Dare #20 - Cook Green

So in keeping with out GREEN challenges in July, this week we are aiming to avoid single use plastics (like disposable coffee cups, plastic bags, cling wrap, straws and buying water in bottles) and trying one recipe from a list of plastic free choices.

Here's the list: and it's a long one with some weird things :)

The dare is easy.....choose and make one plastic free recipe this week.

If you are like me, doing this challenge in the first 8 days of July is really making me conscious of how much single use plastic we use and throw away. I have been trying to make some fairly small changes, mostly in recycling bags and the like, storing left overs in Tupperware and using homemade baby wipes. It feels good to be doing even something little to help the planet, and after all, God charged us with being 'benevolent caretakers' of this planet, so I had better take that job seriously.

What can you add to your list this week to help you be GREENER? 

Kirsty

Dare #19 - Go Green!

Hi readers!
Today I am wearing blue...the sky is blue...my favourite eye colour is still blue...and the dares for all of July will be about being GREEN!!!

I am making life a little easier on me and linking in with http://www.plasticfreejuly.org/index.html. The challenge this month is to go plastic free...single use plastic that is. Check out the page on the link to discover more....or just keep checking out my Facebook posts on I Dare You to have a go at the weekly challenges.

I have registered online at http://www.plasticfreejuly.org/index.html to avoid the Top 4 single use plastics for all of July. I can't guarantee 100% success, but I am having a go. Are you daring enough too as well?

If so, then click on the link above and register....like me and my cousin Jo!

Okay...it's time to get started.

So this week I will look for alternatives to single use plastics....or at least I will be a lot more conscious of my plastics use....

When you visit the 'how to' section on the plastic free page and check 'alternatives' they provide you with the A-Z of avoiding single use plastics. So many great ideas. Here's a few to consider for the next week...how many do you think are do-able??

Single-Use Plastic Option Bin liner (plastic bag) Deodorant  Doggy doo bags Coffee cup (lid) Gladwrap / cling film Hair brush Pasta Plastic bag Plastic drink bottle Plastic straw Sanitary pads Shampoo Toilet paper Toothbrush Toothpaste

Alternative Line your bin with several layers of  newspaper. Learn how. Make your own (see our recipe) Folded up newspaper Request no lid / take a reusable cup Reusable container / aluminium foil /  fabric wraps Keep an eye out for wooden/bamboo  hairbrushes Make your own, buy in bulk or look for  Barilla branded pasta Arms / reusable bag Reusable drink bottle Lips / metal or glass straw Make your own or buy washable pads online Lush sell hard bar shampoo Look for toilet paper wrapped in paper Look for wooden a toothbrush from  Environment Toothbrush Make your own (see our recipe)

Dare #18 - Cull it!

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To me, the quote above speaks volumes! And makes me smile at how silly we sometimes are.

That said, I am the first to acknowledge that wearing clothes is a good thing! But I sometimes wonder if we need as many as we have. Do our cupboards and walk in robes and drawers need to be full to over flowing? Do we need to keep everything we are not likely to wear again? Do we need to hit the shops - again - to buy more, even though we already have more than enough?

I spent in a year in Africa and saw some interesting clothes situations. One poor crippled man who roamed the streets all day bent almost in half, wore the same brown trousers and shirt every day. And the shirt was literally in tatters. I stopped the bus one day and ran out and have him 2 men's shirts I had bought. He wouldn't take them, so I left them in a bag at his feet saying 'God bless you.' (One of the crazier things I have done but I do hope they blessed him.)

I also met children who had 1 school uniform, 1 set of everyday clothes and 1 Sunday best outfit and you know what...they were still very happy!

So as I look at my over flowing walk in robe at the moment (and yes, the problem is exacerbated by being just out of maternity clothes but still not quite into my 'normal' clothes) I am challenged to clear the clutter. To cull the unnecessary clothes and to pass them on...perhaps someone else needs them, or maybe I can simply pass them on to the op shop so they can sell them and make a few dollars to help charity.

Either way, I am suggesting this new dare be about us taking stock of all that we have (clothes and maybe something else you know needs decluttering in your house - toys is another one for me - not my toys though of course!)...and then spend 10 minutes every day this week sorting through a little pile or drawer or rack and disposing of things we don't wear or need or like. And secondly, let's make a dare to NOT shop for clothes for the rest of June and through until July 24. That's a big one considering the sales that are coming up, but I reckon you can do it!

Pass them on....sell them...I don't mind, but let's just try to travel a bit lighter through life this week and into July.

Come on...I dare you!

Blessings -
K

Dare #17 - Accessorise!

Belt....jewellery....scarf....handbag....shoes....beanie.....coffee - what do these all have in common?

Yes, as far as this little non-fashionista knows, they could all be categorised as 'accessories'....well maybe the coffee thing is a little bit of a stretch.

This week's dare is all about adding one to your collection, but in a way that blesses someone else. (BTW, if you don't need another accessory, buy one as a gift for someone else this week.)

But in your buying, purchase something from an organisation that aims to help others so your hard earned (and spent $$) goes to a good cause.

Like...Destiny Rescue.  Check out their shop for some lovely jewellery, hair wear, scarves and coffee too!

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Or...Watoto. Jewellery, bags, dolls...you name it, they have it.

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Both these organisations help children in trouble, DR rescues girls from the sex trade and Watoto gives the vulnerable children of Uganda (in particular) the opportunity of a loving family and more.

You probably know of other organisations who sell accessories to help fund their projects. If so, let us all know through a comment on the blog or Facebook page.

