Loubie is a Middle Eastern dish I've often enjoyed in restaurants. A little experimenting at home showed me that it's quite easy to make using canned vegetables! To make 4 main-dish servings, you will need: about 30 oz. canned green beans (or 2 cups fresh, or thawed frozen) about 30 oz. canned diced tomatoes (or 2 … Continue reading Lazy Loubie
The Five-Part Furniture-Finding Plan
It's Works-for-Me Wednesday, so here's the system by which Daniel and I have furnished our home: When there's a piece of furniture you'd like to have, Wait for it to come along. When you can wait no longer, See what you can scrounge from what other people are discarding. Go to yard sales. Go to … Continue reading The Five-Part Furniture-Finding Plan
Family Bed in the Kid’s Room
It's Works-for-Me Wednesday! Before our child was born, we decided to have the family bed in his room and keep the master bedroom as our couple space. We'd read a lot about co-sleeping and thought it sounded like a great way to minimize the disruptions of night nursing and give our baby a loving, secure … Continue reading Family Bed in the Kid’s Room
The Other Three Bears
Once upon a time, there were three little bears sitting on three little chairs, very quiet and very still. They were sitting like that because their father had told them to, and they always did everything their father told them to do. The father bear needed his little bears to be quiet and still because he had to work very hard at his desk. He worked and worked until . . . yawn . . . zzz . . . flop! he fell asleep right on top of his papers.
Second Chance
Disclaimer: We only have one child. Other children may react differently to this technique. Give it a try and see if it works for you! I started into parenting thinking that it's unfair to impose a consequence on a child without warning him first (except in a dangerous situation, of course) and that once you've … Continue reading Second Chance
Navigating into the New Year
Nicholas just turned four years old. Over the past few weeks, we've become more confident that the tantrum stage has finally ended, but he still gets into moods where he acts extremely annoying. Yesterday was a tough one. Nicholas and I woke at the same time, and before we were all the way down the … Continue reading Navigating into the New Year
Vinegar Hairwashing
UPDATE: I also wrote a newer article on vinegar hairwashing as a guest post for The Greenbacks Gal. Check it out for even more detailed information! If you have comments, please post them here so I'll be sure to see them. I wash my hair with vinegar instead of shampoo. Why? The original reason was … Continue reading Vinegar Hairwashing
An Everyday Educational Game
As we walked along our neighborhood's main street this afternoon, my four-year-old son asked me about a strange-looking contraption on the sidewalk. I explained that it's for the safe, sanitary disposal of cigarette butts. Sadly, Nicholas knows all about cigarettes, even though nobody in our family smokes them, because in our urban habitat we routinely … Continue reading An Everyday Educational Game
Really Only Very Small
This is one of the simplest yet most profound parenting tips I've heard: When your child is driving you absolutely insane, and you wish he'd just get with the program and act like a civilized human being, and you're sick and tired of his getting in the way of all the very important things you … Continue reading Really Only Very Small
Eat More Kale!
It's Works-for-Me Wednesday! Kale is an affordable, nutritious vegetable that many people know only as the garnish on restaurant plates--and based on my observations while washing dishes in a restaurant, 99% of people receiving a kale garnish don't eat it. I grew up knowing kale as a notorious vegetable used by my maternal grandmother's family, … Continue reading Eat More Kale!
Toaster Oven Tip
A standard square cake pan, pie pan, or bread pan may fit into your toaster-oven.I can't believe I never thought of this before! Somehow, I had gotten the idea that the reason toaster-ovens often come with their own pan and the reason special toaster-oven pans are sold is that pans designed for regular ovens are … Continue reading Toaster Oven Tip
Ten-minute Tofu
This is a really easy way to make a tasty main dish to accompany whatever you have on hand. It has its own flavor, somewhat similar to chicken nuggets, and because the flavor is unevenly distributed it's more interesting to eat, I think.For one serving, you will need:10 strips of tofu about 1/8" x 1" … Continue reading Ten-minute Tofu
Patrol Power!
One of my favorite things about leading Girl Scout Juniors instead of Brownies is the patrol system. We used it in my Junior troop when I was a girl, but I didn't realize just how effective and useful it is until I tried it as a leader. Patrols are small groups within the troop. The … Continue reading Patrol Power!
Outdoor Fun skit ideas
One of the requirements for the Outdoor Fun badge is to do skits demonstrating that you know the necessary skills for outdoor activities. My experience in earning this particular badge as a Girl Scout, and in doing similar projects with my troop as a leader, indicated that girls tend to jump on the first ideas … Continue reading Outdoor Fun skit ideas
Excuse me, are you Jewish?
My neighborhood has a large Jewish population, and every so often a person will approach me in public and say, "Excuse me, are you Jewish?" I always say no. Sometimes this earns me a Good Card, the version for non-Jews. Most times it results in the person leaving me alone--he was looking for a Jewish … Continue reading Excuse me, are you Jewish?
Tips from The Lightbulb Ninja
When I was about 12 years old, I became quite a stickler about shutting off unnecessary lights. Suddenly all the adult nagging and public-service announcements I'd ever heard got through to me (I can't recall why) and I began to see how amazingly wasteful it is to leave a bunch of extra lights on, just … Continue reading Tips from The Lightbulb Ninja
Tofu Soba Supper
Daniel and I are really into one-pot meals, but once in a while we make a meal with three separate components. This is one of those meals that is quick and easy to make despite the multiple parts. It has many possible variations. Soba noodles are spaghetti-like Japanese noodles made from buckwheat. They have a … Continue reading Tofu Soba Supper
Veggie Burger Lunch, Version 2.0
On February 27, 2002, I wrote in my SoyLent Diary: I had a lunch that I've found is very convenient for work: pack a food-storage container about 3/4 full of leftover rice or pasta and put a frozen veggie burger on top. The burger thaws slowly during the morning, so the whole thing can be … Continue reading Veggie Burger Lunch, Version 2.0
What right have you to be angry?
Nicholas still acts up in church sometimes. A couple of weeks ago, we had an even more difficult time than the one I wrote about last year. It started with Nicholas wanting to go to the bathroom just as I was listening eagerly to the Old Testament reading, which was the story of what happened … Continue reading What right have you to be angry?
The Cheap Thrills of Thrifty Fashion
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
The Earthling's Handbook 