So my 12 year old daughter and I were talking today

about music, and she wanted me to change the station to something that had "better music" than what I was listening to.  (I actually don't listen to music on the radio that much anymore.  Or FM for that matter.) And then she asked me why I listened to "old" music.  LOL So I said, "Well, I don't ALWAYS listen to old music.  I do listen to some music that was produced in the past year or so.  But yes, in general, I don't listen to popular music.  But you know what would be weird? If I did listen to popular music all the time.  And wore all the popular fashions. And followed all the popular trends.  Because you know what I'm not young anymore. It would make me odd if I was trying to follow all the stuff."

And then I added, you know, because I always feel the need to throw stuff like this in "And you know what else, by the time you are in your 40s, you just don't care as much anymore about what is popular, or what other people think. Or maybe that is just your Mom."  She got a good laugh out of that last part.

But most of that is true.  Now that I'm almost on the downside of my 40s (I'll be 46 in August), I find that I am not that concerned about other people's opinion of me.  I mean, I'm not rude about it.  I don't go out and flaunt my opinions all day long, and I don't like being argumentative either, so I don't like getting into disagreements about my opinions vs. other people's opinions , but I am comfortable in how I  live my life.

And how does this tie into Simple Life? A lot actually.  It was around the time that I started changing about how we lived that I started feeling like I wanted to live a more authentic life too.  I wanted to do things, Simple Things, not because everybody was doing it/not doing it, etc.  I wanted to do it because it felt right for me and my family.  It gave me a sense of happiness and peace. 

It also kind of ties into the fact that living a simple life IS more "popular" now.  When we first started living like this, I felt like I was in the minority.  I didn't know many people who wanted to be more self-sufficient.  I didn't know that many people who were into thrifting and recycling or sewing and crocheting.  I didn't know that many people who went to Farmer's market.  I didn't know that many "regular" people who also cared about eating certain organic foods.  Or fair-trade products.  But now? I know tons.  Part of it is that over the years, I've discovered more people who live like we do.  But part of it is that just more people in general (I believe in large part in reaction to the economy) have become interested in being more self-sufficient.

But whether it is "popular" or not to live like this, I think that I'm in it for the long haul now.  I can't imagine going back at this point.  Like I said, it gives me a sense of happiness and peace.  And happiness and peace? I take that feeling any day of the week.

I don't know if you noticed but

I took my blog  down for a couple of days earlier this week.  I've been thinking about this little blog a lot lately and what its purpose is.  (I do this about once a year or so.  LOL)

I've tried and tried to define it.  And I'll go for a little while in one direction, and I'll really like it, and then, suddenly, it all of sudden doesn't feel right.  Or I'll get all ambitious and say that I'm going to do something every day for the next X amounts of days, and I'll make it about four days and then something will happen, and I don't finish it. 

Or I'll only talk about simply living for awhile.  Or I'll only talk about my family for awhile.  Or I'll only talk about myself and my past for awhile. 

When I had it down, I was trying to decide if I even wanted to blog anymore.  And if I did, why was I doing it? Was I doing it for myself - as a record of our journey to live a more simple life? And if that was it, why was the blog public? So maybe I was trying to show how others could live a more simple life? But I knew I really wasn't doing that on this blog.  It's never really been a blog full of tutorial/how-to's/recipes/checklists, etc.  Maybe it was a photo album of sorts - things that I like to do, and pictures of the Simple Kids.  But if that was it, what about all the other posts? And again, why was it public?

And so I decided a few things in the past few days.  Mostly, the blog is going to stay the same.  But I am going to try and keep it a LITTLE more focused on our simple journey. LOTS less about my past, unless it really makes sense to add to something about our simple journey. And a LOT more pictures - pictures of all of us, doing what we do on a daily basis to live that simple life.  (And no, we still don't have a new camera, so I'll just have to take more and eventually get decent ones.  Hopefully sometime this summer I'll get a new camera.  Any recommendations for a good camera under $300?) Over the summer, I'll probably do some tweaking of the blog and move some of the more "personal" posts over to a private blog. 

And those checklists and tutorials and recipes? The things to help others live a more simple life that don't usually make it over here? Well, they'll show up somewhere - specifically, on my Simply Living In The City blog. 

I'm also adding some pages to this blog (they are still under construction, but hopefully will be ready by May 1st.) I'll have links to an About page, a Booklist page, Things that I like, and a Contact page.

And I'm going to try and write more.  I'm not going to promise anything specific - I think I've finally learned my lesson on that one.  But more.  More posts a month and just more regularly in general. 

I am going to keep it "real" though, at least on how we live are living our life.  We have changed a LOT over the past almost four years that I've been blogging here in terms of how we live a simple life.  We eat a lot more whole food, we garden.  I bake bread and make yogurt and butter.  I crochet often.  I make soap.  I don't see things changing so that we always do these things.  My goal is MORE.

BUT my kids watch Netflix sometimes.  We eat packaged food occasionally.  One of my children eats cold cereal on a pretty regular basis.  We still have two cars, and while we bike more than we used to, we use our cars as our primary mode of transportation.  I have and use my dishwasher.  I have and use my clothes dryer.  I don't see things changing that we never do these things.  My goal is LESS. 

So there it is.  Basically, the blog is going to be about me and my family Simply Living and Simply Loving.  Maybe that should be my blog title? LOL
 

I always thought that I would have made a good hippie

Here I am in probably 1976 with my friend Kelli K.  I loved that wallpaper.  Please note the plaid PANTS. 

Well, I was born in the 60s and all, 1966 to be precise, but I was a little young to be hitting Haight- Ashbury during the Summer of Love. 

I did have parents who LOVED folk music though and I remember many, many nights as a young child as we listened to Peter, Paul and Mary, Woody Guthrie, The Kingston Trio, The Limelighters, Simon & Garfunkel, and The Mamas & The Papas on my parents LPs on the big console stereo.  My older brother is only 18 months older than me, and my younger sister didn't come along until 1970 (and my younger brother didn't arrive until 1977.) So for those first few years (my parents married in 1964), it was just the 4 of us.

