Answering More Questions: On Starbucks Drinks, Teething, and Surprise Babies.

These are only, oh, three months after you asked me these questions. Oops.

How many pumps of syrup are in Starbucks drinks? Someone in line behind me got a 14 pump drink, which seemed crazy...but then I realized I had no idea how much was in mine!

Woah. That *is* crazy. Since I am a total coffee nerd, I made a little chart for Starbucks drinks:

(This doesn't apply to macchiatos - they get one less pump of syrup)

SO, as you can see 14 pumps is A LOT of pumps. If you get, say, an iced venti caramel white chocolate mocha, though, there would be typically six pumps of each white mocha and caramel - which is 12 and almost hits that crazy 14 pump orderer. Almost.

Are you still on board with the baking soda & vinegar hair care routine?

I am! Although about once a month, I do a shampoo wash, mostly just because there is still a bottle in my shower. It's probably a bad idea, since I know the 'no poo'  is all about natural oils and not stripping the oils and all that earth mama jazz. (When you first heard the term 'no poo,' did you also thing it was a movement about not pooping? Or is that just me. Oh. Just me? Okay.)

I know this is a little weird to ask, but was Gabe a "planned" pregnancy? How long were you together before you became pregnant with Gabe?

Not weird at all! (Or maybe I'm the weird one for telling everyone.) I am fairly open about the fact that Gabe was the best surprise we ever got. We were married almost two-and-a-half years when I found out I was pregnant. Gabe was born three weeks after our third anniversary. It was the perfect amount of time for us - we had several years to just be 'us'.  While it was initially a bit of shock (I  actually cried the first few times I told people) (though I blame pregnancy hormones in addition to being happy-slash-scared), there are far worse things than finding out you're expecting a child with your husband of three years.

Has anyone ever recognized you in real life from reading your blog?

Yes! Just a few times and it's the craziest, most awesome thing.  It always throws me off, like What? Me? Is this a joke? I suddenly get nervous for some reason. It's fun. Most recently at a vegan bake sale to raise money for Japan, a lovely gal named Abby recognized me (and knew Gabe's name!). Vegan bake sale? Let's be friends, Abby!

So all that teething stuff you bought for Gabe- what's working out well and what was a bust?

So. Two months ago (Though it was so awful it feels like yesterday. Every time Gabe gets fussy or has trouble sleeping, I get all panicky: 'Teething Round Two is coming! The end is nigh! Run! Run for your lives!"), Gabe cut his first two teeth and it. was. awful. He was grumpy all day and would wake up four times in three hours, screaming. This kid is usually not a scream-waker-upper. He is a lie-quietly-then-yell-when-you-realize-you're-alone-waker-upper. 

After one particularly awful night, I bought a ton of different things in hopes that something anything dear GOD would make it stop. I bought: Sophie the giraffe, a Smart Mom Teething Bling necklace, an amber necklace,  and homeopathic teething drops in addition to infant acetaminophen and ibuprofen. I also got Orajel Naturals for a review program and Hyland's Teething Tablets from Natali.

Nothing was that great. Sophie is a squeaky dog toy that smells like a rubber balloon and costs $20. I wanted to love the amber necklace, but for $25, it didn't seem to do much. The teething bling necklace was probably my favorite since I can still wear it and he loves to chew on it. Most nights, we gave him some ibuprofen, numbed his gums with the Orajel, and popped two Hyland's tablets. The Orajel numbed him quickly, then the ibuprofen gave him a few hours of relief. And the Hyland's tablets were just fun to watch dissolve. Of course, take all of this with a grain of salt, since Gabe only has two teeth. And I hear kids usually get more than that, so we'll be putting these toys to the test once more. Or twice more. But no more than twice more. That's enough teeth for one baby.

And I just wrote three paragraphs about teething merchandise. Oh dear.

[If I didn't answer your question, email me. For real. It was probably just a wee bit too personal to share on the world wide webs, but I am a very open person behind closed door. Or email inbox.)

A Gift Guide with Heart.

The holidays are rapidly approaching (hurrah!) and I put together a few ideas for those who haven’t finished their gift shopping. This time of year can be a lot of fun, but can get out of hand when we think about how much stuff is consumed. From the gifts no one really needs to the insane amount of wrapping and cards to the numerous big family dinners, there is a mass consumption of stuff.

I think a bit of indulgence is allowed, and I certainly don’t want to be Scrooge. But instead of feeling like we need to get bigger and better presents to express our love, we can still buy gifts, but ones that are more thoughtful and in line with our values. Sprinkle this season with a few gifts and lots of family time.

And copious amounts of hot chocolate and cookies, of course.

