Simple Abundance

For those of you who are at least as old as I am, (37) do you remember when the book "Simple Abundance" by Sarah Ban Breathnach came out back in the mind-90's? Do you too vividly remember that salmony colored cover that was so popular and featured on the Oprah show? For some reason, that book cover stuck in my head like a familiar memory, and when I came across several copies this fall at our library book sale, I felt compelled to purchase my own. As odd as this sounds, I think I bought the book because I actually felt GUILTY for not reading it so many years ago. I have a vague memory of hearing Oprah talk about the "transformative power!" of these 366 essays - it's
"A Daybook of Comfort and Joy." Being too young at the time though, I made no great effort to find the book and read it. Fast-forward twenty years, and something about that peachy cover called to me.

Because I'm short on time before I need to pick Noah up from school, I will let Amazon's book description explain Simple Abundance for me. They do a better job than I could anyway.......

"With the grace of Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift from the Sea and the wisdom of M. Scott Peck's The Road Less Traveled, Simple Abundance is a book of 366 evocative essays-one for every day of your year-written for women who wish to live by their own lights. In the past a woman's spirituality has been separated from her lifestyle. Simple Abundance shows you how your daily life can be an expression of your authentic self ... as you choose the tastiest vegetables from your garden, search for treasures at flea markets, establish a sacred space in your home for meditation, and follow the rhythm of the seasons and the year. Here, for the first time, the mystical alchemy of style and Spirit is celebrated. Every day, your own true path leads you to a happier, more fulfilling and contented way of life-the state of grace known as... Embrace its gentle lessons, savor its sublime common sense, dare to live its passionate truth, and share its extraordinary and exhilarating gift with every woman you encounter: the authentic self is the Soul made visible."

Basically, each day you read a short essay on simple abundance - finding joy and gratitude in the everyday! I was already on a path lately, to growing my awareness and thankfulness for things in my life big and small, but this book has been a wonderful addition to my journey. One of the basic "tools" in finding simple abundance is through journaling. Sarah Ban Breathnach journals everyday and suggests that we do it too. It doesn't have to be any kind of written masterpiece, just get your thoughts, your fears, your questions and conflicts out on paper, rather than holding them in. She calls this: "having a conversation with yourself." Sarah's belief is that often times, if you journal out questions or dilemmas that you might have and get things down on paper, when you return at a later time, you just might find your answer. So, for what it is worth, I've been inspired by Simple Abundance to journal/blog today, the small things that I've found joy in. I hope that this book or post can inspire you too, because I promise, once you start seeing the joy in the everyday ordinary, it can truly enrich your life.....

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I really liked this picture that Jon took of Noah using his new camera from work. It's a much nicer camera than the one that I own, and a much much nicer camera than the one on my phone that I'm always using! It makes me happy that we were able to capture this nice winter moment.

A small moment of peace. Josie taking her afternoon nap at the foot of my bed. I've found that if I give her my mittens, she'll often chew on them, snuggle up, and go to sleep! What you're seeing here is a BIG DEAL. (Picture below.)  It's a big deal for me, because it means that I can now have a bit of my old life back. 

This may sound strange, but in years past, especially in the cold weather months, after I've done all of my housework downstairs, I've usually headed upstairs for the remainder of the afternoon before school pick-up to do any other work that I can or to blog. This is because our little, old house is quite cold, and especially in the back of the house, it doesn't get much sunlight and can be depressingly dark. Chilly and dark. The upstairs though, my bedroom, it's lit up everyday with sunlight (if there is any) and my room is the warmest and brightest in the house by far. I can't explain, but just being up there makes me feel happier! I have a lap desk to work on, and our laundry is up there too. There's space to exercise.  So I've always spent an hour or two up there when I could. It's not just my bedroom but also my office, my laundry mat, my exercise studio and writer's retreat!

That was until Josie. We never taught her how to go up our ancient, steep stairs. We rarely took her up either. Jon and I wanted the cats to kind of have their own space in the house. And so, from September until just this week, I spent all of my days, everyday, downstairs with Josie. I had taken to wearing lots of fleece jackets over my outfits on the coldest days and I could certainly feel a sense of sadness and longing that I couldn't be upstairs in my sunny, happy place like I used to.

