In the city where I live, there are practically limitless opportunities for children to participate in enrichment activities. There are opportunities to partake in sports of every kind, music lessons, scouting, writing workshops, martial arts training, art classes, science classes, dance lessons, math enrichment and even manners training.
Allowing our children to try all of the things that interest them can get overwhelming pretty quickly. Continue Reading
I’ve been noticing people’s habits lately. Mostly, I’ve noticed individual’s tendency to be on time — or be chronically late.
It’s always obvious who is on time when meeting others in person. But in-person meetings aren’t the only instances where we can offend others by being late.
For some time now, I’ve felt a strong push (or pull?) to move. I dream about living in a condo where someone else would take care of yard work and there would be less rooms to clean. Or a sustainable home that generates its own energy and distributes grey water to the gardens.
I’ve even fantasized about living in another country like Denmark. They always rank so high in happiness ratings, afterall. Of course I don’t speak any Danish, so that might be a problem.
But mostly, I imagine an extended period of time where I would be able to shed most of my material burdens and focus on my family. Where we could all enjoy each other’s company rather than play paper-scissors-rock to decide who gets to weed the flower beds this week. Continue Reading
Photo taken on vacation of the beautiful oak trees on Magnolia Street in St. Augustine FL
Wow. These past few weeks have been a whirlwind. After vacation at the beginning of August, I had both kids home with me until my oldest started school yesterday. Trying to work (or eat lunch, or use the restroom…) with both kids at home proved to be quite the challenge.
And blogging fell by the wayside.
As the new school year picks up and I prepare my youngest for preschool, I’m becoming excited at the prospect of a little bit of time to myself this coming year. Continue Reading
It’s been about two months since I quit my full-time job. During this time I’ve been trying to balance freelance projects with a newfound freedom.
When I go though a big change to my daily routine, it typically takes me a few months to reorganize and focus my time. I tend to get overwhelmed when my days dramatically shift.
While I don’t miss working full-time, I do miss the predictability of my days. Continue Reading
Today is my 35th birthday, so I’m going to be a bit self indulgent and send you a quick note about an exciting opportunity I was fortunate enough to participate in. On Wednesday, August 1st, I appeared in CNN Money’s Debt Busters! gallery, which you may have already known if you follow me on Facebook.
What is your ideal life? How far away is your ideal life from where you are today? What can you do this week to start closing the gap?
For me, the ideal life involves a flexible work schedule that allows for plenty of traveling and time with my family. It also involves doing work I’m passionate about.
What do you love to do? How could you turn your passion into your work? What’s in the way?
The following is a guest post from Mohamed Tohami of Midway Simplicity.
Let’s have a quick look at one part of the economic system of Ancient Egypt.
Agriculture produce collected as government revenue was treated in the following way:
What a simple, impressive economic system! This system was created more than 5000 years ago. Continue Reading
Over a year ago, I wrote a post about making homemade liquid laundry detergent. I loved and used the recipe exclusively — until a simpler recipe stole my heart a few weeks ago.
Powder Laundry Detergent!
This recipe is so quick, easy and compact to store. And it works great.
To make: Chop soap into small pieces. Add washing soda, borax and chopped soap to blender or food processor. Blend or process until mixture is a fine powder (about a minute or two). Store in an airtight container. Continue Reading
A recent power outage in my area that lasted up to nine days for many people prompted me to begin assembling an emergency kit of sorts. I realized that my family doesn’t keep any nonperishable food, and we never stock extra water. It’s become clear to me that having some basic supplies in case of an emergency is important.
There were so many great suggestions on my last post from many of you about what to keep in case of an emergency. Thank you!
In talking with others, I’ve discovered most everyone keeps some kind of emergency supplies. I know it can get out of hand (my cousin was telling me about her friend that has three years of dehydrated food stored!). But having at least a few days worth of food and water for you and your family just makes good sense. Continue Reading
