What is your ideal Baby Shower?

I have baby shower on the mind of late, as I am well into our third pregnancy (my first pregnancy in Portland!).  So, I am excited at the thought.  I also came across an old thread, wherein we discussed whether it would even be appropriate to host a shower for a second-time mama, to which I say, "definitely"!  As this is our third child, I am not interested in showering baby with gifts.  I am more interested in showering baby with attention as we prepare to welcome him/her into our world.  We recently received an email also wondering about baby showers:

1. As a mama, what was your favorite part of the shower and why?
2. Where there any particular gifts/activities that you really appreciated?
3. Is there anyway to get papas involved?
4. Was there anything that you didn't like about the baby shower tradition?
5. Is there anything you would expect from a baby shower?

In which I drive a hybrid Ford for a weekend

Most of you know my family is fully car-free (we finally got rid of our three-years-lying-fallow car last month). And at least one of you expressed shock to hear I was test-driving a Ford Escape hybrid this past weekend. Was the world coming to an end? No, the people in Ford's social media group are working to create buzz about their hybrids by offering 'em to mama bloggers for test drives, and I was an eager participant. So was my husband, who, though he was weaned from his mother's chauffeur services on his 10-speed, and actually spent some time in the early '90s as a bike messenger, is a bit of a car addict.

One of the reasons I was eager to forgo our car was his nasty habit of driving to Trader Joe's... three blocks away. But when we found out he'd be going to Iraq this summer; changing our financial situation from just north of "desperate" to a few ticks shy of "flush," he began to sneak this phrase into conversation: "I've been thinking when I come back, we could use some of my money to get a hybrid..." Or this one: "If I get that job as a cop I could drive to work in a hybrid..."

"No!" I'd say, firmly. "No cars!" I love the money we save, $200-300 per month just in gas, insurance and tags; I love that we have to think carefully about all our bike trips, keeping us closer to home; I love my conscience, clean as the air around me as I bike. I've made a significant reduction in my workload so I can spend more time with the kids, in the garden, cooking food; we don't have room in that budget for even the barest car expense. I don't want that to change.

But. I'm all for a test drive. Just to see. Thursday morning, some nice people from Ford delivered us the sparkliest Escape Hybrid you've ever seen. I immediately hopped in with Truman and Monroe to pick up some film on the way to preschool (an impossible task on the bike; my fave film store is Citizen's Photo, about 4 miles from home). They leave us with a rundown on our car... $33,725 including "destination and delivery" for the model in our driveway. But "THIS VEHICLE NOT FOR SALE," said the page. At least there's that...

Happy Earth Day!

The day isn't over just yet, but we're a little late in getting this conversation going.  We've been swamped with work, but I've been wondering all day: what are you all doing for Earth Day today?  What did you all do?  Were there scheduled school events?  Chats about earth-loving around the dinner table?  Just another hump day gone by?

Every day is Earth Day!

Veggie Growing 101: Starting Your Kitchen Garden in Portland

My neighbor, Camellia Nieh, is a great gardener -- I often admire her skills from my window and have tasted many of her cherry tomatoes and other goodies. She offered to write an introduction to vegetable gardening in Portland, and I said, yes please!

As weather begins to warm, Portland gardeners begin to anticipate the joys of the growing seasons. Waking up on a sunny morning, strolling outside, and harvesting a basket of fresh tomatoes, basil, spinach, and chives for your morning omelet. Sending the kids out into the yard to graze on sugar snap peas, strawberries, and cherry tomatoes when they clamor for a snack. Browsing a bounty of ripening cucumbers, eggplants, and summer squash as you decide on a vegetable for dinner. Snipping a bowlful of baby greens to bring to a dinner party and garnishing it with edible gem marigolds, day lilies, and sweet violets.

The gardening buzz is everywhere. You’ve heard about the Obamas’ breaking ground for their vegetable garden at the white house, and about the resurgent victory garden movement. You know all the reasons. There’s the statistic about how our average meal travels 1500 miles to reach our plates, and the fact that switching to a local diet is equivalent to driving about 1000 miles less per year. And you’re painfully aware that the average American consumes a pound of pesticides a year, and that we don’t yet know how that chemical load will affect our kids’ growing bodies.

But if you’ve never grown your own food before, perhaps you’re not sure where to start. Not to worry. Growing edibles in Portland is easier than wrangling a wild banana slug. There are tons of resources in this town to help you get started, many of them inexpensive or free.

Lowly cabbage goes glamorous: Cooking from box, garden, market

Spring is late this year, but everyone still has heavy, wide-eyed piles of one of the original, most thoroughly lowly, peasant foods: the cabbage. I can't believe it took me so long to discover the cabbage. I always treated the bulbous lady so badly, pushing her red fronds aside in college salad bars; eschewing the smarmy cups of coleslaw for her mushy cousin, potatoes and gravy; recoiling in horror from sauerkraut. I hate cabbage, I thought.

Oh me. You were so, so wrong. Or perhaps you were right; that cabbage wasn't loved, not the way my cabbage is now. The first farmer's market of the season I spent the better part of $10 on cabbage, and it's a good bet it will be all eaten within two weeks, and I haven't even made kim chi.

The first, best, most wonderful way to enjoy cabbage is a recipe I adapted from The Paley's Place Cookbook. Trust Vitaly Paley, with his Russian heritage and his local, seasonal mien, to deliver cabbage in its sweetest, truest form. I like savoy cabbage or red cabbage for this; the big heavy pale green heads don't turn as jammy, although sometimes I mix some green in with the red for a play of textures. Here is the recipe for honey-braised cabbage; it also calls for a little bacon fat (or olive oil), an onion and an apple, some vinegar and honey. I serve it with everything; with corned beef or sausages, spooned into lentil or potato soup, heaped into a bowl of pasta, mixed with leftover potatoes and grated beets and lots of fresh garlic for a surprisingly perky fried potato cake. It kind of disappears into soups, even as it adds sweetness, so it's great for kids (yes! mine have now eaten cabbage, and liked it!).

The one in which we start cooking from the box (and garden)

It's time.

Today is the first day of the Portland Farmer's Market for the 2009 season, and chatting with other urbanMamas I discover that lots of you are expecting your first box of food from a CSA sometime in the next several weeks. And there are questions, mostly, what do I do with this? This weird knobby vegetable (if it's huge, it's celeriac; if it's tiny, it's a Jerusalem artichoke; both should be peeled and can be diced and used in soups or gratins); these four heads of cabbage (one for braising, one to chop and put in soups, two for kim chi, of course!); this enormous quantity of kale (rinse well, chop roughly, and put in a large cast iron or stainless steel pot, with several cloves of whacked garlic, a glug of oil or butter or bacon fat, and some salt, cook, stirring often, over medium heat until almost crispy, put in everything or serve alone).

