Sometimes an Herb Garden is Just an Herb Garden

By coincidence, I've received copies of the NY Times article "The Femivore's Dilemma" from three different people recently. It seems my status as a working mother, pescetarian, farmer's market shopper, composter and farmer in our suburban backyard garden makes me a likely candidate for the new movement of self-sustaining feminists who not only serve their families organic food, they feel compelled to grow and harvest it themselves.

While I admire the women who have the time and fortitude to raise their own chickens, grow all their food, and take up beekeeping as a hobby, I just don't have the time at this stage

in my life. The truth is, we grow tomatoes, peppers and herbs in our backyard because Katie likes to help tend the garden and it gives us a another good reason to be outside with our children. We shop at our local Farmer's Market because it's a fun thing to do on a Saturday morning and we live in glorious Northern California where the Farmer's Market produce is beautiful and delicious. We compost because we can and should, but truthfully, we haven't quite gotten the hang of it yet. We have fresh limes in our margaritas during the summer because the lime tree came with the house. The good things we do, we do because they fit within our lifestyle today.

I hope that someday I'll be able to indulge in a more rural lifestyle. In fact I have dreams of living like Tim and Karen Bates of the Philo Apple Farm. But for now, the herb garden is just an herb garden.

Extreme Recycling

With Earth Day on the horizon, we always give a little extra thought to how we can reduce waste and improve our energy efficiency in our house. Of course, we all try to take our re-usable bags with us when we go shopping, but somehow there always seem to be a few plastic grocery bags that get into the house. Rather than throw them away, we’ve made an extreme sport out of re-using a bag as many times as we can before finally abandoning it to the waste stream. The trick is to find uses that allow the bags to be used over and over again until every possible use has been exhausted. Here are our favorites:

• Use them as packing material instead of Styrofoam or bubble wrap. And be sure to put a note in the package reminding the recipient to reuse the bags.
• Make a soft nest for your Christmas ornaments while they’re in storage.
• Pack some in your suitcase: they’re great for isolating your laundry and shoes from the rest of your clothes.
• Tuck them into your beach tote for wet towels and swimsuits.
• Use them for your toiletries when you travel. I wish I could say that I have a snazzy, monogrammed cosmetic bag for travel, but I actually use the same plastic grocery bag (or sometimes a big Ziploc) over and over again. Who’s to know?
• Line the bottom of something that needs filler: a flower pot, a basket filled with candles, and shredded plastic bags make great confetti for a gift bag.
• Cushion your china while it’s in storage.
• Store your outdoor pillows inside them during the off-season.
• Put one in your carry-on bag when you travel. How many times have you purchased food at the airport for your flight, and had it leak all over the contents of your carry-on?
• Our dog Jasper likes to eat the fluff out of his dogbed. When it starts to deflate, a few plastic bags make it nice and puffy again.

We stop just short of this:

Although we do admire the industriousness and creativity of Tyler Velten, an architecture student at Yale who designed and created the chandelier, we're not quite that extreme. Yet.

Like a Fresh Coat of Lipstick for My House

We're planning to paint our house this summer, so I'm deep in the research phase of choosing the right colors. I recently asked some readers their opinion on my plan to paint my front door red. The response was overwhelmingly "yes!" Lisa Holmes mentioned that a red front door is supposed to bring prosperity to the house. Kamille Caple mentioned that studies show houses with red doors sell faster. In addition to the enthusiastic thumbs up I received from readers, I read somewhere that in China, it's tradition to paint the front door red before the new year, to invite good luck and happiness. And then the kicker was this endorsement from Suzanne Tucker in a House Beautiful article "The Best Colors for your Front Door:

"I wanted to draw people to the door like bees to a flower, and this luscious red did the trick. The color has such clarity. It's like the most kissable lips. It's like the best manicure you've ever had."

How can I resist? Red it is.

I'm partial to Benjamin Moore's Aura line of exterior paint because it's low VOC, they have beautiful colors, and the paint is easy to apply. I'm also partial to Benjamin Moore because they have an iPhone app that allows me to take a picture of something that's the perfect shade of red, then it will recommend the closest paint color to match that item.

