What’s so bad about this, right? They’re cute, non-toxic, BPA-free and recyclable. Great! No, not really. Antimicrobial isn’t that great. It’s a nicer way of saying pesticide. This is one of my ongoing rants that my husband is suscepted to on a regular basis. It’s time to share that rant with the world.

I find myself on at least a weekly basis yelling at the TV during some cleaning product commercial. They seem to imply that you are a bad mother, or bad wife, or a bad person if your house has one surface that’s not  sanitized to hospital standards. We don’t need our houses to be like a microchip manufacturing clean room.

As a country I think we Americans are completely and totally OBSESSED with sanitation and making everything antibacterial. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You should be aware of food safety in your home kitchen and make sure you wash a cutting board that had raw chicken on it before you cut some fruit. Absolutely, 100% behind that.

What I have a problem with is all the wasteful sanitizing wipe stations set up at the grocery store. I have a problem with the big plastic carts at Target for kids, you know the ones that look like cars, covered in Microban. I have a problem with so many commercial cleaning products being antibacterial.

Not all bacteria is bad. We don’t want to kill it all.

The more we spray these antibacterial products around the more of a problem we’re making for ourselves. Remember a while ago when there was a lot of talk about the over use of prescription antibiotics?  These medications worked for a while but then the viruses changed and became resistant. Same theory here. Antibacterial soaps and cleaners work. Some say they will kill up to 99.9% of harmful bacteria. The bacteria that’s left are the stronger ones. It’s survival of the fittest. We easily kill off all the weaker bacteria and are only left with the nasty ones which will breed and multiply forcing us to use stronger and stronger pesticides in our homes.

I think this is a problem. Maybe I’m the only one..

So back to the dog bowls.. Please don’t feed your dog out of plastic. Especially if it’s treated with antimicrobial agents. Stick with the good ol’ tried and true stainless steel and wash them out a couple times a week.

The major challenges to keeping the place cool are
#1 We’re on the 3rd floor
#2 South facing windows
#3 No shade from other buildings to keep the sun from beating down on the brick all day

We did inherit a window ac unit with the place which is good but it’s not big enough to cool the whole place. And it’s in our dining room. We have a blow up mattress in there just in case we can’t take the heat and need to sleep in a cooler room. So far we haven’t had to use it.

So I’ve been doing some research to see if there’s anything I can do besides buying an additional ac unit to keep the place cooler. Of course just buying another unit would be the quick and easy fix but I don’t want to spend the money to buy and run it right now.

Here are some things I’ve done that have helped a little and a couple others that are on my to do list.

1. Fans Fans Fans – Fans are really cheap to run. We have a ceiling fan in the bedroom and have been setting up a standing oscillating fan as well as a box fan at night. It’s been in the mid-90′s and I have to say it helps but isn’t completely perfect. The circulating air feels much cooler than still air.
2. Close the Blinds or Curtains – The main objective has been to try to keep the heat out. Closing the blinds the ‘wrong’ way, with the blades facing up keeps more sun out. This has helped keep our South facing living room much cooler.
3. Use a Dehumidifier – My in-laws who live in Texas suggested this. Drier air feels much cooler.
4. Wear Natural Fabrics – Dress for the weather.  Seems like kind of a no-brainer but try to wear clothes that breathe and are loose fitting.
5. Shut Off Heat Generating Appliances – Keeps tabs on lights, appliances and computers. Shut off what you can.
6. Avoid Cooking,Laundry, and Showers at the Hottest Part of the Day – If you can’t avoid these then try to ventilate the room to get the excess heat and humidity out.
7. Drink Water – Stay hydrated! If you get really hot run cold water on or put ice on your wrists.

After many months of anticipation farmer’s market season is upon us! Yay!

I have my list of markets to check out and at the top of the list is the 61st Street Farmer’s Market. It’s one of the independently run markets in the city and I’m really hoping it’s good. My goal for the summer is to get as much food as I can from the farmer’s markets hopefully it’s as easy as I think it should be.

Here’s some more info on the market. The 61st Street Farmer’s Market open May 16th and will be happening every Saturday thru October 31st 9am-2pm. They have a lot of special guest speakers, cooking demonstrations and a variety of other events going on throughout the year so check out their website or become a fan on Facebook.

If you live in Chicago and are looking for a market near you, check out the Explore Chicago website.

If you live anywhere else Local Harvest has listings for most of the rest of the country.

Over the past year or so I’ve been slowly phasing out my non-stick cookware. After reading about, and having my own suspicions about the safety of non-stick coatings I decided that I was done with it. Even if the health risks are minor there are so many other options out there why not try something else.

I’ve gotten a few different types of pans to replace the old ones, some have been better than others. We got a few pieces of really nice anodized aluminum cookware as gifts and I wasn’t really impressed at all. They are great for some things but food sticks to them like crazy. They also require too much babying. I have to keep referring to care card that came with them to remember the proper way to clean them.  They end up sitting in the cabinet most of the time. 

We got a couple stainless steel sauce pans that I’ve been really happy with. They’re easy to clean even when something happens to stick like rice or oatmeal. I’ve been pleased with them overall.

