We had our very first picnic of the season last week which just so happened to fall on Earth Day! I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the day than to soak up the great offerings our beautiful earth provides us each and every day than grounding ourselves in nature. The girls and I packed up our market bag with our favorite snacks, pulled our picnic quilts out from storage, and headed to the park where the cherry blossoms were blooming.
The past few years, as a family, we have been trying to be more intentional of the way we move about our daily lives. Keeping both budget, earth friendly and sustainable products in mind, both Aaron and I have been teaching ourselves and our daughters ways we can be more kind, caring, and helpful to our earth. So with the wind in our hair and the sun on our faces, the girls and I talked about all the things our earth does, the things it provides, the beauty it shares, and ways we can take better care of it. They each came up with ways they hope to be more kind to our earth and I thought they were kinda cute so I’m going to share them below ;
- “unplug more often” – kaia
- “we can plant more flowers, mom! the earth will really like that” – kendi rayne
- “keep all the bees alive” – kendi rayne
- “i’m going to try not to be so afraid of the dark and keep lights off more” – klo viola
- “if we see garbage around, pick it up and throw it away” – kendi rayne
- “being more mindful on what we purchase” – kaia
- “buy less and buy used before new” – kaia
I especially loved klo’s comment about being less afraid of the dark, sweet girl. Much like what the girls said, we try to do our best and do what we can when we can. This past year and a half, welcoming a new baby into the world, living in a global pandemic, and experiencing job loss really opened my mind to things that we could be doing better as a family not only to save money but to consume less and be kinder to our great planet.
Supporting brands that are putting people and our earth front and center is one way to contribute. Maxi-Cosi is just one example of a brand that has carried us through this past year and that is doing wonderful things not only to protect our little ones but our planet too. With it’s new eco-friendly and non-toxic fabric collection, Pure Cosi, it’s nice to know that our baby is being carried in something that not only helps her but her future too.
Buying less- this is a big one for us. It has taken me years to grasp this simple, yet challenging concept. Motherhood naturally taught me a lot about this and how less is more when it comes to raising babies. At least for me anyway. I have found our moments to be more life giving when there is less to maintain in our home. When you have less, naturally there is more time to be present in the moments with them. When we found out we were expecting baby number four we knew we would have to buy some things again. Some of our baby items had been passed on to others, sold, or some products, like our car seat had expired. So when it came time to purchase some of the things we absolutely needed new, we were sure to think things through and wanted something that would carry Konley as long as possible. Maxi-Cosi is another example of that in how they create their car seats to carry our children through all the stages.
Quality over quantity. It’s that simple really. BUT sometimes it isn’t always possible when it comes to the pocket book ;). Aaron and I have always tried to purchase better quality it will last longer. Yes and no. We have had our fair share of disappointments over the years with thinking we were buying quality and in the end ended up getting burned and having to buy whatever it was twice anyway. Sometimes you learn the hard way, I guess. So when it comes to seeing the price on something and thinking, “it’s more money so it must mean it’s better”, it’s good to stop and do your research to avoid one: over paying and two: adding more stuff to your life that you don’t need. Maxi-Cosi is doing a wonderful job by providing parents with high quality products at a great price point.
There are so many things we can be doing better for our planet–I love what the girls came up with and I love that despite it’s taken me a little bit of time to arrive where I am today, it feels good to know that little changes do make a big difference. This past year has been hard on everyone, we all know this to be true. BUT the one thing that seemed to get a break, even if only for a moment, was our planet. I found it so interesting that when the world was shut down, the changes seen in our environment were overwhelmingly powerful and insightful.
So with that said, these little changes can really make a BIG difference and go a long way. As one of my very favorite authors would say, “bird by bird”.