Sorry for the lack of posts over the past few days two readers. It's been 'one of those weeks'.
I have to say, I always feel behind at this time of year, curriculum-wise. October/early November are very eventful at our school. We really go all out for Red Ribbon Week/Halloween/All Saints Day/Veteran's Day/etc.
Now comes the "HOLIDAY SEASON". I already see Christmas lights out and there are constant reminders in every store of the presents I have yet to purchase/make/wrap and the lessons I have to plan.
I do have some longer posts in the works including what I'm doing for Thanksgiving both at home and at school, some Advent ideas, and some information about wedding planning and honeymoon ideas. Also in the works are tours of both my classroom and my home with (hopefully) some helpful tips.
Until then I want to share one goal I've made for myself as I become a 'real adult'. I've been married for about four months now and am in my fourth year of teaching and sometimes I still wake up and feel like a fraud. I still feel very young and that I have a lot to learn about this world and the magnitude of all my responsibilities is sometimes overwhelming.
So I've been trying to make little goals to simplify and enrich my life little by little.
One goal I've been working on is living greener. I know it's trendy and hip and you can buy designer canvas bags with some smug saying on it for $100, but I really see how wasteful American culture can be.
There are so many ways to waste less and to live a little greener and I've compiled some ideas right here:
Laundry
Reusable Dryer Sheets
How cute are these reusable dryer sheets? I tend to get sensitive to artificial fragrance. These are right up my alley. I'd be interested in trying them out. You get a pack of three filled with organic lavender buds (I love lavender).
Find them at greeneyed.com
Food Stuff
I'm a Trader Joe's fanatic. My favorite of their reusable bags is this red cloth one for about $3.00. I just need to remember to bring these in wherever I shop.
Instead of wasting plastic bags to carry produce, why not try these pretty reusable produce bags? These are cute. I would definitely have to remember to wash these quite often (just to be safe).
Find them at greeneyed.com
Or try these? Mmmmm... decisions, decisions.
Found on Etsy
Lunch Time
I'm so sick of spending money and wasting plastic baggies. I've seen a lot of cute options like the bento style lunch boxes below:
Okay, so if I had some extra free time every day, I would make adorable, imaginative lunches like these found over on the blog Another Lunch. The bento used is from Planetbox.
Via Another Lunch
Another good option is from Easy Lunch Boxes.
Another cute lunch via Another Lunch.
(Yes, these are technically geared toward children but I love them anyway!)
Another option is to use some cute fabric lunch bags with some reusable sandwich and snack bags.
I like these two below:
Found on Etsy
I love robots! I don't care that it looks like the lunch bag of a 10 year old boy.
Found on Etsy
Inside, keep your food in reusable bags like these:
Find this one at greeneyed.com
This one was found on Etsy
And to hold a drink? I've been using a Sigg bottle for a couple years. It's great and all, but 1.) they are really hard to clean and 2.) Apparently the older ones have traces of BPA (I know!). So I'm trading my Sigg in for a new one.
I've also been looking at other options like these Klean Kanteens.
Or take a look in REI for some other good options.
Cleaning Stuff
My favorite all purpose, non-toxic cleaner is, hands down, Simple Green. I love this stuff. It smells so good and doesn't cause my allergies to go crazy (again, I react very badly to a lot of harsh chemicals). I use Simple Green mostly in the kitchen and to clean my floors.
If you use a Swiffer, why not try a reusable cleaning pad like the one below. I don't have a Swiffer right now (I just have a regular mop) but I love this idea. There are lots of hand made options on Etsy.
Found on Etsy
Alternatives to Gift Wrap
One last idea as the HOLIDAY SEASON (say in an intense wresting announcer voice) approaches. Instead of wasting all that wrapping paper (it's pretty but it makes me cringe to see it wasted every year) why not try some pretty fabric? I'm going to try something like the ones below this year. You could even buy some cheap holiday fabric or some inexpensive wraps or scarves to serve the same purpose. I love the two wraps below:
From greeneyed.com
Well, I hope this gave you some ideas, two readers. I've only tried some of these out but hope to add a little at a time over the next few weeks. I'll let you know how it goes.
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