Tackling the laundry beast

One of my New Year's resolutions was to get the house clean and organized, and I am off to a great start.  I decided to break the whole house up into small projects, with the first being the laundry.  My first week's project will be to get all of the laundry in the whole house washed, dried, folded/hung, and put away.  

Okay, so you're thinking, "Big deal.  A week to do all the laundry?  Easy-peasy."  Not so, my friend.  Not so.

I'm sure this will horrify some - probably most - people, but I am going to go ahead and confess anyway.  Sometimes - and by sometimes, I mean pretty much every time I do laundry - I do not put the laundry away after it comes out of the dryer.  In fact, half the time, it ends up sitting in the dryer - or if I am feeling particularly ambitious, on the ping pong table - until we need it.  Yup.  That's how bad the situation is.  And that's just the laundry.

Not to mention, there is a basket of miscellaneous socks and other random items that has been in a closet for a length of time too disgraceful to mention, simply because I have not sorted it.  In my house, doing all the laundry and getting it all put away is a huge job.

To keep me on track with this and other projects, I have decided to reward myself as I complete each phase.  I just got a new Spyro the Dragon game for my Wii - yes, for all intents and purposes, I am still 6 years old - and I am so excited to play it, so that will be my reward when I finish.  It is quite the motivator, and I actually got through most of the laundry today, with just a few items left to work through in the next few days.

Part of the reason I was able to get through so much is because my hubby was home, so he was able to help with our son.  During the week, it is very difficult to find time to do anything during the day since my son does not do a lot of napping, and when he is awake, I am spending time with him.  Showering is an accomplishment in itself, let alone cleaning or cooking something.

Even so, I am excited to be off to a good start, and I hope to continue to work towards organization in our home by setting realistic goals and continuing to reward myself when I complete a project.

2014 New Year's Resolutions

I usually completely forget to make New Year's resolutions until New Year's Day, and then I start scrambling for ideas and eventually settle on the classic "lose weight" resolution, which is nice because I never seem to lose weight, so it's good year after year.

This year, however, I have a list a mile long of things I want to accomplish in the coming year.  I talked about a few of them around the end of November, and I have been keeping track of my goals for the last month and a half and am excited to kick off the year right.

I wanted to share them on the blog so I would feel some kind of accountability, even though I think all of about 6 people read this thing. So, without further ado, here are my 2014 New Year's resolutions:

1. Get the house clean and organized.
2. Take time to be thankful for something every day.
3. Learn to sew.
4. Log 10,000 steps at least 4 days a week.
5. Finally use up my yarn stash.
6. Take better care of my skin. (I'm turning 30 this year and am already seeing the crow's feet!)
7. Read my Bible every day.
8. Lose weight.

Okay, I had to sneak that weight loss one in at the end because I am still way over where I want to be on the scales.  In my defense, not only did I have a baby, but I have been having trouble with my knees since the middle of my pregnancy, which has made exercise very difficult.  It does seem to be clearing up, though, so I am ready to get back in the saddle and start exercising - especially running - more often.

I also need to do better at taking care of my skin, especially when it comes to using anti-aging products.  I am getting so wrinkly, and I would like to prevent some of that, if possible.  The sewing and yarn goals are lofty.  I mean, really, who has time to be crafty?  I am ambitiously and unrealistically hoping that this year, I can say, "I do! I have time to be crafty."  We'll see.

Reading my Bible is important to me, and I have no excuse not to do it.  I have a Bible app on my phone, and I can always read while nursing my baby.  That one just has to happen.

So there it is.  What are your goals for the year?

Day 1: I am thankful for my husband

Today is January 1, 2014, and it is the launch of my 365 Days of Thanksgiving project.  I am so excited to be doing this, and I am eager for others to join me.  My plan is to not only blog about something for which I am grateful but to also go about my day actively proclaiming my thanks to God.

Today, I am thankful for my husband Jesse.  He works incredibly hard at his job, which has enabled me to stay home with our son, something that means the absolute world to me.  He takes good care of our family, and even though he is often very tired, he spends as much time as he possibly can with me and especially with our little boy.

Jesse will often pick out a treat for me when he goes to the store.  He knows I love to eat, so he will bring home some kind of fun snack.  He always knows just what I will love, and he brings home things I probably would never have found on my own.

He has also put up with my somewhat ridiculous obsession with and addiction to cloth diapers.  I am sure he probably thinks I am nuts, but he has supported my decision to cloth diaper and even changes them himself sometimes.  (Usually, I change the diapers, not because he won't do it, but because I love picking out the next one.  There is something wrong with me.)

