Simplicity

This has been a CRAZY week for me. Okay so let me clarify..it hasn't been THAT crazy but at times it has felt totally overwhelming.

Kylie is participating in a camp at the Genesse Country Museum this week in Rochester. She was SUPER pumped for this and has literally been planning her trip for months. Well.... she still loves it but let me tell you it has been sweltering hot here. I know it isn't in the 100's but it has felt like it is. The heat is one thing but the humidity is the icing on the cake. And when you have A/C at home and are not staying in a non A/C home, you feel it even more. Fortunately, my parents have a pool...but the mosquitoes..

But I digress

Although we are a bit on the edgy side, I am trying to see the upside of things...Like today!

Today I got the opportunity to go to one of my favorite places (I just wish it was a favorite when I actually lived in Rochester). I seriously love the Genesse Country Museum. Really...I do. When I am there, I feel simplicity. I love the way of life and strive for it. One house we visited was built by a man with lots and lots of money. Well, he also had 11 children. They let the kids play with toys in the kitchen while the mamas learned a little more. Oh how I wish we had a wood burning stove to cook on, or fewer toys, or a big kitchen table, or just a case iron pan. But then I realized that I was AGAIN wishing for things.

Isn't it funny how when we strive for simplicity, we sometimes tend to want more?

So I thought about what I can do to live more simply WITHOUT wanting things. Here is what I came up with.
1. GET RID OF TOYS: We have way to many and they totally overwhelm me. I just want toys that stimulate my children's imagination.
2. GET RID OF EXCESS KITCHEN CRAP ITEMS: I am going to go through my cupboards and pull out things that haven't been used in a while...or ever. Seriously, how many mixing spoons do you needs? It's not like I am running a restaurant!
3. LIMIT TV TIME (for myself) and READ MORE: I love my tv shows. I have tried and tried to break myself of a few and have failed. Well, maybe not but I still watch too much. Books are good. Did you know that? So I am going to start reading at night before bed instead of watching shows the whole time. I do still have a few I like and sometimes I need brainless tv time but at least I am striving...
4. USE MY HOOSIER: Yes, I have a beautiful hoosier that my husband bought me 4 years ago. And it sits in my dinning room for storage. SO...I need more counter space and I have a HUG HOOSIER...hmmmmm! I am going to try and move it so I can use it more.

Those are just a few things I am going to do to start. I am hoping to find someone to watch my kids one morning next week so I can go through and de-clutter.

Some things I already do that you may be interested (or not) in doing yourself.
1. Use cloth diapers (that is if you have children that age)
2. Line dry as much as possible
3. Make your food. Yes, make it all! From scratch...like bread, yogurt, kefir, granola, cheese, etc.
4. Make a menu each week and only by what is on it.
5. Make sure you plan meals which are made from only ingredients your great-grandparents could buy at the grocery store. So NO Hamburger helper!
6. Have a daily schedule for your home and STICK TO IT.
7. Limit TV time for you children to one hour a day or less (especially in the summer)
8. Only have clothes that you need. Don't have a closet full of useless stuff..give it away.

Okay I will add more as I think of them.

So go LIVE SIMPLY and take your kids to the Genesse Country Museum in Rochester!