• Last updated 3/10/13 by AdinaL

Charlie Banana, beloved to many of you as a source for cloth diapers, also make fantastic cloth menstrual pads for mama. Charlie Banana is giving the following away to one lucky winner: -a box of panty liners, -a box of Regulars, -a box of Supers -and a box of Super Plus feminine pads. These fab pads come in a very handy, purse-friendly pink pouch. Personal capsule review: I love them because the pads are made of so soft bamboo, and when I put them through the wash, they miraculously come out close to sparkling... read more

• Last updated 3/7/13 by mamazee

You can find Kris on Twitter, Facebook (Kris Underwood), writing occasionally at her blog and sometimes at the Imperfect Parent Blog. I like to cook, particularly when fall comes around. Maybe it’s just something in the air. Or maybe it’s just the realization that winter is coming and we have that instinct kicking in to store food away for the season. I don’t know. I wanted to make apple butter, but didn’t want to do the actual canning process. I mean, that takes a lot of time that I found I have not had lately. Plus, my canning pot is sort of busted.... read more

• Last updated 3/11/13 by mamazee

Hello, Mamas! I’m here to announce the latest passel of winners of A la Mama giveaway goodness. 1. The Glad Rags winner is….Vanessa Betcher. 2. The Mayron’s Goods winner is…Brittany. 3. The Wild Woozle winner is…Joyce Taylor. Thank you so much for your participation! I’m very happy for you. Subscribe to the Mothering.com Blogs Feed This entry was posted on Thursday, November 11th, 2010 at 12:07 pm and is filed under Giveaways!. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0... read more

• Last updated 3/11/13 by mamazee

Hello, my name is Danielle and I’m a recovering Savior of the World. I used to think that my self-worth depended on my vegetarianism, my activism, futurism, my pro-this and anti-that. Had halo, would preach. Had ‘isms, would teach. I still wrestle with issues of spheres of influence (like one might wrestle a greased boa constrictor while wearing in a bikini – with great difficulty), but my circle of devotion has gotten decidedly more focused, or at least more proportioned. My a-ha on this came like a bolt of lighting, at a swanky event, in which I cried an... read more

• Last updated 12/18/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Elizabeth ThomanIssue 127, November/December 2004Media literacy is an overall term that incorporates three stages of a continuum leading to the media empowerment of citizens of all ages.The first stage is simply becoming aware of the importance of balancing or managing one’s media “diet”; that is, making choices and managing the amount of time spent with television, videos, electronic games, films, and various forms of print media.The second stage is learning specific skills of crucial viewing: learning to analyze and question what is in the frame, how it is... read more

• Last updated 3/11/13 by mamazee

Glad Rags, the wonderful reusable menstrual cloth pad company, is giving the following assortment of fab treats to one lucky A la Mama reader: 1 Day Pad: 1 Night/Postpartum Pad: 1 Pantyliner: and 1 pair organic cotton nursing pads: Isn’t that excellent? Here’s how you enter to win: 1. Leave a comment below with your fabric choice preference. You can find out the options by clicking on any of the cloth menstrual pads and viewing the fabric choice pull-down menu. 2. For a second chance to win, click here to... read more

• Last updated 3/11/13 by mamazee

Athena came home after school today feeling sick. It’s been about 56 degrees in our house since I have stubbornly refused to turn on the heat. I’ve been wearing a wool hat and a winter coat in my office, drinking tea and working with the my laptop on my knees to help me get warm. But seeing my lanky 9-year-old lying miserably on the couch under two thick blankets this afternoon made me reconsider. It’s amazing how warm 60 degrees can feel. As the house was heating up I started to feel uncomfortably hot. Poor Athena threw up three times. Then she ate... read more

• Last updated 3/11/13 by mamazee

This week on Mothering Outside the Lines we’re talking about the sexy topics of energy conservation and conscientious living. Yesterday I wrote about how conserving energy might actually promote happiness and last week I admitted being in love with No Impact Man. Today, as promised, we have a technical report on Microsoft Hohm’s Blueline PowerCost Monitor, which James installed a few days ago, for your reading pleasure. This monitor retails for $268.00 but we didn’t pay for ours. The manufacturer sent it to us for review. Here’s more than... read more

• Last updated 3/7/13 by mamazee

As the weather turns cold (it was 37 degrees in Ashland last night and 51 degrees in our house this morning) in southern Oregon, we’re talking about personal consumption and lifestyle choices on Mothering Outside the Lines this week. James spent the better part of an afternoon installing a Microsoft Hohm device to monitor our energy output. We now have a rectangular screen a little bigger than an iPod on the kitchen counter reporting how much electricity we’re using at any given moment. The kids check it obsessively. “Mom! Oh my God! It’s up to .04 cents an... read more

• Last updated 3/7/13 by mamazee

Earlier this week Mothering blogger Jennifer Margulis wrote of the “No Impact Man” project, and asked us to share the steps big and small we have made in our own lives.   Having watched the No Impact documentary, I was particularly struck by the effect of their radical life changes on their relationships as a family.  His wife in particular just blossomed over the course of the year – and I was struck by the renewed focus on family & the quality of their time together. Yesterday I found myself with a double Chariot stroller full of crabapples and our final... read more