Our son Clayton loves his father so much, and I can see it in his eyes when he looks at Jesse.  I thank God that I have a man who works so hard and who loves us so much.  I know it is not always easy for him, especially since he works such long hours, and I do not ever wish to take him for granted.

365 Days of Thanksgiving

I recently shared about working on my 2014 New Year's resolutions, and one of the things I was planning to do was to take time every day to stop and be thankful for something in my life.  The more I thought about this, the more I thought that I should find some way to plan and document it.  Thus was born the "365 Days of Thanksgiving" project.

I am hoping to get others to join me in this journey throughout 2014.  It is so easy to forget all of our conveniences and focus instead on what we do not have, but I have found that the more I stop and thank God for all the good in my life, the more I recognize and remember how wonderfully blessed I really am.  In 2014, I plan to do this every single day, and I hope that my readers will join me.

Each day next year, I will share what I am grateful for on the blog and invite readers to comment with what they are grateful for or with a link to a blog post of their own.  The more we see what others are grateful for, the more we will all realize how much good there is in our lives if we simply take time to acknowledge it.  (If you do a blog post, please label it with "365 Days of Thanksgiving" and include a link to my blog, as well.)  Let's see how far we can make the chain of thanksgiving go.

I encourage everyone to participate even if you only do so in private.  Take a moment to thank God out loud for something every day, and you will recognize your blessings and realize new blessings throughout the year.

Getting started on those New Year's resolutions

Okay, so everyone is worked up over how all the stores have "skipped" Thanksgiving and gone right to Christmas, but I am going to take it one step further and start talking about the new year.  (On a side note, people need to just settle down about skipping Thanksgiving.  The reason the stores go right into Christmas stuff is because at Christmas, most of us buy stuff for other people, and it turns out those stores have to make money in order to continue operating and paying their employees.  No one complains when the grocery stores "take advantage" of us by selling turkeys.)

I have been thinking a lot about New Year's resolutions, and changes I would like to make in the coming year.  One major one is cleaning the house.  I have never been a neat person, but I love the feel of being in a house that is neat and clean.  Even before I had my son, I had a heck of a time keeping things clean, but other people do it, so there is no reason that I shouldn't be able to do it, too.  So, in 2014, getting the house clean and maintaining it in that state is one of my big goals.  I want to be able to invite someone to come into my house without 3 or 4 days notice.

Since I am terrible at keeping the house clean, I am working on developing a good cleaning plan, which I will share when it is complete.  I get overwhelmed if I try to tackle everything at once, so I want to find a way to just do a little at a time without letting the sheer volume of it make me give up.  Once things are clean, I also want to use this plan to maintain the house with daily, weekly, and monthly chores.

Another thing I want to do in 2014 is finally learn to sew.  I have had a sewing machine for several years, but I have only used it a few times.  I would love to take a class, but I just do not have the time (especially if I also plan to have a clean house).  I have found several instructional videos on YouTube to help me get the basics down, so that will be a good start.  I have to get the house clean first and then set up a good work space.

I also want to take time every single day to be thankful for what I have.  I am so often reminded of how good I have it and how blessed my life is.  I want to make a point to do that every day.

Those are a good start, but I'm sure as the end of the year sneaks closer, I will have more.  What are your resolutions for the New Year?

Getting ready to travel with cloth diapers

The weekend is almost here, and I am excited because tomorrow I am taking my son up to Pennsylvania to see my family.  My husband is not able to go with us, so it will be just the two of us, plus our two dogs.  Fortunately, it is only a 2 and a half hour drive, and if I time it just right with his usual morning nap, we might even make it without having to stop.  Maybe.

I am also excited - and a little nervous - because this is going to be our first time traveling with cloth diapers.  The first few times we went away overnight, we used disposables for the sake of convenience and because we did not have anywhere to launder the diapers or enough diapers to go without washing for the length of the trip.  This time, we have my mother's washing machine available to us should we want to use it, but we also probably have enough to make it through without washing.

Traveling overnight with cloth diapers does require a bit more planning than using disposable diapers, but I think it is manageable.  I am definitely taking all of my BumGenius diapers from Kelly's Closet and my SmartSnugs because those are, by far, the best in my stash.

I have several BumGenius Freetime diapers, but I have even more BumGenius 4.0 pocket diapers.  The 4.0s are my absolute favorite diapers.  I use them as my son's overnight diapers and any time we are going out or doing something where I know I cannot change him as often as I do at home.  I can leave them on him for as long as I would leave a disposable because the material wicks away moisture.  Even when his diaper is soaked, his skin is not.

I also have several SmartSnugs pocket diapers, including 1 NatureSnug and 3 SimpleSnugs.  I love them all, but I do think the Nature Snug does just slightly better at keeping my little man's tush dry over time.  I use them with the 6-layer Bamboo Charcoal insert, which is one of the best inserts I have found.  It defies logic because it is thin, absorbs a ton, and somehow dries super fast after washing.  I don't know how it works, but it does, and that's good enough for me.