Then, last week, Josie decided to start wailing and barking and whimpering, every time that I would quickly run upstairs to change a load in the laundry or grab my purse. Then she took to crying in the evening if I went up while she spent time with Jon and Noah. It got worse and worse. Finally over the weekend we decided to just teach her how to go up and down the stairs. It took a few days, but now she's doing well, which also means that she can FOLLOW me up and down the stars at will. Which also means, she has found for herself, THE WONDERFUL SUNLIGHT and warmth in my room! 

Now all Josie wants to do is go upstairs with me (sweetly, she won't go unless I go with her.) and to lay on my bed or in the sunlit patch on the floor and take a nap! Today around 1:00, she sat barking at the foot of the stairs while I cleaned up from lunch. I knew what it meant. It meant: "Woof! Go upstairs with me!" So, after everything was done, I made coffee and we went upstairs, and for the next hour and a half she rested and chewed on my mittens, as I worked on emails and blogging and laundry. It was WONDERFUL! I am so so happy. Josie and I both need the vitamin D that comes through those upstairs windows! (Hey, can you make vitamin D even through glass?) * Oh apparently not. Darn. But there is still some emotional pick-me-up that one gets in the winter from light and warmer temps!

I'm always happy when I can get some crochet in. I don't crochet frequently like I used to, only here and there now. I'd like to more often, but I think that it makes it even more special when I do pick up my hook and yarn. I've been trying to crochet pink and red hearts to decorate the house with for Valentine's Day and have some extra pink yarn. I used it to make this ear warmer / headband. It's just three crocheted roses and a bunch of leaves on a band.

Josie will now demonstrate how it buttons in the back for a custom fit.

Who wore it better? Just kidding, of course Josie did!!!! \(^-^)/

For some reason, everything, I mean EVERYTHING that I have ever crocheted comes out lopsided or comically huge or just...cartoonish. I like how this cheerful ear warmer came out, but I kind of felt like Chiquita Banana with it on my head!

This month I am enjoying vegetables and fruit, even though we're in the dead of winter. That way, when summer comes with it's bounty of produce, I can be even more thankful for what variety lands on my plate.

Ok, I need to preface the following. It's VERY important to me for you to know that I do NOT judge others on their food choices. Just like I strongly feel that there is not right or wrong in coloring your hair or going gray, I believe that what you choose to eat is a super personal decision and judgement is not something I am interested in. And besides, I can't judge anyone on what they eat because, heck! I am the QUEEN OF CHOCOLATE! :)

I almost can't believe that I've done this, but several days ago, I signed up for The 30-Day Vegan Challenge! I've never been one to do anything TOO extreme, and even as a long-time vegetarian, veganism always just sounded.....a little intense for me. I always thought that I could never give up dairy or eggs or be dedicated enough to check each and every label. 

Then, at my recent check-up, my cholesterol number was slightly up. This was a surprise for me, because in the past, I've always had good numbers. My raise quite possibly could have been a fluke, the result of holiday eating (my check-up was January 5th and before that, Jon and I had polished off two wheels of truffled brie cheese!), but still fluke or not, it was a way to challenge myself to eat healthier. I am a vegetarian who might be getting too many of her calories from carbs and cheeses perhaps. Maybe. Also, in addition to learning a new way to eat healthier, I looked forward to learning a new way of cooking and baking and for more opportunities for me to make compassionate choices in regards to animal products. 

Sooooo.....even before last month, I've been playing around with the idea of taking the 30-Day Challenge. I came across this all-inclusive online program about six months ago, and since that time, have really wanted to give it a shot! I figure that 30 days is a very doable commitment. This is a great way to try something new and it gives me the chance to see if I like veganism before I decide to permanently make a change. More so, the program takes you step-by-step and really educates people on all kinds of topics, from health and nutrition to grocery shopping, cooking, baking, eating out and affording fresh produce. I like that it's basically a "course" in going vegan! I also love that the 30-Day Challenge is teaching me how to cook new dishes. 

