Going Green in More Ways Than One

In the midst of all the crazies, my new toys arrived last week.....reusable shopping bags! I have been waiting for these for awhile, and am so happy to have them. It is funny, but since starting with the Shaklee cleaning products, I have been becoming much more aware of health conscious and earth friendly items. We have been eating better: much more cooking from scratch, fresh produce (which is still hard to find around here), and much less freezer prepared items. We have gone from bottled water to 2 Pur water filters in the fridge: this has also saved us some money. We have tried an air purifier in our home. Though I LOVED the clean smell, like a fresh opened window, we did not notice a real difference, so at this point can not rationalize spending the $$$$.

Now, I have never been one to even consider going green. It always seemed to be too much hassle, I didn't have the time, and quite frankly I didn't quite care. But by baby stepping along, perhaps we will be making some small difference on this earth, leaving a slightly smaller footprint than originally planned? These bags have been great....the first time I used them, I left them in the truck (!), so I made Alex go out and get them. I was excited to use my new toys!! We easily packed more than $300 of groceries in the 6 bags, and 2 insulated bags. Another trip of $250 worth proved even easier. They pack better than paper or plastic bags, they are easier to carry, feel more sturdy, and are pretty, too! I could give up the insulated bags though...not very impressive, and one of the handles already broke. These bags are always in my truck, ready to go. Love them! I also have a set of 6 nylon Baggu Bags in hot pink. These come in their own individual carry pouch into which you can fold the bag. I have 4 in my glovebox! The others have been great for throwing Laura's swimming stuff into when we go to the pool, and as catchall bags for the large amount of swimming gear I brought with us to the hotel. These bags are going to be great for Target trips and trips to Costco. They are similar in size and shape to your typical plastic bag, but hold more and have great handles you can sling over your shoulder. The bright color makes me smile!

In a surprise move, Bob has sent me TO the green. That's right, me and all my unathleticism are going to learn how to play golf. Bob has been trying to reteach me how to play for our tournament tomorrow. He decided to get me emergency lessons from the golf pro in Waconia instead. Calling yesterday, he got me in for an early afternoon appointment, and one for this morning. (Why can't making doctor's appointments be that easy?) My first lesson went really well. Everything the pro told me made sense, and I was able to loft the ball for the first time~repeatedly!! That is, until he left. Then I couldn't hit a thing! It was so frustrating! My lesson this morning was more of the frustrating kind. I am way over thinking everything and just can't let it go and trust myself to hit the ball. Arggg....I hope things go better tomorrow. I am excited about learning the sport, however.

Today the kids and I participated in Drive Thru Difference sponsered by KTIS 98.5fm~ the cities Christian Radio Station. We printed out a pre-made letter, went to McDonald's, and paid for the people behind us. We watched them through the rear view mirror as they received their letter from the cashier....they seemed so confused! They were still at the cashier window as we pulled away. I hope it helped brighten their day!

And speaking of brightening days, Laura and I bought some flowers yesterday. We now have 3 hanging baskets, a pot full of Gerbera daisies, pink geraniums, and a few various others. Laura and Crispy helped me plant them around the front of our home. They were so cute, each getting a basket to work on. I also moved a hosta and a hyacinth plant. This all sounds like no big deal to most of you, but I have no kind of green thumb whatsoever, so this was impressive for me! With the addition of flowers, and recent removal of some of the Christmas display a few weeks ago, it is starting to look warmer at our house.

Currently, I am wiping green bugars from my baby's nose. This has been going on for more than a week, and he now sounds like he has pneumonia. So nebs and antibiotics for this poor little guy. No wonder he is so crabby! At least he gets distracted when we are outside, and always finds ways to be happy out there. He was working so hard at the park today, climbing the huge climbers over and over again to slide down the large tube slides at the top. It was clear that his diminished breathing capacity was making this difficult for him. So this afternoon has been low key as both he and Laura fell asleep, and the rest of us have watched a DVD about Benjamin Franklin. Got to get at least a little bit of history in before the end of the school year!!