What does this mean to you? Minimalism comes to my mind. So many of the younger generation are going this way. Many of them have watched their grandparents and parents collect things over the years so they now have taken up with the new trend of “less” is better.
I do find that the old saying…“less is more”, can be true! But what is less? I have watched some “extreme” shows, where they will have a beautiful “large” house and only have a mattress on the floor, 1 dish, 1 cup, 1 fork…you get the picture and they seem truly seem happy. This is not the life that I want.
I have a friend who LOVES to collect things…did I say loves it. She collects any and everything that you could imagine. She has now gone through her collection and resized it. To most people…you would still say that she has a lot of “stuff” but to her …she has simplified her life in her own way with her collections and she is a happy girl.
In my life…which is full of special needs and most days cioas….I need “my” type of simple. Let me explain. My husband has Epilepsy and my youngest son as Autism…..for me this changes my life on a daily basis. I have always enjoyed a full schedule of events, lots of involvement in family, work, church and life in general. I like lots of hobbies, things, stuff, and decor in my home etc…I like to enjoy life as I see it….but then life doesn’t alway fit what I like!!!
Recently in my home….I have had to simplify things. Less stuff, less things and to be more practical and less nostalgic. This has been very hard for me but as I get into it …it does becoming easier. I need to create a very practical world for my two men. I need to label where things go in the refrigerator and label whose jacket goes where etc… And yet find a way to make my home still seem special and pretty to me and our guests we invite over.
Recently with my schedule….I have had to simplify that too. How do you take a girl who LOVES a full schedule and adapt it to “SIMPLE” one…so that I meet the needs of my family as well as myself. I have and am still learning how to balance life ….I really don’t know how to explain that in words with exactly I am doing. I probably need to do a VLOG on a day in the life of me.
This might not be “minimalism” to some, but for me I need to carry a planner, snacks, change of cloths, meds, water, essential oils, band aids etc… in many different bags. I have a travel bag, pocketbook, workbag, church bag etc…each one is filled with what I would need for that event and the extras for that “just in case I need it” moment. This works for me….my car is full of bags stuffed with stuff. But all this stuff to me equals an organized, simplified and simple way of living. To me my life is now not full of stressful moments and I don’t have to think as much when life takes over and craziness begins. If you have anyone in your family with special needs you would understand. We never quite know what’s going to happen at a given moment and having these extras with us at all times and organized in designated bags for that particular event definitely helps.
Simple is defined by YOU and only you. We should not jump on a trend just because!!! Yes, we should evaluate our lives and simplify them… but this does not mean throw everything out that you own, and live in a sleeping bag.
God has given and blessed our family many times over with things and not necessarily money…I need to use what I have, simplify what I buy and sometimes bless others with my overflow.
Remember to enjoy life and where life has you. I know that this is a unique way of looking a “simple life” but it is the way I do it. How do you do it..leave a comment below.
Lynn A. Wilson – Resume of a Mother
I needed to spend the next few days reviewing why I had no idea even in my own small home, why I could not find my cookbooks. What in the world was going on with me? I thought maybe I am was just getting old, maybe I just needed a day off, maybe….maybe….NO, I had to take a good hard look at my schedule and make some major changes.
I am a Modern Day Working Mama with a homespun twist and a dash of special needs and disabilities – a life of adventure with a constant new norm. 
was
h me that he and his wife where having a “discussion” about what to buy at the food store. Now you might ask “what is the big deal”…but we have all been there. Discussing, fighting, arguing about which Ice Cream to buy, what brand of bread to get etc…. It sounds silly and it really is and yet we let this get to us.
ightly that everything in life seems to bother her. She can bully anyone in her path for the smallest thing they have done wrong and yet if you try to talk to her about anything she will burst into tears with fits of anger. Yikes!!!
Yet on the other hand….life keeps calling, new places to see, new things to taste, new adventures to try with my family. I have people to meet, lives to encourage, people to share great experiences with, people to mentor, people to learn from and a whole lot of life to LIVE.
y, the New Year was one of the most depressing times for me and I could not handle the midnight celebration that comes with New Year’s Eve.
ching the clock tick and turn towards midnight….”why not just go to bed”. It was like an epiphany. Why not just go to bed? Why did I not just think of that. Just think I could go to bed and wake up the next day and keep going and not dwell on the fact that at 12:01 AM the new year arrived.
