Links: Mars, screen-time, writing, and more!

I always like (or at least find interesting) all the links I post, but for my money, the best one of this batch is #3 by Shannon Hale. Writing and mothering - she's speaking my language!

"Our Guts May Hate Mars":

Martian colonists could probably live for years on food grown without soil. The question is, could they live on it for decades? Could their children grow up on it? Are there hidden hazards that would not become apparent until much later? To put these questions another way: Can we identify and reproduce the ecosystem services of Earth for a lifetime?

"How to Semi-Unplug":

I'm not going to "kill my TV," as the bumper sticker suggests, and I'm not going to quit screen time cold turkey. I don't even think that would even automatically solve the problem: I recently heard about a fellow who gave up the internet for a year, and he reports that his bad habits were very adaptable. When he stopped wasting time online, he just started wasting it other ways.

But I also know that something has to be done! We can fool ourselves that lots of screen time is no big deal, but we all know that it is.

"Writing and mother: how I (sort of) do both":

One of the most common questions I get: How do you find time to write and be a mother? I've written twice about this, when I had one kid and again when I had two. I reread what I wrote there and find everything is still relevant. But I want to add, because now I have four small children, ages 2 1/2 - 9, and life is very tricky. Even if I wasn't a writer and didn't work outside the home, having two school-aged kids and two toddlers makes for a tricky, tricky day. So how do I manage to do both?

"This summer, exult in monotony":

Perhaps summer is the perfect time to bring life back into a rhythm where we hear the cadence of His voice. Children do thrive in a home where rhythms are strong and consistent. They really love repetition. I think it is the grown-ups who mess it all up.