, fleece and sweat pants while were at home. My kids have adapted and survived too.  No they don’t wear mittens. In fact they are quite comfortable going out at 65 degrees in shorts outside.
Now living in Oklahoma we have what I like to refer to as bi-polar weather, no that is not a reference to the North and South Pole. It is a reference to the fact that we arrive at our average temp not the normal way, but rather by having our temperature be 10 degrees above normal on Monday and 10 degrees below normal on Friday. Thanks to this crazy weather we often go until nearly Thanksgiving before turning the heat on.
Do you like to keep your house toasty in the winter, or would you like to join this challenge? You can join up with others on The Freeze Yer Buns Off challenge on Facebook.
What temperature do you like to keep your house at over the winter?

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Green Your Halloween–Repurposing Costumes

Halloween 2009                                       Halloween 2010

Halloween is coming up soon, my kids are already thinking about it and making plans.  For us it involves more than just Trick or Treating. There is a Fall Carnival at school, where students are encouraged to dress up in costume, we try to hit the local Halloween Parade/Trick of Treating in the big town on the Saturday before Halloween and then of course there is the big candy night.  Follow all that up with a get together with other Catholic Families to celebrate All Saints Day and we have a busy week. For my kids that often means a change of costumes as well. They like to have their options.  This is only compounded by the fact that we often go from 80 degrees during that week to 40. Necessitating different options for clothes. 
What is any sane, rational mom of three kids who like to dress up in costumes to do? We have many routes we take here at the Granola Catholic Home
Today I would like to talk to you about repurposing costumes and clothes you already have.
In the above photos, Peanut is wearing parts of a Pavada, a traditional Indian outfit  for the Bollywood Look  Pumpkin is dressed as High King Peter , his “tunic” is actually an old dress up skirt that I made for the girls a long time ago. We paired it with a pair of sister’s leggings and a body armor undershirt. Accessories from the dollar store or the dress up trunk. Pi is a pirate. She is wearing a velvet cape, that is in actuality an old velvet skirt of mine that was no longer flattering.  The tunic is homemade not by me. I purchased it at a thrift shop for $6.99 we finished out the outfit with another pair of leggings.  Last year Pi wanted to repurpose the tunic and  create a different outfit, but she grew about 4 inches. So Peanut got her chance. She choose to be a fairy with the same basic piece. We added wings fro the dollar store and a homemade wand. A “new” costume for just $1.  I just love repurposing clothes and costumes from home to create something new. And that is a good thing, because my kids will change costumes right up to the moment the step out the door to go trick or treating.
National Costume Swap Day
Now I recognize that not everyone is crafty and creative, so how about checking out the National Costume Swap Day. This year, October 8th is national Costume Swap Day. Do you still have last year’s Halloween costumes? Are they in good shape? If you are not planning on repurposing them yourself you might want to find a Costume Swap event near you.

this post is linked up with It's a Keeper 

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Preparing for Emergency Disasters

This post is being sponsored by Hurricane Irene (not really but it was inspired by Hurricane Irene).


It seems like this year has brought it fair share of extreme weather this year. In our area we had a bonafide blizzard. Followed by a second snow storm. Then the temperatures dropped to the lowest they have ever been here.  This spring saw strong storms with tornados that ravaged parts of Oklahoma and of course Springfield MO. This summer we had grass fires that caused the evacuation of whole towns.  Now we have a category 3 hurricane, Irene, headed for a collision course with the North East. Of course, there is plenty of time for the hurricane to change its course, and they often do, but it is better to be prepared than not be.
So how do you prepare for weather events that are forecast or disasters, ones that just happen, like the grass fires? It helps to have a plan in place with your family before disaster strikes. Though it seems like everyone in Oklahoma know about the impending blizzard we had been out of town the weekend prior, when we left it was 70, in January. It had been a mild week, all week long. When we came back to Oklahoma was the first we heard of the impending storm, was I worried? No, not really. You see, one of the tenants of being prepared it to be prepared at all times.  I keep a stocked pantry here at my house, I had ordered more firewood to be delivered while I was out of town.  Now because I was prepared all I did need to go get was some milk ironically. We were out. (and bird seed for the birds). So what does a stocked pantry look like?

