Are you familiar with Fast Company magazine? If not, you should be. I started reading them per my former employer's request (nay, demand) to buy a subscription and start learning, but I stuck with them because they cover a lot of green issues and tout the benefits of going green as a business or entrepreneur. Don't always agree with their politics, but I still learn quite a bit from 'em.
Anywho, if you're not already reading the publication, I would encourage you to at least hop over and check out the article in their June 2007 issue titled The Last Green Mile. The piece offers up some great information on a new innovation: a nationally branded green energy company. Yes, you read that right. Rather than trying to find a contractor who is at least semi-familiar with alternative energy (and the costs and benefits of installing solar, wind, and other alternative methods) or hoping there is a passionate businessperson in your area who has gotten into the market, some day you may be able to run to the local alternative energy place just like you pop by Home Depot for other home supplies.
Of course the question that comes to mind for me is why isn't Home Depot getting in on this? But then, I suppose they will once folks are aware enough of the ease and payback of solar and such to want to wander the aisles and possibly install solar panels, windmills and the like as do-it-yourself projects, just like folks have mooshed it all together themselves in the pages of Mother Earth News and Countryside for ages.
Anyway, go check it out. If you're interested in alternative energy, it'll be well worth your time. (Especially if you live in one of the California markets that are serviced by SolarCity, which offers a discount for homeowners that band together as a neighborhood to install solar gear in one fell swoop. Just think: you could get a "bulk" discount, then check with your accountant about tax credits at the end of the year, and you'd save on your utility bill and help the environment and all that jazz. Woooowee, what a concept!!!)
One additional side note: Fast Company has just moved into a new office space at 7 World Trade Center. Why does that matter to light greenies like me? It's "a site rebuilt as one of the first gold-level green-certified buildings in New York." Now you see why I like 'em, even when I don't necessarily agree with 'em! Coolness.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Going the Extra (Green) Mile
Monday, June 4, 2007
FitPregnancy Goes Green
Last week I picked up the latest issue of FitPregnancy (June/July 2007) and I was excited to see a special focus on "going green" this time around. The featured articles include tips on what to buy and avoid at the grocery store and changes you can make for a healthy pregnancy, baby, and lifestyle.
I loved how the featured article, It's Easy Being Green, offers readers options from "green" to "greenest". Considering our family has already incorporated some of the most basic ways of becoming greener, it was nice to see some challenges put before us. They've covered health and beauty aids, electronics, the home (office) and garden, and even green gifts. Love it, love it, love it! There's even a "How Green Are You?" quiz over on their website - and yes, I plan to go take it.
Whether you're pregnant (or trying to conceive) or not, I highly recommend that you look for this issue of FitPregnancy and read the article. It's not just for new and expecting parents; anyone can benefit from this piece!
Side note: I also learned about Baby Planet strollers, which offer parents a recycling program. You can download a free shipping label that will allow you to send your Baby Planet stroller back to the company when you're done with it. If the product can still be used, they'll clean it up and donate it to a children's charity. If it's on its last legs (or wheels, as it were), they will disassemble the stroller and send the parts to a recycling center. There's even a plan in the works to create a charity finder so you can donate your stroller locally if it's still in good shape! Again, lovin' it! Once the charity finder is in place, it'll be darn handy for those of us who already purchased a stroller made by another manufacturer but believe in passing things along and recycling as well.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Notes from the Homestead May 2007 (Reprinted with Permission)
Homestead Originals
“Notes from the Homestead”
Welcome All, to “Notes from the Homestead”! May is bringing us lots of flowers in our neck of the woods: the daffodils have bloomed and the tulips are in full bloom, as are our apple and pear trees.
We have been busy as always at our homestead, gathering lots of wood for the upcoming year, pruning and cleaning out the herb garden, flower beds and such. Planting flowers and strawberries - I love spring! The big project right now is the new chicken coop. Yay! I can’t wait to have fresh eggs again!
I hope you’ll enjoy this issue of our “Notes from the Homestead”. We enjoy putting it together for you and hope it blesses you and yours.
Enjoy this season and ‘til next time - God Bless!
Lisa and Family
Homestead Originals
~ Bringing a little ‘haven’ to your Homestead ~
http://www.homesteadoriginals.com/
From the Editor: Such Busy Days!
Hello, homesteaders! How is your garden coming along? We’re focusing more on preparing baby’s room (yay, more spring cleaning!) and an upcoming move here at my house, so instead of planting, I’m looking forward to hitting the local farmers market for some fresh goodies.
