Books for your kiddos

I’m sure I don’t have to tell all of you about the benefits of reading to your children.  Its a fun thing for the two of you to do together that has so many mental, emotional, and even physical benefits that not a single person in the world advocates against it.  Its pretty much the only parenting ideal that is universal.  Everybody, whether they advocate attatchment parenting, ferberization, or anything in between, agrees that reading to your kids is one of the best things you can do for them.

I love reading with Elijah (even though he really won’t sit still for a book, and he always wants to turn the pages before the page is up, then turn back a few pages, then turn forward a few pages).  I’m hoping that if I keep at it, one day he will love to sit and listen as much as I love to read.  A friend of mine had a great idea (it wasn’t my son that inspired it, he just applied the idea he already had to my son) … maybe he’d be more interested if the book were about him.

He had a point.  Elijah is really too young to know the plot line of a story, but he’ll sit still a lot longer to look at photo albums of himself.  Maybe in a year or so, a book about him would be a great idea.

My friend has just started a company that sells the most customizable children’s books available, MJM Books.  Not only can you choose the name and gender of the main character in the books, you can also design the character to look like your child!  Well, not exactly like your child, but close enough for your son or daughter to understand that its supposed to be them.

Its a cute gift idea for any kiddo, and I felt like doing a small plug for him here, because he is an old, dear friend of mine from high school, and because I actually think his books are pretty cool.  In fact, I’ll be ordering one for Elijah’s second birthday.

Furthermore, supporting small business (and its a local one, if you live in Denver, Phoenix or Chicago, the cities where the brothers who started the company live and run the business out of), is great for the environment and the economy.  You can rest assured that everything that goes into the books is totally independent and unique, from the author and illlustrators to the business model itself. 

Not only this, but Jeff (my friend) and his brothers are dedicated environmentalists, and they run their company on a very green platform.  All of their books are printed on 100% recycled paper and since each book is custom made, there is no wasted printing and inventory.  They work within the guidelines set forth by The Rainforest Alliance and the Forest Stewardship Counsel, and they are quick to point out that Jeff does not have a car (so the book’s author is even green in his personal life!).  Nor has he ever, that I’m aware of.  In high school, he spent a lot of the time tooling around with us in my friend’s mom’s minivan.  He also volunteers in a kids reading and writing program.  It won’t say so on the website, but Jeff also headed the Green Party at his college, and he recycles.

Check the books out.  I think you’ll enjoy them.

Results of used Christmas

I promised I’d post them, then I didn’t.  But here they are now!

Elijah examines his Christmas haul

 See that fire truck behind the stockings, the toy train in front of that red and white striped package, and the bench with Elmo on it?  All of that was Freecycle haul (in fact, they were all from one stop!).  That boat toy just barely visible behind Elijah there, along with a few other toys in his stocking and scattered around were used toys my mom picked up from a friend at work.  That rocking chair is the one I got on Craigslist for $25.  That little white car with the red spot on top of the silver package is a wooden ambulance toy I found at Thornton Winterfest.  It was hand carved by a local craftsman, I fell in love with it on the spot, and bought it even though I vowed no new toys.

Here’s what went well:

• I spent far less than previous years.  Actually, I spent very little on Elijah, about $100 total.
• What I bought new for Elijah was organic, handmade, local and/or natural, with the exception of some Tonka cars.
• My home made spa products were a big hit with my mom and sister.
• Elijah was totally overwhelmed with all his toys, and is still thrilled with all of them and plays with them regularly.  He particularly loves the train.
• What I bought new for my mom was pretty inexpensive, and mostly useful (I got her a cutting board – useful – and a box of petifours – not useful, but yummy).

Here’s what didn’t go so great:

• I still feel like I spent too much.  Total spending for Christmas was a little over $120.
• I should have started looking on Freecycle and Craigslist sooner.  On Freecycle, you pretty much have to take what you can get.  Did I go out looking for a fire truck, train, Sesame Street tool bench and a Bumble Ball?  No, I just got lucky and found them there.  Will I always be so lucky?  Who’s to say.  That’s why I should start looking earlier next year.  This year I started looking in November.  Next year, I might start looking as early as October.
• I turned down offers on Freecycle because they were too far away to pick up in a reasonable amount of time.  Everything I ended up getting off of Freecycle was close to home or on my way to work, so I didn’t do too much driving out of the way, but I can see how driving could quickly cancel out all the savings you’re doing by using Freecycle if you’re not careful.
• Speaking of a lot of driving, I drove for an hour and a half in the snow to get that rocking chair, and got stuck in a ditch at one point along the way.  Was it worth it?  Yes.  But I should evaluate that better in the future.  On the bright side, the guy who stopped to pull me out of the ditch was kind of cute.  That’s one reason why I’m glad some people still drive gas guzzling trucks.
• The toys I got off of Freecycle were a little dusty.  Not a big deal, but cleaning time should be factored into the convenience.
• I wanted to do more crafting for the holiday season, but I just didn’t have enough time, because I wasn’t thinking about Christmas early enough.
• My mom still bought a lot of new presents.  I’m glad I got An Inconvenient Truth, and I think all of Elijah’s new toys are pretty cool, but with some more planning next year, I think we can all do better with buying used.  We just didn’t plan enough (and my mom’s broken ankle threw a big wrench in things).

