At five to six bucks a gallon, it can be heart breaking to toss a gallon of sour milk down the drain.  After today’s post, you won’t ever need to do it again!  

When your milk begins to approach its due date, simply pour it into a microwavable container or a stovetop saucepan and heat it until it barely boils.  You’ll re-pasteurize the milk by killing the bacteria that would cause it to go bad.  It may strike a few of you as rather icky, but the truth is that when you finish it will last for another week or two.  

My mom used to practice this technique when we were little and I found it quite odd, but now I love being able to prevent a high priced organic product from going down the drain.

Do you have thrifty green tips to share?  Click here to learn how to join us this week and please visit our contributors and make a comment.  There’s always something new to learn!

In the March issue of ShopSmart, put out by the publisher of Consumer Reports, experts analyzed used baby gear to determine “when you can gratefully say yes and when you should gracefully say no thanks.”  I am devoting several posts to discussing their findings.  (I’ve already written about baby bath tubs, car seats, cribs, and high chairs.)

Here’s what ShopSmart had to say about used toys:

Safe: Stuffed animals and most children’s books make fine hand-me-downs. In the case of lead contamination in used toys, there are many home lead inspection kits which can be purchased for under twenty dollars which will tell you whether the toys are safe.

Unsafe: Avoid any toys that are chipped, as well as any small parts that can fit through a tube of toilet paper, since they present serious choking hazards for small children.

I will admit something: I did not purchase a home lead inspection kit to test my daughter’s toys.  But here’s something else to ponder: toys can have lead in them whether they are used or new.  After all, those toys in the thrift store were once brand new.

I seem to fall on the more cavalier side of allowing secondhand baby gear into my home, but now I’m wondering about other parents’ habits.  Did you purchase a lead inspection kit?  What did you find?  What are your own standards for secondhand toys–or even new toys?

Secondhand toys work for me.  For more Works for Me Wednesday tips, head on over to We are THAT Family.

I just found out that this week is a themed Works for Me Wednesday: the Greatest Hits Edition.  Actually, this post is similar to our most popular WFMW entry ever: How Do You Sell Your Kids’ Clothing?  I’m not sure why, but that was our greatest hit!

As you may remember from my recent posts on the perspective of midwives and choosing a midwife, I had a wonderful birth experience with the midwifery clinic here in town.  Here are my top ten favorite things about working with the Nurse Midwifery Birth Center:

1. Personalized attention. My appointments are generally between 45 minutes to an hour and involve plenty of time for questions and information.  The midwife always presents all the options and allows my husband and me to make the final decisions.  It’s so empowering!
2. Flexibility. It was up to us to choose whether we wanted to give birth at the clinic or the hospital. (Although pregnancies with high risk of complications have to be delivered at the hospital).  Either way, our midwife would supervise the birth and support our pregnancy.
3. Comforting atmosphere. I gave birth to my first son on a bean bag in a room filled with an antique, quilt-covered bed, a birthing ball, and beautiful artwork.  The medical equipment fits into this beautiful old home but doesn’t overwhelm it.
4. A quick return homeward. We spent just eighteen hours at the midwifery center and then were happily back in the comfort of our own home.  Most parents there return home far sooner than we did!
   
5. Follow up visits. Within 24 hours after the birth, a nurse visited our home to weigh our child, help us with breastfeeding, and answer questions.  It was such a gift not to have to leave the house.
6. Ongoing support. Once a week the midwifery center has a free baby clinic where parents can come to weigh their babies, discuss breastfeeding, and ask questions.  But most of the best stuff happens in the waiting room when parents get a chance to bond about the traumas and joys of early parenting.
7. Breastfeeding education. Not only does the clinic provide a breastfeeding class, they have a tremendous amount of information available after the baby is born.  I was able to call a hotline 24 hours a day to problem-solve and get further support at the free weekly baby clinics.
8. Family-friendly environment.  Now that we’re expecting our second, it’s wonderful to be able to bring my two year old to the clinic and know it’s built for family.  There are loads of toys in the waiting room,  a potty seat in the bathroom and plenty of crayons and scratch paper.
9. More freedom.  We were able to bring our own food to the birth and prepare it in the small kitchen which adjoins the birthing room.  My mom, a former Lamaze teacher, and my husband were right by my side the entire time and only had to share my room with one nurse and one midwife.  At other births I’ve attended, there have been a herd of medical people in the room during labor.
10. Eco-friendly community. Many birth center parents are using cloth diapers, wooden toys, and slings.  It’s nice to talk to a group of people who are also going green with baby.

There’s more, but I’ll have to stop because the list could easily go on forever.  I’m infinitely grateful that we had the opportunity to give birth at the center.  Next week we’ll help you search for a midwifery services in your area!