back in the game...

i hung out all of lucy's diapers today (27 of them, to be exact). let me tell you what--prefolds are the way to go. you know, those uber-basic, old-fashioned diapers that many people (including myself) have a tendency to turn their nose up at, not for lack of function but for lack of cuteness? we've got at least a dozen of them, and somehow they rarely get used. they're our "in case of" diapers, as in "in case there's a 6-day power outage and we actually run out of diapers." or other near-impossible emergencies. 

well. let me state a few great things about prefolds. the lone prefold in this particular load of laundry dried as fast as the pockets, and much faster than the fitteds which are now sitting damp in my living room (it didn't get very warm today). the prefold also did not require any stuffing or snapping. just a quick fold and it's ready to go again. saving time where i can is going to be key in these next few weeks and months. and, i suppose, in these next few years as well. prefolds it is. unless we're going somewhere fancy.

;) 

i have GOT to get motivated...

to start hanging the laundry again. the weather here has been perfect--warm with a good breeze to help get the wrinkles out. last summer, i committed the entire month of july to exclusive hang drying. july turned into august, august melted into september. before i knew it, we'd gone a quarter of a year without turning on the dryer at all. hanging the laundry became a way of life, and i sincerely didn't mind. this year, things feel different. it may have something to do with an into-everything lucy, or perhaps the fact that i am pregnant with valley-baby #2 (for those of you that didn't already know--lucy will be a big sister in early november!). but i suspect it's more of just a laziness on my part--pushing a pile of wet laundry into the dryer is just toooo easy. and lucy loves to help me in this chore, which is adorable in itself. 

well, she'll just have to get used to handing me clothespins instead--i hearby commit myself to hanging all diaper laundry for the last few days of this month, along with the entire month of june. i'm hoping that it'll be the kick-start i need to get going on hanging all of our laundry again. 

i will, of course, report back on any and all of my shortcomings. not that there will be any, right?

energy vampires?

jeremy's current edition of handyman magazine has 10 really great tips for saving money & energy around the house. here's one that really struck home with us: according to the department of energy (as quoted by handyman magazine), "75% of the electrical use of home electronics occurs when they're turned off. these 'energy vampires' suck electricity all day long--costing you an extra $100 each year." 

a quick scan of our living room shows lots of possible waste--a television that we don't watch, a record player that we use, a dvd player and a receiver. we're all set up to be totally eco here, with all of the aforementioned items plugged into a power strip. but eco we aren't--the power strip stays on 100% of the time, which totally defeats the purpose. 

until now. i'd known in the past that electronics drain energy, but i wasn't aware of just how much it could be costing us. over the summer i went around the house unplugging things that weren't in use--the toaster, the dryer, a couple of lamps. it didn't really stick. tomorrow i plan on going around the house again, pulling plugs. i'll leave plugged in only what's hard to get to & used daily--the living room stereo, for instance. 

who knows if there'll be a difference on our energy bill, but it's worth a shot--last months grand total was $175 (running the heater, longer showers, baths for lucy in the real bathtub, christmas lights--it all adds up, i guess.). paying out on this small fortune makes me long for the $35 bill of no-dryer july, that's for sure! 

no-dryer july officially ends...

yay. i did it.

i will say this, though. hanging laundry is a lot of work. not hard work, but work. worth it? probably. we saw a lower energy bill and i think i'm looking blonder from all the sunshine. jeremy installed a really great clothesline that replaced the teeny one on our deck, making everything much easier that it was at the beginning of the month.

as stated a few posts back, i'm going to keep it up through the month of august. i'm interested to see what a full month's energy bill will look like. the cloth diapers are due for a tumble dry on high heat though, to reseal the waterproof layer. i'll save that for a trip i'm going on mid-month. there's a washer/dryer where we're staying, i think, so we'll be doing cloth diapers even though it's a 5-night trip.