EWG’s tips for a healthy home

Want to make sure your home is the healthiest possible environment for your kids?  Here’s a great list, for those who aren’t up on this.

I was telling a friend the other day about how parabens and pthaylates can wreak havoc on a developing boys reproductive system, and told her “I want my son to have a big wang and a high sperm count one day.”  I don’t think it had much of an impact on her, because her son’s penis is bigger than my son’s and she uses products with parabens and pthaylates.  He just has lucky genes.  I’ll bet my son grows up to have more sperm though.  Ha!

Finding Local Food and products

I’m a big fan of buying local.  Part of it is because I believe I live in the best place in the world, and therefore all products that come from my local area must also be the best.  I also believe that everyone should believe this about the place where they live.  Unless you live in Newark, NJ.  (Okay, that’s probably only funny to me, and maybe a few of the dudes I was deployed with who were from Newark.  Its just a joke though, seriously.)

But not everyone knows where the nearest farmers market or u-pick farm is, so here are a couple of resources to help you find them.

Local Harvest

Farm Fresh

Pick Your Own

Lets review about local products, if you aren’t familiar with the benefits.

There is a lot of debate about whether its best to buy local or organic, as far as health and environment are concerned.  I think every one can agree, however, that if you can find and afford products that are both local and organic, that would be ideal.  I don’t know which is better, they both have their pros and cons.  It might actually end up being a wash, organic has just as many benefits as local does, the benefits are just different.  What I do know is that local is most often cheaper than produce that was shipped from far away, whether its organic or not, so local is a really great option for me, and probably is for every single mom.

Here are the other benefits of buying local foods and other goods:

• Local products are not shipped very far, thus reducing the amount of fossil fuels burned getting from where it’s produced/farmed to you.
• Local produce and food tastes better, because its picked closer to perfect ripeness and is fresher when you buy it.  Shipped produce is picked well before it is ripe, so that it will ripen (instead of rotting) while it ships, and therefore has less flavor than ripe produce has.
• Local produce and food has higher nutritional value, because its picked closer to perfect ripeness and is fresher when you buy it.  Fresher, riper food has the highest nutritional value.
• Buying local keeps more money in your community, where it is more likely to come back to you either as money, improved local economy, or improved infrastructure within your local community.
• Buying local does more to rescue the national economy than bying stuff that has been shipped a long distance at big box retailers, because most of that money spent at big box retailers actually ends up going to the countries where the products were manufactured (think China).
• Buying local is a great way to immerse yourself and your family in your local community, providing tons of opportunity to meet new people, make new friends, and get a lot of networking done.
• Buying local is a great way to educate your self and your family about where the things you use come from and where the things you use end up.  It helps you to see and really feel part of the big web of life in which we are all entwined.  Its a real eye opener, helps to expand the mind, makes you feel like you’re part of something bigger than yourself, etc., etc.

My ambitious Christmas goal

I, like No Impact Man, consider buying used to be the superior green shopping choice over buying organic or something like that. He and I think so (as if we sat down together to come to this conclusion) because a) buying an unwanted item keeps it out of the landfill, b) buying an already made item keeps resources from being used to produce new items, c) buying used items greatly reduces or eliminates all pollution production, emissions, and energy usage associated with manufacturing and shipping new products, and d) buying used contributes directly to your local economy (unless you’re buying over a long distance through ebay or something, in which case you’re contributing directly to another local economy) by putting money in the pocket of one of your community members or a local non profit organization. Buying used is an even better green option for single moms, because it also happens to be the cheapest green shopping option.

