Week 2 Update

The second week has gone by, and all changes are in place, for the most part.   Travel has made some of the earlier changes very hard to keep. 

We stayed with my BIL and they drink lots of bottled water.  Of course, my kids wanted to drink it, too, for the novelty.  Then there was the extended family BBQ on the weekend, which had bottled water, paper plates, plastic cutlery and no compost bin.   I will modify my "no bottled water" to allow the kids to have it as a treat at a party.  I didn't have it, and will continue not to drink it, but I hate to consign them to nothing to drink (since the only alternatives are often soda or tetra packs of juice (which I think are just as bad for the environment)).   Yes, I could request glasses for them, but let's be realistic - the kids want to be the same as everyone else.  I see no harm in the occasional bottle on at special events.

Unplugging has been a challenge as well.  I can't seem to remember to turn off the computer power bar, or always unplug the coffee maker or toaster.  I shall persevere - hopefully practice makes perfect.

I'm not too thrilled with the navy showers, but now that I've turned up the heat slightly, they are too bad.  DH even tried one this morning - I'm not sure he'll stick with it, but I'm happy he tried.

The ants have returned. I tried the Borax as suggested by a reader, but it didn't seem to help, either. The critters still managed to find their way into my house. DH set out ant poison, which seems to have done the trick. Not very environmentally friendly, I know.


Everything else has been going smoothly - I love my new face moisturizer, and being without a hair dryer has been great.  I'm looking forward to doing some canning this weekend.  I plan to put an extra travel mug in my van tomorrow in case I need a coffee break.  I also received (and paid!) my first electronic bill.  It was really simple and really easy.  I don't know why I didn't switch before.

For those of you that pay attention to these things, I have also decided not to follow Vanessa's changes in order.   Many changes have happened due to circumstance, others due to the "stealth factor".  I promise I will attempt every one of her changes at some point in the next year.

Thanks to everyone for their support - your comments and suggestions, words of encouragement and shared stories are providing me with continued enthusiasm for this project.