For storage, I am taking my Bambino Mio diaper pail, which I absolutely adore because the lid locks, which makes it great at trapping odor and travel-friendly.  It is just the right size to hold about 2 days of diapers, which is perfect for me since I do diaper laundry every other day.  I am also taking my SmartSnugs wet bag.  I wish I had more wet bags, but hopefully in the future I can snag a few more.  So far, one has been enough, but I think traveling may change that.

Finally, I am taking along my Bummis Super Whisper Wrap and some prefold cloth diapers, just in case my son has one of his poopy days.  (Being breastfed, he only poops every 5-7 days, but when he does, it tends to happen in three's, and it tends to be ferocious.  I'm still not sure which is the better way to go - regular small poops or rare but deadly poops.)

The Bummis Super Whisper Wrap is something I never would have purchased on my own, but it came with a big stack of prefolds that I purchased from another mommy.  This is my absolute favorite diaper cover.  I have 3 of them in medium, but they fit my son well before he reached the minimum weight.  They are so easy to use, and I love being able to just lay a prefold into the cover and put it on.  They are also super trim, and they fit so well under my little guy's clothes.  I use them with his one fitted diaper, too.

And that's it.  I am doing up all my laundry today and using as few of his "good" diapers as possible, so he will have plenty that are clean and ready to go in the morning.  If nothing else, it should be interesting, and I am hoping to influence my sister a bit, just in case she decides to go for baby #3.

Have any tips for traveling with cloth diapers?  Please share them in the comments below.  Thanks, and wish me luck!

Taking time for Mommy

A few days before my son was born, my husband surprised me by presenting me with a "push gift," which is essentially a "thanks-for-having-my-kid-gift."  My hubby had filled mine with my favorite wine, my favorite vodka, my favorite coffee, my favorite snacks, and a gift certificate to Brush Strokes, a very nice salon in our area, so I could go get my hair done after the baby arrived.

After 2 and a half months, I finally managed to get to the salon this past weekend, and it was glorious.  I got my hair cut short and had highlights put in, so it took almost 3 hours.  It was the longest I have been away from my baby thus far, and I definitely missed him, but it was nice to just sit still for awhile and relax.  (It was also REALLY nice to get back home to my little boy.  Turns out I just cannot get enough of him.)

The salon was a lot more expensive than where I usually go (Hair Cuttery, I'm not ashamed to admit), but the service was noticeably better.  It was so nice not to have someone tell me six times that I have an awful lot of split ends and should have come sooner for a trim or that my attempt at coloring my hair on my own was a bad idea (even though I obviously know that because I said so when I came in).  They were so nice and even did my makeup for free.

Since I am still carting around a decent potbelly and starting to wonder if round is just going to be my permanent look from now on, going to the salon made such a difference in how I feel about myself.  I got myself dressed instead of just rolling around the house in sweat pants and a nursing tank like I often do, and I daresay I may even consider shaving my legs tonight...well, okay...maybe tomorrow.

The point is that it is so important to take time to do something nice for yourself from time to time.  Whether it is a trip to the salon, a new outfit, a massage, a mani-pedi, or whatever does it for you, make it happen.  If money is too tight for luxury items, treat yourself at home.  Have your spouse or a friend watch the kids for a few hours and take a long bath, do your hair, and give yourself a manicure.  It will make such a difference and make you feel so refreshed. Do it for you.  Do it for your spouse.  Do it for your kids.  Do it!

Starting the 100 Pushups Challenge

When I turned 29 in April, I published a list of 30 things I want to do before I turn 30.  Number nine on the list is completing the 100 pushups challenge.  Now that I am a day shy of 8 weeks out from my C-section, I am eager to get started strengthening my arms.

The 100 pushups challenge is a workout program that is designed to help you achieve the ability to complete 100 consecutive pushups.  As someone who has never been able to eke out more than 20 at my best, the idea that I could one day be able to do 100 pushpus in a row is pretty wild.

I have been encouraging my hubby to do the challenge with me, but it keeps getting put off for a later time.  Finally, I decided that if I am going to do this, I have to get started on my own, and hopefully, when he realizes that I can do more pushups than him, he will join me.  Ha!

First, I had to take the initial test to determine which level of the training program to use.  The initial test simply asks users to perform as many consecutive pushups as they can.  When I performed the initial test, I only managed 7 pushups, which was depressing, but not surprising.

Ever since my C-section, I feel like my whole body is so weak.  I don't know if it is from the surgery or if it just because I am weakened from the pregnancy, but whatever the cause, I am just happy to be back in the saddle and able to start working towards a better body and better fitness level.

