Alice Brazier

Today I visited a health food store to buy loose nuts (we eat lots of them in our house). I filled paper bags with loose nuts and, when home, poured them into my mason jars. I wasn't able to get all the varieties I would usually, but the levels of smug happiness balanced it out - this system's a keeper.

With my son's third birthday this week, I was feeling the pressure to meet the child's birthday 'tick box' of modern life. Balloons, decorations, wrapping paper, little toys, big toys, new books, polyester fancy dress, a party...

If there's any area that causes an internal battle about buying plastic, it's where my son is concerned (I'm aware of the irony of that).

It actually was a matter of coming face to face with the fact that my 3 year old, although a lover of plastic toys, actually only wants moments of personal connection - what an epiphany! Although this might be enhanced or facilitated by the games we can play with the odd piece of plastic, it's actual pretty peripheral. 

A central part of what makes parenting so hard is the feeling that you're never doing enough for your kid(s). The marketing and selling of numerous objects made of cheap plastic, really taps into this fear.

I came to the following practical conclusions about my purchases -

- Cake to be decorated with sugar icing, as it'll dissolve, unlike Plasticine, we don't have to eat it
- House to be decorated with paper streamers instead of balloons 

Party bags
- One gift for each child - in this case a made-to-last metal and glass magnifying glass for our 'nature walk' rather than numerous cheap plastic items in a plastic bag.

Gifts for the birthday boy
- Plastic is a very durable product, for things which your going to use for years it's brilliant. I focused my money on expensive plastic toys which are known to last - Playmobil in this case - I know that even years after he's stopped playing with this, I can resell to someone else, in almost the same condition and for almost the same value I brought it for. 
- Fancy dress is about cardboard and old clothes - cut up old clothes, staple them with cardboard, glue pieces of magazine on, paint it all - that's fancy dress.
- Less is more - I want to teach him that materialism isn't what life's about. If I buy him lots of toys I'm not giving him that message.

I've started visiting the local fruit and veg shop. The range isn't as good and, kept in the heat, they often look a bit wilted. I've come to the conclusion that I'm still going to buy fine British Asparagus, cherries, and Cox' apples from the supermarket... but the local broccoli, potatoes, carrots, onions and bananas will do just fine. 

At my local butcher, there's no information about where the meat comes from or how the animal was treated in it's life. I'm wary to ask for more information in case I don't like the answer !