Fair Trade

Last year, along with making most of my presents, I got lots of Fair Trade goodies to give to my family – chocolates, teas, and coffees. It was my little way of supporting Fair Trade with my money and introducing family members to Fair Trade goodies. If you’ve been trying to convince your dad for-ev-er to drink Fair Trade coffee, this might be your chance to introduce him to it! Equal Exchange has put together some baskets – some fabulous, last minute deals! (Although, they expire TOMORROW, December 15th, so you’d better order fast!)

Eco-Friendly

Think reusable. Reusable shopping bags, reusable water bottles, reusable travel coffee mugs (or, if they shun drinking from reusable coffee mugs, get them one of these), and reusable towels (boo to paper towels!). Break your brother's disposable habit by filling a (reusable!) bag with lots of these goodies.

Local

Got a friend who's addicted to big box stores, chain restaurants, and corporate coffee shops? Introduce her to what your town or city has to offer with some gift cards to a local business or two. Soon she’ll see how much more fun shopping local can be!

Healthy

Maybe your mom keeps talking about going on some crazy fad diet (as she does every year) – encourage her to eat healthy (and eat, period! Crazy diets…bleh) by purchasing a share of a CSA. Depending on the CSA, she’ll get some form of delicious, local fruits and vegetables every week or month. Check out Local Harvest for more information or to find a CSA near you.

Clean & Green

Is your sister a tad OCD? As in, you’d rather eat off her bathroom floor than your kitchen table? If she’s using lots of bleach and other nasty chemicals, help her break the habit and keep a healthier home by giving her a basket full of fabulous cleaning supplies without all the nasties. Some of my favorite are this, this, this, and this. She will appreciate it, I promise.

Et Cetera

A few more ideas that may be a bit more sustainable than the average gift :

• A donation to charity
• Soy candles
• An experience – a concert, dinner at a nice restaurant, or a play.
• A microloan on Kiva.org.
  
• Essential oils
• An iTunes gift card – digital music is less waste than a hard copy.
• Shop around on Etsy and support handmade!
• Paraben-free make up or nail polish without formaldehyde (um, ew)
• Anything from Heifer International.
  
• Homemade anything – from food to pampering kits.
• Wood toys are much better than plastic ones for the kiddos in your life – they last longer and are more durable. (Bonus points if it’s sustainably forested!)

A note on waste

During the weeks from Thanksgiving to New Years, about 1 million additional tons of garbage to our landfills each week in the US. EACH week. As in, in ADDITION to the waste we already create. That is just crazy ridiculous. To help reduce this waste, give your gifts in reusable gift sacks or wrap your gifts in newspaper or other reused material. I promise, with a little creativity, they will look even nicer than those glossy wrapping papers!

I'm Scared of Non-Dairy Creamer.

I saw lots of tweets about how delicious Coffee-Mate and International Delight coffee creamers are. With flavors like Pumpkin Spice, Peppermint Mocha, White Chocolate Mocha, Caramel Macchiato, and Tiramisu, everyone was exclaiming, "No more pricey coffee shop for me! This is just as delicious! Yay!"

My usual grocery stores don't carry the stuff, and I'd never bought a container of it in my life. But one day last week, I found myself in a conventional grocery store (the overwhelming kind with gleaming rows of twelve different kinds of Oreos and 32 flavors of Coffee-Mate) and remembered how delicious they were heralded to be.

I picked up a bottle of yummy-sounding tiramisu and noticed it was labeled lactose-free, which made me wonder just what the heck was in it, as I had assumed it was cream and sugar.

Ooooh, no.

No cream. At ALL:

Water, sugar, partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oil, and less than 2% of the following: sodium cassienate (a milk derivative), disodium phosphate, mono- and diglycerides, cellulose gel, cellulose gum, color added, natural & artificial flavors, carrageenan.

So, it's chemically produced cream. Awesome. To learn more about what exactly those ingredients do to you check out this post or this one.

I usually use sugar and half and half - not anything healthy, but at least it's only three ingredients: sugar, milk, and cream. All I've heard of and can pronounce.

I tried convincing myself that maybe the taste would be worth the chemically produced cream. Maybe it really would taste like a caramel macchiato (which: it's the way you make the drink that makes it a macchiato, not the taste. /end rant.).

After five minutes of hemming and hawing, I just couldn't bring myself to put the bottle in my basket. I satiated my need to get some sugary, creamy substance for my coffee by grabbing a bottle of some organic hazelnut coffee creamer. The first ingredient was organic non-fat milk, followed by organic cane syrup - so I felt a bit less apprehensive about the purchase. (Totally not as good as plain old half and half with sugar).

Like flavored yogurt, flavored coffee creamer will no longer find it's way into my fridge. Sorry, Coffee-Mate, but you're creepy.

