Monthly Archives: August 2009

Off to a Cheap Start on Back to School Shopping!

Back to school is off to a cheap start for us this year. I didn’t buy anything for my daughter before school started because her backpack and lunch bag are still in good condition, and I didn’t know what else she would need, as the school hadn’t sent a list.

Turns out that was the exact right move.

Her teacher provided all the supplies she has to have. I really hope it all came from a school budget. The teacher does have a small wish list, and apparently this is the first year the school is allowing teachers to ask parents to help with supplies.

Compared with the lists from last year, that came as a surprise.

Of course, this means I have no say in how environmentally friendly any of my daughter’s school supplies are… aside from going ahead and getting some pencils for the class or something, that being the level of things on her 4 item wish list.

We still have plenty of supplies for at home from last year, so I’m thinking I won’t need to buy anything, at least not until later in the year.

Rats! My Cell Phone Only Lasted 4 Years!

Yes, I really am disappointed! I think 4 years is a terrible amount of time for something to last, even if many people do replace their cell phones more often than that. Goodness knows the cell phone carriers make it easy to replace phones as often as you renew a contract, so they can keep you tied in as a customer.

My cell phone lasted pretty well. It survived being dunked in a sink full of water by my son when he was 2. It was even on at the time. Amazing how fast a battery can be yanked out.

I’m not the sort who cares much about cell phone features. I only even own one because my inlaws put me on their plan as a gift because they were tired of me driving around town with small children and no cell phone. Or so they saw it. Working at home means that I really don’t do a lot of that anyhow.

So it’s time for a new one. I’m aiming for something pretty basic again. I don’t care about texting, although once in a while I’ve seen where it could have a point. I don’t need my cell phone to take pictures. Once again, I’ve seen where it can be useful but really don’t feel the need.

I really don’t need it to store a lot of information, don’t need to watch videos on it, etc. It’s just really, really not my way.

And I’m still going to grumble about it only lasting 4 years.

Going to Watch the Perseids Tonight!

My family is looking forward to trying to watch the Perseid meteor shower tonight. The kids get to stay up late if they behave, and we hope for clear skies. We’ve had hazy ones lately, but we can still hope!

That’s one nice thing about moving to a slightly higher altitude and smaller town. The night sky is a bit darker here. Poway was pretty good, but still closer to the city and a bit better lit at night.

We’ll head out into the back yard probably around 9 or 10, and just check out the show.

Astronomy, even if you aren’t too strong on the constellations yourself, is a great way to talk to kids about clean air. Clouds may get in the way, but light pollution and other kinds of air pollution do some damage to our ability to view the stars too.

And I don’t think there are many kids who don’t enjoy a bit of star gazing.

Are You Ready to Send Your Kids Back to School?

I can hardly believe it’s almost time for my kids to go back to school. This summer has been incredibly hectic with the move and all, and has flown by worse than usual.

And the school office should be open tomorrow so that I can finally register my daughter in our new school district. They wouldn’t let me do that at the office.

With a new school year often comes new school supplies. Backpacks, lunch boxes, binders and so forth go flying off stores shelves so that kids will be ready for school.

It’s nice when you can keep them green.

I got things started around here last year by buying my daughter a Klean Kanteen. She loves it and will continue to use it this year. I’m hoping for cooperation in reusing her lunch bag and backpack this year because really, they aren’t in that bad of shape.

Fortunately, younger kids aren’t always going to think of back to school as a time to go shopping for new supplies, so I think I can get away with it. I’m most tempted by a new reusable lunch bag, as there are some really nice ones out there but really her bag looks to be up for at least another year’s use, so why replace it?

If you have to buy school supplies for your kids, there’s a good article over on the Healthy Child, Healthy World site on avoiding PVC and such in school supplies. You may not always have a choice in all the materials your child uses, as sometimes teachers will provide folders, but when you have a choice, do try to keep it friendly not only to the environment but to your children.

What are your favorite green back to school tips?

Appreciating the Beauty Around Our New Home

Even if I don’t exactly feel comfortable with how freely water gets used around here, I have to admit that Yucaipa is a beautiful area, and I don’t mean the landscaped areas.

We have mountains. A Regional Park with camping available. Even walkable neighborhoods for evening strolls with the family.

I pretty much ignore the golf course. Honestly, they are not that attractive to me in terms of landscaping. I much prefer a more natural flow to my greenery.

We’re planning on taking advantage of a lot of this as we get more settled into the house. It will be nice to be able to do some hiking that doesn’t involve sidewalks, for example.

Even though we’ve mostly just explored our neighborhood, I can tell I’m getting a good workout too. Lots of hills in our area. I’ll be ready for it when we get some more serious time available.