Green SAHM

Goodness I do a lot of laundry. That’s how it goes with small children, especially with one still wetting the bed despite diapers.

We’ve been washing our clothes in cold water for years. That’s almost always sufficient, and I’ve never even tried a “cold water detergent.” The regular stuff works just fine.

You can get some great laundry tips on the U.S. Department of Energy’s site. I’m not surprised to see that they neglect to mention line drying clothes at this point, but the rest of the advice is good.

Almost everything I wash comes out fine, as I said, with a cold water wash. Those things that don’t I try a couple things.

Dawn Dish Soap

Great for removing grease related stains. It may take an hour or two, but for tough stains I’ve left it on overnight. Clothes that otherwise appeared ruined come clean.

Baking Soda and White Vinegar

Rub baking soda into the stain. Spray or pour white vinegar. It will bubble up and work on the stain. This works well on carpet stains too.

Not every stain is going to come out. I think that’s one of the big lessons of motherhood. Kids are really good at ruining the appearance of their clothes, sometimes in a single wearing. To me that just means you maintain a playtime wardrobe. Children really don’t care, as a rule, if their clothes are stained or torn if they’re comfortable and allowed to have fun.

I wrote the other day about buying reusable bags for doing your shopping. I got a message about another company I think you might like to know about.

They’re called ReJavanate.

You might guess from their name that it has something to do with coffee, and you’d be right. They take the burlap sacks coffee is transported in, and make it into new bags. They work with The ARC and have people with developmental disabilities hand make the bags.

Just another great option when you want a reusable bag rather than picking between paper and plastic.

One of the things my family loves to do is hike together. It’s very relaxing and good exercise. We are very fortunate to have some fields within walking distance to go hiking at.

A family hike is a great way to encourage your kids to explore nature. On one of our first hikes in these fields, the grass was just covered in ladybugs. I mean hundreds of them. The kids had a blast and we took some home to feast on the aphids that had taken over the rosebush.

The rosebush is much grateful, buy the looks of things.

Every time we go the kids find something interesting to explore. There are some very steep hills to climb - fortunately with less challenging paths for the way down. I’ve always found downhill more nerve wracking than up when it’s a steep hill. The kids of course think that hill is a treat, for all they need help getting to the top.

We’ve found fuzzy black caterpillars. My daughter is learning to identify local plants. All around, it’s just a good thing.

Even if you don’t have a good place to hike within walking distance of your house, find some place fairly local for doing that. It’s really fun and a great addition to your family’s routine.

Despite the weather in my area today, it’s time to think about sunscreen. Summer is very close and many places already have hot weather.

On the other hand, we’ve gone from over 100 degrees F in my area on Monday to thunderstorms and flood watches starting yesterday.

I’ve been working on remembering to sunscreen my daughter each day before school. She tans beautifully, but I don’t want her getting too comfortable with that. In the long run it’s better that she wear sunscreen.

Many sunscreens, however, really aren’t that good for you. There are the usual concerns about endocrine disruptors. Whether or not you think they’re a problem, if you can avoid the whole issue by making the right purchase, why not? All that really matters in that case is that the product works well.

At least an SPF 15 should be worn if you’re going to be spending significant time outside. Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are good ingredient choices. You can check a lot of sunscreens out at Skin Deep.

Here are some good brands:

Total Block
Some varieties of Alba (see Skin Deep for details)
California Baby
Aubrey Organics
Burts Bees

Not all of these can be found in the Skin Deep database, but most are made from all natural products. All natural does not guarantee safe, of course.

Another alternative is to wear clothing that helps to protect your skin from the sun. Regular clothing will do this, but if you need some extra protection you can shop for clothing that offers more than the usual UV protection.

Sunscreen is a habit you should build into your morning routine if you know you’re going to be in the sun more than a little. You don’t have to spend the day at the beach to damage your skin.

Something I often find challenging is remembering to pack my reusable bags when I go grocery shopping. Not quite the habit I’d like it to be yet. I’m working on it, of course, but it just isn’t there yet.

It is wonderful, of course, how available they are now. I can’t think of any grocery store in my area that isn’t carrying reusable bags, and many are about $0.99. A couple stores carry higher quality ones that do cost more, though.

But getting something a little more stylish is always a temptation. I do enjoy wandering the reusable shopping bag selection at Reuseable Bags. In particular, I’m thinking some of the ultra compact bags would take care of that memory problem. They could just sit in my purse or car, ready for use. There are even some styles for kids, so you can start them off young.

I really need to start doing this, though. It makes much more sense to me than trying to remember to return the plastic ones for recycling, or debating if I have a need for a paper bag. Henry’s takes $0.05 per bag of your own you bring, which is a small reason, but a reason nonetheless.