Here is the crazy thing guys..... I swear, this is TRUE, but how can it already be true!? So I'm only 4.5 days into being vegan. No dairy, eggs, meat.... yesterday, I was busy and didn't have a chance to make my 2:00pm coffee of the day. Everyday, around 1:00, 2:00 or 3:00, I seriously need a coffee because I'm feeling tired. Well, yesterday, it wasn't until 4:30 or so that I realized...."Oh my gosh! I forgot to make my coffee!" And then it hit me....."WHAT!? I don't even feel like I NEED my coffee!!!" What in the world!? Is this even possible? Is this even possible on only day 4!?

Who knows if it is true, but all I can tell you is that I feel very good. Not only am I eating lots of fruits and veggies, beans and lentils and grains, but now, I am actually CRAVING them. This is so foreign to me! I have a salad from last night waiting in the fridge for me and I can't wait to have some for lunch! Also, I am in shock about this, but I don't feel deprived at all. In fact, I feel 100 times MORE full and satisfied than I did when I was eating a vegetarian diet.

I've been starting my days with a small coffee with almond milk. Then I have a banana. Then I exercise and have a bowl of steel cut oats with frozen fruit. Lunches have been leftovers from dinner the night before or salads, fruit and almond milk yogurt sometimes. I will show you some of the things I've made below. I snack on fruit, a small handful of vegan chocolate chips if I want. I even made banana-oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies! No flour, sugar, or eggs and they're great! I'll share the recipe below. Then we have dinner. Veggies, sometimes tofu, quinoa or rice or pasta and often that's that! (Although I did have home popped popcorn with NUTRITIONAL YEAST on it the other night. Ha! Never thought I'd type THAT sentence! LOL.) Basically though, if I'm hungry I eat. I try to choose some kind of healthy choice, a whole food and I eat. There's no deprivation like I worried that there might be. 

Anyway, I just wanted to share with you that I'm finding some daily joy in learning about a new way to eat. It's truly been a lot of fun!

On Monday evening, I knew that we'd be out until dinner time, so I made this "Slow Cooker Tofu Curry" that I learned about from my friend Carrie. Thanks Carrie! :) It was delicious and SO easy! I just served the curry with brown rice and a salad.  And like most meals, I got dinner and the next day's lunch out of it!

*Oh, and in case you are wondering....Noah usually has no interest in my vegan meals so far and some of my vegetarian meals, so, he often has his own dinner. Jon likes to try anything, but sometimes the guys eat their own meaty meals. I have zero problem with this. I don't ask them to be vegetarian or vegan. They can choose what works for them.

Here are the remnants of my lunch salad that I later ate at dinner. It was, before this picture, mixed greens with cucumbers, shredded carrot, some avocado, cherry tomatoes and a can of Garbanzo beans. I topped it with salt, pepper and a simple balsamic vinaigrette. I could only eat half the beans, so the second half made a nice bean salad to accompany my dinner.

I liked last night's dinner very much. Again, a basic salad and some rice, but then I made a homemade, super fresh, tomato and pea curry with polenta. It was GREAT! You can find the recipe in the book "The Forks Over Knives Plan." It did take me close to two hours to properly wash, chop, puree', cook and put everything together, but it was worth it! I had this and was stuffed.

Part of the vegan challenge, at least for me, is to eat less processed food and also less added sugar. I gave up sugar in my coffee about a month ago and it's been going ok! While most bakes goods and and starchy treats have dairy and/or eggs in them, you can still bake vegan treats and often times they are super healthy! Take for example these DELICIOUS Oatmeal - Chocolate Chip- Banana cookies!
My friend Heather posted the recipe to her Facebook page and I was excited to try them. I had the perfect opportunity to bake some up when she surprised me by stopping by yesterday.

These cookies are great for anybody with a gluten allergy because they are gluten-free, plus vegan, plus NO sugar added and SUPER quick and easy!

You will need: 3 ripe, mashed bananas - 1/3 cup applesauce. (I used no sugar added apple sauce.) - 2 cups oats - 1/2 cup almond milk - 1/2 cup chocolate chips - 1tsp. vanilla and 1tsp. cinnamon.

