living smallish :: kids' room

June 11, 2021 Megan Rodriguez

I will never forget when we first walked through our little Minneapolis home-to-be with our realtor. We climbed the narrow staircase, looked in the first bedroom, then walked into the second. It was a small room and the realtor asked me what we would use this small room for. I said, “A bedroom, of course!” That has stuck with me ever since because not only have we used it as a bedroom for our first born, but it has become a cozy little haven of a room for our two boys to share. When we were pregnant with Alder, our second, I started searching pinterest for ideas for small shared bedrooms and for blog posts on how best to have a baby and a preschooler share a room. I was shocked by how little I found! I was also surprised by how many people thought we were crazy for having them share a room at that age. So, now that I have a year and a half under my belt of having a baby/toddler and preschooler share a tiny bedroom, I thought I’d share my experience with the inter webs in hopes that they may help the next mama searching for some ideas on how to make living smallish with kids a reality.

First of all, it has been so great having them share a room. They LOVE it. Yes, there are times when they wake each other up or don’t go to sleep easily. Yes, there are times when they argue and fight and each want the room to themselves. Yes, I still have to have Alder nap in our room because they need separate spaces for nap and rest time. But, overall?? It’s been absolutely wonderful.

As for the space and organization, my biggest advice is less is more. It’s as simple as that. The fewer things you have to manage such as toys and clothes, the easier it will be to keep the room tidy, less chaotic, and comfortable. Now while I know this idea is a simple one, I also know it can be easier said than done. So, my advice for how to tackle this is to start small and to start by moving things you don’t regularly use into another room or storage area. You can then rotate it back into the room as needed (ie. seasonal clothes, toy rotation), or if you find you can live without it for a few months, then consider getting rid of it entirely. Here are some of the ways I organize clothes/toys in order to keep the room organized and less cluttered/crowded.

Clothes:
- I keep a small, capsule-style wardrobe for each boy. A capsule wardrobe is generally a wardrobe of 30-40 pieces of essential clothing items that can be easily paired/matched together to make a variety of outfits. For my boys this means that I keep just the basics that they need for a week or so of wear. I generally wash their laundry once per week, so I make sure that we have enough to get a through a week, plus a few extra things in case its a particularly messy week or busy one where the laundry doesn’t get done on time. At the beginning of each season, I go through the clothes they have and make a list of what they need for the upcoming season. For fall/winter, my boys each have a couple pairs of jeans, a nicer pair of pants, a pair or two of sweatpants, a few t-shirts, a few longs sleeved t’s, a wool sweater, a few button-down shirts, and a sweatshirt. They also have a couple pairs of pjs, socks, underwear, and long-johns. If at the end of the season I find that we didn’t wear everything we had, then the next season I pair it down a bit more. This past summer I found that we had an abundance of t-shirts and shorts for both boys. This meant we washed each pair after use, even if they weren’t dirty. When there are fewer options, they wear their clothes more between washes, which means less laundry for me and less wear on the clothes as well!
- Everything they regularly wear is kept in their dresser, on hooks on the wall, or hanging in their closet. I also keep a basket on the shelf in their closet for things that are a little too big for them, things they may need later in the season (ie. sweaters or tank tops, depending), or things that they have just grown out of in size or season. This helps keep their dresser drawers less crowded, but gives me a place where I can swap clothes in and out without having to go digging in the rubbermaids in the basement.
Toys:
- Less is more! I said it before and I’ll say it again and again and again. Anytime I’m feeling like it is chaotic in our home, it likely means that I need to purge a bit. When I feel like their bedroom is always a disaster, it probably means they have too many things in it - and those things are usually toys. When I feel this way, I often weed out a few toys and move them to the basement. I use the basement as a holding place for toys that I’d like to get rid of. If they don’t miss them, then after a few months or so, they find a new home.
- Rotation is key!! We have a pretty simple collection of high quality, well-made toys that I rotate around the house every few months and I occasionally take toys out of the rotation and store them in the basement in order to mix things up a bit. This is especially great for toys that are exciting for only short amounts of time.
- Organization is super helpful too. I find that when our toys are well-organized and everything has a spot, it’s a lot easier for the kids to clean up and it’s more inviting for them to play as well. Every month or so I quickly sort/organize their toys and I’m always amazed by how they are more drawn to them after I’ve tidied them up a bit.
Books
- Display: Sarah McKensie, from Read Aloud Revival, is big into displaying books with their covers facing out as it makes them far more inviting to read. I have found this to be true as well, so we have a couple small Ikea shelves where I put out a few books that both boys love. I then switch them out each month with books that fit the season or mood of our home. I find that the boys generally reach for these books at bedtime, instead of picking different ones from their book shelf. This simplifies the bedtime story process and keeps their book selection fresh.
- Shelve: We have a book shelf in the boys room that I generally try to keep organized. When it is organized it is more inviting and easier to find favorites. On this shelf we keep seasonal books and all-time favorites. Oak will often sit and page through this books during his rest time in the afternoons.
- Rotate: I mentioned that I rotate the books on the wall shelves, but I also rotate some of the books on the bigger shelf as well. I keep an organized stash of books in the basement that I pull from each month. Books about summer get put away in the colder months and vise versa. When there are fewer books on their shelves, it keeps the selection more interesting and far less overwhelming and chaotic.

