Archive for the 'Daily life' Category
February 13th, 2007 - Bits and pieces
It’s much less interesting to write about my frugal/simple life in the winter time. There’s no garden produce, no pretty flowers, no garage sale finds…. Instead, there’s a lot of curling up in front of the TV, tons of books (reading about crazy people climbing Mt. Everest lately), and walking in bitter cold.
That’s something interesting, I suppose. I’m very proud that I have continued to walk to work even in the cold the last few weeks. Even on Saturday for testing, when it would be easy to drive (no parking fees), I still walked! I know it’s been colder than ever because for the first time since I’ve been walking to work (IE, since 1999), tissues in my pocket and food in backpack have frozen by the time I get to my office. Now that’s cold around here! (And I won’t be carrying anymore chocolate until it warms up a bit.) It was supposed to be up to 19 above yesterday. Heat wave! (Although I wish I were in NY. Think of all that snow! woohoo!!!!!)
Over the weekend, Maggie and I did some baking. On Friday, Maggie helped me make granola! She LOVED it. Except when we were done. That was a heartbreak to her. On Sunday, we made an oyster cracker snack. Again, she loved it except when she had to get down from the stool to get the oil out, and then again to check on a recipe, and then when we were done. She helped measure, poured everything into the pans, and then stirred things up. She’s very good at the latter one. She needs help with pouring, however. Her aim leaves something to be desired! And she loves washing her hands, so cleaning up before and after was pretty easy. She also likes using the dishcloth to wipe the table and counters.
And this weekend, for the first time, she helped hang laundry. She put all of my socks up–and it was her idea, not mine! She “helped” with a few larger clothing items, too. Last night, she noticed her pile of clothes that I had forgotten to put away (I usually fold when she’s sleeping), and without prompting, she picked them up and put them away! The problem is that only two clothing shelves are in her reach. Perhaps we need a new method now. Well, she doesn’t really sort very well yet. Maybe just put the socks down low where she can reach them would be good enough.
March 7th, 2006 - Why I live a simpler life
**Warning: This entry deals with throwing up.**
Another reason I’m glad I live more simply and with fewer activities and things to do: So that when I get up in the morning and find a message that a dog threw up all over the pillows in the den,* I can change my plans and spend 20 minutes cleaning it up. My plans were pretty simple otherwise (fold the laundry, watch TV, and do some excersizes). I still had time for the latters ones and the laundry will get folded tonight instead. Because we keep up on it, no one needed anything (except my sweater, which I’d already taken out and could have lived without anyway). Because I get up 100 minutes before I have to leave for work, I was not in a rush to leave. I had to vacuum afterwards and easily had the time to vac the entire living room and den, which I would have done tomorrow.
*Although as a child, I was unable to deal with people throwing up, we have found that as an adult I am able to deal with cleaning it up (at least from dogs and cats, Maggie hasn’t really thrown up yet). I heard somewhere that if you hum, you can’t throw up (it was an EMT who said so). I have found it to be true. It’s sometimes hard to hum when you want to gag, however, so it’s not a fool-proof solution. But I have found that I do pretty well humming, singing, or talking while cleaning up the grossest parts. Eric, on the other hand, usually ends up gagging and nearly throwing up himself. He tries to clean it up if I’m not around, but often it’s just too hard. Yet another reason we are good for each other! I’ve had a lot of practice lately, as our dog Jedi has been sick off and on for the last 8 months. Most recently, they think he might have hyperthyrodism (or is it hypo?). One clue is that he’s gained about 10 pounds even though he eats only 2 out of 3 meals and throws up at least once a week; one week he threw up daily.
June 24th, 2005 - To shave or not to shave, that is the question
An interesting commentary on shaving and the use of other personal care products (by my favorite columnist, Umbra at Grist Magazine) mentions the possibility of the Ancient Egyptian Art of Body Sugaring. The example is using it on your underarms. I’m not strong enough of heart to try this yet, but you never know. Sounds just like those old Nads commercials, only cheaper!
I stopped shaving my legs over 10 years ago. So that I wouldn’t have to worry about converters, I didn’t bring my electric shaver when I studied abroad in London. (I couldn’t use a razor because I cut the skin on my ankles and knees to pieces.) It was nice to not bother with it for 3 months. I did it once when I got back to MN and then realized what a stupid habit it was. I tried Nair a few times, but hated sitting around with it on for 30-45 minutes (took forever for me) and it was never a perfect job. So I quit. I don’t care if my legs are hairy, why should anyone else? It’s just a stupid American commercially-made desire.
As to makeup, I believe the last time I wore any was to my wedding. I used some lipstick and a little blush. Maybe some foundation. We’re talking pretty light stuff. I still have the three items. I was never, ever into makeup. I’ve work it to a few weddings, formal dances, and job interviews. I’m not sure why I hold on to what I have. When I go past them I always think I ought to keep them just in case. Just in case what???? I suddenly have the desire for lipstick? Like that will ever happen! Maybe I’d wear it for a job interview…but then again, I hate the hassle and it’s not ME so why would I bother? (I still remember a girl in high school in choir class who had put on such thick mascara it looked like she had caterpillers on her eyes. It was so icky. I always wondered why guys liked kissing girls when all they’d get is a lipful of pancake makeup and lipstick. It seemed so yucky.)
