SouleMama Inspiration

I wanted to note a blog that is giving me more inspiration than ever. SouleMama is a happy point in my day where I get to smile and go, "That's the type of mom I want to become/family dynamic I want to promote!" She's always upbeat and positive on the site and even though I don't knit, I love the projects she shows.

Maybe when I get time to actually see straight I'll be able to think about learning to knit. Or sew. Both would be very cool.  :)

Pure Awesomness

Finding eco-friendly products aren't hard, but finding good ones are. We're slowly transitioning to a more environmentally friendly/sustainable household, and these shoes are top of my wish list. We've switched a lot of our personal care/cleaning products already, but I love finding new items like these to try.

Another neat product (and a lot more $-friendly) is ology Bath tissue. Made from sugarcane husk and bamboo it's even septic safe. Pretty cool imo.

Prayer flags of a different kind

My cousins stopped by my parents' house a few days ago and dropped off several boxes of baby clothes for me. I don't have kids yet, but their thoughtfulness reminded me that I am inextricably connected to my family, even if we don't talk very much or see each other very often. These are people I never really talked to (mainly due to personality and age difference) growing up, but was always around at holidays and family get-togethers. These are people who I couldn't stand until we were all older, wiser, and had started our own families.

I find it weirdly fascinating that if it wasn't for Facebook, I probably wouldn't have as good of a relationship with them as I have. I loved them because they were blood, but I didn't know them, or get along with them due to life experiences. Now I do both. Sure, we still don't talk or hang out very often, maybe once or twice a year during family visits, but I can see what's happening in their lives via social media and things like these--they show a mindfulness that probably wouldn't have been there a dozen years ago. It's probably the only thing I am grateful to the internet for; making family as close as a click-stroke away.

As for the clothes...well, I guess it's a good thing my family tends toward having girls over boys. I just hope she likes pink! :)

*Title totally stolen from my mom. ;)

AMNH: Bat Exhibit Birthday

We went to the AMNH for my birthday and saw Bats!

1 minute to change your life

Snow, Slush, and Vampire Bats

On top of Hurricane Sandy (which screwed up the subways, but nothing else in our area), yesterday we got several inches of snow which promptly turned into slush and then ice. These are from my morning walk to the subway. See all the broken branches? 

Saturday is my trip to the museum. I'm going to see 2 IMAX showings (Creatures of Light and Flying Monsters) and the Bat exhibition. Not sure if P will be coming or not just yet. Depends on work.

And Bram Stoker (Dracula) was born today. That kinda makes me giggle when I think of the bats on Saturday. :)

Through the looking glass

Have I mentioned that we really like the look and feel of living in a yurt? I don't think that's come up on this blog before. A yurt, for those who may not have heard of this before, is a semi-permanent tent-like dwelling popular in Mongolia (called a 'ger' there). In the U.S. the largest market size you can buy is a 30' which gives you about 700 sq ft. Around the size of a one-bedroom apartment. The peaked conical roof typically measures 13' and the walls are about 7' tall. Most people set-up a small loft to sleep in or use as a storage or extra living room.

We like the yurt because it allows us to blend into the natural world around us. It also, theoretically, can be moved to a different area if need be. If you leave it completely open this is much easier to do, but we are thinking of putting in walls and a proper bath/toilet and kitchen, which makes moving it more difficult. You can be completely off the grid with them very easily. They lend themselves very well to composting toilets and outdoor/separate shower and kitchen facilities.

I think, for our purposes, if we do end up getting a yurt, we will need two of them, a large 30' and a smaller, maybe 16' one for a work space/kid's room (for when they get big enough to have their own room). I found this deck design that I really like because it mimics the feeling of nature. What do you think?

If we end up in a warm climate (i.e. no-snow area) we have decided we will get one with a 'solar skylight' or 'solar arch' to allow even more natural light in to the yurt. If the roofing material was not a plastic/cloth style, I would prefer a see-through arch, but I'm nervous of damage to the roof if that was the case.

As you can see, it's not quite sea-through, but if you leave the dome as clear instead of tinted, you can view the night sky through there, which is pretty amazing. Add in glass windows at each of the cardinal points and you will get quite a bit of sun-light during the day. You really do have to go minimalist in one of these though, or have clever storage spaces built in to your furniture, as the space can get very cluttered very quickly. Space will be are biggest challenge, as we have a lot of things, mainly books, computer and kitchen equipment.