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Everywhere I go I have been seeing compost bins. Big ones, little ones, indoor ones, outdoor ones. Whatever happened to just making a pile in your yard? (Ok yes, maybe a bin is a little less of an eye sore if you live in the city!)
But, if you are lucky enough to have some space, here is a simple way to make a compost pile and USE IT next year!
The trick is to make two piles. One for odd numbered years, and one for even numbers.
Build a base 6" thick of branches-or old palettes work great too!
Build it on a well drained flat area. Do not make a pile over shallow root trees. I made my piles right outside our garden gate. That way it is convenient to dump into and convenient to grab from.
Leaves are the main ingredient you'll want in your pile. Alternate grass clippings and "greens" from your household fold scraps. However NEVER ADD these items: Meat, bones, fat, oils, dairy products or processed foods to avoid odors and pests. Never add diseased plants, weeds with seeds, or cat or dog wastes.
(I keep a covered ice cream bucket under the sink to throw away banana peels, egg shells, and other fresh food scraps into. I empty it every other day and rinse it out!)
Turn or fluff your pile once a week.
It should be damp, not soaking wet, but about the consistency of a wrung out sponge.
Your pile will be ready for use next year. Then add your leaves and greens to the second pile while you pull from the first.
I've mentioned goats here a few times. I would love to have a few, but honestly, having never raised any type of livestock (except chickens) I have no idea what I'm doing. So I slowly research. Well, I found something that might help with my research- Rent-A-Goat! No kidding!
Goat Finder.com has all your needs goat related, including renting from local farms. Benefits include, ridding your lawn of poison ivy (needed!), sticker bushes, and invasive plants all while being much more friendly to the environment. Hmmm...maybe if I rent them for a summer I can decide if I want to commit!
Want a FREE FULL-SIZED bottle of Seventh Generation Free and Clear All-Purpose cleaner.
MissEnvironment is giving them away- TO ALL HER READERS! Just fill out the form-first come first serve!
I've been watching the gas prices steadily go up, must mean a driving holiday is coming up...
Memorial Day. A weekend to work on the house and yard, open up the cabin, or visit distant family and friends.
Here are some great ways to enjoy an eco-friendly weekend.
*I've been told if you leave a bowl of sugar water away from where you are enjoying the outdoors the mosquito's will flock to it instead of you-I'm not sure that this would work in our dense yard, but I will try it!
*Keep the recycle bin next to the trash can. Now that my son's art is getting better I'll have him draw pictures of what can be thrown in.
*Keep a compost bin for food next to that! Throw it in a compost pile at the end of the night with your grass clippings and old leaves.
*Is there a local farmers market you can get your good grilling food from instead of a super market?
*Soap and water will clean your grill just as well as those harsh chemical sprays. A little more scrubbing, a lot less worrying.
*Use your regular dishes, cups, and silverware instead of disposables.
*Use natural charcoal without all the starter chemicals. Another option is wood briquettes which are all natural and will give your food that smoky taste.
*Buy your beer from a local brewery. With all the microbrewerys popping up it shouldn't be hard to find. In Minnesota we have Summit, Surly, Schell/GrainBelt, RockBottom. The complete list for MN here.
You know me, I don't usually do this-product plugs! But, with my daughter's staph infection came some pretty heavy duty antibiotics. And with that seems to come a little extra time spent on the toilet (to put it politely).
When the Dr. wrote the prescription out she made sure to tell me to give Eve yogurt. No problem, but then I asked her if it was ok to give her Florastor, a probiotic, instead. She said YES! and usually she sends kids on big antibiotics home with some but she was out and didn't want to make me buy anything else!
No problem, I already had some!
We mixed it right in with some water and Eve drank it down (Yummy Tutti Fruity taste) and hasn't had to spend any extra time in the bathroom!
"Florastor Kids is okay to take with antibiotics as it is natural yeast that works even when taken with antibiotics†. Making sure you have the right number of "good microorganisms" may help reduce bloating and gas often caused by an imbalance of microorganisms."
