Today I thought I would share with you something I know I am not alone in, making life harder than it really needs to be. Is this you? Do you know people who just seem to do things the hard way?

Just today alone I did 2 things that just made life a little harder than it needed to be. When I was done I actually said, Why did I do that?"

The first complication albeit not harmful or debilitating was just plain dumb! I spent several minutes doing one of my least favorite tasks, folding laundry and took what I call a childlike approach to putting it away. This is where I carried too much in my hands because I didn't want to make 2 trips!!! I got to the top of the stairs when my mountain of folded laundry went flying down the stairs. All I could think of while I was standing there was, "well that was dumb!" After all I already have a solution in place and failed to use it. Some of you might be thinking just use the laundry basket. Well, in an effort to get my children to put their...

While being mom is my greatest joy it is also my greatest challenge!! It seems as though I wind up with unmet expectations, disappointments and then guilt. Where did this come from? There are times I want them to be more independent and other times I want to be the one making the decisions for them.

Guilty as charged

I freely acknowledge I am not a therapist although I did take psychology and child psychology in college! I have reach an understanding that most of my challenges in parenting come from me!! Yes, I just confessed and it feels good....

Expectations-it's all in my head

I've finally reached awareness that the expectations I've placed on my children weren't communicated to them. My mind created the expectation that they would go to college. There was a revelation that I had never talked this over with my husband or kids. Guess, it was just assumed by me! What if they don't want to go to college? What if they go to college and then don't work in their chosen field of college...

It's Sunday and I have been working on getting my family to do their part all weekend. Their part is to do their chores as well as put their stuff away in their rooms. This often requires them to remove it from the main living areas! Needless to say, my home is not organized 24/7!!

Yep, I know this comes as a shock but it is true! We are a household of 6 and we do acquire "stuff". 

As a matter of fact let me share with you some staggering facts from becomingminimalist.com.
1. The average American home has 300,000 items.
2. 3.1% of the world's children live in America but own 40$ of the toys consumed globally.
3. The average American woman owns 30 outfits, 1 for each day in a month. While in 1930 that number was 9!

While I would really like to think of myself as not in any of the categories listed above, I am afraid I am. We are. My family is!!!

There are days when I would love to be a minimalist. For example, this weekend I wouldn't have spent so much time trying to get...

The calendar has moved quickly to Lent. I am not sure of what your religious affiliation is but I do know that Lenten practices are a part of the Christian world. They certainly are for me and my family. 

A couple of weeks ago my husband and I gathered the children around the table to talk about the upcoming season of Lent. Of course, we were met with rolling eyes, long gazing stares and general disinterest. I mean, they are kids and really don't want to do ANYTHING that will make them feel uncomfortable. We, as adults don't always like that feeling either!
We were talking about what the kids thought they might give up for Lent. I always tell them it needs to be meaningful and hard in order to be a true sacrifice for Christ.  A couple of days before Lent we talked again and asked the kids if they had decided to which they seemed rather vague. 

I could tell this was not going to be a sacrificial lent based on those expressions! This is when we came up with a...

Do you know what the top 10 New Year's resolutions of 2015 were?

1. Lose weight
2. getting organized
3. spend less, save more
4. enjoy life to the fullest
5. staying fit and healthy
6. learn something exciting
7. quit smoking
8.help others in their dreams
9. fall in love
10. spend more time with family

45% of Americans make resolutions.
8% are successful in sticking with their resolutions.
24% never succeed and fail on their resolution each year
64% make it past one month
46% make it past 6 months
(this info from Statistic Brain Institute)

I must confess this is a little higher than what I thought it would be. From listening to media posts and television commercials the number of successful would have appeared to be less. Even so, you would hope there could be a 100% success rate if it was so great!! Realizing that there is rarely a 100% anything we can move forward. Let's talk about why you won't ever have 100% success. Resolutions are usually superficial in that they cover our surface selves...

Well, is this year looking like last year with the same crazy schedule??

Overbooked with no FREE time? Are you the poster child for the "YES" girl?

