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The Minimal-ish Mama

Style Made With Love, and Fighting Trafficking with Lipsticks

in Ethical Fashion, Style on 10/12/12

Joe and Jessica just wanted to raise funds for their adoption by selling locally made fair trade jewelry, but God had so much more in mind. Today, NoonDay Collections helps numbers of other families afford adoptions, and provides families around the world with a good job and fair wage. Nicole left her dream job as a beauty editor in New York City to spend a year in Thailand, where amongst trafficked women and those trapped in commercial prostitution, she felt like she belonged. After returning to the states, she founded Radiant Cosmetics to fight trafficking one lipstick at a time.

You might have noticed their buttons along the sidebar, but in case you haven’t visited yet, here’s why I love Noonday and Radiant:

Noonday Collection

“At Noonday Collection, we believe every child belongs in a family. While the owner is no longer raising money for their Rwandan adoption (though they think more adoptions will come), the vision remains the same. We advocate for the orphan by:

  • Providing jobs that create a pathway out of poverty for families. A stable income means a family is less likely to abandon their child.
  • Help families raise money for their own adoptions. We give 10% of trunk show sales directly to the adoptive family when they host a trunk show.
  • Aside from donating 10% towards qualified adoptive families, Noonday Collection also gives towards orphan care and prevention. Watch the video to see one of our beneficiaries.
  • The dream: Take YOU on a trip to visit artisans and visit orphans in their distress.”

Some of my favorite items (although it’s really hard to choose just a few!) include:

Patchwork Clutches
The Dainty Everyday Neclace
And of course, my bracelet! 
Check out all of their products at representative Whitney’s page here. And stay tuned for a fabulous giveaway from NoonDay later here on the blog!

Radiant Cosmetics

Nicole says about Radiant Cosmetics: 

The cosmetics industry generates $170 billion annually. Women dominate this industry and of the over 2 million human beings trafficked each year, 80% are women and girls. My dream is to awaken a generation of women to not sit back and allow this injustice to happen to our fellow sisters. My dream is to set the captives free, one lipstick at a time.

20% of each purchase goes to Redeemed Ministries, a faith based anti-trafficking organization.

Nicole sent me this lovely shade of moisturizing lipstick:

I’m pretty conservative with my lipstick, so the Peony shade appealed to me. It’s almost the natural color of my lips, but with an extra touch of pink. 

I LOVE it. I’ve been wearing it everywhere. To see in in action, I’m wearing it in almost all of the pictures in last Wednesday’s post introducing what I’m wearing this month.

I’m also planning to try these products:

Perfect Finish Concealer
Mineral Loose Foundation Powder
And Keratin Mascara
In closing, I hope this week has encouraged you to take action. Caring for the orphans and widows comes down to making a choice. Sometimes that choice is as simple as switching to fair trade coffee or Radiant lipstick. Sometimes it’s harder, like spending less on myself so I can give more to others. 
Have you taken any action this week? If not, look back over this week’s posts. You can: 
1. Look inside your closet, finding out where your clothes are made. 
2. Discover your slavery footprint.
3. Choose fair trade items when shopping.
4. Download the Free2Work app to find the most ethical companies by industry. 
5. Shop with companies who put your money to good use. 
If you’ve completed some of the actions above, let us know about it in the comments!

« Fight Slavery? There’s An App For That
An Update, And The 10th Item Reveal! »

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We Should Hang Out On Instagram

I was quoted as an expert in an @apartmentguide ar I was quoted as an expert in an @apartmentguide article, a subsidiary of Redfin. Check out the featured article "What is a nesting party? And how can you host one at home?" at the link in my bio!

(I'm in the "Laundry" section!)
I almost didn't post the video of our main floor b I almost didn't post the video of our main floor bathroom, because it isn't "done." But how silly is that? Is any house project ever really "done" anyway? 😂

It's come a long way, thanks to the magic of paint and peel & stick wallpaper. I would love your ideas for improving it more! 

I think a brass shower curtain rod is a must, but what about painting the ceiling blue? Peel and stick tile?

Watch the transformation on my Youtube channel.
Less = More! In “Why Parents are Drowning in T Less = More! 

In “Why Parents are Drowning in Toys,” an article from Box, “US toy sales jumped from $22.3 billion in 2019 to $26 billion in 2020, and then to $30.1 billion in 2021 …”

BILLIONS. 

And in a study from the early 2000s, average middle class homes had 139 toys visible, with countless more hidden away. 😳

If your kids struggle to pick up, it could be that there are just too many toys. It could also be that there isn’t a clear home for the toys. Or a combination of both!

My free guide on toy decluttering walks you through the process of decluttering toys and breaks down the overwhelming project into small steps.