The Best Giveaway Ever! Giveway

Come enter my Starbucks giveaway over at my review blog!

Why?
Coffee. Energy. Happiness.

Why not?
You might be lazy.

May I reiterate: Starbucks. Giveaway.

GO. Now.

















Seriously...

have you not gone yet?

Saving Money. So Hot Right Now.

I’ve been voraciously devouring two fantastic books: Craft Inc.: Turn Your Creative Hobby into a Business by Meg Mateo Ilasco and The Anti 9-to-5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube by Michelle Goodman. I am alternating between the books at whim, but I just can’t get enough of them. They are seriously amazing. Part of me worries that I’m getting my hopes up too much – they make it seem quite possible to do what you love for a living. I’m admittedly a wee bit nervous to allow myself dream up grandiose ideas – what if they don’t come to be? What if I am disappointed? And worse, what if I fail?

Anyhow, we’ll talk about my career aspirations another time. I noticed that both books, particularly The Anti 9-to-5 Guide, place a lot of emphasis on downsizing your lifestyle in order to do what you want. To not be limited by your Starbucks habit, shoe addiction, or huge cell phone bill, but be free to pursue your deepest desires and aspirations.

Let’s say you despise your job, so you invest heavily in retail therapy. But then you're trapped in your job in order to maintain your standard of living (like those pretty designer handbags and those yummy lattes). Would you be happier with a job that you dread and lots of expensive things or a career that you adore and living simply?

Many of the authors’ suggestions on how to downsize your lifestyle or spend less are things we already do, so I thought I’d share some ways that Mike and I are frugal and ask you to share your ideas as well!

• No cable. We had free cable last year, but when it came time to choose spending $40+ a month on TV? Nope.
• Library instead Netflix or buying books and CDs.
• One car for the two of us. (I walk to work.)
• Biking to the grocery in the summer. Mmm, summer.
• Aside from washing dishes, I do all our cleaning with baking soda and vinegar.
• Buying in bulk – rice, oats, almonds, etc.
• Dried beans instead of canned beans. So super cheap it’s amazing!
• I cut the coffee habit a few months ago – which means my coffee runs have drastically reduced.
• Planning meals – less waste, more eating healthy, and less chance we’ll decide to just order a pizza instead!
• Reusing everything you could ever imagine. I reuse packaging and brown paper bags for my Etsy and Amazon packages, I rinse out Ziploc bags, I reuse aluminum foil, our “Tupperware” is reused yogurt containers, and we have almost no disposable paper products in our house.
• Love hand-me-downs, thrift stores, consignment shops, and ridiculously cheap clothing stores.
• Never spring for manicures, pedicures, salon hair cuts or coloring (Best Cuts is my friend. As is hair dye-in-a-box!).
• No pre-cut, pre-washed veggies or fruit. I'd rather do it myself and save a lot of money.
• Try to make do with what I have. (My husband is laughing at me right now. I kind of like Target. And Joann Fabric.)

Here’s to spending less money and living more.

[ETA: I think it's important to point out that I don't advocate cutting costs at the expense of human rights, the environment, or so on - I choose to spend my money more intentionally - instead of buying a whole lot of junk I don't need from Wal-Mart, I buy it from Target one nice, quality item that is fair-trade, made locally, or something like that. :) I'd never want to promote saving money above all else. It's about spending it more wisely. Right?]

{Don’t forget to share your frugal tips. Be proud of your penny-pinching prowess!}

Worth it Wednesday: Caffeine Addiction, er, Edition.

I talked a lot in the beginning of this blog about coffee; particularly, how to use a reusable mug at a coffee shop. In case you were wondering what travel coffee-tea-hot chocolate mug I use, wonder no more!

OXO GOOD GRIPS LIQUISEAL TRAVEL MUG

Worth: It's $19.95 at Amazon right now. (Great gift idea: I got this a few Christmases ago with a Starbucks gift card inside. It was seriously one of my favorite Christmas gifts. Ever.)

Works For: Drinking coffee, hot chocolate, iced tea, hot tea, whatever the heck you want to put in here!

What I Love: So, so many things. The body is stainless steel, which lasts longer than plastic - I've had it for nearly three years and it looks GREAT. Plus, plastic is awful for the environment - and changes the flavor of hot drinks (and possibly leaches harmful chemicals into your coffee - ew!). Also, it keeps your drinks hot or cold for hours since it's super insulated - I'm serious, hours, people. It fits into a normal cup holder and the top is made of plastic and silicone. I haven't even told you the best part: IT DOESN'T LEAK EVER. I can pour coffee in my mug, click the top closed, and toss it in my purse. No leaking. No spilling coffee on me or in my purse. It's amazing. That alone is a reason to get this mug. Annd...I need to stop not because people are going to start thinking I'm getting paid to do this. (Which, I'm not. Oh, how I wish sitting in my PJs blogging was my job.)

