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I have a confession to make:

I miss blogging. I miss this blog.

I continue to read blogs that inspire me. the ones that keep pointing me to a gracious Savior. the ones that simply make me smile. Lately though, I have been itching to update my own… just could not squeeze it in my day. I know if I want it enough I could make it happen, but I guess it really is a priority issue.

I decided, instead of moping about it, I would just bake a favorite vegan chocolate cake, which I had been craving all morning, and call it the family meal. Then I would head on over here and ramble.

It had been a quiet day. Dear hubby left for work early in the morning as usual, and he won’t be home until late in the evening. (And that explains why it’s okay to feed the kids chocolate cake instead of a real meal. lol) The girls are busy playing downstairs and would only come up when hungry.

I took advantage of the sun and did three loads of laundry to line dry. One was for cloth diapers, which I have been doing almost daily. Who would have thought that folding clean diapers could be so therapeutic?

We’ve assigned the eleven-year old to help with the kitchen floor, but how many of you know that it means cleaning the floor all over again?

We’ve been keeping Johann indoor, and I have been giving him daily baths, because he has developed heat rash. (That also means we have the air-conditioning going all the time.)

With the new addition in the family, we have yet to form a solid revised routine for the rest of us- though I know the sooner, the better. Like today, the two younger girls didn’t take a nap. I got so busy, and they weren’t bothering me as much- so of course, I forgot about nap time until it was too late. Now I’m listening to a screaming three-year old, the sort of thing that doesn’t happen here, unless the girl is extremely tired. Someone is going to bed early tonight.

Those of you busy stay-at-home moms of little children who are able to maintain an orderly clean home, serve healthy home-cooked meals everyday at the table, homeschool, and still manage to blog regularly: share your secret.

In the meantime, I am moving at my own (slow) pace, showing up here when I can, endlessly thanking my Source for every single day. No matter how monotonous, uneventful, quiet, or chaotic my days are, I am grateful that they are always beautiful.

Zurielle holding Johann Israel at 3 days old

Introducing…

Johann Israel

born 6 pounds, 15 oz.

at 11:40PM on Saturday, the 21st of June.

between enjoying this sweet little boy, the girls and some family time, taking some precious naps and catching up on a few chores, i really haven’t had the chance to be on the computer at all this week…

but just so you know, baby and mom are doing really well…

just enjoying this exciting time in our lives…

can you tell how happy the girls are?

For her blog anniversary giveaway, that is. Yes! I finally won something- thanks to the cute hands that picked my name! Last week, I received the two awesome bulk bags (a small and a large) from Willowluna of A Crunchy Life. I wasn’t able to take a picture of the neat package, but the bags are similar to the ones she photographed here. If you want to check them out, she’s got some up on her etsy shop.

I meant to use them as bulk food bags, but I couldn’t resist using the larger bag to store some stuff we have in the family vehicle. So it has found a new home there. Very crunchy! Thanks again, Willowluna!

I’m Back!

I had been miserable for days, physically, that is. I am carrying this baby differently, and much lower than the other three, my belly is much bigger, and my lower back was really bothering me! It was challenging just to get up, take the stairs, and even to wobble walk- much more, stand for a period of time! Being in the kitchen was no party at all.

When I went to see the midwife last Monday, I was already desperate! I knew I had to give in and get a maternity support belt. Surprisingly, none of the local pharmacies we checked, or Babies R Us, have them in size small, so it had to be ordered, and I had to patiently wait for a few days. My hubby picked it up today, and as soon as I tried it on, I knew I found relief! What a difference! Mama is happy… that means everyone is happy. I just had to share. I was busy picking up stuff from the floor this afternoon! Oh, the little things we take for granted! I feel like my old self again, well… at least my old pregnant self. LOL

See that long post below this one? Ha, I am feeling better, am I not?

Thank you, Lord, for all your provisions!

extreme enough?

Crunchy Chicken’s Extreme Eco Throwdown has begun. What exactly is this challenge about?

No plastic, no paper products, no driving, local food only, no garbage output, no excessive water usage, no electricity.

It is just what the name says: EXTREME!

Except for the driving part, we have already been doing something in the other areas, but accepting the challenge was another story. It was just too crazy! Too extreme all in one go! But instead of focusing on the impossibilities, I decided to jump in on the ones we could practically do, and improve on what we are already doing: improvising with thinking LESS OF, instead of the absolute NO.

