Free yourself from all that packaging

Hey folks,

I'm almost through the Story of Stuff and let me tell you, that book is having a big impact on me.  Initially I was more focused on minimizing the number of belongings and saving money along the way.  Now, my main effort through this project will be to minimize the production of waste.  I have decided to try to limit our family's waste to a grocery sized bag every 2 weeks.  I think this is do-able and probably not the most ambitious objective, however, our son sleeps in disposable diapers overnight and there are a few other items that I am sure will require the trash can as opposed to the green bin (Ottawa's composting system) or the blue/black bins (plastic/paper recylcling).  As a result of this goal, I am going to have to do some household dumpster diving and really sort through our garbage, e.g., tissue that I use to blow my nose or paper towel can go in the green bin. These are the types of items that often end up multiple different grocery size bags that all get put into a larger black garbage bag. With the new challenge to reduce waste, I am going to be particularly mindful of plastic bags.  Although we own canvas shopping bags we are not great about bringing them with us to the store.  As a result of this newfound consciousness, I am going to be much more careful when it comes to plastic waste and bringing new plastic into the house.  I think I would like to learn how to make something like this with all the extra plastic bags that fill my house and probably many friends and family's homes.

So far, the buy nothing for 6 months challenge is definitely going ok.  I've had a couple minor repairs to make on my bike but I have held off buying anything new.  I went to a fourth of July party at the US ambassador's house on Monday.  Had I not been going through this challenge I definitely would have bought a new dress for the occasion and likely other items as well as a result of that excursion.  I ended up just wearing a dress I owned which is completely fine- there were soooooo many people there and the crowd was wearing a mix of outfits so I don't think I stood out.

So we are dicsussing the story of stuff at Tuesday night's book club.... should be an interesting discussion. I'll definitely post any highlights or surprising viewpoints that come out of the meeting.

Talk to you soon and in the meantime, free youself from all the plastic!!

Next challenges - seriously thinking about food packaging.  This is a tough one.... who doesn't like to eat.  Chocolate and coffee are basically the base of the food pyramid for me.  I have some work to do.... I know it's just about making some changes and I'll be happier for it!

And I'm back... Free yourself from the consumer cycle!

Hey,

So it's been about 5 years!  And I've come full circle and am ready to once again take a look at my life and try to make some positive changes, question the mainstream, and set myself free from .... well I am going to take this beyond big pharma and just break free from this trap that I think a lot of ourselves are struggling with.

I took a quick look at my last post from 5 years ago and found it kind of interesting to see how much has changed from a "check the box" kind of perspective (the boyfriend is now my husband and my son's father, we no longer live in the suburbs... I am no longer a unit of 1 but a Manager of 5 employees)... but I see that I am still struggling with the same emptiness at times and am frustrated because I truly believe I know what I am doing wrong... but "society"... (whatever and whoever that is) and of course myself, as well, ... make it difficult to step off that ladder or hamster wheel and do the things we want to be doing with the people we want to be interacting with.

This week, my focus has been embarking on taking a 6 month break from purchasing any material goods such as clothes, makeup, shoes/accessories, furniture, house decor.  So food, eating out, essential toiletries (TP, aveeno lotion, Cetaphil face soap, conditioner (I think I'm going to run out soon!), are still ok, and of course anything for my son although I really haven't had to buy much for him with all of the donations from neighbours and friends and the gifts upon gifts upon gifts that I received to celebrate his birth and some big milestones since.

So the decision to take a 6 month break (which will lead me to Dec. 19, 2016) is as a result of relatively few big purchases but many many smaller purchases that didn't really result in making me any happier at the end  of the day and did result in needless hours spent scouring thrift stores, home decor stores and whatever else in between trying to craft some image of a particular type of persona (which changed on a weekly basis).  But what really prompted me to take the plunge into radically changing my behaviour was my book club's current read: the story of stuff by Annie Leonard, and a documentary "the true cost" (available on netflix) - which was recommended to me by the librarian helping me find the book club read.

So... initially the motivation was more selfish, (i.e. I am looking to save $, have more time to spend with friends, family and especially my son and husband, looking for a more pure/minimalistic lifestyle without the burden of heaping amounts of stuff to maintain, clean, and organize), however, as I am delving deeper into this phenomenon I am beginning to appreciate the environmental, social and economic consequences of society's consumerism. The documentary's focus on the fast fashion world (aka H&M, Forever 21, etc) was definitely something that was scarcely on my radar prior to the last week and I feel extremely ignorant for not having ever thought about really further exploring the the rumblings that briefly pop up in corners of the media, or are part of my more activist family and friends facebook feeds.

