Do Less Laundry

Today's edition of Lazy and Cheap Ways to Be Green is about laundry. With today's labor saving appliances, laundry is a whole lot less work than it used to be. But I still find folding and putting away laundry to be a chore, so I like to minimize the amount of wash I do. By doing less laundry, you save time, energy, water,  money, and prolong the life of your washables. All it takes is a willingness to lower your standards of cleanliness.

How to Do Less Laundry

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Green Cleaning - How to Identify a Green Cleaner

In a perfect world, perhaps we would all make our own household cleaners from vinegar, baking soda, soap, hydrogen peroxide, lemon juice, salt, tea tree oil, etc. However, I still find myself relying on the convenience of store-bought cleaners on a regular basis, so here are some tips for finding a green cleaner (or making sure your favorite cleaner is green enough) until we reach DIY cleaning nirvana.

Look for Cleaners with One or More of the Following:

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Non-toxic Crib Mattresses

[This post is frequently updated as new non-toxic crib mattress options become available.]

Every few months someone asks me about crib mattresses. With good reason. Babies spend a lot of time sleeping! I think greening the bed should be a pretty high priority for anyone trying to expose their family to fewer toxic chemicals.

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What’s for Breakfast? Scrambled Eggs

One of my goals after my month of Plastic Awareness was to eat less packaged cereal.  And lately, cold cereal with milk just hasn’t been filling us up enough anyway.  Anyone with kids also knows that breakfast for dinner is always a good idea, and a pretty painless way to have a Meatless Monday too!  So this month each Wednesday I’m featuring a favorite breakfast recipe.   

These eggs are delish.

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Pregnancy, Pain, and Prenatal Exercise DVDs

If ever there was a good time to get serious about regularly exercising, it's pregnancy! Exercise during pregnancy decreases your chances of preeclampsia, builds endurance for labor and delivery, and allows for a quicker postpartum recovery. In addition, exercise also helps regulate your blood sugar levels and can be as effective as medication in treating gestational diabetes. For me, exercise was an important way to cope with the discomfort and pain of pregnancy at a time when I wanted to avoid taking pain relief medications. 

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Green Phone Booth: The Best Time to Try Cloth Diapers

This week at The Green Phone Booth: The Best Time to Try Cloth. Read all about why I consider the first few months of your baby's life the ideal time to give cloth diapers a try.

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What’s for Breakfast? German Pancakes

One of my goals after my month of Plastic Awareness was to eat less packaged cereal.  And lately, cold cereal with milk just hasn’t been filling us up enough anyway.  Anyone with kids also knows that breakfast for dinner is always a good idea, and a pretty painless way to have a Meatless Monday too!   So this month each Wednesday I’m featuring a favorite breakfast recipe.      

This recipe dates all the way back to my very first recipe book.  It’s an oldy, but a goody.  You may know it as a Puffed Oven Pancake.

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How Often Does Your Baby Poop Up Her Back?

My 5-day-old baby wearing a Kissaluvs fitted diaper.

When my first child was an infant, he had "pooplosions" almost every time he pooped. I'm going to estimate 90% of the time he pooped the poop went up his back and ended up all over his onesie. The reasons are simple: disposable diapers have a slick luge-like surface and very weak elastic around the back; infant poop is pretty runny; and infants tend to poop with a fair amount of force.

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One Down

I've already completed one of my five climate change resolutions!

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What’s for Breakfast? French Toast

Making french toast with my Le Creuset cast iron pan
and Lodge Logic griddle.

One of my goals after my month of Plastic Awareness was to eat less packaged cereal.  And lately, cold cereal with milk just hasn’t been filling us up enough anyway.  It seems like everyone is hungry 15 minutes after eating it.  Also, cooking first thing in the morning is a great way to heat up a cold house (we keep our thermostat around 60 at night). So this month each Wednesday I’m featuring a favorite breakfast recipe.

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