ALSO! my brother's no-drive august has started. can't wait to hear how (and if) it's going.

saving money...

we got our energy bill (billing period through the first half of july). i was excited to find that our bill went from $67.00 to $42.00. that's a big decrease! i'm thinking it has lots to do with no-dryer july. and while it's not our cheapest bill ever (our checkbook log shows $32.00 in july of 2006), it is our cheapest bill so far with little lucy as the third member of our household. i am really interested to see what next month's bill will be. i'll be staying dryer-free until then.

ALSO!

we've got people coming to the house tomorrow to do a free energy audit and tell us how we can cut back even more on our consumption of electricity and water. the entire thing is supposed to take 2 hours, so i guess they're pretty thorough. i look forward to reporting the details!

eco-friendly attempt = oops!

i was working out in the garage about 10 days ago and noticed that the dryer, though unused, was still plugged in. knowing that appliances suck power even in their resting state, i unplugged it. i got a real blast of satisfaction from doing this, too. like driving a nail into a coffin or something.

fast forward to this morning.

jer: "when did you unplug the sprinklers?"
me: "i didn't unplug the sprinklers. why would i unplug the sprinklers?"
jer: "well, they're unplugged."
me: "i didn't do it."
jer: "well, the power cord to the sprinklers is sitting on the dryer."

pause.

me: "oh. the dryer."

so the sprinklers run on a timer, which i apparently unplugged in my haste to save energy. the lawns have had no water in 10 days... and now feel more than a little crunchy underfoot. but the good news is, they're not completely dead. and i think we can treat this as a learning situation, gauging just how little water they need to stay alive during the california drought. we've never really had lush lawns, anyway. at least not since they were first put in. i'm thinking that we can cut 2 days off of our watering schedule, after an initial week of heavier watering (resuscitation is kinda needed at this point). because really, it seems that no matter how much we water, the lawns just don't look that good.

we did let a small patch of lawn die this year. it wasn't on the sprinkler system and hand-watering proved ineffective. we're now looking into planting a clover lawn in that area next spring. clover supposedly needs minimal h20 and has a lush, pretty look. it's an aggressive perennial that chokes out weeds. best of all, there's no mowing required as clover only grows to 8 inches high. and how cute would it be to take lucy hunting for lucky 4-leafs? sweet.

an exciting idea...

my brother emailed me today to see how no-dryer july was going. it's going good, by the way. jeremy installed a new clothesline which is 3x longer than the old one. which means, instead of pinning clothes on top of each other, i can now fit about 2 loads of laundry on the line at once. much more convenient. it's a bit farther away (the old one was right outside the back door, on the deck) but the added length is worth it. it's also in a very windy spot in the yard. did you know wind removes wrinkles??? had i known this, i would have been hanging things out a long time ago. wind, of course, also speeds the drying process. the only downside to this new clothesline is that it crosses over the lawn. which means i can't leave clothes out overnight, or the sprinklers will get them wet again in the morning. but i try to bring the clothes in at night anyway, b/c of the bugs.

anyway.

my brother nick has decided to do a "no-drive august." this includes not only driving but riding in a car at all. i'm super impressed! granted, he lives in near a college town, so there are shops within a short distance from his home. he can also bike to work, which he often does anyway. but going a month without riding in a car... that's a big commitment. i hope he can stick it through. and i hope that he can write a little something about his experience for the blog!

nick's idea makes me wonder how i can lower my own driving. unlike my brother, i do not live close to very many shops. i could walk to a few places, including a (crappy) grocery store, but not the trader joes where i hope to do the bulk of my shopping. the farmer's market is a bit of a trek as well, especially with a baby. because of gas prices, i already try to consolidate my trips when i'm out. for instance, that fabric store trip i'm taking later in the week was born out of the fact that i'm meeting up with a very wonderful friend (hi laura!) for dinner. the restaurant we're meeting at happens to be very near the shop.

all i can think of in terms of reduction would be to have one day a week where i don't drive (or ride) anywhere. speaking of which, i didn't go anywhere today, except for a walk with lucy and the dog. perhaps wednesdays are a good "no-drive" day... i've already got one under my belt!

