Eco Friendly

In an effort to be Eco friendly we have changed a few things around our home.  It takes some getting used to some of the changes you can make, but in the end I think they have been worth it.

I have purchased several hard plastic reusable to go cups over the last year.  They have lids and straws making them relatively spill proof....unless your a toddler drinking out of it.  I use them daily. They have allowed me to make healthier choices and drink more water.  In the last couple months I have dropped and broken 3 of my cups and this makes me sad.




When Carter was born we started out using  disposable diapers.  I attended a weekly moms group where several of the moms used cloth diapers.  I was intrigued It was not something I had even considered until I saw how easy they were.  So after a lot of negotiations with Peter and research into the different types of diapering systems out there we made the switch.   We have been using the Bum Genius Flip system since Carter was 4 months old.  Even with cloth there are times when you will want/need the disposable option, such as if they are sick and need an antibiotic that could cause tummy issues or when traveling.  The cool thing about the flip system is that they make disposable biodegradable inserts that cost comparably what a regular disposable would.  These have come in handy for us on more than one occasion.  While we have not taken the plunge into cloth wipes, and probably never will, the choice to cloth our wee one has been a good one.


The latest change we have made in our home is no more paper towels.  We now have a stash of cut up old t-shirts that act as our paper towels.  These are also great when I want to do a quick surface cleaning.  I throw a handful into a tub, add warm water and dish soap to soak them, and viola instant "Clorox cleaning cloths".   We keep a bin on the dryer that we put the used ones in and throw them in the wash  when its full.  This is saving us money and allowing us to do a small part to decrease our paper waste. 


We also recylce as much as we can through Recyclelink.  We can throw everything into one bin without sorting  and we earn points on the poundage we recycle for rewards.   It may not seem like much but just a few small changes can make a difference.

What does your family do that is Eco friendly?    




 

Rootbeer

I am not a root beer expert.

But this pregnancy has had me craving root beer floats a few times and I have to say I am becoming particular about which root beer I prefer in my float.

One of these craving led me to the store to purchase the goods needed to make the float. They only had one kind of root beer left. 

I settled for it........ but would prefer to never again have to.

I find that I prefer Barq's.

 

Now my husband would roll his eyes and tell me that they all taste the same.

No my love.....they do not.  There are certain foods and beverages out there by particular brands that are just better than others. 

Like ketchup for instance.  I am Heinz all the way.  I sent him to the store one time for a couple things including ketchup and he came home with the store brand of ketchup.  I told him that was not the right kind and he said,  "What's the difference? It all tastes the same."

I said no they do not and would not eat it.  Now don't get me wrong, I buy store brand on many things, but there are just some items you do not mess with.  Ketchup is one of them.  

So is root beer. 

What's in a name?

Where do you begin choosing a name for your baby?  This is a question most parents have when the time comes to bestow a moniker on a wee one.

There are so many factors involved in the choice........

Does it sound good with our last name?

What middle name do we want?

Do the first, middle and last name flow well?

Is it easy to say or will people constantly mispronounce it?

Yes it's a pretty name but, do I really want my kid to be named _____?


How many ways can the mean kids make fun of the name?


Will he/she hate me forever or will they want  to change their name to Ochocinco?



 Then there are some people who know the instant they are pregnant what they will name there child. My hubby and I are not those people.   We have already started thinking about this and have a list of names we like, but nothing that is standing out screaming "this is the name to choose!" Well this is true for me anyway, I think he has his mind wrapped around one in particular.   


With our first child we narrowed it down to 2 we liked and waited to meet him.  We knew almost instantly that he would be Carter.   Over the last few weeks I have seen several names that caught my interest and I would point them out to Peter to  see what he thought.  Nothing has really stuck. 

We still time to debate and decide.  If anyone has any suggestions feel free.