Everyone’s busy this month, between homestead tasks and the holidays, so we’re keeping things short and sweet. When you’re done reading the articles we’ve included this month, go stock up on citronella candles for those backyard barbecues. Don’t forget to check out the clearance shop as well; thanks to a little mishap with some cement (Lisa told me not to ask!), you can stock up on other candles as well.
Wishing you a happy Mother’s Day and a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend as well!
Melonie K.
editor@homesteadoriginals.com
PS: Be sure to check out these great titles now being offered at HomesteadOriginals.com:
A Baby’s First Foods: A Mother’s Guide
Family Recipe Keeper
Treasury of Vintage Homekeeping Skills
Writings of a Deliberate Agrarian
Notes from Home: Comments from our Customers
”I got the package today. OOOO, the lavender [heating pad]… smells wonderful and the other is really nice. Becca already wants to borrow mine. I have the box near me right now and I can smell the lavender. Thanks and blessings, Rhonda”
Homestead Kitchen:
From Marmee’s Kitchen: Overnight Cinnamon Rolls in a BOSCH mixer
By Martha Greene
Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
You will be doing this the evening before you want to serve your cinnamon rolls. This gives you the luxury of fresh fresh-baked hot rolls with no clean up or muss and fuss when you are ready to bake and serve.
YEILD: Makes 1 (9x13) pan + 1 (8x8) pan
DOUBLE RECIPE makes 3 (9x13) pans.
Equip your BOSCH mixer with the dough hooks & splash ring.
Add ingredients into the mixer bowl in this order:
2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups very warm water (120° - no hotter)
1 scant Tbsp. salt
1/2 cup dry milk powder
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups whole wheat flour
On top of the flour sprinkle 2 heaping Tbsp. of SAF Yeast
Turn on mixer on #1 and combine ingredients just briefly (about 30 seconds).
Add in:
2 eggs, beaten slightly
3 cups unbleached bread flour (I use KING ARTHUR brand)
Beat on speed #1 until dough is a smooth batter. Add in approximately
3 cups more unbleached flour; with the mixer running on speed #2, add just enough until dough is soft and workable (just slightly sticky) but workable. You may need a little more flour but be careful not to add to much as that will make a heavy, dense roll and you want them light and fluffy!
Knead the dough for 4 minutes on speed #2. Stop the mixer and wait for the dough to double up—about 30-50 minutes. Turn mixer on to deflate dough and take out of bowl onto a clean very lightly floured surface. Your dough is resting on the lightly floured surface in a big blob!
Put your bowl and hooks directly into the dishwasher now or fill it with hot soapy water and take a couple of minutes to wash it out and put it to drain—it will only take but a few minutes and clean up is much easier when now rather than later! (Ask me how I know.)
Prepare your pans: As stated at the beginning this recipe makes 1 (9x13) pan + 1 (8x8) pan. Melt 1 stick of butter and drizzle it into the bottoms of the pans. Sprinkle the pans on top of the butter with a cinnamon sugar mixture (1/4 cup sugar + 2 tsp. cinnamon). Roll your dough out with a pastry roller to about a 15x20” rectangle. Spread the dough with some melted butter and sprinkle heavily with cinnamon/sugar (1/2 cup sugar + 2 Tbsp. cinnamon). That seems like a lot of cinnamon so cut it back if you prefer but we like them like that! Then sprinkle over with finely chopped walnuts or pecans or almonds and raisins if you like those additions. Roll up lengthwise like a jelly roll and pinch the ends shut. Stretch out roll to even it up and cut into 18 slices. 12 should fit in the 9x13 pan and 6 in the 8x8 pan. If you have doubled the recipe you will have 36 slices and I divide the original dough blob into 3rds and roll each one out separately and cut each roll into 12 slices.
Now cover nicely with some plastic wrap (I lightly grease my wrap with pan spray) and pop them into the refrigerator. Time for bed after you have cleaned up. Sweet Dreams!
When arising in the morning and you are ready for hot rolls, pop them in the oven and bake at 350° for 20-30 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and frost with your prepared frosting. Serve and listen to all the oohhs and aaahhhhs!
