The 413 Mom

No midnight candy snacks in this house

Just had to share this genius nighttime candy alarm courtesy of local dad, Jon Elwell. No midnight candy snacks in this house! #genius #outsmartthekids #pumpkinbucketstack

Trick or Treat....Smell My Feet...Give Me Something Good to Eat!

Do you let your kiddos trick or treat alone? My girls are still too young. However, I don't think I will ever let them go alone because I love, love, love walking around the neighborhood and visiting with everyone. I love the sense of community on Halloween night. However you handle the big night, here are a few trick or treat tips from our friends at Ira Toytoa in Tewksbury: 

Help Wanted: Local Mom wonders how to fit in chores on school days #raisethemup #lifeskills

Since school started I've lost traction with my household helpers. We made a lot of progress this summer with learning new skills like laundry, cleaning the floor, cooking simple meals. I'm pretty sure the labor was harder on me than them. I like my house a certain way, but for most of the summer things looked like this:

 

But it was worth it, because: life skills. However now that we're back in session and busy with homework and school year activities I've fallen back on the 'it's easier to do it myself' attitude. Especially after the girls are in school all day I'd rather them spend these afternoons enjoying the sunshine in the backyard instead of doing chores. But at the same time....life skills. 

How do you keep a balance at your place? The girls do excel at some chores without being asked: taking their dirty laundry to the dirty pile (except for socks....how is it that everyone in my home feels that the place is more beautiful with dirty socks lying all around??), separating recycling from trash, picking up their toys, the big girl babysits the little girl whenever I ask. They're also really good at pitching in when I ask but you know I'd rather not have to ask. 

This chart is a good guide for chore suggestions; however, the after school time is so precious. I'm wondering if I need to be thinking weekend chore warriors instead of focusing on daily tasks. I'd love any suggestions. Please use the comments field below. My girls will def thank you for it. ;-)  #raisethemup #lifeskills #raisinghelpers

 

Love EVERYTHING about this! #supportyourschool #pto #simplify

It's time, mamas. It's time for the annual back-to-school fundraiser. As you know, I'm not exactly a fan. Don't mistake me: I am 100% all in for supporting our schools and our amazing, hard working PTOs. I'm just not a fan of spending my hard earned money on overpriced stuff I don't need (it just doesn't fit with my green/minimalist goals). I've varied through the years between placing an obligatory order (blech) and just writing a check to the PTO (yay!) So I was overjoyed to find this notice in the kindergartner's backpack the other day. 

Pretty sure this is the best school notice I will receive this year. I hope many parents jump on board with this idea. While I never mind baking cupcakes, I do not want to hit up family and friends, and while I'm always up for fitness, I do not need the t-shirt. This takes away all the guilt of not participating in the fundraiser while directly showing how else we can support the school. 

Thoughts? Which is your favorite way to support your school? Let me know in the comments below. I've gotta go write a check...

 

 

Cheap & Easy Container Gardening with the Kids (If they grow it...they WILL eat it!)

Overwhelmed by this prospect? Gardening doesn't have to be intimidating if you take it one container at a time. On this week's Better Western Mass show on Western Mass News I shared my best ideas for cheap and easy container gardening with the kids. Because research shows that if they grow it...they will eat it. Letting the littles grow their own tiny crop is a great way to encourage veggie consumption. You can check out the link here. 

