It's not too late to start some seedlings for your summer garden¹ (if you live in the northern hemisphere, at any rate). And you can do it successfully with little fuss and expense and not much in the way of special equipment and supplies.

Why start seedlings inside?

Starting seeds indoors is good for warmth-loving plants that wouldn't enjoy an early dip in the cool soils but that need time to grow before it's consistently sunny enough for them to make the transfer outdoors. Many summer vegetables fit this description — tomatoes, peppers, and melons being among the prime examples — as do some annual and perennial flowers. Check the seed packet in question or a planting calendar for your region for guidance on whether and when to start indoors, and when to transplant outside.²

If you don't have a traditional garden space available for transplanting, don't worry — there are other options for those of us who are yardless or have green space but not the time to prepare it. Container gardening, for instance, is perfect for small spaces like patios and balconies, as long as the plants get enough sunlight. Some edibles can even be happy staying indoors all year round. Feel free to experiment — all gardening is experimentation, so don't feel bad if some plants don't make it; it's just a learning experience for next year.

Now, couldn't you just buy ready-grown seedlings from the nursery or home improvement store (or, heck, Walmart or Costco)? Yup. And sometimes I do. But here are some reasons to go the seedling route:

1. There's such pleasure in starting plants from their tiny beginnings.
2. It's a fun activity to do with children — a little science experiment in your home.
3. You have access to a much wider variety of plants from seed than what's commonly available ready-to-plant. You can experiment with heirloom and organic varieties and support small local growers.
4. Since the emphasis here is on frugality, starting plants from seeds is cheap, particularly the more years you've been doing it.

So here is how to start seedlings and save some green.

Score some seeds.

Most seeds don't cost very much, honestly. You generally get a whole packet for a couple bucks at the most. But there are ways to be even thriftier.

Yesterday morning, Mikko rolled over, smiled at me, and signed "friends."

Welcome to the Sunday Surf! Here are some of the best links I've read this past week.

Stupid third trimester, with its stupid squished bladder, which unfailingly wakes me after four to five hours of sleep. I was lying in bed this morning, watching the light around the blackout curtains shift to dawn, trying trying trying to get back to sleep, amid my husband's occasional snores (kick kick) and my son's elbow in my skull (push push), when I decided to try something new: Why not give my whirling brain something to do? Oh, sure, I'll crash again in an few hours, or at least need a nap later, but it's better than lying down, ticking through the to-do list in my head.

So here I am, mes amis, sharing some links before the newly awakened drowsiness takes over. (Can drowsiness be awakened? See, I am tired.)

Mikko combining Kristin's log animals and another swap participant's flubber into an unholy masterpiece.
• "Idea List for Toddler & Preschooler Activity Bags" from Intrepid Murmurings: Have you heard of activity bags yet? Watch out — you get started on them, and they're like craft-crack. I have heaps of supplies at my feet right at this moment. Kristin organized an activity bag swap with a local AP group, and I made this hide-and-seek memory game as my contribution (speaking of which — the Families, Create! links are live now on that post) and walked away with eleven other swell activities to keep Mikko happily occupied in those moments when such is necessary (nursing a new sibling, waiting in a restaurant, simply needing a break from the preschooler whirlwind, etc.). Another idea I want to try right away is "Craft foam bath murals" from Filth Wizardry (anything to convince Mikko baths are FUN!), and I just sewed up a "Marble Travel Game" from Serving Pink Lemonade.

• Hey, know how I was recently talking about postpartum sex? Well, so were these fine ladies:
  
  • "Post-Partum Sex" from Food Good, Laundry Bad: Here's a positive perspective, to balance my downer post.
  • "The 6 weeks post partum elephant in the room." from The Rockin' Momma Blog: And another perspective, after two different birth/postpartum experiences.

• "Tandem Breastfeeding Update: 18 Months and Going Strong!" from Child of the Nature Isle: Love this 18-month update on tandem nursing!

• "Really, My Breastmilk is Turning to Water!?" from The ArtsyMama: Solid information and resources about the continuing value of breastmilk after infancy.

• Speaking of which, this month's Carnival of Breastfeeding hosted by The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog and Blacktating is a theme where I have a lot to talk about: Extended breastfeeding. Submissions are due April 11.

This post was submitted as part of the March “Families, Create!” Carnival, hosted by Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children and Dionna at Code Name: Mama.

The theme for "Families, Create!" this month is Animals! I actually did a few animal crafts this month but somehow have lost the pictures for the first couple. Let's assume they're moldering on the external hard drive, but since I have just one hour to go before it's not March here anymore (cough…procrastination…snort), I'm going with what I have on my laptop.

Which is…activity bags!

Kristin of Intrepid Murmurings posted on Natural Parents Network about "Toddler and Preschooler Activity Bag Fun!"

"The main idea is that you assemble or make a self-contained activity that fits into a small bag. When you need a quick (or long) activity to occupy your bored or busy kid, you bust it out! Some are great for on-the-go, airplane or car rides, at the doctor’s office, etc, while others are a bit more messy and best for home. These can also work great for homeschoolers — and you can obviously cater the contents to any age, topic and ability level."

I loved this idea for ways to amuse Mikko when the new baby's here and I can't always be as active and hands-on as I am now (which, let's face it, is not all that much anyway, but I digress…), or when we're out at restaurants or friends' houses or traveling. The idea wasn't foreign to me, because I actually had collected just such contained activities for our latest trips, but I didn't know they had a name. And that there were so many ideas for them!

Take a look at this list Kristin later posted on her blog to see: "Idea List for Toddler & Preschooler Activity Bags."

Exciting news! Natural Parents Network is publishing a book — and some of YOU will be writing it!

Tentatively titled The Natural Parent's Guide to Cloth Diapering, this book will be a Cloth Diapering 101 class to everyone who wants to cloth diaper but is intimidated by all the choices and logistics of going full-on fluff. This print-on-demand volume will make the perfect baby shower and new parent gift and will be an invaluable resource for any parents who already cloth diaper — or wish they did.

We are holding a writing contest to fill up the chapters with your fine contributions. We've picked out what we think are the crucial elements to cover in a book on cloth diapering, and we invite you to write one or more of the chapters and submit it to the contest for possible inclusion in the final book.

He picked this present out himself. This is how he poses with things if you ask him.


He also picked out the wrapping paper.




This is the other way he poses with things.


Tying the bow.


Satisfied with the inscription: "BABY."