Free lead testing kits at Hoot-n-Annie

The city of Portland is distributing 3,000 free lead testing kits and one of our ReadySetMom sponsor's -- the fabulous Hoot-n-Annie is a pick-up site for them (the kits are for those living in homes built before 1978).

 

Did you know lead is still the number one environmental health threat to children? Lead-based paint was used in many homes built prior to 1978. When lead-based paint is disturbed through remodeling, daily wear and tear on doors, windows and other painted surfaces, or deteriorated by age, it creates dust. It is this dust that can poison children. Even a small amount of dust can be enough to harm a child. Lead can cause permanent learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and, at very high levels, seizures, coma, and even death. Because lead poisoning often occurs with no obvious symptoms, it frequently goes unrecognized. All children should be have their blood tested at ages 1 and 2. If the test kit shows there is lead in the home, families may be eligible for a grant of up to $10,000 for lead clean-up.

 

Community Warehouse immediate needs

Community Warehouse, one of our favorite reuse organizations for household goods, is in dire need of some things:

• Blankets
• Towels
• Shower curtains
• Dish towels
• Pot holders
• Can openers
• Serving utensils
• Pots and pans

Are you doing any early spring cleaning? If you have any of these things to donate, please consider dropping them off at Community Warehouse.

How much are you spending on groceries?

Someone posed this question awhile ago in one of the comments, and it's been on my mind. I've been trying to be a lot more conscious about the food I buy -- avoiding packaged foods and searching out organic and local foods. Until about six months ago I always shopped at Fred Meyer, a Kroger-owned chain here in Portland. But I became less enthralled with the paltry selection of natural meats and local produce. So I switched to New Seasons, a locally-owned chain that works with regional farmers to bring fresh foods to market, as well as offering the full-service grocery experience. I assumed that my grocery bill would skyrocket since you tend to pay a premium for quality, organic foods. But my bill has stayed consistently around $175 per week. (I think the FDA states that a typical family of four can eat nutritionally for $150 per week, but I also think the government just needs to butt out of my pantry...sorry, I digress.) Does $175 a week seem high?

My only conclusion for why I'm spending the same amount is that I'm far more careful about the food I buy at New Seasons than I was at Fred Meyer. I frequently shop online at New Seasons, which makes it really easy to avoid 'impulse' buys, plus I can walk to the kitchen to make sure I don't buy stuff I already have. (It may seem like a conflict of interest to speak glowingly about one of our site sponsors, but I really, really love their service and selection.) I do buy a few extras, like two bottles of wine each week, good coffee beans, yummy cheeses and Greek olives (an addiction). But my cart primarily contains produce, meat, dairy items, breads and spreads and bulk foods.

What are you spending on groceries? Are you buying a lot of organic food, and do you feel like you are spending a whole lot more? Have any good tips for slimming down the grocery bill? (Aside from giving up my glass-of-wine-with-dinner habit?)

Vancouver Green Group Meeting

The next Vancouver Green Group meeting will be held on Friday, March 7 at 4:30pm. We'll meet at Moxie's Soda Shop in downtown Vancouver at 1919 Main Street. Please come and join our discussion! One of our members, Tara, recently attended Monique Dupre's "Sustainable Living on a Budget" Workshop -- so it will be fun to hear what all she has to share! Please email me with any questions. Hope to see you there!

Science project: sugar ant annihilation

We passed up on our kindergartner's first shot at a science fair project. Science fair is tomorrow night. I feared I didn't have the time to devote to it (I feel we're just treading water trying to get her homework done nightly). But we do plan to go visit the science fair, and hopefully be inspired for next year.

In the meantime, we took on a little science fair project here at home. With the return of sunny, springlike weather in Portland, my little ant problem has resurfaced. We mixed up Metro's recommended ant baits, with little success:

"Blend 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar and 1 tablespoon of borax. Sprinkle the mixture in ant traffic areas, but not where children or pets might ingest it. This is not enough borax to kill the worker ants immediately--they take the mix back to the nest, where it will eventually eradicate the whole colony."

What happened is I'd sprinkle some in their path, and they'd sniff or taste or whatever it is they do, then keep on walkin'. Even though they did not really acquire a taste for the stuff last spring, I was hesitant to just throw it out, thus we still had some of the powdered sugar/borax mix leftover in a small container. So this year we decided to conduct an ant bait taste test. In past years, I'd had some success with a syrupy-borax over the counter product, but had not been able to find it again. So this is what we made:

• A mix of the sugar/borax powder with water, to turn it into syrup.
• A mix of the sugar/borax powder mixed with some artificially-flavored bubble gum fluoride rinse I'd once bought for my kids when we were going through a tooth-brushing boycott (but never really used -- have you noticed I have a hard time getting rid of things?).
• And finally, a mix of the sugar/borax with just a smidgen of the Torani Vanilla Syrup my husband takes in his coffee every morning (sorry honey, we only used a tiny, tiny bit).

