1. Use organic fertilizers. This is a great one. I don’t have experience with this brand of fertilizer, but it’s made of fish emulsion (a nice word for poop), but it has been deodorized so that it can be used anywhere. Our dog rolled in a bunch of the fully odored stuff last summer. It takes several washes to remove the stench, so odorless is definitely the way to go.

2. Install a lower flow shower head. You don’t have to choose between water pressure and the environment anymore. It’s possible to conserve water, and still have a nice shower. And with these options from $5-$60 at Low Impact Living, it’s easy to fit any budget.

3. Use eco-friendly paints. Green Living Ideas has compiled a guide to environmentally friendly paint options, and it really is worth a look. They say that pollution is actually higher inside of our homes than outside (even in smoggy places like L.A.), and toxic paint is a big cause of that.

4. Send the gas powered tools packing. At least here in the heartland, there are no emissions standards for lawn mowers, weed whackers, etc. And that means that around here, they are huge polluters. I know for a fact that midwesterners pride themselves on a well kept lawn, and we don’t have to give it up just because our mowers are pollution machines. There are some great electric options out there (like this and this), and if you can’t seem to spring for a new electric weed whacker, they are a great item to look for at a garage sale (my folks bought one last summer for two bucks, and it works great).

As for our family, we’re still working on the going green thing in our new home. I’d like to put up a clothesline, find a second hand electric weed whacker, and finish installing our CFL’s as the light bulbs continue to burn out, but all in all, we’re doing alright with it.

Any tips for going green in a home you own?

This weekend our daughter came down with the swine flu (or H1N1 if you’re concerned about offending the pigs). I’m not joking or being fascecious, it was full on intense fluness of the pig variety. I won’t go into all the gory details, but I will say that it was very good that she didn’t need to be hospitalized. As I lay on the couch this weekend with her sweaty little head in the crook of my arm, not daring to move even as the unborn child in my womb pummeled my bladder, I realized that if I can deal with this, then the other stuff isn’t such a big deal.

My work schedule is extremely flexible, and really is a set of simple tasks with a little creativity splashed in around the edges. I can do pretty much everything that I need to in 15 minute chunks with lots of snack breaks. This fact was made glaringly obvious because it’s not at all what works when caring for a sick kid. That’s a stressful situation that no amount of setting the timer will remedy.

So anyhow, I seem to have quelled the “I can’t” bug for now, and swine flu girl is feeling much better too. Her fever has subsided, and so has the screaming (I understand why young kids scream while they are sick, but I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it). She still has a cough and a case of the grumps, but we’re working on it. Luckily, my grumps have mostly subsided, and I’m no longer contemplating early retirement from the career world.

Am I some sort of weirdo that things getting worse changed my attitude? Does this ever happen to you?

Yet, the last few weeks have been, well, harrowing. I know that now is not the time to define whether I’m succeeding in my work life balance, being as how we moved into a construction zone semi-remodeled home two weeks ago today, I just entered my third trimester, and last week we had to travel a long distance to a funeral. I totally get that it’s not supposed to be tidy and pretty right now, and that falling behind in one, two or (in my case) many areas is pretty understandable.

But, I can’t help but notice that little niggling voice inside of me saying “You could handle situations like these better if you didn’t have so much on your plate.” and “It’s not like you’re bringing in the big bucks…why are you working so hard?” and “You probably won’t get anywhere with your work at home endeavors, so why not give up?”. I don’t really have the energy to fight that voice off completely, so I’m just working on finishing one task at a time and trying not to look too far down on my list of things to do. I’m pretty sure that the overwhelm of the list in its entirety could be the catalyst for a nervous breakdown, and nobody wants that.

I’m sure all mothers (especially working mothers) have moments where it feels like they are working on saving the world, and their only tools are a spatula and a spork. That’s where I am right now. It’s a tough spot, and I wish I could just snap out of it. Instead I’m using my spork to dig steadily, and come up for air, large quantities of food, and water, when I need to.

Do you have experience with wanting to give up on your ambitions when it seems too hard?

The process of moving is not nearly as neat and tidy as that sentence though. In fact, things are still quite messy and thrown together, since we moved on Wednesday. Baby gates are propped up against the still unfinished stairwell…still waiting to be installed. The kitchen sink still isn’t draining properly and has grit and grime caked on it from washing out cabinets and mopping up construction dust. The laundry is piled nearly to the ceiling in my bedroom. And the Garage is filled high with boxes waiting to be unpacked.

