The Homeschool Argument

Dear Nosey Nancy,

Yes, my Husband and I really did decide TOGETHER to homeschool the kids. No, I didn't just steamroll him into it and he decided not to argue. Nice to see what you think about our relationship.

Yes, we WILL be homeschooling for the near future at least. We have our reasons. If you'd like I could TELL them to you but I will NOT discuss them with you. Again he and I decided together.

Yes, I'm sure those homeschool kids your youngest daughters saw during the once a year mandated testing were totally awkward. You would be too if they took you from your job placed you in a different facility to test you all day long and you knew no one there. Not only that, imagine all the people there are from some small hillbilly town where everyone knows everyone, they all grew up together, have their own little cliques or circles, and have a well established pecking order that doesn't allow for outsiders.

Truth be told you've never met a homeschooled kid. Neither have your kids. They have seen them, from a distance, in a situation where the odds are highly stacked against them. They were scrutinized as an outsider and led to believe that no one there wanted to be their friend. Which from the sound of it was true. So instead of critiquing our lifestyle how about you come to a homeschool group meeting and see what really goes on there?

Until then please don't worry, we got this.

Love,
The Unworried Mom

Why I bought Expensive Car Seats

We have 2 car seats that cost us a whopping $245 each. Why did we buy something so expensive when kids will just outgrow it and need a new one anyway? Well, that is part of the reason why we bought them. in hope that our children wouldn't outgrow them so quickly!

We purchased Diono Radian RXTs for the kids initially for safety reasons. They have high ratings, the manufacturer has never had a recall on a product, and the crash tests are wonderful! Not to mention the steel reinforced frame! I felt so much safer with my kids in these things than in the one I had purchased locally at the store.

All that was great but when I started getting into car seat research I learned a few things.

1. Car seats expire. Typically after 5 years.
2. Car seats are useless after a crash, even a minor one. Check with your manufacturer but even after a fender bender most car seats need to be replaced.
3. Tethering and LATCH is very important. It's EXTREMELY important to make sure your car seat is installed correctly. Check with your manufacturer and local highway patrol to make sure your seat is installed correctly. Local law enforcement should be able to inspect your seat to make sure it's been put in correctly.
4. Bigger or taller kids are hard to fit into the correct seat for their age/development group. Try fitting a tall 10 month old into a common rear facing seat.
5. It is super important to use the correct seat for each child's development stage! Just because an 8 month old weighs 20lbs does NOT mean they need to forward face. they still have the same muscle development as any other 8 month old. The muscles in their neck cannot withstand the force of a crash if they are forward facing as well as they can rear facing. Check out this flyer from the American Academy of Pediatrics for more info on this topic.
6. Rules and regulations change all the time. Now the AAP suggests to keep children rear facing until 2 years old and older children should ride in the back seat also. This is way different from when I was 6 years old! I used to ride in the front all the time! Now, with more research and statistics it's known that that is actually pretty dangerous.

So why the bigger pricier seats?

My kids are tall. It's hard to fit them rear facing in a common seat because they reach the height limit so quickly. We wanted LATCH seats with tether for added support during a collision. Our seats surpass the suggestions of the AAP in that we can keep them rear facing and harnessed longer. The best part is the money saving!

The cheapest infant car seat I could find runs about $90 and only fits infants less than 30lbs. Add another $90 for a forward facing seat or convertible seat (convertible seats are seats that rear face and forward face). Don't forget your booster seat! You're looking at $25 for a backless or $50 for a high back booster (safer). But none of that can be used for heavier or taller kids. Those cheap boosters top out at 100lbs and the height/weight restrictions don't allow for kids in higher percentiles of growth to continue using them as long as their peers.

Lets look just at the money for a moment. We're looking at $205 for the 3 seats a kid needs from infant to about 8-10 years old. Yes, I said 8-10; most kids need a booster at this age to sit comfortably and be semi protected in an accident. We paid $245 for our seats! Less fuss. Less worry. I don't have to constantly check expiration dates, make sure the kids fit, search for a new seat when they outgrow their current one. I'm covered. Our seats also last a whopping 10 years. Here are the specs on our seat:

Rear-facing: 5 - 45 lbs

Forward-facing: 20 - 80 lbs (and up to 57") in a 5-point harness

Booster to 120 lbs

Steel alloy frame and aluminum reinforced sides

Safestop energy-absorbing harness system

Adjustable head support, reinforced for complete side impact safety

Energy-absorbing EPS foam panels on all sides

Rear-facing tether capability

LATCH installation up to 80 lb child

Infant body support cushions

Memory foam padding for superior comfort

5 shoulder and 3 buckle positions for custom fit

Expandable sides and longer seat bottom for leg support and comfort

12 height positions for adjustable head support

2 recline positions in forward-facing mode

Sits low on vehicle seat for easy child boarding

Fits 3 across in a mid-size vehicle and offers more shoulder space

Add up to 4 cup holders (1 included)

Folds flat for travel and storage

Rubber bottom grips for no-slip installation

10 year life

So, yes we spent an extra $40 but we also bought top of the line. If you buy top of the line infant, convertible, and booster seats you're looking to spend about $200 per seat.

I love our seats. They're safe, versatile, and when you break it down surprisingly affordable!