Now I'm off to find a beautiful manicure or some kissable lips. Whichever I encounter first.

Scouting from my Sofa

I've always been a fan of using vintage finds to add character to my home. Whether they're heirlooms handed down through the family, items picked up during my travels, or flea market finds doesn't matter to me as long as they're beautiful and functional. If they carry an interesting story with them that I can share with my children about times past, all the better. Like the claw from a claw foot bathtub that we use as a doorstop -- my children have never seen a claw foot bathtub, so that item was quite the novelty when I brought it home.

With three children, a husband, a dog and a job, I don't find as much time as I'd like to build my collection. Our local Alameda Flea Market is one of the best, but the first Sunday of each month usually finds me snuggled up on the sofa catching up on my reading or watching movies with my family. I've noticed lately that some really good big retailers are starting to integrate vintage finds into their collections, so collecting is a little easier than it used to be. Here are some of my favorites:

Flatware by the Pound from NapaStyle. The pieces are collected from old hotels around Europe, and recall a time before plastic forks and paper plates. This product is great for parties, just store it in a big glass jar and let your guests grab what they need.

Dough Bowls from Pottery Barn. Each is hand carved from a single piece of wood, and they're great for storage under the coffee table, at the end of the bed, on a desk. Anywhere really.

Vintage Grain Sacks from Pottery Barn. These make great pillows or table runners, and have a very interesting story: each stripe and monogram is custom to a local farm and farmer. When a farmer delivered his grain to the mill, the flour was returned to the farmer's own grain sacks so he could easily recognize his own product. Now that's a story you don't hear anymore.

Vintage suitcases from Jayson Home and Garden. They're not cheap, but if you feel like splurging, they're very chic for storage or stacked up next to a chair in place of a table. My children only know rolling suitcases now -- the concept of carrying a suitcase by its handle is completely foreign to them.

I still prefer to do the bulk of my treasure hunting myself, but it's nice to be able to let someone else do the leg work sometimes. I think of these big retailers as my own personal vintage scouts. I'd like to collect vintage flatware myself piece by piece from hotels around Europe, but really, who has the time?

Everyone Can Use a Little Luck

I recently asked some Suburban Zen readers a simple question: "What's Your Secret?" My intention was to learn what people like me do to keep the level of contentment high, and the level of stress low in their homes. I was surprised that all the responses were very similar, and all credited a positive attitude and joie de vivre as their secret. (Except the one reader who said her secret was that she kissed her husband's best friend the night before her wedding. I don't judge, but that's not really what I meant.)

I'm with you readers: I'm also a huge fan of the power of positive thinking, in fact that's what helps me turn a blind eye to the mess in my family room most weekends. I'm also a big fan of good luck charms. I like the symbolism they represent for our children: you make your own luck, but a little extra help can't hurt.

My favorite good luck charm in the Furber house is our money tree.

Chinese legend is that a money tree can bring money and fortune to its owners and is a symbol of affluence, nobility and auspiciousness. I don't know about that so much, but I do know that JP and I bought a money tree seven years ago and sold our house the next day. Since that day, we've been convinced that the money tree is one of the things standing between us and destitution, so we tend the tree very carefully and get a little nervous when a leaf or two falls off.

Even the kids have adopted our superstition. They're very careful not to disturb the money tree and often will give us advice on how to tend it. A few weeks ago Jack was doing what Jack does sometimes (flailing around crashing into things) and he knocked over the money tree and broke its pot. The Furber family swung into action as if my wedding ring had been flushed down the toilet, and now the money tree is enjoying its new home in a much bigger pot. And wouldn't you know, right after that happened I came into a little unexpected money. Hmmm.

Simple Steps to a Greener Home

I'm always looking for good advice on making my home healthier for my family. In that pursuit, I recently purchased and viewed Danny Seo's Simple Steps to a Greener Home. I thought I'd read pretty much everything on the the subject, but was pleasantly surprised at how much interesting and useful information I learned. Following is a review of sorts for those looking for some good advice:

If you’re looking to gain a broad view of green design in a short amount of time, this DVD is perfect for that. If you’re more interested in delving deep into a specific category like how and where to shop for organic bedding, you won’t find all you need here.

