Poets and Saints
…and the moms who try to be both.Archive for Green Mom
Garden Love
This morning I started weeding after the rain. I forgot how satisfying it feels to accomplish something small, even if I don’t like doing it, early in the morning. My tomatoes are going gang buster, but so are the weeds. I am heavy into water-and-weeding season but thankfully God has been doing the watering for me.
I get a lot of questions about my garden. My garden is small (it’s the suburbs after all) and very simple. If you are looking to try out a garden here are a few tips I’ve learned that may save you a lot of hassle:
1. Do garden boxes. They’re easy to make (see picture above). They contain the garden. They don’t take up much yard. You can start gardening sooner (the soil warms up quicker in spring). They’re great for tomatoes, peppers, peas, lettuce, beans, zucchini and more. They’re not good for corn, melons or any “vining” plant, including large plants that take up space.
2. Weed when it’s wet. They’re easier to pull when the soil is wet. You can do a small area in fifteen minutes and feel like you accomplished something. There are very few tasks that I can do in 15 minutes and feel a sense of accomplishment. It doesn’t mean I like weeding, just the feeling of finishing something.
3. Plant the easiest veggies. Tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, peas, beans have proven to be the easiest for me.
4. Add compost to your soil. You can buy it if you don’t make your own. It’s a great natural fertilizer for plants. Add it in spring by raking it into soil.
5. Start small. It’s less overwhelming when watering and weeding season come around. I recommend tomatoes or peppers. Bunnies won’t eat it. You can even grow them in pots. The grape tomatoes are especially easy to grow. You can buy the plants from Lowe’s or even start them from seed during late winter inside.
The best thing about gardening is that there is a reward at the end. You get to enjoy the delicious produce from summer for many months! Plus I’ve been amazed how much kids get into gardening. Give them a special dirt corner to play in with a trowel and a few seeds. But beware: something might actually grow. I gave my daughter sunflower seeds to play with and plant and now they’re all over my garden. At least she’s learning where food and flowers comes from. And I’m learning not to expect perfection these days either.
Even a little bit of gardening satisfies my green thumb.
It’s time to sign up for a CSA
CSA: community sponsored agriculture
A CSA program is like having a gigantic garden in your backyard without any weeding, watering, or picking because someone else does all the work! I happen to like gardening, but with the size of our lot being so small and having one huge shade tree in the back, I can only have a few garden boxes, which means I can’t grow a whole lot of veggies. This is the downfall of living in the city, because even if we move, we are likely to end up with an even smaller lot than the one we have.
A few years ago I signed up for a local farm’s CSA program where I received a half bag of fresh organic produce every week. That got me hooked and now I love getting my fresh bag of seasonal produce throughout the summer. It has stretched me as a cook (kale, anyone?) and an eater. Plus it is so good and healthy for you.
If you live near me, check out these local farm’s CSA programs:
(If you’re having trouble with the above link, try this one.)
6 Ways to Spring Clean (and Save Money)
I am in the midst of spring cleaning. This isn’t just your ordinary dust and sweep routine, but doing the dirty work that hasn’t been done in a year or more. As I polish the woodwork, organize closets and get rid of junk, I’m surprised how much dirt, dust and clutter are around. I clean every week but when you look under my bed, you’d never know it! The best part of all, spring cleaning makes your house look better with little monetary investment.
1. Use Vinegar or Club Soda to Clean Windows These products are cheap to use and eco-friendly too. Some people like to wipe their windows with newspapers. That works but be careful of walls and trim. The damp newspaper can leave newsprint on your lovely painted walls.
2. Clean Out Closets and Donate Whenever I think I need more space, I clean my closets and I have instant space. I donate a lot of things and create more space on my shelves for other things. Amazing and totally free! (except for the time and labor you put in.)
3. Use Rags Cut up old t-shirts, shorts. polos, and sheets and you have your supplies for spring cleaning! No more paper towels!
4. Make Your Own Scouring Powder with a paste of baking soda and water. I use this when I have coffee and tea stains on my counters or when washing the bottom of my shower, which frequently gets mildew buildup. Vinegar also works great in the shower too. For an easy drain cleaner, pour baking soda down your drain, then add vinegar. The combination will bubble up like carbonation and is fun to watch. Be sure to rinse the baking soda when you are finished.