No, by being a young child of the 60s, I would not be able to be at protests or travel around in a VW bug.  My first memory (at almost 3) is my mom picking me up and putting me in front of our big TV and saying "This Is Important." It was July 20th, 1969.  (Do you know what was so important?) So I was alive for some of the big events of the 1960s, including the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.  And I was alive when Richard Nixon was elected. (And when he resigned.)  But I didn't really know anything about it until I was in junior high and high school, many years later.  And although I was alive during much of Vietnam War, I didn't really realize it.  In fact, by the time I really "knew" about the Vietnam War, everyone acted like it had been so long ago. But I didn't get to wear those cool dresses that the women wore in 1960s or the gloves or the hats.  I didn't get to  wear flowers in my hair.

No, I was a child of the 70s really.  And still too young to do things to "change the world." As a kid, we did talk about not littering. A lot as I recall. (Anybody else remember "Give a hoot, don't pollute!") But there was little else that I remember about any other social and culural issues of the 1970s.

The kids weren't listening to folk music then.  They listened to stuff like Bread. (Not my parents, of course, we were still listening to folk music at home.  Although my parents had added the folk country singer - John Denver - to their collection.) We sang "Time In A Bottle" at one of my chorus concerts.  And then at the end of the decade, kids were listening to stuff like - disco.  Thankfully, for a very short time, and thankfully, before I really became a teenager.

The only 70s fashion that I wore was LOTS of plaid. (At least I wasn't the only kid. When you look at my school pictures from elementary school, it is a big sea of blue/orange/purple/green/red/pink plaid.) At my elementary school anyway, we weren't wearing bell bottoms or halter tops. More like Toughskins jeans and polyester plaid shirts.

And so by the time I was a teenager and a young adult, it was the 1980s.  The 80s were NOT a decade like the 1960s.  Or even the 1970s.  It was all about technology. And money. And NOT doing things the "old fashioned way." It was about being better than the next person - in one way or another.  It was about excess and greed. 

But even though I had my collar up and had a boombox, the 80s didn't fit me.  I was, even back then, into wanting to fight for what I believed, but I seemed to be the only one who didn't agree with the "older" generation.  I still wanted to be like the Lorax and but my friends just laughed at me.  I fit more in the naturalness of the 1960s and the back to basics of the 1970s, but I couldn't find hardly anyone who was like me. 

And so, eventually, I mostly gave up.  I did, however, very quietly, very personally, protest against the things that didn't fit me in the 1980s.  And the 1990s.  And I read.

And things gradually changed. Oh, not back to the 1960s or the 1970s. And I don't think that is bad either.  I, and my family, still have plenty of technology in our lives, mostly for the good.  And my daughters sometimes wear skinny jeans (I, thankfully for the general public in my city, do NOT. LOL) But I see that spark in people coming back where they are willing to fight for what fits THEM- and I mean all kinds of people from all ends of the political spectrum.  I see people who care about the land again and their food and where things come from.  I see people who want to have less.  I see people who want to know how to make things and not just always buy things.  I see people who do things because they are passionate about it and not because it will make them the most money.  And I see people trying to do more to HELP each other and not just look out for themselves.

And I'm trying to teach my children the good from this time.  I want them to realize they can have a voice.  They can question the status quo.  I want them to be able to look at all the options that they have in these times.  I want to show my children that even during times of economic struggle, there is much good. I want to show my children that I am willing to do what I am passionate about and that they can too. I want to show my children that there are things that we have now that can make their lives easier and bring us closer.  I want to teach my children to fight for what would do the most good for the world,  and not necessarily because it is part of one side's agenda or the other.

And I make them listen to a little "Puff The Magic Dragon" now and again too. :)

Went to the library today

I haven't been for awhile.  My kids were having, uh, fine issues.  One child, who shall remain nameless, had to do several hours of babysitting to pay off the fines, and is currently "on a break" from borrowing from the public library. 

So I went today AND I went by myself.  I like our public library a lot, and I enjoy taking my kids, and we've done numerous activities there over the years, but  I also do like just taking my times and searching the stacks for books that I like. 

Anyway (have you ever noticed how often I say anyway?) here is what I ended up checking out:

1 - Cooking Green: Reducing Your Carbon Footprint In The Kitchen by Kate Heyhoe

2 - The Natural Step for Communities: How Cities and Towns Can Change to Sustainable Practices by Sarah James and Torbjorn Lahti

3 - The Homeowners' Handbook to Energy Efficiency by John Krigger and Chris Dorsi

4 - Home Almanac: Maintaining Your House Month to Month by John Gates

5 - Give It Up: My Year of Learning to Live Better with Less by Mary Carlomagno

6 - No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and our Way of Life In the Process by Colin Beaven

7 - Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less are the Keys to Sustainability by David Owen

8 - Surburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream by Andres Duany

9 - Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer by Novella Carpenter

10 - EcoMind: Changing the Way We Think, to Create the World We Want by Frances Moore Lappe

11 - The Handmade Home: 75 Projects for Soaps, Candles, Picture Frames, Pillows Wreaths & Scrapbooks (A Country Living Book)

12 - The Rhythm of Family: Discovering a Sense of Wonder Through the Seasons by Amanda Blake Soule

Balance

Balance, it is a tricky thing. It doesn't take much, and then it is all of sudden, all on one side and none on the other.

I fight for balance All.The.Time.  And even when things are in good balance, I still long for the things that I can't/don't have time/talent/ to do.  It certainly doesn't help that I'm a pretty black & white person either.  And it doesn't help that I have a tendency to compare myself to others and see how I'm doing much less & not as well as others appear to be doing.

I try to focus on OUR version of Simple Living and I try to keep things in the kind of balance that seems to work for us.

* Our version is square foot gardening at my house, in my smallish yard.   Our version is one where I focus on food that we will eat, food that I can preserve, and food that will grow in the space limitations. Our version is one where I will use broccoli and cabbage on the side of my house for "landscaping."

* Our version is trying to eat whole/gluten-free/dairy free foods while still struggling with a child who would prefer to eat fast food. Or pop tarts. A child who doesn't like spaghetti. Or oatmeal. And struggling with a husband who doesn't mind eating like this sometimes, but maybe not all the time.  A husband who struggles with not being able to just find something that he doesn't have to fix when he only has 20 minutes before he needs to leave.

