Resources

Here you will find a compilation of many of my favorite sites and resources, as well as some lesser known sites that I thought may be useful for you. Please note that I do not necessarily promote every aspect of each site, but have found these to be good resources or references overall.

If you know of any other sites that may be of interest or value, please feel free to email me at keeperofthehome (at) canada.com (remove spaces) and let me know about them!

I will continue to add to these resources as I come across new sites that I believe my readers would be interested in or that I have personally benefited from.

Enjoy!

Health and Nutrition Information

Mercola.com: Offers a weekly newsletter with links to articles related to health, nutrition, supplements, etc. Some articles are fantastic, others are a bit over-the-top, and this is not a Christian site. However, the good articles and much of the nutrition info is very worth checking out!

Weston Price Foundation Site: An excellent resource for nutrition information! The author of Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon, is currently the President of the foundation, and all of the nutrition articles are very much in line with her writing based on traditional diets and methods of food preparation.

Real Milk: This site is the campaign for a return to unpasteurized and unhomogenized, farm fresh milk. Many articles explaining the dangers of conventional milk, and the benefits of raw and organic milk. Also includes an excellent directly for finding a source of raw milk where you live.

Christian Encouragement

Above Rubies Magazine: A free magazine (they run on donations only), supporting families. Articles on Biblical womanhood, mothering, marriage, adoption, nutrition, Godliness, home schooling and other topics. I've been receiving this magazine since my first child was born and I find it such an encouragment.

Ladies Against Feminism: A site that is dedicated to speaking out against the feminist worldview and agenda, with articles written by women of different ages, seasons of life and denominations.

Going Green

The Story of Stuff: An interactive and extrememly informative, thought-provoking video discussing the cycle of extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal- in other words, all of the "stuff" that we think we need and then proceed to get rid of. Watch and be changed. Very worthwhile.

The Green Guide: The ultimate guide to going "green"- includes buying guides for everything from cosmetics to home improvement to kids and babies, links to green blogs, tips and tools, and a wealth of information in their article library (a division of National Geographic).

Environmental Working Group: An excellent resource for information on health, toxic chemicals, farming, natural resources, and babies/children's health and safety.

Female Products

GladRags: They sell reusable cotton pads, The Keeper menstrual cup, The Keeper Moon Cup, The Diva Cup and Jade and Pearl sea sponge tampons. You can choose between organic and regular cotton. There's even a blog- what more could you ask for? LOL!FAQ's on using cloth pads: From the GladRags site, this is a very comprehensive FAQ and information page, with practically everything you ever wanted to know about why and how to use cloth pads.

Lunapads- Cloth pads, liners, Diva Cups, and more. There's a buying club option if you have friends that want to go in on it with you to receive a 20% discount.

Homemade pads tutorial: From Hillbilly Housewife, a simple tutorial with photos to show you how to make your own cloth pads. My friend tried and said it was so easy, and she doesn't even usually sew. So there- anyone can make them!

Household and Renovations

Green Building Materials article: from the Green Guide, a very useful article on green reno and supplies, with many links within.

Green Depot: Sort of like a Home Depot, with everything you need for home renovation, but the products are as green and non-toxic as possible! Products include carpet, paint, flooring, wood finishes, insulation, and more.

ecohaus: An environmental home centre, with green renovation products, with information about using green products and some how to's. I was surprised to learn that they have a brick and mortar store in Seattle, WA!

Bamboo hardwoods: Well, as the name would suggest, they carry bamboo hardwood flooring... but also furniture, home decor, fencing, garden supplies and more. Definitely a bit pricey, but beautiful and sustainable.

Beauty Supplies and Toiletries

Skin Deep (Cosmetic Safety Database): From the EWG above, this site has an extensive database of beauty and toiletry products, including makeup, skin care, hair care, eye care, nail care, baby care, fragrance and oral care. Simply search for the brand or name of a product, and you can view a very detailed description of the product ingredients, and their possible health risks. You can also search within a category to find a product that is safer than what you are currently using, or to find a specific brand that you would like to purchase. This site is eye opening, and an incredible resource for helping you make sure that what you put on your skin (and your family's) is as safe as possible.Vitacost- Excellent prices, cheap shipping. A great place to get your beauty supplies, as well as supplements and things like homeopathic teething tablets at the same time.

Burt's Bees: Natural personal care products- lotions, soaps, shampoos, lip glosses, baby products. Check out their featured products for some good deals. Their diaper cream is wonderful, and my husband and I practically fight over their chapstick. :)

J/A/S/O/N: One of my favorite natural brands- shampoos, conditioners, deodorants, toothpaste, body lotions, etc.

