Joanne Heim

Swirly Saturday

My friend Marla does a thing called "Swirly Saturday" each week and I'm going to copy her, because that's how I'm feeling and I think I've already used every blog title that I can think of with the word "random" in it.

(If you don't know Marla, go visit her. She has the most amazing-looking blog--just love her design, it's so very her. And she's an amazing author, and well, while we're at it, let's give away some of her books. I have two to give away--Is That All He Thinks About? and Expecting. So leave a comment telling me which one you'd like and I'll do a drawing when the comments fizzle out sometime next week. So, for that, leave a comment with your name and the book title you want. And if you're tricky, you can leave one for each, but they have to be two separate comments or it gets confusing to choose them and make it fair. And if any of that made sense, well, you've had more coffee than I have so far this morning.)

Okay, long paragraph and in parentheses too. On with what's swirling around in my head.

~It's snowing. Total blizzard yesterday and still snowing this morning. Think Narnia, is what I told twitter yesterday. See?

Wet and heavy and so soft. And giving us the moisture we need. Don't you just love that blue light from about 6 o'clock this morning? Lovely, lovely, lovely.

As I was having my quiet time, I was thinking about the fact that God makes each flake so small and different and perfect. And that no one ever sees most of them to appreciate them. Snow is moisture, something totally functional that MELTS! And yet he takes the time and care and creativity to make each one beautiful, each one a work of art.

Makes me want to be excellent in even little things and tiny details that no one will ever see or know about. Just because. 

~Toben got home safely last night. He's been in Branson and I wasn't sure he'd make it home given the weather. When he called to say he'd landed at DIA, I told him to be sure to get something to eat. Sure enough, it took way more than an hour to drive home.

~I'm going to the movies with a couple of friends this morning. So excited. We've cut back hugely around here--down to gas and groceries and paying bills and tuition--so this feels like a big treat. I love going to the movies--especially during the day. Feels so decadent to come out to daylight rather than dark. (And let's get real, it's been YEARS since I've been to a movie at night, cause who can stay awake? Not me!)

~Lisa has some great Simplify Me stuff over on her blog. So I'm going to let her have the floor this weekend. Go check it out.

~I'm working away on this retreat--and will do a drawing sometime this weekend from all your comments. Thank you again for all your help. Would you pray that I be bold? That God would speak through me? That I would step out of the way and let him take over? I'm going with the "prepare like crazy and then let the Spirit lead" method of getting ready! 

From all your comments, I really want these women to be blessed and encouraged, but also challenged to go deeper in their relationship with God!

~School has been incredible lately. I'm learning so much and am working hard on a couple of big papers. Like I've said, I want to share it all with you, but need to figure out how (and when!) One topic I've been challenged by has been worship. I'm still sorting it all out in my head (and on paper for a paper!) and it's really making me see some things differently and in a new light. Good stuff.

~Okay, I really need to wrap this up. Go do something fun! And may God bless you--because you bless me like crazy!

Simplify Me: I need your input

Hey ya'll,

(Just got home from the Hannah Montana movie--so cute and full of "ya'll"s.) 

The girls are at my mom's, dyeing Easter eggs for tomorrow and I'm getting ready to get some work done. I'm speaking at a women's retreat the first weekend in May, and the topic is...Simplify Me!

I have some thoughts about where I'd like to go with this, but I need some input, and ya'll (there it is again!) immediately came to mind. Who better to ask for help?!

I sat down and emailed Lisa the other day and would love your input too. (She's still getting back in the swing of things after vacation, so we'll pick up with our conversation next week.)

So here's the question:

If you were coming to the retreat, what three things would you want to come away with? 

Think about how to strategies, questions answered, topics covered, and so on. They can be as basic/simple as you like--or as hard as you like. (Not that I have all the answers, but I'm considering you my market research!)

Please leave a comment and let me know. Pretty please, wIth sugar on top! 

Even if you've never left a comment before, I'd so love to hear from you and get your opinion. And if someone has already left a comment with your answer, leave it again. That'll help me see if there's certain themes that seem most pressing.

How's this? Leave a comment and I'll do a drawing at the end of next week for a free book for you to keep or give to a friend. And if TONS of you respond, I'll give away more than one. Let's see how many comments we can get! 30, 50, 150, 200?

Thank you!

Joanne

Simplify Me: More answers to Lisa's quiet time questions

Okay, so where'd I leave off?

Are you legalistic about your quiet time? Well...

The answer has to be no. Because I don't do it to make God love me any more than he does, to avoid any punishment I think he might give me if I didn't (which I don't think he would), or because someone told me I have to.

I am disciplined about my quiet time. For all the reasons I gave earlier this morning. Because I desperately need it! 

It's not a have to for me, but a want to.

There's a huge difference. Because I spent years of trying to have a quiet time because I thought I had to and because I was told (or perceived) I had to. While the practice itself isn't that different looking, it never lasted when I did it only out of obligation. And to me, legalism smacks of obligation.

That leads into another of Lisa's questions...

How do you keep yourself on track with an early morning rising time? I set an alarm!

Not everyday, but definitely on weekdays. And after years of getting up early, I just wake up. The latest I wake up is usually about 6--on weekends I like to roll over and go back to sleep for a while, but I can't remember the last time I was in bed past 7 a.m. Sad, but true.

(It doesn't hurt that the cats really want their breakfast and are used to getting it at about 5:07, so they tend to wake me up or jump on my head if I stay in bed too long.)

Simplify Me: More about quiet time

Okay, I'm getting back on track with Lisa after my bloggy break. We're talking about quiet time, and I asked her what questions she had. Here's her response:

Oh my how much time do we have to talk? I have so many questions...how do you get past the fear of inadequacy that I listed above, how do you become a morning person, can you recommend a really good devotional, when you journal do you just write free form or do your daily entries follow the same format, how do you keep yourself on track with an early morning rising time, are you legalistic about your quiet time, how do you organize and format your quiet time, do you have quiet time every day, if/when you miss your quiet time how do you feel? I think that covers most of my questions.

And here's the link to her post if you want to go read it and come back.

So, let me give it a shot. With the understanding that I don't have all the answers, but I'm happy to share my own experience and what works for me. So if any of you have different responses, chime in the conversation, okay?

How much time do we have to talk? As long as it takes! I'll answer a few for now and we can keep going from there.

How do you become a morning person? I'm a big believer in first thing quiet time. Because I know myself and my tendency to get off track quickly, I need to start my day on the right path--with my heart and mind set on God. (And even with that, I can get off track all too easily!)

First thing means different things to different people. I get up at 5 a.m. (No, wait, keep reading--I'm NOT saying you have to get up that early too!)

