![Going Green(er)]()
by Catherine | Jun 23, 2015 | Family
I am embarrassed to admit that we’ve never been a recycling family–until now. I hope we’re making you proud, Pope Francis!
In Omaha, every house received a green recycling bin, and recycling pick-up was part of the trash removal services. Why we never participated when it was so easy is beyond me. I’m gonna blame it on being in survival mode for most of our time in Omaha!
This last year, Jane and Walt got on the recycling bandwagon thanks to the great modeling they learned at St. Joseph’s. Their preschool classroom has different receptacles for the different kinds of recyclables. They learned about the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling. Walt come home from preschool one day wanting to know where our recycling bin was and why we didn’t have special containers like they had at school.
Sheepish mom moment.
If I were honest, I would have said, “Well, honey, it’s because we’re lazy and wasteful.”
So, I started researching. In Lincoln, you have to pay a pretty penny for a special service to pick up any of your recycling (separate from the fee you pay for trash removal). I didn’t want to pay the obnoxious fee, so I told Philip I wanted to start small and create our own recycling center. It started as an empty diaper box that I filled up with all of the recyclables during the week. Then, when the box got full, I would take it to the nearby recycling center. This went on for about a month.
Before this point, I didn’t realize how many recyclable items we were just tossing. When Philip saw how many items were piling up and how many trips I was having to make to the recycling center, he agreed that we could invest in some durable containers to sort the recyclables. I found this bright, colorful set on Amazon. (FYI – it retails for the same price at Walmart.)
Here’s how the set looks in our garage:
I used my to-do list notepad and handy dandy roll of blue painter’s tape to stick on some makeshift labels. I didn’t want to spend too much time on them in case I decided to change categories, etc. They’re still gettin’ the job done, and I haven’t switched ’em.
We had the green tub to the left of the trash can hanging around. I enlisted it for cardboard since the cardboard we go through gets to be unwieldy, and I didn’t want a lid. The larger boxes that don’t fit in the tub go against the wall until recycling day. Pro tip: Buy green tubs in January like I did when they’re on clearance after Christmas!
Our 3 categories for the stacking bins:
- Paper
- Plastic
- Aluminum/Tin & Glass
Paper goes on top so that it’s handy. That way, junk mail never has to enter our home from the mailbox. It just goes straight into the recycling bin. Yay! After using the bins for nearly two months, I’m thrilled with the minimal investment. They are the perfect size for our family. The lids limit the visual clutter, and they are effective in containing smells. Yummy! Even if you wash out all of those recyclables, they still have an, uh, organic aroma to them. I usually go once a week to the recycling center, but we could get by with going every two weeks.
I am glad we decided to create our own recycling center instead of just paying for a service. This way, we are much more conscientious about what can be recycled, how much we’re recycling, and how much less waste we’re hauling to the curb each week. Before we started recycling, I thought we were going to need to get a second trash can. Now, we can very reasonably get our week’s worth of trash into one can.
Also, the kids absolutely LOVE the whole process! They volunteer to bring the various recyclable items out to the bins. “Mom, I’ll put that in the yellow bin! Can I SMOOSH it?!” I affectionately call them my little recycling police because they’re constantly wanting to know if something we’re about to throw away can be recycled. “WAIT! Can’t that go in the green bin?!”
Their favorite part is the visit to the recycling center. I simply stick the bins in the trunk, and we head out. It helps that our library is just a few blocks away from the recycling center, so we usually make it a recycling center and library trip. I know there’s going to be a day when my kids think going to the recycling center and library with their mom sounds like just about the worst way to spend a morning ever. Until then, I’m enjoying the simplicity of this chapter.
All done! Recycling is tough work, people.
The recycling truck blockaded me in today. I was ticked off until I realized that meant that the kids would get a front row seat to see how their recyclables get transported. They loved watching the truck’s arms lift the metal boxes and shake the contents into the truck bed. JACKPOT! Who knew a trip to the recycling center could be such an exciting field trip?
What small (or big) steps are you and your family taking to go green(er)?
