Puttin' Up

In my life I do alot of "Puttin' Up". This time I am "Puttin Up" in the old fashion sense of the phrase... storing food, canning, freezing and such. Since I like to cook I often need fresh red, yellow, and green peppers but only a small amount of each. I got tired of having to throw out the unused portions so now I buy a bunch, chop them up with onion, put them into these mini muffin pans. I then put the pans in the freezer to freeze them then take them out of the pans and put them into freezer bags. Now I alway have them ready to add to whatever I am making!!! Ta da!!!

Jumble Pie - Free Ebook

Jumble Pie is a cute novel, not mention free ebook down load, written by Melanie Lynne Hauser.
I can't wait to read it....and by being an E-book it is a green choice.

Click on the pie to read this full length novel about two girls, a friendship, and a pie.

She has written two other books Confessions Of A Super Mom and Super Mom Saves The World. She also has a blog Refrigerator Door.

Save Money Eating Out This Week

80% Off Spook-tacular Savings only at Restaurant.com! Starting 10/27/008 through 10/31/08, they will be offering all gift certificates at 80% off. You can purchase a $25 Gift Certificate for only $2!!! Use the code TREAT.


80% off Savings on $25 Gift Certificates. $2 when you use code TREAT.Valid only 10/27/08 thru 10/31/08.

ADT Child Safety Kit

https://www.adt.com/wps/portal/adt/about_adt/adt_in_our_communities/childsafety

As the world leader in security, ADT takes safety very seriously and, to us, it is more than installing security systems. ADT is so committed to safety, we created this guide for the whole family, filled with loads of tips and advice to keep kids safe at home, at play, and even online. Weve included a cool fingerprint kit, a magnet, a reflective sticker for kids to wear in the dark, and games, too. Were serious about safety but we also believe it can be fun learning about safety. ADT hopes this kit will help and encourage you to sit down and talk with your kids about personal safety.

ADT is pleased to be offering a free child safety kit. Designed for children up to 14-years-old, the free kit includes a variety of safety tips for children and advice for parents.

To request your child safety kit, please fill out the webform. (One child safety kit for every child under 14 years old in each household.)

Vaccinate with caution

If you have young children or are expecting, please read my blog on vaccines at Green Planet News
Vaccinations carry many risks as well as benefits .

Turn off that shower!

(borrowing this post from Moni's Random Raves)

Turn off that shower! I seem to be saying this like one buzzillion times a week. My kids take the longest showers. Hello, the cast for High School Musical has already been picked and the movie made. The hot water can not possibly last that long. I don't know, maybe the California Raisin look is in these days.

Any who.... I was wondering if there was any sort of shower timer out there and to my amazement there is!!!! Now of course I could just set a cooking timer, but that would require me to add one more thing to my already too long list of things to do. I know the kids would never do it themselves.

I found The Shower Manager, a high tech device that attaches between the wall and shower head that is set for 5, 8, or 11 minutes for full flow water. Near the end of the set time of full flow a beep sounds then the water goes into a half flow mode signaling that it is time to get out. Once turned off for 5minutes the timer will reset for the next shower. Sounds nice but it is a little pricey at $114.99 and I don't know if there is a shipping fee (probably)....WHY?...Because they are all sold out....hmmmmmmmm

So the question here would be is the savings in water worth the cost of the device????
Wouldn't you know.....they have a water conservation calculator.

Save Money Dining out !

I wrote about this before but this is such a good deal right now I just had to share. Restaurant.com
has $25.00 certificates for just $2.00. I use these for my favorite places and also to try new places. They can also be given as gifts. Just click on the link below and search for your favorite restaurant:


36-Hour 80% off Savings on $25 Gift Certificates. Use the code EIGHTY and pay $2. Valid 12:00am CDT 10/14/08 thru 12:00pm CDT 10/15/08.

They always have deals and I update them in the right hand column as they change.

Saving with Coupons

My sister-in-law is a coupon user and is able to save quite a bit each month. She cuts coupons but also gets coupons on Ebay of all places. I had never even thought of it but try a search. You can get 100 coupons for about $1.oo -$1.50 and free shipping. That is amazing!!! You will not use all the coupons, but I am sure you can find more than your dollars worth to save. Maybe all the left over coupons can be donated or you can resell them on ebay. There are also Coupon Exchange clubs or you can start your own coupon club.

