Calling all Green Bloggers!

I would like to show some support for my fellow 'green' bloggers and put together a short list of blog posts that my readers can refer to in their efforts to live a more ecofriendly lifestyle.  I am looking for things like creative uses for household 'trash',  articles on how to use cloth diapers, or maybe you have some suggestions on how to raise your own chickens or reduce your meat consumption? 

Please leave a comment on this post with your email address and a link to the article you would like to link up.  I will take up to 10 submissions and will include a do follow link back to your site along with a few sentences about you and/or your topic of choice! 

Thanks for helping save the earth one small step at a time!

What you need to know about the new lighting efficiency standards

Energy Efficient Light Bulbs: The Argument

By Lou Manfredini, Ace Hardware’s Home Expert

You may have heard already, but beginning this year, energy efficiency standards for lighting have improved and homeowners will need to look beyond traditional incandescent light bulbs for their homes’ lighting needs. As you begin to make this switch, it’s important to understand what these new options are and why this change will benefit you.

Take, for example, Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs or CFLs, which now have the ability to do everything a traditional incandescent bulb can do and also come in styles that look similar for easier transitions around your home. Also, CFL’s are available in many colors including soft white, cool white and daylight. CFLs can be used in any light fixture (including three-way fixtures), many have the ability to be dimmed and can also be used outdoors. However, one of the main deterrents for consumers is the cost. A four pack of traditional incandescent light bulbs costs around $2.49, while one good quality CFL (not all are made the same) is $3.99-$4.99. What’s important to remember though is the energy savings that comes along with this higher price point.

Savings

Consider this: The average home uses approximately 50 light bulbs at a time. If all of them were 100-watt bulbs and were on at the same time, you would consume 5,000 watts of energy per hour. Now, if you changed those same 50 light bulbs to the equivalent CFL bulbs, each consuming 26 watts, your total energy used would be 1,300 watts per hour. And that’s only the beginning of your savings. The CFL bulbs can last up to 8,000 hours where traditional bulbs last about 1,000 hours, so you might pay more upfront for a CFL bulb, but within approximately one year, the extra costs pay for themselves. Not only that, but you will continue to reap savings since you won’t need to replace these bulbs for years!  

Another option is the LED (light emitting diode) bulb, which will save you even more energy but with a higher retail price. LED bulbs use only 2-17 watts of electricity, ultimately saving money on replacement costs since they will last so long. My prediction is that in the next 5-7 years the cost for LEDs will come down and eventually begin to replace CFL bulbs.

A third alternative are energy efficient halogen light bulbs. These bulbs perform and look most like the traditional incandescent bulb but are 25% more efficient. Many consumers are unaware that these bulbs are a great energy efficient alternative. Due to their traditional look and lower price point, they will most likely become a popular choice among homeowners making the switch.

Lumens vs. Watts

Regardless of which type of bulb you decide to use, you now need to focus on the lumens rather than the watts when it comes to the amount of light these bulbs will emit. New labeling will begin to appear on light bulb packaging to give you a comparison between energy-efficient bulbs and traditional incandescent bulbs. Below is a chart to reference when looking at the lumen rating for light bulbs.

Approximate Standard Light Bulb Lumen Equivalencies

40 watt bulb	310-750 lumens
60 watt bulb	750-1050 lumens
75 watt bulb	1050-1490 lumens
100 watt bulb	1500-2600 lumens

Disposal

If you’ve been keeping up with the new lighting standards you may have heard that there has been some concern about disposal of these energy-efficient bulbs. According to Energy Star®, the EPA recommends that consumers take advantage of local recycling options for CFLs. They also note, if your state or local environmental regulatory agency permits you to put used or broken CFLs in the garbage, seal the bub in two plastic bags and put it into the outside trash. Never send a CFL or any other product containing mercury to an incinerator. 

As you venture into new and different lighting technologies, Ace Hardware is here to help light the way. With over 4,500 retail stores across the country, Ace offers a full selection of new lighting options and helpful associates to guide you to the right bulbs. For more lighting and home maintenance tips, visit www.acehardware.com. 

My thanks to Lou Manfredini, Ace Hardware’s Home Expert for providing us with this information! 

Disclaimer:  As per FTC guidelines, I have not received any compensation for this post.  All opinions expressed here are those of Ace Hardware and it's affiliates.

