Publisher: Live slower in a speed obsessed world | SlowMama

Hi, and welcome to SlowMama. I’m Zoe Saint-Paul. That’s Zoe, as in, rhymes with Joey. It’s the Greek word for life. I’m a quarter Scottish, a quarter Irish, and half French, Latvian, and Russian. Something in me feels a wee bit Italian; I have a fascination with Mexico; my husband’s never met an Asian dish he doesn’t like; and our daughters were born in Ethiopia. So we’ve got much of the world covered. That said, I’m all about the local…. food, community, economy. I learned this at the knee of my agrarian-anarchist mother while growing up the eldest of a large brood near the ocean in rural Nova Scotia. I launched SlowMama for a few reasons… The name is mostly tongue-in-cheek: I was in my 40s when I became a mother by adoption and our process took almost 4 years — so it doesn’t get much slower than that. Also, we all know that moms aren’t slow… we’re always on the go and expert multi-taskers. But who wants her life constantly defined by busyness and speed? Here at SlowMama I write about my efforts to live a little “slower, ” which doesn’t mean going at a snail’s pace all the time, but doing each thing at the best pace and refusing to rush all the time. To “live slow” is to simplify your life and stay connected to what matters most. It’s not easy in today’s world, but I think it’s the secret to quality of life. Slow living is about connectedness, beauty, simplicity, quality, a sense of place, sustainability, craftsmanship, tradition, and community. Applying these principles to our everyday lives and decisions in such a fast-paced world requires intentionality. This is at the heart of what we talk about at SlowMama — in (hopefully!) a fun, interesting, and inspiring way. You’ll read posts here about parenting, family, adoption, food, design, crafts, travel, health, sustainability, the arts, books, spirituality, current affairs, and every day life. You’ll also occasionally find tips, reflections, advice, and information because I can’t help it — I’m a life coach.