Life is a Journey not a Destination

Well, when I set the goal of a blog post every day within a week I wasn’t sure how I was going to manage. However, now that we’re at the beginning of February I have a growing list of ideas. It really is amazing how the more I’ve had to challenge myself the easier the ideas seem to flow. Now, let’s see if I’m saying the same thing in a couple months time.

When I opened the mail today and recieved the two free back issues that came with my magazine subscription to Clean Food Organic my first thought was to do a blog post to make sure all my fellow Aussies know about this great magazine. It originally started out like more of a book (which was expensive) but is now a magazine ($8.95 per issue).

My second thought was I already have one of these back issues so therefore I can do a giveaway on the blog. Yay!!!  So any of my Aussie readers who are interested in checking out the mag (book in this case) please leave a comment and I’ll do the draw on Friday.

Thought that might get your attention. But I’m not talking about eating lunch in the nude but serving lunch nude. No, not IN the nude – in other words, without throw away packaging.

My girls have had containers for lunch since the year dot but I still got VERY excited when I saw these nude food movers in the shops.

I’ll be buying the insulated bags as I soon as I see them in the stores. The girls find these to be the best of ALL the lunch containers they have. There is a compartment for a sandwich, two for snacks and two more for wet/messy snacks. There are a few removable dividers which gives even more lunchtime flexibility.

Today I joined a bus load of women (none of whom I knew) to go on a tour of local op shops. It was a free event run by Sustainable Illawarra. This was my first time EVER in an op-shop as a customer so it was a whole new experience for me. I felt a little uncomfortable at first – not knowing where things were or quite how it all works. I didn’t find any clothes for myself but did buy a couple of things for the girls. I found it frustrating liking something but it being too big or too small. Most shops (we went to 5) were well arranged – with clothes sorted by type and colour. Having said that I have to say that I don’t think op-shopping is for me. Not to say I won’t try it again – I’m sure it would be easier if I was thinner, and maybe had someone else to go with.  Anyway, it’s something I can cross of my to-do list for the year.

A great new, and local, website I’ve just discovered. How I didn’t already know about this I do not know.

This morning while I was washing my hair with my organic shampoo and conditioner I found myself thinking about organic products. Particularly the fact that the jury is still out on weather organic foods/products are really any better for you than non-organic. My thought was that even if they’re not (though I do believe they are) they are certainly better for the environment.

My newest project is buying organic cotton over normal cotton as it one of the worst things we grow on our planet. I’ve found I can get a bit of organic cotton clothing at Target so it’s still affordable. I saw an add last week for organic cotton towels so I’ll buy them when mine need replacing. And I recently bought organic cotton balls – when I thought about the fact I was going through 3-4 each day during my skin care routine.

My regular blog readers will already know that we get organic fruit & veg (what we don’t grow ourselves) delivered by Doorstep Organics and I buy whatever I can organic from the supermarket. I would say at least 2/3 of  our diet is organic – maybe more. We buy organic milk but not organic butter (I did for a while but it was a bit too expensive with amount we go through – i.e. one dd who has buttered toast for ALL main meals). Even if it is no better for us – it is better for the environment ( and the cows in the case of milk). And I do really notice that the organic fruit and veg last MUCH LONGER than that bought from the supermarket. I’m guessing that’s cause it’s straight from the grower to me and not hanging around in a cold room somewhere.

I was also very excited the last time I was at the beauticians to find out they will be stocking an organic skin care range. At the moment the one i use is natural but not organic.

Anyway, if you do don’t buy organic yet I challenge you to have a think about it. If not for your health, then do it for the health of the world.

I got these eco bags about a month ago, after seeing a post on Lightening’s blog. I ordered 6 of them plus the little bag to keep them in. They are so beautiful and I’m constantly getting comments on them. Best of all just slip right into the back pocket of my bag – so they are so easy to retrieve when I need them. I still use the grocery bags for groceries but these are great for EVERYTHING else. I had been using some bags from Howards Storage but these are so much better (they are bigger) and so much prettier.