Now smash your bananas in a big mixing bowl and add in all of the other ingredients until combined.  I used two tablespoon sized spoons to put rounded heaps of the "dough" on a baking sheet. In retrospect, I think I should have flattened my cookies a bit before baking. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes and there you have it!!!

And the great thing, they're really more like having oatmeal and bananas with a few chocolate chips sprinkled on. You're getting the fiber in the oatmeal and the nutrients of the banana, sooooo EAT THESE COOKIES FOR BREAKFAST! ;)
Oh! And they are very filling and satisfying. A nice, healthy way to get a chocolate fix.

The other night Jon asked me to take a picture of what a "Dad Dinner" looks like. Don't you think he did a great job? Jon is a much better cook than I am. I feel badly because I'd bet the guys would rather have "Dad Dinners" every night. This was Chicken Piccata, peas and mashes potatoes.

Early this morning I met my good friend Irini at my favorite coffee shop, Commonwealth for a quick tea. I was hungry for breakfast so I ordered their Irish Oats with almond milk, brown sugar and fruit. (This was the first time I added sugar in a while. I shouldn't feel guilty about it, but oddly I did...) Anyway though, it was so pretty looking when it came, that I had to take a picture.
I find happiness in seeing a friend after a long time, and eating oatmeal.

All this cooking takes time. This was Josie last night, watching me cook dinner. It was sweet. :)

I had what I think was a personal improvement over the need to control things this past week. When Noah called us into his room the other day, only to find that he had found some old Spongebob wall decals in the back of his closet and had plastered them all over his bedroom wall, I normally would have been like: "You put WHAT on  your walls!?" (A bit of back story.... I worked really hard when we moved to make Noah's current room less frenetic and cluttered than his old room. I didn't want the walls covered in all kind of things, especially because his room is on the first floor and every guest can see right in.)  Instead of cringing over three hundred Spongebobs splatted on the wall above his bed, I stopped, congratulated him on his efforts and instead of telling him to take the stickers down, I asked Noah's permission to take the four foot blob of stickers and perhaps spread them out around the room. He readily agreed and enjoyed the following results......  Patrick and Spongbob mesmerized by crabby patties.

And what he calls: "Stalkerbob." Which is creepy and self-explanatory. 

In other Josie news..... a most amazing thing happened in the past week..... she started doggie daycare!!! I just need one day a week, ONE day where she can go play with other pups for several hours while I have some uninterrupted time to get things done. I couldn't even believe that we actually got our act together and made this happen. I've been asking around about doggie daycares for MONTHS! I asked at the vet, asked friends who own dogs, asked dog walkers that I know and asked my neighbors who they use. Everybody liked a different place. Then I did my own research of the five closets doggie daycares. I called them, I made a comparison chart! Then we went and visited the day care that Jon and I chose. It was all a process, a big application form, faxing of Josie's vet records, a visit for a temperament test. I'm so so SO glad that we did it though. She went for a few hours on Sunday, just as a "test." They told us that she played the whole time! And then, this past Wednesday, she went for her first official day. I dropped Josie off around 10:30 or so and camp back just before 4:00. I GOT SO MUCH DONE!!! FINALLY!!! \(^-^)/

OF COURSE I missed Josie a lot and like a HELICOPTER PARENT I called the daycare to "check-in" on her mid-day, but it was still great!

I really think Josie loves it too. She is in the "Small Dog" group. They have their own HUGE area and there are NO CAGES or kennels. One room has cots and blankets if they choose to rest and little divided areas where they can eat privately. Then, the main room has two big couches covered in fleece blankets where they can lounge in front of the giant flat-screen TV that plays the ANIMAL PLANET channel 24/7/ LOL. There is also a large indoor play area, and a door that is left open to their own outdoor play area so they can come and go as they please. Then, about twice a day, the small dog group is lead out to the REALLY big out door area where they can run super fast and climb on the toys. It sounds like a nice time to me! Here is one of the pictures that they posted of Josie. She loves being around other dogs, and on this day, I was told she befriended a puppy named "Harvey" and that they played the whole time. (That's Harvey in the lower-right corner.)  :)

Silver Sisters!!!! \(^-^)/ I'm so sorry that I haven't had a lot of "hair news" for you my friends. I know many of you visit this page for the "hair." If you ever have an idea for a hair-related post that I've yet to write, I'm always happy to hear your suggestion! 

