Posted by Shannon Buck on January 25, 2010
Have you noticed how, since we have given our cats prepared foods and immunizing them, cats have become sick more and more. I see the same issues with dogs, actually, so this post could just as easily be about them.
When I was a child, cats ate what they got and they usually scrounged for that. They also never went to the vet. They never seemed to get sick, and injuries healed. It is so different for them now.
I think that vets should stop pushing immunizations and prepared cat foods, and concentrate on cats natural eating habits. I do NOT think that we need to stop veterinarians from practicing, just that they should be practicing on a more holistic level.
Healthier Cat Care
Shannon Buck
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Posted in Pets | Tagged: cat care, healt, holistic, Maine, vet | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shannon Buck on January 18, 2010
I wrote an article called A Greener Cleaning Guide that I wold like to share with you. I also have a site Keeping the Single Mom Home that will be beneficial.
Maine has a long way to go on the green front, but we can each do our own part as far as our homes go. I am interested in how everyone is making green efforts in their homes and their yards.
Shannon
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Posted in Greening Maine | Tagged: aine, beneficial, cleaning, green, home | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shannon Buck on January 11, 2010
I believe that, the more we do as family, the better our children can be raised to accept our beliefs, whatever they are. This extends to being green and eating healthy. I wrote and article for GreenandSave.com called Family Gardening for Better Health. I would like to share the article with you.
I believe that, especially here in Maine, w can be spending more quality time with our children doing things that will benefit ou families.
Shannon
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Posted in Family Matters, Uncertain Times, simple living | Tagged: beliefs, eat, family, garden, green, health, healthy | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shannon Buck on January 8, 2010
Cold lunches are another area in which Maine residents can be greening their families lives. By doing this type of thing for you children, they will be healthier. You will also be showing schools that you want them to pay more attention to their kitchen and lunchroom greening efforts.
Do not stop there. Go to the principal and let him know about your concerns. Talk to the lunchroom workers, the PTA, the vice principal and superintendent. Make things happen.
Shannon
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Posted in Greening Maine, School Ideas | Tagged: greening, lunches, Maine, school | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shannon Buck on December 21, 2009
I wanted to wish you all Happy Holidays! I am taking a bit of a vacation from blogging to spend time with family. I may pick up again next week, but certainly by the 2nd. Shannon
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shannon Buck on December 5, 2009
A family community does more than just work, play, learn and celebrate. The family also creates.
This is where The Old Arts come into play.
The family can work as a unit to build:
- A barn
- Fencing
- Houses for family members
- Clotheslines
- Hen houses
Quilting bees can be fun, as can getting together to knit, crochet, scrapbook, make soap and other toiletries, make candles and bake for the holidays.
Whittling and building small items is a nice pastime for men, or even women.
Some other ideas are:
- Basket making
- Furniture making
- Ornament making
- Composting
- Vermi-composting
- Recycling
- Trash-to-treasure
Shannon
Posted in Family Communities, Family Matters, Greening Maine, homesteading, simple living, thrift, thrifty | Tagged: family community, old arts, work | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shannon Buck on November 28, 2009
Okay, this is one of those areas where the big family house comes into play in a family community.
All of the food that is being grown and raised by the family needs to be preserved and split between the families. The big house has a huge kitchen that opens into the livingroom. This provides more space.
Family members get together to clean and preserve the foods for the family. Not everyone has to help, as many work or will be attending other duties on the land. But other adults and older children can help with these tasks. Even little ones can feel useful performing small tasks.
After the work is done, the family will sit down to a meal that the non food-preserving family members cooked outside.
Shannon
Posted in Celebrations, Family Communities, frugal recipes, homesteading, simple living, thrift, thrifty | Tagged: cook, family, food, preserve, work | 1 Comment »
Posted by Shannon Buck on November 14, 2009
When you have many households working together on one piece of land, you can do less work individually and give your family healthier alternatives.
Keeping farm animals, and feeding them organically, becomes possible. Think about it. If you plant your own produce, and raise your own animals, how much grocery shopping will you be forced to do? Not much. This will save money on vehicles, gas and repairs, that will counteract the cost to feed the animals. The butchering can be done by you, or someone off-site, and you will still be saving money.
Plus, you will be providing far healthier foods for your family.
- How many hens will it take to feed every household eggs and meat?
- How many cows for milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream and meat, and soaps, etc.
- How many pigs.
- How many goats for milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream and meat, and soaps, etc.
- What other animals may be useful.
People working off-site can be expected to do the milking for the whole family before they leave, and the eggs can be collected by someone staying on-site. The cleaning of the stalls can be done in the evenings by someone working off-site, and the hen houses can be kept by someone staying on-site.
There are really many ways to do all of this, but you get the idea. You will not likely need as many animals as if you each had your own homestead, and the work is shared by everyone.
- One henhouse can be built to hold them all, and one fenced in area for them to forage.
- One barn can be built, rather than many.
- Less resources and money will be used by combining housing for animals.
Shannon
Posted in Family Communities, Greening Maine, homesteading, simple living, thrift, thrifty | Tagged: animals, barn, family, homestead, multi-family, resources, save money, work | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shannon Buck on November 7, 2009
By purchasing land together, and living as an extended family on one piece of land, you can save much time and money.
Gardening is easier. The families get together to prepare the soil and plant the garden, making it easier for those who stay at home to weed and pick the fresh produce.
Plant what is needed by each family, and some extra just in case. Getting together at the big family house to make these plans is ideal. Do it after a nice family meal.
Purchasing the seeds, tools and other needs is cheaper this way. Saving seeds from season to season helps, a job for those who are at home most of the time. It is helpful to have multiples of a few tools, but the more costly ones can be used by everyone. Seeds can be purchased with every families’ needs in mind, without the need to purchase more than one packet of each type.
When the big harvest comes in, the entire family helps out with the picking, and a nice meal is provided for everyone in the big house. Older family members who cannot be in the fields can man this meal, if they are able.
Working together takes less time, and builds strong family bonds.
Shannon
Posted in Family Communities, homesteading, thrift, thrifty | Tagged: family, family bonds, fresh produce, garden, harvest, multi-family, pick, plant, purchasing, seeds, soil, tools, weed, working | Leave a Comment »