For this season in my life, that's what works best for me and for my family. But some of you may not need to get up and out the door, others may have small children and morning nap time is an obvious "first thing" kind of a time for you. First just means before your day really gets going.

I will say that if what's going to work best for you is early morning and you're not sure about being a morning person, you can ask God for help. And he will help. Not a wave a magic wand, make you get up at o-dark-thirty singing like Snow White kind of a help. But he will help you make some choices to get out of bed.

So much of it is about choice. If you're going to get up earlier, you may need to go to bed earlier. And clean the kitchen the night before and get the coffee ready, because even though I've been getting up at 5:00 for years, if the kitchen sink is a mess and the coffee's not ready, I have a miserable time getting up.

Do you have quiet time every day? If/when you miss your quiet time, how do you feel? Yes, I do have my quiet time every day.

It has become part of my routine, like drinking coffee or eating breakfast or brushing my teeth. When I first began, though, it wasn't every day because it just takes time for something to become part of your routine, to feel normal.

Very rarely, I do miss it. Girl Scout camp or vacation--usually when I'm out of my normal routine is when it's easiest to skip it. How do I feel? Just fine for the first day, but any longer than that and my family starts to notice that something's not quite right. 

I need God. Without him and time spent alone with him in prayer and study and conversation, I become more self-centered, less patient, angry even. I need time with him to remind me of how to live and without that I quickly fall into focusing entirely upon myself and how everyone else around me can make me happy. It's not pretty.

I'll come back and tackle more of Lisa's questions in another post, but I'm hungry and off to make a big bowl of grits. (Yes, I do like them! Swimming in maple syrup. Mmm...)

If this whole idea of quiet time is new to you and you have lots of questions, feel free to ask away. Also (shameless book plug coming!) this is really the heart of my newest book, Misplacing God. You can get a copy by clicking on Amazon shop link in the sidebar, or by clicking directly on the Misplacing God link under My Books at the top of the sidebar on the right.

Simplify Me: Quiet time

Every time I think about Lisa I get the biggest smile across my face. And then I read this post from Melissa too and it just makes me grin too! Making small changes can make such a big difference!

I love that Melissa talks about God's work in all this. God is the God of order (as my mom is wont to say) and as we put things in order we reflect his character too.

Anyhoo...

I think Lisa and I are going to tackle the topic of quiet time next. More than anything else, the discipline of spending time alone with God each and every day has changed my heart, grown my faith, and made the biggest difference in my life.

If you do nothing else to simplify your life, nothing else to create order in your home, do this one thing. I believe it will change everything else--because it will change you.

I suppose we should have tackled this one first. Oh well. But part of me was waiting for Misplacing God to release--because that's what this book is all about.

So how do we even start?

If you've grown up in the church, or been around the church for very long, my guess is that you've tried some things in the past.

So.

• What have you done in the past?
• What worked?
• What failed miserably? 
• What are your biggest challenges to quiet time?
• What questions do you have about it?

Want some free coffee?

For those of you who've been following our Simplify Me project...

 

Lisa's doing a giveaway here to celebrate. Go leave a comment by Friday to win some Starbucks!

Simplify Me: Hooray for Lisa!

It was been way too long since Lisa and I have had a back and forth Simplify Me post. But when I read this post of hers here, I just had to comment and let you in on it too.

Seriously, it's short, so click here and go read it. Then come back. I'll wait.

::elevator music playing::

As I told her, it's not really the planets aligning just so. It's that she's done some hard work to make some choices about her days and weeks and what she wants them to look like. Some easier than others. Some pretty hard. 

It's worth remembering that a good choice doesn't always equal an easy choice. Sometimes the best choices are the ones that are the hardest to make.

Sure, she'll still have days when things aren't going so well, but I'm guessing they'll be fewer and far-er between.

WAY TO GO, LISA!

A couple of thoughts about praying for others

The other day I mentioned something about prayer and Kelley asked me to share more. I sent her a quick email, but thought I'd answer in more detail here. 

I think this ties with the conversations Lisa and I are having about living simply. Especially as we move forward to talk more about daily quiet time--one of her goals.

A big part of my daily quiet time is praying for others. 

Growing up in the church, I heard "I'll pray for you" a lot. I said it a lot. And I have to say that I didn't always do it. It seemed like the thing to say and sometimes it seemed like not such a big deal. Somehow it didn't seem super practical to me. I have to admit that I sometimes had the attitude of thinking that it wouldn't do much good.

But here's the thing. As I mentioned yesterday, Toben is bipolar. And in the midst of all that coming to light and the heartache and confusion and sorrow and pain, there was really nothing people could do to help. Except pray.

I know that God used those prayers--of my parents, of their friends, of our friends, of people I didn't even know--to change our lives. 

And so I pray for others--I suppose the technical name for it is intercessory prayer. It is my joy and my privilege to pray for others--for you.

But the list gets long, the list gets overwhelming, and it can be hard to know where to start. So I've grouped requests into like categories to help me pray for others and to be faithful in it.

Here's what it looks like for me:

Mondays: My family--parents, in laws, my sister and her family
Tuesdays: Healing
Wednesdays: Marriages
Thursdays: Salvation for friends and family
Fridays: Our nation and the world; leaders in politics
Saturdays: Friends
Sundays: God's church in the world, my own church, missionaries

I also pray for Toben and the girls each and every day. I'm a huge fan of Power of a Praying Wife and Power of a Praying Parent. I had my copies spiral bound and flip to a new page each day. Go here to purchase a copy if you want.

(A note about my bookshop on Amazon. It's simply a place where I can recommend books and you can purchase them. It's part of Amazon so all your account information is already on file--assuming you shop there as much as I do!--and it ships directly from them. I earn a small commission that offsets all my textbook purchases!)

I write specific prayer requests in the books as I go along, and also how God has answered. I've done this for years, and can go back and see how God has been at work on a particular issue through the years.

***

Sorry I didn't get a Frugal Friday post done yesterday. Maybe later today. 

And I just learned last night that my mom HATES that picture I put up on her birthday. (Kristen used the same one--after all she took the picture!) Sorry, Mom! I'll see if I can't find one to replace it.

I'm off to Kimberly's later this afternoon for a tea party. I'm so looking forward to it!

Linen closets and coat closets

Lisa wrote a great post earlier this week about cleaning closets--especially clothes closets. You can find it here.

She is absolutely right on. Take everything out and sort it, then put it back in. It's too hard to try to clean here and there around what's in the closet. And somehow, clothes closets need to be sorted through a couple of times a year. 

Especially when kids are little and grow all the time. I remember finding outfits with the tags still on that they'd outgrown before they'd worn them once--all because I hadn't taken the time to go through their clothes often enough.

I think that coat closets and linen closets are some of the hardest to organize--because they hold such a variety of things.

