Category Archives: Minimalism

Favorites, Home, Minimalism, Organization

My Kitchen Makeover (New Product Share!)

 

I wanted to share a new product that I am really enjoying! Since getting into minimalism, I have tried to be very, very intentional about purchases. That often means I go for a long time waiting to find the right thing. Years ago I eliminated plastic from my kitchen and I’ve been also trying to eliminate lead and other toxins. We have a family history of some complicated health issues which make it difficult for our bodies to detox, so this is a little more on my radar. I recently found #sweese and they were kind enough to send me a beautiful set of mugs. Sweese is made from a type of premium LEAD-FREE and NON-TOXIC ceramic, chip-resistant and more sturdy than stoneware. I love the design of these, the beautiful colors and the fact that they are really sturdy which is a must for my clumsy mornings. Most important, I trust the company to be SAFE for my family, so we have ditched our random collection of mugs from here and there. Sweese also makes stackable mugs (LOVE!), beautiful butter dishes, serving platters and more. Check them out here (and thanks for shopping through my affiliate links)!

Want this beautiful Mug Set for yourself? Click here to check it out!

Everything Else, Fashion, Minimalism, Shopping, Style

Building a Sustainable Wardrobe

1 Comment

You guys know that I’m a thrifter at heart. I was raised by thrifty parents and I just love the thrill of the hunt when it comes to shopping.  I’m a pretty easy size to fit (right in the middle of the road) so I tend to build my wardrobe with new pieces almost from scratch each year (with some exceptions of course). It’s worked well for me, but I have been wanting to be more deliberate about my wardrobe and choose pieces that will stand the test of time rather than serving me for just a season. In addition, I have been learning more about sustainable brands and have really wanted to focus on a middle ground between sustainability/quality/affordability. That spot will often fall at the thrift store for me, but I’m also exploring brands that stand out with sustainability as a core value.

Before we go any further, let’s define sustainability! What is it and why should we use it as a guide when buying clothing?

In my own words, sustainable fashion focuses on measured and deliberate movement towards more eco-friendly and socially-responsible practices within the entire framework of the business, from manufacturing, to production, to distribution and sales. Want more ideas on moving towards sustainability in your closet? Click here to read up on the topic!

Fast fashion hurts the earth and hurts people. There’s really no two ways about it. Sustainable fashion, on the other hand, seeks to right those wrongs and take the process in a more positive sustainable direction. So we should all be happy to see more steps taken in that direction, right? The problem is, sometimes we aren’t quite willing (or able) to pay for it, which I 100% understand since our budget for clothing is pretty low. Which is why shopping second hand kills about three birds with one stone (without bringing animal cruelty into the mix). You are saving money, saving the earth, and preventing over-consumption by not feeding the fast fashion monster.

At the same time, second-hand shopping can be hit-or-miss, time-consuming or simply unavailable depending on location. I’m also aware that many sizes are difficult if not impossible to purchase second hand. Online options for second hand clothing are becoming more and more prevalent (thredup, poshmark, ebay), but second-hand shopping still won’t solve all of our clothing needs all the time.

Fortunately, there are more sustainable brands stepping into the clothing arena, giving us more options for high quality clothing that won’t wind up in the landfill (at least any time soon). Higher standards for materials, packaging, labor and advertising will give us better options going forward. My next post will be a review of one of those brands that I’m really excited to share about! (Click here to read it!)

 

Family, Minimalism

Life & Creativity Update

I could apologize and make excuses for what a terrible blogger I’ve been, with such poor consistency. My last post was months ago!

But I’m not going to do that.

What I am going to say is that I am having fun exploring different creative outlets and overall feeling very productive. My Facebook Group about Minimalism, Chasing Simple, has taken off and people seem to really be getting a lot out of it! It has been great to stay focused with a group of people on the same journey towards simplicity.

My sister and I have recently started a YouTube Channel called The Simplicity Sisters and it has been so fun to build something together. We’ve been so grateful for the enthusiastic response and we’ve had a lot of great interaction in the comments.  We’d love to have you check it out here!

