Stephanie Marie Seferian's Blog, page 32

Simplifying Kids’ Craft Clutter

“Do you have any tips for making kids arts and crafts more sustainable? I have a craft shelf that the kids love. I keep it stocked and love to encourage their creativity, but it feels so wasteful!”

 

Pom pons, glitter glue, and googly eyes, oh my.

While we all want to provide our children with opportunities to express their creativity, I believe there’s a fine line between offering artistic inspiration and being wasteful. (While we’re at it, there’s also a fine line between tidy art spaces and o...

Minimalism: Your Life and Career

Your Minimalism-Guided Life And Career

 

67% of workers say excessive meetings keep them from getting their best work done, and up to half of an employee’s day is wasted on unproductive effort (source). While we are well-versed in the whys and hows of slow living in our personal lives, our professional ones may be hindered by societal expectations and workplace norms.

This week, Chris Lovett and I examine the ways in which hard work, materialism, and busyness collide. Chris had a series of light...

Using The Whole Pumpkin (& The Whole Apple)

Apple pie, Jack-o-lanterns, and gourds galore: Autumn has arrived!

Saving money and environmental resources starts by reducing—or even better, eliminating—food waste in your home. With a bit of forethought, we can get creative in the kitchen and commit to making use of *entire* food items this fall.

In this short and sweet episode I’m offering my best suggestions for using every part of our favorite fall foods—pumpkins and apples—including the pumpkin’s guts, the apple’s core, and more.

 

Here’s...

Going Car-Light

Automobiles convey freedom and status. They’re also a symbol of modern convenience: why walk when you can drive? Why take public transit if you can ride in the comfort of what’s decidedly yours?

But a car’s convenience comes with a host of environmental problems that extend beyond the obvious guzzling of gas (which indeed comprises approximately 80-percent of a car’s impact). An automobile’s beforelife requires excessive energy expenditure in the creation of  the steel, rubber, glass, and other ...

5 Questions That Determine An Item’s Potential

“I really like fixing and building, and my wife and I like to go around on garbage day and pick up useful odds and ends. This of course also turns into a lot of stuff from a minimalist perspective. How do you deal with useful things that have no specific purpose yet?”

 

I believe that determining an item’s potential starts first by knowing thyself. On today’s show, I’m explaining my concept of the eco-minimalist spectrum; I’m also offering 3 tips for managing that space where—when we contemplate...

What’s Work-Life Balance?

What’s work-life balance?

Amidst 2021’s frenetic pace, curating a life that satisfies your professional, financial, and familial obligations and also leaves space for fun may seem unattainable. What’s work-life balance, and is achieving such balance even possible?

Today I speak with author, chef, and farm CEO Shannon Hayes. Despite her many professional endeavors, Shannon makes sure to find time for coffee dates with her husband, afternoon naps, and martini dance parties in the kitchen. Shannon ...

How To Make Soap At Home

“I have to ask about your handmade soap recipe. How do you make soap at home? I’ve been thinking about making my own for a while (maybe also add some oat pulp that remains from making oat milk?). It would be interesting to see if there’s a minimalist and safe way to  make homemade soaps.”

 

Ever wondered how to make soap at home? Here’s a secret: soap making is ridiculously easy; it’s also fun! In this short-and-sweet episode I’m answering a listener’s question about how to make cold process soa...

The Global Food Supply Chain Under Strain

Supermarkets rose to prominence in the 1960’s and these days, the grocery store is the Number One place where Americans buy food.

But supermarkets have disconnected us from our food; worse, the global food chain is responsible for up to one third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.

Making smart food decisions starts by first understanding the intricacies of global food supply chain. This week I speak with Airly co-founder Jennifer McKnight. Jennifer believes it’s important for companie...

The Best Parenting App for iPhone and Android

Parenting help: A mindfulness app for iPhone and Android

 

I’ve struggled with anxiety and irritability in motherhood for as long as I can remember. And the COVID-19 pandemic? Its challenges have exacerbated my feelings of anger and powerlessness.

I used to rely on meditation and yoga to recenter and, while they certainly helped in the moment, neither offered long-term reprieve.

So when life at home went off the rails and I didn’t have the patience to pivot? My first impulse has always been to r...

How To Protect Yourself From EMFs At Home

Electromagnetic fields (or EMFs, for short) are all around us. While anything that uses electricity deploys EMFs, the rise of wireless technology has exponentially increased our exposure to EMFs in recent years. But what’s particularly concerning is that such products that boast convenience—the wireless ones, the “smart”ones—aren’t necessarily safe for ourselves or for our families. In fact, the research is quite conclusive: EMF and 5G exposure impacts almost all systems in our bodies; it’s link...