Earth Day Ideas

Today is Earth Day, and each year I try to make at least one change to be a better "earthling". Here are some ideas I found while browsing the interweb.

1. Go completely paperless. I have almost all my accounts set up for automatic deduction, but there's a couple that are still sending me statements and I just haven't taken the time to sign up for the paperless option.

2. Using compostable doggie poop bags. I usually just use grocery bags, but apparently they take 100 years to biodegrade. Dog Waste bags.

3. Maybe I'll look into this program for when I'm done with some old sneakers. I usually wear them till they're disgusting; too disgusting that I would feel bad giving them to a thrift store. I usually toss them, but this seems a better option. nikereuseashoe.com

4. Someday I'll plant a tree with my kids, but not this year.

5. Today we are going for a walk and picking up trash. We'll have to wait until this evening because it's going to be 100 degrees today.

6. That 100 degrees put a wrench in my going carless today. I think our only outing would have been to church, and it's a bit too far to make my husband and kids endure the heat. Maybe tomorrow we'll go carless.

7. And finally, we're going to make a craft from something in our recycle bin. I don't know what yet, but it won't be hard to think of something fun.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Easter

I had a very nice little Easter lesson with Maddie after church. I did the plastic eggs filled with different objects and scriptures to tell the Easter story. She thought it was very fun and exciting to open each egg, but when we got to the egg with the nail, she was instantly quiet and listened as we talked of Christ on the cross. We looked closely at a picture and saw each nail in his hands and feet. I told her it was okay to be sad when we think about it, but that he did it because he loves us very much. She was so sweet and said, "Sometimes when I'm sad, my eyes get a little bit watery." I'm not sure if she meant she felt sad today (I think this was her 3rd Easter lesson of the day) or just telling me that her eyes water when she's sad. But I'm so glad she's old enough to begin to understand the beautiful story of Easter and what it means for each of us. Happy Easter!

(Chicken Baby weaseled her way into most of our Easter pics this year)