Mama Makes

The main thing we have noted is that come bin day our black bin bags are 1/3 what they used to be but our recycling boxes are overflowing. I'm now starting to wonder why we are given such small recycling boxes! Getting the new recycling system was by far the best purchase for us as a family and has made the biggest change!

Our home grown produce is thriving and we are considering getting a mini greenhouse for the garden as the kids have loved running out every morning to check what has grown the most overnight! Our eldest loves picking the lettuce and helping mummy make a salad for dinner! When we walk around the green groceries I am continually asked has it grown out of the ground or off a tree. It really has ignited an interest in the kids of where our food comes from. Our eldest now loves to help mum cooking and we have loved learning new recipes with the new kitchen equipment especially the pressure cooker! I have no idea how I ever had the time to do a casserole in the oven for half a day! The freezer to oven containers are a live saver when Peter announces he is having another work night out and it is dinner for one!

The battery charger was a huge game changer, I hadn't realised how many batteries we were getting through with the kids noisy plastic toys, the remote controls and Peter's endless electrical goods! The lagom way even took over our home decor, amazed at the amount of paper the kids would consume with their colouring we decided to paint a chalkboard feature in the lounge. It has become the hub of all playdates and I can't remember the last time I bought a pad of paper for the kids to draw on. It has really encourage their creative sides and us parents often get involved too!

My laundry pile has become considerably smaller I no longer chuck clothing into the laundry basket after a day of being worn. I'm more aware that after a hanging out on our storage mirror we can get another days wear out of items.

We will definitely now continue this way of living and recycling it has been such an eye opener and we are so glad we were chosen to be part of the programme.

The whole process has changed our attitudes of sustainability as a family and we all now have a genuine interest in living more economically and environmentally friendly. We have very much become people that preach to our friends and family about the lagom way of life! We have several friends who are wanting to get involved with live lagom and we have recommended they apply next year!

The only failure so far is Peter's reluctance to cycle to work! Some things take longer than 6 months!

2017 is shaping up to be an exciting year for the Dearsley household! We are now a family of 5 and we have been selected to take part in the Ikea Lagom project.

What is Lagom I hear you ask? That was exactly my reaction when my husband told me he had entered us into the project. Lagom is a simple swedish philosphy which means "just the right amount of everything". The idea is that you adapt your home and lifestyle in order to live a more sustainable, healthy and cost concious life style without making any drastic changes to your lifestyle habits.

"Hallelujah" I exclaimed! Now my husband loves to be cost effective however he seriously lacks on the sustainability and healthy lifestyle front. I have been trying to change his ways for our entire relationship and he may fall into line for a few days but then rebels and reverts back to his natural ways!

So a bit about our household...Peter 36, moi 32, Sid 3, Ralph 1 and Dot 4 weeks. We love to be out and about with the kids in all weathers mainly due to the fact my two boys are like dogs and need to exert their high energy levels at least twice a day outside. Peter is a graphic designer and loves art and design. I have recently taken a career break to care for my 3 small humans and love cooking.

We already excel with food waste and it seems half my life is spent bulk cooking, freezing meals, recycling left overs and making packed lunches for our adventures.

Our main New Year resolution is to become better recyclers of our household waste. We have one final renovation to do to our small victorian terrace which is the kitchen extension so we are pretty strapped for space in this area and recycling has always felt like a bit of an uphill battle. This is what our shopping list mainly focused around, we purchased lots of items to help us on this front because as we were learnt in our first lagom workshop size doesnt matter and ikea have recycling solutions to fit all homes. Other items include a vegetable and herb growing equipment to help us grow items indoors all year round that I can incorporate into my cooking. Peter's individual resolution is to become healthier after spending a ridiculous amount on a bike two years ago that has been cycled once (on the way back from the cycle shop) he has decided to begin to cycle to work to get his dad bod in check and instead of his lunchtime binges on junk food he is going to start taking a pack lunch in with him and utilising all the healthy meals I stock up the freezer with.

We hope that by the end of the project we would have made slight changes which will have big effects on our lifestyle. We also want to educate the children so they grow up with this sustainable out look on life and help do their bit to improve the environment. In the same week that us London residents were hit with the severe pollution warning and advised to keep little ones indoors I want to do everything possible to help slow down the damage we have done to the our beautiful world.