Insecurities are sneaky little gremlins, aren’t they? One minute, I’m head over heels for a piece I just finished—full of passion, color, and energy—and the next, I’m wondering why everyone else is painting white pines and serene blue waters. Standing at an art event, watching shoppers gravitate toward calm, peaceful artwork for their walls, I start hearing those little whispers: What am I doing? Why am I doing this? This is crazy.

I’ve done my best to make sure my children get the calcium and dairy products they need, spooning yogurt into them for breakfast, peeling wrappers off string cheese, and letting them indulge in the frequent drippy ice cream cone. Now I am armed with recent reports milk from happy cows (organic dairy) contains 70 percent more omega-3 fatty acids and 50 percent more vitamin E than regular milk. Really that was probably all I needed to know to steer myself in the right direction, but it was learning about injected hormones that really shook up my milk journey.

“Is a free-range farm egg really better than a conventional store-bought one? How much different can an egg taste?” They are looking for me to confirm their suspicions that there is no difference between the two, except the price. If you’ve never eaten a freshly laid egg, it is difficult to make verbal comparisons. The taste is meaty, rich, and thick, in a way difficult to describe unless it’s on the end of your fork.

I spent a decade road-tripping through Maine with my children. Here are my top six kid-friendly food destinations between Portland and Brunswick, Maine. This post is less on the healthy and heavy on the Yummy, although, by my nature, I can’t help but support mostly local food. Each stop is paired with something to see or do for those who are more squiggly.

If you are starting to learn about sustainable/green/carbon/home building or renovations, there are a few non-negotiable topics; such as sun worship. Solar is the cornerstone of a planet-loving building or renovation project.  You might not be able to do this 100%, but these basic concepts will provide a starting point for your project.