If you need more coupons there are sites like Coupon .com. There is also a site called TheGroceryGame.com. It is not free there is a fee per store list ($10 one store, $15 for two stores, $20 for three stores every 8 weeks). You get a weekly list (called Teri's List) of the lowest-priced products at your supermarket matched with manufacturers' coupons and weekly specials -- advertised and unadvertised.

Every little bit adds up to a years worth of savings!!

Green...How far is too far?

Can you be too green? I am all for going green (obviously duh) but really some people are taking this too far. So I just read an article about a new eco-friendly home trend called "family cloth."

Family cloth is the term used for machine washable fabric strips that are used instead of toilet paper. Yes you heard me right. No more toilet paper rolls. People cut up old t-shirts and sheets into strips that are placed in a receptacle next to the thrown. The used wipes are then placed into another receptacle, preferably something with a lid if you catch my drift (actually so you don't catch the drift.) Odor free? I doubt it. Even the Diaper Genie has issues. Don't forget that someone gets the "crappy" task of washing the used fabric with detergent and bleach.

So if you are open minded enough to try this family cloth thing remember not to drop it in the toilet or you will have to fish it out. I can hear the kids now, "Mom! I dropped the family cloth in the toilet!" Worse, they might just try to flush a twin sheet worth of family cloth and overflow the whole mess onto the floor. Sorry guys but the thought of this green alternative is making me GREEN.

There are eco-friendly toilet papers out there that are made with recycled materials and are processed chlorine free. See the list below:

Atlantic Packaging’s “Ambiance,” “Fiesta” and “April Soft” brand
Earth First (Available at Safeway)
Planet
Seventh Generation

If you are a hard core pro-environmetalist....let me know how this works out for you. I will be carrying my own roll just in case this trend takes off.

Back to NORMAL??? Normal is relative.

So hurricane gone, school is back in session, all my family has power. I already did my Halloween/fall decorating...I know it's a little early but I just felt like doing it.

So I ran across a few really cute blogs that I wanted to share with you (ok not sure who you is since nobody reads my blogs, but just in case I get an actual follower).

Clever Girl Goes Blog

More Of A Woman

Ike is gone and the mess remains

Ike came roaring through here at about 4am Saturday morning. Heavy winds and driving rain. We were very fortunate to be just at the west edge of the eye. We did lose power very early in the evening Friday, but were lucky enough to get it back in about 18 hours. Hundreds of thousands of people are still with out. Stores have no supplies and very few gas stations have gas. Schools and businesses are closed and curfews have been set. We have running water but are being told to boil water and/or use bottled water. The devastation on the coast, just about 60 miles south of here, is incredible. We are still in the busiest time of hurricane season so we pray the Gulf is spared here forward.

Hurricane Ike!! Yikes!!

Hurricane Ike is coming..time to bring in the plants and batten down the hatches.

Get Organized

I don't know about you but I spend so much time every day just picking up and putting things away I hardly have time for cleaning and laundry. With a husband, a young toddler, a middle schooler, and a teen, the house can get really cluttered.

I am on a quest to organize. I have a basket on the stairs for things the older kids need to take up to their rooms on their way up. Since the toddler is downstairs, except when sleeping, she has an abundance of toys she likes to disperse everywhere. I decided to try to teach her at this young age to be neater. I divided the toys into categories, bought some containers, and labeled the containers. Now we play with one group of toys at a time. We have a box for toys that make music, a box of puzzles, a box for dolls and doll things, and a drawing and coloring box. This keeps the house neater and it keeps the child from being overwhelmed by all the toys and she seems to spend more time on one activity.

Recycle - every little bit helps

If you wanted to live a little greener and start recycling do you know where to go?

My neighborhood provides a recycle bin to each home. The bin is for plastic bottles, cans, and newspaper. That leaves out many recyclable items. But where can I take things like glass, batteries, and cell phones?

So I was happy to find Earth 911 — a great resource for anyone who is looking for a local recycling center. Just go to the homepage and enter your zip code. You can narrow the search to find recycling centers for more than twenty types of items - from antifreeze and asbestos to toys and televisions. Don't forget those old broken cell phones. Just click on "more" for a list of items.

For those of you already using CFLs (compact fluorescent lights), remember they should not go into your regular trash.

