My 2nd year daisies are working on their firefly patch. It's a kind of strange patch system, but the basic idea is that a firefly lights the way -- so the girls learn how to do something new. Ideally, they help each other learn something new. We are working on that.
I thought that sewing would be a nice way to start working on this patch. The girls in my troop are 6 -- most have very little sewing experience, but they are starting to have the fine motor skills necessary to sew. Plus, sewing is a lifelong skill and it's something that is best learned from another person.
So, for our meeting we made beanbag turkeys. I cut brown felt into two large circles, cut out some feathers out of more felt and a little triangle felt beak. The girls started by sewing on the beak. Then we carefully placed the feathers -- explaining to the girls that you have to put the feathers on the inside so that they will be on the outside when you turn the turkey right-side out. The girls sewed the turkeys together, filled them with beans, placed googly eyes, and the adult helpers stitched them up (this was a little too difficult for a 6 year old).
The girls were SOOOO proud and busy for the whole time. I was happy to see that everyone finished and was able to bring home a complete bean bag turkey.
So -- can you teach a six year old to sew? Yep.
A four year old? It hasn't worked so well in my house, but if your child rocks a lacing card, it could work.
Should you? Definitely. Kids like to know how to do something useful -- and sewing is a skill that everyone should have.
With real needles? Yep! I told the girls "These needles are real. They are sharp. If you poke yourself, you will bleed, so be careful." And they were. If you are going to teach a real skill, the child needs to use the real tools (to a reasonable extent of course -- don't give a 6 yo a chainsaw to go cut firewood!)
And they like it? For sure! It's kept my kids busy all week :) My son has actually had more fun sewing little bean bag creations than playing video games.
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Monday, November 16, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Frugal Underwear -- aka What do YOU wear under a leotard?
My oldest girl (6 yo) is taking a gymnastics class. They have to wear a uniform to class -- the girls wear a leotard. She took dance last year and always wore underwear under her leotard -- yes, it stuck out a little bit, but who cares? She's a little kid. Plus, she usually wore a dance skirt.
This year, it's really obvious because of the cut of the leotard. You just can't tuck in the underwear. It doesn't work. I still didn't really care. Neither did she. But for two weeks in a row, the other girls in the class made fun of her. (Devil children!)
So, I tried to convince her to wear the leotard without underwear. She didn't want to. She said it felt funny. I understood. Honestly, going sans panties seems a little mature for a 6 yo, but what do I know? My gymnast friend explained to N that it is just like wearing a swimsuit, but N wasn't buying it.
She was really upset. She didn't want the other girls to make fun of her, but didn't want to have her panties showing.
I tried to find a high cut pair. No dice.
So, I found a great solution!
We took a pair of her underwear, cut the sides, and created a sort of tanga cut. She gets nice coverage and the feeling of underwear (no thong action, thank goodness) and no grief at class.
Money spent = zero
Solution = awesome (granted, it's a weird problem)
This year, it's really obvious because of the cut of the leotard. You just can't tuck in the underwear. It doesn't work. I still didn't really care. Neither did she. But for two weeks in a row, the other girls in the class made fun of her. (Devil children!)
So, I tried to convince her to wear the leotard without underwear. She didn't want to. She said it felt funny. I understood. Honestly, going sans panties seems a little mature for a 6 yo, but what do I know? My gymnast friend explained to N that it is just like wearing a swimsuit, but N wasn't buying it.
She was really upset. She didn't want the other girls to make fun of her, but didn't want to have her panties showing.
I tried to find a high cut pair. No dice.
So, I found a great solution!
We took a pair of her underwear, cut the sides, and created a sort of tanga cut. She gets nice coverage and the feeling of underwear (no thong action, thank goodness) and no grief at class.
Money spent = zero
Solution = awesome (granted, it's a weird problem)
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
How many pairs of shoes do you need?
More specifically, how many pairs of shoes does an 8 year old boy need?
I thought 2. He has a pair of sneakers and a pair of sandals. In case of emergency, he can wear the other. It might not always be ideal, but we live in Texas, and you can pretty much wear sandals all year round.
Then he got the sneakers COVERED in mud and filth. Monday morning came -- and they were still foul. I told him to wear the sandals. He told me they had poop on them. He showed me a VERY small stain -- could be poop -- but they're not stinky and we had to leave.
He refused to put them on. Stubborn child. He walked up the hill to school in his socks. There, my husband met us (he works at school and was meeting me to pick something up, thank goodness). Problem solved.
But I went home guilty, thinking, "am I an evil mom? Am I stingy with my kids because they only have 2 pairs of shoes? What's the norm?"
I tried to google an answer. I discovered that adults have WAAAAY too many shoes. But I couldn't find a solid answer for kids. So I asked a mom that I respect. She told me that her kids have 2 pairs. I don't feel so guilty anymore.
I think that all of us have become used to having way more clothes than we need, tons of extra shoes, socks, etc. And it leads us to not really take care of the things that we have. If I had really been thinking, J's shoes would have been washed as soon as we got back. But I was tired. If he had had an extra pair of sneakers, chances are the muddy ones would still be at the front door. But we don't really have a choice. We have to take care of them.
Some years ago, I traveled around South America with a small backpack. I'm a wimp, so I couldn't carry. Here's what I had for clothes:
Hiking boots
Sandals
3 pairs of socks (washed the socks at the hostal each night)
underwear -- probably 5 pair -- can't remember
3 t-shirts
1 pair jeans
1 pair shorts
1 pair PJ pants
fleece
long underwear
I traveled for months. I washed my clothes by hand and hung them to dry, or paid someone to do the same. I had to be careful. If I dripped something on my shirt, I had to quickly clean it up. I had to think about what I wanted to wear and where. If I knew that I would be visiting a cathedral, I couldn't be left with only shorts. Sometimes I wore multiple layers to keep warm. (South America can get very cold, especially in the mountains.) But it was a great feeling -- I could easily carry everything that I needed. I never had to pay a porter. I could carry my backpack onto the bus or airplane -- no checking necessary. In the whole time, there were only 2 problems:
1. On a camping trip in Ecuador, someone stole my boots from outside my tent. Luckily, I had my sandals, but I was not able to get new boots until I got back to a major city a few days later.
2. My brother and I went on a jungle tour and came back enlightened but disgusting. We stayed at a hostal to rest and wash EVERYTHING. Unfortunately, it started to rain. And didn't stop raining.... we had to pack our wet clothes back into our backpacks and travel to Quito in pajama pants and t-shirts... not exactly appropriate attire. So I guess the lesson is -- if you have a limited supply of clothing, you don't want it all wet (or muddy and/or poopy) at the same time.
P.S. How many pairs of shoes do YOU think is reasonable?
