fairdare
  • blog
  • Fairdare
  • ethical brands
  • zero-waste
  • zero-waste meals
  • about

passing it on

8/31/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Last week I made our last smoothies with this blender. A few seconds after I poured the liquid over the frozen fruit, that liquid drained right out the bottom of the pitcher. I've been making-do with this blender for a decade. It has functioned as a blender, food processor + hand mixer in my trying-to-be minimal kitchen. It's only problem is that one little rubber gasket broke into pieces + ended up in our smoothies years ago. When I contacted the manufacturer for a fix or a replacement part, they offered no solution. I couldn't even purchase a new pitcher without buying a new base. 

So, I made do...until I couldn't make do any longer. Once we decided to replace the blender, I considered donating it to a thrift store. I didn't want someone to purchase it thinking it worked perfectly, so I would have added a note about the problem. The thrift stores always ask that we do not donate broken things, so I wondered if (after reading the note) they would have just dumped the blender away. I finally decided to offer it free on Craigslist (noting the problem) + had two offers to come pick it up within minutes. I really wish I could have fixed it myself, but in the end it felt good knowing that it would be useful to someone.

Letting things go responsibly often involves careful thought as to where the item has the best chance of getting used rather than ending up in a dumpster. Dropping off a car load of stuff at the thrift store is often easiest, but that doesn't alleviate us of the responsibility we took on when we decided to purchase all that stuff. 

Love,
Jane
0 Comments

create

8/28/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Getting rid of stuff is the easiest, most affordable way to create space.
~ Jacqueline Schmidt
0 Comments

for cooler days ahead

8/26/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
via
Picture
via
Picture
via
Picture
via
Picture
via
Picture
via
It's 96F here today (phew!), but cooler days are coming. Thinking of golden leaves crunching underfoot, cool breezes brushing faces + a few things I won't mind layering on helps to ease my thoughts toward the months ahead. Of course, I have a bunch of things already in my closet that...no matter how many times I wore them over + over again last autumn + winter...I will be happy to pull on again. I'm not looking to add too many pieces to my simple wardrobe, but that doesn't stop me from noticing a few of the lovely, fair things out there.

I think we'll be spending more days at home this autumn, so comfy might as well factor into my choices. Pansy leggings are my tried + true comfy, cozy bottoms of choice. A new pair in creamy, natural, organic cotton are on my list. I'm also curious to try Ripple Yoga's fitted joggers. 

Fair sweaters can be a bit challenging to find, but all of these cotton beauties are made in California! Trade out those Arizonas for some Bostons (Birkenstocks)...and eventually add some socks for cozy toes. Now all of that almost has me looking forward to autumn.  :)

All lovely photos via links.

Love,
Jane
0 Comments

zero-waste :: just the basics

8/25/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Tackling zero-waste on a personal level is more about thoughtful choices than about the stuff involved...but there are some things that can be useful helpers. These are the items that have proven to be my most useful things in the pursuit of zero-waste:
  • reusable water/coffee bottle :: saves countless disposable bottles, cups + straws from being made + trashed

  • reusable bags :: save countless plastic + paper bags from being made + trashed

  • smaller cloth bags :: save countless plastic + paper bags from being made + trashed

  • old spray bottle full of vinegar + water for cleaning :: saves lots of chemicals from being made, sprayed around our home + running off into our water system...saves lots of plastic bottles from being made + saves all the energy it takes to recycle them...saves the sprayer top from the landfill

  • cleaning rags made out of old tees + kitchen towels :: save a lot of paper towels + the plastic wrap they come in from being made + trashed

  • tea + coffee strainers :: save a lot of tea bags (which are often made out of plastic), coffee filters or K-cups from being made + trashed

  • reusable masks :: save a lot of disposable masks from being made + trashed

  • glass jars :: save a lot of plastic packaging + saran wrap from being made + trashed

I most often think of waste as what ends up in my trash can, but creating disposables is hugely wasteful in itself. Resources have to be extracted, refined, manufactured, transported from the source + to every stop along the manufacturing process + then to the warehouse + then to the coffee shop, take-out joint or grocery store. All so that we can use it for a 
matter of minutes...and then send it off to the landfill where it may take 200 years to disintegrate altogether. Worse yet, it might blow into a tree or drainage ditch + be carried off into the ocean. 