Teaching kids to eat healthy and a contest! #BensBeginners

My daughter is 10 years old and for the longest time if you asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up her answer was simply "a mommy".  I worked hard to convince her that she could be a mommy AND something else...I felt the need to instill some sort of career goals in my child!  What did she decide on?  Cooking....something that involved making food for people.  It varies from day to day as to whether she is going to be a chef or own her own restaurant or maybe start up a catering business but that is the career of choice.  She even acts out her future career by taking our 'orders' at mealtime and serving us all like she owns the kitchen!  Nothing makes her happier than putting on an apron and grabbing a cutting board to help prepare dinner for the family.  Getting kids into the kitchen is something I am passionate about.  How can we ever expect our kids to grow up into healthy adults if we never teach them how to prepare healthy foods? 

If you want to encourage a love of cooking in your own children, here are a few tips that might come in handy!

1. Sit down together with a cookbook:  I absolutely LOVE cookbooks!  Particularly ones with lots of pictures!  Take a few minutes on the weekend to sit down and browse through recipes with your kids.  If your children are old enough, they even offer cookbooks specifically geared towards children with recipes that are simple enough to make themselves.  Discuss the ingredients and what they are and encourage your kids to help make a grocery list.  This makes a great lesson on penmanship and spelling! 

2.  Take your kids grocery shopping!  Yes, this can often be a huge pain if you are in a hurry and don't want to deal with whiny children but it can be FUN if done properly!  Try taking only one child and leave the other home with dad.  Don't go when they are hungry and/or tired, either!  When you wander through the produce section talk about which products are in season and where each one comes from.  Go home and look at the globe (another great teaching moment!) and see how far away grapes from Chile came from versus apples from New York.  Teach them the difference between brown rice and white rice or low fat milk versus whole milk.  There are actually kids in this world who think that butter is made from corn!  Do not let your kids be one of them!

3.  Give them a chore or two!  Kids are hands on kind of creatures...they want to stir, mix, chop, and otherwise get their fingers in the food.  Let them!  Make a loaf of homemade bread with your kids one rainy Saturday and let them knead the dough.  Even if your kids are very small, there are things they can do to  help you in the kitchen.  They can put silverware on the table, wash the veggies, pull grapes off the stems, or many other simple chores.  When they get older they can graduate to slicing strawberries and flipping pancakes!

4.  Give up your idea of perfect!  This one is very important because while cooking with kids can be fun, it can also be a bit stressful!  So what if some egg shell gets in the bowl or if your cookies come out looking slightly deformed.  Your meal will still taste good and your kids will have a feeling of accomplishment that they helped!

5.  Dress the part!  Okay, this one may seem silly but my kids LOVE wearing aprons!  We have about 6 or 8 of them in the kitchen and my daughter's favorite is the mother/daughter matching set.  They make aprons that are 'manly' for your little boys...and don't forget to get dad in the kitchen too!  Boys naturally use dad as a role model so seeing him in an apron with flour on his nose is a good thing!



6.  Eat with your kids!  This is one thing that I think really makes or breaks a kid's eating habits!  Do NOT give in to the pressure to feed your children a separate 'kid friendly' dinner just because you don't want to deal with the hassle of getting them to eat what you put in front of them!  I won't go into strategy here but with a little bit of patience and putting your foot down, you will end up with a child who is open minded about new foods that are set in front of them.  Brown rice, asparagus, shrimp, Pad Thai or whatever else the grownups are eating should be offered to the children as well...at the same time.  Sit down for a family dinner where you all enjoy the same foods!



If we do not teach our children how to appreciate good food, shop for ingredients that are healthy, and educate them on how to prepare them we will end up with an entire generation of adults that eat nothing but hot dogs and chicken fingers! That is not a healthy way to live!

If you want to start connecting with your kids one meal at a time, here is a contest you might be interested in!  Uncle Ben’s®, the number one rice brand in America,  has launched an exciting national contest called Ben’s Beginners! By entering the contest, you could win $20,000, along with a $50,000 grant towards a cafeteria makeover for your child’s school. In addition, you will have a chance to appear on The Rachael Ray show! Uncle Ben’s is calling for parents with children ages 5-12 to submit a 2-3 minute video of you cooking a rice-based dish with your children. For more info on the contest, please check out Ben’s Beginners on Facebook!



