I can’t believe I’m about to write a post on how to go green in a home you own. Because the truth is, I don’t feel like our family follows many of the rules…at least not the ones that require major investments of time or mullah. Frankly, at the moment, we’re short on both of those commodities. However, there are some really easy things that us homeowners can do that renters kind of lose out on.

1. Use organic fertilizers. This is a great one. I don’t have experience with this brand of fertilizer, but it’s made of fish emulsion (a nice word for poop), but it has been deodorized so that it can be used anywhere. Our dog rolled in a bunch of the fully odored stuff last summer. It takes several washes to remove the stench, so odorless is definitely the way to go.

2. Install a lower flow shower head. You don’t have to choose between water pressure and the environment anymore. It’s possible to conserve water, and still have a nice shower. And with these options from $5-$60 at Low Impact Living, it’s easy to fit any budget.

3. Use eco-friendly paints. Green Living Ideas has compiled a guide to environmentally friendly paint options, and it really is worth a look. They say that pollution is actually higher inside of our homes than outside (even in smoggy places like L.A.), and toxic paint is a big cause of that.

4. Send the gas powered tools packing. At least here in the heartland, there are no emissions standards for lawn mowers, weed whackers, etc. And that means that around here, they are huge polluters. I know for a fact that midwesterners pride themselves on a well kept lawn, and we don’t have to give it up just because our mowers are pollution machines. There are some great electric options out there (like this and this), and if you can’t seem to spring for a new electric weed whacker, they are a great item to look for at a garage sale (my folks bought one last summer for two bucks, and it works great).

As for our family, we’re still working on the going green thing in our new home. I’d like to put up a clothesline, find a second hand electric weed whacker, and finish installing our CFL’s as the light bulbs continue to burn out, but all in all, we’re doing alright with it.

Any tips for going green in a home you own?

I guess sometimes having things get harder is what kicks someone out of their rut. That’s what happened to me this weekend. Everything can get worse, but in some situations that is just what the doctor ordered.

This weekend our daughter came down with the swine flu (or H1N1 if you’re concerned about offending the pigs). I’m not joking or being fascecious, it was full on intense fluness of the pig variety. I won’t go into all the gory details, but I will say that it was very good that she didn’t need to be hospitalized. As I lay on the couch this weekend with her sweaty little head in the crook of my arm, not daring to move even as the unborn child in my womb pummeled my bladder, I realized that if I can deal with this, then the other stuff isn’t such a big deal.

My work schedule is extremely flexible, and really is a set of simple tasks with a little creativity splashed in around the edges. I can do pretty much everything that I need to in 15 minute chunks with lots of snack breaks. This fact was made glaringly obvious because it’s not at all what works when caring for a sick kid. That’s a stressful situation that no amount of setting the timer will remedy.

So anyhow, I seem to have quelled the “I can’t” bug for now, and swine flu girl is feeling much better too. Her fever has subsided, and so has the screaming (I understand why young kids scream while they are sick, but I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it). She still has a cough and a case of the grumps, but we’re working on it. Luckily, my grumps have mostly subsided, and I’m no longer contemplating early retirement from the career world.

Am I some sort of weirdo that things getting worse changed my attitude? Does this ever happen to you?

Is having it all worth it?  I sometimes laugh at my teenaged self who was determined to be an accomplished career woman and mother…at the same time.  I didn’t really have a clue what I would do, but gosh darn it, I was going to be successful. Sure, part of making that equation a reality is choosing how one defines success, and some days for me that means remembering to flush after cleaning out the potty (I aim high…I know).

Yet, the last few weeks have been, well, harrowing. I know that now is not the time to define whether I’m succeeding in my work life balance, being as how we moved into a construction zone semi-remodeled home two weeks ago today, I just entered my third trimester, and last week we had to travel a long distance to a funeral. I totally get that it’s not supposed to be tidy and pretty right now, and that falling behind in one, two or (in my case) many areas is pretty understandable.

But, I can’t help but notice that little niggling voice inside of me saying “You could handle situations like these better if you didn’t have so much on your plate.” and “It’s not like you’re bringing in the big bucks…why are you working so hard?” and “You probably won’t get anywhere with your work at home endeavors, so why not give up?”. I don’t really have the energy to fight that voice off completely, so I’m just working on finishing one task at a time and trying not to look too far down on my list of things to do. I’m pretty sure that the overwhelm of the list in its entirety could be the catalyst for a nervous breakdown, and nobody wants that.

I’m sure all mothers (especially working mothers) have moments where it feels like they are working on saving the world, and their only tools are a spatula and a spork. That’s where I am right now. It’s a tough spot, and I wish I could just snap out of it. Instead I’m using my spork to dig steadily, and come up for air, large quantities of food, and water, when I need to.

Do you have experience with wanting to give up on your ambitions when it seems too hard?

Last week we changed residences.

The process of moving is not nearly as neat and tidy as that sentence though. In fact, things are still quite messy and thrown together, since we moved on Wednesday. Baby gates are propped up against the still unfinished stairwell…still waiting to be installed. The kitchen sink still isn’t draining properly and has grit and grime caked on it from washing out cabinets and mopping up construction dust. The laundry is piled nearly to the ceiling in my bedroom. And the Garage is filled high with boxes waiting to be unpacked.

Believe it or not though, there have been some improvements. At least we’re no longer straddling two homes in the limbo that we’ve been living in for weeks now. I went to the old house for the last time on Thursday and scrubbed it like it was going out of style. I put on my favorite Dixie Chicks mix and went to town (especially on the stove and counter tops). My husband vaccuumed, and we gathered up all of the odds and ends that would fit in our car. I fully intended to go back Friday evening and finish cleaning…shampoo some stains on the carpet, clean the blinds, mop the kitchen floor, and sweep out the basement and garage.

BUT, by Friday afternoon, my feet were so sore that I couldn’t stand on them anymore. I had been working tirelessly on the new house, and even though I had a friend to help me that evening all I could do was sit and visit with her while she lined my new cabinets with contact paper. So Saturday would have to be the day. The cleaning WOULD get done. I was having horrible visions of my landlord doing the final walk through of the old house and condemning me as a loathsome lazy pig.

Yes. Saturday I would do it. Saturday I would get that place finished up. Except that by the time I went to bed Friday night I had a headache to go along with my aching feet.

Saturday morning I awoke and I didn’t feel rested at all. I needed an entire season to hibernate, but there was work to be done. My mental cogs were beginning to turn and I was just about to heave myself out of bed when my husband woke up. He said he thought I had been pushing myself too hard. He said he thought I should stay home today, and have someone watch our daughter while he finished up at the old house. He wouldn’t be able to get all the deep cleaning done, but it would just have to be good enough. My usual pattern is to argue when he suggests things like this. Because OBVIOUSLY it IS the end of the world if the house that we move out of is not spotless. However, on this particular day what he said rang true. I was going to be headed for big trouble.

So, I did it. I just let it be good enough. I’m working on not worrying about our security deposit, or considering the opinion of our landlord. I did the best I could under the circumstances, and really isn’t that’s what we’re always telling our kids to do? “Just do your best honey” I hear the sitcom Mom in my head say.

When do you just have to let things be good enough? Do you ever push yourself past your limit, and what’s been the outcome?