Hi! My name is Karis. I’m married to a wonderful man named Brett, and I am the proud mama of four little kiddos: Evangeline, Theodore, Josephine, and Eleanor. This blog is about our journey to a simpler and, hopefully, more meaningful life through minimalism, waste reduction, DIYing, and authentic spirituality.

Full disclosure – this is not my first foray into the mommy blogging sphere. Each previous experience has been frustrating for me because I am trying to live my values – and my values do not include posting information about myself and my family on the internet [or making a profit off the information either]. I have slowly been making progress toward a less egocentric existence and, while the rest of the world seems to be heading in the opposite direction, I have been trying to disengage from media and devices. So each time, I ended up shutting down my blog.

Then, in December of 2016, I shut down all of my social media accounts. No Twitter, no Instagram, no Facebook. I haven’t used a single hashtag in over a year. The change was liberating. My new-found freedom has been used to give my kids more undivided attention, invest in real relationships, actually talk to my husband, improve my skills in the kitchen, read more books, evaluate my spirituality, and readjust my priorities.

[Update: I rejoined Instagram in May 2019 so that I could better engage with and learn from the low waste community – and because it is easier for me to communicate regularly through short insights rather than full blog posts. If you want to see what I’m up to on a more frequent basis, you can follow me @no.makeup.mama.]

So, why start a blog? What changed?

Honestly, I feel too strongly about these topics to stay silent. Maybe it is hypocritical for me to have a blog – I honestly don’t know. I’m not trying to make money and I don’t have delusions of fame or chart-topping book deals at the end of this. I just want a place to share the changes we have been making as a family, and I really hope to find some like-minded individuals that can provide a sense of community so I don’t feel so alone on this journey to a simple, authentic life. And, if I’m lucky, I will inspire some people along the way to become like-minded – to put down their phones, to live on less, to give back more, to make things from scratch, to protect the planet, to plant their own food, to make healthier choices, and to enjoy all the pleasures that a simple life has to offer.

So, if it is interesting to you, come along for the ride! And if you are one of those like-minded people I mentioned, please reach out! I would love to hear from you!

Karis