(PS: I'm not the only one who adores it, it has 168 customer rievews on Amazon with an average of 4 stars!)

Check out the top that clicks open and closed. Awesome!

What I Wish: The top is kind of hard clean out since there are a billion seals. I've used q-tips to reach every crevice up in there. Kind of gross, right? Oh well, such is the price you pay for NEVER LEAKING EVER. (Still excited about that, apparently.)

Follow Ups

I love to read updates. LOVE. So, I will bestow you will updates because I assume that you, as well, adore updates and were waiting anxiously to hear how I'm doing, what I've decided and why the heck I have that gross "toes or nose" poll...

Caffeine
Last Monday, I posted about my realization that I'm addicted to caffeine and pledged to rid myself of the addiction.

After several YEARS of drinking coffee daily - I've effectively QUIT.

- I'll pause for applause. -

I had a little sample cup from Trader Joe's on Sunday and a decaf latte or two, but I'm no longer surviving on caffeine.

I've been bringing Decaf Sweet Coconut Chai Tea or some hot chocolate to work in the mornings. Because there's a huge sense of ritual for me in sipping a warm beverage as I check my email and begin the day. I'm pretty psyched to be addiction-free. :)

(Again, I feel like I'm taking this caffiene addiction too seriously. But if you couldn't imagine going a DAY without coffee, and you got headaches when you don't drink it - you would, too!)

Camera
Last Wednesday, I asked you for camera advice.

And I was so excited and overwhelmed by the massive amount. In fact, I've categorized it. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! It was so helpful.

Before I tell what I've decided, let me tell you something...I haven't talked about it on my blog yet - but we're experiencing some major car troubles. Long story short: We wanted to sell 2002 Honda Accord to pay for Mike's grad school tuition and get a cheap, older car to replace it.

Fast forward three months and we have our (wonderful! beloved! no problems! ever!) Accord in our driveway and our crap Oldsmobile rotting in the garage. It won't start. I don't know what to do. We bought it from my car mechanic-uncle, who has fixed it once. And it won't start again.

It's a mistake that cost a LOT. Like, I could have bought Adobe CS3 and a DSLR camera for the money we've apparently wasted. I kick myself for it, but it is what it is.

(Side note: Any ideas for a crappy old car that won't start?)

Anyway, I've resigned myself to realizing (uh, or Mike may have pointed out...) that buying a dud of a car in addition to losing a camera AND my engagement ring in one summer probably didn't warrant me buying some fancypants camera.

I've settled for this Canon PowerShot A590 IS and am keeping my fingers crossed for the possibility of a DSLR for Christmas.

I know me, and I'd need a point and shoot as well as a DSLR - because I love to bring my camera EVERYWHERE and sometimes I take inconspicuous pictures. Sneaky, eh?

Poll
Some of you have already voted in my poll over there in my sidebar. Thanks! You may be wondering why in the world I'm curious about the lesser of two evils - picking your toes or picking your nose.

Let's just say it stems from a difference of opinion with my husband. :) I'll tell you what happened after the poll ends. But for now, come out of your reader and vote! Vote, I tell you!

I'm Addicted to Lovin' You

I guess all I can say is I'm addicted

Addicted to lovin you

Oh, hi. You don't know Sisqo's song Addicted?

C'mon! It's SISQO - the talented man behind the Thong Song, the theme song of the summer of 1999!

Uh, anyway, I digress.

I think I've alluded before to my love of coffee, and caffeination in general. Well, my friends - this weekend was a rude awakening.

I brewed myself a travel mug full of coffee Friday before work, but only managed to drink about half of it before it grew cold and I stopped drinking it.

Around 2pm, a splitting headache began throbbing. Oh no, I thought, caffeine headache. THE WORST.

Around 5pm, I went home from work, headache still searingly painful. Maybe I'm just dehydrated, I hoped, as I settled in for a nap to escape the headache.

Around 7pm, after not being able to sleep, we went grocery shopping and I scoured Whole Foods for a natural way to relieve splitting headache. Argh, I thought, this sucks! Give me coffee samples from Trader Joe's!

Around 10pm, the headache had not gone, so I swallowed one Tylenol PM, [I can only use a half or one tablet - any more than that I'll feel like I've been hit by a truck. Which is quite an awful saying, now that I think of it.], and crawled into bed. My head felt awful, and I desperately hoped it was NOT the lack of caffeine - allergies or sinus pressure or something else that doesn't mean I'm physically dependent.

We babysat my cousins Saturday and spent the night in Brecksville - 30 minutes south of here - and Sunday morning we enjoyed waffles and half-caf coffee.