Of all years, 2020 seems to be the best possible time to homeschool and I am very grateful that we have continued on this path. My twin girls are now 14 and my son is 8. Every year is a new challenge and this one is no different. Except it is really, really different because everything is different during a worldwide pandemic. There are ups and downs, but we are getting through day by day. I guess that’s really all any of us can do at this point.

Probably the nicest thing to happen to us in 2020 is bringing home our Bernedoodle puppy, Elphie. The kids have loved having a puppy for the first time and we have loved the easy going, hyperallergenic qualities of her breed!

That’s all for now.

DIY, Health, Home, Minimalism

How I kill COVID-19: Discount & Review

This post contains referral links. Thank you for helping to make my dreams of writing for a living come true!

During this difficult time, a lot of people have been looking for cleaner that will kill Corona Virus. A lot of cleaners that are typically recommended: Lysol, Clorox, and even bleach have been out of stock locally and online. It’s even been difficult to find rubbing alcohol! Fortunately, my cleaner of choice is in stock and still available for order (although shipping may be delayed).

Force of Nature

Because our family has asthma, allergies, and autoimmune issues, I have been very careful about what cleaning products I bring into our home. I’ve replaced Clorox wipes, windex, lysol, and other all purpose cleaners with ONE safe, effective, and affordable natural alternative. I have been using it for almost 2 years and absolutely love it. It has also been approved by the EPA to kill COVID-19.

Click here to check out Force of Nature!

It’s as effective as bleach but so much safer!

What exactly is it? Force of Nature miniaturizes the electrolyzed water technology from the industrial space. Salt, water and vinegar are converted to electrolyzed water when an electrical current changes the chemical composition of the solution into germ killing magic!

Is it effective? To be EPA registered, Force of Nature was tested using EPA testing protocols, in EPA approved labs, across multiple microbes. It can be used as a disinfectant and sanitizer in hospitals, schools, veterinary clinics and restaurants.

Want to see it in action? When I first got my Force of Nature starter kit, I created a video to share with my followers. Watch it here.

So it kills Corona Virus? YES. Here is the EPA link to check it out for yourself. Just type “Force of Nature” into the search box to see the results.

How can I get a deal? You are in luck, because there are some great coupon codes available right now. Click here and use the following discounts to save! 

Get $40 off & free shipping on Starter Kits with the code:
SAFEHOME
25% the already discounted price on Year Supply Bundles with the code:
BUNDLEPLEASE

These codes should be active through the end of April. If you have any questions about Force of Nature, you might want to check out the FAQs or feel free to leave me a comment.

Stay safe and well!

Everything Else, Home, Minimalism

Your Future Self & Travel

When I first heard the phrase “take care of your future self” I thought it was a little strange. I had never thought about self-care in that context. (And honestly, the whole self-care thing gets a little old). However, I have found this idea extremely helpful as I plan out my schedule and work towards simplicity. A little work now takes away stress in the future, and I need all the help I can get with my future stress!

A great example of how this has worked for my family is when we travel. Can you imagine the luxury of having a maid or butler to take care of your home while you are away? This idea is so far removed from my life situation, that it truly is a great reach….however I do have a good imagination!

Picture arriving home after traveling. Whether you were traveling for business or pleasure, chances are you are coming home at least a little tired, right? Imagine walking through the front door and being greeted by freshly scented air, vacuumed floors, fresh towels and sheets, and everything neat as a pin? It would literally be a breath of fresh air right?

This might sound a little unrealistic. Travel is after all a frantically busy time for most families. No matter how hard you plan ahead, there always seem to be last minute details to take care of. But if you can work one hour of time into your schedule to take care of your pre-travel reset, you will find the rewards will be incredibly enjoyable and well worth the time and effort. If you can get your home into a routine of neat and clean, then the following steps truly will be quick and easy to take, leaving you with a beautiful clean space to come home to!

Remember, as I’ve said so many times, organization and cleaning are really not something that come easy for me. Believe me! I have to put a lot of effort in which is why I know that you can do this too. If this isn’t something you can manage yet, it might be that you still need to pare down the stuff to make your job easier. Click here for some of my other posts on Minimalism! 

The best way to tackle this Pre-Travel Reset is after you’ve packed your car, one hour before you plan to leave.

One Hour Pre-Travel Reset!

