One of my big aims is to reduce the amount of single-use plastic we use as a family, but, oh my, it is tricky. Just as you eliminate one type, another sneaks in. For goodness sake! I ordered a pumpkin this week, with my shopping, and, for the first time, it arrived in its own plastic bag. Really?
Shakes head in despair.
On a positive, it’s been great to see the news focus on plastic, in the last few days. Raising awareness. Showing how it breaks down and is ingested by the smallest marine creatures, even seven miles down.
Eating
So what have I done this week to cut down on plastic? I know I’m unlikely to eradicate all plastic, but even small changes make a difference to how much I throw away and the demand I create for more plastic in the future.
I’ve upped my baking. There are no biscuits wrapped in plastic or puddings in plastic tubs, but there has been a plentiful supply of homemade apple pies, pumpkin pies and raspberry muffins. I’ve made both pumpkin and vegetable soup too.
It may sound like a little change, but it has made me think that I can cut down even more. Revisiting the way I source our food is the key, but even better, the children have been talking about it. Rather than expected crisps, they’ve even come home asking for a mug of soup instead.
Watching
Paddington Bear 2 came out at the cinema last weekend. We couldn’t wait. Absolutely loved the movie and lots of chatting about how it compares to the books. Books dug out and enjoyed again. Do you ever grow out of Paddington Bear? They are one set of books that I never tired of reading as part of our bedtime routine when the children were younger. A sure sign of a childhood classic.
Festive Making
I’ve picked up my needles and started on a fresh batch of mistletoe. Seems to have become a tradition for me. Announcing the start of the Christmas season by knitting mistletoe. It’s OK. I have a licence.
I formally open the time of festive talking and making. Please help yourself to a turkey and mango sausage rolls or two.
Click, click click.
(Jack Frost revisited this morning.)
One last revisit, has been helping older Teen with her revision. She has her mocks before the end of term. I’ll admit, I have been bowled over by her approach to her revision. She is putting in the time. Even extra time at school. I’m impressed at how the school is making it such a positive time for them all and guiding them. I’m sure we were left to fend for ourselves, with the words “perform well, or else” ringing in our ears.
Anyway, I have absolutely enjoyed discussing her English texts with the older Teen. We have had some fabulous discussions, reminding me how much I loved the subject. Although now she is wondering if she should be considering doing English Lit and Maths as A’Levels. (Finally my enthusiasm for maths has rubbed off on her.)
She has to choose just three subjects. We were down to four choices. Now it looks more like six to be whittled down to the three. Ever feel like you make things worse by helping sometimes?
So that was my week. Not much new, but revisiting much loved joys. Joining in with #wotw. How was your week?
Oh, I often feel that I make things worse by ‘helping’! Hope your daughter manages to choose soon. We really liked the first Paddington film so are looking forward to the new one. We’ll likely wait for it to come out on DVD as our next cinema trip just has to be Star Wars. I think it’s great that your kids are thinking about the plastic reduction too, and are adapting with you x Thanks for sharing with #WotW
She’ll need to decide soon. The deadline is upon us! If you loved the first, I’m pretty confident that you will all enjoy the new Paddington Bear movie.
Baking treats is such a good way of trying to help reduce plastic consumption. So important to try to cut down on it – I’ve certainly become more conscious of how much plastic we get through and am trying to cut down too. Love the knitted mistletoe. Good luck to your older Teen with her mocks. #WotW
Thank you. Starts this week. I really believe if we stop buying plastic packaging then the manufacturers will start rethinking their approach too.
I have never really thought about plastic but your right we use so much. We have to recycle more now as they reduced the rubbish they take from us at the start of the year. When my son was born I did lots of cooking from scratch. I lost my way with that over the past few years but with some bad job news we are back on the ball with it as I know it saves so much money. It will also help reduce our plastic #WotW
I hope you are enjoying cooking from scratch again.