* Our version is trying to eat whole/gluten-free/dairy free foods while struggling with trying to find the time to cook things from scratch.  To remember to soak the beans the night before.  To remember to thaw the chicken. To have time to do the chopping, the stirring, the simmering, when it would be so much easier to just buy something ready-made. Our version is one where I plan menus so that at least I have a place to start and it seems less overwhelming.

* Our version is where I buy almost all of our clothes at thrift stores, and rarely have time to sew any clothes. Our version is one where I have time to sew pajamas and Halloween costumes. And headbands. And blankets.

* Our version is where I didn't have time to crochet my kids' cute sweaters and hats until they were too old to wear cute sweaters and hats.  And a version where I didn't learn to knit cute sweaters and hats until they were too old to wear cute sweaters and hats.  But our version does include lots of crocheted dishcloths.

* Our version is one where we are always struggling with money.  More specifically, the lack of money.  And the never ending question of how to best spend the money that we do have. 

* Our version includes making most of our cleaning supplies out of baking soda and vinegar, but still buying dishwasher and sometimes laundry soap.  Our version includes making our own bar soap, but for now, still buying shampoo and conditioner.

* Our version is buying local and seasonal food, but not being able to afford to buy as much meat as I'd like. Or as much organic produce. Because of that lack of money thing again.  And that question of where to best spend the money we do have thing.

* Our version includes some nice wood bookcases. And quality kitchenware. Our version includes wood toys and cloth dolls.  But our version includes LOTS of cheap furniture.  Our version doesn't include organic mattresses. Or organic bedding. Our version includes Legos. And Rescue Heroes.  And two American dolls.

* Our version is one where we have space for play outside and art supplies and games and musical instruments, but we also have a TV. And an Xbox. And a Blu-ray. And a desktop computer. And a laptop. And a netbook. And a smartphone.

* Our version includes us doing lots of walking/biking, etc. and our city has many resources that are close to our house.  But our version also includes two cars and neither is a hybrid.  Our version includes us using a car most days for one reason or another.

* Our version includes no wall or shelf decorations/knicknacks, etc.  Our version includes donating things that we aren't using. Our version includes recycling. But our version also manages to have plenty of "things" in our 4 bedroom 2000 square foot home.

* Our version includes having children that are involved in lots of extracurricular activities - Oldest is in several school clubs, Girl Scouts, a youth choir, and a church youth group.  Middle is involved in competitive swim team practice 4-5 times a week, a library program, Girl Scouts, and a children's choir.  Youngest is in swimming lessons, a library program, and children's choir.  Summer is Swim Team for all of them. 

* Our version has included homeschooling and public schooling and various combinations.

* Our version has included me working a couple of mornings a week doing preschool, 5 mornings a week doing preschool, 5 mornings a week doing preschool and working 20 hours a week in the evenings, and 5 days a week doing preschool/daycare/homeschool.  And 5 days a week of doing preschool/daycare/homeschool AND 15 hours a week of writing/training and 10-15 hours a week working on SLITC. 

* Our version has included time when I didn't do a Simple Thing for 3-4 months because Simple Living seemed too hard.  Our version has included times when I was even more Simple than we are now, but it seemed too hard.

So if you see me, and think that I have it all, I don't.  If you think I live a balanced life, well, I might be then, but it might be out of whack the next day. And it is OUR balance too. Other families might concentrate more on certain things and less on others, and that is o.k.  And I need to remind myself that it is also o.k. that our balance isn't other people's balance too.

How I have changed since I started writing on this blog . . .

I have a friend who was recently celebrating her 43rd birthday (youngster LOL.  I'm 45!) and she was complaining about how she had noticed that she needed to use reading glasses sometimes.  And we were laughing and saying how she needed a chain so she could wear them around her neck, like my piano teacher always did. 

I was thinking that I wasn't 40 when I started this blog, but you know what? I was! I was actually just turned 42! I started this blog way back in August of 2008.  Sometimes, that sounds like a lifetime ago, and sometime it sounds like it was just a few months ago.

So how have I changed in the past few years?

- Well, workwise, things have only recently changed, and not completely.  Back in 2008, I had recently started having full-time daycare students instead of just teaching preschool out of my home.  I'm still doing daycare/preschool now, but I've been doing some freelance training and I'm working to so that Simply Living In The City will be its own business (classes, online store and book!)

- Speaking of Simply Living In The City, I think I knew that I wanted to do something like that way back in 2008, but didn't really understand how to make it a reality.  Plus, I was relatively new to the "simple living" scene myself.  I was still trying to find my way and discover how to make the simple life work for our family.

- Mr. Simple's work has changed over the years.  In 2008, he was in his 8th year of working as a fire inspector/public safety officer for our city's fire department.  In 2010, he took another job working as a manager of media relations for a large company (no, not THAT large company in my city), and then he became unemployed in June of 2011.  But he has since started his own business, and is doing quite well! In 2008, he was also broadcasting for the local arena football team, and he continues to do that as well as starting as the broadcaster for the basketball team too.

- My kids (sniff!) have grown up a lot since August 2008.  Super was 3, almost 4 when I started and Jelly Bean was 6, and Flower was 8, almost 9.  Now they are 7, newly 10, and 12! I don't have "little" kids anymore. They are still mostly "simple" kids though.  Flower has an iPod Touch (that she bought herself) and we were gifted a Kinect by a generous family member in December, but my kids still LOVE to play outside, still LOVE to read, still LOVE to make gifts and still LOVE to spend hours drawing (especially Jelly Bean.)  But lest you think that they are "simply perfect", they also appear to LOVE to annoy each other too. :)

- When I started blogging, I was starting out my first year of homeschooling and it was just Flower.  The next year, it was Jelly Bean and Flower.  Last school year, it was just Jelly Bean. And this school year? Everyone is in public school.  I miss homeschooling.  I still, every once in awhile, wonder if we made the right decision.

- I have really made great strides in living a simple life that fits OUR life.  Which for us, means thrifting for clothes and housewares.  Buying less.  And when we do, it is a NEED.  And it is something that fits our lifestyle, so it probably means that it is quality.  And natural materials.  But bought as frugally as possible.  Eating whole foods.  Using our cars less and walking and biking more.  Learning how to make things.  Like dairy products.  Soap.  Dishcloths. Mustard. Tomato sauce :)  Learning to make the best use of our space inside and outside of our home.  Coming to peace with living in THIS home and in THIS city. 

