Last weekend I found myself in reflection-mode. Next month marks the one-year anniversary of what I call “the chapter in our lives where we were home way more than I…
“Time to tidy up the toys,” I announced after dinner last month. My request was met by a novel “nooooo” from our 7-and-3-year-old daughters. My announcement wasn’t new—our evening routine…
I’ve got this theory I think many of us can relate to. Goes like this. We start out in the world at ease with who we are, confident in our…
I didn’t get into minimalism for the financial benefits. No, I was initially drawn toward a simple lifestyle with less stuff for one reason—so I could breathe in our home…
My first true concern for my wardrobe surfaced in high school. Not long after stepping foot into the long, brick building nestled among Iowa cornfields, I picked up on an…
A word I usually avoid slid out in conversation this past week. “I just feel. . . busy,” I told my husband, reflectively. He was sitting on the couch sipping…
Since embracing a minimalist lifestyle, our family tradition has become giving more experiences and less stuff. But many of the “go-to” experience gifts now come with a familiar question—is that…
A question I frequently hear from readers this time of year goes like this: “How do you handle holiday gifts? I struggle every year to keep toys to a minimum.…
One of my favorite quotes about simple living is by Henry David Thoreau. Goes like this: “I make myself rich by making my wants few.” Thoreau was talking about gratitude.…
Signs of the season are beginning to emerge everywhere. Red Starbucks cups in the hands of fellow nature park visitors on a Sunday afternoon. Lights woven tightly around once leaf-filled…