I thought 2. He has a pair of sneakers and a pair of sandals. In case of emergency, he can wear the other. It might not always be ideal, but we live in Texas, and you can pretty much wear sandals all year round.
Then he got the sneakers COVERED in mud and filth. Monday morning came -- and they were still foul. I told him to wear the sandals. He told me they had poop on them. He showed me a VERY small stain -- could be poop -- but they're not stinky and we had to leave.
He refused to put them on. Stubborn child. He walked up the hill to school in his socks. There, my husband met us (he works at school and was meeting me to pick something up, thank goodness). Problem solved.
But I went home guilty, thinking, "am I an evil mom? Am I stingy with my kids because they only have 2 pairs of shoes? What's the norm?"
I tried to google an answer. I discovered that adults have WAAAAY too many shoes. But I couldn't find a solid answer for kids. So I asked a mom that I respect. She told me that her kids have 2 pairs. I don't feel so guilty anymore.
I think that all of us have become used to having way more clothes than we need, tons of extra shoes, socks, etc. And it leads us to not really take care of the things that we have. If I had really been thinking, J's shoes would have been washed as soon as we got back. But I was tired. If he had had an extra pair of sneakers, chances are the muddy ones would still be at the front door. But we don't really have a choice. We have to take care of them.
Some years ago, I traveled around South America with a small backpack. I'm a wimp, so I couldn't carry. Here's what I had for clothes:
Hiking boots
Sandals
3 pairs of socks (washed the socks at the hostal each night)
underwear -- probably 5 pair -- can't remember
3 t-shirts
1 pair jeans
1 pair shorts
1 pair PJ pants
fleece
long underwear
I traveled for months. I washed my clothes by hand and hung them to dry, or paid someone to do the same. I had to be careful. If I dripped something on my shirt, I had to quickly clean it up. I had to think about what I wanted to wear and where. If I knew that I would be visiting a cathedral, I couldn't be left with only shorts. Sometimes I wore multiple layers to keep warm. (South America can get very cold, especially in the mountains.) But it was a great feeling -- I could easily carry everything that I needed. I never had to pay a porter. I could carry my backpack onto the bus or airplane -- no checking necessary. In the whole time, there were only 2 problems:
1. On a camping trip in Ecuador, someone stole my boots from outside my tent. Luckily, I had my sandals, but I was not able to get new boots until I got back to a major city a few days later.
2. My brother and I went on a jungle tour and came back enlightened but disgusting. We stayed at a hostal to rest and wash EVERYTHING. Unfortunately, it started to rain. And didn't stop raining.... we had to pack our wet clothes back into our backpacks and travel to Quito in pajama pants and t-shirts... not exactly appropriate attire. So I guess the lesson is -- if you have a limited supply of clothing, you don't want it all wet (or muddy and/or poopy) at the same time.
P.S. How many pairs of shoes do YOU think is reasonable?
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Trends in my Neighborhood
Here's what I see:
More people are using cloth bags at the grocery store. Not everybody, but a lot more people. I also notice that people often say that they forgot their bags if they are getting plastic. At least they have bags somewhere. Often it takes a while to get into the habit.
People love bottled water. I just don't get it. It's so wasteful, but it is the #1 most popular drink at my kids
' elementary school. They have water fountains! It's killing me. The "green team" supposedly worked to green the school carnival, but they sold bottled water at the carnival.
Apparently, bottled water is a big source of income at these school events. Why can't they just sell paper cups of water or sell lemonade or.... ACH! just about anything else?!
On the topic of bottled water, will I come across as a nut if I tell my daughter that she is not allowed to drink bottled water? For example, she goes to a kickball game -- everybody's having bottled water, but I send her with a bottle of tap water from home. That's normal, right? And an after school meeting? All the other girl scouts drinking their bottled water and I'll just tell her to say, "no thanks. I have my own bottle."
It's funny how this seemed so bizarre, but when I write it out it seems bizarre even to worry about it. I'm suffering from bottled water peer pressure. Crazy.
More people are using cloth bags at the grocery store. Not everybody, but a lot more people. I also notice that people often say that they forgot their bags if they are getting plastic. At least they have bags somewhere. Often it takes a while to get into the habit.
People love bottled water. I just don't get it. It's so wasteful, but it is the #1 most popular drink at my kids
' elementary school. They have water fountains! It's killing me. The "green team" supposedly worked to green the school carnival, but they sold bottled water at the carnival.Apparently, bottled water is a big source of income at these school events. Why can't they just sell paper cups of water or sell lemonade or.... ACH! just about anything else?!
On the topic of bottled water, will I come across as a nut if I tell my daughter that she is not allowed to drink bottled water? For example, she goes to a kickball game -- everybody's having bottled water, but I send her with a bottle of tap water from home. That's normal, right? And an after school meeting? All the other girl scouts drinking their bottled water and I'll just tell her to say, "no thanks. I have my own bottle."
It's funny how this seemed so bizarre, but when I write it out it seems bizarre even to worry about it. I'm suffering from bottled water peer pressure. Crazy.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Green Daisy Scout Snack
This year I became a girl scout. It's really exciting for me because my mother didn't let me become a girl scout when I was little. She said it was a fascist organization. I think it's a nice way for my daughter to make friends.
Somehow, I ended up being the troop leader. I did not intend to be the troop leader when I went to the sign-up meeting, but now I am, and that's pretty fun too.
At each meeting, the girls have a snack. Usually, we have a designated snack mom. I have discovered that 10 5-year-olds don't pay any attention to the meeting until they have had a snack. Also that chocolate cupcakes are more popular than vanilla cupcakes.
Some of the moms bring little bottles of water. The girls usually like the bottles, but I have noticed that they don't actually DRINK much of the water. One day, we had a field trip and I brought along Capri-Sun juices. I think that they're slightly better than juice boxes because at least the packaging is smaller, and neither one is recyclable. I'm not sure if that's right. Again, however, the girls had a few sips and that was it. A giant waste.
So I bought a bunch of little Dixie cups -- you know -- the size that you have in the bathroom to rinse your mouth after you brush your teeth (although I always just filled my hand with water, but I digress). I told the girls that they could fill a cup with water from the water fountain if they were thirsty. That seems to work fine. (And they can have their water with them at the table instead of being in a big line at the fountain).
I guess it would be better to have permanent cups for each girl, but I'm just not there yet. Maybe when we do the "Use Resources Responsibly" petal.
So, what do you think? Is a dixie cup better than a Capri sun wrapper? Is Capri Sun (the juice, not the juice "drink") better than a juice box (not recyclable in our area)? I assume that a plastic water bottle is the worst, even if recycled. Especially if it doesn't even serve its purpose -- it seems a big waste for 3 or 4 sips of water.
Somehow, I ended up being the troop leader. I did not intend to be the troop leader when I went to the sign-up meeting, but now I am, and that's pretty fun too.