  • Kitchen:1) Quick fridge clean out. This is just a chance to quickly throw out food that won’t last and maybe wipe down the shelves quickly. Also deal with produce & baked goods. For example this week before leaving, I tossed some bagels into the freezer and threw away a couple of stale pieces of bread. One lone banana also got the chop.
    (5 minutes)

    2) Quick Clean up. Wipe down all the counters, rinse coffee pot (don’t forget to toss the old grounds…..they will mold if left behind!). I’m not including dishes in this reset because hopefully you’ve gotten in the habit of taking care of these after each meal!
    (5 minutes)

     

  • Trash: This really doesn’t need any clarity, right? Don’t forget to gather trash from all over the house and put it in the dumpster so that you won’t be greeted with any unpleasant odors when you return home!
    (5 minutes)
  • Plants: If you have any house plants, you definitely want to water them before you take off. If you have difficulty keeping houseplants alive, I totally recommend  these self-watering planters! They have made plant care possible for me.
    (5 minutes)
  • Vacuum: Quickly vacuum all the rooms. It might seem like a huge pain right now, but when you walk back through those doors you will be LOVING it. It’s so worth the effort, believe me.
    (10 minutes)
     
  • Surfaces: I don’t take time to do any scrubbing or serious cleaning (we’re on the clock, here). However, I do spritz Force of Nature Cleaner on all my counters, sinks and showers before leaving. This means that everything has been sanitized and any hard-core stains gets a nice long soak while I’m gone. Killing germs while you are traveling seems like a great plan to me.
    (5 minutes)
  • Towels. Put out fresh towels in the kitchen and bathroom. You’ll feel like you’re walking into a posh hotel room that’s ready for relaxation and rest!
    (5 minutes)
  • Diffuse. If you are into Essential Oils (and in my opinion, you should be) add some oils to your diffuser and set it on intermittent so that your house will be getting some lovely aromatherapy while you are away. It will kill germs and keep things smelling lovely. 9 times out of 10 I’ll choose Relax by Plant Therapy but another great option for killing germs is Germ Destroyer.  Both are Kid-Safe!
    (5 minutes)
  • Details. Make one last walk-through and close closet doors and dresser drawers, open all the bedroom doors, make the beds and neaten up throw pillows.  Check the thermostat. Turn off lights and leave on a couple of lamps. Be sure none of the toilets are running or faucets are dripping!
    (5 minutes)

Total minutes: 50 (let’s say with any minor distractions you still come in under an hour).

Have an awesome trip and enjoy the knowledge that a clean home is ready and waiting for your return!

Minimalism

Minimalism Guide by Leah Prescott

4 Comments

Well, I’m struggling to find time to blog ya’ll! If I could just finish any of the MANY posts I have in progress I’d have some great content going on but I just can’t seem to find the time to do any serious writing.

I wanted to make a quick list of my minimalism links just to help keep my content organized. I know there are much better ways of doing this, but with my limited technical skills, we’re going to stick with a simple list! Here are all the blog posts I’ve written on minimalism from most recent to least, including posts I’ve written for other blogs. Although a lot of my other topics mention or link back to minimalism, these are the ones that are truly focused on minimalism topics. Enjoy!

Chasing Santee Minimalism Posts

When You’re Struggling to Minimalize

What am I even doing here? Minimalism in the Trenches

#Mom Goals and Re-learning

Happy New Year: A Minimalist Reflection

The Nightmare Before Christmas

What’s in the Amazon Cart and Mini-Minimalism Victories

Attacking the Attic, Sentimental Items & Joshua Becker

Simplify Your Life Series: Part 1)  Eliminate Excess, Part 2) Assess Needs, Part 3)  Attack Problem Areas

Lessons as a New Minimalist

Minimalism, Menus & Buying in Bulk

Minimalism Journey Ramblings

What if God Wants Less from Me?

Bargain Babe Minimalism Posts

Minimalism Journey & the Lesson I Learned from Lip  Balm

7 Small Ways to Tweak Your Life & Get Instant Pay-offs (This one is more about intentional living, but still very relevant to the minimalist lifestyle)

Have you Heard about Hygge? Get Ready to get Cozy! 

Ring in a Tidy New Year: Post Holiday Declutter Guide!