Creamy Roll Frosting
Prepare this the evening before and keep it sealed in the refrigerator until ready to put rolls in the oven. Then remove it from the refrigerator to take the chill off the frosting while the rolls bake. Ice the rolls after they have cooled slightly. The key to this frosting is whipping it in the BOSCH with the wire whips. This makes a good bit of frosting, enough for a double batch so make less if you don’t want as much icing on your rolls.
Add to BOSCH bowl equipped with wire whips:
1 stick very soft butter (WARNING: hard butter will bend or break the wire whips!)
1 (8 oz.) very soft cream cheese, cut into small pieces
1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
1 tsp. lemon juice
4 cups of 10X powdered icing sugar
Place lid on mixer so sugar will not fly out.
Beat for 3 minutes on speed #3. Frost warm cinnamon rolls.
Hope you enjoy them to the last bite! I love to make these and give them as gifts.
Everyone raves over them!
If you have a friend who would like these recipes of “Good Morning Favorites for your Family”, please pass it on and tell them it is from Marmee with love!
Greene Acres Publications
© 2007 Reprinted by Permission.
Homestead Learning:
Teaching Your Own: The Next Trend?
By Barbara Frank
Here in Chicago, it’s time for the Auto Show. For the next two weeks, it will be relentlessly promoted on radio and TV until we’re sick of it. Already this morning, my radio/alarm clock woke me to the radio personality’s excited announcement that this year’s show will be honored with a visit from none other than Rachael Ray.
Now, if it weren’t for my daughter, I wouldn’t have a clue who Rachael Ray is. But in the bookstore where my daughter works, Rachael Ray is a big name, because she apparently has a television cooking show, and more importantly, sells a ton of books. In an era when people are reading less than ever, someone who writes best-sellers, no matter what the topic, is famed among booksellers.
Of course, Rachael Ray is just one of a herd of famous cooks that are selling books, cookware and probably even the kitchen sink these days. A little research reveals names like Paula Deen, Bobby Flay and Sandra Lee, and of course, Martha Stewart, who I have heard of (I haven’t completely withdrawn from society…..not yet, anyway).
I find this cooking trend to be amazing. I grew up at a time when women were urged by society to throw off their aprons, run from their stoves and embrace the business world, where they would find True Fulfillment. When I graduated from college in 1980, most women knew how to cook but weren’t about to brag about it, because it was not a very cool thing to admit. But now, after several decades of fast-food meals in place of home-cooked ones, people are evidently ready to give up processed foods and embrace real, from-scratch cooking again.
I find this so interesting! Do you suppose a trend is starting where all the true home arts that were traditionally the province of women come back? Now that I think about it, the recent resurgence of knitting and scrapbooking could be additional signs of a revival. I shouldn’t get my hopes up, but if it’s becoming socially acceptable for women to cook, and knit, and scrapbook (and even, according to Martha Stewart, keep a clean and fashionable home), isn’t it possible that one of the most time-honored traditions of them all will come back…..raising and educating our own children?
Ok, maybe I’m stretching a bit here, but if cooking can become such an honored activity that its proponents get invited to appear at none other than the 99th Annual Chicago Auto Show, can’t I hope that some bubbly brunette will eventually spring forth with a television show about having children and raising them yourself? She could teach about pregnancy, and giving birth, and nursing the baby, and introducing solid foods….imagine the possibilities!
And once her show is all the rage, generating books and products galore for new moms to buy, her producers will look for a spin-off idea that will generate even more tie-in books and products to promote. That will be the perfect time to introduce her new show about raising preschoolers. None of that preprocessed preschool education for her! This show will present all the ways women can educate their preschoolers at home, from scratch. She could bring on her mom friends and they could demonstrate how to let your three-year-old finger-paint at home (without an art class!), how to let your preschooler run in the rain, how to set up a sandbox and let your little ones spend happy hours playing in it with no interruptions for group bathroom breaks, instead giving them the freedom to decide when they need to go potty …..all the things those poor kids locked up in daycare can’t experience.
After a few years of this, our bubbly brunette will really have the attention of advertisers everywhere. Celebrity actresses will appear on her show to give viewers all the dishy details about how they quit gallivanting around the world hitting fashion shows with Madonna once they discovered the joys of spending more than one day in a row with their little ones. A new line of books and products promoting the show’s theme of “Keeping your children home where they belong!” will spring up.