It's time to let this go so you can live a better year!! This blog post is designed to show you when to say YES.

Understanding that there are obligations we must do but many are negotiable....
So, it becomes really important to evaluate what you really want to say YES to, this is very overlooked. We don't have to win the " busy" award even though our culture is determined to make us feel like less of ourselves if we don't. There is apparently a new disease out there and it's called busyitis. Sounds awful doesn't it?  Along with this disease our egos become inflamed. Watch out for the inflamed ego which causes you to say yes for selfish needs. This is all about making ourselves look good. The ego is insatiable, always looking for more. It never stops on its own without some intervention.

If you are burdened by a sense of...

How not to lose your mind and keep it all together....

We all want to have the perfect holiday  but then we realize it is not possible to have "perfect" but we can have something close! The biggest obstacle is that we are ill prepared, we say we are but we really aren't. 
We need to know that we must have help from time to time to get it all done. I hope this helps....

One of the first organizational tips I give is to WRITE IT ALL DOWN 
Write down the following:
Gifts-1. Start with a list of who you are shopping for and what your gift ideas are along with the budget.
          2. Once the items are purchased, write down what you bought and for whom, where you are stashing it. (this includes the stocking stuffers)
For your shopping list, keep it handy, in your phone or in your wallet and update as necessary. 

TIMELINE: This lays out your game plan for getting it all done!!!
Start with December 1st and go to where...

Holiday drama....

In just a few days, the smell of turkey will fill the house. The doorbell will ring and bring on the holiday season with all of its drama.

There's always one in the gathering. The one who picks on everyone!Then there's the one who doesn't like being picked on and gets upset. Maybe you have a relative who gets upset because they weren't invited except they really were!

The holidays bring out the good and bad in families when it comes to spending time together. It is most important to remember that the holidays are an opportunity to grow in virtue. This takes practice!!!

By practicing patience instead of reacting to each and every comment we didn't like.

Practice self-control instead of letting words fly out of your mouth.

Generosity overcomes greed. By donating your talent, time or treasure for the less fortunate you can detach from the things of this world. It puts the focus on God and not the stuff. It's a personal sacrifice.

...

CREATING MORE MEANING IN THE HOLIDAYS

I am not one to rant, but I have to express my displeasure with what I have been seeing over and over again the last week!

I have been seeing Christmas stuff! I saw a Christmascommercial on the tv.  I really am not a Scrooge but why the rush?
Is it because retailers fear we, the consumers will forget?
Maybe it is more likely that greed has really become the name of the game? How can the retailer make the most money off of this religious holiday?

I have enjoyed seeing the number of retailers who have said NO to being open on Thanksgiving and some even said NO to Black Friday! Here is the list of stores saying NO to being open to Thanksgiving by giving acknowledgement this holiday should be spent with family and friends:

Ace Hardware

Barnes & Noble

Patagonia

Dillard's

Crate and Barrel

Neiman Marcus

GameStop

Nordstrom

Bed Bath & Beyond

Burlington Coat Factory

REI

TJ Maxx

Marshalls

Costco

Home Depot

Staples

...

I love fall. I really love fall!!!

I hope you get that! It is the most beautiful time of year in my humble opinion. Where else can you see nature's beautiful palette transform before your eyes?

If you don't live somewhere that has a change of seasons, I am sorry. I really am....you got it see it at least once. Some of you may be somewhere that has already experienced the beauty of the fall transformation because you might have had SNOW!

So I want to share the must do things for FALL in no particular order:
1. a bonfire with smores
2. a hayride
3. visit the pumpkin patch
4. go for a hike through the fall beauty
5. Take a bike ride along a scenic path filled with colorful trees.
6. Go on a ghost walk to a "haunted" place. You can google them for your area
7.Enjoy a glass of mulled wine
8. Be a tourist where you live, see the sights with the beauty of fall surrounding you. It changes the whole feel. I would even encourage you to take a trip to Disney World even though the leaves won't be...