This would be a fun experiment for any group of kids over 3 years old. It is an activity for the Girl Scout badge Let's Get Cooking, combined with an activity I adapted from the Junior Girl Scout Handbook. My troop did it two years ago at the beginning of our work on the badge. It … Continue reading Handwashing Experiment
health
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
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
Seven Reasons Not to Circumcise Your Son
by Daniel Efran Well, I figure if my girlfriend and my parents are discussing my penis on the Internet, I'd better chime in! The subject, specifically, is routine circumcision of infants--whether it should be routine, whether it should have been done to our son (which it wasn't), and whether it should have been done to … Continue reading Seven Reasons Not to Circumcise Your Son
Circumcision: The Earlier Generation
My article on why we didn't circumcise our son mentioned that when my partner Daniel learned more about circumcision, he felt "that he was mutilated without his consent simply because of tradition and ignorance" and was so upset that "he wouldn't speak to his parents because he feared he would yell at them." As I tried … Continue reading Circumcision: The Earlier Generation
Circumcision
Our son is four-and-a-half years old and has his entire foreskin intact. We have never regretted for a moment our decision not to have him circumcised. I always was a bit skeptical of the idea of surgically removing healthy tissue from newborns. My father explained that the foreskin can't become infected or cancerous if it … Continue reading Circumcision
Menstrual Cup Mania!!!
WARNING: People who are offended by graphic discussion of menstruation should go read something else. One of the very first things we put into The Earthling's Handbook was an article about alternatives to disposable pads and tampons. I've often been tempted to write a newer article with even more details about just how fabulous these … Continue reading Menstrual Cup Mania!!!
Treasuring Each Day
Last Thursday was a tough day for me. Yes, it was even harder than the previous Thursday. It was the day we were supposed to be on our way to Origins, a huge game convention where we see a bunch of our best friends, but instead I was sick in bed. That "coming down with … Continue reading Treasuring Each Day
Ham Binge!
This is the fifth day in a row I've eaten the same lunch: a salad of lettuce, spinach, cheese, and ham. Wait a minute! HAM?! EnviroBecca is a pescatarian (eats no meat except occasional fish) for environmental and health reasons--ham should not be in her lunchbag, especially not five days in a row! Hang on. I … Continue reading Ham Binge!
Canned Fish Concepts
These are not exactly recipes, more like general "how to cook" ideas that work for me. I prefer ideas like this to specific recipes because they're easy to remember without digging out a recipe card. Our family is mostly vegetarian. We do like fish, but we live far from the ocean, where fish tends to be … Continue reading Canned Fish Concepts
Take in for take-out!
When we know we'll be eating in a restaurant where we might have leftovers to take home, we bring our own containers. This is better for the environment because they're containers we've already used several times and will use again, instead of new containers provided by the restaurant that might be a single-use type. It's … Continue reading Take in for take-out!
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
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!
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
Supermarket Field Trip
My Girl Scout troop did this activity with Brownies earning the Penny Power Try-It and Daisies earning the Make the World a Better Place petal. It also would apply to several Junior badges that have an activity about caring for the needy, about nutrition, or about comparison shopping. Divide into teams of 3-5 girls and … Continue reading Supermarket Field Trip
The Seven-Minute Stretch
It's amazing how just a few minutes of stretching can change everything. Just moving around a little bit for a little while gets the blood flowing through your muscles and brain, makes you more flexible, reminds you to breathe, lifts your mood, and makes the various motions of daily life easier and less likely to … Continue reading The Seven-Minute Stretch
Don’t forget the lemonade!
How come people don't serve lemonade more often? And why is it that, when people do serve lemonade, it's usually the fake kind made from a powder? Yeah, squeezing lemons is a lot of work. But lemon juice comes in a bottle! You can make lemonade with just bottled lemon juice, sugar, water, and maybe … Continue reading Don’t forget the lemonade!
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!
Slaying the Snooze-button Sloth
I had some trouble deciding what to do for Lent this year. We gave up meat in 2002, but since then we've eaten so much less meat that giving it up completely wouldn't make a noticeable daily difference. I toyed with several ideas and started into Lent by reading selections from the Gospel aloud to … Continue reading Slaying the Snooze-button Sloth
Tips for Expectant Parents
Disclaimer: This is one of those "This is what works for my family" type articles. We have only one child. All children are different. These are some ideas that have been useful to us that we hope will be helpful to other parents. My favorite online source of information about all things child-related is Mothering Magazine's huge array of … Continue reading Tips for Expectant Parents
The Earthling's Handbook 