So what do you need to do to prepare for a weather related disaster?
Water
Water is absolutely necessary. You need to keep some available in your house. It is recommended that you have 1 gallon a day per person for at least 3 days. This is important should you lose power. In many parts of the country if you lose power you lose your access to water. We are lucky in that we have a cistern and a pond. But in order to ascertain that the water is safe we keep iodine tablets on hand. Another option is to do what my mother always did  during a hurricane. Fill the bathtub. We grew up with a well, but  losing power meant losing our pump. While had access to an open well it was a laborious task, So my mother would fill the bathtub and any water jugs and buckets she could get her hands on. If the water was non-potable she would use it to flush toilets.

Food
We personally keep about a months worth of food on hand at our house. I have built up my stores slowly and deliberately. Now we might get tired of eating the same thing after a month but we could make do with the food we have on hand.  Now I realize that if the power goes out some people may lose the food in their freezers, for this reason I have dried and canned beans as well as some cans of meat. I keep broth on hand as well as make my own. We have plenty of grains, flour and yeast to make bread.   It is important that you have a manual can opener. When the power goes out you will need it. We also keep some box milk on hand for such emergencies. Believe it or not it is aseptically packaged and keeps very well. I find mine at, of all places The Dollar Store. This milk comes in handy when you run out unexpectantly too. Keep in mind that in certain types of natural disasters, the grocery stores will be decimated. During our recent blizzard, the stores were hit hard the weekend before. That Monday, the stores did their best to restock, but after the blizzard the highways were near impassable for several days and the delivery trucks could not get through. Even if we had gone to the store there was nothing to buy.
Fuel – Not only do you need food for everyone in your family you need a way to cook your food. If you have an electric stove what will you do? I am lucky, we have options, I have a gas stove, a grill, a wood fireplace, and a camp stove. But I must remember to have fuel for all of these. I need to make sure my propane tanks are full. All of the gas stoves use a different type of gas tank. I need to make sure I have firewood. While we are talking about fuel, don’t forget to fill your gas tank. If the power goes out, gas stations can’t pump gas. I personally will take this time to fill one of my gas cans too.  It can always be used in the lawnmower or the chainsaw, which you may very well need.


Cash – In a situation where the electricity goes out, you won’t be able to use credit or debit cards. If a store can even open all that they will be able to accept is cash. Today a friend wrote me that the last time a hurricane went through her area she was with out power for 9 days. About three years ago an ice storm crippled the state of Oklahoma and many people where without power for more than 10 days. Electric companies had to go house to house at one point as they restored power. The point is if you lose power, so does the bank in a major weather storm. So how do you get cash?  Some people will go withdraw cash before the storm arrives. My mother was a good one for hiding cash in the house. Not a lot but enough to get through a long weekend if need be. (When I was growing up there were no such things as atm’s). I like to accrue my emergency cash. I will add my ones to my bank bag each week when I clean out my wallet. Any cash left over in my wallet at the end of the week will go to my emergency cash stores. This does not impact my budget. I leave that money in there to have on hand, should an emergency arrive.
Family One important step that is overlooked is discussing with the family what to do and what will happen. Depending on your child’s age and maturity level, they don’t need to know all the details, But children often more secure when they know what is going on and what to expect.  Each disaster has its own contingencies and it is important to know that not one plan fits all cases.  Winter weather, such as blizzards and ice storms, need a different plan than tornadoes or floods.  It is recommended that you have a contact number for out of state because if you can do have phone service, the local circuits may be overloaded but for some reason, out of state calls tend to get through. If you rely on your cell phone, be sure it is fully charged. Having a car charger comes in handy when you lose power.
These ideas are not meant to be exhaustive, but rather a starting point to get you thinking. FEMA and The American Red Cross have great checklists of what you need to be prepared for a natural disaster or a weather related event . Hopefully for everyone involved this will just be a minor event and something to tell the kids about some day.

How do you prepare for an emergency? What are your must have items?
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Should you Change to A Natural Laundry Detergent?

