Ready to Link it up? Here we go!

For Your Viewing Pleasure (and Education):

The Story of Stuff – Graphically illustrates the hidden costs of our consumerism . You may not buy into all of this, but it’s still totally worth your time. She compresses about a book’s worth of info into this well-put-together 20-minute video. http://www.storyofstuff.org/movies-all/story-of-stuff/

The Unplugged Home – much less drastic than an off-the-grid home, this concept is an interesting one. Love the pics! http://www.sunset.com/home/natural-home/unplugging-lifestyle-00418000080483/

Shopping with a Purpose:

Family Pastimes – There’s enough competition in the world. Why are we teaching our kids to win at the expense of others’ loss, even in our board games? This small company is seeking to transform family game night by creating games that encourage cooperation rather than competition. Love it! http://familypastimes.com/index.html

Required Reading:

“Best Articles 2012: The 25 Pieces That Should Be Required Reading for Women” by The Huffington Post. I haven’t yet read them all, but I definitely intend to. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/20/best-articles-2012-women-required-reading_n_2166577.html

“The Most Important Mission Trip You’ll Ever Take” by John Pavlovitz – Hint: You won’t have to go far. This really resonates with me. Why are we so hard on the ones who love us most? http://johnpavlovitz.wordpress.com/2013/01/05/the-most-important-mission-trip-youll-ever-take/