We have arranged this little room a few different ways over the years, but this latest arrangement with a lofted bed for Oak and tucked under crib for Alder is by far my favorite. It gives them so much space to play and gives Oak his “own” space which is helpful when you are sharing a room with your little brother. The lofted bed is actually just a bunk bed without the bottom front railing installed. Once Alder is ready for a big boy bed, we’ll likely utilize the bottom bunk (or we’ll have a mattress on the floor for a bit, depending on what he is ready for).

The closet is also one of my favorite aspects of this little room. Before Alder was born, I asked my dad to build a custom shelf for the closet so that we could better use the space. Because we keep our boys’ wardrobes on the small side and also keep only a handful of toys in their room, the closet then has space in it to play, which gives them more space to spread out and keep their toys set up.

We are in the process now of looking for a new home to live in, but I am so thankful for this little room and all it has taught me about simplicity. Our society is quick to tell us that we need more space and more things, but I’ve often the opposite to be true, especially with our boys. Less is more and I think this little room has proven that to be true.

gift ideas for minimalist kids

December 5, 2019 Megan Rodriguez

Oh, hey! I have a blog! It’s been over a year since I posted. We’ve been busy adding a new member to our family (well, two if you count the cat and baby), following Dan Rodriguez around the country here and there, and just living life. I’m hoping to get back to this space a bit more regularly in the months to come and hope to share more about our sweet baby boy, Alder Chapman, as well as other aspects of our little life. However, with the holiday season upon us, I thought I pop on here and share a few of our favorite kid gifts that we received/given over the past few years.

We live in a little house with less than 1100 square feet of finished space and we love it. With a small space, two kids, and two cats, though, we have to get creative with how we organize and what we bring into our spaces. Because of that, we’ve learned how to be rather specific with the types of kid things we welcome into our home, and that includes gifts. For Oak’s first Christmas and birthday we asked for wooden toys or quality/long-lasting plastic toys, books, and no batteries and we’ve held to that standard ever since. Our families have mostly respected those requests and it as helped us to keep the simple home that we desire and value. Through all of that, we’ve found a handful of kid gifts that have been wonderful additions to our home, so I thought I’d share a few of those with you. Keep in mind, we have two boys, ages 3.5 years and 8 months.

Dan and I use the rhyme “something you want, something you need, something you wear, something you read” to guide our gift buying for our kids, so I’ll break down gift ideas into those four categories.

Something You Want

Let’s talk toys. What makes a good kid toy? How do you pick ones that will keep their attention, that will last, and that are sustainable? We’ve found that the more open-ended a toy is, the better. When you look at a toy, ask yourself - what different things can this toy be/become? For example, wooden blocks can be used as houses, towers, castles, fences, but they can also be used as pretend food, to make up games, to learn counting/math, so much more. Even better, take magnet blocks as an example - they can be all the afore mentioned things, but they can also be airplanes, cars, people, animals, etc. The more things a toy can be - the longer it will be played with and cherished. A batman toy will always and only be a batman toy. As for quality, we love wooden toys for babies/toddlers/preschoolers. They are durable and often very well made. We have added a few plastic toys into the mix as Oak has grown and when we do, we choose solid plastic toys that are not easily breakable and that don’t have/require little pieces that can easily be lost. Some of our favorite plastic toys are Schleich farm animals, dinosaurs, and Hotwheels cars (which Oak called Hottires last week. Ha.) For sustainability, choose wood or choose things that will live beyond your kids’ use of them - things that can be passed on/down.