Believe it or not though, there have been some improvements. At least we’re no longer straddling two homes in the limbo that we’ve been living in for weeks now. I went to the old house for the last time on Thursday and scrubbed it like it was going out of style. I put on my favorite Dixie Chicks mix and went to town (especially on the stove and counter tops). My husband vaccuumed, and we gathered up all of the odds and ends that would fit in our car. I fully intended to go back Friday evening and finish cleaning…shampoo some stains on the carpet, clean the blinds, mop the kitchen floor, and sweep out the basement and garage.

BUT, by Friday afternoon, my feet were so sore that I couldn’t stand on them anymore. I had been working tirelessly on the new house, and even though I had a friend to help me that evening all I could do was sit and visit with her while she lined my new cabinets with contact paper. So Saturday would have to be the day. The cleaning WOULD get done. I was having horrible visions of my landlord doing the final walk through of the old house and condemning me as a loathsome lazy pig.

Yes. Saturday I would do it. Saturday I would get that place finished up. Except that by the time I went to bed Friday night I had a headache to go along with my aching feet.

Saturday morning I awoke and I didn’t feel rested at all. I needed an entire season to hibernate, but there was work to be done. My mental cogs were beginning to turn and I was just about to heave myself out of bed when my husband woke up. He said he thought I had been pushing myself too hard. He said he thought I should stay home today, and have someone watch our daughter while he finished up at the old house. He wouldn’t be able to get all the deep cleaning done, but it would just have to be good enough. My usual pattern is to argue when he suggests things like this. Because OBVIOUSLY it IS the end of the world if the house that we move out of is not spotless. However, on this particular day what he said rang true. I was going to be headed for big trouble.

So, I did it. I just let it be good enough. I’m working on not worrying about our security deposit, or considering the opinion of our landlord. I did the best I could under the circumstances, and really isn’t that’s what we’re always telling our kids to do? “Just do your best honey” I hear the sitcom Mom in my head say.

When do you just have to let things be good enough? Do you ever push yourself past your limit, and what’s been the outcome?

I think that I have a really accepting attitude about all different types of people, but I guess I kind of thought that if nothing else the turban would send the message of “bigotry not accepted here”. However, the other day I was running through all the hustle and bustle that would be the rest of the afternoon. As I got my daughter in her car seat to pick my husband up from work, our next door neighbor happened to be outside wearing his baseball cap, cut off shorts, and enjoying a brewsky (I only bring this up because of what he then said).

Neighbor: “Hey, I’ve noticed all the Mexicans and blacks coming by to look at your house…have any white people come to look?”

Me: Blank stare

Neighbor: “It’s not that I have anything against them or anything, but ya know sometimes you get the Mexicans in there and before you know it there are twelve cars out front and they have moved their whole families in there…but I’ve known some good Mexicans though.”

Me: “Ummm…I think that the only criteria that the landlord has is a decent credit score…”

At this point we were interrupted by a (white) couple who had just pulled up and were asking about whether or not they could see the place.

Neighbor: “The landlord wants someone with good credit. Please have good credit.”

I was done talking now. Part of me wanted to tell him about the absolutely lovely people that had already been in to see the place (a sweet African American couple who looked like they were just starting out, and a very nice hispanic woman with a young son) I had had pleasant conversation with both sets of people, and couldn’t imagine NOT wanting them as neighbors. I’m still kicking myself for not standing up to my neighbor. I wish I had said or done something that let him know that I don’t agree with or condone those types of comments or attitudes…and whether or not that changed the way he thought, at least it would set a boundary letting him know that he couldn’t expect a sympathetic ear when it came to that. This is not the only time that I have dealt with this sort of stuff, but it’s the most recent. I think I really need to get better at having an answer. Afterall, it is my job to pass my values on to my kids, and I would like to set a stronger example.

How do you react when you notice racism? What would you have done in my place?

Anyway, I very much enjoyed Leah’s coverage of the Atlantic article last month entitled “The Case Against Breast-feeding”, and I think that the Mothering Magazine is in some part in answer to the “breastfeeding and working is impossible” tone that it took.

“Nursing by Numbers: How Breastfeeding Boosts the National Economy” was definitely an encouraging read after the Atlantic artcle, that touts breastfeeding as a shackle to the days before parenting was a partnership. The focus was not on whether or not breastfeeding and working are an easy combination (I don’t think anyone would argue that it is), but that, economically speaking,  it’s well worth the effort for both employees and employers to make breastfeeding a priority in the workplace, and on top of all of that, it could actually boost the national economy.

This is one of the parts of the article that really had a wow factor for me. “The AAP says each formula-fed infant costs the healthcare system between $331 and $475 more than a breastfed baby in its first year of life. The cost of treating respiratory viruses resulting from not breastfeeding is $225 million a year.” And that’s just one type of illness.

