Peach deodorant. Tom's of Maine deodorant. Blueland foaming hand soap. Blueland dishwasher detergent. Blueland dishwashing powder. Seventh Generation toilet bowl cleaner.
Habitation
Suburban Nation, Happy City, other book reviews, and owl musings
Oona Out of Order. Dear Ijeawele. The Children of Willesden Lane. The Family Upstairs. Suburban Nation. Happy City.
An Earthling’s Guide to Loving Lentils
Lentils are nutritious, versatile, affordable, environmentally friendly, and shelf-stable!
Great green goods from Grove Collaborative!
Grove Collaborative continues to expand its range of environmentally friendly cleaning products, including some items now available at Target stores. After 20+ years' experience going greener, here are my opinions of some Grove products.
Three Weeks of Mostly Vegetarian Dinners (winter, in a pandemic)
Here's what a real Earth family ate for dinners: some complicated recipes, some easier ones, some convenience foods, hardly any take-out. Bonus rant about Ree Drummond!
Get Groceries Upstairs the Safe, Easy Way!
If you live upstairs with no elevator, how will you bring home heavy stuff if your body won't tolerate carrying extra weight as you climb the stairs? Here's a solution using ordinary household items.
How to Make Grapes and Berries Last Longer
This simple method makes a whole batch of berries or grapes ready to eat when you bring them home and keeps them fresh a few days longer.
Say Goodbye to Plastic book review
This room-by-room guide gives great tips for noticing plastic in your lifestyle and finding alternatives. Even busy families can make choices that cut 3/4 of their plastic garbage!
Kitchen Shoes: Stay on Your Feet While Cutting Down Dirt!
We've always been a "shoes off at the door" household. Not tracking outdoor dirt into our home reduces our exposure to germs, allergens, and environmental toxins--and it saves time on sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming! The downside is that standing for long periods on bare feet or sock feet can cause aching in the feet, legs, … Continue reading Kitchen Shoes: Stay on Your Feet While Cutting Down Dirt!
School Lunches for Distance Learning
You might think kids doing distance learning don't need "school lunches"--but our kids showed us in the spring that they need more structure.
Spring Flowers and Ex-Boyfriends
This is something I've been thinking about all through this strange springtime when, despite being home so much more than normal, we are in fact allowed to go outside, to walk all over everywhere, to enjoy the flowers in everyone else's yards as well as our own gardens. Twenty-one years ago, when Daniel and I … Continue reading Spring Flowers and Ex-Boyfriends
Finding the Right Herbal Tea for This Moment
Oh, here we are in the middle of a pandemic and frantic efforts to end racial injustice and police brutality--and I'm talking about what kind of tea to drink?! Yes, I am. This is not my first round of lifestyle disruption and suddenly being stuck at home with a lot to worry about--and over the … Continue reading Finding the Right Herbal Tea for This Moment
Enduring Easter
Well, here we are: We got through the longest Lent, we endured an Easter Sunday when nobody could go to church or a community egg hunt or a big family feast, and more than three weeks later most of us on Earth are still staying home most of the time. You might think it's not … Continue reading Enduring Easter
Simply Balanced curry sauce review (2 flavors)
One of my most popular articles in 2019 was a review of a curry simmer sauce in a bottle--and that sauce was not very good, so we wanted to try some other convenient, ready-to-use curry sauces in search of a better one. We've found two that are quite tasty, and they're not an obscure brand … Continue reading Simply Balanced curry sauce review (2 flavors)
Mulch with Autumn Leaves, Bring a Beautiful Spring!
Last Saturday, I gathered leaves from the edges of my street and the public sidewalk and arranged them in my yard--about 80 pounds of free mulch! You can read all about this technique in my earlier article. Today, here in Pittsburgh, we have snow on the ground that fell on November 12. It's compacting my … Continue reading Mulch with Autumn Leaves, Bring a Beautiful Spring!
Peppermint Tea: Healthy Helper or Just Hot Water?
At some point during my many years of working in an office, I developed the habit of making a cup of peppermint tea as soon as I got to work every morning. I'm less consistent when I'm between jobs (as I am now) so I'm not necessarily sitting down at the computer every morning--but peppermint … Continue reading Peppermint Tea: Healthy Helper or Just Hot Water?
Cutting Back on Car Snacks
My family spends a lot less time in the car than the American average, but we get into our car for hours-long errand binges some weekends and several long road trips each year. For the past three school years, my son had to be driven through urban rush-hour traffic to a weekly activity at dinnertime. … Continue reading Cutting Back on Car Snacks
Good News About Irradiated Food!
There's a lot of bad news about America's food supply in this century: Terrifying pesticides! Increasing rates of food allergies and gluten sensitivity! Food poisoning! Junk food loaded with crappy ingredients, pushed on us from every direction using unscrupulous marketing techniques! Insane amounts of Earth-destroying packaging! Endocrine disruptors! Epidemic obesity! Food crops threatened by the … Continue reading Good News About Irradiated Food!
Hello Sunday tote bag review
This is an honest review of a product I was offered for free, with no restrictions on what I could say in the review. I did not receive any compensation other than this tote bag shipped internationally to my home, and I have no other connection to this company. Hello Sunday is an Australian business … Continue reading Hello Sunday tote bag review
How to Get Preschoolers to Help with Housework
There are various methods for teaching a child how to do household tasks and motivating her to be involved in the daily work of maintaining the family home. One that's worked well for me is this: Show the child how to solve a problem she created, and then extend her new skill into routine maintenance. … Continue reading How to Get Preschoolers to Help with Housework
The Earthling's Handbook 