Our favorites so far:

Tegu Blocks - we LOVE these!! They are magnetic wooden blocks, built sustainably and made to last for generations. Love, love, love them. They now carry a toddler line, so we’re going to give Alder one of their cars for Christmas this year.
Regular Wooden Blocks - any brand will do, but you can some great sustainable options at Bella Luna Toys.
Lincoln Logs - we’re excited to add these to the mix this year! Did you know they are made in the U.S.?
Waldorf Wooden Toys - Bella Luna Toys has great options for these. We have little Waldorf people that we’ve been using for our Fairytale Preschool (If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen me post about that a bit. I’m planning to blog about that soon!) and they have been such a hit. The people can be ANY kind of person! Soooo different from an action figure or even a Playmobile person. They are so open-ended! We are planning to give Alder these houses for Christmas. They can so easily be played with with the people, the plastic animals we have, the blocks, and the Lincoln Logs. The options are endless.
Games!! We love games. A few favorites we’ve added are Count Your Chickens and Animal Upon Animal. We also play UNO and Go Fish a lot.
Puzzles! Melissa and Doug has great floor puzzles for this age, as does Crocodile Creek.
Schleich Animals - Oak has a wooden barn that Dan built for his second Christmas and we love the Schleich animals that we’ve filled it with. They are so sturdy, beautifully made/painted, and very realistic in both size and design.
Wooden Play Kitchen - both of our boys play with our wooden play kitchen on a regular basis. There are so many options out there. We found ours secondhand and have been so happy with it. I think all of their play food is Melissa and Doug and it holds up well and is pretty open-ended.
Cars/Trains - There are so many options out there. We have the IKEA wooden train and it works great. The Melissa and Doug wooden cars also work with the train - as do Hotwheels. Think wooden or secondhand. The wooden cars/trains we have are safe for babies, which is a plus.

Something You Need

We use this category for anything from stainless steel water bottles/lunch boxes, to winter gear, to wool long johns. This year Oak will be receiving a new knitted hat and mittens and Alder will likely get a water bottle or a pair of insulted mittens from Polarn O. Pyret.

Our favorites so far:

Klean Kanteen - we love their sippy lid water bottle. We also have a ThinkBaby stainless steel water bottle with a sippy lid and a straw lid. It is fine, not super durable and can leak, but it has handles, which made for a good first water bottle. The Klean Kanteen is much better. The only downside is that it doesn’t have handles, so it’s a little harder for a baby to use.
Winter Gear
- REI - affordable/quality kids outerwear
- Polarn O. Pyret - great wool options and outerwear!
- Ella’s Wool - great wool options!

Something You Wear

We’ve mostly used this category for winter gear as well. As I use a capsule wardrobe method for our boys, we don’t tend to need much for clothes at this time of the year as we are already a ways into winter. This year I’m using an old men’s wool sweater I found at a thrift store for $5 to make them matching long johns. This could also be a good time invest in some quality organic clothing. I know quite a few friends who get organic pjs for their kiddos each year. Some good companies for organic clothing are:

Something You Read

Books…I don’t know where to begin. We love picture books in our home and love giving/receiving them. However, we also love our local library and because of that, we keep our book purchases to a minimum each year. Read Aloud Revival is a FANTASTIC resource for book lists. I visit her picture book lists each month and choose books from the library from those lists. Here are a few of our all time favorite picture books that you may not be familiar with:

Sleep Tight, Farm
Big Snow
Flora’s Very Windy Day
Up in the Garden, Down in the Dirt
Over and Under the Pond
Over and Under the Snow
Sonya’s Chickens
City Moon
Bear Snores On
The Whatamagump - our friend Tyronne Wells wrote this one and it comes with an EP of awesome kids’ songs!
Thousand Star Hotel - our friends the Okee Dokee Brothers wrote this and it also comes with an album of great songs!
Cat Tale
Steam Train, Dream Train

It’s hard to keep kid stuff to a minimum, but it IS possible. Be specific in your lists for family members and purchase things mindfully for your kids and others that you buy for. The simplicity that comes with fewer toys and more meaningful toys is so very worth it.

a different kind of fall

October 12, 2018 Megan Rodriguez

You know that place of decision that we each find ourselves in at different points in our lives? The one where we have two choices (or more) and there are such great positives and some negatives about both and the pro/con lists just don’t help make the decision?