Our coat closet has some cleaning things, including mops and brooms, as well as things like hats and scarves and mittens looking for their friends.

The linen closet is the same way. I holds some sheets and towels, as well as the upstairs cleaning supplies and all the medicines. I have the hardest time with medicines because the bottles and boxes are all such funny shapes. Help!

In our house in California, it worked to keep shoe pocket organizers on the back of the closet doors to hold hats and mittens and scarves in the coat closet, as well as extra bars of soaps and medicines in the linen closet. But it doesn't work with the closet doors I have now.

Here are pictures of my two rogue closets--I didn't straighten anything before taking the pictures!

(Oops, went to take pictures and then forgot all about this post. But I need a little reading break, so I'm back!)

Here's what I see from my own pictures of the coat closet: 

• Lots of unused space on the top shelves.
• The baskets are pretty much empty.
• The hanging shelves are a good idea, but stuff is falling out of them like crazy.
• Once I'd hung all my coats together, all of Toben's together, and so on. No one else is keeping it that way!

I think we need to come up with a better system. Maybe put all the girls' stuff in the baskets below--hats, scarves, etc.--since they can easily reach them, and come up with something on the shelf for Toben and myself.

And the linen closet:

 

• There really aren't many linens in here. 
• Cleaning supplies are kind of taking over three shelves and not really organized by type.
• The medicines aren't working in my four-drawer thing. Especially since one drawer isn't even it in, but sitting separately!
• The top shelf has lots more vertical space.

Again, we need a better system for medicines. And something to keep cleaning supplies together and where they belong (furniture polish, dusting clothes together; bathroom cleaning supplies together, etc.).

So what are your coat and linen closet challenges? And what's worked well for you?

Simplify Me: What am I going to wear today?!

Earlier this week I told Lisa I'd do a post on closet organization on Saturday--yesterday. But then I completely forgot! 

Organizing the closets in her home is one of Lisa's goals for this project, and it's something we all seem to do a lot. We get a closet put in order and then somehow a month or two  later it needs to be done again.

(I'd like to say that in my home it's because other people mess it up--but my half of the closet and the armoire where I keep some of my clothes suffers from the same problem! Perhaps it's just the nature of closets.)

Since I don't have pictures of my closets to share right now (which I will do in upcoming posts on this, talking about specific closets as we go like kids' closets, adult closets, coat closets, linen closets, etc.), I thought I'd take a minute and talk about getting dressed each day--something related to closets.

For the past couple of years I have tried to set out clothes for the girls on Sunday nights--determining ahead of time--and with their help--what they'll wear each day. It makes our mornings run so much more smoothly.

Of course there are those days when they suddenly decide they hate the outfit they agreed on just days earlier, but for the most part it works. There are also those days when the weather does something completely unexpected--snowing on a day when the forecast predicted highs in the mid-50s. That always requires a change in plan.

As I said, this works great for the kids. But I have still had the tendency to change clothes three or four times, running around at the last minute like a crazy woman because I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR!

So last week I tried something new in light of the fact that I have to leave the house at a particular time each day during the week and can't sit around in my jammies until 2 o'clock in the afternoon. I set out my clothes for the week too. 

And it worked! (I only changed my mind one day--and that only involved picking a new top to go with my jean skirt.) It worked so well that I'll be setting out my outfits along with the girls' clothes before we head to bed tonight.

Here's what it requires:

• Printing out the forecast for the week--Will we need heavy coats, snow boots, hats, gloves, and all that stuff?
• Knowing the girls' school schedule--What days do they have P.E.? Is there a field trip requiring chapel dress and a red shirt? Remembering chapel dress (khaki bottoms and a collared shirt) every Thursday.
• A system for setting out their outfits so they know what to wear each day (see below)
• Time--All told, it takes about 15-30 minutes to do this with both Audrey and Emma and about the same amount of time for me (I go ahead and pick out accessories like jewelry and shoes at the same time too)
• Clean clothes (though if some things are in the wash it does help ensure that we wear all of the clothes we  have rather than just the same favorite outfits again and again) 

The girls each have an organizer hanging in their closets with five shelves. (I got this one from IKEA, but you can find them at Target or Container Store or Bed, Bath & Beyond.) The top shelf is Monday, next shelf is Tuesday, and on down. We put shoes and socks on the bottom of the shelf, stacking the rest of the outfit on top to keep it from getting dirty.

For myself, I just made some room on one of the hanging bars of my closet and hung everything up from left to right, hanging jewelry from the hangers and folding sweaters or other items that I don't store on hangers over the hanger so the outfit was all together. 

So...how do you tackle what to wear each day--for yourself and any kids who aren't quite ready to select their own clothes each day? Let's hear your ideas and systems--and if you blog about it, put a link to your specific post in the comments too.

Time to reevaluate

With the holidays, Lisa and I kind of got off track with our Simplify Me conversations. But with the New Year, it's time to reevaluate and move forward. I love the New Year for that very reason. It's a good time to check if what we've put into place is working, to tweak as needed, to look again at our goals, and to move forward again.

As we started our conversation, we spent a bunch of time looking at our schedules. You can go here to read my posts and here to read Lisa's--they show up with the most recent first, so you may want to scroll down to the bottom and then read up.

I have schedules on the brain as I get ready to change how my day looks with starting school. Some of the things I'm considering are these:

• When will I spend quality time with the girls?
• When will I do homework? Will my bedtime need to change?
• How can I reduce the time I spend on the computer--since I tend to lose track of time when I'm on it?
• When will I exercise? 
• How can I be sure to keep the Sabbath homework free? 
• What about household chores?

The last question is the easiest to answer. For the three weeks in January when I'm taking an intersession class (three weeks, class M-F, 9-12:15) Toben is taking over the house--cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping. I will still pack lunches and cook Sunday dinner, but he's taking care of everything else.

Time with the girls is also one I feel good about. During the past few months, we've lost the habit of reading together at breakfast. Not sure why or how, but it seems like we had a few busy mornings in a row--especially when Toben's out of town--and never got back in the habit. I'm committed to getting back in the breakfast routine. (And then when they leave for school at 7:40 I'll get myself ready to leave for school at 8:35.)

Homework is another thing I've been thinking about. I'm planning to stay at the library on campus until the girls come home from school, doing as much homework as I can during the school day. I don't have any idea how much homework to expect (though I know there'll be a lot of reading, given my stack of books!), so I'm not sure how much time I'll need to set aside for homework on Saturdays.

I'm still considering computer time (think I may need to give myself a set amount of time per day and stick with it--no matter what) and when to exercise (maybe on my way home from school?).

And as I think about all these questions, I'll need to reconsider it all again when the Spring semester begins on January 26 and I'll have class on MWF. The chores will revert back to me then and I'll need to figure out when they'll work best.

