There's What You Have, and There's What You Do With It

A few years ago, my parents gave us two steamer chairs for our backyard. Until yesterday, those chairs were just chairs.

Then Katie and I settled into them to read, enjoy the sun and relax. After we were there awhile, we started chatting about stuff.

About what Katie wants to be when she grows up -- a veterinarian so when she grows up she can bring Jasper to work with her.
About what kind of animals she wants to take care of -- big dogs and kittens.
About what first grade will be like next year -- she's a little nervous about eating lunch in the cafeteria every day with the big kids.
About Jack leaving their elementary school next year -- she's sad.
About how she likes Andie's friends who were visiting for a study party in the kitchen -- they're nice and they like her skirt.
About what she wants for dinner -- popsicles.

Now those chairs aren't just chairs -- they hold the memory of a fun afternoon when I forgot all about the housekeeping, email and the phone, and lost myself in the world of a five year old. And when I got so lost in Katie's thoughts that I now have a raging sunburn.

Tips for a Healthy Family Home #5

To keep your momentum going, and as Jack Furber says "don't say you're going to help the earth and then totally blow it off," subscribe to an email newsletter that will keep green living tips coming to your mailbox regularly.

I like these because they're all easy, realistic and have ideas that are achievable for busy families:
7th Generation Blog
IdealBite
Green Living Tips
The Green Guide

Tips for the Healthy Family Home #4

It's never too late to make a list of green resolutions. And the day after Earth Day is like Green New Year. Perfect.

Ours are as follows:
Mom -- Don't buy anything we don't absolutely need
Dad -- Stop hiding the trash in with the recycling when the trash can is full
Andie -- Try to buy only sustainable or organic clothing
Jack -- Take my lunch to school in a bag that is reusable
Katie -- Use both sides of my paper

Tips for a Healthy Family Home #3

A lightbulb is going on over my head -- a CFL bulb that is. CFL bulbs last up to ten times longer, use only about 25% of the energy, and generate 90% less heat than regular lightbulbs.

1000 Bulbs.com is a great place to stock up on CFL bulbs so you can always have them handy.
When your bulbs eventually burn out, remember that they have mercury in them, so you can't just throw them away. Visit EcoJoe's.com for advice on how to dispose of them properly.

Tips for a Healthy Family Home #2

Recycling is certainly more work than just throwing everything in the trash, but it pays off in all the obvious ways. One payoff that's not so obvious is this: when we require our trash to be sorted in our house, we require our children to pause and make a decision before throwing something away. Considering the impact of your actions, however small, is a skill that my kids will draw on regularly later in life.

Real Simple magazine is a great resource for ideas on how to set up simple and usable recycling systems in your home that also look great, how to reuse just about anything, and information on what is and is not recyclable.

I especially like their 10 Smart Uses for Old Plastic Bags.

Tips for a Healthy Family Home #1

Whether you like Al Gore or not, you have to admit, it's getting hotter every summer. My husband can no longer stand the 100 degree + temperature in Alamo, and for the past several years has sought refuge and cool wind in Olympia every summer.

For those not so lucky to have parents on the water, there's always a basket of sunscreen in the backyard and a sprinkler. We have used these clam baskets in our backyard for sunscreen, hats, goggles for years:

They're cute, useful, weatherproof, and can be found at any flea market anywhere in America. Click here to find the flea market closest to where you live.

If you're looking for advice on which organic sunscreen to use, EcoBusinessLinks.com is a good source for information. We like Soleo because it's made in California.

Earth Day Tips for a Healthy Family Home

Because Earth Day is Wednesday, I thought this would be a good week to focus on five little things you can do in your home that will make a big impact this week and beyond. Starting tomorrow, check Suburban Zen each day this week for a new one.

Behind Every Organized Woman, There's a Man Who Remembers to Buy the Paper Towels

Regular SuburbanZen readers might get the impression that I am the mastermind behind our casual, comfortable and organized house. However, it's really JP who does all the heavy lifting. For any mother out there wondering how to keep it all together and looking good with three kids and a big dog in the house, I highly recommend being married to a man who:

Surprises you on a sunny friday afternoon by getting the outdoor furniture out and ready for the season so you can relax in the backyard all weekend with your family.

Makes you spinach eggs for breakfast at least twice a week.

Plants tomatoes and peppers in the backyard so you can have them in your salads all summer.

Gets the house all organized the night before the cleaning lady comes every other week. And does it before you come home from work so you don't have to pitch in.

