Sustainable Mama

22/03/2026

Sadly didn’t win the pumpkins growing contest this year…. The winner came in at 48kg 🫤😮 for my first time growing a giant pumpkin variety I had a lot of fun and learnt a lot along the way. I’ll be taking seeds from this year one to save to grow again next year and fingers crossed I’ll aim for 48kg too!

……..if you are still reading then you must want to know how big mine was…. A tiny 12.8kg, but in my eyes she was a whopping 48kg 🥰🥹😅

21/03/2026

20/03/2026

Here we are at the Leeston Fete 🥳 should be a great day!

13/03/2026

Found the most amazing “bumblebee village” at school camp this week! It had close to a hundred bumblebees absolutely loving this plant! 🌱 can anyone identify it for me? I’d love to grow some 🐝

03/03/2026

Growing Veggies in Pots (Right Pot Size) 🥕🪴 Container gardening gets SO much easier when your pot is big enough. 🙌
A simple shortcut: bigger pot = steadier moisture = happier plants. Quick tips for success:
🕳️ Always use drainage holes (roots hate soggy soil)
🧴 Use potting mix, not garden soil (it compacts in pots)
💧 In hot weather, check daily—containers dry fast
And if your plant keeps wilting even with water… it may be root-bound and ready for a bigger home. 🌱

03/03/2026

A raised bed does not need to be filled with expensive bought compost. This layering method turns free materials into fertile growing medium while avoiding the considerable cost of purchasing topsoil and bagged compost by the cubic metre. 🌱

19/02/2026

Beeswax candles and Scarlett’s needles felting will be returning to the Saturday Leeston Market tomorrow. All our Christmas candles will be on sale to make way for more cool candles ideas I have 😎
Scarlett’s felting will also be making her popular fairies and gnomes and doing orders for felted poppy’s for Anzac Day 🌸 see you there 🌞

18/02/2026

24/01/2026

I’m having a 20% off sale for ALL CHRISTMAS THEMED CANDLES
Beeswax candles never go off and never lose their beauty, we are simply just clearing stock for other new candles that will make their appearance this year!
The link to buy is down below or on my instagram page!
While stocks last

https://felt.co.nz/listing/605489

11/01/2026

Alcohol culture is so normalized we invented "family-friendly bars."

Think about that for a second.

A place where the primary activity
is consuming a substance that alters your state...

and we bring our kids.

Because there's a patio.

Because they serve chicken tenders.

Because there's outdoor seating
and it's "casual."

So we tell ourselves it's fine.

We're not getting drunk.

We're just having a couple.

The kids are playing.

Everyone's having fun.

But here's what's actually happening:

Your kid is watching.

They're watching you order drinks.

They're watching other adults get louder, looser,
less inhibited.

They're watching the progression.

And they're learning something
you're not saying out loud:

This is normal.

Adults go to bars.

Adults drink at lunch.

Adults need alcohol to relax on a Saturday afternoon.

You think you're teaching them
that drinking can be casual.

But what you're actually teaching them
is that alcohol is always present.

It's at restaurants.
It's at parks.
It's at kid birthday parties now.
It's at brunch.
It's at the zoo.

There's nowhere you go
where it's not an option.

And that becomes their baseline.

They don't learn,
"Alcohol is something adults do occasionally."

They learn,
"Alcohol is something adults need everywhere."

So when they're 16
and drinking at a party...

they're not rebelling.

They're doing exactly
what you taught them.

Social situations include alcohol.
Casual hangouts include alcohol.
Good weather includes alcohol.

It's just... always there.

I've worked with thousands of people
who grew up in "moderate drinking" households.

And the pattern is always the same:

Their parents weren't alcoholics.
They weren't abusive.
They just... always had a drink.

At dinner.
At the lake.
At the game.
At family gatherings.

And now as adults?

They can't imagine
a social situation without it either.

Not because they're addicted.

Because it was always the baseline.

That's what "family-friendly bars" teach.

Dependency.

Family-friendly bars don't exist...