Alas, I have decided to go 6 months without purchasing anything for myself.  Overall, I don't think this will be extremely hard for me as I tend to have an all or nothing mentality so I will likely do ok, as I am *now* hellbent on not being a consumer lol.

But... I have purchased a lot in the last year, always with the "I am going to be so....".... (hip, well put together, artistic, eclectic, the best mom ever, the best wife ever, etc). Therefore, after the novelty wears off perhaps I will have a harder time with this.

I do have a very fancy black tie wedding at the end of the summer for which I definitely would have bought a dress if this challenge was not on the table.  I have one or two dresses that will likely do the trick but definitely aren't knockouts.  However, I think one of the nice side effects of such a challenge, something I remember from my extreme "no big pharma days", was that when you remove all of the makeup, fancy clothes, etc, you are forced to focus on your own health, your personality, good conversation, being interesting, etc.

So, join me on this journey to free yourself from debt, from being the victim of ad companies, from clutter; free your time, free your inner beauty, free the planet, free the workers, free our future and free your soul.

2016 .... it's time to get back on track.

L

Goodbye Drano - Hello Baking Soda and Vinegar

Hey everyone,

My mom was recently told by a contractor never to use Drano.  Why?  Because the harsh ingredients found in this product can actually cause pipe material to disintegrate and will eventually result in leakage.

The solution is a combo of products you will likely already have on around the house.... my favourites: baking soda and white vinegar.

If you notice that water is not draining very well, pour half a cup of baking soda down the drain and then follow with half a cup of white vinegar.  You should then put a drain cover over the drain so things don't get messy.  (Baking Soda and Vinegar react to expand which helps push things through the drain).  While waiting for approximately 20 minutes you should boil about 8 cups of water.  Then pour the water down the drain.

Repeat until you have unclogged your drain.

Simple, environmentally friendly and cost effective.

Free yourself!

Goodbye summer haze - Hello clean, sharp, focused living!

Hey everyone,

I haven't been posting much lately.  I haven't been doing really much productive lately.  You see - we got cable since moving to suburbia - at our old apartment downtown I had cancelled the cable a couple of years ago because I thought it was a waste of money and I felt like I was becoming lazy.  Well voila - that is what has happened for the last 3 weeks or month that I have had cable.  To be fair - my new position in a new government department is taking some adjustment.  I am also now busing to work while before I was biking... so obviously it is more than just the TV.  But to be honest - it just feels like everything.  My boyfriend was travelling for the last week and I went out with some friends but came home after and watched So you think you can dance for about 3 hours on tv and then watched past seasons on youtube for another 3 hours and then finally went to bed at like 2 or 3 a.m. woke up super late - went to work - looked like shit - felt like shit - ate like shit.... and then went home and did it all over again.

Whoooaaa.

I do not like this.  I keep happening to stumble upon articles about unhappy marriages and how it is all going to go to shit in the end.  Most of the articles seem to put the blame on the women - like if she hadn't "let herself go" the husband wouldn't have left blah blah blah.  Anyways - I know it is all bullshit - it's just depressing sometimes.  So I started thinking, omg,.... I'm letting myself go, I'm out of shape, I am going to be unhappy - I am going to be bitter - it is all going to shit.  Luckily my boyfriend came home and snapped me out of it.  It was kind of like a light switch.

Tonight was great - I ate well - I am on the road to going vegan again.  I am still drinking milk and I had some fish recently but no cheese, other meats etc...   I'll make some exceptions for summer weddings and stuff.  Why? For environmental reasons, health reasons - (the China Study - read it - explained how animal protein causes most cancers) and for general well being (when I don't feel bloated and tired, I feel much happier, surprise surprise).

I also went for a run with the boyfriend.  We went jogging and did an 800 m race around the track near our house (he won, boooo).  I then got home and did some stretching and drank water- probably the first glass of water in a few days.

Anyways- this is probably all sounding a little melodramatic.  You may be thinking: this is your crisis?  My family member has cancer. 

