Closet make-over

February 9th, 2010 • By: mudlark • Organizing

clean closet ideas What to do when you have a wasted space in your closet filled with clutter? Wait – scratch that. It isn’t filled with clutter, it’s filled with highly important and useful items – if only you could find them. Now, if we all had thousands of dollars to pay a closet design specialist to do a home visit and install all sorts of custom-made shelving solutions it wouldn’t be a problem. I don’t know about you, but in this economy I have better things to do with a couple thousand dollars. So, closet design ideas, on the cheap.

The first step, and unfortunately the most often overlooked, is planning. Think about how you use the space. What needs to fit there. Where it should fit. How accessible different things should be. It should be easier to get to your daily use items than your wedding dress or the thigh master you don’t admit to owning. Think about how much space you need for hanging items, stacking items, and boxed up items, then find a way to fit it in.

Now let’s look at some useful tools for organizing said closet. First off is shelving. You can get simple wire shelving at any home improvement store, have it cut to size, and install it yourself for almost nothing. Or you can splurge on simple wooden shelves to give your closet a nicer feel (we caution against cheap composite materials though – the glue used to make them contains harmful, often carcinogenic and neurotoxic chemicals). Tension curtain rods also work well for hanging items, and think of hanging them in non-traditional ways. For example, in a shallow, wide closet (as opposed to a walk-in), use the often wasted space at the ends to put short curtain rods going front t0 back instead of side to side. It’ll give you a nice nook on each side.

If you have clothes of different sizes (we won’t call them ‘fat’ pants – we’ll say ‘comfort’ clothes), you can make department store style size separators out of cardboard rounds. Using same-colored hangers will give your closet a uniform look.

Also look at storage boxes – the small decorative ones, and the clear plastic rubbermaid-type too. Don’t forget about things that create ‘cubbies’ – baskets, old shoeboxes. You can repurpose your old purses to do what they were designed for – hold things. I keep scarves in one purse and gloves in another.

Think outside the box to use space in non-traditional ways. A few strategically placed nails on the wall can give you a perfect hanging nook for necklaces.

The key is, think about what you’ll be storing there and design around it. I like to take the pesky doors off my closets – especially in the kids’ rooms – and replace them with pretty fabric hung on tension shower rods. No more open doors getting in the way of precious floor space.

Those are some of my strategies to optimize storage space. What are yours?

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Involved parents = healthy kids

February 8th, 2010 • By: mudlark • Kids, Lifestyle, Outdoors

A new study published today in the journal Pediatrics suggest that 3 routines in childhood will fight obesity, specifically in preschoolers. Thanks to ParentDish for pointing it out.

Want to know what the 3 magic routines are? My guess is, if you’re reading this blog, you already practice them.

Family meals at least 5 times a week. TV off, everyone at the table. (In other words: talk to your kids, make time for them, and let them take part in adult conversation. The meal is an accessory to what’s really going on.)
Limit TV time to 2 hours a day. (In other words: Let your kids play! Motivate them to play! Get them off the couch!)
At least 10.5 hours of sleep each night. (In other words: have a bed time, presumably that’s before yours, and enforce it.)

Off the couch So, different studies over time have addressed each of these, but apparently this is the first to combine the 3. Let me tell you what I think. You knew I would, didn’t you? Families that practice these 3 things are typically: more involved in their kids lives because a) they eat dinner with them and b) they don’t use TV as a babysitter or mute button; they’re generally more educated – I’m not talking Harvard or PhDs, I’m talking parenting research. Anyone who reads parenting articles, parenting books, and stays up to date with research in childhood development knows that kids need sleep and benefit from routines. So they put their kids to bed at an earlier bedtime. And they eat meals with their kids and they limit screen time.

These aren’t 3 magic routines that will melt pounds off overindulgent children. These are 3 consistencies recognized in stable upwardly mobile homes. And unfortunately, they’re things that a lot of single-parent homes and financially struggling families see as a luxury. These 3 things often require parents being home with their kids after school, and if both parents work – that may not be an option. They require a more active parenting style from mom and dad – willing to get on the floor and play with a toddler or run outside and play in the grass. It requires turning off the computer, putting down the laundry, and investing time in your kids.

And guess what? I don’t think it’s the 3 routines that make the difference. It’s the fact that the same parents who do those routines also try to buy healthy foods. They avoid HFCS and sugary sodas. They don’t let Timmy veg all afternoon in front of the TV with a bag of Doritos. Their fridges are full of carrot sticks and hummus and applesauce and grapes and yogurt for snacks. And their kids like those things. Those kids would rather build a Lego dinosaur and play ball outside than sit in front of the TV. Their day is structured with routines, like bedtime – and like snacktime. They have food at predetermined times, and they don’t snack just because they’re bored.

So, thanks, Journal of Pediatrics. Suggestions taken and understood. But let’s not simplify it to believe that 3 simple steps will take our nation’s kids from HFCS-craving screen-monsters to active, healthy kids practicing positive choices about food, routines, and relationships.

