earth-friendly friday - live green, save green

I saved the best for last - cloth diapering.

I could take this post from the angle that manufacturing a single disposable diaper requires 1 cup of crude oil and plenty of energy and water. And that disposable diapers are one of the top three contributors to the landfill. (read more about environmental impact here)

Or I could take this post from the angle that once our initial investment was recovered, we are saving over $300 per child per year, even after factoring in the cost of laundering. Yes, that is nearly $1,000 this year alone! (The amount of savings depends on several factors and is based on our specific diaper usage).

But I think I'd rather take this post from this angle...

speechless

lacking any inspiration and ridiculously exhausted, yet oddly feeling a need to blog rather than sleep. But I think we're due for a cute kids post.

rain, rain, go away

first swing ride

toddlers, glue, and glitter - will I ever learn?

Now I can go to bed with a smile on my face and be ready to take on the day tomorrow!

a lesson in etiquette and biology

Just in case you are wondering...

Yes, they are all ours and no we do not run a daycare.

No, I do not have a black husband. Skin color is not like eye color.

None of our kids are twins.

People adopt for many reasons - being unable to conceive is only one possibility.

And not everyone who adopts falls pregnant.

Yes, they are all siblings.

My sons' birth history belongs to them and it is not my story to share.

No, our boys did not come from Haiti or Ethiopia. There are children all around the world who need families ~ including the USA.

Now, don't get me wrong - we think our family is beautiful and are proud of how God brought us together. We love to share our story...but please recognize that we also like to:

go to the store

go to the library

go to the post office

go out to eat

go to the museum

go to church

go for walks

take our kids to classes

play in our backyard (!)

like every other "normal" family.

And above all please recognize that we have little ears listening.

(Excuse me for using my little platform to vent. I realize the readers of this blog are not that rude.)

earth-friendly friday - live green, save green

This week's focus is on laundry. I wish I could say we had an HE washer, but when we replaced it, we weren't anticipating living in this house this long or having three kids and a dozen loads of laundry a week. So, I try to make it as highly efficient as I can.


The bulk of the energy use/cost for the washer is heating the water, so basically everything is washed on cold except diapers and rags. According to this website, we are saving $24 a year by using cold water. The drier uses natural gas (operation cost is half that of electric), and if I remember correctly from my calculations several months ago, each load costs about $.40 to dry. During the winter months, about 1/3 of the laundry gets hung to dry on drying racks and during the summer months about 2/3 of the laundry gets hung to dry on the clothes line (my favorite chore!) That is a savings of about $125 a year in energy costs, and also decreases the wear and tear on clothing, bedding, and especially diapers.
I'd love to know how I could reduce my actual amount of laundry, because is sure does use up a lot of MY energy!