Because I could only do 7 pushups, I will be following the 2nd column of the training program.  Every week, I will be doing 3 days of training.  It takes only a few minutes to complete each day's workout, so I intend to stick with it and in six weeks, I should be able to do 100 pushups in a row, which will be incredibly empowering.

Questions to Ask When Interviewing a Pediatrician

My husband and I are getting ready for the birth of our son, and as part of that process, we face the daunting task of finding a pediatrician to care for our itty bitty.  Our appointment with the pediatricians we hope will be a good fit is set for May 28, and I have been working on putting together a list of questions for the doctor with whom we will be meeting.

We chose to interview this particular office because they have 8 doctors on staff, a daily walk-in clinic from 8 to 9 a.m., and their office is in the same building as my OBGYN and right across from the hospital where our little man will be born.  They also were all very nice to me on the phone, which was a huge factor in me deciding to meet with them.  Any time a doctor's office staff is rude or pushy, I run the other way.  If the doctor is willing to tolerate that in the people who often are responsible for first impressions, then he or she is probably rude or pushy, too.

Below are the questions I came up with so far.  Please share any other suggestions or experiences in the comments.

1. Participation with insurance.  This one is huge, of course.  If the office does not participate with your insurance, you probably want to look elsewhere.
2. Travel preparation services.  Because the hubby and I travel a lot, we want to make sure that we choose a doctor who will be able to help us prepare our son for international travel in the years to come.  Obviously, we will not be taking him to any high-risk areas when he is very small, but any time you go to another country, it is good to check into any possible health risks.  Having a doctor who is well-versed in travel health is essential for traveling families like us.
3. Vaccination schedule.  Different doctors have different schedules for vaccinations.  It is good to know what you should expect for your child such as how often vaccinations will be given and at what age they will be administered.  Also, be sure to ask about how flexible the doctor is on the schedule and whether you can spread the vaccinations out more over time.
4. Recommended vaccinations.  I plan to get most, if not all, of the recommended vaccinations.  My father nearly died from polio when he was a baby, and in this global age, an outbreak of deadly disease is only a plane ride away, especially with so many people deciding not to vaccinate their children against diseases that still exist all over the world.  However, it is still important for me to know exactly what vaccinations are recommended by my baby's doctor, as well as which ones he or she may think are less important.  If nothing else, I want to make sure that my child gets protection against the horrific diseases that could easily make a comeback in this country, especially since there are now so many potential carriers.
5. Internet appointments and resources.  I hate the telephone.  If I can avoid using it, I will.  So one thing I love in a doctor's office is the ability to contact them via the internet, at least for general things.  HIPAA laws prevent some communications, but doctors who are willing to at least allow patients to request appointments via the internet are always going to get an extra vote in my book.  If I can also ask a general question via email and see whether I really need to be concerned about some issue with my child, even better.
6. Ability to get same day appointments.  If your little one does get sick, it is important to know how long you should expect to wait before getting an appointment.  If the practice is too busy, you might end up having to wait a day or two before you can get in to see the doctor.  When your child is suffering, that is an eternity.
7. Frequency of recommended appointments.  Different doctors recommend seeing children on different schedules for wellness checks.  Be sure to find out how often your doctor will want you and your little one in there.  World of Pediatrics offers printable forms for each recommended wellness visit.
8. Other office locations.  Usually you can find this information online, but if your pediatrician does not have a website, make sure to ask if there are any other office locations.
9. Cloth diapering.  If you plan to use cloth diapers, ask the doctor how familiar he or she is with cloth diaper specific issues such as topical creams, antibiotics, and rashes.
10. How to contact during non-office hours.  Finally, make sure you know what to do if you need the doctor during non-business hours.  Is there someone on call?  Also, if you are choosing a solo practitioner, find out who will cover the doctor's duties when he or she is on vacation or otherwise unavailable.  Make sure you get contact information before you need it.

Earn Money for Your Writing and Work from Home!

If you like to write like I do, the idea of finding a paid writing job sounds ideal, but unfortunately, the competition for such positions is fierce.  That is why I love Examiner.com!  Examiner.com is a website that brings together the work of many different local writers from all across the country and helps to promote it.

Because the website management promotes the site and site content, writers get much better earnings on their writing than they do when starting out with a blog.  Earnings can vary depending on a variety of factors, but I am currently earning about 1/2 a cent per pageview, which is significantly more than what I earn writing for Spare Time Super Mom.  I also earn incentive pay for certain types of content.  For example, you can currently earn $2.00 per list article that you create.  An example of a list article is shown here.  You can do 3 per week, so as long as you get the lists done, you earn a base of $6.00 per week.  Each view of the items in the list then count as a pageview, so the earnings can stack up pretty quickly on these.

