No Such Thing as Trash

I am sitting with my two-year-old watching The Wonder Pets. "What's gonna work?" Well, in addition to teamwork, on this particular episode it's recycling. Giving things a new purpose is one of my favorite concepts, and as a result I have found myself collecting all kinds of trash. Except it won't be trash for long: Soon it will be art!

My oldest son's pre-K teacher inspired the idea when she sent home a note asking parents to bring in plastic bottle tops for an upcoming art project for the students. So, I started my bottle top collection. But soon I thought to myself, "Hey, why not save the tops to other containers as well?" Surely some creative pre-school or elementary teacher in my area can find a fun use for them.

My middle son's pre-school teacher collects magazines to use in helping her students learn to use scissors. So I save magazines for this purpose. And cardboard tubes left over from toilet paper and paper towels rolls for any crafty person in my area who might have a need for them. You can find these people on The Freecycle Network. Back when my boys were eating baby food, I saved the jars and lids, not knowing what I was going to do with them but hating to throw them out because they had to be good for something. After a quick post to my local Freecycle, I almost immediately discovered that a local Boy Scout troup had an ongoing need for them.

And more recently I've begun collecting aluminum can tabs. And cut-out tops and bottoms from tin cans (the circular part cut out with a can opener). These are for some anticated craft projects of my own. If you live close to me, I would greatly appreciate your saving these tabs and circles for me.

I think it may be true that there really is no such thing as trash!

Can aluminum can tabs REALLY save lives?

I'm a believer in creating as little trash as reasonably possible: I recycle. I donate items to charity and/or consign them. I save empy toilet paper and paper towel rolls to give to a my children's preschool for crafts projects. And, as I wrote yesterday, I reuse worn-out cloth items by cutting them into rags. But what about aluminum can tabs? Can they really be redeemed for dialysis and cancer treatments?

Of course not. If they could, wouldn't we ALL have a big collection of them? I mean, who wouldn't want to take part in saving the life of a family member, friend, or a friend of a friend of a friend? The fact of the matter, according to Snopes, is that the tabs have no more scrap metal value than the rest of the can. (One hundred tabs = approximately 3.5 cents scrap metal value).

So, these tabs do have a little value but not much. Is it at all worthwhile to collect them? According to the Ronald McDonald House Charities website, some local RMH chapters collect them and sell them to recycling centers them to help offset costs for families who use the Houses. If by chance you have a stash of tabs or are interested in collecting them, call your local RMHC chapter to see if they accept tabs.

You might wonder why they accept the tabs but not the whole can. After all, it seems that more aluminum would mean more money to raise. It's actually a matter of sanitation. Those empty cans can get kind of nasty after a few weeks in a plastic bag. Tabs, on the other hand, are easier to store and don't get stinky after sitting around for a while. It really has nothing to do about the tabs being made of a purer form of aluminum than the rest of the can (again, according to Snopes).

But if you are feeling especially creative and productive, do a Google image search for aluminum tab crafts. There are some really cool ideas out there! I wish I had thought of them.

Bag the Rags!

One of my favorite possessions is an old mesh bag of rags. The bag itself belonged my grandmother, whom I called Mimi. My mom has childhood memories of when Mimi took this bag with her to the grocery store to carry home her purchases.

Eventually, this forerunner of today's cloth shopping bags became the household "rag bag." It collected remnants of dingy bath towels and threadbare nightgowns (Mimi never got rid of anything until it had outlived its usefulness.) that would be reused to dust the house or wax the car. I discovered the rag bag in a closet in Mimi's apartment after she passed away and took it as my own.

I had my own memories of some of the articles those rags were taken from. Others were from WAY before my time, but they all had her smell, her softness, and I considered the bag to be a sacred relic. My husband likes to tease me about the time I got mad at him for using some of Mimi's rags to clean up a greasy mess after working on the car. It's true. I was and still am very protective of those rags.

I am a bit more lenient now, though. I've since added my own contributions to the bag: stained baby burp cloths, swatches cut from tattered pajama pants, and so on. I use these rags to clean house and wipe up the numerous messes and spills that come with having three little boys. And I always, ALWAYS wash them after I use them and return them to the bag so I can clean up the next mess.

At the bottom of the bag, however, remain Mimi's remnants. They are not to be touched, for they serve as an inspiration to me---to use well the things I have and, when possible, to repurpose the things I no longer need.