Stay green,

Yasha

Thanksgiving Menu!

I'm excited to be able to cook so much for Thanksgiving this year! Last Year I did the turkey which was fun but boring. The year before that I did some rolls and pies. That was fun.

I'm excited to have a wider range of things to cook this year! Other members of the family will be providing turkey, potatoes, greenbean casserole, and other staples. This year I get to make Glazed Carrots, Scalloped Cauliflower, Banana Bread, Pecan Pie, Cheesecake, Spinach Balls, and Cranberry sauce, and Cranberry garnish! Yum!

I should get back to cleaning so the apartment is ready for this massive food prep! What are you bringing to Thanksgiving this year?

Stay green,
Yasha

Origami Centerpiece

I had to make a table setting for a charity event some months back and decided I wanted to keep the centerpiece on my counter. Of course the whole thing is much too large to a small apartment counter, so I broke it down a bit and used origami to fill in the gaps.

It really didn't cost anything. Most craft stores like Hobby Lobby will carry Origami paper and there are many varieties. This is so much fun to do with the whole family; everyone can make their own favorite shapes to add!

I love this site for origami instructions they have great videos on some of the tricky pieces. Try it out I would love to see your centerpieces! http://www.origami-instructions.com

Stay green,

Yasha

Charity Table

Simple At home piece

Counter top Piece

Downsizing to a Minimalist

We're out of the house and back into an apartment. Not a big deal for us. Some repairs were made to the house but there was so much wrong with it. It needed more work than we were told, plumbing, structure, etc. Just goes to show you even if you think the repair job is good you could run into more than you can handle.

One of the things we're going to have to fix is the amount of stuff we have! From the 15k sqft house to a 700sqft apartment things certainly do NOT  fit. So how to make it fit? First we downsized out entertainment center from a 2 piece to a small 1 piece that fits just the tv and game system. The desk has gone from a corner desk to a single top desk. And no more dining room. That last part is the only sad thing about it all.

But what did we do with all the stuff? We sold most of it! Between Craigslist and a yard sale we got rid of many things we didn't need and made a small profit. The rest of it went to charity. Since we don't have room I didn't want to keep it all here; we didn't see the point in renting a storage unit for things we don't need. So, out it went!

Here's to a less cluttered home!

Stay green,
Yasha

Christmas presents for Grandparents

While at the Goodwill today (browsing for more frames) I noticed some very nice photo albums. Hmm, Grandparents like pictures of the grandkids right? Just how expensive are these albums? 50 CENTS!?

Score!

Now how to fill them? I know Walgreens has deals on 4x6 photos from time to time. Usually, 10 cents each. I think I could swing that. It looks like the grandparents will be getting more pictures of the grandkids this year. Won't that make them so happy?

Mmm Leftovers!

I know I have my lunches for a week! Already the freezer and refrigerator is stocked full of ready made lunches for hubby and myself. Each lunch is stacked conveniently in a divided lunch container. I've only used leftovers from Thanksgiving for the first few, after that I use combinations of leftovers and frozen veggies to store in the freezer. I'm so happy I don't have to worry about any wasted leftovers since hubby never likes to make his own lunch and would rather grab one I've prepared for him.
I love the food that was cooked at Thanksgiving; the whole family chipped in. We had 2 types of cranberry sauce, 5 pies, 2 turkeys, a ham, dressing, sweet potatoes, scalloped corn, veggie trays, etc. No one left with what they made we all took home other people's left overs. Since we can replicate our own recipes we decided we'd give away what we made ourselves.

Once I got home All i had to do is replicate a couple of things I cooked that day. The rest of the packed lunches are pure leftover. Since I froze some of it we won't get tired of having turkey everyday.

Now what did I do with those veggie trays? All we had left was broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, and mushrooms. What do you think I made? SOUP! Mmm, yummy, tasty soup. Hearty and filling. That will be our dinner for the next two nights, the rest of the soup will be dinner one night in January!

I just love Thanksgiving such a bountiful harvest of, love, family, and food!

Stay green,
Yasha

Green Quiz Quest

Like scavenger hunts? Well here is one tailored to those going green.

It's a great way to get free green swag to start or continue a cloth diaper stash!

It starts anuually in July, check it out!

Green Quiz Quest

Stay green,
Yasha

Introduction to the masses

So this is my first post. I've never had a blog before so this is kinda new to me. I wanted to do something for earth day but I missed out on the tree planting they had at the park and I don't have a yard to plant my own. So I started this blog; maybe I can convince someone to recycle too.

As I finally get to write something for a blog I created last week, I'm at a loss for words. I figure I should, perhaps, introduce myself. I'm a simple wife and mom. I cook, I clean, I work 40 hours a week, and I recycle. I try to help the environment anyway I can. Now I don't go out of my way to do so but now days you really don't have to.

About my family I live with my husband and child. I cook most of my meals at home. This not only saves us money it saves gas, but more on that later. My husband and I work at the same place. Fortunately the company we work for tries to recycle almost all of the waste they produce. I'm very proud to work for them!

My baby is enjoying new found freedom right now as she discovers more and more ways to move. She like to help me find new ways to recycle, usually by playing with boxes or papers before they go to the center.

For now that's all I have. Keep recycling!

Stay green,
Yasha