That’s the place I found myself in this past spring. We had just lost a baby to miscarriage and my plans to be home with a toddler and a new baby this fall were gone. We firmly believed another baby would come soon, but what would life look like in the meantime? I loved my job (teaching ESL at the University of Minnesota), but life was also feeling a bit out of control with my part-time work schedule, Dan’s periodic touring paired with his gigs and studio time when not on the road, and childcare situations that just weren’t ideal or consistent. We had been planning that I would stop working, so maybe that was the answer even though November was no longer bringing a new baby into our lives. But then there was the job I loved…the students, my colleagues, using my brain in ways that home life and motherhood often don’t…what about all of those things??? Would I regret prematurely ending (or putting on hold) a job that I loved so much? But then there were those times in the classroom where I found myself thinking about the next picture books I should get at the library for Oak and wishing we were playing and exploring in the woods together instead of being apart while I worked…those strong pulls were there too.

It was in this decision making process that I began to remember all of the dreams that have always been there — that my one desire, if I did nothing else in my life, was to raise children who have a love for life, a love for people, and a love for Jesus. Being a mom was what I had always wanted and here was an opportunity for me to fully and wholeheartedly embrace that identity, that role, and that season, and let it fully fill my days. The decision was no longer so hard. Would there be regrets about what I was giving up? Maybe. Would there be regrets about the time I got to spend with my sweet Oak? Probably not. Would there be times that I would need a break from full-time stay-at-home mommyhood? Absolutely. Would it allow us to simplify our lives and create a more peaceful home? Yes, more than ever before.

And so I said my goodbyes-for-now to my sweet colleagues and moved into a typical summer followed by a different kind of fall. This is my first fall since kindergarten where I haven’t been either in school or working/teaching in a school. I love fall and I love the new beginnings and crispness that comes with the new school year. So, instead of digging into school books and schedules, we’ve been digging into this fall with picture books, artwork, nature walks, and lots of time at home for playing. I thought I’d miss the school life/working life more, but that has yet to happen. I am loving this life. I love our daily rhythms that include relaxed mornings with (relative/attempted) quiet reading time in the living room, morning time at the table with breakfast, Bible stories, and nursery rhymes, after lunch story time, and before dinner play or art time. And our weekly rhythms of errands, nature adventures, days at home, walks, and playdates with friends/neighbors. As of now, every week is looking different, but the overall flow of the weeks are the same and it’s creating so much consistency and predictability. I’m already seeing the benefits of that with how much more easily Oak can enter into pretend play or transition from one thing to the next without a battle. And the extra time at home has opened doors for me to follow a few other passions of my own.

We are also expecting a new baby in March and so I’m treasuring these few months of special time with Oak before we grow in love and people in this little house of ours.

I love how our hearts can answer so many of the questions and decisions we face in our lives, but it’s so easy to let the “shoulds” of societal life guide us instead of listening to what our hearts are quietly trying to tell us. I’m so glad I listened. And so glad I went against what seemed like a more financially stable option and went with what was a better choice for the overall wellbeing of our family and home. There is beauty in less. There is beauty in the simple. I’m so excited to continue to embrace that beauty.

happenings 'round the homestead

October 13, 2017 Megan Rodriguez

Fall is here and it is lovely! Our days have been full of great things, both in and outside, both with friends and family, and a good balance of play and work. We've really been enjoying this fall so far!

Things around our little urban homestead are going well too, for the most part. We are down to 8 chickens, from 11 earlier this year. We lost 2 of our pullets this summer - one to sickness, one to a hawk, and one of our older hens to sickness or egg-binding, as well. And while all of that is not great, we are happy that the 3 remaining pullets are starting to lay and our egg production is slowly increasing - just in time to drop off for winter! Ha! Out of the breeds we got this spring, I'm loving our Golden Sexlink! She is an egg-laying machine! She's been laying for several weeks now and I don't think she's missed a single day. We will definitely be adding more sexlinks to the flock next spring. As for Oak, that boy loves his chickens. Yesterday he played outside for about an hour and a good portion of that he spent sitting on a stump by the chicken coop, just talking to his chickens. They have good talks, he and his ladies.