Let’s get the NO DRIVING part out of the way first: I hardly drive as it is, but my husband does a lot of it. (And I really don’t see him taking the bus anytime soon.) Much driving is also needed with the business we are in. Yes, lots of mileage. I’m not hopping on a bus to get groceries, or take the little kids somewhere with my very pregnant belly either.

LOCAL FOOD ONLY: This would have been very doable in the summer. For now, since we live in Minnesota, and the bulk of our groceries is produce, and we honestly couldn’t justify buying meat to increase support of local food, I’d say can’t do right now. Our co-op keeps track of the percentage of local food we purchase in our receipts, so that helps. And we could see that there is room for improvement.

NO LESS PLASTIC: Though we buy minimal processed food, the fact remains that they would always come in plastic or paper, or some mean packaging! If you open our freezer, we have bags, and bags of frozen pineapple and mango chunks from Trader Joes. For their price and convenience, and for what we use them for, we are just not ready to give them up yet.

On the positive side, I have acquired more, and better, fabric produce/bulk bags from Etsy. I’m also bringing my own containers to refill vinegar and other liquids at the co-op.

My awesome husband has been bringing his own bags at the stores MORE CONSISTENTLY! This is such a big deal! The first time he brought canvas bag at the Asian market, the owner commented that in his 18 years of owning the store, he’s never seen anybody bring their own bags there! The next time, the girl at the register asked him, “What’s the bag for?” (LOL) Hubby just told me now that the cashier (a different one) just took the bag from him without question when he went there today. The person said that more and more people are bringing their own bags there. He mentioned five people just this week. Now, I think they are getting it!

PLASTIC FOR NON-FOOD: We buy coconut oil and cocoa butter in jars for moisturizing the skin. The lotion we use is refillable at the co-op; so are the shampoo and conditioner. Our cleaning products are mostly homemade, and I’m not about to buy any cleaning stuff in plastic bottles anytime soon. I make homemade toothpaste, but the little ones still have to use the tube kind, you know.

NO PAPER: We don’t buy paper towels or napkins anyway, but have made further changes as I mentioned in this post.

NO LESS ELECTRICITY: Our latest $30 electric bill says it all, and I’ve talked about giving the dryer a much needed break by using the clothesline. So what else are we doing?

  • I put a lamp in the main bathroom, so that we are not always using the multiple-bulb vanity lighting while in there.
  • The whole family usually stays in one area of the house in the evenings, so we just make sure that we keep it that way, and that lights in other rooms are off.
  • Between me and the children, and my husband working at home part of the day, we have quite the computer usage. But everyone knows to hibernate it when done, and it always gets turned off at the end of the day, or when we leave the house. There will be more days though, when the children are not allowed to go on the computer, and mommy just to check emails or pay bills. Did I mention no TV? Go outside and explore!

NO EXCESSIVE WATER CONSUMPTION:We started doing this even before the challenge, and is by far the most gratifying adjustment of all. I have now been so conscious of running water when washing the dishes. I have also been washing them in lukewarm to cool water, whereas I used to keep it as hot as my hands could handle! I also used to just pretty much let the water run when brushing teeth, and it had to be warm water. (My husband seemed to have more sense in this area than me!) That has changed, too.

Since we are home on most days, I figured it would just make sense to take less showers, and give the little children less. I am also convinced now that I don’t have to wash my hair each time I’m in the shower, or I could simply turn the water off while shampooing.

My family in California, and even my in-laws here, each keep a bucket/pail in the tub. They have been doing it for years and I never got it! Until now, that is. Though mine is an improvised container, it holds up more than enough water to flush the toilet with. The container stays in the tub to catch shower water. Sometimes, we even wash our hands in the tub faucet, so that we could catch more water! The kids are also getting used to not flushing the toilet every time they do #1. With all five of us, including a pregnant woman, it’s amazing how less we use the toilet tank nowadays!

Reflecting on these changes, and also the one-month Buy Nothing Challenge, none of these seem so drastic and hard for me (and my husband) considering where, and how, we were raised. Water and electricity (even paper products) were, and still are, precious commodities in third world countries like the Philippines.

Our family never had to deal with water shortage, because we were blessed with our own hand pump, and electric pump. But I’m telling you, even as a kid, you would use water very wisely when you have to pump it yourself, and then bring it in using the bucket into the kitchen, or the bathroom. We also didn’t have hot water, so if you want a more tolerable bath in the early morning, you would have to boil water and mix that with the cold. Even driving a family vehicle there was a privilege not to be taken for granted. And yes, gasoline has always been expensive.