But let me start over. I am here to help you with your quest to cook more vegetables (and the occasional fruit) and figure out what to do with what seems like way too much of something. Also, it would be good if your children ate some, too. Each week (or thereabouts) when I come home from the market I'll write a post about something that's in season and link to some recipes I love, and present a few for you. If you've just received a CSA box or a gardening neighbor's gift, or harvested a bumper crop, of some particular vegetable, leave a comment and I'll try to come up with some great (and easy) ideas. And hopefully I'll have a few sentences of gardening too.

This week, I'm getting a second round of peas planted outside, and a few kinds of onion seed; a bed of lettuce; and hopefully some carrots and potatoes, too. I'll start tomatoes, jalapenos, celery and artichokes inside -- this year I've promised myself I'll use a flourescent light to help them germinate, we'll see if it works out! What are you planting, harvesting, buying, and eating this week? I need to make some of the aforementioned kim chi, so I'll be picking up an extra cabbage or two at the farmer's market, a jar of jalapenos, some carrots, and some collard raab. I love that stuff.

Are you a 'sustainable' family?

NPR's Marketplace is looking to talk to Portland families:

I am looking for a young family to profile for an upcoming series we’re producing about whether the traditional American Dream is sustainable.  It’s a series of vignettes profiling people at different milestones in their pursuit of the dream and the obstacles in their way… retirement, midcareer, a young professional family with children, and college students. 

For young families with kids the traditional narrative would be moving from the city to the suburbs for the good schools and space.  The question I’m posing is whether there’s a growing shift away from that as the suburban life proves too isolating, uneconomic (energy prices) and environmentally unsustainable? 

And do cities like Portland offer an alternative middle ground?  Not only drawing single urban hipsters but young families as well.  Ideally I would be looking for a family with children in the 3-6 year old range who have recently moved or are in the process of moving to Portland to pursue this dream.  I’d also be interested in hearing the story of a family who did move to the suburbs but is now moving back to the city after becoming disillusioned.

Details on Activistas.

Take a deep breath and bike

I write on many ad-supported web sites to earn my family's keep, and sometimes I weary of the grind. The cheerful list of tips. The careful consideration of a topic from all sides. So when I got the opportunity to do a presentation at Ignite Portland 5 -- I'd pitched the title "hacking life with kids, and without a car" -- I decided to avoid the usual perky lists and helpful hints and top-10 lists and I wrote it as a meditation. "You are riding your bike. You are taking the bus, train, streetcar... You do not pray for change in the world. You are the world. You are the change."

As usual when I really get lost in something I'm writing, it got away from me and took on a life of its own. The line that was repeated the most after the presentation on Thursday night was this: "You are not en route. You are already here." As I've been thinking over the past few days of dealing with challenging children and my own need to take a deep breath so much in my life, it's a good reminder to myself: this is what I wanted, this life, with children who want nothing as much as to stand in the middle of a parking lot tracing the stenciled letters on the ground, or to take a 90-minute bath because they're just enjoying looking at the faucet, or to play and play and play at the park until the sun goes down. When I dreamed of having kids, it was not a dream of typing at my laptop in a coffee shop without them, no, it was the journey that was my dream, the struggle and the joy, the books read over and over and over. The video of my talk is after the jump; you can link to other Ignite talks here at Blip.tv (I love this one on chickens; this one on taking the bus; and this one on being a refugee).

New year, new commitments

The news of a friend's book deal was paired on a writers' site with an announcement of a book on "My year of living within my means." I had to laugh to keep from crying, because, seriously: isn't that what many of us have been doing forever? It's been several years since I used a credit card (and it's not just because I'm disciplined, but that's another story). Why not a life of living within your means?

All ranting aside, it made me think of all the other "year-of" books that I'd prefer to adopt, at least mostly, as a life and not just a year -- or not just a New Year's resolution. I think of the "resolution" concept as something that should be applied to the moment, not a turn of the page on a calender, a new digit. Every moment is worth starting anew (or else, perhaps I'm just habitually late and this is my mantra of excusal). I'd like to re-commit this year to:

• The year of eating local. I continue to strive for better pathways to eat local, sustainably-produced food, and part of that this year will be to figure out how to do it without paying a lot -- and how to spread local foods beyond their "elite" label. I love what the Portland Fruit Tree Project is doing; part of local eating could be gleaning figs from a neighbor's tree or helping me harvest my cherries!

On charitable giving (and receiving)

Charity is very much top-of-mind this week. My husband is in the Army Reserves, and either we are the only large-ish family in his unit and thus deemed needful of charity based solely on the number of mouths to feed, or perhaps he has slightly exaggerated our financial plight (I'm freelancing as our main source of income right now, and while the work is plentiful, my time is not so much). Either way we have received two gift baskets in the past week, both stocked with hams, a pound of margarine, and various canned goods and other nonperishables. I am grateful. And yet, given my now year-long commitment to feed my family organic, fairly traded, as-local-as-possible food, it's been a challenge deciding how to face a six-year-old who I found hoarding two boxes of cake mix and a package of Sara Lee dinner rolls in his bedroom. Among other things. One day I'll let the boys gorge themselves on Trix, Campbell's chicken noodle soup, and chocolate icing straight out of the carton, the next day I hide it all and force-feed them sourdough whole wheat baked goods and raw milk. As a culture, we believe that one should not look a gift horse in the mouth and that those receiving charitable assistance should be pleased to eat whatever GMO-ridden, conventional, processed, sugar-packed, wrapped-up-in-excess-packaging goods the givers choose.

I am torn. I wish to be grateful and am thrilled that such largess exists. I know that those who assembled the gift packages did so out of a genuine and generous wish to make our lives better. (And the PGE gift card that was included in one of them will, indeed!, make our lives better. If anyone should be struggling over what to get for a needy family -- go with the PGE gift card!) And at the same time I wish I could somehow send a message to all those who shop for holiday gift baskets and ask if they might consider getting big bags of Bob's Red Mill organic whole wheat flour, and a dozen eggs from Kookoolan Farms, and perhaps a nice local ham from Sweet Briar Farms or the Pacific Village cooperative.