At each meeting, the girls have a snack. Usually, we have a designated snack mom. I have discovered that 10 5-year-olds don't pay any attention to the meeting until they have had a snack. Also that chocolate cupcakes are more popular than vanilla cupcakes.
Some of the moms bring little bottles of water. The girls usually like the bottles, but I have noticed that they don't actually DRINK much of the water. One day, we had a field trip and I brought along Capri-Sun juices. I think that they're slightly better than juice boxes because at least the packaging is smaller, and neither one is recyclable. I'm not sure if that's right. Again, however, the girls had a few sips and that was it. A giant waste.
So I bought a bunch of little Dixie cups -- you know -- the size that you have in the bathroom to rinse your mouth after you brush your teeth (although I always just filled my hand with water, but I digress). I told the girls that they could fill a cup with water from the water fountain if they were thirsty. That seems to work fine. (And they can have their water with them at the table instead of being in a big line at the fountain).
I guess it would be better to have permanent cups for each girl, but I'm just not there yet. Maybe when we do the "Use Resources Responsibly" petal.
So, what do you think? Is a dixie cup better than a Capri sun wrapper? Is Capri Sun (the juice, not the juice "drink") better than a juice box (not recyclable in our area)? I assume that a plastic water bottle is the worst, even if recycled. Especially if it doesn't even serve its purpose -- it seems a big waste for 3 or 4 sips of water.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
What to do when your kids keep eating
I'm back. I'm rested. (Relatively). I've been researching sea lions and squid -- interesting animals, both of them. But the mission of this short back-to-blogging blog is....
What do you do when your kids (or boyfriend, or yourself, or whatever) keep eating?
My kids (7, 5 and 3) are eating me out of house and home. We finish dinner and the first words out of their mouths are "Can I eat something?"
I have decided that they need to be a little more self-sufficient because I am sick of fixing snacks. So, they can fix themselves:
yogurt
cereal with milk
fruit
egg cup (microwave an egg for a minute with a little salt -- they love it)
popcorn
PB & J
trail mix
raisins or other dry fruit
None of the above require much cooking. It's all relatively healthy. I have succumbed to the siren song of the frozen Gogurt. It's strange that I buy the big container of organic yogurt, but for snacking and lunches, a frozen tube of yogurt is so much more appealing. I tell myself that at least it's better than the mini container of yogurt, which seems to have more plastic. But that plastic is at least recyclable..... ARGH.
Anyway, sometimes my kids are going for the 8th snack in a row (it seems) and I am cringing at the price of the food that they are inhaling. 50 cent apple (at least) -- gone! 60 cent pear -- adios! Sometimes I try to get them to eat bananas and cereal because at least those things are less expensive.
I do have to admit that my kids are pretty good about not wasting food -- and have even reported shocking instances of other kids wasting food, as in "X threw half an apple away -- he/she's a waster!"
What do you do when your kids (or boyfriend, or yourself, or whatever) keep eating?
My kids (7, 5 and 3) are eating me out of house and home. We finish dinner and the first words out of their mouths are "Can I eat something?"
I have decided that they need to be a little more self-sufficient because I am sick of fixing snacks. So, they can fix themselves:
yogurt
cereal with milk
fruit
egg cup (microwave an egg for a minute with a little salt -- they love it)
popcorn
PB & J
trail mix
raisins or other dry fruit
None of the above require much cooking. It's all relatively healthy. I have succumbed to the siren song of the frozen Gogurt. It's strange that I buy the big container of organic yogurt, but for snacking and lunches, a frozen tube of yogurt is so much more appealing. I tell myself that at least it's better than the mini container of yogurt, which seems to have more plastic. But that plastic is at least recyclable..... ARGH.
Anyway, sometimes my kids are going for the 8th snack in a row (it seems) and I am cringing at the price of the food that they are inhaling. 50 cent apple (at least) -- gone! 60 cent pear -- adios! Sometimes I try to get them to eat bananas and cereal because at least those things are less expensive.
I do have to admit that my kids are pretty good about not wasting food -- and have even reported shocking instances of other kids wasting food, as in "X threw half an apple away -- he/she's a waster!"
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Convenience
With all the madness of back-to-school, and starting work full-force again, convenience has really been on my mind. For example:
Walking/biking to school
Why do so many parents drive their kids to school? My kids walk or bike with their dad every morning. The school is very close to our house and it would be ridiculous to drive. But there are other parents who live nearby who drop their kids off with a car. Why? I guess because it seems more convenient.
Maybe they are on the way to work and school is on the way. The problem here is that it's not just a quick drop-off. The traffic around the school is INSANE.
My kids don't walk by themselves because they're little, but older elementary school kids should be able to walk a quarter mile by themselves (I think) unless they have to cross a busy road. What I have noticed is that despite the insane traffic (slow, but lots of distracted drivers), there are only crossing guards right at the school. Our road is a little ways from the school, and although many kids walk up our road, there is no crossing guard.
One solution might be to walk the kids to the point at which it would be safe for them to walk on their own (and where they meet the surge of other kids and start to ignore their parents anyway).
But then I thought about my youngest child......
I drop her off at day care every morning and I don't have time to walk her to the school (which is within walking distance) and walk back home to get my scooter. So, I have ended up driving her to day care 2 days out of the week and then driving to work from there. And I have found that I like listening to NPR in the car on the way to work. It's the only time in the whole week that I get to hear the news without interruption.
So, here I am.... I can either:
Grrr....
I don't think I'm the only one facing these kinds of decisions.
What's interesting is that she HATES riding in the car and shrieks like a banshee, so in the afternoon I come home, leave the scooter or car, and then walk or ride my bike to pick her up.
Maybe when it's not in the 90s I'll be in a better position to ride my bike to work, but right now I'm a little daunted by the 4 or 5 mile hilly ride.... (Any thoughts on electric bikes to assist on the hills and not get to work a sweaty blob?)
Walking/biking to school
Why do so many parents drive their kids to school? My kids walk or bike with their dad every morning. The school is very close to our house and it would be ridiculous to drive. But there are other parents who live nearby who drop their kids off with a car. Why? I guess because it seems more convenient.
Maybe they are on the way to work and school is on the way. The problem here is that it's not just a quick drop-off. The traffic around the school is INSANE.
My kids don't walk by themselves because they're little, but older elementary school kids should be able to walk a quarter mile by themselves (I think) unless they have to cross a busy road. What I have noticed is that despite the insane traffic (slow, but lots of distracted drivers), there are only crossing guards right at the school. Our road is a little ways from the school, and although many kids walk up our road, there is no crossing guard.
One solution might be to walk the kids to the point at which it would be safe for them to walk on their own (and where they meet the surge of other kids and start to ignore their parents anyway).
