Category: Consumerism

Freedom Fighter

Consumerism, Create Vision and Respond to Change, From Pattern to Details, Inner Permaculture, Make No Waste, Observe and Interact, Obtain a Yield, People Care, Permaculture Ethics, Permaculture Principles, Self-Regulate and Accept Feedback

Patterns for consumerism are so easy to slide into.  This way of being and relating to the world has become so innate that it feels normal.  Our family is dedicated to reducing the number of purchases we make, but still, we end up slipping into the mind trap of ‘consumption means progress.’ We are just […]

June 16, 2018

The Greatest Things

Catch and Store Energy, Choose Small and Slow Solutions, Consumerism, Create Vision and Respond to Change, People Care, Permaculture Ethics, Permaculture Principles, Self-Regulate and Accept Feedback, Unschooling

“Great Things are done by a series of small things being brought together” -Vincent VanGogh As we inch our way into 2018 we have found ourselves commiserating about all of the things that we did not accomplish in 2017.  The gardens weren’t well tended and yields were low, we didn’t have any goslings in the […]

January 14, 2018

Choosing Joy Over Fear

Choose Small and Slow Solutions, Consumerism, Create Vision and Respond to Change, Inner Permaculture, Maximize the Edges, Permaculture Principles, Self-Regulate and Accept Feedback, Use and Value Gifts from Nature

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom the emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand wrapped in awe, is as good as dead —his eyes are closed.” -Albert Einstein There is a difference […]

June 6, 2016

Inner Buoyancy

Consumerism, Create Vision and Respond to Change, From Pattern to Details, Inner Permaculture, Maximize the Edges, Obtain a Yield, Permaculture Principles, Self-Regulate and Accept Feedback, Use and Value Gifts from Nature

I have found myself indulging many of my deepest fears lately.  As we make the conscious choice to step out of our conventional life and into the murkiness of something completely uncertain.  Selling our home without a new one to inhabit has been pushing my edges with intensity.  Most days I feel convicted.  But lately, […]

June 3, 2016

Open House

Consumerism, Create Vision and Respond to Change, From Pattern to Details, Inner Permaculture, Integrate, Don't Segregate, Parenting, People Care, Permaculture Ethics, Permaculture Principles, Self-Regulate and Accept Feedback

I can understand why people find it so stressful to move.  My inner perfectionist has been awakened by the need to have the house looking spotless for prospective buyers.  We have decided to list our house ourselves for a short time to try and sell it to someone who is like minded.  As a result, […]

March 14, 2016

Clearing Space

Consumerism, Create Vision and Respond to Change, Fair Share, Inner Permaculture, Life Choices, Make No Waste, Permaculture Ethics, Permaculture Principles, Self-Regulate and Accept Feedback

Now that we have decided to sell our home, we are working hard to clean the place up.  We have so many things!  Being a homeschooling family with a permaculture (make no waste) outlook means that we have a hard time letting ‘useful things’ go sometimes.  Like the pile of bricks lovingly brought home in […]

December 17, 2015

Missing Out

Consumerism, Cultivate Diversity, From Pattern to Details, Inner Permaculture, Life Choices, Maximize the Edges, Observe and Interact, Parenting, People Care, Permaculture for Children, Permaculture Principles, Self-Regulate and Accept Feedback, Unschooling, Use and Value Gifts from Nature

The downside of a digitized culture is that it makes it so easy to feel like we’re ‘missing out’ on things.  Here I find another place where I’m unlearning what has been bestowed upon me.  I will on occasion experience feelings of loss because of the choices we’re making as a family to diverge from […]

June 19, 2015

Driving Forces

Consumerism, Create Vision and Respond to Change, Integrate, Don't Segregate, Make No Waste, Obtain a Yield, Permaculture for Children, Permaculture Principles

The minivan wove down the entangled road toward a new experience.  It hurried us through space, in order to reach a destination not possible on foot in the time available for travel before sunset.  The dust curled up from the gravel road announcing the impact of the metal behemoth against the earth. The blessing of […]

June 4, 2015

Children’s Crafts as Natural Building

Choose Small and Slow Solutions, Consumerism, Create Vision and Respond to Change, Cultivate Diversity, Earth Care, From Pattern to Details, Inner Permaculture, Life Choices, Make No Waste, People Care, Permaculture Ethics, Permaculture for Children, Permaculture Principles, Self-Regulate and Accept Feedback, Use and Value Gifts from Nature

I confess to shopping at the dollar store on occasion, usually to purchase craft supplies for my children.  But recently while sitting at my computer scrolling my way through Facebook’s skewed representation of the lives of other people, I  came across an article about crafts you can make from items purchased at the dollar store.  […]

May 27, 2015