So, Lisa, before we continue down your list of goals, how's your schedule working? Are you sticking to it? Are there some things that may need to be adjusted?

The American Frugal Housewife

My mother gave me this book for Christmas and I loved it. So often, I think we tend to look back in time and think that life was simpler then, that if we only lived during the days of Little House on the Prairie or Little Women or Pride and Prejudice that our lives would be easier. We envy Ma and Jo and Meg, thinking that if we had their lives, we'd be happier and less stressed and busy.

 

First published in 1832, The American Frugal Housewife: Dedicated to Those Who Are Not Ashamed of Economy is filled with wisdom and practicality that shows that our lives as women aren't all that different from then. That even in 1832 they dealt with some of the same things we find challenging today.

Take a look at how the book opens:

The true economy of housekeeping is simple the art of gathering up all the fragments, so that nothing be lost. I mean fragments of time, as well as materials. 

We live in a world of left-overs--and so often they are wasted. I love this idea of gathering fragments of time and materials to create something useful. It's quilting--bits and pieces made into something with both function and beauty.

And this from the section entitled "Philosophy and Consistency":

True wisdom lies in finding out all the advantages of a situation in which we are placed, instead of imagining the enjoyments of one in which we are not placed.

Amen! How much time do we waste wishing ourselves in a different place?

And this thought about buying things we don't need:

Do not let the beauty of this thing, and the cheapness of that, tempt you to buy unnecessary articles.

Or this about how we teach our children about money:

In early childhood, you lay the foundation of poverty or riches, in the habits you give your children. Teach them to save everything,--not for their own use, for that would make them selfish--but for some use. Teach them to share everything with their playmates; but never allow them to destroy anything.

We live in a disposable world, but that doesn't mean we have to join in. My great aunt Sissie lived this truth--saving bits and pieces of string and lace and pads of paper. She never wasted anything. And while it became something we laughed at, we have treasures because of it. (Don't you wish you'd saved your Wonder Woman lunchbox? I sure do!)

Of course, there are some outdated things in the book like how to prepare calf's head and make cheese and other recipes I will never, ever try--not in a million years. (Did you know you can eat pig snout? Eww!)

But there's a lot of good stuff in this little book--and I'm going to go back through it again, paying special attention to all I underlined and want to put into practice. Especially the section on "Education of Daughters." Which has enough good stuff for another post on another day.

I've been thinking about 2009 and have been praying about what God wants this year to be for our family. I've not really sensed a clear answer yet, but the ideas of "economy" and "frugality" and "obedience" are intriguing. Living within our means. Financially. Physically. Emotionally.

I'll keep you posted...

Organizing bookshelves

Well, haven't seen that button for a while. But I'll be getting back on track here. And since I cleaned the bookshelves today and couldn't think of another category, we'll call it a Simplify Me post.

BEFORE:

We have great built in bookshelves in the loft upstairs, and we have a lot of books. Not as many as we used to, but still a lot.

I used to buy all the books I wanted to read; now I try to read books from the library as much as possible and only buy books I love. (I always read with a pen in hand if it's my own book--I'm one of those people who underlines and stars and makes notes in the margins. Even in novels.)

I did a major book purge when we moved to Denver from San Diego. Today's purge was relatively minor. Some to donate, some to the basement to store for the girls. We just don't need all the Arthur books out these days--but I'm not ready to get rid of them because they both loved them so much.

So today was mostly just about cleaning the shelves (eww...very dirty and gross!) and reorganizing books. It was mostly the children's books that were out of control--no order to them at all.

Basically, I put...

Spiritual books together

Commentaries together

Newbery winners together

Adult fiction together

Series together

American Girl books together

Sabbath books together

Biographies together

Bible studies together

Travel books

French books together

Yearbooks together

Vintage readers together

Business books together

...and all those in alphabetical order

AFTER:

Look, there are even some empty shelves!

I think the key is to organize books in a way that makes sense to you, so that when you're looking for a particular book you can find it quickly. That and putting kids books within their reach (and those marriage and sex books up high where they can't reach them without dragging a chair over!).

So, how do you organize your books?

Celebrating Advent: Lighting Advent Candles

Lisa wrote about the holidays a while ago, and I decided it was my turn to tackle it this morning for a couple of reasons.

• The Christmas tree is up and twinkling next to me and so it's on my mind.
• I spoke about simplifying the holidays at MOPS on Tuesday.
• Advent begins tomorrow.

The primary way we have simplified the holidays (and birthdays and anniversaries and the like) is to celebrate the story, rather than the stuff.

Stuff gets lost, broken, forgotten. Stuff can cost money we don't have, take up space we don't have, and be things we don't even want or need.

(Did you know that Americans spend $450 billion on Christmas every year? And $1.2 billion of that is spent on Christmas ornaments imported from China? And that it would only cost $10 billion to provide clean water for everyone on the planet? Check out adventconspiracy.org for more information.)

So how do we celebrate the story of Christmas? We tell the story of the first Christmas and we tell the story of our family's Christmas--in as many ways as we can think of. 

For our family, celebrating Advent is a big part of telling the story of the first Christmas. And for young families trying to balance parents and in-laws and all those expectations, Advent is a great way to come up with some traditions just for your own little family.

The season of Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas (tomorrow is the first Sunday of Advent) and at its simplest involves lighting candles and reading Scripture. You need five candles and a Bible--pretty simple!

 

I keep a bookmark in my Bible and one at the dining room table with a list of Advent readings. Here's a file if you'd like to download and print it. Download Advent bookmarks

Want more information on Advent candles and wreaths? Look here or here. Or as my girls would say, "Just google it!"

Each Sunday, we light an Advent candle and read the Scripture for that candle. Then for dinner every night that next week, we light that same candle and read that day's Scripture. The next week, we light the next candle, and have two candles lit each night. And so on, adding candles until we come to Christmas day and the fifth candle, Christ's candle.

The readings are short and even small children can participate and listen.

We also celebrate Advent in some other ways too. I'll be highlighting some different things over the next few weeks that help us celebrate the story of the first Christmas--Advent calendars, books that tell the story, Advent devotionals, nativity sets, music, and more.

(I did update the Advent page on The Simple Wife bookshop at Amazon. Just click on the button over there ---->. It is Amazon, but organized in a way that allows me to share some of our favorite things with you.)

And I'd love to hear how you have celebrated Advent as well. I said it a lot on Tuesday at MOPS--we are each other's greatest resource for simplifying the holidays and telling the story of Christmas.

So, do you celebrate Advent? How? Or do you have any Advent questions? Ask away, and we can all do our best to answer and share what's worked for our families.

