We all come at the idea of simplifying our lives from a different perspective. We each have our own motivations and reasons for wanting to simplify things. Having a Why is a powerful thing. It can challenge you to take an unexpected path and guide you as you make tough decisions.
For me, my highest priority is to have abundant time to spend with the people I love, both family and friends.… Continue reading
As my youngest son grows older, we’re ready to part with more and more of our baby stuff. Our family is complete with our two delightful boys, so we’re ready to pass the things we’re no longer using on to someone who will use them.
This week, I sorted through bunch of baby gear. A large number of blankets (all were gifts, most of which we never used; a common trend in our collection of baby gear; see HERE), a wrap-style baby carrier (which I wore and used daily for most of the first two years of my boys lives, but they’ve now outgrown), a backpack-style baby carrier (I had two, and kept the one that fits my small frame best – I still use a carrier at times for my 2-year-old), a baby sleep sack (also well used), as well as a few unused odds and ends are all making their way to another home.… Continue reading
In this article, I continue my discussion of What a Baby Needs that I began a couple of weeks ago (you can see the first two parts HERE and HERE). In this article, I’m taking the contrarian approach of listing a few items that are generally considered necessities for a baby that we decided to do without. Some of these items made their way into our home as gifts, a couple of which we ended up using because they were nearby and convenient, but others of which we didn’t ever use even though they were in the handy.… Continue reading
As I watched my 2-year-old dig through the small basket of toys we keep in our living room, I realized that he had outgrown a number of them. No longer a baby, his motor skills have developed enough that toys that he used to find interesting no longer capture his attention. In addition, there were some items that he simply never played with.… Continue reading
This is the second post in a series on what a baby needs. You can find the first HERE, and I will post the third part on this site some time next week (UPDATE: It’s now HERE).
I want to start by reiterating what I said in my first post. This list is meant to be a reflection on the bare-bones things that a baby needs.… Continue reading
Do you wander aimlessly through the grocery store? Do you try to figure out what you’re going to make for meals as you walk the aisles? Do you get home and realize that you bought a lot of food but not the items you need for the meals you were going to make? These things used to happen to me, more frequently than I really care to remember.… Continue reading
Are evenings stressful for you? Do you frequently end up rushing around after work or school or evening activities, trying to figure out what to cook for dinner? Do you end up ordering take-out or going out to eat more than you would really like to because you don’t know what to cook or don’t have the ingredients that you need to do so?… Continue reading
In Northern Michigan, where we’re headed soon on a road trip, there are lots and lots of little biting bugs. And when evening comes, these little biting bugs all seem to all love to feast on me.
I won’t put DEET on myself or on my family, so I’ve tried a number of natural insect repellants over the years. I found one that worked decently that utilizes various essential oils, which we’ve bought and used for the last few years.… Continue reading
When I was still in school, especially when I was in graduate school, I would read through cookbooks like I read a novel: from front to back. (Honestly, I’m a front-to-back reader with any book I pick up – I’ve never been one to skip sections.) My roommates would frequently tease me, “That’s now how you read a cookbook.” To which I would generally reply, “You mean, it’s not how YOU read a cookbook.”… Continue reading
As long as I’ve known him, my husband has kept a daily list of priorities. He even numbers them, with the 1s being things that need immediate attention, on down to those things that will only happen when there’s abundant extra time. He modifies this list frequently, and refers to it daily.
I’ve seen that practice for over 13 years now, and I’ve decided to give a modified version of it a try.… Continue reading