Steady Mom

The Imperfection of Ethical Spending

Photo by Will Scullin 

I've been thinking about shopping--a LOT.

I didn't anticipate that my thoughts about spending would actually increase by doing an ethical spending challenge.

But I've found it to be, just a month into the journey, a bit like traveling to a new country.

You step off the plane, find your bags, and head for customs. But all the signs are in a different language, all the people around you speak words that make no sense, and by the end of the day--your brain feels fried. Even taking care of the most basic needs is overwhelming.

It used to be so easy - each week I would create lists of things we needed. One for our weekly food shop, one for the weekly Target shop. On Sunday, my husband would grab the list and buy the food; I would take the other and pull what we needed from Target's shelves.

It was simple, convenient, and fairly easy to fit into our already busy lives.

Now, when I look at my shopping lists, I feel like that confused person in customs. I have more lists, for one thing. And on each one, I'm attempting to figure out how to source the items more ethically.

Learning with Others

Written by Steady Mom contributor Hillary of infinitely learning

When we began our family we took some time to talk about what we wanted for our children. It wasn't a long list, but it represented what we feel are important life skills.

One thing that is important to us is encouraging a strong connection to nature and the ability to survive in the outdoors.

When we moved a few years ago I was thrilled when I saw a brochure for a children's program called Primitive Pursuits.

Here is an excerpt from their mission:

Following My Bliss (with a giveaway for my sweet readers)

A note from Jamie: If you have not yet bought valentines for your kids to exchange this year, please head over to hear from Megan at Sorta Crunchy. She's raising funds for Love146, the anti-trafficking charity where my husband serves as CEO.

The valentines her readers have created are amazing, and I can personally vouch for the organization and cause they serve. Our family lives and breathes it each day.

I'm home from four days in Nashville--a record length of time away from my kids. Blissdom (the blogging conference I attended) was fabulous in every possible way.

I was certainly anticipating a little break from childcare and transforming some virtual friends into real life ones. But I completely underestimated how encouraging it would be to surround myself with almost 700 other bloggers--women who understand the blogosphere and how to use it to connect with others.

My top highlights:

- meeting my Simple Living Media girls face-to-face: (from left to right) Nicole, Mandi, Tsh, Aimee, Kara (& me!). Sitting down with them felt just like catching up with dear friends.