The garden is slowing down, just as it should be at this time of year. We had our first frost this week, but my sheltered garden seems to have been spared. I think I'll pull the tomatoes and peppers this weekend, though, and try to get a cover crop to sprout before the hard freeze happens. The temps are cool enough now that the remaining green tomatoes are unlikely to ripen. All that will remain, then, will be the green beans, a few carrots, and the cover crops I planted in early September. Not bad, for the middle of October!

We added a few new structures to our little backyard this summer and we've so been enjoying them! Dan built us a shed, a firewood rack, and a fantastic sandbox for Oak! The benches of the sandbox fold in as a lid, in order to keep all of the neighborhood kitties out - as well as any free-ranging chickens. It's so fun to see the backyard become more and more of what we need/want for this season of life. Our backyard may be small, but we're making the most of the space and I love it.

the perfect skirt

July 28, 2017 Megan Rodriguez

You know those items of clothing in your wardrobe that you find yourself reaching for all of the time or the ones that you make yourself NOT wear because you've probably been wearing them a bit too often?? This skirt is just that for me. I made it in the beginning of June and I'm so in love. It's the Gathered Skirt for All Ages by Purl Soho (it's a free pattern!!). It was a breeze to make and it's probably the most practical piece of clothing I've ever owned.

I don't know the name of the fabric, but it's a cotton/linen something or other and it's heavy enough to drape well and stay put in the wind and on a bicycle, but light enough for the hot and humid days of summer. Then there are the pockets, which are AMAZING!! I'm very much a pocket girl, especially in skirts or dresses, but these pockets are downright perfect. Large and quirky, they add style and lightheartedness to the design, while providing fabulous storage for all of your treasures. I've found these pockets to be great for collecting eggs, holding a ball of yarn while knitting (I can knit while standing at the park with Oak...AMAZING!!), holding my kindle, holding Oak's toys, etc. If it fits in your hands, it likely fits in these pockets, and for a busy mama, these pockets make this skirt perfect. My only issue with this perfect skirt is that elastic waists don't pair the best with toddlers who like grabbing onto mama's clothes...but this, in time, shall pass.

Adding this skirt to my wardrobe also allowed me to part with several older skirts that I'd been holding on to, but just didn't love. As I journey towards a simpler and smaller wardrobe, I'm finding that staple pieces such as this are what I need to add. Things that can go from season to season and that can be mixed, matched, and layered are the best and this skirt can do all of those things! I'm excited to pair it with a cardigan, tights, and boots for fall! Hooray for perfect wardrobe additions!

{summer} solstice mittens

June 23, 2017 Megan Rodriguez

Summer Solstice Mittens, you say!??! Say what!?!? Yes. There are two reasons for these summer mittens for my babe. One: I'm learning that I have to plan ahead to in order to optimize the amount of time that my handknits fit this wee one. Fall/winter knitting does not provide enough time to wear those items before they are outgrown (such as this wonderful cardigan). So, I'm using summer to prepare for winter, just like I do in so many other areas of our lives, and I love it.

Two: We're heading to Summerfest in Milwaukee next week and while we'll be there over the 4th of July, there have been plenty of times in the past years where hats and mittens are not only wanted, but desperately needed to keep the lake wind chill away from our bones. So, a pair of mittens was in order for the Oakster as the only other pair he had was from when he was first born and they barely covered his hands anymore.

This pattern is a simple one that I've made quite a few times now for many different little ones in our lives. It's the Family Mittens pattern by Carrie Bostick Hoge that appeared in Taproot Magazine, Issue 3. I knit them up in some left over Malabrigo that I used for Oak's Helmet Hat that he got for Christmas and some green vintage wool given to me by a dear friend. (My Ravelry link can be found here.) These mittens should get him through this next winter and possibly beyond as I added a bit of length to the cuffs and the garter stitch pattern provides a bit of stretch all around.

He seems to like them, even though he's a bit confused as to what to do with them. :)

my alder shirtdress

June 6, 2017 Megan Rodriguez

I've been sewing for quite a few years now and while I've sewn quite a range of things (from a wedding dress to a baby quilt), but I've never really taken the time to sew clothes for myself. I've also shied away from sewing my own clothes because fabric and patterns are often more expensive than most of the clothes I've purchased in recent years. My perspective on all this started changing this past fall when I started learning more about Slow Fashion. Over the winter I then started learning about the Capsule Wardrobe movement and have also thought more about how to apply my zero-waste goals to my wardrobe. What I've learned from all of it is that when you need and wear less clothes, it can free you up to spend a bit more on the clothes you do wear.

