These aren't necessarily things nobody should do. They're things I don't do, and I'm glad I don't, and I'm going to explain why. 1. Cell phone. I do not own one and very rarely use one. I spend most of my time in my home or my office, both of which are equipped with landline telephones … Continue reading 7 Things I Don’t Do
Optimal Oatmeal
This is the breakfast that works for me in chilly weather! I have a fast metabolism, and prolonged hunger makes me dizzy, so it's important for me to eat enough breakfast that I feel full until lunchtime. This breakfast also is high in iron, which was especially important when I was anemic while pregnant and nursing. Oatmeal is supposed to help increase milk supply for nursing mothers. It also has lots of fiber for good digestive health. This recipe is vegan yet rich and creamy. It's convenient because all the ingredients are shelf-stable, so I can make it even when we're running low on fresh stuff. Most of the ingredients are inexpensive in bulk at the food co-op.
Early Encounters with Variables
I'm a research data manager: I spend my days working on various levels of the process of converting people's responses to questions into numbers in the computer. It's not the career I expected, and it's not a career most people immediately understand (the scene at my high school reunion: "So Jason is a police officer, … Continue reading Early Encounters with Variables
Explaining the G-20 Protests to a Preschooler
It's been one week since Pittsburgh hosted the G-20 economic summit. The demonstrations against it and the police reactions to those demonstrations were a lot milder than they have been at previous summits in other cities, but there was some violent conflict and questionable conduct on both sides--check out the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette or Pittsburgh City … Continue reading Explaining the G-20 Protests to a Preschooler
Lentil Rice
This is a recipe that really works for me! I developed it when I was on maternity leave and wanted hot lunches and needed plenty of nutritious calories for breastfeeding, but I was distracted by the baby and often literally had my hands full. It takes a while to cook, but it can be left … Continue reading Lentil Rice
New discount grocery store in Pittsburgh!
UPDATE: At the beginning of 2011, Market Outlet moved one block southeast to 1700 Penn Avenue. It now carries a few types of fresh produce, some frozen foods, and the weird brands of soda mentioned below. Market Outlet has opened in the Strip District basement formerly occupied by KML, on Smallman Street just east of the Sixteenth … Continue reading New discount grocery store in Pittsburgh!
A Four-year-old’s Treasures
Nicholas loves stuff. He's constantly collecting things that he wants to keep. I get frustrated with how little he uses most of this stuff and how much it's underfoot or visually cluttering our house. But last night I noticed a little box of his treasures that he'd left on the dining table before going to … Continue reading A Four-year-old’s Treasures
Thoughts on Birth-month Research
New research on why people born in winter are less successful suggests that it may have nothing to do with birth timing. They found that winter babies are more likely to have young, less educated, single mothers--and all of those things are known to be correlated with lower academic and economic success. This makes me think … Continue reading Thoughts on Birth-month Research
How Credit Cards Work for Me
One of the good things about this economic depression is that it seems to be getting a larger number of people to put some real thought and effort into living within their means. I've been reading a lot of newspaper and magazine articles on the subject and finding that, although most of the tips are … Continue reading How Credit Cards Work for Me
Great Chapter Books for Kids!
It's Works-for-Me Wednesday! We started reading chapter books to our son when he was 2 years 9 months old. Two years later, they're an important part of his daily life. I read to him every day on the bus going to and from preschool, almost always from chapter books because they're more convenient: more story for … Continue reading Great Chapter Books for Kids!
Excerpts from the Crime & Incident Report
The following items appeared in the "Crime & Incident Report" column of my university's newspaper, mostly during my time as a student there--the last one is from my brief stint working there. It was an interesting campus environment . . . and whoever compiled these reports had a knack for writing them with just the … Continue reading Excerpts from the Crime & Incident Report
7 Ways to Eat Less Meat
Reducing the meat in your diet can save money, reduce environmental impact, improve your health, and reduce the calories per meal. (Obviously, all these things are affected by what you eat instead of meat!) You don't have to become a total vegetarian to experience the benefits of eating less meat. Here are some tips for … Continue reading 7 Ways to Eat Less Meat
The Difference Between 16 and 36
Overall, I was a pretty sensible teenager, and there aren't a lot of things I roll my eyes about when I think back on my adolescence. However, the other day I saw a television commercial to which I would have reacted very differently 20 years ago. The ad: Here's a new soda pop! It is … Continue reading The Difference Between 16 and 36
Making Pants into Shorts
This week's Works-for-Me Wednesday is a special edition for organizing tips, so I'm linking to my old articles about the rule of One Thing and Three Things and how to organize your Girl Scout troop records, as well as posting this new article that isn't an organizing tip but works for me! This past spring, my … Continue reading Making Pants into Shorts
The Path at the End of the Road
I wanted to be an architect. From the moment I first learned what architects do, when I was about ten years old, I knew that's what I wanted to be: a person who designs buildings that make people comfortable and happy. Right away, I started reading architecture books and magazines. I was fascinated by floorplans … Continue reading The Path at the End of the Road
Diminishing Dishwashing Drudgery
I'm the dishwasher in our household. We have a mechanical dishwasher, but it's about 50 years old. It looks really neat--straight out of The Kitchen of Tomorrow, Yesterday!--but we're afraid to use it because the rubber gasket around the door is hard as a rock, so probably the water would pour out onto the floor. … Continue reading Diminishing Dishwashing Drudgery
Vending Box News
This is originally a tip from Daniel, but it works for me, too! We still subscribe to our local newspaper, the actual paper kind, because I like to read it while eating and I don't like to eat at the computer at home (since my lunch at work, and in fact my whole day at … Continue reading Vending Box News
American Beanwich
We rarely eat meat anymore, and I don't miss it much, but once in a while I miss the particular flavor of a McDonald's cheeseburger. The soyburgers that try to taste like ground beef succeed only (in my opinion) in tasting like my elementary school cafeteria's hamburgers; I prefer the veggie burgers that don't even … Continue reading American Beanwich
7 Things I’m NOT Good At
Regular readers of this non-blog may be getting the impression that I'm an exceptionally competent person who is good at all kinds of things, packed with brilliant ideas, and highly successful at using every minute effectively. This is not true. The Earthling's Handbook is supposed to be a guide to doing things right if you … Continue reading 7 Things I’m NOT Good At
Swinging for Fitness
How do you like to go up in a swing, Up in the air so blue? Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing Ever a child can do! Those are the opening lines of a poem from one of the My Book House books that I loved when I was a little girl. It … Continue reading Swinging for Fitness
The Earthling's Handbook 