Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Neighbors...ugh...

So I have a problem and I keep reminding myself that my problem isn't my problem...it's how I deal with my problem. Let me start from the beginning...2 years ago an empty-nester couple moved into the house that shared our back fence with us. Last summer as we were building our trampoline and getting ready to place it in the back corner of our yard, the woman neighbor "sweetly" told us she was much happier when our family was away on vacation and wanted us to either put the tramp in the front yard or use the local parks, "that's what they're there for". Biting our tongues, we kindly responded back that we've lived here for 10 years, have raised our children in this home and intend on making our yard an inviting place for them and their friends so they will enjoy spending time at our home. Over the next several months, our kids and their friends have boisterously loved our backyard, the tramp and pool. We live in a neighborhood with houses everywhere and kids everywhere. These neighbors have asked us to keep our "screaming kids" quiet on several occasions and informed us that we have no boundaries on our children. All of this I've hesitantly just taken as them being grumpy people who must have raised their children in straight jackets and banned any form of play, laughter, joy and fun. Granted no one likes SCREAMING kids but isn't there a difference between screaming and little girls being little girls having fun on a hot summer day in the pool for an hour laughing, playing and splashing...apparently according to our neighbors there's something terribly wrong with that and it reflects badly on our parenting. Today the "gentleman" YELLED at the top of his lungs at the 4 girls on the tramp who were over for a slumber party and the 2 boys in the pool because they were being too loud. My strong loving husband kindly marched over to the fence after the terrified girls came inside and told him what had happened. He explained to the neighbor, "DON'T EVER YELL AT MY KIDS AGAIN, If you need to say something you can knock on my door and I'll be happy to respect your wishes but DON'T EVER YELL AT MY KIDS AGAIN!" I think the neighbor thinks we raise our kids like wolves but what's frustrating is that they don't know us at all...who we are, our values or rules our parenting...
The simple fact that the Hamiks like to have CRAZY FUN and utilize our great backyard is causing much strife with these particular neighbors. We happen to have a great street of neighbors that all get along and respect one another and no one fights with anyone. These grumpy people aren't even on our block or street, they just don't like hearing the kids playing. I'd like to offer them literature on some of our beautiful 55 and older communities in town because they seem genuinely shocked at what they've gotten into moving into an area with lots of families with small children.

Okay...venting is done...WHAT DO I DO NOW? I keep asking myself how can I rise above their aggression and make amends but I have no plans on shutting my kids up on the 2-3 occasions a week when they have friends over and are playing in our yard...possibly being noisy for an hour max...am I so wrong to think this is okay or do you think I'm raising my kids like wild animals??? I need encouragement on rising above their yuckiness, shining my light and teaching my kids how to respect grumpy adults. UGH...WHAT DO I DO???

Friday, July 10, 2009

Tips from the Retro Recycler...

It's becoming a joke now that my first tattoo was a recycling tattoo...I was eco-friendly before it was cool. Therefore, I've given myself the name of the Retro Recycler and I plan on gracing y'all with some factoids that'll get you thinkin' and hopefully get you actin'.

The Bottled Water Problem
*Still drinking bottled water when you could safely filter or turn on a tap? Consider:
*1.5 million barrels of oil are used to make water bottles in the U.S. each year.
*Bottled water also requires oil for shipping, refrigerating, and even recycling.
*86% of plastic bottles in the U.S. end up in a landfill or incinerator.
*More than 60 million plastic bottles end up in landfills and incinerators every day — 22 billion a year.
*Water quality standards set by the EPA for tap water are more stringent than the FDA’s standards for bottled water.
*Ounce for ounce, bottled water costs more than gasoline.
Container Recycling Institute

My vote: get yourself a fabulous stylin' aluminum or stainless steel water bottle at one of my favorite sites: Eco-usable products, SIGG or Kleen Kanteen.

I love each year in my kids' classrooms seeing more and more Eco-logical bottles rather than those nasty Eco-destructive bottles. I suppose living in Ashland isn't giving me a fair representation around the country...gotta love crazy "Green Lovers"!