***

It snowed last night, so I just have to show you the view from the kitchen window this morning:

And from my quiet time chair in the living room, next to the Christmas tree:

Simple celebrations

Today is my dad's birthday and so I have birthdays on the brain. We're headed up to Estes Park later this morning for the day to celebrate. Dad's getting his Golden Passport for the National Parks and couldn't be more excited. I'll take lots of pictures and share more about our day later, but wanted to talk about simple celebrations for a bit.

I wrote a whole chapter about this in Living Simply because celebrations--birthdays, holidays--are one part of our lives where it's easy to go completely overboard. Excess tends to rule celebrations and we've somehow accepted that "bigger is better and better is bigger" (to quote Sharpay in HSM3) and that each year has to be more than the previous year. (Think Dudley Dursley's birthday at the beginning of the first Harry Potter book.)

(I just learned that Americans spend $450 billion on Christmas. Every year. Providing clean water for the planet would cost $10 billion. Puts it in perspective, huh? Check out this link and the video there to learn more.)

How do we simplify celebrations?

We celebrate the story--not the stuff.

The story of Christmas. The story of Easter. The story of a person's life.

Sure, gifts are great and we still give gifts around here. Gifts that are needed, gifts that are fun, gifts that are practical. Gifts that have meaning rather than things that we buy and wrap just to have something, anything to give. (Don't you hate that feeling? Buying stuff just because you need to give a gift?)

But we also try to give experience kinds of gifts rather than things that will get lost and broken. 

Some experience gifts aren't cheap. And so they vary with what we can afford at the time. But Toben and I often think of them as investments. We could easily spend the same amount of money on lots of things--things that will be outgrown, broken, lost, forgotten. The memories of these experiences last forever.

I got to be a trainer for the day at Sea World for my birthday one year:

Dad took Toben high speed go-carting for his birthday one year:

Audrey went indoor skydiving for her birthday one year:

So today we're going to spend the day together, celebrating Dad and making some memories that will last forever and can't be bought or wrapped. But will be cherished and remembered for years to come.

In today's economy, lots of us are cutting back this year out of necessity. Figuring out ways to simplify the holidays. But with that need, we have an opportunity to get back to the story and to celebrate what Christmas is really about. 

I think we're each other's greatest resource for ways to simplify and cut back. What's working for you?

Small changes sometimes have the biggest impact

Lisa just posted about some of the changes she's making with her family's schedule here. I am so excited for her and her family! Go read what she has to say about the big impact some small changes are making.

**THE NEXT MORNING**

When I woke up this morning, I saw that she'd written another one here. Go check it out here too and say hi.

Planning menus and grocery shopping

I mentioned before that EVERYTHING goes on the family calendar. Including what we're going to eat for dinner every night (and where the recipe is located). Because my least favorite question in the world is "What's for dinner?" (In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's my most hated question!)

When I don't have an answer right away, the first thing out of Toben's mouth is "Let's go out for dinner!" And while I enjoy eating food someone else has made, it gets expensive awfully fast. And it just doesn't work on school nights very well.

My mom taught me to plan menus and make grocery lists. Her advice, "Never buy something that's not on the list." That and don't go to the grocery store if you're hungry!

I try to plan menus for the upcoming week on Saturdays, making my grocery list as I go along. That way it's all ready to go on Monday, which is the day I shop. (I also have a wipe board on the fridge--for keeping track of random things I run out of like lemon pepper or dijon mustard.)

I don't usually plan for breakfast and lunch. During the summer when we're all home, I will come up with lunch options--and make up a list that everyone can choose from each day. But during the school year, I just keep things like yogurt and string cheese and fruit and crackers on hand.

Mostly I sit down with a pile of cookbooks and flip through until something sounds good. I also ask everyone if there's something they're really craving. Then it goes on the calendar. 

I put all the ingredients on my list--unless I know for sure I have what I need. If I'm not sure, it goes on the list. The last step is checking the pantry, freezer, fridge and taking off those things I have that I wasn't sure about.

Pretty simple.

As I plan, I take into account what's going on during the week. For example, on Monday, we have an all-school Girl Scout meeting and I know I won't be home until at least 5:00. I will be tired and I won't want to cook. So that's a good night for something quick and easy or a crockpot meal. Not the night to try anything complicated or something like risotto that requires, say, constant stirring and standing at the stove for an hour.

I also try to vary what we eat. Beef, chicken, pasta, soup. As well as kinds of food. Asian, Italian, French. 

And I take into account what we already have on hand. Since our beef was delivered (thank you, Kurt and Sharon!) on Wednesday, that means we have plenty of beef available. And since I just went to Costco and stocked up on chicken, we have lots of that too.

When I first started planning menus, I went so far as to have a set schedule. Monday was chicken. Tuesday was pasta. Wednesday was soup. Thursday was beef. Friday was seafood. And so on. While I don't stick to that anymore, I will go back to that periodically--especially when NOTHING sounds good to me as I flip through cookbooks!

In addition to putting the main course on the menu, I plan side dishes. Rice, potatoes, salad, vegetables. I keep sides really simple and try to be as specific as possible, though sometimes I'll just put "vegetable" and wait to see what's on sale at the store or what looks good. (I hate it when I plan on asparagus and then the stuff at the store isn't very nice looking!) So sometimes the grocery list has something like "vegetable to go with roast chicken" on it.

I don't know about you, but I shop at the same store every week. (Costco is a once-a-month trip around here.) I don't really care if another store has something I need on a better sale. It takes me too long to find everything else I need to be worth it!

Because I know where everything is at my store, I organize my list according to the path I take, grouping like items together. And since my list is on the computer, I can cut and paste pretty quickly. But even when I used a paper list, I'd rewrite the list because it saves so much time.

So fruits and vegetables are always listed first, followed by deli items, dry goods, canned goods, and so on until I get to the milk. That way I avoid walking back seven aisles for something I forgot. (Well, most of the time anyway!)

I organize my cart as I shop too. Something that caused Toben to mock me incessantly last Monday when he went with me. Ya'll think he's nice, but he was so awful that he's now banned from going to the store with me. Forever. And ever.

Anyway, I keep like items together in the cart so they get bagged together. That makes putting everything away much easier and faster. (Have to say, I sure wish they'd teach the baggers at the store how to do that and not put my eggs on top of my lettuce, or the bag of canned goods on top of my produce bags. I'm always happy when there aren't enough baggers and I get to bag my own groceries!)

I know some of you have blogged about how you do this and there are all kinds of resources out there for menu planning and shopping. What works for you? And if you've blogged about it, be sure to put a link to your post in the comments.

Afternoon schedule

Here's a peek at what works for our family after school:

3 p.m.
School's out!

