I detest yard sales. There. I said it. I despise going to them and I despise having them. I know some people do very well at them and I have friends who treat a day of scoping out yard sales like an ...
When I began my journey to minimalism two years ago, I thought it would be easy. It felt so great to watch the wide eyes of the Goodwill workers as we carried in yet another load of our belongings. I...
We’ve all heard the popular quote: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” This popular bit of advice is all about making the best of a not-so-great situation. It’s great...
I am excited to report that a custom built tiny house will soon be on our joint family property! I have loved the concept of tiny house living for a long time now. From the first video I saw o...
If you are struggling with what to do about your child’s messy room, the person needing a pep talk isn’t your child. It’s you. The word “fault” implies a sense of...
Do you see that giant ball of lead in the shot put picture? Imagine instead that dusty trinket on your bookcase or those pairs of shoes you never wear about to be tossed into oblivion. Today...
Thanks to a world of storage units, bigger houses, and Rubbermaid we are no longer forced to deal with our clutter. We have countless options for storing it and holding onto it for years and years to...
I came across some great links on clutter this week so I wanted to share them in a sort of wrap up post. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. If you have any clutter clearing links to share, feel ...
Little did I know when I wrote yesterday’s post about no longer denying your clutter, that there was actually an organization called “Clutterers Anonymous.” The purpose of Clutterer...
If your house is more cluttered than you like, you have more stuff than you need. If you have a hard time finding an item you lost, then you have too much stuff. If the thought of cleaning your house...
I was rocking my three year old daughter yesterday afternoon. We were singing and snuggling. As she hugged me as hard as she could, she looked up at me and said: “Mama, I love you sometimes....
I am not a morning person. Never have been. Never will be. I’m convinced the person who invented the snooze button wasn’t a morning person either. Unfortunately, when you have a family th...
I don’t really do New Year’s Resolutions. I do enjoy reflecting on the previous year, contemplating goals for the upcoming year, and tossing in a few long-term dreams as well. I like Cour...
So, here we are nearing the end of 2011. There’s just something about seeing an entire year come to a close that prompts you to reflect back on it. At the same time there seems to be this expec...
Yesterday I spent about six hours baking all kinds of holiday goodies. From lemon bars to Rolo thumbprints to all kinds of cookies in between, we cooked and taste tested our hearts out. Today the kid...
Yesterday was my oldest child’s birthday. He turned 12! It’s always fascinating to me how my children’s birthdays make me feel older than my own birthdays. Looking back, my parents ...
Minimalist Christmas decorating . . . doesn’t sound possible does it? I must insert a disclaimer here. I am not the artsy type of minimalist that only enjoys the color white, large empty spaces, and ...
Last year I had a great idea on how to simplify our Thanksgiving dinner menu. At least I thought it was a great idea. As is often the case, things don’t always work out the way we originally pl...
It’s not always easy to be thankful. Life isn’t always pleasant and there’s far too much yucky stuff to deal with in our lives. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be thankfu...
Cluttered rooms. Stuffed closets. Overflowing toy boxes. Games. Gadgets…and more Does that describe your house? It certainly described my house not so long ago. Unfortunately I didn’t dis...
There is so much I would do differently as a new mom. If I had discovered minimalism when my kids were younger, life could have been so much simpler. My oldest is now in middle school and in many way...
In our household of 10, all but three of us have been sick during the last couple weeks. From croup to bronchitis to sinus infections and good old-fashioned colds, we’ve had quite the collectio...
When I began my journey into minimalism, dealing with Christmas, the gift giving and receiving, and the crazy holiday schedule was really hard for me. Making the decision to declutter wasn’t hard. On...
You can only read so much about minimalism, simplicity, and living with less. At some point, you just have to jump in and try it. I’m guilty of being an over thinker sometimes. When I’m f...
Communication….it’ s the foundation of all good relationships. It sounds simple, but it’s easy to forget. I often find myself getting wrapped up in my own thoughts, deciding my own g...
You won’t always see eye-to-eye with your family about minimalism. I know this first hand because I live in a household of 10 people. I don’t think anyone would walk into our home and say, R...
It’s been just over a week since our family started a Video Game Detox Experiment. We’re going 30 days without any kinds of video games at home. I think it’s going great! Honestly, ...
I have a love-hate relationship with video games. To be more precise, I love to hate video games. I cannot stand the mind-numbing effect it has on my kids. I detest how turning on a game essentially ...
There are many ways that being a minimalist family can save you money. Saving money isn’t really the main reason for becoming a minimalist, but it is a nice side effect. I’m sure you’ll come up with ...
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And I have eagerly traveled both, And being the seasoned traveler, I stood Looking down both roads as far as I could To where experiences led to personal growth; ...
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