1. This sign- God bless the child's hands who made this sweet little poster. If I could put it on every door in America I would. Because this is why we need to quit! After piece of plastic we toss is another trouble for our children later.

2. Plastic Free July- The plastic-free movement is gaining momentum, and there is a pledge going around to be totally plastic free this month. I will be honest with you, we tried it, and it was HARD. Like, got in a fight in a grocery store hard. So, I am trying to think through some of the problems we came up against last time (like buying meat or getting a straw you weren't expecting at a restaurant), and I am taking the pledge. I am letting go of perfect and committing to pushing as hard as I can anyway. They even break it down into smaller commitments, like giving up single use packaging or the big 4- straws, coffee cups, plastic bags, and water bottles. Want to join me? You can get tons of great information and encouragement at plasticfreejuly.org.

3. A Blog Date- We get a date night every other week or so, and this week The Boy picked sitting in a cafe and fixing up the blog. Super grateful to have that level of support for something that basically started as a hobby and still hasn't exactly turned me into an internet celebrity. Still, it's cool that when I say "no more imported clothes," he finds made in America shirts and underwear. And when I say "let's eat vegetarian at least one night a week" he says "ok, find me some recipes- new things to try" And when I say "my blog got critiqued and

4. A New Cardboard Box- It's a cliche for a reason. Get a handful of crayons (Crayola are made in the US, Roseart isn't) and go to town. Dirt, boxes, and sticks are the best toys in the world, and they are even more fun if you play with them too.

5. A Bag of Ice- Yesterday, we hosted a big picnic at our house to celebrate the holiday (are you throwing any this summer? I have lots of tips for you). I am really proud of us, because we pulled off the whole  shindig without any disposable cups, plates, and silverware. Nothing broke, and the dishes are all done already!

But I am also proud of us that after an ice experiment went awry (and a vase exploded in our ice tray- shattered glass and ice look the same!), we went and bought a bag of ice. A plastic bag. So long, practically plastic-free party. I feel like grace is key when you are trying to live this lifestyle in a long term, sustainable way. When an emergency comes up, you have to let yourself make the mistake. Half the battle is learning to be prepared so you can redefine what constitutes an "emergency."