The 2 stars though have been the cast iron and enameled cast iron pans. The one draw back is that they are really heavy and I’m kind of a weakling but they work great. We have an enameled cast iron braising pan and use it all the time. Really easy to clean, food doesn’t stick to it. Same thing with the regular cast iron skillets.

If you’re looking to change your cookware to something a little greener, here are a couple things to keep in mind.

Avoid pots and pans made with perfluorochemical (PFCs):  PFCs are the chemicals that make your pans “nonstick.” PFCs is a collection of substances that among other things, keeps food from sticking to pots and pans. PFC’s aren’t just used in cookware, they are also used in cosmetics and a variety of other applications. PFCs may be worse in dishes than other applications because there are many health hazards of having PFCs in your body, and PFCs last forever both in our bodies and they won’t degrade in the environment. You don’t want to cook on and eat off this stuff.

The best choices of cookware are stainless steel, glass and cast iron. 

The worst pots and pans: Non-stick pots and pans – anything with Teflon coating.

What if you already own non-stick cookware?: The best thing to do is upgrade your cookware, but if you do hang on to your non-stick pieces, don’t heat them to above 450 F and get rid of them if the non-stick coating starts to peel off.

The Environmental Working Group website has a lot of great info and research on a variety of topics.

I think these kinds of things are a little scary. People should pay attention to the things they buy and take just a second to think about the impact of that product. When in doubt go for the least processed, least engineered, most natural option.

So the idea of going without buying anything made in China isn’t something I came up with on my own. It’s been a couple years in coming. My parents constantly complain about how it’s so hard to find things made here in the United States. Then there’s all the recalls, lead paint in children’s toys, contaminated baby formula, toothpaste and pet food. And last summer a friend mentioned that her husband was trying it out for a year. 

There was also a book that came out a couple years ago about a family who went without goods from China for a year.

On top of that I’ve been becoming a more conscious consumer. I read labels, I try to make good choices but sometimes it really seems impossible to buy things made in our own country.

One thing my dad said when we got our economic stimulus checks last year was “All those people who have lost their jobs because the manufacturing plant they worked at moved to China are going to take those checks and run out to WalMart and buy a bunch of junk made in China. Who’s economy are we stimulating anyway?”

He’s right in a lot of ways. 

So in addition to taking the Buy Handmade Pledge I am going to not buy anything made in China this year. The two kind of go hand in hand. I know even with my best intentions at heart I won’t be able to buy everything handmade. So in those cases I will try to find an option that is made in the US, or at the very least not made in China. I’ve got some options that way, a little safety net so I don’t completely fall off the wagon.

My motivation for doing this is rooted more in trying to support our local economy and give my neighbors jobs they need to feed themselves and their kids. I don’t really have anything personal against China I just feel that enough is enough. We really have to make an effort to invest in our country and our people. A good way to do that is by thinking just a little bit about where we spend our money. 

If you’re interested in joining me in the challenge please leave a comment.

This will be a really good test for me. Is it possible to stick to my guns and not buy anything made in China this year? Will I be able to resist the call of Target? I’m gonna try.

The thing that I think is the most challenging about it is the cost. Things from China are inexpensive. Whenever I move into a new place I always want to redecorate and get rid of the old, replace it with new things. 

I’ll just keep repeating the mantra “You don’t need more tchotchkes.” Eventually it’ll sink in.

I have to get better at thrifting, or at least make an effort to check out those places first before running out and buying new things. I’ve built up so much thrift store karma over the past few months I’m bound to find some great stuff.

My only issue with thrifting is my lack of patience. I’m working on that one though. It’s a process.

A couple things I found this week that I’m enjoying:

Reusable Produce Bags - from Qwerty O on Etsy

I ordered some of these and am looking forward to putting them to use.  I already have some really great nylon shopping bags that I use but it started bugging me that I was still bringing home a bunch of produce bags. The two were kind of canceling each other out. Etsy has a lot of different people selling reusable produce bags but these are the most inexpensive and the proceeds from the sales of the produce bags are going to help Susan’s (Qwerty O) daughter Kristen save some money for college.  A win win if you ask me!

Another Etsy find..

Hand Stamped Copper Pet Tags - from jmanigrossi

I’ve been looking for a new tag for Saul and thought these were really unique.

We have gotten so much snow this winter. This is the most I’ve seen since I was a kid growing up in Wisconsin. 

It’s nice though. Winter is supposed to be snowy not just gray and cold. Snow makes it fun.

We finally found out that we got our financing for our new place!  Not knowing whether or not we got the loan for sure was making me crazy. So that’s a huge relief. Not we just have to rent our place and get packed.

Yesterday we took on the mammoth task of washing every piece of fabric in the house, clothes, bedding, rugs, towels.. I’m glad it’s done but what a pain. I’m excited we’ll have our own laundry. No more walking down the snowy stairs to the creepy basement to find that the one washer that 7 apartments share is being used, waiting until it’s done and swooping in before anyone else gets in there. I will not miss that at all!

Next on the list of stuff we have to sort is our storage space. That’s going to be fun. 3 years of crap to go through.