Since I am trying to find a way to make some extra cash from home so I can spend more time with my son when he arrives, I am trying to focus more on Examiner.com as a job rather than a hobby (although it is definitely both!), and I have really seen my pageviews and earnings increase as a result, even after just a few days.  My topic is Herndon Wedding Planning, and I am committing myself to writing at least one article every two days from this point forward, at least when I am at home.  (I do leave for Spain and Ireland in a few days, so I may not be able to keep up while I am away, but when I get back, I plan to be all over it!)  I would like to eventually get to two articles per day, and I have some plans up my sleeve to help me get there.

There are a ton of topics to choose from, so whatever your hobbies, interests, or areas of expertise, I am sure there is something for you.  Go ahead and browse the site for available topics, but make sure to come back here before you sign up because Examiner.com pays $50.00 per referral.  If you sign up through my referral link and get approved, I WILL SHARE $10.00 OF THE REFERRAL FEE WITH YOU!

Examiner.com also provides access to a ton of photos that are free to use for your articles on their website, as well as the comprehensive Examiner University, where writers can learn about all kinds of topics to improve their writing and their earning potential.  They have a vested financial interest in seeing their writers do well because the more you earn, the more they earn.  Their support for their writers is awesome!

It is really easy and, of course, FREE to sign up, and they usually process your application within about a week or two.  If you do submit an application, please email me at sparetimesupermom@gmail.com with your name and topic choice so I can watch for your application to get approved.  Happy writing and happy earning!

6-Year-Old's Fundraiser to Help a Friend is a Huge Success

6-year-old Dylan Siegel is showing that you don't have to be a big kid to make a difference.  When he found out about his best friend Jonah's rare liver disease, he told his parents that he wanted to help.  They encouraged him to help raise money by holding a bake sale or setting up a lemonade stand, but Dylan decided to aim higher.  He told his mother that he was going to write a book and sell it to make money, and that is just what he is doing.

With help from family and friends, Dylan's parents helped him to publish his book, Chocolate Bar, and it began to sell.  As more and more people have heard about this amazing tale of friendship between two little boys, sales have increased.  Dylan's goal is to raise $1 million for research towards a cure for Jonah's illness, which is known as Glycogen Storage Disease.

For a minimum donation of $20.00, you can get a copy of Dylan's book by visiting the Chocolate Bar Book website.  This is an awesome way to donate to a great cause and help to encourage both of these boys to always look around and see what they can do for others.  It will also make a great teaching tool for your children as you read it to them and remind them of the very important principles that these two boys are teaching us: the importance of being a real friend to someone and that anyone can make a difference if he or she is determined.

 

30 Things I Want to do Before I Turn 30

Today is my 29th birthday, and with the close of my 20s just a year away, I decided to make a list of things I have meant to do for awhile but keep putting off, with the goal of completing all of them before I turn 30.  As I complete them, I will cross them off the list and write a quick post about each.  The list is an idea I have seen a number of places, but I could not tell you where the idea originated or even where I first saw it.  Please feel free to use any of these ideas for your own list!

1. Run a half-marathon.  (I was planning to do this Labor Day weekend of this year, but when I got pregnant, I had to postpone.  It's going to happen this year, though!)
2. Visit the Grand Canyon.  
3. Fly first class.  (This one is going to be happening at the end of this month, thanks to my hubby!)
4. Find a church I love in Virginia.
5. Take a cake decorating class with my mom.
6. Watch every movie on the American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Movies list.
7. Get back to my wedding day weight.  (Yikes, long way to go, especially since I have 3 more months of growing a baby before I start my diet!)
8. Make something on my sewing machine.  (Hello, homemade cloth diapers!)
9. Complete the 100 pushup challenge.
10. Get a full month's worth of blog posts finished and scheduled ahead of time.
11. Become a volunteer.  (I am on my way to this one!)
12. Read 50 books I have never read before.
13. Collect 15 bottles of wine that I have not yet tried and save them to drink in my 30th year.
14. Own an aquarium with at least one fish in it.
15. Get a massage.
16. Take a picture every day for a month, then make the photos into a photo book.
17. Send Christmas cards in time for Christmas.
18. Find makeup that works for me and learn to apply it properly.  (Yes, I know I am a little late to the game on this one, but better late than never.)
19. Make homemade pickles.
20. Make homemade wine.
21. Make a homemade cake with fondant icing (and then eat it!).
22. Get 5,000 Facebook followers for my blog page.  (Yowza!  That's a lot.)
23. Kiss my husband in the rain.
24. Put together a recipe list of at least 30 easy and fast recipes.  (These don't have to be my own.  They just have to be recipes that are fast so I can feel like I know what I'm doing in the kitchen from time to time.)
25. Visit Monticello, Mount Vernon, and Great Falls National Park.
26. Turn one of my photographs into a canvas print and hang it on the wall in our house.
27. Do a one-week juice fast.
28. Own 20 different cloth diaper prints, including at least one I made myself.
29. Write to my Compassion children once a week for at least a month.
30. Publish a devotional e-book.