In order to green my holiday season as much as possible, and also to save money for more important things (like paying down debt), I am going to attempt to do all my Christmas shopping in the following locations (in order of preference)

• Freecycle
• Craigslist
• Thrift stores (Goodwill, Arc, Savers, The KGNU second hand shop, etc.)
• The Flea Market
• Higher end second hand and antique stores
• Local craft shows/stores
• Etsy
• Ebay
• Local organic product stores
• Online organic product stores

Okay, craft shows and Etsy isn’t used, but handmade is a good thing too. I put Ebay under Etsy because half the crap on Ebay is new anyhow, and I don’t want to have to ship things. I did put places to buy new, organic stuff on the list, but I highly doubt I’ll use them. In fact, I intend to stick primarily to my first two options on the list.

Thats right. I’m going to try and do all my Christmas shopping on Freecycle and Craigslist. If this turns out to be a success, I am going to make this a holiday tradition.

I should add, however, that there are two over all stores I might have to make a stop or two at to make my Christmas shopping goal really work. The craft store (stops there should be fairly minimal, I’m pretty sure I have all the craft supplies I could possibly need) and the grocery store (stops there will be somewhat more frequent, I do love to bake during the holidays).

I will keep you guys posted.

Buy Nothing Day 2008

I discovered Buy Nothing Day when I was 17 or 18, when I realized that reading Adbusters was about more than looking like a hipster.  I don’t buy Adbusters anymore, because I can’t afford them (its a freaking expensive magazine for being an anti consumerism publication!) and I don’t have time to read them (and their consistent use of little, messy fonts – a personal pet peeve of mine), but I’m still a loyal supporter of Buy Nothing Day, an event they sponsor every year.

Buy Nothing Day is the anti consumerism movement’s response to Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving, the biggest shopping day of the year).  In some places, people actually hold demonstrations in shopping malls and other shopping hubs, but it seems like everyone in Denver is just as lazy as I am and no one ever wants to actually organize an event, they just want to show up and participate in one.  The idea is to educate people about how massive consumerism is harmful to the environment, society and our personal physical and emotional health.

I think you’d have to be crazy to go out on Black Friday anyhow.  I don’t like going into crowded stores, and those who do are practically rabid on the day after Thanksgiving.  I am fond of my eyes, personally, and have no desire to risk getting them scratched out by an angry super shopper who’s been camping out on the side walk since she finished cleaning up Thanksgiving dinner the night before in a battle over the last 9.99 sweatshop manufactured sweater at Old Navy.  No thank you! But apparently the majority of the population is crazy, because if not, then the day after Thanksgiving would not be the biggest shopping day of the year.

Obviously, participating in Buy Nothing Day was not a big change in my lifestyle.  I pretty much have participated in it all my life, I just didn’t realize there was a name for it.  I try to take it to the farthest extreme I can.  I make sure that my gas tank is filled and that I’m stocked up on any personal care items I might need (diapers, toilet paper, etc.) the day before Thanksgiving.  If I forget something, I do without that day.  If at all possible, I try not to leave the house at all, although this year I am going to visit my grandmother in Boulder with my sister and our kids, and last year I was in the hospital delivering my son (which unfortunately resulted in my family members going out and buying things; flowers, It’s a Boy balloons, some fresh fruit for me to eat). 

Maybe one day, if enough people participated in Buy Nothing Day, it might actually be safe to go out on Black Friday, but since I am now such a big supporter of Buy Nothing Day, I still won’t go out.  To learn more about Buy Nothing Day, visit their website or look them up on Facebook (there’s a Buy Nothing Day group there, I am a member).  I encourage all single moms, and everyone else, to participate in Buy Nothing Day by staying home and spending some quality time with your kids, or going out and participating in a demonstration.  You can bring your kids along, an opportunity to both spend time with them, teach them about the anti consumerism movement, and about civil action.  Its also an opportunity to meet new people.  You can find an event in your area on the Adbusters Buy Nothing Day website.

Have fun, and Happy Buy Nothing Day!

(by the way, all the links in this post go to different blogs and pages about Buy Nothing Day)

Speaking of green gifts

Check out this article and this article on Grist!  Pretty awesome!

Confessions of a Christmas dork

I love Christmas time.

Actually, I’m just in love with life starting the beginning of October, which is the build up to Halloween, which I feel is the kickoff party to the best time of the year, the holiday season!

I love Halloween!  I love Thanksgiving!  And I love Christmas!

Part of loving the Holiday season is loving the thing about Christmas that most people loathe … Christmas music!  Oh my god, I love Christmas music.  I used to have a rule that I couldn’t listen to Christmas music until Thanksgiving day, but I have found that its just not enough to satisfy my LUST for Christmas music, so this year I changed my rule to no Christmas music until the day after Halloween.