I cut off quite a few inches of my hair in August. I regret doing it myself, but my hair salon was closed and the next several days that followed was a huge event called "The Dream Cruise" and it's too long of a story, but I didn't think I could get into see my stylist Lydia any time soon. While trying on clothing at Macy's I saw in the dressing room, the back of my hair. I was in horror when I saw how yellowed my ends had become from using products and heat styling. I was really due for a trim. I think I trimmed off too much. At any rate, my hair is slowly growing back.  I don't know why it looks so short in these pictures, but today, not being curled up on the ends, my hair is now about 2-3" below my collarbones. Sadly, the ends are yellowing again. GAH! Time for some special shampoo or a trip to see Lydia.

I wanted to ask you guys if you ever feel more self-conscious when you wear your hair in a style that shows your gay hair and your old hair color? For example, I've been braiding my hair, like on the left recently. When I pull my hair back, it shows a lot of my dark brown color compared to when I wear my hair down on the right. I don't know why, but when I show my two-tone hair, I worry it looks more strange. It certainly doesn't stop me from going out with my hair braided, but do you ever worry about this too? Is it all just in my head? Get it? (Pun intended.)

I am thankful each day for having hair and the ability to make fun hairstyles and for Youtube videos that teach me how!

You know, one thing that I really really feel lucky about, is that I'm just a two-minute walk from our local library. The other day I got bundled up and returned my dog cookbook (LOL) when my Forks Over Knives book came in. There's nothing like new reading material, huh!?

When I walked out our door, the BEST, most smokey, BBQ smell came wafting from a food truck parked behind an advertising firm across the street. I swear, it smelled so delicious, that for a second, I almost ran over and ate the entire meaty truck! At least I wanted to. Then I walked past our friend Josh's new church! He's now the reverend there. I waved and said: "Hi Josh!" Since Josh and his family, who are also our good friends, still live about an hour away, he stayed at our house the other weekend. That was the weekend of the BIG winter storm. Josh needed to be at church on Sunday morning at 7:00am, so he stayed with us the night before. Instead of a long long treturous drive in a snow storm, he only had a one minute walk to church from our house. I hope he stays with us again. It was fun for Jon and I to chat and really cool to see a priest's collar and how that works!

Well my friends, this post is so long and tangent-y, that it's taken me a WEEK of working on this darn thing. I think it's time to stop here.  Thank you form the bottom of my heart for reading along, even on the small small things.

I wish you lots and lots and lots of tiny joys this weekend. Keep an eye out for the little pockets of happy in your day-to-day, and soon you will find more smiles upon your face! :)

Until next time!
xoxoxo,
Lauren \(^-^)/

SLOW DOWN! The Four Most Awesome and Satisfying Steps to Slowing Down and Simplifying Your Way too Hectic Life

Some women read romance novels, and follow them up with a dish from  Fifty Shades of Chicken. Some flip through the pages of their favorite catalogues, drooling over the summer weight cashmere. But for me, my fantasy is nothing more than  having a slow and simple summer. 

(Or maaaaaaybe a box of those chocolates with the cherries in the center, that come out at Christmas.)

This video perfectly illustrates how I imagine my perfect summer. Only with no riding in the street, just the sidewalks, and  less lead paint. 

But we all know, not everyone can pull off a wretchedly precious, Kinfolk-style summer. So let's get back to reality.....

Listen, 

The first step to slowing down, is recognizing that you're going too fast!

 For years now, I've been trying to find a  balance between all of the important compartments of my life, and the time and attention that each one needs. 

First and foremost, being a Mother, truly a full-time job when you get down to it. 