This DVD is a small time commitment (a little over an hour) and features a compilation of green living tips that cover five areas:

• Building Green
• Eco Accessories
• A Natural Bedroom for Better Sleep
• Using Sun Power
• Re-use and Re-define

Overviews of each category are pretty general, but also manage to highlight some good specifics and interesting artisans along the way like the men at Scrapile in Brooklyn who use discarded scrap wood from construction projects to make beautiful and unique furniture.

Danny Seo, a lifestyle expert who's made a name for himself as an author and the former host of Simply Green, is an engaging host who has a thorough and fluid understanding of the sustainable market. Rather than appearing scripted, he seems to be chatting off the top of his head about easy ways to make your home a little greener. Like a good friend who you trust for good advice. The host uses simplicity, sustainability and affordability as his touchstones – concepts that are near and dear to the heart of anyone attempting to be a little greener without going broke or crazy.

The DVD effectively uses a text box in the lower right of the screen to highlight technical trivia bits that lend credibility to what the host is saying. For example, in a segment about using plants to clean your indoor air, the screen displays a statistic from NASA comparing indoor air pollution to outdoor air pollution. Very convincing.

The portions I found most useful were:

• · Recommendations on choosing low VOC paint
• · Advice on choosing indoor houseplants that are low maintenance
• · How to choose a natural pillow for your bed

Portions I found interesting, but not as relatable were:

• · A tour of an organic farm that uses sun power
• · A tour of a factory that makes toilet paper from discarded scrap paper

Don’t skip the special features – there are some simple and fun DIY projects that are worth trying.

You’ll come away from this DVD with a superficial understanding of the materials available in the market, the chemicals to avoid, and a list of easy things you can do to make your home a little greener. You’ll also come away from this DVD wanting more information on the portions that piqued your interest. And you’ll wonder if that recycled toilet paper is really a good idea.

Resolution #4 -- Compost

Sounds easy, right? Not always.

The behavior modification required to save our compostable items dictated that the composter we chose would have to be easy to install and use because all of our energy would have to be funneled into learning how to and remembering to compost.

JP searched high and low for the right one that would be simple, easy to use, would fit in our back yard , and would be easy to operate for any of the Furbers charged with putting out the compost. And one of us is six years old, so I’m talking really easy. JP combed the market for the best composter that met our criteria. Little did we know, that our constraints of space, time and mental bandwidth were not the only things we needed to take into consideration. We also…

…had to estimate how much compostable material our family unit produce, and how would we use the fruits of our labor in our limited suburban landscape. This decision helped determine the size of compost bin(s) we would need.

…learned that it is best to have one complete batch cooking at a time. For rookies like us, an important question arose: what do you then do with what is accumulating? For serious composting efforts one needs a serious composter with two chambers. A two chamber composter allows for one batch to cook while compostable waste accumulates in the other. The other option is to have two separate compost bins. In the end, we chose to purchase just one single chamber compost bin to get us started, knowing we can always add another one later.

…learned that there is a lot to learn about composting. Ratios of Green (1/3) to Brown (2/3) ingredients are critical for success. Adding fresh topsoil to the compost helps, along with some “red” worms is a definite plus to speed the process. That trail led to the question of where one acquires red worms: is it too much to hope that they can be purchased at the same place we buy our crickets for Jack’s Australian tree frog? Turns out mail order is the best place to buy them. We got ours from Sonoma Valley Worms. Ask for the red wigglers.

…learned that location in our yard is an important consideration. Our summer-time temperatures often exceed 100 degrees. Direct sunlight will be too warm for our composter. In winter, we may have the opposite problem. Our cooler weather may not create enough heat to effectively compost quickly enough to keep up with our household compost waste.

We eventually narrowed our search down to the Compost Wizard 12 Cubic Ft Tumbler, and the Ecomposter because they were small, and easy to install and use, and both products had great reviews.

Our final purchase was the Compost Wizard, which is now installed in our backyard and cooking our compost as I write this. The research paid off, and so far were happy with our purchase. The Compost Wizard arrived fully assembled with minimal packaging. It is made from recycled polyethylene plastic. It sits low to the ground, on a rotating platform that even our six year old Katie can rotate it weekly.

