Simplicity

Reduce Stress by Creating New Traditions

/

December is one of the most hectic, crazy, and hopefully fun months of the year. There are the holiday parties at the work place, schools, friends’ parties, and family gatherings.  Then there is the shopping for gifts plus the shopping for groceries for meals and baking. Don’t forget there are all the decorations to put up to create that festive mood in your home. Plus sending out all those greeting cards!

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, or both there are a lot of preparations for the holidays.

Along with all these activities comes a lot of stress. The expectations are high. Usually these high expectations come from long standing traditions, many which we don’t even know where they came from.  Maybe it’s time to lower those expectations and create some new traditions that fit our lifestyle of today.

It’s not always easy to change a tradition without feeling guilty, especially if it’s been handed down for several generations. If you enjoy the tradition then go ahead and keep it going.  If you don’t enjoy it you probably experience un-needed stress to keep it going.  Maybe it’s time to question why!

Here is a little story about following traditions and not knowing why.  I’ve heard many times in different ways. Some call it “Grandma’s Cooking Secret”.

A young newlywed was cooking a brisket.  Her husband asked her why she cut off both ends of the brisket before putting it in the roasting pan.  She replied that was the way her mother always did it.  She later asked her mother why and her reply to her daughter was because her mother had always done it that way.  The next time they were over at the newlywed’s grandmother’s house she asked her why she always cut off the ends of the brisket. The grandmother replied, “because my roasting pan was too small”.

Snopes has several variations of this story. They will make you question why you follow some of your traditions.

Start some new traditions this year that fit your current family, not past generations. You’ll be starting new traditions to pass down to your children. And let them know why you are doing things your way.  Be opened minded about your children wanting to create some of their own new traditions.

Change is sometimes hard to accept. If you’re not happy with a new tradition then you can always go back to the old one next year.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

 

Reduce Stress by Creating New Traditions Read More »

Giving The Gift of the Holiday Spirit

/

From the news reports about Black Friday and Cyber Monday people really got an early start on the shopping.  The numbers were up from last year. People are in a buying mood and gift giving mood.  That is all part of the holiday spirit.

I was reading an article in my local paper that talked about ways to enjoy happier holidays by spreading that gift giving to help others not so fortunate. It doesn’t mean just buying things for others it also means giving your time, your compassion, and your friendship.

It can also mean giving your unused things that are gathering dust and cluttering up your home to someone who can use them. Many churches and synagogues have coat drives, food drives, and toy drives at this time of year. You’ll feel happier knowing your unused things will make holidays a little brighter for someone else.

How To Bless Others For The Holidays

Here is a list of some things you can do to make the holidays a little happier for others. Get your family involved. Create a new family tradition of giving.

  1. Write a “Letter from Santa” to a child. Check your post office, local church, or charity to see if they sponsor this kind of program.
  2. If you have an elderly neighbor you can offer to help them put their decorations up or help clean up their house for the holidays.
  3. Visit a nursing home with your children. Have your children make ornaments or other small decorations to give the residents. This is a creative way to use up some of those craft supplies. Be sure to call the nursing home first to get permission. This is also a great activity for girl scouts or boy scout troops. I still have fond memories of doing this when I was a girl scout.
How To Bless Others Year Round

There are lots of little things you can do that don’t take any extra time on your part. But they could have a big impact on both the recipient and you.

  1. Smile at someone. It just might change their mood if they are having a bad day.
  2. Hold a door open for someone who’s arms are filled with packages, a child, etc.
  3. Tell a fast food employee or other hard worker that they are doing a good job. They rarely hear this.
  4. If you see someone struggling to get an item off of a high shelf offer to help if you can. They will appreciate it and you’ll feel good helping.

There are plenty of other things you can do to help give the holiday spirit to others. If you have any suggests to help brighten someone’s holiday spirit, please share in the comment section. Thanks.

For it is in giving that we receive. ~ Francis of Assisi

No one has ever become poor by giving. ~ Anne Frank

Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need. ~ Khalil Gibran

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

 

Giving The Gift of the Holiday Spirit Read More »

Changing Fall Colors

/

I changed the banner above to reflect some of the colors and events that happen during September. Every year there is the Great Forest Park Balloon Race here in St. Louis. There are some neat photos on the site but I think my photo is pretty good also.  I plan on going to this year’s race this Sat. and hope to get some more great pictures.

Anyway, all the photos above were taken at Forest Park over the last couple of years during the month of September.

Now is a good time to get out your cameras and head to a local park. As nature creates her collage of changing colors you just may capture that great photo to print and hang as a fall decoration.