A small headache started during church, and I grabbed Mike's hand and hissed: "I'm addicted to coffee. I HAVE A HEADACHE because the coffee was half-decaf!"

At lunch back at my aunt and uncle's house with other family, we were standing around talking and I mentioned casually my caffeine addiction (comparing it to their Diet Coke addiction. THEY BROUGHT THEIR OWN DIET COKE because they "weren't sure they're be any here.")

Apparently, it's NOT so normal to be almost 24-years-old and completely addicted to coffee.

Uh, oops.

My uncle is an anesthesiologist and told us about patients who can't eat for 12 hours before their operation. Some of them get such bad headaches from caffeine withdrawal that they have to hook them up to a caffeine IV.

The image of me having to walk around with a caffeine IV (along with reading Skinny B*tch and how it portrays caffeine as totally awful) really made me want to try and stop being addicted.

Let's just stop for a second to laugh at how seriously I'm taking myself.

Moving on.

[Wait, not yet: I feel like a freakin' alcoholic or something: "I just want to be able to enjoy a drink with my friends without being addicted! *sob*"]

Okay.

So, I've decided to slowly wean myself off the daily cup and settle for a once-in-a-while cup instead. (I'm NOT anti-caffeine, just anti-me-being-addicted.)

I'm writing about it to see if anyone else is suffering from addiction and so I'm accountable. (You know, like saying you're going running on Twitter so you actually do!)

Here's to chai tea, decaf coffee, black tea, hot chocolate and herbal tea. And an occasional cup o'fair trade coffee!

(Did I seriously just write 600 words about my poor little caffeine addiction? Ay. Blogging at its finest, ladies and gentlemen!)

Must Love Coffee.

A great post from the lovely Heartbreaker totally called me out today.

She said I "know (my) shit about saving the planet."

You wouldn't think so looking at my pathetic blog lately. I've been all about my clothes, my crappy work ethic, my itchy disease poison ivy, my move, and my marriage. Me, me, meeeeeee.

Time to get out of my selfish little bubble and talk about some other stuff, mmmkay?

Like, how about summertime iced coffee and iced tea? And yet another way we can be as green as possible when it comes to our beverage choices.

We've talked before about some ways to -

• Bring your own travel mug, avoid waste!
• Buy fair trade, sustainably grown, organic coffee or tea
• Brew coffee using a french press, use less electricity!

We're in the throes of summer, and who doesn't enjoy a big glass of iced tea? Or stopping by the coffee shop for a refreshing iced coffee? Yummy.

You can cheaply and easily make either of those yourself - which means:

• Saving money!
• Using your own coffee - many coffee shops don't always offer fair-trade, shade grown, organic coffees.
• Less packaging for iced tea mixes and prepackaged iced coffees.
• Avoiding the mystery chemicals, like silicon dioxide or artificial colors.

Iced Tea

1. Brew a tea bag or two in half a cup of water [chai or herbal teas are my favorite].
2. Sweeten the hot tea if desired. [I always desire sugar.]
3. Fill a glass with ice, then pour the hot tea in the glass. [Add milk if making iced chai or black tea.]
4. Stir and enjoy!

Iced Coffee {Using a french press}

1. Grind (coarsely) 1 cup of coffee and pour in bottom of french press.
2. Pour 2 cups of water and mix with wooden spoon.
3. Place plunger on top, but don't press down too far.
4. Put in the fridge for at least 12 hours.
5. Plunge/strain the coffee. It's now a sort of coffee syrup that you can pour over ice and add milk, water, and/or sugar to. I usually use a third coffee, a third water, some half & half, and a heap of sugar. [I always love sugar.]
6. Stir and enjoy. Better than McDonald's or Starbucks, for sure!

I make a pot of the iced coffee once or twice a week and drink it every morning, and love to enjoy a glass of Tazo Passion iced tea while I'm reading on the porch at night.

Here's to summer!

Trouples Rock. Irony Doesn't.

I'm starting to think Mike and I are going to have to advertise on Craigslist for a male to be a part of our trouple when we move to Cleveland. We seem to always have a good time with our friend, Tim. And in Denver we hung out with Joe, another troupler. It's grand when you get to the point of no third-wheelness.

Wanted: Easy going, fun male willing to hang out with young newlyweds. Must be okay with vegetarians, the occasional bicker, Thai and Indian food, a kiss or two (us, not you), and wanna be hippies. Vespa preferred, for nostalgia's sake. Make us laugh or engage us in an intellectual discussion and you're in.

After our trouple picnic on Friday, we headed to the coffee shop for an evening of reading and coffee. I ordered a tall iced chai latte in my reusable mug and plopped down in a big comfy chair, ready to settle into a long session with my beloved Photoshop.