Orders your favorite shampoo and lotion from Origins so it's delivered right before you run out.

Breaks down and disposes of all the boxes from the mail order deliveries that come to the house.

Deals with the cable, wireless and other mysterious conveniences in the house.

Takes the dog to the dog park every day to wear him out so he doesn't crash around the house knocking over your furniture and eating your throw pillows. (Although there was an incident last night with a pillow that left feathers two inches deep all over the floor of the office.)

Cleans up the feathers when the dog eats a pillow in the office.

Cleans up dog poop when you say you will, but can't get started because you're distracted by all the dry heaving you're doing.

JP, if you're reading this: thank you, I love you and I'm ready for my spinach eggs.

That's Going in the Scrapbook!

Since we bought our condo in Sun Valley five years ago, we've had a most fabulous wall-mount scrapbook in the family room there.


When I bought it, my husband rolled his eyes and sighed that famous big Furber sigh. He knew if he didn't find the studs and hang it up for me within 60 minutes of its' arrival, I'd do it myself. (See post "My Digital Camera Ate My Pictures" 6/12/08 to see how these things usually go down in the Furber house.)

Now, five years later, we've faithfully chronicled all but one of our visits to Sun Valley. (For that visit that doesn't have a page in the scrapbook, we did manage to tape a ziploc bag full of momentos in the proper place so we'd at least remember we were here.)
Every time we visit, we look back at the previous visits and remember:

Jack and Andie's fly fishing lessons -- Andie caught several fish, Jack didn't catch any.
The time Jack, Andie and I walked all the way down Baldy
Katie's first words spoken while on a visit to Sun Valley: Jack, up, down, cold, boots
The time JP and I took the kids to the Opera House to see the new Warren Miller movie and they thought it was the most boring movie they'd ever seen. Kids these days.
The time my sister Lisa and I visited for a girl's weekend, drank too many Wolfaritas at the Pioneer Saloon and had to leave our peacock blue rental car in town and walk home.
The time JP blew his knee out trying to teach Jack how to ski on Dollar, and we spent the rest of the trip making up great stories about how he got hurt. Our favorite: he was doing a helicopter off Christmas Bowl cornice and crashed into the Governator.
The time we stopped at the Arby's drive thru on one of our road trips and the cashier greeted us with "Welcome to Arby's. We're out of beef."
Our dinner at the Pio that was a shrieking, food throwing, barfing spectacle.
The time I set Jack's kids menu on fire by accident at Rico's.
The bedtimes of every Furber family member for every New Year's Eve we've spent here: JP's usually first, Andie's usually last.
Me carrying Katie's padded potty seat through a truck stop in Elko on one of our road trips so Katie could be comfy during our potty stop.

Good times all. And now, whenever something funny or memorable happens, we put it in the scrapbook. Like today when I wiped out and scraped my face on the cat track, the kids yelled right away "That's going in the scrapbook!"

Mama, Do You Think the Stars Are Glowing Tonight?

We have to admit, our little Katie likes to sleep in our bed at night. Who can blame her? Furbers all like to be together, so during the day she's always with someone: running errands with Dad, doing homework with the big kids, at the park with Rachel, or keeping Mom company. Getting tucked in at night all alone in her room must seem very lonely to her.

This week in Sun Valley, though, she's decided she wants to sleep in her room. Not because JP and I are master child psychologists, or because she's outgrown her need to have company when she sleeps, but because we have glow stars on the ceiling of the bunkhouse here.

Two years ago, when I about passed out from standing on the ladder looking up with my arms over my head putting those glow stars up, I wondered if the task was worthwhile. (Note that there are 135 stars in the bucket. Being the overachiever that I am, I had to cover the ceiling with three buckets.) But when I hear Katie ask "Mama, do you think the stars are glowing tonight?" and when I tuck her in with the stars to keep her company, I know it was.

Beds that Take 30 Seconds to Make

We're spending the week in Sun Valley, enjoying the snow, sun and warm sunshine. For some reason, our condo in Sun Valley is the only place where I make all the beds every day. I think it's because our condo is small enough that you see most of the rooms in an eyeshot, and also because all the beds are all constructed very simply so they're easy to make:
Fitted sheet and pillows
Fluffy comforter in a duvet cover

Quilt folded at the foot of the bed

When I make my rounds in the morning, I just shake out the comforters, fold the quilts, prop up the pillows and I'm done.
Even Katie can do it. I can't say the same for the dishes in the kitchen, but I've got Jack and Andie for that.

Road Trip!