50 Simple Ways to Help the Kids Be Kind to Mama Earth #earthday #raisethemup #gogreen

1. Plant a vegetable garden...no matter how small

2. If you're going less than a mile don't drive, walk awhile. 

3. Try to eat snacks without containers (think apples, bananas, oranges, pears).

4. Commit to turning off the lights when you leave a room. 

5. Upcycle small food jars instead of using plastic drinking cups.

6. Build a simple compost bin and use it!

7. Participate in an environmental clean up event.

8. Buy local whenever possible.

9. Gather up the too-short sweats, leggings with worn out knees, and torn jeans and cut into shorts.

10. Fill those recycle bins instead of the trash cans.

11. Start some seedlings.

12. Gather up all of the wire hangers in the house and bring to a dry cleaner's for recycling. 

13. Shop a second hand store. 

14. Commit to turning off electronics when not in use.

15. Hang the laundry out to dry. 

16. Plant a tree in the yard.

17. Eat meat free one day per week. 

18. Use washable rags instead of paper towels. 

19. Commit to turning off the tap when brushing your teeth.

20. Recycle large drawings and painting as gift wrap.

21. Commit to buying a few items (or as much as possible) secondhand. 

22. Get everyone a good travel mug and USE them instead of buying disposable drinks. 

23. Bring your unused plastic bags to the grocery store for recycling. 

24. Try making your own laundry detergent (the kids will love grating the soap!)

25. Give something away on freecycle instead of sending it to the landfill.  

26. Invest in metal drinking straws instead of disposable.

27. Use recyclable batteries. 

28. Pick up garbage around the neighborhood.

29. Utilize the library instead of buying new. 

30. Support a local farmer.

31. Set up a toy swap. 

32. Bike instead of drive around town.

33. Get some houseplants...they clean the air!

34. Remember your cloth bags when shopping.

35. Drink tap water instead of bottled. 

36. Give experiences instead of gifts for birthdays and holidays.

37. Don't use produce bags...just put the produce in your cart.

38. Let the grass grow a bit longer (you don't need to water it as often).

39. BYO Tupperware to the restaurant instead of utilizing takeout containers for leftovers.

40. Carpool.

41. Use the back of school worksheets for drawings and coloring.

42. Pay attention to expiration dates instead of wasting food. 

43. Take a hike.

44. Make your own household cleaners.

45. Take showers instead of baths.

46. Play outside in the fresh air and turn off the screens. 

47. Eat up leftovers.

48. Reuse plastic food containers instead of purchasing new food storage.

49. Repair instead of replace.

50. Make a DIY watering can from a milk jug (for your new garden!)

 

 

Winter Composting....anyone with me?

Until this year I've been a fair weather composter. I love to compost during the summer and fall when the weather is lovely but in the past have always given it up in the winter months. Who wants to trek out to the compost pile in the snow? Well, all of a sudden, this girl does!

I had such a successful compost season this past summer that I didn't want to stop just because winter arrived. I intended to move the compost tumbler (it's not really THE compost tumbler...it's a generic equivalent) closer to the house before the ground froze but it was too heavy. 

If I couldn't easily get to the dump site without putting on boots then I needed an easy collection system in the kitchen to hold the scraps so I would only need to make the trek a few times a week.

Thanks to a tip in Organic Life Magazine I realized I could use my plastic lemonade pitchers as collection bins under the kitchen sink. I only use the pitchers in the summer so they were available and they hold enough scraps that I only have to walk through the snow twice a week usually. The pitchers are lightweight and the lids pop on and off quickly so it's very convenient. 

Lucky for me, I drink a ton of peppermint tea so there is actually a pleasant mint aroma under my kitchen sink that overpowers the other compostable items in the pitchers. My compost mix is mostly made up of veggie scraps, fruit peels, tea bags and the occasional coffee filter with grounds. Also, since the pitchers have lids there is not much odor at all. 

I really thought my compost would not progress through the winter with the cold temperatures but apparently I have such a good cook going on that this pile just keeps on cooking. I add to it twice a week and give the tumbler a good spin. When I come back a few days later, all of the scraps are breaking down nicely. 

I'm so glad I've figured out a system that is working for me so that I can continue to compost all year long. I can't wait to add this mix to my garden beds in the spring. I love taking trash and turning it into treasure and composting is one of the easiest ways to do that. 

How about you? Do you compost? I'm glad I've finally got this figured out but I'm sure there are other tips I'm missing. Please use the comments field below to share! TIA!

Done!

I'm Not Taking it Down!

Any other holdouts? 

This is the longest I've ever kept the tree up. (She's a fake, you see, so there are no needles dropping). 

I just don't want to take it down. I don't want that dark corner in the living room. I don't want the Christmas feeling to fade. 

In past years I've been anxious to get the Christmas decorations packed away because I "needed the space." I couldn't stand the clutter after December 31 or so. 

However, this year I've made so much progress on clearing out the clutter. Not just in the house but in life. Our Christmas season was so fun and simple. We said 'no' to several long-standing commitments that were no longer working for us. I scaled back the decorations. I've gotten a lot better at intentional gift giving. Before I buy something I stop and question "where is this going to live in the house?" 

Yes, a lot of new items came into our living space this Christmas season but as we simplify we're in a continuous process of deciding which items we can do without. I was housebound with a sick kid today so another bag of donation items made it's way to my car trunk. I cleaned out two drawers and filled a recycle bin. 

Getting organized is not a one time thing -- it's an ongoing process. But once you get the hang of it you'll find it leads to so much more space in your life. Space for things you really love. Like keeping the spirit of Christmas alive for as long as you'd like and not feeling like you have to pack it away just to make space. Because you've already committed to making all the space you need. 

I feel like our beautiful little tree is testament to how much progress we made in 2016 in focusing on how we want our space and lives to be. I want that testament to glow a little longer. There was even some discussion at dinner the other night about decorating it with some paper hearts. That we could make together. With the time we've made in life for each other, instead of what other people might want us to do. So, we'll see. I think it could look cute with Easter eggs too. #familyfirst #priorities #cleartheclutter

Calendar Collage - Don't recycle last year's calendar yet!

Quick, go grab your 2016 calendars out of the recycle bin. Let the kids cut out the images from the calendar pages and make collages. Free, unplugged, creative fun! Happy New Year!