3:20
Arrive home, unpack lunchboxes and backpacks

3:30

Time for a snack--we try for something both filling and somewhat healthy--the girls come home from school STARVED

until 5:00

Play, be a kid

5:00-6:00

Homework time (Audrey does her homework mostly with Toben--either in his office or at the "homework table," a dining room table that's up in the loft equipped with dry erase boards, index cards, pens, pencils, calculator, computer)

5:45

I usually start dinner preparation around this time; Emma helps cook and helps set the table

6:30

Dinner

7:00

Toben cleans up the kitchen and the girls head upstairs for baths; I pack lunches and get the coffee ready for the next morning--and when I'm really with it, I'll go ahead and set the table for breakfast the next morning too

8:00 

Into bed to snuggle/read together

8:30 

Lights out for the girls; into bed to read for me

9-9:30

Lights out for me

A couple of things:

We play before homework. Last year, Audrey started her homework around 4 o'clock and it took her two and a half hours to do what she now does in about an hour. She's the kind of kid who will take as long as you give her. So we purposely limit homework time to an hour.

Emma doesn't have that much homework. We're working on finding things for her to do during this hour. Reading, workbook pages, and educational computer games are on the list. After our parent teacher conference the other day, I think we're also going to practice writing letters to help Emma's penmanship.

We don't watch television on school days--for the most part. When Toben travels, the girls and I will often have movie nights--if homework and baths get done early. It helps the evening go smoothly and keeps them from missing their dad too much. Evenings can drag when everyone's tired, so it helps to do something fun and out of the ordinary.

We eat dinner together every night--usually in the dining room. It's a good time to talk and to find out more about everybody's day. We typically go around the table asking, "What was the best part of your day?" And we often hear the worst part too!

The girls take LONG baths--every night. It's just part of our bedtime routine. Audrey usually does her reading in the bath, and Emma loves to play with her Littlest Pet Shops. It relaxes them and gets them feeling all warm and sleepy.

You'll notice we don't have after school commitments. That's a deliberate choice we've made because it's what works best for our family. The girls have been involved in Girl Scouts, which is a twice-a-month commitment. Other than that, they don't play sports, take dance lessons, or play instruments. That may change in the future, but this is what's best for this season.

Like our morning schedule, this isn't really written down anywhere, but everyone knows the drill. And like their morning chores, their afternoon and evening tasks are on their chore charts too.

Again, this is what works best for our family. What works best for your family may be completely different. 

I think the important thing is that there's time to do what needs to be done, so there's no running around at bedtime in a panic because a homework assignment was forgotten. Even when Audrey has lots of homework, she's confident that there will be time to get it all done--and knows she'll have time to play too.

Like with the morning schedule, here are some questions to think about:

• How much time do you have in the afternoon/evenings?
• What time do you need to go to bed?
• What time do kids need to go to bed?
• What needs to be done every night? How long do those things take?
• How can the family help with any chores that need to be done?
• How can you make time to relax and play?
• If you have after-school/evening commitments, the schedule might vary from day to day. Even with that, how can you keep some consistency in your days--homework time, bedtime, and so on?

A big part of evenings is dinner. I think we'll tackle menu planning/grocery shopping next!

Morning schedule

Along with a weekly schedule--something we've been working on and talking about together--it helps to have a daily schedule too.

And since the day starts first thing in the morning, let's begin with a morning schedule.

I grew up with elaborate charts that my mom made with construction paper and fine-tip markers and rulers and stickers. I can remember her sitting at the kitchen table, drawing perfectly straight lines and neat little boxes for my sister and I to check off or fill with little stickers.

For a period of time, our mornings were carefully orchestrated. As kids, we knew exactly what to do and exactly when to do it. Even practicing the piano was done before we left for school--dressed, fed, beds made, and rooms cleaned.

By the time we reached high school, Kristen and I planned our own mornings. But we'd learned how to make mornings work. So we were only late to school when we got stuck at the train tracks.

I don't have quite the chart that Mom made (in fact, our morning schedule isn't really written down anywhere), but our mornings are very predictable and structured. Why? Because it gets everyone out the door in a good mood and without being in a rush--something that is sure to send Emma off the deep end in no time flat. She hates feeling rushed. And who can blame her?

Here's what our school-day mornings look like:

5:00 a.m.
I get up, turn on the coffee, feed the animals, have my quiet time, drink lots of coffee

6:00
Check email, read blogs, write blog 
  
6:45

Audrey and Emma get up (get dressed, make beds)

7:00

Breakfast (I eat breakfast with them and usually read out loud--it keeps them from fighting first thing in the morning)

7:20

Pack backpacks; head upstairs to brush teeth, wash faces, get hair done

7:40

Out the door to school (we say prayers on the way to school each day, praying for friends, teachers, and our school)

A couple of things:

You'll notice that I'm not dressed or showered when they leave for school. That's because Toben usually drives the girls to school. On Thursdays when I go to school for chapel or when Toben is traveling, I shower the night before and head upstairs before 6:45 to get dressed and then I get my makeup on while they're brushing teeth and such. Then I drive them. (But if it's not Thursday, then I'll drive them in my jammies!)

The girls have chore charts on their closet doors that they check off in the mornings, reminding them to make their beds and brush their teeth and to do it without arguing. (More on chore charts for kids in another post.)

I set out their clothes (or I try to!) before the week starts. We check the forecast and then I determine what they'll wear each day based on the weather, chapel dress days, PE, and so on. Sometimes, they don't like what I've chosen. We negotiate. The night before if possible. 

(I do the laundry and put it away since they are completely incapable of keeping their closets/drawers neat. They agreed that the price of me putting laundry away and straightening their drawers is not getting to set out their own clothes. They do know that they are always welcome to come help me set out their clothes.)

I pack lunches the night before. More on that when we get to our after school/evening schedule.

I have my quiet time everyday. Without fail. Not to be rigid or legalistic or to cross it off my list, but because I can't function without it. Trust me, it gets ugly by 7:15 if I've not had my quiet time in the Word and in prayer.  Simply put, it's worth getting up even when I'd rather sleep longer.

We could get up and out the door in 20 minutes flat if we had to. But it's worth the girls getting up even when they'd rather sleep too. And if you asked them, they'd tell you it's true and not just me making them. Having about an hour works. Yes, we still have rough mornings from time to time. We all wake up on the wrong side of the bed every once in a while. But for the most part, I can honestly say we have great mornings.

How the morning goes sets the tone for the entire day. If you want to have a good day, you need to have a good morning.  Yes, God can turn around a day that starts off badly, but it's soooo much easier to start the way we want to finish.

Here are some things to think about as you create a morning schedule:

• What needs to be done each morning?
• How long does it take to do each of those things?
• What kinds of things can you group together? (Getting dressed, making bed--both happen in their rooms and before breakfast)
• What time do you need to leave the house?
• Working backward from that time, what time does everyone need to get up?

