One last rant

In today's local paper, The Pantagraph, there was an AP story about stay-at-home moms needing to stay closer to home. Oh, the woe. They can't just get in the SUV and drive to Target, whenever. They have to plan that trip in conjunction with a trip to playgroup.

The sacrifices these women make! I tell you. One mom says there's no way to go back to work. The hour commute would make it cost prohibitive.

It's just too much woe for one morning paper. I will say, living close to city center, taking public transit (yes! with your kids), walking, biking, eating at home, line drying, watching energy costs and not bitching about it would really be a welcome change of pace among this group. Instead of saying, "There's no time for poor old me," they could maybe be grateful they have, at their disposal, a means to teach their kids that energy is something we use with purpose. It's not our God-given right.

As I end this rant, I end this blog. I just don't have it in me to direct other people in the ways of green. There are much better outlets (Ideal Bite and Grist, for instance) for this information.

My whole idea of writing about green comes from a humorous aspect, much like writing about parenting. But unlike parenting, I've been able to pretty much master going green in just a few short years. No longer to I get flustered on the bus. No longer do I get stranded miles from home. No longer do I struggle with laundry.

So, I'll start blogging more on my original blog — My Dirty Little Secret — about my life as a mom who is constantly flustered. Of course the green will be there as well, but I'll leave the advide to the experts and, instead, try and document my little world, which is funny, loving, frustrating, unbelievable and green, all at the same time.

On the line

I received an e-newsletter from e-mail from Project Laundry List today. I was surprised the impact of laundry, which uses a huge amount of our resources, wasn't being tracked as closely as other things, like transportation.

But it seems there will be a meeting to take a closer look at these issues. This is from the newsletter:

The statistics that our government keeps, which are used by hundreds
of businesses, utilities, and nonprofits, are often dismal. When it comes to laundry,
the numbers are terrible.

* There are no stats on commercial laundry done at Laundromats, hospitals, hotels,
restaurants, universities, fish piers, etc.
* There is terrible data about gas dryers, which about 17% of American households
have.
* They have this "5.8% of residential electricity use goes toward the electric dryer"
figure upon which we have built our organization's mission; however, they have no
footnote or any knowledge of how the number was derived.

I guess there will be a meeting to take a closer look energy consumption in general. I wonder if laundry will make the list?

The REAL reason SAHMs go green

Hi and Lois
Sept. 25, 2008

You might think that children are our future, and all that crap, but really, it comes down to cash. Or lack of cash. And if the newspaper comics are talking about it, rest assured, it's old news.

Why the bus?

I was chatting the other day with a single friend of mine, who happens to live in the sprawling land of Phoenix, Ariz., when she told me she's been commuting via the bus?

Why? It's less stressful, she said.

That is something all transit companies should really start pounding into the public. Reading the paper, listening to an iPod or daydreaming is about a billion times less stressful than driving.

Gas prices means this might be a viable option for many more people. Check out this stat:

The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that Americans drove 3.6 percent fewer miles last year than the year before — a total of 3.003 trillion miles in 2007 compared to 3.014 trillion miles in 2006, according to preliminary measurements.

That would make 2007 one of the few years — if not the only year — in U.S. history during which total traffic volume decreased.

Friday recipes; or Fricipes

Technically, I'm not including a recipe. But this is definitely food related.

The New York Times just wrote a really interesting article about the mistakes parents make when feeding the kids. I was a little shocked that "Letting your child live exclusively on Fruit Loops" didn't make the list, but hey, I guess that's sort of implied.

I have to say, I'm only guilty of one to two of the six sins. The article suggests you shouldn't force kids to take at least one bite of everything. I'm definitely in that camp. My argument is, I'll give you an alternative if you don't like what I made, but you've got to at least try it.

Anyhow, I thought it was a great list unlike any I'd seen before. Most say things like, don't let kids fill up on carbs. Well, duh. But this actually offered some useful advice.

1. Don't send kids out of the kitchen. Let them hang around for preparations. BTW, I'm super good at this one.
2. Pressuring them to take a bite. I think I've mentioned, not so much.
3. Keeping good food out of reach. "Good food" was a misnomer. It actually means stuff kids think is good, like candy. The argument is, don't have it in the house if you don't want your kids to have it. I hope wine doesn't apply.
4. Dieting in front of your kids.
5. Serving boring veggies. For Pete's sake, but some butter on those green beans.
6. Giving up too soon. It can take kids up to 15 tries before they accept they like something.

This is how we roll

I vowed not to be one of those mothers who enroll their children is countless organized activities, only to become just that sort of mother.

The only criteria I have is that the activity must be very close to our house, or on a bus route. But my town's park and rec department's community center is about a block away, which houses my daughter's preschool and (soon) her dance class. Her swimming class is just a mere half block further, so you can see I have a surprising amount of options.

And I know that some parents think I'm cuckoo by dragging my kids around on a bike, sometimes in pretty crappy weather. The other day, we walked home in torrential downpours with just some rain boots and umbrellas. My neighbor didn't just think I was crazy, he told me so.

But on a bike, I can get in/get out much quicker than in a car. A round trip might take just three or four minutes. And getting outside, even in bad weather, expends a lot of kid energy that keeps the girls from re-carpeting the house with plastic toys.

With gas prices jumping about 15 cents in two days, it might be cuckoo. But feels pretty sane to me.

Now I realize not everybody has the option of living two blocks from activity central, but our central location coupled with non-car transportation means some days when my husband takes the bus, which is becoming more and more frequent, we don't even move the car from the driveway.

Another way to think about it is to contemplate a commute. If I worked in Peoria, I'd spend close to $2,000 a year just driving to and from work, without any pit stops. Did I mention cuckoo?

Friday recipes; or Fricipes

For my birthday, my aunt gave me this great cookbook all about cooking with the seasons. Since she's also quite the gardener, I also came home from a recent visit with a paper bag full of tomatoes.

"Simply In Season," commissioned by Mennonites, has fantastic recipes for all kinds of veggies. From springtime asparagus to winter squash, almost anything growing in your garden is covered. Since I was the lucky recipient of all these tomatoes, and because I don't can, I made a simple tomato sauce, which I froze. The following recipe is pretty much straight from the book, with a few of my own tweaks.

1 chopped onion sautéed in 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium head until soft.
2 garlic cloves, minced. Cook for about 30 seconds.

Add two shredded carrots, 1 chopped green (or red) pepper, 2 bay leaves, 1/4 cup fresh parsley, 2 Tbsp fresh basil, 1 Tbsp fresh oregano and/or 1 Tbsp fresh thyme.

Stir well

6 cups peeled and chopped tomatoes. Puree about half in food processor or blender.
6 ounces tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste.

Sauté about 15 minutes. Have a lovely bowl of pasta and freeze the rest in plastic bags.