Last first day of school

Ok so today was my daughter's last first day of school. She's a senior this year. As she went off to school this am. I was paying the application fee for one of her college applications.

Wellness #41 - Going Green - Part 2

The first thing I did before I even read what the exercise was going to be was to follow the link to sign up to stop junk mail. For Val-Pak Coupons: it tell you to "click the link and fill out the form - easy, but don't give them your email address" - The only way to do this is to put in a fake email address - I used the infamous trashcan@email.com

As far as things we have done at our house just this year that contribute to a greener lifestyle, we purchased a new furance and airconditioning unit for both upstairs and downstairs complete with programmable thermostats, a new hot water heater, and I purchase the compact fluorescent light bulbs as often as possible (when the light fixture will accomodate the bulb and shade without problems). I thought when I first started purchasing these bulbs that they lasted longer in addition to saving energy however it doesn't seem to me that they are lasting significantly longer than a regular bulb. I do like the cleaner Simple Green and have used baking soda to clean my cooktop for as many years as I've been cleaning. I still prefer Windex to any window cleaner you can make yourself. Speaking of making things yourself though I did make my own baby wipes and used cloth diapers for both my kids which even then was almost unheard of. All these things were relatively easy to do (except for paying for the new furnace and air conditioning units, that was expensive).

As far as the activity that may take more commitment but that I'd really would like to try I would like to recycle more but I just don't like all that stuff around nor do I want to have to pay for the recycling service, I think it should be included in your trash services. I can remember when I was little my parents recycled everything before you even knew about recycling. We used to go take our recyclables to a recycling center and although they didn't pay you for them you didn't pay them to take them either. We would take all sorts of things, paper, clothing, metal, glass and plastic. I remever finding something that someone else brought to the center to recycle and my dad let me keep it - I thought it was a treasure box and I kept my "valuables" in it for years, in fact I may still have it. It really was a German cookie tin which it turns out that many years later my mother-in-law who is from Germany receives these tins with cookies every year at Christmas and she has a house full of these tins. I have since started a collection of my own.

Wellness #41: Going Green - Part 1

According to the calculators we checked out, this is how my household and myself checked out:

I create 9.7 metric tons of CO2 per year accoording to the Green Energy Calculator from Yahoo! Green

The Total Emissions for my household are 72,125 pounds according to the carbon calculator on The Green Team website

My household produces 89,757 pounds, or 45 tons, of carbon dioxide each year! It takes 3,590 trees to store this much carbon dioxide. Both the 89,757 and the 72,125 pounds estimates are WAY above the average for Americans. Either I am way overestimating my amounts or we need to seriously look at what we are doing. As far as driving goes I don't know exactly where we'd cut back any as the driving we do is to and from work. I hope I am over estimating on the Electric bill but even so I don't know how I could be by so much.

I liked the looks of the Yahoo! Green website most but respect the reputation of the National Wildlife Federation most. The Green Team website is from Illinois State University does have a very nice Carbon Footprint Calculator for kids complete with lesson plans for teachers.

I have been to the Houston farmer's market in the Heights and @ Rice University, both are good but the Rice University one has more vendors. I buy honey from the honey lady every time I go and whatever fresh fruits and veggies that are available. I also regularly go to local u-pick places and pick strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and figs. I purchase my free range eggs from our vets office who has a local farmer bring them to their office to sell. I would like to use Jolie Vue Farms to purchase our meat but I don't have a freezer (which would increase my carbon footprint because I would be running another appliance) and driving into Houston (Rice University) is not feasible or possible on a regular basis. I would like to figure out how to use Jolie Vue or a farm similar to it on a regular basis.

If you liked this iHCPL unit you might want to read:

The omnivore's dilemma : a natural history of four meals / Michael Pollan.
by Pollan, Michael

Animal, vegetable, miracle : a year of food life / Barbara Kingsolver, with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver ; original drawings by Richard A. Houser.
by Kingsolver, Barbara

How to reduce your carbon footprint : 365 simple ways to save energy, resources, and money / Joanna Yarrow.
by Yarrow, Joanna.

Plenty : one man, one woman, and a raucous year of eating locally / Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon.by Smith, Alisa, 1971-

Slow Food Nation: Why Our Food Should Be Good, Clean, And Fair by Carlo Petrini and Alice Waters

Moveable Feasts: From Ancient Rome to the 21st Century, the Incredible Journeys of the Food We Eat by Sarah Murray

Wellness #40

Carson Kressley can sure make you smile despite what you see in the mirror.

I took a look at the fitness calculators on ExRx.net and

Checked my BMI - Did I really need to know this information?

