Don’t think that because your children are painting and you are not painting, that you don’t need to wear painting clothes.  ‘Cause ya do.

So for Earth Day today, we decided to do a fun little craft that I found on the internet. (Though I will tell you now, all I did was decorate the cans and put dirt in them, none of that drilling they called for over there.)  We rinsed out cans and containers (recycling!) and used fun scrapbook paper to decorate them.  Then we filled them with dirt and herb seeds.

The lovely Laylee and Magoo (oh yeah, and their mom too) came for some Earth Day festivities and we had a fantabulous time playing outside (yay, sunshine!) and then herbing away.

To do the craft the kids first drew a picture and wrote the name of the herb they were going to plant on a little paper.  Engineer and Laylee’s handwriting was quite impressive, while Magoo’s was quite Kathryn’s.  Both Magoo and Sugar were sort of helpless about the drawing part– Magoo insisted that he simply COULD NOT do it himself and to his mom said, "you DO IT," and Sugar just begged for assistance. I wrote and illustrated the label that Sugar quickly turned into "blueberry oregano" by using a blue crayon to fill it all in.

It was very fun, and very naptime.

And after it was all over, I received a special package in the mail.  Some plants I had ordered online.  (On Earth Day, how appropriate.)  As I was looking at the packing slip, I read something really funny– down near the bottom it said, "You are going to rock this gardening experience."  And I laughed and thought, "I SO am."  No really I was thinking, "they are so humorous over there.  What a funny thing to put on a packing slip."  And then I laughed even harder as I remembered my online ordering experience had allowed me to input some notes.

Yeah, it was a message I had sent myself.  I’m still chuckling about it.  

And here is our finished project:

The more green posts I post, the more times I get entered into the green giveaways over at SMB.

So, tonight I made a run to the Tarjay and bought this:

I love it because:

A.) It’s Method
B.) There is no scent (This is really good for Charming because we usually spray down the table before we eat and he can’t really handle the smell of lavendar mixed with his quinoa and chicken.)

Yay, Earth Day!

I overheard Sugar last night singing a little ditty to her baby doll. My first thought was, “what kind of garbage has she been listening to on the radio?” because her song definitely had a funky, rapperesque, hip-hop feel to it. When I found out what the words were, I had to laugh, and this video continues to crack me up. She has come up with her own hip-hop, primary song fusion.

Spider and I were thinking of Earth Day and today, we were pretty heroic. Let me explain.

So I was happily checking email this afternoon under the impression that my sweet one and half year old was in the toy room with her older siblings. Not totally convinced of this, I thought that I should, perhaps, check to be sure. Not there. Shoot. I go downstairs.

I followed my nose to find the babe, asleep, on my nice sofa, in a pool of …. dunh, dunh, dunh… poo!!!!

Crum! It leaked out of her diaper, I thought. Oh wait…

She wasn’t wearing a diaper! I had forgotten that she had taken it off earlier, and in my getting lunch ready, taking care of other things, people, messes mayhem, I totally neglected to put a fresh one on her.

And so here she was, a sleeping angel, resting in her own poos, while I tried to decide what to do. (Yes, I felt like a bad mom, sheesh.) Normally, I would just give her a bath, but she was sleeping, so I laid her on a towel on the floor and began to sponge bathe her off with a washcloth. She slept through all of it, peacefully unaffected, until I remov*d her dress and she began to scream and be awake and cranky for the rest of the day…

Good thing I hadn’t already dealt with her clinging/vomiting/diarrheaing all of Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

Yeah.

Well, one less poopy diaper sitting in a landfill for a million years, right?

Just doing our part to save the earth. All congratulations and bravos can be left in the comments section.

How Green Am I?  I don’t know.  When Seattle Mom Blogs sent out a cry for us all to post about our earth friendliness, I decided to answer the call.  But I don’t really think I am that "green" and I don’t really know what kind of things count…

Firstly, I am associated with this fabulous company.   (I know, I know, shamelessly promoting… )  But Mary Kay is very concerned about their footprint on the environment,  they don’t test on animals, they ship with biodegradeable packing peanuts made from potatoes (I’ve seen first hand how they dissolve) and this year they are committed to planting 100,000 trees.  They have also started switching their packaging, so that there is less of it.  I feel pretty good about selling a product from a company that is at least somewhat eco-concious.  Wouldn’t you?

