Upcycled desk system for kids

My daughter has struggled her entire life with organization. She gets it honestly, as my coworkers who have seen my desk can attest.

We have tried everything to help her. Planners. The Brownie organization badge. You name it.

Our latest project came courtesy of the school pizza fundraiser. No, it wasn't a prize for selling, either.

You see, each year, we're stuck with the question of what to do with the boxes leftover from the pizzas we buy for our house. And then I got inspired by Pinterest. Somewhere, along the way, we'd seen a project about project drying racks out of pizza boxes. Granted, the post has long since left me, but the idea stayed pinned in my brain.

So this year, I took a stack of pizza boxes left over from storing them in my freezer (I don't put the boxes themselves in due to space.)

I folded in one side and stacked them, then went nuts taping row after row of peace sign, heart and flower duct tape I'd bought at the school supply clearance.

Ten minutes of effort and a few dollars' worth of duct tape later, and my daughter was blessed with a surprise on her desk: A new organizer for all of her random papers.

Now she has plenty of space for her looseleaf notebook paper, her construction paper, and her various works of art in progress!

The best part was SHE was inspired to do something as well. She took a McDonalds Happy Meal Halloween bucket that was otherwise destined for the Goodwill bin and redecorated it with Monster High duct tape for a storage bucket for her rolls of duct tape. She even took a toilet paper roll and made her own pencil holder.

What ways have you creatively reused or upcycled items to organize your home?

Go Green Get Fit: Overcoming a major hurdle

I may not been thinner. I may not be faster. But I think I’m healthier than I’ve been in a long time.


And it can be wrapped up in two words: stress management.

While watching your stress levels and how they play out may not be the sexiest of topics to write about, getting a handle on this chronic problem has been one of the biggest benefits I’ve seen of my journey the last 12 weeks.

Professionally, I went through a grueling project that eroded my workout time and should have amped up my stress levels and my blood pressure. Personally, I’ve dealt with the ups and downs of a little guy’s pain management from a needed dental procedure and an ER visit, the family change of schedules due to school starting and a change in daycare settings, and the little bumps along the road of life.

Before, any of these things could have tipped me over the edge: tension rising. Feeling the rise of blood pressure in my arms. Grumpiness abounding. Munching unceasing.

But this summer, I learned a few ways to reduce my stress levels and recall the phrase that there is only so much I can control. I can control my breathing. I can take breaks and walk around the building. I can invest in aromatherapy and the one minute to use it to help with tension headaches and help with relaxation. I don’t have to go for that brownie in the break room. Heck, I can even use some of that PTO I’ve accrued the last decade and (gasp!) actually take a few hours off!

I can say no. I can say enough. And I can say “This is what I can or can’t control.”

It’s a big step for me.

Overcoming stress is a first major milestone on my journey to better health. By bypassing this hurdle, I’m on the road for a bigger journey.

The gift of three gifts

Each Black Friday, my mother and I, like so many other people, hit the stores in search of deals. This year was no different - at least on the surface.

We picked up a replacement printer and a needed gift for my husband (which I won't disclose here). Then we ducked into a drugstore to pick up some toiletries that were on the buy one - get a rebate deals.

And then temptation struck.

On the shelf was a plug-and-go game system. Set very cheap in price - and I'm sure the quality was as such - it might be a good idea for my daughter, who asks routinely about Wiis like her friends have.

And for 10 minutes, I stared at the toy, let her play with it, and debated. It was only $20, after all.

But there's something about sticking to your guns. And long ago, well before we became parents, we decided that we'd not bring a game system into our house. And a few years back, we'd decided to stick to three gifts from us: Partly because of the Three Wise Men, and partly because of the chaos we'd seen from friends desperately trying to match the number and dollar amount of gifts for each child.

And, thanks to some clearance sales as stores ushered in new things, we had already selected our three gifts each. The game system stayed on the shelf, forgotten within minutes. Not a word has been said about it since.

There's something freeing about setting limits. There's no discussion, no worrying, no regrets later. No credit card bills to pay off in months to come. No extra clutter to mess with.

Today, I'm simply thankful for the gift of the three gifts.

Giving you the respect you deserve

So much about being green is about the future. But the part we often forget is we're part of that future, too.

I was reminded of that today when reading a post by Steph at Greening Families, who shared her struggle to make greener choices, step by step.

The first choice was picking her battles. Check.

The second was a bit deeper: "Asking ourselves if a decision would give us more choices or fewer choices in the future." Provocative, certainly. If you make a purchase, it limits your funds for later. If you buy something that supports chemical use, that may limit your choices in the future as well.

The third, though, touched a nerve: “Would I share this product/food/experience with my child?”

Sure, as a mom, I have thought about that 100 times. My 3 year old has not (to my knowledge, anyway) sipped a soda. She gets her naps, like it or not. She didn't eat cookies or cake or similar treats until her first birthday. And she is never turned down when she asks at the store for a (yuck) green pepper or other healthy treat.

But the reality is I don't confer that same respect to myself as I do to my kids. I was asked, point-blank, yesterday, "Mommy, why do you drink so much Diet Coke?" (And to make it worse, her coloring page from daycare, which included a can of soda, was colored Diet-Coke grey.)

I don't give my body the exercise or sleep it needs. I don't manage my stress. And I certainly don't eat as healthy when my kids aren't around. Sure, I have great intentions. But that batch of cookies a coworker brought in sometimes gets in the way.

Paving the way to a healthier environment, bodies and future for our children is a beautiful thing. It's just too bad when we forget to extend that same respect for ourselves.

Green stress relief

Have you ever taken the life event quiz? The one where you note the stress-causing events (good and bad) over the last year?

According to the test I was given:

• Score of 300+: 80% higher risk of disease in the next 12 months
• Score of 150-299: 50% higher risk of disease in the next 12 months

I had a 469. I jokingly asked the speaker after the presentation if I was going to die. No, but I should do something like take a bubble bath by myself. Right, that would last about 30 seconds before I'd have company. Maybe I should buy his book, he said. Right.

So being a working mom, and one who's stress level is about as high as it gets, I started seeking out some low-cost, low-impact ways to reduce my stress for 30 seconds. Here are some to share with you:

• Take a walk. Even if it's just circling the building.
• Stop and smell the roses. Or coffee. Or look at the frog hopping by. By taking a few minutes at a toddlers' pace, you can relieve yourself temporarily from a situation.
• Meditate, pray or even mimic your child's babbles constantly. You'll both wind up giggling.
• Get herbal. Drink herbal tea or use herbal essential oils.
• Try deep breathing. Yes, actually getting oxygen into your brain does help.
• Dance. Dance with a date, dance alone. Dance with a toddler to Aerosmith's rendition of "I love trash" on a Sesame Street CD if you have to....whatever works. Music and exercise both help.
• And if nothing else, invest in Endangered Species chocolate and feel a little less guilty!

If you have any other ideas, post them here, I may need them to get through the week!