It turns out the ants have a fairly refined palate. They thumbed their noses at the watered down stuff, and the bubble-gum pink. But they just lapped up the Torani syrup mix. For days the ants came out in full platoons. Bringing it dutifully back to the nest. And now they are gone. Nothing remains but the carcasses of a few fallen ant soldiers.

Science fair project grade: B+. Now, I really did have my kids help mix it. And they also spooned it onto little pieces of paper, which we left by the ant trails on the back of the kitchen counter. Lots of fun, and I do think there really may be a science project in this for us next year...

Have the ants come marching into your house? How are you fighting them?

Brown thumb seeks green thumb for possible love connection

So how does one become a gardener? I have big plans this year. Last year's flower garden will become this year's produce garden. I have visions of lettuces, herbs, carrots, melons, berries and bananas and coconuts.

Wait, what was that? Bananas and coconuts only grow in the tropics? OK, well scratch the bananas and coconuts then.

That's the thing. I don't know nuthin' bout plantin' no gardens. And I find the endeavor intimidating. Last year I think I got fairly lucky as a first-timer growing my peas, beans and blueberries. But I do think I need to move my blueberry to a better sun spot.

Heather suggested today that one becomes a gardener by trial and error. And that's the problem. I don't want to mess with the "error" part. I just want to dig in, plant some perfect plants and see my garden grow by the bushel-full. I don't want to read a book about it. Or watch a video. I think I need a gardening mentor.

Does such a thing exist? Should I place a personal ad in the paper: "brown thumb seeks green thumb for possible love connection and lots of produce?" I'm aware of the Growing Gardens program helping out lower income people in the Portland area. But what about for us middle-class folks? Is there something similar?

Do you love your bike? Tell me about it!

This. Is. The. Year. Of. The. Bike. I am finally going to buy myself a bike and ride it! Enough with the excuses and the procrastinating. Last year I fretted the logistics of one adult biking with two young children, and never quite worked it out. Well, guess what? Kids grow up when you give them food and water! Now my daughter can handily ride her bike sans training wheels, and while I won't be taking her on any major road trips there is no reason she can't accompany me on short trips with my son behind me on the tag-along on those days when hub is at work and I'm flying solo.

But what kind of bike to get? The last time I bought a bike was 18 or so years ago in college, and it was a cheap mountain bike. I won't be doing much off-roading, so is a hybrid the answer? I want it to be light enough that I can heave it onto the roof rack by myself. And I want it to last a good long time.

So what kind of bike are you tooling around town in? (And you Portlanders...what's your favorite bike shop?)

Beg, borrow or barter

While bartering is often considered a thing of the past, it's starting to become my favorite way to strike a deal. Saturday night, while talking about sewing, a friend offered to babysit both of my kids for several hours if I'd hem up some pants for her. Are you kidding? Deal! My husband is also no stranger to bartering. He's one of those Mac gurus, and often gets roped into helping friends and family with technical difficulties. To him their technical difficulties are easy. So a few hours of desktop support equals a few hours of babysitting our darling little moppets. Can you tell what our currency would be called if it ever came to that? MasterCard, Visa or will you be using your Babysit card? I also recently repaired a hook on a friend's bra that got all messed up in the washing machine. She's sworn to use a lingerie bag next time, and the fix was easy-peasy for me. Plus, given how expensive bras are, you can't just throw the baby out with the bathwater if you know what I mean. This was so super easy, I actually just volunteering to do it, no strings attached, but she did offer to loan me her Walt Disney World guide when they get back from a family vacation this month (as we are going there in July). Gosh I love bartering. Don't you?

Hip, hip, hooray for PPS durable lunch trays!

I just read a news tidbit that PPS, via a Metro grant, is using durable cafeteria trays -- instead of disposable styrofoam as is the standard in most schools -- in several elementary cafeterias. Now, I have my reservations about some of the food being served, but am excited about changes like this, and the efforts to put more local Oregon food on the menu. Hip, hip, hooray for durable trays!! Let's hope this is a successful experiment, and that more schools go to durable trays.

Take the OEC Family Pledge!

The Oregon Environmental Council, the organization behind the Eco-Healthy Childcare program, has devised a checklist of eco-healthy activities that you can pledge to incorporate into your family's life. They ask that you pledge at least three items, but can you do more? Check out the list...I'll bet you're already doing some of them already. The first 500 people to pledge will receive a free child-sized 'Eco-Healthy Kid' t-shirt!