For us then, these changes are really more like going back to the basics, with EXTRA benefits to be enjoyed: with hot water always available just with a faucet-turn… no pumping water… no washing clothes by hands… no worries that electricity might be off for days or weeks at a time! None of these are really an inconvenience or sacrifice. See it for what it is: a better appreciation of the GOOD LIFE!

We are but stewards.

Buy Nothing Challenge - April 2008
Today is the last day of the Buy Nothing Challenge. I have been wanting to post an update but computer time has been limited the last few days, even today.

For the most part, the challenge didn’t really change much of our consumerism habits, since we have been trying to keep our spending to the basics, anyway. But it seemed to have pinpointed one area, and that I wanted to address.

Hopefully, I could post something before the week ends. For now, I just want to thank the Crunchy Chicken for a worthwhile challenge, and now it’s time to gear up for another one!

Blessed day to all!

eco-list for earth day

We didn’t do anything special for Earth Day, but we got to enjoy the sunshine and beautiful weather outside all day! Aliyah said it’s just fine since everyday is Earth Day here anyway!

I thought before the day is done, I would make a list of things we’ve been doing differently lately, not just to be GREEN, but to execute our part as good stewards. Aside from the classic bring-your-own canvas grocery bags to the store, using cloth napkins, recycling, reusing, etc., here are some other changes we’ve committed to:

No more paper towels: It just makes more economical and ecological sense. Handmade dishcloths and rags are more fun to use anyway!

Buying from the bulk section as much as possible (even salt, spices, vinegar, soy sauce, vanilla extract, etc.): Less garbage, less impact on the landfill, saves money, and since you’re bagging, scooping or bottling your own purchase, you get to be part of the whole process, instead of just picking something off the shelf!

Using reusable cloth produce bags, or eco-bags instead of plastic bags at the store for produce, grains, beans, etc.: We are taking bring-your-own-bags to another level. And it just feels good doing it!

Trying (and trying some more) to stay away from packaged food products: Why, even the locally made pita and hummus are packaged in plastic bags and containers!

Using glass, wood or stainless steel storage and serving containers: We still have too many plastic around- but not buying anymore, even giving some of my Tupperware containers away.

Staying away from disposable plates, cups, etc. (especially the foam kind!) This is a little more challenging for picnics and such, but it can be done.

Investing in Sigg/Klean Kanteen bottles for every member of the family, and taking them wherever we go: I crocheted bottle carriers for each of the children so carrying them around is not a big deal. The kids seem to drink more water, and this eliminate the likelihood of getting bottled beverages when they get thirsty on the go. (I finally got rid of all plastic containers for food/beverages for the kids for health and safety reasons.)

Eating more raw vegan food: Less cooking means less gas/electric and water consumption; not to mention really good for you!

Using clothesline (even indoor) and drying rack

Hibernating or turning the computer off when not in use: Along this line and not using the dryer, I am glad to report that our electric bill for the month is around $30! That’s for a family of five, living in a single home.

Taking quick showers (navy showers vs. hollywood showers): We are also trying to use less hair products. Did you know that lemon or orange juice is good for washing your hair?

Homemade toothpaste: I hope to blog about this sometime.

Homemade eco-friendly laundry and cleaning solutions

Paper to no-packaging bar soaps: Eco-friendly compared to liquid soaps in plastic bottles.

Buying the kids no more plastic toys: We recently decluttered in the kids area, and realized that they still have way too many plastic toys. A lot of that went in the donation bags, but we’ve committed to not spending any more money on those unnecessary junks!

No TV: Although we are doing it not for conservation reasons, it does help in that sense. Also, we are all aware how advertising affect consumerism, and the kids!

Cloth wipes instead of toilet papers!

Assessing/looking closely at our living situation/home: We have talked about making drastic changes in this area before the year ends. Stay tuned!

Even little steps count! I could hopefully blog in detail some of these soon- but for now, I need to get off the computer and crochet some more. My daughter just reminded me that I have a handbag (for her) to finish!

dishwashing twist

When you finally decide to stop using and buying paper towels, you would naturally just acquire more dishcloths and recycle old cotton shirts for clean-ups, right? Indeed I did, but then also discovered how wonderful crocheted dishcloths are, and so decided to just make them myself. My daughter and I were hooked! They are so soft, and fun to use, and neither one of us is willing to go back to the old dependable dishcloths for wiping countertops and the kitchen table. So what’s a domestic artist to do? Just make more of them.

