I’ve made New Year’s Resolutions for the last three years now. Before that, I voiced the occasional late-December wish to be a better and more talented person. But it was only a couple of years ago that I figured out the key to workable resolutions – concrete goals. Whether you’ve been plugging away at achieving […]
Good Books to Read Aloud to 8-12 Year Olds
Reading out loud to older children can be very rewarding. Longer attention spans and more logical, introspective minds mean 8-12 year olds are likely to ponder over what they hear. You may find yourself exploring tortuous moral dilemmas, arguing the physics of a fantasy world or learning invented languages with your children once their interest […]
Five Small Christmas Gifts to Start Knitting Now
These easy knitting projects are good for relative beginners. Most of them knit up in a few hours, ready to be popped into a drawer for safekeeping. The projects are also small, making them ideal for using up scraps of wool from your stash. Bowtie Scarf These cute scarves are equally appropriate for children and […]
How to Make Homemade Sour Cream From Raw Milk
As a child, I was always puzzled by the descriptions of sour cream and sour milk in the Little House on the Prairie books. When our milk went off, it didn’t smell sour – it smelled like garbage! The culprit, of course, is pasteurisation. Heat-treating milk turns it from a living substance teeming with benefcial […]
Cheap Ways to Sew Fabric Gift Bags: Eco-Friendly, Reusable Gift Wrapping On a Budget
Sewing fabric gift bags is the perfect way to teach a child how to sew – but don’t spend a fortune on expensive Christmas fabric.
Review of Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker (ICE-20 1 1/2 Quart)
Our favourite Christmas present this year was an electric ice cream maker. No salt, no ice, no churning – just delicious homemade ice cream, frozen yoghurt, sorbet and slushies!
Wholegrain Bread Recipe — How to Make Multigrain Bread From Scratch Without a Breadmaker
This multigrain bread recipe is versatile enough to incorporate a range of nuts, seeds and grains according to your taste. I have successfully made the bread with a mixture of kibbled wheat and rye, buckwheat, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and coarse cornmeal.
Review of Eco.Kid Bath and Hair Products
My toddler and I tested out 3 of Eco.Kid’s certified organic products: Bubbalicious Smooth Protection Paste, Daily Tonic Leave-In Conditioner, and Call Me Bubbles Hypoallergenic Bubble Bath.
Review of “The Gift of the Christmas Cookie” by Dandi Daley Mackall
Mackall’s Christmas storybook for children is sweet and beautifully illustrated, but no enduring Christmas classic.
40 Things to Do While Watching TV: Tasks to Save Time While the Television’s On
If you’d rather fidget than just sit in front of the screen, take a few seconds to prepare a task before you sit down for your favourite show. You’ll be surprised how much you can accomplish!
How to Make Homemade Chicken Stock Using Leftovers
Rich, savoury, tasty chicken stock adds instant gourmet to soups and risottos. This homemade version is made using chicken bones or carcasses from the kitchen – as a result, it costs next to nothing. Use a crockpot or saucepan to create delicious stock from scratch with minimal effort.
How to Make Vegetable Stock From Scratch For Free
Homemade stock is nutritious and adds a depth of flavour to soups and sauces. By making it from vegetable trimmings from the kitchen, it can also be nearly free! Here’s how to make and store stock at home.
