simplify

as i go through my life day to day, i have been mentally taking notes about how i want to change...how i want to get back to what is really important in life. my friend debbie over at Three Weddings recently wrote a very interesting post that really hit home. she makes a good point about cell phone use in our lives today. i'd like to give you an opportunity to read it...maybe it will spark something in your mind that will put you on the path to simplification.

thanks deb! you're so smart.

purging

our little family has begun a journey towards simplification . so the first step was admitting we have a problem ...of being over-scheduled, over-worked, over-indulged, and surrounded by too many things. the next step is action. we've been working on getting rid of the extra...the extra running around...the extra junk...the extra non-necessities in our lives.

so, we have spent the past few weekends purging...from our closets...from the basement...from all of the nooks and crannies where treasures go to hide. we have taken about 6 ginormous loads to various agencies where we live. there's still more to do, but that was a great start. and i feel good about it. we have started cleaning out what the past twenty years have brought in and other people will benefit from our purging. it's a win-win situation.

under pressure

i've been doing a lot of talking with my girlfriends lately and the main theme of our conversations is this: we are overloaded...overwhelmed...overworked...overtired...and spread WAY too thin. as you may (or may not) know, i'm working on simplifying our lives. you can read my epiphany here .


i've decided to start raising funds so we can research this problem extensively. just kidding. but, i would like to talk about it. now, i will admit that some of my angst is self-induced. i have over-scheduled myself and our kids in an effort to keep us busy and allow less time for whining. we had a great summer...probably just the right amount of activities. however, it left me feeling out of breath and struggling to catch up on daily life. captain adventure was in an all boys gymnastics class at the Y at the end of the summer. he LOVED it. it was great for him. for me the only problem was the timing...every wednesday from 4:30-5:15. little mother hen gets out of school at 3:40...we get home by 3:50 and she only has a few minutes to catch her breath, do her homework, and grab a quick snack before we leave at 4:15. i know -- it was only once a week, but sometimes that is enough to throw a kink into the smooth running machine that is our life.

i joke with my friend jill that we are less like stay-at-home-moms and more like live-in-the-car-moms. i'm tired. i'm tired of the constant power struggle with our kids. i'm tired of so much running and so many activities. they're tired too. all they want to do is melt into the couch and stare at the tv (which is an entirely different post). they don't want to be constantly running between here and there any more than i do.

another part of the problem is that i have put WAY TOO MUCH PRESSURE on myself to be the perfect mom...to bake, to craft, to haul, to enjoy, to never yell, to always cook, to always be calm and collected, to do it all and have it all. i have set myself up for failure by setting totally unrealistic expectations. so, i suppose i need to revamp my expectations for myself and the expectations that i have for our family. we need to re-prioritize as part of our simplification plan. that's cool. i can do that.

i'm inspired

i don't know about you, but lately i have had an overwhelming urge to simplify...my life, our home, our schedules. there are too many chefs in our kitchen and i need to take control. along with my urge to simplify was my feeling of being completely overwhelmed by such a thought. i mean, where to begin? well i'll tell you where.

Kristen over at we are THAT family is one smart sweet-tea-loving woman. she recently wrote a post that was instrumental in pushing me into action. now, we're not doing anything drastic like shutting off cable *GASP*. but i'm putting a plan together. baby steps people. baby steps.

i know you'll be waiting with bells (or goofy ass shoes) on, so i'll be sure to keep you abreast of anything pertinent.

hugs and kisses to all,

the queen