Cut Down Junk Mail and Save Trees

I would like you to join me in cutting down on junk mail and catalogs.

Catalog Choice is an easy, free service that allows you to decline unwanted catalogs, reducing the number of catalogs in your mailbox and the number of trees that get sent to the paper mill.

GreenDimes is a great service that will decrease the junk mail and catalogs that come to your home by up to 90%. Plus, they will plant 5 trees on your behalf.

Join me by clicking the links below:

Catolog Choice

GreenDimes

Thank you.

529 College Savings

State-sponsored 529 programs are to be the best way to save for college. With 529 plans, college savings grow tax-deferred and many states offer tax breaks for families who participate in them. Also, 529 withdrawals are tax exempt if the proceeds are used for qualified educational expenses.

The challenge with 529 plans is that it is difficult to contribute to them if you are not the owner, making contributions by grandparents and others a hassle.

Upromise has changed that with their Ugift program. It provides a means where 529 account owners can request contributions in lieu of traditional gifts for events such as birthdays and Christmas.

You can read more about the Ugift program by clicking this link.

Join Upromise Today and start saving.

No More Wire Hangers

OMG! I recently cleaned out my closet and I have so many wire hangers. The thought of just throwing them out just bothers me. Did you 3.5 billion hangers ending up in our landfills every year. I read somewhere that not only are wire hangers recyclable, but they're made of steel (North America's Number One Recycled Material), they also contain a minimum of 28 percent recycled content. There should be a wire hanger recycling bin somewhere, but there is no such thing that I know of. They can be taken to a scrap metal dealer.

I have heard that some dry cleaners take back wire hangers and reuse them or recycle them. You can check with your local dry cleaners. Many are no longer taking them.

I think it would be a great community or school project to have a wire hanger drive. Any proceeds can be donated to a charity or to the PTA.

I did find a The Wire Hanger Exchange where you can give your hangers to someone who wants to use them.

...

And just where do I find a Farmers Market?

In my last post I mentioned shopping at local farmers markets, but not everyone knows where to find them. I found a great place Local Harvest where you can search by zip code. They also have a nice mail order catalog of things you might not find locally.

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SLOW FOOD MOVEMENT

Have you heard of the Slow Food Movement? The Slow Movement first started when a protest against the opening of a McDonald's restaurant in Piazza di Spagna, Rome sparked the creation of the Slow Food organization. The Slow Food Movement opposes fast food and encourages the enjoyment of regional produce, traditional foods, which are often grown organically and to enjoy these foods in the company of others.

Slow Food organizations promote local artisans, local farmers, and local flavors through regional events such as Taste Workshops, wine tastings, and farmers' markets.

Take the family out to a farmer's market to buy some fresh local ingredients. Gather in the kitchen and let everyone have a hand in cooking up a fresh delicious meal that you can share around the family table. Maybe this can be a new family tradition.

Visit Slow Food International for more information or to join in.

Visit Slow Food USA for chapters in your area.

Getting Cozi

I have been using a neat new product that I think all moms would find very helpful. It’s a free software program called Cozi. It lets me organize and share our family’s calendar. It makes shopping lists that I can print or text to my cell phone. It has a great screen saver that reminds me of upcoming appointments, and it has a cool photo collage. It also includes an easy way to broadcast messages to the whole family by email or text message. I thought you’d like to have a look at it. Cozi

Shop A Little Greener

Surely you know that plastic bags are "OUT" and cute colorful reusable mesh or fabric bags are "IN". You can carry simple bags or make a fashion statement with the wide selection of colorful and decorative bags. Think of them as an accessory like shoes! Eco friendly shopping bags.

National Geographic News reported that between 500 billion and one trillion plastic grocery bags are consumed worldwide each year. That 100,000 birds die annually from encounters with plastic bags and also an estimated 100,000 whales, turtles, and other marine animals.
Let's not forget the fact that each bag takes about 500 years to decompose in a land fill.

You just have to get into the habit of using reusable bags. You can keep the small mesh ones that come in pouches in your purse and keep the larger fabric bags in your trunk. Just be sure to always put them back after shopping.

Save gas and check out The Green Planet Shopping Mall for practical and cute bags.

