{ organize ME }

Aaahh...Fall. Love everything about it.

The change of seasons is always a good time to take stock of what is working and what isn't working in your life, to clean out the fridge and toss the junk, to recommit to fitting in a form of fitness everyday, to touch base with yourself & your partner about where you are at.

Will and I had a long conversation the other night about being realistic, about making up our own rules/systems of creating our fun life, about being creative in the ways we'd like to approach our family life so that we can maximize our time together with the kids while still tending to our passions and our businesses. The point is to clear out a lot of the unnecessary stuff so we can find better ways of being together...because our relationship is either moving forward or not. So, lets move it forward. When things get crazy, instead of just going 'ARGH,' we sit down and say "We're going to find a way to do this (or get out of doing this)." We also planned a few date nights...

Part of all of this is that I've discovered that I'm at my best when I engage everything - the mind, the spirit and my body. So I try really hard to schedule "ME-time" throughout the week to encourage sanity.

I encourage you to take some time this week or over the weekend, as a family, to set some intentions for the upcoming school year - figure out just how we want this school year to look and feel. And if there is something that isn't working, sit down together and figure it out.

So, here are some things we are incorporating into our fall family schedule.

1. Schedule in family time - family dinners (we aim for nightly while the kids are young), family movie nights (Friday night), special breakfast (Saturday mornings), Church (Sunday mornings), etc.
2. Schedule in daily ME-time. This is key for all of you moms! After you get the kids off to school, do you have 1/2 hour before heading into the office to have a cup of coffee or go to a yoga class? Do you have an hour in the morning before the kids are awake to go for a run?
3. Schedule in a weekly family volunteer project or outing (Thursday afternoons for us).
4. Leave a few afternoons open with no activities where kids can just be kids and relax at home or play. (Monday, Tuesday & Friday's).
5. Limit the afterschool mayhem. We typically only allow Sam to be involved with one activity/sport outside of family things a week and have one playdate a week (eg. she can choose from art class, soccer, gymnastics, swim team, etc.) She can pick whatever one she wants, but just one. (Wednesdays she has gymnastics and Tuesdays is generally open for a playdate afterschool). We've found that anything more than that just tires her out and makes life crazy. Simple is better.

What are some of the ways you are getting into your fall routines?

image via here.

{ on my mind + menu }

“What I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.” –Hugh Mulligan

1. Love this quote above. Don't you? So today after I volunteer at Sam's school, I'm taking Henry to the park to PLAY.
2. On the menu this week - veggie chili and taco salad (with the leftovers) with this cornbread...haven't gotten any further than that yet. :-)
3. Have I mentioned how much I love Fall?
4. The little guys birthday party was this weekend - this was about the only photo I got of him because he was on the MOVE the entire time.
5. Love this post about minimalism.
6. I really want to go to this. Anyone want to come with ME?
7. I'd also really like to go here as well.
8. Love this video. You will too.

Have a great week! GO!

{ sell your crap }

ManvsDebt's awesome new guide/ebook is out... Sell your Crap. It's a must read for anyone that is feeling overwhelmed with "stuff" and wants to simplify their life &/or earn some extra $$ by clearing out the clutter in your home/closets/etc. It walks you through the WHY of getting rid of your stuff and teaches you the HOW. How to list items on ebay, craigslist, etc. What to donate, what to sell, etc.

Adam & his wife sold off a bunch of their stuff and traveled around the world with their little girl. Totally inspiring story here. As you may recall, last year I sold a ton of our stuff (aka crap) and paid off my remaining school loan debt - $15,000 TOTAL. Whether you just want a more zen home, or need to pay off some debt or just wanted some extra dough for a plane ticket to Hawaii, this guide is for you.

I'm going to write a more thorough review next week once I work my way through all 3 guides but it is seriously worth the time & money to read it. Let the purging + selling begin! GO!

{ on my mind + menu }

1. Love Kris Carr's video about decluttering our lives. Isn't she adorable?

2. Going to make these for the kids one day after school this week.

3. My favorite iphone app.

4. What a cool company and what fun jewelry!

5. Love this video.

6. Way to go MeRa - the Nate Berkus Show! You go girl! Can't wait to see you on it!

7. No Spend Month challenges - this sale ($5 cute shirts for Henry...) and this sweater which looks perfect for ME. So far I've resisted. But I feel my resolve diminishing. But then I see posts like this...he only has 55 things. I have more than 55 things on my desk. In my closet. In our kitchen. We probably have 5500 things (or more)! Geez...

8. Another family that is consumer debt-free!

9. Sometimes I read things that make me cringe.

10. Jody is collecting vitamins for children in Sierra Leone. Can you help? More info here. Deadline 10/1 so hurry up my friends.

