Household – Page 13 – Plain and Not So Plain

Family Dinner Conversation Starters

amy / 08/12/2013

stockimages”FreeDigitalPhotos.net”.

Family meal time is an important time for everyone in the family. Families who eat dinner together regularly are more likely to have stronger, happier family relationships. As families struggle to find amounts of quantity and quality time together, family dinnertime provides the opportunity for both.

I thought I would try using a conversation starter question to keep our times around the table interesting. It seems to work for everyone. We rotate letting a different child choose each night. We let the one who chooses to answer first and then anyone else can add their 2 cents worth. It has made meal time a little more interesting. Something we look forward to doing each night.

I would encourage you to print this list of questions off and cut them into individual questions. Roll them up, place them in a mason jar and set on your table.

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21 days to a more natural home series….part 20…..tips

amy / 08/10/2013

In todays post I have some miscellaneous tips that you can do to make your home more natural.

Want to improve your air quality in the home?? Get an aloe plant. This easy-to-grow, sun-loving succulent helps clear formaldehyde and benzene, which can be a byproduct of chemical-based cleaners, paints and more. Beyond its air-clearing abilities, the gel inside an aloe plant can help heal cuts and burns. Great for those that are “non-green” thumb.
Take off your shoes at the door. Shoes track into the home all sorts of toxins from the outside that could impact your indoor air quality.
Get an air purifier to help clean your air. Do some research online to find a good quality one.
How about a natural approach and OPEN YOUR WINDOWS. Nothing is better than good ol fresh air.
Make the switch to cast iron or anodized aluminum cookware when it’s time to replace your old pots and pans. Prioritize replacing the cookware used over high heat and pieces that are scratched. PFCs, are used in non-stick cookware. They may keep food from sticking, but they stick around in the environment and the body for a long time.
Avoid Bleached Products. Some paper products are often bleached to make them whiter, choose toilet paper, tissue and office paper labeled “Processed Chlorine Free” (PCF). Look for unbleached coffee filters and organic, unbleached tampons as well.
Replace plastic water bottles with a refillable stainless steel version, or to replace plastic toy blocks with wooden ones, plastic teething chews with organic cotton, or plastic jars with glass.
To select the plastics that are best for your children and for the environment, get to know the easy-to-identify plastic recycling codes you’ll usually find on the underside of the bottle or packaging. Look for these numbers and symbols before you buy. The safer plastic choices are coded 1, 2, 4, and 5. Try to avoid 3, 6, and most plastics labeled with number 7.