IMGP1734

With the days getting shorter and cooler it’s time to change the decorations inside and out. The mums, pansies and other cool weather plants are showing up at the garden centers. Dig out the tired leggy summer plants and plant up a few of the fall plants. Just adding a couple of pots of golden or purple mums by your front door will brighten the entrance.

IMGP1733

Towards October the gourds, pumpkins, and colored corn will be at the stores. These make clutter free decorations because you either compost them or throw them away after the season is over.  If you decorate for Halloween and/or Thanksgiving these kind of things will blend right in with your other decorations. In fact, with the natural, seasonal items you’ll need fewer items that need to be stored for 10 plus months of the year.

In my last blog post I told you about my Halloween eBook.  It is now available on Amazon for the Kindle and on Barnes and Noble for the Nook.  On my sales page I have the link for Amazon already up but I’m waiting for the link for Barnes and Noble. It’s also available as a PDF for your PC.  In the chapter on decorating I talk about some of the ideas above. If you decorate for Halloween then it’s not too early to purchase the eBook. Start with the fall decorating and build on that.

Learn more about what the eBook has in it here:  http://organizebythemonth.com/how-to-have-a-fun-safe-and-decluttered-halloween-2/

 

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

Changing Fall Colors Read More »

New Look: Clean and Simple

/

After three years of the same theme I have decided it was time to clean up and simplify the look of my blog.  The brighter cleaner look makes me want to write more about decluttering and organizing. It’s motivating to share those tips on a simple looking blog.  I hope you find it easier to read also.

I’m still working on tweaking it to make it more user friendly.  I’m always open to suggestions if you have any.

I did want to let you know that the picture in the header above is of the Grand Basin in Forest Park, St. Louis, MO.  This is keeping with the theme of vacationing in your own town. I’m lucking to have this park and many others around to take advantage of during nice weather.

Of course St. Louis is in the middle of a heat spell like most of the mid-west and southern states.  That’s when indoor options or cooling water options work best. If you’re trying to keep those out-of-school children busy be sure to check out your local museums, bowling alleys, swimming pools, or movie theaters.

There is always the sprinkler in the backyard to help keep them cool, active, and out of trouble for a little while. It’s clean and simple. Just don’t run the sprinkler in one place for too long or the clean part will end up a muddy mess!

Please let me know how you like the new look of this blog. If you don’t already get blog post updates in you email you can sign up here.

Janice

P.S.  If you are planning a garage sale this summer you’ll want to get this eBook first. Learn how to use the garage sale as a tool to help you clear out a lot of clutter from your home.  Check it out here:  https://cutclutterwithscissors.com/decluttering-with-a-garage-sale-ebook/

New Look: Clean and Simple Read More »

Take Time To Enjoy The Moments

/

I’m sitting on my porch in the late afternoon on an April spring day writing this blog post. The birds are talking up a storm. A gentle breeze is tickling the newborn leaves on a nearby tree.

I’m trying to relax and enjoy the moment. Life is all about the moments but so often we miss them in the pursuit of taking care of the things that should be done, have to be done, or need to be done.

As Willy Wonka said: “So much time, and so little to do! Strike that, reverse it.”  We rush through our lives trying to take care of all those little things we feel are so important. But how important are they in the big scheme of our lives?

Right now I’m replenishing my soul by enjoying the moment of this Spring afternoon. I’m working hard to not feel guilty because I’m not taking advantage of the nice weather and cleaning out the perennial beds. Or spaying the weeds in the lawn. Or pruning back the wayward branches on the shrub roses. There are so many things I could be doing or should be doing but instead I’m sitting here just taking in the sights and sounds of my back yard.

So many of us have been brought up to believe that we are lazy and selfish is we take time for ourselves. So we keep  ourselves busy doing all those “shoulds”, “have to’s”, and “need to’s” so we can feel like productive people.

It’s time to stop the madness! We aren’t perfect! We aren’t machines! We are living beings. We are suppose to rest, renew, and replenish. Not work ourselves into a grave. We need to be more like nature and learn from her.

Get outside and take a good look at the trees, grass, shrubs, and flowers. The leaves aren’t all perfectly shaped. The shrubs don’t grow the same length branches. The yellow dandelion blooms amongst the purple violets in a sea of green velvet grass. We may consider them weeds but you can’t deny the beautiful picture they paint.

 

If we can look past natures’ imperfections and see the beauty she offers us then why can’t we look past our own imperfections and see the beauty we have to offer the world? Have we set impossibly high standards for ourselves?

Take the time today to enjoy the moments that are offered to you. Take the time to see the beauty in yourself. Not only do you deserve it you have a duty to show your beauty to yourself and the world. Nature does it everyday.

 

 

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

Take Time To Enjoy The Moments Read More »