Time will tell how good our compost is. Our mild January weather is not ideal for cooking compost! More on the results later…….

Once the compost bin was installed, we realized we had another challenge: unless we wanted to walk to the backyard with every apple core and banana peel, we needed a container in the kitchen to collect scraps until we were ready to make a trip to the composter. There are many fancy and beautiful compost crocks on the market from which to choose. However, because we fundamentally believe that the most green thing of all is not to create anything new, we decided to repurpose a vintage enamel bread bin that had previously held snacks in our pantry. A little household odor absorber from Gaiam attached to the lid eliminates any stinkiness, and problem solved.

Thanks Santa (and Zoe)

Santa brought me the best present this year: a Royal manual typewriter.

It all started a month or so ago when I travelled to Austin, TX on an inspiration trip. My friend Zoe was on the hunt for a manual typewriter because she wanted to make her guest book a collection of typed notes from friends who stayed in her guest room. Of course, I decided to steal the idea and I put a typewriter on my Christmas list.

Santa outdid himself and delivered a restored vintage Royal Model 10 KH 957 circa 1934. The typewriter looks very cool in my family room, and has sparked an interest in literature for the whole family that I hadn't anticipated. The TV's barely been on, and the Furber kids have been lined up waiting to use the typewriter to write poems, stories, a few haikus, thank you notes, and notes to each other since the typewriter arrived.

My new typewriter is my favorite type of accessory -- it looks great, it's fairly indestructible, and fun for everyone.

Burlap. Who Knew?

I'm trying to get into the Christmas spirit, but somehow it's late in coming this year. Don't get me wrong -- I'm happy and joyful -- just not feeling like doing the the all out shopping, decorating or wrapping yet.

In an effort to force myself into the Christmas spirit, I've spent some time thinking about how I'm going to wrap my presents this year. Each year I try to choose something sustainable or reusable to minimize the waste generated from our wrapping. For the last few years I've used newspaper and magazine pages -- I love the way they look with a pretty ribbon and I want to use them while I still can! (see post "You Can't Curl Up with a Cup of Coffee and a Mac"). This year I've decided to wrap my presents in burlap. It's very chic and rustic, reusable, and made from the skin of the jute plant, a rapidly renewable natural resource.

In researching where in the world I could buy rolls of burlap (AceHardware.com), I've realized that burlap is quite the home decor trend. I saw so many chic uses of burlap, including a post from a fellow blogger Stories from A2Z on burlap in fashion entitled "Making Burlap Work for You." My favorite uses in home decor are:

Upholstery

Pillows

Lighting


The most exciting thing about burlap emerging as a design trend is this: burlap's durability and unpretentious nature are a perfect match for my three children and 100 lb. dog. I think I'll spend today making a burlap slipcover for the rattan sofa that sits on my porch. Still not a Christmas project, but getting closer.

Dreaming of a Green Christmas?

As regular Suburban Zen readers know, the Furbers strive to be as green as we can be, but we try not to drive ourselves crazy. Christmas is one of those times of year when it's a little harder than usual to be green: there's more consumption of goods, food and services, and the all the packaging and waste that goes along with that.

The book I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas: Gifts, Decorations and Recipes that Use Less and Mean More is a resource I'll be using this year to help cut through the clutter and get back to the business of making enduring memories with my family.

Here are a few ideas to get us all started:

World Design

Living in Alamo, California, my children aren't exposed to a diversity of culture. However, JP and I make an effort to introduce them to world influences with different types of food, music, books about different cultures. Additionally, I try to intersperse different world influences into our home decor and tell them the stories when I can get them to listen:

African Wedding Baskets, the traditional gift given to brides in Zambia and Angola, sit on the table in our entry.


Two sets of Chinese Fortune Sticks, a traditional method of fortune telling, sit in the family room to be used randomly when they catch someone's interest.


A vintage Suzani, a form of Uzbek textile art that was traditionally made as a part of a woman's dowry, roams around the house and has lately found a home on JP's and my bed:


And most recently a vintage Indian Kantha, a quilt that's block printed and quilted by hand, was added to our stack of throws in the family room.


