Most parents want to raise children that are empathetic and that show they have social consciousness. We hope to guide our children into adulthood to be people that care about their planet and about their fellow man. The very first thought that occurs to me along these lines is raise them to appreciate my political beliefs but politics rarely solve anything in this day and age, everyone has their own agenda. The most important thing has to be showing by example what it takes to be a good citizen of our planet and our community. Being a secular family, we have to look for opportunities that fall outside of religious organization. Here are some ways to include kids in our social and planetary awareness activities:

1. Each month (perhaps on a specific day) go through your pantry and donate a small box of food to your local food bank or shelter. Have the children pick the items, box them, and then accompany you to deliver them. The car ride is a great time to discuss being homeless or hungry.

2. Volunteer at a food bank or pantry. Usually children have to be 13 or older but this is an excellent way for them to connect the dots and see the people faced with these issues.

3. Once every other month (or more frequently if you desire) take your child to the store to buy a few pet supplies to donate to your local animal shelter. Auctions and garages sales are also good places to get these supplies. You can also make items that the shelters need, such as blankets. It doesn’t have to be much.. perhaps just a bag of food. Take your child with you to donate these items and then stay awhile to visit with the animals. You may find that your children look forward to this event with much anticipation.

4. Along the same lines as the above… see if your child would like to forgo gifts at their birthday party and request pet donations instead. The guests could also make homemade dog biscuits to donate as well.

5. Once a month reserve a time to go to a local or state park, waterway, or some other nature area to pick up garbage. Seeking out garbage is a great way to clean our natural spaces and spend time as a family. My kids (4, 6, and 10) LOVE to go on our own private clean-ups. Local communities also have organized events. I know Ohio does.

6. Go through older toys, clothes, and sporting equipment quarterly to donate to area homeless shelters. Make sure to include your kids in the selection and donation process.

7. Have a family garden? Plant a row for the homeless. One whole row of your garden can be used to grow produce for your local food bank. The kids can water, weed, harvest, and deliver. They will have a great sense of pride in raising food to feed other people.

8. Let your children see you in acts of everyday kindness. If they see your concern for the homeless man under the freeway overpass, the way you delivery groceries to the family crisis center, or your need to stop for a lost animal to check their tags, they too will learn compassion for those less fortunate. The best way to help our children with social and planetary awareness is to model it ourselves.

I am reading an excellent book right now called The Power of Half. It is about an amazing family who, after being motivated by their 14 year old daughter, sold their Atlanta mansion, moved into a house half its size, and donated half the sale price of their original home to a worthy charity. And that was just the beginning. It is about finding happiness by learning to live with less so others can just live.

My daughter was due for a new costume for Halloween this year. She told me in advance that this year she was going to be a “Love Fairy”. I am not sure exactly what this means but she wanted something pretty and frilly, preferably in pink, with a heart wand. The folks at Sarah’s Silks delivered with a lovely silk costume that is part princess, part fairy, and oh so lovely.

Essentially these costumes use playsilks to make costumes worthy of creative play and they use natural, earthy materials as well. So many conventional costumes are made of plastic based polyester and they are often itchy and uncomfortable. We have had store bought fairy costumes before and they almost never last much beyond Halloween because they are not fun to wear and they get destroyed easily. This costume from Sarah’s Silks will last for a long time and it is completely comfortable to wear. Silk is very sheer and delicate looking but is actually quite durable and will last for years of creative play if cared for properly. They can be washed with mild soap and water and then hung to dry.

My daughter’s costume is a princess dress-up, a cone hat, and a heart-shaped wood fairy wand with a silk streamer. Her first run as a Love Fairy was this past weekend at a Halloween party we attend every year. She floated along granting love wishes and accepting candy as payment. It was quite precious and I think the thing I love MOST about costumes like this is that children get to create their own “story”. She didn’t dress up as a trademarked character that she must imitate. She got to create her own persona, her own imaginary world, and her own story. In that sense these costumes are similar to toys. They open a doorway to creative play. This particular “toy” will surely be a part of our lives long past Halloween. I look forward to meeting princesses, fairies, pixies, elves, gypsies, and all other manner of fabulous folk in the future…

There is a growing trend toward minimalism and voluntary simplicity. I have written about it many times here. We made a huge leap towards minimalism and a more simple life last year. We moved from a large house in the suburbs to a small 1000 square foot house in the city. We downgraded to one car and we got rid of 50% of our belongings. You kind of have to when you move into a smaller place. It was a wonderful experience and has helped us see more clearly what kind of life we want to shape.

We are moving again to a better area of town and a slightly nicer home but it is only 300 square feet bigger and lucky for us that wiggle room translates into better closet space (so we can ditch our dressers), a dishwasher, and an extra bathroom. Once again we chose a place that is right next to one of the major Metro Parks because being close to nature is what we value. It was only after living so simply that we can move into this equally modest home and feel like we are living luxuriously. And because we don’t want to move tons of stuff.. even if it is way less than what we had a year ago… we have given away or sold another 50% of our stuff.