Calculated my calorie requirements - this one would have me gaining weight even faster than NutritionData.com

and answered the questionnaire to determine my health age - Now I'd love to believe what it says here but based on the calorie requirements calculation I highly doubt it can be accurate. It would have my life expectancy at 87.3!

I am currently very motivated to change my eating habits and stick to my exercise routine but not as a result of these activities. I have been so since my oldest daughter started a countdown to her high school graduation. I can hardly believe my baby is graduating and it sure would be nice to be able to shop for a new outfit for the graduation without feeling disgusted at the size it needs to be to fit. My goal is to be the same size the day she graduates as the day she went to kindergarten. I don't think I'll use any of the sites from this exercise to keep me motivated, my motivation is coming from my husband, my daughters and my best friend.

Only 293 days till Graduation!

Wellness #39: Nutrition

On this subject, I would recommend the following titles:














Just a few ideas to clear up -

If it has Miracle in the title, don't bother
If it says Permanent results, don't believe it
If it says Simple, don't kid yourself



Did you know free-range eggs have 7 times more beta-carotene than regular eggs. Nutrition Data is packed with useful and surprising information about the food you eat. This may be true but I can tell you if I ate based on the Daily Needs Calculator from this website I would rapidly gain weight. I typed in my information and the site responsed with my daily caloric needs. I do believe the information about free-range eggs, I do not believe I need as many calories as the site suggests.


2) I entered a favorite lunch recipe into Recipes.Sparkpeople.com. Here is the recipe with its nutrition facts:

Turkey on Wasa Rye Crisps
Turkey breast meat, 2 slices
*Wasa Fiber Rye Crispbread 1 slice, 2 serving
Mayonnaise, regular, 1 tbsp
Swiss Cheese, 1 slice (1 oz)
Basil, 5 leaves


Nutrition Facts
Turkey on Wasa Rye Crisps Serving Size: 1 serving Amount per serving:
Calories 278.8
Total Fat 13.4 g
Saturated Fat 6.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 4.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 3.6 g
Cholesterol 48.2 mg
Sodium 709.7 mg
Potassium 172.7 mg
Total Carbohydrate 22.4 g
Dietary Fiber 4.3 g
Sugars 1.5 g
Protein 17.5 g
Vitamin A 8.4 %
Vitamin B-12 22.8 %
Vitamin B-6 9.1 %
Vitamin C 4.8 %
Vitamin D 3.1 %
Vitamin E 3.9 %
Calcium 28.2 %
Copper 2.0 %
Folate 1.5 %
Iron 12.3 %
Magnesium 5.3 %
Manganese 2.4 %
Niacin 0.5 %
Pantothenic Acid 4.1 %
Phosphorus 27.4 %
Riboflavin 14.4 %
Selenium 24.2 %
Thiamin 4.3 %
Zinc 10.9 %


This recipe is not high in calories, but you could experiment with this recipe by substituting the brand of cracker you'd like to put it on or the variety of Wasa cracker you'd like to put it on.

The Pocket Guide to Mischief

Winston Churchill (1874-1965) was "giving a speech in Paris, and he tried to say 'When I consider what is behind me' in French. His audience started chuckling, and after his speech, Churchill learned that he had actually said 'When I consider my behind, I can state that it is divided into two equal parts." Or in French "Quand je considere mon derriere, je constate qu'il est divise en deuz parties egales."

Jonas Brothers!

If your a Jonas Brothers fan, you might want to run to the newstands and purchase a copy of the July 25th edition of Rolling Stone magazine.