Getting your tree: Where is it coming from this year?

I'm working on a project doing some freelance writing for a yet-to-be-launched green site, and I've been learning way too much about the environmental impact of everything I do (as if it wasn't already enough!). One thing I've discovered recently is that Christmas trees are often grown with lots of pesticides. I mean, I'm not eating the tree, but it's likely that my 17-month-old, Monroe, is getting his fair share of pine needle ingestion.

So I thought more about where to get my tree this year. In last year's discussion about Christmas trees, we noted a lot selling organic, "local" Christmas trees on 25th and SE Division (it's still there this year). I asked friends to recommend organic tree sellers and was advised to just buy anywhere -- after all, Christmas trees are a huge industry in Oregon (so not getting a local tree would be ridiculous) and they "grow like weeds" so very few pesticides are needed. On the other hand, this article points to widespread herbicide and fungicide use to obtain "perfect" trees.

I decided that we would get it through Cafe au Play, who's selling trees to raise funds to help open the planned family-friendly coffee shop and community center at 58th and SE Division. The trees are from Timber Ridge Tree Farm in Molalla and were very well-priced -- we paid $20 for a very lovely, big grand fir. I was unable to find out whether or not Timber Ridge used many pesticides; maybe next year we'll use capella's great idea: buying a new potted tree every year and plant it; after a few years we can start cutting the older trees down (and buying a new one to replace it) for our *own* Christmas tree farm. That sounds wonderfully "green." Where did you get your tree? Was its green-ness a factor in your decision?

Reminder: Eat local at lunch today

Are you ready for something healthy and sustainable after that talk about childhood obesity? Remember: today is the Local Lunch at Portland Public Schools cafeterias all over town. I'm heading to Pioneer School today to eat lunch with Everett (and pay penance for having screwed up the dates and missed his annual Thanksgiving Feast parent lunch yesterday, ouch!). The menu appears to have changed slightly and is now "Oven Roasted Glazed Chicken featuring Draper Valley Farms Natural Chicken." Either way, I'm looking forward to having lunch with my little boy; as Aliza Wong wrote so eloquently in her entry on Culinate, eating lunch with your child is good no matter what the ingredients.

Eat local at Portland Public Schools: Come to lunch?

We've had a lot to say about the sorry state of our schools' cafeterias, both here and on Activistas, and the criticism is certainly not limited to the Portland Public Schools boundaries; it's a terrible issue nationwide. Movement is slowly grumbling toward a better way, though, and last year the addition of Harvest of the Month (one ingredient per week from local farmers -- this month it's sweet corn on the cob) was, while a small step, still: progress!

This year's small step forward is the Local Lunch: a whole menu, once each month, featuring local foods (defined as Washington, Oregon, and California up to San Francisco -- a generous "local"). The first offering, last Wednesday, was quesadillas with Tillamook cheese and Don Pancho quesadillas. November's offering is barbecued chicken with Draper Valley Farms natural chicken -- yum! I encourage those of you who send lunches with your PPS students to have them buy lunch on these days; or go have lunch with your child. Whole list of dates and menus after the jump.

Cool Moms, Cool Planet in Seattle

Very cool.  Really.  This Seattle group has a really, uh, cool thing going.  Neighborhood by neighborhood, mom by mom, they aim to cool the planet.  Here's how they describe themselves:

CoolMom.org brings busy moms into the climate action network in three ways:  through education, lifestyle change, and by supporting policies that mitigate global climate change.  An important part of our work occurs at the grassroots level, with community-based activism in neighborhood CoolMom groups.  Local groups share ideas, take action, and have fun fighting climate change together!

CoolMom.org unites moms to build a better future for our children. CoolMom.org encourages sustainable living practices in how families live, learn, work and play.  We promote stewardship of the natural environment and seek to instill a conservation ethic in future generations.

I am often surprised by how many things are going on in Portland that I am completely and utterly unaware of - and not just dance clubs and other things from days gone by.  So before I say, how come we don't have something like this in Portland, I'll ask you!  Do we have anything like this in Portland?  If now, don't you think we should?

Sustainable living on a budget: Am I inspired yet?

Monique Dupre was, as everyone seems to agree, not what we expected. She's too lovely, too pulled-together, too funny, too American. (For the record, she is married to a Frenchman, grew up near Astoria, and now lives in Vancouver, Wash.) I half-expect her to start her insanely popular 'Sustainable Living on a Budget' workshop with a little ledger for us to add up our errant spending and lots of judgment, but that's entirely not what she does.

She starts by saying that she just wants to inspire us, reminds us that inspire means "in the spirit," and that we don't have to do everything, just start where we are. And begins to talk about where she is.

It's at once devilishly inspiring (I will admit to having called Comcast to cut off my cable the next day, and removed the TV from the living room, although it was only minorly influenced by Monique) and crushingly overwhelming. Monique, through lots of hard work, much ability to be present and inquisitive, and the oh-so-useful French husband questioning all that is America, has created a life that is truly my dream. She gets all her food locally and organically, creating healthy and whole-foods-y meals for each and every bite her family eats. She leaves her home each morning with a clean kitchen and a small pile of laundry. Her children want nothing for Christmas because they have everything they need. Her eldest daughter can recognize fennel plants when they're an inch tall. She loves fennel!

Composting for Beginners

There are many among us who have green thumbs and maturing gardens.  But, for the beginners among us, can you share with us how you started your compost pile?  Where can you go to learn more?  Samantha emailed:

I read the recent post on using compost for the garden, but I'm just starting out and wondering if there is an old post for favorite methods for starting a compost pile. I have questions such as: which kits to buy, to worm or not to worm? Also wondering if anyone's ever used a pet waste composter.

Metro has some great local resources on composting

• Learn about composting methods
• Composting Problems and Solutions
• Composting with a Worm Bin
• Where to buy a compost bin (year-round)
• Composting demonstration sites

What are your recommendations for tips and tricks on composting at home?  Books that are must-have resources?

Got Compost, Now what?

We've been diligently composting our food scraps and are beginning to reaps the fruit of our labor.  But seriously, for this novice gardener, I'm not sure when to harvest the black gold, and even what to do with it.  Can someone help, please?  I know there are many green thumbs among us mamas.  For starters, when do you know the compost is ready?  Is there are right time to add compost to your garden?  And maybe I shouldn't admit this, but where do you spread it specifically?

