September Journal
September 2019 Journal
Slow Seasonal Intentions
Take a few moments out of the month to live unplugged
Simple Connections
Setting the intention to connect with a little one in your life
This month, take a few minutes to send someone a postcard. A friend or family member who could use a reminder that someone is still thinking of them as the busy-ness of the summer winds down. Receiving mail is such a simple joy. Especially if you have any kiddos in your life! Head over to our instagram page to see how excited our toddler was to receive a postcard in the mail. It also led him to desire his own connection with others. He 'wrote' letters to his Nana and Papa and cousins, and 'mailed' them all over the house. I think any family member would love to receive a hand-drawn card from a child in their family - take your little one to the post office and let them put the stamp on themselves.
#ExploreHamOnt
Sharing some of the best things to do in Hamilton and the surrounding area this month
✥The monthly art crawl that grew into an annual street festival, Supercrawl runs from Sept 13-15. It's a celebration of music and art on James St, and we are very much looking forward to seeing what the family zone has on offer this year.
✥For many of us, it wouldn't be September without a trip to one of the local Fall Fairs. There is one happening each weekend!
Community Spotlight
Getting to know the work of a fellow Hamiltonian
“[T]hat old September feeling, left over from school days, of summer passing, vacation nearly done, obligations gathering ... Another fall, another turned page: there was something of jubilee in that annual autumnal beginning, as if last year's mistakes had been wiped clean by summer.”
What a beautiful season to start something new. I am so excited to share this journal, this collection of thoughts and inspiration, with you! I know September for so many (especially teachers, students, and families with little ones returning to school) can feel hectic, hurried and uncertain. So much to do and prepare that it would be easy to miss the beauty of this season. But there is also so much joy in starting anew, with a fresh page - and maybe a new pen! I hope these simple ideas will add to your joy this month...
Slow Seasonal Intentions
Take a few moments out of the month to live unplugged
✥Take your morning cuppa outside - We do this in the summer, and for obvious reasons not the winter. But September has the perfect weather to bundle up and take 5 minutes to enjoy your morning tea or coffee outside. Deep breaths of that delicious crisp fall air will wake you up in no time. Spend a few minutes thinking about what you have coming up this month and whether your plate is too full. How will you find ways to connect with your family? Your friends? Jot down your thoughts, just a few sentences, and revisit throughout the month.
✥Pay attention on your walk - Everyone loves watching the leaves change and getting outside, so on your Fall walks add the intention of looking 'all' around. I was hiking once with a friend and she stopped me to say, "Look! Look up, look down, look behind us..." It is so easy to focus on our steps and miss the rest of the picture, but there is so much beauty in taking a different perspective. Extend this into your normal activities as well, pause and really look at your surroundings.
✥Bring nature in - My Mom has always loved pulling from outside in her own garden to decorate her table, and I am going to try that this month! I don't have anything in my garden to bring in, but gathering up a few leaves or fallen branches from a walk would be just as easy. Or if you have little ones, bring some sticks, leaves or acorns inside and use them for play, learning, or art. Invite them to make a 'treasure box' of things they find when you go for a walk.
Mindful Media
Inspiring us this month
✥Chasing Slow: Courage to Journey Off the Beaten Path by Erin Loechner - (adult, non-fiction) Why do we always think the 'secret' to our happiness is just around the next corner? Erin is an online star and tells the story of finding the balance between success and being happy with less. A fantastic read and gives you so much to think about if you're considering a slow living or minimalist lifestyle. The bonus was that the chapter-story format made it easy to read in small chunks if you only have little bits of time (like me!)
✥Little Tree, by Loren Long - (child, fiction) a beautifully illustrated book by the author of the Otis series. This is the perfect autumn book to help you talk with your little one about changing seasons and the importance of letting go. A little tree is so happy to live in the forest, until Fall arrives and he has to let go of his leaves. But he soon learns that holding on will also hold him back.
✥Fashion's Dirty Secrets: The Passionate Eye - if you didn't catch this documentary on CBC when it aired, you can stream it here on CBC Gem. "We are producing 100 billion new garments from new fibres every single year. And the planet cannot sustain that." - Lucy Siegle. After watching this you will take a serious step back to look at your own shopping habits. It goes without saying that this industry is living on borrowed time, but few of us understand what happens 'behind the scenes' and the effects on people and the environment. Must watch!
✥Little Tree, by Loren Long - (child, fiction) a beautifully illustrated book by the author of the Otis series. This is the perfect autumn book to help you talk with your little one about changing seasons and the importance of letting go. A little tree is so happy to live in the forest, until Fall arrives and he has to let go of his leaves. But he soon learns that holding on will also hold him back.
✥Fashion's Dirty Secrets: The Passionate Eye - if you didn't catch this documentary on CBC when it aired, you can stream it here on CBC Gem. "We are producing 100 billion new garments from new fibres every single year. And the planet cannot sustain that." - Lucy Siegle. After watching this you will take a serious step back to look at your own shopping habits. It goes without saying that this industry is living on borrowed time, but few of us understand what happens 'behind the scenes' and the effects on people and the environment. Must watch!