Vitacost: Very good prices on items such as toothpaste, deodorant, shampoos, etc. and includes brands such as Avalon, Burt's Bees, Desert Essence, Dr. Bronner's, J/A/S/O/N, Nature's Gate, Tom's of Maine, Weleda and many others. I find their prices to be some of the most discounted that I have found yet.

Nutritional Supplements

Vitacost: Most popular, name brand supplements at discounted prices, with reasonable shipping rates. They also carry a great selection of natural beauty and toiletry products.

Azure Standard: Very reasonable prices and a large selection. They are also a natural grocery and bulk whole foods retailer as well. They do delivery to drop points in 11 states, and will ship via FedEx anywhere else. I highly recommend checking them out. They are family owned and run and in several years of using them I have nothing but good things to say about them.

Whole Food Resources

Azure Standard- A family run, natural foods co-op, currently delivering to Oregon, California, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Iowa, Nevada, and Nebraska. I've been using this company for several years now, and am continually impressed by their excellent prices, bulk foods, huge selection and customer service. If you live in one of the states that they deliver to, please try out this incredible company!

Ladybug Organics: Only in the Lower Mainland/Vancouver, BC, Canada area. A small storefront in Port Kells (189th Ave, just off of 96th St), as well as local delivery, including fresh, organic produce.

Raw Milk (Home on the Range): Only in the Lower/Mainland/Vancouver, BC, Canada area. Uncertified organic, unpasteurized and unhomogenized cow's and goat's milk (as well as raw yogurt, butter, farm fresh eggs, and occasionally local grass fed meats and wild fish). We've been receiving their milk since late 2007, and we are just delighted with the quality. Contact Alice Jorgensen at home_on_the_range(at)telus.net for more information.

Mountain Rose Herbs: A great source for affordable, organic, virgin coconut oil (food grade and non-food grade), as well as spices, herbs, teas, beauty products (and bulk supplies for making your own), essential oils and many more intriguing items.

Wilderness Family Naturals: A family run company selling many different varieties of coconut oils and other healthful oils. They also sell a very healthy mayonnaise, raw cacoa powder and nibs, many superfoods (ie. goji berries, cod liver oil, raw bee pollen, flax, etc.) as well as dressings, nuts and trail mix, herbs and so many other things I can't list them all here. It seems that they are in line with many of the health concepts put forth in Nourishing Traditions.

Organic Gardening

You Grow Girl: An online community and resource for gardeners. Blog, tips, articles, photos, Q&A, Gardening 101, etc. It's a fun place to explore and learn more, especially for a newbie like me.

The Official Site of Square Foot Gardening: Lots of pictures, how to's and testimonies about this great method of gardening!

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds: Where I just purchased the rest of my seeds for this year from! Very reasonable prices, good selection, cheap and fast shipping- I was happy!

Recipes and Cooking Sites

Sue Gregg: I am just becoming acquainted with this site and it's resources. Sue teaches simple, affordable whole foods cooking. I have heard rave reviews about her cookbooks, and am currently trying out her "Taste and tell sampler", a free mini book available to anyone wishing to get a taste of her recipes and methods. I like her nutritional philosophies, which include support for raw milk, sprouted/soaked grains, good oils like coconut, butter and olive oil, and avoiding soy. She is a Christian, and her approach is wonderfully refreshing.

The Nourishing Gourmet: All whole foods recipes, using techniques from Nourishing Traditions (soaking, fermenting, from scratch, alternative grains, good fats, raw milk, etc.). The recipes are great, and Kimi is a wonderful teacher about the why's and how's behind this style of food preparation.

Tammy's Recipes: A great recipe site- run by a stay-at-home mom, who loves to cook and do things as homemade and from scratch as possible. Yummy recipes, including some ratings, as well as Tammy's blog which includes Kitchen Tip Tuesdays, and posts on mothering and natural, frugal living in the midst of great cooking tips and recipes.

All Recipes: One of my favorite recipe sites because it is fairly exhaustive. I can find a recipe for (almost) anything I'm looking for. It has a great ingredient search feature where you can list the ingredients you do and don't want to include in your search. Very helpful when the fridge is getting bare! You can sign in and save recipes to your recipe box, and print them in an easy format for your own recipe binder.

