Last October, my daughter Lydia was 17 months old and learning new words rapidly. One day, we were out for a stroll and saw a large, inflatable Halloween decoration in the form of several grinning jack-o'-lanterns stacked up like a totem pole. Lydia was very excited and shouted, "Balls!" I said, "They are pumpkins. Happy … Continue reading The Evolution of Happy
HVAC Hacks: Energy-Saving Improvements You Can Make Yourself
HVAC=Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning--the system of ducts that brings hot and/or cold air to the rooms of a building. The advice here applies to systems that deliver only heat or only AC, as well as those that do both. This is a guest post by Ryan Martin at Home Improvement Leads, who connects quality contractors … Continue reading HVAC Hacks: Energy-Saving Improvements You Can Make Yourself
4 Eco-Friendly Modifications for Your Foreclosed Home Purchase
This is a guest post by Paul Denikin, author of DadKnowsDIY.com. Paul began learning the ins and outs of do-it-yourself home repair while making his home better fit and more accessible for his daughter, Maggie, who has special needs. Paul wants to continue to help special needs parents like himself, and offer them a source for … Continue reading 4 Eco-Friendly Modifications for Your Foreclosed Home Purchase
3 Super-Simple Homemade Frosting Recipes
I've seen many recipes for cake frosting that require separating eggs, using ingredients unfamiliar to many people (like cream of tartar), cooking for 7 minutes whisking constantly, using a double boiler, or some other complicated technique. It's no wonder that so many people have the idea that homemade frosting is very difficult to make! Even … Continue reading 3 Super-Simple Homemade Frosting Recipes
What I’ve Been Reading Lately
Having finished all the books I got for Christmas, I acquired a bunch more for my birthday! Not only did I receive some books as gifts, but I found lots of low-priced books at the Regent Square Yard Sale, I bought a few books at Balticon, and after reading one of the titles below I … Continue reading What I’ve Been Reading Lately
Bulk Food in Reused Containers in the Microwave: A Cautionary Tale
I've explained how we buy many of our groceries from bulk bins in the food co-op store, dispensing the amount we want to buy into containers we got by buying (and using) foods that came in them. Usually, when a jar has a label that can be removed, we soak it off so that … Continue reading Bulk Food in Reused Containers in the Microwave: A Cautionary Tale
That Time We Ate Million-year-old Dust
This is a story my cousin Tiffany recalled during a recent family gathering when my mom asked us what we remembered from the summer my parents were away a lot, leaving me and my brother and cousins to fend for ourselves. As soon as she mentioned the dust, I remembered that picnic too, and we … Continue reading That Time We Ate Million-year-old Dust
Whole-wheat Zucchini Bread
This is a great high-fiber food for breakfast, snacks, or side dish and an excellent way to use the zucchini that is abundant at this time of year. I just made a batch yesterday and served it with baked beans from a can (traditional Fourth of July food, and easy to prepare after all that … Continue reading Whole-wheat Zucchini Bread
Cleaning Products to Avoid if You Have Allergies
This is a guest post by Phoebe Parlade. Follow the link to her well-researched article about the harmful ingredients found in many off-the-shelf cleaning products and about alternative ways to clean that are better for the Earth's health as well as your own! Do you suffer from allergies? If so, you know how crucial … Continue reading Cleaning Products to Avoid if You Have Allergies
The Silliest Baby Toy
There are some things here on Earth that just defy rational explanation. Here, for example, is a toy that we received as a gift when our first child was born in 2004. His little sister played with it, too, but lost interest after infancy. I recently found it at the bottom of a toy basket … Continue reading The Silliest Baby Toy
4 Great Poetry Books for Young Children
Our two-year-old Lydia loves poetry! Most young children enjoy hearing rhyming, rhythmic words, but Lydia is particularly fascinated. We have many picture books with rhyming text--like the wonderful works of Dr. Seuss--but we've also found several longer poetry books that she enjoys and so do we. Poetry is very helpful in getting children interested in … Continue reading 4 Great Poetry Books for Young Children
Secrets to a Happy Road Trip with a Two-year-old
When our son Nicholas was 2 years old, we drove from Pennsylvania to Oklahoma, stayed a while, and drove back. In each direction, we spent 3 days in a row on the road for about 8 hours a day of actual driving time, plus rest stops. My cousin who has older children gave me two … Continue reading Secrets to a Happy Road Trip with a Two-year-old
Cooperation, Communication, and Consequences
One of the hardest, most humbling things about being a parent is those moments when your child communicates with you using strategies that you've used with him or that he's seen you use with someone else--and you shouldn't have. We all have times when we do something to try to get another person to do … Continue reading Cooperation, Communication, and Consequences
Sheet Mulching Turns Garbage Into Fertile Soil!
Last week's guest post about choosing organic fertilizer drew comments from my brother, urban farmer and permaculture instructor Ben Stallings of Interdependent Web, explaining the good reasons to improve your soil with plants rather than manufactured pellets (even if they are made from organic materials). Until then, I wasn't aware that he had written an … Continue reading Sheet Mulching Turns Garbage Into Fertile Soil!
How to Choose a Safe, Earth-friendly Garden Fertilizer
This is a guest post by Josefine Schaefer of Fertiplus, a Dutch company manufacturing organic fertilizers. Although I have not used their products myself, I support the idea of non-toxic fertilizers made from natural materials. This is not a paid advertisement, and the article also includes advice on making your own organic fertilizers. Fertiplus products … Continue reading How to Choose a Safe, Earth-friendly Garden Fertilizer
What I’ve Learned By Reading Too Much (and 4 other books!)
In addition to finishing the books I got for Christmas in time for my birthday, I've read a few other new-to-me books recently, including one that actually has the alternate title What I've Learned By Reading Too Much! I learned something from each of these books. The Dance of Anger by Harriet G. Lerner This … Continue reading What I’ve Learned By Reading Too Much (and 4 other books!)
Kale Marinara Sauce
This is a very easy way to add nutrition to a convenient, inexpensive, real-food meal anyone can cook! Other dark-green leafy vegetables, such as Swiss chard, can be substituted for kale. To make 2 servings, you will need: a big handful of spaghetti noodles (For more protein, fiber, and B vitamins, use whole-wheat spaghetti. We … Continue reading Kale Marinara Sauce
A Really Real-Life Meal Plan
When life gets hectic, it's tempting to quit spending time on food preparation and just live on junk from the convenience store. The trouble with that approach is that it deprives your body of nutrients and gives it extra fat and salt to process, at just the time when you most need your body to … Continue reading A Really Real-Life Meal Plan
Some Plants Are For Eating
Happy Earth Day! Before I get to my main topic, I've got some special offers to tell you about... First, instead of buying anything, check out the beautiful photographs in the Capture Conservation photo contest sponsored by the Student Conservation Association! UPDATE: The sale on PlanetBox stainless steel lunchboxes has ended, but check out our … Continue reading Some Plants Are For Eating
The X, Y, Z Method of Child Discipline
We thought Becky Bailey's book Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline was a mixed bag that contained a few good techniques; this is one of them. Bailey talks about it in a more long-winded way, but I boiled it down to this formula, which I've found easy to remember and therefore to actually use in … Continue reading The X, Y, Z Method of Child Discipline
The Earthling's Handbook 