![Summer’s Candy]()
by Catherine | Jun 10, 2015 | Family
We got a box of absolutely delicious peaches last week, and they were perfectly ripe by Friday night for dinner. I call ’em summer’s candy. There is no better summer fruit.
Just ask these monkeys!
Do you have a favorite peach recipe? If we’re not munching away on raw peaches or need to use up the extras, we love peach crisp with a dollop of vanilla bean ice cream.
![Summer's Candy]()
by Catherine | Jun 10, 2015 | Family
We got a box of absolutely delicious peaches last week, and they were perfectly ripe by Friday night for dinner. I call ’em summer’s candy. There is no better summer fruit.
Just ask these monkeys!
Do you have a favorite peach recipe? If we’re not munching away on raw peaches or need to use up the extras, we love peach crisp with a dollop of vanilla bean ice cream.
![7QT: Random Photo Recap]()
by Catherine | Jun 3, 2015 | Family
A few random pictures of what’s going on around these parts:
-1-
Finally found a preschooler-sized apron for Walt that didn’t have flowers on it. Well done, Target! He loved helping me bake some banana bread yesterday.
-2-
“Mom, doesn’t my hair look pretty for Mass?”
(Mostly) business in front.
Party in the back. Beautiful, honey!
-3-
The neighbor’s car got a flat tire. Jane and Walt took it upon themselves to help them out.
-4-
Among all of the things Jane and Walt made/brought home from preschool, these two pages are among my favorites. Jane and Walt’s teacher took their pictures on the first day of school and during the last month of school. She asked them what they want to be when they grow up, and she recorded their answers below their pictures.
Jane:
Daddy would argue that they’re the same thing.
Walt:
Either the kids are loving what’s happening at home, or their main goal in life is to do it better for their progeny!
-5-
Poor Mr. Harry has been teething big time the last few weeks, and he’s on the tail end of an ear infection. He was so beside himself after his nap the other day that he had to hold two stuffies and have his blankey wrapped around him.
-6-
After reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, I’ve been purging a whole lotta stuff around here and happened upon this gem. Here’s Philip with his Grandpa Al, who used to drive the engine at Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. Walt, our current train aficionado, cannot believe he’s actually related to a train engineer! Super, super cool stuff! I got a frame for the print, and Philip has it on his nightstand. Love you, Al!
-7-
Philip and I celebrated our 7th anniversary last Sunday (May 31st). Don’t you like how I’m writing about our 7th anniversary on my 7th post? Not at all planned, but a definite happy coincidence. How did we celebrate, you ask? We did absolutely NOTHING! We had a leisurely morning at home, went to the late morning Mass, had lunch, went for a family bike ride/walk (pictured below), had a family nap (glorious!), had brinner (breakfast for dinner), got the kids to bed, watched an episode of The Goldbergs and The Property Brothers, and read in bed. It was a perfectly wonderful quiet day, and we’ll be celebrating with a date night in the very near future. This was Walt’s first actual bike ride beyond our block. He was a champ!
* * *
Hope you have a wonderful weekend! If you’d like to read more 7QT posts, head on over to Kelly Mantoan’s blog, This Ain’t The Lyceum!
![Swimming Lessons]()
by Catherine | Jun 2, 2015 | Family
For the past two weeks, Jane and Walt have been going to swim lessons at Mulgrue Swim Academy. I am so grateful to our friends for recommending “Rhonda on Randolph” to us. While Jane and Walt enjoyed their swim lessons they took over the winter, the instructors weren’t pushing them to learn new skills or challenge them to perform beyond their fears. Our friends warned us that Rhonda is “no nonsense” and that she would push the kids to get them to reach their goals. “Perfect! That’s exactly what our kids need,” I said.
When the day of the first lesson rolled around, I walked Jane and Walt in, helped them put their things in cubbies, and introduced them to the assistant instructor. Rhonda was busy teaching another class. We sat on a bench by the pool while we waited. A sweet little girl (who I later learned is 8) heard Walt getting nervous and introduced herself. “Hi, I’m _________. This is my second summer at Rhonda’s. She is so nice, and she is going to take good care of you! She is a really good teacher!” I could have kissed the girl! What a little angel! Walt smiled back at her. I took that as my cue to go, gave Jane and Walt big hugs, and said I’d be back at the end without looking back.