The Furber family set out for our annual Easter vacation road trip to Sun Valley last night. Typically, we take two days to make the trip: one day to Winnemucca then next day on the home stretch. This time we decided on a whim to pull an all nighter, so we left @ 9:30 pm Friday and arrived @ 9am Saturday.

The prep for the road trip was very easy this time because we packed in a flurry and the kids slept the whole way. Usually it takes a little longer and we prepare our secret weapon -- the road trip bag.


A few years ago for Christmas, Santa gave the Furber kids a canvas bag filled with everything three kids need to occupy themselves on a twelve hour road trip:
Clipboards
Paper
Pens, pencils and crayons
An Etch-a-Sketch
A Rubik's Cube
Travel Scrabble, Battleship and Operation
Card Games
A Pocket IQ Test that we've all failed
Electronic 20 Questions and BlackJack
Travel pillows, cozy plush throws and headphones for everyone

After every trip we clean out the road bag, tuck everything back in and get it ready to go for the next trip. Furber kids are quiet and happy the whole way (mostly), and the outbursts and frustration are kept to a minimum.

I wish Santa would hook me up with a road trip bag of my own.

Adventures in Decorating, by Guest Blogger Laurie's Mom

Although this post written by my Mom is slightly off my usual topic of decorating a stylish, casual and healthy family home, I loved it so much I decided to use it anyway. Mom breaks down so well how simple and pleasant decorating can be when you take the time to understand what you really want and like before you go shopping. And we working Moms with family homes to decorate can always use advice on how to keep things simple and pleasant. While the content below applies to her empty nest, it could easily apply to any home. Good job Mom!

Daughter Knows Best

Now that I am a senior, I am beginning to understand why old people’s houses can look dated. I can get through most of my life easily without help from anyone, but I am finding that decisions I used to make at the drop of a hat are becoming a chore so I just don’t change things. The world seems to move faster these days.
A good example would be my living room furniture. Laurie’s dad and I are fortunate to live in a home we have recently built so the structure itself is shiny and new with all the latest gadgets. After living in our home for a few years we have all the decorating and landscaping done. Recently I stood back and looked at the contents with a new eye and my daughter’s words rang in my ear: "Mom, you need some new furniture." When she first mentioned that I needed furniture, I looked at her with surprise and said "I just got this." To which she replied "Mom, that was 15 years ago." I looked closer and she was right: sun spots on the sofa, saggy cushions, a hem loose here and there.

I did research on the internet and armed with information, Dad and I went shopping. I couldn’t find anything I wanted to buy -- and believe me, I looked. I could always find a reason not to buy: not the right color or style, wasn’t comfortable, not to mention the prices --whew!!! Things change in 15 years. I began to think about reupholsterers. Why not? The furniture I bought 15 years ago was good quality and the style was still somewhat current. It could be like the walls of a house where a new coat of paint can do wonders.

I went to upholstery shops and most of them had approximately a 15” square of fabric that I needed to imagine on my seven-foot sectional. My imagination doesn’t stretch that far. When I asked for a sample to take home to see how it looked in the light of my living room, I ended up with a 1” x 2” rectangle cut from the bolt. But I kept trying to get it right and finally I thought I had it. Laurie was coming to town and I wanted to show her my finds. I knew she would love my ideas as much as I did. When I showed her what I planned to do, she said "Mom, look at this -- everything is the same color." I hadn’t noticed that before. The fabrics were all different from each other, but they were from the same color family and that color family was the same color as all the wood in our house.

Laurie gave me the following advice:

Look through magazines and pull out pictures of things you like. It doesn’t matter what the subject of the picture is: clothes, furniture, linens, gardens, fabric, bath, on and on.

Once you have a pile of pictures, prioritize them from “I like the least” to “I like the most."

Discard half of the pile that contains “I like the least” and some of the “I like the most” sections leaving you with the cream of the crop.

Look at the remaining photos and see if you can find a common theme and that will lead you to the color palette you probably will like the most. Laurie so wisely pointed out we needed to find out what I liked, not what she liked.

Once we figured out my color palette, which I previously didn’t know I had, Laurie and I went shopping. I found a fabric I really liked and then the work began. We used that as the focus fabric and chose fabrics that went with it. The different textures, patterns and colors all work great together. I love my “new furniture” and I didn’t add anything to the earth’s landfills in the process. I still have the comfort the old stuff with a new look.

I’m moving on to other things in my life that “date” me. Next on my list is my haircut -- same style for 20 years.

Laurie, get ready. I am gathering pictures and I will need your help!