Six Impossible Things

"There's no use trying," Alice said.
"One can't believe impossible things."
"I daresay you haven't had much practice,"
said the Queen. "When I was your age,
I always did it for half-an-hour a day.
Why, sometimes I've believed
as many as six impossible things
before breakfast."
Lewis Carroll

Radical Homemakers by Shannon Hayes

 
I have finished reading the above book. I read it so fast but have taken the last week or so to let it sink in and think about what I have read. It truly is an interesting, thought provoking and educational read. I am not going to write my review. ( I just reread what I have written and it does seem like I have written a review LOL) It has all been said before and you can find that information on the net or by having a look at the book website below. I would just love it if more people read this book and became Radical Homemakers. There is no exact place to start and no exact place to finish. It is a changing of the mind. It can be started in so many little ways and I have found it so rewarding that sometimes I feel like doing a hop, skip and a jump because the weight on my shoulders lifts and I feel so rewarded and blessed.

For me this book just sums up all the things in my head that have been swirling around for so many years. I am not interested in arguments about feminist movements and such. All I know is that the new world of work and drudgery leads to nought. The pursuit of career and postition have never moved me the way that I live now. And yes I have climbed the wrong ladder many times and had to climb back down to get to the path I am treading now. As I read the blogs and books written by others on this journey I am so inspired. I don't bag myself out for not being able to spin my own wool or make my own cheese or grow all of my own food. What I do find is community. Funny how that community is not living beside me and is sometimes all the way over this planet but it is community. It is sharing and encouragement. So I give things a go and I add new skills to my homemaking and living resume. What my ancestors are not available to teach me now, I am ready to be taught. I find the inspiration and actual facts and teaching of these new skills via the blogs and books I read and via the many videos online that wonderful people take the time to film so I can watch and learn.

When the book discusses male and female roles and all the theory that goes with this, I find myself, my inner being never moving from it's belief. You see I like being in my home and I like looking after my man. I truly enjoy some of the most simple things in my life like hanging out fresh laundry on the clothsline, ironing and putting away my cloths ready to choose an outfit next time I open the cupboard door. I like a clean house, I like cooking a cake, I enjoy learning to sew and knit and garden.

And on the other hand I love the things my husband does for me. I do not mow the yard or chop down trees or build things out of wood. There is nothing wrong with a woman doing those things it is just that this is our relationship and our home and we have a lovely flowing relationship that works. He loves to be looked after and so do I. We compliment each other. We support each other. We encourage each other. Everyones home will look different but in the end someone has to do the little jobs and if each person is arguing over who's place it is in the home to do those things then it can only lead to discomfort and agression. We can count on each other to help the other if asked. For example if I ask for Mick to vacum the house, he will do it, not begrudgingly but with a helpful spirit. I get up and make his lunch each day and see him of to work. He takes interest in my projects and shows them of to people. He especially likes my food and never fails to tell everyone who will listen as to how he feels he never eats the same things twice.

For many years I went with what society seemed to place in front of me. Raising a family and working fulltime. I was always good at what ever job I had and would rise quite quickly through the management steps. I had some fun and learnt some skills but, and this is the big but, to what cost was all of this. I have no money to show for it and those skills I have chosen to keep reusing are the ones that have helped me in my life now. I am not one for regret but I will say that I have had many a moment where I wish that I could do it all over again and choose differently. I cannot get my children back to being young and doing things differently with them. Time is such a precious commodity and we try so hard to save time and do things quickly and effeciently but somewhere along the line we lose out so badly.

My Dad gave a speech at my wedding. He said few words and put a tear in everyones eye. He said that he wished with all of his heart that he could have back all of the times that he told me he was too busy for me to come crawl up on his lap for a cuddle and that it was just to late for so many things he wished he had done.

So to me this book is about those things that are so important. Recapturing family and family ties. Recapturing the home. Recapturing your life. Living within your means and making that threshold achievable. Being honest and realistic in what we actually need in our lives. It is about enjoying being different, really being proud about your life choices. It's about the fact that you are simply not alone in this journey as there are so many people doing the same thing and making the same choices.

Oh my goodness I can't stop writing. So much to say. I will put a few quotes from the book below.


"But, like the Queen of Hearts in Alice in wonderland, many Radical Homemakers believe, and live, the impossible. They embrace a reality that is wildly different from conventional thinking, dubbed here, in the spirit of the Queen of Hearts, as the six "impossible" things:

• Nobody cares what (or if) you drive.
• Housing does not have to cost more than a single moderate income can afford (and even cost less)
• Health can be achieved without making monthly payments to an insurance company.
• Child care is not a fixed cost.
• Education can be acquired and not bought.
• Retirement is possible, regardless of income."

"Thoreau wrote that "my greatest skill has been to want but little." That sentiment is at the heart of mastering Radical Homemaking. One of the most important determinations a Radical Homemaking family can make in their lives is identifying the point at which they have enough. We are forever cajoled by our culture to pursue more - a higher income, bigger houses, better cars, more stuff. But all that comes at a cost even beyond the monetary price and impact on our environment. To aquire more, we must surrender more of our life energy to earn the means to buy it or maintain it."

Cheers,
Wendy

Too Much Stuff and Homemade Laundry Powder

We went for a long drive together, hubby and I. We had quotes to do and thankfully won some more work for the coming week. We had one thing after another to be thankful for all day. I won't list them here as they are so small to everyone else but all add up to making our lives more secure, peaceful and enjoyable.

