Last night, our three-year-old night owl conked out at 8:00!! Daniel and I did a little dance of glee and launched into an evening of companionable adult pursuits, which of course included sorting through our wardrobes, getting out the winter clothes and putting away the summer ones, and deciding the fate of unwanted garments. What? That's not … Continue reading The Cheap Thrills of Thrifty Fashion
Environment
links
Check the facts behind those negative campaign ads! This site is like Snopes for politics.Hey, I never knew this before: Some spiders are indoor spiders who long ago evolved to live inside buildings!Curvy-hipped women are smarter and have smarter children.A man whose parents lived with and loved another couple for part of his childhood writes about the … Continue reading links
What Do You Reuse?
This question was posted on a discussion board recently. Not only do I reuse many physical objects, but I can reuse the list I made for that discussion as an article on my own Website! I love reusing glass jars so much that my ravings on the subject got too long for this article and … Continue reading What Do You Reuse?
Train Travel
We just took a trip to Chicago and back on Amtrak, and it was wonderful! Our three-year-old railroad enthusiast was thrilled, and Daniel and I had a great time too. It's dramatically different from airline travel. Some of the differences are absolutely positive, others are better from our point of view but wouldn't suit everyone, and … Continue reading Train Travel
Origins 2008 Recycling Report
Last year I wished this story had a happy ending. Now it does! The Greater Columbus Convention Center had recycling bins for cans and bottles, and for paper, set up in many parts of the building during Origins this past weekend. I am thrilled! Last year's news was so discouraging, I hadn't expected them to … Continue reading Origins 2008 Recycling Report
Packing for a Picnic or Potluck: Reusable Gear!
Picnic/barbecue season is here, with mounds of disposable tableware: soggy paper, bendy plastic, skidgy foam, spoons that scratch our mouths and melt in our coffee, forks whose tines snap off, knives that won't cut anything, cups that are too cold or hot to hold without adding a layer of cardboard. Everybody's cup is identical, so we have to write our names on them. What convenience! What convenience? We've started bringing our own dishes, utensils, and napkins when we go to picnics and some potlucks.
To You, They ARE Underwear!
This article is part of my Tastes Like Somebody Loves You! series. I wrote it in 2003, but it falls into that category of things I wasn't allowed to say when I wasn't a parent. Toddlers learning to use the toilet used to wear cotton "training pants" that were just like underpants but made of thicker … Continue reading To You, They ARE Underwear!
Linkapalooza
Free Range Kids advocates allowing children to develop the skills they'll need as adults, instead of trying to protect them from everything. It started because of the huge backlash to the author's column about letting her nine-year-old ride home alone on New York City public transit. Bravo! (Over-protectiveness is another thing many people told me I would … Continue reading Linkapalooza
Cloth Diaper Details
I already explained some of the advantages of using cloth diapers. Now, for those who are interested, I'm going to give all the details of how we did it. Many different styles of cloth diapers are available these days, so there's a lot to choose from, and it can be daunting. Pre-motherhood, I found it very useful … Continue reading Cloth Diaper Details
Cloth Diapers
I always knew I would use cloth diapers on my baby. My parents and most of my extended family had, so I was used to the idea and saw it as a sensible choice financially and environmentally. Also, I had babysat for disposable-diapered babies and found their diapers hard to tolerate aesthetically; they just feel so … Continue reading Cloth Diapers
What to Do with Half-Eaten Fruit
Anyone who spends time with young children is familiar with this phenomenon: "I want an apple!" [eats four bites] "Let's save it to later. NO, Mama, don't eat it!! I will finish it next time." [next day] "I want a banana! No, not an apple, a banana. NO, Mama, don't eat my apple!! It's for … Continue reading What to Do with Half-Eaten Fruit
Ohh, look at the rushing river!
That's what Nicholas said on Saturday as we were walking up the main street of our neighborhood. After a moment's puzzlement, I realized he was talking about the gutter full of melted snow! Speeding downhill, running between a bank of tire-scrunched snow clods on one side and the curb on the other, criss-crossing itself in … Continue reading Ohh, look at the rushing river!
A Year of Pencils
It was around this time last year that I suddenly questioned my use of ballpoint pens. You know, those ubiquitous plastic-cased pens that--if they don't jam--keep writing until they run out of ink and have to be thrown away. They were my usual type of writing implement at work and at home, and I carried … Continue reading A Year of Pencils
Links for the new year!
Have you been wondering if anything is made in USA these days?Norka Futon makes all its mattresses and frames in the United States. We bought one of their 8-coil mattresses for our bed four years ago and have been very happy with it. Last month, we bought another such mattress with a sofa/bed frame to use in our living room. The guests so … Continue reading Links for the new year!
Our Green Christmas Tree
"How to have an enviro-friendly Christmas" seems to be a hot topic in the media this year, so I won't bother with an extensive list. I'll just describe one idea that is, as far as I know, unique: We don't use a real tree as our Christmas tree, nor do we have one of those … Continue reading Our Green Christmas Tree
It beautifies your complexion AND scrubs your tub!
A paste made of baking soda and liquid soap, that is. It's a versatile wonder-cleaner worthy of one of those over-blown TV commercials about the many many uses and the amazing value...except that it's so basic and inexpensive that nobody would buy it as a commercial product. (Oh. Wait. People will pay $1.50 for a pint of tap water … Continue reading It beautifies your complexion AND scrubs your tub!
Handkerchief season is here!
My father uses handkerchiefs. I'd always thought of it as one of his idiosyncrasies. Normal people used paper tissues. I always found it kind of weird, though, that so many people use a tissue just briefly, to remove a few drops of watery stuff from the nose, and then throw it away. What a waste … Continue reading Handkerchief season is here!
Mothering in transit
The distance from our home to our childcare center is less than three miles. In rush-hour traffic, it's a 20-minute drive. But almost every day, Nicholas and I make the trip by public transit, taking two buses and at least 45 minutes in each direction. I could walk that distance in that time! Am I insane?! No. I'm convinced that public transit is a wonderful way to travel with a young child. The conveniences more than make up for the inconveniences, that extra time is time we spend together, and the trip is full of learning experiences for my child and me.
Links galore!
This speech by a psychologist includes some fascinating ideas about gender roles. After landing a movie role at age 13, this local actor responded to his success by deciding he should do something to help his community. He hasn't done it yet, but just the fact that he thought of it is refreshing! Have you heard … Continue reading Links galore!
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 