Is it just junk or can it be recycled?
After cleaning the garage, redoing the basement, and going through the house reducing clutter, a question arises. How to dispose of the discards?
Actually your options are many. Such as:
Eyeglasses: The Lions Club has been recycling eyeglasses for approximately 80 years.
Clothing: Unwanted apparel can be donated to a charity such as Goodwill or sold to a consignment shop.
Blankets, towels, and bedding: These can be donated to your local animal shelter for use as bedding.
Oil: Quick-lube shops such as Jiffy Lube and auto stores such as Pep-Boys will take used oil.
Cans, glass containers, and plastics: Many areas have recycling centers where such materials can be dropped off. Call for specific information as different areas accept different items.
Household toxins: Almost all areas have toxics drop off or Tox-Away days. Check with your local waste management company.
Antiques, dishes, and other general items: Consider a garage sale. Make some money and find your old favorites a new home.
Computers: Some schools and charities accept computers. Check out other options at www.UsedComputer.com.
Cars: Various organizations including Goodwill will accept your car. Some raffle them off for charity. Earth Share through Car Program LLC accepts cars, trucks, trailers, boats, and RV’s.
Books: Your old friends can be donated to a library for their book sale or given to an assisted living facility that might need books for their library.
Aluminum cans and other scrap metals: These are “hot” items and can be sold to scrapyards. A recycle center would be pleased to get them.
Computer printer and copier ink cartridges: Many business supply stores, including Staples, accept them.
Mobile phones, pagers, and PDAs: These can be recycled through Collective Good who will make a donation to your favorite charity. Check at www.collectivegood.com.
For more information on recycling of various products look at web site www.obviously.com/recycle.
Digital Motherhood
First there was the dishwasher, then the microwave oven; next came the VCR and the cordless telephone. Eventually the IBM Selectric typewriter was replaced by the personal computer and wow – did the Mom ever enjoy her new gadgets! Now in 2007 we’re living in an age of Digital Motherhood!
Remember when a ticker referred to someone’s heart or perhaps scrolling stock market data at the bottom of the television set? Now digital moms display tickers in their signature lines, on blogs and websites. They’re used typically to show progress or countdowns. Some of the types of data generally shown on web tickers include: Weight loss, pregnancy, exercise, debt reduction, days until wedding or big events. The Ticker Factory is one such web site to offer free, easy to configure tickers.
Blogs are becoming more popular with the digital mommies too. For those of you who are not quite sure what a blog is – it stands for Web Log. Blogs can serve many purposes and have a variety of appearances. Some are merely online journals. Some people set up blogs to keep readers updated on an event such as an adoption or a journey such as an illness.
Other blogs are set up with the purpose of increasing traffic and sales to business owners. Yet still others look very similar to a web page and offer a variety of pages and information. There are free blogs available such on www.blogger.com, www.wordpress.com and www.blogster.com just to name a few. Those who wish to have more unique site can download various templates and host them elsewhere for a minimum monthly fee.
There’s no better time to subscribe to your favorite blog or even start one of your own. Just about any interest you can imagine is represented in someone’s blog. It is important to note that if you are considering starting a blog you will need to update it with new posts regularly. Regularly means a couple times a week at a minimum. You want repeat customers, remember that stale information will drive them away – possibly never to return.
Equally as new and fun in the digital motherhood world are podcasts. If you think it sounds like a cross between a pea pod and a broadcast, you’re half right. As defined at Wikipedia, “A podcast is a digital media file, or a series of such files, that is distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and personal computers. A podcast is a specific type of webcast which, like ‘radio’, can mean either the content itself or the method by which it is syndicated; the latter is also termed podcasting.”
That’s a mouthful for the uninitiated. To simplify try this definition: Radio programs you can listen to on the internet or on an MP3 or iPod. A great place to find some excellent podcasts can be found at Mom’s Radio Network. Some of the available programs include Work At Home Mom’s Talk Radio, Parenting My Teen, Mom’s Money, Good Pet Manners and a host of others great podcasts.
So welcome to the world of Digital Motherhood. Stick around, you’ll find that you like it. Change isn’t always easy; however any change that makes your life easier, better, or more enjoyable should be embraced. Wouldn’t you agree?
Celebrating at home with fireworks
This Fourth of July millions of Americans will celebrate Independence Day at home with the family favorite: fireworks.
The simple firecracker was invented by the Chinese in the hope that the noise would drive away evil spirits. Since then fireworks have evolved into many types for the spectator to enjoy. Among them are:
Sparklers: Hand-held firework that produces a shower of sparks from a burning tip.
Fountains: Stationary ground pieces that send showers of sparks up about 10 feet.
Ground Spinners: They spin on the ground, shooting out colored sparks and flames. In some, the flame changes color several times making it look like a flower.
Roman Candles: Single tubes placed in the ground propel balls of fire that can range from a single star to complex stars that flash and whistle. They can shoot up 15 to 50 feet.
Skyrockets: The largest of this type can be up to five feet long and can contain shells that explode high in the air.
More elaborate and expensive backyard fireworks include these that fill the sky. Only an experienced person should handle these:
Chrysanthemums: They create a perfecty round burst of color in the sky.
Crosettes: Produce an initial burst of stars. Each then splits into more stars, which last for three or four seconds.
Z-Cake: Send serial bursts resembling anti-aircraft fire into the sky. Overall effects linger for 30 seconds or more.
Whatever type of fireworks you are planning to enjoy, remember that all must be used safely, children should never use them alone, and some should only be ignited by a professional.
