Mantra

Though I already have my theme for the year ("Enjoy the Ride" - a forgiving motto to set the tone for my first year as a mama), I love love love this mantra found at Natural Family Living Blog:

Use it Up
Wear it Out
Make it Do
Or Do Without

This old school motto is a wonderful counter to our obsession with consumption and our misplaced feelings of entitlement. Try it - it works! I found a cozy bathrobe on sale last weekend and although I own a perfectly good one, I found myself justifying the purchase: "It's a new colour" ... "It's a slightly more luxurious material" ... "I've had this one for 10 years!"

When I recalled "Make it Do or Do Without" it conjured images of my grandmother's "tupperware" - a 1970s becel container that she used over and over until finally it cracked a few years back. So, while I continue to have a working solution, it just does not make sense to indulge in something new. Instead I'll use up what I've got and look forward to the day that my bathrobe wears out.