I finally made time to write a new poem'.

Martha Stewart isms

Last week a mom casually called me Martha Stewart because I had packed lunch and snacks, and I had enough that her kid could feast too. I summed up my behaviour as frugal; but since then, there's so many things I wish I had said, and one question I wished I'd asked: 'what's so bad about being like Martha Stewart'?

So today I googled Martha Stewart, and the wikipedia definition includes 'homemaking advocate'. That term in itself warms by heart, so if that's what people think I'm like, cool - even if they don't think it's cool.

Funny thing is, most mamas I know pack lunches and snacks, and at least some of what they have is homebaked/homecooked. Plus, I know many of them have secret snacks, the kind they know can lure their park lovin' cobras home.

So fellow homemaking advocates, I ask you this: what is the must-have-food-item/surprise snack you will not leave home without, even if you are only walking to the library?

Mine: Sunny Bears (corn syrup and all...)

Limited Warranty Politics

A few weeks ago our barely one year old humidifier's motor died. The rest of the unit, the water tank, the base, the motor housing are fine. The 5 Year Limited Warranty states that 'normal wear and tear' are not covered under their warranty.

The humidifier has been sitting in the hallway waiting for me to make the next move; I've been mentally debating offering the parts on freecycle or packaging it up and putting it on our front steps with a 'free parts' note.

I've been stalling based on a landfill experience from last year when our coffee bean grinder's motor died. Village Papa tried fixing it but didn't have the right miniature tools. Then I went to three repair shops who all told me to throw out the unit and buy another one; no one wanted to repair it, 'too expensive to repair' was the excuse. Throwing that grinder in the trash made me feel terrible; I felt paralyzed from my inability to repair/reuse, and mostly reduce our family's contribution to the landfill.

Imagining our humidifier's next incarnation as landfill mass provoked me to call the Consumer Service Centre. They have said they WILL replace it with a brand new one. I should be elated, but
I have no idea what they'll do with the one I send them. They couldn't tell me that because they haven't seen the unit.

So here I am grateful for the new humidifier we are going to get (the one that keeps nose bleeds at bay), but I feel guilty that the motor I send them may just end up in the landfill anyway. Anyone have any cheerful warranty/repair/non landfill ending stories to cheer me up?

not very cool

According to powerwise - Toronto Hydro's Fall '07 newsletter, your second fridge could be costing you a yearly $150!

If you're one of the 35% of Torontonians who has a second fridge, which is plugged in but barely used, think about this: one hundred and fifty dollars is a heck of a lot of cash, imagine how many delicious meals you can make!


Source: www.everykilowattcounts.com

bike bike baby!

One easy peasy way to travel around while treading lightly on mother earth, keep fit, and save wads of money is to ride bikes; for more read this story
.

Happy ride your bike day to all our friends in the U.S.A.!