{ wall art luv }

I've been looking for a bit more wall art for Henry's nursery and found these...



Love the prints (shown above) from Etsy seller dazeychic.

Love the posters here.

And this one for the family room? love it.

{ simple Christmas part deux }

wreath

On average, it takes 6 months for families to pay off holiday bills...ouch. The mode of our culture is to consume and shop throughout the year. During the holiday season people feel they have to shop even MORE than normal. Instead of shopping like crazy, here are some ways to simplify your holidays. { Here is my original post on this topic and here is a great article from the Seattle Times about moms taking back the holidays by taking on consumerism. }

1) Establish or honor family traditions.

2) Sit down with a calendar and make a list of things everyone in the family would like to do over the holidays. I like to build these things into our advent activity calendar.

3) Schedule in some "helping other" activities...donating food at the food bank, donating blankets to the homeless shelter, adopting a family for Christmas, etc. Involve your kids in choosing and taking part in these things. For example, I have Sam decorate paper bags that we then fill with food for the food bank and deliver together.

4) Celebrate the Winter Solstice on December 21st. It can be an all out party or a quiet, fancy dinner at home with your family.

5) Light a special candle each night during the month of December and take turns reading stories, poems or saying things you are each grateful for.

I've had a few questions about what to do with paring down the gifts and how to explain it to the kids like this great question: "Ok, so I am really into the Christmas idea you had with the 6 categories. It is hard b/c the kids have always just gotten gifts from Santa. So, I was wondering if you are really only getting that 1 gift for Samme from "Santa" and the rest are considered from you and Will?? I wondered if I could just use the categories as a guide and have them all be from "Santa" except for the handmade one . . . just thinking out loud. Any thoughts?"

I've figured out the kids 6 gift giving categories a bit better...here's my plan for Sam. Note: She thinks Santa leaves ONE gift for each child (lots of kids to give things to...only one per child reasoning).

1 Want from Santa: As of right now that "Want" of Samme's is the Barbie Diamond Princess Castle + associated crap (i mean stuff)...gulp. I'm trying to talk her into this Eco Friendly Dollhouse instead. :)

1 To Create: This is going to be a project we work on together...we are either going to paint and decorate this cardboard cottage and turn it into a home for her fairies or this cardboard dollhouse for her princesses. Note: Uncommon Goods also has a firehouse for boys.

1 To Read: This book.

1 To Wear: a new dress (most likely from etsy). Any etsy suggestions for 5T winter dresses?

1 To Learn: learning to read Clock.

1 To Help: some little helper cleaning items from For Small Hands.

Danyelle makes adorable gift tags for some of these categories to put on the packages. She does 4 categories in their house (Want, Need, Read, Wear).

I've also been hard at work on creating a year in review photo book from Shutterfly for all of the grandparents and birthparents. If you order them soon they are 30% off. This is all our parents/grandparents are getting {oh and some custom (painted by Samme) notecards}.

Teachers are getting homemade bread and LobotoME notepads. Neighbors are getting bread or cookies. Hostess gifts will be wine & LobotoME notepads.

We are putting up our lovely tree after Thanksgiving (I prefer the term reusable to fake...as much fun it would be to tromp into the woods and cut down a tree I can't bring myself to do it)...the peace wreath above on the front door, a live tree with white lights on the front porch (that we'll plant in the spring) and our stockings hung by the chimney. That's it. The rest of the holiday decor is going on ebay or to the VA thrift store next week.

Simple is good.

{ i will do one thing today }

and that is REST. i think i'm coming down with something...

oh, and take sam to her fall harvest party at school.
and take care of henry.
and ship orders.
and vacuum the house.
and clean the kitchen.

funny notepad above from pretty bitter.

{ grateful ME }

pic: a cool "wishing" rock on my trail run this week...

Feeling incredibly grateful today...

Grateful for my happy + healthy family.

Grateful that Stephanie is going to pull through and this heartfelt story about her + her wonderful family.

Grateful for pumpkin bread, crisp apples + halloween cookies.

Grateful that Henry slept really well last night.

Grateful for a fun hike with the family today.

Grateful that we live in a country where we can vote for our leaders.

And grateful for a small laundry pile today.

Here are some great tips on ways to incorporate gratitude into your daily life from Zen Habits.

{ friday night fun at the obama rally }

starting 'em young...