The article states that choosing to feed formula to babies is costing literally billions of dollars every year, and that this is only using data from three of the many illnesses that feeding infants formula contributes to. I happen to be on a breastfeeding mailing list, and the email that was sent around last month about the Atlantic article went something like this…”It’s really too bad that the author came to the conclusion that breastfeeding while working is impossible, when it obviously benefits so many families and society as a whole. However, it does highlight an important issue, namely that many work places do not meet the needs of a nursing mother.”

My take on the whole thing pretty much mirrors that of the breastfeeding mailing list. There is so much information out there about how important breastfeeding is as a public health issue, as a way for employers to keep their work force healthy (and not off taking care of sick kids), and now as a way to help our national economy. And that’s all well and good, but I do start to wonder how this information will and should get out to the public. I can only imagine that the audience for the “Nursing by Numbers” article is mostly one who already supports breastfeeding, and sees it as a part of daily life for the early months/years of parenting. So I wonder how does the information get out. I would tend to think by word of mouth, but I know I’m a chicken when it comes to this sort of thing. I don’t want my friends or acquaintances to think that I’m judging them for their decisions. Plus, parenting is very personal, and it seems intrusive to extrecate myself into someone else’s business. However, if someone asks me about breastfeeding…that’s a different story altogether.

A little proof of my chickenhood is in this little anecdote. One of the illnesses that the article cites as more common for formula fed infants is ear infections. A good friend of mine chose not to breastfeed her child, and several times she has talked to me about how she regrets the decision. Most recently, the pediatrician told her that her baby has ears that are prone to infection. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that breastfeeding lowers the risk, and might have saved her baby from a couple of those infections. She isn’t planning to have more kids, and it would feel like I was saying “I told you so” or some mean-mommy equivalent.  On the other hand, I sometimes wonder if I should just find a nonjudgmental way to let her know. Who knows, it could be info that she passes on to another friend or relative.

Do you have a parenting issue that you are especially passionate about? Do you talk about it with others? And where do you draw the line about when and where to talk about it? Also, feel free to weigh in about either article.

I tend to look around our house and think to myself how I wouldn’t want to pack up half this stuff, so let’s just get rid of it. It may be strange, but it’s how I really feel. I figure if you aren’t happy about boxing it up, making sure that it’s safe and secure, loading and unloading said box, unboxing it, and finding a new home for it, then it isn’t worth owning.

All that being said, this move feels different. I think it’s the most notice I’ve ever had about moving day…but even if it isn’t, it’s the most relaxing packing that I’ve ever done. I honestly the go into a room, fill up a box, label it, tape it up, and tell my husband that he can take it over to be stored in the garage at the new house. I don’t know why it isn’t stressful, but it just isn’t. I feel like the process is going in a relatively orderly fashion, and that progress is being made.

At the same time, I’m getting a chance to go through all the things that we have in this house that I don’t want to have cluttering up our new one. I know that I’ve changed my attitude quite a bit about housework over the past few months, but I never expected this to happen as a side effect. It’s amazing to me that changing from thinking “I have to get the kitchen packed up today” to “I’ll just fill up this box right now” can make such a big difference.

We’ll see how I feel as move-in day approaches, we’re at about nine days to blast off, and there are still many many many more boxes to fill.

Do any of you have moving secrets for success? I’m all ears if you do.

It should be on the top of the list when people tell you about parenthood. Everyone seems to talk about the sleeplessness that comes with a newborn, but the stuff that happens later on…nobody mentions that. Okay maybe it isn’t true that no one mentions it. Maybe it’s one of those things that we think won’t happen to us. I’ve been sympathetic to many a friend who has been up at night with projectile vomiting, or croup, or whatever, and maybe I just didn’t think my turn would come. Maybe I was like those teenagers who don’t listen about how drag racing, or drunk driving, or unprotected sex is dangerous, because OBVIOUSLY that stuff can’t happen to ME.

Sorry if this is TMI, but our daughter has developed a food related rash, and despite following doctor’s orders, it hasn’t gotten better in the last three days (or nights). For some reason, this rash itches starting at 4 AM and keeps her (and me) up with it.

Add to that little scenario that we had a visit from grandpa this weekend, who wanted nothing more than to treat us to days and nights out on the town. We gallivanted all weekend long (and endured a few toddler tantrums due to the schedule). There is definitely a reason that they use sleep deprivation as a torture tactic…I bet it’s pretty darn effective. I’m so glad that we had the quality time, and we had an absolute blast.