Organize something!

Sometimes when I'm feeling overwhelmed it helps to organize something--anything! It's pretty much impossible to organize your whole life in 10 minutes or even a day. But you can organize something. 

Your sock drawer, your closet, your junk drawer, your purse.

I'm always amazed and how much better I feel after making even a small change toward order.

My sister was here today and told me I need to be more self-promoting, so in light of that, I'll just say that zippies are a great way to organize your purse. Tissues, gift cards, lipsticks, those personal things we don't talk about, your iPod and all its cords and little headphones, make-up, you name it. Zippies are wonderful.

I've been sewing some and there are lots of new zippies in the shop. Go check it out!

I am staying home all day, do dah, do dah

That's my little song for today, sung to the tune of "Camptown Ladies," of course. It's a tune that works for just about any song you want to make up about just about anything.In fact, I may even stay in my jammies and slippers all day too.  

But before I get busy with watching a movie (North by Northwest with Cary Grant), folding laundry, and working my way through the ironing pile, followed by finishing my book (The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran) and doing some sewing, and then filling out some paperwork for Girl Scout camp in November...

I've been thinking more about calendars. It's just on my mind lately. So let's talk calendars.

I'd love to hear what works for you--and I'm sure Lisa would too--so leave a comment telling us what kind of calendar you like.

I have to say, I love paper. Checking a box on the computer is NOT the same as checking a box on paper. But I do use my computer to keep our family's calendar organized--but I do it in a way that uses paper too.

So.

Entourage is my friend. Toben and I can send each other appointments and I keep them all color coded. Toben is blue. I am gold. Audrey is turquoise. Emma is pink. Girl Scouts is green. Holidays are red. Prayer requests are red.

Everything goes on the calendar. And I mean everything.

School events. Girl Scout meetings and events. Homework assignments/tests for the girls. What's for dinner each night and the cookbook and page number where the recipe can be found. Errands to run. Things to pray for on a specific day--that way I don't forget that so and so has a doctor's appointment or an important conversation, or whatever.

In the past, I've also set up chores as recurring appointments to show up on their specific days. It's been a while, but I'm going to put them back in later today.

Every week I print out the week's calendar and the month's updated calendar and post it on the fridge. I put them back-to-back in a sheet protector, so I can write on them with a dry-erase marker.

(By the way, under that I have a magnetic dry erase board. I keep a list of groceries I need, miscellaneous tasks that don't really have a specific day, and so on. More about grocery lists/menu planning/grocery shopping in another post.)

I like to think of it as Heim Family Command Central.

Then my computer syncs with my Palm Pilot so I have it all with me wherever I go. Along with phone numbers, addresses, and just about everything else I could need. Pretty neat, huh?

Another reason I love Entourage is because I can keep all kinds of lists--and I think I may have mentioned a time or two that I really like lists.

What sizes the girls wear, Christmas shopping lists, grocery lists, Girl Scout lists, house project lists with measurements of stuff, prayer requests, movies to watch and books to read, things I've loaned to others, which titles I have in my Trixie Belden or Nancy Drew collection--you get the picture.

So, what kind of a calendar works for you and why? Inquiring minds want to know...

There's FROST! on the grass this morning

But I put on my calendar to take a walk this morning, so I need to go dig Daisy's sweater out of the basement and go. With a hat. And gloves. And a coat. And maybe a hoodie under that.

After realizing some things about my week last week, I was much more intentional about putting somethings on the calendar this week. Because if it doesn't go on the calendar, it tends not to get done. Even fun things I really, really want to do.

So here's what's now on the calendar for this week: Walks. Specific time to write. A couple of days to stay home and not schedule things.

Creating a weekly schedule

**Warning! This is ridiculously long!**

So why create a weekly schedule?

A weekly schedule is for our benefit--not to beat ourselves over the head with when something doesn't get done. That the first thing to remember. 

(I totally need to remind myself of that because I am such a list girl, and have such an "all or nothing" bent, that if something doesn't crossed off, I tend to assume the day was a total failure. Which is NOT true!)

A weekly schedule helps frame the week so that we know what's coming and can plan accordingly. It removes the time and pressure each day of thinking and worrying, What do I need to do today? Am I forgetting something?

A weekly schedule helps "number our days aright" as Moses said in Psalm 90. It helps us make sure things get done "at the proper time" (Luke 12:41). It helps us know what it's time to do (Ecclesiastes 3). It gives order to our days. And with order, we find peace. 

Creating a weekly schedule balances what our lives are really like (the weekly log) and what we'd like them to be like (wish list).

A weekly schedule can be as simple or complex as we want it to be. A weekly schedule can include:

• Calendar--what's going on specific to this week, what goes on every week
• Menus--what's for dinner each night
• Weekly Chores--what chores need to be done each Tuesday or Saturday or Monday
• Daily Chores--what needs to be done each day?
• Kid's Activities--what do the kids have going on each week
• Kid's Chores--what chores do the kids do each Wednesday or Saturday morning or Monday?
• Family Time--what do we have blocked off for our family each week? 
• Morning Schedule--what routine will we follow each morning?
• Evening Schedule--what routine will we follow each evening?

(Over the course of this conversation, we'll tackle each one of those in its turn.)

Wow. That looks like a lot! So how do we start?

We have to start where we are! So, with your weekly log in mind...

(I need to just go ahead and say that I am a list/checklist/schedule kind of a girl. This is what's worked for me and for my family. The structure and routine we live by is a boundary that protects our family and gives us freedom. For example, our morning routine is what gets us out the door in a happy place, excited and looking forward to our day. It's worth getting up earlier than we need to in order to read together at breakfast. It's worth taking the time to set out clothes for the week so we're not running around changing clothes seven times before school.)

Okay, back to your weekly log...

What takes too much time? Where are you overspending?

What is not getting enough time?

What do you want to change?

As you answer these questions, it helps to organize it a bit. For example, I highlighted all the time I spent at home. I also blocked off time spent reading in one color.

You could do this for time spent watching television, running errands, doing chores, cooking, computer time, and so on.

When I look at my log (which is just Monday through Friday), I see that I was gone every morning. That I spent waaaay too much time reading (like 8 hours!). That my house didn't get cleaned this week. That I had too many meetings. That I didn't spend any time sewing or being crafty. That I didn't spend enough time writing. That I didn't exercise/go for a walk at all.

I also see that I get up consistently at 5 every morning. That I need an hour for my quiet time, 30-45 minutes to check email/blogs in the morning. That we eat dinner together every night. That even if the house doesn't get cleaned, laundry gets done and put away on Mondays. That groceries get bought on Mondays. That I go to bed about 9 every night. 

So, back to the original question. Where to begin?