I agree - but if you are unhappy - then I think it is serious - nobody wants to be unhappy - especially since things can sometimes spiral downwards.

So - I think I am going to stop with the lists- I sort of make lists of things I need to do obsessively - a little OCD probably.  I also joined a running group to train for a full marathon.  I am going to exercise almost every day.  Go to bed on time.  And not watch TV.  Especially when the boyfriend is travelling.  I will only allow myself to read.  I have been going for walks at lunch but I'm thinking I might bring runners to work and like power walk at lunch, work it!

Finally - I think I am having a bit of a career crisis.  Sometimes it is hard working at a desk in the middle of summer.  You ask yourself, is this it?  I think the problem is I work in a unit of 1 - but there are great people around me.  So I need to become more social - and also keep with volunteering and other things that make me feel like I am doing something productive.

I don't think I can say free yourself since I am feeling a little weighted down by the sad state of this past week.  I will get back on my two feet and I hope that next week I will be able to say it with conviction - and get back to some concrete scientific evidence on living a longer, happier and freer existence.

Goodbye $1.00 in my bank account - Hello adventures, activities and lots of fun!

Hey everyone,

As you all know - if you have read some previous posts, I just moved into my first house with my boyfriend.  I am loving the house and the neighbourhood but not so much liking the very small amount of money in my bank account and the very large amount on my credit card.

This isn't so much a result of the down payment but rather a number of small purchases that have been made at walmart, etc for things like paper towels, and other small household purchases that just seem to have been adding up.  I also had a bit of a starbucks/ bridgehead/ amazing bakery on Bank street (Bread and sons) binge that has lasted just over 3 weeks.  This may be why I currently have a terrible cold.

I want to get my finances in order pronto so I can relax and start planning for a big trip, joining some activities like ballet or a sports league in the fall and buying some nice things for the house that will last a lifetime ie. art, good quality furniture and finally perhaps taking a university course.

Luckily I haven't been receiving my new salary yet although I started my job just over a month ago so I will also get a back paycheque which should take care of the remaining balance on my credit card.

Anyways - you don't care about the ins and outs of my financial status.  But what may interest you is a challenge I am going to embark on; something called spend no money.  I haven't run this by my boyfriend so we'll have to figure this out haha.  I don't want him just paying for my half of everything - since this will defeat the purpose and may put a dent in our "perfect suburban life".

Anyways - today is Monday - my challenge will be not to spend any money for 1 entire week.  This won't be impossible because the fridge is decently stocked right now, we even have some left over crown royal for this coming canada day and we have all we need to live comfortably.  Any spending I could do this week would likely be frivolous - but if I don't impose this challenge on myself, I know that tomorrow I will head to bridgehead in the morning for a coffee and then maybe bread in sons in the afternoon for a bun or brownie, then maybe I will decide I need something red for Canada Day, then I will decide to buy a membership to a gym although it is gorgeous out so I should just run outside.

I think the biggest challenge will be food, possibly commuting as well.

I definitely have some good tools to help me get through the week:  my bicycle, a gift certificate to a fancy restaurant, lots of canned beans, a decent sized wardrobe, low maintenance family and friends who aren't $$ crazy, Gatineau park with lots of nice hiking trails and beaches.

I'll check back in on Monday and let you know if the week was a success.

Free yourself!

Goodbye shoulder length hair - Hello armpit length hair!

Hey everyone,

Another post about hair.  This time I will discuss everything I know I can do to encourage my hair to get from shoulder length to armpit length.  This might sound a little funny to you but essentially arm pit length hair would be when your hair reaches the point where it touches your arm pit crease from behind  (see picture for proper explanation haha).


My ultimate goal is waist length - maybe hip length if it is really healthy at waist length.

Anyways - I wanted to share with you everything I know that you can do to speed up hair growth while maintaining beautiful hair.

