UPDATE: I'm linking this post to Real Food Friday in 2016 because we still enjoy Spicy Peanut Dressing frequently! We just made a batch last night to go with a big salad made from lettuce, spinach, and green onions we received in the summer's first box of local, organic produce from our community-sponsored agriculture farm! … Continue reading Spicy Peanut Dressing
Month: October 2007
The TV Game
My brother and cousins and I came up with this game when we had been sent to play in an upstairs room at our grandparents' house and were wishing there was a television to watch... One person is the TV. Everybody else sits down facing TV, each holding an invisible remote control. TV stands there looking blank until … Continue reading The TV Game
There go the helpers!
One day when my son was a tiny baby, I was walking with him along the main street of our neighborhood when an ambulance went screaming past. Just ahead of us on the sidewalk were a little boy and his mother, and they jumped up and down shouting happily, "There go the helpers!" Wow. What … Continue reading There go the helpers!
response to “The Urban Archipelago”
I just learned that an article several people forwarded to me just after the 2004 election now has its own Website. "The Urban Archipelago" has one very clear, important point: The states of the United States are not as different from one another as the cities are different from the small-town and rural areas. But after … Continue reading response to “The Urban Archipelago”
Offering Choices
An often-repeated tip for coping with young children is to "give them choices." Sometimes that works wonders...and other times it doesn't. It's all in how you do it. My grandma said that one of the most important things she learned as a parent was this: Don't ask a child IF she wants to do something unless … Continue reading Offering Choices
One Portable Feast
Nicholas and I recently spent a wonderful day at the Carnegie Museum, which included lunching in the sculpture garden. We brought our lunch from home. It was tasty, healthy, and affordable and produced very little garbage. I've been hearing lately, from real parents and in the media, that packing a meal or snack is just not feasible because … Continue reading One Portable Feast
Household Hints
Add a slosh of white vinegar--about a tablespoon--to the sinkful of hot soapy water when washing dishes. I started doing this last spring, when we'd all been sick, because vinegar kills germs. I found out that it also cuts grease and makes the dishes really squeaky clean! (Vinegar has many other uses, too!) Here's some … Continue reading Household Hints
Organic Chocolate Made Cheap & Easy!
by Ben Stallings [Becca's brother] I've just discovered the simplest, cheapest way to make really good organic chocolate! I like chocolate a lot, but I've cut way back since I learned that most chocolate that isn't certified organic and/or fair trade is made from cocoa processed by child slaves in Cote d'Ivoire. When I asked … Continue reading Organic Chocolate Made Cheap & Easy!
The Earthling's Handbook 