Were you as inspired as I was by Shannon’s post on Tuesday? I completely understand what she means about becoming more and more excited each year as she considers what she can grow and preserve. I feel the same way. Spring is positively pregnant with possibility when it comes to envisioning my garden and what …
Plan & Plant Now for Sustainability, Freedom, and a Backyard Revolution
I am not an expert gardener and have only spent the last few years taking a stab at preserving what we eat and eating what we preserve. Every year, though, I grow more and more excited because every year we are learning, producing, and preserving more. I have learned that amazing things can happen when …
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How to Make DIY Lotion and Lip Balm
Last summer, I told you how a hard lotion bar helped my eczema, and gave me back my dry hands. More than 6 months later, I still love using my hard lotion bars. My only problem is that I’m really cheap. These amazing bars aren’t actually expensive but it does still add up. I totally …
Clean Your Shower or Bathtub Simply
Written by Sherrie Cook, Contributing Writer Cleaning the bathroom can be one of a homemaker’s most daunting tasks. There are so many cracks and crevices…and the battle against invisible germs and obvious spores seems never ending. My least favorite obstacle in the bathroom is the shower/tub. (Yes, I would rather scrub the toilet!) It’s just …
You Tell Me : What Will You Do (If Anything) About Radiation from Japan?
I had intended to write the second installment of the How to Plan Your Garden post for today (don’t worry, it’s still coming) but between a bout of illness in our own home and all of the conflicting reports that we’ve been reading in the news and on the web, this topic seemed more timely and relevant. …
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Non-Toxic Disinfectants
If you have visited this blog regularly this month, you’ve probably learned a lot of tips for natural, healthy household cleaning. It’s so important for our health and for our children to use safe, non-toxic cleaners. However, safer alternatives are sometimes quite hard to find when you need to disinfect your home. I advise against …
The Simplify Family Life Collection: $450 Worth of Ebooks for Only $47!
This week I’m pleased to be a part of a fantastic group of bloggers and authors, including my books in the Simplify Family Life collection ebook sale. Corey from Simple Marriage and Mandi from Life…Your Way have brought together some of the top authors in the family life space with 30 ebooks covering a variety of …
The Simplify Family Life Collection: $450 Worth of Ebooks for Only $47!Read More
How to Plan Your Garden
This post was originally published in March of 2011, but we’re sharing it today because it’s gardening season once again! Use these tips to plan your own garden and discover how fun and easy it can be to grow your own food! In our Gardening 101 series, we’ve talked about a lot of different things …
7 Reasons to Square Foot Garden
Written by Stacey T, Contributing Writer Spring is right around the corner, literally. The first day of Spring officially arrives on Sunday! With the arrival of spring, there’s lots of talk here on Keeper of the Home about gardening this month. Yet Gardening 101 wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Square Foot Gardening. Square Foot Gardening …
Cleaning During Stolen Moments
I wish that I could simply set aside an hour or two each weekday to focus solely on house cleaning, in order to keep my home in tip-top shape. Yet when I try, up pop all manner of interruptions. A toddler who needs help on the potty or simply a snuggle from mommy. A 6 year old who …
Finding a Local Farmer
With spring just around the corner, that means it’s time for outside activities! Gardening is a big one we’ve been talking about in the last couple of weeks. But maybe, for some reason, you aren’t planning a garden. Maybe you don’t have the space, or the time. I understand that! I’m having a baby in …
How to Plant a Garden That Works for Where You Live
When I first began, I suppose I had this idea that gardening was the same everywhere… you dug up some dirt, put in seeds, fertilized and pulled some weeds, then enjoyed a harvest. A little naive (or maybe just hopeful), I now know that there is more to making a garden work in your specific …
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Gardening with Herbs 101: Where to Begin
Written by Meg Dickey, Contributing Writer This month at Keeper of the Home, we’re discussing Gardening 101. What better way to throw off the weariness of winter than with the joyous awakening of the earth around us? Today I’ll be sharing some tips on gardening with herbs, and next time we’ll talk about what herbs …
Two Recipes for Odor Eliminating, Air Freshening Sprays
I love the concept of Febreze and other products that are intended to remove odors and freshen things up. Goodness knows that our home has lots of places that can use just such a spray– the kitchen garbage can, the diaper pail, the downstairs bathroom, the minivan. When I began to switch over my household …
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The Thoughtful Parent’s Guide to Thinking Through Vaccinations: Pro-Vaccine and Cautionary Resources
Guest Post Written by Christina Over the past two weeks, we’ve been approaching the subject of childhood immunizations, trying to come to the issue logically and methodically in order to make the best decisions for our children: The Thoughtful Parent’s Guide to Thinking Through Vaccinations (part 1) 10 Questions to Ask (part 2) Many of …
Better, Cheaper, Safer 4-Way Soft-Scrubber
Conventional household cleaners = money and toxins down the drain. Nowadays, consumers literally throw money down the drain with the industry’s household cleaners that really don’t even get the job done. But that’s not the most serious consequence of using conventional cleaning products. Of course, I refer to the hundreds of toxins that are present …
Selecting Seeds for Garden Success
Shelves stuffed full of beautiful envelopes that seem about to burst with potential. Page after glossy page of glorious looking, boldly colored vegetables. No wonder it’s so hard to choose seeds for your garden with all the options out there! Beyond the sheer variety, what about the practical issues like will these tomatoes get blight like …
Non-Toxic Cleaners You Can Make at Home
Written by Stacy Karen, Contributing Writer Advertisers everywhere proclaim the germ fighting power of chemical-filled cleaners. Many would have us believe that there is no way to clean and disinfect without a chemical product. And doesn’t every good mother want to rid her home of germs and dirt? May I encourage you not to buy …
So Many Giveaway Winners!
Recently we had an awesome week of giveaways! And now…the winners! The winner of the Naturopathic First Aid Kit, out 3684 entries, is: Amy Hofer ([email protected]…) For those who didn’t win, Naturokits is offering a coupon code: DCKOTH, for 10% off their kits through March 15th. The winner of the Graham Gardens Gift Basket, out of …
Gardening 101 Series and Heirloom Seeds
Spring is fast approaching (are you as giddy as I am?) and our themes this month at Keeper of the Home are right on topic. We’ll be sharing about non-toxic cleaning including lots of cleaner recipes, just in time for spring cleaning although the house does tend to request being clean throughout the year (demanding, …
The Thoughtful Parent’s Guide to Thinking Through Vaccinations: 10 Questions to Ask
a href=”https://keeperofthehome.org/the-thoughtful-parents-guide-to-thinking-through-vaccinations/”>Last week we started discussing the controversial topic of vaccination. It has been very encouraging to see the responses it has generated, and to get to discuss a topic so near to our hearts! We began by taking a look at the Foundational beliefs we can use to anchor and base our “Vaccine-Stance.” We …
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7 Gardening Lessons from a Novice Gardener
Written by Emily McClements, Contributing Writer Growing your own organic vegetables is a great way to provide your family with nourishing and frugal food. Last summer was my first real attempt at growing our own food in a garden. Although it did not go nearly the way that I envisioned, I learned some important lessons …