Stimulate this! Great ideas for using your economic stimulus package

As soon as I heard about Bush's Economic Stimulus plan, I started in with the subversion. I'd use my stimulus check to buy things, but entirely not the things Bush and big retail corporations wanted me to. My debit card wouldn't be swiped at Target or Sears or Olive Garden; with the whopping $2,100 my family will get (we have three children) I wouldn't buy a single gallon of premium unleaded gas, nor sink a nickel into video poker machines (I'm scandalized and saddened that's where Oregon's kicker went). No. I'd buy things that would work gently against big government and big big oil.

I made a promise to myself that I would spend my economic stimulus money on things that would save me from spending future fossil fuels, future money and future greenhouse gases. I decided I would invest my stimulus package into my little urban homestead's soil, air, and food stores. I'd get off the grid, just a bit, I'd use it to live lighter. I made a list of ideas and (helped by a substantial tax rebate) I've already started in on it. Do you have any ideas to add to the list? Where will your stimulus package go?

• A family bike. I bought this Electra Townie + Xtracycle + Bobike seat from Clever Cycles for about $1500; you could do it a lot cheaper ($450-$600) if you had a base bike to use (you could even use an old Schwinn). I'm waiting for another Bobike seat for Truman. I can transport all three boys on it! There are lots more thoughts about family biking here.
• A couple of garden boxes, fertilizer, compost, seeds and starts. It seems as if I'm not the only one thinking about this! Lots of your great vegetable gardening advice here.

How does your garden grow?

I have two thumbs but neither are green.  My husband has a green thumb.  For the first couple of years here in Portland, I was pretty green with envy at folks talking about their berry bushes and spinach crop.  They told me of their children frolicking in their yard, plucking from their veggie beds whenever they needed snacks.  I thought: "Wow."

Last year, after lots and lots of reading and consulting others, my husband built two vegetable beds and we planted our own veggies for the first time.  One week last summer, I was eating radishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Another week, I was eating romaine lettuce day in and out.  "Regularity" was not an issue for me.

This year, we are working more closely together to decide what items we love to eat and want to plant.  We have also dug out another two big areas to grow more and are plotting / phasing our growing so we have some diversity in what we harvest at any given time.  I still feel so overwhelmed, though.  I am just glad that my husband has taken the lead on this project.

I've talked with other mamas that are just as daunted by this whole gardening thing.  So, if you don't mind, could you please share your bestest tips?  Do we start from seed?  Indoors?  Buy starts?  Aren't they expensive?  What part of the yard should we plant in?  What are your favorite vegetables to plant?  Favorite fruits?   How about a book where we can learn all the ins and outs of growing our own?

This conversation is inspired by a recent thread on one of my mama yahoo groups: shout out to the mamanandas!

Mad, Depressed or Both? That, Mamas, is the Question

I grew up on the east coast but married a gentle man and now live in the friendliest city ever.  So while I can thank the bus driver as well as the next person and hold the elevator door open for people miles away, I still have the potential to get REALLY ANGRY.  Ever since I opened the O on Saturday and saw the short article (in the Living section, already!) on Bisphenol A and  - in a mini rage - tossed every Nalgene bottle I could find, I've been pissed.  Why?  I'll tell you all about it - and then some - on Activistas.  Are you pissed, too?

Recycling for a Cause

Earth day had me thinking a lot about the waste generated/collected in our small house.  Then I started obsessing over spring cleaning.  Now I have notes scattered throughout the house about the Plastic Roundups, the Neighborhood Hazardous Waste Roundup, and various other close to home dumping events. But wouldn't it be nice if it was all taken care of for us? A mama wonders:

I like helping people.  I hate waste.  I hate feeding bottles into a machine.  I like tax deductions.  These things seem like they all naturally add up to charitable donations of recyclable bottles and cans.  This has been harder to find than I expected.  Does anyone know of a school, scout troop, homeless shelter, who will come to my house, take my recyclables, and give me a receipt?  Bonus points for a group that does it on a regular basis (i.e. they call me every month or two and say "it's time...").

Does having one save our planet?

Today's Oregonian featured "Enivornmental Moms Stop at One Child", highlighting the decision of a family to have one child as an environmental decision.  For sure we all have made our own decisions for our families.  We've talked about thoughts on number two and even more specific thoughts on number three.  Did the environmental impact of another child come into play in your decision in having one, two, three or more children?

Eco-Party: Some Change Will Do You Good

It's Earth Month, and like any good Portlander I'm doing my share to learn and try to put into practice the earth-friendly mantra of reducing, reusing and recycling.  I got an Energy Trust home review and attended an Eco-Party in an effort to become more environmentally aware.  I patted myself on the back smugly and thought, what a good steward of the earth I am.  And then I got the Home Eco-Party Checklist with about 50 questions covering habits ranging from waste reduction and recycling, toxics reduction, and energy/water conservation.  As I filled out the checklist that smugness that I felt earlier lifted quickly and I wondered if I would leave the party forced with wearing a scarlet letter.  That letter would be a reminder that every time I used a disposable diaper I was knowingly destroying the earth with every stinky diaper I tossed in the trash; and that everyone would know that my family doesn't buy all organic produce.  Who knew that those individual little boxes of raisins that my littlest one (see picture) loves so much would be now a guilt-inducing purchase?  The story continues over at Activistas.

Earth Day: How are you celebrating?

April 22nd is Earth Day.  Governor Kulongoski is apparently honoring the day by leaving the car at home.  He's encouraging all Oregonians to change something in their daily routine to be just a tad bit more Earth-friendly.  If you were to pick one little thing to try out to make Earth a happier place for us, what would it be?  Have a no-waste day once a week/month?  Maybe a commitment to just take one resuseable bag to the supermarket each time?  Or, how about buying one item in bulk to reduce on packaging that ends up the landfill?  Maybe having a no-car day once a week/month?  Every family is different!  How are you celebrating Earth Day?

A New Kind of Tub Toy

Seems like everyone is talking about ridding their lives of plastics, or at least not adding more.  But what about bath toys?  My girls have brought in enamel ware that created an awful rusty mess. Glass-not an option. Wood-also not great. So what next?

Sara writes:

I'm trying to limit the amount of plastic that comes into our house, though I seem to fail regularly in my attempts, especially when it comes to toys!  We would like to buy some new tub toys for my son's 3rd birthday, specifically boats.  Does anyone know of durable, non-plastic tub toys?  Do such things even exist, since they need to be waterproof?

Reduce: Do you wash out your ziplocs?