Another benefit is seen in the kids. They use to be big time beggars for new stuff and they rarely showed appreciation when they got the stuff they wanted… it was just expected. Now they ask for a lot less and they appreciate what they do get, more.

When you choose to raise your children in a frugal, non-consumerism sort of way, you are going against a powerful advertising media. Images of the latest movie and its accompanying toys, video games, and action figures are all over the walls, cups, trays, and containers of fast-food restaurants. Television commercials tempt your children with compelling advertising, making your children think they just have to have the latest cereal, candy, video game, or toy.

Some families are collectors every modern convenience there is. You take your child to Mr. and Mrs. Smith’s house, and the Smiths have every imaginable gadget. Your child gleefully plays with the electronic games and toys, thoroughly enjoys the big plastic kitchen, and watches all kinds of DVDs. You may even feel guilty, thinking you are depriving your child of all this fun.

What can you do to counteract the materialism that still dominates much of our culture?

* Don’t feel guilty. Modern parents are made to feel as if they are depriving their children of “the best” if they don’t sign them up for every lesson, take them to every movie, or buy them every brain-enhancing toy. Advertising companies are paying billions of dollars to make you think this. It is not reality… it is a fictional version of reality they are selling. Let it go. Don’t “buy” into it. You are not depriving your children; you are enhancing their mental and emotional development by letting the real world around them captivate and interest them. Do you think the Smiths’ kids are really better off because they spend all their free time in front of a television or playing with a DSI?

* Minimize media first. This includes movies and television. After all, it is advertising that manipulates us into thinking we need this and that. If possible, get rid of cable entirely. We opted to get Netflix and stream it to our TV via our Wii.. which was a gift. We get a lot of gifts now from family who think we are deprived, LOL. Anyway, the Wii is not played very much. Instead they use it to get on demand movies via Netflix. No commercials!!!! You can also choose to limit TV to DVDs or videos, preferably those that you check out from the library. And speaking of the library…

* Use it! The library is there for a reason. Plan a trip with your kids at least once a month. Stock up on books and other materials, and take advantage of free library programs. Many local libraries host various children’s activities from storytime to matinee movies to live music.

* Involve your children in cleaning clutter and donating to charity. Let them help, but make limits and rules so they don’t end up keeping everything. Give them a box and tell them you expect them to fill it with stuff they don’t use or play with. Tell them you are filling your own box too and do it. You can also Freecycle the boxes of toys if you prefer.

* When you do go to the Smiths’ house, talk to your children beforehand. Let them know that the Smiths have a different lifestyle than you do. Don’t be critical of them, but help your child “own” your frugal lifestyle by emphasizing that minimalism is your way of life. I tell my kids that our minimalist lifestyle is what allows us to have season passes to the zoo, science center, water park, ect. It also allows us to take vacations and it allows them to go fishing a couple times a week, like they love because mom and dad don’t have to work as much as the Smiths do. We value life experiences and spending time with family more than accumulating “stuff”.

* The Smiths are nice, of course, but it’s helpful to look for families with children who have a similar minimalist philosophy. When your children get together, they can enjoy being creative together and won’t come away with “green eyes” of envy.

It is not an overnight process to change things if your kids have developed a taste for living a life of excess but it can be done and everyone can be a lot happier for it. We are not against buying things that make our life easier or more enjoyable but we are against mindless consumption and raising our kids to link their self worth to how much cool stuff they have.

What about you? How do you counteract the effects of media and modern society in your home?

Another day, another lunch box to review. This is a Warmables set and the general idea behind it is too allow you to pack warm lunches, perhaps even dinner leftovers, so that you can pack healthier lunches overall. The set comes with a BPA Free plastic container and lid, a cloth bag of cherry pits that retain heat, and the blue insulator pouch that keeps the heat inside the bag with the food.

While I can’t say that this is my favorite lunch set-up I can see reaching for it when I want to pack something that will stay pretty warm.. like the Hot and Sour soup in the photo. Japanese wheat noodles, mushrooms, scallions, and peppers… just wouldn’t taste good cold. Having a soup thermos would work but frankly would not get used much and the cherry pits really seem to work better at keeping stuff warm. LOVE the cherry pits bag idea.

I would like this set even more if it had a more aesthetically pleasing design and the food container was not plastic. Not sure metal would work but the food container looks like something you could get at Wal-Mart for $1. The container and insulator pouch are also pretty small and you would need a separate and larger bag if you have other food to pack. You pay as much for this set as you would a Laptop Lunchbox and you get a lot less IMO.

While I like the idea, I think this particular product will not get much use by us. We will likely donate the container and bag to someone who will get more use out of them. The cherry pits I like though and will use those in future lunches or even my coat pocket during winter. ;) If you struggle with packing warm lunches then this set may be helpful to you.

A MUST have for back to school. No seriously.. how else can you put a name on ALL supplies including each of the 40 #2 pencils, as requested by the teacher????

Mabel’s Labels… me love you long time.