Disclaimer:  I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Uncle Ben’s blogging program, for 6,000 My SocialMomsclick here

What's Cooking Wednesday! Link up your #recipe here

The King's Court IV and Turning The Clock Back have teamed up to create…What's Cooking Wednesday (feel free to grab the button from my left sidebar!)

 

This is your chance to showcase your recipes each and every week! Just to make things even sweeter— each week, post your fabulous recipes for the opportunity to have your recipe featured on What's Cooking Wednesday the following week!!

Our Featured Recipe This Week is:

Pecan Pie (by The Bz House That Love Built)— stop by and say hello!

We encourage you to stop by other blogs and their recipes! Feel free to leave comments for your fellow bloggers too… we just love comments! Also, please DO NOT post your main blog page here, POST RECIPE LINKS ONLY!

#Coupon: Save $1.00 on Nake Juice!

LOVE the Naked Juice flavors!  Just Like them on Facebook  and get a $1.00 off any one bottle coupon!

Book #Giveaway: Enter to #win Marraige Rules by Harriet Lerner

Title: Marriage Rules

Subtitle: A Manual for the Married and the Coupled Up

Author: Harriet Lerner, PH. D.

ISBN:  978-1592406913

Publisher:  Gotham (January 5, 2012)

Pages: 288 (hardcover)

My Rating:

From the Publisher:

Relationships are complicated. When we share our lives with another person we tie our finances together, negotiate sexuality and deal with the countless decisions that daily life demands—not to mention our own personal baggage. When the anxiety of life spirals high enough, and lasts long enough, even the most mature relationship may begin to look like a dysfunctional one. Needless to say, coupling can get rough. However, the rules to a good marriage are not.

About the Author:

Harriet Lerner, PH.D., is one of our nations most loved and respected relationship experts. A renowned scholar on the psychology of women and family relationships, she is the author of The New York Times bestseller, The Dance of Anger, and other acclaimed books that together have sold over six million copies. A clinical psychologist in private practice, Lerner is a distinguished speaker, consultant and workshop leader. She has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, and NPR and she hosts the "Dance of Connection" blog on psychologytoday.com. She is also, with her sister, an award- winning children's book writer. She and her husband live in Lawrence, Kansas and have two grown sons.

My Review:

I think it is really sad that 50% of marriages today end in divorce.  The introduction of this book raises a very good point:  Life is messy!  When you fall in love it may be all hearts and flowers and romance but marriage is NOT like that...it is something you have to work at every day to make it succeed.  This down to earth look at what marriage is really about leads us right into the 'rules to follow' in order to be one of those couples that sticks it out successfully.

This book is not designed to be read cover to cover (at least, that is not how it seems to me...).  It is more like a book you would keep on your nightstand to read one or 2 rules at bedtime and then try and practice those rules over the  next few weeks.  What type of advice is in it?  Things like:

Rule #4: Remember the 5:1 Ratio. Aim for a ratio of 5:1 positive to negative interactions. Remember back to the early parts of the relationship when all you could see were the interesting differences between yourself and your partner; resist the urge to automatically pay attention to the what we are critical about. Rather than “Why are you putting so much water in the pot for pasta?” try to comment on how you “loved the way humor was used to deal with the brother on the phone.” Try it for a week. Even a 2:1 ratio is a start.


OR

Rule #49: Don’t Demand an Apology. Some people just don’t like to apologize and everyone finds it hard to apologize if they feel “over accused.” Do request an apology, if you think it is due. But do not make the apology another fight, take non-verbal cues and statements as acts of apology and move forward.

There are 106 rules, some easier to accomplish than others. This book will really encourage you to look deeper at your relationship to find areas where you and your partner both need to work on. It is written in very easy to understand lanquage with examples from various couples and doctors scattered throughout. The ideas aren't hugely complex but they are things that often get overlooked once you settle into a relationship. I definitely recommend reading this book and then sharing it with your partner!

Buy It:

Win It:

 
The publisher would like to offer one of my readers a copy of this book.  This is a Rafflecopter giveaway.  If you don't see the entry form, click the READ MORE text below to enter the contest. This contest is over at midnight EST on February 10, 2012.

#Coupon: Save $1.00 on Texmati Rice (organic available)

We go through a lot of rice in my house!  Here is a coupon for $1.00 off Texmati Rice.  They have many varieties available, including an organic one.

Thanks,  Natural and Thrifty Mama