Some of the best teas only come in loose leaf form. Having used a myriad of tea brewing paraphernalia, the French press is still my tea maker of choice. It is non-electric, economical, easy to clean, and does not take counter space. Though the French press is meant for brewing coffee, the same concepts apply [...]

Teach your kids how to use chopsticks with these fun kid-sized chopstick helpers (available at Asian markets and grocery stores). The rings help kids and adults alike learn how to hold chopsticks. Not only do they make meals ‘fun’, using them helps kids develop their fine motor skills which helps them with their writing skills [...]

Quizno’s, Schlotzky’s, other deli shops and just about every casual Tex-Mex restaurant use some kind of basket and liner to serve food to their customers. They are sturdy, produce slightly less waste, and don’t require as much cleaning – perfect for picnics and outdoor eating. You can find them at restaurant supply stores. At Acemart [...]

My husband saw an info-mercial on upside down planters late one night and thought it would be a fun project to do with the kids. It was very easy to make but not very pretty. It was made out of a gallon jug container with about a 1.5″ diameter opening for the tomato plant. He [...]

Get your kids durable tableware from the most unlikely place: restaurant supply stores. Take note from kid-friendly restaurants. They are all about stretching the dollar and serving kids in tableware that can be used and abused. In Austin, head to Acemart Restaurant Supply Store. Here are my top picks:

In a previous post on homemade soda, I raved about the Soda-Club soda machine used to make your own carbonated water. From now until the end of this month, you can save on your online order with the following promo codes: Save $10 – use code POPDADDY Save 10% – use code SUMMERSTOCK Tips for [...]

After years of experimenting with different layouts, we’ve settled on a ‘U’ or horseshoe arrangement for our cage plants. You can reach each plant from all angles and it’s very kid-friendly. Our kids love hanging inside the U. We use 6″ grid cattle panel welded wire fencing for all our cages and plant eggplants and [...]

I just pulled out all of our onions this week. It is our first big harvest for this year. Onions are very easy to grow in Central Texas. We plant the onion sets very close together and use the thinned out ones as green onions. The ones I just pulled are from our edible garden [...]

Woohoo! Wish everyday was Earth Day. Here’s an easy idea you can implement: purchase a rain barrel and start harvesting rainwater for your garden use. Conserve water, save on water bills, and your plants will reward you for it (they do better with pH neutral rainwater than municipal water). In many cities, you can even [...]

Traditionally, homemade laundry detergent involves at least two steps: (1) grating soap and (2a) either running it through a food processor to make it fine enough to use in powder form or (2b) melt it with water on the stove top to be used in liquid form. An easier alternative that’s also 100% natural is [...]