Being a Vancouver Mom

I was recently featured in Vancouver Mom, which for years has been one of my go-to online places to connect with the local mommy community and find out what’s new and exciting to bring my kids to. Becoming a mom was really the spark that ignited the fire for me in terms of wanting to actively create the kind of world I wanted to live in.

Prior to motherhood, I was definitely a fast fashion shopaholic. I only really became aware of Organic Cotton when I started shopping for bedding and clothing for my new baby girl. I only started paying attention to fabric content, chemical additives and where things were made when it came to choosing what would be touching my daughter’s beautiful, newborn skin. Of course, I wanted only the very best for her! It took a few years, but gradually I started looking at my own closet and began examining what I was choosing to put on my skin, too.

Now, our whole family tries to “Buy better, choose well, make it last.” That doesn’t mean that our closets are filled with 100% sustainable and ethically made clothes. I wish I could say that. But we’re definitely not there yet, and that’s OK.

I can proudly say that all our family’s clothing choices are now made consciously. When my now pre-teen daughter drags me into the mall to the big name retailers that have the shoes and t-shirts and hair bows that she “has to have(!!!)”… we talk about that. She knows to look at clothing labels, just as she does food labels, and she makes her buying choices with that information in mind.

At Wallis Evera, we believe that everything we do as individuals – our thoughts, what we say, our choices, actions, connections – it all matters. We value individuality and celebrate the beauty in our differences. Change happens slowly for some, and suddenly for others. But I do believe that a great deal of change starts with a conversation.

The conversations I have within my family and circle of friends are the some of most important moments that I’ll ever have. Our conversations are when we share our thoughts and values, and these shape our actions and future together. Not every outcome is as I wish… but the process – the conversation – is there, and that’s worth something.