Children's Artwork and Minimalism: How to enjoy their creations while curbing the clutter!

I greatly enjoy and appreciate art and in fact I even studied art in college before I changed my major to theology. I am thrilled that my kids also share a love for art and enjoy coloring, painting and generally expressing themselves through creative designs. I think that arts and crafts are great for their motor skills, imagination, and developing their individual creativity. I thoroughly enjoy every colorful paper they thrust at me with pride and how their little faces glow when I praise their good work.
But how do you enjoy all of their precious creations and curb the immense amount of clutter it creates? That has been one of the main questions I have been asking myself since I have been minimizing the amount of stuff in our home. I want the kids to feel that their work is appreciated and special but it also can't take over every flat surface in the house. From school projects, library crafts to Sunday school projects, and free time coloring it can all add up fast!
I came up with a plan that seems to be working well for both me and the kids. I allow them to each have one (sometimes two) pieces of art on display on the refrigerator door at anyone time  and for everything else I have a small vintage decorative trunk that they are allowed to fill with all of their other creations. When the trunk gets full they have to go through it themselves and throw away or compost what they no longer want to keep.  But they can't keep more than the trunk can hold. So when they have a prized piece of work they have to decide if it will be their one thing on display or go into the trunk. This makes them feel special because they can have something on display at all times and by putting the other things in the trunk they are able to save their projects for a little while instead of watching me say "Hey, this is great!" and then immediately plunking it into the garbage. They have control over what and when things get thrown out to make room for new creations.

How do you enjoy your children's artwork while curbing the clutter? I'd love to hear your method!

Tumbleweed Tiny House Company

Several months ago I had discovered the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company when I saw a promotional video on the Yahoo Homepage and yesterday I came across another video that sparked my curiosity about the company again. Jay Shafer is the designer of these tiny, green, efficient homes. His designs range in size from around 65 square feet to the larger sizes being around 837 square feet. I am in awe of his charming designs and creative use of limited space. His houses are the epitome of green and simple living. His design approach is to adequately meet only domestic needs which in turn allows for a simpler lifestyle. I dream of the day when I can take a tour of one of his homes and see hands on how every nook and cranny serves a purpose. I often wonder if after we raise our kids if my husband and I could quietly retire in one of these great tumbleweed homes and enjoy traveling and being grandparents. What are your thoughts? Could you live in a Tumbleweed house? Raise children?  

Homemade Dishwasher Soap

In an effort to buy less, use money more more wisely, and use more natural products I  decided to make my own dishwasher soap. I was previously using a dishwasher liquid soap called Eco + made by Palmolive but it was emitting very nauseating fumes and I couldn't even go into the kitchen when the dishwasher was running. So I did some research and found a great recipe that was made up of ingredients that I already had in my home so I did not have to purchase any new products. The recipe that I decided to make is as follows:

1 Cup Baking Soda
1 Cup 20 Mule Team Borax
1/4 Cup Kosher Salt
*fill the Jet Dry compartment with  white vinegar

I had read both positive and negative comments about this recipe. Some people had said that it left a cloudiness on their dishes because the recipe lacks citric acid while others raved about it. I have done three dishwasher loads with this recipe and I had great results. The white vinegar really does the trick but you have to remember to check the Jet Dry compartment every time to make sure it is filled all the way. I have to say that what pleased me the most was that I could not smell any fumes coming out of the dishwasher aside from a lingering scent of vinegar. I could hardly tell that the dishwasher was even running. I may decide when making a future mixture to add citric acid and see if there is much difference but I am pleased with the recipe as is!
Do you make your own dishwasher detergent? What recipe do you use?

A walk in closet you can actually walk into...what?

That's right!
Some of you probably read my recent post on my master bedroom minimizing project. After we hauled out two leaf size bags of clothes to donate we had made major headway but I still had more to go which I was able to accomplish this past Sunday afternoon. I cleared out purses and scarves and completely eliminated this positively annoying rack that hung down over the door. Now we can actually walk inside our walk-in closet...what a concept! ...and now that all of the unnecessary "junk" is off of the door I can actually close the door and no longer run into an open door getting to the bed. 