I have recently commented on a few other blogs in the past day or two and a topic that came up again was a serious lack of understanding in any way, shape or form to simply purchasing TOO MUCH STUFF. Not from the blogs I read. These just underlined this issue even further and made me think about my own habits and the consumer habits of those I know. (and don't know)

This one story which is not to try and bag this person out but just go to show how confused and out of balance some people are. I have a friend. She is an extremely hard working person. Now for as long as I have known her she has worked for the same company and given them so much of her life. I nearly followed in her footsteps but thankfully saw that the ladder was on the wrong wall and didn't climb all the way to the top. I know I would have fallen of it if I had made it up there. I do admire her ethics and she is one of the fairest bosses you could ever ask for. But...

She simply works all of the time. She now has a partner and a child. I am so happy for her and when we caught up last time it was fantastic. The only thing was that between three couples it took booking a weekend three months in advance to make this catch up possible.

While sitting around and talking she showed us the plans for there extension on there house. The extension is simply to have an ensuite, a walk in closet and a bigger bedroom. One child and a huge house that is within walking distance to every shop you can imagine and also pristine beachs and parklands. WOW. Then she asked me if I thought $7000 was a ood price to have all of her window frames powder coated a new colour. She now wants black to match the new window that will be on the extension (at the back of the house where only they will see it). Now a big patio and deck and living areas I can understand but I was litterally gob smacked. I was just not the right person to ask. Our lives are like chalk and cheese and I have no problem with that usually but this one just got to me. What a waste of money. I asked how many hours she had to work for the company she is sick of working for to have those black frames on her windows? I asked her WHY? Usually I try very hard not to be over the top with people and just lead by example but seriously there comes a time when I find I just have to say what I think. And that was the fact that she shouldn't ask me because I am not going to give her the answer she wants. She talks about wanting to stay at home and then she gets confused because after all of these years as a carrerr womon she is not sure that she could handle it. She hates going to work most days and for all the time in the wrold she has given them they do not respond in kind. She can own her home in a very few years and step back to partime work. She could choose to be retired as such and live of one income within one year I expect. But... there is the extension, the patio, maybe the pool.

The thing is these things never end. I was talking to my daughter the other day. She and her family are just starting of on the family life and she was saying that there is always something she would like and her partner would like but they realise that they simply can't have it all so they settle for a little at a time of what they can have. I have NEVER met such a young responsible family EVER. I agreed with what she said and complimented her and her partner on learning this lesson very early in life.

THE FACT IS - THERE IS ALWAYS A LIST OF THINGS PEOPLE WANT. YOU CAN WRITE THIS LIST AND CROSS THINGS OF ONE AT A TIME. BUT BEFORE YOU GET TO THE END OF THE LIST YOU ARE NOW ADDING OTHER THINGS TO THE LIST.

Like my friend I see so many people that are caught in this spiral and don't know it or ar so confused that they don't know where to stop. But that's the answer. STOP. Just stop and think and stay away from the media, the shops and the lists. It is not hard in the end and the excuse that it is too hard does not cut with me. Thousands of people, probably millions of people are doing this daily. STOP CONSUMING.

I have read a few books on this topic and highly recommend them if you have not already read them. The first is YOUR MONEY OR YOUR LIFE by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin. The second one is ENOUGH by John Naish.

I am going to post these books to my friend with the offer to read them. I will ask her not to throw them in the bin. LOL. Maybe just maybe she will have an AH HA MOMENT and the lightbulbs go of and she will be on her way to being freer than she thought was possible. Gotta try.

QUESTION - how many hours of labour in your work do you have to exchange for that thing - that item that you want? Is it worth it? Sometimes it is and you should enjoy it. But most times it does not bring you any lasting pleasure and it is short lived and the next thing on the list is purchased and then discarded over and over again.

I would love to hear your comments.

Okay below is my recipe for Washing Powder for my washing machine. I have a Front Loader but it works in a Top Loader as well. I am sur you can find this recipe on many other websites. I don't even know where I got the final idea from. I tried a few different ways and this is what works for me. As I said last post I would let you know of things I now make myself and how I do it. It is there for the taking or it may put you on the track to search out your own ideas. But the bottom line is you have to do something and start somewhere. The less products I buy from the grocery store the better. The less dependant I am on them and the better of the environment is. I get excited when my garbage bin has very little rubbish in it.

WASHING POWDER

I use all natural cleaning products in my home – I buy no chemical packaged shop bought cleaners in my home – I have discovered the best ever washing powder you can make at home for your laundry. Now I use a front loader machine and you do not need any more than a heaped tablespoon of this mix to do your washing. (it is tempting to use more but you just simply do not have to) I do not use fabric softener as the washing soda acts as a fabric conditioner . My husband gets itchy from the shop bought stuff and I sneeze like crazy because of the scents that are added to them. This is scent free, it works and it is bloody cheap and easy to make. My whites are white and my colours are bright. LOL. Oh and you can wash your woolens in this as well. Try this recipe. I make up the below recipe in lots of 10 and then store in a big sealed bucket in my laundry. Takes a half hour to make with a food processor grating the soap and lasts for months and months.


Finely Grate 1 cake of pure sunlight soap – laundry section of the supermarket (or you can use a cup of Lux flakes)

Add 1 cup washing soda – powder form not cyrstal – from laundry section

Add 1 500gr packet of Bi-Carb soda – homebrand packet – cheapest one you can find

Add 1 cup borax (now I get this from my local feed store in bulk lots – it is cheaper that getting a small container from Bunnings.

Now mix it all together and use a tablespoon each load of washing.

let me know if you like it.

Below is link to a wonderful thought provoking post. It is uplifting amongst all the doom and gloom (justified or not) and shows how we can all be part of a huge revolution and start to take our lives back. Live our lives for ourselves. Please take the time to read it. And you might also like to read BLESSED UNREST by Paul Hawken.

Revolution in the air


Cheers,
Wendy