11. Love this idea.

12. Love this paint chip garland...going to make this for Henry's birthday this week...the little guy turns 2!!! Speaking of which, we are having a "Football Party" because playing with footballs, basketballs, tennis balls, etc. is all he wants to do. His present is a gigantic box of new BALLS! And he'll be having pumpkin muffins in lieu of cake because he doesn't like sweets... that is essentially the only way people would know that we adopted him because I have never met a cupcake I didn't like. Anyway, going to spend as much time snuggling with the little guy before he hits TWO later this week and officially isn't my little bebe anymore... :(

{ on my mind + menu }

"When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life." —Jean Shinoda Bolen

1. I'm not one to toot my own horn (very often at least) but I was nominated for this super cool "Colorado Extraordinary Business Woman of the Year Award." Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the award party this past weekend because we were at our race, but my mom attended for me. And guess what? I won! {I don't think they know that I work in my pj's half the time!} ;) I'm very humbled & honored indeed.

2. Been thinking a lot about the quote above... been working on doing things that nourish my soul... and one of those things lately has been being involved with the church. The other has been running.

3. Feeling like editing our life in a big way...how many blogs I read, how much time on facebook, how many things are in our closets, how many events we put on a year, etc, and on and on.

4. Really inspired by this young girl from my town.

5. Look at this cool family's RV remodel - they are about to hit the road for a year.

6. My brain is spinning from my September to-do list, which is a mile long...things such as plan Henry's 2nd birthday festivities; order Halloween costumes; launch hilarious MEpad press initiative; ship some huge pre-holiday orders; Nationals logistics; school fundraising stuff; PTA meetings, drop off boxes to thrift store; etc.

7. Can't wait to read this, especially after reading this review.

8. Love this concept. Thursday night girl time.

9. I'm fighting off a nasty cold right now so food this week includes lots of smoothies, soups + vitamin C.

10. Just got this book and thinking that might be October's goal.

11. Oh, and the September No Spend Month goal....hmmm.... pretty good although I did by aforementioned book and this. And yes, neither were needed. Anyway, onward + upward.

Have a great week! GO!

{ find ME }

Find ME on facebook here.

{ on my mind + menu }

1. Love everything about this post...One Life To Live.
2. Making vats of this.
3. Love this post.
4. Like this idea of monthly mini goals.
5. I love how simple this daily mantra of Gabby Reece's is:
Get 7+ Hrs of Sleep
Eat Healthy Every 3 Hrs
Drink 50+ oz of Water
Move At Least 30+ Minutes
Take 15 Minutes For Yourself
Organize to Simplify
Appreciate + Love
6. Had fun making these.
7. We've been going to church (gasp!) and loving it. Really. And I'm thinking about a mission trip with the church in January to an orphanage in Kenya. Have to figure out how to leave my kiddos here for 10 days and and how to not smuggle any children from there back to here.
8. Been drinking this on days I can't find time to make a green juice.
9. On the menu this week - eating loads of peaches, big hearty salads, veggie quesidillas, mexican lasagna, lentil veggie soup using up all of the remaining veggies in the fridge at the end of the week.
10. Our family does a LOT of traveling for work + fun and we've made a discovery. Beauty is right here, close to us, right in America's backyard. You don't have to go abroad, you don't need to go to the most popular destination, you don't need to spend a lot of money. Get out there and enjoy the beautiful scenery and adventures that this country has. Life is too short to wait.
11. Love her life list.
12. Great kids educational apps- well-designed and pretty.
13. Zen Habits Brief Guide to Life.

Have a great week friends! GO!

Image via here.

{ volunteer with ME }

I've had lots of emails about how & where to volunteer with young children and how I am implementing our weekly volunteering effort with Sam, my 6 1/2 year old daughter. We've typically volunteered as a family during the holidays but I really wanted to incorporate it into a more regular basis for us this school year. I think this is so important - not only as an educational tool but in order to help develop kindness and empathy in kids.

Samme & I brainstormed some ideas together that we are going to do. Some are once a week, others are an ongoing commitment. Some we are doing on our own, others we are doing with the church. We are going to try to make Thursdays, afterschool our "volunteer" days.

1. Sponsor a child through Compassion. There are currently 1666 children awaiting help through this program. For $38/month you can help make a child's life a whole lot better. I searched for girls in Africa about Sam's age and those waiting for sponsorship the longest time and then had Sam pick. We talked about the program, looked up where they lived on a map, put together a care package and notes and Samme will be donating some of her earned & gifted money towards this sponsorship each month.
2. Simple things...For example one day we picked a ton of plums from the plum tree and put them together in cute little boxes, Samme made notes and we delivered them to all of our neighbors.
3. We volunteered at the school learning garden & set up a farm stand to raise money for the garden (picture above).
4. Some things we are planning on doing...
- Donating food to the food bank & soup kitchen.
- Volunteering at the soup kitchen (Sam is too young to be in the kitchen but she can help serve and help stock the pantry).
- Visiting local nursing homes and bringing muffins and art work to the elderly residents.
- Visiting a children's hospital and bringing balloons to the kids.
- Picking up trash along a stretch of the road we live on.
- Planting a tree.
5. Support online causes...such as this, this or this.

What are some of the ways you volunteer with your kids?