Master Bedroom Closet Minimizing Project

YIKES-A-BEE!! Now that is a scary picture. I can hardly believe I tackled that mess this weekend. That was only my side of the master bedroom closet. My husband joined in on the fun and did his side as well but he did it with a lot more efficiency.
I was inspired to minimize my closet when a friend gave me a mass amount of white hangers. I was excited to have all of my clothes on matching hangers for aesthetically pleasing reasons. I quickly concluded at the beginning of my project that the only way I would adequately purge my closet of the excess was to start with a perfectly empty closet space. By doing this I was much more picky about what I was putting back in.
May I add that purging a closet while pregnant is an extremely difficult task. I basically had to take a shot in the dark and guess which few items would fit after the baby comes. This being my third baby, I have no idea how quickly or slowly all of my parts will find their original places. I think I left myself enough choices that I will not have to go naked but cleared out enough that if I decide to pick up a few new pieces of clothing a few months after the baby comes it will not detract from my closet minimizing efforts. Despite the horror of a mess, I was able to go through everything and have all that I was keeping neatly hanging on white hangers in a matter of a few hours.
My husband actually rocked the closet cleaning purge and got rid of way more than I was expecting. I think his get rid of numbers were higher than mine. Between the two of us we filled two black leaf bags with clothes. They are sitting in the back of my SUV waiting to go to Goodwill tomorrow.
Conquering this task felt amazing! My closet is such a wonderful place to be in now. Matching hangers with neatly hung clothes consisting of only items that we truly wear on a regular basis.  And all seasons of clothing are in the same place. I have already noticed an ease in my laundry tasks.
If you have recently conquered your closet how did it go? Or are you procrastinating…why? Feel welcome to leave comments =)

Composting Has Begun

After a few days of saving compost approved materials I finally had enough to get my composting bin started. I was amazed at how much trash we accumulated over such a short period of time that was compostable but that we would have otherwise been sending into the landfill. I sadly publicly admit that we as a family have never recycled any of our garbage ever. Never. I am looking forward to making much needed changes in this department. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) states that 26% of  the  U.S. municipal solid waste stream is materials that could be composted.
Materials that can be composted:

• Animal manure (NOT from a cat or dog)
• Cardboard rolls
• Clean paper
• Coffee grounds and filters
• Cotton rags
• Dryer and vacuum cleaner lint
• Eggshells
• Fireplace ashes
• Fruits and vegetables
• Grass clippings
• Hair and fur
• Hay and straw
• Houseplants
• Leaves
• Nut shells
• Sawdust
• Shredded newspaper
• Tea bags
• Wood chips
• Wool rags
• Yard trimmings

If you are interested in an indoor worm composting system check out Nature Mom’s blog post on the subject here. I think her system is really neat if you are willing to spend a little money getting started.

Composting

Since Earth Day was just a few days ago I decided to take the plunge into composting. During some research I noticed that a lot of people have embraced composting as a way of going more green. I watched quite a few youtube videos on how to create a compost and the videos by the CompostGuy were very informative and they clearly outlined the construction process. I was pretty thrilled to find out that I already had everything I needed to make our compost bin minus the worms of course.
Composting is a great way to reduce materials going into the landfills, provides much needed nutrients for gardens and trees, prevents the purchasing of fertilizers, and provides a great activity for the kids. I started a bag in the kitchen that is devoted to composting materials and once we have enough to begin we will be making our composting bin. I think by this weekend or maybe sooner we will be ready to rock and roll! Does your family compost? How much waste has been reduced?

Organic Wear Mascara

When it comes to make-up and beauty supplies I have a very minimal supply. I have always had problems with allergic reactions to make-up, lotions, and  beauty products in general so a long time ago I just learned to be comfortable going with my natural appearance. My daily routine consists of a natural face wash, an organic face moisturizer, organic lip gloss, mascara, and a little eye shadow. The only face products that I regularly use that are not made from natural materials are my mascara and eye shadow. So since I needed to replace these items anyways I started to research my natural options. The best natural mascara that I could find was this tube of “Organic Wear” mascara made by Physicians Formula. Wal-Mart carries it for just under $9 which I think is a fair and comparable price for mascara. It is made from a 100% Natural Origin Formula and  is free of harsh chemicals, synthetic preservatives, parabens, and dyes. It also has a 100% recyclable Eco-brush. I have been using this mascara for the past week and I have been very impressed with it. It is light weight, there is no clumping, and at the end of the day I don’t have black flakes under my eyes. And best of all if I forget and go to sleep with it on I don’t wake up with itchy irritated eyes. I am very happy with my new natural and more body and earth friendly mascara choice! I am still on the hunt for a natural eye shadow option but will post when I find something great!