Minimalist Challenge: No Shop December

Minimalist Gifts for Kids

A Beginner’s Guide to Building a Capsule Wardrobe

Minimalism Month: A 30 Day Pain-free De-clutter Guide!

Dipping a Toe into Minimalism: 7 Simple Ways to Try Minimalism Today

A Shopaholic Learns to Seek Minimalism Part 1

A Shopaholic Learns to Seek Minimalism Part 2

Other Places on the Web

A Spark of Joy is Not Enough

Five Tips for Fighting Family Entitlement This Christmas

9 Easy Ways to Jump Start Your Minimalism Journey

Minimalism: Discovering My Maternal Optimism

How Making My Bed Changed My Summer

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Minimalism

When you’re struggling to minimalize

4 Comments

I received an email from a reader (yes, I am excited. It’s my first legit email from a reader) who was struggling with making minimalist changes after reading The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. She asked if I had any advice, and here is my response to her.

Keep on with “less”

Don’t give up! It’s a process, I’m not there yet by any stretch and I’m still sometimes tempted to shop or make regrettable purchases. (Frankly, I’ve been tempted quite a bit this summer). Still, the mindset shift is what has been most life changing for us. The results will continue to come, slowly but surely.

Everyone is different, your goals will be different and your reasons for decluttering (or hoarding/over-shopping, etc) are different also. So you need to evaluate your reading materials based on your goals. Marie Kondo is my least favorite of all the minimalism books I have read. It wasn’t worthless by any stretch but I have come to think she is not a true minimalist at all and her main tenant (spark of joy) truly didn’t work for me.

A Spark of Change

I had to come to realize that the joy I needed to seek was completely apart from any material possessions. Obsessing over “stuff” and which item is more perfect for my needs was my MO, even though it went completely against my core belief system and values. Once I realized that my daily lifestyle and how I was spending my time didn’t jive with my deepest heartfelt convictions, was when I got truly serious about making a change. The More of Less by Joshua Becker is my favorite book on this topic. It’s incredibly life-changing, v. Marie Kondo being house-changing, if that makes sense. Totally different perspectives.  Here is his website if you’d prefer some quick-read articles with the same gentle encouragement. He’s wonderful.

Faith & Minimalism

Ultimately, my faith in God is one of the reasons I have become so passionate about this topic. I want to spend my time on things that have eternal value v. temporal possessions that will become dust sooner or later. And part of this struggle for me is my personality. I find myself easily overwhelmed and distracted. The clutter, the stuff, the responsibility of unneeded possessions was weighing heavily on me. And my entire family was feeling the strain.

Aggressive Progress

For weeks I would complete purging and decluttering projects every single day. Even when I was busy, I’d go through a drawer while dinner was on the stove or clean out a closet as I dealt with the laundry. When my son was in the bath I’d attack the bathroom drawers and cabinets. While watching TV I’d sort through bins of toys. Every spare moment I would devote to pursuit of the final goal. Which incidentally I have yet to reach: I want to be able to take a photo of each space in my home, every tiny nook, and share it on social media. I want to know that I have recently evaluated every possession and deemed it worthy of keeping. That’s quite a proposal for me, a messy shopaholic with poor organization skills. And I’m not there yet, but I’m way, way closer.

Results

The more possessions I unload and the more deals I pass by, the lighter these burdens feel. The more I find myself able to focus on the things that I am passionate about. For the first time, I feel like I am capable of basic household maintenance on the daily. It’s working. My counters are clear and my mind is less chaotic. I can’t think of a single drawback that I have encountered other than a few awkward conversations when I try to explain why deals don’t thrill me the way they used to.

Maintaining a Minimalist Mindset

The typical consumer mindset has been fed by years and years of commercialism and profit-driven societal-standards. Changing this perspective requires some persistence and intentionality. It helps me to continue to watch vloggers, follow groups and websites and constantly check out more books on the topic of minimalism, simplicity, hygge, slowing down, faith, and similar topics that fall into this group I’m placing myself into. It’s a pursuit that doesn’t really end. There’s more we each have to learn.

