INSIDE OUT

And I feel great! I love the Christmas season! I love the first snowfalls.... just the first ones, to be made very clear. I have done no shopping this year (sorry to those of you hoping to collect on some great Christmas madness). We aren't lazy. Okay, maybe a bit lazy. But, this year, I wanted to know what it felt like to not go Christmas shopping. Well, the guilt filled my heart.

B is performing in a musical production called, The Living Christmas Tree this year. As I'm wondering how to decorate again this year without a tree, I have found that living in the East Coast inspires me to have a real Christmas tree for the first time in 20 years. I have been going back and forth on the idea. Then I read this article from CTV and it brought me that much closer to getting a Christmas tree from a local farm, which are plenty in this area.

... where all this commercialism comes to a close!!! Do you know the best Holiday in the whole year for me? ...THANKSGIVING! It's the only holiday where you don't "have" to buy someone anything except the food, the time to prepare, and the time to be together! Why can't Christmas be just a whole lot more of that?

Today... I used bleach. :( It's a sad day for my home. Sometimes though... just sometimes... dirty, old, stinky toilets that don't flush properly make you do crazy things. :( ...kids peeing all over the floor all hours of the day doesn't help either. Sometimes... not often, but sometimes, natural cleaners can't clean things that need replacement. :(

One reason for early training... especially if, like me, you've moved too much and haven't kept up with cloth diapering, is that it's better for the environment and better for the future health of my children!

A response I just received inspires a short new post. I love what R.G. did! The bravery in it alone was enough to send me wanting to read more. Way to go for sending that water-monopolizing company a message! To read the original post with her comment, go here: http://insideout.tougas.net/node/50 When I was a child, even up to grade 6, I recall boiling water for baths, heating bricks and wrapping them up in towels by our feet and hands to keep us warm at night. I never complained! It was just the way it was, even though my friends were living in luxury.

I hear this "statement" a lot. I think about this question a lot. With commercials telling us one thing, the government allowing another thing, industries of one sort or another telling us the complete opposite, I can't say I blame people for the passive stance they take on their health. A few years ago, you must remember the "newest" research on the positive effects of wine. Prior to this, not many people would have made claim to this thought, nor have proof for their own drinking habits. Wine drinkers all around must have smiled big.

Being an environmentalist, I hear some of the extremists. Not afraid to bring up their points of view for fear that those reading this might think, "good point", I'll bring up one of their standpoints. Some believe that having children is harmful to the environment. But, I'm sorry... What?!?! Are these people kidding? I suppose if families are not teaching their children to take care of the great planet, which holds them, then they actually have a point. But is it such a black and white issue? Eating meat is MUCH more harmful to the environment than having a child or two!

I've always wanted to do this! I've heard so many complaints from people about the garbage pick up being reduced to only twice a month (mostly in Ontario, where I'm from). I haven't heard any of that complaining here in Halifax. Not sure if it's because of the amazing and convenient recycling program they have here (all plastics, small cardboard, cans and bottles go into the same bag). Yet, when we were in Ontario, we just made due with the inconvenience of it all.

When I had my firstborn, I had no convictions about disposable diapering. We travelled a LOT! My son was on over 13 different airplane trips by the time he was 7 months old. Of course, I also wasn't the slightest bit interested in researching cloth diapers. That's just too inconvenient for my family", I would say. "Having the time and energy for my child is the most important!" Well, I still believe that today. Especially when it comes to slaving over an immaculately clean home. There's a saying, "if your home is not clean all the time, it's a sign of a good mom who spends time with her kids!" But, that's just a justification for slacking off. I spend more time on the computer than I do cleaning... a conviction that forces me to "fast" many times a week. ;) But as usual, I digress.