*This post was originally posted on Aug. 16, 2011, but I love these ideas so much and with my kids heading back-to-school tomorrow, I wanted to share them with you again today! I'm still catching up from being on vacation, so here's another great guest post for you! I love the idea of the time capsule, since this is my daughter's first year in school, it would be a great time to start that tradition! Guest Post by Stacey at A GOOD and SIMPLE Life: Back to school is just around the … [Read more...]
How to Completely Clear Off Your Kitchen Counters
The kitchen is the heartbeat of the home, but too often our kitchen counters can be messy and cluttered which can lead to us feeling stressed and overwhelmed. A clean kitchen is a happy and productive place to be! I shared last week about how I had completely cleared off my kitchen counters last summer, and the big difference that it made in my life. And if you follow me on Instagram you probably noticed that I spent most of a recent Friday sharing my process of clearing off my … [Read more...]
Is a Vinegar and Baking Soda Mixture Effective for Cleaning?
You sprinkle and pour and watch the satisfying bubbles rise up. You watch the bubbles pop and feel proud that you're using a safe and non-toxic cleaning solution. The bubbles fade away and you scrub down your sink, toliet, tub, or counter. But do you really know what you're actually scrubbing around and how effective it is? I learned something interesting last month when I wrote a post over on Keeper of the Home about vinegar not being a great non-toxic cleaner. Some people love their vinegar … [Read more...]
Choosing a Safer Shower Curtain for Your Bathroom
We've probably all experienced the lovely chemical smell that permeates the air when you take a new shower curtain out of the package and hang it up in your bathroom. Does it ever make you wonder what's actually in the plastic shower curtain to makes it smell that way? Many shower curtains are made out of vinyl or PVC (polyvinyl chloride), a plastic that does in fact release harmful chemicals into the air for at least a month and possibly up to a year after you open it and hang it up in your … [Read more...]
The Myth About Garbage
Today I'm over at Life Your Way talking about a super exciting topic: Garbage. Okay, well obviously, it's really not that exciting, but I do think it's an important topic to talk about and think about. Our country produces A LOT of waste everyday, and most of that waste ends up in the landfill. And I think a lot of people believe the myth that garbage decomposes in the landfill, but that's not actually true. From the post: What really happens to garbage in the landfill? A few years ago I … [Read more...]
Resourceful Table Decorations {Green in 365: Thanksgiving}
This is Day 293 of the Green in 365 series! By Hilary Kimes Bernstein of Accidentally Green, Contributing Writer When Thanksgiving is spent focusing on thanking God for His faithful provision and blessings, it’s one of my favorite holidays of the year. If you’re hosting a Thanksgiving dinner this year, it doesn’t matter if you’ll have dozens of guests at your table or just a few – you can decorate your table with creatively tasteful elements that also are environmentally … [Read more...]
Green in the Life – Hanging My Clothes On the Line {Green in 365: Laundry}
This is Day 288 of the Green in 365 series! I've been line drying our clothes for several years now, since we first put up a clothesline the summer after we moved into our current home. We've had warm, even hot, weather this fall so I've been trying to take advantage of the chance to line dry our clothes before the winter weather sets in. (Which, ironically, is suddenly this week - with cold and rainy days. Why does it always do that - jump straight from hot weather to cold and gross? Where … [Read more...]
Choosing a Clothesline that Works for You {Green in 365: Laundry}
This is Day 286 of the Green in 365 series! Guest Post by Becca of The Earthing's Handbook: *Emily's Note: This is the second of two guest posts from Becca about line-drying your laundry. (Read the first post here.) We're coming to the end of the season for line-drying clothes outside where I live, but I am really hoping to finally figure out a good way to line-dry clothes indoors this winter. Hopefully these questions will help you find a line-drying system that will work … [Read more...]
Madness to Manageable: How to have a Better House by Monday {Green in 365}
This is Day 272 of the Green in 365 series! By Elizabeth Phillips of runningfamily.net, Contributing Writer *Emily's note: I'm thankful that my cousin Elizabeth is joining us as a contributing writer. She and her family have been on a journey toward simplifying and minimizing and getting rid of all the stuff in their home that they didn't truly need. I know from your comments, both on this post and on Facebook, that many of you are interested in this for your families too, and I hope … [Read more...]
Green in the Life – I Killed a Houseplant {Green in 365}
This is Day 262 of the Green in 365 series! So, I've talked before about how great houseplants are to have in your home to help clean and purify the air. And I also claimed that they were easy to take care of, and relatively hard to kill. Honestly, I'm a pretty lazy houseplant caretaker - all I do is water my plants on a semi-regular basis, and I've managed kept them alive for several years. Well. My track record is broken, because I recently killed my first houseplant. After … [Read more...]