5. Use Scratch Cover for Wood I love Old English’s Scratch Cover for Wood. This is my most pricey cleaning product ($4.00-5.00) but it does wonders for my banged up woodwork. It makes light scratches disappear and polishes the woodwork too! It will not cover deep scratches or gouges, but does amazing things for all the toy dings and pet scratches (from the previous owners) and makes my woodwork, stairs rail, and trim look so much better. I’ve been putting off this job for a long time, but now I’m so glad I did it. Although the scratch cover is more money than I usually pay for cleaning products, it’s by far cheaper than replacing trim. Plus, it was so satisfying to polish away scratches and make my wood look like new again.
6. Use the Sun Take blankets, rugs and more outside to get a good airing out and light bleaching from the sun on a nice day. I like to wash my blankets and line dry them. The dryer is expensive to use, especially when you are drying heavy objects like blankets. Use free energy from the sun and wind and enjoy a fresh, clean blanket.
Happy Spring Cleaning!
3 New Blogs I’m Reading
I’ve been reading some new blogs lately on my Google reader. Two of these blogs are very popular and have a huge readership, so it’s not like they need a plug. However, I thought they might be inspiring to others out there and give you a little insight into what I like to read in my downtime:
1. Got 2 be Green–There are lots of green websites and blogs, but this website isn’t just touting expensive green options, but ones that are eco-friendly and will save you money. (Example: Instead of throwing throwing lemons out when they get funky, use them to clean countertops, cutting boards and the bathroom. Real lemon scent too.)
2. Whittaker Women–She has great family night ideas with all kinds of themes! Not fancy or slick, just good old-fashioned word-of-mouth advice for moms trying to come up with some family fun.
3. Confessions of a Pioneer Woman– This blog is huge and it’s no wonder. The author went from being a city girl to wife of a rancher and now spends her days taking pictures of cattle and horses and writing about the many facets of ranch life. She also has specific categories on photography, homeschooling, cooking and decorating, although her ranch stories are the best.
Have fun looking at new blogs this weekend!
P.S. If you have any you like, send them my way.
Green
Yesterday I had the chance to speak to my MOPS group (Mothers of Preschoolers) on “green living.” I didn’t know how receptive people would be about the topic, but I found that the group was very interested and there were lots of questions and positive comments. People were eager to learn ways to make their homes and food choices more natural. I also tried to emphasize that it’s the small choices that count too. We’re not going to change the world by growing organic food or composting our vegetable scraps, but it is one step closer to making a difference. Sometimes all we can do are the little things.
I can’t say that I haven’t faced doubters in the past. I get asked by a lot of people about organic food. I’m not sure why I’ve become a resource for this, but I encounter people who are both curious and doubtful. I had one friend who even told me that people who shopped at our local food co-op didn’t wear deodorant.
“What?” I asked.
And he said, “You know, they don’t wear deoderant and so they’re a little stinky.”
I said, “They wear deoderant! What are you talking about?”
We laughed about it as only friends can, but there was a grain of truth in his joke: he thought people who shopped there didn’t believe in it.
Others ask us more innocent questions like “what is organic food?” One friend admitted he thought all food was organic since the literal definition of organic is “derived from a living organism.” My husband told him that organic food has not been sprayed with chemical pesticides or weed killers, and only those labeled organic have met these standards. This friend later revealed that he had been buying organic ketchup because he thought it tasted better. My husband and I think a lot of organic food tastes better since it’s allowed to ripen naturally and picked closer to its peak state. But my goal isn’t to beat that into people’s heads. I’ve never thought of myself as an expert; I’m a learner like everyone else. And I like sharing what I’ve learned with others too. So it’s a little surprising to find that I’ve become a resource for those who are just getting started on this journey. But it’s a journey that we’re doing together in our own little communities and I enjoy experiencing this with them.
But at the same time, I wonder why am I a resource for this and not something else like my faith? I don’t have people asking me about my beliefs in the same way that they ask about my organic eating or natural cleaning habits. I rarely get asked by the curious or doubtful person why I believe in Jesus Christ, but I have lots of stories about being questioned on my food choices. Is it just easier to talk about food than faith? Or am I not living my faith to the extent where people see the difference? These are things I’m asking because I’d like to share the same kind of encounters about my faith that I do with my food. I want others to see that choosing Christ is an alternative lifestyle that changes my thinking, my actions, my words, and the choices I make everyday.
Because this is real living.
