The Simple Life

[Dia Minha]

I have been reading "The Little House" series out loud with my little girls. I read them as a child, but reading them as an adult has opened up so many feelings. I want to live like Laura, Mary, Baby Carrie, Ma and Pa did in the little house in the big woods. So much hard work in order to just survive, yet so simple . . . so direct . . . so few distractions. It took all day . . . even days, sometimes a week or more to get a meal on the table, yet it was a simple, healthy, delicious meal that was so throughly enjoyed. Clothes were sewn and washed by hand, house were built by their owners, yet hard work brought such great simple, little pleasures in every day life. I want that. How can I do that? How can I find pleasure in fixing meals for my family, washing their clothes, making their Halloween costumes, etc.? Last Sunday our ward's Sacrament Meeting topic was finding joy in our posterity. I don't think I have a problem finding joy in my children. There isn't an hour or two that goes by that one of them doesn't do something no matter how little or how big that brings me joy. However, I realized I wanted to find more joy in the chore and duties I do every day for my family. How do you enjoy the mundane, everyday, service you give your family?

[Erudite]

I love these thoughts/questions! It's late right now but I will try to come back soon and muse about this with you.

[Dia Minha]

The other night I was sitting on the couch in the family room with a perfect view of the laundry room and found myself admiring my hard work for the day . . . laundry. I have been trying to implement a laundry day, where I do most of the laundry, at least the clothes, leaving the beds, towels, rags, etc. for single load days. Anyway, I have a system of hanging up most of the clothes, as soon as they come out of the dryer, on shower curtains rods that expand the laundry room. Monday we had a major DI shopping trip and had hit the jackpot and found so many treasures for each of my children's wardrobes. As I took a moment to look at all their new found items all hanging up all clean and neat, some already matched up with existing pieces to form entire outfits, some still waiting for finishing touches, such us undershirts or tights, I felt a little of the joy, I had been missing.

Laundry use to be my favorite household chore, but had lost a lot of the joy last year, when I was "working" outside the home two days a week and it just became another something that had to be done and seemingly not enough time to do it. One conclusion I came to is that it isn't necessarily the laundry I find joy in, it is the second hand shopping and dressing my children like fashion princesses and princes on a small budget. Now I just need to figure out a schedule so I can visit my favorite DI's on a more regular basis, instead of spending $150 in one shot. They were all in desperate need, but keep in mind that was, 2 pairs of jeans (one high end brand), 2 pairs of black slacks (again one high end brand), 3 skirts, 1 dress jacket, 1 cropped sweater and at least 4 tops for my 13 yr old, about 10 really nice button down the front shirts and a really nice pair of plaid shorts for my 12 yr old, 5 shirts and 1 church sweater for my 10 yr old, 5 very cute tops, 1 adorable plaid skirt, and 1 pair of high end khakis for my 7 yr old, and two sweet demin jumpers and a couple of tops for my 5 yr old. My oldest is the easiest to shop for, because she still fits in all the larger girl sizes as well as the smaller women's sizes. The boys are harder and we very seldom find shorts or pants for them, but so exciting when we do, yet we can always find some really cool shirts and since they have decided they love the plaid, buttoned, shirt sleeve shirts over a long sleeve T, shopping has become a lot of fun for them. We were just at the Tooele DI, which never as a very good smaller girl section, but I can't wait to hit the West Valley DI, because they always seem to have a great selection for the little girls and they still could use a few tops.

Just wanted to share. My DH tries, but just can't share in the "second hand shopping" excitement. He doesn't see how much I purchased, he just sees the $ sign at the end and thinks it is too much.

[Erudite]

Amen, sister! I totally get that. I LOVE DI shopping where I come home with a complete wardrobe for a child for $40. I spend a lot of time doing it right too. I take one child at a time and we pick everything the child wants to try on and then head for the dressing room. From there, we attempt to match to make complete outfits. I rarely come home with single pieces. That way the child always has matching pieces for any item in the drawers/closet.

I also say "AMEN" to the above thought about having enough time to do a job well as opposed not having enough time so that it becomes another hurried item on the checklist. That's what really resonated with me and made me think. I've been so crazy busy of late that nearly everything is a hurried to-do item or another lecture to my kids to PLEASE help out! Mom can't do it all and YOU are the ones making (and not cleaning up) the messes! (which doesn't usually result in more than mometary effort...).

I really like being able to take care of my home, cook good meals, preserve food, and garden. But I also really like volunteering in the school, teaching part-time for a university, and doing my church calling. I like being with my kids and goofing off too...and somehow, the day just doesn't seem to hold that much. You know?

I'm still thinkin' about this!

[Dia Minha]

I guess the solution is to just find the joy in the task. Every task must have something that can and will make it more enjoyable, if that is what I am looking for. I can enjoy laundry when I take the time to do it right and enjoy creating my children's outfits and hanging them up neatly, because that is what brings me the joy.
,XI can enjoy doing the dishes, because it makes my kitchenn they are all done.

I can imagine I can enjoy taking the time to prepare a nice healthy dinner for my family, I just have to figure out how to actually plan

[Erudite]

I think I probably need to do less. I'm looking at what I've given myself to accomplish this week and I'm just sighing! But my kids did a pretty good job at their zones last night, so there's not much of the house to take care of. I just have some long hours in front of the computer (I'm typing this on my "lunch" break.) and that doesn't make for much joy in the tasks, though I want to do all that I've given myself (with the exception of the job that actually pays me...I'm REALLY bored with that one, but it's the one I have to get out of the way first).

Anyway...my lunch is eaten, so I need to get to work. Thanks for the opportunity to remember that "simplify" is more than just a trite expression!