But then I thought about my youngest child......
I drop her off at day care every morning and I don't have time to walk her to the school (which is within walking distance) and walk back home to get my scooter. So, I have ended up driving her to day care 2 days out of the week and then driving to work from there. And I have found that I like listening to NPR in the car on the way to work. It's the only time in the whole week that I get to hear the news without interruption.
So, here I am.... I can either:
- Walk her to daycare, drop her off, walk back, scoot to work (total of about 45 minutes, no NPR, but good exercise) OR
- Drive her to daycare and continue on to work (total of about 25 minutes with NPR and killing the environment).
Grrr....
I don't think I'm the only one facing these kinds of decisions.
What's interesting is that she HATES riding in the car and shrieks like a banshee, so in the afternoon I come home, leave the scooter or car, and then walk or ride my bike to pick her up.
Maybe when it's not in the 90s I'll be in a better position to ride my bike to work, but right now I'm a little daunted by the 4 or 5 mile hilly ride.... (Any thoughts on electric bikes to assist on the hills and not get to work a sweaty blob?)
Monday, September 1, 2008
You get what you pay for
Usually. Except for the case of used clothes, in which case you get pre-worn-in clothing at a great price.
But, if you're going to buy new, it's worthwhile to buy something that is well-made. I am a big fan of places that have good return policies. For example, the first year that my son needed a backpack, I bought a cheapie at Walmart (back when I went there from time to time...). It blew out before the year was over. I have vowed never to buy a non-LLBean backpack again.
Why is LL Bean so awesome?
They have a lifetime guarantee. So, if 20 years down the line, the zipper on your backpack stops working, LL Bean will replace it, without giving you any grief. You don't even have to save the receipt. I love it.
If you buy hiking boots and 7 years later, the soles dry out and fall off (hypothetically), send 'em back, and get new boots.
They have great customer service and great quality.
If you decide to sell your used clothes, they also have great resale value on e-bay. (Google LL Bean raincoat and see what happens)
Land's End and REI have similar policies, and given that all 3 of these companies sell outerwear and outdoor gear that could get rough use, it's a good idea that IF you're going to buy something new, you might as well buy ONE thing new instead of four or five over the years.
A friend also informed me that Sears has a program called Kidvantage, in which they will replace worn-out kids' clothes. Good to know.
But, if you're going to buy new, it's worthwhile to buy something that is well-made. I am a big fan of places that have good return policies. For example, the first year that my son needed a backpack, I bought a cheapie at Walmart (back when I went there from time to time...). It blew out before the year was over. I have vowed never to buy a non-LLBean backpack again.
Why is LL Bean so awesome?
They have a lifetime guarantee. So, if 20 years down the line, the zipper on your backpack stops working, LL Bean will replace it, without giving you any grief. You don't even have to save the receipt. I love it.
If you buy hiking boots and 7 years later, the soles dry out and fall off (hypothetically), send 'em back, and get new boots.
They have great customer service and great quality.
If you decide to sell your used clothes, they also have great resale value on e-bay. (Google LL Bean raincoat and see what happens)
Land's End and REI have similar policies, and given that all 3 of these companies sell outerwear and outdoor gear that could get rough use, it's a good idea that IF you're going to buy something new, you might as well buy ONE thing new instead of four or five over the years.
A friend also informed me that Sears has a program called Kidvantage, in which they will replace worn-out kids' clothes. Good to know.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Back to School
I'm a little brain dead with all the back to school stuff -- 3 kids starting various levels of school/preschool this week, and I'm starting back too, after an all-too-short vacation. Remind me not to teach double summer school again. (I'm serious. Remind me!)
This year we've decided to pack the kids' lunches. There are a variety of reasons.
1. I think that the school lunch is kind of pricey, considering what it is. (Today's lunch was hot dog with chili; tomorrow, a chicken burger.) It's not really food that I want to encourage my kids to eat, and it costs $2.10 per kid, per day -- so a grand total of $21/week for my two school-age kids.
2. I have been to lunch, and the kids throw away a lot of food. I think that's wrong. I would rather send them with food that I know they'll eat.
3. Everything in the school lunch is disposable, including the tray.
4. The kids use a spork to eat their school lunch. I'm not sure why the district can't just give the kids a fork or a spoon. Using a spork seems to just encourage silverware problems -- I think kids need to learn how to use forks. Of course, the stupid spork is packaged in plastic with a napkin. So much waste.
But, there are some common problems with sending lunch from home.
1. Keeping things the right temperature.
2. Having the right container.
3. Many people still send lots of disposable stuff.
4. Keeping cost down -- you might end up spending MORE on a lunch from home.
As far as temperature is concerned, I bought a nifty thermal container from Land's End (2 for around $15), and it is great for sending pasta or macaroni and cheese or whatever your kid likes. I also have some plastic containers with screw on lids to send stuff like sliced fruit, applesauce, etc. Currently, my kids are going with water bottles that I fill with ice in the morning (and a little water), so they have cool water during the day. But, the pressure has been on to buy the chocolate milk at school. I am fine with chocolate milk, but I think school milk is pretty gross and I don't want to pay .65 for it (high, right?) I'd rather buy organic chocolate milk and freeze 1/2 of it in some sort of a container and then fill the other 1/2 with milk so it will still be cool at lunch time. I really don't want to buy a juice box because it just creates too much trash.
With all these containers, the lunch box can get pretty full (and my kids have big lunch boxes). We have a couple of wrap-a-mats which we can wrap around pretzels, dried fruit, or whatever. They are basically pieces of cloth lined with plastic that velcro together. You can check them out at reusablebags.com. We have been pretty happy with ours, and they get frequent (positive) comments, but the price has gone WAY up recently (more than double), so I'm not sure that I would buy them again.
This year we've decided to pack the kids' lunches. There are a variety of reasons.
1. I think that the school lunch is kind of pricey, considering what it is. (Today's lunch was hot dog with chili; tomorrow, a chicken burger.) It's not really food that I want to encourage my kids to eat, and it costs $2.10 per kid, per day -- so a grand total of $21/week for my two school-age kids.
2. I have been to lunch, and the kids throw away a lot of food. I think that's wrong. I would rather send them with food that I know they'll eat.
3. Everything in the school lunch is disposable, including the tray.
4. The kids use a spork to eat their school lunch. I'm not sure why the district can't just give the kids a fork or a spoon. Using a spork seems to just encourage silverware problems -- I think kids need to learn how to use forks. Of course, the stupid spork is packaged in plastic with a napkin. So much waste.
But, there are some common problems with sending lunch from home.