Setting the intention to connect with a little one in your life
This month, take a few minutes to send someone a postcard. A friend or family member who could use a reminder that someone is still thinking of them as the busy-ness of the summer winds down. Receiving mail is such a simple joy. Especially if you have any kiddos in your life! Head over to our instagram page to see how excited our toddler was to receive a postcard in the mail. It also led him to desire his own connection with others. He 'wrote' letters to his Nana and Papa and cousins, and 'mailed' them all over the house. I think any family member would love to receive a hand-drawn card from a child in their family - take your little one to the post office and let them put the stamp on themselves.
#OneSmallChangeAtHome
Use the hashtag to share your best tips for becoming a zero-waste household
Use the hashtag to share your best tips for becoming a zero-waste household
Knowing how important it is to make changes in our household consumption is one thing, knowing where to start is something else entirely! Hopefully this is a way we can learn from each other and try to implement one small change at a time. We plan to tackle one area in our lifestyle that we'd like to change each month, also spreading out the cost of becoming low waste.
I'm sure many of you already have this intention, but this month we are making a full commitment to no plastic bags. Put some extra reusable ones in your car, or make yourself a reminder sticky note for the front door. Say no to the bag when you're only buying a few small things. We added some small cloth bags to our collection that can replace the plastic produce bags or to be used when buying in bulk. For us, it's also remembering to do this at places other than the grocery store! (Think clothing shops, gift shops, dollar store...) We'll talk more about our intentions and any challenges we faced over on the blog.
Sharing some of the best things to do in Hamilton and the surrounding area this month
✥The monthly art crawl that grew into an annual street festival, Supercrawl runs from Sept 13-15. It's a celebration of music and art on James St, and we are very much looking forward to seeing what the family zone has on offer this year.
✥For many of us, it wouldn't be September without a trip to one of the local Fall Fairs. There is one happening each weekend!
Sept 6-8, West Niagara Fair
Sept 13-15, Binbrook Fair
Sept 19-22, Ancaster Fair
Sept 26-29, Caledonia Fair
✥Another great reason to be outside this month is apple picking. It Takes a Village Hamilton has scoped out the 5 best local farms in the area. Our family loves Carluke's, so keep an eye out for a blog post with some yummy apple recipes once we've visited!
Getting to know the work of a fellow Hamiltonian
Emily, from Raising Hamilton, is Mom to a 2 year old boy, blogger, and small business owner. When she moved to Hamilton she felt unsure about what to do with her little one in a new city, and decided to create a resource for other Moms while she was discovering their options. She blogs about local activities and products for kids, parenting resources in Hamilton, and updates on her house renovation.
Recently, she has added a new project to her list called Little Froggy Consignment - an online consignment store for baby clothes, toys & gear (maternity clothes too!) I met up with Emily to sell some of my baby clothes and picked up a few new bits because I just couldn't help myself - The pieces we got are adorable and all in great condition. I can't wait to see how much I earn from selling my items! Emily was kind enough to answer a few questions I had about her new venture...
Recently, she has added a new project to her list called Little Froggy Consignment - an online consignment store for baby clothes, toys & gear (maternity clothes too!) I met up with Emily to sell some of my baby clothes and picked up a few new bits because I just couldn't help myself - The pieces we got are adorable and all in great condition. I can't wait to see how much I earn from selling my items! Emily was kind enough to answer a few questions I had about her new venture...
Explain to us how consignment works and what items you are currently looking for.
My goal at Little Froggy Consignment is to make busy parent's lives just a little bit easier by taking the tedious work out of selling their children's clothing and gear.
To consign your items you set up an appointment to drop your items off, review and sign the consignment agreement and then I take care of the rest-- taking photos, cataloging and pricing the items, posting them on littlefroggy.ca, and then selling the items! At the end of your 10-week consignment term, you'll get 50% of what your items sold for and you can choose to have your unsold items back or donated to a local charity for parents in need.
We accept excellent condition children's clothing from newborn to size 6, baby gear, some specific brands of toys, and maternity wear. Since we're heading into September things like fall and winter clothing and Halloween costumes are definitely on our most wanted list!
Why did you decide to start this business on top of running your blog?
Although I have a corporate job I have forever had this burning desire to create my own business from the ground up. In university I would refurbish and sell home decor and furniture. When I lived in the Northwest Territories I had a cake decorating business. And now in this new phase of mama-hood I've taken on children's consignment.
The whole idea spawned from a conversation between myself and a friend when she had taken some of her son's clothes to a popular children's buy and sell store and after waiting in line for over an hour had received maybe 15% of what that store was going to turn around and sell the item for. She was frustrated and I had felt similarly in the past-- so I started to think about offering an alternative to the existing options in Hamilton, and Little Froggy was born!
Being relatively new to the city, I've really enjoyed meeting other mamas through Little Froggy and hearing their ideas on how to make this business work in Hamilton!
What's next for Raising Hamilton?
Fall is one of my favourite seasons and I am really looking forward to taking our toddler to farms, festivals and events to celebrate and then sharing about them on the blog.
I'm also going to be starting a series of posts about our home renovation that we've been working on over the last three years. I know that there are a lot of other families that are new to Hamilton and undertaking renovations and I can't wait to share more about the products from local businesses that we used throughout our home!
Thanks to Emily for answering my questions!
Follow along with her child-friendly Hamilton adventures on instagram @RaisingHamilton
and find out more about her consignment shop by visiting littlefroggy.ca and see all the newest clothes available on instagram @littlefroggyconsignment
Wishing you and your family a happy September... remember to be gentle with yourself.
Nicole xx
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