It's not easy being Green

In fact, it's so hard that I have yet to meet someone who does it perfectly (except for that Thoreau guy, and it's not like we're on a close personal basis).

The ladies at my Wed "post-natal yoga" class all seem to be in varying degrees of green living (or pseudo hippie-dom). They talk about when they' ve moved the tabs on their bum-genius cloth diapers (um, yeah Holden did that a bit ago) and one lady's even EC-ing her child. (Holden and I tried this yesterday, it was awesome...he just pee'd on a towel at the pool.)

I was shopping at the grocery store the other day and looked down to discover a hogepodge of green products (and my canvas shopping bags, of course!) juxtaposed with those that were, um...not so green. So I'm thinking, Man, I am such a fake. I am like a 'convenient green'... I guess you could say if we're measuring social and eco consciousness on a color scale, I'm more of like a light-green... hmm, chartreuse if you will. But "chartruse" doesn't have quite the same stage appeal (or environmental impact for the good), now does it?


And wouldn't you know, in my search for more info about the woes of chlorine bleach (apparently dioxin is the kicker people - keep that stuff away from your babes!) after watching that crazy Clorox commercial where the mom's washing her kids sippy cups, bottles, toys etc in the stuff (Mama does not have the Magic of Clorox)...anyway, I came across this. It's a green-mommy from Canada (Darth Spencer - insert your favorite *Canuck joke...)

The article is worth a read; but in short, she talks about the contradictions in her life with living green over the stove as she's mixing up some Kraft mac and cheese with... (drum roll)... organic milk. And I thought, yes... this is my life. In a brilliant yet ever-so-tacky shade of altruistic chartreuse.



*Let the record show that I heart Canada. And we were ready to move there (or France) if last year's election results equated to the Bush Administration Part III:

Dear Holden - an update

Dearest Holden,

I can’t believe you’re almost four months old! Today is an historic day for us. It was your first day in your crib.

the crib -- no more "crib pads" though...

That’s right, 3 months (13+ weeks on Sunday) and today was your first adventure sleeping in your *nursery (just for nap time… we’ll have to work up to night time escapades).

The thing is, I like you close to me. I would probably have you sleep next to me forever but Daddy worries about co-sleeping ; plus that bassinet portion of your pack-and-play cautions against placing you in it once you’ve passed the 15 lb mark. I don’t know when it happened, but you’re over 16 lbs already and it breaks my heart.

What a special spirit you are…

Your personality is already shining through. I love your smiles in the morning; your squeals when I tickle you and kiss your neck and how you grin with your mouth open when I sing the first seven letters of the Alphabet song.

It’s amazing what a good traveler you are. My ego grows a little every time we fly since you are ALWAYS the best baby on board. (I know, I need to repent for my pride… but I’m just so proud to be your mom.) I can’t take credit for how easy going you are (though I wish I could!)

We’ve had so much fun traveling with you: St. George, Seattle and San Diego. You are fearless (though it’s obvious you like your bed at home best.) In your defense, that pack and play at the Welk Resort in Escondido did smell a little odd… no matter how many peppermint Jo-sha wipes I used on it!

Thank you for being, Holden. I can hardly remember what life was like before you, and I would never want to imagine life without you.

Love,
Mommy

Here some more pictures of the nursery for the kids in the hall... they were taken about a month after you were born, but admittedly not much has changed about the "space."

Changing Table & Armoire (Danny got for us as a surprise)

Cedar Cabinet from "Grandma Great" (Holden's Great Grandma Rosse); the picture frame from guru Jami Star now houses a picture of your feet in my hands...

Re-purposed Rocking Chair that mostly holds stuffed animals these days

*I may have mentioned this before, but for those of you interested... the room that houses Holden's nursery happens to be the former "blessing room" of my Grandpa Lambert who served as a Patriarch in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and gave hundreds of blessings in that room.

Oh Baby that’s what I like! (And loathe)

We head to San Diego (SWINE FLU! SWINE FLU! CODE RED!) on Saturday so I thought I’d get a little some-n’ some-n’ for ya’ll to read. (I’m practicing my ‘Indianan’ because Danny’s decided he wants to go to my 10 year college reunion at Indiana Wesleyan University which will be this October in Marion, IN.)

Confessions:

Those close, and some not so close, to me know that I have had a love affair with Burberry for some time. I don’t know how/why this started… but I love that crazy little plaid and wish I had tons of $$$ to buy hand bags and outfit Holden in little brown-red-and black rompers. Of course, add to the list the rush that would come with buying a pair of Prada / Manolo Blahnik heels and it’s apparent that certain “tastes” of mine far outstretch our spending capacity. But all my tastes aren’t of 5th Ave fantasy… My confessions for the things I love that are not chic (or green), at all.

The Foods I HATE to LOVE



Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup from a can is Totally Ghetto… and totally de-lish. My go-to cuisine for when I have any sort of cold/flu symptoms.



Kraft-Mac-and-Cheese totally NOT organic and I don’t know if any of it really counts as food. But the fatty deliciousness warms my heart and fills my belly. (I can eat half a box by myself in one-sitting. Guilty as charged.)

Crown Burgers French Fries… fast food usually makes me gaggy. The idea of it makes my mind race. Between “Fast Food Nation” and “Super Size Me” my ego grows with the realization I can count how many times I’ve been to McDonald’s in the past 10 years on my fingers. For the most part, greasy food makes me ill, but I can’t deny that the occasional French-fry (especially from Crown Burgers) is a guilty pleasure I continue to enjoy.