This post is part of an ongoing series on Avoiding Toxins in our Lives.  To read more on how to avoid toxins click here.

Have you walked down the laundry detergent aisle lately? I am sure you have, especially if you have children.  They always seem to get dirty or change their clothes a million times a day.  Have you noticed the sheer volume of choices when it comes to laundry detergents? It can be overwhelming.  So why should you reconsider your current laundry detergent? Depending on what you are using there is probably an alternative. I have been researching laundry detergents for the past two month and checking out my alternatives.  Why would I consider changing my laundry detergent to a natural laundry detergent?  I had a laundry detergent that I researched when we moved out to the country. It was good for septic systems and appeared to be natural to boot.  At the time it was GOOD enough for me.  Living out in the boonies, so to speak the closest  big store was about twenty miles away .  While we did have a local store that has a a real butcher still,  it was not suited for the bigger  bulk purchases for things like laundry and cleaning supplies. 
It is hard to say good bye to an old and trustworthy product. It did the  job it was supposed to. But this past April, after  looking around and mulling around the idea of making my own detergent I happened across my neighbors at the Farmer’s Market.  They make soaps and lotions. They had added something new to their product line, concentrated  laundry powder. It was concentrated. It smelled wonderful (lavender), it cost $7 for a little bag about the size of a lunch bag (smaller actually).  My first thought was yikes! I just spent $7 for this tiny bit of detergent. But wait – this detergent was concentrated. I only needed 1-2 tbsp. of it to do laundry.  This little bag of laundry powder lasted as long 3 weeks for me. The biggest box of detergent  I was currently getting lasts me a month. Did I mention we do a lot of laundry here, at least two loads a day?
When the powder was all used up I went back to my regular detergent I had two unopened boxes of it home.  I immediately noticed the chemical fragrance  in my favorite detergent. However, since I had opened the big box I wanted to use it up and not waste it.  But it is then that  I started experiencing an uptick in allergy symptoms, itchy skin, watery eyes.  My frugal side won out and I finished up the box. The second box went back to the store to be exchanged for the supplies to make our own laundry powder.  When my husband saw the list of ingredients on the homemade laundry powder we bought in April he decided that WE could make our own. I took that to mean I would be the one researching the how, buying the raw ingredients, and mixing it up. 

Why should you consider changing your Laundry Detergent?

If you or a loved one in your family has sensitive skin, eczema, or psoriasis, you might want to change your detergent.  The chemicals in detergents can irritate your skin, and if you your water is hard or too soft it, you will have detergent residue.

Common detergents when used according to the manufacture directions will leave a residue. If you were to rinse your clothes in a washing machine filled with plain water you would see suds when you agitate it.

The worst part is most Americans use too much laundry detergent. They simply don’t bother to measure it and just guess. With high efficiency washer this has become more of a problem.  I have been decreasing the amount of detergent I was using steadily to see just how little I could get by with, much to my surprised, I discovered that

Soap is not even necessary to wash most loads of laundry, according to Seventh Generation's co-founder, Jeffrey Hollender,  “the agitation of washing machines often does the job on its own.”

Many detergents even unscented ones as I found out contain fragrance. This fragrance is usually made up of a synthetic chemical compounds. These chemicals contain xeno-estrogens.  These chemicals like the detergent never completely wash out of our clothing. Our skin is our largest organ, it breathes. We absorb these chemicals through the skin.

Many laundry detergents contain phosphates which end up in our rivers and streams. High phosphate levels promote over growth of algae and water weeds

We could all use less toxins in our lives.

Most laundry detergent are 50% builders by volume. That is right. Unless you are buying a concentrated laundry detergent, you are buying filler. (water) 

Perhaps a motivator for many is the high sometimes cost of many laundry detergents. Especially considering you are paying for fillers.

This past week I began experimenting with making  my own home made laundry detergent. For now we are mixing it in the washer as it fills with water. Not the  most efficient method but we are having good results so far. We are using a mixture of Washing Soda. Borax and White Vinegar.  I have seen a reduction in my allergy symptoms and hope to continue to see more reduction as we get all traces of detergents out of our laundry. In this up coming week I will be running some experiments to see what combinations  or cleansers work the best and will share with you my results.

