Green Cleaning for Porcelain Sinks and Tubs

At the end of last year we moved into a new home. It was a tough move. We had been in our previous home for 5 years and had just gotten to that great lived in and the house looks great point. Now we have a new home, one that is stuck somewhere between the 80s and 90s - textured wallpaper, glitter popcorn ceilings, and all.

One thing that it has and that I love are porcelain tubs and sinks in great condition. Cleaning these provides a whole new challenge. Especially when you want to keep them in great condition and you have septic tank that begs you to not use harsh chemicals and bleach.

When we first moved in the kitchen sink was stained. Both from the previous owners and us leaving coffee sitting in it.



No amount of scrubbing was getting rid of it, so I knew I needed something stronger, but without using chemicals.

And by stronger, it only required two simple ingredients:
Baking Soda
1 Lemon

I simply sprinkled the baking soda into the sink, cut the lemon in half, squeezed some of the juice into the sink, and then used the lemon halves to scrub the baking soda into the sink.



A quick rinse with warm water and Voila! A clean sink!



Just so you don't think you need to have an endless supply of baking soda and lemons in your home to keep your sink clean, I've only done this twice in the 4 months we've been in our new home. Regular rinses will usually keep the stains away.

One Plate, Too Many Dishes

I think I am at a good point in my life where I officially have too much to do. By the way, it's a good thing. Besides my blog (here and one I run on my own with other writers), I have been taking Parkour classes, Crossfit at my church, Y Mudder training and frequenting a wall climbing gym. My life has changed significantly over the years and as I find new fun stuff to do, I have nowhere to fit it in my schedule.

So I'm staying busy. Active is the right word. I'm staying active.

Recently, I have been getting a lot of benefit from the Y Mudder training. It's an amazing training class (which is designed to train people for Tough Mudder provided by the Y). We meet at the Y once a week and even though I am sure this is the first time the instructors have created such a program, they are providing a premium experience. Just last week, which was the fourth week of class, we ran for 1.9 miles, stopped at Olmos Park (here in San Antonio, Texas), did a quick Tabata workout, got up, ran to the next park which was around 3.5 miles, did more Tabata on the playground and then had a nice 2-mile run back to the Y. Now that guy, who was rolling on the mats under the rock wall heaving like a gorilla, was me. I swear I was stretching but I was too exhausted. As soon as I was over that feeling, I couldn't wait for the next week's workout. Turns out it's going to have to wait since I will be running in the Hero Rush 5k on Saturday.

I need to find time to fit some swimming in this year. I do plan on doing a Triathalon Training program pretty soon as well. Where can I fit that on my schedule?

Climbing To The Top

Ever wonder what it would be like to climb 952 stairs? Me neither but I did it anyways. Last weekend was the Tower Climb and Run here in San Antonio where we run 1 mile and then scale a 750 foot tower called The Tower Of Americas.

We started early in the morning, pinning our numbers on our clothes and getting ready. A little cereal and juice and we were on our way to something we assumed was very frightening. The weather was great just perfect for a picnic but we were only going to spend minutes outside, the rest . . . inside the large tower.

952 stairs are tough. Believe the only way to really prepare is to do lots of stair work and I've already faced the fact that it's not my strongest point. It was fun, the trek up was gruesome and the stairs were full of people but there was just enough room to manage around some people and convient rest spots throughout. Just remember that once you start there's no other way out besides finishing or going back down and once you hit the halfway point you might as well finish.

Going down is easy. You could wait for the elevator but I suggest taking the stairs. As long as you have a tight grip, you can take pictures on the second stairwell that leads down. It's not grueling at all going down and was actually worth doing. We stopped, took some pictures and saw others climb to the top.

I did call a couple days later to ask if they let people practice taking the stairs, but they had informed me that the stairs are only open during the event. I would be fun to get another crack at those stairs.

-Luis V.

Getting Ready for Spring Gardening

The start of the gardening season is fast approaching. Given our weather for the past month you may have even started your garden already. Had we not moved at the end the last year I may have already put a few things in the ground. Right now my garden is a giant mound of dirt and grass that we need to get cleared and cleaned up before we can even think about planting anything.

When I'm doing my seed and plant selections I like to refer to the Vegetable Variety Selector tool from the Texas A&M website. You can download the guide for Bexar County here or you can search other counties here.

If you go the any of the local nurseries, Rainbow Gardens, The Garden Center and Milberger Nursery are just a few of my favorites in San Antonio, they've usually done the work for you and selected varieties that grow well in the San Antonio area. Many of the big box hardware store also sell young plants, but I've found they're sometimes hit and miss on how well they do. Some HEBs will also carry a good variety and I've done well with plants I've bought there. The benefit of buying seeds or seedlings from the local nursery is the variety. I've found some very unique variations and heirloom varieties at my favorite nursery. Usually you would have to buy seeds online to find some of them.

If you are thinking of starting from seed, you probably should have started in late December/early January. Not everything has to be started from seed, just tender plants like peppers and tomatoes. Many plants such as squash, corn, lettuce, and beans can all be direct sown in the garden. However, if you plan on doing a second planting in late summer now would be a great time to start looking at seeds for things that need to be transplanted.

The Farmer's Almanac has a great guide to spring planting and when to start seeds and when to transplant.

So what are you thinking of growing this year?

Here is my list, although I'm not set of the specific varieties:
Sweet Corn
Broccoli
Yellow Pear Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Some Variety of Roma Totmato
Heirloom Slicing Tomato
Heirloom Colored Tomato
Bell Peppers
Jalapeno Peppers
Yellow Squash
Zucchini
Rainbow Carrots
Buttercrunch Lettuce
Romaine Lettuce
Spinach
Green Beans
Potatoes