Enter the Alder Shirtdress. This little beauty was designed by Grainline Studio and was a great little challenge for me. I'd never made a collared shirt before or used my machine to add buttonholes or buttons. There were definitely some frustrations and panicky moments along the way, but I'm extremely happy with the end product. I don't remember the name of the fabric, but it is a lovely lightweight cotton with a light sheen to it. It's a great weight for summer. I'm hoping to be able to wear it for most of the year, layered in the cooler months with a cardigan and tights. I have a feeling that this dress with be with me for quite a few years to come.

P.S...if you've known me for awhile, you may have noticed that my hair is wavy now. It's always been straight, but now it's wavy. We can thank postpartum hormones for that. Pregnancy does weird things to a girl, but this is a change I'm quite enjoying! Ha!

P.P.S...in case you're wondering, my shoes in these photos were another intentional wardrobe purchase. I saved up and spent what was a lot of money for me on this pair of Dansko's and once I got them, I was able to donate 8-10 pairs of cheap summer shoes that I'd been hanging on to just in case I needed them for that one specific outfit, but I didn't really like any of them. This one pair of shoes meets all of my casual/dressy needs and I love them!

an {almost} zero-waste birthday party

April 7, 2017 Megan Rodriguez

It's been over a month now since our little guy turned one and since we celebrated that special day with family and friends, but I wanted to take a few minutes to share with you about the little party we threw for him!

Have you explored the world of first birthday parties on Pinterest??? A few words to describe it would be "adorable," "amazing," "wonderful," "overwhelming," "expensive," "obsessive"....dare I say "scary"??? I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest. I love it as a place to keep track of links. You can be so visually organized on Pinterest, which is awesome! I love it for the plethora of ideas that you can find on there for just about anything and everything. I hate it as it I think it fuels the issues that we have in this culture for constantly wanting more and being discontent with what we have. So, as I started planning for this special one-year-old's first birthday party, I had to continually remind myself that he is one and would not remember this party, nor was the party about having perfect decorations or amazingly cute treats. No, it was about celebrating the birth of our beloved boy with those we love.

Simplicity became my mantra (I'm sure you're shocked, right?!) and out of that desire for simplicity grew a desire to keep this party as eco-friendly as possible. Because, parties sure can create a lot of trash! My goodness! Between disposable plates, cups, pop/beer cans, utensils, plastic wrap, food waste, wrapping paper, decorations, etc., there is just a lot of trash! So, I intentionally thought through all that would be coming in and going out and did my best to limit the trash where I could. Here are some of the ways I was able to host an {almost} zero-waste birthday party.

I made a "forever" birthday banner! I knew I wanted a birthday banner for the party and so I tossed around ideas of making one that said "one," and that could be use for subsequent children turning one...but as the usefulness of that was a bit limited, I decided, "Heck! We need a banner that can be used every year for each birthday!" And the "forever" birthday banner was born out of leftover fabric scraps, most of which hold sentimental memories, like fabric from the crib sheets, Oak's quilts, a dress I made, our wedding decor, handmade gifts for family/friends, etc.

I used photos as decor. I've been wanting to print a bunch of pictures and put them into albums and in frames in our stairway, and so I decided to print pictures of Oak from his first year and put them up all around the room we used for the party. I used garden twine, mini clothes pins, and masking tape to attache them to the walls. The tape was recycled, the twine will be reused, and the mini clothes pins will be saved for other such events/decoration needs.

I used things I already had for decor. We had some leftover tree trunk slices from my brother's wedding that we used as centerpieces Also, for Oak's Halloween costume last year he was an Oak tree made out of felt leaves pinned to a shirt, so I used the felt leaves on the tables as well.
I printed simple coloring sheets for the tables. They were then recycled after the party and the crayons we used were from our church's stash, where we held the party. We were also able to use the church's cloth tablecloths, which was awesome.

I bought compostable plates, cups, straws, and utensils. These were a bit more expensive than regular plastic/paper disposables, but it was important to me to compost them rather than throw them away.
I used real dishes where I could. I brought a basketful of mason jars that we used as glasses and used real dishes for the food I brought. Where food was concerned, the only trash we created was a bit of plastic wrap and the only recyclables were beer cans and a lemonade jar.

I do believe that the wrapping paper ended up being thrown away, rather than recycled, as I didn't help with that clean up process, but other than that, all things were composted or recycled and clean up was pretty quick and easy!