For now I am off to do laundry.

Technorati Tags: laundry,laudry detergent,make your own natural cleaners

Make you Own Natural Cleaners for Pennies

Why should You Make Your Own Natural Cleaners?
Have you looked at the warning labels on your cleaners? Go right now and grab just one cleaner. I bet it has on there a poison symbol or a caution. Do you really want to use something that you have to put on the top shelf because you don’t want your precious little ones to get into it by accident? True story, growing up I had a neighbor who mistook Drano for a powdered drink. Long story short he ended up in the ER.
Many of us keep our cleaners under the kitchen sink. Those poisons are within reach of our precious children and pets. These cleaners are filled with some of the most powerful toxins on the consumer market.  You can make your own cleaners, tried and true, natural and not worry about whether your need to call poison control if your toddler accidently sprays their face with it.  If walking down the cleaning aisle at the super-center gives you a headache you might try making your own cleaners. I have been using and making natural cleaners for more than 15 years. In fact you can ask my mother and mother in law. That is all I use to clean.
Why do I make my own cleaners?

• It is thrifty
• It is safe enough to ingest
• it is non-toxic – I can use the same cleaners for my house and body
• It is quick
• It is easy

I started making my own cleaners in response to some chemical sensitivities I have. I have always had them.  But they reached a peak in my twenties. It was hard for me to go to church with all the perfumes around me, and sometimes being in an office drove my allergies crazy. My eyes would tear up constantly.
So I decided that the only environment I could control was my own at home.
When I looked at the cleaners on the market the first ingredient in all of them was WATER. Yes that is right. You are paying for mostly water, oh and packaging and advertising too.
How to make your own Natural Cleaner at Home
Get a handy dandy spray bottle – $1 at most dollar stores
mix together

• 1 part water
• 1 part distilled white vinegar
• add approximately 10 drops of an essential oil like – tea tree oil, lavender or lemon (you can use a combination of these oils if you wish).  I have no preference for brand, I usually buy the one on sale. And remember, the price may seem high at first, but you are only using a small amount. 

Shake to mix and use

I like to keep a bottle in the kitchen and one in each of the bathrooms. This cleaner is safe for all surfaces and can even be used on mirrors.  

For more Great Healthy Living Ideas check out. Healthy 2Day Wednesdays

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A Dozen Frugal and Green Birthday Party Ideas

We have a lot of spring birthdays here at the Granola Catholic House. So I have been in full swing of party planning for the last 2 months.  Two kids parties, down one to go.
So how do we keep it frugal and green at the same time? Well it is not hard. Often the two go hand in hand. Here are some tried and tested ways to make your next birthday party a green one without spending a lot of green.



Twelve Great Frugal and Green Birthday Tips 

1. Have an experience day birthday. Take the birthday child out for lunch a movie or concert. No packaging no wrapping paper.
2. Give the attendees refillable water bottles. I recently found BPA free aluminum water bottles at a dollar store. I let the kids decorate their water bottles with stickers so they could tell who’s was who’s.
3. Avoid the individual serving juice boxes and water bottles. For a recent party at the park I used one gallon water bottles and made the lemonade in the bottle
4. Have the kids make their own favors. No plastic crap to take home that will break in a day.
5. Wrap any gifts in newspaper, bandannas or cloth. The cloth and bandana can be reused several times.
6. If you must use disposable plates and cups have the kids write their names on the cups so they can reuse the same cup. (Sharpies work real well for this) Or better yet use compostable plates and utensils . Just be sure to throw in the compost pile afterwards and not regular trash. 
7. Use online invitations Evite  is a great source. Or make your own at home
8. If having an at home party vs. at the park use real plates, cups and silverware. You save money while reducing your environmental footprint
9. Cloth tables are a nicer and classier alternative to paper or plastic ones. If you can’t find one you like can buy cloth to coordinate or a bed sheet. Twin size sheets work well on most table sizes.
10. Have a smaller birthday party, If you school permits it you don’t have to invite every kid in the class. This will cut down on the waste you produce
11. Bake your own cake at home, you can really customize the cake, from ingredients to frosting to decorations.
12. Don’t fuss over theme parties, most kids are just happy to have a cake, play a couple of games and open presents.  (Summer Parties are made easy with the addition of water- Pumpkin lucks out with a pool party most years- easy entertaining for me too.)