So once again, the dare is....buy a accessorising product this week from an organisation that helps others...treat yourself (or someone else) AND be a blessing! Love this dare!

Blessings -
Kirsty

PS. Hopefully you will continue with Dare #16 right through June and be 'dressing' every day in the things that matter most - compassion, humility, kindness, forgiveness, patience, love, etc...

In every woman's wardrobe, there are certain accessories that cannot be separated from their back stories.  - Sloane Crosley

Dare #16 - Get Dressed

So this morning at 4am.....I did not have a baby.

But I did win the June round of 'pinch & a punch.' I AM BACK in the GAME! (After losing many a month already this year)!

However, more importantly than my win, the June dares are due for release!

On the Facebook page this week I hinted at dares revolving around our wardrobe...be it clothes, accessories, styles. I am still not 100% sure where these dares will take us because as most of you know, clothes and style are not my strong suit.

But as a starting point, I want to get priorities right. So here's a 4 fold dare to get us started out on the right foot as we head into month 6 of this great year...already??

Dare A....read Colossians 3:12-14 in the Bible. Whether you are an avid Bible reader or not at all, these words will resound with anyone who values the finer things in life, the qualities that will enhance our relationships:

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility,gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 

J and I had these verses at our wedding and the message delivered by the pastor who married us revolved around them. I believe they are essential verses to live if you want to do life well.

Dare B....learn these verses this week so you can say them without sneaking a peek. Commit them to memory.

Dare C....write the verses out, or make/print a version of this:

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And stick it somewhere close by your clothes. 

Dare D....Each day, as you physically dress yourself this week, make the conscious decision to dress yourself in these qualities. You might even like to ask God for His help to be all these things this week. Then set about your day wearing compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love. 

Will these dares CHALLENGE us? DO they have the potential to CHANGE us? If we accept the dare, will we BLESS others by living this one? You bet! 

So my friends, get out there and get dressed!

Blessings - 

Kirsty 

Dare #15 - Daring Friends

Just a really quick post to encourage those of you daring to try something new this month to keep on keeping on. What has worked for you? One of my best things has been doing the Joy Dare in photos and also committing to reading the Bible every day. Seeing benefits in doing both these things.

And of course just because May is over on Friday, doesn't mean you can't keep spicing up life with some new and different experiences and habits throughout the year.

My cousin has had a brilliant idea of asking friends to write her dares to complete over the next year, in lieu of presents for her birthday. She's preparing a dare tree to hang the dares on and has even challenged her friends to be brave and have a go at them with her throughout the year. She wants to start pushing herself beyond her comfort zone...truly admirable I think!

So if you feel like your well of inspiration is running dry, how about enlisting the help of a few good friends or family? Maybe a dare from 6 people to complete over the next 6 months will help keep life fresh for you.

I am thinking of tackling that as my last week in May dare....I dare myself to find 6 people to dare me to do 6 new/different things over the next 6 months. 

Any volunteers???

Blessings -
Kirsty

Dare #14 - Do Something NEW

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Time to mix up the year a little. We are heading into the 5th month....definitely time to get out of any ruts you may have fallen into in the past couple of months.

So the dares this month are really up to you, although I will make some suggestions and share my plans.

I have been thinking about trying a few new things, so that's what we are focussing on in the May dares. Call me crazy that at 8 months pregnant I have decided to make some changes, but maybe it is a form of nesting? And in all honesty, most of the things I want to try don't require to much effort or energy, just time really.

So jump on board with me and dare to do things differently or NEW this month. Choose 1 thing and do it for 30 days to make a new habit. Check out Matt Cutts' great TED talk here. Take just 3 minutes of your time to see what he did and be inspired to have a go.

Or choose a few little things ('small and sustainable') and implement the changes throughout the month...maybe try a new recipe every week of May?

My list is quite long, so I will stagger these ideas in terms of when I do them and also when I share them. But here's my first 4:

DO:
1. Read the Bible EVERY day - I get so distracted in the normal day that by the end, I often find that I have not talked to God, or more importantly, listened to Him. So a more concerted effort is needed. Surely helps, as evidenced by a change in my mood yesterday after reading just 1 chapter of James. I was reminded that I need to dwell in His grace and share it, something I wasn't doing. I realised again that all that I need, He can provide...so I prayed for a clean heart, patience, a right attitude and a voice that matches that. And then whack! Look at James 4:17 - If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them. That was me in a nutshell, until I had a chat with God. So more listening needed in May.

2. Declutter our stuff by removing 2 or 3 items/day - I don't think our place is a mess but it could certainly do with a bit of 'thinning of the unnecessary'. So if I don't love it or use it, I am going to try and get rid of it. Freebies anyone??

3. Exercise for 15 minutes/day...obviously there won't be too much strenuous cardio exercise going on here (although a walk to the letter box sure gets the heart rate up and the lungs stretched at the moment), but a little walk or swim each day is surely do-able.

DON'T:
4. Facebook before breakfast or after 8.30pm. Sadly, I can be a bit obsessive about FB, so limiting my times on it will be helpful. Just so long as I don't start getting up super early so breakfast time moves into the 5s or 6s!

Anyway, enough about me...what about you? Who is in? What are you going to do? Doesn't matter if you miss starting on May 1 because May has 31 days! So spend today planning, make a list and then prioritise. What is the one or 3 or 7 NEW things you could realistically implement throughout May? Then...go to it! Change yourself....challenge yourself and maybe along the way you might even bless others!

Blessings -
Kirsty

Don’t fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have. - Anon.