Minimalism...the beginning

My desire to live more simply came on gradually beginning about a year ago. I did not really know about the minimalist movement and did not have a name to put with my ideas. I just knew that day after day I felt bogged down and drained by all of the possessions around me. It was like a constant battle of moving stuff from here to there, cleaning stuff, fixing stuff, organizing stuff…stuff, stuff, stuff. And that’s all it was, just… stuff. Not necessarily things I cared about or enjoyed or things that were necessary for living and raising kids.
The first thing I deliberately chose to get rid of was my drain board. I know strange start right? But it was like one day I couldn’t figure out why I spent hours cleaning my kitchen and at the end of the day the kitchen still didn’t feel clean. I traced all of the kitchen dissension back to the drain board. The drainboard was the catch all for everything, was impossible to keep cleaned out, and took up an enormous amount of counter space. Not to mention that it was just an eye sore. So I took a test run and put the drain board in the laundry room just in case I decided this was a bad idea. I was amazed at the immediate results! By removing just that one item the kitchen had a whole new feel and look to it. I found that I was able to keep non dish-washable items cleaned and put away without much effort and after my cleaning chores were done the kitchen actually looked and felt clean. The drain board had been the problem all along.
After my kitchen “WOW” moment I started looking into simple living and came across several blogs that were describing what I was thinking and using the term “minimalism” or “minimalists”. So I started researching minimalist lifestyles and techniques. For the most part I really like what I was learning. I was intrigued by the idea that we as a middle class American family could actually over come the American mindset of more, more, more and bigger, bigger, bigger! How glorious would it be to live in a home where I knew every item inside of it, everything we owned was something that either really meant something to us or was being efficiently used on a regular basis. There was no unnecessary useless stuff around. I wanted that. And even more I wanted to spend less of my time worrying about where stuff was going and investing that time in my kids.
After my research on minimalism I did learn that I will never be a hard core minimalist. It just isn’t me. Will I ever be able to live out of one suitcase and really enjoy it? Most likely not.  Will I ever keep a strict count on every item I own? I seriously doubt it. I really enjoy some of the antique furniture and family heirlooms that I have inherited and I enjoy a few of the saved items from my childhood and the few things I am saving for my kids. I don’t like to take much of anything to extremes. But I have found that there is definitely a benefit to living more simply with less stuff and I think I will be able to find a middle ground that will work great for our family dynamic. I look forward to making more headway and trips to the Goodwill donation center!
P.S. Here is a link to my favorite minimalist blog:
http://www.becomingminimalist.com/

Organic Soymilk Taste Test

  I have been thinking about buying an organic milk or an organic milk substitute like soy milk for some time but the price always stopped my good intentions. But a few days ago I finally bit the bullet and purchased this half gallon of organic plain soy milk which was on sale at Fry’s for $2.99. The price wasn’t too terrible but at the same time I bought our regular gallon of 2% milk for $2.67.  I had to say to my frugal self that I’m paying for a healthier choice!
I was excited to try it for the first time and to see what my kids thought of the change. I really didn’t mind it myself. It had a different texture and consistency than cow’s milk and it was also a bit sweeter with a light chalkiness. My oldest really liked it and was willing to have it on her plain cereal. My youngest didn’t care for it as much but she did say that it tasted like “chocolate chip cookie dough”. Which oddly enough, once she made that correlation  I could taste it as well.
I do not know if organic soy milk will become a permanent product we purchase to replace regular milk or not. I would still like to try organic cow’s milk which has an average price of $6 a gallon (we use about 6 gallons a month, more or less depending on the time of year). I think I will continue taste testing organic milk options for awhile. I might ease into it and try replacing a few of our gallons each month with an organic choice.
I read an interesting article published by the Harvard University Gazzett which can be found here: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/12.07/11-dairy.html
This article was published in 2006 but I have been interested in the recent 2011 talk surrounding the evidence that the hormones in milk, dairy products and meats have caused the puberty rate of young girls to drop to as young as 7 or 8. This is the youngest average puberty age in recorded history. Having a daughter in that age range I can say that she is already much more developed and is experiencing changes that I did not start seeing until around age 12 or older. Also, as this article mentions there is evidence that these products are linked to certain kinds of cancers because of the hormone levels they contain which is another concern for me as cancer runs heavily in my side of the family. These are current reasons why I am looking to make major changes in the food we purchase and to be an informed consumer.

Nice to meet you...

Welcome to my blog, Researching Green! I am a stay at home mom of two (8,4) and one on the way. I am devoted to intentionally raising and guiding my children and running a clean, orderly and efficient household. We live a great life in a quiet town in Northern Arizona.
Over the past year I have become more and more interested and intrigued by the “green” movement and minimalist living. I have found during recent research that green and minimalism typically go hand in hand. I am more concerned about adopting green practices as far as it pertains to organic and natural foods and products for the benefit of health safety and less of the “save the planet”  movement (although I do think we should be responsible in this area as well and actively seek to better our everyday habits).
Minimalism is a more recent infatuation of mine. I had already been thinking and slowly easing into the ideas of minimalistic practices but never had a name to fit the ideals until I came across a few blogs discussing what I had been envisioning and using the term “minimalism”. After some serious reading I have concluded that I will never be a hard core minimalist but I do see the benefits and how I can incorporate some of the practices into our home to make better use of our space, energy, and time.
This blog will follow my new journey of “Researching Green”. I will post my reviews of new organic or natural products that I try and my efforts to incorporate more of a green lifestyle into our home. I will also post on how I plan to incorporate minimalism and how it affects our home life.
I gladly welcome kind and respectful comments or suggestions on any posts and I look forward to meeting new people who are also on this particular journey.