I feel I’ve gotten off on a tangent, and I apologize but your message sparked reminders for me of why I’m happy with my direction and where I came from. I don’t want to be the girl who is always stopping by the thrift store or stalking the clearance shelves. I am not that girl anymore! Good luck on your minimalist journey! No matter how you approach it, I’m convinced you will be happier as a result.

 

Minimalism

What am I even doing here? Minimalism in the trenches.

2 Comments

Good morning! I wanted to quickly give an update on what I’ve been doing lately and where the blog is going. We have just wrapped up our homeschooling year and are looking forward to summer! It’s already hot as blue blazes around here, so I admit there has already been a good bit of water play and swimming which has been a welcome relief. We still have some math to complete over the summer but my two girls are now officially 5th graders and my wild little man is going to be in 5K. I can’t believe it! Each year of homeschooling has brought new challenges and I admit sometimes I do not feel equipped to do this job. However, for the time being I feel like this is where we are supposed to be. It’s hard but I’m so grateful for the opportunity.

When I rebranded the blog last year, I was uncertain of my direction. I was still focusing on deal alerts and was only in the first stages of what has become a big life change of simplifying, editing, and re-focusing. When I chose the name, I chose something that has deep significance to me, but I had no idea what a perfect choice it would turn out to be. Once I realized I wanted to pursue minimalism, it all started to click into place. Santee was absolutely and by far the most minimalist and simple place I’ve called home and it was the most peaceful oasis I have ever found. I love that my direction and blog home have merged into a very concise journey of simplicity and minimalism.

However, as often as minimalism is the focus of my posts, I want to make one thing very clear. Minimalism is merely a tool that I am using to reach my goals. Minimalism is not the end-game, not by a long shot. I talk and share about minimalism because cutting out the excess in my life has allowed me to have freedom and better focus on what is very important to me. My goal is to love God and love others. To seek His will for my life. To raise my children in the knowledge of Christ. To build a marriage based on a common goal of obedience to our Savior. So every tip, life hack, 10 ten list, or recipe I share is only a tiny effort to make more room in my life for what really matters.  And that’s what I want for my readers as well.

Psalm 73:25-26

25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

Thanks for being here! I hope you stick around; it’s going to be a great summer!

Everything Else, Minimalism

#momgoals and re-learning

2 Comments

We are taught as kids that we should have high lofty goals for our careers and futures. We are encouraged to “reach for the stars”. You can be anything you want to be and do anything you want to do! If you work hard you can succeed. Awesome, right? The American dream is still alive today!

Yet once we start a family, we are bombarded with a completely different message:
“Find a new comfort zone.”
“Survival mode is normal, and lasts for 18 years.”
“Lower your standards.”
“Your house will never be clean again”
“If you’re sleep-deprived, nutrient-robbed and have no time to yourself, you are doing it right”.

Part of being a parent is realizing that it may not be possible to reach your goals (or that the ultimate goal of nurturing a family is more important than some personal goals we may have). A lot of my “progress” as a mom for the first few years was basically making peace with lowering my own standards. (I am a natural perfectionist and I do struggle with pride). After all, moms can’t have it all (indeed, no one can). Houses will be messy, bedtimes will be late, meals will be torture. That’s what we learn as a mom.

What if all of that is a distortion of the truth?

First, let’s look back on America’s generations before us, say pre-WW2 and earlier. How was parenting different back then? I’m sure there were lots of differences but just a couple stand out immediately to me. First, there was a supportive family structure in place for most young families. Parents were more likely to be living close to Aunts, Uncles, and Grandparents. It was normal and accepted that the “village” would help in child-rearing. Not to mention, most parents were simply not spread as thin between career and family.

Secondly, consumerism hadn’t taken hold of our culture. Instead of being bombarded with empty advertisements and sometimes dangerous “health” tips from a corrupt pharmaceutical industry, parents would get advice, for the most part, from the previous generation and raise their children accordingly. I can only assume there was less guilt and pressure for the most part…was the neighbor silently judging you over your fence as pervasive as the ever-present “mom wars” are today? I imagine not.

Now, I have to say right here that I understand that the above is dramatically over-simplified. I try not to look back on America’s history with rose-colored glasses, although I do sometimes feel envious of the simplicity of the past. I do know that social patterns are far more nuanced than I am describing and I have not researched these statements. Still, I think the two points stand: for the most part, there was a closer extended family unit and individuals were not bombarded with commercial messages and a corporate agenda to the extent we are now.  So how does that affect the way we approach our lives as parents?