I like to think we're planting the seeds of curiosity now, and our children will grow up with open hearts and a taste for adventure that will take them around the world to see for themselves what's beyond their safe havens of California, Washington, Idaho and Arizona.

Tips for a Healthy Family Home #5

To keep your momentum going, and as Jack Furber says "don't say you're going to help the earth and then totally blow it off," subscribe to an email newsletter that will keep green living tips coming to your mailbox regularly.

I like these because they're all easy, realistic and have ideas that are achievable for busy families:
7th Generation Blog
IdealBite
Green Living Tips
The Green Guide

Tips for the Healthy Family Home #4

It's never too late to make a list of green resolutions. And the day after Earth Day is like Green New Year. Perfect.

Ours are as follows:
Mom -- Don't buy anything we don't absolutely need
Dad -- Stop hiding the trash in with the recycling when the trash can is full
Andie -- Try to buy only sustainable or organic clothing
Jack -- Take my lunch to school in a bag that is reusable
Katie -- Use both sides of my paper

Tips for a Healthy Family Home #3

A lightbulb is going on over my head -- a CFL bulb that is. CFL bulbs last up to ten times longer, use only about 25% of the energy, and generate 90% less heat than regular lightbulbs.

1000 Bulbs.com is a great place to stock up on CFL bulbs so you can always have them handy.
When your bulbs eventually burn out, remember that they have mercury in them, so you can't just throw them away. Visit EcoJoe's.com for advice on how to dispose of them properly.

Tips for a Healthy Family Home #2

Recycling is certainly more work than just throwing everything in the trash, but it pays off in all the obvious ways. One payoff that's not so obvious is this: when we require our trash to be sorted in our house, we require our children to pause and make a decision before throwing something away. Considering the impact of your actions, however small, is a skill that my kids will draw on regularly later in life.

Real Simple magazine is a great resource for ideas on how to set up simple and usable recycling systems in your home that also look great, how to reuse just about anything, and information on what is and is not recyclable.

I especially like their 10 Smart Uses for Old Plastic Bags.

Tips for a Healthy Family Home #1

Whether you like Al Gore or not, you have to admit, it's getting hotter every summer. My husband can no longer stand the 100 degree + temperature in Alamo, and for the past several years has sought refuge and cool wind in Olympia every summer.

For those not so lucky to have parents on the water, there's always a basket of sunscreen in the backyard and a sprinkler. We have used these clam baskets in our backyard for sunscreen, hats, goggles for years:

They're cute, useful, weatherproof, and can be found at any flea market anywhere in America. Click here to find the flea market closest to where you live.

If you're looking for advice on which organic sunscreen to use, EcoBusinessLinks.com is a good source for information. We like Soleo because it's made in California.

Earth Day Tips for a Healthy Family Home

Because Earth Day is Wednesday, I thought this would be a good week to focus on five little things you can do in your home that will make a big impact this week and beyond. Starting tomorrow, check Suburban Zen each day this week for a new one.

Bringing My Own Bags to the Grocery Store is the Least of my Worries

How have I never noticed this before? It's not just the grocery stores -- everyone gives you a bag when you shop. On a recent shopping trip, if I hadn't taken some control, I would have ended up with about ten bags for approx. $100 worth of purchases. I bought a tube of lipstick and the salesperson tried to give me a bag for it. I realized then that I need to bring my shopping bags with me everywhere.

I love FreePeople, because they give you a very cute reusable bag when you shop there.

However, I'm a little old to shop there regularly and, while I wish they would sell their bags, they don't.

I've had my eye on some shopping bags for awhile and haven't managed to buy them, but now I think I will.

I like these because they're cute, but also because:
They don't look like grocery bags
They are sold in a set of 5 that roll up into a pouch that's 9"x6" so they're easy to carry around
The website I like ReusableBags.com, participates in 1% for the Planet, an organization that inspires it's members to donate 1% of their sales to environmental causes around the world
A very cool green living expert Antoinette Nue likes them too

And best of all, I won't have to feel compelled to carry my lunch to work in a giant Nordstrom shopping bag, just so the bag won't go to waste.

