This Moment...

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 
Inspired by Soulemama 

photo by Todd!

Pin It Now!

Handmade Cloth Diapers

Cloth diapers save resources and keep disposable diapers out of landfills. I have used cloth diapers with both of my children (although we use a disposable at night so that we can all sleep better).I have done lots of experimenting with many different types of cloth diapers and I have found that a diaper cover with a prefold inserted is what has worked best for our family. It is the cheapest route to go, and we have had the least amount of blowouts.
We used cloth diapers from the start with my son Finn, but only had a few size small diapers and so I found myself doing diaper laundry every day... not so great for the environment or my water bill. For baby #2 I was determined that we would have enough cloth diapers so that I would only have to wash them every few days. And, since near the end of my pregnancy I was doing a lot of nesting-crafting in hopes that it would bring on her arrival, we now have plenty of diapers!
I had never thought to make my own diaper inserts until reading soulemama's Handmade Home. Then I realized it was in fact fairly simple. Her book gives detailed instructions, but you basically sew a couple of pieces of fabric together with an extra layer sewn into the middle. Only takes about 10 minutes per diaper. So, I headed into my garage to look through our old-clothes-stash, where I keep old clothes to be re-purposed into new things. I had some old baby blankets and old t-shirts that would otherwise have been destined for the landfill and I turned them into 10 new diaper inserts... and the only thing that it cost me was my time. Not to mention that my baby is probably one of the only ones who has an "Obama" diaper!
As I said, I made these a few months ago, but wanted to give them a whirl before writing about them. They have worked fabulously. They can't hold quite as much as a Chinese pre-fold, but so far so good. Once I find some more time, I will probably make another 10 or so (the more I have, the less often I have to do laundry!!). Check out Soulemama's book for step by step instructions on how to make your own!

Pin It Now!

Springtime Explorations

Last week, to go along with our study of ecosystems, I took my students on a field trip to a local wetland (yes, college students get to go on field trips too!). This wetland is an industrial area of town and was used as a dump until the 1960's. It's amazing to see how the land has recovered from the years of abuse, and now supports a whole variety of plants, birds and wildlife. The area is not completely pristine, however. Many invasive species have moved into the area, and keeping them under control is a constant managerial issue.
We were extremely lucky to get a beautiful warm and sunny day for our adventure (a real Portland rarity these days) and seeing everything in bloom made me jittery with anticipation for summer. After the students left, I spent about 20 minutes just wandering around alone. No students. No children. No husband. Just me and the plants. I think that is the first time I have really been alone in a long time, and it felt nice.
I also decided that I am going to keep a plant photo journal this summer as a way to learn the plants that surround me. While I do know many of the species that I encounter in the area, I am far from knowing them all. This summer I hope to take pictures of the plants I find along my hikes and learn their common and latin names. Maybe this will fizzle out, as summer always seems to go by too quickly, but I hope to at least gain some ground in the world of botany. I would love to be able to teach my kids the names of the plants in their environment. Do you know the plants commonly found in your area? Do you share that knowledge with your children?

Pin It Now!

Easter Gifts and A Tulip Adventure

This was the first year that Finn really anticipated the Easter Bunny, which meant 2 things: 1. Easter is now way more fun because he is gets so darn excited about it and 2. I didn't do a completely handmade Easter this year because I knew Finn was expecting presents from the Easter Bunny. So I made the kids a few things, and then Finn also got a few store bought gifts (socks, a pair of pants, a board game and, of course, some candy) that the Easter Bunny brought. We also hid sticker-filled eggs throughout the house and man, did he have a blast!

Here is what I whipped up for Easter. And, by "whipped", I really mean what I worked on for the past month since I feel like I have no time for crafting these days! The bunnies were from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms. They turned out pretty cute, but not as cute as I had expected. I did learn how to make my first pom-pom though! I also made a few chubby chicks, which is a free Rebecca Danger pattern available from ravelry. These turned out pretty darn cute, although I made some out of both wool and cotton and I think the wool held the shape a lot better, especially when I made the beaks. I also made Finn a rocket applique shirt from a hand-me down tee he got and rarely wore. Hopefully it will now be a big hit with the new design!

