How we honored Earth Day...

1. Kyra carpooled to school. (OK, I called her art teacher at 7:15am and asked for a ride since I wanted to stay in bed and snuggle Tasha. We slept until 8:45, turned on the TV, I slept until 9:30, and I never heard Kyra leave)

2. Washed clothes in cold water in my front-loading, high-efficiency washing machine and hung them out on the line to dry. (our washing machine died in January and we did make the choice to buy a little greener. That machine is the best! I think it might deserve it's own post...)

2a. Went up and down the stepladder to turn the light on and off (1,2,3...) 4 times in the laundry room. (The pull chain broke and now there is a 1 inch piece hanging from the 8 foot ceiling. Although there is a CFL bulb in the socket, you are still supposed to turn it off if you are not going to use it for more than 3 minutes.)

3. Reduced my shower time from 20 minutes to 15 minutes. Ran the water on a slower drizzle than normal. (this will definately be the last vice I give up!)

4. Used the toaster oven to heat up leftovers instead of the ginormous oven or the microwave. (I avoid the microwave when possible, and pizza just tastes better toasted.)

5. Turned the computer off ALL the way. Unplugged the TV to reduce the electricity that is continually sucked through the outlet even more so when the darn thing isn't on. I left the cable box plugged in though, I need it for the time.

6. Thought about scooping up my hair from my haircut but then lost the nerve. I didn't have any way to transport it and I didn't really know how to "give it to the birds" anyway.

7. Took my own reusable cup into Somburros to fill with water instead of asking for a water cup. Made sure the kids took their cups home to recycle, even though that meant that they got to have one last refill of lemonade.

8. Used the "natural gas" created from our dinner of beans and rice to propel the van home. (oh, just kidding)

Well, how'd we do?