Thrifty Christmas Tips
Nov 26, 2008
I’m absolutely shocked at what people seem to spend on Christmas presents these days! The idea of going into credit card debt for months after the holidays just to buy Christmas presents nearly knocks me off my chair! What ever happened to the days of Laura Ingalls where a hearty meal or a handmade doll was something special? When did we shift our focus from being with those we love to shopping ourselves to death and filling our homes with STUFF? I think we’ve bought into the lie that more is better and we’ve taken for granted the simple things. With the economy in the shape that it is hopefully more people will return to a life of simplicity where gratefulness and contentedness is the norm.
Christmas doesn’t have to be chaotic, expensive or stressful. Here are a few ideas for making your Christmas celebrations more peaceful and thrifty:
*Buy something that the person needs and would enjoy. - I remember how excited I was as a kid when I would get a new nightgown each Christmas. It was something I needed and because I grew up on hand-me-downs it was great to get something brand new!
*Give handmade gifts. I was totally excited when a good friend of mine gave me a set of fabric napkins that she had made. Not only are they a great way to save money, they’re a great GREEN option too!
*Don’t spend a lot on each person. - You might be surprised how far $20 can go!
*Give homemade goodies from the kitchen. Food and treats make excellent gifts because EVERYone eats! It’s a universal present! Some good ideas are cookies, fudge, home-made pasta, canned jellies, salsa, sweet breads, teas, or cookie mixes in a jar. It’s fun to get together a gift basket of things like these.
*Don’t be afraid to give something that’s been gently used. This is especially true of baby clothes and kids toys. This is after all one of the major themes of recycling (Reduce, REUSE, recycle). Most years we give our daughter something purchased from a garage sale and she loves getting something new to HER.
*Finally, take advantage of gift bags. I love gift bags because they’re reusable. As opposed to wrapping paper, they can be re-gifted many times before they need to be thrown out. I even re-use the tissue paper (unless it’s been torn).
Posted In: Green Living | Thrifty Chick • Comments (3)
Making Lifestyle Changes
Nov 22, 2008
There’s nothing like today’s economy to get one thinking about their life and how they live it. If you’ve recently committed to making some changes in how you live, here are a few tips to get you started:
1. Don’t try to change everything at once. If you attempt to do too much you’ll just end up burned out. Believe me, I’ve tried! Remember that every change you make, no matter how small is still a change for the good. Eventually you will be able to look back and be amazed at all the progress you’ve made!
2. Keep things positive. Think about why you are making a change. This is helpful both for adults as well as children. For example:
We recycle to make good use of our resources. We want to create a cleaner planet and a better world for our children’s children.
We eat healthily because it’s better for our bodies. In reality, it’s tastier too! Once you’ve grown used to eating real whole food you look your appetite for processed foods.
We simplify our lives to help us better appreciate the simple things. Our society tells us that more is better. This just isn’t always true. Does having more “stuff” really make us happier or more at peace? If anything, it just gives us more to worry about.
Living differently than those around us doesn’t make us weird, it makes us unique. A clone isn’t likely to make a good revolutionary. Perhaps we will inspire others to consider a new lifestyle themselves!
3. Connect with like-minded people. It can be hard to keep up a resolution without someone to encourage you on.
Posted In: Nutrition/Health | Green Living • Comments (0)
SIDS Prevention
Nov 18, 2008
Would you be surprised to know that SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) is completely preventable? The name implies that the cause is unknown but in reality the cause has been known for about 12 years! SIDS happens when a baby inhales toxic nerve gases emitted from his crib mattress. These nerve gases are produced when a fungus develops in the mattress and ‘eats’ the flame retardants there. This would explain why the recommendations to have babies sleep on their backs in a well-ventilated room has ‘slightly’ decreased the occurrences of SIDS. Fortunately, SIDS (or more accurately named, ‘Crib Death’) is completely preventable through mattress wrapping. This is done by wrapping the mattress with a polyethylene cover. This cover separates the baby from the toxic fumes. BabeSafe mattress covers can be found at Eve’s Best. They’re much cheaper than buying an organic mattress. I have yet to find them for full-size beds yet though. I would like to just buy a roll of food-grade polyethylene sheeting and use that to wrap all the mattresses in our house but I’m not sure where to get it.
