How new is your New Year?

Is your year really a New Year, or is it pretty much the same as your old one?

Last year I discussed SMART New Year's resolutions - so let's check how this year is better than last.

Organic produce - YES!

• Bought organic bananas and apples several times already, although not exclusively due to quality.  
• Bought organic carrots as extra credit (and extra crunch)

Serving wholegrains to family - YES!

• Mixed white and brown rice is acceptable to the white rice lovers - suspicions but no serious complaints
• Wholegrain tortilla wraps went down a treat and may have been more filling
• "Motel porridge" was popular as a shared family breakfast and now we're back at home I'm pushing that tradition for all it's worth

Saving water - YES!

We've had a drought situation in Auckland for late spring and early summer (wouldn't know it from today's floods!)  So I've

• Watered our garden (in buckets) from the dregs of our rain tank and lugged from the backyard paddling pool - this is hard work but I need the exercise anyway, right?
• Turned off the water mid-shower when I don't need it during shampooing and soaping - it's warm enough and you use less soap if it's not being rinsed away as you scrub!  I won't manage this in winter so now is the time to save...

Gardening and growing food - YES!

I'm no food stylist, but this is fresh from the garden!

It wouldn't feed the five hundred or even the family, but it is satisfying to harvest what I've tended.   And the kids love to get involved.

• Tomatoes
• Strawberries
• Beans
• Rhubarb
• Sunburst squash

And I've even learned stuff - now I know that summer squash produce male flowers first and then those die.  (No male performance jokes, please.)  Next are female and male flowers together, and then if the bees are doing their job (or you do it for them), you have a chance at squash.  Even when you see iddle widdle baby squash growing, those still need to get pollinated or they nosedive and rot at about 2cm.

No poo - YES!  Well, less poo..

This refers to avoiding shampoo, not what most of us mothers will immediately think. 

I really like the results of the baking soda/cider vinegar treatment, but it does take longer than using shampoo so sometimes I just reach for the usual bottle.

I also bought some Dr Bronner's soap as a tooth soap (and it's fantastic so long as you only have a couple of drops) but also am using it as a shampoo based on recommendations from some people experimenting with No Poo.  I'm not so happy with it (I struggle to feel squeaky clean even when using a lot) and when I get organised I will get my baking soda/cider vinegar bottles back online.

I've thrown away my commercial deodorant - I find that the splash of cider vinegar works just as well.  Not perfectly during the summer or times of stress!  But if the pits are smelly anyway by the end of the day, I might as well not be paying to use funny chemicals as well.

Decluttering - YES!

One big bag landed at the charity shop this week and I have some smaller bags earmarked for families I know who might be able to use outgrown clothes and surplus toys.

Report Card

Despite returning from our holiday travels feeling exhausted, uninspired, and almost dysfunctional, I'm showing all the classic signs of New Year's Enthusiasm!  Stay tuned...

Some of these changes cost more money and some cost less - I am hoping they will balance out.

Great minds think alike - giving royally

What I have in common with Will and Kate:
(never thought I'd be posting that sentence!)

Charity gifts

Yes, Will and Kate may be asking for donations to charity instead of gravy boats and tablecloths for themselves.  That is so admirable I have to rave about it.

Cheers to Will and Kate for recognising that they have everything and then some and can buy the rest.  Given the likely invitee list to their wedding, there will be a lot of disposable income available.  And between a show of conspicuous consumption or some hefty donations to the needy?   No prizes for guessing which gets my thumbs up.

Tomorrow we're holding the birthday party for DD, who is 3 now, and we have a similar deal with our invitees.  We encourage them to make a small donation in our name, or just bring a very small contribution to the special family present.  I've done this for the last several birthday parties for my kids and I love the results:

1. No present overload
2. Fewer but higher quality presents to be appreciated
3. Less clutter
4. Charities benefit instead of chain stores
5. One less task for busy parents - saving fuel, wrapping paper, etc.

What's not to love?  It's a much happer birthday all around...

Smart New Year's Resolutions

A better year is in store

You probably have no more willpower than the next person, but it is possible to make New Year's Resolutions that stick.

It isn't how much you want to do what you resolve, it's how you plan to do what you resolve.