i hate the fact that, based on where i live, i pretty much have to drive if i want to go anywhere. the problem partially stems from the fact that everything is just... spread out. smeared across hills and valleys. this is a huge downside of suburbia... it's all big chunks of housing, interspersed with strip malls and halfhearted shopping centers. which makes it hard to go one place and find everything you need... groceries, banking, drugstore, coffee, etc. even if you can find this, (like a quaint little downtown or something) it's likely that the area is too far from your home to get there by any means other than a car. no wonder lots of people shop at supercenters like walmart. it's one-stop. wham-bam. i don't shop at walmart, but i understand why people do. the fact that the public transportation system in the area is majorly lacking only exacerbates the issue.

so, in august, i'll be committing to some form of reduced driving, in support of my brother. just how i'm going to work it out remains to be seen. i'll keep ya posted though. no worries.

a no-dryer july equation...

no-dryer july + 4 nights in the dirt = lots of freaking laundry hung all over my backyard.


i've come to the conclusion that, while our dainty little clothesline is great for drying diapers, it's simply not enough to handle big loads of laundry. blankets and jeans and all the rest. improvements must be made. i've got sheets hanging from the table umbrella and beach towels thrown over the deck railing. i pulled out an old drying rack that i use indoors during the winter. still, it's not enough. i spent the better part of today rotating damp cotton in the 100 degree heat. now i'm up to my ears in crunchy, sun-dried laundry. but that's okay. it smells nice.

second snag...

there's bugs on my laundry. not nice. first, a yellow jacket, looking more than a little disoriented, stumbled out of one of lucy's diapers while i was getting her dressed after bathtime. i hadn't put the diaper on yet... but i was reaching for it. the poor thing had probably been trapped in the diaper pile for a day or so.

then today, while taking diapers off of the line, a none-too-little spider crawled out from the "pocket" part of a diaper. yuck. i sure don't want any kind of bug biting my little girl's tush. i'm going to try spraying a teensy bit of raid where the clothesline attaches to the wall of the house, and the post that holds it up on the other side. it won't stop the flying bugs but at least it'll help with the creepers.

secondly, i won't leave the laundry out overnight again (hey... i have a 2 month old... time gets away). a diaper or sock must look pretty nice & snuggly for a bug looking for a place to bed down for the night.

a snag in no-dryer july...

so i do the diapers today. hang them, no problem. i'm loving no-dryer july. but then! i go out to the dryer to get the clothes from last night and... crappy. they're still half-wet. and it's dark outside and i super want to wear those jeans tommorrow, and there's no way they'll be dry by morning.


so.


i cheated and i dried them. because the way i figure it, those were supposed to be dry last night. i planned according to need and it's not my fault the dryer didn't hold up its end of the bargain.

and really, it might be june still, somewhere in the world...

i'm fully prepared to see this through till the 2nd of august though. just to make up for my sins.

clothespin chic. i like it.

ooh, what fun...

lucy and i went to an infant massage class today at elephant pharmacy in berkeley, a great shop that, in addition to offering free classes, also sells a lot of natural & organic-type products. lucy and i learned a lot about the benefits of the baby rubdown. well, i learned. lucy slept. we tried it out when we got home and i do think she really liked it. there lots of cooing, kicking and smiling involved. how is this eco-friendly? well, um, it's not. we just had a really good time, so i thought i'd post.

here's the spin though... as a result of taking the class, we got a 10% off coupon good for any and all purchases at elephant. i took the opportunity to buy a few things to replace the personal care products that i 've just gotten rid of...

