Vagenda for March 2023

Hello there,

It's been a minute (honestly, much closer to 526,600 minutes) since my last newsletter. I'm thankful that for most of that time, my life has been fairly calm and stable-- a welcome change from the awful rollercoaster of 2020 and 2021.

Early this year, I unexpectedly sold my site, The Maker Mom. For the first time in nearly two decades, I don't have a website or blog. I feel Internet naked! So, of course, I'm working on something new. Several somethings, actually. I hope at least one thing will pique your interest.

I have big plans for Scrappy Affirmations. Well, big plans for the future. Moderate plans for now. As my inspirational new piece of art from Chai Wolfman notes, I'm all about Progress over Perfection.

The First Official Scrappy Affirmations Workshop

Join me next Wednesday evening, March 29, for Collage & Cocktails (or non-alcoholic, but less alliterative mocktails) at Take Flight Spirits, Skokie's new woman-owned craft distillery.

I'll start the fun off with a few prompts to help you reflect on what brings you a sense of joy and fulfillment. Then you’ll dive into the creative process. Play with magazines! Washi tape! Sharpies! Sparkly things! as you cover your canvas with cheer.

All materials will be provided and no experience is needed. I hope to see you there.

Let's Eat Cookies and Talk About Death

It's always too early to talk about death. Until it's too late. It turns out that Sunday, April 16 will be the perfect time to talk about death (and eat cookies)...with me!

Join the in-person conversation on 4/16 from 10 - Noon at The Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston (click for deets). I'll also host a related Zoom session on a weekday evening in late April. The Zoom date is TBD, but you can email me if you want to be in the know.

Birthday Cereal for Isaac

Isaac's birthday is April 7. He would have been 25. While no parent would choose to host a memorial project over a celebration, this is the hand I've been dealt. I hope you will support our 3rd annual birthday cereal drive and do other good deeds in Isaac's name.

When my boys were young, we suspended our healthy breakfast requirements on their birthdays. Each boy got to pick whatever sugar-laden, artificial-everything cereal he wanted. I invite you to join me in donating a box or two of sweet breakfast cereal or morning treats that don't require milk to your local food pantry or little free food pantry in his memory.

Here's a photo of our 2022 donation comprised of our purchases and generous donations that people dropped off at our house. Many more boxes and breakfast treats were distributed in communities across the country. I'm grateful for any level of participation.

And Now for Something Different

As part of my commitment to living a more eco-friendly lifestyle, I've joined the leadership of my local Go Green group and am serving on my town's environmental commission. Along those lines, I'm going to host a party for locals to celebrate International Compost Awareness Week.

What does a Compost Party look like? Watch this space to find out! (Yeah, I'm making it up as I go along.) There will be demos, door prizes, snacks, and our library's Book Bike will be there loaded with Earth-friendly books and "library of things" gadgets, like a soil tester.

If you already compost your food scraps, you know how great it feels to divert hundreds of pounds of waste from a landfill each year. But I also look forward to sharing super simple composting options available through my municipality that make it easy for people without yards to cut back on their food waste.

If you live in my town and want to show off your compost bin, let me know if you'd like to be part of the compost tour that will be a part of the festivities.

Until Next Time...

Do you remember being this excited about recess? Simple joys, people.

Drop me a note to let me know what's capturing your interest these days.

Kim

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