My son is almost three years old. A week ago he slept for 4.75 hours straight, from 8 pm until nearly 1 am. That was the lifetime record for maximum time slept in his own bed. He does not nap. He’s never napped in any consistent way. I was estimating with my husband a few…
The Garden in Pictures: Late June
I’ve been out in my garden a ton lately, getting the fall crops going, transplanting the last of the summer crops, and in general attempting to tidy up from a year of garden neglect. Here’s where the garden stands as of late June 2013. Things are starting to really fill in. Many of my beds…
The Agony and the Ecstasy of Gardening with Children
One My greenhouse had gotten away from me. Weeds were threadening to overtake the tomates. Slugs had overtaken the cucumbers and basil, both of which needed a replant. And so I embarked on a clean-up effort. Out came the mini handheld hoe and the red plastic mulch. Somewhere along the way I decided to redo…
How To Grow The Most Delicious Strawberries
It’s strawberry season in the Northwest. Every year around April I give in and buy a plastic clambshell full of gorgeous berries trucked up from California. Winter’s been long, you see, and those berries just look like perfection. And every year, about two months later, I taste my first homegrown berry and I remember what…
To Do In The Northwest Edible Garden: June 2013
For the first June in four years it actually feels like we may get a real summer. Ladies and gentleman, start your tomatoes! (Well, actually, you needed to start them three months ago, but maybe if this unusual Northwest sun keeps showing up they’ll really start ripening fruit for us?) Plan & Purchase: Shocking, isn’t…
Practical v. Political: People Who Give A Damn
As many of you know, I was at the Mother Earth News Fair all this past weekend. The MEN Fair is an interesting gathering place. Walking through the big, gravel parking lot across from the Puyallup Fairgrounds where the MEN Fair is held, you pass pick-up trucks and minivans festooned with Conservatarian bumper stickers that…
Homemade DIY Whole Wheat Waffle Mix
If I give my kids carte blanche to pick breakfast, as I often do on the weekends, they want waffles. It never fails. Waffles are one of those foods people seem impressed by. If you are used to thinking of waffles as something that comes from a yellow box in the freezer aisle, those little…
Throwing A Children’s Book Themed Baby Shower
Our best-est couple friends, Colin and Jo, are about to have their first baby. Yay! Last month, I co-hosted a baby shower for them. Here we all are. Everyone looks happy except Oliver, who resents being forced to stay still for eight seconds. My amazing co-hosts, Roxanne, Sarah and I agreed that a children’s book…
All Natural DIY Facial Exfoliator with Coconut Oil and Baking Soda
The Facial Years and years ago my husband treated me to a massage and spa facial for Mother’s Day. I had never had a facial before. I told the lady doing the facial, “I have really, really sensitive skin” and she said, “Good to know” and then proceeded to slather what I can only assume…
Giveaway: Mother Earth News Fair Weekend Passes
You know I love me some Mother Earth News, right? It’s been the official publication of simple-living folks and wanna-be simple-living folks since 1970! Every year, The Mother Earth News people put on the Mother Earth News Fair, which is a giant expo dedicated to urban and rural homesteading and greener, more thoughtful living. There are…
You Absolutely Should Not Get Backyard Chickens
I was talking to a friend the other day. She’s a gentle soul, a kind-hearted person who says, “I could never kill an animal” with wide, pained eyes that let you know she’s not talking in hyperbole. She wants chickens. She wants them bad. She wants the experience of fluffy little chicks and she wants…
Making School Lunch Easier: The Sandwich-Plus Plan
You can freeze sandwiches. Why didn’t I realize this about 3 years ago? I have a school-age daughter, and naturally I want her to have nutritious, healthy lunches. My attempts to send my daughter in with various kinds of frugal, left-over based meals have met with mixed success, and all too often my kid would…