7 Ways Your Public Library Can Help You During A Bad Economy

7 Ways Your Public Library Can Help You During A Bad Economy

1. You can get pretty much any book at the library: A book habit can be expensive. Even second hand books can add up if you read a lot. Even the smallest library can access inter-library loan, Worldcat, OCLC and other library loan services to get you even the most obscure and out of print material.
2. Yes, we have movies: Many libraries charge a nominal (1-2 dollar) fee for renting recent or "popular" titles. It's something of a controversy in the profession, one side arguing all library services should be free, the other saying "We're not a video store!". I tend to fall on the side of free for all. In any case, the fee is often far less than what you'd pay for a rental at a chain video store, and the fees to to cover costs of processing and growing the video collection. If you're looking for a rare film, perhaps older or on an obscure format (Betamax tapes are out there still) libraries can save you a ton compared to buying it on Ebay. HCPL doesn't charge. The only fees involved are incured when items are returned late.
3. Kids Activities: Any library worth it's salt offers a summer reading program for kids. Often with prizes, programs and events all summer long. Libraries also offer storytimes, arts and crafts, computer classes, movie nights and reading clubs for kids of all ages. HCPL Fairbanks branch has hosted and will be hosting RockBand, Guitar Hero, Scrapbooking, Go Gaming, Speed Stacking, Science Camp, Olympic Rings Week, Saturday Matinees this summer, in addition to our year around storytimes.
4. Save Money and maybe your life!: Libraries offer seminars in home buying, estate planning and even purchasing electronics and other big-ticket items. Libraries also offer free blood pressure screenings, programs about weight loss and exercise. HCPL will be installing AED units in all their branches and many staff are trained to operate these units.
5. Make new friends: Library book clubs and book discussion groups are great ways to meet people. Some libraries even offer "mingling" events for single patrons. Many librarians are valuable people to know! The Fairbanks staff would make great friends!
6. Find a new job!: I can't tell you how many times local employers have come in asking to post job listings or drop off materials about open positions. Many libraries offer resume writing workshops, computer training and even job fairs. College and University library job fairs are often open to the public. Resume typing and printing are frequently done at our branch. We recently had a resume workshop as well.
7. Libraries listen to consumers!: We like to call them patrons, but we really do listen. Do you want a storytime for kids after 5pm? Ask for it! Want more books about home finance or budgeting? Just ask! Libraries often go to great pains to suss out what the community wants, letting us know directly is great. The complaint or suggestion of a patron carries a lot of weight with library directors and boards, so you are being heard. You may go to our library website hompage and suggest a purchase, get a library card, or sign up for our Adult Summer Reading Program where you could win a bookstore gift card in the amounts of $200.00 (for 1st prize), $150.00 (for 2nd prize), and $100.00 (for 3rd prize) after reading just 4 books!

I would also add these ways to save:

1. Need to find a new place to hold your meeting where you don't have to pay a deposit for the room or buy a round of $5.00 a cup coffees? Come to the library and use our meeting room, it's free! Click here for more information on using a HCPL meeting room.
2. Free Web 2.0 education: Check out our iHCPL, a learning program designed to explore new technologies.
3. Databases: The Library owns thousands of online full text serials and journal subscriptions. These are available both within the Library and over the Internet with a library card number.
4. Turn your air conditioning way up and come to the library instead and let us keep you cool. It is a chilly 72 degrees in our library even when it is 98 degrees outside.
5. Digital Media: With a HCPL library card you can download eAudio Books, eBooks, Music, and Videos 24/7 to your PC at home, in the office or from anywhere in the world, even for our military personnel serving our country overseas!
6. If you really want to tighten your belt cancel your internet service and use the library's FREE computers and FREE internet. Worried about getting a turn on a computer? If you own a wireless capable laptop bring it with you and use our FREE Wi-Fi. Other options include borrowing our laptops and our desktop computers. You can even call ahead to book one for the time you need it.
7. Don't pay someone to help you file your taxes or pay to file electronically, we have Tax Assistance - Volunteers help taxpayers prepare their returns during tax season and file the return electronically for you if you like.

Journey to the Center of the Earth

"Ah man, I really should have read that book!" - Sean Anderson played by Josh Hutcherson

Bottom Line on Downsizing your Car from Consumer Reports

A friend and I were discussing this very topic the other day which lead me to investigate it further. I thought I'd share what I found:

Checking out When to downsize your car is the place to start.

For more discussion however you'll want to check out

Downsizing your car – when does it make cents?

from Consumer Reports Car Blogs

If you don't want to read all that here's the bottom line conclusion from

Downsizing to the extreme

"Bottom line on downsizing Over the course of an article and several blogs, we have seen what the numbers can do. Ultimately, it boils down to the following:
Don’t rush into downsizing without considering all the owner costs of your current vehicle, including depreciation and finance charges.
Understand your goals with downsizing (environmental concern, fuel savings, cost savings), and be sure your strategy will meet these goals.
Realize that the biggest rewards come with the greatest sacrifices, such as transitioning from a large SUV to a small car. At the same time, make sure the new model will satisfy your financial and lifestyle goals for years to come. If you have a family, remember, kids grow and need more space.
In northern regions, consider using your SUV as a winter-only vehicle, especially if it enables you to buy an efficient, front-wheel drive car, rather than an all-wheel drive model. Be sure to adjust your insurance accordingly.
Conversely, if, for some reason, you really want/need a large SUV, this could be a great time to purchase a relatively new, low-mileage example. Both new and used SUVs (especially the monstrous ones) are sitting on dealer's lots—you can practically get one for a song."