This year again New Year’s Eve came and went but with a different twist. I have to say I am a BIG fan of Dave Boyer and he was in concert for New Year’s Eve where I work. Just think of that…..I was able to work and see him in concert at the same time….oh boy did this bring back some childhood memories of the “oldies” and my mom and her sisters.. What a treat for us and then we headed home around 11 pm and you guessed it, “I went right to bed”, before midnight could set in.
y and when I got home my hubby said let’s go out and grab a bite to eat at the new local restaurant called the Mellow Mushroom. You might have one near you. Well, what a great place….it is on my favorites list!!!.
here is no time for anything anymore. The more I try to tweak things and slow things down …the busier I seem to get. I laugh at times…we love to “check-in” and document what we do on Facebook. I will show up to work or meet someone at an event and the first thing they will say to me is …..”How do you do all that you do?”
that mean the most, what does this mean to you? Even though we are very busy doing things, we are learning more and more that being busy with people and making memories is where it is at for us!!! We love things like home decor, we love to collect things and so on……not to say that there is anything wrong with that, but we have found for us and at this stage of life that “those things” have just taken on a whole new meaning. We have begun to change our way of life and not collect and accumulate so many things but to make choices of what we do like and really want to keep etc… I have also begun to take pictures of some of my treasures and journal the story behind them in a scrapbook. My kids don’t want my “things” ….this seems to be the new trend of the “Millennials” and the “Gen Y”. So then the question is ….what do we do with all this stuff? Well, I decided to get rid of a lot and make room not only in my house but in my life for new memoires that are not made of things, but events, people, and trips etc…..
for dinner. I met a family that said they would make a big deal on Sunday night and call it “Popcorn Sunday”. They had very little money and food during the depression…so popcorn was cheap and available to them so this is what they would eat. But yet the memories of this night still exists to this day and guess what they enjoy eating on a Sunday night still…you guessed it…”Popcorn”.
again and he smiles and is uplifted every time he talks about it. On Saturday night….with a family of 7 and no money, my grandfather
would create “Scrumple”for dinner (a name they made up for this dish). This would consist of every little bit of any type of leftovers from that week. They would get out the big black cast iron skillet and dump in all the little leftover bits and then cover it with oatmeal. They would they fry it up and a gourmet meal, or at least that is how my dad remembers it, was created.
kers for dinner and they were grateful for just that little bit. There was not an option to ask for more….there was no more in the cabinet. As a matter of fact there was not a refrigerator or even a stove in the home. Any yet, the memories of these crackers kept her humble and thankful for every little thing she has to this day.
of homemade “kitchen soup”… and we have even had crackers and jelly for a meal on occasion. Trying something new is good and by doing these things….it has reminded me of the friends and family that have taught me life lessons through their stories.
lways great to have a family day out and it is even better when you can share it with friends! We attend a homeschooled day out every other week at our semi-local Sky Zone. If you have never heard of this it is a very large trampoline fun place as you can see in the pics. Sky Zone does a great job of accommodating all ages and skill level and they keep the kids moving to each event they offer.
For the life of me I cannot remember what movie I heard this phrase from but my husband and I use it often in describing our days. Do you have crazy days; do you feel like time is always running out? I would love to know what it feels like to lay around all day, at least for just one day and watch TV, read a book, sip coffee and do absolutely nothing. Ok….I need to wake up from that dream!!!
. I have warned him of two tips that I have learned and I am still learning…..1. When we are so independent we become so focused on the task and getting it done, that we can forget to allow the Lord to have the space to work in our lives. Also we miss out on blessings of letting other into our lives. That is not to say that we are not capable to do the task…but sometimes the Lord uses others in our lives to teach us, HUMBLE us, and to show us new things. Also, when they are in the process of helping us…..it might be that the Lord needs to use them and to teach and show them something too, it is not always about us. 2. Be open and available to others and do not shut them out because “we can do this”.
Can I challenge you today to look at your life, and to see what time that you might need to tweak in order to spend with others? Do you keep some time open for when someone might call for help? Have you found yourself so busy that you cannot lend a hand when needed? Do you find as I have that you say you are available as you stare at your cell phone and you are walking away as someone is trying to desperately talk to you and get your attention? Ouch…that just hurt!!! How many times do I do this? PUT THE PHONE DOWN LYNN!!!!
Resume Of A Mother 