After presents and a trip to the french bakery for some croissants, we drove to Woodburn Oregon for a trip to the Tulip Festival. The weather was dreary, but the row upon row of gorgeous colorful tulips definitely brightened up the mood. It was muddy, and we almost had a few wipe outs, but managed to leave only slightly dirty. I only wish that all of the other people could have left so I could have gotten some better people-free photos!

Pin It Now!

Happy Earth Day!

Today is the 41st Earth Day. We have come a long way in these 41 years; figuring out ways to reduce pollution, save energy, and use our resources more wisely. However, we still have a long way to go. Global warming is looming over our heads, our oil supplies are running low, and habitat and species are being destroyed at alarming rates.
Today, on Earth Day, take a moment to think about our Earth and everything she provides for you. What can you do today to lessen your impact on this planet? Walk instead of drive? Support your local businesses and farmers? Start a garden? Take your children for a walk in nature? Pin It Now!

American Experience: Earth Days: A Review

In celebration of Earth Day tomorrow, I streamed a PBS film entitled American Experience: Earth Days from Netflix last night. This film is basically the story of how the environmental revolution started, the environmental problems that brought about this movement, and the hope for a better future that was present at that time.
The film portrays the launch of the first Earth Day on April 22nd, 1970. As 1970 was well before the time of emails or blogs, the first Earth Day was promoted by sending notices and telegrams across the country. And it worked. Earth Day culminated with huge gatherings all across the country, showing that Americans were concerned with the health and future of our planet. It united folks who were previously fighting their own battles... those who wanted to save open space were now united with people wanting to stop industrial pollution.... all under the front of saving the planet.
The film discusses Rachel Carsen's book, Silent Spring, which essentially was the biggest factor that launched the environmental movement. Carsen's book talked about how pesticide use was harming the environment, wildlife and humans. She showed that when the balance of an ecosystem is upset, by say killing off a certain "pest", it will ultimately throw the entire ecosystem out of whack.
The film talks about consumerism and the American dream to have more 'stuff'. Then film also delves into the beginnings of our relationship with oil, and how our 'freedom' is in reality ruled by the countries that we buy our oil from. We also get a look at pollution in the 1960's and 1970's, before many of our current environmental laws went into effect. Rivers and lakes were becoming dumping grounds, aquatic life was dying, and air pollution was at dangerously high levels in many cities. Population was (and still is) growing exponentially across the planet, and exponential growth of people means exponential use of resources. And of course, strung through all of this are the political factors both for and against the environment.
All in all, this film was interesting and inspiring, showing what power the people of the United States can have when we come together on an issue. We have come a long way since people were dying of acute air pollution in New York City, but we still have a long, long way to go before our planet is back to a state of health again. My one complaint about this film is that it seemed to jump from topic to topic, from interviews with one person to someone else, and wasn't really in a order that flowed. I personally found it a bit hard to stay focused through the entirety of the film, but appreciated its content nonetheless. Pin It Now!

Easter Egg Stained Glass

Earlier this week, Finn and I made some fun Easter "stained glass" eggs. They were simple enough even for a 3 year to do (once I had done the prep work).
Here's what you do:
Cut some tissue paper into small squares or any shape that you fancy. This is a great opportunity to use up some of that tissue paper that is too crumpled to re-use for present packing, but is great for art projects.

Now cut an egg shape out of construction paper
Cut out a piece of contact paper slightly larger than the egg. You can get contact paper at hardware stores.
Lay the egg onto the contact paper. Now stick the squares of tissue paper onto the contact paper, filling up the middle of the egg.
Once your egg is full of color, add another sheet of contact paper on the top.
Now cut around your egg shape, cutting close to the edge.
Hang in a sunny window! Pin It Now!