(Illustration: Onya Hogan-Finlay)
You might be asking, “What is a ‘crunchy mom’ and why does she need her own column?”
Great questions.
After a quick Google search, I found a “crunchy mom” is described as a parent who lives a more natural lifestyle and tries to incorporate that into their parenting.
As for why I get to write about this every month? I bribed the Barnacle team with home-made, non-toxic soap wrapped in recycled paper. Just kidding.
I had my daughter in the middle of the pandemic in Toronto and believe me, I was happily using the sanitizer that burned a layer of skin off my hands. But in the years (and another baby) since, I have been making my own home-cleaning products, shopping local and organic as much as possible and hiding the TV in a closet.
My latest obsession? Outdoor time. I don’t need to tell you that kids are spending more time than ever inside on screens. There are many reasons for this and none of them are the fault of children.
This year, one of my many resolutions was the 1000 Hours Challenge where I will try to get my kids outside for 1000 hours over 365 days. We are tracking it every day on the calendar. While this sounds tedious, it is eye-opening to see how much (or how little) time we are spending in nature. This has forced us to stay accountable to our winter target of one hour a day outside (by summer, it will be up to five hours a day). For us, 2024 is all about green time over screen time.
Now please excuse me, my granola is ready.
Bring on the Crunch Lady
I like the outdoor philosophy and practical application.
Looking forward to reading more of her insights.
Perhaps one day I will say hello and join her for a local fishing adventure.