Ziploc-type baggies are perfect for many things - grabbing and going with a bunch of O's, storing leftovers, packing other snacks, and - of course - for toting around your dangerous liquids and gels onto the airplane.  I have seen it done before at another home, but I was wondering - does any one else wash out ziploc baggies and leave them upturned on chopsticks to dry for another use?

Activistas Home EcoParty chez Erin on 4.20.08

If you're thinking this sounds like some sort of groovy tupperware party, mamas, think again.  Ecoparty host Erin assures us that this is anything but.  As she herself said: This is So Not Your Mama's Tupperware Party.  Now that we've got that cleared up, read on and sign up over on Activistas.  It'll be fun.  Plus, Erin's house is an eco media darling.  This way, you can see for your self!  A former Northwest Earth Insitute staffer herself, she writes:

There's certainly no shortage of environmental issues to worry about - climate change, clean (and free) water, alternative energy, dwindling forests, pollution, the list goes on. It can make a mama feel a bit helpless.

One good remedy?  Start in your own home. Take a look around and see what you can do everyday - be it bringing a cloth bag to the grocery store, composting apple peels, or getting rid of those toxic cleaning supplies. Then make some changes.

Have You Had Your Home Energy Review?

Beyond the compact fluorescent light bulbs, I am certain there are other changes we can make to conserve energy and to save money around the house.  The other evening the topic turned to comparing notes on thermostat settings and gas/electric bills with some friends.  I realized one of the things on my long "to do" list is to contact Energy Trust for a free home energy review.  Today, I went on line, filled out the form, and next thing I knew, I made an appointment for an Energy Advisor to come give energy-money-saving tips.  Just in time for Earth Day. Have you had a review?  Any tips that helped to make some noticeable differences in your energy bills?  Also, what is the best thermostat setting when the family's away for the day?

Getting a teenager to recycle

Undoubtedly, it is difficult to get a teenager to do anything, recycling included.  Hear Shannon's plight:

I have a question regarding teens and recycling. My 17yo stepdaughter throws everything away.  when I catch her, I make her separate her garbage from recyclables.  Sometimes I try to go through it, but she's thrown something gross in there and it's "contaminated."  When I try talking to her about it, she blows me off and says not everyone recycles, what does it matter?  I show her how I take up to two paper sacks a week of recyclable plastic to the recycling center that won't go in our bin (hard plastic packaging for toys and electronics, the plastic measuring scoops in formula, film canisters, etc).  I'm lucky in that the recycling center is a mile from my house and on the way to practically everywhere. 

She hasn't always lived with us, so she wasn't "brought up" that way.  She takes everything for granted. Throwing away a notebook that still has good, usable paper in it because she's finished with it, eating half her dinner and throwing it away because she doesn't like leftovers (not even giving it to the dog), letting her grandmother buy her something and throws it away when she determines she really doesn't like it.

Here in Portland, many households are trying to do their part - recycle whatever we can.  How do you get your kids involved in recycling?  Are they aware of the effort?  Are they a part of the process?  How do you get children (teenagers, in this case) to understand the concept of wastefulness, to curb needless dumping, to encourage reducing, reusing, and recycling?

How do you purge the plastic?

Is plastic one of those necessary evils?  That exists in every family's home?  How do we minimize plastic dependence?  How do you pack lunches or store leftovers without it?  Gina recently emailed, wanting to hear more from the urbanMamas community:

Every time my toddler grabs her "sippy cup" (which I still have her use to avoid nasty spills on the couch, in her room, etc.) I am wondering... is it safe?!  I've just spent the last two hours surfing the web, reading about different symbols and grades of plastics and trying to really understand the environmental and health risks associated with plastic.  All of this business of chemicals leaching from plastics into foods and drinks has made me paranoid.  Now I'm also questioning the bottle my breastfed 4 m.o occasionally receives from her father.  Here I am pumping through plastic, into a plastic bottle, and then again storing my breast milk into a plastic bag.  And the soup I managed to make last night, the leftovers are sitting in my refrigerator (yet again!) in plastic Tupperware.  Don't even get me started on the toys and all of the rubber duckies in my shower.  I know I've read about this on urbanMamas before and I'm wondering... is anyone else out there concerned?  And what about stainless steel?  Has anyone tried out the foogo sippy cup or the Kleen Kanteen?  Are they really worth the $15.00 plus a piece?  Has anyone found someplace that carries these locally?  Most of the websites I have found are out of stock.  What, if anything, are you doing to minimize on plastic exposure?  Any suggestions?  Is there an affordable alternative... I want to raid my cabinets and discard all of the plastic before me but I need some good advice before I go overboard. 

Your gifting strategy this season?

We're in full swing now in our assorted holiday seasons.  However we celebrate, gifts around this time are common and abundant.  What are some ideas to put more meaning into the stuff we give?  Make it local!  Make it green!

Eco-Mama does a nice little run-down on gifting green and features some great (new) local merchants that now takes Chinook Book coupons.  Serena posted some great ideas last year in "A tightwad shops local."  Or, maybe make a donation to the Environmental Working Group of at least $135 and get a great gift bag that includes a shopping bag, a cast-iron pan, a Klean Kanteen water bottle, recycled paper note pad, organic chocoate and more....

One of our personal favorite spots for getting gifts, year after year, is at Our Children's Store.  Formerly at the Galleria Mall downton and now at the Lloyd Center, "100% of the profits from sales are distributed to over 40 local children's organizations."  Its a great concept and we always find plenty of unique gifts there.

We'd love to hear more about gifting strategy this season.  Are you baking or knitting or making?  Are you shopping online?  Visiting local shops on some of our favorite retail strips like NW 23rd, Hawthorne, NE Alberta, or N Mississippi?

Least Non-Toxic Mattress Option

We've previously talked about organic baby mattresses, but Anne was particularly interested in finding a mattress for a big girl bed.  According to one of our favorite resources (we love Sarah and OEC), you can find mattresses not treated with flame retardants at:

• Naturepedic
• Baby Works
• Organic Mattress Store
• Green Home

Is an IKEA really an option?  Any others for Anne?  She writes:

We are trying to figure out what the least toxic, non-futon type mattress is out there to buy for a new big girl bed. Has anyone done any research on this, bought anything, happy with anything that they could recommend?

