We are building a deck off the back of the house at the moment. Everything around here is far from a splendid vision, that is for sure.
The deck will act as an outdoor kitchen and living area for the summer so we can cook and eat outside.
It was just our luck that once the driveway was pulled up and the footings dug we had so much rain that the back yard turned into a swimming pool.
The boys thought it was great fun and played in the rain and mud. I have given up trying to keep the inside of the house tidy and will just do a final cleanse and carpet clean once all signs of mud and building material have vanished.
It is our year to host Christmas for our family this year so we are thrilled that it will be outdoors alfresco dining.
I am so excited to be able to have a summer outdoor kitchen and can't wait to christen it with a great meal, good friends and lovely wine.
A diet from pictures of air-brushed women, faking perfectionism.
A diet from advertising that makes me feel lacking, vulnerable and unsafe then shows me a product to 'fix' that feeling.
A diet from news stories that make me subconsciously prepare for when I will experience a kidnapping, tsunami, economic destruction, coma, civil war, locust plague, divorce, workplace harassment or breast cancer.
As with my commitment to real food I will commit to real life. I will practice gratitude instead of feelings of imperfection, shame and unworthiness.
I will rejoice in my imperfections. i have missed out on too much fun already to waste time on trying got be perfect.
For more on imperfection visit Brene Brown and watch the video on imperfection.
Considering that we were away on and off for almost three whole months, our garden is going quite well.
Broad beans are starting to burst out. Not a single one has made it inside - they are all eaten raw in the garden.
Even though the chooks jumped the fence when we were away and dug up the potato plants there have still been enough for me to go and scratch around and pull out enough any time we need some for a meal. We had them slow roasted last week when we had friends visit and they were beautiful!
The strawberries have started to go mad. I am so glad there was enough rain while we were away to keep the garden functioning.
There are also tomatoes, corn, climbing beans, celery and lots of herbs coming along. Hopefully I will have some great photos to share soon.
When we were in Sydney we visited Taronga Zoo. They had a sustainable house that you could wander through and study all the elements.
It was fantastic and I wished that my house was exactly like it. It wasn't a large house, but it was very functional. As you wandered through you came across signs and reminders about sustainable principles.
There were also ideas that you could incorporate into your own home.
Basically, it had a well planned, functional kitchen with great systems for recycling and composting as well as using glass for storage, energy efficient appliances and green cleaning supplies.
A long hallway held wall mounted bikes, depicting the family's transport choices and hooks for their jumpers instead of using heating. Decorations such as picture frames and mirrors were made from natural recycled materials.
Outside there was a rainwater tank, composting loo and then a pathway leading to a well planned out garden that also housed pets for the children.
Once I got over the "i want to live here, now" factor I realised that anybody can 'work their home' to make it a more functional, sustainable place.
It is just a matter of slowly making changes that you feel are achievable. No one is asking us to jump straight into cloth re-useable toilet paper ( as I see on some blogs!) we are just making steady changes that hold great benefits for us all.
It's great for:
- our families - we do projects together and involve our children.
- our budgets - 'green' living is so much cheaper!
- our health- gardening gives us exercise and great fresh produce to eat
- our community - nothing builds community like trading some freshly laid eggs for a jar of pickles over the back fence. - our spirit slowing down and living intentionally brings a certain peace tot he soul. - our planet - great environmental change starts in our own backyard.
Did you catch the 7.30 Report interview with Lenore Skenazy last night ? She is the author of a book titled 'Free-range Kids'. If you missed it, take the time to watch the whole interview with Kerry O'Brien ( who I am secretly in love with and devastated that he is leaving soon!)
Do you think that it is strange that this topic has become SO CONTROVERSIAL ?
I congratulate Lenore for being brave enough to take on the topic of 'helicopter parenting' and the issue of 'blame'. I LOVE her position that you can't go to the park and play because it is too dangerous, yet it is okay to let them sit on the lounge and watch television, become obese and develop poor habits and health issues that stay with them for life.
We won't accept caged eggs, but we readily accept caged children ! We fight for free range eggs, but are quite happy to raise 'battery hen' children.
Think back to your own childhood. Were you roaming the streets on your bicycle without a helmet ? Off playing down the street knowing that it would be okay as long as you were home in time for tea ?
Do you remember lots of kids, at some stage, having a broken arm, or skin off from 'stacking' their bike ? Eggs on their heads where they were running around the house and crashed into each other ?
Do you remember when kids were 'dirty' ? They were literally covered in dirt because they were building bike jumps, dig outs, cubby houses or burying treasure maps ?
How does the way you raise your children to compare to your own childhood ?
Think about times back even further. Was my Grandmother hovering over her children to make sure they played nice, didn't get their feelings hurt or (god forbid!) scuff their knee on some grass and get a graze ?
It seems crazy when we compare.
Are you a helicopter parent, a lawnmower parent (the parent that smooths out all obstacles) or a free range parent. I think I am in the middle ground, but with my boys now 9 and 12 I think I can swing a little more free range now that the Lenore has done such a great job of putting language on the issue.
Let's get some dialogue happening, people. Where do you sit on the free range parenting scale ?
