Talk dirty to me
“My mom’s a clean freak,” my daughter tells her friend. They’re working on a science fair project in the playroom when I pop in to borrow back my measuring cup.
Anyone looking around that room would probably disagree with her assessment I am not sure I can actually remember what the floor of our playroom looks like but my daughter’s friend is fascinated by the fact that I need the measuring cup so I can mix up my own laundry detergent.
“Don’t you buy that at the store?” she asks.
“It has stuff in it,” my daughter Annie says. “My mom hates when there’s stuff in stuff that doesn’t have to be there.”
She’s right. Ever since Annie was born, I’ve been obsessed with the ingredients labels on cleaning products, and what I often see there just plain freaks me out. If I can’t pronounce it, I’m not sure I want it in my house. Inevitably, I discovered that it’s totally possible and actually cheaper, for us to make your own laundry detergent, and I’ve been doing it ever since.
“Want to help?” I ask.
Annie pretends to roll her eyes she’s 8, so she’s way cooler than I am these days but she follows her friend and me into the basement, where I toss them each a grater and a chunk of Fels-Naptha soap. (You can order it online at www.SoapsGoneBuy.com) It takes about one bar of soap to equal 1 cup of grated soap, which is what our recipe calls for.
Grating soap is surprisingly fun. The girls are giggling as they scrape the soap across the grater, making a soft white pile of flakes in the bowl beneath them.
“It’s just like cheese,” Annie’s friend says.
When they’ve finished grating, I stir in 1/2 cup of borax and 1/2 cup of washing soda. The only laborious part of making laundry soap is that you have to stir the ingredients together for about 5 minutes to be sure that they are completely combined, but Annie and her friend took over, and I had to tell them it was time to stop when they’d been at it for about 15 minutes.
We transferred the soap mixture to an empty spaghetti jar from our recycle pile. We’ll use about a tablespoon of soap for most regular loads and a scoop for the big messes, and a batch this size will see us through around 50 loads of laundry.
“That’s so cool that your mom does that,” my daughter’s friend says as she and Annie head back to the playroom and their science project. “I’m totally going to make my own laundry cleaner when I grow up.”
Sometimes, it really is easy being green.
–Lucy
The Purpose of Money
We can’t seem to stop talking about it. Every night on the news, the talking heads report on how much we’ve spent on the war, or healthcare or this program or that program, who’s not making money or how much things are going to cost, which generally includes the use of the word, “trillion.” It seems like “trillion” is the new “million.”
About money we are told “there is never enough,” or that “money is the root of all evil,” or even, “get yours or die tryin’!” People seem to go to great lengths to have it and they spend it all sorts of things. Like “if you have to ask you can’t afford it” dog collars or they save it and give it away like this guy. Come back after you click that story. Beautiful eh?
At times money can be a dirty and sexy thing. Other times, it’s wearing a halo and it’s all about the good work it does, feeding the hungry, clothing the poor.
Is money something you always want and can’t seem to get enough of? Do you want to have enough not to every worry about it again? Not owe any one, one cent? Yeah. Me too. I think we all do.
What we really want, if we dig deep, we want that vision of ourselves doing what we love. And the purpose of money is to finance THAT dream. It’s that simple. For a writer, it’s as simple as buying a special journal and pen and taking the time to write. If you dream of running a 5K, invest in running shoes and set aside time to train.
The purpose of money is to help you be entirely you.
- Aunt B
Lucy Goes Green
My name is Lucy, and I’m kind of a hippie.
I didn’t set out to be a green living mama. In fact, if you’d told me 10 years ago that I¹d be composting my leftovers, canning my own applesauce and convincing my kids that empty toilet paper rolls are the new Legos, I would have laughed my $200 jeans off at the thought. But little by little, I found myself making changes for the greener: I started making my own cleaning products when my daughter was born because the idea of all the chemicals in manufactured cleaners kind of freaked me out. I wanted to know where our food was coming from, so I started shopping farmers markets with a canvas tote slung over my arm. I took a sewing class after my son was born and fell in love with the idea of making things instead of buying them. I became an obsessive recycler who’s always on the prowl for abandoned egg cartons and empty glass jars. And now I’m the girl who’s trying to convince her husband that we really, really need our own little flock of chickens in the backyard.
So, yeah, I didn’t expect to end up living green, but I’m glad we did. The more I learn about the impact we have on the environment, the more I want to do my part to keep the planet healthy, and the more I want my children to understand how important it is for them to do their part, too.
In this blog, I’ll be sharing my favorite easy strategies for going green and giving real-mama feedback on what it’s like and what kind of effort is required to tackle living a more sustainable life. And I’m hoping to get lots of good ideas from all of you, too; what works, what doesn’t, what to try, what to skip. Let’s explore these greener pastures together.
- Lucy
I Was Shocked!
Every Tuesday Mama shares a personal story.
This week’s story was written by an Anonymous person
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I just knew that I had everything going for me, my life was complete, and we were happy. Then all of a sudden my dreams were shattered. Once my boyfriend had taken my virginity, I found myself homeless, scared, alone, and on top of everything else PREGNANT!
I had to beat all of the odds alone, sacrificed, and struggled to make ends meet. Once my daughter was born in May of 2002, I was rushed back to the hospital Labor Day weekend with a temperature of 104.0 I was placed on a cooling blanket, with I.V’s. I was very sick and weak, not to mention terrified.
Only then to find out I had Genital Herpes. I was shocked. It took a toll on me and has changed my aspects on life, and my surroundings. I find myself wondering daily if people can notice, and are they judging me by my disease? I have learned to have faith and cope with my circumstance.
