Momming — Make it Franke

About
Blog
ART
Crafty
Furniture
Renos
Farm
SHOP
Contact
Search

About
Blog
ART
Crafty
Furniture
Renos
Farm
SHOP
Contact
Search

prev / next

Back to Momming

Our (somewhat) minimalist, dollar savvy baby.

See what I'm up to today!

3/3 IT’S EARTH DAY!
.
(continued) It’s a privilege to be able to worry about the environment. If the basic needs of you and yours are taken care of, it’s time to take into consideration those of the planet. And I know, I know, the biggest change makers are going to be ginormous corporations, manufacturers and producers but I truly think that every little bit helps. And. Where and how we spend our dollar shapes the decision making process of those big guys on top. 💰
.
I dream about a future where shampoo and honey fill stations are just ‘what you do'. Where mall food courts use local food sources and a Folk Fest style plating system. Where kids opening birthday presents don’t always expect them in manufacturer packaging and a third of gifts given have been pre-loved. What do you dream of? ☁️
.
It’s not lost on me that I love updating my house mainly for the sake of vanity. That I live on a farm and do a lot of driving in and out of the closest city. That my favourite hobby is taking liquid plastic and smearing in on a canvas and that oddly it’s the thing that makes me feel most like me. I realize all of this, and all of my personal contradictions, but most of all I realize I’m simply trying my best for the sake of this little fuzzy head. 🌈

2/3 IT’S EARTH DAY!
.
(continued) There isn’t a right or wrong answer to all the questions flying around this enormously complex topic - they are just questions. 🤷🏽‍♀️
.
The changes I have made have happened slowly and over time. I used to drink bottled water at home simply because I preferred it over our perfectly potable well water, but I stopped doing that about a year ago. We do not have paper towels in this house and though I *love* festive paper napkins, cloth ones can be just as cute. Iola hasn’t worn a disposable diaper since September, and I switched out cotton balls for reusable cotton rounds. I am 100% committed to not buying a coffee unless I have a mug with me - I CAN go without a hot beverage. We are very lucky we can feed ALL our food scraps and expired food to our chickens. We do not put plastic in the dishwasher so its life span will be WAY longer. ☕️
.
The approach of replacing a plastic item once its life is over is appealing to me. If you already have the plastic thing, use it up, and then try and make the more environmentally conscious choice. Next on my list; toothbrushes, toothpaste and menstrual products, as well as mesh produce bags. I order my groceries online (SO EASY!) but using mesh produce bags means I have to go into the store. It’s not easier, it’s more time-consuming, but I just have to do it. I’m also working on; reaching for a cloth instead of a baby wipe, wearing clothes longer before washing them, putting on a sweater instead of turning up the furnace and eating everything in the fridge before stocking it up again. 🍅
.
I would seriously love to know what you have done or are doing! The greatest inspiration often comes from the people right around us. 🌎
.
“We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly, we need millions of people doing it imperfectly.” - Anne Marie Bonneau (This quote actually changed my outlook on the whole situation and keeps my anxiety at bay.) 💕

1/3 IT’S EARTH DAY!
.
✨ I preface this string of posts with a disclaimer: They are not intended to make you feel bad or inadequate or lazy. Not intended to be elitist and in NO way am I close to being perfect, I’m just trying. I hope to inspire a new thought process, conversation, outlook or practice, and maybe learn something too. There’s a multitude of ways to approach taking better care of our planet, this is simply my insight. ✨
.
Since having a baby I've thought about the future health of this planet more than ever. At times, my anxiety surrounding plastic, garbage, food waste and climate change is all consuming. It hasn’t been bad enough to stop me from day-to-day functioning, but it can weigh on me to the point of physical chest heaviness, heart palpitations and many, many tears. When it gets like this I have to say out loud, “It took time to get into this mess it’ll take time to get out of it. It is not my problem to take on alone. I can only do my best.” 💜
.
SO. Plastic. Gah. At this moment in time we can’t live without it. It surrounds us in every way, shape and form. And, there are times I am thankful for the stuff. Like, when my dad went through chemo and when they reattached my retina. Healthcare plastic/waste is a humongously awful problem I’m grateful for and one that I think I'd need to do a thesis on to even begin to address it. 📖
.
When it comes to making the non-plastic choice at home, it’s not easier, overly convenient, or necessarily cheaper. It takes forethought and planning ahead and discipline to forge new habits and I think it involves a shift in certain ‘normal’ expectations. Could guests at parties do their own dishes instead of using disposable stuff? Could we carry a coffee mug with us every where we go? Do we need wrapping paper? Could we go for longer amounts of time without stocking up our pantries with every single item? Do we need to fly in bananas and pineapples from around the world? Could we trade out our lawn for a garden? Do we have to wear the newest clothes and fill our homes with the latest HGTV styles? What would happen if trends weren’t even a thing? 🤔

My grandma used to walk into every family function with an overflowing tiered cookie tray or a festively decorated cake. And you know I get it now, especially since becoming a mom. It’s one of the many ways you can show your people love. And, what’s a celebration without a little extra flair. 😉
.
I hope you all had a really nice + refreshing, sugar filled weekend. 🍭

All content and images belong to Make it Franke 2018