And these bags can be sent back for recycling at the end of their life – approx 5 years. How’s that for being good for the environment? They will save me from getting hundreds of plastic bags this year and they won’t be dumped in the rubbish when I’ve finished with them.

Kevin is very excited cause we FINALLY got the solar panels he’s been wanting for a long time – just it time too. We will get a rebate from the government of around $8,000 (I think) but was scrapped in the new budget which came out the day these were installed. Kevin is feeling pretty pleased with himself. He’s now having fun monitoring how much power is being produced.

Another change has taken place at the front of our home. Mum & Dad were doing some gardening work and had leftover pebbles which they offered to me. We’ve had to keep topping up the bark in the front garden so jumped at this opportunity. Looks fantastic too. So much better than bark!!! Thanks Mum & Dad – they not only supplied the pebbles but did the hard work of putting them on the garden. Not the best photo but you get the idea.

If you haven’t seen this great little movie (goes for 20mins) then do yourself a favour and watch it. Amy came in towards the end so I started it again and she watched it too. It’s stuff (no pun intended) that we all probably know but it’s put together in an informative, fun way. And it definitely makes you think…..

Finally Kevin has managed to get people here to dig his water bore. They are not yet finished and will be back on Monday. It was dusty and noisy – thankfully the wind was blowing away from the pool. However the chooks were not impressed as they had to be bought inside and spend the day in the guinea pig cage. When the bore is complete we will have plenty of water for our garden and to hose down the chook area.

Hmm… that’s a hard question to answer isn’t it. And EVERYONE is going to have a different one. Busy Women at A Vision Spendid recently got me thinking about this. I’m sure I’m a long way off what most people would consider to be living simply but to me it’s not just a way of life but a goal to strive towards. It’s also always changing. We’ve only been in our new home for just over 2 years but already we know we wouldn’t have built here now – we would have got more land for our animals and veggies. But we love the location (can ride our bikes to school) and we will stay here for at least another 10-15 years while the kids finish school. A big part of simple living to me is being kind to the environment. We are lucky enough we can afford to do this by having hybrid cars and just today we have a bore being put it so we can have all the water we desire for our garden.

According to wikipedia simple living (voluntary simplicity) is a lifestyle in which individuals consciously choose to minimize the ‘more-is-better’ pursuit of wealth and consumption. Adherents choose simple living for a variety of reasons, including spirituality, health, increase in ‘quality time‘ for family and friends, stress reduction, conservation, social justice or anti-consumerism, while others choose to live more simply for reasons of personal taste or personal economy.

Another definition that I really love is from The Simple Living Network : Simple living — aka voluntary simplicity — has just about as many definitions as there are individuals who practice it. Simple living is not about living in poverty or self-inflicted deprivation. Rather, it is about living an examined life — one in which you have determined what is important, or “enough,” for you, discarding the rest.

Okay, so here’s a list of how I think we live simply.

* Have our own chooks

* Have a veggie garden

* Walk or ride to school when possible

* Try to do more rather than buy

* Menu plan and cook at home

* Limit packaging/bags/etc.

* Recycle where possible

* Don’t buy brand names just because they are brand names (though sometimes do for quality)

* Watching only TV shows I love – mainly lifestyle and discovery health (show that enhance my life)

* Don’t watch the news (too depressing)

* Donate all unwanted/unloved items on a regular basis (reduces clutter and blesses someone else)

* Have a rain water tank, and soon, a bore.

* Buy carbon credits to reduce our carbon footprint

* Staying home in a clean, tidy house thatI love rather than going out all the time (something I did when dd8 was first born)

This last year I have really settled into a comfortable routine and am pleased with how my life is developing. Shopping would still be my biggest hurdle to overcome, but I know I’ve eliminated the need to shop to escape my home and nearly all the purchases I make are useful/needed.

Just like life, simple living is a journey with it’s twist and turns, up and downs.