kiss my face obsessively natural ultra moisturizer (replacing countless bottles and jars of paraben-laden stuff)

kiss my face obsessively organic shampoo in green tea & lime (100% biodegradable... can't say that about garnier fructis)

alba green tea sunscreen spf 30+ (replacing my hawaiian tropic spf 4... (i now hang my head in shame for not using at least spf 15 all these years))

almost natural nail polish remover (replacing cutex... made with fruit acids instead of acetone)

tom's of maine cinnamon clove toothpaste (we ditched the crest awhile back for tom's spearmint but i wanted to try a new flavor)

alba passion fruit nectar lip balm (replacing a slew of lip gloss, most from victoria's secret... upon further inspection of the teeny tiny but oh-so-lengthy ingredient list, i was pretty horrified to learn that i've basically been slathering liquefied plastic on my lips since middle school (and it tastes so yummy, too))

a diva cup (replacing tampons... yikes)

i also got lucy a package of gdiapers for an upcoming camping trip, thinking that might not have enough cloth to see us through 4 nights. gdiapers are a disposable/cloth hybrid diaper, made without the use of plastics. i am in love with our cloth diapers, so this is not my first choice, but there's no washing machine at the river, unfortunately.

i am looking forward to trying out all of these products and reviewing them! i must say, it's an exciting (and empowering) thing to feel that i'm taking a step in the right direction as far as my own health is concerned... and therefore the health of the little girl who likes to snuggle all over me. i was in elephant for over an hour after class let out, studying labels and comparing ingredients. big thank you to the meter maid for not giving me a ticket!



p.s. tomorrow starts a no-dryer july. i have to admit i snuck in 2 loads at the last minute tonight... a load of whites because there's a shirt of mine that needed some serious shrinking and a load of darks because i had a pair of jeans with the same problem. tomorrow is diaper day -- it'll look a lil' something like this!

from left to right... kissaluvs, swaddlebees econappies, bummis whisper wrap, blueberry pockets, blueberry minkys, bg 3.0 & bg organics.

crunch confession #02...

these are not my clothes.
we are not the family of funky jammie pants.

i'm going dryer-less.

for july, anyway. i recently read a great idea about giving up the clothes dryer for a month. and since jeremy JUST hung our clothesline up, and we're in the midst of a sweltering heat wave, AND i'm off work, what better reason to try?

i have to admit that while i love the smell of line-dried laundry, it can get a little, um, stiff. i was talking to my grandmother today (who's line dried her laundry every friday for probably 50 years) and she swears by tossing the laundry into the dryer for 5 minutes with a fabric softener sheet BEFORE hanging the clothes. she says it gets the wrinkles out and keeps everything nice and soft. but since we've given up fabric softener in place of vinegar (more on this change some other day) i'm not sure a pre-dry would be all that effective. a post tumble, maybe, but for the sake of diving in headfirst, i'm going to give up the dryer entirely. besides, a pre-dry or post-dry is an added step in the whole laundry process. i have a seven week old baby. i do NOT need any extra steps.

so here goes. all family laundry, including diapers. every pair of panties. every nursing pad.

every little baby sock and bootie.

what can i say? cute feet deserve cute footwear.

i confess that i have a nasty habit of using my dryer as an iron. when something's a little wrinkled, i'd much prefer to toss it in the dryer for 20 minutes than to haul out the ironing board from the closet, heat up the iron, IRON the piece of clothing, and put everything back. because half the time i've ironed something, i put it on and decide that i didn't really want to wear it anyway. that it wasn't the wrinkles that made me look crappy, it was the clothes themselves. then i shove it back in my closet, cursing the fact that i wasted time ironing.

i also throw things into the dryer to shrink back up after wearing them for awhile, especially jeans. giving up this habit shouldn't be nearly as hard, since i still have 10 extra baby pounds on me and i don't certainly don't need to be wearing anything skintight. not yet, anyway.

i wonder if going dryer-less (do you like this new word i've coined?) will be like giving up carbs or chocolate. you know, after you've done it for awhile you don't even miss it? we'll see. i hung dry a load of mine and lucy's clothes today and i swear it took like 15 minutes to get everything hung. i stubbed my toe in the process. later, it took another few minutes to get everything down. and now it's sitting in the living room, looking all forlorn cause nobody will fold it. sigh.

giving up the dryer. with grandma on my side, i can't go wrong, right?