Thursday, May 22

Oregon Walk and Bike to School


For weeks I have been trying to figure out how my son and I could participate in the Walk & Bike Challenge.
We live a good six miles from my son's school and it is not a bike-friendly route. My office is three miles from my son's school and the public transit options are limited.
The real challenge for me is TIME... I need to be in the office for at least 7 hours. I have to drop my son off at school after 8:45 and he needs to be picked up by 5 PM. This barely gives me enough time when I'm driving!

Yesterday, I found the perfect solution. I met a friend for dinner and a sustainable budget workshop. I was able to schedule my husband to pick up my son so there was no rush to leave my office by 4:30. My friend agreed to meet me at Toro Bravo (across the street from my office). We could then ride to the workshop together and ride home together.

It was an inspiring day for sustainability. So what did I learn? The true secret of a sustainable lifestyle is finding inspiration - lots of it! Sustainable choices are often sacrifices and they are not usually easy. You have to really want it. You need motivation and determination. You will not be successful if your changes if they feel like a burden or a chore. It is best to keep educating yourself and trying things that work for your family. The ultimate goal is contentment... knowing that you are making decisions that will benefit yourself, your family, your community and the earth.

Now what about that awful (Made in China plastic) toy that my son wants for his birthday?!

Thursday, May 15

Clinton vs. Obama for a 4 Year-Old


My son and I often listen to NPR when we drive in the car. He will often ask, "what are they talking about?". I take a moment and turn off the radio to give a brief and age-appropriate description, then I turn the radio back on so we can listen together. We have talked about all sorts of topics including the upcoming presidential election.

Last week, they were talking about Hillary Clinton. I explained to my son that she is running for President and it is exciting because a woman has never been President before.

Over the past few days, my son has been calling me "mama bama". I asked him if he liked Barak Obama. He asked, "who is that?". I went on to explain that he is a man that is running for President. I asked if he wanted to vote for Barak Obama and he replied, "I want the gew-irl"!

Wednesday, May 7

Spindrift


We spent the weekend at the beach with friends.
What could be better than sunshine, friends, kids playing, fabulous food, yummy cocktails, bonfires with s'mores and many games of Mexican Train Dominoes?
We will treasure these memories for years to come!