Green Bathtub Resurfacing

We're certain that many of you may be knowledgeable about remodeling, but Amy poses an interesting question about bathtub resurfacing.  She writes:

The bottom of the clawfoot tub in our 1901 house is peeling badly! I hate the thought of soaking my daughter in it every night (she outgrew the baby tub long ago). But I am also leery of having it refinished because, from what I understand, all the finishes are basically paint ... and then she's soaking in whatever leaches from freshly applied paint ... what about off-gassing? How do I know what's safe? We can't afford a brand new tub, nor can we afford to have the old one hauled away for an all-new ceramic coating ... on-site refinishing seems to be our only option. (Right now, I have a non-slip tub mat over the peeling area, but that won't last for long.) What's a bathtime mama to do? I did a google search for "low voc bathtub refinishing" but came up with nothing substantial. Any ideas out there??

IKEA is PBDE-Free

We love IKEA for their famously delicious Swedish meatballs, Smaland, eco-friendliness and the fact that they have 90 bike racks at their Portland location.  Now, we can also love them because all their products are PBDE (Polybrominated diphenyl ethers)-free. PBDE is not only found in furniture, but electronics, cell phones and carpet padding. Who knew that taking off your shoes could help prevent the dust from collecting in your house (glad that EWG can break it down for this busy mama)?  I thought it was a way to help keep the floors cleaner, and to not spread other yucky stuff (like dog poop) that you invariably step on in your day to day excursions.  Lastly, since we've been on a wallet guide kick of as of late, download your PDBE-free wallet guide at The Green Guide.   It'll  make a great stocking stuffer this holiday season! (Photo courtesy of Cafemama)

Let Eco-Mama know what you're thinking!

A little while ago, we posted on the urbanMamas exchange a "Chinook Book Call for Local Columnists".  Thanks to that post, we've landed an urbanMama a freelance gig with EcoMetro, and she's now writing a regular column for them.  Jenn wrote us to give us an update:

I've been a longtime reader/occasional poster, and just wanted to give you all a giant thank you -- not only are you an awesome resource, you also landed me a blogging gig! I would never have heard
of the EcoMetro website's call for "green" parenting bloggers had it not been for a quick scan of Urban Mamas one afternoon, and now I have a weekly column with them entitled Eco-Mama.  What can I say? "Hooked on urbanMamas ... Worked For Me!" :)

I would LOVE feedback from other Urban Mamas as to what issues, products, and services they would like to see addressed in future columns. So far I have a column on cloth diapering resources in PDX, one on organic baby food options locally, and another forthcoming on the programs of the Oregon Environmental Council (eco-friendly childcare and baby showers).  Feel free to post these kudos/shameless self-promotion/feedback requests any way you see appropriate -- I just wanted to give a shout-out and say thanks again!

You can email Jenn at Jenn.Crowell.blogger@ecometro.com.

OEC Safer Plastics and Green Cleaning Products Wallet Cards

Lisa (our very active resident Activista) wrote recently about phthalates. You know, the stuff found in the soft plastic toys which I'm sure we've all let our kids chew and suck on in their early years.  Well, our good friend Sara (you're awesome!) over at OEC has let us in on a new resource they've created.  She writes:

"I’m just writing to let you know about some new parent tools that the Oregon Environmental Council has developed to help parents choose safer plastics and make their own green cleaning products. They can be downloaded at: http://www.oeconline.org/kidshealth/tinyfootprints/Walletcards.  They are pretty cute, if I do say so myself, and can be printed out or we are happy to mail them to interested moms, dads, grandmother, whoever."

These cards are not only cute, but informative. #1 and #2 plastics get the thumbs up but #6 (yogurt cups?) get the thumbs down. 

As for our favorite greener cleaner recipe?  This goes to the Wood Cleaner:

"¼ cup white vinegar
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon liquid soap
A few drops of olive oil
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl;
saturate a sponge with the mixture; squeeze out the excess and wash surfaces.
The smell of the vinegar will dissipate."

Got any green cleaning recipes of your own?  Will these alternatives require more elbow grease?  Please do share! (Photo courtesy of Cafemama)

Easy Water Conservation Project

A week or two ago I was sifting through my 2007 Chinook book to make sure there weren't any extra coupons I need to use up before it expires in November and I came across a coupon for a free water conservation kit from the Portland Water Bureau. It turns out, any customer of the PWB can log in to their website and order a free kit, customized to their own home. Our house has 2.5 baths, so I ordered devices for our 3 toilets, 4 sinks and 2 showers. Our box arrived yesterday, full of the devices I'd ordered, along with a ton of other information about fixing leaky toilets (turns out we have one, which I learned after using the tablets they included), faucets, etc. as well as information about choosing water efficient plants for our area. Anders had fun helping us install all of the new devices this morning, and it only took about 10 minutes to do. We figure it's an easy way to save water and hopefully a little money too! Have any of you ordered your kits too?

Happy Green Halloween!

In a recent email from the gDiapers team, Kelli McKee, Diaper Specialist to the Eco-Savvy (geez, do I love that title!) offers some tips for a Green Halloween:

1. Buy your pumpkins locally — supporting your local pumpkin patch or farmers market is a huge energy saver, plus, buying direct cuts out the middleman, increasing profits for local farms.    
2. Make your child’s costume or buy second-hand — costumes are generally used only once per child, but they can be recycled amongst groups of friends or through consignment shops (if you have an outgrown costume you’d like to swap, please bring it!). 
3. Gone are the days when healthy, homemade snacks were offered to trick-or-treaters, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be found. Individually wrapped fruit leathers are readily available and kids love them!  Or head back to the farmer’s market and buy a stash of flavored honey sticks. 

Check out previous local suggestions on urbanMamas' search for the great pumpkin or our recent discussion on limiting candy consumption.  We'd love more suggestions on where to buy second-hand costumes, though!

NWEI Discussion Group: Join Us!

Ready for your first Northwest Earth Institute discussion group?  Already done one but ready to meet new urban Mamas & Papas and explore another interesting topic?  Us too!! So...join us to for a discussion group this fall.  You'll find all the background info and details you need over on Activistas - like: what's a discussion group, anyway?  what interesting topics?  where would we meet?  Check it out. 

The car-free family: Getting to the beach on the Amtrak bus

As you may have read (or heard on KBOO), my family has given up our car, preferring to ride the TriMet bus, walk, or bike with the kids. We love how connected we are to the community, we love that we save money on gas & insurance & maintenance, we love that we're being good to the earth! But it's really hard to, say, go to the beach. Or come back from the beach during Hood-to-Coast -- Jonathan and I were both delivered at the finish line by our respective vans, and the boys were delivered by their grandma. Umm... now what?

