Friday, January 18, 2013

News Flash

Catching up on the daily news from Sunrise School.  Pre-Christmas news took on the form of confession for one of our students.  Perhaps she was attempting to clear things up with Santa before the big day.


The next week brought exciting dental feats, a beloved yester-word, and a new class member/character.


And our 2013 started off with a bang.  Barbie houses, playing, snowball fights, and slumber parties.  One even looked back upon memories of yesteryear.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

7.3.2 Little on the Trashy Side

7 Experiment: based on the book by Jen Hatmaker
3rd Month: Mutiny Against Waste
2nd Post: Little on the Trashy Side
 
Waste was November.  Yes.  I am behind.
 
Some of the months of this experiment can be done alone.  Not this one.  Super Dad, Little Momma, and Fairy Child had to step in to accomplish our four waste reduction goals.
 
 
Goal: One bag of trash per week
 
Grade: A+
We totally did it! One bag of trash per week!  I was highly doubtful as to the attainability of this goal. I mean, I have kids. And not just my kids, but Sunrise School kids, too. Nine kids in and out of my house every week. Some of them still in diapers.
 
How We Did It:
1. Reuse - My cabinets runneth over with yogurt tubs and spaghetti sauce jars.
2. Recycle - Like crazy everything.
3. Intentionally buy things with recyclable containers/packaging.
4. Compost - More on this below
 

Goal: Conserve Energy and Water
 
Grade: A-
I thought we did pretty good with electricity, but I never could make myself give up my full, hot baths and long showers.  Sadly, I was about to give us a B-.  Then our electric bill came in.  Seventy.  Four.  Dollars.  BOOM, baby!  Bumped us back up to an A-.  Am I a hopeless teacher-dork?  I love grading myself!
 
How We Did It:
1. Become electricity Nazis - Not in the room, nothing on.
2. Use power strips behind entertainment units - Easy to flip switch off when not in use for long periods
3. Unplug anything when not in use - chargers, coffee pot, computer
4. A/C up a degree higher
5. Windows open when pleasant outside
6. Heat a degree colder
 
Goal: Compost

Grade: B
We are now members of the Compost Posse.  This one required work in the beginning, but once started has been quite easy.  And I have been surprised at what is compostable.  Had to give us a B because I need to do a better job maintaining our pile.  I hear tales of a composting bin that turns itself.  If I stay neon green, I might have to get one.

How We Did It:
1. Build a bin - Ours is made of zip ties and old pallets
2. Learn what can be composted - the Google machine has lots on this topic
3. Make to be composted container inside - No way we'd go out every time
 
 
Goal: Garden
 
Grade: F
Did not even attempt.  This feels like those standardized tests from elementary school.  I always scored at the top in every subject and failed spelling.  Gardening is my spelling.  I did get three houseplants.  Perhaps if they are still alive in the Spring, I could consider gardening. 
 
How We Did It:
1. Think about it.
2. Talk about it.
3. Stop.
 
Experiment-wise, I think this was a good month.  It made me more mindful of my wastefulness.  The down side?  I can't get the song "I Like My Women Just a Little on the Trashy Side" out of my head.

Friday, January 4, 2013

2012 By the Numbers

In 2012 I confessed to being a "resolution junkie" and laid out my seventeen resolutions.  Let's see how I did.

Act in love first, not anger. 
Still needs work.  1/2 point

Speak to my children with a kind tone of voice when I am frustrated.
Much related to #1.  1/2 point

Read my Bible more.
Found out in 2012 the only way for my to do this is wake up earlier.  1 point

Call my grandmother more. 
Better than 2011, but if you know my Gran, you know I could never call her enough.  1/2 point

Pray more. 
Still need more.  Especially in reference to resolutions #1 & #2.  1/2 point

Get home earlier on Tuesday nights.
Nope.  0 points

Use lotion on my poor dry hands.
Just checked hands.  Sandpaper.  But medium grit, no longer coarse.  1/2 point

Shave my legs more. (Not more of my leg, but more times.)
Maybe negative points?  I'll be generous and say  0 points

Do the projects I pin on Pinterest. 
I've done several of them, thank you very much.  1 point

Cook different meals.
Fish sticks and chicken nuggets grace our dinner table much less these days.  1 point

Cut back on my chocolate intake. (I eat a truly alarming amount of it in any given day.)
What was I thinking?  Seriously?!?  0 points

Pluck my eyebrows more frequently.
Eh.  1/2 point

Clean my house more. 
In-home preschool insures this happens.  1 point

Not let the bushes take over the sidewalk.
Sidewalk visible.  1 point

Plant some herbs. 
Didn't even attempt.  0 points

Try eating the veggies I make my kids eat.
Now this, I have done.  At times the portions were insanely small, but I ate what I made my girls eat.  As a proclaimed meatatarian, I think I am most proud about this one.  1 point

Work out. (Last on my list for many reasons.) 
Worse than any on the list.  Should have stopped at lucky 16.  0 points

My goal was fifty percent of the resolutions kept.  And, thanks to the beauty of half credit, 2012 was a year of fifty-three percent success!  Congratulations, mediocre self.  Perhaps 2013 will hold even less dashed good intentions.

Stay tuned for 2013 resolutions.