Happy Earth Day!

Today is Earth Day. A day that usually goes by without much fuss.  This year my family is celebrating the holiday.  I was going to take the kids for a hike in a local state park.  But rains and chilly weather squelched my plans.  Our plans now include taking our recycling to the center and watching Disney's Oceans on Netflix. 

There are so many ways families can be green without buying a hybrid vehicle.  Here is a list you can try with your family:

1. Start recycling.  Newspapers, cardboard boxes, plastic jugs, homework papers, magazines, glass, junk mail ect.  Set up a bin for your recyclables and teach your children what goes in the bin.  They will really enjoy putting stuff in the bin for you.  
2. Use reusable grocery bags.  They come in a variety of styles and colors.  Join me in making cashiers insanely mad when you hand them a bunch of bags.  Most stores are not set up for the cashiers to have an easy time filling cloth grocery bags.  But if we use them more often that will change.  A bonus for cloth bags is that they hold more which means less trips back and forth to your vehicle.  They also come in handy for sports events and long trips.
3. Turn off the lights.  Before the kids leave each morning for school have them run through the house turning off all the lights.  Be sure you do them same when you leave the house.  Don't forget about unplugging cell phone chargers when not in use. Unplug kitchen appliances that are not being used.
4. Run the dishwasher or clothes washer only when they are full.  This will waste less water.
5. Turn the facet off while brushing your teeth.  Have the kids do the same.  So much water is wasted just when brushing our teeth.  Think of how many gallons of water you will be saving.  
6. Take shorter showers instead of long showers or baths.
7. Turn the thermostat down a bit in the winter and wear warmer clothes.  Or do the opposite in the warmer months. You will use less energy.
8. If possible walk to where you are going.  Its great exercise, will save you money, and Mother Earth will love you for it.
9. Plant something.  A tree, an indoor herb garden, flowers, etc.  Plants give off oxygen.  Plus, they are pretty to look at.
10. Use reusable lunch bags and sandwich bags.  There are so many different styles out there.  We love our sandwich bags.  We use them for school lunches, road trips snacks and many other things.  

This is a short list.  There are so many ways you can be green.  Take small steps.  Even smalls steps help you reach your destination.  Involve your family.  We want our children to respect the Earth.  I hope you and your family has a wonderful and very green Earth Day!

My Monday Night

You already know I love 30 Seconds to Mars.  And most definitely their frontman, Jared Leto.  Well, last night I finally got to see them in concert.  It was truly an amazing experience.  I will never forget it.  I would like to forget the people who stood near me.  They didn't jump or sing.  They were too busy talking.  Its a concert not a fracking cocktail party.  Anywho, I still had a blast with my friend, Stacy.  We screamed our faces off and sang our hearts out.  What a fantastic night. 

Below is a clip of part of the show from last night I found on youtube.  Enjoy! 

Can you hear me singing?

A quicky!

Just popping in to say hello.  HELLO!!  Woo, its been a busy day so far.  I have had two workouts.  I helped out a fellow nursing student with her homework.  I ran a few errands.  Now I need to hop in the shower and get ready to head to my daughter's track meet. Track meets take the entire evening.  My husband will be shuttling our three other children to their practices tonight.  I hope you are having a fantastic Thursday.  It is beautiful here.  I pray that you are having the same weather.  Bye!

Twitter Tuesday!

This is a new Twitter Hop.  Check out the link below.  As you may have read in a previous post I am obsessed with Twitter now.  I love it, yes I do!!  Feel free to follow me and I will of course follow you back.  Also check out the other tweeters on the hop link below. Happy Tuesday.

Vegan Update

Almost three weeks ago I went vegan.  If you are unfamiliar with the term, vegan means someone who does not eat animal products or wears them (I have one pair of leather shoes, had them for years).  As mentioned in a previous post I chose this lifestyle change because of my weight.  Plus, I really don't care for the ways animals are being treated.   My family still eats meat just not as much anymore.  Anyway, I just wanted to give a bit of an update.  I have lost 7 pounds since I started.  I'm ecstatic.  I feel better physically too.  My finger nails are stronger and don't break as easily as before. I have more energy.  And my bowels are super duper happy.

I'm actually very surprised that it has been so easy.  I'm not starving and I don't feel like I am denying myself anything. The best part is that I am not craving meat, cheese, or eggs.

Since I have given up things like dairy and eggs I haven't been hitting the sweets like I normally do. Had I just gone without meat I would have eaten 30 of the 52 cupcakes I baked this weekend.  That is a bit of an exaggeration, just a bit though.  Since I know that I won't eat those things it is easier to say no to them.  Before I would eat a couple and then promise that I would work it off later.  No wonder I wasn't losing any weight before. I didn't care about what I was actually putting into my body.