I do use hair gel. My slightly-curly hair that goes frizzy and/or straight during the day needs it to look semi-decent. But, as I found a couple weeks ago, I can make my own! woohoo! I’m owed a perm from one that didn’t work out but now I can’t have one–thinking about all those chemicals…I just can’t do it. I am looking forward to Angie giving my cornrows or boxbraids again, however!
May 10th, 2005 - Wood cleaner and more
I fianlly made one of the recipes from Better Basics for the Home : Simple Solutions for Less Toxic Living
I’m trying to decide whether to get rid of the DrainO/Liquid Plumber that I have. I’ve kept it around in case of a really bad clog….but I’d so hesitate to use it. And if I got rid of it, that’s one less chemical to worry about Maggie finding. Slowly but surely there won’t be any need for a lock on the cabinet under the stairs. (I think I have a month until I need to put on on there!) The other decision is: Do I throw them away so no one else uses them but they end up in the dump? Or do I send them out through FreeCycle where they get used? I’m leaning towards the latter because someone who got them would probably have bought the same thing anyway. I’m also pitching the Formula 409 or whatever cleaning solution it is. I’ve been using vinegar and water for everything. And I can always use soap if necessary. And I’m keeping my Amway Basic H (or I?) for tough counter stains; I’ll have to check the toxicity of that but I think it’s relatively harmless. I think that’s leave me just with laundry detergent, bleach, GooGone, and a heavy duty hand cleaner. Guess I’ll still need that lock, because I can’t do without detergent and bleach even if I got rid of everything else.
Which reminds me–I wonder what the Seventh Generation laundry detergent is like? I use All Free and Clear because I’ve been known to break out from others. (I even take it along on trips, or else wash clothes in just plain water.) But I saw the 7th stuff at the Red Radish…..
March 14th, 2005 - Heating
Growing up, my family turned the heat nearly off at night. I think it was down to 50 or 55, and rarely did the house actually cool off that much. During the day, the thermostat was set to 68 or so. Some days it never came on–we had a passive solar home that had wonderful southern windows. During the day, vents were closed in the bedrooms (we were gone to school after all). The vent in the extra room was only opened when we wanted to work in there (it was the sewing/prayer/guest room). I got up around the same time Dad did, and he turned on the heat in the morning. So I got used to sleeping in a very cool room!
Unfortunately, our house has only one southern window–in our baby’s room. Makes for a lovely, sunny room. But doesn’t help heat the rest of the house on sunny winter days. Two bedrooms (ours and the guest) have no vent in them. Regardless, the upstairs rarely heats or cools efficiently. We’d love to redo the heating system, but I don’t think there’s an easy way to put in new vents! (We have one other room in the house that is also unheated, although it does have an intake vent–one of THREE in the downstairs.) Eric has always preferred a much warmer house than I. But this year, he was willing to turn it down, sometimes cooler than I wanted! Woohoo! For the most part, we turn it down to 60 overnight (knowing it will be colder than that upstairs). We start out at 63-65 during the morning/afternoon. By evening, we usually have it up to 67 or 68. When we’re sick, it might go as high as 70, but I can recall doing that only once this winter. When I was home with the baby, I usually had it at 67 all day long.
The past couple days, I’ve been turning it up to 63 when I get up for the nighttime feeding (between 3 and 4 am). I’d thought that would take the chill off of getting up at 5am. But it doesn’t really seem to make a difference in the bathroom in an hour or two. So I’m going to stop doing it.
Two summers ago, we outfitted every window with cellular shades (mostly double-celled). That made an enormous difference in the temperature. We also temporarily caulked the windows–last winter just downstairs; this winter all the windows. That made a difference in cutting drafts! The caulk cost only 99 cents per container; it took two, including some major caulking in the basement. I can’t say our heating costs reduced–gas prices went up this year so our bills have been about the same. But imagine how high they may have been had we not made these changes?
November 18th, 2004 - TV
If you’d asked me two weeks ago how much TV I watched, I would have said “Not much. Two or three reality shows, Andromeda, and I just started watching What Not to Wear, too. And the occasional other show.” After reading Eric Brende’s book, I stopped turning on the TV except for the shows I really wanted to see. I was practicing mindfulness.
Heavens! I have read so much in the past two weeks that I keep stopping to wonder how in the world I have so much time for it. I think it’s because I haven’t watched much TV (I know, compared to most of America, what I watched wasn’t much. But for me, it was a lot). These past two weeks, I’ve honestly only watched
* Survivor (weekly, Thursdays)
* The Amazing Race (just began Tuesday)
* Andromeda (Fridays)
* Extreme Makover: Home Edition (except that it was a repeat Sunday so I skipped it)
I realized I’d been turning on the TV a lot more than I thought or leaving it on. For instance, after Andromeda, I’d turn to TLC for some home shows, with What Not to Wear on a couple hours later. On Saturdays, I’d turn on the TV off and on throughout the day to find something when I was bored or in between chores. I also turned on shows in the morning when exercising or after breakfast. I think it really added up. With the TV off, I’ve been doing my morning chores before bed, so have time to read in the morning. I’ve been interspersing chores in the evenings and weekends with reading instead of TV. And I’ve been going to bed tpically between 8 and 8:30 instead of at 8:30. (I get up at 5am unless I wake earlier. Sometimes I’m up just after 4. I’m a morning person.) I’ve also found more time to bake breads and fix dinner, too. I like it so much better than watching TV. I have to be sure to keep lots of books around. (Or read some of the ones in the guest room/library that I haven’t.)