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Conserving Water for your Garden–Ten Tested Ways to Save Water

I have always been a survival of the fittest sort of gardener. Meaning that if plants to do thrive I do not plant it again.  Now here in Oklahoma we have some brutal summers. HOT and dry. We often go from rainy and cold to 100 degrees in what seems like a week.   So what is a frugal gardener to do? Several years ago we were in the midst of a drought and  I got sticker shock from my water bill. Off the library I went, looking for answers to my water woes. I stumbled upon this book The Complete Guide to Water Storage: How to Use Tanks, Ponds, and Other Water Storage for Household and Emergency Use (Back-To-Basics Conserving) I know a long tittle,but what an enlightening book it was. It led me to investigate and try new ways of saving water. 
I was already doing the usual things to save on water. Like water in the cool part of the day, Planting climate appropriate plants. But now I add these water conservation tricks to my arsenal.

1. I started collecting Rain Water – You can get rain barrels if you want but any container will work in a pinch.
2. I started saving our grey water. Grey water consists of any water used to wash. That is dishwasher, washing machine, showers, tubs. My dream house will have a grey water system. Before we fixed our shower faucet it leaked. I put a 5 gallon bucket under the shower head to collect the dripping water
3. I put  an old horse trough that I put next to the garden. I have it set up with a soaker hose so that I can use the collected rainwater to water the vegetable garden
4. I plant drought hardy native plants and grasses  in my flower beds.
5. I water less frequently but for a longer period of time. This encourages a deeper root system
6. I use mulch and compost. These help the soil retain moisture
7. I save kitchen water. That is the water from rinsing vegetables from the garden, any cooking water and any leftover water from our water bottles. I put this water into a bucket outside my kitchen door to use for watering my plants in containers.
8. I collect the water that drains when I water my hanging baskets and reuse it.
9. I found out just how much water my garden plants needed. Most vegetables need 1” a week. I track the actual rainfall and adjust my water schedule accordingly.
10. I make sure the water is going where it is needed, not on the driveway or sidewalk.

What are some of you ways you save money in the garden?

Technorati Tags: frugal,water conservation,gardening

Are you overwhelmed with Stuff?

“The more you have, the more you are occupied. The less you have, the more free you are.”

Blessed Mother Theresa










Do you ever feel overwhelmed? Like there is too much stuff in you life? The average household has grown in square footage  but our houses are more full than ever. Storage facilities are big business because people have more stuff than they have more room for. I don’t have time to go into all the reasons why here. I will save that for another day. Today I want to address the question of  ‘Do we need it all?”
In our lives no matter who we are we accumulate stuff. If you earn more money than average you probably accumulate better stuff. I have inherited things from all sorts of family members and friends who pass on their old stuff to us. I wish to say thank you to everyone who thinks of us. But at some time we end up with too much stuff.  When is it too much? 

• When you can no longer close your closets, or your dresser drawers, you probably have too much stuff.
• When you can no longer park your car in the 2 car garage, you probably have too much stuff. 
• When you have to buy a storage shed or rent a storage facility you probably have too much stuff.
• If you spend all day working to pay for or picking up or cleaning your stuff, you probably have too much stuff.
• If you moved 3 years ago and still have boxes you have not unpacked, you probably have too much stuff.
• If you desire less clutter in your house, you probably have too much stuff.
• If you don’t use all of your stuff regularly, you may have too much stuff
• If you can’t find something when you want to use it, you may have too much stuff.