I know I am not losing big weight as if I was on the Biggest Loser but that isn't real life.  I once had success on Weight Watchers but now I am losing weight faster than ever with my vegan lifestyle.  I don't have to count points or figure calories.  I am totally loving this.

I encourage anyone out there who is trying to lose weight to give this a try.  Even just for a month.  See the results for yourself.  Be honest with yourself and truly think about where your food has lived before it gets to your refrigerator.  Is that something you really want to eat?

I am learning more and more each day about the vegan lifestyle.  It is quiet exciting and I am not breaking the bank like I thought I would.  Its always fun to try something new.  You never know if you will succeed at it unless you try.

The following youtube film is about slaughter houses.  It is graphic so don't watch if you have a weak stomach.  But sometimes we need to see what actually happens.  We all know it occurs but we tend to rationalize it.  Really, think about it.  Would you eat that?

Rainy Day Cancelations

I hate to admit it but I am kind of glad that our soccer games were canceled this morning.  We had severe weather roll through here this morning.  My girls each had a soccer game.  Don't get me wrong.  I love watching my kids play sports.  I'm their biggest fan and love to cheer them on.  But today is crazy.  My oldest daughter is having a sleepover birthday party.  The house is a mess. And I have cup cakes to bake.  Plus, its not as fun to deal with four whiny kids at an extremely wet soccer game.  So yes, I am ecstatic that this was canceled today.  They have many games in their future.   Now I just need to get started on the hundred other things I have to accomplish today.  I hope you all have a fantastic weekend. 

This is my favorite song about rain.  Enjoy!

I'm Exhausted and Stub Hub Sucks!!!

Today has been a marathon of a day.  It started off fine.  Jason, my hubby, let me sleep in while he got the kids ready for school and out the door.  I normally have a hard time sleeping through all the commotion in the morning so I just laid in bed until I heard the front slam shut.  I got out of bed and went downstairs.  Fixed a hot cup of green tea and a cinnamon bagel with butter (vegan) and turned on my computer.  I did a bit of last minute studying for my oxygenation test and played on Twitter and Facebook for a bit.  What I was waiting for was the chance to buy tickets to see Mumford and Sons in St. Louis.  They had a presale at 11:00 am this morning.  I was ready.  I tried about 20 times to get tickets but it sold out fast.  Found out about 15 minutes later that StubHub bought the majority of the tickets and had already jacked up the prices to double what they are worth.  Man was I pissed.  This did not make my day at all.  I had to leave in a bad mood and go take my test.

I took the test and felt okay about it.  When I left class early I had to rush home to get ready for the evening's events. My oldest daughter had her first track meet tonight.  My son had baseball practice and my younger daughter had soccer.  Spread thin to say the least.  For some reason everything was happening tonight.  Luckily my husband was able to take Gary to his baseball practice. My mother in law picked up my younger two children and took them to the soccer practice. I was able to cheer Carolyn on at her track meet.  After 2 1/2 hours of watching kids run in circles we were finished.  We ate at the local mexican restaurant and came home.  Finally it was time to get everyone ready for bed.  The kids took their showers and brushed their teeth.  Now they are in bed. 

I am also in bed.  Ready to collaspe.  I am still pissed at Stub Hub. No way can I afford those tickets.  Hopefully , I will get a chance tomorrow when they go on sale to the public.  Unless, Stub Hub rapes us again.  So not fair.  I want to throw myself down on the floor and kick and scream.  That is how mad I am about this.  Oh well.  I will try again.

 I am also playing on Twitter.  Tweet me.  I am so addicted.  Seriously tweet me.  I LOVE TWITTER!!!  I follow Jared Leto (see previous post if you are confused) and have his tweets sent to my phone.  Ha Ha... it gives me a tingly feeling when I see my cell phone has a Jared Leto tweet.  I know its an obsession.  Like I said I love twitter. 

I hope you all have a good night.  This post went on longer than I planned for it to.  Enjoy the Mumford and Sons video below.  You will understand why I hate Stub Hub now :(

33 going on 16

OMG!!!!!!!!!!  I am so excited.  In two weeks I will be so close to one of the hottest men in the world.  JARED LETO!  Ever since I was 16 I had a fan crush on this man.  It all started with the tv show "My So Called Life".  Now I am a fan of his band 30 Seconds to Mars.  They are very talented. 

When I found out that they would be in St. Louis I just had to go.  So my friend, Stacy, and I are going.  Woohoo!!  My husband understands my Jared obsession just like I understand how his Maxim subscription was mysteriously renewed.

So I feel like I am 16 again.  Butterflies in my stomach all excited.  I will be jumping with the crowd and singing my heart out.  I probably won't be in line for an autograph or a picture.  I'll let the kids do that. I just want to be able to say I heard him play live.  Like I said before he is very talented and the music is amazing.  It should be a good show. 

Enough gushing about Oh so Sexy Jared Leto. 

 But now you understand don't you!  Yum!