{ insanity or voluntary simplicty? you choose. }

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

I've had several emails from dear friends over the past few weeks expressing serious frustration with their lives...it seems as though the quote above resonates well with their situations. They say that they are working all the time, not spending enough time with their family, not taking care of themselves, etc. So many woman I know are so rushed and frenzied and stressed...this is not a good way to LIVE.

Not CHANGING the way you are living to have your life align with your values and goals is INSANITY! And you won't get you the results you want. So, I ask of all of you today...what do you keep doing that isn't creating the life you want? Are you working too much? Look at ways to cut back - delegate more, hire an intern, etc. Are you surfing on the internet 4 hours a day but saying you don't have enough time with your family. Cut back on the computer time. Are you not exercising or eating healthy? Schedule in 3 days this week when you can fit in 1/2 hour of exercise. Have you not connected with your partner lately? Schedule a date night and call a babysitter pronto! Sometimes all you need is a little shift to SPARK big changes.

Around the world, millions of people are trying to simplify their lives. Some are looking for more time with their families. Some are looking for ways to save money. Many are looking for more meaning. Voluntary simplicity doesn't mean quitting your job and living in a cabin in the woods without electricity. It is about finding ways to simplify the life you have.

A few books that I've really enjoyed in regards to simplifying and have recommended to friends are:

The Circle of Simplicity by Cecile Andrews.

Simple Living Guide by Janet Luhrs

Your Money or Your Life

And here are some ideas on how to make more time for your families:
1. Work shorter hours. Perhaps by cutting back on expenses you can cut back on work or try applying more effective time management solutions at work, delegating tasks more or hiring a personal assistant.
2. Turn off the computer and TV.
3. Learn to say NO. Do you really have to be on 4 boards? Do your kids really have to take dance, gymnastics, swimming and soccer lessons?
4. Eat one meal a day together. We try to do breakfast & dinner together each day.
5. Plan activities together - hiking, volunteering, etc.
6. Create some family rituals. { Friday pizza night, Saturday morning farmers market & hike, family movie nights, etc. }
7. Write notes to your kids or in a journal. Love how this dad wrote to his kids every morning for 15 years!

How can you slow down and stay sane this fall?

{ top gun }

inspired by my favorite movie i made up this sign for tomorrow's obama rally here in durango.

{ container store }

Have I mentioned lately that they make great stocking stuffers, teacher gifts & hostess gifts for the holidays? To find The Container Store closest to you click here.  Thanks Susan for sending the pic to ME!

{ updates & such }

First of all, sorry for the lack of posting lately...just too busy and too tired! :-)

Also, you may have noticed I turned off commenting on my blog - I did this for a few reasons. One, I was getting obnoxious comments that I had to monitor (some people are just mean I guess) and secondly I want to blog to help other people, to inspire people to live simpler more sane lives and the # of comments a post receives or doesn't receive shouldn't impact my desire to keep blogging. Anyway, I got the nicest email (in lieu of a comment) from a reader and wanted to share a part of it because this is why I do carve out the time for this blog.

"That video did give me hope that things will get better, cause there are a lot of people out there that believe that change is good and that change is essential for us to continue on as a nation. And it made me cry which was exactly what I think I needed to do, because now the headache I was getting has started to go away, so thank you for many reasons, but mostly just thank you for caring about the world enough to share things that move you and that you think will inspire the rest of us. p.s. have a wonderful day."

And speaking of commenting, I won a giveaway for a pack of Nuru financial cards from Fabulous Financials. In the original post she asked how readers were simplifying this holiday and spending less. I told her about our {few key gifts for the kids} idea and lots of giving as there are a lot of people in need this holiday season.

Stay tuned in November for another giveaway and some more holiday sanity saving tips!

And last but certainly not least, little Henry turned one month old today...time just continues to fly by, doesn't it? Today Henry & I are taking a fall hike.

{ on my mind }

To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury; and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable; and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasion, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious grow up through the common.
This is to be my symphony.

- William Henry Channing

{ my american prayer }

Early voting is open in Colorado...and to inspire you...

{ facebook }

because i don't have enough things to do/update/check on...

I am now on facebook. now you can stop bugging ME about it lisa! :-)

{ go obama go }

Love this.
Not loving the fact that our Obama-Biden's yard signs keep getting stolen.

{ stocking stuffers }

Here is where I am getting some of Sam's stocking stuffers...discovered via Soulemama today!

