Green Phone Booth: The Rhythm of Family

This week at The Green Phone Booth I posted my review of The Rhythm of Family: Discovering a Sense of Wonder through the Seasons by Amanda Blake Soule.  Reading the book has helped me remember to slow down, look around, learn the names of birds and wildflowers, resist the busyness of our daily lives.

Read my full review here.

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Does Your Child Walk to School?

I hate to drive.  Always have.  I used to make my friends in high school pick me up and shuttle me around.  I didn't bother to get my license until several months after my 16th birthday.  And having children and dealing with car seats has only made me dislike driving even more.  Whenever we move to a new place, I check the walkability index, and try to live within walking distance of several parks as well as the local library, farmer's market, and a few stores if possible.

My children aren't yet school-age, but when they are, I am really hoping to be able to walk to school, because if you can't walk or bike to school, you have two times per day when you automatically have to get in a vehicle (bleh).  Also, I love taking daily walks with my kids, and once kids' schedules are filled up with school and school assignments, it seems like getting a daily walk in for my kids would be extremely challenging if we weren't able to walk to and from school.

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Reuseit™ Insulated Lunch Bag: Review and SALE!

Reuseit's large insulated bag pictured
with what I usually put inside it.

For months and months, I took lunch for me and my kids to the park in a backpack.  This arrangement had a number of drawbacks.  I love my Klean Kanteen water bottles for my kids, but the sports cap sometimes would get opened in the bag and then water would drip all through the bag. Also, any food in reusable bags was liable to get smashed.  If we took cheese or other perishables to the park and didn't eat all of it, I usually felt like I had to toss it by the time we got home because it was, by then, lukewarm.  Finally, it was often just annoying to rummage through the large backpack (full of other various items) to find what we wanted.  Several of my mom friends brought their food in insulated bags, and I often looked at those bags a bit enviously, so eventually I decided it was time to try one.

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10 Ideas for a Greener Celebration

First, you should know that I'm not really into parties. So if you have several Pinterest folders related to parties and party themes, this post might not appeal to you. If it were up to me, my kids would have a birthday party maybe once every 5 years. And I don't like baby showers either particularly. But I have thrown my fair share of parties in the last few years, and I try my best to keeping them as eco-friendly as I can handle.  Here are some of my easiest ideas for simplifying and greening your celebration.

10 Ideas for a Greener Birthday Party or Baby Shower

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Green Phone Booth: Whole Grains

No time to prepare whole grains for dinner?  Check out three kid-friendly whole grains that can be prepared in less than 20 minutes in this week's post at the Green Phone Booth: Whole Grains in a Hurry.

Photo credit: jules:stonesoup

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Upcycled Toys: Boxes with Slots

What can you do with that shoe box, tissue box, or produce box before recycling it?  Let your kids use it as a toy!

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Green Phone Booth: Canning

I wrote about some lessons I learned from my first time canning over at The Green Phone Booth this week: Lessons Learned by a First-time Canner.

Special thanks to my friend Heidi for introducing me to the wonderful world of canning.  Eventually, I'll get around to posting the nitty-gritty details of the experience (with photos!) on this blog.

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The Smell of Clean

What should clean laundry smell like?

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Green Phone Booth: Etsy Favorites

Last month a large portion of my shopping budget was devoted to purchasing more of several Etsy products that have helped me to reduce my plastic consumption.  This week on The Green Phone Booth I wrote about these Etsy favorites:  Celeste Blake Designs (just got some new gallon-size bags), Kidsstore (just got some additional 100% cotton bibs), The Mulled Mind (just got some more steel straws), and Green Store (my first foray into shampoo bars).

Read my post A Little Etsy Love and then share your Etsy favorites -- especially those that have helped you go green -- in the comments.

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How to Avoid Eco-Hysteria

I fell down the rabbit hole of toxic information soon after I had my first baby. I spent hours and hours on the computer researching safer, more natural options with an infant on my lap. I had just left a job in policy research, so I was still in the research mode. And I was worried. And a bit obsessed. I wanted to know everything, change everything, fix everything - immediately!  Eventually, I chilled out. And now I'm going to share with you my tips for achieving some balance in your quest to go green.

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Green Phone Booth: Honey

This week for The Green Phone Booth I wrote about honey: Honey, I Should Have Bought More Honey.  Do you know where your honey comes from?

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