At our house we definitely recycle and we are trying to use more enviro-friendly cleaning products (though you’ll never take my bleach from me!) I try to send my kids’ snacks in tupperware instead of baggies when I can.  We use disposable diapers, it’s true, but don’t worry, we let little Spider fill them as much as she can before we get a fresh one!  (That was a joke, btw.)  We rescued our kitty from a shelter and our toilet flushing is at a minimum (mostly because the small people don’t flush at all…) 

Recently, Charming and I have decided to eat more grains and vegetables and actually eat less meat.  We’re not ready to take the complete vegetarian plunge, but we are definitely feeling like fewer animals should lose their lives to feed our love of drumstick.  Last night we ate pasta topped with a delightful spinach-lentil-tomato-carrot-celery sauce.  No meat! It was great and we felt good about it.  It’s a health choice as well as an environment decison.

And we are thinking about getting a few chickens to lay eggs…  Haven’t told the neighbors yet.

Well, how green are YOU? 

…than the feeling of tiny hands wrapped around your neck while you’re snuggling in bed.

Fact: I have been pregnant three times in the past 6 years.

Fact: My body looks like I have been pregnant three times in the past 6 years.

Fact: I lack the commitment to do situps on a regular basis.

Fact: All the cute jeans, including the ones I just bought, sit below the waist.

Fact: Below the waist jeans tend to give one muffin top.

Fact: I personally have muffin top whenever I wear jeans (though I keep my flesh covered, thank you.) 

Fact: I do not like my muffin top. 

Fact: I do not like to do sit ups  (see third fact down from top.)

Fact: I either don’t believe in plastic surgery or don’t have the financial means to have it done.  Take your pick. 

Conclusion: I must own one of these.  My decision is final, I will buy one within the month.

I will keep you posted and let you know how it goes! 

I was.  I called in to a talk radio show today while I was driving.  The topic was customer service and I shared a great customer service experience.  It was fun.  I had never been on the air before.

I am sure all of ten two people heard me, but I got a kick out of it. 

What about you?  Have you been on the radio?  Cause I have. 

You don’t really need to answer that.  I know I am.  But still…

Yesterday in the Alby’s parking lot, parked right next to my minivan was a creepy looking man in a red 70’s pinto-ish something or other.  He had a mustache, long hair and was in a well, like a said, an old junky-ish red car.  With the windows rolled down.  Just hangin’ out.  Next to ma van.

When I went to buckle Spider in, (she was on the same side as the dude) I climbed in the van and shut the door.  I mean, his window was open.  I don’t need some man in a firebird viewing my hindequarters within pinching reach.  When the baby was buckled in, instead of opening the door and getting out, I climbed over the seats and all the junk in the way to get in the driver’s spot.  As I was getting buckled I happened to glance over and see the man make an "are you kidding me?" kind of face.

Maybe I offended him.

But I would rather have him be offended than me be offended or hurt or stolen.  And I know I am pretty paranoid, but hey, we live in that kind of world, unfortunately.  We live in a world where people walk into a mall and open fire.  We live in a world where people fly airpl*nes into buildings.  We live in a world where a passing jogger could turn around and cop a feel before running off leaving you flabbergasted and tarnished (happened to someone I know).  There are lots of good people and I love America, but you know just as well as I, that we live in that kind of world.

So to the creepy man-  I am sorry if you got offended, but you have got to know you were creepy.  Sitting in a camaro, with nappy hair, wearing a grubby t-shirt with the windows rolled down is weird.  It just is.  Unless you live in Nashville and make gold records when you put your pants on, the long hair and mustache look is gross.  And creepy.  Okay, even those country music stars, I don’t really dig it….

Anyway.  To any man reading this: If you are not a creep– do not dress like a creep!  You know what a normal person looks like.  Strive for that.

And if he wasn’t so creepy, then why did he pull out and re-park right after I left?

Paranoid?  Me?  You bet!