Better, Cheaper, Safer 4-Way Soft-Scrubber

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Written by Sharon Kaufman, Contributing Writer Conventional household cleaners = money and toxins down the drain Nowadays, consumers literally throw money down the drain with the industry's household cleaners that really don't even get the job done. But that's not the most serious consequence of using conventional cleaning products. Of course, I refer to the hundreds of toxins that are present in those products that cause damage to our bodies and to the environment. A better, cheaper, safer alternative With those considerations in mind, after [...]

Non-Toxic Cleaners You Can Make at Home

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Written by Stacy Karen, Contributing Writer Advertisers everywhere proclaim the germ fighting power of chemical-filled cleaners. Many would have us believe that there is no way to clean and disinfect without a chemical product. And doesn’t every good mother want to rid her home of germs and dirt? May I encourage you not to buy into these messages? A little dirt won’t kill you or your children. While it is true that some germs can be dangerous, so are the chemicals in the cleaners that [...]

Creating A Dinner Time Routine

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Written by Emily McClements, Contributing Writer It's been a long day.  You're tired, the kids are cranky, or needy, or fighting, or all three at once, the house looks like a tornado just passed through, and you look at the clock and it's 5:00 pm and you think, "Oh NO! What are we going to have for dinner?" What usually happens then, is something gets thrown together haphazardly, while the kids whine and cling to your leg. The stuff that's covering the dinner table gets [...]

What It Means to Be Well

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Written by Shannon, Contributing Writer All year long we are inundated with advertisements, marketing campaigns, and articles that try to teach us how to be healthier. At the New Year this wellness parade reaches a fevered pitch with resolutions being made and everyone trying to undo the overindulgence of the past month. And then there is that word "wellness" used by all sorts of alternative and mainstream medicine camps. Some of these camps define wellness as the absence of disease. Others claim it is some [...]

My Simple Cast Iron Care Routine

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Written by Shannon, Contributing Writer For so long I avoided cast iron because I was intimidated by the seasoning and care process that I had read about. Then my husband came home and surprised me one day with a cast iron skillet. Of course I swooned - who needs flowers when you have Ma Ingalls-style cookware? Still I procrastinated on putting it to use in my kitchen. When I finally did break down and prepare the pan for cooking I couldn't believe how easy it [...]

Simplicity and Freedom

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Written by Emily McClements, Contributing Writer It’s been a little over a year that I have really been pursuing this “frugally green” lifestyle.  I still feel very new to it, there is so much I still want to learn about, changes I want to make, and areas that I want to grow in. But, in other ways, it feels like I have always been on this journey.  Now, it’s sometimes hard for me to remember what it was like to wash my hair with conventional [...]

Simplifying Babyhood: Top Items for Baby’s First Year and Beyond

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Today I'm sharing over at Simple Mom, with my own top items for baby's first year and beyond for keeping babyhood simple: Last summer I was blessed with my third baby. It was a truly beautiful time, as I found it so much easier to relax, follow my mothering instincts and care for my baby in a simpler way than I did with the birth of my first two children. This relaxed approach wove its way not only into my interactions with my baby, but [...]

A Suburban Nature Walk

Nature in the City

Written by Sherrie Cook, Contributing Writer Using “suburban” and “nature” in the same sentence may feel awkward for some of us. Depending on the neighborhood you live in, it may be a task that appears completely daunting or even impossible.  Between the ever-growing concrete sidewalks and asphalt roadways there is still beauty to be found. A simple, still, lovely wilderness set before us to explore and encourage our children to take note of as well. If you are one of the millions of moms living [...]