And just as her fame has reached a level equal to Oprah’s, our bubbly brunette (our Mommy Icon, if you will) introduces her newest show, the equivalent of grad school for moms: Homeschooling! After all, once you’ve put in the time and effort having your children, nurturing them and teaching them up to age five, why stop now? Putting them in school after all that would be like Rachael Ray giving up cooking to eat at McDonald’s every day. So there’s the next trend….television shows will spring up with high-profile guests like Mary Pride and Laurie Bluedorn. Homeschool catalog companies will be overwhelmed with inquiries. Homeschool conventions will require larger venues because of the demand. Soon it will become apparent that anyone in the know teaches their children at home, and the biggest names in homeschooling appear everywhere, like Rachael Ray, even at the Auto Show…..
Uh-oh, here’s that d.j. harping on the Auto Show again. I must have hit my snooze alarm. All that stuff about mothering and homeschooling becoming de rigueur was just a dream. But aren’t we homeschooling moms fortunate that we’re living the dream? Let them have their business trips and their designer shoes….we know where the real fulfillment is.
In our society, we hear endless talk about the importance of education. But we somehow manage to forget that the primary place of education is the home. Chesterton says, “If education is the largest thing in the world, what is the sense of talking about a woman being liberated from the largest thing in the world?” In other words, if education is really as important as we say it is, then certainly domestic life is more important than we currently make it out to be, and everything else, especially public life and commercial life, is less important than we hold it up to be.
Dale Ahlquist in Common Sense 101: Lessons from G.K. Chesterton
© 2007 Barbara Frank/Cardamom Publishers Reprinted by Permission.
Barbara Frank is the mother of four homeschooled-from-birth children ages 14-23, a freelance writer/editor, and the author of “Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers” and “The Imperfect Homeschooler’s Guide to Homeschooling.” To visit her Web site, “The Imperfect Homeschooler,” go to http://www.cardamompublishers.com/.
Special Offer for “Notes from the Homestead” Subscribers: May 2007
When you place an order, be sure to tell us you're a subscriber to "Notes from the Homestead". You’ll receive a free tea light sampler and a free copy of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine!
Did you enjoy "Notes from the Homestead"? Drop Lisa, Lisa@HomesteadOriginals.com , or Melonie, Editor@HomesteadOriginals.com , an email ~ we'd love to hear from you!
Please feel free to pass it on to friends and family, in its entirety, via email. Interested in reprinting an article featured here on your blog, website, or print publication? Please email us at Editor@HomesteadOriginals.com to obtain proper permissions!
“Notes from the Homestead”
Welcome All, to “Notes from the Homestead”! May is bringing us lots of flowers in our neck of the woods: the daffodils have bloomed and the tulips are in full bloom, as are our apple and pear trees.
We have been busy as always at our homestead, gathering lots of wood for the upcoming year, pruning and cleaning out the herb garden, flower beds and such. Planting flowers and strawberries - I love spring! The big project right now is the new chicken coop. Yay! I can’t wait to have fresh eggs again!
I hope you’ll enjoy this issue of our “Notes from the Homestead”. We enjoy putting it together for you and hope it blesses you and yours.
Enjoy this season and ‘til next time - God Bless!
Lisa and Family
Homestead Originals
~ Bringing a little ‘haven’ to your Homestead ~
http://www.homesteadoriginals.com/
From the Editor: Such Busy Days!
Hello, homesteaders! How is your garden coming along? We’re focusing more on preparing baby’s room (yay, more spring cleaning!) and an upcoming move here at my house, so instead of planting, I’m looking forward to hitting the local farmers market for some fresh goodies.
Everyone’s busy this month, between homestead tasks and the holidays, so we’re keeping things short and sweet. When you’re done reading the articles we’ve included this month, go stock up on citronella candles for those backyard barbecues. Don’t forget to check out the clearance shop as well; thanks to a little mishap with some cement (Lisa told me not to ask!), you can stock up on other candles as well.
Wishing you a happy Mother’s Day and a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend as well!
Melonie K.
editor@homesteadoriginals.com
PS: Be sure to check out these great titles now being offered at HomesteadOriginals.com:
A Baby’s First Foods: A Mother’s Guide
Family Recipe Keeper
Treasury of Vintage Homekeeping Skills
Writings of a Deliberate Agrarian
Notes from Home: Comments from our Customers
”I got the package today. OOOO, the lavender [heating pad]… smells wonderful and the other is really nice. Becca already wants to borrow mine. I have the box near me right now and I can smell the lavender. Thanks and blessings, Rhonda”
Homestead Kitchen:
From Marmee’s Kitchen: Overnight Cinnamon Rolls in a BOSCH mixer
By Martha Greene
Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
You will be doing this the evening before you want to serve your cinnamon rolls. This gives you the luxury of fresh fresh-baked hot rolls with no clean up or muss and fuss when you are ready to bake and serve.