1. Keeping things the right temperature.
2. Having the right container.
3. Many people still send lots of disposable stuff.
4. Keeping cost down -- you might end up spending MORE on a lunch from home.
As far as temperature is concerned, I bought a nifty thermal container from Land's End (2 for around $15), and it is great for sending pasta or macaroni and cheese or whatever your kid likes. I also have some plastic containers with screw on lids to send stuff like sliced fruit, applesauce, etc. Currently, my kids are going with water bottles that I fill with ice in the morning (and a little water), so they have cool water during the day. But, the pressure has been on to buy the chocolate milk at school. I am fine with chocolate milk, but I think school milk is pretty gross and I don't want to pay .65 for it (high, right?) I'd rather buy organic chocolate milk and freeze 1/2 of it in some sort of a container and then fill the other 1/2 with milk so it will still be cool at lunch time. I really don't want to buy a juice box because it just creates too much trash.
With all these containers, the lunch box can get pretty full (and my kids have big lunch boxes). We have a couple of wrap-a-mats which we can wrap around pretzels, dried fruit, or whatever. They are basically pieces of cloth lined with plastic that velcro together. You can check them out at reusablebags.com. We have been pretty happy with ours, and they get frequent (positive) comments, but the price has gone WAY up recently (more than double), so I'm not sure that I would buy them again.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Vacation at Home
Have you changed your vacation plans because of high gas prices? Are you reluctant to fly because of the emissions? If so, fear not! You can vacation at home!
After a few expensive trips with little kids, we realized that we were flying across the country to do, in many cases, things that we could do at home. For example, we took two kids to Seattle. We walked around the city, went to the zoo on the bus, went to the farmer's market, visited the tower, drank lots of coffee, went to the farmer's market again, went to the park, Children's museum, went for a hike... you get the picture.
Now, I LOVED Seattle. Particularly considering that we went in August, and August in Austin is hell. But little kids don't really appreciate the wonder that is Seattle and maybe we could have saved ourselves a lot of money and some frustration by vacationing closer to home. A lot of it has to do with attitude. When you're on vacation, you're out to have fun and try the cool local stuff. You don't worry about paying bills and cleaning the house. You get to spend time together as a family, relatively free from other distractions. And if you want an ice cream, you get one.
For example, today we spent the day "vacationing" in Austin:
After breakfast at home, the kids and I rode bikes over to play mini-golf. This was an exciting first for my kids. Afterwards, we met C and the little one at the fountain park to run around in the fountain. We had a little snack while we were there, then headed over to the Children's museum. After the museum, we went out to lunch and even bought ice cream for dessert. We raced our bikes home and then collapsed. We'd spent the whole day out. The evening was dedicated to relaxing.
This would actually be a pretty good vacation day. We normally only eat one meal out when we go somewhere, because I don't have the patience or the money to take 3 kids out for all three meals, never mind the endless snacks.
You could be your own tour guide, and make a vacation plan for 2 or 3 days. Heck, you could even hire a housekeeper for a day... it's still less expensive than going to a hotel :)
When I'm on vacation, I like to mix it up. Do a little something cultural, a little something outdoorsy, and something indulgent. For example, each day you could do one thing from each of the following categories:
Cultural
Some vacation plans can't really be replaced, but if finances are tight, or you're really burnt out and need a weekend vacation, a well-planned vacation at home can be just the trick.
Do you have any other tips? Please share! (Can you tell I canceled a big vacation this summer?)
After a few expensive trips with little kids, we realized that we were flying across the country to do, in many cases, things that we could do at home. For example, we took two kids to Seattle. We walked around the city, went to the zoo on the bus, went to the farmer's market, visited the tower, drank lots of coffee, went to the farmer's market again, went to the park, Children's museum, went for a hike... you get the picture.
Now, I LOVED Seattle. Particularly considering that we went in August, and August in Austin is hell. But little kids don't really appreciate the wonder that is Seattle and maybe we could have saved ourselves a lot of money and some frustration by vacationing closer to home. A lot of it has to do with attitude. When you're on vacation, you're out to have fun and try the cool local stuff. You don't worry about paying bills and cleaning the house. You get to spend time together as a family, relatively free from other distractions. And if you want an ice cream, you get one.
For example, today we spent the day "vacationing" in Austin:
After breakfast at home, the kids and I rode bikes over to play mini-golf. This was an exciting first for my kids. Afterwards, we met C and the little one at the fountain park to run around in the fountain. We had a little snack while we were there, then headed over to the Children's museum. After the museum, we went out to lunch and even bought ice cream for dessert. We raced our bikes home and then collapsed. We'd spent the whole day out. The evening was dedicated to relaxing.
This would actually be a pretty good vacation day. We normally only eat one meal out when we go somewhere, because I don't have the patience or the money to take 3 kids out for all three meals, never mind the endless snacks.
You could be your own tour guide, and make a vacation plan for 2 or 3 days. Heck, you could even hire a housekeeper for a day... it's still less expensive than going to a hotel :)
When I'm on vacation, I like to mix it up. Do a little something cultural, a little something outdoorsy, and something indulgent. For example, each day you could do one thing from each of the following categories:
Cultural
- go to latest exhibition at the museum
- gallery hopping
- symphony
- live music of some other kind
- go dancing
- do some art/craft thing -- paint pottery, for example
- Sierra Club meeting
- movie
- go for a hike
- go for a bike ride
- fly on a zip line
- swim in a local swimming hole or springs
- go sailing or take a sailing lesson
- kayaking, or go out with friend on his/her boat :)
- camping (if it's not 100 degrees)
- rock climbing
- get a massage
- lay around and read a novel
- get an ice cream
- go somewhere amazing for dessert
- take a private dance lesson and finally learn to dip
- go to the farmer's market and don't worry about the price of berries
- feed the ducks
- zoo
- bake cookies
- go to the store and trawl for free samples of food (WF is great for this)
- climb a tree
- putt-putt golf
- bowling
- summer musical
- visit a friend with a new puppy or kittens
- tube the river
- run under the sprinkler/borrow the neighbor's slip n slide (if you're not in a drought)
- garden
Some vacation plans can't really be replaced, but if finances are tight, or you're really burnt out and need a weekend vacation, a well-planned vacation at home can be just the trick.
Do you have any other tips? Please share! (Can you tell I canceled a big vacation this summer?)
Monday, May 26, 2008
Vacationing with Kids
We have 3 children -- currently aged 6, 4 and 2. This summer, they'll all turn 1 year older :)
I LOVE to go on vacation. It's basically the only thing that I'm really willing to spend money on. I'm not really a luxury vacation kind of person, but I have to get away several times a year, or I go crazy. That's why I have a job with lots of vacation built in :)
Before I had children, I used to rent out my apartment every summer, take my giant summer pay check and go to South America for the summer. Things become more complicated with kids, especially when there are 3 of 'em.
