Doing what works

I recently considered the possibility of going back to work. Now, all you SAHMs out there, don't get all hot-headed and bitchy with your "raising children IS work" argument. Sure it's work, but not the salary kind I'm thinking about.

But after some serious thinking following my initial interview, I called to cancel the second interview. In my pros/cons lists, the side came out nearly even, not nearly enough to ditch the tan, buy a car and go suit shopping.

Here's what I learned in my silent deliberations.

• Buying a car would be almost a necessity. That means a car payment, insurance, gas and the probability I'll actually use this car (unlike the clunker sans working air we currently own which I avoid at nearly all costs) meaning more money on gas. This wouldn't be very Mothering Earth-like behavior.

• Homecooking would take a backseat to sleep. Cooking good, wholesome, inexpensive meals at home is time consuming. In fact, when I went on the interview I called my husband and asked about lunch. He asked if I could just pick up Taco Bell. Taco Bell?! I haven't eaten this kind of low-grade food in months. It was delicious, but I had to run an extra mile just to justify it.

• Speaking of running, that would be the end of that. Again, sleep has to take priority. I run in the morning when everybody's home. I can't very well go for a run at night when the girls are in bed before Steve gets home. And darn it all if I don't want to spend at least 30 minutes with my spouse everyday.

• Childcare. This is a biggie. I'm not opposed to childcare, but it's expensive and it really goes against this whole simple life we've concocted for ourselves. One more year before my oldest starts kindergarten and then it's all over but the teen-age angst.

• All the little things. The line drying. The garden. The homemade cleaning products. These are the products of a person focusing on the home. I realize it would be nice to communicate with adults on issues unrelated to potty training, but potty training will come and go. Jobs will come again. This simple life of using less, wanting less and loving almost every minute of it, this could come and go.

But I'm going to hang on as long as I can.

Eco-healthy

I love how green living is contagious.

I guess it's only in my own family, but maybe you have to be in really, really close proximity to catch an eco-cold.

My husband has hopped on the green-parenting train — well.... the city bus anyway. Since the weather turned more spring-like, he's been taking the bus more often. He likes to read the paper or a magazine, and he's prefers the mile-walk home from downtown rather than catching the transfer because it provides him with some fresh-air exercise after a busy day.

Speaking of getting some exercise, living mostly car free has been challenging after a fierce and exercise-lacking winter. Carting 70 pounds behind me after months of ignoring my thigh muscles is — let me tell you — no easy task. To compensate, and because I recently dog-sat for a farm hound who required much more exercise than my tiny plot allows, I started jogging.

These early morning jogs (check out this really inspiring PBS Nova special about regular people who train to run a marathon to help you set your clock an hour early) merely add to my optimism about enjoying the coming summer, spending time playing with my daughters, focusing on my family's overall health and really just enjoying life.

Wondering where all my self-deprecation has gone? Wow... It only took two years to finally get good at this. Who knew I was just a quick study!