This is COOL!

I don't do two posts in one day, but I had to share this as a great way to recycle.  All those OLD picture frames can be re-purposed!  I think I'm going to try making one of these this weekend.  :)  I have old picture frames, AND I need a place to hang my necklaces.  

Helping Others Cut the Crap

Hello, All.  As I chronicled a few weeks ago, my MIL passed away.  Within the next few weeks, we're going to help my SIL go through things and sell what we (meaning Rob and his sister) either cannot keep or choose not to keep.  Rob and I have expressed that we do not "want" anything.  We do, however, want to help my SIL.  No one should have to rummage through all the stuff of a deceased parent alone.  I think that's brutal and tantamount to cruel and unusual punishment. 

For a short time, then, we'll actually be complicating our journey to simplicity.  We'll be selling stuff out of our garage to help out, which means that we'll temporarily have more clutter.  I'm totally okay with that.  I think this will be a positive journey, and I don't think it'll wreck our equilibrium.  I might even post some of it here.  :) 

So, even though we're technically adding to our garage, we're still "cutting the crap" by helping my SIL.  I think helping others in this way is a good thing!  In what ways have you helped other people get rid of things they did not need?  And how much of that did you "inherit" along the way?  LOL

Eating Bugs? Really?

Check out the blog on the left.  The Diet Blog. The latest post talks about eating bugs as a source of protein.  The blog is well-written, and for the most part, I'm in agreement with the author.  Here's something that bothered me, though... and it's not the author's stance or how the author put it... it's the very idea: "Let me put my Western-ness aside for a minute, however. Because entomologists at the Dutch Wageningen University -- where research is ongoing into how to make insects more palatable -- make a compelling argument for encouraging humans to reconsider meal worms or locusts as a possible protein source."

Check out the highlighted part.  Are scientists trying to put their spin on edible insects now?  Will those little creepy crawlies become "processed", too?  I'm just sayin'.  It makes no sense.  Why do we have to "make things more palatable" through science?  Why can't we just eat things the way God made them and be happy with that? 

First Person: 5 Things I Always Buy Used - Yahoo! Finance

I think these are pretty obvious things to buy used, but they bring up a good point about cutting the crap. RECYCLE. Get rid of the stuff you no longer use by donating it for someone else to use! First Person: 5 Things I Always Buy Used - Yahoo! Finance

Clothes are a perfect example. My brother has two girls who are 1 and 2 years older than my daughter. When they outgrow their clothes, my daughter gets the hand-me-downs. Megan also got a HUGE box of hand-me-downs from her cousin Katie when she was really little. I can't tell you how much $$$ this has saved us over the years. When my daughter outgrows these things, she passes them on to a friend's daughter... and so on and so on. We pay it forward.  It's the best way to say thank-you to those who have been kind to us.  Obviously, clothes can only take so much beating before they're ready for the scrap heap, but at least they get used up. :) I recently received A LOT of hand-me-downs from a colleague at work, too. She has lost weight (YAY and good for her!) and the clothes no longer fit her. I got some AWESOME clothes. Can't wait to wear them all!

I also think it's a good idea to buy GOOD used cars. A new car depreciates so much in value when you drive it off the lot that it's like throwing money away.

Again. RECYCLE. What do you buy used? What do you donate? How do you recycle? Talk to me!

Sad News

So we got some sad news this past weekend.  My mother-in-law passed away.  She was an old school hippie with some very strong opinions on things.  She and my hubby didn't exactly get along, but she was his mother after all.  For her memorial next week we'll be keeping it as simple and light-hearted as possible.  I understand she would have wanted it that way. 

The loss of a loved one always makes you ponder what you're doing with your own life.  It's no different with me.  I keep thinking to myself, "How do I want to be remembered?"  Mostly, I think of my children and what they'll think of me when I'm gone.  Will they have fond memories?  Because I want the answer to that question to be a resounding YES, I think I need to do some adjusting.  I work a little too much at times.  I definitely bring it home with me... and all that entails.  I think some serious re-adjusting needs to happen.  I WILL make that happen.  I need to play with them more.  Be more patient.  Be quick to forgive and forget.  And really, it shouldn't matter if their rooms are messy, should it?

With that, I challenge all of you to live your life in such a way that the people you leave behind will really miss you... will remember many wonderful things about you... and will tell stories to their children about the crazy-wonderful-happy things you did.  When it comes to that, there's no crap to cut.

Food Rules... READ IT!

Sorry for the delay in entries here.  Not only were we swallowed by all things Christmas, but January has been The Month of Sick.  I would seriously like to cut that crap out.  We've been in a vicious cycle of sharing that simply HAS TO STOP.  We even had to take X to the ER-- turns out he has RSV, a double ear infection, AND he's cutting two molars.

Needless to say, I'm exhausted.

Now for my cut the crap stuff.  For those of you who don't know, I work for Pearson (specifically eCollege).  Pearson is literally one of the biggest publishers on the planet (heard of Penguin, Anyone?).  As a company, we try to strive for excellence in every area, and this year we're promoting health on a larger scale than before.  When I say health, I mean the health of every individual.  As a gift, each employee received a copy of “Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual,” by Michael Pollan.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to cut the crap.  It literally breaks through all the mumbo jumbo out there and says - in a nutshell - what I've been promoting in this blog: CUT THE CRAP.  Get rid of the preservative-laden foods and eat what's natural.  

Now that we're already two months into our New Year, I need to get off my butt and practice what I preach.  For starters, my children are eating fruits as snacks.  I have a huge basket on my table that I try to keep filled with bananas, oranges, apples, and anything else I can find.  Second, I'm converting to 100% real juice when quenching our family's thirst.  Drink mixes are usually full of aspartame (which btw causes cancer) and don't taste as good anyway.  We have very little preservative laden foods in our cupboards, but I do have a LOT of canned veggies.  Frozen veggies are quickly filling up our freezers, too.  


With all of that, I think we're off to a good start for our New Year.  Let me know what you all are doing to cut the crap out of your lives!