We have plenty of storage at our house.  My kids can close their dressers and closets and not worry about something falling out and hitting them on the head.  Yet somehow I feel like stuff is overwhelming me. At my house we only seem to use 20% of our stuff on a regular basis.  We seem to wear the same clothes every week. We use the same kitchen appliances on a regular basis. We even use the same mugs on a daily basis.
So what is a Granola Catholic to do? We have decided to reduce our possessions by 20%, by the end of May. (now you see why this post is going up a little late). I have been working for the last week on cleaning out and decluttering our house room by room. I am making an effort to take away 20% in each area. That means 20% in clothing , 20% in books, 20% in my kids’ rooms. (yes the kids too).  You get the drift.  Some of these items will be sold at a family yard sale, some on craigslist and at the end of the month anything left will go to charity.

Technorati Tags: simplify,decluttering

Linking up at

How to Save on Your Air Conditioning Bill

The weather is heating up in our part of the country. We have had several days in the 90’s this past week. However the weatherman is calling for some cooler weather latter this week. For many people air conditioning season is upon us.
Air Conditioning is perhaps the biggest budget buster in the summertime.  It is not uncommon for electric bills to more than double in the summertime. So how to you keep from having sticker shock when you open the electric bill?

• Set your thermostat higher. Choose a temperature as high as you can be comfortable. During the height of summer when outside temps can reach 100+ here during the day, we keep ours at 80 degrees. My reasoning is that 80 is a comfortable temperature outside when there is a breeze and no humidity.
• Which brings me to the second point. Turn on ceiling fans if you have them. A ceiling fan will lower the temperature in the room by 5 degrees. So that brings my 80 degrees down to a manageable 75. Make sure the fans are going n the right direction.
• When the sun comes up close the curtains. Better yet get some curtains that are insulated, not only do they keep out the cold in the summer they keep out the heat in the summer.
• If you are lucky enough to have the temperature drop when the sun goes down, open the windows at night. Sometimes it is cooler outside then it is inside
• If it is only marginally warm, open one window downstairs and one window upstairs, at the opposite side of the house. This will create a draft effect and pull the cool air though the house.
• Plan your cooking for the coolest time of the day. Double up on cooking. Cook twice as much so as not to heat the kitchen up.
• Change your light bulbs to CFL – compact fluorescent light bulbs. Not only are they more energy efficient, they do not give off heat the way a conventional light bulb.
• Make sure all of your vents are clear and not covered by furniture.
• Don’t run the clothes dryer or any other appliances that heat up during the hottest time of the day. 
• Use your clothesline 

Technorati Tags: frugal,saving money,air conditioning, 

Ten Reasons I Choose Organic Gardening

 

 

I have always gardening organically. I just did not know it was organic. I thought it was how gardening was done. I did not know another way to garden. My mother always had a garden and as I could remember it was all natural. I can remember my Dad going to get seaweed to put on the garden.

I started gardening on my own in our little townhouse when we first got married. We had a little strip of dirt within our closed in patio. I don’t remember HOW many bags of mulch soil and compost I dumped on our 2"’ x 4’ dirt strip. My husband laughed, lovingly and called me a dirt farmer.

I have continued to garden organically because it makes sense.

• I can get food in about 2 minutes. Just a few steps from the kitchen door.
• You can pick your food anytime you want to. With bug sprays and fertilizers you have to wait to pick your food as it may not be safe for consumption
• I don’t have to worry about where to store toxic chemicals. I have three children and many pets. I don’t want to worry about them getting into chemicals that may harm them. Pesticides and Fertilizers are toxic to pets and people.
• I get to choose what to grow what I want. CSA’s and the farmer’s market are wonderful, but when I garden myself I get to choose what to plant. I can plant what my family likes to eat.
• Gardening is a relaxing activity for me. Tending my garden beds in the evening is a great way to unwind.
• I save money over buying at the Farmer’s Markets. Don’t get me wrong I love farmers markets as do my kids. They can’t wait to go on a Saturday morning.
• With Organic Gardening my kids can join me in the garden,  My oldest has discovered the joy of weeding and how relaxing it can be.
• I invest very little money in my gardening. This year I spent about $25 in seeds and plants to start my garden. I figure I will break even after I harvest the kale and spinach. Bonus some of the herbs are perennials.
• With organic gardening my kids can join me in the garden. My oldest has discovered the joy of weeding. She finds it “very Zen” Her words.