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Audi Green Police

February 7th, 2010 • By: mudlark • Being Green, Broom Hugged

Did anyone see the Audi Green Police ad during the Super Bowl?

I LOVE IT!!!!! I can’t embed it here – you know, something about intellectual property rights, copyright law… who knows… But you can see the ad series at the Green Police channel on YouTube, and it’s worth the 30 seconds it’ll take to view it. Go watch. Then come back and tell me how hard you laughed. Go ahead, I dare ya. Just don’t drink anything while watching.

Update: We like the review of the ad over Huffington Post. Well written, friend. To those out there who think the ad is fascist, go see if you can buy yourself a sense of humor somewhere between the organic bean sprouts and tofu burgers. I know. You hate me for saying that. Don’t bother complaining. I realize I’m being obtuse and belittling your hard-core vegan sensitivities. I apologize, but only mildly. I still think you should go buy yourself a sense of humor.

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4 Natural Ways to Stop Asthma

February 5th, 2010 • By: mudlark • Essential oils, Health, asthma

Natural remedies for asthma

This time of year is rough – colds and flu, lots of time indoors where air quality is poor, and that cold, dry air mean that asthma is flaring up all over the place.

Both me and my middle child struggle with asthma, and in the 20+ years I’ve dealt with it I’ve figured out a few things. First, when the doc says you need to take a maintenance medication, you need to take a maintenance medication. But second, there are a few ways to relieve asthma symptoms that aren’t dependent on pharmaceuticals. Let me just tell you, I love albuterol for opening my lungs and letting me breathe. I hate it for making my heart race though.

So when my lungs start to tighten, or my little boy starts coughing, here’s my go-to plan.

Fresh air. Forget about smog – outdoor air is cleaner than indoor air.
Moisture – and lots of it. The cool air humidifier barely makes a dent. But if I close the doors to my bathroom and get in a hot shower the steam opens me up.
Lemon & honey – about half and half, and bottoms up. They help relieve coughing to allow the lungs to settle, and they’re both immune supports. But, the lemon aroma has also been shown to relieve symptoms.
Aromatherapy, using only pure essential oils. Peppermint, chamomile, ginger, and lavender. Put a drop of each into a small dish of olive oil and rub it into the feet.

The key to long-term maintenance is knowing your triggers and managing your symptoms before they become problems. Hopefully, clean indoor air, plants indoors, and a healthy lifestyle will help you find your way to managing asthma. In the meantime, maybe these tips will make your emergency situations fewer.

Note: This is meant to help someone manage asthma symptoms at the early onset, not in an emergency situation. A rescue inhaler is always the best bet when breathing is labored.

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5 Reasons Edible Schoolyards are Necessary

February 2nd, 2010 • By: mudlark • Food & drink, Health, Kids, Outdoors

Have you heard of the Edible Schoolyard? It’s this fantastic concept of putting gardens in our schools. Not just any gardens, but green-powered gardens that kids take care of. Do you get it? Our kids, who too often think that milk and carrots come from Super Walmart, are suddenly thrust into an active ’schoolyard’ (in schools where recess has often been revoked). They learn to tend the land and watch it bear fruit. They learn the significance of seasons beyond umbrellas and muck boots and swim trunks. They learn where food comes from, and they participate in cultivating it.

Do you have any idea how many problems this solves?

Recess is often being taken away, meaning kids who need activity to keep their minds going are languishing behind stationary school desks in classrooms that reward quiet inactivity (leading to obesity, diabetes, etc.).
More and more kids are on the free and reduced lunch programs (as well as free breakfasts in many states) because of soaring unemployment leading to scores of people on food stamps. These programs – while necessary – are draining much needed funds from overstretched education budgets. Gardens that supplement food available to the schools (while unlikely to be considered self-sustaining) would certainly make a dent in school food purchases.
Most kids think they don’t like veggies. Some think they don’t like fruit. What do we think? We think they’ve been told they don’t like veggies. “Here, honey, I’ll douse those peas in ketchup till they swim. Then you won’t have to taste them.” “I didn’t give you many carrots. If you’ll eat what’s there, I’ll give you ice cream later!” But kids who are involved in growing and harvesting food are much more willing to try the fruits of their labor. Get those veggies in, and they just might discover that they like them!
French fries are often the only vegetables some kids eat in a given week. Why? It’s cheaper to buy potato chips and ding-dongs than fresh produce. And junk foods require zero prep. Open bag, stuff mouth. Repeat. Hard working families have little time for meal prep and reach for tummy-filling foods that are sure to please. Kids get to school, receive their free lunch, and pick at what resembles what they think they like. Obesity rates and diabetes sky-rocket. At school we have a captive population, and they’re much more likely to eat healthy if they are involved in the process.
And yes, kids learn that peas aren’t made in a can, cucumbers can be more than just pickles, and produce doesn’t start its lifecycle on the shelves of Super Walmart.

My kids’ school has at least an acre or two of unused land. On rare occasion it provides extra parking space for school events, and once a year it’s used as the location for ‘field day.’ Think of how much daily use – and education value – would come from converting 1.5 acres into a food-producing garden. And being in Florida, the garden would be viable year round.