Twenty five (25!!) minutes later, my drink was *finally* ready, and in a disposable plastic cup.

"Um, where's my mug?" I asked innocently, to the young barista.

"Oh!," smacking his head.

"Don't worry about pouring it in my mug," I say tersely, wanting to just drink my friggin' tea.

Like a good little yuppie, I proceeded to whine to Mike and Tim about the consistently poor service at this coffee shop. 25 minutes! Plastic cup! Argh!!

[Let me stop here to say that I don't hassle people who give me food. As long as it doesn't have meat, I'll take it. I don't cause problems. I'm pretty passive, as you know. And I hate to think or say mean things about anyone. So, when I say the service is bad - I MEAN it. It's awful - I feel like I'm at a bar where boys desperately attempt to pick up girls, instead of a coffee shop!]

As I'm ranting, the barista comes over, apologizes, and offers me two samples - a grenadine blended coffee, and a smoothie. Well. SHUT. ME. UP.

Happy about the samples, cringing at the bad timing, and realizing the irony: I'd brought my own mug to avoid a disposable coffee cup. Instead - I now have a big plastic cup for my chai tea, a small Styrofoam cup, and a plastic cup from my samples. And my coffee mug is still clean.
Well.

What can ya do, right?

I enjoyed all my sample goodness and my iced chai tea latte.

PS: We spent 3 hours and $600 at Ikea yesterday. I know, right? I can never just go in and get one thing.

PPS: Tomorrow is the Big Blog Swap. So look for a guest blogger on here, and look for my post over here about my blogaholism. It's an issue, people.

At Least Some of The Coffee Was Fair Trade

This weekend I went to a conference about 3 ½ hours away. (It was a fantastic conference, if you’re wondering, about youth and conflict – specifically conflict resolution education. Enthralling, important work presented by people from 19 countries…and yours truly.)

On the way to my parents’ house the night before the conference, I stopped at a gas station for a Starbucks double shot of espresso. The next day I got an iced coffee drink in a plastic cup, because I had forgotten my travel mug at work. (So this was pretty ironic!) At the conference, I drank a Diet Pepsi from a can and at a boxed lunch. The next day, I succumbed to the coffee again and used two Styrofoam cups. (Two because they wouldn’t let me bring any food or drinks into the keynote speaker, so I never got any of the first coffee). There was another boxed lunch, Diet Pepsi, and a good cup of coffee (Whole Foods, dark chocolate mocha. Sigh.) for my drive home.

It made me feel AWFUL.

On a normal weekend, I create little waste – maybe some plastic bags from carrots or a paper bag from flour. And some food scraps because we stopped composting. (It smelled. SO. badly.) We use small plastic bags for our trash (reused grocery bags) and take it out once or twice a week.

Here was my waste this weekend:

* 3 aluminum drink cans
* 2 Styrofoam cups
* 2 boxed lunches with disposable napkins, forks, plastic containers, plastic bags, etc
* 1 plastic cup with lid and straw
* 1 coffee cup with plastic lid and cardboard sleeve
* A take out box and paper bag for my Tofu Pad Thai
* Oh, okay, and a little paper bag from Taco Bell (Cinnamon twists are my secret love!)

In two days, I created as much waste as Mike and I create together in about 10 days.

It makes me feel guilty, especially because I could have avoided using 3 cups if I had remembered my travel mug.

And I really didn’t need to drink the Pepsi. But it was free. And I was thirsty.

It might be really silly that I felt a major twinge of guilt for creating so much more waste this weekend. I know the nature of traveling is disposable items, but still.

Maybe I should view this as progress – that I’m becoming more aware of my consumption; that I can’t just mindlessly create trash without thinking about my actions.

Now, I just need to work on that pesky Target habit.

Oh! How convenient! Crunchy is challenging us yet again; this time, to not purchase anything new for the month of April. Not counting food, of course.

I’m going to challenge myself one step further – and say no disposable convenience food. That means if I forget my travel mug at work, I’m stuck with nasty office coffee.

And if I’m hungry, I either eat at home or somewhere that doesn’t use disposable products. If I eat out, I’ll either ask for foil for my leftovers or bring my own Tupperware.

It’s against my American nature of impatience and laziness. If I’m hungry, I want to eat NOW. If I’m craving something, I want it ready, NOW.

But I’m going to try and make a conscious effort in April to be less selfish and less of a consumer.

Baby steps.

A Reusable Coffee Mug - Easy As 1-2-3

I’ve heard (seen?) a lot of confusion on different blogs/comment/forums* about using a reusable coffee mug at a coffee shop. As someone who frequents the coffee shop QUITE regularly (They recognize me by my mug; and last time, veteran barista told newbie, “She brings her own cup” as newbie reached to grab me a disposable cup.), I can speak with some authority on this matter.

