Showing posts with label simple living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label simple living. Show all posts

Thursday 14 June 2007

Not complaining for 30 days?!

Seriously, some of my mama friends are trying this out: not complaining or gossiping for thirty days. What a challenge.

I'd like to think of myself as an optimist, you know- someone who doesn't complain, but a friend once pointed out that I cross the line into "the worst kind of idealist" ie, I set impossible goals and sometimes ignore reality. On the other hand, Napoleon did not conquer most of the European world by thinking, "Maybe I'm not being realistic...." Anyway, maybe I do complain a lot, even if it's masked in amusing (hey, I think they are!) stories about our neighbor kids, neighbor adults, or local politics- it's still complaining.

I've decide to step up to the plate and support their efforts by creating a weekly gratitudes list too:
1) I am grateful that I married young and to the most amazing man, we've spent almost 1/2 our lives together and its only getting better.
2) My daughter is the happiest child and funny too. I am glad that her first words used in context were "Giggle giggle/ tickle tickle" and "quack". (Hey, that's a kids book!)
3) We live in a really cool house. I am enjoying our time here but I am happy we are moving.
4) The carrot cake I made this week was awesome (the frosting is not included in that statement).
5) I have the loveliest friends and some have wonderful children who are friends with my wonderful child.
6) I rock at Catch Phrase.
7) I have a tomato on the plant! Whoo hoo!

I'm sure that I will still be grateful for all of the above next week too. I'm grateful for that.

Wednesday 13 June 2007

Plastic and what I refuse to use it for

I can accept plastic houses, fake plants, toys, replacement body parts, windows, nails (both finger and construction), curtains, cars, playground bedding, tools.....this list goes on. There are lots of great uses for plastic and, recycled or not, it's a bizillion dollar industry. I have come to terms with it's pervasiveness in my life (had to with Lil'Bug's silicon "binky") BUT I still get nervous, anxious, and downright astonished when food comes with instructions to put it in the 425 degree OVEN in a freakin' plastic bag. I can't bring myself to do it, or even look in the oven when dearest husband takes over cooking duties. I can't do it because plastic should and does melt and/or catch fire and the thinner the plastic the more fragile it is- right? Then by logic plastic bags should not go in the 425 degree oven, but they do and we even have a box of "baking bags" in our pantry.

It's just not right.