Bibi Estlund

I like what Paul says about his scale of sustainability or whatever it is. It's 10 levels. The bottom level is where 6 billion people are. And at the top level is Sepp Holzer. Level 1 are people who go out and buy cfl light bulbs to be green. Maybe around level 5 or 6 you go off the grid. Anyone who is a level ahead of you is really cool. Anyone who is 2 levels ahead of you is really really cool. Anyone who is 3 levels ahead of you is effing crazy. That's all it is. Your siblings are just 3 or more levels behind you. I love the suggestions about letting them see some entry level permie stuff. I bet they will come around. Until they do, I hope you can let the hurtful stuff roll off your back. Hugs to you! You're doing great. And by the way I think you're really really cool;).

Ouch!! I broke my left clavicle twice as a kid. They say that it is one of the most painful bones to break. Shows your toughness all the more.

Hi, I'm Bibi and I'm a wife and mom of 4. The past several months I have developed a deep interest in permaculture, and I'm interested in getting to know some permies. I have a few friends who are interested in permaculture, here where I live in Kansas City, Missouri...well in a suburb actually. I have always lived a pretty natural life (by normal US standards anyway). I feel like my eyes have been opened up to the fact that I was just scratching the surface since discovering permaculture. Anyway, I'm a busy mom, like so many others. I feel like I'd like to connect with some other people like me. Wanting to jump in with both feet, but are in the trenches of caring for babies, and can't necessarily start a homestead at this exact moment.

So, here is a little about me. I am a stay at home mom of a seven year old girl, a four year old girl, and eight month old twin boys. We live on a little less than a quarter of an acre in the burbs. My husband is a teacher. We cloth diaper and are involved with our local attachment parenting community. I am a lactation consultant by profession. By the way, I haven't heard any permies mention this yet, but I think that breastfeeding is a very permaculture thing to do...and I'm always happy to help with that if any mama's need some resources.

Like I said, I do have a garden, and I bought and devoured Gaia's Garden this summer. I've also been watching tons of Paul's videos, and listening to his podcasts (I find his stuff highly entertaining...and I actually am getting my husband to watch the 2.5 hour long video of his talk is Southern California...I will convert him yet). I'm a total newb to this stuff, so I'm happy for people to recommend resources.

I don't know if there is a section about family life. If there is, maybe this post would have been best placed there. Anyway, I'm super interested in how to redesign our lawn into a playable garden space for our children, how to reduce the amount of energy that we are using (both the type that we purchase, and the human variety), and anything that would be relevant to folks. I'm happy to chime in on things that I actually know about. I know lots about breastfeeding, child birth, cooking (vegetarian), parenting (young kids), getting and staying out of debt, and some other things that I'm not thinking of at the moment. Happy to be here.
Bibi

Thanks for the wonderful responses and warm welcome. I garden every evening after dinner, and am already using some of your suggestions. I worked on some edgings in the back yard this evening. I'm using a plant that already grows wild back there to edge around the little garden that attracts beneficial insects that I started by the vegetable garden. There is a beautiful low growing weed that seems to take over the grass and grow in clumps. I love it, and if I just add a border around it, it could look like I carefully landscaped it, and it can just fill in between the plants that I planted (hopefully it won't crowd those out...but I think with some TLC it should be fine). As for the problem area, near my spraying neighbor, I'm still not sure what to do. I'm on great terms with this neighbor as she lives next door to me, and she is almost 90 years old. She loves to watch my children play in the back yard, and I help her when the weather is bad, or when the newspaper company throws her paper in the middle of the yard where she can't get to it with her walker. However, her memory is gone, and so is most of her hearing. She keeps asking me how my baby is, and I tell her that we had twin boys. It's a new surprise every time I tell her. She has a man come and do her yard work for her. He seems to spray the gravel driveway only (which is the edge of our property line). So, I don't think that asking her to stop spraying would do much good...even if she were to agree, I don't think she would remember. She's a truly delightful woman...I'm just not a fan of the spraying. I love the idea of growing asparagus John. And Zach, I also feel good about the fact that I have a downward slope toward this neighbor's property. R Scott, thanks for the picture. It was very inspiring, and it helped inspire my bed expansion and the use of the plants that were already growing near the beneficial insect garden:).

Hello! I'm so excited to be writing my first post. I have been stalking the forum for a couple of months now, but decided I really must join in and "meet" you wonderful people. I am a complete newbie to permaculture. I learned about it a few months ago as I was searching online for ways to replace my lawn with something that doesn't need to be mowed (still open to suggestions on that one;).

Anyway, my name is Bibi and I'm a wife, homemaker, and mother of 4 young children two girls (7 and 4) and twin 7 month old boys. We live in an inner ring suburb in the midwest (zone 5). Our lot is just under a quarter of an acre. My husband and I aren't your typical lawn care loving suburbanites....but I have a true love of gardening. So we have a cute herb garden, and a small vegetable garden, and grow a few strawberries here and there....but our lawn is usually pretty long...and never edged...and there are weeds and shrubs growing along the edge of our fence. I would absolutely love to increase the amount of food that we are growing and decrease the amount of lawn that we are mowing. I was thinking of starting on the south west corner of the property. This is a small band (approximately 8 feet wide) that stretches from the road, all along the driveway to the side of the house. It also butts up next to our neighbor's lawn.

I will mention here that that neighbor sprays chemicals to kill weeds along that stretch of her lawn, so I'm a little worried about growing food there (which is a real bummer because I would love to grow a peach tree on that site and make a guild there). How far away from herbicides do I need to be before planting edibles? In the far back corner I am in the process of sheet mulching. I put down cardboard and am stacking up organic matter every time I get some. I'm thinking of planting some bulbs there to compete with the bermuda grass that is back there. I already have a butterfly bush, some stepping stone thyme, creeping jenny, and comfrey back there. The grass is really difficult to battle though.

I'm very interested in hearing suggestions for planting along the edge of a lawn that is voracious and chemically treated. Also, about how other people got started with a forest garden on a similar sized piece of property. Looking forward to getting to know the people who make up the permie community!!
Peace and love,
Bibi