Water Bottle Safety- How safe is your bottle

Did you know that most water bottles contain BPA. You should never drink from a water bottle that has been left in a hot car and you should not reuse plastic water bottles. I found PRIMO water at my local grocery store. It comes in cases of 16.9 ounce bottles or you can buy PRIMO Bulk, larger 3 or 5 gallon jugs for coolers and crocks. The plastic bottle is made from American grown corn and not crude oil. I always find it on sale and the price is comparable to major brands.

There are many reusable water bottles available on the market now that are safe and BPA Free. Click below for a list:
BPA Free Water Bottles

Beware of BPA In Your Home

Many retailers have pulled BPA containing baby products from their inventory. Make sure all of your baby items are labeled BPA FREE.

Here is a great product called Baby Banquet and it is a BPA Free baby food and toddler snack dispenser and storage unit. You can view images at www.babybanquet.com. It is a clever and unique product that was invented by a Houston couple out of necessity.

This is why you need it:

If you are not aware of this information, please pay attention. BPA is a compound found in many products such as: Water bottles, glasses, tooth sealants, plastic liners in cans, baby toys, bottles, pacifiers, microwave oven ware and utensils.

The problem is that BPA can leach out of plastic during everyday use, causing health problems. Most notably, BPA mimics the female hormone estrogen and may affect fertility and promote cancer. Studies have also found : enlarges prostate, genital deformities, increased cancer rates in certain organs, pancreatic changes that promote insulin resistance, altered thyroid regulation, structural damage to the brain.

• Plastic that contains BPA carries the #7 recycling symbol on the bottom.
  

• Most clear plastic baby bottles and child cups are made of BPA-containing plastic.

• Dental sealant may leach BPA; this is being debated. You may want to avoid dental sealants on your children's baby teeth.

You can minimize your BPA exposure by:

• Replacing plastic food and drink containers and utensils with glass, ceramic or metal varieties.

• Purchasing glass baby bottles.

• Using baby bottles and sippy cups made of polyethylene plastic (#1, #2, #4 recycling symbols) or polypropylene (#5) (these are usually colored, not clear, and should still not be heated).

• Not using canned foods or foods wrapped in plastic.

• Not letting children put plastic toys in their mouths.

• Being careful with BPA-containing plastics, if you choose to use them. This means not exposing them to heat (microwave, dishwasher) or harsh detergents (bleach, etc.) and not letting food or beverages sit in the containers for too long.

IDENTIFICATION OF PLASTICS (let's get technical)

There are seven classes of plastics used in packaging applications. "Type 7" is the catch-all "other" class, and some type 7 plastics, such as polycarbonate (sometimes identified with the letters "PC" near the recycling symbol) and epoxy resins, are made from bisphenol A monomer. When such plastics are exposed to hot liquids, bisphenol A leaches out 55 times faster than it does under normal conditions, at up to 32 ng/hour.^[ Type 3 (PVC) can also contain bisphenol A as antioxidant in plasticizers.

Types 1 (PET), 2 (HDPE), 4 (LDPE), 5 (polypropylene), and 6 (polystyrene) do not use bisphenol A during polymerization or package forming, and thus will not leach bisphenol A into food or beverages.

Getting Social

After the birth of my third child I went from working mother to stay-at-home mom. My life is busy and my days are full raising 3 children and maintaining the house. I love being a stay-at-home mom but I lost that contact with the outside world and also with the friends that I had made. I need to get out and meet other mothers....who, where, how?

There are many "moms groups" out there. One really great one is Moxie Moms. They offer a network for socializing with planned events, discounts on eating out, and shopping. You can search the web for more mommy groups. Many are small local groups and many have national chapters. Meetup is a good resource for all kinds of groups, not just mommy groups. Neighborhood news letters also have listings of local groups. If you prefer a spiritual group, most churches have groups for mothers. Go out, meet, greet, and have fun.

Household Inventory

When tragedy strikes it is too late to wish you had a thorough inventory of your household items. Unfortunately there are fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and even burglaries. It is definitely an arduous task to inventory an entire household, but the payback is great if the time comes to make an insurance claim.

I found a FREE downloadable software from The Insurance Information Institute called KNOW YOUR STUFF. It has step by step information to make the process easier.

College Savings Made Easy

This is one of the ways I just sit back and save money for my children's college education. I signed up for Upromise several years ago.

Enjoy the benefits of earning money for your child's education just by shopping where you normally do every day. When families join Upromise, companies will contribute a portion of their eligible spending with them into a Upromise account for their child, grandchild or any future college student they wish to support. Members can earn college savings when they buy gas, dine out, shop online - even when they buy or sell a house.