My favorites...Rock Crayons - darling, metallic eco-pencils, make your own magic wand and more at the stubby pencil studio. Eco-friendly, creative and affordable...perfect stocking stuffers!

{ henry }

still mugging on him as much as humanly possible...which is why none of you receive email responses from ME anymore {sorry!}

{ we are the savers }

Love this Declaration of Financial Independence doctrine from ING's {we are the savers site} and this cute yoga mat from ING's store.

{ romp around with ME }

I don't think I could love the things at Romp anymore than I do.

pencil tree

out + about water bottles

mobile home/dollhouse

felt river rocks

{ a day in the life of ME }

Today's {a day in the life of ME} guest blog post is by Kristina - she is married to my cousin Blake. They are raising 3 wonderful children (with what appears effortless ease) and have found creative ways for Kristina to stay home with the kids (and did I mention she runs EVERY morning before the crack of dawn for some ME-time)? Welcome Kristina!

On Who I Am- I am a stay at home mother of three. I have been home full time with my three children- Britton 6, Abby 3, and Maycee 1, since Britton was 14 months. At the present time Britton is in school full day, my husband travels 2 weeks out of the month (sometimes more), works from home (in our bedroom) when he doesn't travel, and I run a preschool from our kitchen/living room 2 mornings a week. Sound crazy??


On Our Typical Day-
Life with three children is busy. Our day starts very early, for me at 5:30 am. I haven't always been a morning person, but about a year and a half ago when I couldn't find any time to exercise, I decided to become a morning person. 4 days a week at 5:45 am, I run between 4-7 miles. I am lucky enough to live near two friends who also love to run early in the morning. This makes getting up much easier- when I know someone is waiting on me. We run all year round, which means running in the dark and also means running in the cold. The best thing about making this commitment to run in the morning is that 1) I don't have to worry about finding time to exercise during the day and 2) I come home awake, energized, and happy. From the moment I get home, it is pretty much non-stop. The kids are awake and it is time for breakfast, baths, getting dressed, etc. and getting Britton to the bus stop by 7:50 a.m. I must say that my husband is an active participant in our morning routine. He travels quite a bit for work, so when he is home he is very helpful before he starts his work day. Two days a week I teach preschool from our house. After Britton is off to school, I have an hour to shower, make last minute preparations for preschool and 5 extra 4 year olds arrive at my house at 9 am. On non preschool days, Abby has dance/tap one day and gymnastics on another. Because I am her preschool teacher, I feel like she needs to get some instruction from other adults, so she is in three classes. They are only 5 minutes away and I carpool with a friend to save on the amount of "trips" I have to make. Our mornings are pretty busy with either preschool/or classes, so every afternoon we spend at home. This is time for naps for both the girls and time for ME. I have somewhat of a schedule for myself during this "free time." Mondays (which also include our weekly shopping trip) and Thursdays are cleaning days. These are the days I clean bathrooms, mop, laundry etc. I found that I could clean every day, but I make myself only do it two days during the school week. Sure, we do the dishes and things like that every day, but the deep cleaning is saved for those days. Tuesdays and Wednesdays I use my free time to do the things I like: scrapbook, read, work on unfinished projects, etc. I also use this time to make phone calls for preschool, appointments, calls to family. After naps, I try and play with the girls until Britton is home at 4 p.m… Our nightly routine consists of homework, dinner time (we make a huge effort to sit down together EVERY night for our meal) and then everyone (including all three children) helps with the cleanup of kitchen. Sundays are church/family days. I am so thankful for Sundays!! After we attend church as a family, we make a huge effort to only spend time with family- this means no friends over, no errand running, and no eating out…Only family time. It may seem like we spend enough time together during the week, but Sunday is different. It is more quality time (playing games, watching movies, talking, etc.) Sunday does also give me the opportunity to nap and make homemade dessert. (More reasons I love Sundays!)

This is pretty much our schedule during the week. But, Blake does travel, so throw that in there, or a surprise throw-up fest in the middle of the night, teething, or watching kids for a friend - then the "typical" schedule becomes tweaked.

On Teaching Preschool from Home-
I decided to do this a couple of years ago and finally put it into actions. I have a teaching degree and I figured this was a great way to use it, earn some money, save some money (by not having to send Abby anywhere for preschool), and full fill my need to do something other than being a mom every day. It has worked out great. I hope I can do it for a few years.