Four years ago, we took the two oldest (at the time almost 3 and almost 1 -- I can't believe we did this, looking back) to Spain. We had a great time, but we spent a LOT of money... and this is before the Euro was where it is now. We also realized that because of the fact that we were traveling with kids, we couldn't really do the things that we used to do when we traveled on our own. That's frustrating at times, but can also be good because the nice thing about kids is....
You're "allowed" to do things with kids that you might not normally do as an adult.
For example:
After our trip to Spain, C and I decided that we needed to focus more on vacationing close to home. It's less expensive (and also creates fewer emissions b/c of no flying!) and is just more realistic for us. When we took the kids to Spain, we spent almost all of our time at the playground or at the beach. When we went to the Prado, my kids kept trying to touch the paintings. They also had a super short attention span. We had a great time eating at bakeries in the mornings. We had fun meeting other families (guess where? beach and playground). To me, it didn't really make sense to travel so far to go to places that we have close to home. (Don't get me wrong... I LOVE Spain... and I know that the beaches and playgrounds are different... but still...)
This weekend, we went to one of the many Texas State Parks. I LOVE the state parks, but had not really spent any time in them until I had kids. Then I decided that they needed a dose of nature and we needed a cheap vacation. We spent 3 nights and 2 days for a total cost of 30 dollars in lodging, 10 dollars in popsicles, and 15 dollars in floats (plus groceries we brought from home). Totally worth it.
Ah... but is it a green vacation?
Yes and no.
Yes:
outdoor, off the grid (no electricity)
give kids and parents appreciation of nature
much better than flying somewhere
picked up some cans and bottles thrown around and brought them home to recycle
State park recycles aluminum :)
Saved shower water & heating of water by bathing in river for 3 days
Saved washing lots of clothes by wearing almost nothing but a bathing suit for 3 days
No:
drove there (I just can't escape this problem it seems... Texas is too darned big)
bought giant plastic sea horse float (I'm sorry! But I swear I'll use it again! And I have a patch kit in case it gets a flat!)
massive use of sunscreen ( but this is really unavoidable in the summertime in Texas unless we stay inside all the time. Of course not the perfectly green kind...)
I LOVE to go on vacation. It's basically the only thing that I'm really willing to spend money on. I'm not really a luxury vacation kind of person, but I have to get away several times a year, or I go crazy. That's why I have a job with lots of vacation built in :)
Before I had children, I used to rent out my apartment every summer, take my giant summer pay check and go to South America for the summer. Things become more complicated with kids, especially when there are 3 of 'em.
Four years ago, we took the two oldest (at the time almost 3 and almost 1 -- I can't believe we did this, looking back) to Spain. We had a great time, but we spent a LOT of money... and this is before the Euro was where it is now. We also realized that because of the fact that we were traveling with kids, we couldn't really do the things that we used to do when we traveled on our own. That's frustrating at times, but can also be good because the nice thing about kids is....
You're "allowed" to do things with kids that you might not normally do as an adult.
For example:
- inhale marshmallows straight out of the package if there's a burn ban and you can't make a fire.
- float down the river on a giant sea horse raft.
- Dance in a circle, twirling a girl on each arm.
- Play mommy cat and baby cat.
- Lay under the stars, trying to figure out what that moving star is... (aliens?)
- Swim "in place" in a river current, with a cheering crowd
After our trip to Spain, C and I decided that we needed to focus more on vacationing close to home. It's less expensive (and also creates fewer emissions b/c of no flying!) and is just more realistic for us. When we took the kids to Spain, we spent almost all of our time at the playground or at the beach. When we went to the Prado, my kids kept trying to touch the paintings. They also had a super short attention span. We had a great time eating at bakeries in the mornings. We had fun meeting other families (guess where? beach and playground). To me, it didn't really make sense to travel so far to go to places that we have close to home. (Don't get me wrong... I LOVE Spain... and I know that the beaches and playgrounds are different... but still...)
This weekend, we went to one of the many Texas State Parks. I LOVE the state parks, but had not really spent any time in them until I had kids. Then I decided that they needed a dose of nature and we needed a cheap vacation. We spent 3 nights and 2 days for a total cost of 30 dollars in lodging, 10 dollars in popsicles, and 15 dollars in floats (plus groceries we brought from home). Totally worth it.
Ah... but is it a green vacation?
Yes and no.
Yes:
outdoor, off the grid (no electricity)
give kids and parents appreciation of nature
much better than flying somewhere
picked up some cans and bottles thrown around and brought them home to recycle
State park recycles aluminum :)
Saved shower water & heating of water by bathing in river for 3 days
Saved washing lots of clothes by wearing almost nothing but a bathing suit for 3 days
No:
drove there (I just can't escape this problem it seems... Texas is too darned big)
bought giant plastic sea horse float (I'm sorry! But I swear I'll use it again! And I have a patch kit in case it gets a flat!)
massive use of sunscreen ( but this is really unavoidable in the summertime in Texas unless we stay inside all the time. Of course not the perfectly green kind...)
Friday, May 23, 2008
How Expensive are Kids-- Part IV -- Driving
We did something very strange when we had our 3rd child -- we downsized our car. We had been driving an Oldsmobile. We sold it and bought a Hyundai. I like the Hyundai. It gets great mileage (on our recent South Padre trip we got about 400 miles to a tank) and the price was right. It doesn't seem to cause any serious problems (knock wood). BUT it is very uncomfortable and 3 car seats barely fit in the back.
3 car seats
When the 3rd child was on her way, I spent a LOT of time searching the internet for cars that would fit 3 car seats because not all of them do. Even then, I searched the dimensions of the car seats and did some crazy shopping with a measuring tape to find the perfect combination that would fit in the back of our car. It works -- barely. What helps is to have a car seat that fastens in front of the child (harness) rather than a booster for as long as possible. We tried to move our 4 yo into a booster seat but found it impossible to fasten the seatbelt.
So what does this have to do with being green?
Having 3 young children really affects car choice. You can't buy a really small car because all the car seats won't fit. I guess you could buy a hybrid SUV, but it's probably better just to have a regular car (and certainly easier on the wallet). Our budget for a car was around 5000, so we got as green as we could given our needs -- we could NOT fit in a car any smaller -- even 1 inch smaller in the back seat would not work.
It also affects the need for driving. For example, yesterday I took my kids to a really awesome park with spurting fountains (it's 95 degrees... we needed water). It is 3 miles away. Here were my options:
a. Bike to park with girls in trailer. J (6 yo) rides his own bike.
PRO: totally green
CON: OMG it's SO hot. J would cry and probably refuse to ride home. His limit is about 1.5 miles at a time.
b. Take the bus.
PRO: pretty darn green.
CON: have to walk .5 miles to bus stop and then bus does not go directly to park. Probably need to walk .75 miles at other end = crying and heat. Would take at least 1 hour to get there (and then another hour back)
c. Drive
PRO: fast, no crying, go directly to park
CON: car is really hot
drove 6 miles
These are not great choices. What did I do?