I used to think I wasn’t exactly affected by commercialism. Because I never picked up the phone to order from an infomercial, I didn’t subscribe to popular magazines, and I wasn’t likely to buy the latest thing from the mall. It’s only since I have started to work toward minimalism that I realized I was affected by commercialism in a far more subtle way.

I truly and sometimes literally bought the idea that MORE was better and that success was defined by a large house, plenty of amenities, disposable income, and carefree consumerism. This is hard to admit,  because my own family has always been frugal and thrifty and in so many ways challenged the status quo. For me this dichotomy translated into a bargain-hunting version of shopaholic lifestyle. So I would try to emulate the lifestyle of excess in a second-hand, clearance rack, bargain basement way. It worked pretty well, I was able to find most of the latest and greatest at a fraction of retail. But I missed the fact that I was still buying the lie. 

More stuff doesn’t make us happier. It didn’t make me happier and it won’t make you happier. For most of us, more stuff, better stuff, nicer stuff and upgraded stuff does not make our existence easier or life burdens easier to bear. It simply adds more chaos, noise, and confusion to an already complicated existence. And it perpetuates this dangerous lie to our children that collections and accumulation leads to a better life. I am working hard to end this deception in our home and I know our lives will be better for it.

Are you ready to make a change? Read more about our journey to Minimalism. 

Everything Else, Favorites, Minimalism

Friday Favorites March Edition

It’s been a while since I have done a Friday Favorites, but I do a have a few new fun things that we are loving lately. Things have been super busy for work and homeschooling and my personal blogging has been put on the back burner, but I don’t want to leave it there! I only have a few minutes to create this post, so let’s get right to it. This post will contain affiliate links for your convenience! Don’t worry, it’s not all stuff!

Organic Mascara: I asked for this Organic Mascara (Endlessly Beautiful) for Christmas and it didn’t disappoint. It’s a bit pricey for me, but I have a really hard time with mascara irritating my eyes and have tried many brands. This is a nice, basic black mascara that is by far the gentlest I have found (better than Neutrogena, Almay, and Physician’s Formula). This doesn’t have some of the amazing features of drug-store brands (no extra crazy length or super waterproof coating) but it goes on nicely and stays well. Mostly, I am happy that I am not rubbing it off, so if you have sensitive eyes, I would recommend it.

The God-Centered Mom Podcast–I’m ridiculously late to the Podcast Party, but I’ve recently been catching up and mostly choosing minimalist topics. But my friend recommended The God-Centered Mom Podcast and it’s been fantastic. The handful of episodes I have listened to have been incredibly thought-provoking and relevant to where I am right now as a Christian mom and wife! I am still processing the last episode I heard about “Smiling Depression”. If you have ever struggled with shame or perfectionism I think this will really interest you. Thanks Susan for letting me know about The God-Centered Mom!

A Streamlined wardrobe. I am loving my simplified wardrobe. I have not made the transition to a true capsule wardrobe. However, I am trying to move in that direction slowly, with practical steps. I have cleaned out my closet in phases so that after each purge my clothing becomes more “me”, more simple, and more functional. I’m loving it. I have been forcing myself to experiment with monochromatic choices and it has been surprisingly helpful. Just another way of cutting out decision fatigue in my life! Specifically, I purchased a couple of these soft and comfy tees in grey and black and have been wearing them weekly. 

Just one purse. I had no idea the bags I owned were really complicating my life until I got rid of them. I knew that I had neck and back issues so I decided to eliminate all of my heavy bags (even though they tend to be *nicer*: Goodbye to my lovely leather Michael Kors tote!). Also, I realized the patterned bags were just to difficult to match (Vera Bradley, I’m looking at you). Plus switching bags by mood or color was causing the clutter to build up and receipts to become lost. Guess what? I don’t miss those bags a bit! I received a lightweight Thirty-One hipster for my birthday last summer and have used it every day. Recently, I decided to make one more handbag purchase keeping in mind my vow for embracing neutrals: the Houndstooth print Kavu rope bag. The compartments of this bag have taken me a little time to get used to, but I LOVE how light and comfortable it is. It feels almost strangely light on my back compared to a shoulder bag with the same contents! It’s obviously a casual bag, but it was time for me to admit that 99.99% of my time I am dressing casually, and HELLO!? there is nothing wrong with that!