Baby Products that the Sierra Club Doesn’t Approve Of

Yes we invested in a small battalion of cloth diapers (just kidding, but it does take a few to have enough for wash cycles etc); but I don’t travel well with the washables owing to the fact that Holden is picky about dry pants so we could have 4 changes in a 45 minute period if we’re not careful (that said, my diaper bag literally cannot HOLD all the cloth diapers he’d need for an outing). So I tried a bunch of non-chlorine varieties of disposable like “seventh generation” and “Nature Babycare” but at the end of the day, I can’t deny that I love Papmpers Swaddlers the best…
and they’re choc full of chlorine and things that are bad for the environment that will someday have our landfills also choc-full.



I also prefer Huggies “Lavender & Chamomile” wipes for Holden because they smell so nice (but yes, we have chlorine free 7th Generation and the like on hand as well). My friend Cassie gave me some of the huggie’s wipes for a shower present and I cannot get over how good they smell (I’ve pretty much been a sucker for anything Lavender since I found out I was pregnant.) Though if I’m home and it’s not 3am or another ridiculous hour of the night, my preference for bum-cleaning are those little baby-washcloths warmed with water. They’re easily cleaned with his cloth diapers. In the wash.

Now that you all know I’m not super mom (as if you needed this post to point that out), I'll feel much better about sharing the green products we actually LOVE using…but down the road.

Then I can also tell you about my “post-natal yoga class” where Cicely and I were the only two mom’s who had their babies in disposable diapers and one of the moms was talking about EC-ing her kid in public restrooms.

“Talk amongst yourselves” (or comment.)

"To Boldly Go" (and some pictures, mind you.)

So Holden saw his first movie today. This clip pretty much sums it up:

Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'

Other than the blow-out he had with 30 minutes left of the movie that soaked through his onesie AND his Easter outfit; he did AWE-SOME! We saw it in IMAX and he was completely in awe of the moving pictures... I had to cover his ears a few times because it was so loud; but eventually he fell asleep and really seemed to enjoy himself (the part he was awake for, minus the blow-out of course.) Live long and prosper, you know?

Also, I promised pictures from the Bless-ed Blessing Day, eh? Well here's a couple, but that's what the link you just passed was/is for... cheeky, I know. Although I couldn't pass up a chance to post this little ditty below. Mr. Holden Mangum and Faye Cain say it all. Holden's exhausted and wondering why we keep making stupid faces at him -- trying to get him to smile. Faye's moving and shakin' with the best of them. Find it funny she's 6 weeks older and 2/3's his size?!?!

Highlights from the day:

• Danny blesses Holden to "respect women" (and me, Huzzah!).
  
• Holden's wearing the same outfit Danny was blessed in. As you may notice, it's unbuttoned...well, after five-plus hours in the get up, Muscle Man Mangum needed a respite form the constricting clothing to let his appendages "breathe"
  
• Loads of family and friends -- tons of good food -- too many cookies (which btw, I ordered some sugar cookies and rolls from Granite Bakery. I asked for rattles and they came looking like bowling balls. Just an fyi in case you are going to a bowling part in the future...)
• Holden was a trooper all day as we played "pass the baby"... by the time we put him down for a nap, it was like his whole countenance said "thank you for some alone time." (He totally takes after his dad.)
• End of the day festivities -- of course -- ended with him having a blowout and it "decorating" my cream Ann Taylor brocade skirt and white button down shirt. But honestly, did I really think I could get away with wearing white?!?!?
  

(So I recognize I'm doing EXACTLY what TAMN from seriously so blessed just made fun of... Mom's talking about poop. Sorry bout that; but it is my reality and no one's forcing you to read my recount of Holden's pants.)

Additional pics below include Holden and Danny at Max (my nephew's) soccer game. I don't know why the hat is tilted sideways. But he's wearing his (Earth Day Everyday) "Let's Go Green" t-shirt!

Quick, Magic, Et Cetera

So I’d like to run off the bed shortly, but I just wanted to give a quick little update (excited to share pics and the story-line from Holden’s big day on Sunday, but not tonight.)

Here’s a few things going on in my universe:

Took Holden to the Skyline High School Madrigal/Jazz Band concert last Friday night. After two pants-changes and fast approaching intermission, I thought I’d be discreet and just make another “swap.” Um yeah, he peed on me and the back of the chair in front of us (thankfully we were sitting in the middle of nowhere).

Granite Bakery has (next to home-made) the BEST sugar cookies in the world I think (although I ordered "baby rattles" and I swear they came looking like bowling pins...). I’m pretty sure I ate two-dozen cookies yesterday in varying varieties. I curse you après-church open house dessert bar!!!! As such, I have declared this week a cookie-free zone. One day down, 6 to go…

I love the TV series the “Big Bang Theory.” But I keep forgetting it’s on Monday nights, and iTunes only has the first series… what’s up with that?!?!

As you may have caught from my "tweet," Holden and I are reading the Harry Potter series together. Of course I see value in spending time reading his “Little Einstein” books and the like; but who doesn’t love HP?

Sooo, Dancing with the Stars just ended (I only caught the last 10 minutes anyway) and I think that’s my cue to hit the sack.