While it is not something I would give my kids everyday, when they are having a hard time, it is something I will use.
I've been hiding since Mother's Day- which was awesome by the way! The kids made me a fabulous shirt and then we went flower shopping at our local hardware store.
But on Monday my daughter's hand looked like she had been burned again (Last summer she touched a hot motorcycle) and in the same spot as the old burn it was red, blistered, and oozing... yuck.
So, off to the Doctor we went where we were told she had a probable Staph Infection (we're still waiting on lab results). Time to disinfect the house! That is how I spent all day Monday and Tuesday! (But it gave us a good chance to thin out the toys!)
Here are two of my favorite disinfectants:
Disinfectant #1
1 cup Hydrogen Peroxide
1 cup Water
Spray and wipe!
Disinfectant #2
2 cups Vinegar
1 cup Water
Spray and wipe!
I honestly don't expect anything for Mother's day. My kids are 2 & 3, a nice huge and a cuddle will do perfectly!
But if they were to get a gift I'd hope they go somewhere down these "green" lines.
-Breakfast outside! A cup of coffee, some toast! Enjoying the birds and the sun.
-Go to the flower store and let the kids pick their favorite plants for my garden. Cut flowers are so boring.
-A chalk drawing outside on the driveway! A picture is better than a card any day!
-Then again, if they were going to buy me something there is always this robe I've been lusting after...
That's right, it is TONIGHT!
There are Online Events, Local Event, or just host your own party and celebrate being a Mom.
So, grab your mom friends, Register for some GIVEAWAYS! and enjoy being a mom!
As much as my son and daughter love picking these, I'm really not a fan. Luckily, so far we don't have too many, and the ones we do have I get rid of extremely easily!
To kill dandelions, spray directly with vinegar.
Make sure to not hit the surrounding plants. The vinegar kills the leafs but not the roots, so the next day you will have to pull the weed out in order to completely get rid of it! But once it is sprayed it will stop growing because it fries the leaves.
It seems to make the roots "cling" a little less so they are easier to pull out! Vinegar kills almost any plant or weed.
Just please avoid nasty pesticides and weed killers. They are so bad for you and the environment.
Of course, Dandelions only grow when the soil has improper soil pH. Here is some information for adding corn gluten to change the pH.
A couple weeks ago, this question was posed at Trying to Be Greener.
So, do you recycle those little cardboard rings inside your toilet paper (and paper towels)?
I have to admit, when my kids don't steal them to play with, they seldom end up in the recycle bin. Oops.
So this led me to wonder, are there other thing around the house I overlook when it comes to recycling...
*Bread bags. When I go to Costco I get three. The two breads each have their own, then they are wrapped together in a third. They now get put in with all the other plastic bags.
*Batteries-Sometimes I forget their are so many places that take these and just throw them away. Now I'll save them and drop them off at IKEA next time I go. (There are plenty of other places you can bring them too)
*Bottle tops. Remember Aveda takes them now.
What am I still forgetting? Anything you admittedly forget to recycle?
Monday monday monday!
I loved my cloth diapers and though I've never tried DryBees AIO's I bet they are fantastic. Your Mama Reviews is giving away a 6 pack!
20, yes you read it right, 20 winners will win the Wonder Ball Laundry Ball from DKMommy!
Dexter's Super Savvy Mommy has a MyO Baby Organic Baby Clothes Set to win!
I think EarthLust stainless steel water bottles are so beautiful! Green Mamas Pad has one for you!
The Celebrity Cafe is giving away 5 copies of Elmo Being Green. You can enter once per day!
Illnesses come and go. Serious ones like this make the news. Someone in our home town was just confirmed to be carrying the disease. I'm not in panic mode and don't think I will be. We practice common sense. Wash hands, keep them out of the kids mouths (when possible!), cover our mouths, etc.
Here are two interesting articles asking the question (which is now being hotly debated) whether factory farming has played a role in swing flu:
