Out with the old...

...in with the new. Not that this will be exciting to anyone but me, but I got a new truck this week.
here are some pictures, old and new:

New Hymns?

So I heard an interview on the radio today and the guests are hymn writers of all things, Keith & Kristyn Getty to be exact. They have written quite a few hymns like 'In Christ alone' and 'The Power of the Cross', Keith says "I love storytelling in songs and I think people love stories. People will sing theology forever if the song takes them on a journey, and with 'In Christ Alone,' I wanted to write a song that would tell the whole story of the life of Christ, almost like a modern creed.".
This is a beautiful song they wrote for Communion.
Check them out! (esp. you Rick :-))

Dishwasher detergent

Product reviews:
Recently I decided we needed to change our dishwasher detergent, since Kirkland Signature brand (though it gets the dishes really clean) contains somewhere around 6% phosphates. (Note: this just might change as Spokane County is going forward with a phosphate ban this year.)
So I decided to try Seventh Generation Automatic Dishwasher Gel. Well, I was disappointed right away and wondered if all "natural" dishwasher detergents worked so poorly. (And this particular product of theirs is actually not as natural as other natural brands!) The glasses usually looked streaked, and often the plates and other dishes had residue on them, especially grease. Also, it didn't take out coffee/tea stains. This product retails for about 6.49, and I'm not sure how many loads it does, but it's 45 oz. and the instructions are to fill the dispenser cups in your dishwasher completely. I'm guessing, then, it does at best 45 loads. That's 14 cents a load. At best. Oh, and I always had to add Borax or baking soda to increase effectiveness.

Okay, so I did a little research online before buying another product I wouldn't like. Biokleen had good reviews--better than Seventh Generation. At Super Supplements, they have this for 6.79 right now. I got Biokleen's Automatic Dish Powder, and it does 64 loads. That figures to 11 cents a load. I only use 1 tablespoon for a load, and am very happy with it. No greasy residue, hardly any streak on the glasses (and those that are, I'm suspicious are just leftover from before). I recommend this product if you're wanting to switch to something more natural for the lakes and rivers, and for your own health (chlorine is toxic).

Earth-friendly Money-savers

• Dry your clothes on a line outside.
• Drive less. (for us lately, this has not been hard, since I don't feel up to going anywhere!)
• Have a compost pile.
• Recycle as much as you can.
• Use cloth diapers. (I know this is debatable whether it saves money, but if you do a lot of laundry like I do, it's not going to put a big dent in your energy or water bill.)
• Grow your own veggies and/or herbs.
• Wait until clothes are really dirty to wash them.
• Spend more time outside (then you can turn your lights and TV/computer off!)
• Buy clothes at a thrift or consignment store when possible.
• Buy other items at a thrift or consignment store when possible.
  
• Make your own household cleaners using vinegar, borax, essential oils, etc. (recipes online are easy to find.)
• Use energy star appliances (as long as you can afford the initial cost)
• Ride a bike to work (if it's close enough)
• Use cloth grocery bags. (Here, you get 5 cents credit per bag per use...20 uses, and it's paid off! Beyond that you actually "make" money.)
  

I thought this would be appropriate for Earth Day...I also wanted to show myself a list of ways we can be eco-friendly that actually save money too. There are some things out there that cost more, and if you have the ability, I think many are worth doing (or cutting some non-essential out of your budget so you can do it). I was just thinking about this recently while listening to a radio show on KMBI, where they were asking people "what do you do to save money in these harder economic times?" I noticed that several things people were saying--the majority, in fact--were either better for the environment, better for personal health, or both.

I was also thinking about the fact that while the global warming advocates say that overpopulation is a big, bad deal, it's ironic that in the U.S., the average children per family is not even 2. And, I know this is a very blanket statement to which there are plenty of exceptions, but isn't it much more likely that families with two or less children will buy their children and themselves more non-essentials, rather than doing several of the things on the above list? Families with more children are probably more likely to have a garden, buy clothes and other things from thrift stores, and do several other things to save money. Besides that, they are probably more likely to teach their children a better work ethic--in a bigger family you have to do your part. I know this is all just my own opinion and speculation. What do you all think?

Oh, and I found it quite ironic that Wal-Mart is selling lots of new t-shirts for Earth Day. Like, if you care about Earth Day and what it's about, why would you buy a new shirt that you really don't need anyway in order to show it? Anyway, maybe that's just me.