YEILD: Makes 1 (9x13) pan + 1 (8x8) pan
DOUBLE RECIPE makes 3 (9x13) pans.
Equip your BOSCH mixer with the dough hooks & splash ring.
Add ingredients into the mixer bowl in this order:
2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups very warm water (120° - no hotter)
1 scant Tbsp. salt
1/2 cup dry milk powder
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups whole wheat flour
On top of the flour sprinkle 2 heaping Tbsp. of SAF Yeast
Turn on mixer on #1 and combine ingredients just briefly (about 30 seconds).
Add in:
2 eggs, beaten slightly
3 cups unbleached bread flour (I use KING ARTHUR brand)
Beat on speed #1 until dough is a smooth batter. Add in approximately
3 cups more unbleached flour; with the mixer running on speed #2, add just enough until dough is soft and workable (just slightly sticky) but workable. You may need a little more flour but be careful not to add to much as that will make a heavy, dense roll and you want them light and fluffy!
Knead the dough for 4 minutes on speed #2. Stop the mixer and wait for the dough to double up—about 30-50 minutes. Turn mixer on to deflate dough and take out of bowl onto a clean very lightly floured surface. Your dough is resting on the lightly floured surface in a big blob!
Put your bowl and hooks directly into the dishwasher now or fill it with hot soapy water and take a couple of minutes to wash it out and put it to drain—it will only take but a few minutes and clean up is much easier when now rather than later! (Ask me how I know.)
Prepare your pans: As stated at the beginning this recipe makes 1 (9x13) pan + 1 (8x8) pan. Melt 1 stick of butter and drizzle it into the bottoms of the pans. Sprinkle the pans on top of the butter with a cinnamon sugar mixture (1/4 cup sugar + 2 tsp. cinnamon). Roll your dough out with a pastry roller to about a 15x20” rectangle. Spread the dough with some melted butter and sprinkle heavily with cinnamon/sugar (1/2 cup sugar + 2 Tbsp. cinnamon). That seems like a lot of cinnamon so cut it back if you prefer but we like them like that! Then sprinkle over with finely chopped walnuts or pecans or almonds and raisins if you like those additions. Roll up lengthwise like a jelly roll and pinch the ends shut. Stretch out roll to even it up and cut into 18 slices. 12 should fit in the 9x13 pan and 6 in the 8x8 pan. If you have doubled the recipe you will have 36 slices and I divide the original dough blob into 3rds and roll each one out separately and cut each roll into 12 slices.
Now cover nicely with some plastic wrap (I lightly grease my wrap with pan spray) and pop them into the refrigerator. Time for bed after you have cleaned up. Sweet Dreams!
When arising in the morning and you are ready for hot rolls, pop them in the oven and bake at 350° for 20-30 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and frost with your prepared frosting. Serve and listen to all the oohhs and aaahhhhs!
Creamy Roll Frosting
Prepare this the evening before and keep it sealed in the refrigerator until ready to put rolls in the oven. Then remove it from the refrigerator to take the chill off the frosting while the rolls bake. Ice the rolls after they have cooled slightly. The key to this frosting is whipping it in the BOSCH with the wire whips. This makes a good bit of frosting, enough for a double batch so make less if you don’t want as much icing on your rolls.
Add to BOSCH bowl equipped with wire whips:
1 stick very soft butter (WARNING: hard butter will bend or break the wire whips!)
1 (8 oz.) very soft cream cheese, cut into small pieces
1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
1 tsp. lemon juice
4 cups of 10X powdered icing sugar
Place lid on mixer so sugar will not fly out.
Beat for 3 minutes on speed #3. Frost warm cinnamon rolls.
Hope you enjoy them to the last bite! I love to make these and give them as gifts.
Everyone raves over them!
If you have a friend who would like these recipes of “Good Morning Favorites for your Family”, please pass it on and tell them it is from Marmee with love!
Greene Acres Publications
© 2007 Reprinted by Permission.
Homestead Learning:
Teaching Your Own: The Next Trend?