Real Simple Recipes: From the magazine Real Simple, these recipes are great because they use delicious, simple and fresh whole foods. Very rarely have I seen a recipe using canned or convenience foods (maybe beans). They almost always turn out to be winners.

Parenting

Raising Godly Tomatoes: This site is written by a mom of 10 children, and is her explanation of how to lovingly discipline children and train them in obedience and character issues. I really enjoy her straightforwardness and her no-nonsense approach. She is tough, but very loving, and seems to be having wonderful success with her own children. I will sometimes re-read her articles when things are going rough at our house. :)

Shepherd Press: They have put out some of the best books on parenting I have ever read (Shepherding a child's heart and Don't make me count to three), and they continue to come out with more excellent books to support the family.

Joshua's House: Referred to me by a reader, this site has some of wonderful ideas for family fun, as well as for teaching and training our children and incorporating scripture into those activities.

Frugality and Budgeting

You Need a Budget: This is the budgeting software that we use, and are completely in love with. It is easy to use and saves my husband much time and frustration. It works on very solid budgeting principles and helps people to plan well, to save, and to stop living from paycheck to paycheck. If you are looking for a tool to help you run your budget better, this is it. It comes in both a program and an excel spreadsheet format (we use the actual program), and is currently available for Windows and about to be released for Mac. We rave about this program to anyone who will listen!

Frugal Hacks: A conglomeration of a very large number of blogs on frugality (approached from so many different angles I can't begin to name them all- parenting, cooking, natural living, couponing, etc.). Frugal Hacks is also a blog itself, with several contributing authors. A great resource for finding frugal blogs.

Organic Grocery Deals: A coupon/deals forum focused on natural and organic foods.

Dave Ramsey: The author of several books and a popular radio show host, he teaches solid financial principles to help people get out and stay out of debt, and manage their money wisely. We've worked through a lot of his stuff and found it to be excellent. This is a great starting place for anyone wanting to learn how to get out of debt or to establish a budget and begin to manage their money well. I highly recommend his book The Total Money Makeover. He has also published a set of videos and teaching materials that are taught as small, local classes by volunteers in Canada and the US (and perhaps other places too). We attended one and it was great. There is a directory where you can find out if any classes are being offered near you.

Baby and Child Supplies

Baby Because: Cloth diapers and accessories, baby carriers and slings, natural toys... great customer service and low shipping. I bought my Bummi's diaper covers here and was very pleased.

Baby Naturopathics: A wide selection of safe, natural toys for infants and children. They carry mostly European brands, many of which are made with quality hardwoods or organic materials, and all of which are non-toxic. My sister and brother-in-law have purchased from them and were really happy with them. They are a Canadian company, although they also ship to internationally.

Oompa Toys: An American company, selling many of the same brands as Baby Naturopathics. Prices are quite reasonable, and their selection is great.

The Used Diaper Company: Similar to ebay in function, but selling only cloth diapers and accessories. Diapers are organized by brand, and most sellers are within the USA. A great place to either buy used diapers or sell your diapers that are no longer in use.

The Diaper Pin: Everything you need to know about using and buying cloth diapers- FAQ, how to's, diaper reviews, tips, forums, sale announcments. This place is great.

Ergo Baby Carriers: This is the carrier that I use and love. Some days, I don't know what I'd do without my beloved Ergo. It's easy on my back (which is saying a lot!), comfortable for babies, can be used in a variety of positions (front, back, hips), and holds babies all the way from newborn to toddler. Did I mention I love my Ergo?

Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Kellymom: A wonderful support for breastfeeding moms. Many informative articles on breastfeeding benefits, issues, nutrition, weaning, and more.

Bradley Method: The method that we studied for childbirth. It was helpful in many ways, especially in teaching me relaxation and in giving my husband the confidence and knowledge he needed to be an amazing childbirth coach. It focuses on husband coached, natural childbirth. There is a directory on the site to find a course or instructor near you.

Articles on nutrition for pregnancy and breastfeeding: From the Weston Price foundation, this link will bring you to the Children's Health page, with several articles on pregnancy and breastfeeding nutrition, as well as feeding infants and children. The focus is on whole foods, healthy fats, fat soluble vitamins, good protein sources, properly prepared grains and lots of vegetables and fruits. Much of it is written by the authors of Nourishing Traditions, or is very much in line with the same teachings.

Fertility Friend: An online ovulation chart, for Natural Family Planning. The basic level is free, and allows you to have a record of previous cycles. Very useful for anyone trying to become pregnant, and needing to record cycle information for medical reasons.