ONE SMALL CHANGE- ONE BIG HEART

UPDATE

January Challenge~ NOTHING NEW

this month has gone very well. I stayed at a $75-80 food budget weekly.... including Easter dinner and a birthday party this month. The only thing I bought new was a mylar balloon and a birthday cake ( yes, I know, I bought the cake- but after making 15 guitar pillows and a guitar shirt.... the cake was a justified purchase.... my sanity was on the line!)....

We still are having things break (Murphy's law at large) but we are just not replenishing, and are doing without. My crock pot (the staple in my slow cooking kitchen) cracked and cant be used~ but my mother in law has a brand new one in her garage she won at a drawing.... so when she visits next week~ she is bringing it with her (Yea for amazing blessings!)

February Update~ UNPLUGGING

We are still keeping a technology sabbatical once (sometimes twice) a week. Everything remains unplugged/ or off unless it is being used at that moment. The biggest thing has been the computer..... I am on it much less, and am actually crafting and gardening more (thank goodness the sun is starting to peek out more!) This change has actually been pretty easy and has become more of a habit!

March Update~ GET INVOLVED

This month has been the one that changed my life! Getting involved with the school and community about "greener" living has been amazing. Yes, we have hit some glitches (welcome to the school district business), but I have really felt that simple changes have begun to be pursued. I start teaching a gardening class this week to 15 kids.... and another parent has stepped along side me and is now Co-teaching it with me. We have decided to make this after school teaching class an on going ECO CLUB for the kids. There is now a NO WASTE campaign started at the school. There is a the building of a parent ECO team meeting tomorrow.... with 15 parents so far...... Our school is really beginning to start thinking more sustainable and about the carbon footprint it is leaving.... and I was able to be at the root of it..... that is (for me) something that makes me smile.

April Update~ ONE TANK

this challenge was the more taxing on me..... I am usually able to go 14 days on one tank, and I have made it to 24~ But I REALLY do need to refuel this weekend.....

so I didn't make it a whole month... but I did go 10 days longer on one tank (which isn't to bad!). I have walked more. I have carpooled a few times. I even cut out trips all together..... It also has helped that some of Bjorn's appointments have been cancelled. I have found out that it takes much more planning than just putting on shoes, and venturing out on a walking trip. With kids, you have to think... water jugs, a much slower pace, stopping to not only smell flowers but to pick them and throw rocks in running gutters. You also have to think~ "less!" . Walking to the market to pick up a few things... means "only a few things" because bags get pretty heavy after a while.

the One Small Change Challenge is over.....

its ended.....

but what have I learned?

in all honesty I have learned more about myself in these past 3 1/2 months, than I had expected.

::One thing I learned::

is that once I made the change, I didnt want to go back to the way I was doing things before..... so each month's challenge remains practiced today.

:: One thing I learned::

is that it may be small in retrospect, but is sure is huge in making a difference.

::One thing I learned::

is that there is always room to learn more.

::One thing I learned::

is that others feel the same way, they just need someone to help support them to get started.

::One thing I learned::

is that doing without~ in not being without.

::One thing I learned::

is once change is made, it's much easier to accept more change.

The One Small Change Challenge may have ended.... but in our house, it will still continue! ALWAYS.