Posted on 31st March 2008 by mishakennedy in attachment parenting | birth
attachment parenting, birth, childbirth, midwifery, mothering
Sara Wickham wrote this for Midwifery Today and I thought I would share it with you.
“This action list of small things all midwives can do to change societal attitudes toward birth and to promote midwifery and the midwifery model was derived from some research I carried out a few years ago. All the suggestions are either free or very low cost, and none will take too much time or effort. Some things on the list won’t be new ideas to you, but they might act as a gentle reminder that simple, everyday things might have a positive impact on the way our society sees birth and midwifery.
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Technorati Tags: attachment parenting, birth, childbirth, midwifery, mothering
Posted on 24th March 2008 by Mish in frugal | gardening
family, frugal, gardening, green, money
Make a Rain Barrel
Even though there is still a few feet of snow on the ground here in central Vermont, I know that soon spring will come – and when it does, the rain will start. We always get bucket loads of rain in April around here. For several years, I have wished that we had captured that rain in the spring to use in the gardens in the summer!
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Technorati Tags: family, frugal, gardening, green, money
Posted on 20th March 2008 by Mish in frugal
baby, family, frugal, green, health, mom, organic
I really thought I couldn’t live without baby wipes when I had baby number – 2 or 3. They were so handy to have around. But now that I’m on baby number 6, I barely remember what it was that was so appealing. In fact, when I do buy the occasional package, I find that I use them more for my toddler’s face and hands and less for my baby’s butt!
So, what do I use to clean to my baby’s butt? I have a stack of clean, soft rags- some purchased inexpensively at a discount store, some I made myself out of old towels and t-shirts. We keep them in a drawer in the kitchen and when baby has stinker, before I unwrap her, I wet one or two of the rags in warm water. Then it goes into the diaper bucket in the washroom.
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Technorati Tags: baby, family, frugal, green, health, mom, organic
Posted on 16th March 2008 by Mish in miscellaneous
family, miscellaneous, money, teens
I have two teens. My oldest son will be 16 soon and my oldest daughter will soon be 15 and they have both, recently, gotten jobs. My son’s job will be full-time for about three months, meaning he will be earning more money on his own than he ever has before. And while I am proud of both of them, I want them to be careful with their newfound “wealth.” Because, as I well remember, when you don’t have any bills to pay, all of your money is disposable income! (more…)
Technorati Tags: family, miscellaneous, money, teens
Posted on 14th March 2008 by Mish in miscellaneous
blogging, blogs, miscellaneous, working from home, writing
Article #1 in the series, Blogging for Fun and Profit:
Should I Be a Blogger?
I have debated for some time about whether or not I should blog about blogging. But I get a lot of questions – including questions from my husband who recently started his own blog about hacking into his iPod touch. So, I thought I’d start a short series about blogging, since it is a green activity that can enable you to live a simpler life! All in keeping with the theme here at OI.
So, the first question you need to ask yourself is “Do I really want to be a blogger?” Like anything else, blogging takes effort. You can’t start a blog and expect to make a million dollars. It’s not a get rich quick scheme. You have to look at blogging as what it is – a practical, inexpensive way to self-publish. If you have something to say, blogging is a great way to say it.
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Technorati Tags: blogging, blogs, miscellaneous, working from home, writing
Posted on 12th March 2008 by Mish in miscellaneous
cleaning, compost, green, miscellaneous, newspaper
I try and stay “green” by doing most of media reading on the computer, but there is just something about a newspaper. I like to lay it out in front of me on the couch on a Sunday morning. I like to do the crossword and the jumble. I like to clip my kids’ pictures out when they get in the paper. It just doesn’t look the same if you print the article out on the printer. I still have a copy of the first front page story I ever wrote for the Green Bay News-Chronicle way back when.However, I do end up with quite a few stacks of papers. What to do with them all? Here’s a few great, green and frugal ways to make use of your newspapers…
1. The garden path. I mulch with newspapers. I love it. I take a stack out early in the spring and spread them on the path, between the plants, etc. The papers delineate the paths from the seed rows and as they keep the weeds at bay. They also retain water longer, keeping the soil around the plants moist and when they break down, I can easily replace them with more papers or mulch hay.
2. Newspaper logs. If you have enough of them – or are willing to collect from your neighbors – you can have free heating fuel. There are a number of ways to do it, but basically you roll the papers up tightly until they are about a fist-size around. You can either tie them with string or tape them with masking tape. Some people advocate soaking the logs and then drying them before burning, but it’s not mandatory. This woman has written a report on a how to do it: http://www.geocities.com/paperlogs/ I haven’t read it, but I’ve heard good things. There are also log-rolling machines available at places like Lehman’s. I’d love to hear from folks who have rolled and burned their own logs…
3. Clean your windows – and other glass items. Newspaper doesn’t leave lint or streaks behind!
4. Deodorize! Balled up newspaper in your veggie drawers, kids’ sneakers or layered between stored clothing and blankets.
5. Protect your fruit! Tomatoes wrapped individually in newspaper will ripen faster and stay protected from other produce…the same is true for apples.
When you’re done with the papers, you can shred them (or have the kids tear them up) and put them in the compost pile.
Technorati Tags: cleaning, compost, green, miscellaneous, newspaper
Posted on 6th March 2008 by Mish in miscellaneous
miscellaneous
Thanks for visiting. Over the last year, we have compiled some great articles on many different topics, including homeschooling, unschooling, gardening, farming, frugality, writing and more. We also have a Frugal and Green Tip of the Day (most days!). Right now, we are in the process of organizing these articles into a comprehensive archive that we hope one day to publish in print format – perhaps a yearly print anthology.
Please explore the archives and let us know what you think.
Technorati Tags: miscellaneous
Posted on 4th March 2008 by Mish in miscellaneous
blog, homeschool, miscellaneous, unschool
Here is a great collection of new homeschooling and unschooling blog links:
http://palmtreepundit.blogspot.com/
We are happy to be included!
Technorati Tags: blog, homeschool, miscellaneous, unschool
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