My Conscious Box Just Arrived!

I got my first shipment from Conscious Box today! I was so excited to get it because I love surprises. When I saw the box, I admit that my first thought was, "It's so small!"

I was surprised to find all of these goodies inside when I opened it:

Check out all of the goodies I got, then head over to the Conscious Box giveaway to enter to win 3 months free to try it for yourself!  Here's the rundown of what I got:

1. 2 Speed Fast-Melt Dietary Supplement Tablets
2. 1 Seventh Generation Mandarin Facial Cleansing Cloth (This is going on the plane with me when we head for Spain later this month!)
3. 2 Blackberry Pomegranate Antioxidant Max Green Tea Bags
4. 6 EarthRise Spirulina Natural Dietary Supplement Tablets
5. 1 bottle of Vitamineral Green Superfood Complex (20 grams)
6. 1 7 mL sample pack of TotLogic Body Lotion
7. 1 bottle of Ecos Lemongrass Laundry Detergent (which smells AMAZING!)
8. 1 Coromega Omega-3 Squeeze Pouch (650 mg of Omega-3)
9. 1 MRM Whey Protein Shake Mix (Rich Vanilla)
10. 1 Chocolate Covered Active Greens Organic Food Bar
11. 1 Lafes Winter Mint Lip Balm (I'm in love with this after one use!)
12. 1 Pouch of NurturMe Plump Peas Dried Organic Babyfood
13. 1 Materne GoGo Squeez Applesauce Pouch (I ate it.  It was amazing.  Gotta love that the ingredients listed are: Apple, Apple Juice Concentrate.  That's it.)

My Favorite Movie

Day 12 of the April Blog Challenge from Green Moms Network:

Today's writing topic is my favorite movie or movie genre.  I do not really have a favorite movie genre, and I really don't even like to watch movies that much, partly because they all seem so trite and predictable and partly because I just don't like to sit for that long.  I do much better with a 45-minute television show on Netflix than with a movie that is 2-3 times as long.

I do have a favorite movie, however, and it is has been my favorite for a long time.  The movie is called True Stories, and it was made in 1986.  It is a ridiculous, off-the-wall movie that manages to simultaneously be goofy and charming.  The first time I saw it was when I was in high school, and I immediately fell in love.

I get so irritated with movies these days because they are SO predictable.  Not long ago, my sister brought the movie Return to Me for me to watch.  Within the first five minutes of the movie, I paused it and told her exactly what would happen in the rest of the movie.  It was just that obvious.  Romantic comedies in general tend to be the worst of the lot.  It always seems to be the same plot:  Boy meets girl.  Boy loves girl.  Boy and girl have horrible misunderstanding that culminates in break-up.  Boy or girl has to race against time to dramatically declare his/her undying love, and in the end, they are reunited.  Gag.

True Stories is not that kind of movie.  It is full of fresh and ridiculous lines, characters, and scenes.  In fact, the only problem I have seen is that people tend not to like the movie because they claim it "doesn't make any sense."  To me, it makes perfect sense.  To quote a line from the movie, it is "a celebration of specialness."  It looks at a small, non-descript town that would otherwise be ignored and makes the viewer recognize how even tiny towns are home to unique and amazing people.  I think the reason people do not always get what makes this movie so special is because they are so accustomed to movies that do not require them to think or to expect something unpredictable.

If you have never had the good fortune of seeing this movie, I hope you will take the time to do so.  It is subtle in many ways, so make sure you can watch it when you are not distracted or you will miss a lot of its humor and charm.  Most importantly, do not try to make it something it is not.  Just sit back, watch, and let the movie happen.  You can rent or buy it from Amazon for download or on DVD.  Once you watch it, I would love to hear what you thought.  Please come back and visit this page and leave a comment with your impressions or send me an email at SpareTimeSuperMom@gmail.com.  I hope you love it as much as I do!

Parenting Failures: Green or Otherwise

Day 11 of the April Blog Challenge from Green Moms Network:

Today's topic is "a green parenting failure."  This topic kind of turned me off because I do not like the term "parenting failure."  I suppose it really is not the Green Moms Network's fault since it was placed in the context of a "green failure," rather than just an overall failure, but still those two words in rapid succession irritate me.