I drove
I guess there's also:
d. Don't go.
But I do that a lot. This was a special treat.
3 car seats
When the 3rd child was on her way, I spent a LOT of time searching the internet for cars that would fit 3 car seats because not all of them do. Even then, I searched the dimensions of the car seats and did some crazy shopping with a measuring tape to find the perfect combination that would fit in the back of our car. It works -- barely. What helps is to have a car seat that fastens in front of the child (harness) rather than a booster for as long as possible. We tried to move our 4 yo into a booster seat but found it impossible to fasten the seatbelt.
So what does this have to do with being green?
Having 3 young children really affects car choice. You can't buy a really small car because all the car seats won't fit. I guess you could buy a hybrid SUV, but it's probably better just to have a regular car (and certainly easier on the wallet). Our budget for a car was around 5000, so we got as green as we could given our needs -- we could NOT fit in a car any smaller -- even 1 inch smaller in the back seat would not work.
It also affects the need for driving. For example, yesterday I took my kids to a really awesome park with spurting fountains (it's 95 degrees... we needed water). It is 3 miles away. Here were my options:
a. Bike to park with girls in trailer. J (6 yo) rides his own bike.
PRO: totally green
CON: OMG it's SO hot. J would cry and probably refuse to ride home. His limit is about 1.5 miles at a time.
b. Take the bus.
PRO: pretty darn green.
CON: have to walk .5 miles to bus stop and then bus does not go directly to park. Probably need to walk .75 miles at other end = crying and heat. Would take at least 1 hour to get there (and then another hour back)
c. Drive
PRO: fast, no crying, go directly to park
CON: car is really hot
drove 6 miles
These are not great choices. What did I do?
I drove
I guess there's also:
d. Don't go.
But I do that a lot. This was a special treat.
Monday, May 12, 2008
How Expensive are Kids? -- Part III
Lately the price of food has been getting me down. It seems that every time that I go to the grocery store, the bill is higher. Meanwhile, we are eating much less meat than we used to, rarely buy canned beans, make our own bread and soy milk... What is going on?
The higher price of food is all over the news. Milk is higher, which has made all milk products more expensive. The price of wheat is higher, which has made pizza places and bakeries raise their prices. I have not really noticed a higher price on flour, but the high price of milk really hurts. I have 3 young children, and the youngest can really put away some milk. We decided to switch to organic milk, and the price of organic milk (not the happy stuff in glass bottles, mind you, but just regular factory organic milk) is from 4.99 to 5.49 a gallon, depending on where I buy it. That's at LEAST 40 dollars a month in milk. Then there's cheese. About $5 a pound, and lots more if I buy organic.
This week's Newsweek has an article about people changing back from organic because of the rising cost of food. There are certain things that I am consistent about with organic -- I like the organic milk, but can't bring myself to pay for the cheese. I buy organic yogurt (2.99 for a big container) but not ice cream (don't buy much of that because I would just eat it all). I can't afford organic green peppers, so I usually just leave them out. I'm waiting for them to grow in my garden. I only buy grass-fed beef, so I buy really small quantities. Depending on what I'm making, sometimes I mix it 1/2 and 1/2 with veggie crumbles.
I'd like to buy more organic produce, but I just can't afford it. The grocery bill keeps going up... not just because of higher prices, but because my children eat more as they grow. So I pick and choose. I experimented with CSA, but it just wasn't worth it for me. It cost $30 a week for vegetables that for the most part were not things that my family would normally eat, and that my kids generally didn't touch. The last week I had to toss a few things because they rotted before we could eat them. We NEVER throw away food, so that was the breaking point for me.
My kids eat lots of fruit, so I spend a good deal of money on that. Sometimes organic -- usually not. Who am I kidding? I can't spend $5 on a pound of strawberries that will be gone in 5 minutes. At the same time, I know that conventional berries are sprayed with a lot of pesticides, so I try to emphasize fruits with peels and/or fruits that are not on the "dirty dozen" list. So we eat lots of bananas, oranges, grapefruits, organic apples and mangoes. My kids also LOVE canned peaches and pineapple, which are quite affordable, but lately I've been wondering if I'm slowly poisoning them with the plastic can lining.
What about you? Have you noticed higher prices? Have they changed the decisions that you make at the grocery store?
The higher price of food is all over the news. Milk is higher, which has made all milk products more expensive. The price of wheat is higher, which has made pizza places and bakeries raise their prices. I have not really noticed a higher price on flour, but the high price of milk really hurts. I have 3 young children, and the youngest can really put away some milk. We decided to switch to organic milk, and the price of organic milk (not the happy stuff in glass bottles, mind you, but just regular factory organic milk) is from 4.99 to 5.49 a gallon, depending on where I buy it. That's at LEAST 40 dollars a month in milk. Then there's cheese. About $5 a pound, and lots more if I buy organic.
This week's Newsweek has an article about people changing back from organic because of the rising cost of food. There are certain things that I am consistent about with organic -- I like the organic milk, but can't bring myself to pay for the cheese. I buy organic yogurt (2.99 for a big container) but not ice cream (don't buy much of that because I would just eat it all). I can't afford organic green peppers, so I usually just leave them out. I'm waiting for them to grow in my garden. I only buy grass-fed beef, so I buy really small quantities. Depending on what I'm making, sometimes I mix it 1/2 and 1/2 with veggie crumbles.
I'd like to buy more organic produce, but I just can't afford it. The grocery bill keeps going up... not just because of higher prices, but because my children eat more as they grow. So I pick and choose. I experimented with CSA, but it just wasn't worth it for me. It cost $30 a week for vegetables that for the most part were not things that my family would normally eat, and that my kids generally didn't touch. The last week I had to toss a few things because they rotted before we could eat them. We NEVER throw away food, so that was the breaking point for me.
My kids eat lots of fruit, so I spend a good deal of money on that. Sometimes organic -- usually not. Who am I kidding? I can't spend $5 on a pound of strawberries that will be gone in 5 minutes. At the same time, I know that conventional berries are sprayed with a lot of pesticides, so I try to emphasize fruits with peels and/or fruits that are not on the "dirty dozen" list. So we eat lots of bananas, oranges, grapefruits, organic apples and mangoes. My kids also LOVE canned peaches and pineapple, which are quite affordable, but lately I've been wondering if I'm slowly poisoning them with the plastic can lining.
What about you? Have you noticed higher prices? Have they changed the decisions that you make at the grocery store?