On the other hand, the beginning of our week is shot. We are all tired, and we didn’t have those two days of recuperation and preparation that we usually have on the weekends. I’m wondering to myself if we should just expect to have weekends like this every once in a while, and just be grateful for the fun activities, or if (with my control freak horns showing) I should take the reigns a bit more when we have company and try and keep it to a more tot-friendly pace?

How do you decide if something is out of balance? Do you push for moderation or do you figure you even need moderation in moderation (i.e. every once in a while it doesn’t hurt to go crazy)?

I can’t imagine not being allowed to be with the love of my life if they lay dying in the hospital, or not being able to take advantage of my dependent benefits at work because the daughter that I raised with my partner is not biologically mine, and I can’t be considered a guardian because my partner is a woman. These are just a couple of the instances that I have had friends and family tell me about.

I was really pleased that the supreme court of Iowa ruled unanimously, but I was even more pleased to hear that the opinion that the court published was very well written. I’ve never actually read a court opinion before, but my husband wanted to print it off and read it. So I got to hear a lot of it, and it really is a well crafted statement showing that marriage is a civil right and that excluding someone from it based on their sexual orientation is discrimination.

It is enthralling hearing the details of the judges’ opinions weaved and crafted so skillfully into the law. I really think it’s worth at least perusing, for everyone, but here are a couple of the points that really stood out to me. The defendants argued that because marriage was traditionally between man and woman that it should continue to be so. The court ruled that that idea cannot be upheld because it would open up a precedent for all kinds of discriminatory behavior to continue just because it has always been so. The defendants also asserted that the law was put into place because it was in the best interests of children to live in a home with their mother and their father. The court ruled that if this were the purpose of this law, then the law was flawed in several respects. First of all, not all same sex couples wish to have children, so the law casts too broad a shadow. Second of all, it does not include others who are not likely not good caretakers of children (like child molesters) from marrying. Third, it begs the question of whether it truly is not in the best interest of children to have same sex parents, and the defense could not provide such evidence (whereas the prosecution showed numerous studies that suggest that growing up in a family with loving same sex parents is not a detriment, and actually has not shown a difference).  Okay, I could go on and on about the tit for tat, but there is just one other point that I wanted to share. The judges ruled that there was an underlying (and unstated) reason for not allowing same sex marriage, and that reason was religious. The court ruled that religion absolutely cannot have a bearing on whether or not to allow civil marriage.

In addition to hearing this news on Friday, my husband and I ended up watching MILK this weekend. I really enjoyed the film, but one thing that I was surprised about was that in many ways the argument against gay rights hasn’t changed, and the fight for them seems to be generally in the same place that it was thirty years ago.

On the other hand, I’m living in the midwest, and the state just to the north of us just legalized gay marriage…so maybe we’re growing here, too. I was surprised and glad when a good friend who was openly gay won the mayoral seat in the rural town where my husband and I used to live. But then again, a couple of months ago, there was a big hoopla in that same town because people were fighting over whether or not to add sexual orientation to the city’s anti-discrimination document (protecting minorities from housing discrimination). One of the councilman voted against it and on camera says he would not rent to a gay person.

One of my favorite lines in MILK was a bit of actual footage where a woman stood up and asked an audience how they would teach their children to love those who were different than them, if they couldn’t get along with the gay rights group. I think it’s a good point. I’m all for teaching my kids that some people fall in love with people who are the opposite sex and some people fall in love with those of the same sex.

At the risk of opening up a can of worms, how do you intend to deal with the subject of homosexuality with your children? And any comments on the Iowa ruling?

So I’ve become a bit more determined to help myself out in this regard. I have set my profile to “not accepting new projects” in the short term, on one of my freelance translation sites. It’s not that I don’t need the cash, and it’s not that I really want to turn down jobs, but let’s face it…in the next couple of weeks with my husband gone all day at work, and all evening working to get our new home to a state of habitability, and having a toddler at home, and going to the bathroom every 15 minutes, and eating every 1.5 hours, I can barely keep up with my current commitments, let alone take on new projects.

It was really hard to click that “unavailable” button though. I could hardly stand it when it said that “prolonged absence could cut some or all of your repeat business off”. I don’t know if I would classify my absence as prolonged, but absence is absence, and I’ve never denied projects in the past. NEVER. Work from this particular avenue has been sporadic at best, but it always seems to come through when I’m in a pickle and need a little extra.

In the end I decided that sanity comes before money, and even before professionalism. And really, sanity is necessary for both of those things anyway. I’m not going to do my best work if I can’t spend enough time on it, and it won’t help me professionally or monetarily if I’m performing substandardly (and yes, I’m aware that that probably isn’t a word)…and let’s not forget the value of going through a move with a bit of grace and goodwill left coursing through my veins.

Do you ever have to turn extra projects down to keep life together?