If you are gardening this year I hope you will share what  is going on in your garden. I would love to hear your stories, successes, flops even. What are you growing this year?

 

 

Additional Resources

Starting a Garden - Organic Vegetable Gardening tips

The Organic Garden Today

Deep Organic Gardening

Technorati Tags: organic gardening,gardening,frugal Living

Why I Love my Clothes Line

 

I originally published this post over at The Green Family, but since I am consolidating all my blogs here, I thought I would share it again.

I like to keep things easy while being green.  Some of my green activities this spring have included hanging up laundry to dry. I usually drag my feet each spring getting back out to do this but once I get in the habit of hanging up the laundry outside it is actually enjoyable.   I was lucky enough to inherit a clothesline with my house.

And oh what a clothes line it is. It has four  lines to it. When weather conditions are right I can dry clothes faster out here than in the dryer. We all know that a washing machine finishes a load faster than the dryer.  Given that fact, I can have two loads of laundry out on the clothes line dry faster than I can have one load of laundry in the washing machine.  As a matter of point. today I had some of the clothes on the line dry faster than I could get the next load out there.  We expanded our clothes line last year from the two lines you see to four and since then I have never been able to completely fill the line, as the clothes dry faster than I can wash four loads.

I could go on about the joys and benefits of line drying but instead I will highlight only a handful

• Line drying saves you energy = cost savings. The dryer is one of the top three energy users in your home.  You can figure your cost to run an electric dryer here.  In my case it costs me about $206 a year to run my electric dryer.  I happen to live where energy costs are low but I do more above average laundry. Go figure 3 active kids, live on a farm. (I just don’t know where the dirty clothes come from –hehe).

• Line drying saves your clothes.  Clothes that are line dried last longer. Did you ever stop to think about what lint really is or where it comes from? It is from your clothes. The dryer is causing wear and tear on your clothes.

• Hanging up your clothes is an excuse to go outside a couple of times a day, and when the weather is nice we need all the reasons we can get to go outside. You can get your daily dose of Vitamin D this way.

• Even if you only use your clothesline when the seasons and weather permit, you will save significantly, we figure we have prolonged the life of our dryer but letting it sit idle most of each summer. ( In order to keep up with laundry I need to wash at least one load a day, therefore on inclement weather days I will use the dryer to keep my sanity.)

• When you line dry your clothes, they smell great. 

• Line drying your whites is a great alternative to bleaching them. If you clothesline gets a lot of sun the sun will bleach your clothes for you. No more using liquid bleach! Whoo Hoo! Alternatively if you have dark clothing that you do not want the sun to bleach dry them on a line in the shade, turning them inside out works well also.

• If you iron your clothes line drying will eliminate or reduce your need to iron.  Drying your button down shirts buttoned up and upside down will leave them mostly wrinkle free.  As for pants hang them folded at the crease and from the bottom for dress slacks. I have found that this does not increase the drying time significantly and one does not have a folded crease across the legs.

• Folding laundry is so much easier when you are taking it down off a line versus pulling it out of a dryer. No stooping.

• There is no need to buy dryer sheets = another money $avings  If you find the clothes a bit stiff to your liking simply add about a half cup of white vinegar to your washing machine. Bonus – The vinegar will disinfect and remove some of the lingering  odors

• You just might be able to get the kids to help.  At least my kids think hanging the laundry up to dry is infinitely more interesting than putting it in the dryer.  If  I let Pumpkin do it on his own it can come out  looking like this

• IMHO line drying does not take up any more time than using a dryer, as I previously stated I can dry more loads quicker on the clothes line  than in my dryer. If you were to total the complete amount of time line drying takes versus machine drying and added in the time it takes to walk outside hang up laundry and take down laundry, line drying comes out ahead.  Yes there is a convenience factor in using the dryer but it takes less than 5 minutes for me to get the laundry out of the washing machine and hang it up. If I have another load out on the line I take down one hang up one. Just don’t try to take down one and put it in the same basket as the wet laundry. Don’t laugh, I have done this before.

• Happy secher au vent season as we like to call it here.

Technorati Tags: Green Living,Frugal Living,Money Saving