Also, caring for our home with the cooking, cleaning, laundering, errand running and an ever changing list of home related "to dos".  Caring for the pets, nurturing friendships, and trying to be a good wife and partner too. Then there is volunteer work at Noah's school, which I love dearly, but became so wrapped up in, at one point, in 2010/2011, I found myself having little time to get things accomplished at home, I felt quite stressed.

So I set out to makes some changes, and I am finally finally in a great position to do so! If you are interested in slowing your life down a bit too, even just a little, I'd love to share this adventure with you!

I'll be posting in the hopefully near future, a series of writings on simplicity at home, tips and suggestions on how to get real-life change going. But here's where you can start to begin......

Step one:  Recognize that your life is too hectic at the moment.

It might seem strange that my first step asks you to recognize that your day-to-day is too busy. I mean, of course you know that! You live it! Sometimes though, when you're rushing around and each moment is filled to the brim with activity, you don't have the moments to really stop and connect with what is truly going on. Your stream of conscious thoughts might say: "I feel so rushed", or "Wow, this is a lot to fit into one week", but you don't dip below the surface to fully grasp how this overloaded life style is affecting your happiness, your health and your spirit.

Mini - Slow Down Suggestion #1 - Connect with Nature! Did you know, that simply by stepping outside, smelling the fresh air, gazing at some gorgeous trees or vibrant flowers, that you can actually LOWER YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE among other calming benefits? Taking yourself out of your frenzied day for just a minute or two can work wonders and affirm that our lives are more than just the latest deadline or the ever piling laundry. We're all part of something bigger, the world is around us, and it's beautiful!

      

     

Step Two: Acknowledge how a chaotic lifestyle makes you really feel inside. 

Is there a quality of balance and tranquility in your busy life? Most likely not. Are stress and exhaustion, or a vague sense of dissatisfaction present in your days? Is something just feeling "off"?  Do you sense that over time, you've drifted farther from your vision of a fulfilling life ?

 It is not easy jumping off the busy roller coaster. For one thing, it might feel like failure! If you can't continue to hold down a job, keep a clean and beautiful home, lead your daughter's Girl Scout group and find time to volunteer in your local community anymore...... then what's wrong with you? Just because you were able to juggles all of these things in the past, doesn't mean that you fail when you set down some of your balls. It actually means that you got SMART! That you are finally ready to take care of YOU too! Connecting with how your frenetic lifestyle effects you, and choosing to slow down a bit is a small WIN in the story of you, not a defeat. :)

Mini - Slow Down Suggestion #2 - Make it a priority to find time for something that makes you truly happy. Don't worry so much about "should thinking".  I SHOULD be doing the dishes, I SHOULD be out with my friends, I SHOULD find a more productive use of my time.

I know that making way for free time can be daunting, especially on the busiest of days, but 

you might be surprised! Sometimes the smallest, shortest and most simple activity, can turn out to be the biggest reward.

One day I spent ten minutes arranging flowers. It was relaxing, a way to be creative, AND we had a week of enjoyment as the flowers sat on our table.

Noah and I stopped for a few minutes to make cinnamon rolls together. It didn't take long at all, and now we have a nice memory. It was worth finding the small amount of time!

Even on a Saturday night, sometimes the quietest  things can be the most fun. For example: bird watching in the backyard! Woo Hoo! *Blush*

Step Three: Take stock of what's important to maintain in your daily life and what you can cut out. BE HONEST with yourself!

At first glance, you might never imagine being able to give up your volunteer work, a highly organized and clean home, or asking your child to only be involved in time consuming competitive sports every other season. There are endless things that we could give up, or cut back on, but most of them feel, at least at first, like a non-negotiable. You really need to delve deep to take stock. You need to be honest with yourself. 

Take for example, something close to my heart, volunteer work. For the past five years, I've been involved to some degree, in multiple volunteer positions at Noah's school. It is important for me to give back, and at times, I've really enjoyed it!  For four years, I held a position on the PTA's executive board as "The Vice President to Lower School New Families".  A much too fancy title, but that's just what I did.   Greeting, communicating with and assisting all of the new families that came to our school over the past four years. I've also been a room parent, the facilitator of a school-wide parenting group, volunteered for various events, helped organize and curate a small library collection, and, my biggest job, chaired a very very large fundraising event in 2011.