When I came back for pick-up, they were BEAMING! Rhonda cleverly gives the kids “shark rocks” at the end of each lesson. The “shark rocks” are those colored glass pebbles you see in centerpieces.
Jane and Walt showed off their “shark rocks” and told me all about the new things they learned. I thought I’d capitalize on their excitement and build on it. “You know what…if you each get 8 shark rocks for your 8 swim lessons, we can go to Runza for lunch after your last swim lesson!” You would have thought I said it was Christmas morning. As soon as we got home, I found them 2 small mason jars to put on their bedroom dressers to start their “shark rock” collections. They can’t wait to cash them in for our special Runza lunch! I didn’t know it when I made the deal with the kids, but Rhonda gives out a coupon for a free Kids Meal at Runza on the last day of lessons. Life just keeps getting better and better with Rhonda!
Rhonda does not allow parents to stay for lessons so that the kids don’t get afraid and look to Mom or Dad to bail them out. However, we are invited to come for the last half hour on the last day of lessons to see how much they learned. At the end of Jane and Walt’s first week of lessons, I opted to come for the last ten minutes. I didn’t want them to see me and get cold feet since I knew they were still working on a few new skills. It ended up being a great decision because I snuck in when the kids weren’t looking, and I got to see them (unknowingly) showing off their skills. They bobbed, waved to Rhonda underwater, jumped off the diving board, and swam to the side of the pool. So, so, so much progress!
The kids were disappointed last weekend when we told them they didn’t have lessons. When Monday morning rolled around, Jane said she wanted to draw Rhonda a picture.
“I like Rhonda so much! She is a good teacher!”
“That’s me and Rhonda swimming.” I love the goggles and bubbles.
Walt drew his own picture for Rhonda, but he said, “I’m going to give it to her on the last day.”
In just two short weeks, Rhonda has transformed Jane and Walt from timid pool toe-touchers to full-fledged fish! We are so grateful to her for her passion and dedication to teach children how to love the water and be safe enjoying it. For the first summer ever, we are going to join a local pool and get to enjoy the water as an entire family! Thank you, Rhonda!
![Teacher End-of-the-Year Appreciation Gift]()
by Catherine | May 26, 2015 | Family
Jane and Walt had the same preschool teacher this last year. (Jane had her M/W/F mornings, and Walt had her T/TR mornings.) Needless to say, she had her fill of our family this year!
As a former teacher, I know how much the end-of-the-year thank you presents mean. This is what I put together for our beloved preschool teacher:
I got a thermal cup with a plastic straw and filled it with goodies: I started with colorful, thin Sharpies, True Lemon raspberry lemonade packets, a travel hand sanitizer with clip-on case, and a Coldstone Creamery gift card.
Then, I inserted the straw before topping off the cup with Dove dark chocolates.
The finishing touch was a special “All About My Teacher” questionnaire. I interviewed each kiddo separately and recorded their answers. (To get your own adorable printable from Juggling With Kids, click here.) 
I was in a rush, so I just stuck both questionnaires into an envelope and attached it to the cup with a polka dot ribbon. Ta da!
Thank you for a great year, Mrs. King! You are such a blessing to our family and the rest of our parish community! Have a great summer!
I used my to-do list notepad and handy dandy roll of blue painter’s tape to stick on some makeshift labels. I didn’t want to spend too much time on them in case I decided to change categories, etc. They’re still gettin’ the job done, and I haven’t switched ’em.
I am glad we decided to create our own recycling center instead of just paying for a service. This way, we are much more conscientious about what can be recycled, how much we’re recycling, and how much less waste we’re hauling to the curb each week. Before we started recycling, I thought we were going to need to get a second trash can. Now, we can very reasonably get our week’s worth of trash into one can.