Our evening routine: For the first time as a mom, I feel like our evenings (and mornings for the most part) are truly productive and we have formed actual habits instead of forcing ourselves through painful routines that just never became second-nature. Although I can’t completely explain how this process has been crystallized I will tell you it has 100% been about simplicity and mindfulness and all began by eliminating excess in every room of our home. Just embracing the idea that motherhood does not have to be a series of complete failures and looking for actual solutions to the problems has been revolutionary for me! It has become blissfully simple to leave our house neat each morning and go to bed with everything (at least in the living areas) in their proper place. I will try to blog more about this later! Right now, I just really intend this to be an encouragement. As moms, sometimes we don’t need to hear over and over: “it’s normal, everyone struggles like this, don’t strive for perfection”. Sometimes we need to hear, “Being a mom is hard. Look for the best way to succeed as a mom and work for it”. That’s what I am telling myself from now on.

Ellie Holcomb– Music used to be a huge part of my day…. when I had my days virtually to myself. Now there is so much NOISE that I often hesitate to add to the audible clutter by turning on anything. But I realized that I missed inspirational Christian music, so I was pulling out my old CDs from the 90’s. Then a friend on facebook suggested Ellie Holcomb (thank you Rebecca!) and I have got to tell you that I AM HOOKED. She has a beautiful voice and a wonderful message that I really relate to. Here is one of her music videos, but I have been listening to Ellie for free using Spotify! Click here for her Album Red Sea Road.

That’s it for now! Have a wonderful weekend!

Minimalism, Reflections

Happy New Year

I am feeling very optimistic about 2017 for our family. I feel so grateful for the blessings of 2016 and I can truly say that I feel more at peace than I have in a long time about attacking this coming year.

If I had really been on the ball with blogging, I would have a series of posts lined up to greet the new year. A minimalist challenge, a meal planning calendar, a homeschooler’s guide to getting through winter.

If I were on the ball, I would be hosting a giveaway, sharing DIY essential oil projects, and working on my Instant Pot Recipe ebook (this book does not exist, except in my imagination).

Instead, I am catching up on sleep. I am cuddling my kiddos. I am putting away holiday decor with more excitement and glee than I have ever had in opening a gift. I am staring at my new planner with stars in my eyes, imagining what the next year could be. I’m making lists and I’m taking my time. I’m thinking about a theme word to guide my year. (I’m considering the word savor. Kind of weird but it jumped out at me. Any thoughts?).

A dear friend asked me what happened to push me towards minimalism. I can’t exactly put my finger on when the change happened. As I rebranded my blog in the spring, I renewed my passion for writing, shifted my efforts away from looking for deals and began searching for my niche as a writer. But the significant change happened somewhere in between my Target boycott and when I started researching ethical shopping practices. In the midst of the busy everyday of parenting and life, I was crying out to God, asking Him for direction. I was so tired of being so overwhelmed and feeling like such a failure as a wife and mother. I begged God to show me another way.

God answered me very clearly by saying, “Stop valuing stuff”.

Soon after that moment, I read the article “How Getting Rid of Stuff Saved My Motherhood” by Allie Casazza and I knew that this was my answer. My answer was minimalism, and next I had to find out how to become it myself. I then began reading furiously everything I could find on the topic and spending every spare moment emptying our home and studying minimalism as if my sanity and survival depended on it.

In this process, we have filled and emptied both cars many many times. Boxes of donations, from furniture, clothing, gadgets. Tons of papers have been recycled or shredded. We’ve pared down, and pared again, and realized we still aren’t done. We’ve parted ways with items both sentimental and senseless. We’ve worked hard, we’ve had a few moments of panic and we’ve seen the holidays come and go with less chaos than usual.

So that brings me to today, January 4th 2017. I’m still tired and overwhelmed. We haven’t finished the process, there is so much more to do. But I am so hopeful and can’t wait to see what this year brings. Here’s to 2017!

