Progress Report Continued...

Days 81 - 100

OK, after a long weekend and an extra day off to recuperate, I'm ready to give you the low down on days eighty-one through one-hundred. Here goes:

81. Packing Snacks for Preschool - We still have a few leftover granola bars in the cupboard, but for the most part the kids are taking their little bowls filled from bulk-sized packages of goldfish, Scooby Snacks and Teddy Grahams. And the occasional sliced UN-brown apple - thanks for the lemon juice tip, Mary Elizabeth!

82. Switching to CFLs - That reminds me, I have a light out.

83. Using the Crockpot Instead of the Oven - WOW I LOVE THIS ONE! I have a whole recipe book called "Fix it and Forget it" and boy do I! My only problem is that if it says "cook for 6 hours", I assumed 10 hours would be even better. Not true.

84. Learn World Geography - I can now correctly identify India, Egypt, Vietnam, Philippines, China or Indonesia on a map! I've also brushed up on my South American geography -- just in case I want to shop for coffee or cocaine.

85. Picking Up Dog Poo - The things we'll do for our pets, eh? Yup, still chucking the poo over the fence with my bio-bag protected digits. Joy.

86. Visiting the Farmer's Market - "Bawk bawk bawk". Yeah, I still have not gotten ballsy enough to head downtown alone. *sigh* I guess I'll have to be content with the local farm's production for now.

87. Reducing My Print Margins - Talk about "fix it and forget it". This works great! All my orders are now printed on one piece of paper!

88. Replace PVC Shower Curtain with Washable Curtain - Done. Even washed it once already. It didn't get out all the scary mildew on the bottom, but then again I don't use hot water or bleach in the laundry cycle, so really, what do you expect? At least now it's freshly laundered mildew.

89. Skipping the Manicure - I can't stop noticing everyone else's beautifully manicured nails now. I haven't tried all the great tips you guys have sent me yet. Mostly because the day after I posted this, I ripped off one of my nails damn near down to the quick. Murphy's law?

90. Eating Vegetarian Once A Week - When I first came up with this brilliant idea, I wondered how I would ever generate enough meal ideas. Then I realized that I already make a TON of meatless dishes -- mostly pasta dishes -- which hubby loves! And with pasta comes fresh homemade bread -- who needs meat when you can pig out on carbs?

91. Letting It Mellow - Still grosses me out a bit, but with a fourth potty person here now (three cheers for Daphne!) it doesn't take long to generate a "full load" that is flush-worthy.

92. Don't Run the Water Full Blast While Handwashing - Easy to do, hard to remember. Like all these changes, if I continue to work at it, it will soon be second nature to me.

93. Recycling Our Old Washing Machine - Old Bessie just sits in the garage waiting to be loaded in the van and taken to Gene's. Unfortunately, the minivan rear seat isn't currently foldable, since someone appears to have wedged a cheap plastic toy in the hooking mechanism. One more reason to forgo craptastic China toys.

94. Keeping the 'Do Short - I look like Carol Brady, but I'm very environmentally friendly.

95. Making Changes to What I Compost - I think this is going to continue to evolve until I figure out what the hell I'm doing. Feel free to give tips... I need all the help I can get!

96. Resurfacing Damaged DVDs - They didn't have the DVD mailers at Kroger and I haven't yet ventured into Office Max. Maybe next week. I have, however, found two more DVDs that need resurfacing.

97. Using Both Sides of the Paper - OK, a *little* confusion on this task. When I started to print stuff out I forgot which side I was supposed to be paying attention to. Easy fix, though. I simply put a big X through the "used" side with a Sharpie before I put it in the "ready to reuse" pile.

98. Taking the Kids to the Farm - Oodles and oodles of fun! I think Ethan would have been happy to be dropped in the middle of the pumpkin patch and left for the whole day! He loved the tractor ride, the pumpkins and, of course, the cotton candy. Daphne? She got so "natured up" that she got a sinus infection :-(

99. Turning the A/C AND the Furnace Off - The days are still warm and the nights are sleep-inducing cool, so it's really no inconvenience... yet. We'll see how the family is doing in another couple of weeks!

100. Progress Report - A lot of work to put together, but I think it was worth it. It reminded me how far I've come and has motivated me to keep on going. I know that not all the changes are working, but the majority of them are doing as well as expected and some have even surpassed expectations. All in all, I am going to call the first 100 days of greening a success. I look forward to the next one hundred with anticipation! :-)

Thanks so much to all of you who keep reading and cheering me on (or jeering me on, when I need it!) Your comments and suggestions are so helpful and I love hearing from all of you. Hope you all are doing well with your own quests, whatever they may be.

Tomorrow I'll be back to normal. Well, by that I mean I'll be posting another change.