By Barbara Frank
Here in Chicago, it’s time for the Auto Show. For the next two weeks, it will be relentlessly promoted on radio and TV until we’re sick of it. Already this morning, my radio/alarm clock woke me to the radio personality’s excited announcement that this year’s show will be honored with a visit from none other than Rachael Ray.
Now, if it weren’t for my daughter, I wouldn’t have a clue who Rachael Ray is. But in the bookstore where my daughter works, Rachael Ray is a big name, because she apparently has a television cooking show, and more importantly, sells a ton of books. In an era when people are reading less than ever, someone who writes best-sellers, no matter what the topic, is famed among booksellers.
Of course, Rachael Ray is just one of a herd of famous cooks that are selling books, cookware and probably even the kitchen sink these days. A little research reveals names like Paula Deen, Bobby Flay and Sandra Lee, and of course, Martha Stewart, who I have heard of (I haven’t completely withdrawn from society…..not yet, anyway).
I find this cooking trend to be amazing. I grew up at a time when women were urged by society to throw off their aprons, run from their stoves and embrace the business world, where they would find True Fulfillment. When I graduated from college in 1980, most women knew how to cook but weren’t about to brag about it, because it was not a very cool thing to admit. But now, after several decades of fast-food meals in place of home-cooked ones, people are evidently ready to give up processed foods and embrace real, from-scratch cooking again.
I find this so interesting! Do you suppose a trend is starting where all the true home arts that were traditionally the province of women come back? Now that I think about it, the recent resurgence of knitting and scrapbooking could be additional signs of a revival. I shouldn’t get my hopes up, but if it’s becoming socially acceptable for women to cook, and knit, and scrapbook (and even, according to Martha Stewart, keep a clean and fashionable home), isn’t it possible that one of the most time-honored traditions of them all will come back…..raising and educating our own children?
Ok, maybe I’m stretching a bit here, but if cooking can become such an honored activity that its proponents get invited to appear at none other than the 99th Annual Chicago Auto Show, can’t I hope that some bubbly brunette will eventually spring forth with a television show about having children and raising them yourself? She could teach about pregnancy, and giving birth, and nursing the baby, and introducing solid foods….imagine the possibilities!
And once her show is all the rage, generating books and products galore for new moms to buy, her producers will look for a spin-off idea that will generate even more tie-in books and products to promote. That will be the perfect time to introduce her new show about raising preschoolers. None of that preprocessed preschool education for her! This show will present all the ways women can educate their preschoolers at home, from scratch. She could bring on her mom friends and they could demonstrate how to let your three-year-old finger-paint at home (without an art class!), how to let your preschooler run in the rain, how to set up a sandbox and let your little ones spend happy hours playing in it with no interruptions for group bathroom breaks, instead giving them the freedom to decide when they need to go potty …..all the things those poor kids locked up in daycare can’t experience.
After a few years of this, our bubbly brunette will really have the attention of advertisers everywhere. Celebrity actresses will appear on her show to give viewers all the dishy details about how they quit gallivanting around the world hitting fashion shows with Madonna once they discovered the joys of spending more than one day in a row with their little ones. A new line of books and products promoting the show’s theme of “Keeping your children home where they belong!” will spring up.
And just as her fame has reached a level equal to Oprah’s, our bubbly brunette (our Mommy Icon, if you will) introduces her newest show, the equivalent of grad school for moms: Homeschooling! After all, once you’ve put in the time and effort having your children, nurturing them and teaching them up to age five, why stop now? Putting them in school after all that would be like Rachael Ray giving up cooking to eat at McDonald’s every day. So there’s the next trend….television shows will spring up with high-profile guests like Mary Pride and Laurie Bluedorn. Homeschool catalog companies will be overwhelmed with inquiries. Homeschool conventions will require larger venues because of the demand. Soon it will become apparent that anyone in the know teaches their children at home, and the biggest names in homeschooling appear everywhere, like Rachael Ray, even at the Auto Show…..
Uh-oh, here’s that d.j. harping on the Auto Show again. I must have hit my snooze alarm. All that stuff about mothering and homeschooling becoming de rigueur was just a dream. But aren’t we homeschooling moms fortunate that we’re living the dream? Let them have their business trips and their designer shoes….we know where the real fulfillment is.
In our society, we hear endless talk about the importance of education. But we somehow manage to forget that the primary place of education is the home. Chesterton says, “If education is the largest thing in the world, what is the sense of talking about a woman being liberated from the largest thing in the world?” In other words, if education is really as important as we say it is, then certainly domestic life is more important than we currently make it out to be, and everything else, especially public life and commercial life, is less important than we hold it up to be.
