Monthly Archives: July 2012

The Simple Life: Easily Amused

Posted by ModernPioneerMom in The Simple Life and tagged with , , , ,

The Simple Life: Easily Amused

I love this photo of my Uncle Wayne and Grandpa Watts spending a quiet evening on the farm in Minnesota … around the mid-1950s. When did our modern world of entertainment get so complicated and technical? Why are we so busy?

I’ve heard of Meatless Mondays and Wordless Wednesdays … let’s go for       Simple Sundays (or the day of your choice) and have an evening of unplugged entertainment once a week. What a great example to set for our kids!

The simple life. It’s good for the soul!

Poop Pile: Working With Compost

Posted by ModernPioneerMom in Urban Farming and tagged with , , , , , ,

Poop Pile: Working With Compost

For the longest time, I felt guilty that I didn’t have a compost pile. I thought it was a lot of work and a stinky mess.

Source: grownyc.org

While I’m always looking for ways to live closer to the land, I also need to live simply. Continue reading →

WE GOT EGGS!!

Posted by ModernPioneerMom in Urban Farming and tagged with , , , , , ,

WE GOT EGGS!!

This is so exciting! Not sure who’s more thrilled … the 5-year-old or me!

Starr, Dorie & Honey

Our girls are 4 months old. I knew they were close by the “squatting” when we get close and the extra squawking. They’ve been super-friendly — wanting to be near us when they’re out of the coop rather than celebrate their indepen- dence and flutter away.

So as I checked their coop yesterday around noon, there were two beauties someone had left for us:   Continue reading →

Victory Gardens

Posted by ModernPioneerMom in Real Food, Urban Farming and tagged with , , , , , ,

Victory Gardens

This has been my best year yet for my container veggie-and-herb garden. At least it started out great.

Container garden in the spring.

Here in Florida, the soil is super-sandy. Hard to grow anything in it and hard to improve it. I tried for three years, then gave up and went almost 100% to containers. Continue reading →

Little Helpers: Getting Your Kids Involved

Posted by ModernPioneerMom in Creative Parenting and tagged with , , , , , ,

Little Helpers

Laura helps Ma make cheese in “Little House in the Big Woods.”
Sketch by Garth Williams.

One of the best ways I know to build a solid, loving relationship with your kiddo and teach good, strong, pioneer/ old-fashioned values and work ethic is to have him or her help you around the house. My munchkin enjoys most chores we do together. Of course, he’s only 5 … I’m sure his enthusiasm may wane as he ages, but the foundation has been laid.  Continue reading →

The Simple Life: Technology

Posted by ModernPioneerMom in Pioneer Values and tagged with , , , , ,

The Simple Life: Technology

Can we talk for a minute? I mean really talk? A person-to-person, face-to-face conversation? Not a tweet, not an email, not an IM, not a text … a REAL, human interaction. Or at least a phone call! Call me old-fashioned, but I miss those days! Of course, I’m the kind of gal who, thanks to lessons from my grandmother, still writes hand-written thank-you notes. Continue reading →

We Bought A Zoo!

Posted by ModernPioneerMom in Urban Farming and tagged with , , , ,

We Bought A Zoo!

Well, not really. Although we did love the movie!

But we did buy chickens. Tiny, fuzzy, cute, peeping little baby chickens. Three of them. That was about four months ago.

Left to right: Honey, Starr, Dorie

Now they are somewhat moody, broody, squawking, anxious pooping machines who are (I think!) getting ready to start laying eggs. Continue reading →

Processed Foods History: 1910s to 1950s

Posted by ModernPioneerMom in Real Food and tagged with , , , ,

Processed Foods History:

1910s to 1950s

Let’s step back in time and see exactly how we became a society where fast, high-fat, processed food is so popular.

1910

Nathan’s original restaurant, circa 1920
Coney Island, New York

Trans fats were invented in the 1890s and entered the food supply in the 1910s. Some processed foods became available as early as the 1910s:

  • Nathan’s hot dogs
  • Aunt Jemima syrup
  • Hellmann’s mayonnaise
  • Oreo cookies
  • Crisco
  • Marshmallow Fluff Continue reading →