- When I started this blog, we had just started digging out of the financial hole we were in.  Being mostly debt-free still seemed impossible.  And we only had one car back then (and it was not paid for either.) Now we have two cars (both paid for), and no debt besides our mortgage.  We pay cash for everything.  We save up if we don't have all the money.  Or we decide we don't need it.
- I have had bumps in my relationships in the past few years.  But I'm pleased to say that I haven't lost a relationship with anyone. (At least I don't think so!) Some have faded a little, and some I'm still trying to figure things out, some are new, and some are stronger than ever.

- I've had some loss over the years.  I lost our son to stillbirth, actually a few months before I started this blog.  I'm not as sad as I was in those early days of his loss, but I still think of him every day.  And I still wish that he had lived.  I lost my grandmother in September 2009.

- I have had some health problems over the years.  I had a heart scare in early 2010 and then I lost a bunch of weight in 2010 and 2011.  Also in 2010 and early 2011, I was dealing with terrible allergies & sinus infections.  And I was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2010 and had it removed in early 2011.  And I was diagnosed with Meniere's in Fall of 2010.  And 2011 was the year that I got tendinitis.  And burned 25% of my body.  Here is to hoping to a healthier 2012!

- There have been other changes, in particular one that took place in 2011, but I'm not ready to share about EVERYTHING yet.  Baby steps.  I didn't used to share anything personal here, and so I've made changes with sharing things more here too, I guess.

But I am happier.  Happier than I was in 2008.  And we are better off financially than we were in 2008.  And we are simpler too.  Oh, and older too. But I still don't need reading glasses. :)

OK, I've found a pretty good happy medium

at least on the "clothing" front.

When I decided to go to a more simple, natural type of living back in 2007, when I thought about the cost of going with all wool, all organic cotton, etc., it just seemed so overwhelming. I knew we couldn't afford to do it. So I didn't. But I felt guilty about it.

As the years went on, I would just sort of justify NOT doing it because we couldn't afford it. I'd be annoyed that it cost so much to go natural, but that was about as far as I'd go with it. I hate to shop too - either on-line or in stores - so it wasn't like I was going to spend the times searching for deals, even if it was looking for my natural products.

And then a few months ago, I started looking a little closer at our shopping habits. I buy almost all of our clothes at thrift stores. It is very, very rare that I purchase something at a store. So while we aren't usually wearing natural fibers, I AM reusing/recycling.

We will continue to do most of our shopping at thrift stores, and then when someone does need something that we can't get at a thrift store, THEN I will make it out of wool/organic cotton, etc. Not perfect, but it makes the most sense for us right now.

Oh, and a little post-script to this post from over a year ago. I climbed back on the wagon, not too long after this. And like with clothing, we've found the way that works for us. Maybe not in the 100% way that I'd like, but I'd say we are about 85% of the way there in the ways that I like to live with Simple Living. We walk when we can, I have a garden and grow what I can, I buy organic of the foods that are important to us, we don't shop retail hardly at all, we compost. I rarely coupon anymore. I buy hardly anything that has a coupon. To save money, I just buy less and of less variety. I use vinegar and baking soda for most of my cleaning. I use Soap Nuts for my laundry. The only cleaner I buy is for the dishwasher. I just can't find a DIY dishwasher cleaner that will work, but I do use this, so I do the best I can.

That is my mantra with Simple Living lately (and Life In General) - Just Do The Best You Can.

No Impact?

No, this isn't about my impact on my family or on the kids at Montgomery Academy or the other people I come in contact with - I hope I have at least some positive impact on those people.

I watched THIS movie the other night. I'd heard about this a little a few years ago. Just vague references. And while I've been researching my book, I've read a couple books about people who were working to lesson their impact on the earth and to build more sustainable communities. I find it interesting, but they weren't what I was really focusing about when I was working on research, so I didn't do a LOT of reading about it. I know I didn't read this guy's book anyway and until a couple days ago, I hadn't ever visited his blog.

Anyway, the movie is a documentary of a man and his family who try to have as little impact on the earth for a year. They do it in stages, so it isn't like they went without power the first day. But they tried to create as little trash as possible. They only used reusable containers for EVERYTHING. They became locavores by only eating from the farmers' market and the bulk bins at the store so that all of their food was from less than 250 miles away. They washed their clothes in the tub and only used cleaning supplies that they made from vinegar, baking powder and borax. They only used bikes, scooters or public transportation. They used a cooler instead of a fridge. And they didn't use anything disposable, include toilet paper.

Now, first off, if I ever did this (and I'm not saying that I'm going to), I would definitely have to draw the line at toilet paper. LOL

But the movie was interesting on more than just the "less impact on the earth" way. It was interesting to see how others saw the family - were they doing this just to cash in on the minimalist/simple living craze? And I loved watching how the wife struggled and rationalized things during the years and got mad at her husband for being annoyed with her for not being able to do it as well as he did. And I loved how once they got rid of the TV, they played more games with their friends and read more to their daughter. By candlelight. And I also liked how the man said that if there is only ONE thing that you could do, he would recommend volunteering at a local environmental group.

Sometimes, I feel so overwhelmed. With the things that I want to and all of the things that stand in the way of me doing that. Mostly with things that I'm trying to do with my version of Simple Living, but of course, I found myself thinking "Wow. Maybe I'll try and live like that for a few months. Oh, no. I can't because of the kids. And the daycare kids. And how would I get to dr. appointments, especially if I had to take any of the daycare children with me too? Get on the bus 2 hours before the appointment and then walk the 5 blocks from the stop? In the winter too?" and suddenly I was all discouraged again. I can't do it.

But you know what? I can at least volunteer once a month at the Ecology Center. And I can turn the lights off during the day. I can buy less things with packaging. I can eat even more locally. I can have LESS impact than I'm having now and that is a start.

I'm not giving up toilet paper though.

A Gift To Be Simple

Here is an old Shaker song that talks about being Simple.

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd,
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come round right.

