Summer challenges

We're here in Ohio, and it's HOT! This year, though, I've been hesitant to turn on my beloved AC. Our emergency account has been wiped out twice in the past few months for car problems and basement flooding, and the thought of saving all the money the air conditioner saps out is attractive. I also like the idea of doing without to help our environment. My plan has been to keep it off until at least June. My 11 year old stepson, though, had a different idea. He challenged us to keep it off all summer. ALL summer. Did I mention we live in Ohio? Where it is common to be in the 90's, with 99% humidity for weeks at a time? That I'm from the Northwest, and I melt in the heat and cry in the humidity?

I went for two years without AC, but it was in an old apartment building that was built when AC didn't exist. But it had huge windows and good airflow. My current house was built in 1996 or so, and has almost no airflow. I don't think Aidan knows what he's up against! He did tell his dad that I would be the one to feel it the most, since I'm at home all day. That was thoughtful.

Aidan asked himself what he could do for the environment this summer (as if living w/o AC wasn't enough). He decided to turn off the lights when his dad leaves them on, and take shorter showers. I decided to hang up every load of wash, no exceptions. Wayne was noncommittal. Maryam will continue to pee in the potty and use cloth diapers at night.

Lookie here!

I love contests. Here you can win a $100 gift certificate for mama cloth from Homestead Emporium. Fun fun!

Kids and chores

I started making my own household cleaners about a year ago. Since then I've had happy children cleaning walls, begging me for more things to clean. Okay, that's just the two year old. The older kids may not appreciate my green cleaning as much as I do, but I know their lungs are not getting filled with poisonous fumes and their skin irritated by noxious substances. When they're done cleaning the bathroom, it smells like peppermint. Nice!

My daughter went crazy with my bottle of all purpose spray the other day. We washed walls, the train table, her play kitchen. She tried to clean the furniture and the dog, too, but I quickly intervened.

I'm so cheap...

I asked my husband to make a cat scratching post. We used left-over carpet and lumber, and a friend gave us some firewood. Ta-da! No more kitten using my door frames to scratch on, and it didn't cost us a cent.

Lunches

At the start of the school year, I wisely decided against getting ordinary lunch boxes for the boys. They always seem to fall apart, they're hard to clean, and they often don't hold water bottles. Besides paper, though, what other options are there?

Lots, I discovered. For my kids, we went with a reusable insulated bag, steel water bottle (Kleen Kanteen brand is my favorite), insulated water bottle covers, and reusable bags sewn by me - stepmom extraordinaire, and reusable sandwich wraps, called wrap-n-mats. Wayne uses a thermos as well.

I can throw the bags and covers in the washing machine when they get dingy. The water bottles can be run in the dishwasher. There is no waste, and this stuff can all be used next year, and possibly even after that. The water bottles will keep for years and years.

I hope to decorate the bags with patches - we tried stickers this year and they fell off quickly. The boys don't seem to mind not having the plastic stuff. I'm saving money, trees, and landfill space. It's all good.

Did you know

that you can make homemade granola bars? Graham Crackers? Wheat thins? Pretzels? Bagels, even!For me it's become an adventure to see what I can make myself that I used to buy. The graham crackers were awesome, the wheat thins need some work.

I do this for two reasons - I'm cheap (frugal), and it's healthier. I guess I also like the challenge part.

I've started making my own french fries, which are amazing. I don't have a deep fat fryer, so I simply use a soup pot on high heat. So fried isn't the healthiest, but when compared to Mc Donald's, mine taste better and are far healthier. Here's a picture:

True Love!?!

I love my skillet. It is cast iron, heavy, black and so very useful.

*Yesterday I used it to make:
Bacon and pancakes for breakfast
Grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch
Skillet potatoes for dinner

*When seasoned properly, it is naturally non-stick, and unlike Toxic Teflon, there is nothing toxic about it.

*It adds iron to my diet

*It's so heavy that I have to keep it on my stove. Therefore I don't have to drag it out all the time to use.

But here is my real true love, shown slicing bread. I love him, even more than my skillet.