While we’re self-distancing at home to keep our community safe, we’ve come up with a daily family schedule. It has visual icons and corresponding labels for ease of use by kids and adults. Whether you call it a daily rhythm, schedule, flow or agenda, it all boils down to the same thing: a reminder of how to keep putting one foot in front of the … Continue reading Family life in the time of COVID-19: Our flexible daily rhythm
In May, journalist April McCullum came to visit my family and my home on an average weeknight. We walked around the house while my kids ran and played under our feet. We ate dinner and made school lunches for the next day. It was a relaxed meeting though my husband and I were slightly worried we overwhelmed April with information and stories. Thankfully April was able to sift through the mountains of information we dumped out and pull together a beautiful article.
The article is available online here Continue reading “We’re in the Burlington Free Press!”
Buying high-quality items that will last a long time is important but the prices add up quickly. Joining the “trend” of going zero waste can be expensive, but there are lots of ways to have an impact on our home environment and the planet without spending a penny. 1. Use what you have You may have heard this a million times but it’s true. Do you … Continue reading 5 no-cost ways to go zero waste
Kids’ clothing can get overwhelming fast. Here I’m sharing my tips on creating a capsule wardrobe for your children. I’m happy to say that this system for creating a simplified, mix-and-match clothing collection for my kids works for us. One of the reasons it works well is because it allows for tweaking, changing our mind, updating. It also has parameters to keep me in check … Continue reading Building a Capsule Wardrobe for Kids
If you follow me here or on Instagram, you might know that I’m attempting a “no buy year,” which has proven to be interesting and challenging. There haven’t been a lot of “new” things coming in — not that there were before, either — so I’ve been able to see what my kids actually play with. Even when they have gotten something new as a … Continue reading Toys My Kids Play with Everyday
I’ve written this as an email, Instagram DM, Facebook message, and text so many times I thought it deserved it’s own post. I might be doing a “no buy year” but that doesn’t mean I can’t give out my advice on how to spend your cash!
There isn’t one special magical *thing* anyone needs to be more eco-friendly and reduce waste. There are easy and free ways to reduce your daily impact and use of materials. Enjoy your coffee “for here” using the coffee shop’s mugs. Say “no straw please” when ordering a drink at the bar. Say “I don’t need a bag” when buying that shirt (from the consignment shop, hopefully.)
The items I’m listing here are the reusable, durable items that my family, friends and readers ask me about time and time again. These are my tried-and-true favorite items that you’ll see over and over again in my home. I’ll do my best to update this post if anything changes, and feel free to send me a message if you ever have a question or need a recommendation on anything you don’t see here.
Beeswax wrap:
Use these on top of bowls or to wrap food instead of disposable plastic wrap. My favorites brands are Bee’s Wrap and Khala Cloths.
We’re two months into my no buy year and … it’s harder than I thought. WAY harder. Like, crazy hard. I think partially because my expectations were out of whack. I really thought it was going to be challenging but ultimately, I’d breeze through it. I’m two months in and I still find myself eagerly opening sale emails and browsing for a moment (or several … Continue reading No Buy Year, First Update
Around this time in 2015 I shared that I was going to attempt a zero waste home. I was met with a lot of support and I’m so grateful for the online and real life community of friends and family helping me along. It might be glaringly obvious if you know me, but I like taking on challenges with strict parameters for specific time limits. … Continue reading Meredith’s “No Buy Year”
I’m finally back with another installment of the experiment known as the Zero Waste Grocery Store Challenge. Let’s recap just a bit. -East: I’m profiling Trader Joes’, Costco, Hannaford Supermarket, and Wal-Mart. -South: Manuela from Girl Gone Green will be going to Aldi, Publix, Thrive, and Wal-Mart. -Midwest: Celia from Litterlesss will be taking you to Kroger, Jewel-Osco, and Wal-Mart. -West: Andrea of Be Zero will … Continue reading Zero Waste Grocery Store Challenge: Hannaford Supermarkets
These crackers are on heavy HEAVY rotation at our house. I’ve been into making my own crackers since… well, since I discovered that you can make your own crackers so easily. Seriously though, whether you’re gluten free or gluten-full, I highly recommend making crackers at least once. Shout out to this recipe for introducing me to the ease of gluten-free cracker making. This new recipe … Continue reading Chia Flax Crackers – Gluten Free, Nut Free, Egg Free, Zero Waste Friendly
Meredith Tested 