finding simplicity.

simplicity. my one-little-word for 2014. so how have i done at making this word a part of my life? for the most part, pretty darn good. i try to keep this word in the forefront of my mind and try to use it as a guide in my every day tasks. for example, now that we have 9AM church, in order to not have a crazy morning, i pack my church bag the night before, and i lay out what brooklyn will wear. it sounds like such a small thing, and it is, but it simplifies sunday morning for me and makes a HUGE difference. i am not even kidding. it makes for a happy toddler and parents during sacrament meeting because i am prepared with a bag of tricks. i had tried a few other things a few years ago when brooklyn was just tiny and we had 9AM church, but it was too complicated. the system didn't work. simplicity. it works.

on tuesday and thursday nights when james gets home a little earlier and has only an hour to spend with us for dinner and quality time, i make simple dinners. ones that don't take a huge chunk of my afternoon to prepare, and that are easy to clean-up. they make it so nice. then, after we're eating, i can have it all cleaned up while we talk. and by the time james walks out the door, brooklyn has my undivided attention. i'm not stuck in the kitchen doing a million dishes. 

these things might almost seem just dumb, but honestly, finding ways to incorporate 'simplicity' into my daily life is a life saver. there are already too many things to do in a day. i want our home to be in a state of simplicity. i want it to be fun and not too stressful. i want it to be a place where things get done, but in a way that doesn't make us all crazy. it's not always easy and sometimes it seems too difficult to figure out a simpler way of doing things, but in the end it's totally worth it. 

and the more i can squeeze out of my time with this little two year old, the better. after all, she will be sharing me in just a few months.

and we can't wait to find out if she'll be sharing me with a baby brother or a baby sister! 

(stay tuned for that announcement! especially if you follow me on instagram or facebook, you'll find out much sooner there.)

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." - Leonardo da Vinci