Now is the Time

     The idea of landfills is totally disgusting.  Trash is disgusting.  And believe me no matter how many people in this world recycle, there will still be trash.  I say though- there could be a lot less.  If your family pulled the recyclable objects out of your trash would it make room for one more day with that trash bag?   Anything that doesn’t go directly in the trash  also doesn’t go directly in the landfill.  And I like that.

 
    If you are familiar with Paoli, we have a growing-wonderful recycling center. Sometimes there is a lot of cardboard or plastic that is just waiting to be put to use.  I get frustrated, because I think it is great to take something and give it a second life.  But where is the demand for that second life.  I am demanding it.  When I buy anything made from a tree- I want it to be made from recycled paper or cardboard.  I don’t want to support companies who are still cutting down trees to make their products. It is not even necessary.  We have plenty to be re-used.  And, until people stand up to these companies and tell them to change they will continue doing what-ever is easiest and cheapest for them.  These companies are not totally oblivious to the demand- I mean the makers of  Sun Chips have begun offering a compostable bag now- Fantastic!
   
     One may argue that paper and cardboard are - degradable so what does it matter if they go to the landfill or not.  And, it does matter. Things should not end up in a landfill until they have no more use to anyone.  Plus, how are your paper and cardboard going to breakdown surrounded by those hefty plastic trash bags.  Trust me its going to be there a while.  And plastic is a whole deal in itself. 
   
    I hate plastic.  Good plastic-bad plastic-safe, unsafe. I don’t even want to keep it straight- I just want to stay away.  And I do for the most part.   I know though- plastic is everywhere. I mean they use it to wrap my toaster pops, and hold sour cream, potato chips, grapes, shampoo-anything.   It seems unstoppable. One of the first changes I made about three or four years ago was to stop buying bottled water.  I remember taking my recyclables, and putting in all those plastic bottles, and I was like geeze it is great that I’m recycling these- But better yet what if they never got used to have to be recycled. 

Now, I  filter water and fill up my safe-to-reuse-containers.  I have many so we just keep reusing them. Its cheaper and it makes you feel good. Especially when you are out and you see people holding their plastic water bottles- You can know that you are doing something better and can pull out your own sturdy water bottle, and trust me you will make them check themselves! I know with the demands of everyday life- it is hard to not find a plastic bottle in my hand from time to time. But I try and see that it gets recycled.  

     It is not only about reusing our trash- but about conserving. Conserving our environment, natural resources, energy and money! I don’t have all the answers, but it would be great if your family tried recycling.  And I am sure your kids would get into it. And it would instill in them to be more conservative with their wastefulness today and as they grow into adults.           

 

This is my recycling set up in my house.It is easier if they are sorted before taking them to the center!

 

  Reasons to Recycle:

http://www.nrc-recycle.org/top10reasonstorecycle.aspx

Photo Credits to: standardsusers.org & http://girlfromthehills.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/recycle_reuse_reduce.jpg

To Be or To Baby

Ya know, being a married- mid twenty-something woman, I get a lot of questions about when I am going to “start a family.” And I know its not just happening to me. I see it all around me in the few remaining married- non parent friends. Trust me people, we are feeling the pressure!
I read an article the other day stating that by the age of thirty, women have used 90% of their eggs. THAT is deluxe. Because your best eggs go first. So, people all around are telling me it’s time to have a baby, AND so is my body.
However, I’m just not ready. I know there are immeasurable joys to being a parent. I know my biological clock is ticking. But, I also know it is a huge sacrifice. And I see it all around me. I’m probably never going to do anything “great” for the world, but I know I could do something great for my family, and that is to have a baby. Uh, I don’t even like saying that. But it‘s the truth. The single greatest thing I may ever do for the world is to procreate. It is just because I am that insignificant in the spectrum of the universe. Which is fine.
It is all so much to take in. There are so many factors that affect my decision. First- the children I encounter. As an overall evaluation- I don’t want my child to act like them. There are some bad kids. And bad parents. But, I do see good kids also. In between the chaos. A lot of my friends have good kids, and they are good parents. And I will be a freak parent, I already have some pretty serious standards-especially when thinking about my child’s diet. If you know me you understand. There are a thousand factors in my mind that butt-heads with each other on this topic.
Some people just have babies on a whim without even having a plan. Some are completely unplanned. What they don’t tell you when you get pregnant in high school though, is that it was one of your BEST EGGS!!!!(I’m not condoning this by any means)
Anyway, I want a plan. For goodness sakes, it takes a lot of dinero to cover the cost of having a child. Plus the whole self-sacrifice thing pretty much throws me for a loop too. I just want to be ready, so that Cameron and I can be the best parents we can be.
Sometimes I think I should just go off the pill and let nature take its course. But that is pretty scary. What if it happened at a bad time. And, I mean with all the problems women have, one doesn’t even know if they are able to conceive. I know I want to have a baby someday, that is for certain. I love my Family and I know it would make my parents sooooo happy. But definitively not today, or tomorrow.
Anyway , the next time you go to say something to a married-fertile- non-parent women, think twice, cause trust me, its already crossed their mind.

P.S. For your viewing pleasure i have included some pictures of what mine and Cameron's baby may look like someday. I hope you LOL! xo