Two additional, later non-Shaker verses exist for the song, as follows:

'Tis the gift to be loved and that love to return,
'Tis the gift to be taught and a richer gift to learn,
And when we expect of others what we try to live each day,
Then we'll all live together and we'll all learn to say,
(refrain)
'Tis the gift to have friends and a true friend to be,
'Tis the gift to think of others not to only think of "me",
And when we hear what others really think and really feel,
Then we'll all live together with a love that is real.

To solve all of our problems, it really is just as simple as Love One Another.

Bloom Where You Are Planted - Simple Style

The Simple Kids in front of the Simple House - April 2010

We bought our home in 2002. It was new construction. It has 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a large family room, and a tiny kitchen. I was thrilled with the house (well, all but the tiny kitchen, but since it was just Me, Mr. Simple, Flower who was 3 at the time, and Jelly Bean, who was 6 months at the time, it didn't seem that tiny), especially since we were moving from a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom condo. That was built in 1982. I was so NOT in the Simple Life back then. Well, that's not true. I did cloth diaper. And I liked the idea of cooking.

By 2003, I was no longer working Full-Time. I was frugal because I had to be to survive (this is still a lot of the reason why I am frugal LOL) But I still wasn't really thinking about food storage. Or gardening. Or getting rid of stuff I hadn't used in 10 years.

By 2006, I was starting to get on the Simple bandwagon, but it was very hit and miss. By 2007, I was hardcore. And all I could think about was how I couldn't wait until the day that I could move out to a hundred year old house with 50 acres with goats and chickens.

But by 2007, things were starting to unravel in the housing market. Just as we were considering putting our house up for sale, things really went downhill. We decided that it would be best for us to ride things out in the current house. For awhile.

But that didn't stop me from dreaming of that house anyway. And being quietly mad that we couldn't move RIGHT now.

By last year, I decided that well, maybe if I can't have 50 acres, maybe a 15' x 20' plot behind our church might be enough to grow a few vegetables. So last year, I started planting a garden. But I still thought of it as temporary.

I put some herbs in a small raised bed at our house. But I still thought of it as temporary.

I started to get more and more aggravated with my house. It was new, but poorly designed. Especially the kitchen. The kitchen was definitely not built for someone that is starting to get excited about preserving food.

And then I started to realize that I didn't have to be miserable about not being able to move to the country.

There were still PLENTY of things that I could do right here. Right now.

1. I could keep gardening at the church AND I could put in more raised beds at the house. We don't have a huge yard at all, but we have room to put in three beds.

2. I can sew just as well here as there.

3. I can get a CSA for meat and eggs from my friends who live less than 5 miles away. They have a small farm and they have chickens. By getting a Meat and Eggs CSA, it is almost like having the chickens myself without any of the work and start-up costs.

4. I can fill in my produce with food from farmers' market. I can easily walk to the one in my community.

5. I can get wheat and grind my own flour just as easily here as out in the country.

6. I can plant culinary herbs as well as medicinal herbs at my house. And salad fixings (in those 3 beds.)

And there are some real positives to staying here in the city:

1. I can walk most places. Church, groceries, pharmacy, library, museums, friends, etc. are all less than 5 miles away. That would not be true if I lived in the country. I would put a lot more miles on the vehicle, as well as spend a lot more money on gas.

2. I don't have to go to the work to sell the house right now.

3. I don't have to buy a lawn tractor. Or goats. Or chickens.

4. I have lots of neighbors. My neighbors are a very nice bunch. We help each other out with our yards, shoveling, and watching each other kids bike in the alley. We give each other treats like canned pears, just because we had extra and thought it would be nice to share.

Now I at the point where I am not sure if I will move when/if the day comes that we can afford to move. I've learned that much of my idea of Simple Living can be done right here. And I'm starting to really appreciate my little Simple Life In The City. Well, except maybe my kitchen.

My Simple Goals for 2010

I got this list from Down To Earth, and some of these things I'm already doing, but as usual, there are many things that I can do better. I feel like I'm kind of stopped and started this sort of stuff for the past couple years, and now I feel like I'm ready to just jump in and really start living a Simple Life.

• Thinking about what kind of life you want to live.

I have thought and thought about this, and I think I have figured out what a Simple Life means for our family.

• Controlling your spending with the aim of be debt-free

I tend to think that I am better at this than I ACTUALLY am. We don't use credit cards, we just paid off both of our cars, I buy mostly used. But I rationalize buying a lot of little things that we probably don't NEED. My goal is to only shop once a week.

• Learning how to look after yourself and your family, reskilling

Again, some good on this item, and some things that I could improve on. I know how to sew, clean, cook, crochet, teach, and some gardening. I could improve my gardening skills. I want to learn how to knit. (And I finally am! Signed up for a class and everything!) I need to learn more about doing home repairs. And I also need to be o.k. with the idea of not going back to work in a career outside of the home. Sometimes when I think about being a mother and homemaker and at least for know, a preschool teacher/daycare provider, it doesn't necessarily seem like the best use of my education and job skills. But really, when it is all said and done, taking care of my family is the most important.

• Shopping in a different way

I think I do fairly good with this. Or at least I know how to do this fairly well. When I am making a conscious effort to live a more simple life, I try to not shop often, and when I do, I try to buy clothes and non-edible items used. I shop for as many items as I can at Aldi's. I buy as much non-packaged food as possible, and cook simple meals from scratch. My goal is to shop like this at least 75% of the time.

• Eating healthy, local food

This one I know how, I just don't as often as I should. Healthy, local food also tends to be more expensive. There is also about 3 months out of the year that there are no local fruit and vegetables that are available. Also, healthy food also takes more time, and sometimes I eat non-healthy food because it is more convenient. Also, sometimes I eat non-healthy food because I love chocolate and Diet Pepsi. But another one of my big overall goals for 2010 is to try and eat and be fit for Life. That means that most of the time, eating is to provide fuel for myself and my family. I can provide fuel that tastes good to me, but I need to look at food in a different way. My goal will be to eat more healthy, local food in season, with as much as I can that is produced by myself, and to only eat food during the winter that was grown and then preserved by me, with the exception of meat. But meat will be as much as I can afford, local and healthy.