We are using some of the items on this short list a little differently during the pandemic. For example, we can't use our reusable water bottles at a cafe, but we can still use them to keep water handy + cool in the house + at the park. The baggers at the grocery store won't put our groceries into our reusable bags, but we can. Our most recent addition to this list is the reusable mask. I can't imagine how many disposable masks our family of four would have used by now, if we hadn't chosen to use reusable ones.

It's pretty cool to remind myself that just a few reusable items (most of which I have been using over + over for more than a decade now) have saved so, so much waste from the landfill! Using these things is just habit now, so I don't often stop to think about the impact our teamwork has had.

We don't need a whole lot of stuff to move toward zero-waste!

Love,
Jane
0 Comments

fair brand :: lett

8/24/2020

2 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
,Leisurewear is having a good year. We all love to be comfy at home, and we are all spending a lot of time at home. Lett's comfy looking pieces are designed + made mostly out of cotton + rayon (+ a little spandex) in Los Angeles. I searched for cotton bike shorts this summer + wish I'd found the ones here before they sold out of my size. (Oh, I just remembered these!) I (like everyone else) am loving a matched set these days, and I love that there are lots of options for matching pieces here. Cooler days are coming + I'd love to cozy up with Lett.

All lovely photos via Lett.

Love,
Jane
2 Comments

carry

8/21/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
We carry within us the notion, carefully nurtured by advertising,
that the more products + services we can afford, the happier we will be.
But, in fact, above a certain point, material goods rarely alter our levels of happiness,
unlike emotional experience.
Historically, the wealthier we have become, the more unhappy we are.
Having can never replace being.
​~Ilse Crawford
0 Comments

making it mine

8/20/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
I've been considering adding a crisp, white button up shirt to my wardrobe. This is not a crisp white shirt.  :)

As always, when it comes to adding a fair garment to my wardrobe, I mainly look to these three choices: buying secondhand, making it myself + purchasing a fairly made garment new. It was difficult to find a secondhand, white shirt that's free from stains online. I considered sewing one, but couldn't find just the fabric I wanted to use. Shirts are very detailed + involve quite a lot of work, so I value + am willing to pay for a carefully constructed, fairly made shirt. I found one online, but when it came in the mail this week it was too sheer.

Finally, I decided to venture out to a thrift store for the first time during this pandemic to extend my search for a secondhand shirt. I didn't find a white shirt, but did decide to take this one (+ one more) home. This shirt is quite oversized, made from a crisp fabric, inexpensive + already existed (so no new resources needed to be used). 

When I got it home, I decided to remove the collar + sew the stand closed. I was reminded of both Jess Brown's lovely shirt + the beautiful shirt I posted yesterday, which confirm this as a look I love. Not only do I like the style, but this men's shirt's collar was a bit oversized on me. Removing it makes it look less ill-fitting. With sleeves rolled up + the bottom buttons left open, I like this shirt over shorts (or as a sort of morning cover-up) now...and imagine it will layer well over almost everything later. Now it looks like my shirt...and I like it very much. (+ I might still keep my eye out for a white one next time I go to the thrift store.)

Love,
Jane
0 Comments

loving right now

8/19/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
via
Picture
via
Picture
via
Picture
via
Just a few things that have been catching my eye lately. I'm trying to hold onto summer right now, but know that autumn looms on the horizon. These lovely items could be useful almost any day of the year, but seem to bridge that transition especially well. A barely there dress to wear now with bare shoulders + bare feet...and later with a sweater + socks. A meticulously made blouse to wear with rolled up sleeves over shorts now + to throw on over that dress or jeans when the evenings cool. An aromatic lotion that promises to be "a reminder of stability in times of flux". And a chai blend to drink iced now + hot in the weeks to come.