Volunteer work was a huge part of my life, and personally important to me!  BUT..... over time, as I began to become more and more busy, rarely feeling able to say "no" to each new opportunity, my happiness and satisfaction levels went down, and my stress level went up!

If you were to ask me two years ago, would I ever give up volunteer work, I'd laugh and say: "Never"! Now though, I've come to realize that while volunteering is something special to me, what is more healthy and rewarding on a whole, is finding enough balanced time to get my most important goals completed first. I wasn't able to feel truly happy, let alone relaxed, unless I was able to check off my important boxes, like being available and present for my child, keeping a cozy, happy little home, and finding a bit of time to also honor my need for some creative "me" time. Writing, creating things for our home, crocheting and walking to name just a few.

It's important to understand that cutting back on commitments and activities can be very difficult and bring about feelings of guilt and failure. But, if you don't put enough consideration into creating a balanced life for yourself, if you put everybody else's needs in front of yours, you will end up exhausted, frazzled, and unhappy.

In the end, I finished out my four-year term as the VP to lower school new families, and declined the offer of another position on the executive board. Will I never volunteer again? Of course I will! I'm sure you can find me working the cooking decorating station at our next Harvest Party, or the Valentine's Dance. I've even entertained fantasies of being a room parent next year. The take-away point being, for me, for now, I've come to realize that I needed to cut out the time consuming, on-going volunteer commitments, to better balance and slow down my days. 

 Take care of yourself and you'll be better able to help enrich the lives of others. You matter too! 

Mini - Slow Down Suggestion #3 - Try something new! Rethink your usual habits . One day we realized that even though we worked so hard to move into our downtown, we never stopped and slowed enough to take advantage of what it had to offer! In such a silly way, we would pass up local eateries at lunchtime, instead making something at home, or driving somewhere that was just part of our previous "routine".  There is a local pub, with a seasonal outdoor deck, just one block from our home. WHY have we never gone there!? Countless times, while passing in the car, or hurrying on my way, we caught a glimpse of happy people sitting on the deck, sipping cool drinks and enjoying lunch. 

A couple weeks ago, we chose to try something new, and went to lunch at the pub. Not only was it fun and relaxing and delicious, it was incredibly nice to just do something new!

Even Noah had a great time, eating fish and chips, and exploring the inside of the pub with it's old Irish instruments and artifacts. Do something new!

Just go take a walk. I know it's Monday night, I know the lawn needs mowing. Just take ten minutes to walk around the block. You'll all be happier for it, and who knows, you might even make a new friend.

You've been watching the same shows for a while now. How about re-visiting a golden oldie or a program that you've never seen before? You might surprise yourself! Here Noah CRACKS UP at a Calliou episode.  (An old favorite that he hasn't seen since age four!). And if you're a parent, you will understand Jon's expression......

Trying making a pizza on the grill instead of ordering out. Fun!

And if you're anything like me.....er.......stare out the window at squirrels and take their picture. SHAZAM! A new relaxing hobby!

Step Four: Time to make a plan! What changes will you implement and how?

Ok, this is the fun part. I will post more action-oriented simplification tips and stories in the future. To begin with for now though, start brainstorming and learning about steps that you can take to simplify each little area of your life. Check out the resources on slow living and simplification websites like my favorite - Rhythm of the Home and SlowLiving Family. There are many blogs out there about people who chose to simplify their lives and to slow down. I particularly enjoy author Amanda Soule's blog, SouleMama and her book The Rhythm of Family: Discovering a Sense of Wonder Through the Seasons.

Just to be clear, although my favorite resources center around family life and the daily activities of a parent, learning to slow down and simplify is important for anybody and anybody! Man, woman, parent or non-parent. This is a shared, universal need  for balance and tranquility.