And for those who are wondering...I made this Harvest Cake for Oak's birthday cake. It's made with carrots, zucchini, and beets and sweetened with mostly maple syrup. It was probably the most nutritious cake any of us have ever eaten! And it was very delicious! I used all cream cheese for the frosting, instead of the goat cheese/cream cheese blend it calls for, simply to keep expenses down, but I'd love to make it again sometime with the goat cheese...because goat cheese...yum.

The party was a success! It was simple, fun, and we had a wonderful time celebrating our little Oak tree. He loved being with his family and friends and throughly enjoyed his cake and opening presents. It was a fun day, indeed!

sugaring

March 24, 2017 Megan Rodriguez

We made maple syrup! Dan's been talking about tapping our trees for a few years now and this year he made it happen! We really didn't know what to expect going into it. We have 3 very large silver maple trees and our neighbor has a medium-sized sugar maple that he let us tap, as long as we promised not to kill it. Dan did all the research, gathered the supplies, tapped the trees, and collected the sap. After less than 3 days, we had collected about 20 gallons of sap, mostly from the two trees on the front of our lot and from our neighbor's tree. For some reason the sap from the tree behind our house ran slower than the others. This past Sunday, Dan spent the entire day outside boiling the sap down over a fire. He built an outdoor stove-like fire pit out of bricks and our neighbor's camping fire grate, on which a fire burned from about 9:00 am until 9:00 pm slowly boiling down our 20 gallons of sap. Oak and I joined him outside as we could and several friends and family members joined us around the fire throughout the day. It was fun to make a day of it with family and friends, just sitting around, drinking beer and tea, watching sap boil and a fire burn. It was quite lovely, although a bit chillier than the forecast had predicted. Around 9:00 pm we brought the boiled down gallon of sap into the house where we reduced it even further down to half a gallon. We used a candy thermometer and a drip test to help us know when we had reached the perfect syrup stage. After straining and bottling it, we ended up with over 4 bottles of honey-colored maple syrup! The syrup is delicious, with a slight earthy flavor, which we really enjoy. By the time we were done with the whole process, it was after midnight and we were very ready for bed.

The overall process was easier than expected. The sap collecting was simple and productive. The boiling process was also simple, but it took a long time. For next year, we have hopes of burning the fire hotter and speeding up the boiling process a bit. While we definitely didn't come out ahead as far as costs go, as we had to invest in the necessary supplies this year, it was well worth the cost, time, and effort. We are so glad we did it and we're excited to make it an annual tradition on this little urban homestead of ours!

zero waste living :: grocery shopping

February 2, 2017 Megan Rodriguez

One of my resolutions for the new year is to reduce waste in our home. I've been on this journey for the past few years, but this year I have decided to really make an effort to become as "zero waste" as possible. If you are not familiar with the term "zero waste," I encourage you to read Bea Johnson's book Zero Waste Home. In the book, Johnson lists 5 steps to zero waste living: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot. The order of these steps is very important, as the key to zero waste living is reducing the amount of waste you generate by getting to the source of the waste. Zero waste living starts by examining everything that comes into your home through the lens of what happens to it once it leaves your home.

So, I'd thought I'd bring you along on our journey to zero waste through a series of blog posts over the next few months. We are far from living a completely zero waste lifestyle, but we have definitely reduced our waste over the past few years and I'm hoping to reduce it even more throughout this year. The main way I'm tackling that right now is through grocery shopping. I've found that so much of what we as a society throw away comes from the kitchen, whether it be from food packaging or food waste. We compost most of our food waste or give it to our chickens, so the packaging is the main source of waste in our home. To reduce this, I need to reduce how much of that packing comes into our home. Here are a few of the ways I'm working to do that.