• Growing some of your own food

I made a good start with this one last year. I grew broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, onions, basil, oregano, parsley, cilantro, zucchini, and green beans. I'll probably grow the same things this summer, but more tomatoes and beans. At our house, we really enjoy green beans, and pasta with tomato sauce, so I know that we will eat these things.

• Disposing of disposables

I don't generally use disposable items for my family (with the exception of toilet paper), but I use paper towels for preschool, and so I also usually end up using paper towels for napkins with dinner. I do have many crocheted dish cloths though, and I do use them often. I could probably go without disposables, and I'm going to try and cut down this year.

• Green cleaning

Some good, some things I drop off on now and again. I don't use any chemical household products for my linoleum/wood floors, mirrors and surfaces, toilets, etc. However, I do use store bought dishwasher soap, and I sometimes use store bought laundry soap. My goal is do all green cleaning except for the dishwasher.

• Using your time wisely

A toughie for me sometimes, but I'm doing better. My goal is to limit my time "connected" - either the radio, TV, phone or computer to one hour a day, and to use a "To do" list more.

• Cutting back and making do

Sometimes things like this item make me feel sort of resentful because I feel like I've had to cut back and make do over the past few years, but now I'm trying to CHOSE to do it. It helps me feel differently about it. To me, it also means cutting back on outside commitments, and doing more things at home.

• Looking after what you own

I do fairly well with this. My kids, not so much, although it isn't because I haven't said things about it/yelled at them about it. I think we need to sit down and calmly talk about it and decide what I expect and what they can do to help, etc. Again, it would be helpful if I knew more about home repairs so that I could fix some things when they break, or at least know when it is time to call in a professional.

• Making home your center and connecting with your family and community

I do o.k. with this. I mean, I homeschool, so I see my children most of the time during the day, and we take them to outside activities, etc. But because I AM with my children during the day, sometimes I feel like I need to escape from them in the evenings. Sometimes by actually leaving the house, but also just by not being by them. And sometimes I don't do it because I feel the need to clean the house or prepare materials for preschool or whatever. Some of that time away from my family is necessary and o.k., but I need to find a better balance. I also need to bring more of a sense of community within our own home. Too often, we do activities outside of our home or meet with other people at other places besides our own home.

• Changing your definition of success

For me, this item sort of goes back to the learning to how to look after yourself/family. For me, until a few years ago, I didn't really look at homemaking as job that I could enjoy, improve on, find interesting, a way to learn new skills, etc. I just looked at it as something that had to be done. And it was something that I had to do more of once I was no longer working full-time. And until recently, it was something that I was doing until the kids got older and I could go back to work full-time. But now, doing what I am doing here at home - the homemaking and the teaching and caring of children, and doing it well - that is success to me now.

• Becoming independent - setting yourself free

It is something that I'm working towards. That's all I can do right now, and for the foreseeable future. But I live in the city in mid-size city in Midwest US, and I have 3 youngish (10, 8, and 5 years old) to take care of, so there are certain limits to my situation. But I can always strive to be more independent and self-reliant.

Do you ever feel like you are living a lie??

Well, I guess technically, I'm not living a lie. I just feel like I'm portraying myself as something I'm not on this blog. Or to be fair - not something that I'm much right now.

I want to be a simple, frugal, eat healthy, be healthy, natural, happy, person.

And right now, I'm not really any of those.

I don't know exactly when it all started to unravel. It was before the summer. So April maybe? May?

I started getting busy. Busier than I should be. Summer was kind of brutal for us. I overscheduled the kids, and tried to do too much. Which in retrospect makes me so upset with myself. I had such grand plans. Such nice, pleasant, relaxing dreams of a perfect summer. Picnics, and breathing, and watching clouds, and running. And walking with no destination in mind. And having some peaceful talks. Or just sitting.

Instead, there was driving. And not spending enough time at home. And not having time to cook on a regular basis, much less go on picnics.

So when things finally started to calm down by the beginning of August, I wanted to get capture it. There was time, right? And we did a little. But not enough. Not nearly enough.

So I put off homeschooling until the end of August instead of starting on the 17th. That was one good thing that I did do.

And we started harvesting. And putting stuff in the freezer. If I did nothing this summer, I wanted to be able to have something to show from the garden. And a couple weeks ago, we canned. And I'm happy about that.

But I haven't used a coupon in forever. I haven't followed my meal plans since May. I haven't done Once A Month meals since before that. I can't seem to find time to exercise. Or even grocery shop on a regular basis.

And my soda drinking has reached serious addiction level. Not in the quantity, but in the dailiness of it. I tried to break myself of it cold turkey. I tried to pretend that I didn't drink soda anymore by not buying it at the grocery store. So guess what I did? Stopped at the convenient store almost every morning for the past 3 weeks, and paid almost twice as much for a single soda. And if I didn't get my morning fix, I'd beg someone to bring me one, or post on Facebook that I was without caffiene, and then some magically appeared on my doorstop (Thanks again Sarah!)

OK, I haven't completely fallen off the wagon. My sister and I did the gardening and the canning. I was able to get lots of good deals at thrift sales and garage sales, and bought practically nothing new in the past 4 or 5 months. I use mostly natural cleaners. I use knitted washrags. My sewing machine is not just collecting dust in the closet.

And the happy???

Trying. Guess that's better than not trying, based on my past experiences.

And tomorrow's a new day. I was on the bandwagon once. And I think I'm slowing getting back on.

Why does it cost so much to live simply?

I've asked this before, and it really doesn't. It is just that I always want to do everything ALL AT ONCE. But it is just so hard to resist!

I was thinking last night about how I wanted to make comforters for the beds. I looked at my fabric stash, and I really don't have enough cotton (or anything really besides knits or fleece, and that's not really the look I was going for) to make anybody a comforter, much less four of them. And I don't have batting. Or a quilting foot.

OK, how about knitting some sweaters? Or A sweater? Oh, yea. I still don't know how to knit. And the only yarn that I have enough of to make a sweater is maroon acrylic yarn. Which is not really the look I'm going for.

OK, how about food storage? That won't be expensive! That will save me money! Except stockpiling initially costs MORE money. And the shelving costs money. And the canning supplies cost money. Oh, and even gardening, you have to pay for the plants, or the seeds, the tiller, or at least gloves and a hoe.