Resolution?
Drunkenly babble a few heartfelt wishes as the clock strikes midnight.

Or

Resolution!
Design your resolutions as SMART goals.

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Timely
  

Personally
I want to do more voting with the family dollar to support environmentally sound industries and improve the nutrition of family meals, so...

Organics
Wishy washy resolution
Buy more organic groceries. 

SMART resolution

1. Buy organic bananas and apples from the local health food supermarket
2. Buy organic baking flour from the local health food supermarket

Food processing
Wishy washy resolution
Buy fewer processed foods

SMART resolution

1. Replace at least one kids' lunchbox food with a wholegrain alternative
2. Replace at least one basic dinner choice with a wholegrain alternative 
3. Experiment with one basic dinner choice from scratch instead of bought packaged

So what's so SMART about it?
There's no difference in the emotion and desire behind either version.  But the SMART version will be something you can easily see yourself doing, or more importantly, notice when you are not doing it.  The wishy washy version fails because you can't be certain you are achieving or failing.

Merry Giftmas?

How do I look in this?

The kid in all of us loves to get presents - and the kids around us love them even more.  So now's a great time to get creative with your imagination instead of your wallet and make your gifts unforgettable.

And it is also a perfect time to sort through what can be regifted.

This is not to everyone's taste, I know, but it can be a real win-win solution.  You give, declutter, and save money all at once. 

Golden regifting rule

It must look unused.

Hand me downs can be used and even look used.  Special occasion gifts must play the part.

I have an underbed box with great condition "baby and bigger" clothes saved from my regular purges of outgrown clothes.  Due to wrong seasons, too much, or buried, or whatever, I've never had a shortage of great gifts for new parents.

I also have a box of emergency kid gifts.  Some gifts are perfect finds from charity shops, some are unused gifts we've received, and some are even retail bargains!  Colouring and sticker books are favourites for us to receive, so when the bookstores have sales, I collect lots of handy, light, storeable, fun, recyclable presents at once.

More Posts of Christmas Presents

• The case against...
• Stop bad gifts!
• True Confessions
• Gift Avoidance

Have a Merry Christmas (not a Merry Giftmas :-)

P.S. Recent decluttering success

• One large bag of toys, puzzles, rags, miscellaneous to the charity shop
• Our overflow MegaBloks to Nadia's Montessori preschool
• Set of infant Lego trains and blocks, sold on Trademe
• One large bag of disposable nappies and trainers, awaiting target delivery

Keeping Santa Simple

Won't anyone save our children?

Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!  Sir Walter Scott, Marmion, Canto vi. Stanza 17.

Better watch out, or your kids are going to ask one more question about the magic of Santa than you can answer.  You'll find yourself saying "If you don't believe in Santa, you won't get any presents!"

Kids are smart

Most kids actually take the trouble to analyse situations more thoroughly than adults do.  They're still exploring the universe with wonder, which is why the "whys" come at you faster than you can bat them away.

And yet, as a culture, we persist through generations of playing a game with the hearts and minds of our dearest treasures.  I'm sure some of you will just assume I'm no fun (there's some truth to this), but instead consider this.

Why Santa is a risky business

1. You are telling them a story and pretending it is true
2. You are creating an exciting person with a personal relationship with them - who does not exist
3. You are encouraging them to accept unrealistic things based on their trust of you (and possibly greed)
4. They may suffer serious disappointment with the world and with you when they learn the truth
5. They may suffer ridicule from children who already know the truth
6. You have no control over how they eventually learn the truth

Santa Sanity

You can still enjoy Santa as a family without embarrassing side effects.  After all, you can hardly go out near Christmastime without encountering the jolly old fat dude, and you can't control what other people say to your child about Santa.

With our children, we simply appeal to their natural love of story characters - Santa isn't real any more than Bob the Builder, Ben 10, or Dora, but all of them capture a child's imagination and the Santa story can be lots of fun.  It can even be educational, if you allow that sort of thing during your happy holidays, and can give you another option for "the reason for the season" if you aren't religiously inclined.

If your children already "believe" and any of this makes sense to you, then consider item 6 in our list.  You can at least take control of presenting them with the truth instead of letting them find out from an older child who laughs at them in front of a large group for being such a baby.

