Happy (belated) Earth Day!

We did nothing special for Earth Day other than spend a LOT of time outdoors with Grandma & Grandpa, but that was a bunch of fun! When I get the pictures loaded to the computer, we'll tell the story of our week with Grandma & Grandpa.

My mom & I got a free roll of Reynold's Recycled Foil thanks to my dad, who was awake in the night & printed the rebate form! We also got free cloth bags from Walgreens and I got one from Trader Joes. (Walgreens - with coupon, Trader Joes - because my sister mentioned it was my first trip to Traders...but hopefully it won't be my last!)

I hope when Alex and "Baby Bob" are bigger, we'll be able to do some fun earth day activities each April. But for now, Alex is too little to understand it. I'd love to do things like take a walk to pick up trash, use items from the recycle bin to create a robot or sculpture, etc. (Alex DID find a plastic milk jug ring in the recycle bin and use it as a bracelet last night...does that count? LOL!)

I'm working on a compromise between frugal and green, and think we're doing okay. I'm not aiming for perfection, just to use what we can to make a difference in little ways. Here's my Earth Day post...just like last year.



Here's a list of the cleaners we currently use. I love that it's such a short list...keeps the cabinets much tidier!

1. Palmolive Free & Clear natural dish liquid



2. Arm & Hammer Essentials detergent and dryer sheets



3. Clorox GreenWorks toilet cleaner



4. Sunrise or CVS brand recycled paper towels (along with cloth kitchen towels & microfiber cleaning rags)



5. Advanage all-natural, all-purpose spray cleaner (which also works for windows, mirrors, spot-cleaning carpets, and more)
   
6. baking soda (sprinkled on the glass-top stove, scrubbed with a really wet sponge or scrub brush)



7. Electrasol or Cascade (yeah, so not 'green'...but usually cheap!)

Other things...

• we cloth diaper about 95% of the time, although I have about 10 packs of disposables for the first month or two with "Baby Bob". We'll probably use disposable with Alex for a few weeks at that time, also. We're at about 95% with cloth wipes, too. Daddy prefers disposable wipes, and we keep them in the diaper bag, too.


• The lady who made Alex's cloth wipes also makes a larger size that is designed to be used like a paper towel. I love them! They're such a cheery print that I'd prefer to use these simply because they make me smile! :) (There's usually a roll of recycled paper towels in our kitchen, as well, but it lasts a long time.)
  
  
• We rarely use paper plates or ziplock bags, but I can't give up paper napkins. Why cloth diapers are okay, but cloth napkins are gross is beyond me. Go figure.
  
• We've got a stash of Palmolive Free & Clear that I got for $1/bottle, but I'll still use Dawn dishsoap if it's free at CVS. And we still use Electrasol or Cascade because I can't find a reasonably-priced, readily-available "green" dishwasher detergent. Any suggestions?

What do you do that's earth-friendly? Any fun projects with your kids? Do you plant a garden with your kids? Any advice on keeping away the tomato worms? The tomato worms have taken over my tomatoes & peppers every time I've tried. I don't think I'm even trying this year unless someone wants to walk me through the process all summer long, but I wish I could teach my kids to garden...and I'm dying to make homemade salsa from my own garden someday!