Cloth diapering: the good and the not so bad

I have to admit, even though I'm a big believer in reducing the amount of crap we throw into landfills, I was not too gung-ho about doing the cloth diaper thing. For the sake of convenience, I used regular disposables on my first two sons, but a friend persuaded me to give cloth a try it a try with baby #3. So, I ordered a few, but I didn't get around to using them until a few weeks after the baby was born, but once I did, I immediately regretted that I had not started diapering with my very first baby and ordered more diapers!

Some folks might be put off by the fact that these diapers cost about $20 a piece. But once you spend, say, $300 or so, you are done! Compare that to the estimated $1600+ you will end up spending on disposables! (Check out the Real Diaper Association for more statistics.) The FuzziBunz One Size will last until your baby is potty trained!

Here are a few other things to consider in addition to the savings in cost:
1) Little to no diaper rash with cloth because you do not have the harsh chemicals against your baby's skin. I have not had to use any ointment on my baby's bum!
2) Cloth diapers wash up nicely and air-dry quickly.
3) Cloth diapering is a form of recycling and cuts down on resources.
4) Babies can make a fashion statement with all the colors and patterns cloth diapers come in.

The only downside I have found with cloth diapering is that once my baby got a little older, we found it hard to keep him dry overnight. So, I must admit that we do use one disposable diaper per night.

There are blogs and websites dedicated to this topic, and I suggest you check them out. They go into much more detail than I have.

Here are a few I have found:
http://www.mothering.com/green-living/crazy-for-cloth
http://www.cloth-diapers-made-easy.com/benefits-of-cloth-diapers.html
http://www.fuzzibunz.com/cloth_diaper_benefits.php (FuzziBunz One Size is what I use! Love them!)

Cloth diapers: Here's the truth.

In three weeks my third son will turn one year old. He is the only child I have cloth diapered, and I've been kicking myself for not using cloth with Thing 1 and Thing 2. Seriously. Parents-to-be, if you are even remotely considering cloth, my advice is go with that remote consideration. It's just a tad bit more work than using disposable diapers, but it's nothing difficult or any more unpleasant than dealing with disposables. I promise. Well, at least it hasn't been for my husband and me, and if we can handle them easily enough, so can anyone else!

Oh, and let me set one thing straight: Our experience with cloth diapering is only with FuzziBunz One Size diapers (shown in this picture), so I can't speak for ALL cloth diapers. But we can tell you about these, that's for sure. That being said, I will share our experiences with cloth diapering....after I've had some sleep! Zzzzzzz.

Old and in the Way

Many of you know Lester, my loyal canine companion of sixteen years. Those of you who knew him when he was in his prime would probably be somewhat saddened by his old-manness these days. The black in his coat has been replaced with gray, arthritis has slowed him way down, and he doesn't always make it outside before he moves his bowels. Just this morning I stepped in a surprise that he left me on the bedroom floor. I had tracked it all over the house as I got the boys ready for school before I realized what I had done. Then it was time for the big tidy-up. Ugh.

Well, here's the thing. Lester needs my love and affection as much as he ever did. Sure, he may be a little harder to love with his grouchiness and mess-making ways, but I love him even more than ever. When I'm on the couch watching TV, he comes up to me and lays his chin on my knee. When I'm at the stove making supper, he will rub himself against my legs as a cat might do and then goes off to a soft corner and make himself as comfortable as he can. He likes to play guard dog, even though he can't hear what's going on around him. Still, he's letting me know: I'm old and don't get around so well anymore, but I still love you and watch after you and yours.

So, last night I got down with him on the (freshly cleaned) bedroom floor and gave him a good head-to-tail rubdown. Then I took a warm washcloth and washed the goop out of the corners of his eyes. (Why do old dogs' eyes get so goopy, anyway?) Today I made a grooming appointment for him. And the next time I have to clean up a smelly surprise, I'll try to be a little slower to anger. After all, Lester needs to know that even though he's old, he's certainly not in my way. He's my faithful friend and deserves to be shown the proper respect.

Introduction

I never imagined myself becoming a blogger. I've kept handwritten journals for most of my life, but I'm a somewhat private person and would die if the content of those hardback blank-book pages were ever made public! After all, journaling is my therapy. It allows me to vent. My journals are for me and no one else.

Every so often, though, I reread randomly chosen pages from my journals to refresh my memory about the valuable lessons life has taught me. Lessons Learned is my attempt to share some of these lessons with you in hopes of opening up your mind to things you have never thought of.

I'm certainly no sage, but once in a blue moon I discover little nuggets that prove immensely helpful in my life. Maybe they can help some of you, too. Just maybe the simple truths I've gleaned---about things like growing older, little boys, marriage, worship and Christianity, dogs, recycling, and conservation---will bring you some clarity. Just maybe.

Simplicity. Lessons Learned is all about getting some.