I love that you are knitting mistletoe, I am crocheting a Christmas tree 🙂
#wotw
Something about yarny Christmas decorations…
Good on you for trying to reduce the amount of plastic you use. There is just too much packaging now a days.
I really want to see Paddington 2….The kids aren’t fussed about it! Eesh! I might have to go to the cinema without them. hahaha x
Go. You really should go and see it.
I saw a programme a little while back with a family who were reducing plastic waste they managed to fit it all in one bottle for the whole year, now that’s impressive. I think it’s something everyone should be more conscious of. Best of luck to your teen in her mocks. Have a lovely weekend x #WotW
An amazing idea, indeed, that they could manage so little!
I really liked the first Paddington, it was all warm and fuzzy! Well done on reducing plastic, small steps make a big impact X #wotw
Yes, small steps add up.
Back in the 1990s I took a ferry from Jordan to Egypt. Lunch was served in polystyrene plastic containers which almost everyone (not me!) threw over board after eating. There was literally a trail of 100s of them floating behind the boat. That image has stuck in my mind since then and I often wonder if the same thing happens today. And if so, what on earth has happened to the local environment. Plastic can be incredibly convenient but it’s an environmental disaster- thank god it’s finally getting the media attention it deserves (and, it’s hard to deny, unlike climate change I haven’t heard of any plastic sceptics!)
I am staggered by your experience. Now you’ve made me think. No. I’ve not heard of a plastic sceptic either!
Its so great to see teens working os hard isn’t it? I am glad the revision is over for now but it was worth it. I love love love pumpkin soup I must get a recipe and make a batch up I have never cooked with pumpkin and really should. And I am dying to se Paddington x
I have one last batch of pumpkin soup left and then that is it for the year. It is so easy to make.
I understand the fight to use less plastic and try to avoid buying veggies in plastic. Better for us healthwise and better for the planet. It also costs less for the supermarket to just sell veggies without foam and plastic. AAAh! They drive me crazy and I avoid the big supermarkets because of it. #MMBC
Good for you avoiding the supermarkets to cut the plastic. I think it is the only way.
What a lovely read 🙂 I’m interested to follow your journey to reduce your plastic waste – baking and cooking is such a lovely way to do that! Quite inspiring. All these little changes are so important, aren’t they? LIke you, I can’t believe how much plastic is involved when the supermarkets sell fruit and veg. I like to take a cloth bag and buy loose when I can….but sadly it’s not always possible in every store.
#MMBC
Shopping is tricky. When I find a change, I take it. So much easier when I can shop from the garden in the summer.
You and your pumpkin pies! Well, it’s Thanksgiving today and I baked one from the October issue of (British) Country Living – it was good! I am keeping this recipe. (I did leave out the lemon zest, as it seemed too much of a break from the traditional.)
You’ll be glad to know, I finished my last pumpkin this weekend, so no more pumpkin pie photos. I’ve had my fill too, so happy to take a break until next year, although your recipe sounds intriguing…..
I buy organic as much as I can but it really annoys me how much more plastic packaging my supermarket uses for organic products than other fruit and vegetables. I feel like I’m being penalised for trying to be healthy!!
#MMBC
That does not seem right. I wonder what the logic is for this decision.
Glad you said Paddington Bear was good, hoping to take the girls to see it. As to plastic wrapped pumpkin, why?? I would of thought out of all the veg pumpkins have a rather hardy skin! Like you we have been trying to reduce our plastic waste too, so hard at times but every little change makes a difference. We’ve been looking at all the different toothbrushes trying to decide if it is better to get wooden one or plastic on where you just replace the head!
It got me thinking about the bagged pumpkin logic too. I think it is the other way round. After sitting in a muddy field, the rest of the shopping is being protected from the pumpkin, because you are right about the skin being tough. We tried the interchanging brushes at one point, but couldn’t make them work for us. We now have electric toothbrush with interchangeable heads, which does cut down, but still efficiently cleans teeth. Enjoy Paddington.