photo by katmere

“Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the sidewalk before it stops snowing.” — Phyllis Diller
The kitchen is sparkling clean. You leave the room for a few minutes, and, when you walk back, there’s a mess. It’s frustrating trying to keep your home clean if you have a family. Even more so if you have young kids. You’ve heard they’re only young …

photo by aussiegall

We live in a throwaway society. We’re so wasteful that people known as freegans (www.freegan.info), an anticonsumer environmentalist group, can salvage and survive, by choice, on what mainstream consumers discard. While they’re often criticized as being extreme or downright nasty, I couldn’t disagree more. I think it certainly reflects the amount of waste generated, and I’m pleased these items aren’t simply tossed and going into landfills. Maybe to …

photo by audreyjm529
Are you going stir-crazy waiting for spring? Bring on the sunshine, cue the butterflies and give me the sweet scent of hyacinth. I’m done with short days, heating bills, gray skies and cold and flu. I enjoy the four seasons, but sometimes winter is too long. It’s not surprising that some people experience the winter blues. Don’t bottle your feelings up. Make some positive changes. Here are a …

photo by orangeacid

We’ve all been there. You’ve got too many bananas, mashed potatoes, eggs or zucchini, and the excess is threatening to rot in your kitchen. While some families are used to a week of turkey after Thanksgiving, they might not appreciate a week of scrambled eggs. Often, the food can be frozen and used later, but it’s wise to have a few ideas for backup meals so you don’t …