I almost forgot!

These are from Sunday.

Pregnancy status, and trying to live "green"

After four days of feeling relatively great, I'm back to my weak sickie state today. I've been laying (or if I'm feeling "better," sitting) on the couch pretty much all day today. I was just reading several different articles in a health magazine about natural products, health benefits from whole foods, and the risks of all the chemicals we come in contact with in our daily lives, and then here I am eating a bowl of conventional cold cereal. Okay, so I try to use natural products and eat natural/raw/organic foods to some extent...but there are some things I just can't do, at least not while I'm pregnant and sick. Cold cereal is one of the few foods I can actually eat when I feel sick. But hey, the milk is organic and whole! And I'm getting protein from it, and fat for the baby.

On a different note, I was reading letters to the editor in the newspaper the other day. I don't know why I do this because I usually end up getting annoyed and frustrated at stupid people, or narrow-minded people. Well, there were three letters about Global Warming. Two were on one "side" of the issue and the other was on the other "side." This is what annoys me so much: that we have to take sides. Either you are a complete believer in Global Warming as an irrefutable fact, or, you believe it's a bunch of hooey and therefore we don't have to try to take care of the earth better than we have been (especially as Americans). Now, I'm not convinced that Global Warming is real. But that's no reason to keep filling up the landfills and using toxic household products and buying gas-guzzler cars for no reason other than that they make me look good. It frustrates me especially that any Christian would not try to change how they live in order to affect the planet for the better, when we're supposed to be the stewards, the caretakers, of creation. I believe we have all the more responsibility, regardless of how we feel about the whole Global Warming issue.
Besides, the personal health benefits of doing your part to reduce toxins and harmful chemicals in the air, in the home, and in food, not to mention that many of the "green" things we can do actually cost less (or at least do in the long run), are so worth it!

Lazy days...

I feel like all I've been doing lately is laying around.  I can't help it--I just can't do the stuff I normally would be able to.  Different things have been priorities for me (some better, some worse)--doing school with Timothy is a priority, but I have to remember it too, which is a challenge sometimes.  Feeding the kids meals, always a priority.  But the substance of those meals more depends on what is available to be made in 10 minutes or less, hopefully not all that time having to stand up.  Today Timothy made the pb&j sandwiches (he repeatedly asked if he could PLEASE make them himself) and he did a great job.  All I had to do was cut up a pear and there we had it.

Training Lightning is up there on the priority list, but requires time that I feel well enough, so I haven't been doing it as much as I should.  But he's finally getting "sit" and he's been doing well with "leave it" and "watch".  It's exciting to see his improvement just by doing 5 minutes of training in a day.  

And trying to get enough nutrients for the baby is a real challenge when almost nothing sounds good most of the time.  Hopefully I won't eschew the high-protein foods for the whole pregnancy...but right now the things that are the easiest to eat are bread (thankfully I can eat whole-wheat without it making me sick) and crackers, etc.  Cheddar cheese also is sometimes an option, but strangely enough string cheese (which normally taste better & milder to me) just makes me wanna GAG thinking about it.

Well, all the snow from Saturday morning was gone by the afternoon, and even though it's still been colder than normal, it's starting to feel, smell, and look like spring here.  For that I'm thankful.  Maybe by the time it's getting really pretty and green outside I'll be feeling well enough to take advantage of it. :-)

Again?!?

These are fresh brand-new pictures. Crazy, eh?

Pictures, finally

Well, I think it's because I'm pregnant, but my brain has taken a leave of absence. For this reason I left our camera at church on Easter, without even using it there. So, now that I have a moment of kids in bed and myself not being too nauseated, I'll share some of this last month's pictures with you.


Noelle, wearing David's flannel shirt, a pair of the boys' old jeans, and muddy boots to play in the dirt in.



















My kids. What can I say?














Victoria, caught mid-word I think.



















This picture of Timothy cracked me up so I had to share it.














Not the greatest picture of Kyrie, but it gets her wearing the Spider-man slippers.














And, Antonio. Irresistible cuteness from the Capezzas, again.




















































(Don't worry, the can is empty.)






































Cousins.














Noelle in her Easter dress.














This was just last night...the kids went to the dentist in the morning for a check-up, and shopping (all this with just Daddy!) until about 3pm, so no nap. She was exhausted by dinnertime.