On Our Budget-
I have always wanted to stay at home with my kids. After we first had Britton I went back to work part time as a Special Education teacher. After one year of teaching and paying daycare, gas, etc, I decided the little I was making every month wasn' t worth it. So we decided to live off of one income. The hardest thing about living off of one income is the stress it puts on Blake to make all the money to provide for a family of 5. However, he is completely supportive of me being home. I have always tried to do little things to make extra money to take a little stress off of him. I have watched kids part time for working families, sold things on eBay, substitute taught, etc. Now I am teaching preschool. Staying home is a financial sacrifice. But it was important to us. We have learned to live with less and we have always had enough. I am a coupon cutter, sale watcher, I consign most of my kids clothing, shoes, toys, etc. for extra money. I have a garage sale every June. I try to be creative with what we have. We live in an area where it is pretty easy to find fun, FREE things to do with children. We don't have money to have a padded savings account, our summer vacations are to Wyoming, I drive a van with 150,000 miles on it... But again, it was important to US for ME to be home and we have made it work. I realize it doesn't work for everyone. Our plan is for me to go back to work when Maycee is in school full time. Then we will hopefully have more money to save, travel, etc…

On getting time for ME-
As any mom knows, it is important for all of us to get time away from the house, away from the kids. Sometimes this means a trip to the store alone, dinner with friends, or a date with Blake. I make time every week for ME time. Blake and I go on a date every month. This isn't always easy to plan- but we do it because WE need it!

On things I have learned as a MOM-
Shortly after becoming a mom, I realized that there were things that I was really good at, and then things that were more of a weakness for me. I made the decision early on that the best things I could do for my family were be really good at my strengths, and while not dwelling on my weaknesses, try to become better and/or learn more. I try very hard to live in the moment and realize that what I have is such a huge blessing. It is easy to look around and see that really, things could be much worse. I try to not dwell on what I am not, but what I am. I have also learned as a mom that I have to be flexible. What our family struggles with this month is different than what we struggled with last month. Our kids are changing and as a result our strategies on how we teach and deal with them must be evaluated constantly. I try really hard not to wish away this precious time when my kids are little. It is so hard sometimes to be a mother of three little ones, but I know that there will be a time when I long for the days when they were young. I have also learned that when I put my mind to it, a really can do anything. Two years ago, I never would have thought I would get up 4 days a week and run in the dark. I also would have never thought I could "handle" a husband who travels. But I have learned that through determination, optimism, and lots of prayers, I can handle a lot more than I thought I could.

Blake and I both realize that we aren't perfect parents. We have made lots of mistakes that we look back on and say, "Wow, we probably could have handled that better." But we can say we are doing the best we know how. We are truly proud of the family we have created together. We rely on our faith that our life on earth has a purpose, to be the best we can possibly be, to give service to others and to build an eternal family. This is what makes US truly happy.

{ sell ME }

I've got some more stuff up on ebay in my {continual} attempts to declutter!

{ real simple }

A nice post about the momME planner on Real Simple's blog this morning {thanks Deb-one of my lovely sales assistants & Rachel-a blog reader, for letting ME know about it} and thanks Erin from Unclutterer for including it!

{ what does it mean to be rich? }

Found this quote from an old Lululemon ad that I had torn out of a magazine...It struck me as perfect considering the current financial mess we're in.

Some of the richest people in life do not have money. What makes someone rich? Their bank account? Their savings? The bottom line? What if the bottom line was a tally of friendships made, of families gathered, of sunsets watched, of laughs shared or of communities helped? What if everyone tried to maximize that kind of bottom line? One things is for sure. The world would be richer for it.

Here is a great post on the richness of time. Here are some great tips on how to save money so you can spend more time with the people you love doing the things you love instead of working all the time.

{ for small hands }

There is a great catalog called For Small Hands - it has tons of useful and creative items that allow children to participate more fully in the daily life of the family. Here are some of my favorites.

If you are interested in ordering any items for the holidays, Samme's Montessori preschool - Children's House, will get a 10% credit for materials on anyone's orders over $25 (just put in her school code: 103371).

Small Glass Pitcher

Set of brooms + mops (pictured above)

{ organized home }

Doesn't this look like a fun, organized & stylish house? I love the rustic/modern mix in each of the rooms. More of their home tour on Cookie's Nesting Blog here.