Dale Ahlquist in Common Sense 101: Lessons from G.K. Chesterton
© 2007 Barbara Frank/Cardamom Publishers Reprinted by Permission.
Barbara Frank is the mother of four homeschooled-from-birth children ages 14-23, a freelance writer/editor, and the author of “Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers” and “The Imperfect Homeschooler’s Guide to Homeschooling.” To visit her Web site, “The Imperfect Homeschooler,” go to http://www.cardamompublishers.com/.
Special Offer for “Notes from the Homestead” Subscribers: May 2007
When you place an order, be sure to tell us you're a subscriber to "Notes from the Homestead". You’ll receive a free tea light sampler and a free copy of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine!
Did you enjoy "Notes from the Homestead"? Drop Lisa, Lisa@HomesteadOriginals.com , or Melonie, Editor@HomesteadOriginals.com , an email ~ we'd love to hear from you!
Please feel free to pass it on to friends and family, in its entirety, via email. Interested in reprinting an article featured here on your blog, website, or print publication? Please email us at Editor@HomesteadOriginals.com to obtain proper permissions!
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Quick Tips for Going Green
Despite what Kermit used to say, it can be easy being green. (I hear tell he has hooked up with Ford to prove it, too.)
Here are five fast and easy ways to start going green. I bet you can implement one each day of the week. There, doesn't that feel great? You're already on the way and in some cases you'll save money too!
- Use one glass for your water or mug for your coffee each day. Travelling? Try a Nalgene bottle or Kleen Kanteen. Rinse 'em out good; you're still using less water than if you'd used a separate glass for each beverage, and you're not using a ton of disposable cups or water bottles.
- Use cloth napkins. (Sound germy? Pick up extras so that you don't necessarily have to use the same ones every day. I know I'd want to switch out! Save 'em up and toss 'em in with a load of towels or linens when you wash them.)
- Consider cloth diapers. Even if you cut back your disposable diaper use by half, you're still saving money and cutting back on the trash. Doesn't sound that easy? Guess what - there are starter kits to get you going.
- Grow your own organic produce. No yard? No excuse. You can grow lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and even corn (yes, corn - I've done it!) in containers on a patio or urban rooftop.
- Heading out to do errands? Make a list first, and consolidate what you need to do. Could you shop at a catch-all store like Fred Meyer or Wal-Mart in one trip for shoes, school supplies, and a new oil filter for the car? Even if you need to go to specialty stores, plan your route so that you start at the furthest store and work your way back home; account for traffic if possible. You'll save gas (less stop 'n go) and your stress levels will be lower by the time you're done too. Take that Nalgene bottle with you and you'll be well-hydrated as well.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Real Mamas Blog
I just came across this blog over at the RealMama website (which I came across thanks to an ad on the Kiwi Magazine website). Go take a look. They only appear to post an entry monthly, but it's excellent info!
Be sure to check out the Kiwi mag site as well. I love, love, LOVE this magazine!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Easy Environmentalism Series at Workerette.com
In honor of Earth Day (and, well, every day!) I just had to finish out the month of April with a special series focusing on easy ways for folks to "go green". Please head over to Workerette.com and check it out. I'll post a handful of baby steps each day for folks who want to learn more about ways they can benefit the environment, their families, and their wallets by being a wee bit more green.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Little Remedies Coupons Available
When Chatty was much younger (think baby/toddler years), I tried the standard children's medications when she had a stuffy nose or a cold as well as the more "natural" products from Little Remedies. Thankfully it's been a while since she was sick enough to really need anything medicinal, so I had pretty much forgotten about them. That is, until we went into Babies R Us to register for Winky's pending arrival and I spotted all sorts of their products on the shelves. They even had a new parent survival kit with gobs of different items in it, including new items that weren't available years ago. (Needless to say that went on the registry along with some Aveeno and Earth's Best products. OH, how I wish I'd known about these companies when Chatty was a baby!)
I spotted one of their ads in American Baby today and pulled it out to remind myself to go check out their website to see if they offer any sort of coupons or frequent buyer programs or the like. Whaddaya know, they do! If you go to their website (LittleRemedies.com) and sign up for their free e-news, they'll send you coupons, special offers, and new product announcements. Suhweet!
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