I'll homeschool! Then I won't have to pay for school supplies, or school fees, and school lunch, and the weekly fundraising things. Except that uh, I still have to pay for school supplies. And books. And bookshelves. And math manipulatives. And globes. And volcano kits. And I probably will have to feed them too, so I'll still have lunch expenses, although hopefully less.

I will say that making my own cleaning supplies has saved me money. Woo-hoo!

I told myself last year to take it one step at a time. And I'm reminding myself again. And I'm doing a little better too since last year.

I might not be able to make comforters right now. But I've got enough material to make the girls a few cotton skirts. It's a start. And I don't know how to knit, but I know how to crochet a dishcloth. I even have some cotton yarn! I can make one of those in the next few days. And I've got enough for 3 or 4 more after that. I got one set of shelves and they were on sale. I asked for canning supplies for an early birthday present. I've found a dozen jars at garage sales. And I've got borrowed many school books, or got them for a low priced used, and I've only spent $7 total for the 5 bookcases in the schoolroom.

I'll get there. I just wish that I would get there a LITTLE faster.

Small Steps

I always have big goals, and I want to accomplish them - like the next day. I'm not a very patient person overall, but particularly when I'm driven to do something. And what inevitably happens is that if I can't accomplish my goal in a few days or a few weeks, I give up and don't do it at all.

But Rhonda from down to earth reminds me that small steps are best and that it will be worth it in the end.

What I'm saying is that taking small steps is the way to a brighter and simple future. Small steps are easier and less scary than grand gestures and if you make a mistake, it doesn't matter, you just fix it and move on. But the great thing about small steps is they lead to other things. They open up possibilities and show you that change is achievable. And if you follow the path those small steps open up for you, you'll turn a corner one day and know you're living simply.

Other small steps you might like to consider are: slowing down and taking time for yourself - even it's in little bits and pieces; growing some of your own food; baking from scratch - bread, rolls, sourdough, cakes, muffins etc.; reading your electricity or water meters; cleaning your teeth with salt or bicarb; shampooing your hair with bicarb; using a cotton shopping bag; making your own shopping bag; using cloth table napkins; keeping chickens; decluttering your home; making do with what you have; taking shorter showers; talking to your children about conservation - ask them what they know, they might surprise you; using a Diva cup, homemade pads or non disposable nappies/diapers; reusing; repairing; recycling; smiling, opening your windows (in warm weather); opening up your heart (all the time); talking to your neighbours; supporting local growers and traders; spending time with your family and friends; learning how to knit and sew; cutting back on what you spend at Christmas; growing herbs or fruit; and making a commitment to change and live the life you want instead of what is expected of you by your family, friends and neighbours.

Some of these things I've been doing awhile, and some I've been workin on this year, but my goal is by the end of 2009 (so that gives me a little over a year) that I'll be able to say that I've made improvements in all the small things that Rhonda listed. I have a Plan for 2009, but more on that near the end of the month.

Thanksgiving Farmer's Market

I go to our local Farmer's Market, held outside in the town square, almost every Saturday from May until October. I've been missing going out and looking at the vegetables, touching them, trying to decide what I want to eat this week, looking at the flowers and spices, talking with the farmers. Well, I saw in the paper that they were having a Thanksgiving Farmer's Market today from 10 am - 2 pm held inside the sports coliseum, so of course, we went. We had a great time - we saw many of the "regulars" and a few new people. We tried samples of local cheese, roasted brussels sprouts and chestnuts (YUM!), chicken noodle and minestrone soup, and pumpkin almond bars.

They were selling turkey, beef, chicken, eggs, spinach, apples, sweet potatoes, potatoes, salsas, ornamental and squirrel corn, garlic, turnips, honey, and cheese and there were several craft/art tables too. I came home with ornamental corn (I mentioned that I was a preschool teacher, and I use the corn as a tweezing activity. I wasn't looking for him to give it to me for free, I was just having a conversation, but then he said to just take as much as I wanted for no charge! I took two and thanked him!) honey, garlic, eggs, and sweet potatoes. I was tempted to get some cheese curds, peach salsa, and a pair of earrings, but I resisted the urge.

So while still basking in my naturalness, I decided to go to the mall. LOL. Those people that know me know that I'm not a big fan of going to the mall, but I wasn't in the mood to go home yet, and it was close and it had been a LONG time since I'd been to the local mall. I ended up getting some great deals - a plum pullover sweater at JCPenney for $3.43 (with tax) and 4 shirts and a pair of socks at Old Navy for $5.82. When I can get those kind of prices at the mall for new clothes, then I don't feel quite as guilty for spending the money and shopping isn't quite the torture that it usually is for me.

I must admit that I went shopping a few weeks ago and it WAS pretty tortuous until right near the end when I ended up in Gap Kids (which I haven't been in in probably 5 years) and I was looking at the clearance rack, and they also had an additional 30% off that day. I ended up buying 9 pieces for $60.03. It is all for the Simple Kids for Christmas presents. I felt pretty good about that deal too.

So in case you are worried that I live a completely natural, simple, organized life all the time, I don't all the time. I'd like to do a better job with it, and I write about it here to motivate myself, and to write down the things that we are doing in case it can be helpful to anyone else. But I have days when I'm stressed out, days when I'm completely disorganized, days when the house is a mess, and days when I don't feel like cooking, and days when I am crabby. Hey, I even went to McDonald's today!

Updated the Simple Blog list

Just a quick post to let you know that I added some new blog links to the Simple Blog list. Check them out!

Living Simply?

I know it is no secret to most people that it is my ideal to live a simple life. And living a simple life sounds like it would be, of course, simple to do, once you decided to do it. But the problem I keep finding is that living a simple life, or at least my ideal simple life, isn't simple to do, and it isn't necessarily an inexpensive life either , at least not initially.

I'd like to have us all wear natural fiber clothing and only have the basics of what we need and to make most, if not all of our clothing. BUT, I have enough clothing for everyone right now with some small exceptions (like snow boots, and there again, do I have the kids wear leather boots, or do I get the ones made of with waterproof/non-natural material with plastic soles?) Does it make sense to sell the clothes that we have and only make about $50 and then buy cotton material and wool yarn, and patterns, notions, etc., which will cost much more than $50? Not to mention that I don't really have the time in my life to be making our clothes right now. Or do I just realize that it isn't really possible to live the ideal right now and just fill in with an handmade outfit or two here, and a crocheted hat or scarf there?