I have been shocked by just how much we have. And doubly shocked by how much of that stuff we don’t use or need. Last year we went through all our clothes and cleared out the things we didn’t wear or like any more. I think we got 6 or 7 bags of clothes to donate from that project. This past summer I went through and purged my clothes again and got a couple bags more. Yesterday we got yet another 4 bags. Where are all these clothes coming from? We hardly buy new things. I bought maybe 8 or 10 new items this year…

I think we finally have our clothes clutter under control. The new place doesn’t have a ton of space for clothes storage so we have to just get rid of the things we don’t wear on a regular basis. I don’t want to have a messy cluttery looking clothing rack in our bedroom so we are downsizing. It doesn’t bother me really. I get lost in the clutter really easily. It’s also a little depressing to look at a rack of clothes and think about how much money you’ve wasted on clothes that don’t fit or you thought were cool in the store and when you got home you changed your mind. 

It’s all about efficiency.

Keep the stuff you need and don’t take up space with the things you don’t.

The place we bought is from the 20′s. People didn’t have 400 sq ft walk in closets. 

We’ve been watching all these house hunting shows on TV and it amazes me how many people complain about the size of bedrooms. I understand the complaint if you can’t fit a queen size bed in it and have room to walk around a little..

Do people really feel it’s necessary to have massive master suites?

Do people really hang out in them?

I can understand wanting a large bedroom if you have a roommate and you want to have your own space to hang out. Is it really necessary to have a giant bedroom with a giant walk in closet to store all the clothes that you never really wear anyway just so you can show your friends how much space and stuff you have? 

Just wondering.

I’m happy we won’t have a giant closet again. Right now we use our 3rd bedroom as clothes storage/ utility closet/ a home for all the other things we don’t quite know what to do with and it’s a nightmare. It’s a constant source of annoyance and frustration. I’ll be happy to have some normal sized closets to work with. 

We close in a little over a month! I’m excited to start the new adventure.

A few months ago I bought an iPhone. It’s a really cool gadget but not so great at being a phone. I like the look of it. I like the features mostly. Being able to check my email anywhere is great (kind of) but it sucks as an iPod (the sound quality is really poor) and I can’t talk on it anywhere in the house except for right next to the front window.

So I’ve decided to get rid of it and just use my old phone. My old phone still works perfectly fine, actually a little better.

The grass was not greener on the other side of the fence.

I think the thing that triggered it was a couple weeks ago I got an email from Apple announcing the new iPhone. The tagline was ‘Twice as Fast. Half the Price’. It pissed me off. So now even though I just bought this thing 12 weeks ago, and paid quite a bit of money for it, I feel like a have a piece of junk because it’s not the shiny new version. Grr. I hate it so much. So screw them. I’ll have my 2 year old Motorola PEBL (which I really love) and send picture messages to everyone I know (can’t do this with the iPhone) and I’ll talk in every room of my house and I will be perfectly happy.

Marketing messages are really hard to ignore sometimes even when you’re fully aware that it’s all a game. I get sucked in. Apple is the worst for me. I don’t really care about cars or clothes or most material things but computers and iPods… They get me. I didn’t realize how much until I got that email and I felt that sinking feeling and the ‘Man I really want that one’ thing started going through my head.

I’m breaking the cycle. I already feel better…

The grocery experiment went well. Overall the total for the week was a couple dollars under our normal budget. I think it was $2. Not bad though. I thought for sure it would be more expensive to shop like this. I did go to Jewel once, but got out of there for under $30 which is unbelievable. The thing that gets me at the bigger stores is all the stuff on ‘sale’. I go with a list and a good idea of what we need for the week but get sidetracked and end up buying a couple extra this and one more of that because it’s a good deal. I try really really hard not to be a sucker for these marketing strategies but inevitably get roped in. The other major problem with shopping at the supermarkets is buying more than we can actually eat in a reasonable amount of time, especially produce. So at the end of the week before we’d get ready to do the next big shopping I’d end up throwing things out that have gone bad.

The grocery experiment will continue and I’m going to find some other ways to reduce some waste and be a bit more frugal.

One thing I did do last week is buy some nylon reusable shopping bags. I have some big tote bags that I always forget to bring with me. These are handy and I have them in my purse so I have no excuse. Normally by then end of the week our plastic bag drawer is hitting capacity but we only acquired 4 bags this week.

I also managed to actually get out and be somewhat social this past week too. Thursday I went to Huttenbar in Lincoln Square. Cool place, horrible music! Some people who really loved Carrie Underwood commandeered the juke box and tortured us. Once they left it didn’t get much better but after a few pints Elton John and the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack aren’t so bad.

Friday went to lunch at Lula. It wasn’t the best this time but I don’t think I was actually in the mood for that food. I really wanted something greasy, Lula is not the place to go when you have a craving for unhealthy things.

Saturday I ran around most of the day shopping, buying dog food general errands. Drove past a condo that looked interesting but it didn’t have any outdoor space so the hunt kind of continues.

Sunday Adam had a show. It was great! We stayed out way too late ate a pizza at 2 in the morning and had a lazy Monday.

And now it’s Tuesday. I’m starting a new project this week which I need to get working on..