I'd like to tell you about my starting point for simplifying, the book, Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids.
It's been an INCREDIBLY helpful book, a wonderful and interesting read, and it has changed our lives! And once again, the the wisdom gleaned from these pages can be applied to adults and children alike. The bulk of the book speaks to parenting, but certainly in general, the suggestions for slowing down and simplifying your environment, schedule and mind can apply to just about anyone, anywhere.

Simplicity Parenting helped me to make an action plan. It addressed four areas of our lives that I could work to change. Our home environment, our daily rhythm, our schedules and, filtering out too much adult media and content, like the news and the onslaught of marketing directed at children.

I loved that Simplicity Parenting also went into discussing WHY simplifying can be so healing and restorative, and how we benefit from it in many ways.  In the future, I'd love to share more about the book, and some of the changes that have worked for us!

Here is just a mini example, of some of the simplicity and slow minded shifts that we have made in the past month. It's been FANTASTIC!!!!

Environment - While my house is naturally a pretty organized and tidy place, I learned that by simplifying and cutting back on the number of extra objects lying around, you really work to calm your surroundings and in turn, calm yourself! Everything is just a little less frenetic when you simplify. Also, for children with a mountain of books and toys, (that they most likely rarely play with) simplifying their choices and highlighting a few special options, really re-centers children's play! I'll show you some examples.

This is Noah's bed before. Not too bad, but if you look closely, there are about ten stuffed animals and three blankies. We spent every morning looking down the side of the bed and underneath for the little stuffed animals and blankets that rolled off during the night. Then it took more time to make his bed and arrange everything just right.

This is Noah's bed after simplifying things. One beloved stuffed animal and one special blanket. I know that it looks a bit stark, but you always have the ability to tweak things after simplifying your environment. You can add special items back in if you or your children really prefer.
Surprisingly though, Noah has been just fine with his new, more simple bed. He hasn't asked for the stuffed animals or blankies back (They neatly sitting within reach in his closet), and it takes just 30 seconds now to make his bed now. So easy! Win-Win!

The same thing goes for Noah's bookshelf. Before it was quite cluttered with extra nicknacks, and it's overly-busy. Not really a source of calm in a room meant for rest.

Small changes add up. I removed the bulk of his long ago forgotten collections. The books have been better organized, and I de-cluttered the whicker toy bins.

Taking away to add-in peacefulness in this corner....

Here's the best part about organizing a child's environment. By removing the old toys that Noah rarely used, that didn't promote imaginative, creative play, or toys that he out grew, I made way for new discoveries! First I carefully put most of his toys, neatly behind closed doors in his closet. Then I made "discovery baskets", containers that I change weekly, with a selection of toys that I've noticed Noah hasn't given any attention to in a long time, or ever! I filled each basket with a carefully curated selection of books, art supplies, toys and kits. It's like everything old is new again. It's been just amazing!

He started playing with this fantastic Snap Circuits kit that's been sitting unused for two years.......

And this old favorite that's gone un-noticed for so so long...........................................

Marble  maze!!!!

And Noah finally noticed the rock and gem excavation kit, that was gifted to him last fall. He loved this one so much, that instead of coming home from camp and asking to unwind in front of the television, he actually asked to go dig some more!!!!

I feel that the best part of simplifying one's environment, is the magic effect that it has on how we go forward in using our time. Instead of staring off into clutter, or so many options that there is total indecision, we go for what is presented, giving it a second chance, and often times realizing how great things are!

All of this play instead of video games, computer and TV, has given Noah a new appreciation for what we call "imagination play", which is just my blanket term for anything but screen time. He loves to ride his bike.............

And splash around in the mini-pool...............

Or simply just be content to practice a new skill. Noah is so proud. :)

And it's inspired all of us to join in the slowing down. We go outside more..........

And do more relaxing things as a family, like an afternoon at the pool once in a while, instead of just busy work.............

And we take this alien cat .............

.........for a walk...........

Because now we've made time for it!

If you too take the time to stop and smell the roses, or at least to stop and take a picture of a bee stopping to smell the Wisteria, then I can GUARANTEE your life will be enriched by this small step in slowing down!

Hope everybody is having a nice summer! Talk soon!

xoxoxoxoxo,

Lauren