Upromise is a free secure service, and by adding your credit, debit or grocery cards means that you can begin saving money for college every time you shop at participating retailers.
Click on the link below for more information:

Cash Flow/Kids Cash

I don't know about you, but I never seem to have much cash around every time the kids need some or it is allowance time. I decided to let them have their own debit cards.

The cards have a set amount of money that you put on them so they can not go over the limit. You can add money when you want or have scheduled loads. You can log onto the site and see where and how much they spend. You also get a low balance email. The kids can also log on with their own password and user id to track their spending. I keep the cards in my possession and we discuss what they can buy and how much they can spend. The kids are actually not spending as much as they did when they had the cash in their hands. They love using their "credit card" to pay for their own purchases too. They are supposed to be 13 years old to have one..........so i may have fudged a little on the birth year of one...shhhhhhhh!

The kids can choose from several cards or create their own.

I researched several of these "kid" debit cards and found UPSIDE VISA to be the cheapest. If you go with the $24.00 annual fee they don't charge for reloading etc. If you decide to try it use PROMOTIONAL CODE 854f36 and you will get a $10.00 Amazon.com e-certificate. It is working great for us and made a great birthday gift.

Saving Even More Time And Expense In The Kitchen

Once you have mastered the "menu planning" you may want to try some other time and money saving tips.

*Buying in bulk from wholesale clubs and warehouse stores (Sams Club, Costco, etc) or when items are on sale. Some have membership fees but you can always share the membership with a family member or friend.

*Invest in a FoodSaver and package bulk items into usable portions and freeze them. One more economical option is Reynolds® Handi-Vac Vacuum Sealer, just plain freezer paper or freezer bags. Items last longer when you seal with the FoodSaver.
Remember to label with item name and date.

Another thing you can do, since you are cooking anyway, is to double your recipes and freeze half. This is a time saver when you don't have time much time and just need to heat something up. You can freeze just the main dish and even the sides if they are freezable. If it is a roast cooked with vegetables in the same pan, I freeze it together. If I make meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and broccoli, I put the meatloaf in a freezer bag and mashed potatoes in a freezer bag. Then I put the two bags in a larger labeled bag. Since I usually buy the broccoli frozen in bulk I always have that on hand. But you can put some broccoli in a separate freezer bag and add to the larger bag with the meatloaf and potatoes for a complete meal.

Save A Little Time And Expense In The Kitchen

Menu planning..............did I really say that? Who has the time? Actually once you have made 4 or 5 weeks worth of menus then you just reuse them. Not only does it cut down on stress, but it saves money, saves trips to the store, and most importantly you can make more nutritious meals. Oh and instead of everybody eating when and what they want you can actually all sit down to a family meal together.

I don't know about you but I am tired of frantic last minute searches in the freezer for something to thaw in 10 minutes or less. I am tired of missing ingredients and having to dash to the store or just leave it out all together. So dare to make this promise, "I will not go to the grocery store until I make a menu plan!"

Think of your weekly schedule....who is home and when. I have kids and a husband who are not always around. Wednesday evenings are hectic in my home so I need something simple that can be eaten early by one child and later by the rest of us. Some people don't like to cook as much so this may be a good day to get take out. Save the pot roast for a lazy Sunday. Don't forget "Cook's Night Off." Have your husband cook or go out for dinner.

*You can start with the weekly sales ads and build your menu around the sale items.
*Make a rough menu plan with side dishes and salads.
*Check your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer for needed ingredients you may already have.
*Make a shopping list of needed ingredients. (Make your shopping list according to the order
you shop the store. You'll speed out of the store in record time!)
*Post the menu and refer to it throughout the week.

Good luck!

This is where I start.....

I did not start this blog because I needed something else to do, but rather to share things with other moms. For instance, I read a really great book called Eat Pray Love. It is the true story of one woman's year long spiritual journey of traveling, eating, and finding love.

Another thing I want to share is a study that was done on the effectiveness of sunscreen. It is shocking to see how ineffective and even hazardous the popular brands are. You can read the report at www.cosmeticsdatabase.com or skip straight to the list at findyoursunscreen . I am now using Keys Soap Solar Rx on my face. So far I really like it.