Right now, I can proudly say that I have never had a parental failure of any kind because my son has not come into the world yet.  I suppose if I really wanted to try to pin myself down on something, I could point to the time when I was approximately 8-10 days pregnant and, blissfully unaware of this fact and unable to communicate well in Turkish, I accidentally ordered an entire bottle of wine in Cappadocia, which I then consumed in its entirety so as not to be wasteful.  That really wasn't a parental failure so much as it was a linguistic one.

But the idea of being a failure as a parent, even temporarily, really irks me.  I certainly know I am not going to be a perfect parent.  No one is or can be.  I will do my best like everyone else, but the most important thing will be that all of my decisions - including my screw ups - will be motivated by love for my children.  If I am too strict on something, it will be because I don't want them to get hurt.  If I am too lax, it will be because I did not want to tell them no when they were so excited.  But to label these things as failures is harsh.

As for the specific topic of green parenting failures, I am fortunate enough to not be too terribly green, which means the likelihood of me failing at green parenting is very slight...unless, of course, you just look at my green parenting overall.  Then I suppose the whole thing would be a failure.

I do often worry about the kind of mommy I will be and whether I will do things right.  It is such an awesome and terrifying responsibility to be a parent, and sometimes when I read books about child psychology and development, I become convinced that there is absolutely no hope of me raising my children without somehow also scarring them for life.

According to different theories, I can damage my children psychologically if I either (a) hold them too much or (b) do not hold them enough.  I will be paving the way for years of psychoanalysis if I either (a) do not praise them enough or (b) praise them too much.  I suppose I should try to find the middle ground between all of these theories and apply that, but I fear if I do, there will be another theory out in the next 10-15 years based on my child.

I always end up telling myself to relax and remember that the most important thing I can do for my children is to teach them to know Jesus.  His love is perfect, and His responses are perfect every single time, and the beautiful thing is that if I do end up inadvertently damaging my children, Jesus' love is capable of repairing anything my fleshly form can do.

My First Steps Towards Being Green

Day 9 of the April Blog Challenge from Green Moms Network:

In reflecting upon today's blog post topic, I realized that I have taken quite a few steps towards a more environmentally friendly existence in the past year, although those steps have usually been motivated by a desire to save money, rather than a desire to save the planet.

In September, we moved out of our apartment and began renting a small house.  We are delighted to be on a system where we only pay the water bill for our actual use instead of paying a poorly calculated average in a neighborhood where many people have 4 or 5 people living in a one-bedroom apartment.  We were always careful with consumption, but now I have become even more aware of how much water we use.  I remember to turn the shower off while I am putting conditioner on my hair and washing my face, and I make sure the dishwasher is always filled to absolute capacity before running it.

Our move to the house also meant an increase in electricity use because of the larger space.  I have become even more diligent in being sure to turn off every light, unplug things that are not in use, and close off rooms that don't need to be heated or cooled.  We also have a wood fireplace in addition to our gel fireplace now, and between the two of them, we can generate a lot of heat at a much cheaper price than it would otherwise cost to heat the house.  We saved a lot of money on heating costs this winter by finding ways to get free firewood.

I also made the decision to use cloth diapers for our little ones, starting with our son who is due in July.  Again, this was a decision motivated more by money, at least initially, but I am also glad to know that all that poo and plastic will not be sitting in a landfill for the next 500 years.  I have even started trying to convince others to give cloth diapers a try since there are still some people out there who, inexplicably, are not head over heels in love with fluff.

Since moving to the new house, I also have the exciting new prospect of finally having a real garden.  Within the first week of living here, I had already started a compost pile in one corner of the garden.  I love being able to put all those nutrients back into the soil instead of just throwing things away.  I hate to be always changing the trash bag, so the more stuff that goes to the compost instead of into the trash can, the better.  We also have recycling pickup here, which we did not have at our old apartment.  Instead of throwing away all of our cans and bottles, we now recycle them.

Finally, I have started to really look at how I can reuse certain household items that I would otherwise throw away.  A perfect example of a really cheap, really easy way to upcycle is to revamp and reuse empty canisters, such as bread crumb canisters, and other household items.

How to Get Free Firewood

The hubby and I moved to a house with a wood fireplace last fall, and I could hardly wait to use it.  The wood stove is really efficient and has a fan to push the heat out into the house.  It can quickly raise the temperature in the house by several degrees even with a small fire, and we absolutely love it.

The best part of using the wood stove this past winter was knowing that everything we put into it was free for us.  I started saving cardboard, newspapers, and any documents that we would ordinarily shred (i.e., credit card offers) long before it got cold enough for a fire.  I also mentioned to several people how excited I was to have the wood stove and how I was planning to get some wood for the winter.  Before I knew it, I had two people bring me firewood that they either found free somewhere or had left over from a tree removal.  I ended up with a ton of free wood of all different sizes, which was perfect for quickly building a fire that would burn hot for a long time.