All lovely photos via links.

Love,
Jane
0 Comments

stash busting

8/17/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Every so often I go through my fabric scraps with a thought toward making them into something useful. There are often long quite large scraps left over from garment sewing...pieces that are too big to throw away, but not often big enough for other garments. These are great pieces for sewing masks, but I also had a couple of long, skinny pieces of fabric that I wondered about being able to make into something a little bit more permanently wearable.
Picture
The free Peppermint Peplum Top pattern turned out to be a perfect pattern to squeeze onto these leftover bits (especially in a smaller size...just right for my girls). There is a pieced shoulder that makes this an especially stash busting pattern. I had no idea there was a whole top hiding in my scrap bin!

Love,
Jane
0 Comments

thoughts on home learning

8/16/2020

2 Comments

 
Picture
"I am always doing that which I cannot do,
in order that I may learn how to do it."
~Pablo Picasso
I've never thought of myself as an expert on homeschooling, but I have facilitated my two daughter's learning for the past thirteen years. My younger daughter graduated from high school this year + is already in the midst of college courses. My older daughter is currently in grad school pursuing her master's degree. I never thought about homeschooling until it felt like my only choice...twice...so I do have some sort of understanding of what is happening now. I was fortunate enough to be a stay-at-home mama at both of the points at which we decided to learn from home, and I know that that is a huge advantage. I also took control of the learning rather than being tethered to the school which has some advantages + some disadvantages.

I just thought I'd offer a few thoughts on learning from home that I've had while observing others wrestling with the new reality that has been thrust upon them this year. 

-First of all...you are capable. You are smart. Your child will learn this year...and probably lots of things that they couldn't have learned in the classroom.

-You don't need lots of new stuff. I've seen pages of amazon recommendations + lengthy school desk inspiration out there...that's all unnecessary. We spent way less on school supplies for at home learning than we did on the school's back-to-school supply lists. We bought a few new things just for fun, but didn't need a bunch of stuff. You don't need plastic unit blocks to teach math skills. One piece of paper cut into the appropriate shapes will work just as well.
Picture
-You don't need new desks or a school room. We tried desks, but the girls ended up at the coffee table or kitchen table. The schoolroom was our shortest lived experiment. I needed to be moving about my day + liked having them out in the open where they were accountable at least in the morning + early afternoon. 

-Do (+ finish) the hardest subjects first. For us, that was always math. ​

​-Every subject doesn't have to happen every day. We did math every day, but science + history on alternating days for longer time periods. This way they can get more deeply into a subject, rather than breaking away just as the learning kicks in.


-Take advantage of one-on-one learning. It can be so much more effective than classroom learning. No tangents. No waiting for everyone to sit down or quiet down or catch up. No shyness about asking the questions that are meaningful to them (encourage that). ​
Picture
-Recess isn't the only reason to get outside. Now science can involve using a nature journal...noticing which birds come + go when...studying the different types of trees in your neighborhood...planting a garden. 

-My intention is not to try to influence anyone away from being tethered to the school's resources, but I will say that homeschool resources are designed for at home learning. Science experiments often use the kitchen as the laboratory. In middle school + high school, the textbooks are designed for student led learning. Kits of microscope slides + chemistry experiments are available. Math books are designed for us, as parents, to track alongside our children...no prep time is needed...we just read through the lesson with our child, work through practice problems with them + then know the methods that are being utilized in the day's lesson. Each assignment (in the curriculum we chose) has problems from previous lessons in order to facilitate knowledge retention + the lesson number is listed beside each problem for easy referral (by student + parent).