Reusable Shopping Bags: We all have piles of reusable bags floating around our homes that we've received for free at stores, fairs, events, etc, but I've found that for me I prefer to have just two sturdy canvas bags and a woven shopping basket. The canvas bags hold more than the freebie bags and I value them more because they aren't freebies, which helps me to be more intentional about using them. The basket keeps my jars and eggs from rolling around and it's so sturdy. (The basket I have is a handmade basket made in Ghana. It also works really well for bringing food to gatherings and on the road.) I've started bringing my own bags not only to the grocery store, but to other stores as well. Anytime I leave the house with a plan to shop, I grab a bag on my way out!
Shopping in bulk: This is the main way that I reduce kitchen waste in our home. By bulk, I don't mean shopping at Costco or Sam's Club, I mean shopping in the bulk isle at your local grocery store. Buying in bulk reduces waste, especially if you are able to use your own containers, which can completely eliminate the need for waste to come into your home for those food items. Our food co-op has a very large selection of bulk items including wet and dry items. I realize that many do not have access to this large of a selection, but demand can drive supply! I currently buy the following things in bulk: produce, eggs, flour, sugar, oats, barley, quinoa, rice, beans, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, pasta, peanut butter, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, molasses, honey, herbs, spices, loose-leaf tea, baking soda, baking powder, salt, crackers, hummus (dried and fresh), coffee, and some candy.
Bulk bags/containers: Bringing my own containers has become one of my favorite parts of my weekly grocery shopping trip. (I'm weird like that...) It takes a few extra minutes to pull together my bags/containers before I leave the house, but it saves me time when I get back home and am able to just put them all back onto their shelves and don't have to worry about transferring things from packages into my storage containers. I use a few different bags/containers for different types of bulk items.
- mesh produce bags: I bought a few of these a few weeks ago and love them! Our co-op sells spinach and mixed greens in bulk and they work great for that! They also work great for things like mushrooms, green beans, snap peas, and even bigger produce items like apples, oranges, carrots, broccoli.
- hemp/cotton bulk bags: I made a few of these out of an old vintage sheet a few months back and then Dan bought me a few more for Christmas. I love them! I use them for produce like apples, oranges, onions, potatoes, and also for dried bulk items like flour, oats, beans, nuts, etc. They work especially well when I have a lot of things to get and don't want to bring a bunch of glass jars/canisters with me.
- jars/canisters: I store almost all of our pantry items in glass jars or canisters, and so when their contents get low, I bring them to the co-op and fill them up! As I said above, some things I bring my jars for and others I use my bags for. It usually depends on how much I need and how messy the item is. I've found that for flour, it's nice to just fill up my canister. However, my canister is really big and it's a pain to lug around, so I usually use a bag for flour and deal with the mess.
- egg cartons: Our co-op sells bulk eggs and since our chickens are free-loaders right now, I've been buying a lot of eggs! It's great to just keep using the same egg cartons week after week!
- glass container for meat: This past week I brought in a container to use at the meat counter for the first time! Meat packaging is often what makes us take the trash out, as our trash usually gets smelly before it gets full, so using a glass container made me so happy to know that at least for one meal there would be no smelly packaging to throw away!
Label/weigh your bags/containers before you shop: Using your own containers can take longer if you don't have a good system in place. First, when you use your own container, you have to weigh it before filling it up. This is called the "tare" weight. For my bags, I have the tare weight written on all of them in permanent ink so that I can just fill them up when I get to the store. For my jars, I like to put a piece of masking tape on each of the lids before I leave home. I then weigh them quickly at the store before filling them up. I could weigh them at home too, but I like the scale at our co-op better, so I just use that. I then write the tare weight and item number on the masking tape. For my bags, I use one of the stickers at our co-op to write the item number on my bags. Some people use crayons to label their bulk containers, which is truly zero waste. I've thought about trying that, but for now, my system is working well and efficiently. One thing to note: not all stores may let you or encourage you to use your own containers. I recognize that I shop at a grocery store that values zero waste and that is not the case at many grocery stores. However, that doesn't mean that it's not possible to use your own containers. You just have to ask! Ask at the customer service desk and if they say no, dig deeper! Talk to a manager and politely explain that you're trying to reduce the waste in your home and you'd like to be able to use your own container. It's worth a shot!
Stay organized: I've found that keeping my shopping basket in an easy to reach place in the kitchen makes staying organized and efficient a lot easier. After I shop, I empty my bulk bags, throw them into the laundry if needed, then store them in my shopping basket in the kitchen. As we empty an egg carton, it goes into the basket as well. Then on shopping day, I make a quick loop around the kitchen and pull out the jars/canisters that need filling and decide whether to just fill the container or use a bag. Keeping it all in one designated spot helps me to prep and get out the door a lot faster, which is vitally important when shopping with an 11-month old!

How about you? Are you able to shop with your own reusable containers? Do you? In what ways are you reducing waste in your kitchen?? I'd love to know.