{ boo }

Nothing kills a festive Halloween mood like realizing what a nutritional nightmare this holiday can be. After the fun of dressing up and trick-or-treating are over, kids are left with a pile of artificially sweetened, high fructose corn syrup loaded candy that wreaks havoc on their health. What we try to do is to focus more on creating halloween crafts and baking healthy treats rather than eating candy.

Here are some tips to create a healthier halloween in your home.

1) Buy organic, fair trade dark chocolate.

2) Create organic Pumpkin masterpieces.

Buy organic pumpkins. Search for organically grown or pesticide-free pumpkins in your area at www.localharvest.org. Decorate pumpkins using least-toxic, water-based or tempera paints. Hearthsong makes a pumpkin decorating kit that doesn't involve knives, just colorful wooden features children stick into pumpkins to make faces.

4) Make whole wheat pumpkin pancakes and top with fresh fruit instead of syrup. I sneak some whey protein powder into the pancake mix too.

5) Let your kids pick out 5 pieces of candy to keep (one for each day after halloween) and throw the rest away! {i know, that sounds mean, doesn't it?} :-) But kids and sugar just don't MIX.

6) We've been making tissue ghosts and other halloween crafts and are gearing up to bake pumpkin bread and apple muffins this weekend.

7) Make your halloween greener with these tips or by visiting this Green Halloween.

{ inspired ME }

Inspired to make /find / create the time to do this {photos - a week in the life of ME} project.

Inspired to plan a vacation here for 2009.

Inspired to be debt free so I can take vacations here anytime I want.

Inspired to tackle some more decluttering projects prior to the holidays.

Inspired to keep doing what I'm doing and to live well.

Inspired to get back in the kitchen after a summer long hiatus.

Inspired to turn our shed into a chicken coop in the spring. Thanks Jora for sharing this photo of your coop!

Inspired to go pick apples this weekend.

What are you inspired to do this week?

{ simple christmas }

So with the holidays approaching, a new baby here and a newfound realization that less IS more, we have been talking about ways to reduce the commercialization of Christmas and make it a simple holiday here. We've also been inspired recently by this book.

Step 1. We sent out an email to all of our family & friends asking that they honor our desire to spend time with them but not exchange gifts this year in a attempt to simplify our lives. We sent it out in August BEFORE people went shopping! :-) Budget for the rest of the expenses. Check out Simple Mom's post today for some good ideas on holiday budgeting.

Step 2. Decide what we do want to buy & give (obviously we will get some meaningful gifts for Sam & Henry).
What we decided to do:
1) Continue our family advent calendar tradition like we did last year (and instead of candy or gifts, include a fun thing to do together each day - ice-skating, skiing, hot chocolate making, cookie making & delivery to neighbors, sledding, delivering food to the food bank, giving money to the homeless shelter, making snowflake pancakes for dinner, etc.) More on this later this fall.

2) We also decided that we would ask all of her grandparents for donations to their college fund instead of gifts. Most have been excited about doing this and relieved not to have to try to figure out what a 4 year old today wants.
3) We also decided that we were going to get her 7 good, meaningful gifts in addition to her stocking with the following categories/tags.

1 Need. Something that she needs. (eg. new ski boots)

1 Want. This is something that she wants - most likely a princess thing. :-)

1 Wear. A new dress.

1 Handmade. Something homemade for her. Not sure what this is going to be yet.

1 Read. A new book.

1 Create. An activity - like a set of new paints, etc.

1 from Santa. {We'll wait and see what she asks for!}

Step 3. Decide on celebrations, travel, company, etc.

We are still working out this part of the plan (with my parents here, Will's mom & brother in Boulder & Will's dad in Alaska, it is difficult to see everyone during Christmas). But with a new baby, we most likely will get a hall pass on traveling this holiday season (yipee) and be able to be HOME. I think we will try to plan a winter solstice celebration again this year. More on this later.

I hope this ideas help get you started thinking about the holiday season and ways to infuse it with simplicity, giving and meaning. So what are YOU going to do to simplify your holidays this year?

{ don't vote }

{ and this is why... }

i haven't the desire to get anything else done this week. :-)

{ milkman }

Loving these onesies and the cute milk bottle they come in. Discovered via Domestic Reflections. And yes, as Jora said, they are a perfect baby gift to keep on hand in bulk.