Sunday, May 11, 2008
How Expensive are Children -- Part II
I love it when the green choice and the frugal choice are the same. One example of this is in clothing. Judging from the marketing, it seems like the green choice is clothing made out of bamboo or organic cotton, died with soy-based inks, definitely not bleached, etc.... Nope -- the greenest choice is to buy used clothing. No new resources are used, we are keeping the clothes out of the landfill, and any leftover money can be used to do green things that might cost a little extra.
When the clothes are a little destroyed (shirts with a minor stain, but still really comfy, pants with a tear), they can live a new life as play clothes (or gardening clothes), pajamas, rags, quilts, stuffing.... the possibilities go on and on. Just a few days ago, I taught my son to sew. He made a little pillow, and since we didn't have any stuffing, we cut up a piece of an old t-shirt to use as stuffing. The project cost nothing, and he now has a pillow for his bear.
We gave up paper towels a long time ago, and now we use rags for wiping the floor and for groddy spills. If it's something really gross, I sometimes throw the rag away because I just can't face washing it, but there's really not a shortage of rags. I Goodwill or pass on any useful clothes, but if the clothes are destroyed, I just pop them straight in the rag basket. I have a separate basket for dirty rags so that they don't contaminate our regular clothes.
When the clothes are a little destroyed (shirts with a minor stain, but still really comfy, pants with a tear), they can live a new life as play clothes (or gardening clothes), pajamas, rags, quilts, stuffing.... the possibilities go on and on. Just a few days ago, I taught my son to sew. He made a little pillow, and since we didn't have any stuffing, we cut up a piece of an old t-shirt to use as stuffing. The project cost nothing, and he now has a pillow for his bear.
We gave up paper towels a long time ago, and now we use rags for wiping the floor and for groddy spills. If it's something really gross, I sometimes throw the rag away because I just can't face washing it, but there's really not a shortage of rags. I Goodwill or pass on any useful clothes, but if the clothes are destroyed, I just pop them straight in the rag basket. I have a separate basket for dirty rags so that they don't contaminate our regular clothes.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
How Expensive are Children?
Before I had kids, I didn't really believe that they could cost a lot of money. After I had my son, I still didn't really believe it. After all, our grocery bill barely changed (because he was nursing). I used diapers, but I didn't buy the expensive ones, so that was the only major expense we had -- maybe 40 dollars a month. We were given just about everything else that we needed (or didn't need) at baby showers (yes... we had more than one... people were very excited).
Now that I have three children, and they are a little older, I see that they actually DO cost a lot of money. How much money, though, depends a lot on decisions that you make. For babies, you really don't need to buy anything. People give you just about everything you need (for clothes) at baby showers. If no one gives you a baby shower, baby clothes are dirt cheap at garage sales and there is an awesome selection at Goodwill. Babies will poop on or spit up on whatever they wear, so there's no need to spend money on new clothes. If you have a bassinet, it's handy, but otherwise just spring for a crib. The baby will only sleep in the bassinet for a few months.
Most importantly, nurse the baby. Formula is insanely expensive. The first month or so of nursing can be hard, but then it gets easy. It has the added benefit of helping the mom lose weight. (I think it's interesting that no one told me how hard nursing was before I had a baby. It was a total mystery to me. I had a baby, they handed it to me, and somehow I was supposed to figure out what to do. I understood the theory -- nipple goes in baby's mouth -- but putting that into practice took a little figuring out.)
Once kids get to school age, they get more expensive. They eat a lot more and they tend to be a little pickier about what they eat. My son won't touch stuff that he loved as a baby. I have pictures of him covered with lasagna, but now it freaks him out and he has to re-realize that he likes it every time I serve it. He used to scarf down beans and baby peas. Now? Ha!
Clothes are also a problem. The pickings are slim at Goodwill, and there are no 6-year old showers. Kids get toys for their birthdays and Christmas, which is the absolute last thing they need. School age clothes also are more expensive than baby clothes and tend to get really worn out (that's why I think there's not as much selection at thrift stores, particularly with boy's clothes.)
So.... what to do about the clothes? I almost never buy my kids new clothes. Not because I'm mean, but because I do this:
Now that I have three children, and they are a little older, I see that they actually DO cost a lot of money. How much money, though, depends a lot on decisions that you make. For babies, you really don't need to buy anything. People give you just about everything you need (for clothes) at baby showers. If no one gives you a baby shower, baby clothes are dirt cheap at garage sales and there is an awesome selection at Goodwill. Babies will poop on or spit up on whatever they wear, so there's no need to spend money on new clothes. If you have a bassinet, it's handy, but otherwise just spring for a crib. The baby will only sleep in the bassinet for a few months.
Most importantly, nurse the baby. Formula is insanely expensive. The first month or so of nursing can be hard, but then it gets easy. It has the added benefit of helping the mom lose weight. (I think it's interesting that no one told me how hard nursing was before I had a baby. It was a total mystery to me. I had a baby, they handed it to me, and somehow I was supposed to figure out what to do. I understood the theory -- nipple goes in baby's mouth -- but putting that into practice took a little figuring out.)
Once kids get to school age, they get more expensive. They eat a lot more and they tend to be a little pickier about what they eat. My son won't touch stuff that he loved as a baby. I have pictures of him covered with lasagna, but now it freaks him out and he has to re-realize that he likes it every time I serve it. He used to scarf down beans and baby peas. Now? Ha!
Clothes are also a problem. The pickings are slim at Goodwill, and there are no 6-year old showers. Kids get toys for their birthdays and Christmas, which is the absolute last thing they need. School age clothes also are more expensive than baby clothes and tend to get really worn out (that's why I think there's not as much selection at thrift stores, particularly with boy's clothes.)
So.... what to do about the clothes? I almost never buy my kids new clothes. Not because I'm mean, but because I do this:
- Let people know you're open to used clothes. Then they will pass on their stuff to you.
- Pass on your old stuff to other people. Used clothes karma really pays off.
- If I see jeans in my son's size at Goodwill, I buy them. I have trouble finding jeans that fit (he's slim, so he needs slim jeans... try finding these that don't look like throwbacks from the 80s and have no holes.)
- Keep an eye out at garage sales and other thrift stores -- I won't go to a garage sale looking for kid clothes (because it's usually the wrong size), but if I pass by, I'll always take a look.
- I'm willing to buy used shoes. They have to look nice and they can't be too used. Kids DESTROY shoes, so I feel like this is alright. We went to a wedding and my son needed dress shoes, so I bought a pair for $3. They had probably been worn one other time.
I could make everything work even better if I made the kids change clothes when they come home from school. That way they would not need as many outfits, because the clothes really get destroyed from playing outside. I've been trying to do this, but need to work on it.
I think the main key is to be open to used clothes. There are a lot of kids' clothes getting passed around -- if you build up karma and are happy to receive, it's not too hard to clothe the kids economically.
Food, on the other hand..... can be a serious problem. These little people just KEEP eating! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