Finally

If this post has contained any spoilers for you personally, remember, it's always the parents' fault.  Ho Ho Ho!

Make a statement!

No, how can I help YOU?

 Have some fun and spread the word too.

1. Pick a cause.  Any cause, or as many as you like.  You may already have several favourites to choose from.  If you are already fundraising for something worthy, even better.
2. Collect a pile of free handouts from that cause (or fundraising materials)
3. Position them near your front door.
4. When someone comes to your door (uninvited) wanting you to do something for them, listen politely and then offer them your cause's pamphlet(s) or ask if they want to buy from your fundraising promotion or donate small change.

Personally, I wouldn't pull the fundraising stunt on someone else trying to fundraise, only companies trying to sell me something.  But everyone at your door is fair game for pamphlets in your interest, at least.

This is especially good for those of us who are at home for our jobs, but unsolicited visitors happen after hours too.  At least this way, your time answering the door will benefit you instead of only the person disturbing you.

Wish me luck! I'll give you a full report later, and if you try it, let me know how it goes.

How many great reasons do you need to use minimalist cleaners?

Ready, aim, clean!

1.  The children 
How many locked cupboards do you want in your house?  Most cleaners from the supermarket are dangerous poisons and your small children can't really understand that.

If you do most of your cleaning with baking soda and vinegar, your biggest worry is whether they will overdose on salt or rise an hour earlier than usual, or perhaps want to be salad dressing for Halloween.

And there's the longterm exposure danger as well.  It's very difficult to do scientific double-blind studies to prove such damage, but common sense leads me to the precautionary principle.  I wish more companies practiced this.

2.  Your skin (and eyes, and...)

The cleaners that "eat through grease and grime like magic" will do their work on your hands and anything else you let them touch.  Of course, rubber gloves look great and are lots of fun to wear - a regular hand sauna every time you clean.

3.  The environment

All those cleaners end up outside,  In the water, or in the ground.  Read the ingredients (if the cleaners actually list them, of course) and think about whether the earth is a better place with more of these chemicals floating around.

When you choose to use these cleaners, animals and plants die.  Yes, your house water does go through pipes to get treated, but pipes leak. They are known to leak (up to 50% of contents in older systems!), and that is an accepted part of the system.  And when water is purified, the resulting chemicals don't just disappear.

4.  The clutter

How many different bottles and cans of cleaner do you have for your house?  How hard is it to find the one you want underneath the others?  How often do you have to go back to get the right one for the next cleaning job?  How much poisonous rubbish goes into a landfill over a year from buying cleaners?

A big bag of baking soda and jug of vinegar can be stored anywhere it suits you.

5.  Your health

Thanks to modern science, there are lots of things new under the sun these days.  Laboratories create substances that nature has no remedy for, and it's old news that overuse of antibacterial soaps is causing an unnatural imbalance in bacteria populations.  Remember, not all bacteria make you sick.  Many of them keep you healthy and alive.  

Advertisers would have you believe that your house is only clean if it's been thoroughly disinfected of all those nasty germs.  They want to frighten you into buying their product.  They don't want you to ask how their product knows which are the nasty germs.

And of course, your house isn't clean unless it smells of artificial fragrance, right?  But you may not know which visitor to your house is allergic.  Many reputable sources consider multiple chemical exposure to be a major contributor to the "mysterious" rise we are suffering in allergies, sensitivities, asthma, etc. 

6. The cost

At the price per millilitre for supermarket cleaners, you might as well be buying water with gold dust thrown in.  Minimalist cleaners are cheap and you can buy them in large quantities, saving even more money.  Many minimalist cleaners can do more than clean, making them an even better bet.

How do I start?

If you search the web for information on natural household cleaning, you'll probably never run out.

• Beauty of homemade cleaners
• More baking soda and vinegar
• More natural cleaning recipes - OK, it's not all baking soda and vinegar.  With a few other ingredients, you can have fancier or stronger cleaners naturally
• And now, with lemons!   Good thing I can get lemons when I need them now.  I even picked a lot of lemons this week for a freecycler in my neighbourhood who wanted to make lemon curd.