Here’s a little “how to” for using your own coffee mug at a coffee shop.

1. Get a reusable mug – avoid plastic if you can; it’ll last longer and not affect the taste of your delicious coffee (or tea or hot chocolate!)
2. Measure how much liquid your mug can hold, so you can order coffee at the shop. Mine’s a tall (12 oz), FYI.
3. Bring clean travel or ceramic mug with you to coffee shop (this means don’t forget it at work the night before!)
4. When you order, show them your coffee mug and say, for example, “I’ll have a 12 oz Highlander Grogg in this.”
5. Make sure to unscrew the top from the mug if it has one and hand them the cup part. There are some reports that at Starbucks they put the lid in a plastic disposable lid so it doesn’t touch the counter. So just keep it yourself!
6. Enjoy your coffee and the fact that there is a little less waste because of you.

I’ve heard people complain that Starbuck baristas sometimes mark your drink on a disposable cup and then throw it away – they’ve created new post-it note stickers to help avoid this, but it’s possible they could be out of stickers or just hate trees or something. Most times when I go to Starbucks, the cashier just verbally tells the barista what my order is as he hands her my cup. (Though now I normally go to the local coffee shop – so there is never any cup writing). If you’ve experienced the wasted cup phenomenon, maybe just casually mention something about not wanting to waste cup?– or just order plain coffee so no marking is required!

* Hey, I spend a lot of time, online, what can I say? Yesterday my husband sent me this article. Maybe he was passively trying to stage an intervention?

Coffee Makes Me Smarter

So, I might like coffee. Just a little.*

Let be honest, I could have an entire blog on coffee. It’s addictive nature, the best places to get coffee, the best kinds of coffee, how happy I get when I drink coffee (I mean, really, it’s my Prozac!), how I’m scared of the no coffee rule if I get pregnant some day, and the best lattes to try.

But, I’ll spare you the pain of my ruminating on the joys of coffee.

I never had a coffee pot because I didn’t want to enable my addiction. So I unloaded what possibly amounted to thousands of dollars at coffee shops (and subjected myself to some cheap, nasty instant coffee into which I melted Snickers bars. I am not joking. Although am possibly really gross.)

Upon getting married, we were gifted a veritable mountain of money. In Target gift cards, that is. We had discussed getting a coffee pot to help defray the cost of my addiction, but didn’t register for it because we couldn’t find the Perfect Pot. Oh I wanted all the bells and whistles. I wanted to be able to program a pot of coffee for the instant I woke up, at the temperature I desired, made with a little plastic as possible.

Then I got this pesky email that annoyingly made me consider the most energy efficient way to brew coffee. I mean, it’s a blessing and a curse, really, to learn about something like that. It’s always great to know that there are better ways to do things – but, I reallywantedthebellsandwhistles, darn it!

According to Ideal Bite, here are the coffee brewing methods from most-to-least energy efficient:

1. Cold water brewing (no idea how THAT would work or taste)
2. French press
3. Moka pot on the stove (again, no idea)
4. Plain old electric coffee pot

So we went right out and bought ourselves a cute little French press from Target. It’s pretty easy to use, but I’ll admit it’s more work than a plain old coffee pot.

Why I love our French press:

• Less waste! You don’t need filters so just wash or rinse it out every time
• Cheaper – it was less than $20 and there are no filters to ever buy.
• Smaller – we live in a teeny space. Have you seen our kitchen?! So we need every square inch we can get! It doesn’t use up a plug and takes up about a 5 inch circle on our shelf. Plus, we don’t really need a 10 cup coffee maker, so our little 24-oz press is perfect for us.
• Materials – it’s made out of 80-90% glass with just a plastic handle. So someday I can recycle it! Plus, it’s just a lot less resource-intensive than a hunk-o-plastic coffee pot
• Saves energy
• It tastes SO GOOD since the coffee is freshly ground and brewed by hand. Plus it’s kinda fun (except when I’m running late and rushed! Which is every. single. morning. without. exception.)

Why it can be a pain:

• We can’t use ground coffee for drip coffee makers; we buy whole beans and have to grind so we don't get little tiny particles of grounds in our coffee.
• We have to manually boil and pour the water. Just a little more work and a little less convenience.
• No bells and whistles. At all.

Happy coffee drinking!

This is actually a freakin' awesome coffee shop in San Francisco - they have a compost bin next to their trashcan so you can compost your wooden stirrer and compostable coffee cup. SO cool.

* My heart flutters at the mere mention of coffee.

The Way I See It

Apparently, no one has listened to me!