Minimalism

What’s in my Amazon Cart and mini-victories

I just churned out three posts for BargainBabe but I still can’t neglect my sweet spot here. I just have a few things to share but let me first say that a couple weeks ago I read The More of Less by Joshua Becker and it is incredibly positive and inspiring. (If you read Marie Kondo and thought that woman was spookily animistic, depressing and kind of in need of psychiatric help, you need to read this.) I just can’t say enough good things. I connected so much to this version of minimalism, with a greater purpose in mind.

moreofless

It’s only $1.99 on Kindle (back to $11.99, so sorry but still totally recommendable) so now is the moment! What’s more minimal than a digital copy, anyway? I still think the book is worth reading at $11.99 but I would probably suggest the library instead unless you are dying to spend the money. I will be watching for more deals on this!

Have we talked about capsule wardrobes? Sometimes I get confused about which blog I posted what in, but in case we haven’t touched on this, Courtney Carver does a fantastic job of explaining this with Project 333. I was fascinated to learn that Courtney delved into her first wardrobe challenge as she was re-vamping her entire lifestyle. Her ultimate goal was to cut the stress out of her life in order to help treat a chronic illness. I thought this was so interesting, as many of the articles you read on capsule wardrobes seem to be fixated on hunting down the perfect items to satisfy an arbitrary scavenger hunt of “necessary” pieces. I love that her perspective was so different and practical. Finding the perfect wool pencil skirt is not part of this equation. Making your closet a functional, simple and stress-free part of your life is.

qtq80-j9Od1k

I’m not ready to go to a true capsule wardrobe, because I really don’t want to perform a complete purge and also frankly right now I am not at my ideal weight or shape. But I am looking at making purchases with much more precision and thought. Towards that end, I’m very interested in a brand I recently noticed on Amazon because the pieces are exactly in line with my style, very inexpensive, and also made in America! I feel like it is probably too good to be true, so if anyone has any feedback on this please fill me in. The brand is FRUMOS; please let me know what you think!

I do have a few minimalist victories to share for this week. Because our progress hasn’t been incredibly speedy, I sometimes forget that things are becoming steadily better. Packing for an out of town trip, reminds me that YES we are getting there. This was our easiest car trip, even down to leaving the house completely picked up and ready to return to. Small victory, yes, but I am grateful. Thanksgiving was delightful.

I used to go shopping all the time. Multiple times a week. Sometimes every day. Things are different now and last weekend I had a list of returns and ISO items that needed to be fulfilled (actually needed, like allergy covers for the girls’ beds after a recent diagnostic test and shoes for my rapidly growing 10 year olds.) We went shopping as a family and I was able to find the needed items and purchase them with store credit. It was so nice to be able to focus and not be distracted by a gnawing urge to consume aimlessly. We found all the needed items and didn’t bring home a single thing that wasn’t on our list. A different sense of satisfaction than the brief thrill of bargain hunting, but it felt good.

I used to have a big, stocked gift closet with items for almost any occasion, but I have been minimizing it as steadily as possible. This week I was able to use several of the items as gifts and I think they are really going to be used and enjoyed by the recipients. As more items are disappearing from my once plentiful stock, I feel lighter and gain a closet back!

Also, a brief mention of Black Friday: we went out for the morning because my hubby and I had the opportunity to spend a little time together sans kids. (Rare, oh so rare). We had a nice romantic breakfast at Waffle House (because coffee and waffles without kids is poetry to my heart) and shopped a few stores. We found nothing of particular interest and I felt a strangely pleasant casual detachment from the entire process. Although we enjoyed talking and planning a bit for the holidays as we walked around and having fun with each other without having to answer 21 questions from the four year old, there was no NEED to spend.

spire

One last thing in my Amazon cart: I am super intrigued by the Spire, a new-ish fitness monitor that claims to improve your breathing and anxiety. Anyone have experience with this? I’m pretty tempted to try it. If it was wrist worn, I wouldn’t hesitate, but I’m concerned it might be problematic for me to wear. Any feedback?

Well, that’s all for now. This is the kind of post that I throw together after being away from the blog for too long, so I apologize for the random collection of thoughts. I hope your Thanksgiving Weekend is peaceful and sweet!