Though, I get depressed at times and often feel guilty because my daughter was also born with herpes. Life isn’t easy. I feel as if I’ve disappointed everyone, and my family. I ask myself, “Why am I such a failure?” My daughter is now 6 years old and is in the 1st grade, with a learning disability. I wonder if it may be from her antibiotics, and or because of the fact she was born with this disease.
I am a single mother facing trials everyday, but at the same time I am also learning. Trusting others isn’t an easy thing for me, and I don’t socialize very often as I would like to do, for the fear that I am being criticized, and a lot of people can be extremely judgmental. I’ve gained trust, and confidence in one person, whom we have become the best of friends, she knows all about my daughter’s and my situation, for that she shall never judge us, or turn her back on us. We are very grateful to consider her our best friend!
I’m hoping that my story will touch most readers, and to understand that when your teachers, and parents are telling you to use safe sex, PLEASE do so, because it could truly change your outlook and your life!
- Anonymous
Mama’s Monday Favorite: Cabernet Sauvignon Organic Wine
Last night, the legendary rock band U2 performed at the Rose Bowl. Early Sunday morning, as I tinkered in my backyard garden, I could hear the Sound Technicians testing their instruments. I had a hunch that I’d be able to hear the concert later that night and looked forward to a fantastic experience. I invited a few friends to come over to join the festivities.
As the sounds of No Line on the Horizon, and With or Without You filled our ears, we opened a special bottle of wine to celebrate. Cabernet Sauvignon by Frey Vineyards was our wine of the night. We choose this wine because it is certified organic and fermented with yeast that has not been genetically engineered. The taste was fantastic. My only regret is that we only had one bottle.
Frey Vineyards is a third generation family owned winery. Their vineyards and winery are nestled on the slopes of the Redwood Valley A.V.A. (American Viticultural Area) in Mendocino County, California, at the headwaters of the Russian River. All of their wines are made with no added sulfites.
Enjoy responsibly!
- Mama
**Mama’s Monday Favorite is the sole opinion of Mama. No monetary compensation was received for the feature. If you have a product that Mama might absolutely love, send Mama one of your products. If she likes it, she might list it as a Mama’s Monday Favorite.
Beat The System, Not Each Other
National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Nights with full moons seemed worse. The calls came right after another, the red light blinking as if it might just burst out of its box.
“9-1-1 what is your emergency?” And the fear and pain would spill into the phone line that connected us.
For ten years I was a 9-1-1 operator, which sometimes makes for interesting conversation at parties. The hardest calls to take were the ones that involved domestic violence .
Here’s the deal, fear and love cannot live in the same place. Meaning that you cannot be in love with another human being and fear them at the same time. That’s not love.
If you’re afraid to come home, if you’re afraid your significant other will cut your money off, call you stupid, or push, shove, kick, scratch, pinch or bite you, if they force you to have sex or intimidate you, that’s domestic violence.
October is National Breast Cancer awareness month too, but did you know that twice as many women are victims of domestic violence?
Victims of domestic violence live in the nice parts of town, they live in the middle class neighborhoods with the nice schools, they live in working class neighborhoods, they live next to the train tracks or in trailer parks. They work next to us; they can be our doctor or therapist, a postal worker or salesperson at our favorite store.
Domestic violence isn’t choosy, it can happen to anyone.
You can’t fear and love someone at the same time. That is not love.
- Aunt B
The lunch note promise
Today I was browsing the internet looking at puppy videos when I discovered “The Lunch Note Promise”. The Lunch Note Promise brought to you by Lunchables is about Giving kids what they need to help them do their best. If you log on to the Lunchables website and make a promise to give a lunch note to your kids, Lunchables will give a free meal to a child in need so they can do THEIR best.
For every parent who makes the lunch note promise, the Lunchables team will donate a meal to a child and their family in need through Feeding America. Feeding America is the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity. It serves an estimated nine million children annually. The goal is to turn 100,000 promises from parents into 100,000 meals from Lunchables Lunch Combinations for kids in need.
Notes Notes Notes
If you aren’t sure what type of note to put in your child’s lunchbox, it can be about anything-like some encouragement for the big soccer game or an important test, or a Thank You note taking care of their younger sibling.
Go ahead, make your promise today.
- Mama
Chico needs a home
Through no fault of his own, poor Chico was returned to the shelter when his owners lost their home. This two and half year old, twenty four pound purebred Boston Terrier has tons of enthusiasm and playfulness. He enjoys the company of other dogs and leash walks. Chico is housebroken and knows basic manners. While he loves people, we feel Chico would flourish in a home with older children. Chico really dislikes living at the shelter and is impatiently waiting for a family of his own.
Chico is a Boston Beauty. We love this little guy – he makes us laugh and is always ready for a fun experience. It is always amazing to us – the resilience in these wonderful pups. Chico was an ignored puppy. He was left in a backyard with a bowl of food and very little human contact. In spite of this neglect, Chico came to us willing to give humans another try. We sent him home with a mom and teenage daughter where he was given love, walks and a new lease on life. Unfortunately, his mom lost her home and could not take him with her. GH took him back in to our shelter and once again we are looking for a home for this character. Chico is active, loving, funny and still willing to give a two-legged companion a try.
We are looking for a home for him where the household likes to have a good time, is active and most of all, understands the importance of commitment. We want to make sure the third time is the charm for Chico!
Visit Chico at the Glendale Humane Society. Glendale Humane Society is a no-kill animal shelter.