Green Your (Fill in the Blank)

If you read Suburban Zen regularly, you know I'm very interested in the topic of sustainability. With children in the house, I feel a responsibility toward organic and sustainable living for three reasons: to build a healthy home for my family, to do what I can to ensure that future generations inherit a clean and healthy planet, and to set a good example for my children.

Being a working mother of three, sometimes I find something other than sustainability becomes a priority in my decisions -- I've been known to buy the little individual bags of Grahamy Bears for the convenience of it. However, I do try hard. The biggest challenge is sorting through the volumes of information to decide what's right. A resource that I rely on regularly is the website GreenYour.com. This site allows me to find ideas for greening pretty much anything, just by typing the subject into their search box. For example, a search for "Green Your Family Dinner" returned this:

Tip: Grow your own organic vegetables
... trips to the gym, and the environment. Get the whole family involved—kids like growing vegetables, although they usually like ... makes it handy to harvest fresh vegetables for tonight's dinner! How big should my garden be? Start small. ...

Tip: Choose organic coffee
Organic coffee is harvested sans chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Choosing organic coffee allows you to savor what many believe is not only a more flavorful cup o' joe, but also a healthier, more environmentally friendly alternative to standard brew ...

Tip: Choose reusable food service items
... snacks : Whether you’re packing daily lunches for the family or sharing coffee with a colleague, stay away from throw-aways like ... meals : When hosting family and friends for a holiday dinner, skip the paper cups and napkins and use reusable ones instead. You may ...

Tip: Choose a high chair made from sustainable materials
Your baby's perch at the dinner table may look green after a meal of pureed peas , but plastic and ... toxic chemicals protect indoor air quality and your family's health. Many high chairs are made of plastic, which is a ... them soft is a form of polyurethane (part of the urethane family of chemicals), that can contain many toxins, including (but not limited ...

Tip: Use paper product alternatives
... : Whether you’re in need of napkins for tonight’s dinner or this weekend’s party, look for reusable cloth napkins and put away ... ? Read emails on-screen, send electronic letters and family updates instead of paper cards, and pick up e-books (online, that is) to ...

Tip: Choose nontoxic baby dishes and utensils
... is playing a spoon-on-bowl symphony to serenade your dinner, it’s easy to see why plastic is often used to make durable ... gas belonging to the VOC (volatile organic compound) family of chemicals. It is widely used in personal care products, building ...

Tip: Shop locally
... caught fish and local farm meat for your next family meal. Ultimate local choices - DIY Avoid shopping ... travel the average 1,500 to 2,500 miles, it arrives on the dinner table shortly after it was picked, ensuring that it's much fresher. ...

Each excerpt links to a larger article with great information drawn from many different sources. There are three types of information that searches return:
Facts which aggregate research on environmental impact
Tips provide recommendations and simple steps to help you take action
Products list products and resources that have been vetted by the GreenYour editorial staff of experts and meet their green criteria.

While I still have to do most of the work, it's nice to have a resource I can rely on to point me in the right direction. I'm hoping that the Green Council will spawn a whole series of sites like this: IronYour.com, PutAwayYour.com, CleanYourHouseforYou.com. When you think about it, the possibilities are endless.

New Paint or Mittens in the House?

JP's and my first house was the typical starter house with the cheapest, non-washable paint in existence. We learned quickly that the washability of interior paint is as important as the color. Maybe more important.

Little did I know that the abuse a newly married couple can inflict on painted walls is nothing compared to that of three kids and a dog. For as long as I've had children and pets in my house, I've had fingerprints on my walls. Sometimes footprints. At a glance, my children appear to be very clean. Katie and Jack both love water, and Andie seems to shower about three times a day. However, from looking at my walls you might think they never bathe at all. And Jasper seems to pace up and down the hall, rubbing himself along the wall as he goes.

There are many paints on the market that are low VOC (see post "where can I get a cute gas mask that goes with my decor?" 6/4/08) and many paints that are washable. Finding a paint that's both is the challenge. Benjamin Moore's Aura Line is my favorite paint that does both. This video shows how Aura stands up to the standard abuse inflicted by children, demonstrated by the video host's 2 year old daughter Emma. If that doesn't convince you, nothing will.


Now, if anyone has any useful advice for me on how to keep my floors clean, I'm all ears.