Want to have a thriving family? Here's how you can use your influence as a homemaker to help your family flourish and live intentionally.Intentional living should begin within us, and then it should keep on going.We can make a million choices to live more intentionally, but if they're all aimed solely at making our own lives more beautiful then we're actually missing the beauty of intentional living, aren't we? Live intentionally not just to flourish yourself, but to help others flourish, too.Start with your own family.As homemakers, we have tremendous power over both the atmosphere in our home and over the people who live ... Continue Reading
Charlotte Mason for Babies and Toddlers: A Simple, Intentional Approach to Parenting
They say you're never too old to learn something new; and I say you're never too young, either!I've watched in amazement as my now nearly two-year-old son absorbs his surroundings with a vigour I wasn't prepared for. I want to guide him in knowledge, even as he grows in stature day by fleeting day.People have asked me how my simple, intentional approach to life translates to parenting, and today you get at least part of the answer: Charlotte Mason.Although there are a plethora of modern-day, cutting-edge parenting gurus to learn from, my chief inspiration is a British educator who lived and wrote over a hundred years ago. ... Continue Reading
Top 10 Posts of 2016 (+ a Short Blog Update)
The year 2016 was one of renewal and rootedness. After so many exciting changes in 2015 (new baby, new job, new home, new church, new blog design, new book...whew!) we were ready to enjoy some sameness and routine!Well, we did have one major change--our move to our first full-sized home! We're now just five minutes from my husband's school, which will simplify life immensely. We're reveling in the extra breathing room that this home provides, and enjoying the pleasant challenge of gradually decorating and arranging our space. Craigslist and the local thrift stores are our go-to sources for home furnishings! It's entirely possible to have ... Continue Reading
An INFJ vs. the 21st Century: 4 Modern-Day Trends You Don’t Need to Subscribe To
I used to wonder if I was born in the wrong century.More than wonder, I wished I was born in another time!I felt at home in 19th-century London drawing rooms with Dickensian personalities, in the Regency manor homes populated by Jane Austen's heroines, and on the beautiful Prince Edward Island described by L.M. Montgomery.While I still love immersing myself in other eras via story, maturity has taught me that God places us exactly where he wants us on Earth's timeline; he makes no mistakes.I was born in 1988, and I live in the 21st century.But that doesn't mean I have to agree with everything about my era. In fact, there's ... Continue Reading
How to Get Your Family on Board with Simple Living
Please welcome my friend Bobbi to the blog today! I love Bobbi's instructional, motivational writing. Read her blog and you'll find yourself thinking deeply about sustainable fashion, homesteading, seasonal rhythms, and all sorts of other stewardship topics. I hope you'll be inspired by her guest post today on getting your family on board with a simplified lifestyle! Guest post by Bobbi of Living Life GreenA simpler life is often a happier one, especially with a family. Getting kids and a significant other into the same mindset, however, can be a bit of a challenge! That doesn’t make it an impossible task, however. With a bit of ... Continue Reading
What to Do on Your Summer Staycation
Most of us are far too busy to explore what our little corner of the world has to offer. We zigzag through town to get to commitments and activities, rarely taking time to discover what’s off our own beaten path.When we’re at home, we have infinite tasks and to-do lists to work through. We squeeze leisure time into the cracks in our day, hoping it will be enough to fix our frazzled lives and give us the glue to stick with our hectic schedules for another week.As summer break approaches on the calendar, we’re desperate to get out of town and leave our busyness behind. Unfortunately, travel isn’t always possible. Preparing for a ... Continue Reading
Greatest Hits: Top 10 Posts of 2015
What a beautiful year was 2015! We welcomed our son into the world on April 2nd. (Here's his birth story!) That was the best part. I also said what I wanted to say about simplifying in my new book, Your Simple Home Handbook, which was released on March 13. (Yeah, I was cutting it close to Little Dude's birth day there!!)In the fall, we said goodbye to our cabin and moved down the driveway to rent my parents' basement! It's been a good change for us, as this new apartment has space for Little Dude to crawl and was much easier to baby-proof.As we continue our second year of living in Alabama, we're thankful for deepening friendships, ... Continue Reading
19 Things Your Guests Wish You Had in Your Guest Room
If you're expecting overnight guests during the holidays, this is the perfect opportunity to spruce up your guest room and ensure it has everything your guests might want during their stay. Whether they're traveling from across the country or just over a few states, your guests will be grateful if you're able to anticipate their needs.Growing up, I watched my parents practice hospitality often. They were really good at knowing how to make our guests feel comfortable and welcome, and I've taken their example with me into adulthood. But if you didn't grow up with a model of hospitality, preparing a guest room can seem daunting and ... Continue Reading
What I Wish People Wouldn’t Say to Newlyweds and New Moms
Today I want to give you some food for thought.If you know a woman on the brink of a major life change (say, about to get married or give birth for the first time), please encourage her.Does that request sound obvious?I have recently moved into both of these life stages (married life five years ago and parenthood last year), and while I received plenty of support, I was shocked by how much negativity I encountered.It's not that people weren't happy for me, but I discovered that there are a lot of "jokes" about marriage and parenting that have a cynical tint to them, and I think we should rethink the message that they send to ... Continue Reading
How to KonMari Your Christmas
Have you read that best-selling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up? Author Marie Kondo has inspired thousands of people to declutter their homes using her "KonMari Method."It's obvious to me at this time of year that our homes aren't the only things that need decluttering. Our entire holiday season has become overstuffed and is in desperate need of simplifying!But how to accomplish that?I think it's quite simple, really, and we can start by asking the question at the heart of the KonMari Method. To find out what that is, join me over at The Humbled Homemaker, where I'm sharing "How to KonMari Your ... Continue Reading