C'mon Mitt, Hil, John, and Barack - lead by example. I have nothing against drinking water and coffee, don't get me wrong! (yumm...coffee.) It's just that I know that y'all are better than that. (Well, most of you anyway. :) )

*********************
In other news, this blog is slowly making it to the top of Google when searching for that Atomic Kitten song. WTF? At least lots of people are unknowingly learning about the benefits of soy candles as they search for those lyrics. :)

Opting Out of rBGH

just call me mooooooooo-m

In honor of doing a lesson with my kids at work about dairy farmers and dairy cows, I thought I’d discuss a little about our dairy and milk choices today.

Fact! Did you know that a female cow is called a heifer until she has her first calf, at which point she officially becomes a cow? So, basically cow = mom in Cow Land. I don’t like the sound of that very much…

Last year, after watching the fantastic movie, The Corporation, I decided to stop buying any dairy products made with rBGH milk. It’s basically a hormone created to increase milk production in cows, but it’s been shown to cause all kinds of cancers in scientific tests and is banned in virtually all developing countries except the US. And - side note - when US news reporters tried to cover the issue, the company sabatoged their carreer and they were fired. Um. For real. Organic milk doesn’t have it (neither does Ben and Jerry’s ice cream…mmm), and lots of other milk producers are going rBGH free. Besides being linked to cancer, it also makes cows uncomfortably full of milk. As I explained, I’m not exactly a proponent of animal rights (I’m not even a pet person!) but I don’t see the point of torturing animals just so I can drink a little more milk.

We’ve pretty much switched over to soymilk as far as daily uses go – cereal, oatmeal, mac and cheese, cooking…it doesn’t cause much of a taste difference, honestly. After working at an ice cream store for a few months (on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu. Yes, I miss it!), I noticed that I gained 10 pounds. Oh yeah, and was slightly lactose intolerant. So I switched to soymilk and my tummy hurt a LOT less often. I’ve read a few books that suggested humans were never intended to drink another species’ milk intended for another species’ young, and that dairy farmers are behind all the recommendations that we drink milk and blah blah conspiracy, but I cannot give up delicious cheese. Soymilk, on the other hand, is a fine substitute.

Besides being yummy, soymilk also uses a lot less water and energy in its production. Cows drink between 25-50 GALLONS of water a DAY, and eat 90 pounds of food. Soybeans consume much, much less daily. Added eco-bonus, get some Silk Soymilk and their energy is created by wind power.

Cheese and yogurt are two loves I don’t think we could live without, so we get organic variations as often as possible (Trader Joe’s carries tons of rBGH free cheeses!). That’s how we do it. Not saying it’s perfect or even right, necessarily, but it works for us!

* Forgot to mention, I still cannot love a soy latte the way I love a skim latte...I'm working on it. In the mean time, at least I can get organic milk!

Long Live the Addiction!

Like I said. I LIKE COFFEE. Coffee shops usually give you your latte in a cute little paper cup with a plastic lid. Or even worse, some sort of polystyrene cup (Styrofoam). Ack! As we know, waste is BAD.

The answer is to brew at home to save money and not use disposable cups, right? No! The answer is to continue to be lazy and waste money at coffee shops but to bring your own reusable coffee travel mug!

I got my first travel mug last Christmas and I can say without hesitation that it was THE BEST PRESENT I have EVER been given. (It came with a coffee shop gift card inside, in case you’re taking notes the coffee lover on your list.) Many coffee shops give you a discount for using your own mug, so you’re saving money, as well. Invest in a quality travel mug, especially if you use it at least daily like I do. ☺ It’s worth it.

Must. Have. Coffee.

In elementary school, I loved the smell of coffee. When I'd go to the grocery store with my mom I'd sneak a few coffee beans from the coffee aisle and secretly enjoy their smell all day. I have loved coffee ever since high school, when I discovered Nescafe living in Malaysia (yeah, not the most gourmet coffee. Shut up.) Then I discovered Coffee Bean and Starbucks and Gloria Jeans and I was hooked. Espresso, lattes, and macchiatos, oh my! Mmm. I still absolutely love coffee, but I try to make socially and environmentally conscious decisions about my addiction.

Fair Trade: Coffee growers are mostly in developing countries and can be compensated with reallly unfair, crappy prices for their coffee. Fair trade means they are given much better returns. So no more unfair corruption. Or...at least less.

Shade Grown: I just learned about this one! Did you know that for many coffee plantations, rain forest may be torn down or at least damaged? Shade grown means they harvest coffee beans among the plants that are already there - so no deforestation. :) Everyone wins, even the workers, because wouldn't you rather work in the forest than in a field under the hot, hot sun??

Organic: Safer for the workers, for the environment and for you.

Locally Roasted: Good for local economy, less CO2 from travel, and tastes better.

Enjoy!