-I personally feel that choosing homeschooling for a year will not disrupt your child's tracking with the neighborhood school's system...especially during this year of global educational upheaval. Our girls were able to go in + out of school (even in a different country), because we chose rigorous homeschool curricula. ​

​-At home learning teaches personal discipline, time management skills, provides time for individuals to come to answers without peers blurting it out first, promotes self-learning, increases reading + comprehension skills (because this is a primary mode of learning as they get older). Students can benefit from these lessons this year.
Picture
-Our children learn valuable social skills in the classroom. Homeschoolers practice social skills outside of the home as well in the groups + activities they attend + through friendships + relationships they have. Social skills are also practiced in the home. As parents, we are our children's most influential teachers. 

-At the beginning of each school year my two girls + I would sit down together + make a contract that we would all sign + post somewhere prominent. Setting some ground rules for respect + commitment toward hard work helped hold us all accountable. 

-Make a schedule...one that includes breaks. Both of my girls wanted to blow through school in one go, because then their time was their own. There always came a point, however, when frustration set in. We need that time between classes for recess, to walk down the hall, chat with friends, blow off steam, reset. When one daughter was older, we bought a few warm drinks that she liked so that she could finish a certain subject + then get up + make a drink. It was a way to step away for a minute + reset before sitting down again (with that warm drink).

​-Be flexible. Check in with your student + make adjustments. I don't know how this will work with distance learning + teachers who aren't actually in the room with students. I'd hope that there is a venue for being in conversation with teachers.
Picture
-Learning is it's own reward. I'm not a big believer in incentives like treats or trinkets. Each of us knows our students best, but personally I didn't want to make grades or mistakes an issue. One of my girls is a perfectionist, so one of our mantras was that we are learning, and mistakes are part of learning. "I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it." (~Pablo Picasso) In my mind trying is just what is expected...not something to link to rewards. We will do fun things like go out for ice cream in the middle of the day sometimes or take our learning to the park or spend a Friday exploring the city or go to the museum to see that painting by the artist we studied. But I don't want to have to cancel a trip as punishment (because follow-through is key) or make learning an optional endeavor.

-Prioritize reading. Let them check out as many books as they want from the library (or five at a time in order to facilitate keeping track of them).  :)

-Infuse their studies with things they +/or you find exciting or intriguing. Sharing our passions (even if they are not our student's) shows them that learning can inspire excitement + lifelong joy...what an incredible gift. Our history curriculum allowed space for a student to question + veer off track to answer those questions. I love that. Make space for shop class or art class or robotics or...whatever interest arrises. One of my main goals is to make lifelong learners out of my girls.
Picture
-Instead of spending time shopping for just the right desk (though, I realize that might be a priority if your student needs to sit at a computer for hours each day)...spend time preparing yourself for what is to come. Set intention with your attitude...your outlook...your expectations.

-Take time to step back + see the big picture. This is one semester...one year in your child's life. What opportunities can you take this year? What could this experience add to their childhood or adolescence? 

OK. I meant to keep this short + as succinctly meaningful as possible. I'm not sure I did either of those things, but I love this topic. It has been my unintended, but pleasurable work for a lot of years now. Please feel free to reach out. I would love to chat with you. Comments don't automatically post publicly, so if you'd rather keep it private just let me know. I am cheering all of you amazing parents on! Our children are not just our future, they are our incredible now! 

Lots of love,
Jane
2 Comments
<<Previous
    Picture
    on a journey toward zero-waste, simplicity, + compassion :: daring to choose fair one choice at a time
    Picture
    Picture


    categories

    All
    Fair Brands
    Fairdare
    Garden
    Made
    Reads
    Simple Budget
    Simple Holidays
    Simple Home
    Simple Wardrobe
    Simply Said
    Sustainable Self
    Wanderings
    Yum
    Zero Waste

    archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014

    all images by jane unless otherwise noted. copyright 2023.
    subscribe via email

    RSS Feed

    Follow