Grab the guide at the link in my profile! 

#springcleaning #minimalisthome #minimalismwithkids #declutteryourlife
Have your 🥧 and eat it too! Minimalism isn’t Have your 🥧 and eat it too! Minimalism isn’t just about having less.

It’s about CHOOSING less, to have MORE.

Less impulse spending, MORE saving for vacation. 

Less stuff to manage, MORE free time.

For us, homeschooling this year has meant less of a lot of things - like alone time, work, going to the store by myself, to name a few - but it’s also meant more conversations, more unstructured play, more baking 🤣

This is why minimalism won’t look the same for anyone. You have to choose the things that enrich your life, and say no to the rest.

What’s something you’re choosing less of in this season of life?

#minimalisthome #minimalismwithkids #homeschoollife #homeschooling
It’s snowing and icy outside right now, so it’ It’s snowing and icy outside right now, so it’s perfect timing to watch my YouTube video, “My First Year of Gardening”! It gave me so much hope editing this video and remembering that spring WILL come again!

The video is a recap of my gardening experiment, starting in January and ending in October. Bennett is my gardening buddy, and his commentary throughout is just precious 🤣

Watch the video at the link in my bio for my YouTube channel 🌷
It doesn’t have to cost a lot to get organized!# It doesn’t have to cost a lot to get organized!#springcleaning 

The only thing I bought to make our back door entryway more functional was a larger rug. I re-purposed shoe racks and hangers I already had. 

What made all the difference was taking a few minutes to pull everything out and discover just how much was cluttering up the closet, and get rid of it! 

Now we each have three pairs of shoes down here (snow boots/sandals, tennis shoes, rain boots for the boys, slippers, boots and sneakers for me, sneakers, work boots, and slippers for Brian).

🏠 What’s one small space in your home that you just need to spend a little time on making more functional? 

#springcleaning #cleanwithme #springcleaningchecklist #getorganized
Six months 🎀 Six months 🎀
Edison complained ALL DAY about our plan to see th Edison complained ALL DAY about our plan to see the Glimmer Lights at @fenimorefarmcv after Christmas - he didn’t want to go outside, he didn’t want to ride in the car for that long, etc.etc.etc. 

But after we parked and started unloading the stroller, he came around the side of the car and announced: “I’ve decided that since I’m here, I’m going to enjoy it.” 

And he proceeded to have a wonderful time 😂

That statement sums up how I feel about winter. 🥶 

Instead of dreading it and being miserable for four, five? months, since I’m here, I might as well enjoy it!

In case you’re a fellow SAD sufferer (Seasonal Affective Disorder) here’s a few things that are helping:

1. Going outside, even for a few minutes. I never want to, but we have had so much fun having nighttime snowball fights, skating on the frozen swamp, or just sitting and watching birds. It’s hard, but worth it!

2. Drinking copious amounts of hot tea and hot chocolate. Bonus points for thrifting a cool mug for the occasion! 

3. Wearing comfy clothes. I know everyone has been doing it since 2020 but I bought myself a matching sweatshirt and sweatpants for Christmas and now I’m ruined because I never want to wear real clothes again 🤣

4. Shamelessly hurkle durkling. The Scottish word means something like “to lie in bed after you should have gotten up.” I’m nap trapped, okay?!

5. Get the gear. I bought winter gloves that actually keep my hands warm (life changing). Last year I bought snow pants, and now I’m on the lookout for a good winter coat (my zipper broke) and snow boots that don’t cost an arm and a leg! 

It’s amazing how much more enjoyable winter is when you dress for it 🤣

Any tips for getting through the cold and gray days?
Happy Betwixmas! I just learned that that’s what Happy Betwixmas! I just learned that that’s what they call this liminal period between Christmas and New Year’s in England, and I think we need to make it a thing.

After a quiet and slow Christmas at home, I’m now staying up until 1am, sleeping until noon, reading, and playing too much Zelda.

In past years, I spent this time journaling, making vision boards, charts, and goal setting to prepare for the new year. But I just don’t have that kind of energy anymore 🤣 

You’re probably already getting bombarded with “New Year, New You!” messages, and while a small part of me feels like I “should” be posting decluttering tips and before and after transformations, I also feel “betwixt.” 

Betwixt the past version of myself, and the new chapter  slowly unfolding. After each of my babies, I birthed a new version of myself, marked by paradigm shifts in my career, my home - and less visible changes in my dreams, perspective, and beliefs. After the confusion of matresence, I find a new purpose and direction.

I trust that this will happen again, in time. The page of the next chapter will turn. I’ll find a new direction or rediscover joy in an old one. And in the meantime, I’ll enjoy the in-between, the small moments of everyday beauty.
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