It’s been hard for me to zero in on a focus for this space, but now that I’ve stumbled upon it, it looks like maybe it’s been here all along. The current political climate just makes me even more sure of how it is that I’m trying to raise my children and the legacy my husband and I hope to leave through them.
Let’s start a while ago, when my husband, Andy and I were first dating and living in Colorado. Our weekends revolved around outdoor adventures: mainly hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter. We brought our first-born on various hiking and skiing adventures as soon as he had a bit of neck strength. We moved our little family back to the Midwest, where we were both raised, to be closer to family. But we knew we needed to instill in our kids a sense of adventure and love of the outdoors.
The climate in Minnesota is not for the faint of heart: winter is pretty grueling, even for those of us who love snow sports. But in our city of Minneapolis, people tend to get outside in all weather—and the city is designed to allow for lots of outdoor recreation all over the metro area no matter the conditions.
When I found out I was pregnant with a girl, one of the very first things that came to mind was that I was going to have to be a LOT more intentional when it came to modeling positive body image. I think body image is likely an issue or a struggle for most American women, for some if not most of their adolescent and adult lives. I certainly have struggled to accept the changes of my body after two pregnancies, births and long breastfeeding relationships. To be quite frank I don’t many positive role models in this area, but I have slowly started to find some examples through instagram, who have opened up my eyes to different ways of viewing our health and our relationships to food and our bodies. I am, however, seeing a need for more resources around modeling positive body image and healthy relationships with food to our children.
This summer we got what we call a “super bike,” Surly’s kid-carrying cargo-bike called the “Big Dummy.” Our favorite summer days involve something for everyone: Andy and I on our bikes plus a few well-timed stops at playgrounds, farmer’s markets, or donut shops to keep everybody happy along the way.
Food is another interest of ours—maybe no more so than anyone elses’, but we both love to eat and go out to eat. I prefer baking to cooking but have had to up my game since the kids came along. Andy is a spontaneous, throw-everything-in-the-fridge-together experimenter, which turns out edible about 50% of the time. Again, since having kids, I have become a lot more interested in how we eat, how we encourage our kids to eat, where our food comes from, and the greater environmental impact of the choices we make around our eating habits. We have gotten involved with two local farms and once again: there is something for everyone when we get to see animals, learn about sustainable agriculture, and leave with fresh meat and produce.
Most importantly in all of this and the thread that really ties it all together is my concern for the planet. There is no debate here—the actions we take impact the planet—whether it’s how we get around, what we eat, or which businesses and politicians we support. Every time we take spend money we cast a vote for the type of world we want to live in—that we want for our children and our grandchildren. Let’s make sure to vote with intention.