1 - Vitamin B Supplement
2 - Fish oil supplement
3 - Eat seaweed
4 - Buy a silk or satin pillow case
5 - Use monistat, yes monistat, diluted with oil or water on your scalp
6 - Do not use shampoo
7 - Deep condition your hair weekly
8 - Apply an egg and honey mask to your hair (ensure to rinse with cool water or else you will cook the egg - gross)
9 - Eat a mostly raw food diet
10 - Eat Marmite - I can't find any in Ottawa. HELP ME!
11 - Wear your hair up as much as possible
12 - Do not eat processed food
13 - Take MSM Supplements
14 - Make sure you have enough iron in your diet
15 - Don't get frequent trims (sounds obvious but many of us have a habit of heading to the salon every 2 - 3 months)
16 - Do not colour your hair or use henna instead, or honey (see previous post).
17 - Do yoga
18 - Eat eggs
19 - Eat lots of nuts and seeds
20 - Avoid the bad stuff (alcohol, cigarettes, sugar)
21 - Stay positive
22 - Avoid using elastics - go for clips or scrunchies instead
23 - Braid your hair before bed
24 - Don't wear hair up until it is completely dry
25 - Get enough sleep
26 - Give yourself scalp massages
27 - Eat yogurt
28 - Eat beans
29 - Eat mangoes
30 - Eat bananas

That's all the hair wisdom I can come up with right now.  I know some people have fast hair growth despite not really trying that hard - but I think my hair grows quite slowly.  I am doing my best to follow all the the items listed above. 

I hope to be at arm pit length at some point in the fall.  I'll keep you posted.

Let me know if you have anything else you think I should try.

Free yourself!

Goodbye bleach - Hello honey!

Hey everyone,

Again - this is probably a post that will mostly interest women.  I have recently been absolutely obsessed with this website called the Long Hair Community.  I am doing my best to quickly grow out my hair - so I am just eating up all the information on this great site.

Because I had been hoping to grow my hair out I had completely given up on the thought of ever highlighting my hair again.  I have naturally dirty blond hair which I haven't coloured in over two years.

But... today I was intrigued by a link to a post on using honey to lighten your hair.  Apparently it works on blond, red and brown hair.  I am not sure if it works on black hair.  The results are significant for some of the women who have tried this method.  The results appear to be more effective for people who have naturally lighter hair.

For those of you who are interested in a less damaging way of highlighting your hair for the summer - I would suggest you give this a try.

You will need to buy some honey - preferably dark honey - they recommend jarrah honey.
You will need distilled water.
And you will need to ground cardamom as well as extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil.

Mix 2 tablespoons of honey with 3/4 cup of distilled water.  The ladies on the forum also recommend adding some extra virgin olive oil and cardamom.  You need to let the mix sit at room temperature (do not heat) for 1 hour.  This will allow the honey to produce peroxide through a chemical reaction.

You then soak your head with water.  You have to make sure your hair is very wet when you apply the honey mixture. Then you should apply the mix to your head using a brush or bottle.  After applying you need to wrap your head using saran (because you want your hair to stay very wet) and then put a swim cap on top of the saran.  The mixture will be less effective and may dry out your hair if your hair doesn't stay moist for the hour of application.

You should not go in the sun or get too warm while the mixture is on your hair for the next hour since heat breaks down peroxide.

It is not clear how you would remove the honey after the hour.  I think I will try to rinse it out using conditioner.  FYI - I bought this Olive Oil conditioner so I can do deep conditioning treatments once a week.  I bought it in the section of the store with relaxers and other products for black hair.  I am very interested in using some products that black women use since my hair is also delicate and prone to breakage.

Most women who have seen dramatic results have used this treatment a few times to get their impressive results.

I have a bad habit of posting on things I haven't tried out.

I just get so excited and want to tell you all about it.

I will definitely do the honey treatment in the next month and report back.

I personally think highlighting your hair is overrated - I just thought naturally highlighting my hair would be a fun change for the summer given that I will not be cutting it.  I really can't believe how much women spend on highlights.  I haven't been to the salon for a full do recently, but a couple years ago the cost was about $180 for a cut, highlights, wash and blow dry.  Luckily my hair was growing at a snails place and my hair is naturally light so I didn't really get it done more than once a year.

I would also like to say that I really think people with dark brown or black hair look best with dark brown or black hair.  It is the people who have the sort of darkish blond hair who sometimes need a little pizazz.  My hair is starting to fall into this category.

The most important reason to just let your hair be or consider a honey treatment is because of the harmful effects of conventional hair dyes.  The International Agency for Research on Cancer found that hair dressers were more likely to get bladder cancer because of their daily exposure to the harmful, toxic ingredients found in hair dye.

It is time we all started thinking about alternatives to things we always suspected were a little toxic.  I think anyone who has smelt hair dye must realize it is going to do bad things to your body.

Until next time, Free yourself!