On the other hand, I had already been searching for a biodegradable option to the regular sponges that we use for dishwashing when I heard about Twist** sponges, and then found them at our co-op. I thought the loofah sponge would be the solution to my dishwashing dilemma, but sooner did I realize that it was too cumbersome to use especially with smaller pieces and drinking glasses, even after cutting the loofah in half. I could see where these products would be great for whatever mess and general clean-up, plus they are 100% biodegradable; it just didn’t work out for me. Here’s where the crocheted dishcloths come in. I decided to try one out while doing the dishes.. and my, am I a convert! They are so luxurious, and they clean very well! Good riddance sponges! Never will you find place in my kitchen again!

The size of the crocheted dishcloths was still too big for my tiny hands, so I decided to make smaller ones, just for dish handwashing purpose, from leftover yarns.

What do you think? Give it a try, your dishes (and I) will thank you.

**Edited: A couple of days ago, the kids painted in the kitchen table, and my oldest was supposed to have cleaned up all the mess. Well, yesterday, I found out there were several spots of paint all over the table- and they looked bad. The Twist loofah sponge came in really handy, and took care of the colorful mess. I don’t think my beloved soft dishcloths would have done the job.

laundry matters

We’ve had enough of this! The day started gloomy with strong winds. It poured all day, turning into snow in the afternoon, with ice showers at night to complement. This morning we woke up with more snow. Oh, so Minnesota. But that’s not going to hamper my clothesline. Indoor, that is. Wanna see how our living room looks like on a sunny, er… any given day?

The weatherman promised us a good forecast for next week. You think we could start hanging our clothes outdoor then? The sun is supposed to finally come out on Sunday!

I have to tell you that ever since dear hubby installed a retractable clothesline inside the house, I’ve been doing laundry everyday (well, almost)- which was so unlike me! Laundry was never one of my favorite things to do. And folding? Ugh! Now, it’s like therapy to me. (Not that I really need it, ha.) It is such a wonderful feeling to walk into a tamed laundry room… and it took me this long to figure it out.

And while I’m at my soapbox, I might as well tell you that I just got a few pounds of sea salt from the bulk bin at our Wedge co-op. It is now residing happily in the laundry area.

It all started in my search to find good use for my old container of sea salt, other than for homemade playdough. (We use celtic sea salt for food, if at all.) I have read from a couple of bloggers who use salt in their laundry, and with good results, so with the help of mr. google and some vinegar, I got down to business. An extra-large load with 1/2 cup salt and 1/4 cup vinegar later, the clothes came out smelling and feeling fresh. I was not about to share my secret with any member of the family yet, to see if they even notice anything different with their clean clothes, but I wasn’t sneaky enough for my husband. He was too curious to know what I’m doing with that container of salt he saw me bring downstairs. He is still fine with the whole concept.

By using salt instead of the supposedly more natural, biodegradable detergent, we are finally breaking away from bringing those humongous store plastic containers home. That’s a good thing. It is also as natural and economical as it could get! And am I the only one who thinks that homemade detergent is too cumbersome? If I feel like I need some reinforcement, I just put a few drops of Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap in the wash, and whatever it is would come out smelling fresh and clean.

Edited: I noticed not long after that the salt wasn’t doing a good cleaning job anymore so I have since stopped using it in our laundry. A couple of people also pointed out environmental concerns- quite timely.

I then realized that my new relationship with my dryer is the same one I had with meat when we decided to give it up three years ago. Extreme, I know, but no regrets. Who would have thought?

Dear hubby set up the clothesline lower so that the children could help, and help they do. Who knew laundry could be this fun? The ten-year old seems to agree that putting folded clothes away feels more pleasant these days. The five year old also uses the folding drying rack where she proudly hangs smaller pieces and the cloth wipes. Cloth wipes, you say? That’s totally for another post! Till then.

And don’t forget, April 19 is National Hanging Out Day!

paper or your own bag

Last month, our very own Wedge Natural Foods Co-op stopped offering free plastic bags at the register. Shoppers would have to pay 90 cents for reusable bags, if they don’t bring their own bags, or if they choose not to use paper bags, which are still available at the co-op for free. Green patches, which are given to customers who bring their own bags, are now worth ten cents a bag. Shoppers have the option of redeeming them with their purchase, or donating them to assigned organizations. I read that last year, the Wedge donated more than $7,300. That’s 147,000 fewer plastic bags going to the landfill. Wow!

According to Wedge General Manager Lindy Bannister, members have a lot to do with this change, as they have expressed one way or another that single-use grocery bags doesn’t line up with environmental-friendly practices expected from a co-op. Way to go, members!

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