Martin and Larissa were in the same boat, more or less, as their family car went kaput. So we all put our Google fingers to work and discovered the Amtrak bus. (Yes! Amtrak has a bus!) Every evening, the bus leaves Union Station in downtown Portland at 6:20 p.m. and travels down Hwy 26, arriving in Astoria at 8:50 p.m., including stops in Cannon Beach, Seaside, and Astoria. You can request stops at Elsie, Manning, Necanicum Junction, Gearhart, and Warrenton, as well. The bus turns around the next morning, leaving Astoria at 8:30 a.m. and arriving in Portland's Union Station at 11:00 a.m.

We picked the bus up at 9 a.m. at Del's Chevron in Seaside, quickly loaded our two families' considerable gear, and took our comfy seats aboard the bus. Though the legroom wasn't amazing and the other passengers didn't seem entirely pleased when I had to pry a screaming Truman's hands off the steering wheel, the boys soon quieted down and we enjoyed a lovely ride back to Portland -- arriving on time! -- and then hopped the #17 bus home. A one-way ticket for an adult is $16, while children ages 2-16 are $8. Other bus lines go all over Oregon, from Salem to Corvallis to Bend to Newport. If you, too, are car-free by choice or by necessity, it's a good option for travelling with your family. Best of all, children under two are free and, on this trip at least, there was plenty of room to seat them beside us. I'd love to hear other stories about getting outside of the metropolitan area without a car!

It's raining plums!

Fruit is ripening on the trees of Portland and dropping on the ground in buckets.  We're going plummy!  Through my neighborhood yahoo group, I found about: the Neighborhood Fruit Tree Project and they are hosting Harvesting Parties that begin this Saturday!  You can sign up for a Harvesting Party in your area.  They'll be picking in a different part of town every Saturday through mid-September. As a Harvesting Volunteer you can take home free fruit and help make fresh food available to those who need it most...A portion of each harvest will be donated to a local food pantry.

To sign up, please call 503-939-4914, or send an email to fruitproject@gmail.com and you will receive the address for our meeting site and other details when you sign up.

Harvesting Party Schedule:

• Saturday, August 4th, 10am - 1pm, Inner SE Portland
• Saturday, August 11, 10am - 1pm, N/NE Portland
• Saturday, August 18th, 10am - 1pm, Outer SE Lents Neighborhood
• Saturday, August 25th, Time & Location TBA
• Saturday, September 1st, Time & Location TBA
• Saturday, September 8st, Time & Locaiton TBA

For more information, contact Katy Kolker at the Portland Fruit Tree Project: fruitproject@gmail.com or 503 939 4914.

"Empowering  neighbors to share in the bounty and care of urban fruit trees."

The Trials and Tribulations of Being Car Free

When fellow urbanMama Olivia and I signed up for the Low-Car Diet Challenge, I was really enthused.  I didn't think it through entirely, but reducing the use of our family car has been in the back of my mind for a long time.  When the challenge started a few weeks ago, it didn't feel so bad.  I was already commuting by bike and bus to work.  My husband and I just needed to integrate the bike into our childcare drop-off and pick-up routine; and social activities.  When he was around for week one, it worked beautifully sharing the load between the two of us.

Snafu 1: Reality hit with week 2 when the weather turned rainy, the week was jammed with early morning work engagements, and a husband / father that was 5000 miles away for work.  Mentally, I had to change gears and really focus and plan how I would it make through the next two weeks without an extra set of legs (that are made for pedaling) around to share in the hauling.  The main blip was the rain.  Cole stayed nice and dry in the trailer, and Carter in his nice waterproof breathable rain coat and pants, while I was a soaking mess.  When I retold my sob story, most recommended "You should get fenders."  Ahem, I do have fenders, but they certainly don't keep your lower body dry. Solution 1: It's only rain!  After I stopped pouting, I wiped myself dry in the bathroom and changed.  When I heard others complain about the traffic and their miserable commute into work, I realized that the rain only delayed me only a few minutes and I made it to my meeting on time.

Snafu 2: The other major issue?  The Eastside is hilly, you don't notice it quite as much from the comforts of your car.  It also finally occurred to me that my commute distance had doubled and that I was biking 10 miles each day, most of it hauling children.  No wonder why my legs were aching, and I was a sweaty mess when I arrived to work!   Solution 2: I made sure I was out of the door by 7:30 am on day I had to moderate an 8:30 am session.  I wiped myself dry with a towel, put on some deodorant, pulled my hair back and changed into work clothes. I hung up my wet clothes in the bathroom and left them there to dry.  Who would want to steal my stinky clothes?

Snafu 3: To top the whole experience off so far in week 3, I got a flat tire after dropping kid number two off.  I left my pump in the trailer left at kid number 1's daycare, and the my back up bikes had flats as well.  Solution 3: I walked the bike to the local bike shop (they're awesome!) and worked from home.

Should I give up?  Should I be discouraged?  The good comes with the bad, and practice makes perfect.  The more I bike, the easier it seems.  It's been a few weeks, and I've found that I've developed a biking rhythm.  And those pre-pre-pregnancy shorts that I kept around from 4 years ago?  I can now slide into them.

What are your tips for biking more and driving less?  How did you go about venturing into more biking activities?  If you're a casual biker, what are some of your fears?  We want to hear from you!

Should we ban plastic shopping bags?

In March 2007, San Francisco became the first city to ban plastic shopping bags.  Here in Portland, Commissioner Sam Adams has started the discussion on whether we should 'Bag' the Bags.  A Portland Business Journal quick survey shows that 57 percent of respondents think we should bag the bags.  A concerned urbanMama Gillian would love to hear your thoughts on pushing this issue to the forefront.  Save the Earth and the PPS budget crisis in one fell swoop?  You can read about it and offer suggestions on the Activistas forum.

One uM & her Bike To Work Day 2007

...  psst ... head on over to the Activistas site to read more about One uM & her Bike To Work Day 2007 ....

Keep it hangin'?