On cold days, I would turn the heat off completely and just allow the stove to do all the work.  When we started to get low on firewood, I jumped on Craigslist and did a quick scan through the "Free" section.  There were usually at least 10 offers of free firewood any time that I checked.  We wound up not needing to go pick up any of it, though, because just as we got down to the last of it, we hit the jackpot the night before our town's scheduled yard waste pickup.

We found a ton of firewood out on the curbs, just waiting for someone to snag it.  There were a lot of small pieces, but also a bunch of big logs.  We stuffed the trunk of our little Corolla with it and could have gone back for a second load had it not been so late at night and so late in the season.  We knew we had more than we could use until next year.

Now, it is April, and the forecast for today predicts a high of 80 degrees.  I am delighted to have a nice supply of wood left over to be saved for next winter, plus a ton of cardboard and paper products that will be great fire starters.  As next winter approaches, we will do the same thing and work on building our firewood stash early in the season.  If you are looking for free firewood next winter, try these basic tricks to get yourself a nice supply at no cost:

1. Tell your friends you are looking for firewood.  You never know who will have some they want to unload.
2. Check Craigslist.  If you are willing to pick it up, you can usually find a ton of free firewood.
3. Be a scavenger.  Find out when your community is doing a yard waste pickup and get there first.  

The One Thing I Want My Kids to Know

Day 6 of the April Blog Challenge from Green Moms Network:

There are so many things I want to teach my children and that I want my children to learn through their own experiences.  I know that there are many things I will never be able to teach them.  I cannot teach them how to avoid a broken heart.  Sure, I can instruct them on how to guard their hearts and be careful giving their hearts away, but at the end of the day, I know they will get hurt by someone, sometime along the way.  All I can do is teach them how to pick up and keep going and keep believing there is always something better just around the corner.

Certainly, there are many things I can teach them, like how to maintain a positive attitude in difficult situations, treating others with respect no matter what they look like or where they come from, and all the little life skills like cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, and so on.

But when it comes to one thing I want my kids to know, it would be God's love for them.  A close second is, of course, how much I love them, but the most important thing, far more important than my love for them, is God's love.  If my children can always know and remember how much God loves them, in spite of their shortcomings (not that my children will have any!) and in spite of their lapses into sin, then I believe my children will always keep coming back to God.

I want my children to always remember that unconditional love, that truly perfect love of their Heavenly Father so that they know that no matter what the circumstances of life on Earth, He is always there for them, and His love never changes, never ceases, never runs dry.

I know that I cannot stay here forever with them.  I may live to be 105 (my current goal), or I may be taken up to Jesus tomorrow.  But to know that I will see them again in Heaven someday is all the comfort I need.

Earth Day Ideas for Kids and Families

Day 5 of the April Blog Challenge from Green Moms Network:

Oh, dear.  Today's topic is "Earth Day Ideas for Kids and Families," and I am not very good at being eco-friendly.  (When is Earth Day anyway?  I know it's this month because I am excited for the Conscious Box this month, but...I forget which day it is.)  

Here's my best go of it, but I think most of these are pretty obvious:

1. Do something kind for a stranger.
2. Go on a nature walk with a reference book to help kids identify plants, flowers, trees, birds, etc.
3. Plant a tree.
4. Plant a garden.
5. Go to a farmer's market and talk about where all the food comes.
6. Adopt a pet.
7. Make your own ecosystem.
8. Reuse something you would otherwise throw away, like this or this.
9. Hang your laundry out to dry.
10. Walk somewhere instead of driving.

Things I Love About My Husband

Day 4 of the April Blog Challenge from Green Moms Network:

When it comes to my husband, among other things, I love...

1. His ridiculous sense of humor that matches so well with my own.
2. The way he tells stories, always with his own unique flavor.
3. The amused way he looks at me when I get little-kid-excited about something that really shouldn't be that exciting (i.e., hotel room right next to the elevator, getting to board the plane first because he flies so much, unexpected freebies, etc.).
4. When he does something really cool that he would otherwise NEVER do, just because he knows it will make me happy.  (See this post for details.)
5. When he plays with our dogs.
6. When he decides to make me dinner and says he's making something really simple, then emerges from the kitchen 2 hours later with a gourmet meal.
7. How he takes the time to call my family members on their birthdays.
8. How he gets involved when the Steelers have a major game, even though he really doesn't care at all about sports.
9. Our inside jokes that we find hilarious but could never really share with anyone else.
10. Being goofy with him.