3. Fixing Things

We have an attitude in this country that if something breaks, you throw it out and replace it. I am trying my best to push back on this in my own life, and we will fix something a hundred times before we throw it away. Right now, I am trying to figure out how to learn how to sew, so I can start fixing clothes.

This is my big victory from recently. The Bub inexplicably loves to rip pages out of his books. If he has enough time (like when he is up late at night) he can completely wreck things. Weirder still, he seems to go after the books he loves the most, so when I found the entire Cars and Trucks and Things that Go in shambles I was crushed. And for him! So for a few days, I would use spare minutes here and there to cut the cars out of the book, and now he can use them to sit and tell little stories. It's really cute, and it makes me feel proud that this thing is continuing on with a second life.

4. Climate Optimists

I am obsessed with this new website and instagram handle, which seeks to remind us that the first step in fighting climate change is believing that we can. I love this infectious positivity and I hope their mission catches on! Check out their website and sign the pledge to be a Climate Optimist!

5.  #Nostrawnovember

Excited to stop sucking for No Straw November! Who wants to finally start turning down the straws with me!? You will be in good company; some Girl Scouts troops are tallying how many times they turn down straws this month.

6. These Women 

Feeling grateful this week and every week for the other moms I have met while we have lived in Seattle (pictured and not). Got to share some absolute toddler pandemonium with them today (toddlers and scones are a dangerous combination, but pretty hilarious when surrounded by horrified college students). Then I saw a bunch of them tonight to plot environmental activism. How cool is that! Being a mom of toddlers is so tough, so it has been amazing to meet so many smart, hilarious, and caring women to share the experience with.

It kind of reminds me of the friends I made while studying abroad. The experience is intense and it can alienate you, so the bonds you make in that time mean a lot to you. That's how I feel about my friendships with other moms. We are thousands of miles away from our family, so getting to raise my little ones with people who also care about the world, the environment, about raising good citizens has taught me so much. My first year of motherhood I had terrible Post-Partum anxiety, and so much of it was about just how alone and vulnerable we felt, but I feel like we have a growing community here that means so much to me.

What I read again and again is that people actually don't care that much about stuff. We know we don't care about stuff. What we care about is our relationships and our experiences. At the same time, our generation has terrible trouble making genuine connections, and we struggle to find meaningful relationships and friendships. We put so much energy into our stuff and our image because we are trying to present ourselves to others, but it doesn't really work. I don't know the answer (having a kid helps, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it), but I know the more we can keep fighting to see each other everyday and in every interaction, the more irrelevant stuff will become.

All done! What are you thankful for this week?