one step forward, one step sideways

In holding myself accountable, I flashed back to the list I made on my second blog post 15 months ago.  This blog was started for a few reasons: to record adventures with my children, to communicate with adults while spending my days and nights attached to those children, and to hold myself accountable in moving with my family towards a more sustainable, simple, responsible future.

What to accomplish with Hannah's Healing Hand blog, as written to Hannah:

help your papa's business run without chemicals or excess waste (garbage, water, etc.)

make and share only beeswax candles

raise bees to provide beeswax and honey

raise chickens for family pets, garden fertilizer, and meat (name them Stew, Roast, etc.)

buy more of our goods second hand

buy more foods in bulk without excess packaging

stop using so much refined sugar and flour at home

bake own bread

walk or ride bikes to most destinations

have one family car instead of two

take the train to far away destinations instead of driving

have virtually no garbage and very little recycling

use biodegradable cat little for garden fertilizer after use

clean home with towels and rags instead of throwaway wipes

buy as much food local and organic as possible

barter with friends and neighbors

talk with others on solutions that work for them

I see my family has been talking and moving toward solutions, yet we have so far left to go.  Let me state my main goals here, so I will focus on the most important.

1. Raise my children with kindness and thoughtfulness.
2. Raise my children in a loving compassionate community of friends and family.
3. Use fewer resources (driving, buying, etc.).
4. Grow and glean as much of our own foods as we can.
5. Get outside in the fresh air regularly.
6. Keep it local when possible.  Love our location and all that it offers.
7. Find a way to laugh with my family each day.
8. Keep moving in the right direction and be amused by the side-stepping.
9. Forgive others who have good intentions.
10. Forgive myself when my imperfections feel exaggerated.  

This is a shorter broader list, but one that feels true to the original directions of this bloggy blog.  Thank you for sharing this learning adventure with my family and me, dear reader.