Mamas, how do you dry?  Sarah asks:

My husband and I have been thinking about air-drying our laundry on a clothesline in the back yard. I'm wondering if other urbanmamas are doing this? Does it save you money? Is it really time consuming? I quickly checked out Project Laundry List (Right to Dry) but they don't seem to have much practical information about line-drying. Other than putting up a clothesline and buying clothes pins, are there secrets or tips you'd like to share? Finally, I'm wondering if you line-dryin' mamas hang your skivvies outside? Somehow the thought of hanging my panties and bras outside makes me blush…

New Seasons Pick Up Delivery Service

We've had several readers rave lately about being fans of New Seasons pick up / delivery service.  Is it really the better than sliced bread?  Any other happy shoppers?  Courtney's rave:

I am not sure if it is proper to rave about one of urbanMamas sponsors, but I wanted share how much I love New Seasons on-line shopping. I have shopped this way six times in the last three months and each time I like it more. I have a very active 2-year-old who wants to "help" at the store or only ride in the "car cart". Sometimes it is fun; sometimes it is not. After a particularly active shopping trip, I tried on-line. I have used the "pick up" option at Concordia (NE 33^rd) and Arbor Lodge (N Interstate). The pick up option is $4.99, delivery is $9.99. The first three orders I got free products (ice cream, jam, chips and salsa) that covered the cost of the service. The personal shoppers stick to the list, the produce and deli items look good, and the substitutions (if you want them) have been appropriate. It has made my life as a working mom less stressful.

The few glitches are usually mixes ups on my part. For example, bananas are an each item rather than by the pound. So my first order had one banana, a very nice banana, but just one. I might be the only person that doesn’t really know how much a pound or half pound is in bulk, but maybe not? Since I didn’t, it meant I got fewer raisins or yogurt covered pretzels than I thought I would. But now I know three-fourths of a pound is what we need. I don’t always remember to update the basket when adding or deleting an item (especially if using a past order). When I forget, I might get two of something or nothing of something else.

To get going, the best trick is to do "quick start". On your next trip to the store, give your phone number (account number) to the cashier before paying. This will upload everything you just bought into your account. Then sign up on line and get shopping. My small complaints mainly relate to the website configuration. First, you can only pick favorites one at a time, rather than an entire order. Second, favorites are organized alphabetically, while past orders and quick starts are in the grocery categories. I personally look for Bonnie Doone Big House White under wine, rather than ‘B’. I mentioned this to the customer service people and they took my comments to heart and will talk to the web people. All of the phone and in person service has been great.

Happy Shopping!

The at-home gardening vacation

Today, I am recovering from my week-long vacation.

[photo credits: 1-4 cafemama; 5 fionnsnana; 6 trillium~mama]

It's not a typical recovery though. Usually after a vacation, I'm feeling shell-shocked from the impact on my bank account and exhausted from late nights and lots of bag schlepping. Not this time: I took an at-home gardening vacation. It was an idea born of necessity (husband in Kansas for reserve duty, tight budget, etc.) and last-minute plans -- my boss is going on maternity leave starting Wednesday so this was my chance! But I'd recommend it highly to anyone else who works a vibrantly engaging job (i.e., I think about it every minute) and rarely takes vacation.

More important than the whole r&r thing, I have a sense of accomplishment and a foundation that will allow me to do little things throughout the spring and summer to maintain -- and fully develop -- my yard. I feel a little less awful when I hear those gloomy tales of climate change on the BBC late at night (gardening is good for the planet!). It gave me a chance to just spend time in the dirt with the boys, a rare opportunity as I'm soon to be devoted to a new human being. This definitely ranks up high in recharging potential alongside "leave the kids with grandma for a week while you go somewhere alone" (something my mom suggested and she did, herself, when we were young) and "long weekend with your favorite urbanMamas and their families." What vacations have you found the most satisfying? Any local destinations or activities to recommend?

NOT a Chemical Romance

Now that spring has sprung, we - along with many of our neighbors - are out toiling on our land, sprucing up the yards, trimming back the shrubs, killing off the weeds?.... Dana asks:

What do you ladies know about weed killers/fertilizers in particular? My lawn is a hideous melange of crabgrass, weeds, and a little actual grass. My husband would like to use Weed and Feed on it based on a recommendation from my entirely environmentally-inept-chemical-using-republican-stepmother. No seriously I love her but the woman actually doesn't know how to recycle. I taught her this weekend. She says that Weed and Feed is not long lasting and that the chemicals break down after a few weeks. I would really love to believe her. On the other hand I want my son to be able to play in the grass this summer with a clear conscience.

Does anyone know about chemicals like this? Or does anyone know of health/enviro friendly alternatives?

Laundy Detergent: Eco-Friendly But Cleans Well

Is there an eco-friendly detergent that can actually clean well?  Vivian posted this in one of our comments:

hey mamas ~ i'm looking for a laundry detergent that will still be very kind to my three-month-old's skin (and the environment) but will be perhaps a little more robust in the cleaning arena...i've been using seventh generation, which is great in general, but sometimes my partner's clothing -- especially those he uses for running in -- could peel the paint off walls, and shy little seventh generation just isn't up to the task. i've tried using an oxygen bleach to soak garments first, but i don't like the extra step or the weird 'feel' that it gives cloth...it might be a lost cause, but i thought i'd ask first! any suggestions?

The Chicken Chronicles

It's all your fault.

Today, the boys and I took the #4 all the way from SE Portland to N Mississippi, where we selected and purchased three chicks: Bella (aka Ariel, Everett's fave and a real looker), a Rhode Island Red; Mathilda, an Australorp; and Twitter, a Barred Plymouth Rock. They're now cheeping and pooping happily away under a heat lamp in a tub in Everett's room.

It didn't take long for the boys to fall in love, I'd say, 7.8 seconds. While we purchased our heat lamp, while we waited for the bus on that sunny stretch of Mississippi, while we rode the long way home, Everett couldn't stop talking about how cute they were! And deeming them his. And asking if he could sleep with them, and insisting that he would start taking them on walks, immediately. As for Truman, he nearly fell out of the backpack several time trying to pet them.

I didn't expect to be quite so enamored with them; I'm a bit of a skeptic, and I'm not big on pets. My general theory is that I never want to have to decide whether to take my cat to the vet or buy groceries for the kids. You know? But the chickens, they have me right where they want me. They lay delicious, nutritious and (if you do it all right) organic eggs in a rainbow of pretty colors. They're little composting machines, happily munching up kitchen scraps and turning out nice nutrient-rich poop. They're fairly cheap to keep and very cheap to buy. You never have to walk them. If you build their coop right, you'll never have to put up "lost chicken" signs on the telephone poles. Even when they grow up, they're still pretty cute. And, as I've mentioned, I come from a long line of chicken owners (I almost typed "chicken stock", teehee!).