So why isn’t this news widespread? Can you imagine how liable that would make the mattress companies and the SIDS research groups if this were admitted to be true? There has been a LOT of money given for SIDS research! Like I’ve said before, it’s amazing how many things come down to money and greed!
Please help spread the word about SIDS/Crib Death! It’s so frustrating that parents aren’t even made aware of these facts! It’s completely preventable and yet the media and the medical profession refuse to acknowledge it!
Sources:
PreventSids.org
Mattress Off-gassing Confusion on the Net
Research which confirms the toxic gas explanation for crib death
Cot Death: A Single Primary Cause
Posted In: Parenting | Pregnancy | Activism • Comments (2)
Our New Baby Girl
Nov 08, 2008
I realize it’s been a while since I’ve been able to write much on here. Things have been rather busy preparing for our new baby. Now that she’s here, it may take me a bit to transition back into writing again. Anyway, I just wanted to show you our new little addition, Katie Rose!
While my plans for a home-birth didn’t go as planned I’m still so thankful for a healthy baby girl. I ended up having over 13 hours of horrific back labor and we weren’t able to get the baby turned. I ended up having a c-section which may just have saved the baby’s life. She was quite wedged in the birth canal.
I still firmly believe in home birth and in VBACs for those with a previous cesarean. Even though I didn’t get my VBAC I’m glad I was able to give it my best effort. Plus, I loved having a midwife care for me throughout my pregnancy. I wouldn’t have it any other way!
VBAC Information: International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN)
Posted In: Pregnancy | My Life • Comments (6)
Talking to Pregnant Women
Oct 29, 2008
Talking to a Pregnant Woman
From the perspective of one in their 9th month
(this is me with one month left to go)
There’s something about being pregnant that elicits all kinds of conversations from both friends and strangers. Personally, I enjoy talking with others about being pregnant and welcome their friendliness. The first things everyone asks are:
-Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl? And
-Do you have names picked out?
Since we don’t get ultrasounds (due to their uncertain safety and since they’re usually not needed) we aren’t finding out the sex of the baby so I don’t usually have much to say as far as that goes. Also, since we aren’t telling what names we’re thinking of I don’t have much of a response about that either.
So, beyond these usual two questions, here are some thoughts I’ve had about how to communicate with a woman who’s pregnant:
Something I personally like to hear about is the birth experiences of others. It’s important though not to be too negative and to try to keep a positive attitude about labor and parenting as well. Pregnant moms need all the encouragement they can get. Labor is portrayed negatively enough in the media, the poor woman doesn’t need any more things to worry about. I’m afraid I haven’t always been good about this myself. I had a very hard first labor and have learned that I need to be cautious about sharing my experience with someone who’s pregnant. I firmly believe that birth can be an empowering time for a woman and that her body is fully capable of accomplishing the amazing feat of childbirth. Women need to hear more of that.
“You must be due anytime!” or “I think you’re going to go early.” These comments have the potential to put a false hope in the woman. I have been told this throughout the last month and a half! It made me feel like I would honestly go early (which I haven’t) which makes me feel like I’m “late” even before the due date comes! This has been pretty hard on me emotionally and made it hard to be patient. The truth is that most women go “late” and that’s completely normal. Technically someone isn’t even late until they’re 42 weeks! So, even if the woman seems ready to burst, you should probably keep that thought to yourself.
“You look absolutely radiant!” I’ve been told this about 3 times and I can’t tell you what it’s meant to me! Even though I love having a pregnant shape (not everyone loves that) I can still sometimes feel rather unattractive. It’s definitely more encouraging than “you’ve gotten HUGE!” If you see something beautiful about your pregnant friend, let her know. It will make her day! I know it made mine!
Finally, encourage those who are pregnant to REST. With a world that tells us, “Go, go go” and “do do do” it can be hard to feel free to take a break. Pregnancy takes an incredible toll on a woman’s body and she NEEDS to take it easy. If you have some time, offer to help her out. She can always say “no” but the thought will still be much appreciated. It will show her that someone notices her and realizes pregnancy (while a very happy time) can also be a very tiring time.
Posted In: Pregnancy • Comments (3)