With a blank week. Here's a blank form if you want to use one: Download blank_weekly_schedule.doc

Start with the big picture. What has to be done? Work. Dinner. Weekly commitments like dance, youth group, church.

Next, add in those things that need to be done every week, but not necessarily on a certain day. Laundry. Grocery shopping. Menu planning. House cleaning. Exercising. Choose a day/days that works well for you. Be realistic!

(I tend to prefer to block out an entire day for chores, but it may work better to do a little bit each day--totally up to you and what works best for your life. I usually do all this on Monday, but looking back at my log, I see that I had a monthly meeting on Monday, plus I scheduled a meeting for that day. Which totally meant that my chores didn't get done this week. Note to self: Don't schedule things for Mondays! I know I shouldn't but did anyway.)

After that, it's time to fill in smaller details. But this is entirely too long and lots to do, so let's stop here for now.

This may take a while, so don't be surprised. And it may require some juggling, some changing as we go. So don't put anything in ink!

Questions? Anything not clear? Ask a question and I'll respond in the comments so everyone can see.

Lisa, once you've finished your week, I'll comment more specifically about what I noticed and we'll compare notes.

One last thing... Want to read more about a weekly schedule? (More? She wrote more? you're thinking. Yep. It's a topic near and dear to my heart!) Click here.

Wow, you hung in there. Go get something yummy for breakfast. Me? I'm having apple pie!

**ADDED 11/7/08: Here's another chart you can download.**

Where does the time go?

(I'll usually be posting "Simplify Me" stuff on Saturdays, but this is on my mind, so here goes!)

Do you ever get to the end of the day and wonder where it went? You know you were busy all day, but have no idea what you did all day. I have so been there!

That's the idea behind keeping a time log.

I asked Lisa to keep one for the week (and you too if you want to play along) for a couple of reasons. The first is that five of her goals (and the last one too, when you think about it) involve time. The second is that her first goal is to come up with a weekly schedule that she can follow.

And while we can stop and think about what we do every week, there's nothing quite like seeing it down on paper. What we actually do vs. what we think we do vs. what we want to do.

It's all well and good to come up with a dream weekly schedule, but if it's nothing like your real life, chances are you'll never follow it.

So I've been keeping a time log this week too. I downloaded the pdf I mentioned in the original post and have kept it on the kitchen counter. I started on Monday morning, bright and early (well, actually these days it's dark and early--there's not even a glimmer of a sunrise yet and it's already 6:04 a.m.).

Keeping a log has made me very aware of time this week. It's made me more intentional about time. It's made me notice how long things actually take to do. It's made me more on task about starting something and finishing it without getting distracted in the middle. If for no other reason than it makes it hard to say what you did in the teeny tiny blank on the piece of paper!

I'll have some questions for Lisa about her log on Saturday, but in the meantime, keeping a log makes me ask these kinds of questions:

What has surprised me about how I spend my time?

What are the things that I do every day?

Do my chores fall on certain days? Do those days work?

Do I have a natural routine?

Are there other things that need to be done, but haven't shown up on my time log?

It's chapel at school this morning, so I need to go get showered and dressed before the girls get up. Mornings don't go well around here when I have to get myself ready at the same time the girls are getting up and ready. It's much better if I'm able to focus on helping them.

But I just want to mention that keeping a log is a great thing for different areas of our lives too. I sometimes wonder, Where did all my cash go? And keeping a log (an index card in my wallet) for a week or two is a great way to discover where all those dollars go that add up so quickly--I really spent that much on coffee/diet Coke/fabric/fast food/groceries/eating out?

(I'm a cash only girl, so that works for me. But the same idea could work even if you're using a debit card, credit card, or checkbook.)

With actual records, I can see where I need to spend, where I need to cut back, where I need to save. Then I can set a realistic budget. For my time, my money, whatever.

I do just have to say too that it's also possible to keep a food log--writing down what I eat when that gets out of control. But I HATE doing that! It does work though. Sometimes knowing that I have to write it down--even if no one will never see it but me--keeps me accountable.

Simplify Me!

A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from my friend Lisa over at Life as I Know It. 

Here's what she said: 

Hi Joanne, 

I have an idea--actually I have been thinking about this for awhile. So here goes. You have a great following of people who love to read about simplifying their lives and learn from you and your family. You are a great coach and cheerleader for all of us who aspire to be better.   

So here is the idea--people learn from you and you are a great teacher. People learn from real-life case studies. I would gladly volunteer to be your case study. 

I need to simplify, but I just cannot seem to do it on my own and I am spinning my wheels. You could be my "simplification coach" sort of an accountability partner and life coach. We could do this by email and blog. The blogosphere gets to follow along.  

Lisa 

We've been emailing back and forth and have decided to go for it. We'll be posting our conversations back and forth on Saturdays--starting today.

One of the first questions I asked her when we started talking was what she wanted from this. Here's what she said:

Simplify to achieve:

1.  Accountability through a manageable, sustainable, actionable weekly schedule

2. Dedicated quiet time at least five days per week

3. Dedicated time for relaxation and creativity weekly 

4. Dedicated time to exercise consistently three days per week

5. Dedicated time for friends and family (invite friends/family over for a monthly Sunday dinner or evening dinner?)

6. Here is the subjective one...decrease feeling of overwhelmedness (is that a word?!) that has come with a really hectic  schedule and a life that feels like it spins uncontrollably from one thing to the next

With that in mind, here's my question for today for Lisa (and for you, if you'd like to play along):

What does a typical week look like for you now?

Think about what really goes on in your life--not what you wish your life was like! Think first about your own self--and then expand it to include your family. 

A great way to approach this is to keep a log for a week. Write down what you do and how long it takes. And don't feel guilty if you forget something, just go back and plug it in later. And if you spent 45 minutes reading blogs when you should have been folding laundry, put that down too. We've all done it!

Be sure to make note of when you get up and when you go to sleep. And go ahead and note if something is a weekly thing (like soccer practice) or a once-in-a-while thing (like a birthday party).

What chores/tasks do you do and when? (Again, not that you'd like to change the sheets every Tuesday--only put that down if you actually do it!) How long does it take? If you do a load of laundry every day, or have to run to the grocery store for something you forgot to buy for dinner, make note of that too.

We've all sat down at the end of a week and wondered, Where did the week go? We've all had days that were full and busy, yet we've gone to bed thinking, What did I do all day? Keeping a log for a week is a great way to find out where our time goes.

Need something to write on? Visit Pocket Mod and print out a daily calendar for the week. It folds up small and fits in your pocket so you can keep track of what you're up to.

Or, if you'd rather use something more detailed, you can print a blank calendar PDF here.

And, yes, in case you're wondering, I'm going to keep a log too!