I used to have the worlds biggest collection of Christmas music downloaded (illegally, cough cough, erm) on my computer, and I was happy as a clam during the Holiday season.  Unfortunately, all of that (illegally) downloaded music led to a (MASSIVE) virus on my computer, and I lost everything!  Lesson learned (I suppose its not exactly in the holiday spirit to go around stealing Christmas music anyhow) and now I buy CDs.  Also, there is a radio station here in Denver that plays continuous Christmas music, and I can get down with that (even though most of what they play is the “classic” and “soft rock” variety, and I really love the more alternative and rock varieties).

There’s been a lot of talk in my Holistic Moms Group about how to simplify Christmas.  We all pretty much agree that we’d like more traditional, family focused, less consumerist holiday seasons.  I want these things for Elijah.  I want him to feel, like I do, that Christmas is about much more than gifts.  But I’m not ready to give up gifts entirely.  I like gifts.  I actually like shopping for Christmas gifts (its the only time of the year I enjoy shopping, in fact).  I could give up wrapping paper – in fact, I wish we would, but my mom loves it – and I can certainly get down with less gifts, but I can’t part with them entirely.

This year, Elijah is going to get pretty much just stuff I would have to buy him anyhow.  New clothes, new bath products, and a few new toys and books (because toys and books are good for growing babies).  Because his birthday is so close to Christmas (bummer!) I’ll be spreading his need gifts out.  I’m just doing one gift for my mom from Elijah and one gift from me.  Actually, I can’t make that promise either.  She might get a few from each of us.  But its not going to be a ton.

I want to focus on doing more holiday activities.  I’m thinking about signing up for the Turkey Trot and the Jingle Bell walk, two holiday 5ks.   Also, we like seeing the lights at the Botanic Garden, and this year the Botanic Garden is also doing a lighted nature walk down at Chatfield Reservoir we want to check out.  I might take Elijah to Zoo Lights at the Denver Zoo too.  There’s a candle light walk in downtown Golden on the 5th I think I want to go to, and my mom and I like to go up for the Georgetown festival.  I think getting out and participating in stuff like this also contributes to my goal of getting more deeply immersed in my local community.

I hope to craft more gifts this year too.  I’m working on making a digital cookbook for my friends (its just a Word document, shhhhh), and I found a number of really cool crafts on Make Baby Stuff that I’m wanting to try out.  What I do buy, I hope to buy green.  Here is a cool article with some great green gift ideas!

What do you do for the holidays?  How do you make things simpler and greener?  What’s your stance on presents?  Any fun activities you’re doing?  Do you know of any in Denver that I’m missing?  Let me know!

Oh, and whats your favorite Christmas song/music/album?  Let me, the Christmas music expert, recommend a few.

Maybe This Christmas

Maybe This Christmas Too

Maybe This Christmas Tree

Sufjan Stevens’ Christmas Album

A Santa Cause

Any of the Very Special Christmas Albums

We all go a little Tightwad sometimes

Single moms know about doing whatever they can to make ends meet.  Especially in this economy.  Thats why I read personal finance and frugal living blogs like Get Rich Slowly and Cheap Like Me, even No Impact Man has some awesome tips (there’s links in my side bar, I don’t feel like hyperlinking right now).  Today I found another good one, and I want to share it with you.

Tightwad Tod

I feel like his name is spelled wrong, but he seriously spells it with only one D.

Anyway, I highly recommend all these blogs to single moms, because they have some awesome money saving tips and ideas.  And living frugally is not just about making your paycheck go the extra mile, it also usually turns out to be the most environmentally friendly thing to do.  Over consumption of resources is at the very root of every environmental issue we face today.  So when you buy your kid’s clothes and toys used at Goodwill and garage sales, don’t think of it as living cheap.  Think of it as living green.  When you dilute your hair conditioner with water to make it last longer, don’t think of it as cheap.  Think of it as conserving resources.

Because true green living isn’t about buying more expensive products, its about buying less and making what you’ve got stretch further.

Interesting facts about organic

I can’t afford to buy organic anymore, but I wish I could.  Here are some reasons why:

• If organic farming methods were practiced on all the planet’s food-growing land, it would be like taking more than 1.5 billion cars off the road.
• You can increase your antioxidant intake by 30 percent by choosing organic.
• The average child in America is exposed to five pesticides daily in their food and drinking water.
• The U.S. water system is regularly contaminated above safe limits immediately following chemical fertilizer applications to farm fields.
• Farms in developing countries that use organic techniques produce an average of 79% more than farms that don’t.

I got this in an email from the Organic Consumers Association.