I'd like to be able to have a three month supply of food, including wheat, sugar, and salt. I've do have close to a three month supply of canned food, but that's as far as I've gotten, due to a) finances and b) available storage space. Now I could always do better with spending our money more wisely, but frankly, we are pretty frugal right now out of necessity and there isn't a whole lot left over to do a major purchase of food. And the storage issue? Again, I'm sure that I could do better with eliminating items and clutter from my home, but the only place that I see as being a real viable storage option is our downstairs storage closet (10 feet deep by 5 feet wide). However, it is currently housing holiday decorations, a few tubs of misc. stuff that I'm not willing to part with yet, and a tub of out of season clothing. These tubs could go in the garage, but then I'd have to either get some shelves or to shelving system like this, and we're back at the finances issue of not having money to get shelving. So do I spend money that I don't really have right now for shelving and for food, or do I just realize that I can't live my ideal right now and just pick up a pound of wheat here and a pound of sugar there?

I really want to be able to be more self-reliant when it comes to our food needs. I'd love it if we could have a big enough garden to grow all the food that we love and will eat, and be able to have a freezer to preserve some of the harvest as well as canning supplies to preserve some of the harvest. We don't have a huge lot, and it is sodded, but I could do more with square foot gardening, but I still don't know if I could do enough beds to live off of the food from our garden. And, of course, I'd need to buy the materials for the beds and the seeds, and gardening supplies that I don't already have. And I'd have to buy canning jars and canning materials. And a freezer. And a Kitchen Aid. With a food processor attachment. And a wheat grinder attachment. And a meat grinder attachment. And, of course I don't have the money for that. So do I spend money I don't have to get it or do I just try and realize that I can't live my ideal right now and grow a little more, and can a few jars, and freeze a few bags and borrow my sister's Kitchen Aid on occassion?

Of course, the answer is to just do a little more instead of doing it all right now. That's always the answer to so many things in life. But patience has never been something that I have done well. Once I decide something, I want to figure out a way to accomplish it. Preferably quickly. But I need to learn to enjoy the journey and all its ups and downs instead of just looking at the end goal. Simple, right?

More from Laura

From "A Bouquet of Flowers"

The little white daisies with their hearts of gold grew thickly along the path where we walked to Sunday School. Father and sister and I used to walk the 2 1/2 miles every Sunday morning. The horses had worked hard all week and must rest this one day so with Father and Sister Mary I walked to the church thru the beauties of the sunny spring Sundays. I have forgotten what I was taught on those days also. I was only a little girl, you know. But I can still plainly see the grass and the trees and the path winding ahead, flecked with sunshine and shadow and the beautiful golden-hearted daisies scattered all along the way.

Ah well! That was years ago and there have been so many changes since then that it would seem such simple things should be forgotten, but at the long last I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.

So the title of my blog isn't what I was originally going to call it

I was originally going to call this blog - Blame It On Laura. As in Ingalls Wilder. I was a HUGE fan of the books and then the show (yes, I'm definitely old enough to remember the show). It always bothered me that the show didn't stay true to the books, and Flower made a similar comment the other day, so apparently I'm not the only one who gets bothered by things like that. :)

Anyway, Flower started reading the Little House books a couple of years ago. One year for Christmas, she asked for the Little House Cookbook. Her lovely Aunt Lisa and her family gave it to her. She looked at it for days, and we cooked a few of the things in the book, and then she couldn't find the book. She finally asked me about it, and I told her that I was reading it. She said "Because you are looking for more recipes for us to try?" I said "Well, yes, but I'm also reading it because I find it really interesting to see how they cooked back then, and what they used, and how they used food that was in season and things like that." She looked at me a little funny, but just said "Well, give it back pretty soon, o.k?" I promised that I would. And I did.

But from that time on, I really started to become interested in cooking and eating more naturally (Sorry Laura, I do draw the line at lard, but I try to eat whole foods and things locally and organically and in season.) I decided to start storing food and other necessary items, but I knew that I didn't have the space or the money to have a large supply. I started with trying to have two weeks of the food that we eat on hand, and now, I have three months of most things, with the exception of eggs, milk and fresh produce.

Then after a few months of trying to live like this, a friend gave me a book called "Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Family Collection." This book is a collection of articles written by Laura for the Missouri Ruralist, a widely-read farm paper, between 1911 and 1918. They talk about what she thought about and how she lived. I read this book in one sitting, and then again more slowly, and a third time to pick out the quotes that I loved.

After reading this, I knew that I wanted to try and live a more simple, more self-sufficient life, and it was when my journey toward simple living really began.

So in this post, and whenever I feel like it LOL, I'll include little snippets of articles that spoke to me. If they don't speak to you, well, skip 'em. :)

From "Doing Our Best":

I am proud of Marian because she is not a quitter; because she can take
disappointment without a whimper and go bravely ahead with her undertakings even
tho things do not always work out as she would like. I am sure, as the
years pass, Marian will answer perfectly that good, old description of a lady,
"Still mistress of herself tho china fall."

Marian failed to send her application in time to become a member of the
Ruralist Poultry Club, but she is hustler nevertheless and should not be classed
as being too slow to win in the race for membership. It was not really her
fault, for the Missouri Ruralist does not come to her home, so she had not read
about the club and as she is a little girl, only 10 years old, I did not tell
her of the club until I had spent some time telling older girls about it.
You see she did not have a fair start.

When she received word that the club membership was complete and her
application was too late, the least that might have been expected was a crying
spell, but not this little girl! She sat still a moment and then said
quietly: "Well, I'm going ahead just the same. Maybe some of the other
girls will drop out and there will be a place for me, anyway I'll be learning
how."

Doing the best we can is all that could be expected of us in any case, but
did you ever notice how hard it is to do our best if we allow ourselves to
become discouraged? It is so easy to slump a little when we can give the
blame to circumstances. I think Marian has found the way to overcome this
by being so busy with mind and muscle at the work in hand that there is no
thoughts of failure or for bemoaning our hard luck."