TutupListen to Life
Most importantly
I am a mother.
Anna Margaret runs Le Souk Le Souk, an online boutique,
dealing with women designers who use ethical and sustainable practices.
My lifestyle has to conform to being a mother.
I think just raising children is so important because that's where our future will be – those are the people who are going to be next in line making decisions in our world. And it's just fun, I really enjoy the family aspect of things and seeing their personalities emerge.
So, we moved here when my older two were pretty young because we wanted to have an environment that would have nature, and just a very free community, progressive in a lot of ways. We try to spend a lot of time outdoors. Not a lot of time in front of the TV. Just exploring what mountains, forests, fields and deserts have to offer. I go on hikes a lot and stuff like that.
My children and I are vegetarian. I think it's both healthier and better for the environment.
I am not crazy about it but if my children wanted to try meat, that's fine. But they have chosen not to so far. I just think it's better for the environment so that's sort of my main reason.
We try to have a garden every summer. Broccoli, artichoke, zucchini, and everything. I like to let my children pick out the produce, so that maybe that will encourage them to want to try it. Of course, they don't always like vegetables, just like most children.
Generally, you can find a fresher variety of everything in farmer's markets. It hasn't travelled, so you know what you are getting firsthand. I like the experience of going and seeing everything. I think it's just nice to know that it's coming from somewhere nearby and it's nice to support the local people who are growing it there.
And, of course, they are usually going to taste better when they are fresh. This season, all vegetables put on the farmer's markets were really good. You can always find something seasonally.
I keep our home unique and beautiful, yet it also has to be kid-friendly and functional.
My partner and I both really like to travel and we have family in Asia whom we visit. We just got back from a trip – we were there for a month of summer. And every time we travel we bring things home, so all of our rugs and textiles, everything – they are things that we found when we travelled.
A lot of my furniture were also things I found at flea markets or things that were my grandparents. All this has like sentimental value.
We wanted this space to feel like a little bit of outdoors because we can see nature so clearly. That's why we have lots of plants in here. Plants are a good source of oxygen. They are good at cleansing the air, so I like to have lots of them in the house. Like this stuff, sometimes it feels a little bright and we get rid of something and switch some things around. But things that are functional, nothing is too precious. If something gets spilled, it's okay. It's not like – nothing costs a lot of money, it has more personal value. So, I think it's good looking at different places to find things. It doesn't have to be expensive; it can be a flea market or a yard sale.
